Entree Kibbles: 19House炙燒牛排 (Nineteen House Steak) @ Fengchia Night Market in Taichung [Taiwan]

My visit to Fengchia Night Market back in 2014 was a bit of a rush as there were too many things to see and it was so crowded! Things were simpler with my dad and the first thing I did was to check out a place for dinner.

19House炙燒牛排 - I found this eatery from Google Maps with a rating of 4.9 from over 1,700 reviewers! Do note that it was located in a food alley, next to a claw machine shop.

Maybe because it was only 5.30 pm, the eatery was pretty empty and we got shooed in to a table immediately. Well, lesser people make it easier for me to take photographs.

So many BE@RBRICKs on display!

Let's order using this reusable ordering list! I am grateful I can read both traditional and simplified Chinese; former of which was learnt due to comic books either imported from Taiwan or Hong Kong. p.s. both territories use traditional Chinese.

Ordering the main course means your meal came with the free flow counter! Should you decide only to counter the free flow counter, it shall cost you NT$170 for anyone above 120 cm. Kids between 80 and 120 cm would have to pay NT$90.

I am impressed with the "offerings" from the counter and you would know why shortly. Rule of thumb: try a bit of everything and don't be too greedy since you do have a main course that will be served to you shortly.

A salad bar with fresh looking vegetables, four salad dressings, two kinds of soup (borscht and creamed corn), and even a popcorn machine!

That's not all; you could also have noodles!

Literally a full meal here.

In case you are wondering if that's it, not at all. There was also a rice cooker at the edge that had accompanying ingredients for white rice; for example, braised pork and blood beancurd!

Drink dispenser comprised of usual carbonated drinks like Pepsi, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, and healthier choices like fruit and vegetable juice, calamansi juice etc. Given the cool Taichung temperature, I was more keen with hot beverages like mocha, chocolate etc.

More drinks at the other side; milk tea, orange juice, winter melon lemon drink. For desserts, you could also consider having soft serve ice cream!

Your ice cream wouldn't be just ice cream; you can also choose toppings like cornflakes, marshmallows and even milk tea pearls! I was honestly surprised by the variety offered, and all were free!

The set of stacked bowls / plates on your table served a purpose and for a person with not much dining etiquette; I was befuddled with the usage for each of them!

Getting ourselves 'educated' with the notice on the table. Actually, it's quite common sense; you would use a plate for the soups, would you?

Starting with appetizer; a bowl of borscht soup and braised pork rice! The soup was peppery with a touch sour, appetizing flavor that I enjoyed. My dad got the creamed corn soup which was a tad too sweet for my liking.

Braised pork rice was so delicious; it's worth paying for the NT$170 just to eat my fill! Taste wasn't overly sweet and it came with so much fats; honestly, this put to shame many eateries that claimed to serve good Taiwanese style braised pork rice.

Our mains had arrived; this was mine, the sirloin steak that came with a sunny side up, wedges, vegetables, sitting on a bed of spaghetti!

I am not exactly a small eater but even I found this to be overly generous. And would you like to guess how much this cost? Only NT$280; about S$12! Key thing was that paying S$12 also gave me the free flow counter!

Sadly, the steak was a disappointment; the texture was a bit strange and it was rawer than the medium doneness I requested for. Taste was still alright though.

Spaghetti was a surprise as the noodles were al-dente and soaked in a delightful sauce that forced me to take another bite! As I am on a starch-restricted diet, and would prefer to spend the calories on other food in the night market; I had to limit the intake!

My dad's crispy chicken thigh (priced NT$280 as well) was much better and it reminded me of those old school chicken chop in Singapore. The only thing lacking for me would be chilli sauce, which wasn't the norm in Taiwan.

Ending the meal with soft served ice cream with cornflakes and pearls, and a cup of hot chocolate! Sinful end no doubt but so satisfying!

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Overall, I really can't complain much for the price I paid for, especially when this didn't come with service charge and GST, which would have added almost 20% to my bill in Singapore! Furthermore, while the steak wasn't to my expectation, I am happy to just go with the chicken thigh that my dad had, and then loaded up with braised pork rice! That would have been 100% happiness!

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