Yunus Halal Restaurant 泰富豪清真料理 @ Taipei

Taiwan is deservedly one of Asia’s most attractive destinations, with an exciting cityscape, great shopping, fantastic food and an idyllic countryside to boot. But as a nation where most population is mainly made up of Buddhists, Confucians, and Taoists, Muslim visitors must therefore be aware that finding Muslim-friendly facilities in Taiwan will not be that easy. Today however Islam is a growing religion in Taiwan, which means mosques and Halal restaurants are popping up around the island, slowly but surely.

While most countries have one Halal certifying body (eg: Malaysia’s is Jakim), you may be surprised to discover that Taiwan has not one, but two halal certification boards; the Taiwan Halal Integrity Development Association (THID) and the Chinese Muslim Association. There are two kinds of certification, “Halal restaurants” for those owned by Muslims, and “Muslim friendly restaurants” for Halal outlets owned by non-Muslims. Both are fully Halal certified and safe for muslims to enjoy. Taiwan boasts a surprising range of halal food options covering cuisines as varied as Chinese, Taiwanese, Indian and even Egyptian! I had chance to try out 2 Halal restaurants during my last trip and today I’m going to share about my dining experience at Yunus Halal Restaurant 泰富豪清真料理. (another one will be on next post, stay tune)

 

Yunus Halal Restaurant 泰富豪清真料理 located at Songshan District, Taipei City specializes in serving Halal Thai cuisine. The interior is minimalist with straight forward furniture and warm lighting, very welcoming and pleasant at sight.

 

Photos of the owner with famous peoples and politicians all around the world being displayed in the restaurant. Spot some familiar faces from our country?

 

Seafood Tom Yum Soup海鲜东炎汤

The eatery’s menu is filled with lots of familiar Thai dishes and Tom Yum simply a must-have in Thai meals. Two versions of the classic Tom Yum soups are available here, the clear and the fiery red one. It wasn’t the spiciest I’ve tried but the spiciness level was nicely adequate. The broth had the right balance of sour, spicy and savory, it ticked all my criteria for a good Tom Yum. The soup also laden bountifully with seafood such as crabs, prawns, squids, fish as well as mushrooms and vegetables.

 

Squid Salad 凉拌花枝

The poached squid, onions, chunks of cucumber and tomatoes drenched in sweet and spicy sauce successfully awoke my appetite, it was deliciously addictive.

 

Fried Crab with Curry 辣炒螃蟹
The crabs were buried under a curry and egg gravy laced with lots of aromatic spices and herbs. I can still taste the sweetness of the crab through the sauce. The crabs were best tackled with your fingers, simply finger-licking good!

 

Spicy Fried Chicken 椒麻鸡

The boneless chicken was topped with chopped chilies, peppercorns, coriander, garlic and other spices. All those toppings channeled a tongue-tingling and numbing sensation, the flavors were robust and I enjoyed this a lot.

 

Thai Basil Beef 打抛牛肉

Minced beef is sautéed with lots Thai basil to create that distinctive aroma and flavour. The version here included plenty of onion, spring onion and chili. It’s got lots of moreish flavours and is perfect with steamed rice and fried sunny side up egg.

Steamed Fish 清蒸鱼

Fresh fish are best steamed for its original taste. Our fish course was beautifully cooked and moist in a moreish savory soy sauce with lots of spring onion, ginger and coriander.

 

Omelette  煎蛋

Bean Paste Bean Curd 家常豆腐

 

Stir Fried Baby Bok Choy 炒青江菜

A few non-spicy dishes to freshen up our taste buds.

 

Verdict: The offerings at Yunus Halal Restaurant definitely worth checking out and the pork free dishes indeed didn’t fell short of satisfaction. For Muslims, visiting Taiwan is no longer daunting. The Chinese Muslim Association of Taiwan carries a list of Halal or Muslim friendly restaurants on its website which covers all types of cuisine, a print out of a list of these restaurants will definitely be helpful. The app of HalalTrip app which allows travelers to find the nearest Halal restaurant as well as locates nearby mosques and prayer facilities is even more of a blessing.

 

Yunus Halal Restaurant 泰富豪清真料理

No. 36, Beining Rd, Songshan Dist., Taipei City Taiwan, R.O.C

台湾台北市松山区北宁路36号1楼

TEL: 886-2-2579-0528

Operating Hours: 11.30am – 2.30pm, 5.00pm – 9.30pm daily

Facebook: www.facebook.com/yunushalalrestaurant/