Tai Lai - Taipei

The calm and hearty atmosphere felt wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket. Absolutely loved my first visit to the soup including dumplings was beautiful, and the owner (or host) was incredibly friendly and helpful to me when I expressed that I felt unsafe where I was eating as a vegan since I had arrived in Taiwan only the day before.

Healthy and delicious, traditional, not expensive, quiet place and very nice staff. 100% vegan.

The owner was very helpful and friendly in helping me choose what to order. I was feeling a bit sick and she suggested a soup that would be good for me. I got the set meal which comes with an enzyme drink, salad, a small side dish and a dessert. The enzyme drink was like a kind of vinegar but I thought it was really tasty! I enjoyed my soup and the rest of the food, too. I probably won’t rush back there but it was healthy and tasty so I might go if in the area.

I wouldn’t have thought that this place were a restaurant had I not been looking for it: upon first glance, it looks like a posh tea room from outside its floor-to-ceiling glass windows. The bilingual menu was helpful, but they didn’t have the sushi rolls any longer (probably an old menu item). The set meals sounded like a little too much for what we had an appetite for, so we each ordered an entree a la carte. At first, I didn’t bother ordering the side of green veggies, but after my Chinese toon fried rice came out and I saw how small the portion size was, I asked the waitress to bring out the veggies. The dishes tasted fine to me, although I could see most people would probably find the flavoring on the bland side. My friends really enjoyed the veggie dumplings, as well as the noodle soup. As I suspected, I was feeling peckish again shortly thereafter, which was annoying. I’ll try ordering a set meal next time: maybe that will be more satiating!

The dumplings and the fried rice with fresh pineapple and soy skin (and peanut powder) are super tasty. Dishes can be ordered as sets. Try the enzymes drinks (light sour vinegary 1cl drink made from herbs). The Taiwanese Grapefruit is also amazing. Very family friendly staff!