In my recent trips to Taiwan, I can truly say that I fell in love at first bite when it came to the island country’s cuisine. From its exciting range of street food, to its iconic hot pots, and small eateries and cafe’s, Taiwan is a food lover’s delight.
Coming back home, I thought that it would be a while for me to experience authentic Taiwanese cuisine again. Thankfully, one of the best contemporary Taiwanese restaurants in the world, Lugang Cafe, finally opened its doors last January 23 at The Annex of SM City Davao.
I was giddy with excitement at the thought of being reunited with my favourite xiao long bao, steamed buns, vegetable and pork dumpling, pork wonton, oyster omelette, beef noodle soup, and three-cup chicken. Lugang Cafe does not disappoint with its huge menu of contemporary Taiwanese favourites. Different from the Cantonese food that we typically enjoy and recognise as Chinese cuisine in Durianburg, Taiwanese food is often lighter in flavour with an emphasis on textures, a balance of flavours, and the use of fruit or floral notes on many savoury dishes.
Off the bat, I had Lugang’s famous xiao long bao, delicately wrapped pork dumplings with steaming hot soup inside. What makes Lugang Cafe’s Xiao Long Bao a cut above the ordinary dumpling is how each dumpling is made fresh by the hands of a skilful dimsum chef. Each the thickness of the skin and the accuracy of each pleat ensuring that every xiao long bao bite has the right ratio of skin, filling and soup.
“What also makes our xiao long bao unique is that you can pick it up with your chopsticks and the skin of the dumpling does not break, ensuring that you get to enjoy the soup together with the filling,’ said Annabel Chua VP-chief finance officer of HTCG Premium Food Concepts Inc., the country franchise owner of Lugang Cafe, “It takes months to master the technique as well as the proper high-quality ingredients to create the perfect xiao long bao.”
Another dish one should try is Lugang’s Three-cup Chicken which combines meaty chicken thighs with sweet, savoury, and basil notes. Each bit of chicken is full of flavour but is brightened up by fresh basil leaves and the bite of almost-candied ginger slices.
If there was one dish that surprised me on my visit, it was Lugang Cafe’s pork Spare Ribs with Plum Sauce. Served with a dusting of powdered sugar, the dish was sweet and savory at the same time. Biting onto a meaty rib brings me back to Formosa (the old name of Taiwan) thanks to its hint of sour plum powder which added a welcome fruity floral note on a dish that should otherwise taste too rich.
For the Taiwanese purist, one can try Lugang Cafe’s Tofu with Preserved Egg and Pork Floss. The cold and silky tofu is the perfect base for the rich sauce while the pork floss adds texture and the preserved egg rounds out the dish with its strong umami flavour.
Other dishes of note which one should try are the Wasabi Mayo Prawn, Taiwanese Pork Chop (powdered with a light dusting of Taiwanese pepper salt), Steamed Shrimp with Garlic, and their Oyster Omelette which I find interesting thanks to its crispy finish.
It may be a while before I revisit Taiwan but at least I can satisfy my Taiwanese food cravings at Lugang Cafe.
Lugang Cafe is located on the ground floor of The Annex of SM City Davao and is open from 10am to 9pm daily.
