Sunday, January 25, 2009

House of Taipei

Last night I dined at House of Taipei with several of my friends. To be honest, this restaurant was at the bottom of my list -- I just wasn't in the mood for Chinese. However, I'm glad that I went because I finally found a good "Crispy Beef" dish in the area!

Once we arrived, we quickly found our friends around a large gathering of tables just past the main entrance. The restaurant is large and somewhat cavernous. And the decor is of the standard Chinese restaurant variety. But everything was clean, and well lit, so at least I could see what I'd be eating.

Once I started reading the menu, my eyes immediately started scanning for a "Crispy Beef" dish. Several years ago I became addicted to this type of entree when I lived across the street from a Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area. Ever since I moved, I've had a difficult time finding a restaurant that was able to do this dish justice. So, once I found it I selected the mildly spicy scallion sauce, and the challenge was on.

While waiting for the first course of wonton soup, the table was given long crispy noodles with duck sauce and mustard sauce for dipping. The noodles were crunchy, and dipping them made for a tasty, but light, appetizer. The wonton soup arrived, and I have no complaints. The wontons were large, and contained a good amount of pork. But for some reason the soup was lacking a little flavor. So while it wasn't bad, it's not on my best soup list.

Next came the crispy beef. And, finally, I wasn't disappointed. While the beef could have been slightly more crispy, it had a good combination of a crispy outside and a tender inside. In addition, the scallion sauce was very good. It had a smokey sweetness to it that I found addicting. Even though it was listed as mildly spicy, I didn't detect any spiciness at all. I will definitely be ordering this dish again.

While there I also had the opportunity to sample the Pork Fried Rice. It was also very good. The pork was good and lean meat, and the rice contained the proper mix and amount of vegetables. I'm typically not one for pork fried rice, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 10/15
Price: $ (Many dishes $10 and under)

Conclusion: This is the first non-chain, sit-down Chinese restaurant I've found in this area. The majority of the food was good, the atmosphere informal, and the service quick and efficient. In addition, they made one of my favorite Chinese dishes very well. I'll definitely be back when I'm in the mood to go out for Chinese cuisine.

Restaurant Info:
House of Taipei
16500 Northcross Dr.
Huntersville, NC 28078
704-987-7997

3 comments:

  1. You should try Peninsula China Bistro in Jetton Village. Get the Genghis Khan Beef if you like "crispy beef" and the Grouper in Black Bean Sauce is to die for! The presentation of the food here is beautiful.

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  2. I've never seen it, but I'll make sure to check it out, now that I know it's there.
    Thanks!

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  3. Great atmosphere, very pretty restaurant and very tasty food, super service!

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