Taiwanese Palace 第一臺 懷念ㄟ所在 大山腳總店 — Restaurant in Penang

Three of us dropped by this place for lunch. It is located at at an area which presumably used to be a village of sorts and the building itself is quite interesting as it was probably what used to be an old house. You will need to look for a place to park as there is none right in front of the place. However, opposite the restaurant is an empty lot which I believe you can park your car for a fee.

We were there about 5 minutes before the place opened at 11am, and there was a small party before us. Finding a table was not an issue at that time on a weekday.

The place was well decorated and quite comfortable and there were many staff who were quite efficient.

We ordered 3 different sets comprising of sesame oil chicken with omelette rice, fried chicken whole leg dry noodles (N09) and signatue braised pork rice (F07). We also added a Taiwanese 3 cup squid (T01).

The first set to arrive was the fried chicken whole leg dry noodles. The chicken was crispy and tender inside. It was a reasonable portion too. It did remind us of the fried chicken which we have often had at night markets in Taiwan towns/cities. We found the noodles a bit too soft and not firm enough though. Not sure if this is the norm or if it was off on that day. The soup was some sort of corn and carrot soup. It was good and tasty even for someone who is not fond of corn like me.

The second set to arrive was the signature braised pork rice. The accompanied soup for this and also the next set is the same, so I would not comment on this further. The braised pork rice, we felt was too mushy - both the braised pork and the rice. Perhaps the rice should be left for a while to cool off. The braised pork is the kind which had become soft and almost 'm'elted' instead of still in its cubed form. It was also not aromatic enough - possibly due to the lack of spices, and also the rice was not coated with enough pork lard/oil. We thought that this could be improved. We do note that it is hard to say if authentic Taiwanese lu rou fan is supposed to be so mushy cause this will depend on where one has eaten it and also how the cook would have cooked it. Just that we would have preferred it more firm and aromatic. The braised egg, just like the ones in the earlier set of noodles were perfect though.

The last set was the sesame oil chicken with omelette rice. The omelette was fluffy and creamy. The sesame oil chicken was also flavourful and tender.

Portions for all 3 sets were decent and prices well placed.

The last item to arrive was the Taiwanese 3 cup squid. This is interesting as it's flavour reminded us of Thai basil minced pork/chicken except that in this case it was squid used as the primary ingredient. We felt that the portion is pretty generous and while basil created a wonderful aroma, the squid did not soak the sauce/gravy well. Not too sure if this dish is authentic Taiwanese or not.

Overall, we found the food average, prices fair and...

Fortunately, I have explored many parts of Taiwan - most rice and noodle dishes in Taiwan are actually served with very different ingredients, portion, presentation and they taste quite different from what they serve here. The food here mimics about 40-60% authenticity of what a Taiwanese would experience.

However they do serve a well presented locally adapted food choice & style which are acceptable and typical. I was hoping for a more serious Taiwanese experience, since it is named a Taiwanese Palace? Too bad it's still a hit and miss for my family, but a good try though with the high quality food and service.

To all the food reviewers: Please, Ho Jiak doesn't mean authentic. When something is authentic, you may even dislike it for being the way it is. So please don't simply use the word authentic, especially when you haven't even tried the true original bowl or dish in that other country.

To the restaurant owner & master chef: I hope you can improve the uniqueness/authenticity and bring in some real Taiwanese recipes & style to the table. Thank you for what you serve for...

PSA : their portions are ridiculously generous. Bear that in mind if your party is small and you plan to order a lot of food

I found the rice set with the vinegar pork incredibly delicious. The balance of the vinegar's sourness with the salt was done just right and the thickness of gravy optimal. The pork meat was just shy of the right tenderness though.

The chicken rice combo I ordered was good but the herb smell from the fresh leaves were a bit overpowering on the tongue. I know the chef likes to be generous but sometimes less is more.

I enjoyed the braised tofu though. Very well made with perfect consistency and taste. The same can't be said about the fried mushrooms. My advise is never to order this. The batter is hard and there's way too much oil. I gave up after a piece.

The decor is relaxing and even though they have numerous tables, this place is frequently full and waiting for a table is a common experience so don't come unless you have some time. Most likely because of their generous portion and very very...