#8: Formosan Restaurant
Posted on February 25, 2007
Filed Under Taiwanese |
Thanks to Ms. Raamona for the recommendation and for personally taking me out, I had the pleasure of eating some Taiwanese style steak this week.
So what’s the difference between Taiwanese steak and its American counterpart? Taiwanese steak relies heavily on sauces, it comes sizzling on a cast iron pan, and has a pretty standard set of fixin’s to go along with the steak: Bread, of course, cream of corn soup, salad, rice or spaghetti, and the best part — an egg dropped on the pan as its being carried out to you.
The waiter would set the pan down in front of you, lift the lid, and you would be greeted with a shock of steam and a huge mass of food sizzling in your face. It is advised that you lift your napkin and hide behind it for a minute, lest the splattering grease gets on your shirt. One time in third grade some splattering oil almost got me in the eye, I ate the steak that day with a new profound appreciation of life.
Formosan had garlic bread along with the soup and salad.
We also ordered the crispy fried tofu. The garlic sauce is signature Taiwanese and kicked it up two notches.
Ms. Raamona ordered a medium-rare ribeye. This is definitely bigger than the ribeye at Costco, although a little thinner.
Faced with her enormous steak, I had no choice but to go all out and try to beat her. So I got the surf-n’-turf combo, squid with ribeye steak. ($15)
This is comfort food territory to me. The steak with the black pepper sauce brings me back to steakhouses in Taiwan and memories of my mom treating me to a steak when I did well on tests back in grade school. It’s not the greatest steak in the world, (that’d be the Rothenberg steak) but it’s certainly a great interpretation of Western food from an Asian view. The portions are incredibly generous, the service was quick with our fun and playful waitress, it was a great meal. It’s not a date place, so bring you gluttony partner(s) and be ready to loosen your belt a bit.
Ms. Raamona is part owner of a Tapioca Express in the Cerritos mall. She makes a damn good cup o’ boba, so do drop by and order something if you’re going to Formosa. Yes, I know there’s another Tapioca express in the same plaza as Formosa, but hey, you drove down to Cerritos for steak, what’s another mile or two for good boba?
Formosan Restaurant
18846 Norwalk Blvd
Artesia, CA 90701
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Ha! I’ve been waiting for #8!
I’m surprised it’s not another Korean restaurant, for a moment there I thought you’re turning into Korean!
I have never heard of Taiwanese style Steak, you have very intriguing taste. Smothered sauce with Calmari looks super delicious. I have to check this place out.
Hi Voltage,
I know, I’ve been favoring Korean food. But can you blame me? It’s always so hard core. Plus KBBQ works well for my low carb diet thing. When it’s Chinese food it’s harder to find anything without rice or noodles.
Thanks for visiting, and if you have recommendations on where I can go next, please let me know!
Dude. I’m freaking hungry now.
This is a very strange way of serving Steak. What kind of sauce is the steak smothered in? And is that spaghetti on *top* of the steak?
Hi Kim,
There’s mushroom and black pepper sauce to choose from. The steak was too big, I guess, and the spaghetti has no other place to sit except partly on the steak, it’s not by choice, really.
I love how they come on metal plates, so cool
Didn’t know they had cows in Korea!
看起來真好吃啊！ 肚子好餓了。
Taiwanese food is so good! C’mon Kevin, we need more Taiwanese food!!
This place is SO cool. I love all the ‘unique’ places you go to. I would’ve NEVER have found a pale like this myself. I’m so planning a trip to Los Angeles for food!!
Thanks for the awesome reviews!
This is good, I like your blog.
運用了高超的寫真技巧
嘴饞,
不敢不敢，您真是過獎了。
我只是好吃，又有點愛現而已，有空多來坐坐吧。
Where is this restaurant located?
Hi Drunk,
Sorry about that, it’s at:
18846 Norwalk Blvd
Artesia, CA 90701
And it’s called Formosan, not Formosa. My bad.