food, je t'aime: Orchid Room

Monday, March 29, 2010

Orchid Room

I always go to the dentist when I'm back in Taiwan. I feel bad for taking advantage of the socialized medicine here when I don't live in Taiwan all the time but it really is pretty damn amazing. It's so easy to see a doctor here and it's so cheap! Going to the doctor's or the dentist is such a long, expensive, inconvenient process in the US.

So after visiting the dentist the other day, I had a pretty sore toothache. I won't go into details. Just know that it was painful. I was incredibly upset because 1) my tooth hurt and 2) we had reservations to eat at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon but now I could barely close my mouth. A rescheduled reservation and two power painkillers later, I realized that even though I had a toothache, I was still hungry. The only solution...congee.

Orchid Room Taiwanese Cuisine

@ Brother Hotel

255, Sec. 3, NanJing East Rd.

Taipei, Taiwan

tel: 02-2712-3456

The Orchid Room at Brothers Hotel is an oldie but a goodie. We used to come to this restaurant with my grandparents when I was little. It's been around for a while. The best part of this restaurant is the congee with sweet potato. I think its complimentary if you dine-in and it's basically just a bottomless pot of rice porridge with delicious golden pieces of sweet potatoes. The second best part is that most of their dishes come in three sizes--small, medium, or large. This is perfect if you have a small party yet want to order multiple dishes. Everything is served family style and everything is delicious! My favorite...the soft, gelatinous braised pig's feet paired with a hot steaming bowl of congee. It was perfect for my poor tooth-aching self.