2 People, 2 Days, Madison Chinese Food Review

Accompanied my wife back to Madison for the Coldplay concert 🎶 and took the chance to revisit three of her favorite Chinese restaurants from her college days! 🥢 FUGU We headed to FUGU right after landing. The owner was super nice — even took our order at 9 PM! According to my wife, this was one of their go-to spots for college gatherings. And yes, it still tastes the same! 🍆🦐 Eggplant & Seafood Pot: Tender eggplant with shrimp, crab sticks (like hotpot style), squid, and scallops. Hearty and perfect with rice! Though a few eggplant pieces were a bit undercooked (hard in the middle). 🐟 Twice-Cooked Fish: Deep-fried fish chunks stir-fried with sauce — super flavorful and went great with rice! Got a little heavy toward the end though. Definitely for those who love strong flavors. 🐂 Pickled Pepper Beef: A bit on the salty side, but my wife loved it. The pickled peppers balanced the saltiness well, but still… salty. 🐔 Spicy Chicken: Just okay. The coating was crispy and the chicken was tender, but it wasn’t spicy at all. 🥢 NANI Went to NANI for Cantonese dim sum… and it was a letdown 😵 🐔 Steamed Chicken Feet: Dry, bland, not hot enough, and not well-deodorized. 🐮 Beef Tripe: Tasted like eating raw soybean paste — no other flavor. Terrible. 🟡 Durian Egg Yolk Puff: Tasted pre-made, but still one of the better items. We had two and a half. 🍤 Asparagus Shrimp Stir-fry: Tasted like American Chinese food. Better than the dim sum. 🥬 Mustard Greens in Broth: The best dish — comforting and delicious. 🍰 Coconut Pudding: My wife was mad — who puts whipped cream on coconut pudding?! 🦐 Har Gow & Soup Dumplings: Felt pre-made. 🍲 Silky Egg & Beef Congee: My wife’s favorite! Clearly freshly cooked. The beef slices were a bit thick, but still tasty. 🥢 TAIWAN LITTLE EAT Heartbroken by NANI, we decided to give Taiwan Little Eat a try. It looks like typical American Chinese, but some dishes are pretty authentic! 🐟 Steamed Perch: Tasted just like home — similar to how my dad makes it. Well-seasoned and delicious! 🍲 Radish & Beef Brisket Hotpot: Really good! Only downside — the radish wasn’t soft enough. Had soft tofu inside and went great with rice. The beef was super tender. 🦑 Pepper Salt Squid: Just okay. Not much pepper salt flavor. Basically same as any fried calamari elsewhere. #MadisonFood #MadisonChinese #MadisonEats #DimSumMadison #ColdplayMadison #ColdplayWisconsin