- We're back for part two of
our Worth It Taiwan series.
00:00
Today, we're doing soup.
00:02
It's amazing 'cause it's so hot in Taiwan,
00:06
and yet, they love their soup here.
00:08
- It's eaten for breakfast,
lunch and dinner,
00:10
so many great dishes to try.
00:12
But before we get there,
00:13
Steven where are we?
00:15
- We are here at the Jingzaijiao
Tile-paved Salt Fields.
00:16
Is that right Inga?
00:19
- Historically one of the earliest
00:22
salt-producing areas of Taiwan.
00:23
Ocean water comes in,
the sun evaporates it,
00:25
and you're left with salt.
00:28
Speaking of salty liquids.
00:29
- We're doing soup.
00:34
- Today on Worth It,
00:35
we're going to be trying
three Taiwanese soups
00:35
at three drastically
different price points
00:37
to find out which one is the
most worth it at its price.
00:39
- The typhoon just passed.
00:42
- We're heading a little bit
north of the city of Tainan
00:43
- We're going to Chiayi
to have some fish soup
00:47
at Lin Cong Ming Yu Tang.
00:49
- Lin is my last name,
and cong ming is smart,
00:50
so we're just going to,
like, the smart version of me
00:54
fish place.
- Oh wow.
00:57
That'll be a extra special treat.
00:59
- Taiwan is very hot.
01:03
- [Steven] Soup is a very hot food.
01:05
Why do Taiwanese people love soup so much?
01:06
Taiwan was a poor place.
01:08
It's easier to feel full
adding soup to the meal.
01:10
We've been serving this soup for the past
60 years, since my grandfather's time.
01:13
What's special about this is we
cook 100 servings in one go.
01:18
The taste can only be acquired by using
such big amounts of ingredients.
01:21
The essence of the abundant ingredients is
condensed in one bowl of soup.
01:25
- What kind of fish is in the soup?
01:30
We mainly use silver carp
and salmon in our soup.
01:32
Silver carp is a native Taiwanese river fish.
01:36
Our salmon is imported and it's quite
popular among gourmets.
01:38
Our broth base is made with pork bone and
water, cooking from 8 a.m. until 9 p.m.
01:44
Meanwhile, preparing the rest of the ingredients.
01:54
Next step is chopping up the
fish and deep-frying them.
02:02
Why is the fish fried and
then added afterwards?
02:10
There was no refrigerating to preserve
the fish back then in Taiwan.
02:14
My grandpa opted for deep-
frying to dehydrate the fish.
02:19
It also helps to absorb the broth
when submerged in the soup.
02:23
I noticed that customers can
come back with their bowls
02:28
and get more broth.
02:30
It's a tradition of the restaurant.
02:31
We strive to treat our customers like family.
You should eat to your heart's content at home.
02:33
It's also thanks to the continuous support of our customers
that we can cook in such great quantity.
02:37
That allows a continuous flow
of soup for everyone to share.
02:42
(cash register dings)
02:46
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
02:52
- What's the plate for?
02:53
- For the fish bone.
02:54
- Oh, fish bones.
- Oh...
02:56
- Is this your beer?
02:57
- Yes, it's my fish beer.
02:58
Fish soup beer, I am blown away.
03:06
- Cheers in Mandarin is...
03:09
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
03:11
(Andrew speaks in foreign language)
03:14
- Okay, that was very unexpected.
03:17
- Wow, a thousand times.
03:22
- This is very refreshing.
03:25
- Give me one word.
03:27
- [Steven] So this is the
marquis piece right here.
03:31
I'm just gonna bite into this.
03:33
(Andrew groans in satisfaction)
03:36
- This is like a dish that dares you
03:37
to want something else.
03:39
You want vegetables?
03:40
We got it right here.
03:44
You want fish? Boom.
03:45
Fry it? We can do it.
03:46
- Yeah, when she was
listing the ingredients,
03:47
it was just like the NBA All-Star Game.
03:49
And here we have the tofu!
03:51
- Y'all ready for this?
03:55
Chiayi is also very famous for
turkey meat sauce over rice.
03:57
Customers always get the combo of
turkey rice and fish head soup in here.
04:00
I love how this soup,
with all of this stuff,
04:06
"Nah, you still need some turkey rice."
04:09
If there's one thing we
learned here in Taiwan,
04:12
you cannot leave a restaurant hungry.
04:13
They will assault you with food.
04:15
In the most lovingly way possible.
04:17
Mm, it's just turkey meat
and fat on a bowl of rice.
04:21
If you weren't an adventurous eater,
04:26
this would seem like a scary bowl of food,
04:28
but it all just kind of
blends into this big soft hug.
04:31
- That's exactly how you
say it in Mandarin though.
04:38
- Really?
- Good eat, right?
04:40
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
04:42
- Means good eat, good taste, yeah.
04:44
- Let's spread the kindness.
04:47
(Andrew slaps hand on table)
04:48
- Once I finish this meal,
04:49
it will be so long until
I get to eat this again.
04:50
And that makes me sad.
04:53
- I know, this whole
trip is actually just--
04:54
- It's sad.
- The worst.
04:56
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
05:01
- That soup was incredible.
05:05
In the rainbow of soup to stew,
05:08
this was somewhere in
the middle in like the--
05:11
section, yeah.
- There it is!
05:15
- So before we get to our next soup,
05:16
we decided to get some treats
05:18
at the Garden Night Market in Tainan.
05:19
- [Steven] This is my favorite
treat at Night Market.
05:21
It is a peanut roll with
ice cream and cilantro.
05:24
Cilantro in a dessert?
05:28
I guess it makes sense,
05:30
we put mint in desserts,
05:30
another green leaf.
- Oh, I didn't even
05:33
I like dessert cilantro.
05:44
So our next soup is actually
going to be hot pot.
05:46
- Archeologists have found pots
from two thousand years ago
05:50
that may have been used
to make an early iteration
05:53
These were found in the
Anhui province of China.
05:57
- Wow, old hot pot.
06:00
Dude, hot pot for me,
06:02
every Thanksgiving in the Lin family,
06:03
we always, always, always eat hot pot.
06:05
- It would make sense that soup was one
06:08
of the oldest things humans ate.
06:09
- Yeah just water, throw some
stuff in there and eat it.
06:11
- Tomorrow, hot pot.
06:14
Inga where are we going?
06:17
- We are going to A Yu Niu Rou Sha Sha Guo
06:18
to eat some beef soup.
06:20
- That's what I'm talking about.
06:22
Get that hot pot, throw
some beef in there,
06:24
throw some soup in there,
throw some veggies in there.
06:26
Whatever you want, we're gonna eat it.
06:28
I choked on a peanut.
06:32
Why do you love hot pot so much?
06:35
Life is perfect while you enjoy this
pot of delicious broth and beef.
06:37
Room temperature beef shabu-shabu
is known for its freshness.
06:42
The cattle are raised in the
mountains all over Taiwan.
06:46
Then butchered in the government-run
slaughterhouse in the Shanhua District of Tainan.
06:50
The beef comes straight from there
after being butchered and inspected.
06:53
- How often do you get the deliveries?
06:56
For example, the beef served now during
lunch was butchered this morning.
07:00
Therefore the beef has this natural
sweetness and QQ (chewy) texture.
07:02
We saw that it arrived by taxi.
07:08
Is it always come by taxi?
07:10
We paid the cab to pick it up because
we're too busy in the store.
07:12
That's so cool, the meat
takes a cab to every meal.
07:17
(everybody laughing)
07:20
It takes about 6-8 hours to make the broth.
07:21
The first layer of ingredients is beef bones.
07:25
Second layer is stacks of beef brisket.
07:26
We use about 264 pounds of brisket for the broth.
07:30
Topping the pot with one bag of
vegetables and fruits each.
07:32
There's also vegetables
in the dish already?
07:37
The vegetables in the small pot is to
bring out the taste of the broth.
07:39
Cabbage is the star of the pot.
07:42
The vegetables really complement the
broth and make the hot pot perfect.
07:43
For someone who's never
had hot pot before,
07:49
Dip the beef in the boiling soup around
3 times/5 seconds and it's ready to eat.
07:52
I always recommend eating without condiments first.
07:56
For the second bite, try the beef with
a bit of our special sauce.
07:59
My husband is in charge of extracting
the prime cut out of the beef.
08:05
The freshly butchered beef is quite soft and
requires great skills with the knife.
08:11
He is so good with the knife! Every piece
comes out with the same thickness!
08:16
You also have this pork rice.
08:21
It's free for all the customers?
08:23
My husband is a generous guy.
08:25
He wants the customers to have the rice to
go with the delicious beef shabu-shabu.
08:27
Perfect combination!
08:30
(everybody laughing)
08:32
(cash register dings)
08:34
(Andrew and Steven speak
in foreign language)
08:38
We've eaten a lot of beef on this show,
08:39
but this is some of the
prettiest beef I've ever seen.
08:41
The color is ridiculous.
08:44
Cold-brewed oolong.
08:46
This is one of the coolest things.
08:48
It's like, tea snow globe.
08:49
And it's got the net in the--
08:51
- [Andrew and Steven] Cheers.
08:54
- [Andrew] You wanna start with this one?
08:58
- [Steven] Let's do it, the shoulder cap.
08:59
- [Andrew] One, two,
09:03
- This smells incredible.
09:12
- Oh, that's nice beef.
09:16
- We're just getting to
eat really nice steak.
09:18
- Yeah.
- With soup.
09:20
- And you get to eat it the
second it's done cooking.
09:21
- I'm gonna try the same
piece of meat this time,
09:25
- That rocks.
- Can I get in there?
09:35
You should absolutely.
- All right.
09:38
- Like you're baptizing the meat.
09:43
- [Andrew] The dip is awesome.
09:46
That's doing it right.
09:51
- There's two great ways to enjoy beef.
09:52
You either cook it very briefly
09:55
or you cook it a really long time.
09:57
This is the best of both worlds.
09:58
The quick cook beef and also
the super long cook beef.
10:00
- 'Cause the soup is a 10 to 12 hour,
10:03
steeped in beef bone soup.
10:06
- But enough about beef.
10:07
Pork break.
- Pork break.
10:08
(Andrew and Steven groan in satisfaction)
10:11
- At first this did not make sense to me.
10:13
But it's because the beef is so precious,
10:14
it breaks up the flow,
10:17
so I don't just crush my
plate of beef all in one bite,
10:18
- Well, and also, this
bowl of rice is bringing me
10:23
more comfort than my body pillow.
10:26
- I've had the same one for over 10 years.
10:29
It's hard to sleep without it.
10:31
- [Adam] Change pillows
10:33
more frequently.
- Wow.
10:34
- That explains a lot about you.
10:37
- It's like a teddy bear.
10:38
We all have that, like, item.
10:39
- Yeah but now mine is
in my parents' attic,
10:41
because I stopped sleeping
with it after the age of eight.
10:43
- Why would you give up
something that's so comfortable?
10:46
- All right, we're gonna
have the broth now.
10:49
We've finally reached the
soup part of the meal.
10:51
Ooh, the smell though.
10:54
- Ooh, that is nice.
11:00
It's not so beefy, actually.
11:03
- Yeah.
- Like, apples or something.
11:08
This is the best way
to close out this meal.
11:10
- Yeah, this nice gentle landing.
11:12
It's like when you have a delicious sauce
11:15
and you want a piece of bread to mop it up
11:17
to get all of the sauce.
11:20
Here, you just drink the sauce.
11:21
(patrons talking in background)
11:23
- That hot pot was so good.
11:31
Okay, so we've come to
Taichung for our final soup.
11:33
But before we have that, we're
gonna have some cold drinks.
11:37
We're going to Ten Ren,
11:41
one of my favorite
places in the States, so.
11:42
About to be having it here in Taiwan,
11:44
where it's actually from.
11:45
- So we've got oolong
tea, and a black tea boba.
11:46
I'm not the biggest fan of boba.
11:51
- I just, eating while drinking, I don't--
11:54
- Isn't that what soup is?
11:56
- Soup is drinking while eating.
11:57
It's completely different,
don't get it twisted.
11:59
- That's what I like.
12:05
Unsweetened, nice ice tea.
12:06
Instead of another soup fact,
12:09
we're actually gonna have a boba fact.
12:10
- [Steven] Boba fact.
12:12
- Boba tea was invented
in the 1980s in Taichung.
12:13
- Oh, some genius out here put
boba and milk tea together.
12:16
There're controversies around
12:20
who actually invented boba milk tea.
12:21
There's multiple reports
of different people, so.
12:23
We're now on our way to Gubami,
12:26
where we're going to see Chef Chen
12:28
to try her beef noodle soup.
12:30
- [Steven] The iconic dish of Taiwan.
12:32
- We've had it a few
times off-camera so far,
12:34
just for our crew meals and such,
12:37
and it's usually a very inexpensive dish.
12:38
Five or six US dollars equivalent.
12:40
But today's is going to
be a little more deluxe.
12:42
- It's gonna cost around 30 US dollars,
12:45
which is a lot for beef noodle soup.
12:47
But it's gonna be really good.
12:49
- Gubami is beef noodles
in Taiwanese dialect.
12:52
- Why do you think Taiwan loves
12:56
their beef noodle soup so much?
12:57
- It's fast, and also it's luxury.
12:59
You have a big bowl of
noodle soup and meat.
13:02
I never really see restaurants
can do all three good.
13:05
I wanna do things the best,
13:08
so when I do noodles, I want
to find out the best formula.
13:10
We test with different flours
13:13
for almost, six months I would say.
13:15
We want the noodles to be
al dente in the middle,
13:17
but also the outside can
absorb a little bit the soup.
13:19
We use the Japanese wagyu beef shank
13:23
and also we have a condiment
of smoked bone marrow
13:25
and on top of it, we have some
shabu shabu of the beef shank
13:28
to give two different
textures of the meat.
13:31
- What is your background in cooking?
13:33
Like, where did you come from?
13:34
- I learned in Paris and I
traveled to States a little bit,
13:37
and then I come back.
13:39
I started my French
restaurant 10 years ago.
13:40
Very fine dining, it
was my dream restaurant.
13:43
But it's in Taichung, it's very weird.
13:46
I think Taiwan people,
they like something casual.
13:48
I want to do something smaller
and now I have the bar,
13:50
I have noodle shop.
13:53
I always just trying
to do something I like.
13:54
It looks like very refined,
but I didn't do it on purpose.
13:57
I just trying to make it good,
and then it becomes this way.
13:59
(cash register dings)
14:02
We have tofu skin, cooked
in some of the beef stock.
14:06
This is the radish with
lemon and olive oil.
14:10
Zucchini, confit in goose fat.
14:13
Some kind of green bean and
beef mushroom deliciousness.
14:15
- I know there's a lot of
delicious stuff in front of us,
14:19
I cannot wait for the soup right now,
14:21
but I will be patient.
14:24
- [Andrew And Steven] Green bean.
14:34
- Oh, I did not think that
was gonna taste like that.
14:38
- It's a smoky, porky, green bean.
14:44
- That looks super juicy.
14:47
- That's the best one.
14:52
- No, this is the best one.
14:53
- No, no, no, no, no, no.
14:54
- [Steven] Zucchini.
14:55
- Confit in goose fat.
14:56
Every time I eat something green,
15:00
I expect it to taste
like a crisp vegetable.
15:01
Instead it tastes like a fatty animal.
15:04
- Wow, finally the beef.
15:07
- I'm ready to eat some
beef noodle soup right now.
15:13
All right.
- Smell this thing!
15:17
- I can't believe this.
15:21
I can't believe this.
15:23
- Yeah.
- I can't believe this.
15:24
- [Andrew] This is a $30 bowl of soup.
15:25
- I didn't think a beef
taste could be refreshing.
15:33
- Yeah, shabu shabu?
15:35
- Yeah, let's do the
choice cut meat on top.
15:36
- Very flavorful beef, okay.
15:45
I literally just ate a
pastrami sandwich in one bite.
15:51
- And the juices of the
soup just bursting out.
15:54
- Those are great noodles!
16:09
Holy crap, I didn't think it
was going to be that soft.
16:16
(crew laughing in the background)
16:22
- It's like softer than taffy.
16:23
Softer than, it's somewhere...
16:26
- You gotta be kidding me!
16:30
- Okay, let's add the bone marrow.
16:31
This is like buttering
already buttered bread.
16:33
Including all the steaks we've eaten,
16:40
this beef, best beef
taste I've ever tasted.
16:41
You get to eat noodles the whole time.
16:45
It's like usually a steak,
16:47
you're just eating steak.
16:48
Pretty fun, but okay.
16:49
Noodles the whole time?
16:51
- Yeah, I've had a lot of
beef noodle soup before,
16:54
and it's never bad, it's always
satisfying and comforting.
16:55
But this one is like,
16:59
a boy was born in Akron, Ohio,
17:01
awarded him the chosen
one in an ESPN magazine
17:02
turned out to be a
great basketball player.
17:05
- One of the best soup
dishes I've ever had,
17:11
one of the best noodle
dishes I've ever had,
17:14
one of the best beef dishes I've ever had.
17:16
- I like what you did there.
17:17
- Before we get to our Worth It winners,
17:18
Andrew, what was your favorite
thing that was not a soup
17:19
- The craft beer at Smart Fish.
17:23
- I never thought I'd see a
beer with a fish soup logo.
17:26
What was your favorite non-soup thing?
17:29
There's not even a escort.
17:32
Just beef in the taxi, beef out the taxi.
17:34
- Okay Steven, which soup
was most worth it to you?
17:37
- I thought Smart Fish
soup was gonna be my winner
17:40
I thought the beef hot
pot was gonna be my winner
17:43
but Gubami is my Worth It winner today.
17:45
So beefy, just so much
thought put into it.
17:48
- My Worth It winner goes to Smart Fish.
17:52
- Oh.
- Fish soup was crazy.
17:54
Truly one of the most unique
dishes I've ever eaten.
17:56
Adam, who's your Worth It winner?
18:04
(Andrew sputters)
(Inga laughs)
18:06
- I've never been so,
18:08
this is a Worth It first.
- I win today!
18:09
- That's it for Worth It Taiwan soup.
18:10
We have one more episode in
this miniseries coming up next.
18:12
Steven, what is it?
18:16
We're back with a three-part mini-series.
18:31
Joining us on all of our episodes,
18:32
our friend, translator,
18:34
- [Andrew] Fellow Buzzfeed producer,
18:36
- Taipei! (laughing)
18:38
- We're gonna be seeing some
great modes of transportation,
18:40
some fun games, some tricks, some treats,
18:42
You know how you know we're in Taiwan?
18:47
The beautiful 101 Tower.
18:48
And because it's steamy,
18:50
which is perfect for the first food
18:51
that we're doing in our trip: dumplings,
18:53
a food that's often cooked with steam.
18:56
- Great transition.
18:57
Today on Worth It, we're gonna
be trying three dumplings
18:58
at three drastically different
price points to find out
19:00
which one is the most
worth it at its price.
19:02
- I am so excited to do dumplings.
19:04
- I feel like we've been
talking about this episode
19:07
- One of my goals this trip
is to brush up on my Mandarin
19:10
because I have the Mandarin
skills of a four-year-old.
19:13
My goal is to get it to a five-year-old
19:16
by the end of this trip.
19:18
- That's a very good goal.
19:18
- Thank you.
- Yeah.
19:20
Dumpling Number One.
19:20
- We're going to see Ms.
Liu in her restaurant
19:21
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
19:24
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
19:25
How's that?
- Is that good?
19:26
- Good!
- We're gonna get some
19:27
fifty-cent pan-fried dumplings.
19:28
And it's--
- Have we ever had a price
19:32
so low on Worth It?
19:33
That is a drastic price point.
19:35
(high-spirited piano music)
19:37
You've been making dumplings for 30 years.
19:39
I'm just curious what you think
makes the perfect dumpling.
19:41
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
19:44
- What types of buns do you serve here?
19:51
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
19:52
- And which one is your favorite?
20:00
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:01
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
20:03
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:04
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:09
- We've heard that the dough
of your buns is very delicious.
20:20
What makes it so special?
20:22
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:23
How many should we have?
20:35
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:36
(Inga laughing)
Oh, three?
20:38
- You know how you're actually in Taiwan?
20:40
- And motor scooter sounds.
20:44
- [Steven] It's a beautiful noise.
20:45
- So, not only are we having dumplings,
20:46
but we're also having...
20:48
So, we noticed you're actually making
20:50
your own soy milk here.
20:51
Can you tell us about
how you guys make that?
20:52
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
20:54
I didn't know that's what soy
milk's supposed to taste like.
21:06
Kinda like a peanut butter drink.
21:08
- Uh-huh.
- Like that's how nutty
21:10
Inga, how's the soy milk?
21:12
- I'm like almost done with it. (laughing)
21:14
- Oh my gosh.
- Really?
21:15
- I really like soy milk.
21:16
This is really good.
21:17
- It's like the first
time I had full-fat milk.
21:18
- Oh, yeah, yeah.
- You know?
21:22
Adam, try some soy milk.
21:23
- Let's get to the buns.
- Let's get to the buns.
21:28
Pork, cabbage, chive.
21:30
Look at the bottom crust.
21:33
It's like a little, "Hi! I'm crispy."
21:35
The dough is so good.
21:43
What was the term for chewy?
21:44
Is that an actual term?
21:48
- This is so QQ (Inga laughing)
21:49
- I don't know how to describe
the weight of it but...
21:51
- It's pleasantly plump.
21:53
- Pleasantly plump.
21:54
- Okay, the pork bun.
21:56
- That's my favorite.
22:04
Adam, you wanna take a bite?
22:05
- You know my problem with burgers?
22:08
(Steven and Andrew laughing)
22:11
- You're playing a game
of, like, Jenga and Tetris
22:11
as you're biting into it.
22:14
With the bun, you're not losing anything.
22:15
- Lastly, the cabbage.
22:17
I love the shape of this one.
22:18
It looks like a clam.
22:19
- This is 50 cents.
22:21
We just ate three dollars
of food, by the way.
22:22
- Okay, this one might
actually be my favorite.
22:25
I don't live in Taiwan!
22:29
I don't even have to be hungry.
22:32
(Steven laughing)
It's just,
22:33
it'll be foolish not to.
22:33
- The pleasure you get
out of chewing really good
22:35
- Good dough.
- Bread.
22:38
I think you need to open this in America.
22:43
I can give you my address,
just open up shop next to me
22:45
'cause I need to eat this
on my way to work, please.
22:47
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
22:49
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
22:52
(Ms. Liu speaks in foreign language)
22:55
That was a dumpling.
22:58
Well, it's actually a
bao, but bao's a dumpling.
23:00
- QQ is my new favorite food terminology.
23:02
It's quite warm here in Taiwan.
23:05
- It's very warm.
- So, I think before
23:07
we have our next dumpling,
we need a refreshing treat.
23:08
What kind of treat should we have?
23:12
- [Andrew] We're going to Showa Ice.
23:16
- [Steven] The Chinese name is
23:18
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
23:20
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
23:21
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
23:23
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
23:24
- This looks awesome.
23:28
This is one of your
favorite desserts, right?
23:29
- Not this specifically,
- Yeah.
23:31
- But shaved ice in general.
- Shaved ice generally.
23:32
- [Inga] So, there's two
types of shaved ice here,
23:34
the classic mango chunks
on top of milk shaved ice
23:36
and then chocolate
shaved ice with whiskey.
23:38
It's really good, but it
tastes really different.
23:40
- Ooh.
- I'm going full mango.
23:42
This texture is very surprising.
23:46
Inga, get in here and try this mango.
23:50
This is like Garden of
Eden mango right here.
23:52
- This is so sweet.
23:57
(cheerful jazz music)
23:59
- Of course that tastes good.
24:02
You drink whiskey with ice?
24:02
- Yeah.
- And chocolate.
24:04
We're eating a food
that's cooked with steam,
24:06
and now we're eating ice.
24:08
So, we're just exploring all the,
24:10
I'm gonna call that the states of matter.
24:11
- Yeah.
- Do we have any chemists
24:13
in the room?
- Oh, excuse me.
24:14
- All right, chemist.
24:15
It's not a dumpling fact.
24:18
- It's related to dumplings though.
24:20
Dumpling-related fact.
24:22
- Dumpling-related fact.
24:23
- Because most foods humans eat are soft,
24:24
the body and brain have
learned to like the novelty
24:27
of an opposing texture, like crunch.
24:30
Even after all that effort
to make a perfectly QQ dough,
24:32
it's still worth it to add
the crunch on the bottom.
24:36
- Back to the perfect food, man.
24:39
- All right, we're off to
our next dumpling spot.
24:40
- We're gonna go see Mr. Chen
24:43
in his steamed dumpling restaurant.
24:44
Inga, what's the name of it?
24:45
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
24:46
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
24:50
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
24:52
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
24:53
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
24:54
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
24:55
(lively piano music)
24:57
- How many dumplings do you think
24:59
your restaurant makes per day?
25:00
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:02
- And they're all made by hand.
25:10
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:11
- What makes a really great dumpling?
25:25
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:26
- When customers come here,
are they only eating dumplings
25:42
or are they ordering other things as well?
25:44
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:46
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
25:48
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:49
So, we should order a
few more things as well?
25:56
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
25:58
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
26:00
(cash register dinging)
26:07
We've built out our meal
with some extra stuff here.
26:08
- We have.
- Let's dumpling it up.
26:10
- They make 5000 of these,
26:12
a literal army of dumplings
26:14
in one day.
- Yeah.
26:15
It feels like I'm fighting
an army of dumplings
26:16
- That's incredible.
26:24
- Dumplings I've had in the past,
26:26
once it's steamed, it becomes
loose around the filling.
26:27
- But these are tight and
dense and still juicy inside.
26:31
- Let's do a side dish break.
26:36
- [Steven] I vote
century egg tofu madness.
26:37
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
26:40
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
26:52
(Mr. Chen speaks in foreign language)
26:54
- [Steven] That's not what I was gonna do.
27:00
- [Andrew] Wow! (laughing)
27:01
- Wow, (Steven speaks in foreign language)
27:04
- Do you know what I realized?
27:05
- Egg, nature's dumpling.
27:07
- Cheers, Steve.
- Cheers.
27:11
To a hundred years.
27:13
Hold that up, hold that up!
27:16
- Yeah, that's what the egg--
27:18
- This is egg and you can see through it.
27:19
- [Steven] All right, so, here we have
27:22
the vegetable dumpling.
27:23
- Watching them make these
dumplings was like magic.
27:27
They closed their hands
and when they open it,
27:30
there's a dumpling.
27:31
It's really like someone's
doing a card trick
27:32
in front of your eyes.
27:34
This is actually Inga's
grandmother's suggestion
27:36
of where to eat.
- Really?
27:39
- Yeah, my grandma was the one
27:40
who recommended this place to me.
27:41
- [Andrew] Good recommendation.
27:43
- It's so QQ.
(Andrew chuckling)
27:44
- Think about the amount of work
27:46
that's put into these
dumplings and how cheap it is.
27:47
That is the ultimate magic trick.
27:49
- My mouth's so full!
27:54
- That pork dumpling.
27:56
- Like a Korean spa.
27:57
- Like a dry-cleaned shirt
27:59
steamed to perfection.
- Steamed to perfection.
28:01
- Our next dumpling is
also going to be steamed.
28:03
We're having the soup dumpling.
28:06
- [Steven] The Xiao Long Bao.
28:08
But before we do that, we're going to have
28:10
another Taiwanese dessert treat.
28:11
- SunnyHills Pineapple Cake.
28:14
It's one of my, oh my God,
28:16
it's one of my favorite places.
28:17
(playful piano music)
28:19
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
28:21
- So, every time you come here,
28:24
even if you don't buy anything,
28:25
they will give this to
you, like a pineapple cake
28:26
- That's confidence.
28:30
That's, like, we know how good it is
28:31
because you're definitely gonna get it.
28:32
- Yes, and you will.
28:34
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
28:35
(playful piano music)
28:38
Ooh-long, right?
- Good, right?
28:40
(laughing)
- Golly.
28:41
- Pineapple cakes are really good.
28:43
Buttery and flaky on the outside,
28:45
and then you get that really
fresh pineapple sweetness
28:46
- New York and cheesecakes.
28:52
Taiwan and pineapple cake.
28:54
- Yes, yes.
- Or something like that?
28:55
I've never had pineapple
jam-ified like this.
29:04
- So, you just pop the rest?
29:07
- Well, you might want to save to enjoy it
29:08
while you listen to this.
29:10
(Steven laughing)
Sorry.
29:13
- What is fact in Mandarin?
29:15
Fact in--
- Could you say dumpling fact?
29:17
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
29:18
- Doesn't Andrew do language better?
29:20
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
29:22
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
29:24
(Andrew speaks in foreign language)
29:26
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
29:29
(Andrew loudly laughing)
29:30
- In 2013 and 2014, chef-turned-writer
29:32
Christopher St. Cavish
created a soup dumpling index,
29:35
measuring the thickness of the dough,
29:38
the soup volume, and the total
weight of each individual
29:39
xiao long bao at 52 different restaurants.
29:42
This data was then
calculated with the formula,
29:44
filling plus soup divided
by thickness of skin
29:47
times a hundred to assign
a score representing
29:50
the quality of structural
engineering in xiao long bao.
29:53
- Look, quadratic formula
was already hard enough.
29:55
All right, next stop.
29:58
We're going to a soup-er star--
29:59
(Andrew laughing)
- Oh!
30:02
- Soup dumpling spot, Din Tai Fung.
30:03
We're going to meet the bossman, Mr. Yang.
30:05
It originated here in Taiwan.
30:07
They, right now, at this very moment,
30:08
have 164 locations worldwide.
30:10
That's at this moment.
30:13
- By tomorrow, there might be 180.
30:15
(Andrew laughing)
We don't know.
30:16
We're gonna go eat their
Truffle Soup Dumpling.
30:17
Have you had it before?
30:23
I'm not boujee.
(Andrew chuckling)
30:25
- I'm just gonna walk
away from that comment.
30:27
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
30:32
- Was it always soup dumplings?
30:39
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
30:41
How do you get the soup
inside the dumpling?
30:49
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
30:52
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
30:54
So, when it's steamed,
it becomes liquid-y?
30:59
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
31:02
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
31:04
What's important about
that pleating process?
31:15
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
31:17
How do you maintain such high
quality around the world?
31:24
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
31:26
- This is the Taiho IPA.
31:49
It's locally brewed,
31:51
and it has a really
strong flavor of fruits.
31:53
- Oh, the logo is great.
31:56
- Mm that's good.
- That's, like,
32:03
- So, then, for the pork xiao long bao,
32:07
the most important part
is the soup inside.
32:09
It's sort of, like, the
soul of the xiao long bao.
32:11
So, we lift it up from the top,
32:13
we place it at the back--
(Steven and Andrew hollering)
32:15
of the spoon--
- Sorry, the bottom
32:18
just sagged down in a very satisfying way.
32:18
- Yeah.
- We poke a little hole inside
32:21
to let the broth come out.
32:22
- Oh, okay.
- Okay.
32:24
- And then please take a sip.
32:25
- You're gonna wait for
me or just eat alone?
32:27
- I'm following instructions, Steven.
32:30
(Andrew exclaiming)
32:32
- And then we can add
a little bit of ginger
32:35
with the sauce on top,
32:38
and then you can enjoy the
xiao long bao together.
32:39
- All right, together.
- I'm gonna wait for you
32:41
- [Steven] I'm not good at..
how did you poke that so well?
32:43
- Would you need some help?
32:47
- Cheers, Steven.
- Cheers.
32:50
- Yeah.
- That's really good.
32:57
- [Steven] It's almost cloth-like--
32:59
- Like a fabric.
- The bottom of it.
33:00
- The broth has, like, a sweetness to it.
33:04
Do people ever eat it in one bite?
33:07
But please be careful
because it's really hot.
33:10
- Sometimes, you just gotta fly too close
33:13
to the sun though, so...
33:14
- I feel like I wanna feel
it burst into my mouth.
33:15
We've mentioned it so much in this video,
33:22
but I really have to
bring it back to the QQ.
33:24
- Even though the dough is so thin,
33:27
it still is very satisfying.
33:29
- How do you attain that kind of texture
33:31
in, like, a film sheet.
33:33
- Adam, can you try this, please?
33:35
- Yeah, it's really good.
33:41
- This is our truffle
and pork xiao long bao.
33:42
- Why do a truffles dumpling?
33:46
(Mr. Yang speaks in foreign language)
33:48
(cash register dings)
33:59
- [Andrew] Cleanse my palate.
34:01
- Before we get into the eating,
34:04
I do have to point out the pleating
34:07
- Yeah.
- On this dumpling.
34:08
- [Steven] Boujee cheers!
34:18
Last season, we ate soup
that had truffle in it.
34:23
We learned that it has to be
activated by heat and fat.
34:25
- So, the truffle in a soup
dumpling totally makes sense.
34:29
It really says something about this dough
34:32
that even though it's so thin,
34:34
you still get that QQ.
34:36
- [Steven] It's impossibly thin.
34:38
- Common complaint about our show
34:40
is that we always just
put truffle in stuff
34:41
to make it more expensive.
34:43
- And we see you comment
section, we see you.
34:44
- But these are about three
US dollars per dumpling,
34:47
which is expensive, but
for the taste of truffle,
34:50
how nice this is, I'd say that's worth it.
34:53
Show title, watch out. (laughing)
34:57
- They're doing truffle right.
34:58
They're not doing it wrong.
35:01
Adam, you wanna see if
they're doing it right?
35:03
- [Steven] So, we're here
at Raohe Night Market
35:11
because Inga suggested that we come
35:12
and eat their stinky tofu.
35:14
- The smell around the
stall is quite stinky,
35:16
but once it's fried, it
is much more subdued.
35:19
Speaking of soup dumpling,
there's a soup tofu.
35:28
- Okay, so before we get
to our Worth It winners,
35:33
what was your favorite
thing in this episode
35:36
that was not a dumpling?
35:37
- My favorite thing was
the fire hydrant soy milk.
35:40
at the (in foreign language) place.
35:44
The visuals of that are just astounding.
35:46
- My favorite thing was getting
dressed like a scientist
35:48
at Din Tai Fung's central kitchen.
35:52
We went to this airlock
that blew all the dust
35:53
and hair off of us.
35:56
And we got to see some really cool
35:57
behind-the-scenes stuff.
35:59
So, Steven, which dumpling
was the most worth it to you
36:00
at its given price?
36:03
- My Worth It winner today
goes to the pan-fried dumpling
36:04
at (in foreign language).
36:08
The value was incredible there.
36:10
The dumplings were amazing.
36:12
- The cabbage bun at that
location was very nearly
36:14
my Worth It winner, but
I have to give it to the
36:18
steamed pork dumplings at Location Two.
36:20
Like my fantasy of a
dumpling is that dumpling.
36:22
Inga, who's your Worth It winner?
36:25
I wanna say two because
it's my grandma's favorite,
36:30
but I think it's honestly one.
36:32
Adam says his winner's Din Tai Fung.
36:37
Taiwan may be the perfect
place to have soup.
36:45
There's so many soups.
36:50
We have so many soups.
36:51
It's gonna be great.
36:52
- "Worth It: Taiwan" is back.
37:10
- "Worth It" chicken.
37:12
Which is a chicken.
37:17
- Is that a chicken?
37:18
- No, that's a pigeon.
37:18
We're here in Taiwan's
garden night market.
37:19
We just picked up our chicken treats.
37:21
Tomorrow the journey begins.
37:22
We're going to three cities
for three acts of chicken,
37:24
ending in a chicken finale
like you've never seen before.
37:27
It's like a pancake.
37:37
- Today on "Worth It," we're going to be
37:38
trying three chicken dishes
37:39
at three drastically
different price points
37:41
to find out which one is the
most worth it at its price.
37:43
- So we're eating chicken,
but our first chicken
37:45
is actually a soup.
37:48
I know we just finished a soup video,
37:49
but that's just how many
soups there are here.
37:51
You can't escape the soup.
37:53
We're off to see the Chen
family at Walking Su,
37:55
where we're going to be trying
their sesame oil chicken.
37:58
- What is that in Mandarin, Inga?
38:00
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
38:02
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
38:04
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
38:04
(Steven speaks in foreign language)
38:06
- Okay, I'm excited to eat some chicken.
38:07
- Tell us about how this
business got started.
38:13
(speaks in foreign language)
38:15
So this is a family business.
38:55
What do each of you do?
38:56
(speaks in foreign language)
38:57
Do you find it easy working together?
39:09
(speaks in foreign language)
39:11
- [Steven] Sesame oil chicken.
39:20
Is that dish a classic Taiwanese dish?
39:21
(speaks in foreign language)
39:23
- What are those herbs
adding to this dish?
39:39
(speaks in foreign language)
39:41
(cash register dings)
39:52
- [Steven] This looks incredible.
39:53
- We're got a couple
additional accoutrements here.
39:55
The Thai basil sauce, the
spicy fermented bean paste,
39:59
All right, let's taste the broth.
40:04
Sesame oil chicken.
40:06
Delightful nuttiness of the sesame oil.
40:11
- It's got this hearty feel to it.
40:16
- Oh, yeah, this is hearty as (beep).
40:18
- So incredibly juicy and tender and, ugh.
40:23
I'm going to smell the Thai basil,
40:27
because that's their specialty here.
40:28
That is like a salad dressing
to dip your soup into.
40:40
Adam, you gotta try the
chicken in the Thai basil.
40:43
- Ooh.
(Andrew laughs)
40:48
- Want to try some rice?
40:50
- Chicken, Steven.
- Cheers.
40:52
- The thing I keep getting
blown away by in Taiwan,
40:55
I go to a meal expecting one thing,
41:00
and then there's always
all this bonus stuff
41:02
that just blows my
expectations out of the water.
41:05
- Yeah, and even when they
first started this restaurant,
41:08
this was a bonus dish.
41:10
- Right, that's crazy.
- This was a free thing.
41:13
- So there's a lot of
herbs added to this soup.
41:14
It tastes like an elixir.
41:16
It just washes away all
of the pain in your body.
41:18
Achy back, I got a soup for that.
41:21
- Throw some soup on there.
41:26
- It's all the same soup.
41:27
It's very convenient.
41:28
Adam, you want to get some of this soup?
41:29
I'm pretending like Adam's over here,
41:31
even though he's over there.
41:33
- So our next chicken
location is in Taipei,
41:38
but first we're going to
take a countryside detour.
41:41
- Yep, that's right.
41:44
We're going to a scallion farm in Yilan.
41:45
And we're going to be making
our own scallion pancakes.
41:48
Not just cooking them.
41:51
We're going to pick them ourselves.
41:52
- Scallions, yeah.
- Yes.
41:53
- It's a chicken episode,
it's a soup episode,
41:54
and now it's a pancake episode.
41:56
(upbeat trumpet music)
41:58
- What you see in front of you
here is a scallion pancake,
42:02
but rewind three hours.
42:05
- [Andrew] We're in this unique valley
42:08
where you get different temperature winds
42:09
at different times of day,
42:12
which create a nice perfect
humidity for growing scallions.
42:13
So today we've picked
a bunch of scallions,
42:17
cleaned them up, chopped
them, cried a little bit,
42:19
and then learned how to
make scallion pancakes.
42:21
And here we have it,
the spoils of our toils.
42:23
- Cheers!
- Cheers!
42:26
Okay, this is one of the best
things I've eaten so far.
42:35
You know what time it is now?
42:38
Time for a Taiwan food fact.
42:39
The concept of "xiao
chi," meaning little eats,
42:41
is popular in Taiwan,
basically meaning snacking
42:43
throughout the day, often on
street food, between meals.
42:46
In Taiwan, if you only eat
three meals in one day,
42:50
you're just doing it wrong.
42:53
- We're actually on our
way to a snack shop next.
42:54
Inga, where are we going?
42:57
(Inga speaks in foreign language)
42:58
We're going to see Reebok and Julia
43:00
and try their fried chicken.
43:02
(solemn piano music)
43:03
- What makes a perfect
fried chicken to you guys?
43:06
(speaks in foreign language)
43:08
- [Andrew] So what makes your Taiwanese
43:19
fried chicken unique?
43:20
(speaks in foreign language)
43:21
- [Steven] What do you
recommend that we drink
43:54
with the fried chicken?
43:56
(speaks in foreign language)
43:57
- This is not what I was expecting.
44:15
- You ready, Steven?
44:17
- This is called dining al fresco.
44:19
- So we've ordered the
recommended sparkling wine.
44:22
Apparently, you only
order by the bottle here.
44:25
- It's my speed.
- Let's go.
44:28
- How awesome is this?
44:33
This is some riviera (beep).
44:34
- We got to eat this while
it's hot, so let's go.
44:36
It smells so good.
- Oh, it's so fragrant.
44:39
The garlic, the onion, this basil.
44:40
The meat inside is so soft.
44:46
- It's very pleasing.
44:48
Like brûléed marshmallows.
44:50
- Oh man.
- It's wild.
44:53
I thought QQ was only for dumplings.
44:54
- Whoa.
(Andrew laughs)
44:58
- It's almost like chicken nugget-esque.
45:03
- You know what's crazy about this?
45:05
We've eaten fried chicken in Minneapolis,
45:06
where the restaurant thought,
"You know what's actually
45:09
the best drink to have with fried chicken?
45:11
And here we are in Taiwan,
45:15
and this restaurant had the same idea.
45:17
- If there's a restaurant
on either side of the world
45:20
that is doing the same
thing, it must be great.
45:22
(speaks in foreign language)
45:25
- I'm scared to eat
this, because I'm scared
45:34
of how much I'll like it.
45:36
- [Andrew] Pork knuckle and radish cake.
45:37
- Watch out, you're going
to push me off my stool.
45:45
- Radish cake is a classic dim sum dish.
45:47
I've eaten this every time I go out.
45:48
You know, they bring around the carts
45:50
and they're all steamed, right?
45:51
It's still hot but it doesn't have
45:52
that break-through-the-crunch
texture that this has.
45:54
- You could maybe liken
it to a potato pancake.
45:58
- Yeah it's crazy.
- Yeah.
46:02
How should we eat the pork knuckle?
46:03
- [Andrew] By hand?
46:06
Just like an apple?
46:07
Kind of looks like a donut.
46:10
This is like a pork donut.
46:21
- So this is actually
cartilage, but it feels like fat
46:28
with how loosey-goosey it is.
46:30
- The gelatin is the
jelly of this pork donut.
46:32
- And to wash it down, sparkling wine.
46:37
- Oh, thank goodness for this.
46:39
- How awesome is this?
46:40
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
46:43
- This was really good.
46:44
(speaks in foreign language)
46:46
- We are at the Beijing hotel,
46:51
where they serve a boba croissant.
46:53
Yes, you heard me right.
46:56
(imitates whooshing)
46:58
- We got the matcha,
tiramisu and the milk tea.
47:00
Which one do you want?
47:02
- My gut is going toward matcha,
47:03
but I'm going against my gut
and going for the tiramisu.
47:05
- I actually knew that you
were going to pick that one,
47:08
because it has gold flake on it.
47:09
All right, I'll go milk tea.
47:12
Very satisfying to pick up.
47:13
Are you going to bite into it?
47:17
- Yeah.
- Or open it up?
47:18
- I'm going to bite into it.
47:19
- Oh.
(Steven gasps)
47:23
This is just all of the textures.
47:25
It's satisfyingly squishy.
47:28
- I think there's a word for that, QQ.
47:30
- Ready for a Taiwan food fact, Steven?
47:31
- Taiwan food fact!
47:34
- Up until the 1960s, the most
common Taiwanese breakfast
47:38
was rice or congee.
47:41
Buns emerged as a popular
Taiwanese food in the 1960s
47:42
when U.S. trade introduced
wheat into the Taiwanese diet.
47:46
- Shouldn't that fact go
in the dumpling episode
47:49
- Well, it was more about breakfast.
47:52
I just wanted an excuse
to talk about congee,
47:53
because it's just a nice, savory thing
47:55
to have for breakfast.
47:58
- This is a very good croissant.
47:59
- [Andrew] This boba croissant
is part of a boba festival.
48:07
- And Inga's got the crown
jewel of the festival.
48:11
And now it's time to
take a little train ride.
48:14
You want to hear my boba rap?
48:19
- How do you like your boba?
48:22
- Eat it like a cobra.
48:24
- [Steven] And I like yoga.
48:28
- This is a train water
bottle that they sell
48:32
(imitates train chugging)
48:35
So once we get done with this
guy, we'll be in Taichung
48:37
and we'll be eating at our
final chicken location.
48:40
- We're going to go meet
RuiHong at Yan Xiang Lou
48:42
to have Beggar's Chicken.
48:45
(uplifting orchestral music)
48:47
- What kind of cuisine is the food here?
48:51
(speaks in foreign language)
48:53
- Tell us about this dish,
the Beggar's Chicken.
49:13
(speaks in foreign language)
49:15
- What happened to the beggar?
49:40
(speaks in foreign language)
(laughs)
49:42
(speaks in foreign language)
49:45
(speaks in foreign language)
49:47
- [Andrew] Why bake the chicken in clay?
49:51
(speaks in foreign language)
49:52
How do we get the chicken
out from the clay?
50:21
(speaks in foreign language)
50:24
Which one of us gets to do it?
50:38
- [Steven] I'll do the hammering,
you do the hammer time.
50:40
You just automatically assume
that you get to hammer.
50:42
(speaks in foreign language)
50:44
- You can both do it.
50:48
- Two hammers?
- Yeah.
50:50
- Great.
- Resolved.
50:52
Cheers to our final meal in Taiwan.
51:00
- Since this is our last meal in Taiwan,
51:08
we're blowing it out.
51:11
- [Steven] Let's do it.
51:12
- I saw a little sneak peek
of what's coming upstairs.
51:13
It's going to blow you away.
51:15
So this is winter melon.
51:17
Look at it coming out,
pouring on the fish's head.
51:28
- These look too real.
51:30
Look at the scales on these guys.
51:32
- Honestly, every time
I've seen a koi fish,
51:34
I've thought they looked
like a tasty fish.
51:36
That's a good dumpling.
51:42
- Aw, fish super good.
51:45
- This looks like in
"Hook," when Robin Williams
51:46
is imagining the food.
51:49
Have you seen this movie?
51:50
It's all vibrant colors.
51:51
Do yourself a favor, go watch "Hook."
51:53
You'll have a delightful time.
51:55
You'll be reminded of this moment.
51:56
- I'm going pink for my hair.
51:58
We might as well have just
shot all three episodes here.
52:03
- Much like the origin myth,
52:09
first we're eating like an emperor,
52:11
and then we're taking a journey
to discover the chicken.
52:13
- Food is all about storytelling.
52:17
(Andrew laughs)
But also storytelling.
52:20
(dramatic orchestral music)
52:22
- [Inga] You guys can go up now.
52:40
- Hammer time?
- Okay.
52:41
- All right, Steven.
52:42
- I am scared, too.
52:44
- [Both] One, two, three!
52:46
- Looks like chocolate.
52:50
- Smells like dirt.
- Dirt.
52:52
We just hatched our chicken dinner.
52:55
It was very dino egg-like.
52:57
- Some people say chicken's a boring meal.
53:12
I would say those people haven't had it--
53:14
- Deep-fried, baked in clay.
53:16
- Stuffed with pork and aromatics.
53:18
- There's pork in the chicken?
53:20
- [Inga] So now she's just adding a sauce.
53:22
I think it's an oyster sauce slurry.
53:23
That tastes like my mom's fried rice.
53:30
Whoa, that was weird.
53:33
You know what this chicken is?
53:37
It's a time capsule.
53:38
Buried under dirt, much
like a regular time capsule.
53:41
But it's also a dish--
53:43
- From the Ming dynasty.
53:46
Is there a letter written in there?
53:47
Like, "Dear diary, do I still taste good?"
53:48
At its core, this dish is just a plate
53:55
of really nice chicken.
53:58
So simple, so perfect.
53:59
We're going to take it back
into artistry land now,
54:01
if that's okay with you.
54:04
What is going on right now?
54:06
Looks like a scene from
"Nightmare Before Christmas."
54:13
This is too beautiful not to share.
54:15
I think we should get everybody in here
54:17
and we all take a bite.
54:18
Who wants a swan, who wants a pumpkin?
54:19
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
54:23
You know they say beggars
can't be choosers,
54:39
but beggars can be chicken.
54:41
That was quite an experience.
54:43
Steven, before we get to
our "Worth It" winners,
54:44
what was your favorite
thing that wasn't one
54:46
of the highlight foods in
this "Worth It" episode.
54:49
- The Pork Knuckle at
Chu Zha Xiaoshi Dian.
54:51
- That's the knuckle.
54:56
- It was so good, I contemplated
eating my own knuckles.
54:56
What was your favorite thing?
55:00
- Honestly, the hard ass
rain while we were filming
55:01
We had a typhoon barely
graze us, but we still got
55:05
some awesome hard rain, which I love.
55:08
- Which chicken was the
most worth it to you?
55:10
- My "Worth It" winner,
Walking Su sesame oil chicken.
55:12
- If that chicken had
been in the soup episode,
55:16
it would have won that episode, too.
55:18
- Comforting, exciting, inexpensive.
55:20
Who was your "Worth It" winner?
55:24
Walking Su, totally new experience.
55:25
If you could eat with your
eyes, that place would have won.
55:28
But, because that pork
knuckle was so effing good,
55:30
my "Worth It" winner must
go to Chu Zha Xiaoshi Dian.
55:35
- Inga, "Worth It" winner.
55:39
- Two, Chu Zha Xiaoshi Dian.
55:41
With Reebok and Julia.
55:43
- [Annie] The swan.
55:45
- Adam, who's your "Worth It" winner?
55:46
- [Adam] Fried chicken.
55:47
- Oo, the fried chicken.
55:49
That's a wrap on "Worth It: Taiwan."
55:52
- Very special thank you to
the Taiwan Tourism Bureau,
55:54
that helped us out
tremendously with this trip.
55:56
Couldn't have been here without them.
55:59
- All right, let's get out of here.
56:00
(upbeat groovy music)
56:04
- Welcome back, Steven.
56:17
We're doing another three episode burst
56:18
before the new year rolls in.
56:20
You might be wondering
why we're not driving.
56:22
Devon's up front driving
56:25
because we're picking up
our special co-star today.
56:26
He's an avid fan of the show,
from River Forest, Illinois.
56:28
His name is Jackson, and
his visit is made possible
56:32
- [Steven] What's up?
56:36
- You ready to go?
- Yes.
56:40
- [Steven] All right.
56:41
There's Adam, say hi.
56:44
- Hey.
(Andrew laughs)
56:45
- Welcome to the car, Jackson.
56:48
- It's the worth automobile.
56:49
- That's right.
- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
56:51
I'm the pun master on this show.
56:52
- [Steven] I like it.
56:54
- But thank you Jackson for joining us
56:55
on our double cheeseburger episode today.
56:56
- Thank you for having me.
56:58
- You flew all the way out from Illinois.
56:59
- Yes.
- The Midwest,
57:02
I like you already.
57:03
- Should we do the Today on Worth It?
57:04
- You don't know how to do that?
57:06
- Today on "Worth It", we're having
57:07
three double cheeseburgers
at three addresses
57:08
at three different price points
57:11
to see which one is worth it.
57:12
- The most worth it.
57:13
- [Together] The most worth it.
57:14
- At its given price point.
57:15
- So that's at least six patties.
57:17
- Are you prepared?
57:19
- So the first place we're going to
57:22
is called Burgers Never Say Die.
57:23
We're gonna see Shawn.
57:24
- This is a smash burger joint.
57:26
I love Super Smash, the
game, Ultimate, and all.
57:27
- Ooh, who's your main?
57:33
- (chuckling) Oh my God.
57:34
- Okay, okay, I'm a Ness man.
57:37
- You're bringing all
the co-host attributes
57:39
that Steven wants in
me, but I don't possess.
57:40
- Hey, do you watch the NBA?
57:44
- That's what I'm talking about.
57:47
- So your menu starts with the regular,
57:51
and the regular has two patties.
57:53
- Yes
- Why is that?
57:55
- I like double cheeseburgers.
57:56
That's what I grew up eating.
57:57
It also works because it's a smash patty.
57:59
- [Andrew] And tell us
what a smash burger is?
58:00
- [Shawn] It's cooked on a
flat top, at very high heat,
58:02
and you just smash it down
there, so it sears to the griddle
58:05
and the whole process probably
takes a minute or less.
58:07
- [Jackson] What makes
a really good burger?
58:10
- [Shawn] It's so subjective,
like personally, for me,
58:11
I like burgers cooked on the griddle.
58:13
- [Jackson] What does the griddle add?
58:15
- [Shawn] You get flavor that's
been there, the seasoning
58:16
from the food items other than burgers.
58:18
- [Andrew] What drew you to
making burgers specifically?
58:20
- My wife and I, we were
always really into burgers
58:22
and got into the food scene of LA.
58:24
Bringing together all the burgers we ate,
58:26
I thought, I wanna try
making this burger myself.
58:27
I started in my backyard
58:29
with no intention of opening a restaurant.
58:30
For a couple weeks, I was
just begging people to come
58:32
and try the burger;
friends, coworkers, whoever.
58:34
And then, some people approached me,
58:36
asking if I wanted to open a restaurant.
58:37
And throughout my whole life,
58:39
I usually just jump in,
58:40
and I thought, let's give this
a shot and see what happens.
58:41
- We have a sign right here
that says, "always order two".
58:43
- It's an ode to the backyard.
58:47
People would order one,
and they would regret it
58:48
and then there would be a long
line or we had sold out, so.
58:51
- Is two still doable?
58:53
- I recommend two for you, yeah.
58:55
- What about you, do you do two?
58:56
- I do two, I've eaten
like six in one day, so.
58:57
(laughing)
- Oh my goodness.
59:00
- I mean we're gonna do six probably,
59:01
over the course of this day, for us,
59:03
so why not start with two?
59:05
- (sighs) Here we go.
59:06
(cash register dings)
59:08
- [Andrew] All right,
Jackson, take it away.
59:10
- Worth-it, Double Cheeseburger, take one.
59:11
- Nice.
- That was perfect.
59:13
That was better than I usually do.
59:14
(clattering) (laughing)
59:16
So that Burgers Never Say Die,
59:19
they also have soft serve ice cream.
59:20
you get your soft serve in a
cup, order a soda on the side,
59:23
and then mix it for your own float.
59:25
What are the correct
proportions for a float?
59:27
- The whole bottle.
- It's a feel.
59:30
- Jackson's got classic root beer float.
59:32
- [Steven] I got chocolate--
59:35
- And a blueberry root beer.
59:36
Okay, when, when, when, when.
59:38
How do you eat this?
59:42
- Who thought of floats?
- Ooh!
59:43
- Pour some soda on some ice cream?
59:44
the-parents-aren't-home,
mischief (all laughing).
59:47
- Taste like McDonald's.
- Taste like McDonald's, yeah.
59:53
- So these fries are fried in beef tallow.
59:55
Apparently this is what
McDonald's tasted like
59:58
way back in the day,
00:00
before they switched to a vegetable oil.
00:01
Staying true to their motto,
00:04
we've two burgers for each
of us except for you Jackson,
00:05
because this is your first
time on one of these rodeos,
00:09
I don't wanna do that to you.
00:11
- It looks the way a fast food
burger looks in a commercial,
00:14
but this is how it is in real life.
00:18
- [Jackson] It smells good.
00:19
Did you think you'd have to wait this long
00:24
before you actually get to take a bite?
00:25
- Can I point out one
more physical attribute
00:27
of this burger before we bite into it?
00:29
Look at the way it's like a lattice.
00:32
- [Andrew] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
00:34
- Crispy?
- Very crispy.
00:35
But you can almost see through the meat.
00:36
- [Andrew] Like a spider's web.
00:38
- It's really crunchy.
- Yeah.
00:46
- It's the essence of burger.
00:48
There's nothing extra.
00:50
There's not like strange
sauces or condiments.
00:51
- This might be the best
burger I've ever had.
00:55
- Would you agree with that?
00:57
- This is one of my favorite ones.
00:59
- Swallow your food.
01:00
(Jackson and Steven laughing)
01:02
- Next burger, here we go.
01:03
- You would definitely be
satisfied by one of these,
01:04
but you're gonna want two.
01:07
What am I doing with my life now?
01:10
I'm only slightly lactose-intolerant,
01:12
so low levels of cheese, that's fine.
01:14
Are you lactose-intolerant at all?
01:16
- You're a lucky person.
01:18
Oh, we had ice cream, too.
01:19
What am I doing? (all laughing)
01:20
- [Andrew] Jackson, what do you think
01:22
about the part of the
show where Adam eats?
01:23
- He takes really large bites.
01:25
- I'm gonna finish mine before you.
01:29
I don't know if I could do that.
01:33
- What a cheeseburger.
01:34
- [Jackson and Steven] That was insane.
01:35
- We keep talking at the same time.
01:36
- Twins!
- Look who is simpatico.
01:40
So before our next double cheeseburger,
01:41
we're actually gonna get
another double cheeseburger.
01:44
We're going to this French restaurant
01:46
in West Hollywood, called Tesse.
01:47
I saw on Instagram, that
for National Burger day,
01:49
they made, we're just gonna call it
01:52
a special dessert burger.
01:53
We reached out, and
the pastry chef, Sally,
01:55
so kindly agreed to remake
it, but double this time.
01:58
This might be the most visually
02:01
appealing burger of the day.
02:02
(charming old school music)
02:04
- Close your eyes.
- Okay.
02:07
- Man, this is gonna blow you away.
02:09
Three, two, one, reveal!
02:10
(Steven and Jackson exclaiming)
02:12
- [Andrew] It's very realistic.
02:14
- Dude, is that a strawberry?
02:15
- [Jackson and Andrew] Yes.
02:17
- [Andrew] Two macaroons,
chocolate ganache,
02:18
mango passion fruit cheese,
strawberry slices, shiso leaf,
02:20
and a raspberry jelly for the ketchup.
02:24
If you did not tell me that was dessert,
02:27
I would not have guessed it.
02:28
- [Steven] How to eat this?
02:32
- It's actually really good.
02:38
I mean it's chocolate and
fruit, what's not to like?
02:40
- It's sweet and bitter at the same time.
02:42
- [Steven] That's the nosh.
02:44
- The tasting notes coming off of Jackson.
02:44
This isn't your first time, is it?
02:47
- No.
- All right, I retire today,
02:48
- Do you know what time it is now?
02:51
Oh, you're asking me or Jackson?
02:53
- If you didn't know, I'd be concerned.
02:55
- That's right, double cheeseburger fact.
02:57
- Double cheeseburger fact.
02:59
Double cheeseburger fact.
03:04
- Bob's Big Boy, is credited with selling
03:05
the first double cheeseburger in 1937.
03:06
The chain's original name was Bob's Pantry
03:09
but after the double cheeseburger,
03:12
dubbed the Big Boy, was invented,
03:14
the restaurant changed its name
to boast its famous burger.
03:16
The double cheeseburger became so famous,
03:20
they changed their restaurant name.
03:22
- [Adam] What about renaming this show?
03:23
It would probably be
called, Adam's Silent Bite.
03:27
- No, Adam's Big Bite.
03:29
For our next double cheeseburger,
03:32
we're on our way to see Frederick and Max,
03:33
at Burgerlords, in Highland Park.
03:35
Similar to this double cheeseburger,
03:37
this next double cheeseburger's
made without meat.
03:39
- I've never had a veggie
cheeseburger before.
03:42
- Curveball for the episode.
03:45
- I'm scared and excited.
03:46
- Scared and excited is a
good place to be with food.
03:48
Tell us what kind of
restaurant Burgerlords is.
03:52
- The way I think of it, it's
kind of a bizzaro version
03:55
of a traditional fast food restaurant.
03:57
You're used to a frozen
garden burger, portobello.
03:59
This is the opposite, where
everything is vegan, vegetarian,
04:02
except the beef burger.
04:05
- Do you think you're more popular
04:06
with traditional beef cheeseburgers
04:08
or with the vegetarian and vegan crowd?
04:09
- Honestly it's like 50-50.
04:12
- Yeah?
- Yeah we look at it
04:14
- [Steven] How did you guys develop
04:16
the recipe for this patty?
04:17
- [Max] Everything kind of has its role.
04:19
The barley for chewiness, and
cashews give it a nice crunch.
04:21
We're roasting all the eggplants,
04:25
slicing up the other vegetables.
04:27
Those get sauteed with all
the spices on the flat top.
04:28
Cooking barley in a rice
cooker, with kambu and miso,
04:32
roasting nuts, garbanzo beans, cashews,
04:35
and then it all goes into
one batch, and just mixed up.
04:38
- [Fred] Once it's cold, it settles,
04:42
and then we're balling it
like a traditional burger.
04:43
We roll it in Panko, then we patty it out,
04:45
so the Panko when it's cooking
gives it a kinda crispy edge.
04:48
- [Max] Helps keep the patty
from burning on the grill, too.
04:51
- [Fred] All of the work
comes at the beginning,
04:54
so we can push it out really fast.
04:55
On average, I mean our tickets,
are like five to 10 minutes.
04:58
It's like neo-fast food.
05:01
- [Max] It feels like fast
food, it looks like it
05:02
on the exterior, but in the
kitchen, we're cooking all day.
05:04
- [Steven] Now that you've
explained all of this,
05:08
it feels like a burger joint
05:09
is the hardest thing
to do for vegetarians.
05:11
Like why did you wanna
tackle a burger joint?
05:14
- You know, there's the nostalgia.
05:17
You know, it's the experience of a diner,
05:19
a fast food restaurant, having
fries and eating a burger.
05:20
It was also to create
something that we didn't think
05:24
really existed here.
05:27
You know, when we grew up,
05:28
there was a lot of times we felt left out,
05:29
so we wanted to make
sure that everyone felt
05:31
they had a good option here.
05:33
(cash register dings)
05:35
- So to round out our experience,
05:36
we also got the tofu
nuggets and french fries,
05:38
lord-of-the-fries style.
05:41
- Lord of the fries, that's a good pun.
05:43
Have you read "Lord of the Fries" yet?
05:45
(all laughing)
- Oh God.
05:49
- We can't take you anywhere.
05:51
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
05:52
- Ah, this is good.
05:54
We need napkins.
- Oh my goodness.
05:55
For the first time in my life,
05:57
I have somebody who is also a messy eater.
05:59
- [Jackson] Cheese crust.
06:02
- [Andrew] It's got the cheese crust.
06:03
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
06:04
- [Steven] Veggie bumps.
06:05
- This is good.
- Wow.
06:09
- It doesn't taste like plants at all.
06:11
It tastes like real beef.
06:12
- It's hot, cheesy, juicy,
meaty, and yet there's no meat.
06:14
So when you think, "Man, I could really go
06:18
"for a burger right now."
06:19
Does this satisfy that feeling?
06:21
- Are you gonna finish that thing Steven?
06:29
- Put a little hot sauce on there.
06:31
- Yeah, hot sauce me.
06:33
You know what, that's really good.
06:36
It's a nice little kick.
06:37
It really brightens the
flavor of the burger.
06:38
- Oh, it has a good
kick to it, that's good.
06:40
- It is like I'm in a
different universe right now.
06:43
Vegetarian food, in this
universe, is the norm.
06:46
- It does kind a feel like
we're in a Twilight Zone set,
06:49
a little bit, just like
transported back in time,
06:52
but to an alternate reality
where everybody's a vegetarian,
06:54
You ever watch Twilight Zone?
06:59
- [Andrew] Wow, that was a good bite.
07:02
- Life blowing (laughing)
07:07
- Not just mind blowing
07:08
Oh my gosh, guys, I'm on patty number ten.
07:11
- That was eight.
- Oh, sorry, eight.
07:15
Yeah.
- I can't count anymore.
07:17
That's how many patties I've had.
07:18
- Before we go to our last
burger, it's time for one more--
07:19
- [Andrew] Double cheeseburger fact!
07:23
- Oh dang it. (laughs)
07:24
- Would you like to read the fact today?
07:26
The price of the Big Mac
07:28
when it debuted nationwide was 49 cents.
07:29
So you're telling me I
could go to a McDonald's
07:33
with two quarters and come back
with a Big Mac and a penny?
07:35
- Yeah, in the 60s, when it debuted.
07:37
- [Adam] That happened a long--
07:40
- Back in the 60s, right.
07:42
- We're on our way to Petit Trois,
07:43
where we're gonna see Chef Ludo,
07:44
and his double cheeseburger
called, The Big Mec.
07:46
- And what is on this Big Mec?
07:49
- Well, it's a French
Restaurant, so sauce.
07:51
- Petit Trois, it's a
classic French restaurant.
07:56
The design and the food is very French.
07:59
- And so you have this burger.
08:02
How does that fit into that classic menu?
08:03
- In France, we eat a lot of steak hache,
08:05
you know, is a patty, so I
decided to just do a burger,
08:07
like what Americans like, you know?
08:10
And look like a burger, too.
08:11
- [Jackson] What makes
a really good burger?
08:13
- [Ludo] A burger needs
to be crispy and juicy.
08:14
When I eat a steak or any
meat, that's what I want.
08:17
I want the meat to be crispy
08:19
- It's called the Big Mec,
styled after the Big Mac,
08:21
- Of course, yeah yeah, of course.
08:24
Mec, in France, means guys,
08:25
(speaks in foreign language)
08:28
French food is all about the sauce,
08:32
so what's very important
for me to have my burger
08:33
in the plate, swimming in the sauce,
08:36
like when you eat a
steak, so I decided to do
08:38
a classic French sauce, called Bordelaise,
08:40
beef stock with a lot of
shallot and a red wine sauce.
08:42
We take like eight hour to do,
08:45
then after we have aged cheddar cheese.
08:47
How do you know if I'm going
to put aged cheddar cheese
08:49
or American cheese?
08:51
Because I love American cheese.
08:53
- Really?
- Oh I love it.
08:54
- You love American cheese?
08:55
- Oh we don't like American cheese?
08:56
Guys, come on.
- Some people don't.
08:56
- When I think about French
cuisine, I think fine dining,
08:58
or I think like kind of--
09:00
- [Steven] Yeah, a little bit,
09:03
I mean this burger is not
what comes to mind, right?
09:04
- My job as a chef is also
to cook what people want.
09:07
And it's fun to mix American
food with French cuisine.
09:10
I recommend to eat the
burger with a fork and knife.
09:14
Very French foufou, like you say.
09:17
- You said that, not me.
09:18
- So it is fork and knife?
09:21
- In France, we eat our
burger with a fork and knife.
09:22
Okay guys, sorry, yeah we do.
09:24
(cash register dings)
09:26
- [Steven] There it is.
09:27
- It's really unlike any
burger I've ever seen before.
09:28
- Look at how it's plated.
09:31
- [Jackson] It's in a pool of sauce.
09:32
- Yeah, it looks like a
lily pad in a murky pond.
09:33
- [Steven] Will you do the honors?
09:36
- [Steven] Everybody on the internet
09:38
is going to watch you cut this in half.
09:39
- We're losing traction here.
09:40
- Oh, god. (laughs)
09:42
- [Andrew] This is a $25 cheeseburger
09:43
that you're just hacking through.
09:45
- Stab through the whole
thing to secure your bite.
09:47
Oh god. (all laughing)
09:50
- I regret saying that I would
be okay sharing a burger.
09:51
I'm gonna cheers?
- Cheers!
09:54
- And then I'm gonna mop up some sauce.
09:56
- Yeah.
- Yeah, boy.
10:01
Oh man, that sauce.
10:03
- That sauce.
- Is incredible.
10:05
- The patty is so crispy.
10:06
- It's juicy and crispy at the same time.
10:08
- Okay, if I were to
go back to Burgerlords,
10:11
that was everything I want in a burger,
10:13
but it's vegetarian.
10:15
- This is everything I didn't
know I wanted in a burger.
10:16
- Exactly, I don't think I've
had a sauce like this before,
10:18
that is so rich and yet tantalizing.
10:21
- Yes, the sourness just
makes you crave more.
10:25
- Jackson's like, keep talking
10:30
while I eat the rest of this burger.
10:31
- (chuckling) He is destroying our burger.
10:32
- Is this what you thought
an expensive burger
10:33
would look like on Worth It?
10:35
- No, I thought it would look fancier.
10:37
Most expensive burgers, like
your episode with Keith,
10:39
it was a lot of ingredients,
like foie gras and lobster.
10:42
This one just has beef
and cheese and a sauce.
10:45
It's so simple that you
don't need anything else.
10:48
- I can see why you'd
use a fork and knife.
10:57
- So how do you feel?
11:07
- Food coma.
- Food coma?
11:08
- So now's the time.
11:10
You know what time it is.
11:11
- Double cheeseburger dance time.
11:12
Double cheeseburger, hey!
11:16
- Before we get to our Worth It winners,
11:22
what was your favorite thing today
11:23
that wasn't a double cheeseburger?
11:25
- The dessert at Tesse.
11:27
- Oh yeah.
- That was good.
11:28
- You just stole my answer.
11:30
- My favorite thing today that
wasn't a double cheeseburger
11:32
was our co-star Jackson.
11:34
- And that fact that I
didn't have to eat alone
11:37
with Steven one more time.
11:38
I think we'll start
with you today, Steven.
11:40
Which double cheeseburger
was most worth it to you,
11:42
at its given price?
11:45
- Burgers Never Say Die.
11:47
The texture of the patty
was what I try to accomplish
11:48
when I add chips to my burgers.
11:51
Crunchy, crispy, juicy.
11:53
- Hold on, rewind this back.
11:55
You put potato chips
on your cheeseburgers?
11:57
- Yeah, great double cheeseburger.
11:59
But I gotta say my worth-it winner
12:01
just barely goes to the Burgerlords.
12:03
- [Andrew] Oh the vegetarian
double cheeseburger.
12:07
- That redefined what a
double cheeseburger could be.
12:09
Next up, we got Andrew.
12:13
- I love all of these places.
12:17
Burgers Never Say Die, probably
the best straightforward
12:19
cheeseburger I've ever had.
12:22
Burgerlords, I think that's
where I'd go if I wanted
12:23
to hang out with people.
12:26
Am I gonna say my worth
it winner is Petit Trois?
12:27
When I think about it, I start salivating.
12:32
I think it's the Bordelaise sauce.
12:34
- Did you see that coming?
12:36
- I thought he was gonna
choose Burgers Never Say Die.
12:38
- Yeah, me too
- Look.
12:40
Obviously, they were all great burgers.
12:41
- Okay, before I say my worth it winner,
12:43
how could you not pick the last one?
12:45
I mean you're the hype beast of food.
12:46
- You're a very fancy boy, you know?
12:49
- Hot dog, you picked the high-priced one.
12:51
Steak, high priced.
12:53
If you actually go back
and tally the ones I pick
12:56
the high-priced one,
though, it's not that often.
12:58
- Sushi and burger.
13:00
- Okay, all right, I'm out of here.
13:01
- Jackson knowledge of the show
is coming back to haunt us.
13:03
- Just kidding, I love you, buddy.
13:06
- I love you too, bro.
13:07
- All right, Jackson.
- Okay.
13:08
- No more beating around the bush.
13:09
Who's your Worth It winner?
13:11
- [Jackson] So the veggie burger,
13:12
it was a new experience for me.
13:13
I'm going to start
ordering veggie burgers,
13:15
so Burgerlords is my Worth It winner.
13:16
(Jackson and Steven exclaim in excitement)
13:19
Are you kidding me?
13:21
That was a good fake out.
13:22
Adam, who's your Worth It winner?
13:23
- [Adam] Burgers Never Say Die.
13:25
- Annie, who's your Worth It winner?
13:26
- Burgers Never Say Die.
13:28
- All right, we've got a good mix here.
13:29
But all we know for sure
is that Andrew lost today.
13:30
- This has been quite the journey.
13:34
- Thank you for having me.
13:35
- No, thank you for flying
all the way out here.
13:36
Show name, watch out.
13:41
This Worth It winner decision
is going to haunt me forever.
13:43
- So you wanna change it?
13:45
- I take it back, it's--
13:47
Back for another episode of Worth It.
13:59
- And we're not just noodling around here,
14:01
but we are covering noodles.
14:03
We've done many types
of noodles in the past.
14:06
Pasta, spaghetti, ramen.
14:09
Today, we're focusing on
non-Italian noodles in Los Angeles.
14:11
- Today on Worth It,
14:17
we're going to be trying
three delicious noodle dishes
14:18
at three drastically
different price points
14:20
to find out which noodle is
the most worth it at its price.
14:22
Okay, so we're sticking
specifically to Asian dishes.
14:25
The first place we're going
to, where are we going?
14:28
- We're going to Lao Xi'er Noodle House
14:30
to see Joe and Ellen,
14:32
and we're having their
Wife's Special Noodle dish.
14:34
Like, the story is sweet.
14:38
- It is actually a sweet story.
14:40
(upbeat jazz music)
14:42
How did you come to start
this business together?
14:46
- I can't find my favorite noodle in LA.
14:49
- It was different than
what you were used to?
14:52
He wanted to keep the original
style from my hometown.
14:55
Shanxi Province, northwest of China.
14:58
- [Andrew] I'm curious
how many styles of noodle
15:01
there are from your hometown?
15:03
- [Ellen] More than a thousand different.
15:05
- More than a thousand different styles?
15:07
- Yeah.
- That's a lot.
15:08
- [Ellen] The cat's ear noodle, Mau Er Duo
15:10
also in my hometown we make a lot.
15:13
Most of the time we make
it with lamb or beef soup.
15:15
Actually, it's very similar
to, like, macaroni noodle.
15:18
Knife-cut noodle is a
flat and thick noodle.
15:21
That noodle we usually make stir-fry.
15:25
- We are focusing on the
Wife's Special Noodle dish.
15:28
Could you tell us what is
the story behind that dish?
15:31
(both laugh loudly)
15:36
(Joe speaks in foreign language)
15:37
- [Ellen] The noodle
is called Helao-style.
15:57
It's a long and thin noodle.
16:00
The machine push it to the pot directly,
16:02
so it's very very fresh.
16:05
It really only take two or
three minutes to cook it.
16:07
The first sauce, the beef
16:10
taste will be a little bit spicy
16:12
and the tomato with egg,
16:15
we just use tomato fried with egg.
16:16
A little bit sour tasting.
16:19
The ground pork just soybean
paste with ground pork.
16:22
- [Andrew] If I'm
understanding this correctly,
16:27
in your hometown it's common to eat
16:29
each of these sauces with noodles.
16:31
Sometimes people will combine two,
16:33
and you had the idea to
put all three together.
16:35
- [Ellen] The flavor will be more complex
16:39
- [Joe] Because I like this flavor.
16:41
Together have a vegetable,
16:43
and a meat, have a sour, have a salty.
16:44
(cash register dings)
16:50
- You guys also make dumplings here.
16:51
Do you have a recommendation
on which one we should try?
16:52
- Yeah, lamb dumpling, I like.
16:54
- [Steven] I'm gonna do it
with vinegar and chile oil.
16:58
- Dumpling cheers.
- Cheers.
17:00
(laughs) Go to the bath together.
17:02
- I have to have another.
17:12
- Share some with...
17:14
- Mm.
- Want one Annie?
17:18
It's a very soft lamb flavor.
17:21
- [Steven] Very light.
17:23
Yidi hasn't had one.
17:25
- Actually, the most important thing
17:27
about this dumpling, the wrapper.
17:29
- Which is the same dough as the noodles.
17:31
- This is a lot of food.
17:34
- This is a fun amount.
17:35
- Cheers.
- Cheers.
17:37
- Delicious noodle, yeah.
17:42
- I always love a noodle
17:43
that you can just stuff in your face.
17:45
- [Adam] You guys are monsters.
17:49
- Are we monsters?
- I'm sorry.
17:50
- I see Annie going like
this with the headphones.
17:51
It's all right, it's a
lot of slurping going on.
17:53
- I honestly have never heard
of tomato egg before today.
17:56
- This is kind of crazy
because it's like combining
17:59
all of these flavors from my childhood.
18:01
Just all of those things
are just like, whoa.
18:04
You just like (exhales).
18:06
- [Annie] Steven, that's Ratatouille.
18:09
- That's Ratatouille?
18:10
I still haven't seen that movie.
18:12
- A thousand types of
noodles, approximately.
18:16
Very, very good noodle dish.
18:19
- Before we go to our next noodle place,
18:21
we're going to a place called Bistro Na's
18:23
that does Beijing specialty desserts.
18:26
- And this place is recommended
by our good friend Yidi.
18:29
Do you want to finish that before we,
18:33
yeah this is the biggest
Lazy Susan I've ever seen.
18:35
I said, "Yidi, where should
we get some deserts?"
18:40
And she said, "You have
to go to Bistro Na's."
18:42
- They have food from my hometown Beijing.
18:45
I eat here a lot to cure my homesick,
18:47
and their dessert is
something I grew up eating
18:50
so I figured you guys should try it.
18:53
- Here you go, guys.
18:57
- So this is how Yidi lives.
18:58
I know exactly what I want,
18:59
but I want to ask Yidi what we should eat.
19:01
- [Andrew] The donkey roll.
19:05
- [Andrew] Okay, do you want
to start with the donkey roll?
19:06
- That's not the best
one Yidi, you're wrong.
19:09
I'm a sesame roll kind of guy.
19:11
- Before we enjoy the
rest of these deserts,
19:20
let's enjoy a noodle fact.
19:23
- Noodle fact for your noodle.
19:24
- Oh wow, aren't all facts noodle facts?
19:26
- Because they improve your noodle.
19:30
- I did that joke just now.
19:32
- The Chinese, generally speaking,
19:34
don't dry their pasta, but Italians do.
19:36
- I've never made that distinction.
19:39
- For our spaghetti episode,
we saw spaghetti extruded
19:41
but they allowed it to dry before boiling.
19:45
Whereas at Lao Xi'er, it
extruded straight into the water.
19:47
I think it's because it's not optimized
19:51
for that al dente flavor
that you get from drying.
19:53
- It explains so much of why I like
19:56
Chinese noodles more than pasta.
20:00
- 'Cause they're just--
20:02
- So for our next noodle stop,
20:06
we're going to see Bugra
at Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine
20:07
where we're going to be trying
their Big Plate Chicken.
20:10
Before we have that,
20:12
we're gonna eat the
rest of these desserts.
20:14
- Okay so cut the camera,
let us go to town.
20:15
(upbeat instrumental music)
20:23
What is Uyghur cuisine?
20:27
- The Uyghur region is located as
20:28
middle point of the Silk Road.
20:30
It's influenced by the Persian,
20:32
the Indian, Turkish and Chinese.
20:33
Many people ask, "You guys have kebab,
20:36
and you guys have some wok dish?"
20:38
"How did you invent this?"
20:40
But actually this is original Uyghur food.
20:41
Our chef, Alerken, is going
to do all dishes today.
20:43
- What are the highlight
dishes of Uyghur cuisine?
20:46
- In ancient times, the Uyghur
people do kebab in desert.
20:48
So you make a fire, and
you make that tower,
20:51
and its shape is like that fire.
20:53
Polo is very traditional
braised rice and meats,
20:56
carrots, raisins together.
20:59
Manta, it looks like
Chinese dumping but bigger.
21:01
The dough is very thin.
21:05
It's stuffed with beef
and onions and spices
21:06
- So talking about the Big Plate Chicken.
21:09
So I imagine it's big.
21:12
- I thought this was a
noodle episode, Andrew.
21:14
- This is a noodle dish, right?
21:15
- Of course, yeah, it comes with noodle.
21:16
This is like very typical
Chinese and Uyghur fusion.
21:18
We fry the chicken with the
oil, and peppers and spices:
21:22
cinnamon, cumin, star
anise, sichuan pepper.
21:26
We put the potato and
we braise half an hour.
21:31
We also make the handmade noodle.
21:34
Noodle, it should be chewy.
21:36
We make the noodle with
water, salt and egg whites.
21:38
- Egg whites in the dough?
- Egg whites, yes.
21:42
Because it makes it really
chewy, and it's thick noodle.
21:44
This is the difference between
Big Plate Chicken noodle
21:46
with the other noodle dish.
21:49
It should be thick and wide.
21:50
- [Steven] I noticed with
the Big Plate Chicken,
21:52
all the noodles are covered
by the things on top.
21:54
Why are you trying to
build this mountain of meat
21:57
on top of the noodles?
21:59
- Because the Big Plate
Chicken, it has soup,
22:00
so when you eat the noodle,
mix it with the soup.
22:03
It's like, amazing taste.
22:05
(cash register dings)
22:07
- [Andrew] I have never seen
a teacup like this before.
22:10
- [Bugra] All are handmade.
22:12
- Handmade?
- Yeah.
22:14
Flower tea, this is very
common in my country.
22:15
This is also sort of my creation.
22:17
- Cheers.
- Don't spill the tea.
22:20
- Is there cinnamon in here?
22:27
- [Bugra] Cardamom.
22:29
- You ready for some Big
Plate Chicken Steven?
22:30
- Big Plate Chicken, here we go.
22:32
Okay we got one noodle
sticking out over here.
22:35
Should we start with chicken?
- Yeah.
22:37
- Since this is Big Plate Chicken?
22:39
Wow that smells good.
22:40
Mm, that's a little spicy, yeah.
22:43
- The taste that comes with it, linger.
22:45
- [Andrew] There we go, a noodle.
22:48
- Oh, I want one of
those kinds of noodles.
22:49
That one's been sitting below
the weight of the chicken
22:50
Got it, I got it here.
22:53
- It's delicious looking, right?
22:54
- The noodle itself is very dumpling like,
23:03
- Dumpling like.
- in it's softness.
23:05
- It's like you're eating
a dumpling in one noodle.
23:06
- [Andrew] It really is
like a soup at the bottom.
23:09
- I know, why don't we have a spoon?
23:11
- I think it's because
the noodle is your spoon.
23:13
- (laughs) Sound of spoons.
23:17
See this peppercorn here?
23:21
Oh that's so good.
- Really?
23:24
Okay I need to try it now.
- You gotta do it.
23:25
Focus in on the tongue.
23:28
- The heat builds a little bit.
23:29
The numbing peppercorn
is there a little bit.
23:30
- I love that, yeah.
23:32
- The addition of cinnamon
23:33
is really surprising and delightful.
23:34
- But it reminds me of Malaysian cuisine.
23:36
A lot of the dishes there
are literally marriages.
23:39
There's no better description of this
23:42
than a marriage of dishes.
23:44
- [Andrew] It's delicious.
23:46
I get why they say stop noodling around,
23:49
because it takes a long
time to eat a noodle.
23:51
Sometimes when you get out of a movie
23:55
and you're like, "I
don't know what to say."
23:57
- Like when you finish a good
book and you just need to
23:59
take a walk and do nothing.
24:01
- Or like a one and a half
hour drive across Los Angeles
24:03
all the way to Beverly Hills.
24:05
- Cause that's where we're going next,
24:07
but before that happens--
24:08
Historians believe that
Chinese noodles originated
24:10
more than X years ago.
24:12
- Now double that and add 1000.
24:17
4000 years ago.
- 4000 years ago?
24:20
I wonder what the first shape was.
24:22
You find that funny, Annie?
24:26
- I never thought of that before.
24:27
- Yeah, what was the first noodle shape?
24:28
- Oh, noodle shape?
- Oh noodle shape!
24:31
- I thought you were just
talking about shapes.
24:32
- [Adam] China has been making bread
24:35
longer than they've been making noodles,
24:36
and noodle making stemmed
from the ripping of dough
24:38
into boiling water.
24:41
- Okay, going across town.
24:45
♪ Making my way across town ♪
24:48
Now we're headed to Crustacean,
24:49
a landmark Vietnamese-American spot.
24:51
We're going to be having
An's Famous Garlic Noodles,
24:54
and on top of that, Dungeness crab.
24:57
The noodles are the creation
24:59
of the founder of the
restaurant, Helene An,
25:00
and she's kept the recipe a secret.
25:03
So they are made in a secret kitchen
25:05
and we can't go in there.
25:06
- We'll be speaking with Chef Tony,
25:07
maybe he can spill the
beans on these noodles.
25:09
- That's okay, I mean,
Oprah actually filmed here
25:11
and she wasn't allowed in there,
25:13
so we're pretty much Oprah.
25:15
(upbeat electronic music)
25:18
- I understand that your kitchen operates
25:22
somewhat in secret.
25:24
We have a kitchen within a kitchen.
25:26
That kitchen's for family members
25:28
and people that have
worked in the restaurant
25:30
- My boss, Chef Helene
An, she first started
25:34
way back in the 70's in this little deli,
25:37
and slowly putting Asian
flairs here and there.
25:39
She knew she was on to something,
25:42
so she wanted to keep
it within the family.
25:44
We have about four items that
come from secret originally.
25:46
The garlic noodles have been
around since we've been open.
25:48
She saw that everybody
loves spaghetti and Parmesan
25:50
so that was her inspiration.
25:53
She was just named the
mother of Asian fusion.
25:55
This is the signature
dish of the restaurant.
25:57
- Asian fusion has been looked
at in a variety of ways.
25:58
Where I grew up, it was looked down on,
26:01
but you're doing Asian fusion,
26:03
and it's right here in Beverly Hills.
26:04
How are you able to flip the
narrative of Asian fusion food?
26:06
- I think it was just something cool
26:08
for people to hate on fusion,
26:09
but the way I became
very comfortable about it
26:11
is when I spoke with Helene.
26:13
She didn't really know what fusion was.
26:15
She was just like, "I'm just cooking
26:17
the way I want to cook."
26:18
Now we're grabbing from
different regions of the world,
26:19
as long as you're doing it intelligently,
26:21
the end result should be pretty tasty.
26:23
- So this is our last stop in our video,
26:25
it's the three dollar signs,
26:28
but the noodles themselves are not really
26:29
the expensive thing here, right?
26:32
- Generally if you're getting a crab
26:34
you're always getting a garlic noodle,
26:35
but they're two separate
items on the menu.
26:36
I would say 99.9% of
people that get the crab,
26:38
they always get a noodle.
26:41
- To enjoy the noodles to their best.
26:42
- This is not a question,
you have to get the crab.
26:44
(cash register dings)
26:48
This smells like my fire
alarm is about to go off.
26:54
It feels like something you
shouldn't do at a restaurant
26:58
this nice but I do just
want to go (throaty laugh).
27:00
- Oh man, that's so awesome.
27:07
- Actually, that makes a lot of sense.
27:09
Ah, there's the hit of garlic.
27:12
It takes about two seconds.
27:13
- [Tony] One crab in the shell,
27:15
and one crab picked out the shell.
27:17
This is way more simple than I thought.
27:23
- Oh yeah, that's really good.
27:32
I just want to eat this whole bowl.
27:33
Squishy, fluffy noodle.
- Fluffy noodle, yeah.
27:38
I'm gonna do a little bit of crab.
27:40
- [Steven] Isn't this the life?
27:42
(sensual blues music)
27:44
- It's really good, right?
27:55
- This is my fantasy as a kid
27:57
of what a dish should taste like.
27:59
- This is so close to the buttered noodles
28:01
you would eat as a kid, right?
28:04
Add on the best version
of a buttery thing,
28:05
- Pre-picked crab, okay,
28:10
is like birds who get to eat food
28:12
that's already been chewed
up for them by their parents.
28:15
- Talking about when a
mama bird chews up food
28:16
and then throws it up into
the chickling's mouth.
28:19
- The idea of having
food prepared for you.
28:22
- It's a mothers love, right?
28:25
- Now how do you make
it, that's the question.
28:28
(somber blues music)
28:31
Long noodles, long life.
28:36
- That's what they say.
28:39
One thing that was your favorite thing
28:40
that was not a noodle today?
28:41
- The noodle extruder at
Lao Xi'er Noodle House
28:43
that was like a old
fashioned manual train cart.
28:46
- At Crustacean, below the
floor, there's a fish tank
28:50
and there's a lot of beautiful
Koi fish living down there.
28:54
Okay Andrew, which noodle
was the most worth it
28:57
at it's given price?
28:59
- I'll give a honorable mention to
29:00
the Cat's Ear Noodle from Lao Xi'er.
29:02
My Worth It winner is gonna go to
29:04
Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine,
29:05
- Oh my gosh.
- So good.
29:07
- Oh my gosh, I can't believe
it, we agree for once.
29:08
I love Crustacean, and I
was gonna say Lao Xi'er
29:10
because the vast experiences
you get in one bowl.
29:12
My Worth It winner goes
to Dolan's Uyghur Cuisine.
29:15
- Adam, who is your Worth It winner?
29:18
- [Adam] Lao Xi'er.
29:20
- Annie, who is your
favorite noodle from today?
29:20
- [Andrew] And Yidi, while
we're in the neighborhood.
29:23
- Well that does it for episode two
29:27
in our end of year miniseries.
29:29
Come back next week for
a very crispy conclusion.
29:31
- It also has soft ends.
29:34
- [Adam] Fried Chicken Sandwich.
29:36
- Aw, come on Adam.
29:37
(gentle piano music)
29:38
- All right Steven, this will be
29:49
our final Worth It episode for 2019.
29:51
- Today on Worth It,
29:54
we're going to be trying
three fried chicken sandwiches
29:55
at three drastically
different price points
29:58
to find out which one is the
most Worth It at its price.
30:00
- I think we're
experiencing, at the moment,
30:02
a little bit of a fried
chicken sandwich craze.
30:04
We thought we'd investigate the issue
30:07
and do fried chicken sandwiches ourselves.
30:09
- I like what you said, "investigate."
30:11
- Oh look at that, fresh asphalts.
30:13
- The way you say words (laughs)
30:15
- It's look golden and delicious
30:18
the way fresh fried chicken does.
30:20
Doesn't that look delicious?
30:21
So the first place we're heading to is
30:27
The Window At American Beauty.
30:29
Chef Elisha is going to be showing us
30:31
their fried chicken sandwich.
30:34
American Beauty is a steakhouse.
30:36
And during the day,
they have a to-go window
30:37
that does things like burgers, fries,
30:40
fried chicken sandwiches, obviously.
30:43
- I like that a lot,
it feels very New York.
30:45
I don't know where I'm going with that.
30:48
I just like it, I just like New York.
30:49
(atmospheric music)
30:51
- What is The Window?
30:53
- So The Window is our daytime operation
30:54
where we serve delicious food
30:56
at a very affordable price.
30:57
- [Steven] As I understand it,
30:59
this chicken sandwich is under six bucks?
30:59
- [Chef Elisha] Yeah, it's
five dollars and 50 cents.
31:01
- Wow.
- That is crazy.
31:03
- I don't know if I'd
say we're competition
31:04
with fast-food, but we're
trying to hit around
31:05
the price point of the
regular fast-food chains.
31:07
We're making everything in house
31:09
and the idea is to deliver
hospitality to our guests,
31:10
whether they order the fried
chicken sandwich at the window
31:13
or they're ordering our steaks at night.
31:16
So we butterfly the
chicken, so it spreads out,
31:18
we pound it so it's the
same thickness around.
31:20
- [Andrew] I saw that you
were also scoring the meat
31:23
before you were pounding it.
31:25
- [Chef Elisha] By scoring
it, we're both helping
31:27
the buttermilk and the
seasoning penetrate,
31:28
but also we're getting a
little bit more surface space,
31:30
so there's a little
bit more crunchy parts.
31:32
And then we just fry it.
31:34
We have the awesome Martin's Potato Rolls.
31:35
The jalapeño aioli,
which gives a little bit
31:37
more fat and some heat.
31:39
And then we have this very simple slaw
31:41
that gives a little freshness.
31:42
Just cabbage, some carrots, red onion,
31:44
and a very simple red wine vinaigrette.
31:46
- [Steven] Is that what you would say
31:48
makes a perfect fried chicken sandwich?
31:49
Is it the balance of all
of those things together?
31:51
- [Chef Elisha] For
me, I think it's really
31:53
the combination of it all.
31:54
It's an evolution while you're eating it.
31:55
And as it goes, it's kinda
all compliments itself.
31:56
And I think that really makes for a better
31:59
and more enjoyable eating experience.
32:01
(cash register dings)
32:03
- [Announcer] Order for Worth It.
32:05
- That's our order!
32:07
- Thank you guys!
- Thank you.
32:08
- Oh, that smells amazing.
- Oh!
32:09
- Sorry, I just want that.
- That was a hard hit.
32:11
There's something about food in a box
32:13
like this that I just love every time.
32:15
- It's like the American Bento Box.
32:17
- Do you eat ketchup with your fries?
32:21
- Okay, hold on, I got you.
- All right.
32:23
I took a fry, I mean what?
32:27
You're lucky I don't dump
this ketchup on your head.
32:29
- Do it, I dare you.
32:31
- Mm, incredible fry.
32:36
It's crunchy like cereal is crunchy.
32:38
- [Steven] Okay, lets go sando' time.
32:40
- Oh, look at that.
- Whoa!
32:42
It feels fluffier than I thought.
32:44
- That's that potato bun.
32:47
Yeah, that was a really good first bite.
32:53
That was a really good second bite.
32:59
- I have a feeling every
bite is going to be good.
33:00
- What I'm realizing about this bun,
33:02
it's so soft and fluffy
that it's doing its job
33:04
in like making the fried chicken
33:08
the real star of the show.
33:10
- So this is the, "why are we having
33:11
fried chicken sandwich"
as a question, you know?
33:13
'Cause we've done fried chicken before,
33:15
but the bun just dials
the whole thing back
33:17
into like soft doughnut territory.
33:19
- Mm-hmm.
- Which I kind of like.
33:21
You know what this does
kind of remind me of?
33:22
- Tell me.
- I think you're going
33:24
to be mad that you didn't think of this.
33:25
- No, I think this is going to be
33:26
less exciting than I thought.
33:27
- The peking duck bun
that we had in New York.
33:28
That soft, squishy bun
with a delicious meat
33:31
and condiment and crispy vegetable.
33:35
Plus the cucumber and the sauce
33:38
that adds a little sweetness.
- Yeah, yeah.
33:40
You're right, okay, yeah.
33:42
- American Beauty, what a
beautiful time in America.
33:48
- That's too easy for
you, I'm disappointed.
33:53
- Okay, so before our next proper
33:55
fried chicken sandwich,
we're actually gonna
33:58
have a bonus piece of fried chicken.
33:59
Friend of the show, David Chang,
34:02
has a number of fried chicken
sandwich shops called Fuku.
34:03
They have an off menu,
mega spicy, fried chicken
34:07
designed to taste better
as a cold product.
34:10
It's like a food pun but in the language
34:14
of flavor and temperature.
34:17
- It sounds more like an oxymoron.
34:19
- It's like a fun--
34:21
- You'd have to be an
oxy-moron to eat this.
34:22
- Okay you know what's terrifying?
34:27
Black gloves that come with your food.
34:29
Here it is, oh, whew!
34:31
Put your gloves on. (laughs)
34:34
This guy's walking his
dog and is just looking
34:36
at three guys putting on black gloves.
34:38
It looks upsetting.
34:43
- It looks like mummified meat.
34:47
- Why is it so dark? (laughs)
34:49
- Adam, I wish you had that
bottle of ranch on standby.
34:52
- I thought we were just dipping!
34:56
This is so bizarre.
35:00
- Oh, it's cold! (laughs)
35:02
Oh, it's not too bad.
35:08
- Oh, it's like cinnamon-sugary too.
35:11
- There's pickles that you
can have along side (sighs).
35:16
(sighs) No, I don't like this.
35:19
- Give me the fact!
35:21
Hot-cold fried chicken fact time.
35:23
Mm, that's good, an ice, slush drink.
35:25
- It's making it worse.
35:29
- Can you say hot-cold fact chicken time?
35:30
- Hot-Cold Fact Chicken time!
35:32
- The chemical in spicy foods that
35:36
makes something spicy is capsaicin.
35:38
Capsaicin is known to increase
energy, reduce appetite,
35:41
increase salivation,
and release endorphins.
35:44
- Ability to taste reduces
in higher temperatures,
35:49
above 86 degrees Fahrenheit,
35:51
as well as lower temperatures
below 68 degrees Fahrenheit.
35:53
- I think this chicken might
be right in the center.
35:57
You're still going?
36:00
- So we're on our way
downtown to Pikunico.
36:02
We're going to see chef Kuniko
36:04
and have her fried chicken sandwich.
36:06
- Okay, is it spicy?
36:08
- Okay, good.
- Yeah.
36:11
(atmospheric music)
36:12
- Pikunico means picnic plus Kuniko.
36:15
So everything is in a to-go
box and you can eat outside
36:18
of the restaurant, like a picnic.
36:22
- Why did you choose fried chicken
36:24
as the cornerstone of the menu?
36:25
- I grew up with it.
36:27
My grandma never liked cooking,
36:28
so we'd always go buy it. (laughs)
36:30
When I came here, I ate this
southern style fried chicken,
36:32
with thick, thick crust and I
loved it, so I did a hybrid.
36:36
Light, as Japanese, but
also with a crunchiness.
36:41
Normally it's a wheat flour,
36:45
but we do brown rice and potato starch.
36:47
That's maybe the most special
part of our fried chicken.
36:49
Our fryer don't carry any gluten.
36:52
A lot of my friends' kids,
they have serious allergy,
36:55
and they never eaten fried chicken.
36:58
So I said, okay you can come here.
36:59
- [Andrew] Why did you want
to offer a sandwich option
37:02
for your fried chicken?
37:04
- I'm trying to belong here. (laughs)
37:05
- [Andrew] Do you ever
find those in Japan?
37:08
- [Kuniko] I don't believe
it's a popular thing.
37:10
Japanese just pack rice balls,
37:13
and fried chicken, and pickles.
37:15
And that's our picnic.
37:17
But a lot of people said, "Kuni, come on,
37:19
like you're living in the United States,
37:21
everyone loves sandwich,
come up with a great one."
37:23
I wanted to make the sandwich
as special as I could.
37:26
We created a golden bun
which carries turmeric.
37:29
The turmeric is antiinflammatory.
37:32
So you can lessen your feeling
37:34
of I'm eating fried
chicken today. (laughs)
37:37
To me, sandwich is about combination.
37:39
The soft bun, crunchy chicken,
acid from lemon vinaigrette.
37:42
I want it to have everything in one bite.
37:46
- I mean you say one bite,
but I've seen the sandwich,
37:49
and it's quite tall.
- Yes.
37:51
- How do I eat that with one bite?
37:54
(cash register dings)
37:58
- We've come for the sandwiches,
but we also got a salad
38:01
that we're going to try first.
38:03
- [Kuniko] I like my
seaweed and cucumber salad.
38:04
Our seaweed is from Japan
and it's salt cured.
38:07
The texture is not like dehydrated,
38:10
like wakame, like paper thin.
38:12
It's very meaty and satisfying.
38:15
I eat my salad everyday.
38:17
(atmospheric music)
38:20
- I'm not sure I've ever had
this type of seaweed before.
38:24
It is denser and meatier.
38:28
- Pause button, back to the sandwich.
38:30
She gave us good advice to smoosh.
38:33
- Look at how juicy the chicken is.
38:36
Do you see the juices coming out?
38:39
It's the hidden benefit of the squish.
38:41
- That's a face wiper, for sure.
38:50
It's a very good sandwich.
38:52
- Dude, the star of this
fried chicken sandwich.
38:53
- Say it on three, one
38:56
- The pickles.
- The bread.
38:58
Oh, defend your case because
I think you're wrong.
39:00
- It's the sourness that makes
you want all the other stuff.
39:02
- True, but come on, look at this bread.
39:05
It's squishy, has a nice
bite, it's not falling apart.
39:08
- It's a beautiful sandwich.
39:11
The texture of this stuff,
almost like moss-like.
39:13
You ever look at moss and
think, I bet that's tasty?
39:16
- I never think that, no.
- Really?
39:19
I think it'd be a cool texture to eat.
39:21
It's like a hanging garden.
39:22
- It's like that plant up there.
39:24
I think this makes like
potentially the perfect sandwich.
39:26
You've got this fried
chicken that's delicious.
39:29
But then, the things
surround it so you're not
39:31
feeling like greasy.
39:34
- [Andrew] It's not greasy at all.
39:35
- There's fried chicken
is on this side, right.
39:36
So she's like, okay, what
do I put on this side
39:38
- Sprouts, miso jam,
pickles, a little too far.
39:41
- Jalapeños on this side, boom.
39:45
I feel like we've said some good stuff.
39:47
That's a dirty, dirty move.
39:53
Are you using the one that you
39:54
didn't already steal a
piece of chicken out of?
39:55
I see, I know how you work.
39:58
Pikunico, what do you think?
40:01
- The bread, it's so good.
40:02
- Ooh, I feel like a picnic.
40:03
Does that make any sense?
40:05
Before we go to our next spot,
40:08
Fried Chicken Sandwich Fact time!
40:09
- Fried Chicken Sandwich fact.
40:11
- Though it's not currently on the menu,
40:13
for a time, KFC offered
the Double Down sandwich,
40:15
I remember that one.
40:19
Which consisted of two
fried chicken filets
40:20
doubling as the bun
40:23
and the filling was
bacon, cheese, and sauce.
40:25
I actually have a very
fond memory of this.
40:28
- You actually ate this thing?
40:31
It was as amazing as it sounds.
40:33
I remember that thing, that was madness.
40:36
It's like, just eat food
guys, what are you doing?
40:38
Is it even a sandwich at that point
40:41
or are you just picking up food?
40:43
Like if I just pick up a
steak and eat it with my hand,
40:44
is that a sandwich?
40:47
- [Adam] If you have two of them.
40:49
- We started this video at a steakhouse,
40:50
now we're going to a seafood restaurant.
40:52
- We're on our way to Son
of a Gun, where Chef Greg
40:56
is going to show us their
fried chicken sandwich,
40:58
and probably a couple
other seafood treats.
41:01
Is this modeled after a certain style
41:06
or like genre of seafood?
41:09
- Definitely, Jon and Vinny
the owners are from Florida,
41:10
the vibe of it is the Florida fish shack.
41:13
- [Steven] I wanna know why you
put a fried chicken sandwich
41:15
on a menu of a seafood restaurant.
41:16
- [Greg] Well our menu is really diverse,
41:18
which is like the way we like to eat.
41:20
Living in Los Angeles, you
have so much diversity,
41:22
there's amazing food in Korea
Town, amazing Chinese food in
41:25
San Gabriel, you name it we got it here.
41:27
So this is what influences our menu,
41:29
we're not an Italian restaurant,
41:31
we're not a French restaurant,
41:33
we just take something
that we're into at the time
41:34
and try to develop a dish.
41:36
- [Andrew] The tuna dish for example--
41:38
- [Greg] Exactly yeah, that
tuna dish is influenced by
41:39
Peruvian cuisine, first
we take market avocado,
41:42
red onion, cilantro,
and some tortilla chips.
41:44
Mix all that together,
and then the tuna has been
41:47
pounded out into carpaccio,
so it makes the texture
41:50
of the fish really nice.
41:52
So that gets wrapped
around the avocado mix,
41:54
and then the bottom of the
bowl is a leche de tigre,
41:56
so, you eat it with a spoon
41:58
and get a little bit of the tuna,
42:00
the avocado, the tortilla
chips all together.
42:01
- [Steven] This is delightful.
42:06
- This reminds me of our time
42:07
at Pacific Seas, remember that?
42:08
I don't exist in this bar as you know me.
42:10
- We've shared like one donut.
42:13
- Thank you.
- Okay
42:18
These are the coolest
straws I've ever seen.
42:20
- This is a drink you
don't have to cheers.
42:21
'Cause how would you?
42:23
- I'm concerned because I
taste no alcohol in there.
42:27
But I definitely feel alcohol in here.
42:30
- [Steven] Alright, oyster time.
42:33
- [Andrew] Mmm, yeah, mignonette me.
42:34
- [Steven] And then you want a
horse radish or are you good?
42:37
Ohhh
- Mmm, Hell yeah
42:42
- Okay turn it up
- Oh my god.
42:44
I think oysters are the
most Disney princess food.
42:46
It's like a spoon made of an ocean fish,
42:49
and so it makes me feel
like I'm in Little Mermaid.
42:52
You get what I mean?
42:55
- No, I'm not, I'm not picking
up what you're laying down.
42:56
- People are shaking their heads
42:58
but those people haven't
been having scorpion bowl.
42:59
- [Andrew] This is the wildest
looking thing I've ever seen.
43:04
It looks like a whole brain on a plate.
43:06
- Goddammit that's good.
43:15
Oh my God, that's good.
43:17
- [Steven] Look at how
much avocado is in this.
43:18
- And this juice at the bottom
is like spicy orange juice.
43:20
- This tastes more like
a cocktail than this.
43:24
- [Andrew] No Steven, you're a mad man.
43:27
(Steven coughs)
(Andrew laughs)
43:32
- [Greg] A lot of people have asked if
43:33
we could make a cocktail
out of the leche de tigre
43:35
- I was saying, it tastes
more like a cocktail
43:37
than the scorpion bowl does.
- I said that, not you.
43:40
- [Greg] We take a
free-range chicken breast,
43:41
brined overnight in some lemon and herbs,
43:43
bread it with a three-step
breading process,
43:46
seasoned flour into buttermilk,
and then we make crumbs
43:48
out of the flour and the
buttermilk, so it gives it
43:51
a little bit of a crispy
texture when we fry the chicken.
43:53
Then let it rest, let the
juices reabsorb in, and then we
43:56
use red rooster aioli which
is red rooster hot sauce from
43:59
Louisiana and it's not Sriracha,
it's more like Tabasco.
44:02
And then we make a slaw
with market vegetables,
44:05
we make some bread and
butter pickles in house here,
44:08
so we'll make the dressing
for the cabbage slaw
44:10
from the vinegar that
comes from the pickles.
44:13
(cash register dings)
44:15
- Okay
- Here's the fried
44:17
chicken sandwich guys.
44:18
- Thank you
- Okay, that's actually
44:19
not at all what I expected to see.
44:20
There's pickles embedded into the slaw.
44:22
- It's my kind of slaw.
44:25
Have you ever seen a more
beautiful chicken sandwich?
44:26
Commercial perfect.
44:28
Okay, I'm gonna split it for us.
44:29
You're gonna love the feel of
this bun, I can already tell.
44:30
- Yeah, you're a big bun guy.
44:33
- Oh, these dishes are
actually very similar.
44:35
There's like the
fattiness and the acidity.
44:37
- Yeah
- Fattiness, acidity
44:39
- Fattiness, acidity
- Oyster
44:41
- Fattiness, acidity
44:42
- Fattiness, acidity
44:43
- Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
44:45
- You're gonna set me up like
that, I'm gonna dunk hard.
44:46
How's that for a sports analogy?
44:49
Cheers Steven
- Cheers.
44:51
You know you had a good time
44:56
when the sandwich is in shambles.
44:57
- What do you think about the
texture of the fried crust?
44:59
- It sounds like you wanna
talk about the texture
45:03
of the fried crust, Andrew.
45:04
- Yeah, you know how there's
different levels of crunch.
45:06
A crunchier crunch would be
like leaves, high pitch crackle,
45:08
then there's also lower pitch crackle,
45:11
like stepping into snow.
45:14
I think this is more like snow crackle
45:15
and the other chicken we've
had is more like leaf crackle.
45:18
Was that too long winded?
45:21
- I wanna spend a day in your head.
45:22
Just like, what are you thinking?
45:23
- All right Steven.
45:28
- Not only did we have three
fried chicken sandwiches,
45:30
but this also concludes a
three episode set for us.
45:33
The first one had buns,
the last one had buns.
45:36
In effect it was a sandwich of its own.
45:38
What was your favorite
thing in this episode
45:41
that was not a fried chicken sandwich?
45:42
- The giant ropes that held
45:44
the hanging light bulbs at Pikunico.
45:46
We don't often get to talk
about restaurant decor.
45:49
I kinda have a similar favorite thing
45:52
that wasn't a fried chicken sandwich.
45:53
- The bathroom faucets at American Beauty.
45:55
It looked like a swan throwing
up the water into your hands.
45:57
- All right, which fried chicken sandwich
46:02
was the most worth it at its given price?
46:04
- My Worth It winner goes to
The Window at American Beauty.
46:07
That fried chicken sandwich
is everything I wanted
46:09
on a Martin's Potato Roll,
46:12
which is near and dear to my heart.
46:13
- You're not often wrong on the
show, but you're wrong today
46:15
- My Worth It winner goes to Pikunico.
46:19
That fried chicken sandwich
was so smoosh-able.
46:22
The smooshing today was pretty excellent.
46:26
Adam, who's your Worth It winner?
46:28
- Adam picks Pikunico.
46:30
A good pick unico.
- Unico.
46:31
- And that's gonna be it for 2019.
46:35
Thanks to everybody who works on this show
46:36
to make it happen, most
of them are not here.
46:38
- And thank you all for watching.
46:40
- Yeah
- We appreciate it.
46:42
If you wanna suggest a food,
we do check our Instagram page
46:44
instagram.com/buzzfeedworthit
46:47
- And the comments of this video
46:49
- Comments of this video
46:51
- We're probably reading them right now
46:52
as you're watching this.
46:54
I am also watching.
46:55
Oh yeah, what did we
learn about fried chicken?
46:57
- Well fried chicken
sandwiches may continue
47:00
to be eaten the world round,
47:02
at least we'll know that they taste good.
47:04