Update: This business has ceased its operations.
Despite the mediocre experience during the previous visit, I had my lunch at Xian Ding Wei Taiwanese Tea Room (鲜定味台湾料理) in Queensbay Mall again. I am hoping to try other dishes to let the restaurant redeem itself.
Since I arrived earlier than most people, the restaurant is still quite empty. It only starts to fill up when my meal is almost over.
Struck with a crave for eel, I ordered the Roasted Eel With Sesame (芝麻烤鳗鱼, RM16.90). This set meal comes with a bowl of rice, a bowl of soup, and three side dishes.
The freshwater eel is grilled and seasoned with sweet sauce, similar to the Japanese dish unagi (うなぎ). This is not surprising as Taiwanese cuisine is influenced by the Japanese due to Taiwan’s close proximity and former colony status to Japan.
The eel is garnished with sesame seeds to give it an appetizing effect. For added flavor, shredded ginger and sliced lemon is provided too. Overall, the dish is quite tasty as I am a fan of eel anyway.
The Vegetable Soup (菜汤) is just normal, but at least the vegetable amount is plentiful. It is not too overpowering, so it serves to open my appetite by just a little.
For the sides, I am quite convinced that it varies daily instead of being associated to certain dishes. For today, the three sides provided are Ba-wan (肉丸), Sweet Potato Stripes (番薯条), and Fried Bean Curd With Long Beans (豆腐炒豆角). They are just moderately tasty, similar to the previous visit.
For an extra RM1.00, the white rice which comes with the set meal can be upgraded to Braised Pork Rice (卤肉饭, RM1.00). Very popular in Taiwan, the paste is prepared using minced pork which is marinated and boiled in soy sauce, giving it a thick savory consistency. The paste is then poured on a bowl of white rice so that the taste is not too overpowering. In some Taiwanese restaurants, this dish itself can be considered a proper meal.
There are some condiments provided on each dining table, but they are unnecessary for my meal. The condiments available are Taiwanese Spicy Fish Sauce (台湾辣鱼浆), Taiwanese Fermented Bean Sauce (台湾豆瓣浆), and the omnipresent Soya Sauce (酱油).
For drinks, I had a glass of Champagne Pearl Milk Tea (香槟珍珠奶茶, RM1.00). It normally costs RM4.90, but only RM1.00 with any meal purchase.
Overall, Xian Ding Wei still does not fully impress me, but I would not say that it is horrible in any sense.