Dianshui Lou 點水樓 @ Taipei

Founded in 2005, Dianshui Lou was the result of a Jiangsu native that wanted to bring authentic Jiangzhe cuisine to Taipei.

Located next to Taiwan National Museum, Dianshui Lou specialises in Jiangzhe cuisine and was founded by Namchow Group (南僑集團), a soap-making chemical manufacturer-cum-culinary giant. Went there for a quick lunch with some business partners.

紹興醉雞 Drunken chicken in Shaoxing wine

Originated in the Zhejiang Province, Shaoxing drunken chicken is poached and marinated in Shaoxing wine to create a deep taste. The chicken is served chilled with a firm, bouncy texture with ample juice and no mushiness. Perfectly balanced brine that showcases the delicate aromas of Shaoxing wine with none of the bitter alcohol burn is important to create the perfect drunken chicken so the vintage of the Shaoxing wine is paramount.

Besides the liquor-flavoured meat, another feature of the dish is the liquor-flavoured gelatine that results from the chilled mixture of the alcohol and the cooking juices.

鎮江肴肉 Zhenjiang Pork Aspic

镇江肴肉 Zhenjiang pork aspic is a specialty of Zhenjiang. According to its origins, a tavern owner wanted to marinate some pork that he bought with salt but his wife used nitric acid instead. The meat remained red like when it was first butchered, and the flesh was firm and not deteriorated. But the nitrous smell was not palatable, so the missus took blue ginger and other spices to cover the taste. The result was the pork aspic. This version is much milder than the original I have tasted in Zhenjiang.

天然蔬果原汁七彩小籠包 (7種口味) Colourful Steamed Dumplings made from natural vegetable juices (7 flavours)

A good xiaolongbao when lifted looks like a transparent lantern; when it’s placed down, it appears like a chrysanthemum with a hundred of petals folded. Looking around, only Ding Tai Fung can make such xiaolongbao. Clockwise from 9 o’clock position.

1. 松露小籠包 Truffle dumpling made with squid ink and truffle infused pork filling with black and white skin (墨魚汁調色之白黑相間彩皮包覆著松露肉餡);
2. XO醬小籠包 XO sauce dumpling with XO sauce pork filling with carrot colour skin (胡蘿萄汁調色之彩皮包覆著自製XO醬肉餡);
3. 小籠包 Original flavour dumpling with local pork filling and chicken stock (黑毛豬肉及老母雞高湯為餡，現點、現蒸);
4. 翡翠小籠包 Jade dumpling with shrimp and loofah with pork dumpling with white and green skin (鮮蝦、角瓜搭配菠菜汁調色之綠白相間外皮);
5. 蟹皇小籠包 Crab roe dumpling with crab roe and pork filling and coloured with pumpkin and turmeric (南瓜、薑黃調色之彩皮包覆著鮮拆蟹粉肉餡);
6. 九層塔小籠包 Basil dumpling with basil and pork filling and spinach juice colour skin (内餡拌人新鮮九層塔，搭配菠菜汁調色之外皮);
7. 麻辣小籠包 Mala dumpling with Sichuan peppercorn spiced pork filling and beetroot juice coloured skin (甜菜調色之紅自相間彩皮包覆著麻辣肉餡).

Some of them were quite a surprise, like the Mala dumpling which packed quite a kick, and the Jade dumpling with a refreshing loofah and shrimp filling.

東坡肉 “Dongpo” Braised Pork Belly

东坡肉 Braised Pork Belly “DongPo” style here has been cooked in individual portions. Pork belly were cut into squares and braised in a big pot before carefully placed into individual bowls and steamed once more.

When you opened the paper covering the individual urn of pork, you were greeted with a whiff of aroma and right in there was the caramelised sauce glimmering with a clear layer of fat. The fat has fully rendered and melt in your mouth.

點水樓牛公麵（半筋半肉) Sugnature Beef Noodles

The dish was created in Taiwan by Kuomintang veterans from Sichuan province who fled from mainland China to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, and served the dish in military dependents’ villages called Juancun 眷村. As more immigrants brought their version of beef noodles, the Taiwanese version of beef noodle soup is now one of the most popular dishes in Taiwan. The beef brisket was not cooked to death and was very tender and juicy. The tendons melted in mouth.

Dianshui Lou’s food scores better than the friendliness of its staff.  This is a really good restaurant that’s worth a visit when you are in Taiwan for solid Shanghainese food with a Taiwanese twist.

Dianshui Lou 點水樓 (南京店）
台北市南京東路四段61號 (南京東路四段典北家路交叉口)
Tel : +886 (0)2 8712 6689

Visited Aug 2023

Michelin Taiwan/Taipei Guide Bib Gourmand 2018-2021