Huton #1 (胡同燒肉) (1號店)

(11/5/2014 update:  They accept online reservations now!!!)

In addition to spicy hot pots, Taiwanese BBQ is another must-eat when traveling to Taiwan (along with traditional Taiwanese food, sushi, and night markets, etc.).  In fact, I always carry digestive enzymes with me whenever I travel to Taiwan because I always ate too much. 

Hutong (胡同燒肉) came highly recommended by one of my co-workers at the Taiwan office.  Reservations are essential although we cheated by arriving at the restaurant on a weekday at 6:00 pm sharp (It's the only time I can say we left work on time and took a taxi straight away) to see if we could secure a walk-in table.  and.... SCORE! (I apologize for the poor quality of the photos, I went there straight from the office and have left my camera at the hotel...  All these photos are from my iPhone4S...  When I visit Taipei again, I will bring my camera with me for sure!)

Lockers for your personal belongings so you can eat in peace

See, we are still not the first group even though we already got there short after 6 pm

This restaurant is relatively small so it can't really accommodate a party bigger than 8 people.
Unless you all want to sit at the bar but that kind of selfish, don't you think?

The table is set and ready for us when we sat down...

A drawer of fired charcoal ready to go

Open kitchen for us to witness all the actions

 

Service is excellent here.  The servers do all the work and all you have to do is eat.  All of them are so courteous and they are excellent at grilling... They are grilling all the customers' food and keeping tabs on how everyone's doing at the same time!  My plates were never empty.  Man... I can really get used to this! 

 

Halfway through dinner, I noticed everyone has short hair.  Not sure if it's a requirement or everyone who works there just love their hair short.  Everyone who worked here is so young... it made me feel young too :)  We had so many rounds of food I could barely move when we finished eating.  Everything was really good (if it didn't look tasty, it's my camera's fault... LOL) but if I had to pick my favorites, it would have to be the (1) kimchi (I know we ordered a second round), (2) scallops sashimi with crab roe (we had a second round on this too), (3) Dallas (it's a cut of beef), (4) shrimp, and (5) rice!

A BBQ is incomplete until you had ice cold beer!

I think there is one girl that specialize in grilling shrimps.
All the shrimp orders were cooked by her.
Watching her grilled the shrimp is fascinating.
Eating it is like "Why did I only ordered one shrimp???"

Yam is a personal favorite.
It's lightly grilled so it's still crunchy and juicy inside.

Up to this point, I have always over-grilled my mushrooms.
Now I know, they just need a touch of fire and it's ready to be consumed :)
I learned something that day.

Both my co-worker and I are very pleased with the food and service at Hutong and I can't wait to return.  I have been telling my friends about this gem whenever they come to me for advise on what to eat in Taipei (although none of them actually went yet - so why ask? :S ).  Hutong has quite a few outlets so see which one is the most convenient for you.  Remember, book / go early to avoid disappointments. 

Hutong #1 (胡同燒肉) (1號店)
No. 17, Dunhua South Road Section 161, Da-an District, Taipei City
台北市大安區敦化南路一段161巷17號
Tel: 02-2776-1575
Hours: 6:00 PM ~ 00:30 AM (Last Order 11:00 PM)
Capacity:  Bar seats x17, 8-person table x2, 6-person table x1
Special Note: A la carte only, 10% service charge added to the bill, Corkage Fee 1~2 bottle NT$300, 3~4 bottles NT$600, etc.  For private parties, please call the Restaurant Manager