a hungry girl's guide to taipei

kicking off 2012

2012-01-11T12:07:00.005+08:00

Happy new year!

Thanks to everyone who voted for me in the 2011 Taiwan Best Blog Awards. I won in the Travel category! I love that people who love food as much as I do get to discover along with me all the amazing eats that Taipei has to offer and it's always nice to know that you are appreciated.

To be honest, it gets harder and harder for me to write the blog as the years pass. I overanalyze what I'm writing, I try to include as much accurate information as possible, I want my pictures to look drool-worthy, and I eat faster than I can think of new ways to say "delicious" and end up with an overwhelming backlog of photos to transform into posts. So this year, I'd like to be more productive, not be so self conscious and just write like I'm writing for myself. And to get the 2012 Best of Taipei results done before March. Haha.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy new year and lots of memorable meals with friends and family.

mexican/new in town: i strongly recommend MACHO TACOS- SHIDA

2011-12-28T12:13:00.000+08:00

MACHO TACOS- SHIDA
No. 15 Pucheng St
(02) 2363-7518

MRT: Taipower Bldg Station

website: machotacos.com

$

hours: M-F 11:30 AM - 3PM; 5PM-10PM
SAT: 11:30AM - 10PM
SUN 11:30AM - 9PM

kid friendliness: more room for strollers, kids

visit reviewed: 11/4/2011
previous visit: 12/2010 at DaAn branch

Macho Tacos opened a new branch of their popular Baja style Mexican eats in the Shida neighborhood late last month. Almost twice the size of the original DaAn branch, there's more room for all your grub and friends.

Ten percent off during their soft opening period.

The inside sports the familiar wrestler logo, English and Chinese signage and red/green fast casual tables.

My favorites are still the fish tacos. Crispy fish, crunchy lettuce and creamy white sauce. You can't really appreciate how far Mexican food has come in Taiwan unless you try the fish tacos- they are the must order at Macho Tacos.

The next favorites after the fish tacos are either the steak or carnitas in soft taco, burrito, burrito bowl or quesadilla form. Don't forget to load up on the salsa at the help yourself salsa bar, and ask for the hot sauce.

carnitas soft taco

If I had one suggestion for the powers that be, Macho's nachos still need more cheese. A lot more cheese. Melty, piled on cheese. At other places, I've seen the chips bathing in cheese. That's how nachos should be.

But until then, I'm pretty happy with most of what Macho Tacos offers and the affordable prices. Chimichangas are also available now. Maybe in the future we can hope for some taquitos smothered in guacamole?

OTHER LOCATION
No. 3, Lane 126, Yanji St.
(02) 2731-4489

my kitchen: pesto, edamame & goat cheese meatballs

2011-12-26T11:20:00.000+08:00

I made meatballs for the first time this year (spurred on by cravings watching America's Next Great Restaurant) and was surprised to find out how freakin easy it is! Maximum flavor for a little elbow grease. And the meatballs can be eaten as a side dish, with spaghetti or for a meatball sub.

EASY PESTO, EDAMAME and GOAT CHEESE MEATBALLS RECIPE
-500 grams or 1 pound of ground beef
-1/3 cup of bread crumbs
-1 egg
-pinch of salt and pepper
-1 tbsp italian seasoning

Mix elements by hand, form little balls. Can make original flavor and then some with add-in ingredients. If stuffing with cheese, then cut cheese into cubes to form the meatball around the cheese.

I made some with just pesto, some with pesto and edamame, and some with pesto and goat cheese. I like to make mini meatballs too, but if you make different size meatballs, it's best to put them on different trays since the mini ones will cook faster.

Cook in oven for about 20-25 minutes at 180C (or 350F) or until browned and cooked through.

OPTIONAL ADD INs
-pesto
-goat cheese
-edamame
-olives
-parmesan cheese
-mushrooms

Use leftover meatballs the next day for meatball sub. SO GOOD. I just spooned some tomato pasta sauce onto the meatballs and brushed ciabatta roll with pesto sauce, added some provolone cheese (thanks to my friend M) and threw it in the toaster oven. Decadent and delicious. You cannot find a good meatball sandwich in Taipei, and no Subway doesn't count- for some reason Taipei's Subway meatballs are too processed.

4th Annual 2011 Best of Taipei Restaurants Readers' Favorites Poll!

2011-12-20T07:55:00.002+08:00

2011 was a busy year and the end of the year somehow makes things even more insane. But it's that time of year again- time to reflect, time to stuff your face and time to vote for your favorites! Check out last year's results if you need a cheat sheet.

VOTING

Voting will be open from December 20th, 2011 - January 8th, 2012. There must be a minimum of 5 categories filled out (with different restaurants) in order for the vote to be counted. For example, you cannot fill out the same restaurant in 3 categories and nothing else. But if you really love that restaurant, vote for it in the applicable 3 categories and fill out 4 other categories, then it will count.

It's okay if you haven't tried everywhere in Taipei! No one has. It does not have to be a restaurant I've reviewed. So just vote for your favorites! So hope all of you that have been reading and learning where the best eats in Taipei can take a few minutes to vote!

You don't have to have a google account to vote. Just enter your name or initials and fill out the boxes underneath with your answer and hit submit at the end.

Also feel free to campaign for your restaurant or favorite eatery on Facebook, Twitter or your website with a link to this page. But only votes on this post will count.

I will tabulate and hope to announce the winners with a write up by February 2011 (fingers crossed!).

Thank you and happy holidays and happy new year!

Remember There must be a minimum of 5 categories filled out (with different restaurants) in order for the vote to be counted. For example, you cannot fill out the same restaurant in 3 categories and nothing else.

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snapshot/dessert: i strongly recommend the ICE CREAM WITH COTTON CANDY AND ESPRESSO from COFFEE ALLEY

2011-12-19T00:23:00.001+08:00

Looking for a place to nosh with friends after watching Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (go watch it!) the other night and the Diner is booked for a private party. Where to do we end up? After wandering around ATT 4 Fun, we decide on Coffee Alley and get in after a 10 minute or so wait. I know what I want to order since I didn't get to try it the last time and the ice cream with cotton candy and espresso (NT$140) doesn't disappoint. You might miss it on their crowded menu, but now you know what to look for.

Cotton candy has been popping up on more and more dessert menus since I first was given a bowlful at Simon in Las Vegas. From straightforward to the ultra creative (Bazaar's foie gras and cotton candy), Coffee Alley's rendition is playful yet smart.

You pour the small pitcher of espresso on top of the cotton candy and watch it shrink before your eyes. It's like maaaaaaagic.

As the spun sugar melts into a coffee caramel sauce, you finally get a peek at the ice cream.

Three generous scoops of vanilla ice cream are coated with sticky sweet espresso sauce that works perfectly with the nuts and ice cream. Sometimes a huge cloud of cotton candy is too sweet to eat the entire thing, so I was worried this dessert would be too sweet, but somehow the espresso neutralized the sugar so it was just right. I'd duke it out with the Coffee Alley crowds just for this dessert.

For addresses for Coffee Alley, check out my previous post.

chinese: i strongly recommend HE FENG CHINESE RESTAURANT

2011-12-15T12:10:00.000+08:00

HE FENG CHINESE RESTAURANT
No.32, Lane 106, Minquan E. Rd., Sec. 3
(02) 2545-3536

MRT: ZhongShan Jr. High

website: hefengr.com mostly Chinese

hours: 11:30 AM - 2PM; 5:30PM - 9PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids dinnerware available. basement seating as well as main floor seating.

Visit reviewed: 12/13/2010 & 4/23/2011

There are a few dishes you must order when you go to He Feng Chinese restaurant from the vast menu.

(1) The Deep fried pork with sweet and sour sauce which comes with housemade dried pineapples and tomatoes and a sweet and sour sauce that will knock your Americanized Chinese food cravings out of your system. You might find yourself spooning an extra pineapple or two onto your plate when no one is touching the lazy susan, or asking for more rice to balance the sweetness. Sometimes the dried pineapples are available for sale to take home.

(2) The Yunnan style Roast Beef is tender and deceptively simple, with chunks of braised beef in the clay pot. But so delicious.

(3) The stewed eggplant with oyster sauce and intestines, fragrant from the basil and complementing contrasting textures of the chewy intestines and softer eggplant

(4) and the Thai style fried shrimp cakes. Yes, it's a Chinese restaurant, but it's a popular dish that's made well here. Everytime I've come, someone has ordered it. This is a huge portion because we had a lot of people that night.

You can order more from the menu if you have more people. There is a ton of fish, pork, beef, seafood, chicken, vegetable, cold dishes, stewed pot and casserole options on the menu.

I wasn't a fan of the house specialty Yunnan style pea jelly with sauce dish which features soft jelly noodles made from peas and is served as a cold appetizer. Every single time I've gone, the waiter has tried to encourage us to order this. Don't do it!

Thought I would love the Yunnan style sesame and red bean layer buns, but the sesame was not sweet enough for me and the red bean had a date-like, orange taste.

I know I'm not alone when it's time to figure out where to have dinner with a big group of people, be it all the relatives or a dinner with a group of friends. He Feng is perfect for big groups because it has two sections and one with large round tables with a lazy susans for family style dining and perfect when you need hearty Chinese food for the relatives. I think one of its biggest tables can seat up to 16-18 people. The menu is large enough that you'll find something to please everyone in your group, and varied enough to order different things each time. But you'll probably find that you want to reorder your favorite dishes again and again.

western/brunch: I strongly recommend THE DINER at ATT4FUN

2011-12-12T12:56:00.024+08:00

the Diner
at ATT4Fun
No. 12 Song Shou Rd.
(02）7737-5055

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 10AM - 12AM

kid friendliness: high chairs available. dining area on second floor, stairs only.

visit reviewed: 10/26/2011 and 11/23/2011
previous posts: 12/2006 and 6/2007

Has it really been that long since I've last eaten at the Diner? I'd been scared off by the crowds and waits, and found other brunch and burger options around town. But the lure of the Diner in the Xinyi area was too convenient to resist. Even a few days after opening in late October, the newest branch of the Diner was already packed full of customers. Although it's in the ATT4Fun building, it has its own storefront entrance, across from Vieshow theaters. Don't go inside the main building looking for it, otherwise you'll make a huge circle around it.

I was surprised by how huge the menu was, with more brunch (Frittatas, Baked Egg Rancheros, Baked Egg with Oxtail?!) and main dish items (Po Boy Sandwiches, Turkey Reuben, Pulled Pork sandwiches, Fish and Chips) than before, since I hadn't visited the Diner in such a long time. But it turns out this expanded menu is only for the ATT4Fun location.

With the big windows, the space is airy and bright with more space than the other Diners, especially the basement located Dunhua Diner.

I was a little overwhelmed by the new menu, and ended up ordering a Spinach salad (NT$310) which had bits of bacon, chopped hard boiled egg and blue cheese crumbles. The vinagrette was light and slightly sweet and I quickly polished off the sizeable salad. Other salads available are caesar, cobb, nicoise and grilled steak.

My friend's Burger with blue cheese looked good...

as did my other friend's All American breakfast plate (NT$280), though the hash browns could have been more crispy.

Save room for dessert- the Diner has slices of pie, scoops of ice cream, carrot cake slices, as well as their massive chocolate brownie with ice cream. The bill is paid downstairs at the register after the meal.

I got the chance to try the pancakes I was craving on a return visit. On a weekday morning, it was nice and cozy, not too crowded with our food coming out fairly quickly. I probably gasped when I saw the banana and chocolate pancakes breakfast (NT$330) piled with whip cream and chocolate. The pancakes were fluffy and not too dense, and dotted with chocolate chips too, but I definitely couldn't finish the stack by myself.

The bacon was crispy and the potatoes o'brien were well seasoned and good. You can get the pancakes or french toast with or without the eggs/breakfast meat/potatoes too. Hey! I just realized when writing this up that they left off my mushrooms. Oh well.

It's great to finally have a brunch place in the Xinyi area, though it's kind of insane how far in advance you have to make weekend reservations.

OTHER LOCATIONS

No. 145, Rui-An St.
(02) 2700-1680

No.6, Lane 103, Dunhua S. Rd., Sec. 2
(02) 2754-1680

CAFE CAFE
No. 2, Lane 147, Alley 5, Keelung Road, Sec. 1,
(02) 2764-1680

dessert/drinks: DAZZLING CHAMPAGNE DINING BAR

2011-12-07T16:29:00.003+08:00

DAZZLING CHAMPAGNE
No. 28, Songshou Rd.
(02) 2723-0068

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: dazzlingdazzling.com/champagne or Dazzling Champagne's FB page

$$-$$$

hours: 6PM - 2/3AM

kid friendliness: have seen kids out quite late at night in Taipei, but would not recommend that you bring them to a bar!

visit reviewed: 10/22/2011

If you haven't noticed, I'm sort of obsessed with food. But ask me where to party or go drinking or dancing, I'm not an expert. But it doesn't mean that I don't enjoy going out once in awhile for a girly drink or two.

And on all things girly, Dazzling has cornered the market with an eye for design, branding and food. With each expansion of the Dazzling food empire, the black silhouette logo clearly stands out- from the cute Dazzling Cafes to Dazzling Thai to Dazzling Shabu Shabu and now Dazzling Champagne, a lounge bar/club by night, lit up in a purplish pink glow and seating area that would fit afternoon tea if it wasn't 11pm at night.

We were bummed to not see the truffle fries we liked at Dazzling Sunshine on the menu nor the honey toast. From 5:30 PM- 9:30 PM, you can order from their dinner menu which includes soups, salads, pastas, risottos and entrees like stewed beef cheek or duck confit. I believe you can also sit in their dining area without a minimum charge. After 10 PM, it's snacks and drinks.

Besides the food menu, there is a separate elaborate drink menu where each girly cocktail has a girly name to go along with it. The funny thing is when the waiter deliver the drink, they ask "Where's Christina?" or "Who's Janet?" and you realize that they are talking about your drink and not asking for someone at your table. One of the guys at our table ordered the lone guy drink- the "Johnny."

Thanks to my friend's phone rescue light, I was able to get some photos without the lavender hue.

cheese plate NT$620

deep fried onion rings NT$350

creme brulee NT$180

chocolate lava with ice cream NT$180

While the special cocktails were a lot of fun, we were all surprised that the tastes were a little off. Maybe too syrupy or strong, but even my mojito was missing something. I sadly only took a few sips and passed it to my friend. (For better mojitos in Taipei, try Dan Ryan's or Haleakala.)

mojito

And when we saw a honey toast drifting off to another table, we waved down our waiter to order one. Apparently it's an off the menu item, but it only makes sense that Dazzling Champagne serves the trademark honey toast that made the brand so famous. Some of my friends had it for the first time tonight and were quite excited to try it.

strawberry honey toast

I found it not as dry as the one as I had at Sunshine, but you still needed the ice cream and whip cream to give it sauciness.

It was fun to hang out past my bedtime that night with friends, feel like a grown up and people watch, but still looking for other places with cocktails that taste as good as they look. But if you're craving honey toast at midnight, now you know where to go.

revisited/bakery: I still strongly recommend WE LOVE COOKIES

2011-12-05T12:41:00.000+08:00

WE LOVE COOKIES
No. 17, Lane 283, Luo Si Fu (Roosevelt) Road, Sec. 3
(02) 2369-5555

MRT: Gongguan & Taipower Bldg

website: We Love Cookies Facebook page

hours: 5 PM - 10 PM; Closed Mondays

$

Kid friendliness: buy extras for yourself because the kids will eat them all

Visit reviewed: 11/20/2011
Previous Visit reviewed: 8/17/2011

Finally caught We Love Cookies during their open hours again and spotted a new refrigerated display case for cupcakes and lots more options.

The first thing I had to try? Red Velvet whoopie pies!!

Cupcakes and mini cheesecakes are NT$50, whoopie pies NT$25, cookies are still 5 for NT$100. Flavors of the day were carrot cake, mint chocolate chip, passion fruit, Bailey's and banana cupcake with chocolate frosting. Cookies are not usually available until after 5pm, but will be warm and fresh from the oven.

The Bailey's cupcake had Bailey's irish creme liqueur in the frosting, as well as coconuts and pecans. The cupcake was moist with a few chocolate chips inside.

The cookies are still chewy and delicious even a day or two after buying them- my favorites are still the chocolate brownie dusted with powdered sugar and the cornflake cookie with dried cranberries.

Oh and the red velvet whoopie pies were good! Moist with cream cheese frosting in between the cake cookie layers, it was the right amount of sweetness and tasted like it could come out of any trendy bakery in LA.

Still no official sign for the storefront as We Love Cookies shop is a still a "work in progress", but look for it in between the Sababa or the instant ramen shop, a few alleys behind Tai Yi Milk King, across from Taida. Perfect for picking up some desserts for the next holiday potluck.

japanese/sushi: NAKAYOSHI SUSHI BAR at A8 MITSUKOSHI

2011-11-30T12:59:00.000+08:00

NAKAYOSHI SUSHI BAR at
A8 XINYI MITSUKOSHI, B2
No.12, Song Gao Rd.
(02)2720-5123

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 9:30PM

$-$$

kid friendliness: only bar seating, mostly raw items

visit reviewed: 11/7/2011 (all photos with iphone 4G)

I'd been wanting to check out conveyor belt sushi in Taipei for awhile and while grabbing a quick lunch with a friend before shopping, we settled on this sushi bar in Mitsukoshi food court for lunch. Slightly disappointed to see that there wasn't much sushi circling around, since that's the fun of eating at a place like this, but the chef quickly told us we could order off the menu.

The menu is helpful with pictures and names in English, Chinese and Japanese. I've been slowly learning the names of sashimi that I like, and it's handy to have a reference when the chefs usually use the Chinese names here.

We started out with the bi mu yu or aburi engawa, which is a thin muscle in the dorsal fin of a flounder. They ask if we want it torched and we say yes, since that's how I've usually eaten it at other places and it's quite fatty and slightly chewy, so it tastes better torched.

My friend and I end up deciding to share a large sushi platter (NT$420) which the chef puts together. It's a good assortment of things, with salmon, tuna, amberjack, scallop, cobia, anago, engawa, crab, ikura and uni. The sashimi slices were a decent size and while not the best I've had, not the worst. One thing that definitely separates the great sushi places from the mediocre is the rice. And the rice here is too soft. And the fish was soft, unlike the firmer fresher sashimi in my favorite sushi bars, and the uni was not as sweet.

At first I didn't know what this small black spout was at the counter of each seat, but my friend explained it was a personal hot water spout for hot water or tea, if you grabbed one of the tea bags that were set out. You just push your cup against the button and steaming hot water comes out. No need to flag down a busy waitress.

We tried some of the rose rock salt from the conveyor belt. There's also wasabi and ginger circulating.

One of our favorite things was this creation we spotted off the menu, ikura and uni wrapped with ika or squid. Salty with the ikura roe popping as I chewed.

Disappointed with this special on the menu- Mentaiko with cobia sounded promising, though watching the chef make it, the mentaiko was more of a mayo paste tubed on top and then he used some butter when he torched it. So the butter flavor totally overwhelmed the natural flavors of the fish and roe. First time I'd ever tasted sushi with butter and I really disliked it.

The system for determining the bill at kaiten sushi is pretty genius- calculate the cost by the color and number of empty plates you've stacked up and do the math, or let the waitress do the math. With only two pieces of sushi on each plate, it can stack up pretty high if you're hungry.

Our bill for all this ended up being NT$980 for 2 people, or about US$15 a person.

Where is your favorite kaiten sushi conveyor belt place in town? I know a lot of people like Sushi Express since it's what you've been voting for (!), but I'm curious to know if there's other places I must try!

hungryintaipei October/November restaurant round up

2011-11-28T12:38:00.001+08:00

-California Pizza Kitchen finally opened up in Taipei! At Vieshow Xinyi foodcourt area. Soft opening in November through their official opening mid-December. Curious to see how much of the menu they'll bring over.
-Sadly, Burger Stop closed last week after one and half years of great burgers and shakes.
-Macho Tacos opened a second, roomier location in Shida
-Raw Sushi, near Marquee, closed and being replaced by Uptown Kitchen and Bar which looked like it was opening late November
-French bakery Lalos opened in the 101 Food Court and Michelin starred chef STAY on the 4th floor of 101
-Many restaurants opened up at ATT4Fun including the Diner, Coffee Alley, Whiple House, Ramadan Thai, Bangkok Jam, as well as other Chines, Japanese and Korean restaurants
-Looking for something more unusual? Opened in the last few months- Bollywood Pizza, featuring Indian sauces on pizza, or Tajin Moroccan near Tonghua night market
-Happy 1st anniversary to Wendel's DaAn Branch and DN Innovacion, both celebrating their one year anniversary
-Found out that Lugar Home Bread Bar still has one location open
-Spotted closed Burgerhood and closed Mary's Hamburger, DaAn branch
-Small cooking studio opened a few months ago in Bellavita food court. Classes available only in Chinese but varied cuisines
-Dean and Deluca at Breeze Center closed a few months ago, in its place, Trine and Zen, kept the deli counter and coffee shop space with local goods taking up more space.
-And weirdly also at Breeze, the Romankan Yokohama tonkatsu sandwich place also morphed into a different tonkatsu sandwich name. Same stuff, same location, different signage and name.

Any other restaurant info? Share and post it in the comments below!

my kitchen: hello kitty cornbread

2011-11-25T11:11:00.001+08:00

When I was growing up, my mom and dad somehow did a good job instilling the holiday spirit in us, so much so that I have to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas even though sometimes it seems non-existent in Taipei. One thing I'll always remember is that they would put their own little Chinese touches, like stuffing the turkey with sticky rice instead of making stuffing, and it made the holiday that much more memorable.

So even though this year I had my turkey and fixings at a restaurant with friends, if I were making turkey and sides at home, I'd make it a little more fun by making these Hello Kitty cornbreads that I made earlier this year.

I bring my cornbread mix from LA (by the boxful) and picked up this Hello Kitty silicone mold earlier this year when I went on a mini spree at my local Sanrio. Best purchase ever!

Grease the mold beforehand with butter or oil, then fill the mold about half way full. After getting them gently out of the mold, you can brown them face up in the oven a little longer to get the contrast for the faces.

I've also tried biscuits and cake mix in this mold, but cornbread seems to have the best texture and firmness for seeing the Hello Kitty face. You could also use a larger Hello Kitty Cake Pan if you didn't want to keep making little cornbread cakes or can't find this silicone mold.

american/revisited: i still strongly recommend LAWRYS

2011-11-23T12:27:00.003+08:00

LAWRY's
No. 105 Song Ren Rd, B1
(02)2729-8555

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: lawrys.com.tw

hours: Lunch M-F 11:30 AM -2:30 PM / Sat, Sun and Holidays 11 AM -3PM
Dinner Sun-Thurs 5:30 PM - 10 PM / Fri, Sat, and Holiday eve 5:30-11PM

$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids sets available

visit reviewed: 11/13/2011 (all photos from iphone 4g)
previous visit reviewed: 11/2007

Last year, Lawry's moved from its location at the cavernous Living Core Mall (the one that looks like a giant ball) to the basement of a office building across from Neo 19. I was excited to see it move to a location closer to me because I love prime rib and I wouldn't have to navigate the confusing elevators and stairs to its previous location.

The current location's entrance is through the back of the odd looking office building, down the stairs.

Everything is the same, from the spinning salad with buttery croutons and tiny slivers of beet, served with cold forks to the tableside carving of your prime rib. This year will be Lawry's ninth year in Taipei.

In Taiwan, when they ask how well done you want your meat, it's on a scale of 1-10, with 5 being medium and 10 being well done. My prime rib was a 3, or medium rare.

This was a Lawry's cut, (NT$1750) but they said it was a little bigger since there was a fatty tendon in the middle. Or maybe it was because the chef could tell I was very hungry. The next time I would ask for less au jus, or for it on the side, because it was kind of salty. And I love Lawry's creamed corn, (NT$360) even though I know it's just sugar and heavy cream and overpriced. Have to order it here.

On the most recent visit, they also served warm french bread rolls which were much tastier than the slices of room temperature bread they used to serve. I was tempted to ask for another basket and smuggle it home.

I always find it amusing that every other person is celebrating their birthday or anniversary at Lawry's. I think it's because they ask you when you make the reservation, "are you celebrating a birthday or annivesary?" and you probably get a free dessert. So you hear happy birthday being sung every ten minutes during your dinner to the tables where heart shaped balloons are floating. Or maybe I'm cynical and it really is those people's birthdays and they love Lawry's prime rib too.

For lunch, they also offer a Taipei cut, which is smaller and cheaper than the California cut, which amuses me for some reason, as well as prime rib sandwich and hamburger. They also offer a to-go basket for Thanksgiving which I tried last year and had some good turkey.

Can't believe Thanksgiving is TOMORROW already!!! Where is everyone doing Thanksgiving this year in Taipei?

breakfast/brunch: i strongly recommend WENDEL'S GERMAN BISTRO

2011-11-21T11:53:00.003+08:00

WENDEL's GERMAN BISTRO
No. 28, Lane 260, GuangFu S. Rd.
(02) 2711-8919

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

website: wendels-bakery.com English, Chinese and German

hours: 9AM - 10PM

$-$$

Visit reviewed: 10/3/2011 and 10/7/2011
previous visits reviewed: 12/7/2010 and 5/5/2011

Wendel's is a German bistro/bakery that has been in Tianmu for over 10 years and opened up a branch in East District last year. It was last year at TAS' food fair last year (or was it the year before that) that I got a taste of the sauteed mushrooms and was convinced I had to try more. Besides having a wide array of breads and cakes for in house or take away, there's also a breakfast and lunch menu to dine from, including pizzas, salads, bratwurst, pork knuckle (which I heard is very good) and goulash.

Their breakfast sets include various options such as the Heidi Klum (NT$260) which includes an egg white scramble, or a gourmet brunch for 4 people that has the works plus champagne.

Each breakfast set also comes with a basket of their breads, in miniature sizes, as well as orange juice and coffee or tea.

I also like their bretzels and if you're super hungry, you can order one to eat there and they will warm it up for you.

My friend got the 1932 Wendel's (NT$290) which looked pretty impressive as it arrived to our table, with cold cuts and cheese, baked tomato, scrambled egg, sausage, petit bread basket and fresh fruits.

I really wanted the mushrooms and since they were only available on the vegetarian choice set (NT$260), (and ala carte during other times) that's what I ordered. But something got lost in translation when I asked for no watercress and bean sprouts with my eggs and no eggs came with my set.

But after letting my server know, they were quick to talk to the kitchen and a turkey ham and tomato egg scramble was served to me.

Everything tasted so good, the eggs were creamy and not overcooked and the mushrooms were hearty and juicy as I remembered. The little touches separately Wendel's from many of the brunch places in town like the cushiony petit breads in very MoMA-ish bread baskets and the tilted cup of ice tea that had a slightly dizzying affect on us.

And the tasty housemade jam that complimented the chewy breads perfectly. Larger versions of the semmel, walnut rye roll, sesame twist and malt roll can be picked up to take home at the counter.

Even though the sets seem on the pricier side, it's tastier than the typical scramble eggs with bacon and hash browns plate around town. Also, when it's not busy, Wendel's is a nice place to chat and brunch with friends.

Wendel's Da An branch is having its one year anniversary soon on November 22, and doing special promotions that day with their baked goodies. Perfect day to pop in and try it out.

OTHER LOCATIONS:

No.5, Dexing West Rd.
Tienmu, Taipei
(02) 2831-4592 - deli
(02) 2831-4415 - bistro
MRT: Zhishan

Takashimaya branch, B1
No. 55, Sec. 2, Zhong Cheng Rd.,
Shilin
(02) 2834-5447

Lolli Gelato Q-square branch, B3
No. 1, Sec. 1, Cheng de Rd.,

not Taipei: NEW YORK- CLINTON ST BAKERY, BIG GAY ICE CREAM, PAESANO's, LUKE's LOBSTER and SHAKE SHACK

2011-11-18T10:30:00.001+08:00

Need to do NYC in a hurry? This is one afternoon of eats that my sister and I accomplished only because my dad drove us around in a Budget rental and parked on the side streets, waiting us to eat and go. Thanks Dad!

Originally I was supposed to have 10 days in NY this past September, with plenty of time to be touristy around our cousin's NJ wedding, but thanks to Hurricane Irene and the laborious flight rebooking process, our trip was cut in half and I didn't have much time in the city. Bummers. Didn't even get to see my friends that I had promised to visit when I "ever made it to NYC."

-CLINTON ST. BAKING COMPANY

A cozy cafe that offers up all day brunch worth waiting half an hour for (and paying US$13 for!), the thing to order are the blueberry pancakes. Fluffy yet with crispy edges, the pancakes are served with a decadent warm maple butter that you'll be trying to emulate at home. How do they do it? It was so good, almost every other table was wielding a camera taking shots. The chunky corn and potato chowder ($7) was a nice way to warm up.

-LUKE's LOBSTER

One of the things that was recommended to me that I really wanted to try was Luke's Lobster's lobster rolls. And if I hadn't had Lobstatruck's roll in LA first, then I probably would have been in love. Instead I preferred Lobstatruck's warm toasted bun (opposed to Luke's cold bun), but the sweet fresh lobster in both were to be savored.

-BIG GAY ICE CREAM SHOP

And talk about multitasking- I ran down the street from Luke's Lobster to the newly opened Big Gay Ice Cream to pick up a Salty Pimp ($5)` and a Mermaid, which was soft serve vanilla ice cream with key lime curd, crushed graham crackers and whipped cream. The combination of the dulce de leche and chocolate and sea salt on the Salty Pimp made it a grown up version of the Dairy Queen chocolate dipped cone. The owner cracked us up with his flair and we were lucky to get some without a wait.

-SHAKE SHACK

My friend Cynthia told me that I HAD TO visit Shake Shack as it was her favorite burger in the world and that she drove through a snowstorm to eat there. While I enjoyed the burger and the $5 shake even more, I wasn't impressed with the school cafeteria-like crinkle cut fries, nor the steep NY prices. Sorry, Cynthia and East Coast readers, I'm still an In-N-Out fan at heart!

-PAESANO's

On the way to the airport, my dad wanted to get some coffee from Dunkin Donuts and that's how we ended up on Staten Island. But thankfully I decided to grab some pizza by the slice and tasted the creamy, amazing wonder that is vodka pasta pizza. Sadly, we were in a rush and I only bought one slice of each (even the marinara cheese was delicious with its zigzags of cheese) that they warmed up in the oven and am daydreaming about when I can go back to NY to eat some more, or at least experiment with making my own vodka pasta pizza in the meanwhile.

CLINTON ST. BAKING COMPANY

4 Clinton Street
Lower East Side, NYC
(646) 602-6263

BIG GAY ICE CREAM

125 E 7th ST
East Village, NYC
@biggayicecream

LUKE's LOBSTER

93 East 7th Street
East Village, NYC
(212) 387-8487
@lukeslobster

SHAKE SHACK

691 8th Street, (at 44th St)
Theater District, NYC
(646) 435-0135

@shakeshackfans

PAESANO's PIZZERIA

12 Bradley Avenue
Staten Island, NY
(718) 761-2070

western/coffee: i recommend COFFEE ALLEY

2011-11-16T11:36:00.001+08:00

COFFEE ALLEY
at ATT 4 FUN, 3 FL
No. 12, Song Shou Rd.
(02) 7737-0700

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: coffee-alley.com.tw

hours:

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted though some room for strollers.

Visit reviewed: 10/5/2011

Coffee Alley is a popular chain of coffee shop/cafes that serves Western fare, including sandwiches, waffles and of course, lots of coffee and tea. Be warned there's a one drink per person minimum here, so you'll get to try one of their drinks whether you like it or not.

Surrounding the sofas, the walls are decorated with some interesting art. At the ATT4Fun location, one wall is lined with live potted plants, so you see a wall of greenery. Another wall has framed rows of stones.

I thought the menu was fun, designed like a newsletter which had lots of helpful pictures and English. Sandwiches, salads, waffles and desserts.

The sandwiches were solid, kind of like ones you could make yourself at home, with tiny scoops of egg salads on the side of some.

Grilled Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich (NT$160)

Barbeque Pork Sandwich (NT$160)

Tuna sandwich with egg salad (NT$130)

But the real must order dish at Coffee Alley were the waffles- there was a plate at almost table in sight. Cushiony and thick, these were the cake-like type of waffles that had become so popular in Taipei ala Melange Cafe, which garnered lines outside its doors and wait times of an hour or more.

I typically don't like cake-like waffles, so I've either been living in Taiwan too long or the salted caramel sauce was the perfect accompaniment because I liked these. I guess if you put salted caramel and whip cream on anything it'll taste pretty good.

Besides the Salty caramel and vanilla ice cream waffle (NT$150), you can also get waffles with fresh strawberries with strawberry ice cream, chocolate ice cream banana, azuki red bean and green tea ice cream, or the more unusual, peanut butter and condensed milk waffle or the tuna waffle, possibly only popular in Taiwan.

If waffles aren't your thing, there are plenty of other desserts to order. Ice cream, brownies, or mille-feuille, or ice cream with cotton candy and espresso.

Some things on the menu get lost in translation- when I thought I was ordering a vanilla latte, was actually a latte with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

My friend ordered the pizza toast which seemed to take a disproportionate time to come to our table, after all of us were done eating, despite us asking our waiter repeatedly about it.

Advance reservations strongly recommended, especially during lunch and afternoon tea hours.

OTHER LOCATIONS:

No. 45, Lane 101, Zhong Xiao E. Rd, Sec. 4

(02) 2711-1912

No. 42, Lane 187, Dun Hua S. Rd, Sec. 1

(02) 2711-1910

No. 253, Zhong Zheng Rd, 2 FL

Shih Lin District

(02) 2888-3322

No. 18 Guan Chian Rd, 2 FL

MRT: Taipei Main Station

(02) 2388-3000

spanish/event: SPANISH MICHELIN CHEF RUBEN TRINCADO at DN INNOVACION press luncheon

2011-11-12T11:01:00.003+08:00

Michelin Star Spanish Chef Ruben Trincado at
DN Innovacion
No. 93 Song Ren Road
(02) 8780-1155

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: dninnovacion.com

hours: Chef Trincado's menu available from Nov 9-12, 2011. Reservations strongly recommended.

$$$

Visit reviewed: 11/8/2011

Ever since Robuchon set up shop in Taipei, it seems that "Michelin Starred Chef" has been the buzzword around town. So for three nights only from November 9-12, Chef Ruben Trincado, owner and chef of Michelin-starred restaurant Mirador de Ulia in Spain, takes over DN Innovacion to showcase his avant-garde techniques and dishes.

Andres Rodes Tejada, Secretary General of Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Taipei with Chef Ruben Trincado

Thanks to the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Taipei for inviting me to the press luncheon to get a taste of Chef Trincado's special menu. I don't often go to media events, so it's been an interesting learning curve. At this one, they had plated dishes on a table for bloggers and media to take photos of which looked slightly different from the samples we were served cocktail style later on.

The Sardines Ajoblanco Watermelon and Bitter Orange featured a thin slice of raw sardine and strong flavors underneath the creamy foam.

Introductions and speeches in Chinese and Spanish. I didn't know that Fun Taiwan's Janet Hsieh spoke Spanish! She sounded fairly fluent, joking with the chefs and beverage sponsors.

Chef Daniel Negreira has a roster of Spanish Michelin starred restaurants on his resume- El Bulli, Arzak, Akelarre and Mugaritz- and had a Spanish restaurant in Taipei, El Toro, before opening DN Innovacion.
.

The Wild Italian Porcini on His "Ambience" featured porcini mushrooms on a bed of black sticky rice, playing into the visual that we were plucking and eating them from the field and soil.

Spanish wines from Ramirez de Ganuza.

Which came first- the chicken or the egg? Well with this dish, named The "Farm" on a Plate, they come together. Tender chicken roll slices with slow cooked egg yolk made for a creamy bite.

For a while there wasn't any food coming out of the kitchen to eat but this, so I might have eaten three spoonfuls of them.

All of us Top Chef fans have seen various things being frozen or made into ice cream, but this was the first time I've seen squid ink getting the liquid nitrogen treatment.

So Grilled Squid was paired with the Freeze Dried Ink Sauce which kind of melted in your mouth.

Digestive liquors Meigas Fóra to be paired with dessert.

My tastebuds were unsure of what to do with Foie Gras "Stone" with Smoked Almonds, sort of like a foie gras pate ice cream. Rich, creamy, savory and cold.

Coated with a edible metallic coating, the Chocolate Screw and Nut looks a lot like the real thing.

Chef Daniel Negreira's DN Innovacion has been open for a year and I've been wanting to try it since it opened, but haven't had the chance. I was definitely encouraged by the delicious bites I had at last week's TAS Fair- Galician styled octopus with "pimentón", a sweet and smoky Spanish paprika, and mushroom croquettes to try out Chef Daniel's creative menus after this international Michelin star chef pop-up is over. There's no where else you'd find Spanish molecular gastromy in Taipei!

chinese: i strongly recommend MA SHAN TANG

2011-11-08T14:49:00.029+08:00

MA SHAN TANG
No. 24, Lane 280, Guangfu S. Rd
(02) 2773-5559

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

hours: 11AM - 2:30PM; 5PM-10PM

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 10/3/2011

I had passed by Ma Shan Tang a number of times, on the way to Wendel's and on the way to Lane 280 to Osteria by Angie, Ari or Fifteen Pizza, but never really thought about what was inside. I can't believe I kept passing it by for over a year.

Thankfully, Sugared and Spiced picked Ma Shan Tang as a place to meet because it really hit the spot as a noodle and potsticker place for hole-in-the-wall prices, but not a hole-in-the-wall space.

We luckily got there before the lunch crowd peaked and office lunch crowd started to line up outside (and in the rain as there isn't much space to wait inside).

Unfortunately, it's one of the only in Chinese check off the box of what you want places as well. So bring a Chinese speaking friend or some pictures of what you want to eat. The main attraction are the bowls of insanely chewy noodles- mala spicy, clear broth or sesame- and their steamed or pan fried dumplings. Other popular menu items include shrimp fried rice or shrimp wontons in chili oil. The small plate cold dishes are self serve in the small fridge in the back of the restaurant which we didn't notice until the meal was over.

Probably one of the most popular dishes at Ma Shan Tang is the bowl of mala beef noodle soup (NT$140), complete with sliced beef, blood cubes, chewy noodles and chili red spicy broth. The bowl is a good option for those who craving mala hotpot without the fuss of calling up a bunch of friends to get a reservation at Ding Wang. Portions are generous and can easily be shared.

The beef slices were slightly overcooked and a little dry. I don't know if the other meats would be more tender. It's also kick-your-butt spicy, so I kept taking bites of the other things we ordered to ward off the burning sensation.

When the sesame noodles came to our table, we kept asking the waiter if we got the right order. It looked way too spicy with the orange red tinge...

But once it was mixed up, the familiar looking sesame paste color coated the QQ noodles. The sesame noodles (NT$60) were sweet with only a faint tinge of heat and I could not stop eating it. Maybe the favorite of all the sesame noodles I've had yet.

And the perfectly crispy potstickers (NT$60 for ten).

I probably could have devoured the whole plate myself, but I was trying to be polite.

You would think that it's easy for restaurants to serve crispy bottomed potstickers, but more often than not, they are soggy and greasy. Ma Shan Tang's potstickers were bite sized, perfectly crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. SO good!

Snapshot/Japanese: i still strongly recommend SUMIE at SAN WANT HOTEL

2011-10-28T23:51:00.006+08:00

shrimp with pea jelly and sashimi

SUMIE NOUVELLE CUISINE JAPANESE
at San Want Hotel, 4th Floor
No. 172, Zhong Xiao East Road, Sec 4
(02) 2781-6909

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua or SYS Memorial Hall

website: sanwant.com

hours: 11:30AM- 2PM; 5:30PM-9PM

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids dinnerware available.

Visit reviewed: 10/27/2011 (all photos from iphone 4G)
Previous reviews: 11/18/2010 and 10/24/2006 and 8/14/2005

steamed fish with daikon and mushrooms

Even though I've been eating my way through Taipei, I still love the business lunch set at Sumie. I can count on the consistently amazing sashimi and lamb chops, and be surprised by the varying artful appetizer courses that change seasonally. Other lunch set choices include eel unagi don, beef sukiyaki, seafood mini hotpot, miso glazed codfish, or a vegetarian set option, and most for under NT$1000 for 8 courses.

It's a splurge for lunch, but trust me, it's worth it especially when I think about a lot of the places I've been eating in the same price range recently for less food or lesser quality and ended the meal a lot less satisfied.

set menu salad, requested without raisins!

I'm still playing catch up with my backlog of restaurant reviews and photos to photoshop, addresses to translate, and dealing with unstable internet connection (boo!), so follow me on Facebook or Twitter for the most up to date eats and random thoughts of mine. And don't just stalk! Say hi, leave comments!

Sumie grilled lamb chops with steamed mushroom rice and miso soup

I'll let the pictures do the talking in this one, or read my previous reviews about Sumie so I don't procrastinate this post too.

Everything was delicious. The end. (Can I write all my posts this way? Haha!)

tiramisu wrapped with mochi

afternoon tea: WOOBAR at W HOTEL

2011-10-25T13:27:00.003+08:00

WOO BAR
at W HOTEL
No. 10, Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5
(02) 7703-8887

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: wtaipei.com

hours: 3-5 PM daily for afternoon tea

$$$

Kid friendliness: fancy lounge area for posh kids

Visit reviewed: 8/16/2011

When Food je t'aime wanted to meet for afternoon tea at the W Hotel, it was the perfect opportunity for me to check it out too. Since the W Hotel had opened in February 2011, I had seen many a friends' Facebook check in there and at the Woo Bar, so I was curious. And I had been to the stylish and modern Yen, the Chinese restaurant at the W. So I expected no less from the Woo Bar.

from wtaipei.com

Full of oversized cherry red plush lounge chairs and a view of the pool, Woo Bar is definitely a prime place to people watch. The menu is presented on bright neon colored cards and I wondered if there would be a day where I would order the million dollar burger for NT$2200 with waygu beef, seared foie gras and tallegio cheese. Not today.

Instead, we oohed and aahed when the angular afternoon tea set for two (NT$1400) was brought to the table. With a black and white theme, it was definitely one of the most modern and pretty presentations for afternoon tea I'd ever seen. Not just simple tea sandwiches here- instead there were lobster cream eggs and black and white gummy bears. Kind of random, but

After sampling the various layers, I preferred the set's sweets over the savory. Our favorite surprise was were the white chocolate bon bons with pop rocks hidden in the center. I also liked the mini lemon meringue tarts and black and white sesame macarons.

But there were a few misses for me- too much cream on stale-ish toast Caviar Crisps and soft apple chips.

And I thought these were dense cupcakes, when on the website I found out later they were Valrhona Guanaja Brownies.

Eye candy for sure, but with so many options for afternoon tea to explore in Taipei, I was hoping to be wooed by more than presentation.

Dessert/bakery: i strongly recommend WE LOVE COOKIES

2011-10-19T12:45:00.001+08:00

WE LOVE COOKIES
No. 17, Lane 283, Luo Si Fu Road, Sec. 3
(02) 2369-5555

MRT: Gongguan & Taipower Bldg

website: We Love Cookies Facebook page

hours: 5 PM - 10 PM; Closed Mondays

$

Kid friendliness: buy extras for yourself because the kids will eat them all

Visit reviewed: 8/17/2011

In the most random of places, my sister finds the most amazing cookies in Taipei. While waiting for my to-go order at Sababa (the Gongguan one behind Tai Yi Milk King), she wanders next door and we see trays and trays of fat, freshly baked cookies. The store doesn't even look like a store, with random things on the floor in the back. There's no sign, there's no seats, there's no prices on a menu. Just a guy giving us samples of every cookie, some of them still warm.

The chocolate ones dusted with powdered sugar were gooey and rich, like brownies. The one I kept thinking about was the cornflake cookie with an addictive crunch. I also liked the matcha green tea cookies and the chocolate chip cookies made with brown sugar. There are also cupcakes and cheesecakes available. I had to buy some to take home, even after all those samples- 5 for NT$100, and after I ate them, I wished I had bought more.

We love cookies. Yes, we do.

not Taipei: LA food trucks- LOBSTATRUCK, A ROCKIN ICE, LUDO TRUCK, INDIA JONES CHOW TRUCK

2011-10-17T10:07:00.000+08:00

A trip to LA is not complete without the "food truck experience." It's so LA that there's even a reality show about it now. The best is when you get a bunch of them in one spot so you can pick and choose, kind of like a food truck food court, or a night market on wheels (hey, Taiwanese night market food truck, anyone?). It's not just about Korean fusion tacos anymore- everyone with an idea seems to have gotten into the action. I even spotted the spiraled potato chips on the stick that I've seen forever ago at the Taiwanese night market on a LA food truck- for US$7!

My favorites this summer?

-LOBSTATRUCK

Lobster rolls for $12, filled with tender chunks bathed in mayo or butter (or both!) and a buttered up, warm, toasted roll. Can't go wrong. Get 2 if you're really hungry or a crab roll, since they take credit cards!

-A ROCKIN ICE

Shaved ices the size of a puppy dog- these were seriously huge and melted faster than we could eat it. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream at the bottom, you could suck up the sugar water from the rainbow shaved ice like a float, or scoop up the ice up top.

-LUDO TRUCK

I know the Ludo Truck is famous for the fried chicken (wings or balls, your pick), but what I really love is the honey lavender biscuits. They are seriously addictive. While the chicken is not cheap (3 pieces for $9), it's cheaper and easier to get than a Ludobites dinner. I made my own chicken and waffles combo by getting the chicken from Ludo Truck and the waffles from

-WAFFLES DE LIEGE

Liege waffles ($4.50) are made with pearl sugar which carmelizes when they are made, so you get a crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, sweet waffle that doesn't really need additional sauces or ice cream that are also offered. The wait for these took longer than Ludo Truck, but once you try these waffles, you might not be able to eat any other kind.

-INDIA JONES TRUCK

Chicken tikka masala is my favorite kind of curry and India Jones served it perfectly sweet and creamy with tender chicken and basmati rice. They also serve frankies and paratha, (rotis rolled up with meat or vegetables). I am drooling looking at this picture and might have to go eat some Indian food tomorrow.

Follow them on twitter to find out their next location and times!
@lobstatruck
@arockinice
@ludotruck
@wafflesdeliege
@indiajonesCT

new in town: ATT 4 FUN

2011-10-12T11:39:00.001+08:00

ATT 4 FUN
No. 12 Song Shou Rd.

MRT: Taipei City Hall

Does the Xinyi district need another mall or more restaurants to eat at? Apparently it does. In addition to the now iconic Taipei 101, there's the Vieshow Theaters complex, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi malls (A9, A11, A8 and A4), Eslite Bookstore mall, Bellavita and the Hankyu mall- all in walking distance from the Taipei City Hall MRT exit and newish mega Taipei Bus center.

And remember that building next to Viewshow/across from 101 with the faux Statue of Liberty in front of it- New York New York? It's closed last year, went under renovations and opened recently as ATT 4 Fun.

It has a lot of the old tenants from the old NYNY- McDonald's, Starbucks, Mr. Donut, Coldstones and Ireland's Potatoes- are back and a bit jazzed up. And a glance at the directory and walk through the mall shows that there are quite a few new restaurants and dining options to explore as it opens up, as well as new locations of familiar names like the Diner and whiple house for the area. There's also going to a club and sky lounge for the late night crowd.

Just a glance at some of the restaurants spotted on the 4th and 5th floors- Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, desserts....

Gelato and coffee and waffles from Glacio...

This one I thought was funny- if you're looking for shabu shabu, pizza AND yogurt, it's your one stop shop.

Snacks galore...

I stopped by the 6th floor, but it was still in a phase of construction. It's kind of exciting to have new options besides the food courts, though I still have to check out a lot of the new stuff at Neo 19 too. With all the tourists to Taipei 101 and visitors to the various conferences and shows at Taipei World Trade Centers, I'm sure ATT 4 Fun will get crowded in no time.

not Taipei: LUO DONG NIGHTMARKET in YILAN

2011-10-10T11:40:00.005+08:00

LUO DONG NIGHT MARKET
at Chongcheng Rd. and Xindong Rd.
Yilan, Taiwan

I LOVE night markets. It's something that you must try if you're visiting Taipei and it's something that I don't get to do often enough now that I live here. It's usually the case right? There are tons of people who live in LA that don't go to Disneyland or to Mann's Chinese Theater. How often do we get to play tourist in our own city? It's something that we should do more often.

I often get asked, where else can I go to besides Taipei? And now I can include Yilan and Luo Dong nightmarket on the list. Sprawling and packed like many other night markets, Luo Dong night market is quite large with lots of food vendors, and one section that has rows of numbered stalls. At the center of the night market is the Luodong Chungshan Park, which some people take their food to sit and eat at.

I saw a line and I had to stand in it. But it was a bit confusing- the vendors said, there's no need to stand in line, just tell us what you're ordering. So I ordered 1 box of takoyaki and waited as they poured the batter and intricately cooked up rows of octopus filled balls.

Topped with mayo and wasabi...

and bonito flakes...

Not as mind blowing as the airy and crispy takoyaki from Japan Boat at the Gongguan night market, but a good rendition.

I also was fascinated by the guy making the oyster omelettes and was mesmerized at the assembly line production while I was waiting for my order. Imagine the number of eggs he goes through every day.

And no visit to the night market is complete without some shaved ice. Snowflake ice is creamier than the regular shaved ice and this was mango flavored ice paired with fresh mango and condensed milk.

Another thing to look for is a stall selling tapoica balls with red beans stuffed inside with shaved ice topped with honey and condensed milk. It was too crowded for me to get on this night, but I loved it when I tried it at their other location, in the food court at the Luna Plaza mall.

Wander around, explore and eat until you can't eat anymore.

snapshot/new in town: DIN TAI FUNG & JASON's at TAIPEI 101

2011-10-06T10:25:00.000+08:00

If you've been wondering where to get some pumpkins to carve for Halloween, Jason's Supermarket at Taipei 101 has super huge ones that could rock some scary faces. They also have more manageable mini ones behind it.

Wandering around 101 food court, I was struck by all of the changes- I probably hadn't been in about 6 months or so.

One of the most exciting is that a huge new Din Tai Fung that opened in July. The new Taipei 101 location is supposed to be the biggest in the world, with over 300 seats and 8 private rooms. And the xiao long bao baskets still have 10 per basket unlike the Fuxing Sogo location which has only a measly 6 per order.

New Elite Bakery with fancy cupcakes. No more Lugar Home Bread Bar (which I never got to blog about). No more Dunkin Donuts next to Jason's. No more Flavorfield bakery, instead a different, new bakery will open later this month.

What's your favorite thing to eat at Taipei 101?

desserts/bakery: i recommend I-BAKED

2011-10-04T10:26:00.043+08:00

I-BAKED
No. 65-1, Long Quan Street
(02) 2364-4896

MRT: Taipower Bldg

website: ivybaked.com English and Chinese

hours: Sun~Thurs 12PM - 11PM, Fri/Sat 12PM ~ 11:30PM

$

Kid friendliness: some space to sit and eat, or take cookies home to share

Visit reviewed: 9/7/2011

Ice cream cookie sandwiches in Taipei? I remember when I first started hearing the buzz about I-Baked last year, I thought- finally, someone did it. Because it's so dang hot in Taipei, it's what I'd want to eat when I'm not busy eating shaved ice. It might be fall in Taipei, but it's still humid and hot, even when it's pouring rain.

A cute little shop tucked in the alley near Shida Night Market, I-Baked was opened a little over a year ago filling a serious need for soft baked cookies in Taipei. You can pick up just one cookie or a dozen, or pick different cookies to build a ice cream cookie sandwich to eat. I'd heard about I-Baked since its opening and even had a friend gift me with some cookies in December, but I never had a chance to stop by the Shida store until now.

There's colorful displays and funny names for the cookies like "Jungle Fever" and "Snow White and the Seven Oats." There are chocolate cookies with chocolate chips, marshmallows or white chocolate chunks, caramel, peanut butter or candy cookies, and of course, the classic chocolate chip. Cookies are NT$30 each and slightly discounted when you buy 3, 6 or 12, which comes in a super cute box that looks like a giant cookie with a bite taken out of it. Ice cream cookie sandwiches are NT$90, with flavors like vanilla, latte, caramel cream, chocolate, mint chocolate chip or swiss chocolate chip. There's also some blondies and brownies available.

There's a small amount of area to sit and it wasn't crowded at all on a weekday afternoon, though I can imagine it being a hotspot during a hot summer weekend. Those who are in the know about local celebrities might recognize founder Ivy Hsu among the pictures of the cookies decorating the walls. Ivy writes on ivybaked.com that she's loved baking since she was little and when she first moved back to Taiwan in 2005 from the US (around the same time as I did! hehe), she'd bake cookies and share them with friends and some had never had soft homemade cookies before.

The cookies are soft baked which is surprisingly hard to find in Taipei, and while they hit the spot for a certain craving, the cookies were not sugary enough for my sweet tooth- perhaps catering to the local market. I also thought the cookies I tried that day were a tad dry. But I'm sure that I-Baked will satisfy a lot of people who are tired of the crunchy and crispy cookies prevalent in Taipei.

My favorite of the bunch was the new Chocolate Marshmallow and I also like Sticky Hicky, which has a melted toffee in the middle, so of course I had to make them into a sandwich with mint chocolate chip. At NT$90, it's not cheap, but a good price considering that just a scoop of ice cream at any of popular Haagen-Moven-Baskin-Coldstone's shops will cost you around NT$100.

OTHER LOCATION

No. 46, Lane 346, Guangfu S. Rd.,
(02) 2775-5406
MRT: SYS Memorial Hall
Hours: 12PM - 9PM, closed Mondays

snapshot/taiwanese: home sweet home

2011-09-23T07:25:00.002+08:00

When I fly into LAX and arrive late into the night, my ritual now includes picking up some rolled tacos aka taquitos, smothered in guacamole, before I head home.

When I fly in TPE and arrive early in the morning, the perfect place to head is to Yong He Dou Jiang (or your favorite local Taiwanese breakfast joint) for some freshly fried you tiao and cold, sweet soy milk, all for the ridiculous price of some pocket change. In this case with the dan bing or egg pancake, it was a grand total of NT$55 or under NT$2.

Home sweet home, Taipei!

August/September restaurant roundup

2011-09-22T18:18:00.003+08:00

-Neo 19 has a bunch of new additions- including Easy House Vegetarian, all you can eat Mala hotpot and Dazzling Champagne dining and bar, in addition to the ground level Just In Bistro
-Been hearing about a California Pizza Kitchen that will be opening up at the Xinyi Vieshow food court area!
-Formerly Patara/Grand Patio is now Bangkok Jam
-Yue Yuan Pho or Savoy (which their new self-titled English restaurant name, as spotted on their new business cards) has a new location near Lane 216 off of ZhongXiao E. Road
-Wendel's German Bakery and Bistro is opening another location in Neihu.
-At Xinyi Eslite, a new fried chicken place where Double Rainbow Ice Cream used to be and no more Planet Popcorn
-At A8 Mitsukoshi, a new Waffle Waffle, Minder Vegetarian and almond tofu place

I'm finally back this week after traveling and taking a little summer vacation. Hope to have some new posts to you guys soon!

snapshot/not taipei: CARLO'S BAKE SHOP aka Cake Boss

2011-09-05T15:28:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone! I'm on the east coast for a few days and wishing I had more time to eat around NYC. But this weekend is all about the relatives and my cousin's wedding. Took the red eye friday night and got in early at 6am.

On the way from JFK to NJ, I decided to stop by Carlo's Bake Shop in Hoboken, NJ, which you might recognize from the TV show, Cake Boss. My mom and dad had never seen the show before and thought it was kind of crazy there was a line outside at 8am, when you could buy Dunkin Donuts or have McD's down the street with free wifi without any wait. It WAS kind of crazy- waiting outside for the 'wave in' and ticket number and then more waiting with too many people inside the narrow bakery. I thought that it wouldn't be too crowded on 8am on a Saturday, but I was wrong! Though the line outside looked short, there was a crowd of people jammed inside and we probably waited another half hour for our number to come up.

Saw some people picking up cakes and overheard things like "and your balance is $400"!!! No prices or menu listings anywhere, so when it was finally our turn I had to quiz the server 'how much' and 'what is this?' We got a little assortment of stuff- cupcakes, mini tiramisu and some strawberry cream thing, but my eyes were on the cannolis! Available plain or dipped in chocolate, the small ones were sold by weight ($12+ per pound) and the larger cannolis were $2.50 each.

I opted to get a box of 10 of the smaller ones and then they were filled with cream and dusted with powdered sugar. Crispy, creamy, sweet- the box intended for sharing with my relatives kind of ended up as my breakfast for the next few days.

not Taipei: LA Costco

2011-09-01T17:55:00.002+08:00

Dear Taipei Costco,

Can you please bring some of this to Taipei? I promise there's a market for huge trays of frozen mexican rice and beans, flautas, tamales and enchiladas. Just ask Macho Tacos, Eddy's Cantina or Mayan Grill. I love you, but the bean and cheese burritos you're currently stocking just doesn't cut it. Or how about the chicken tikka masala or Jack Daniels bbq beef?

I'll even take the "Korean brand beef street tacos." Has anyone in LA actually tried this?

Costco LA has done all the work sourcing it for you- just give them a call or email and I promise I'll spread the word if you do.

Love, a Hungry girl in Taipei visiting in LA

not taipei: HONG KONG

2011-08-15T11:37:00.003+08:00

Notes for my next visit from the amazing meals our family friends hosted us at. I liked the ultra fresh lobster sashimi, plucked from the tanks moments before our meal, but even better are the pan fried pissing shrimps or mantis shrimps, which are like baby lobsters with juicy meat to dig out of its bug like shell. It's a dish that's hit the mark at almost every restaurant we've ordered it at.

Also, does this picture make you hungry or turn off your appetite?

For me,a mixture of both, but carnivores that have had perfect crackling skin from a roast suckling pig at Fook Lam Moon will be thinking about it for weeks afterwards. Paired with a soft cushion of a steamed bun, I wanted more than my two piece portion of the thin squares. If the suckling pig isn't in your budget, then the crispy chicken has some delicious crunch going on too.

Advance reservations recommended at both.

FOOK LAM MOON
35/45 Johnston Road
Wanchai
+852-2866-0663

CHEUN KEE
53 Hoi Pong Street
Sai Kung Seafront
Hong Kong
+852-2791-1195

dessert/taiwanese: KLEFUN CREPE

2011-08-08T12:43:00.001+08:00

KLEFUN CREPE
at Xinyi Vieshow, 2 FL
No. 20 Song Shou Rd

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 11PM

$

Kid friendliness: sure, why not.

Visit reviewed: 6/7/2011

If you've ever tried a crepe from a food court in Taipei, you might have been confused when you bit into a crispy paper-like texture rather than the softer, pancake kind, as I was since I was used to the latter from my crepes in the states (and Toronto!).

Klefun Crepe at Xinyi Vieshow foodcourt is no exception to that rule.

I usually stick to the Whoppers at Burger King when I'm catching a movie, but my vegetarian friend wanted to try his luck with a vegetarian crepe. The shop's menu is only in Chinese, but there's an English plastic menu available if you ask. Most of the crepes are around NT$80, and there are also boba milk tea and other drinks available.

When I was watching the crepe maker roll out the batter with expertise, I thought it might not be so bad, until I saw the toppings. The salad vegetable crepe had three tiny strips of cheese, corn, pineapple and salad. Only in Taiwan. When I commented on how little cheese there was, she replied, you can add more for extra money.

The end result is kind of like a salad in a thin cone. Kind of a noisy snack food for a movie, but we were watching X-Men: First Class (which was really good by the way!), so we could sneak bites during the action scenes.

The dessert crepe is a bit better with a thin layer of chocolate spread all over the crepe though the banana slices fell mostly into the middle, though it definitely can't compare to the more classic crepe from Paul. I ran out of hands to take pictures and was running late to the movie, but it's hard to mess up bananas and chocolate, though note the chocolate is a generic type, not Hershey's or Nutella, and tastes like it.

One good thing about the traffic cone like structure is that it makes it quite portable and no fork is needed.

revisited/swedish: i still strongly recommend FLAVORS

2011-08-01T12:31:00.000+08:00

FLAVORS
No. 13, Alley 26, Lane 300, RenAi Rd, Sec. 4
(02) 2709-6525

website: flavors.com.tw

hours: Closed Mondays; Tue - Fri: 6PM - 10:30PM
Weekday lunch by advance reservation only
Sat/Sun 12PM - 2:30PM & 6PM- 10:30PM

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: no kids allowed

Visit reviewed:
Previous visit reviewed: 5/1/2009

My friend mentioned to another friend about how she had heard about an unusual restaurant in Taipei... Swedish, was it? And of course, I had to pop in and ask, do you mean Flavors? So another lunch date was made with a group of friends to introduce a new restaurant to.

I had fond memories of my first visit and visits after that went unblogged, but since we had made advance lunch reservations, the natural lighting for the pictures made for a perfect opportunity (since Flavors typically has the romantic mood lighting at night, terrible for food photos).

The menu has slightly changed since I last reviewed it- the meatballs are no longer available as an entree (boo hoo), the lunch menu sets are the same as the dinner menu sets, priced at around NT$890 and up, but apple cake is part of the set for every meal.

Everyone enjoyed our meals, shared bites of our main entrees, raved over the swedish meatballs and bread and delighted in noisy conversation which was okay since we had the restaurant all to ourselves at lunch.

Housemade bread is on the sweet side and served with olive tapenade and a pea spread. Resist the urge to fill up on this or sneak some to take home to eat.

The soup choices that day were cauliflower which was a nice creamy puree with a chopped parsley,

or a cold tomato soup.

Amuse bouche was watermelon infused with balsamic and mint, though mine tasted just like a cube of watermelon.

I savored the meatballs & new potato with brown sauce and ligonberry (NT$220) as I really wanted the whole plate of 12 that I had the last time, but until Chef Ola brings it back as an option, it's only an appetizer. The meatballs are fluffy and the sauces are sweet, but I like it that way.

A warm mango and mozzarella dish (NT$250) my friend ordered.

The main dishes at Flavors include veal, lamb, beef, salmon, venison, halibut, pork chop and what I ordered, the black cod. What was neat to observe was that each of the potato sides on the entrees had a different preparation/presentation.

Organic sous vide pork chop with caraway potato and blue cheese sauce (NT$1080)

Sous vide lamb chop and Flavors potato with marinated wine sauce (NT$1280/set)

Beef fillet with hasselback potato & cafe de Paris and garlic butter (NT$1280/set) is probably my favorite out of all the entrees I've tried and what I would probably recommend one to order.

Aside from the few bones in my first two bites of fish, I liked the black cod with potato gratin and caviar sauce (NT$1280/set).

With a thin layer of caviar spread atop of the cod, as well as plenty mixed into the sweet sauce, it provided a contrast of textures to the flaky fish. My friend noted that many of Flavors' sauces do lean towards the sweet side, even for the savory entrees, so if you're not a fan of mixing the two, you might want to let the chef know.

And finally, the apple cake which is more like an apple crumble island in a sea of vanilla cream sauce.

For chocolate lovers, the hot Death by Chocolate (NT$180) is a must try.

Quite a few readers have told me about how they loved discovering Flavors after I wrote about it last time and many also about how they found Chef Ola and his wife Stephanie to be so warm and integral to the experience of dining there. You might spot him in the semi-open kitchen, or if he's not too busy, you might be able to catch a conversation with him and let him know what you thought about your meal.

bakery/cookies: I strongly recommend FLORIDA BAKERY

2011-07-25T11:29:00.023+08:00

FLORIDA BAKERY
No. 26, Ren Ai Rd, Sec. 4
(02) 2702-1175

MRT: ZhongXiao/FuXing or ZhongXiao/DunHua

website: bread.com.tw Chinese and some English and Facebook page

hours: 6AM - 11PM

$-$$

kid friendliness: lots of fun cookies and snacks, as well as supplies for DIY projects at home

visits reviewed: 4/25/2011 & 4/28/2011

I don't know what took me so long to check out Florida Bakery. Last Christmas, when I went to a cookie decorating session at a friend's house, I commented on the bright and vibrant colors of her royal icing. She told me that she ordered them from Florida Bakery and that option stuck with me. When I finally spotted the sign on Ren Ai Road and had some time to spare, I wandered in to browse.

Besides a huge store offering the typical breads and Taiwanese pastries, there's also a whole row of handmade, frosted cookies in adorable shapes and colors like pink elephants, polka dotted hearts and rabbits making funny faces. The colorful ones are NT$130/g and the ones with just chocolate decorations are NT$90/g. While it's kind of pricey, anyone who's ever made and decorated cookies with royal icing knows that it's a lot of work, so it's worth it for a special occasion and it's one of the only places I've seen them in Taipei.

There are also bridal themed ones with heart shaped cookies decorated with black and white tuxedos and wedding cakes that would perfect as a bridal shower or wedding favor. They also do custom order cookies, like for baby showers, but there's a minimum order and advance time requirement. For the holidays, they also do various themed cookies- for Easter, there were painted easter eggs and chicks; for Christmas, there are candy canes, Christmas trees and stockings. Browse their website for more of their designs.

So of course I couldn't resist and had to pick up some to share with friends. The cookie is crispy rather than chewy, while the royal icing is very hard and a thick layer of sugary sweetness.

There are also jelly candies and other cookies like chocolate chip (on the hard rather than soft chewy side).

At the back of the bakery, you can spot the busy bakers hard at work, as well as a shelf full of familiar looking goods from the US- salad dressings, jams, mustards, sweets. If you've ever wondered where to get Spam or Jello or food coloring or tortillas in Taipei, then you have to rush to Florida Bakery.

To the right of the store is a refridgerated section where you can find tortillas, cheese and deli meats. This is a good option for tortillas if you don't want to buy the supersized bag from Costco (that I never end up finishing and sticking in the freezer). Florida Bakery also has tortilla chips by the bag, and corn tortillas with an advance order. The store is open very early to very late, making it very easy to stop by before or after work.

Now I don't have lug back so many things from the states anymore. If only a Trader Joe's would open up in Taipei, then I'd be so happy.

OTHER LOCATION:

No. 23-5, Zhongshan North Road, Section 3, #23-5, 4F
(02)2594-6923

japanese: i strongly recommend WANG WEI RAMEN

2011-07-22T15:12:00.000+08:00

WANG WEI RAMEN
No. 40 Chang An E. Rd, Sec. 2
(02) 2571-1678

MRT: Song Jiang/ Nan Jing

website: Facebook page

hours: 11 AM - 10 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 4/1/2011 &

Most of us probably have memories of buying cheap packs of instant ramen or Cup O Noodle and eating them at home, or in college or at work because all you needed was water to make a quick meal. Maybe we even fancied it up with a soft boiled egg, some veggies or meat to make it more appetizing. And there's a ton of forgettable ramen shops out in LA and even Taipei where I've paid US$7 and thought I could have totally made a better bowl at home myself.

All the ramen I've had before pales in comparison to the ramen I had at Wang Wei Ramen, which should satisfy those who haven't yet found a real bowl of ramen in Taipei.

The busy ramen shop probably seats about 40 or so, and fills up quickly during the lunch hour. With an open kitchen, the seats in the back have a good view of the chefs.

The Chinese/Japanese only menu is a bit confusing to the uninitiated- I'm still a little confused by it now even after having eaten there twice. Available from left to right are styles from three regions- Shinshu (shown with the red square) which is more thick, Kyushu (the orange square) is more sweet, and Hokkaido (the right page with the brown square) which is more intense. Then within each column there are different bowls to choose from, with bowls ranging from NT$220-290.

My first visit I chose a spicy miso ramen (to the far right of the menu) and on my second visit I got a bowl of Kyushu ramen with three pieces of cha siu. Surprisingly, I couldn't finish three slices and the bowls are huge enough to share, if you wanted to.

The broth is thick, but not too oily and thick with miso flavor, some might say umami, and the wavy ramen has the perfect QQ bite. The cha siu pork slices are the biggest I've ever had. I loved the the pork slices from the first bite- the huge pieces of cha siu are thick, juicy and hot and not too fatty. (Unlike some ramen places in Taipei where I've experienced that put in cool or cold pieces of meat into a hot broth which makes for a lukewarm cha siu and terrible experience). In addition to adding extra slices of pork to your bowl for NT$30, you can also add corn, butter, egg or vegetables.

You can get more broth to dilute your broth if you think it's too thick/salty/heavy. On my second visit, I did feel like it was too salty and you can request for it to be diluted before it comes to you the first time.

The garlic/onion ramen variation that my friend ordered is seasonal, only available from November to May. The Kyushu ramens also come with a slice of sweet potato and are made from wheat flour.

The soft boiled egg over rice with meat sauce (NT$100) is supposed to be mixed together before eating, and is a good bowl for someone who's not feeling like ramen. You can also get just cha siu over rice.

The Japanese style fried chicken (NT$180) is perfectly crispy and tasty.

Ramen aficiandos, tell me- what is the difference between the various regions of ramen and does Wang Wei Ramen get it right?

hungryintaipei restaurant roundup- june/july 2011

2011-07-14T12:35:00.001+08:00

-Galley Gong Bistro closed. I never made it there, but the expat opened bistro will be missed by many readers.
-Popular eatery from Kaohsiung, Bite2Eat, opened up their first Taipei location near Nanjing E. Road. Huge space featuring affordable pasta and pizza and various bites to eat.
-A second branch of Osteria by Angie opening up soon in Dazhi
-Grand opening of new branch of Just In Bistro and Wine Bar at Neo 19, where Mac Grill used to be.
-Chili's opened up a new location on Minsheng E. Road, near L'Idiot
-Saw Doner Kebab at Vieshow Xinyi was gone. Hadn't eaten there in awhile, but will miss that option.
-Hearing that Baba Kevin BBQ will move from catering/delivery to opening a storefront restaurant location for American BBQ. Exciting!

Happy summer! Anyone else spot anything worth sharing?

Japanese/sushi: i recommend I-SUSHI

2011-07-11T11:22:00.000+08:00

I-SUSHI
No. 173, ZhongXiao E. Road, Sec. 5
(02) 2749-5951

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 10PM

website: i-sushi.com.tw and I-Sushi's Facebook page

$-$$

kid friendliness: high chairs available. first floor mainly sushi bar with 2nd floor additional seating.

visit reviewed: 4/28/2011

Walking around the 101 area, I was looking for somewhere new to try. Located on the busy ZhongXiao E. Road near Crown Bakery, I-Sushi is a solid choice for affordable, decent Japanese food in a family and group friendly environment. I was hesitant to go in at first because from the entrance it looks like there is only sushi bar seating and a few tables for couples on the side, but actually they have a second floor that has a ton of seating available for large groups.

One of the main negatives about I-Sushi is that the menu is only in Chinese with not a lot of pictures, so you have to bring someone who can read the menu, or quiz the fairly friendly waiters about what's available. The Chinese only menu is quite extensive beyond sashimi and only with advance reservations they have some sort of all-you-can-eat sashimi deal (NT$500 for 90 minutes?!) that I didn't quite understand. If anyone has tried it, explain to me how it works! Since we walked in without advance booking, we weren't allowed to try it.

So instead, I got the I-Sushi chirashi bowl set (NT$380), loaded with raw goodies including uni, sweet shrimp, ikura, tobiko and slices of sashimi. Many of the sashimi bowls here come with a raw egg which I'm not crazy about, but I kind of went with it and put in a lot of wasabi. Everything tasted fresh, so I breathed a sigh of relief. The set also came with soup, salad, steamed egg and small appetizers.

My friend ordered the unagi over rice (NT$250).

I wasn't crazy about the soy sauce broth for the tempura udon (NT$160), but the udon itself and the tempura was good and came with big prawns. I also saw another large group and most of them ordered some sort of sukiyaki that came on a large ceramic mini hotpot.

I wasn't crazy about the soft shell crab roll (NT$200) as the rice was quite mushy and the soft shell crab was not crispy.

One of the best deals was the bowl of steamed rice with salmon and ikura (NT$50).

And a complimentary panna cotta for dessert.

Opened over a year ago, I had never even noticed I-Sushi until I walked around this area (though after eating here I think there used to be a branch near Burger Stop?). It's always great to find another Japanese place, even better that it's not crazy expensive and a great option for a casual night out.

my kitchen: baby shower cupcakes with cream cheese frosting

2011-07-07T11:05:00.003+08:00

When I made cinnamon rolls for the first time a few months ago, I made cream cheese frosting for the first time and fell in love. Cream cheese frosting from scratch definitely tastes so much better than the canned variety, as it's not as artificially sweet and you can adjust the cream cheese amount to taste.

So when we were having a baby shower for my friend, I wanted to make some carrot cake cupcakes and of course with that flavor, you gotta have cream cheese frosting.

I kept it simple, frosting half of them in white and using a blue Wilton gel to write on top, and the other half I dipped in blue sanding sugar and piped more white frosting on top from a ziploc bag with a tiny hole cut out. I've seen a few recipes using less butter and adding honey, so I'm going to have to give that a try next time! Congrats again to my friends J and M!

EASY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature (I used 1/3 cup)
8 oz of Philly cream cheese (1 package)
2-3 cups of powdered sugar (I used 2 cups)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
pinch of salt

METHOD
1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. (I actually forgot to do this first and just dumped everything together. It was still ok. I also mashed/chopped up the cream cheese a bit to make it easier to stir and warmed up the butter in the microwave. I also eyeballed the butter since I didn't have it by the "stick" in Taipei, and I think I had less than 1 stick, so I'm guessing 1/3 cup. Many recipes call for the whole stick, but I like the cream cheese flavor over the butter flavor.)

2 Add the vanilla extract and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness and thickness. (I added 1 cup and it definitely wasn't sweet enough. I thought with 2 cups it was good. Some might add another 1/2-1 cup of powdered sugar if you prefer it sweeter)

3 Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag to decorate your cake or cupcake. (And enjoy!)

western/event: i still strongly recommend CHILI's

2011-07-04T11:51:00.004+08:00

CHILI's
Neo 19 Building (near Xinyi Vieshow/101)
No. 22, Song Shou Rd, 2 FL
(02) 2345-8838

MRT: Taipei City Hall

Hours: Sun- Thurs: 11 AM - 10 PM; Fri/Sat 11 AM - 11 PM

website: chilis.com.tw English and Chinese versions

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids menu & crayons available, sometimes balloons. room for strollers and large groups.

Visit reviewed: 5/9/2011

Previous visit reviewed: 7/2005

Happy July 4th! I've been to Chili's more times than I probably should admit since I first reviewed it almost six (!) years ago- (back when I was committing food blogging taboos such as using flash for pictures). Chili's has a familiar menu, lots of room for large groups (make advance reservations if possible!) and a Southwestern Tex Mex menu that has guacamole and all the fixings for the fajitas I often order (my usual is steak fajitas and quesadilla explosion salad, sometimes triple dipper appetizers or molten chocolate cake dessert).

But in all my visits there I've never tried their popular signature honey chipotle crispers, so I was pretty excited to be invited to see their cooking demo and try it out (for free!) along with a margarita.

I rarely get invited to media/press events so I was quite antsy when it started over an hour after the invitation time, but soon Chef Mike Winkelmann, Chili's culinary consultant, got cooking. He showed how the honey chipotle sauce was made from scratch, as well as how he prepared the chicken crispers for frying.

The chicken crispers undressed...

The chipotle peppers are smoke dried peppers and have a distinctive flavor that is complemented by the honey in the sauce.

Then the secret to coating the chicken crispers with the honey chipotle sauce? Putting it in a sealed container and shaking it!

The result is a sweet, tangy, spicy and sticky coating to the crispy texture on the outside and tender meat inside. With corn on the cob and fries, one portion is enough to share.

It was cool to take a peek at what goes on in the kitchen at Chili's as part of their culinary roadshow in Asia, where Chef Mike also prepared demos in Guam, Singapore, Philippines and Malaysia. Thanks to Chili's for the take home goodies and I look forward to checking out the new Chili's location that opened recently on Minsheng East Road in the Song Shan District.

OTHER LOCATIONS

Minsheng
Building A 1st Floor
No.134, Minsheng E. Rd., Sec. 3
Songshan District
(02)2545-8838

Tian Mu
No. 200, Zhong Cheng Rd, Sec. 2
(02)2875-4838

Taichung
No. 120, He S. Rd, Sec. 3
(04)3602-8838

desserts/western: i recommend HELLO KITTY SWEETS

2011-06-27T23:27:00.000+08:00

HELLO KITTY SWEETS
No. 90, Da An Road, Sec. 1
(02) 2711-1132

MRT: Zhong Xiao/FuXing

website: hellokittysweets.com.tw Chinese only

hours: Sun- Thurs 11:30 AM - 10 PM; Fri- Sat 11:30 AM - 11 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs available, lots of booth seats

Visit reviewed: 4/7/2011

What would you expect from a restaurant called Hello Kitty Sweets?

Two stories of ceiling to floor pink and pillowy pink walls and Hello Kitty lounge chairs? Check, check, check...

The outline and image of the mouthless cat everywhere you turn in the restaurant? No detail is too small to escape for Hello Kitty lovers to see and want (a Hello Kitty tissue box cover? where can I get one?! starts googling on iPhone) Check, check, check...

Rows of pink and chocolate Hello Kitty cakes, desserts and chocolates? Check, check...

Check, check, check...

And there's more...

And all that eye candy is at the front of the store before we sit down and order. Besides the desserts that you can order from the counter, there is also a full menu of pastas, gratin rice, grilled meats, pizza and even a Hello Kitty hamburger and Hello Kitty bread bowls, as well as afternoon tea sets.

mmm or hmm?

The menu is only in Chinese and can be a bit confusing, but there is a picture for each dish and the waitress was helpful in explaining what is in each dish when we asked. The price for each dish is for a set meal, which includes a drink, salad, soup, bread roll, choice of small appetizer along with your main dish.

I had put off checking out Hello Kitty Sweets because I heard that there were long waits and the food was not worth the prices, but on a weekday, I had no problem getting a reservation for a large table (made a few days in advance) and my low expectations for the food probably helped me keep a reality check. I definitely wouldn't come just for the food, it's more for the whole experience and I had a bunch of Hello Kitty fans in my group as I was hosting my cousin and her daughters. I was definitely surprised to see almost all the other tables were adults, some cameras in hand, and quite a few men too (perhaps dragged or bribed there?).

The starters in the set are forgettable- a small salad, a mysterious creamy soup- but the bread roll is the first Hello Kitty photo op.

The choice of appetizers included escargot and smoked salmon, but I opted for this liver pate.

The food came at a relatively steady pace and the main dishes were a good size. I snuck some of the fried appetizer plate (NT$380 ala carte) that my cousin's kids ordered which included onion rings, fried chicken, croquette and fries. Tasty.

I don't know why, but I asked for the egg on the meat sauce spaghetti (NT$400/set) to not be raw. It came out more fried than soft boiled like I've enjoyed at Bellini Pasta Pasta. If there's a next time, I'll have to try it as is so that I can stir it all together. The spaghetti had typical sweet, tomato flavor. But where's the Hello Kitty meatball or Hello Kitty cheese cutout? Lol.

Lots of pesto and shrimp (NT$400/set) in my cousin's dish. The kids loved it and finished it.

The Hello Kitty burger (NT$450/set)! I didn't try this, but I thought about ordering it. Would it be one of the more manly things on the menu? LOL.

Set drink (very sweet ice tea) and set dessert- a creme brulee Hello Kitty pudding.

We didn't have to room to sample any of the cute cakes that I saw, but perhaps on another occasion. There's a NT$300 minimum per person fee to dine in, but if you just want to get some cakes to go, there's also a mini Hello Kitty Sweets at the nearby Fuxing Sogo selling cakes and desserts. But then you don't get to breathe the Hello Kitty Sweets atmosphere and cuteness. There's even some souvenir goodies available to purchase behind the counter, but I didn't realize it until I was browsing other blogs.

Did I mention even the bathroom is Kitty-fied? Is this too much, or the complete experience?

Hello Kitty lovers- how far would you/did you fly from to eat at Hello Kitty Sweets? I know for some of you this might be a "must" destination for your Taipei trip. For those of us lucky enough to have it in Taipei, it's worth a visit if you are a Hello Kitty lover (like me), or want to treat one to a meal.

happy blogiversary to me! six years and counting..

2011-06-24T22:50:00.013+08:00

Happy 6 year blogiversary to me!! It's been six years since I first started a hungry girl's guide to Taipei and had no idea where to go or what to eat. Now I'm happy to have a mental map in my head, have my favorites on speed dial and still be discovering, eating and enjoying the awesome food in Taipei. I hope you are still enjoying reading, whether you live in Taipei or are just drooling over the food from afar, whether you've been lurking for years or just found it today!

A lot has changed in the Taipei restaurant scene, the blog and my own life since I've started HungryInTaipei, and I look back fondly on the archives with no regrets.

I'm headed to LA in a few days, bur don't worry, I've been writing up a storm so that when I'm away, trying to get Ludobites 007 reservations, waiting in food truck lines, running around the OC County Fair, and eating red velvet cupcakes, there will still be new posts to look forward to every week. Plus, I probably won't be able to resist mobile blogging some of my LA (And OC/NY/Hawaii) eats here and on my Facebook and twitter.

Don't forget to leave comments on restaurant posts that you've found useful and share your experiences and favorite dishes, and especially if you a suggestion for a place I should try!!

chinese: i strongly recommend 1010 HUNAN POP CUISINE

2011-06-21T11:36:00.001+08:00

1010 HUNAN POP CUISINE
No. 301 Fuxing N. Rd
(02) 2713-6345

MRT: Nanjing E. Rd or SongShan Airport

website: 1010restaurant.com (Mostly Chinese with some English) and FB page

hours: 11:30AM - 2:30PM/ 5:30PM - 10PM
Sat/Sun: 11:30AM - 3PM/ 5:30PM - 10:30PM

$$

Kid friendliness: many non-spicy items available

Visit reviewed: 2/21/2011 & 4/24/2010

Oftentimes Chinese food isn't seen as luxurious as other cuisines and maybe in some parts we have ourselves to blame. We revel in that we can eat a huge bowl of oyster vermicelli for only NT$45 and we'll do it standing up with no tables or chairs, slurping down a hot bowl without vanity. We'll eat whatever-on-a-stick and stinky tofu and wander the alleys of the night market in hunt for late night cheap eats with swarms of other sweaty people in the middle of a humid Taipei summer (because a huge tsui jian bao is only NT$10!) But this all because it all tastes SO good, who needs all the frou frou?

But maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Chinese food was fancy. A place nice enough to take your parents that won't have them complaining how overpriced the food is for such small portions (like my one time attempt at taking my parents to PF Changs for "nice" Chinese food in LA). A nice place that isn't Japanese or Italian or a steakhouse, so for the grandmas and extended Chinese relatives that only eat things that go with white rice.

1010 Hunan Pop Cuisine blends modern style, taste and family dining into an upscale setting that is relaxed enough for you to get your hands dirty. It's also brings Chinese food to the table for those that like it hot and spicy with family style sized portions.

The English and Chinese menu has a pictures for most items as well as pre-set menus with drinks and dessert for a slightly better value. Look for the level of spiciness of each dish noted by the number of chili peppers next to it.

This post will include dishes from two different meals (and two different locations), as the first time I went with a group of girlfriends we got to try more things to share. The more recent lunch at the Eslite location was to jog my memory and double check that it was as good as I remembered. And it definitely was.

A couple tips- splurge on a drink and rice. Many of the dishes are gonna be putting mini-fires in your mouth and the lychee drink and steamed rice definitely helped soften it.

Order one or two fried pork ribs with chili and fennel spices per person. This is their signature dish and not cheap at NT$150 a rib, but it's worth it. Tender meat packed with flavor, the fennel seeds give it an unique aromatic crunch that's not overpowering.

This is the dish that will have you coming back, or at least thinking about going back for a few days. And the good thing is that you can order this dish no matter if you are dining alone or with a lot of people, since they just charge per rib.

Other favorite dishes I recommend ordering- the sauteed smoked pork with preserved bean, which is sour, smoky and crunchy.

The fried shrimp skewers which have a kick to them and can be eaten whole with the crispy skin on. I peeled the head and legs off of mine. There are a lot of skewers in one order and so even more reason to bring a lot of people so you can order more things!

I didn't dare drink the soup for the Hot Pot Preserved Tofu & Pork Intestine, but I kept scooping out the chewy intestines, blood cubes and stinky tofu to go with my bowl of rice. This dish has the maximum three chilis next to it on the menu and you can see all the chili peppers, sporting varying shades of red.

The Beef and vermicelli with pickled cabbage (NT$300) reminds me a little of the Korean glass noodle dish japchae.

If you have room or a larger group, you can consider ordering these dishes too- the steamed egg with clam (NT$240),

Steamed Fish Head with Green and Red Chili (NT$520),

Red chili and preserved egg (NT$150),

or Fried squid Hunan style.

In the spiciness department, I admit that I can only handle so much, but I enjoy the dishes at 1010 Hunan because it's layered and has depth instead of just of being knock you over the head spiciness. But for those looking for some serious heat can sure to be satisfied here.

And for the non-spicy eating diners, don't worry, there's a lot of hearty options available too.

I was addicted to the bitesize, chewy steak cube with rice cake and pine nuts (NT$320) to counter the spiciness of the other dishes.

Can't go wrong with kon ching tsai or sauteed water spinach with garlic.

The Steamed buns with condensed milk (NT$120 for 6) disappeared quickly,

as did the Pork belly in brown sauce with preserved vegetables (NT$330).

Save room for dessert. I love the black sesame milk with tapioca & ice (NT$99) which is sweet and soothing way to end the meal, with finely shaved ice, bubbly tapioca and nutty sesame flavor.

I love that living in Taipei allows me to explore all different kinds of Chinese food- from Sichuan to Hunan to Sanxi to Canton to Yilan to Taiwan- as well as in every form, from street eats to sit down restaurants- 1010 Hunan Cuisine is definitely worth the splurge.

OTHER LOCATIONS

Xinyi Eslite branch
No. 11, Song Gao Rd, 6FL
(02) 2722-0583
MRT: Taipei City Hall

Tianmu Branch
at Tianmu Shinkong Mitsukoshi, Bldg A
No. 68, Tianmu E. Rd, 7FL
(02) 2875-2955

snapshot/dessert: pearl milk tea popsicles at 7-11

2011-06-19T02:46:00.002+08:00

The crazy things you spot in Taipei! I was tempted to try the pearl milk tea popsicle by I-Mei, but I resisted since the picture of the "pearls" looked more like cubes rather than boba. Frozen boba would taste pretty hard, right? Maybe I'll have to try it next time for "research." LOL.

italian/event: i strongly recommend CHEF BATAVIA at TOSCANA at SHERWOOD HOTEL

2011-06-15T12:20:00.004+08:00

TOSCANA
at Sherwood Hotel
111, Min Sheng E. Road, Sec. 3,
02-2718-1188

MRT: Zhong Shan Jr. High School

website:

$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. fine hotel dining atmosphere.

Visit reviewed: 6/11/2011

When I first started this blog almost six (!) years ago, I had never heard of or knew about Michelin stars, palate cleansers or foie gras, much less experienced that kind of fine "wining and dining." Even Top Chef wasn't on the air back then to teach us about amuse-bouches and sous vide!

But after many seasons of Top Chef and the Food Network and blogging, I've picked up enough to not feel out of place at those fancy restaurants. And after eating my way around Taipei (and a few other countries here and there), I still believe that a meal that costs $1 can taste as good as something that costs $100. Good food is good food, no matter what. (After all, a high price tag doesn't guarantee good food!)

If you can afford to splurge, then you should make your reservations at Toscana while Chef Nicola Batavia is a guest chef there, from June 8- June 24th. I was lucky enough to be invited to the Taipei Sherwood Hotel where I enjoyed an amazing meal and got to peek in the busy kitchen. His dishes are available as sets or ala carte, for lunch or dinner.

I didn't know until after the meal that Chef Batavia has two restaurants in Italy, Ristorante Birichin, which was awarded a Michelin star, and La Kava, and recently opened a third in London, Casa Batavia. I've never been to Italy, but after this meal, I know I have to make the trip one day!

The first amuse bouche was a cold tomato and vegetable soup. The second amuse bouche was sweet shrimp presented four ways, including with frozen fresh mint on top. Two were kind of citrusy, but only the one with the mint was cold- all were super fresh and had that melt in your mouth sea bite that I love about sweet shrimp.

So many parts of the meal were so memorable, but hands down, this was my favorite dish of the night- split pea soup with brown sugar flavored foie gras.

The startling bright green soup had a sweetness and almost milky texture, not grainy at all from my previous experiences with split pea soups. The sweetness was accented by the carmelized brown sugar on top of the creamy foie gras which was cut into a super thin layer that might be mistaken for a crouton. It was the perfect amount, which means I savored each bite and after I was finished I was left wanting more.

I loved the taste of the freshly made pasta in the Paccheri filled with prawns and pecorino cheese sauce dish. It was cooked perfectly and the sweetness of the prawns here echoed the earlier sweet shrimp. It wasn't drowned in sauce or cheese, rather they were accents to highlight the flavors of the pasta.

Everyone oohed when the monkfish, parma ham and potatoes served with red piedmont sauce and pistachio and crispy onions with the vertical plating. I thought the onion rings were a little out of place tasteon the dish, but I ate them on the side. It was also my first time having monkfish, which surprisingly had a shellfish springiness and taste to it. It didn't flake like fish, rather it was firm and sweet like lobster.

One diner at our table asked why we were getting dessert in the middle of our meal when the tomato strawberry sorbets arrived, and our friend explained about the palate cleanser, which is supposed to refresh and stimulate your tastebuds for the next dish. The tomato flavor was stronger than the strawberry, so the ice was almost savory.

I would have never expected for tuna to be used in a sauce for veal, but in the veal with tonnato is a variation of one of Chef Batavia's signature dishes, vitello tonnato. The tuna flavor was very subtle and I almost thought the sauce was a bland mustard, until I tasted the tonnato by itself. The veal was very tender, but being used to heavier seasonings, my only complaint about the entire meal was that the meat could have used a touch of salt.

One of my friends that night had a vegetarian set so it was cool to see how his dishes contrasted to mine. He had an asparagus, poached egg appetizer I had my eye on, and the plating of his "pasta" dish was gorgeous, with super thin slices of eggplant and sweet potato.

He said that these deep fried flowers tasted like crab, as they were stuffed with some sort of creamy cheese and the long petals almost like the legs of a deep fried soft shell crab. Haha!

I was also impressed with the creativity of the pearl barley dish. Most of the time, vegetarian options are a creamy pasta tossed up with mushrooms or sliced bell peppers, or veggie pizza, but all the elaborate dishes in the set course were unlike any other vegetarian dishes I'd seen before. It's too bad my mom wasn't in Taipei, as I would have treated her to it to see what she thought, as she's been vegetarian for over 20 years.

Lots of wine on the table, as Gianni Gagliardo red and white wines were paired with the various dishes.

I loved the delicate pistachio and white chocolate ladyfingers that came with the Italian Sabayon, as well as the chocolate dipping sauce. While the sabayon had too much alcohol for me to have more than a few tastes, I secretly spooned all the chocolate into my mouth when no one was looking.

The meal was a taste of Italy transported to Taipei and Chef Batavia's light touch on all the dishes showcased the quality ingredients and made for a memorable meal. I don't always get to hear about these special events, but I'm glad I caught this one. Toscana also offers a luxe weekend brunch and a big salad/antipasti/dessert spread for lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. Maybe I'll have to return before it's over for a bowl of soup.

snapshot/Chinese: ZONG ZI

2011-06-13T11:39:00.000+08:00

Last week during Duan Wu Jie was time for these pockets of sticky rice filled with savory or sweet. My friend spent hours making these to share with us- stuffing the sticky rice with abalone, egg, fatty pork, mushrooms and chestnuts and then wrapping them in bamboo leaves.

Do you have a favorite place to buy zong zi from, or do you make them at home with your family? I had a chance to make them a few years ago, but when the craving hits I usually go to Jiu Ru or Little Shanghai, though I'm sure everyone likes their mom/grandma/family's version the best. When my mom used to make them when we were little, she would put in extra mushrooms for me since she knew I liked that part the best.

my kitchen: banana nutella cornbread waffles

2011-06-11T18:05:00.003+08:00

I've been addicted to making my waffles with Trader Joe's Cornbread mix lately after discovering it makes the perfect crispy waffle. So today I decided to warm up some nutella in the microwave to drizzle on top with sliced bananas and it was decadent. It's surprising what you can put in the waffle maker- blueberry muffin mix, chocolate chip cookie mix- it makes all the sides nice and crispy for those of us who like eating the muffin tops- and cooks up a lot faster too!

And after making a few waffles, there's enough batter to put in the oven for cornbread.

Or add in some regular waffle batter to extend the cornmeal and put in the fridge for another morning.

I'm sure any cornbread mix would work, but I love the sweetness and texture of Trader Joes enough to bring boxes back. Haven't spotted cornbread mix of any brand in Taipei- has anyone found it in Taipei?

dessert/japanese: DAZZLING CAFE-SUNSHINE

2011-06-08T12:12:00.002+08:00

DAZZLING CAFE (SUNSHINE)
at A11, Xinyi Mitsukoshi, 2FL
(02) 2723-0767

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM- 11PM (last order 10PM); Fri/Sat 11AM-12AM (last order 11PM)

$$

kid friendliness: high chair available

visit reviewed: 5/3/2011 (all pics from iphone 4)

It's a pretty brillant move of Dazzling Cafe to open their newest location in the middle of a shopping mall. Its glossy white, glittering decor and honey toast reputation would be sure to draw in any casual shoppers passing by, like it did for my friend and I, who were wondering why Paul (across the walkway) was so unusually empty during afternoon tea hours.

In the middle of the afternoon, Dazzling was packed with diners.

The founder of Dazzling Cafe actually had Dazzling stores first, selling jewelry and accessories. This location combines both, with a small shop adjacent to the dining space, which is between Club Monaco and Pandora Jewelry. The decor of the shops stand out, with the sunny yellow accents on the stark black and white. (I hear their other stores have similar color accents and are named accordingly)

But let's say you're not buying any bling today... you're just here for your sweet tooth. There is a lunch/dinner menu that includes seven or so different spaghetti dishes, or an all day menu for honey toast, tea and coffee.

We were lucky enough to get a seat right away at 4PM on a weekday the week after Dazzling Sunshine opened- I think it would be a different story on the weekend and once news about the new location spreads. Upon seating, the waiter lets us know that there is a 90 minute limit at our table and a one drink minimum per person. The drink menu includes hot and iced teas, lattes, juices, slushies (NT$90-160).

There's about ten varieties of honey toast, including toppings like classic honey, chocolate banana, strawberry, caramel, blueberry or tropical fruit, ranging from NT$200-250, . You can also opt for a fondue style, or you could go all out and get a "Party in Your Mouth." Tempting... but we ended up deciding on chocolate banana.

Our drinks came fairly quickly and I was really happy with my fruity Iced Strawberry Tea with Cherry (NT$140), though the drink prices are kinda highway robbery and the fact that each diner MUST order one.

My friend's fancied up latte.

Our truffle french fries (NT$200) came first and they might have spoiled our appetite for the honey toast. Crispy, hot and adorned with truffles, my friend and I agreed we'd probably come back here for the truffle fries alone. Wait, and our two required drinks. Wonder if we could get the truffle fries to go?

Then the honey toast came. If you haven't seen honey toast in person, you might be surprised, like my friend, to see how huge it is in person. I think she might have gasped, seeing the mammoth dessert come towards our table. It's easily shared by four people, and between the two of us, we didn't make it through half of ours.

I had high expectations after hearing about the legendary lines and wait to get a seat, and because they won for Favorite Dessert on the 2010 Readers' Favorites poll and seeing all the drool worthy pictures of decadence. I really wanted to like the honey toast, but I found Dazzling's version to be too dry. I know you're supposed to smother the ice cream and cream onto the cubes of toast, but the previous versions I've eaten (in both Taipei and the states), they've drizzled honey onto the bread before toasting to make a caramelized effect so that the honey toast itself is kind of a revelation without all the other stuff. While there was some dusting of sugar on the toast, we had to ask for more honey to get that flavor. I don't know if the classic honey toast flavor would have been prepared differently, or the other locations, but I was sadly disappointed because I was comparing them to my other experiences.

But I can see how the atmosphere and presentation could lure in curious diners as well as the ladies that lunch/afternoon tea crowd. Dazzling would be an appropriate place for a birthday celebration, or as a tourist stop while shopping in the area. If someone wanted me to go again and share honey toast with them, I'd give it another try. Maybe next time I'll have better luck with a Party in my Mouth.

OTHER LOCATIONS:

Reservation number: 02-8773-9229

PINK:
No. 11, Lane 205, Alley 7, ZhongXiao E Road, Sec 4,
(02)8773-9238

MINT:
No. 3, Lane 248, ZhongXiao E. Road, Sec 3,
(02) 2731-5199

japanese/snack: i strongly recommend JAPAN BOAT TAKOYAKI at GONGGUAN NIGHT MARKET

2011-06-06T12:37:00.017+08:00

JAPAN BOAT TAKOYAKI
or ZI CHUAN
at Gongguan Night Market
at Luo Si Fu Lu or Roosevelt Rd, Sec. 4

MRT: Gongguan

website: japanboat.com.tw

kid friendliness: kids might like this, but be careful it's hot!

visit reviewed: 4/3/2011 (all pics from iphone 4)

If you've never tried takoyaki before, it might sound kind of strange. Little fried balls of batter with pieces of octopus, covered with drizzling of mayo and bonito? There's even a takoyaki pizza at Taipei's Pizza Hut that has the same effect, with bits of octopus, zigzags of the sweet japanese mayo that catch the bonito fish flakes from flying away.

There's something mesmerizing about watching takoyaki being made- the batter poured in long rows, quickly being cooked and masterfully flipped over to brown the both sides. Think of it as a grilled hush puppy or savory donut hole.

And to eat it hot off the griddle is a must- the takoyaki (NT$40) from this vendor at Gongguan night market is perfect. Crispy, hot, airy, starchy, chewy, with touches of sweetness from the mayo, spiciness from the wasabi (optional) and fishiness from the bonito flakes. The box design is kinda brilliant too- it's shaped like a boat, with crisscross ventilation on the cover so the morsels don't steam and get soggy when you're taking it to go.

There's lots to explore at the Gongguan night market too, which has two long rows of stalls of goodies- sticky rice and chinese sausages, spring onion cakes (which has a crazy long line), giant fried chicken... I even spotted some Vietnamese sandwiches banh mi. But the takoyaki is not to be missed- you're gonna want your own box!

Japan Boat is actually a franchise- so you might be able to spot it at other night markets, as well as other countries- including Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong- but this is the first time I've seen/had it.

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my kitchen/snapshot: almost cobb salad

2011-06-03T12:47:00.000+08:00

I love cobb salad, but it's seems like a tough salad to find done right in Taipei. I had good luck at Gordon Biersch with their seafood version, but this week I had many of the ingredients on hand to make one at home- tomatoes, ham, cucumbers, avocado, hard boiled egg, cheese, romaine.

Almost all the ingredients- next time I need to buy and crumble up some bacon and blue cheese.

snapshot/dessert: i still strongly recommend YOFROYO

2011-06-01T11:09:00.002+08:00

One way to beat the heat is with some frozen yogurt. Yofroyo seems to still be going strong and added specialty flavors, acai berry and lychee tart to the line up.

Spotted some new locations, including at Q Square & Ximending, and heard the tiny one in Gongguan closed awhile back.

This is combo #1 with original tart, though I tend to favor the green tea/red bean combo too.

hungryintaipei restaurant roundup- may 2011: dazzling openings and bittersweet closings

2011-05-31T14:17:00.005+08:00

I was sick last week and have been busy this month so haven't spotted a ton of new openings this month. I need you guys to fill me in and feel free to email me or comment or Facebook me if you're a restaurant/chef or have food news! But here's a little bit of what I've gathered/heard...

- Eddy's Cantina in Tianmu is officially open and Eddy and Jo are coming into town from Danshui daily while their longtime staff holds down the original location. Review coming soon!
- Sweet Tooth Club closed its storefront, though the owner Ariel is still baking from home. Follow their facebook page for updates
- Couldn't believe that longtime Chinese restaurant Shanghai Fans was closed after reader Jane L. left a comment on the post, but I saw the emptied location with my own eyes. Sadface.
- A few days after I posted my revisit to Patio Thai, I drove by and also saw construction and an emptied out restaurant (bye bye koi pond). But a different Thai restaurant is set to open in the same location in June 2011. We'll see if it's the same owner/management or new owners- hopefully they'll still have good pad thai.
- Speaking of Thai food, Dazzling Cafe has opened a Dazzling Thai Cafe at Breeze Center...
- Dazzling has also opened another location of its popular honey toast dessert cafe, Dazzling Cafe- Sunshine, at Xinyi Mitsukoshi. Review and pictures coming soon, though I can say their truffle fries are tasty!
- Also recently opened is GooBer, a new American bistro/burger joint, opened by the chef who founded Oola and Fresh Greens, offering up sliders and shoestring french fries

western/revisited: I strongly recommend GORDON BIERSCH

2011-05-30T14:18:00.000+08:00

GORDON BIERSCH
at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11, 2FL
No.11, Songshou Rd.,
(02) 8786-7588

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: gordonbiersch.com.tw

hours: 11 AM - 11:30 PM/ Fri/Sat until 12midnight

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. crayons. lots finger foods

Visit reviewed: 5/17/2011
Previous visit reviewed: 6/13/2008

For some reason, I've been craving cobb salads lately. Perhaps its the lingering memory of the awesome cobb salads I had at Tender Greens last summer in LA. Or maybe the Taipei weather going from winter directly into the humid summer has me craving cool salads. Whatever reason- I was mentally going over my choices for salads in Taipei when I found that Gordon Biersch had a seafood cobb salad.

So the next day I headed there for lunch. Squeezed into a table despite not having a reservation. The restaurant filled quickly after 12:30PM, much more full than Chili's on a weekday. They still have a full menu of eats, as well as a lunch menu which includes a drink, soup or dessert and main dish- all for around NT$400.

The huge cobb salad didn't disappoint (along with two full cups of dressing of your choice- we picked ranch) with lots of cheese, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, bacon, eggs and avocado as well as some shrimp and crab meat. The shrimp were kind of on the small side and we had more dressing than we knew what to do with, but overall everything was fresh and I'd definitely order this again.

I also was extremely happy with the pulled pork sandwich, overflowing with the slightly spicy and sweet meat, and the garlic fries which I requested to sub for the potato chips. I couldn't stop eating the crispy fries.

I was happy that the drinks with the lunch set included the lemonades as an option (or soda), and I got the strawberry lemonade. I opted for the dessert of the day instead of french onion soup, but wasn't crazy about the mushy apple bread pudding, though the vanilla ice cream was good.

Advance reservations are definitely recommended, even for weekdays, and Gordon Biersch is a great option for large groups, families or business meetings, as well as beer lovers. Weekend waits without reservations are typically at least an hour, though you can leave your phone number and shop around the nearby area until they call you. Since I last reviewed it, they opened another Taipei location in Song Shan district and one in Taichung.

OTHER LOCATION

No.102, Dun Hua N. Rd.
(02) 2713-5288
11:30AM-11PM

mexican/new in town: MAYAN GRILL

2011-05-25T12:21:00.002+08:00

MAYAN GRILL
No. 6, Lane 65, Zhongshan N. Rd, Sec. 2
(02) 2511-6292

MRT Shuanglian

website: mayangrill.com

hours: 11:30AM - 11PM (Closed Mondays)

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 3/29/2011

How can you not be excited that another Mexican restaurant has opened in Taipei? Opened in late March 2011, Mayan Grill offers a range of Mexican eats beyond tacos and burritos in a beautiful, two story restaurant near the Ambassador Hotel. Brunch is also available on weekends and I heard chorizo was going to be on the menu!

Mayan Grill's all day dining menu includes crispy and soft tacos, burritos, salads and rice bowls in varying lunch sets including soup, salad and rice, while a slow set would also include chips and salsa, coffee/tea and daily dessert (NT$249-499). They also have a dinner menu with other entrees that we didn't get to check out since their menus hadn't come in from the printers yet!

It's always hard to judge a restaurant during its soft opening- service and food is still getting worked out, staff is getting trained and it's a time for the restaurant to get feedback and adjust, so keep that in mind that things might be different since I've eaten there a few months ago. I was also an invited guest, and the things I ate were mostly items that the owner thought we should try from their lunch menu and the dishes were plated to be shared with a large group. (Disclosure- I received this meal for free from Mayan Grill, but the opinions expressed are my own. No compensation was received.)

My favorites were the hot, crispy flautas and baked enchiladas, which would make a good meal by themselves. I'd definitely order these again and these are hard to find items around Taipei. A long time ago in 2004/2005, I used to order the taquitos from Cheers at the Grand Hyatt, but they've long disappeared from the menu there.

The enchiladas weren't as "wet" as I was used to with extra sauce on the plate, but I dug the baked in flavors of the cheese, sauce and meat. You can choose between red sauce or green.

There were three salsas that we sampled with our basket of chips, and the consensus on the favorite was a red pepper salsa which had an addictive sweetness, while the three chile salsa was way too spicy for me.

The taco rice bowl is topped with shredded lettuce and sauces and the green rice can be topped with chicken, pork, ground beef or steak.

I liked the tortilla soup, but had to fish out the soggy tortilla strips out of the soup and the soup needed to be served hotter. I prefer it when the tortilla strips are sprinkled on top so that they retain a semi-crunch.

I was disappointed by Mayans' burritos and tacos, especially in contrast to my experiences with Macho Tacos (for half the price) or what I'd get in LA. The burrito seemed more like a wrap with not enough meat and fillings and each bite seemed like mostly tortilla. It needed a lot more meat. Some might be disappointed that there are also no beans available on the menu yet.

The hard shell crispy tacos were better than the soft fish tacos...

I was not a fan of the fish soft tacos as they were made that day. At first, when we looked at it, we were unsure if it was fish or chicken, as the meat was flaky/shredded and overwhelmed by the cabbage. It would have been great if there were good sized strips of grilled fish so you could taste and see it. Again, I think I was definitely comparing it with the fish tacos from Macho where the primary focus is the fish.

The housemade Diablo sauce is try at your own risk, or if you want to "sweat, cry or both." I was too chicken to try this, but you can request that your meal come Diablo style if you're looking for some heat.

The chocolate cake dessert was sinfully good- with a moist, dense chocolate flavor that was a great way to end the meal.

With other Taipei sit down Mexican joints La Casita, El Gallo and Yuma having closed down this past year, Mayan Grill will vie with the also newly opened Eddy's Cantina in Tianmu to be numero uno "sit down" Mexican in town. (Is it kind of sad that I've just written off Amigo and Tequila Sunrise?) The owner, Erik, brings his love for food and experiences from Southern California and seems passionate about making it work. I could imagine that Mayan Grill could be a great place for happy hour with some margaritas and finger foods, or for accommodating large groups or parties. I spied fresh avocados/guacamole, as well as steak and sopes on their Facebook page which looked tempting and maybe worth another visit to try. Has anyone been- what did you think? Where is your favorite Mexican restaurant in town so far?