蔡萬興 — Restaurant in Zhongzheng District

The food was cooked in a very traditional style; each dish reminded me of those old-school Chinese takeaways tucked away in quiet, slightly grimy alleyways, with sticky carpets underfoot and a 60-year-old uncle in the kitchen who immigrated abroad decades ago. His cooking hasn’t changed since, still rooted in the same flavours he grew up with. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; it’s a nostalgic taste of childhood. But I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a large bag of MSG and a pot of salt by the stove.

We ordered 蔥爆牛肉 (spring onion beef), 清炒蝦仁 (stir-fried prawns), 炒飯 (fried rice), 燴飯 (braised rice), 紅燒豆腐 (braised tofu), and a soup. Most dishes were enjoyable, though the prawns were far too salty for us to finish. The rest of the meal, however, was comforting and satisfying in its own retro way.

That said, we would not go back, mainly because of the overly salty flavours and the price tag, which felt steep for this kind of...

Recently, I had the privilege of dining at 蔡萬興, a venerable restaurant in Taipei, thanks to an invitation from my business associates. This establishment boasts an impressive history spanning over a century, making it a rare gem in Taipei's food and beverage landscape.

The culinary experience at 蔡萬興 was nothing short of remarkable. Their signature 汤圆, in particular, stood out with its exceptional 口感, offering a unique and delightful flavor that sets it apart from any 汤圆 I've tasted before.

蔡萬興 is not just a restaurant; it's a culinary destination suited for a variety of occasions, be it everyday dining, friendly gatherings, or formal business meals. I wholeheartedly recommend a visit to this remarkable establishment for anyone seeking a old time classic dining...

在美食家唐魯孫先生文章「唐魯孫談吃(新版）-吉仔肉粽篇」中，提到的臺北兩家賣湖州粽子餐廳中，就有「蔡萬興」。

點了菜肉餛飩，酥炸排骨，湖州肉粽，兩碟小菜（ 肴肉凍還有角椒鑲肉）。肴肉附上白醋沾料，角椒也溫心剪開以免椒皮費牙。

肴肉味道剛剛好，不會太鹹或太嗆，鮮紅的肴肉配上琥珀色肉，沾上特選的白醋與薑絲，好看又開胃好吃。這白醋很特別，酸的順口好吃也不衝口，覺得真應該點一籠湯包配著吃，但有意思沒有賣。可見這”湯包小籠包”與”麵細粉飯湯圓”也許是兩條路線，只是在一些餐廳偶有交會。角椒鑲的肉餡味道很鮮美，青椒完美的配合增味。

排骨以醬油與酒，久醃味道夠，不沾粉的炸出好味道，如果能有厚片的選項就更完美了。菜肉餛飩用的高湯清澈見底，清爽味濃。湯中的蛋絲與榨菜絲表明了身份，蛋絲居然有肉絲的口感，而榨菜絲久浸湯中依舊鹹脆。聞著湯與喝下口，感覺似乎放了鮮筍與少許火腿提味。餛飩內餡飽滿，用兩折的傳統團圓包法，青江菜的味道比肉多一些，格外清爽。

武俠小說大師金庸，在「鹿鼎記」中曾提到，「浙江湖州所產粽子米軟餡美，天下無雙……」 讓人驚喜的湖州粽，外觀看起來樸實簡單，舉盤貼鼻粽葉香四溢的，筷子一下脂香入鼻，糯米軟糯。中間的五花肉偏瘦一點，而蒸化的肉間油脂完美的融化進入糯米，醬油米香配上帶著濃濃的粽葉清香，味美不膩，口齒留香。

老闆姑娘人精明客氣，大方不藏私的分享菜肉餛飩高湯的秘訣之一，原來是用了傳統的黃豆芽與排骨熬湯。

（再訪） 再訪的目的，就是好ㄏㄠˋ吃。 除了回味上次的菜肉餛飩還有湖州粽子的美味，實在很好奇之前看到黑白照片上，招牌上大大的「湯糰」究竟是如何味道，能專門賣湯圓呢？通常想吃湯圓，就到超市冷凍櫃買一盒，熱水煮煮，會需要特別到餐廳點一份嗎？

照著計畫點好菜，拿了一碟別處沒看過，應該是「煨芋頭」。淡紫的芋頭一方方的，心想可能是煟排骨時放在裡面增加味道，然後撈出來另外當小菜來賣吧？腦中準備著外爛內硬的口感。

筷子夾一塊入口，知道自己想錯了，居然像是豆腐乳一樣由內到外入口即化，應該是特別用高湯慢慢煨到芋頭軟到心入味，香氣滲入芋心吧？...