“I don’t think I’ve ever had Taiwanese food before” I mused to my friend as we sat down this past Sunday at Win Son, the hip Taiwanese-American eatery situated on a cozy, unassuming corner in East Williamsburg.
Prior to my meal here I just assumed any Taiwanese food I had presumably eaten was merged under the umbrella of its parent food-category “Chinese”. From chicken balls with neon orange dipping sauce to jiggly green jello-O, it was clear our meal here was going to surpass any unsophisticated Chinese food I’d had before.
I arrived at the restaurant promptly at its time of opening, 5:30pm, and was the 15th person in line. A hidden gem!! (Well I suppose I’m not the only person in NYC reading restaurant reviews on NY Times, Eater, and Infatuation). However, since reservations are only taken for tables of 6 or more, we were able to be seated shortly after our arrival.
The menu was mouth-watering to read. The service was casual and kind, but on the lighter side of involvement. You’ll only get info if you ask for it. Although told by our waiter that we might have too much food, my friend and I simply couldn’t cut anything out and so committed to being way more full that we’d like, but at the expense of having tasted numerous delicious dishes.
Eggplants and cucumbers are vegetables sure, and you might feel obligated to order these just so your order isn’t only meat and carbs, but don’t fool yourself – these might be the best dishes on the menu. The Eggplant is smoky and rich. It’s fried, and the accompanying kefir cheese and cashews combine together to make a yogurt-esque dipping sauce. You won’t have tasted eggplant like this before so make sure it’s on your table. The Sliced Cucumbers were unexpectedly delicious. Fresh, juicy, and marinated in garlic these were ordered to be a palate cleanser between bites of heavier dishes, yet I had to stop myself from finishing them before our next dishes arrived.
The Scallion Pancakes were hot, chewy and delicious and let’s be realistic – when will you ever regret ordering these? Our next dish was the Guohua Street salad. Salad is probably a confusing term as this dish really blew away my expectations for how a salad can taste. One bite after another, there was a new and tasty surprise ingredient waiting for my taste buds. Smoked tofu, grilled shrimp, peanuts, raisins, cabbage, mango and leafy greens await you. It was like the 8 nights of Hanukkah combined into 10 minutes.
Included in your order for mains should most certainly be the zhajiangmian. Since we all know what this is I can move on to our next dish.
Lol, JK.
Fettuccine sized, chewy (and what tasted like hand-pulled) noodles covered in a thick and semi-spicy lamb sauce, this dish really stole the show. Simply put, it utilized exciting flavors and spices that I had rarely, if ever before tasted together.
Finally, I was informed by another review that the Lu-Rou Fan, a rice-based dish with minced pork belly and a soy egg was worth ordering, but comparatively I found this dish lacking in the flavor and excitement that I had experienced in my meal thus far. Alas, you Win-Son, you Lose-Son.
Coleslaw Etc. 