Linda Falkenstein
The kitchen coaxes complex flavors from simple elements in the Tainan braised pork.
You may have reached your “nothing new under the sun” point on State Street dining some time ago. What was once the most innovative food corridor of the city is slowly transforming into a row of boutique chains.
So the introduction of Taiwan Little Eats, a homegrown spot that offers dishes and flavors Madison has not seen from a restaurant before — simple takes on Taiwanese street eats — is exciting. Taiwanese owner Min-Hsiung Lin followed his wife, a Ph.D student in Chinese lit, here to Madison; chef Kai Cheng came here from New York.
A quick Google survey of the stars of Taiwanese street food (deep-fried cuttlefish, stinky tofu, grilled spring rolls, oyster omelet, chicken cutlet, and on and on) shows how curtailed the menu is at Taiwan Little Eats. Only a few of these dishes show up here, but what Taiwanese Little Eats does, it does pretty well.
The menu is divided into nibbles, little eats and big bites, but even the options within these categories tend to be much the same. One cornerstone is the tea egg, a hard-boiled egg soaked in tea and soy, deliciously salty and with notes of five spice powder. If you like hard-boiled eggs, I’m guessing you’ll love the tea eggs; they go for $1 as a nibble. But they also show up as an element in all of the bento bowls (big bites) and served alongside the Tainan braised pork over rice (a little eat).
Crisply-fried boneless chicken is another cornerstone, appearing in popcorn form (a nibble) and as a plain cutlet (a little eat). Both are available served over rice (big bites). You get the idea. Both are lightly battered with a potent version of five spice powder — there’s a kick; the peppercorn is front and center. I liked both versions, though I wished for some kind of sauce (I had them atop rice) to pull the whole bowl together.
Sauce isn’t necessary with the best dish at Taiwan Little Eats, the Tainan braised pork. The small cubes of pork (either pork belly or a cut very similar to pork belly, according to the staffer who took my order) are braised in soy sauce. The pork is meaty and fatty, rich and delicious. Make no mistake, there is plenty of melty fat here. Mingled with it are the flavors of star anise, cloves, cinnamon and peppercorn; it all seeps into white rice brightened by fringes of cilantro. The bowl also holds a few florets of cold boiled broccoli, half a tea egg, a cube of tofu in a nice hot/sour sauce and a scattering of sweet pickled radish. Once, the dish arrived with a fistful of cold boiled carrots on top as well. While I’m not overly enthused about cold boiled vegetables, they do help absorb the richness of the pork.
Big bites all arrive with the same banchan-like elements mentioned above — tea egg, the pickled radish, etc. — sometimes with an added flourish, like a bit of candied seaweed. The least successful protein is the pork rib, boneless strips of pork breaded in the same spicy mix as the chicken and deep-fried, but it’s less flavorful than the chicken and less tender.
There are a few more notable nibbles. Tempura fish cakes come hot out of the frier like french fries, with the five spice powder batter encrusting a rubbery fish cake (near gummi-bear like textures are prized in Taiwanese cuisine). It’s all about the contrast between the salty/spicy fried exterior and the chewy, slightly sweet interior. Fried squid balls are also on the menu.
Vegetarians are not going to find much here, although the tofu cube in the bento bowl is quite good and the kitchen confirms it could make a tofu bowl on request.
The intriguingly named coffin toast, apparently like a bread bowl (only made of toast) and filled with corn chowder, has remained elusive. It’s never been available on any of my visits, even on the day I called first and was told it would be available after 2 p.m. Let me know! I’m curious.
There’s also a menu of smoothies and teas. Try the classic Taiwanese style milk tea, hot or cold, and choose your level of sweetness (unsweetened, sweet, or half sweet — half sweet is about sweet enough). The jasmine milk tea is intensely floral, which I liked; those wanting something less flowery might try the milder roasted oolong. Add chewy black tapioca bubbles, or a host of other jellies, if you want.
The interior of Taiwan Little Eats is a cozy mishmash of barnboard, mismatched chairs and tables, and some sofas perfect for longer, tea-fueled study sessions — if you can find a seat. Business has been brisk.
Taiwan Little Eats
320 State St.; 608-251-8529;
11 am-9 pm Tues.-Sat., 11 am-7 pm Sun.; $1-$9.50
