Taipei Delight, Balwyn North

Taipei Delight is an old friend, it is a Taiwanese restaurant that I once frequented in Glen Waverley but once the redevelopments commenced, it shut up shop never to be heard again. When I found out years later that it had reopened in Balwyn North, I had to give it a try for old times' sake. 

The place became really busy during lunch time, and people were standing around our table waiting to pounce once we gave the slightest move to leave. There were also some seats at a bar or counter, but few people wanted to eat at the bar because it was narrow and the stools were not very comfortable. 

We ordered the chicken chop rice ($13.80), beef noodle soup ($14.80) and Taiwanese sausage ($8.00). I ordered the sausage after we finished our mains, as an afterthought. One of my fondest memory was spending time with my friend and her family at a 'pasar malam' or night market in Malaysia. We would have fun looking at the food and wares that vendors sold. Besides ready to eat food, there were stalls selling toys, dried goods, knick knacks and bric a brac. But the food was my favourite things to see, and the smell of all sorts of food wafting through the air would make us salivate. Her father would often buy us a Taiwanese sausage on a stick to snack on as he did his grocery run. 

Chicken chop with rice came with fried egg, pickled mustard vegetable, some boiled fresh vegetables, and a decent sized crispy chicken fillet. This was my go to dish to order when they were operating in Glen Waverley. One day, I popped in during lunch time to order this and to my amazement, no one was in the restaurant or at the front of house. The restaurant in those days were very popular with students from the nearby Glen Waverley High School so every lunch time would be packed with young kids. Not long after, the restaurant closed and relocated. 

Thankfully, I have now rediscovered them and can relive the memories of eating with my mates in the restaurant. There were only a couple of dishes I liked from the menu, including the chicken chop with rice which previously had a soy egg instead of fried egg. 

The Taiwanese sausage came sliced and with slivers of garlic. I had never eaten it with raw garlic before but I like garlic so I did not mind. It was very spicy though! 

 Taiwanese beef noodle, the quintessential dish of Taiwan. I had the best Taiwanese beef noodle cooked by someone I used to meet up for Chinese lessons. She was studying hospitality and knew of my love of food. Once, she gave me a container of Taiwanese beef noodle broth and chunks of beef (I supplied my own noodles) and it was the most marvelous, tasty and beefy broth I had ever have! She taught me how to make my own and I did make it once which was so good but it was so much work! Sad to say, this version of beef noodle in Taipei Delight fell short of my standard. 

The restaurant also sells house made celebration cakes, pastries and cookies. During breakfast time between 9:30 to 11:30 Fridays to Sundays, there are the usual Taiwanese breakfast fare like soy milk, egg pancakes and glutinous rice roll filled with chinese doughnut and pork floss. 

Nearby, there is Nanyang Express with their $10 meals and several cafes. Greythorn Library is around the corner near Man Kee Dim Sim. There certainly is no shortage of Asian restaurants here!