Wanhua District, Taipei City｜Gan Mei Alley

Stumbled onto this small eatery, I wanted to avoid the mass of tourists in ximending market so I walked further out and went pass this little restaurant. The panfriend xiaolong bao was delicious, and had a distinctive flavour from their original soup dumpling. It reminds me of the Japanese gyoza style of panfrying with a cornstarch base, but this was tastier. The side dishes were small but sufficient and the pickles were a good palette cleanser. Price was very reasonable considering it was on the cusp of the tourist area. Ate well and left happy.

Mostly Chinese and Hakka cuisine. Recommended dishes: pan-fried chicken in plum sauce, chive soup dumplings, bamboo shoot, leeks and shrimps with egg, roasted mochi, brown sugar pearl milk tea. Staff was very attentive and helpful; she assists well in selecting meals and refilling tea cups with house tea. Will surely come back to try other dishes.

We had basil and cheese omelet, dumplings, and rice covered meat. Everything tasted good and not overwhelming. The server was polite and helpful. The atmosphere is quiet and the place was air conditioned. Overall, we had a good meal at this place.