A Taipei time-honored Jiangzhe cuisine restaurant — 30 cold appetizers to choose from

Text & photos bySan Gao Chi Han

I heard Kai Kai Kan serves tasty food, so I made a special trip there. After the meal, you can easily walk to Yong Fu, an old-school ice cream shop. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, many people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces relocated to Taiwan, giving rise to numerous long-established Jiangzhe cuisine restaurants in Taipei. In Taiwan, the term “Jiangzhe cuisine” likely emerged due to the unique food culture shaped by historical and geographical contexts, combining dishes from regions like Huaiyang, Hangzhou, and Shanghai. For instance, the signage at Kai Kai Kan’s snack counter even says “Jiangzhe stir-fries.” The entrance features large, old-fashioned glass panels, and once you step inside, you’re greeted by the cozy, homey atmosphere of a small eatery.

I arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon when there weren’t many customers, allowing me to enjoy a relaxed meal. The glass display case held a variety of cold appetizers that had been stir-fried and cooked earlier that morning, then cooled down — at least twenty or thirty different kinds. Since I was dining alone today, I couldn’t try too much, so I picked three: pork-stuffed chili peppers, gluten steak, and fermented tofu pork, along with a bowl of rice with vegetables. As for the menu… I could only look — Up~

First came a cup of hot tea and a small side dish of pickled radish and chili peppers. The green chili in this dish is quite spicy — one bite numbed my entire taste buds!! It took a while to recover before I could continue eating.

The chili-stuffed pork had a milder chili skin flavor, mainly featuring tender, crumbly ground pork formed into balls. They were very satisfying to bite into, and the sauce had a light taste. The flavor absorbed by the pork combined the slight sweetness of the sauce with the natural sweetness of the meat, creating a pleasant harmony.

The gluten steak also had a great texture — the pieces were soft but not too mushy or greasy. The sauce carried a rich umami reminiscent of braised pork, with both meaty and oily notes. It wasn’t just a simple mix of salty and sweet flavors. I ate several pieces and didn’t get tired of them.

The rice with vegetables at Kai Kai Kan is also a traditional dish where rice and veggies are cooked together, but I felt the vegetable aroma was a bit lacking — personally, I’d rate it as just okay. But no worries, there was some flavorful fermented tofu pork waiting to accompany my rice.

The staff will help slice the fermented tofu pork for you. It stays warm when served, and the portion is slightly large for one person — sharing between two would probably be better.

Even after slicing, some parts were still a bit white, but the sweet sauce with red yeast rice was well-infused. Some of the lean meat was a little dry, but overall the texture was good, and it wasn’t overly greasy.

After eating, I walked to the nearby intersection on Kunming Street to grab an old-fashioned ice cream from Yong Fu — you can choose any three scoops, perfect for cooling off~

Kai Kai Kan Jiangzhe Snacks
Address: No. 16, Section 2, Guiyang Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City
Business Hours: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM, 4:30 PM – 8:30 PM

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