Teriyaki House is a paradox. It neither serves teriyaki nor is it a “new york style” Chinese fast food place as it appears from the outside/inside. It does serve the “americanized” Chinese food we are familiar with (general tso’s chicken and its fried, sweet, battered ilk that we Americans just so love), but the essence of Teriyaki House lies within its traditional Taiwanese dishes.
A true mom and pop shop (run entirely by an elderly couple), Teriyaki House lies on the southwest corner of Kirkman Road and Colonial Dr (SR 50), just north of the SR 408 exit for Kirkman. Inside, Teriyaki House is a hole in the wall type joint, with four tables and about 16 seats, various Christian relics adorn the walls and a small TV plays the latest Taiwanese gameshows and news. The clientele is mostly Chinese ( a good sign).
There are two menus here: an “American” menu in English with the above-described items, and a “Taiwanese” menu, entirely in Chinese. Their “Taiwanese” menu posed a problem for even our most Chinese-literate friend on this visit to the shop. But luckily enough, I could figure out a few of the items from a group of photos of dishes that they had on the wall. I pointed to them and the lady nodded and smiled, not sure if she really understood what I wanted…
The food takes a while to finish as there are only the two of them at this place, which is understandable. It was fun not really knowing what to expect to come out from their kitchen.
Our drinks were the sweet iced black tea and iced lemon tea, Taiwanese staples, and extra sweet and refreshing. The first dish came and it was fried tofu stuffed with garlic and topped with lettuce and a sweet/salty sauce. The tofu was crispy, fresh, and delicious to eat. It tasted just like what my grandma would have made at home.
Our first item was the appetizer sampler platter of mushroom, Taiwanese sausage, hard boiled egg, collard mustard greens, and tofu topped with green onions, parsley, and bean sprouts, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
There are also these lunch combos that come with rice, stir fried green beans, chinese sausage, hard boiled egg, and a entree of your choice. My companions and I decided to get the Taiwanese style stewed beef and the fatty pork dish which was literally fat layered with pork and soft and buttery to the touch.
Apparently, you can also ask the chef to cook to order any number of Taiwanese dishes not on the menu. I saw one lady come in with a bitter melon from the 1st Oriental Supermarket down the street and asked the chef to cook it to order.
Overall, I was very satisfied with my dishes at Teriyaki House, a diamond in the rough. They all tasted home made and incredibly fresh. Check it out!
the decor inside Teriyaki House
Black tea, sweet and iced
Mike, co-owner of http://www.impressink.com custom apparel t shirts, enjoys the hard boiled soy sauce egg
Sampler platter
Fried Tofu!
a plate of fresh Chinese veggies
Home made Taiwanese style sausage
Lunch combo
Taiwanese style stewed beef
Fatty pork!
I love me some Chinese green vegetables! I grew up loving Chinese home cooked meals and these looks delish!
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