Formosa Bento House
discussons in the past 3 months.
2660 Broadway St, Redwood City, CA 94063
(650) 568-9789
photos
NO PHOTOS YET
- HOURS:
- Closed Sunday Mon-Fri 10:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Sat 11:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
- PRICE RANGE: $
- CREDIT CARDS: Yes
- ALCOHOL: --
- OTHER FEATURES:
- TAGS:
- $=Inexpensive
good to know
Family-run restaurant serve homey Taiwanese cuisine and some unique provincial dishes and items
Formose Bento House specializes in bento set combo meals. This is modeled after the Taiwanese “bien dang” which also translates to bento in Japanese, with “bien” meaning convenience.
You basically choose one item (meats or veg) where the usual suspects are fried pork chops (surprisingly non greasy but a tad bit salty, otherwise authentic), chicken leg, curry meat of some sort, eggplant, and several other varieties. Then the rest of the bento is rice paired with some minced meat and sauce (done quite nicely), stir fried yet juicy vegetable mix of cabbage, broccoli, and carrots.
Near the cashier is an open refrigerator for self help cold drinks, ranging from commercially available bottled stuff and sodas, but you want to focus your attention on the ones in the plastic cups with english labels. Usually the main offerings are: Japanese green tea mix, Ginseng Oolong, Hibiscus Sour Plum Drink, and Longan Drink
They also have tapioca drinks sweetened with fruit juices, all natural and no artifical sweetener or sugars.
quick reviews (1 Review)
My brother and I had a chance to try this out for the first time a few weeks ago. He was getting over a cold and some hot soup sounded good. The beef noodle soup was just the ticket. The smooth, tender and not stringy texture of the beef was exceptional and the flavors were harmonious and warming.
Like others, I loved the pork chop bento and all the little accompaniments. The two housemade...+READ
My brother and I had a chance to try this out for the first time a few weeks ago. He was getting over a cold and some hot soup sounded good. The beef noodle soup was just the ticket. The smooth, tender and not stringy texture of the beef was exceptional and the flavors were harmonious and warming.
Like others, I loved the pork chop bento and all the little accompaniments. The two housemade chili sauces are fantastic: fresh green chili in a soy sauce base and a dried red chili sauce full of umami. I liked dabbing them on everything to try different combinations.
We also got a small order of the wonton soup to try. I wouldn’t order this again. The wonton dumplings had stiff, thick wrappers and the filling was overly firm plain pork. I liked the broth served with it, but it’s the same as the side soup that accompanies the bento.
We also tried the marinated tofu, very nice too. It wasn’t busy so we had a chance to talk to the lady owner. I asked about the basil tofu dish and she said that it’s available for catering special orders. She also explained that the meats are marinated in different fruit juices, relying on the natural sugar, tenderizing and flavors the juices contribute and avoiding artificial ingredients.
We liked the food very much, good deal for the price and so soulful and comforting. The people here are so lovely, this will be a regular stop.
Taiwanese pork chop bento and wonton soup -
http://twitpic.com/ofzue
Oh, and it’s open on Sundays now with short hours.-COLLAPSE
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