Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Old Alley. Travel note: Old Alley (Xiao Zhao's Private Kitchen) in Taipei's Xinyi District (2nd visit), Beer Rush in the Eastern District, and Beer Dog in Zhongzheng District (2nd visit). Last time I ate at Xiao Zhao's was before they moved; this time it's after the move, and the price has gone up to NT$38,000 per table. But the ingredients are truly top-notch, and many dishes were surprisingly impressive. Chef Zhao, originally from Shanghai, has superb skills—rose fermented tofu braised pork, East Star grouper soup, crab and clam rice cakes... The dishes were completely different from last time, showing great variety. The organizer this time was Lei Lei. Cheers~ After dinner, I continued the night with Kelvin and David, drinking locally brewed Taiwanese beers (Yilan Black Sand, Nantou Tsai's). Then we met up with Kelvin's Hong Kong friend Marco and his newlywed wife, sipping Belgian sour craft beers while watching the Champions League broadcast. Thanks to the boss for treating us to a shot! By Morgan, evening of May 30, 2026.
