We started with deep fried oysters. The batter was fried to a nice golden yellow colour and the oyster inside retained its plump, soft body and juices, when most places would have overcooked this dish.
Deep fried battered oysters
Next came our vegetable dish - stir fried green beans with minced pork and cashews. I really liked this dish. While it sounds simple, it was packed with flavour as the mince was flavored well, add to that the fresh and slighty crunchy beans that had abit of the stir fried 'wok hei' taste. Yummy. The cashews were also something different as I usually peanuts being used as a garnish but this was a good change.
Stir fried green beans with mince pork and cashews
Crispy chicken followed soon after. Apparently this is one of their signature dishes, and I could understand why. The skin was thin and crispy, and the meat was tender and retained all moisture and juices. I tasted a piece of the breast as that’s usually the part to which is hard to cook well. Surprisingly, it was soft and tender almost like the rest of the chicken.
Crispy chicken
Time for more seafood: deep fried salt and pepper sole. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t like that muddy fishy taste so I was reluctant to try this dish. It turned out to be quite nice as the texture of the fish was firm, nicely seasoned and didn’t have the fishy taste.
Salt and pepper sole
Deep fried tofu with mince prawn meat. Nice and simple dish to break things a bit. The sauce is usually served drizzled on top of the tofu, but we asked for it to be served separately so that the tofu retained its crispiness until we drenched it with sauce ourselves.
Deep fried tofu with mince prawn meat
Sweet and sour pork was next – we would usually order the ribs instead, but the owner suggested this dish to us so we politely agreed. The sweet and sour sauce had a nice balance of flavours from the fresh pineapple pieces and the capsicum. I found the coating on the pork pieces a bit floury for my liking, and the pork could have been fattier, as the lean meat mean it was a bit on the chewy side. It wasn’t bad, just not great.
Sweet and sour pork
We finished off with stir-fried noodles tossed with bean sprouts. The noodles were fresh and not overly salty, unlike some places. They were quite generous with the bean sprouts too. I like.
Stir fried noodles with bean sprouts
I was pretty full by the end of our meal, but I’ll always room for dessert! The ice cream we ordered was made in-house and flavours included strawberry, vanilla, coconut and mango. They were served in these fancy metal cups which looked like mini urns, with smoke (liquid nitrogen) coming out from the bottom which looked so mystical and fun!
Strawberry ice cream
If you want Chinese food that won’t disappoint, then Taigum Gardens Chinese is the place to go. I must say this place is on the expensive side (for Chinese food), but the portions are generous and the food is of a high quality; it would be a real shame not to give it try purely because of its affordability. Ladies also receive a small surprise at the end of the night too!
Edit - 13/7/2012
I have since been back to Taigum Gardens on several occasions now, and the food never fails to please my guests every time!
Some more delicious dishes I have tried lately:
Hot and Sour Soup - So flavoursome and filled with so much meat, vegies and prawns!
Ginger and Shallot Fried Crab with Egg Noodles ('Yee-Meen') - crab was so meaty and the sauce was just delicious!
Deep Fried Tofu with Fish Fillets and Vegetables
Combination Tofu Pot - The pictures says it all. The portion is so generous and food so fresh.
