Chen’s Dumpling House is a quaint little restaurant on State Street that features non-Americanized Chinese cuisine. Despite its quirks (e.g. napkins are behind the register, the open sign is never turned on, etc.), it’s worth a visit, especially for the dumplings. (more…)

Don’t confuse Taiwan Little Eats‘ name as meaning appetizers. Here, you’ll find a full menu–which was updated in late January–of “night market fare” and teas.

For example, items in the “Little Eats” and “Big Bites” are large enough for a full meal. The Tainan braised pork ($8) is super tender and flavorful, and it’s served over rice alongside veggies and half a tea egg. The dish would have been worth its price with 25 percent more pork.

The black pepper beef ($12) also is tender with a little bit of char, and it’s coated in a thick sauce. The beef is indeed peppery, but not in a bad way. I don’t think the entree needed the lightly cooked onions, which were very pungent.

The unifying theme of the pork and beef, along with other entrees, is that they rely on the julienned carrots and broccoli to fill in for the lack of the main item. On my first visit, I noticed how many people didn’t finish the filler veggies or the overabundance of rice.

I highly recommend the coffin toast ($7), which is a chicken potpie served in toast that’s shaped like a rectangular box. The pot pie is creamy and tastes like corn chowder, with the only imperfection being the giant pieces of potatoes. The toast tastes just like fried dough sticks, commonly found in dim sum menus.

The vegetarian cold noodles also hit the spot ($9), though I’m not sure why this dish costs more than the heartier coffin toast. Anyways, the sesame paste was strong but not overpowering, and the fresh carrots, cucumbers, bean sprouts and cilantro added to the enjoyment of this dish.

“Nibbles” include BBQ pork sausages ($5.50) and popcorn chicken ($5.50). Other than the $1 tea egg, which was too dry, nothing on the menu is less than $5.50. That includes the fried squid balls ($5.50), which are golden-fried, meaty and slightly salty. However, they’re smaller than average, and you only get six of them.

For drinks, you have hot tea, milk tea, smoothies and fruit tea. You can choose from a variety of fruit choices, including mango and passion fruit. The lychee fruit tea ($4.15 for 16 oz., $5.15 for 24 oz.) was refreshing and had a strong lychee flavor. It had diced coconut jellies instead of pearls.

Taiwan Little Eats is open every day for lunch and dinner.

***

See more photos in our Taiwan Little Eats Flickr album.