Soups, small plates, and snacks shine at Taste of Formosa

Comments (0) By Jonathan Kauffman Wednesday, Feb 10 2010

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Jen Siska

Taste of Formosa specializes in xiao chi, Taiwanese street snacks.

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Taste of Formosa

2428 Clement
San Francisco, CA 94121

Category: Restaurant > Asian

Region: Richmond (Outer)

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Details

668-6368. 11:30 a.m.-11:30 p.m. Mon., Wed-Sun. No reservations. Muni: 1, 2, 28, 38. Noise level: quiet.

2428 Clement (at 25th Ave.)

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On occasion, the restaurant's more studied takes on common street foods fell flat — the braised ground pork over rice ($3.95), normally no-nonsense comfort food, tasted paradoxically shallow and overwrought. More often, the kitchen's urge to refine had the intended effect. Taste of Formosa's oyster crepe with sweet sauce ($6.95) was the best version I've ever tasted. A tapioca-starch batter and a single whisked egg flowed into one another in a hot pan. As it cooked, the tapioca side jelled, while the egg crisped and browned wherever it touched the oil. Placed around the crepe and glazed in a mild hoisin ketchup were spinach leaves and oysters that cooked into small rounds of sweetly briny custard. I've choked on a dozen of these pancakes over the years, most of them tasting like seafood-flavored gummi bears. With its delicate layering of textures, this one reminded me more of Thomas Keller's oysters and pearls.