I had a funny experience on my 1000th day in Taiwan. I ate a thin slice of raw meat thinking that it was cooked and ready to eat. The slices of meat were supposed to be dip first in a boiling sauce of a hot pot until its red color would change to light brown before eating. But instead of getting uneasy, I got more excited as the English-speaking waitress of Wúlǎoguō taught me how to properly enjoy my meal.
There were a lot of good reviews of this restaurant so I went here to celebrate my Taiwan Day 1000. According to previous customers, the service of its staff was good and even the choices of dishes were also great. Wúlǎoguō is a member of the Tripodking Dining Group which specializes in this kind of hot pot industry. There was no question about the taste of the dishes that the restaurant offers. My visit was actually a test on the restaurant staff on how they would handle a foreigner who doesn't have any experience of eating food from a boiling pot.
Wúlǎoguō have three branches in Taipei. The first one is in Zhongshan N. Road, the other one is located in Xinsheng S. Road and the last one is located along Civic Blvd. I chose to dine at the Xinsheng S. Road branch. It was close to the MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station and from Exit 1 I walked for 400 meters to reach the place. They have a website but it was not in English so I wasn't able to reserve a seat. Upon entering the restaurant, a guy instantly talked to me a Chinese and showed me a piece of paper with written names of people and signatures. It was actually the list of people who were expected to arrive at the restaurant and since I was just alone I was assigned to a table within 10 minutes of waiting.
I ordered the two flavors hot pot which based on the menu was the best seller, a set of red meat rolls (Escalope of Prime Beef) and a bottle of the very tasty Taiwan mango beer. The English-speaking waitress took notes of my orders and she tried her best to explain to me the dishes. I also requested a piece of tofu ice cream in which I don't have any idea if it was actually an ice cream nor was it for. While waiting for five minutes, I noticed a green kettle and a set of four glass bottles with a white liquid. Hmmm...
 |
| the tofu ice cream |
 |
| Taiwan mango beer |
 |
| my glass of beer |
The controversial rolls of thins slices of meat arrived first and I was do delighted with its color. Then, a large bowl was put in the middle of my table. There was a burner in front of me and it was placed above it. I was also told not to touch that area in order to avoid any accident. The bowl was not empty and it contained the two broth flavors of the hot pot dish that I ordered. The burner was lighted and I was told by the waitress to wait until the solution boils. My bottle of beer was also opened and the sound of splashing beer filled my glass. The waitress left my table like it was just an ordinary day in the office.
I have my hot pot on my table, my mango beer was on my right side and the rolls of red meat was just in front of me. Everything seemed to be complete so I started my celebration. I started with one slice of meat, put it inside my mouth and started chewing it. “This is still raw! Something is wrong”, I silently told myself. My hot pot was already boiling and I don't know what to do next so I immediately stood up and looked for my guide.
My waitress demonstrates how to cook the sliced meat in my hot pot.
I also tried the technique and it was fun.
the fresh meat
I dipped it!
It was like magic.
the cooked meat
One more time!
She went to my table but I didn't tell her that I ate the raw meat. Haha! I was focused on what she will do to the hot pot. She grabbed the tong and picked one slice of meat and dipped it in the boiling pot. I was amazed when the red color of the meat suddenly turned pink and another dip in the boiling pot it totally changed its color to light brown. The cooked meat was then put in a small saucer and I was told that there was unlimited rice in one corner of the restaurant.
 |
| I also scooped the tofu ice cream and ate it. |
I ate the cooked meat and my mouth exploded with its taste. While the meat was very tasty, the two broths of my hot pot have a different story. There was a divider that prevents the mixing of the two solutions on the pot. I really liked the white soup and it tasted like a macaroni soup. I mixed the contents of the white liquid and I was surprised to scoop a large ginseng. The red liquid was the spicy one but it was not that spicy unlike the foods that my Indian friends used to cook. On a spicy level of 1 to 10 with 1 being the least spicy and the 10 as the spiciest, I gave the red broth with a spicy level of 2 to 3. Steam continuously rose as I enjoyed my meal. When the pot was almost dried up the contents of the four glass bottles that I was so curios about was poured to the pot by my waitress. It was for refilling purposes of the broth and I can always request if I wanted more.
 |
| peach-mango ice |
There was no dessert on the menu and the sweet stuff that I saw on the menu were things that can be optionally added on the hotpot. I was already satisfied with the Taiwan mango beer until a small transparent serving glass was put on my table. It was the peach-mango ice and my female guide poured some on a small vial. I fell in love with its taste. It was then replaced by another batch of the sweet cold liquid after drinking all of it.
Before I left the restaurant, I was given an evaluation form in Chinese. The helpful female employee helped translate the Chinese characters on the form to English and I was asked to evaluate them, the dishes and the whole restaurant as a whole. I was even asked for any suggestions on how to improve their services but I was at lost for words at that time. They did great except for the lack of instructions for the thin slice of red meat. If I would fill the form again then I would write that they should provide at least some instructions in a cardboard like the one in Din Tai Fung in Taiwan Day 938 so that the incident of eating raw meat won't happen again.
My stomach was very full when tried to find my way back to the MRT station. I was also so sleepy walking at past midnight in the streets of Taipei but I was very happy for my almost three hours of fun eating. Taiwan Day 1000 was already over but the “Post-Taiwan Day 1000 Era” had already begun and it started in the Wúlǎoguō Restaurant.
My stomach was very full when tried to find my way back to the MRT station. I was also so sleepy walking at past midnight in the streets of Taipei but I was very happy for my almost three hours of fun eating. Taiwan Day 1000 was already over but the “Post-Taiwan Day 1000 Era” had already begun and it started in the Wúlǎoguō Restaurant.
My rating: 4 out of 5 “luomujie” stars
My order: Twin Flavors Broth NTD 159 + NTD 180
Taiwan Mango Beer NTD 100
Escalope of Prime Beef NTD 298
Other charges: NTD 74
TOTAL: NTD 811
My order: Twin Flavors Broth NTD 159 + NTD 180
Taiwan Mango Beer NTD 100
Escalope of Prime Beef NTD 298
Other charges: NTD 74
TOTAL: NTD 811
Address: No. 124 Section 1, Xinsheng S. Rd., Zhongzheng District, Taipei City 100
Nearest MRT Station: Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station. Go to Exit
THINGS TO DO IN TAIPEI
Sakura Series - Taiwan
2025 Forecast
Taipei 101 first flowers
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Taipei Flower Test Center
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Broadwood Park
Sunshine Sports Park kawazu sakura
Wuling Farm (武陵農場)
SYS kawazu sakura
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
CKS Memorial Hall
Shibafen Yoshino Sakura
Hope River
Dongfang Temple
Tianyuan Palace
Neicou Stream Trail
Orange Garden Cafe
Yangming Park Visitor Information Center
Yangming Park Service Center Bus Stop
Huashan Road
Qianshan Park
Zhongshan Hall Entrance
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Flower Test Center Shōwa Sakura
Neihu Creek Trail
Shulin Land Office
Xióng Kōng Cherry Blossom Forest
Lung Yen Sakura Forest
Yangming Park cherry stream
Yangming Park fountain
CKS Memorial Hall Tairyō sakura
Wugu District Tianyi Road
CKS Memorial Hall yaesakura
Loving Farm
Yong Long Farm
Zhongbaling Sakura Road
Sun Link Sea
Tai'an Police Station
Cherry Hill Slope
Hsinchu Park
Taipei 101
Kāng Gào Kēng Creek
New Garden City
Broadwood Park
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Alishan Ranger Station
Alishan House
Alishan Police Station
Alishan Forest Railway
Alishan Station
Alishan Entrance
Alishan Gou Hotel
Alishan Magnolia Garden
Wulai tour
Wun Chang Elementary School
Bishanyan
Sanzhi Sansei Trail
Sakura Series - Taiwan
Nei Cuo Stream
Orange Garden Cafe
Sansei Trail
Tenglong Sakura Farm
Yangming Park Cherry Stream
Yangming Park Fountain
Flower Test Center
Broadwood Park
New Garden City
Yinghua Park
Pingjing St. Lane 42
Yangmingshan Visitor Center
Taipei 101
Tianyuan Palace backyard
Sakura Series - Japan
Kamonyama Park
Near the Nippon Maru Memorial Park
Shinko Park
Minato-mirai 21 area
Tokyo Tech Suzukakedai Campus
Onda River
Tenryuji
Byodoin
Kiyomizudera
Himuro shrine and Yakushi-ji Temple
Hōryū-ji Temple
Nara Park attractions
Tokyo Tech Ookayama Campus
Sumida River
Tsuruma Park
Gion
Maple Series
Taipei Aowanda
Shimen Dam
Alishan
Aowanda
Shanlinxi
Taoyuan Valley Garden
Fushoushan Farm
 |
| Yehliu to Jiufen? Yehliu to Shifen? Cheaper than yellow taxis |
The "Taipei kong mahal" (My beloved Taipei)
Always in my heart
MRT birdman
Valentine's Day
Tulips Festival
2018 Taipei Lantern Festival
City of Azaleas
Linji Huguo Temple
Nanjichang Night Market
Gudetama Chef restaurant
Dalongdong Bao'an Temple
Shilin hollyhocks
Ningxia Night Market
Ximending graffiti
Discovery Center of Taipei
Chunghwa Postal Museum
Double-Decker Bus
Shilin Cold Balls
Jingimoo
GomanMango
mud volcanic ice
Fire and Ice Dumpling
Opium Fen-Yuan
Ichiran Ramen
Liu Shandong Beef Noodles
hydrangea flowers
National Palace Museum
Other attractions in Taipei
Taipei on a budget
Japanese buildings
Dāoxiāomiàn beef noodles
Presidential Office Building
Yongkang St. and Elephant Mountain
CKS and SYS Hall
City tour
Beitou ramen
MRT Monopoly Game
Winter city tour
Zhicheng Park
Shilin Plum Blossom
Art museums
Shopping in Taipei
Summer desserts
Qingtiangang
Qixingshan hiking
2015 Calla lily
2016 Calla lily
Beitou tour
Beitou-Zhuzihu tour
NTU
Confucius Temple
2015 Dadaocheng Festival
Puppet Museum
Fantasy Ice World
2016 Bread Show
Strawberry picking
2015 Rose Garden
Modern Toilet
Shilin Night Market
NASA Exhibit
Raohe Night Market
Longshan Temple
2013 Taipei Zoo
Maokong Gondola
Lupin flowers
Taipei 101 day visit
Taipei 101 night visit
Tiger Mountain
Din Tai Fung
Taipei Story House
2014 Flower Show
Chrysanthemum Show
Miramar Ferris wheel
Miniatures Museum
Archery
1600 Pandas
Wulaoguo hot pot
Upside Down House
2016 101 Fireworks
New Taipei
Tamsui Pumpkin Tunnel
Shifen Waterfall
2017 Sand Sculpture
Dragon Caves
New Taipei tour
2016 Kite Festival
Pingxi Crags
Bitou Cape
2016 Sand Sculpture
2015 Christmasland
Juming - Jinshan
Houtong - Pingxi
Sandiaoling Waterfall
Jiufen foodtrip
Guanyinshan hike
Yehliu Ocean World
2014 Kite Festival
Pingxi Rail tour
Jinguashi tour
Vigor Kobo Pineapple
British Consulate
Yehliu Geopark
2014 Sand Sculpture
Paragliding
2014 Christmasland
2014 Pingxi Lantern
firefly watching
Yingge Ceramics Street
Jiufen tour
0 comments:
Post a Comment