Simple Taiwanese Lunch

One of my favorite Singaporean-Malaysian restaurants, Wai Wai Wai, located in Tsuen Wan Plaza, closed down a few months ago, leaving me with one less good dining option. The space has now been replaced by a Taiwanese restaurant called Encounter Taipei. After glancing at the menu and seeing the reasonable prices, I decided to give it a try. At noon on a weekday, there were plenty of seats available. We even got a spacious booth for two people. Of course, I made sure to leave before the busy hours. We ordered two lunch sets. The signature Taiwanese Braised Beef Noodles was a must-try. As usual, I started with a sip of the soup—it was quite rich and had a slight spiciness. The noodles were chewy and firm, both of which were satisfactory. As for the beef, it wasn’t exactly tender but thankfully not overly tough or dry. Surprisingly, the radish side was more to my liking. The braised tofu and egg were flavorful and not overly salty. The Braised Pork Rice tasted decent. If there had been more braised pork to cover the entire bowl of rice, it would have been even more satisfying. The lunch set came with a drink. I had a sip of the hot pomelo honey tea, which was quite comforting. We left around 1 PM, and the restaurant still wasn’t very crowded. Perhaps in today’s Hong Kong, a lunch costing close to HK$80 with service charge is no longer something the general public can afford frequently. Restaurant Information: Encounter Taipei Shop 432, 4/F, Tsuen Wan Plaza, 4-30 Tai Pa Street, Tsuen Wan