It is said that women from the Hunan province understand that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, so secret recipes that express culinary ecstasy are passed down from generation to generation. It is also said that in ancient China, many intellectuals exiled to Hunan help created a unique food culture there. In order to satisfy the taste buds of Taiwan gourmet guests, our 1010 chefs personally visited the origin to rediscover the authentic taste of Hunan.
At 1010, the classic Hunan cuisine is brought in a modern form. I cannot stress how much I love the food here that I came here twice. Maybe for even a third time I had more time in Taiwan. The servers are knowledgeable of all the dishes and eagerly willing to introduce you to Hunan cuisine. The manager was super helpful in printing me out a copy of their menu in English and circling the dishes that we ordered. The restaurant is called 1010 because they strive for a 10 out of 10 score for their delicious food, cordial service and contemporary dining environment. They are definitely a 10 in my book!
Fried pork ribs with chili and fennel spices.
I think I died and went to heaven. No, seriously. I’m swooning over these melt-in-your-mouth, oh-so-juicy, bursting-with-flavor, fried, pork ribs. I could eat a plate of these myself, maybe two. I am embarrassed to say that I am drooling right now.
And fennel? Where have you been my whole life? It is highly, highly aromatic when you bite into the seeds. It is one of the primary ingredients in absinthe. Go figure. I would smoke the seeds if I could and wouldn’t be surprised if I saw green fairies.
Fried shrimp skewer.
Skewered shrimp tossed in a spicy, flavorful chili oil and then fried to perfection. The skin is so crispy that you could eat it. This would be my second favorite at 1010.
Caution to those who are nit picky about being clean. You will find yourself licking your lips and fingers and wanting more!
Dong-An chicken.
Tender chicken tossed in a flavorful sauce with red peppers and chives. The dish was savory and sour at the both time.
Beef and vermicelli with pickled cabbage.
Sauteed vermicelli with seasoned beef, chopped chives and carrots. The pickled cabbage added a nice acidity to the dish.
Hot pot preserved tofu & pork intestine.
This dish is super, super spicy. It was practically half tofu/pork intestine and half chili. 很下飯。I loved it every single bite!
Preserved tofu is a popular condiment in Asia that is made from soybeans, salt, rice wine and sesame oil/vinegar. Normally, tofu can be rather tasteless but preserved tofu is full of flavor. The pork intestines were very tender.
Passion fruit ice green tea.
Refreshing green tea poured over crushed ice with passion fruit mixed in. If you zoom into the picture, you can see the passion fruit pulp. No of that artificial crap!
Lemon ice green tea.
Refreshing green ice over crushed ice and a squeeze of lemon. 3 times better than the lemon green tea’s in the States.
Lychee ice drink.
Their star speciality drink. Real lychee blended with crushed ice. It was more of a lychee slushie. Very refreshing!
Next time I’m in Taipei, I will definitely hit this place up. Fried pork ribes with chili and fennel spices are the way to go. Fried shrimp and red chili and fried shrimp skewers are gold. They are serious about their chili spices in the hot pots, your mouth will be on fire. I wasn’t able to try all of their desserts, only the mango sorbet with kiwi, which was very thick. Reminded me of Haagen Diaz’s mango sorbet. I love to try the black sesame milk with tapioca and almond tofu with pineapple. Like I said the service is great. The manager even popped into our group picture [see below].
1010 offers affordable meal plans for large groups as well. For 4 people at 2350nt you get fried pork ribs, fried shrimp skewer, steak cube & rice cake with pine nuts or sauteed smoked pork with preserved bean, sauteed chicken with tea shrub fungi or fried chicken meat, hot pot preserved tofu & pork intestine or hot pot beef tripe & duck’s blood, sauteed cabbage or sauteed pea seedlings, 4 bowls of rice and 4 drinks or desserts.
1010 Hunan Pop – 1010 新湘菜
Eslite Xinyi branch – 6F, No. 11, Song Gao Road
02 2722 0583
Fuxing North branch – No. 301 Fuxing North Road
02 2713 6345
http://www.1010restaurant.com
Transportation: Take MRT to Taipei City Hall stop and go to Exit 2.
