Taiwan Village

we visited after an elapse of years and found the usual combination of tom yum style soup with minced pork, funky fried starters, which were quite tasty and more-ish. they added in peking duck with pancakes which is nice enough but it would have been better to have more taiwanese nibbles.

however these were followed up by mains which were all nothing other than meat cooked in a generic variety of stir-in sauces, all with huge quantities of chopped onion, as the 'chef's choice' on a saturday night. no noodles or rice dishes.

this was disappointing.

don't know if the 'good chef' has headed home to taipei, or he's found uncle ben's is a satisfactory substitute for cooking decent taiwanese food for a british audience.

but not us. i guess we are more exacting than most ... one of our party is a restaurant manager, another worked in chinese restaurants for years while another still is from mainland china, so they know that of which they speak.

no complaints about the service and the ambience which remain good.

overall, we thought it average at best; for £27.50 pp you do expect a bit better.
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benscaro
4 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 2
Sunday, September 30, 2012

Really slow service. Food is good but you might die waiting
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Adrian Parker
4 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 4
Friday, May 18, 2012

My wife daughter and I took a short holiday in London in August and did some research on where we would like to eat.

We chose the Taiwan Village because of the good reviews on a number of different sites and were not disappointed. The food is authentic Asian and, perhaps just as importantly, the people are authentic. It is family run by Mr & Mrs Hwang and staffed by some very pleasant Burmese ladies, all of whom made mydaughter feel really special.

They were happy that we went for the meal for 2 with an extra place for my 9 year old daughter who can be suspicious of "spicy" food. They were attentive and friendly without being overbearing. The mixed platter starter and deep fried green beans really hit the mark and although we were paying for a meal for 2, there was plenty of crispy duck for the 3 of us. The main courses - chilli beef, chicken in plum source and prawn in black bean and garlic - were generous and delicious.

In all we went back twice in a 7 day stay and will do so again when next in London.
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JohnW
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Sunday, September 25, 2011

I am a lover of Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese food so it was an easy decision to try this out with so many good reviews already out there.

The ambience was relaxed and a little intimate which was great for the occasion, and the staff helpful but not annoying.

The menu offered the chance to try numerous unusual dishes especially from an oriental menu in the UK e.g. Frogs' legs, pigs trotters etc. Although we were not that brave we did stick to Taiwanese dishes rather than the familiar dishes from Chinese menus. The mixed starter was all great especially the ribs - not like the usual Chinese ribs. The main courses of minced chicken with aubergine, lamb with some sort of sweet and sour sauoe and Taiwanese noodles were all superb.

Portion size was good without being oversize but a sub £25 per head bill including a couple of beers left a very good taste on the mouth. I would recommend this place highly for couples and small groups.
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10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Thursday, May 19, 2011

What an amazing restaurant! We were warmly welcomed on a freezing cold night and showed straight to our table. Service was outstanding, personable, very friendly and knowledgeable staff that knew lots about the dishes and made some great recommendations. The food was delicious and inventive, and not the standard type of dishes that we usually have.

We had the mixed hot starters, crispy seafood noodles, and the Taiwan Village specials which included a shredded pork dish, and a sizzling beef dish, both fantastic.

This is a gem of a place, that we will definitely be back to visit again. Well worth seeking out even if it's slightly off the beaten track
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Annie - View all reviews by this user
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 23, 2010