Florence: A Taste of Taiwan in Sanlitun

This ambitious new Taiwanese restaurant makes wandering off the beaten Sanlitun path worth your while. Florence’s menu ranges from night market staples to pricier traditional delicacies, but especially shines when elevating the cheeky grit of Taiwan’s vibrant street food culture.

The crowd-pleasing popcorn chicken (Taishi xiansu ji 台式咸酥鸡, RMB 28), with well-seasoned chunks of meat and a generous allotment of basil, stands out as the best I’ve had in Beijing. But the must-try dish is the garlicky braised pork (suanxiang hongshao rou 蒜香红烧肉, RMB 48). Its crackle-capped strips of delightfully fatty meat, accompanied by slivers of ginger and scallion, were so scrumptious we were plotting our next visit before we’d even finished it.

Pork trotter is a litmus test for any self-respecting Taiwanese restaurant – and Florence aced it. The silken Wanluan pig feet (Wanluan zhujiao 万峦 猪脚, RMB 38), which came glistening on a bed of greens, tasted like braised angel’s wings.

Other dishes show that Florence has a delicate side. For instance, the ginger and clam soup, with its distillation of flavors into a simple, restorative broth, lifted one dining companion on a wave of nostalgia back to childhood summers in Taiwan.

Florence more than holds its own against Beijing’s popular Taiwanese chains, offering significantly better fare than Bellagio and better value than Shin Yeh. Also worth noting is the restaurant’s enthusiastic, well-trained staff. The food is definitely the star, but it’s a happy benefit that the restaurant also happens to prioritize customer service.

Standout dishes: Garlicky braised pork, “Steamed pork Taiwan style” (Taishi lurou)

Also try: Bellagio, Shin Yeh

Florence 翡冷翠台式餐厅 Daily 11am-11pm. Bldg 69, 4 Nansanlitun Lu (south of Casa Pagoda), Chaoyang District (6500 2216) 朝阳区南三里屯路4号院69号楼

Click here to see the March issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photos: Judy Zhou