Taiwanese food, bubble tea have come to Roslindale at the newly opened Cheerful Kitchens, 153-155 Belgrade Ave.
I got the Three Cups Chicken (named because it used to be made with a cup of water, a cup of rice wine and a cup of soy sauce) for $11.88. It was a bit like a stew. The sauce was delicious, if a bit saltier than I'm used to (all that soy sauce, no doubt). The chicken consisted of drumsticks and wings - forcing me to decide whether to try to make a mess and pick up the pieces or eat it with a knife and fork (I compromised: I used a knife and fork and made a mess).
The Taiwan spring rolls with chicken and peanuts (two for $4.88, and yes, most of the dishes are something and 88 cents) were crispy on the outside; on the inside, they had some spice I couldn't place (it was a bit like licorice).
Naturally, they have a bunch more Taiwanese dishes awiting our next visit, from curry spicy seafood noodle soup to Taiwanese sweet and sour cabbage with spicy garlic sauce.
One thing that's unusual is the menu does not go on for page after page as at the other Chinese takeout places in Roslindale - that might be a good thing, to concentrate on what they do best. They do have some "traditional" Chinese takeout stuff, though. The chicken finger/wonton soup expert in our party declared those fine, although she said she preferred the chicken fingers at Mandarin Gourmet in South Brookline. They also have a daily box lunch special during the week along with dinner boxes.
The actual place is tiny - only two tables. And as owner Mina Chang told us, hers is at least the sixth Chinese place to occupy the space (one did double briefly as a Vietnamese restaurant). Yes, she was very cheerful on our brief visit last night. We'll be back.
Cheerful Kitchens is open Mon.-Sat., 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. 617-325-8686. Delivery available to Roslindale, West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain and Hyde Park.
