New Taiwanese eatery and food market opens in Xujiahui
If you're one of the many people in this world with an affinity for Taiwanese food, this place should be on your radar. Opened just last month in the more southern end of Xuhui district, The Purple Garlic is half delicious and reasonably priced eatery, half import food market – both from the same team behind Taiwanese specialty chain Chun Store. Granted, the Xujiahui-area office building location isn't the best, but it's worth the trip for both the sit-down eats and the shopping that follows.
Sourcing local ingredients for farm-to-table dining, the restaurant side offers up a big menu of classic Taiwanese dishes and street-food favourites. There's Goose Island on tap, some fruity cocktails, lots of colourful fresh juice and smoothie options, the full range of coffees and – the most famous Taiwanese treat of all – bubble tea.
Try the sanbeiji (three-cup chicken), a homestyle dish of diced chicken, loads of garlic cloves and fresh basil leaves that gets its name from the sauce it stews in; traditionally equal parts soy sauce, sesame oil and rice wine. The salty, oily turnip omelette is packed with crunchy bits of the root veggie and makes a great go-to. For something street-style, the Taiwanese sausage wrapped in glutinous rice is surprisingly tasty.
When it comes to something sweet, the classic Taiwanese dessert baobing – shaved ice and condensed milk – doesn't disappoint with big frozen piles of peanut or mango to choose from.
Alongside the eatery, the rest of The Purple Garlic's space is dedicated to imported foreign groceries from Taiwan and beyond. A few of our favourite finds include a 420g container of quinoa for 68RMB and lots of other dry organic grains, Taiwanese pineapple cakes and pineapple beer, all kinds of natural sugars and flours, and just about every kind of Asian noodle you can think of.
On top of pantry items and packaged goods, the shop is fully stocked with fresh produce (again farm-to-table), dairy products and a big freezer full of Chun brand's own prepared foods: baozi, dumplings and mantou galore; frozen meals; and Taiwanese ice creams and desserts. Plus, in addition to all kinds of tofu, they carry tempeh – a vegetarian staple that’s pretty hard to get your hands on in Shanghai.
Overall, there are lots of little edible treasures to be found here, and it's a refreshingly affordable change to the sky-high prices of citySuper and other import grocery stores – more than worthy of taking the afternoon for a bite to eat and grocery shopping.