Super savory sweet sauce: Did the god of food shed tears over this Hong Kong–style restaurant’s char siu in Taichung?

Text & photos byFei Tian Xuan

I remember that “Baoda Hong Kong–Style Tea Restaurant” used to be located on Wenshin Road, but due to MRT construction, parking in the area has become really difficult, so even if I thought about coming here to eat, I’d hesitate. On this day, when my classmate and our high school girl squad made plans to dine out, we had to work around Cindy’s lunch break, so we couldn’t go too far. In the end, we ended up choosing this “Baoda Hong Kong–Style Tea Restaurant.”

That’s when I found out that “Baoda Hong Kong–Style Tea Restaurant” has actually moved inside A.Mart Zhonggang Store. A.Mart has its own parking lot, which makes things much more convenient.

Kevin loves Hong Kong–style drinks. Recently, he made plans with his high school classmates to eat out and asked me to pick a tea restaurant. After thinking about it, I figured why not this “Baoda Hong Kong–Style Tea Restaurant”? At least from the last time I ate there, I didn’t encounter any bad dishes. This article combines photos and thoughts from both dining experiences. The time we went with the girl squad was shot with a phone, and the time we dined with Kevin’s classmates was taken with a GM1—please bear with the photo quality, everyone.

This wall is quite unique, with many Cantonese dish names written on it, along with their Chinese translations. I remember previously writing about the milk tea I had at a Hong Kong tea restaurant—it was so bitter. Later, a netizen commented that what Taiwanese people usually call milk tea is called “tea with evaporated milk” (茶走) in Hong Kong, so next time I go to Hong Kong, I should order “茶走” instead of just “milk tea.”

Menu. The dishes aren’t really expensive, no wonder the business is doing so well. The first time we came, the three of us ordered a double portion set meal for $988 NTD and a few other individual dishes. The second time, we just ordered whatever we wanted (since Kevin was paying, haha!).

Table sauces.

There are kids’ chairs available.

Char siu that made the god of food cry – This dish name is really bold—“made the god of food cry,” hahaha. The char siu was pretty good though. The meat was tender and flavorful, and the sauce was sweet and salty, but it wasn’t quite to the point of making me cry.

Shrimp cheung fun – Since I’m not a big fan of cheung fun to begin with, this one didn’t leave a deep impression on me either.

Golden crispy shrimp balls – The shrimp balls were coated in a sandy golden crust, giving a nice crunchy aroma—they were pretty tasty. But I felt the purple cabbage underneath didn’t really match.

XO sauce pork belly – This one is quite heavy in flavor, best paired with plain rice.

Seasonal vegetables – I think there were three types of seasonal vegetables to choose from. We picked stir-fried cabbage, which had an average texture and was quite oily.

Mushroom chicken soup – This one was completely finished off by Ying. (Feels like she hadn’t eaten in ages!) And this woman, no matter what she eats, says it’s delicious, so we didn’t even bother asking her opinion. Also, there was a “delicate dessert” that wasn’t photographed, plus two bowls of plain rice. The total for all of this was $988 NTD.

Golden lava custard bun – $80 NTD– It looked chubby and cute. Both Cindy and I thought the pastry skin was too thick. This might have been the most disappointing dish of the day. Then Ying kept saying while eating, “So delicious!” (← See? That’s why I said not to ask her—she says everything is delicious!)

Belleville prawns – $280 NTD– Foodie Cindy kept praising how well-prepared these were, clearly showing the chef’s skill. I personally thought they were very good too—the shrimp were firm yet had a bit of crunch, and the spices were really fragrant, making you want to keep eating one after another.

Pork rice ball – $68 NTD– The outer layer uses a mix of black rice and glutinous rice. It’s rare to find rice that’s soft yet not mushy.

Shrimp spring roll – $90 NTDIt was a bit too salty and greasy, but the filling was quite good—solid, quality ingredients.

Fermented Tofu with Water Spinach - $120 NTDWe originally thought of ordering the fermented tofu with water spinach for the kid, but it turned out to be spicy too. We had to rinse it with hot water, but little Cherry still enjoyed it a lot.

Chinese-style Radish Cake - $68 NTDThis one was really delicious actually. Even though it’s a strong-flavored dish, it had that savory saltiness, and the radish cake itself was very flavorful—probably had dried shrimp and scallion crisps in it?

Grass Prawns Claypot Noodles - $360 NTDI feel like Baoda’s prawn dishes are all pretty well done—the prawns are fresh and plump.

Three-Cured Meats Claypot Rice – They pour sauce over it once it's served, then you stir it up before eating. The taste is pretty average, but it’s just right for the little ones.

Cantonese Fried Rice - $160 NTDBecause we’re Taiwanese, no matter where we go, we always have to order fried rice—just like that.

Crispy Roast Chicken (Half) - $390 NTDThis was an unexpected surprise. The skin was super crispy, the chicken was tender and flavorful, with great aroma—it was delicious.

Iced Lemon Tea - $65 NTDNot good—it had neither tea flavor nor lemon flavor.

After graduation, everyone went their separate ways, some got married and had kids, starting their own families. Our girl group probably only meets once in a blue moon. But every time we do meet, we never run out of things to talk about, and it feels just like high school days again. Truly, old friends are the best.

Putting together my two recent visits: the first time, the ingredients and dishes were just average—I’d say the prices weren’t bad, some things were tasty, others were okay, but nothing amazing or great value, especially the egg custard tarts and iced lemon tea, which were quite disappointing. The second time, however, everything tasted really good—almost every dish performed at a high standard, and the prices were still reasonable.

It made me think of bloggers writing reviews—sometimes when I go eat something, I find it delicious, but other people might not. I’ve had two very different experiences at the same restaurant myself, so imagine how different it can be for different people at different times. So yeah, enjoying good food really is sometimes just luck. All in all, just read the blogs you like, don’t complain while reading them, and you’ll enjoy your meal more.

Baoda Cantonese Restaurant
FB:https://www.facebook.com/paotarestaurant
Address: No. 919, Section 2, Taiwan Boulevard, West District, Taichung City
Phone: (04)2320-2658
Business Hours: 11:00–21:30

Feitianxuan
I record the ups and downs of my life—food, fun, joy, and sorrow—in a light-hearted tone. Blog、FB