Q: Could you share the story behind Taiwan Food Truck House and how it first began? 

Neill: It’s been a really long time since the restaurant started. It’s been almost twenty years since it opened. The original owner retired, but we still have the same name, of course. 

Q: What inspired the owners to focus specifically on Taiwanese cuisine here in Chinatown? 

Neill: The owner’s relatives lived here, so he wanted to open a restaurant here. The owner used to hear that there were a lot of Taiwanese people in Chinatown when they lived in Taipei in Taiwan. The owner used to have a restaurant in Taipei that was very popular, so when they moved here, they opened a restaurant with the same dishes.

Q: What is your favorite dish offered at the restaurant? 

Neill: My favorite dish is pork chops. Our pork chops are the most popular dish here. They are the most popular amongst the customers, and we are famous for the rice with pork chop and chicken too. 

Q: What are some other dishes that you think are underrated, or that people don’t buy as often but you think are good? 

Neill: I would recommend the salt and pepper, chicken, the oyster pancake, and the vegetable and pork wontons with spicy oil. Wontons are very popular here too.

Q: Could you tell us more about the ingredients and techniques that make your food chops and other signature dishes unique? 

For the pork chops, we just fry them. That is the cooking method, we fry them with sauce. We unfortunately cannot give the ingredients for the sauce; it’s a secret recipe.

Q: Have you seen any changes in the customers who come here? Are they mostly from Chinatown, or are there any tourists? 

Neill: People come from anywhere. A lot of university students come from schools in different states, like New Jersey, but a lot of our customers are still from Chinatown.

Q: How do you hope your restaurant helps preserve Taiwanese food culture in New York? 

Neill: This kind of food will always be here, and we don’t change any flavor so you have a level of Taiwanese culture, especially when customers say they enjoy the food. Our food will always stay pretty much the same. 

Q: What are your plans for the restaurant in the coming years? Just keep it.

Neill: We just want to keep it open. At the end of the day, it is all about keeping the business intact. The economy right now is tough, so right now we’re not planning to open another one. 

Q: I noticed a lot of people come here and have, like, good conversation. What can you say about that?

Neill: Our customers just come in here and notice that the restaurant is really old so that is a talking point. Also, as I mentioned, this restaurant is very popular with students, like university students from NYU or Columbia.

Q: What would you say has made this restaurant successful or successful?

We just make good food and have good service, and make sure the food has never changed. Also, our prices are still not really expensive. 

Q: Can you tell us a little bit more about, like, your team, including the cooks and how they came together? 

Neill: We focus on the harmony within our team when hiring new people. Some of our cooks are new, but they have still been working for about five to seven years. 

Q: What’s your favorite part about this restaurant? Like, what do you like most about your job?

Neill: I really love the environment. The restaurant is also very close to my home so it’s pretty easy and convenient for me.