The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Photograph by Skye Dunlap Southland Taste owner Calvin Chen says his restaurant specializes in 'traditional Taiwanese country food,' which includes pork, pork and more pork. Move over, pork chops... By PAM MARINO At first glance, Southland Taste Restaurant might appear to be a typical Chinese restaurant. Typical in Taiwan maybe, but not in the West. "We are traditional Taiwanese country food," said manager Calvin Chen, an architect who takes care of the restaurant for his family. What that means is that the food includes mostly pork, and many times parts of the pig not typically found in dishes served in the United States, like the diaphragm, the heart and the cheek, among others. The company that owns Southland Taste has three other restaurants in California, including one called Tainan Restaurant in Milpitas that opened two years ago, Chen said. At the time, it was the only traditional Taiwanese restaurant in the Bay Area, he said, which prompted some customers to drive up to two hours to eat there. Southland Taste opened in Cupertino Village about a year ago, and has been busy ever since. The problem for Taiwanese immigrants is that Chinese restaurants in the United States cater to Western tastes, which means dishes like sweet and sour pork and kung pao chicken. "The traditional kind of Taiwanese food is completely different," Chen said. If a restaurant does cook traditional food, it may only be on Saturdays for those hungering for a taste of the old country. But Southland cooks more than 200 authentic items seven days a week. Nearly all the ingredients are imported from Taiwan, except for perishable items like the pork. And because some of the pork parts are not usually found in the market, Southland orders all its meat direct from the farm. Some of the menu items are good for promoting a healthy body, Chen said. Pork kidney with wine soup helps blood circulation, for instance, he said. The "Don-Que" duck soup has four natural Chinese medicines in it, and is good at warming you up if you're feeling cold, he said. The four-favor herb soup, which comes with a lotus seed in it, has some of the same ingredients. Chen acknowledges that people who are not used to eating all parts of the pig might be less inclined to try Southland's food, but the restaurant staff encourages patrons to try other items, like some of the rice dishes. Fried pork chop with rice is one of the restaurant's biggest sellers. Other popular items include the sautéed pork with bamboo shoots, and the house special chicken in pot. There are seafood items, like sautéed octopus and house special fried squid. The portions served at the restaurant are large, and the prices are low. Some of the appetizers start as low as $1.50. One section of the menu called "Snacks," features such items as steamed meat ball, oyster pan-cake, and fried octopus ball, for as little as $2.50. Most soups are in the $2 to $4 range. Entrees start around $4.25 and go up to $7.25. Chen said a person can order an appetizer and a bowl of noodles for a filling, inexpensive meal. Southland Taste Restaurant is located at 10825 N. Wolfe Road, in the Cupertino Village. The phone number is (408) 446-9488 or 9588. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 13, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.