Hai Bawang Restaurant — Restaurant in Zhongshan District

It’s hard to give reviews to this place because it is such a Taiwanese institution. The place has been in existence longer than I’ve been alive! I haven’t been here in over 12+ years.

So…I booked two tables for 20 people for a family gathering. I ordered $4888 table menu without sashimi option. Luckily we booked the 11:30am so place was empty when we arrived. The family haven’t seen each other for 10+ years took a lot of time to greet each other. The serving staff are very long service “aunties” and wanted us to sit down but gave us time to talk since place was still empty. Food is based on what menu price you order. It’s decent but not fancy and not superb but not bad either. It is great value for money and you get to experience the traditional banquet experience. Service can seem ‘rude’ but it’s not…they are just being efficient and have been doing this a long long time! Overall, don’t have too high of expectations and enjoy the unique atmosphere...

Food here was pretty OK but the decor needs a little updating. It was very crowded and appears to be very popular. Many tables left at 2 pm and someone turned off the AC on us. The herb chicken soup was great until they added extra soup stock, which made the thick rich soup bland. The fried soft shell crab was good and messy, but the cold lobster was underwhelming due to its serving size and being slightly over cooked. The Fujianese “Buddha jumps over the wall” soup was not quite as expected, but how can any soup compare to its mythical counterpart? According to the tales, this legendary soup would have required over 3 days to prepare and about 30 ingredients including shark fin, abalone, tripe, pigeon eggs, special Chinese ham and wine. What was memorable for me was the desert dish of cold pickled young mango served with shaved vinegar ice. That was knee...

My last big dinner in Taiwan, and we decided to go all out with a feast. Overall, all the dishes were enjoyable and well-prepared, making it a satisfying way to end the trip.

However, the prawn dish was a bit of a letdown. It lacked flavor and wasn’t deveined, which left a noticeable bitterness when eaten. That aside, the rest of the meal was great, and it was a nice way to wrap up the culinary...