I am back at Pine & Crane to try more things on their menu! When I had it for the first time, there were so many things on the menu that I wanted to try it was very hard deciding what to order. Now that I’m back again with more people, I can try more items.
Cold Appetizers
- Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Seaweed Salad
- Lotus Root Salad
- Woodear Salad
I liked the Woodear Salad most. The other appetizer that I really wanted to try (but still haven’t yet) is the Pig Ear Salad, but for $10, it’s pretty pricey! I would try the Bean Curd Salad next.
Small Plates & Soups
Taiwanese Sausage – served with sliced garlic – I am not a fan of their Taiwanese Sausage. The sausage was sliced pretty thin, and if you combine all the slices together, it’s not even close to the size you would get in Taiwan! It was also a little bit on the drier side.
Beef Roll – five spice beef, hoisin, cucumber, cilantro – The beef rolls only come in four pieces, but it’s pretty good if you are craving beef rolls! I do wish they put just a little bit more hoisin sauce in there though.
Crispy Rice Cakes & Mushrooms – daikon rice cakes, trumpets, tangyuan, chinese basil – I like the Crispy Rice Cakes & Mushrooms more than their Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken (which I tried the first time). I haven’t had a dish like this at other restaurants before, so it’s pretty unique! I order this almost every time now.
Dumplings & Buns
Shrimp Wontons – tossed in our house sauce – Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of this dish.
Beancurd Clamshell Bun – braised beancurd, house pickles, cilantro, peanut – Honestly, I liked the Beancurd Clamshell Bun a lot more than the Pork Belly Clamshell Bun. The house pickles really add a lot of good flavor to the juicy beancurd!
Panfried Pork Buns – taiwanese cabbage, kurobuta pork, scallions – The Panfried Pork Buns continue to be one of my favorites and I love to order it every time!
Noodles
Beef Noodle Soup – braised beef shank, mustard greens, baby bok choy – Not a bad option if you want some Beef Noodle Soup!
Sha Gua Mian – soy sauce, vinegar, fried shallots, chili crisp, scallions – I decided to finally try the Sha Gua Mian after ordering the Dan Dan Noodles every time. I would have liked there to be a little more vinegar, but overall, it was not bad. I might order it again if I am craving it, but the Dan Dan Noodles are still my favorite.
Dan Dan Noodles – sesame-peanut sauce, cucumbers, cilantro, peanuts – This is my default order unless I am feeling adventurous!
Rice Dishes
Taiwanese Sticky Rice – dried shrimp, taiwanese sausage, peanuts, cilantro – This is a small portion of sticky rice. The taste was good, but I would get this as a side in addition to something else.
Wok-Tossed Basil Eggplant – organic chinese eggplant, thai basil – If you like eggplant, give this a try! It was a little bit on the oily side, so make sure to eat it with your rice.
Minced Pork on Rice – soy braised egg, house daikon pickle – I liked the minced pork! Towards the end, I definitely had more rice left compared to the minced pork and egg, but other than that, this was good.
Three Cup Jidori Chicken – sesame oil, soy sauce, rice wine, thai basil – This dish was really good with rice! It was very saucy and came with a good amount of chicken.
Vegan Mapo Tofu – organic silken tofu, spicy doubanjiang – I enjoyed this dish more than I expected. Usually, the mapo tofu I have comes with some meat, but this one is vegan! The tofu was very soft and smooth, and the sauce was very flavorful.
Dessert
Hakka Mochi – rolled in peanut and black sesame – Mmm…both the peanut and black sesame options were good, but I liked the peanut one a lot! Definitely try this dessert. I’ve only had it to-go, but would love to try it at the restaurant!
Breakfast
Did I mention that I also tried their breakfast? Breakfast is served from 8am to 11am.
Fan Tuan – pork floss, you tiao, soy braised egg, preserved vegetables wrapped in sticky rice – The fan tuan was not bad, but I wish it was served warm.
Daikon Rice Cakes – zai lai rice flour, fried shallots, shiitake – The rice cakes were also not bad, but I would try something else next time.
I also got the Sea Salt Cream Cold Brew to go with my breakfast! Would love to try the Savory Soy Milk next time, or their Traditional Breakfast Porridge Set!
Overall, I definitely prefer the lunch options over their breakfast options. The prices at Pine & Crane are pretty reasonable, and the portions are a good size for the most part. My top favorites are the Crispy Rice Cakes & Mushrooms, Panfried Pork Buns, Beancurd Clamshell Bun, Dan Dan Noodles, and the Hakka Mochi, so definitely give those a try!