Teresa's Restaurant

黛麗莎

No. 146-2, Wufu 4th Rd, Yancheng Dist
高雄市鹽埕區五福四路146號之2
(07)551-3233

Monday-Sunday
11:00am-10:00pm

English friendly: yes
vegetarian friendly: yes
average cost: 200-300NTD

The most interesting part of this exotic Spanish/ethnic restaurant storefront is their incredible door:

Seriously though, where did they get that? Exquisite.

This was advertised to me as a Spanish restaurant, but as you can see here they have LOTS of foreign food--Italian, American, Mexican, everything. There is definitely something for everyone, especially because their menu is gigantic. The whole last half of it is a very enticing (and cheap!) selection of cocktails and wines and things. ONE FUN EVENING IN THE MAKING.

I've forgotten the names of everything we ordered by now, so I'll just sort of describe it. This, as you can probably tell, is a squid and rice thing with black "squid ink" sauce. I feel like the majority of the options in this restaurant are Western variations on rice (and/or meat), though I do think I saw some pasta options. Anyway. I'm not a huge fan of rice, but I liked this. The squid was chewy, and sooo adorable, and the sauce was subtly seafoody and good.

And here we have brown rice with chorizo. Oh man, it was GOOD. A little plain, but the Spanish sausage flavor was excellent.

THIS, I think, is pork (??? but actually I've completely forgotten the type of meat) wrapped in bacon, topped with onions and green peppers and paired with a thin tomatoey sauce. It was perfectly fine! I'm not really into bacon though (I kno rite why am I even here), and I thought the meat in the middle could have been a lot more tender, or at least... interesting.

This is supposedly potatoes au gratin, but I was unconvinced. It was more like plain slices of potato covered in cheese and baked. The sauce was not nearly saucy enough, and the potatoes should have been sliced a lot more thinly (in my inexpert opinion). No one at the table really liked it. 

I will say, though, that the cheese did not suck. It seems hard for restaurants to find good cheese in Kaohsiung, so this is a great accomplishment.

The cheese REALLY featured in this guy, the cheese-filled empanadas off of the extensive vegetarian options page. I guess I sort of forgot what empanadas are, because I wasn't expecting this, but it was a happy surprise. EVERYONE at the table liked these.

They aren't completely filled with cheese (a good thing, I think we can agree), but there was definitely enough. The perfect amount, even. The crust was light and flaky, and the cheese was gooey and delicious. Wonderful.

So to sum up, this is a good place. It's not too expensive, though each plate is a little on the small side (we had five for three people and it was just about right), and it's lovely to have all those cheap drink options! (I'm not sure if they are good but whatever it's alcohol.) The food was definitely edible, even if it didn't exactly suit my tastes; I think it quite likely that it will suit yours!

OVERALL RATING: 4/5

Lahore Exotic Cuisine

拉合爾異國美食

No. 86, Linquan St, Lingya Dist
高雄市苓雅區林泉街86號
(07)726-6803

Tuesday-Sunday 
11:00am-2:00pm
4:30pm-9:00pm

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lahore.tw

English friendly: yes
vegetarian friendly: yes
average cost: 100-150NTD

I think I have a crush on this restaurant, everyone. Each time I think back about it I get happy butterflies in my stomach. I am just so, so glad that it exists.

Lahore "Exotic Cuisine" is what happens when a Mexican food stall and an Indian restaurant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan decide to combine forces to create something wonderful. It feels like there are so many stories behind this place, part of the reason it tickles me so. It's owners are (at least) two exotically ambiguously ethnic men and probably their Taiwanese wives. The guy at the front greeted us in fluent Chinese, which will be sure to amuse and delight all Taiwanese members of your dinner party. I was also amused and delighted.

Once again their menu is gigantic, so come prepared to conquer your crippling indecision or you'll never get to eat. On the left you have a selection of curries (paired with either rice or naan), on the right a selection of burritos, and in the center an intriguing and sometimes frightening selection of exotic drinks. 

You can order your curry/burrito on its own or as part of a set meal, in which case it comes with Indian milk tea and this slightly sweet fruit and yogurt dish. The milk tea was not overly sweet or thick, like most Taiwanese bubble milk tea, so it actually seemed a little watered down to me... Heh. But it was still good, and the yogurt made for a pleasant little dessert.

I chose the "Turkish yogurt drink (salty)", even though I was scared of it. It served its purpose quite well, in that it was INTERESTING, and even good, at least for the first few sips. It sort of tasted like salty, watered-down, sour butter, if that makes any sense. You should try it if you haven't had anything of the sort before, because you probably won't find it anywhere else. Just make sure to bring a few friends along to share the experience i.e. help you finish it.

The brilliance behind this restaurant, why it just works, is that the naan for the curry and the tortillas for the burritos are actually the same thing: a magical, soft+chewy bread substance prepared fresh by the owner outside in front of the restaurant. I would say it leans more towards a homemade Mexican flour tortilla than less-dense Indian naan, but it's just perfect paired with curry as well.

We ordered the spicy (actually not that spicy) chicken curry pictured above. Definitely not your standard Taiwanese curry. I'm not exactly sure what makes it so different--maybe it's not as sweet, or more heavily-spiced--but it tastes authentic, and oh-so-very good. 

I ended up choosing the beef and double cheese burrito, instead of the intriguing "fruit, potato, and cheese" burrito my heart really wanted. My good decision making skills may have won out this time, but I'll be back! My curiosity must needs be satisfied.

Though there were no beans inside (?), this burrito was still very satisfying. The double cheese did not stand out as much as I thought it would, and closer inspection revealed it to be that fake orange American cheese sold in prepackaged slices in Carrefour, but whatever I don't care!!! The tortilla was sooooo good, and the mixture of rice, cheese, vegetables, and beef just right. Plus its oily juices ran all over the place with every bite. Aah.

This restaurant is just what Kaohsiung needs: a taste of the exotic to break up the endless cycle of noodles, hot pot, rice, noodles, hot pot... And ONLY Kaohsiung could have it. It may not be as authentic as actual restaurants in India or Mexico, or maybe even as delicious, but that's not the point--it is its own creation, completely unique and utterly charming. 

For such a special experience, I am very happy to give away Kaohsiung Gastronaut Handbook's very first INFINITE RECOMMENDATION.

OVERALL RATING: 5/5