Authentic Mediterranean home-style cuisine in an old-style building in Tainan!

Text & Photos /A Man’s Daily Life
(Text: Man E. Photography: Man J)

After J and I started writing articles, we had always wanted to find time to visit Tainan. Fortunately, in April of this year, we received an invitation from Tainan HowToTrip老爷行旅 to attend an art exhibition.Tainan HowToTrip老爷行旅 Art Space x The Fourth Wall — experience every Tainan story within the inn, a dialogue across time and space between you, me, him, and the land. ← Click the article. That’s when we decided on this light Tainan trip and finally got the chance to visit some of the Tainan spots we’d bookmarked before.

“This must be the right alley,” the taxi driver said cheerfully and confidently. After getting out of the car, the two of us looked around and could only trust our instincts as we walked into the narrow alleyway. We spotted a small courtyard with a low house on the right. Walking in, we pushed open a wooden door adorned with red Spring Festival couplets. Xiaoju (Little Gathering) felt like a home — with just a few tables and chairs — and we were two men visiting a neighbor’s place.

As soon as we entered, a foreign service staff member who spoke fluent Chinese (we later found out he was the owner of Xiaoju) seated us at the last two seats near the bar, close to the kitchen. After ordering, I sat there watching the busy kitchen up front while the owner darted back and forth between the kitchen and the dining area. It really felt like a home kitchen, with simple decorations and items placed casually around.

Xiaoju operates on a semi-self-service basis — you get your own utensils and water cups, and there’s no service charge. It’s been ages since I’ve seen a retro glass that says “Congratulations on the New Year.”

The glass display case next to the bar also showcases the owner’s homemade pastries.

In addition to the fixed menu items, Xiaoju Stammtisch also offers a daily special, written on the blackboard by the bar.

Daily Special: Grilled Tuna Steak – NT$320

Served with a salad of mango, pineapple, tomato, and roasted pumpkin

The wasabi, lettuce, and salad parts are lightly dressed with olive oil, giving a very natural, fresh sour and sweet taste. The freshly roasted pumpkin is perfectly cooked, and the Tainan tuna steak, grilled like a thick slab of beef steak, is about 70–80% done, with a touch of spices. It’s naturally sweet with a hint of aroma from cooking — absolutely delicious.

Mexican Spicy Sausage Scrambled Eggs – NT$220

In an iron pan, half-boiled eggs are mixed with Mexican sausage, tomatoes, bell peppers, and other vegetables. You can take a slice of homemade bread, pile on the ingredients, and make your own Xiaoju-style tapas. The slight spiciness is just right, the ingredients are cooked to perfection, and the bread has an authentic aroma — it’s my kind of texture.

Grapefruit Orange Soda – NT$110

You can taste bits of grapefruit and orange pulp. The flavor is mild, but for such a small cup, the price is a bit high.

Postscript

We arrived in Tainan early that day, visited the Chimei Museum, and then took a direct ride to Xiaoju for lunch, a place J had long bookmarked. In an old-style Tainan building, we sat down and tasted authentic home-style cuisine from the other side of the world — such a clever and delicious blend of East and West. This was our first little gathering moment in Tainan.

Xiaoju Stammtisch
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Address: No. 124, Section 2, Shulin St., West Central District, Tainan City
Phone: 06 213 9798
Business Hours: Closed Mon & Tue; Wed–Sat: 09:00–17:00; Sun: 09:00–15:00
Payment Note: Cash only 

Two Guys from Taipei
One thinks with the left brain, the other with the right.
Man E is the rational free spirit, Man J is the stubbornly spontaneous one.
When life is not crazy, it is not life.
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