Got out the other day for some Taiwanese food at Hoja. It means Delicious in Taiwanese, and it was! It’s a new place that just opened up three or four months ago over on soi 33.
They have another location out in Udom Suk, as well. It’s run by Eugene, a nice kid, or young man, from Taiwan. He has been here for fourteen years. He came from Taiwan to do his schooling and never left. It’s a cool looking place, too. It has some pretty wicked paintings all over the walls. Eugene did them himself, so check em out.
I have to admit, I really do not know a whole lot about the food or the country. I have had it before and wasn’t really impressed. I think I had some street food style noodle soup or something. I guess I was expecting some type of fast food style experience, but I am happy to say, this was not the case. This place completely changed my opinion of Taiwanese food. This was a much more upscale level of food and boy was it good. It was incredible!
Beef Noodle Soup
The signature dish of HOJA is an incredible Beef Noodle Soup. It comes in a rich soup broth that really tastes great. It has big egg noodles in it and a couple of giant pieces of tender juicy beef. I don’t know what kind of meat it is but I can tell you its high quality, for sure. It just falls apart in your mouth. I really couldn’t believe how good it was. This was the start of changing everything I ever knew about Taiwanese food.
HOJA : Mabotofu
Then I tried their Mabotofu. Seriously, this is the best mabotofu I have ever had in my life, and I have tried it a lot. It just had a really good unique flavor to it. Little crunchy things in there that gave it some excitement and the fresh scallions on top. It had a good thickness to it and finished off with a perfect burn. It is a must try if you go here. Don’t miss out on it!
3 Cups Chicken
Another on you have to try when go here is the HOJA 3 Cups Chicken. Originally, the title comes from the ingredients. One cup of soy sauce, one cup of rice wine or sake, and one cup of sesame oil. It is a massive plate of chicken swimming in deep brown sauce of greatness. It’s not too sweet, not too twangy, like teriyaki. I’m telling you, this was perfect. The chicken was cooked just right, super tender and the pieces were giant. You cannot go wrong with this one. Guaranteed! The picture in the menu does not do it justice. Just order it, you can thank me later.
HOJA : Fried Burger Bao Bun
Before I got out of there, Eugene assured me that I had to give his Fried Burger Bao Bun a try. Ain’t no fronting going on here. I’m glad he did. It was pretty damn good. The bread tasted good, soft and sweet with big hunks of fried pork in there. It had little pine nuts mixed in with the greens that gave it something special. It was just delicious. You’ll have to try it to know what I am talking about, and I hope you do.
One other thing worth mentioning about this place is that it had a really wicked Karaoke room/ Dungeon downstairs. Check it out! It’s F—king cool as can be. Ask Eugene, he can show you. You go down the stairs into a dimly lit red room with leather couches and instruments laying around. A big TV and microphones. It also has some of his paintings all over the walls. You can rent it out for a few grand for the night or ask about his bottle service.
I must admit, HOJA surprised me. It blew me away. I give my highest recommendations for HOJA. Go on down and get some Taiwanese love at this place.
Cheers
Connect with them on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Hojabistro/
Other reviews from Bangkok Eats TV on Taiwanese / Chinese food.
