Hsinchu is the semiconductor capital of the world – over 60% of all chips were made here. As a result, it made millionaires and billionaires of many of these techies working here. So what do some of the richest man in Taiwan eat?
BianTou is a seafood restaurant in the land of millionaires. It is often frequented by these folks as well, so they have adopted a no-menu, Omakase approach to dinner. You can only get the standard menu they serve each night. But because of it’s popularity, they can maintain a really fresh supply of seafood while Hsinchu is actually quite far from the coast.
Bluefin Tuna Sashimi 黑鲔鱼沙司米 was not your Japanese cut of toro. It’s local fished tuna, and the treatment was just a simple cut and serve, not aging in soya, or special cut of belly, etc. Just like the Sashimi you get from the night markets of Taiwan.
Poached Shrimp 白灼虾 – that’s the way to cook prawns if they are really fresh, just poached in boiling water until they curved like a “C”, and if they became “O”, you have overdone it.
Steamed Bamboo Shoot 蒸竹笋 – in season and really sweet and crunchy.
Steamed Clams 蒸米酒蛤蜊 – the clams were quite large and steaming it with a dash of rice wine accentuated the sweet, clear tastes of the clams.
Black Pepper Wagyu Beef 黑椒烤和牛 – the least favourite of all the courses tonight. It was medium rare and seasoned properly, but the black pepper sauce was a waste on the tender pieces of beef, and I found it a tad too dry.
Hsinchu Vermicelli 新竹麻油面线 – Hsinchu is famous for vermicelli. And this stock-soaked, sesame oil infused vermicelli was really a very good rendition of the the classic Hsinchu dish.
A very simple dish – take a really fresh piece of squid, grill it on charcoal fire with nothing else other that a sprinkle of salt and then cut it up and served a squeeze of lime, and you have the fantastic Grilled Squid 烤透抽.
The Salty Egg York Cod 酥炸鳕鱼 was really tasty! The craze for salty egg yolk arrived in Taiwan, and they made it even better by coupling it with an oily fish like cod.
The Seafood Miso Soup 味增鱼汤 was cooked using different scraps of seafood – mainly pieces of fish belly, seaweed, tofu and other fresh seafood. The natural umami was evident, with a hint of miso that gave it the sweetness.
Given the location, the decor and ambiance, and the food served, it was an expensive meal (even if the business partner paid for dinner). You can get better seafood elsewhere in Taiwan and cheaper too, but if you are in Hsinchu, it is still a great choice.
扁头原味海鲜
No. 190, Chenggong 2nd Street, Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, Taiwan 302
Tel： +886 3 658 9781
https://www.facebook.com/pages/扁頭原味海鮮/208866472462283
Date Visited : Jul 2018
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