Showing posts with label hello kitty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hello kitty. Show all posts

Friday, January 22, 2016

japanese/hotpot: i recommend HELLO KITTY SHABU




HELLO KITTY SHABU SHABU
No. 17, Alley 27, Lane 216, ZhongXiao E.   Rd, Sec. 4
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段216巷27弄17號

MRT: Zhongxiao/ Dunhua

website: Hello Kitty Shabu FB page

hours: 11:30AM - 10PM

$$ (about NT$500-700 per person)

Kid friendliness: booster seats available

Visit reviewed: 2/20/2016


Before my childhood friend Jenny even got to Taipei, she messaged me from LA, "Can we go to Hello Kitty Shabu?" And being the good host, friend and curious food blogger, I said, "Of course!" A reservation and few days later, we found ourselves wandering the alleys near Zhongxiao near Lane 216 looking for it.


Once you get closer, the glow of Hello Kitty's face beckons and a lifesized Hello Kitty greets you at the door, ready for selfies (also in that alley, NCIS Sushi, Hoshina udon and a new branch of dessert spot Monteur Cafe).




The inside decor seems to be casual Japanese, with lots of small tables for individual hotpot and a side area with tatami-style, lower seating for bigger groups. 



Reservations at Hello Kitty Shabu Shabu are limited to one and half hours, and when we arrived at 5:17pm, we were a little late. In Taipei, busy restaurants will usually tell you, you have a ten minute grace period before you potentially lose your table, i.e. If people are waiting there. Sometimes the restaurant will call you, or if you call them sometimes they'll be nice enough to hold it for you. I didn't call and they didn't call us, so when we told them our reservation was for 5pm, the girl told us we were late and it seemed like she was going to tell us we lost the table. But since the restaurant wasn't full and there weren't people in line, I emphasized that my friend had flown all the way from LA to eat Hello Kitty hotpot, and after some discussion between her and another server, they directed us to a small table in the back. 

Tables for four are divided with a removable divider, which is smart for the restaurant but crowded for us. Even though no one sat next to us, you can see there isn't a lot of space, so you have to do some Tetris-like maneuvering to make everything fit with your hotpot, once your veggies, meat and steamed egg comes. 





Hello Kitty Shabu offers individual yuan yang hotspots, so you pick two broths out of four choices- regular kombu, pork bone broth, tomato or Mala. Then you choose your meat- there's three kinds of beef or pork available or chicken or seafood. Then you pick noodles or Hello Kitty shaped rice. Everyone gets their own veggies and fish cakes, and additional hello kitty-fied fish cakes are available to add on. 



There's also fried shrimp, chicken and croquettes to order on the side, and a colorful drink menu. 



Once you've ordered, let the photo ops begin!! (Haha the only reason you're here right?) The servers asked us if we were done taking photos before whisking away the bow adorned wooden lids.



Complimentary pre-meal amuse bouche- I think it was konjac- but I found it inedible and tasteless.. 


I ended up choosing the pork broth and tomato. Next time I would skip tomato (it intensified when cooking) and choose the plainer kombu or go for spicy Mala. 


Additional fish cakes we added filled with mentaiko. You can also pick cheese filled. (NT$160 for 2)


The vegetables are quite bountiful- with chinese cabbage, cabbage, various mushrooms, corn, one piece of pumpkin, broccoli, taro and some tofu skin and fish cake.. And then topped with a Hello Kitty thing-- we think it was some sort of tofu soy thing with the HK face burned in, which actually gave it a smoky burned flavor that was kind of unpleasant. But oh, it makes for a cute photo. Lol. 


See how we barely managed to fit everything on the table, and it fits just so. I got the beef (NT$550) which wasn't as tender as the short rib (NT$650).


I loved this little apple bowl and cover with the spoon. I would maybe buy a set if they sold them there. The steamed egg inside was decent too. 




Of course most of you know how Shabu works, but in case you don't, you basically cook the meats and veggies in the hotpot until it's to your liking. You can dip in the sesame or soy sauce, but pork broth was actually quite flavorful already. 



Lots of chopped veggies at the bottom of the large bowl. Sometimes restaurants cheat and it's actually empty or raised inside, but I was pleasantly surprised to find plenty. 


Cooking and eating.. As for the mysterious Hello Kitty faced tofu, it was a spongy, mysterious bite and tasted a bit burnt from what I'm guessing is the char from imprinting the face onto the tofu. I took one bite and wasn't sure if I wanted to take another. 


Dessert at the end included in the set are a few bite sized, brown sugar mochi..


All in all, it wasn't a bad meal as shabu spots go. Would I recommend it? Sure, I'd come back with other Hello Kitty loving friends- I like how they give you a lot of veggies, broth options and steamed egg on the side. And if you're a Hello Kitty fan, then you kind of have to experience it for yourself. It's not as bling and overly cute like Hello Kitty Sweets (now Hello Kitty Kitchen) so now Hello Kitty fans have two places to choose from, three if you count Hello Kitty Bubble, four, if you count the Hello Kitty food souvenir shop next to Ice Monster I have to write up. I was surprised to see an older couple next to us eating (and chilling) who didn't appear to be Kitty fans, but maybe they just liked the food. Also there were empty seats in the restaurant during our hour and half so maybe they save spots for walk ins. It will be interesting to see if Hello Kitty Shabu becomes popular- on one hand, Taiwanese people love hotpot, especially in the winter time. On the other hand, because they loved hotpot, the hotpot game in Taipei is fierce- there's super cheap version and fancy, luxe versions, spicy mala, all you can eat, vegetarian only, herbal broth, the list goes on and on, and now, you can add Hello Kitty Shabu to it. 

Thursday, October 29, 2015

drinks/snapshot: HELLO KITTY BUBBLE



HELLO KITTY BUBBLE 
NO. 172 DaAn Road, Sec. 1
大安路一段172號

MRT: ZhongXiao FuXing or DaAn

Kid friendliness: Oreo, banana and banana chocolate smoothies available for non-caffeinated drinks as well as winter melon lemonade 

Visit reviewed: 10/29/2015


Just a peek inside Hello Kitty Bubble, a small tea shop decked out in Hello Kitty and friend that's been open since last year. The red bowed storefront is a magnet for a Hello Kitty lover like me so I had to get a few pictures to post and share. (Although I remember passing it a number of times before when the storefront just had some decals outside and not such an elaborate entrance). Along with Hello Kitty, the Little Twin Stars, My Melody and Badtz Maru are all getting their fat straw drink on. Maybe a place to check out if you've already gotten your photo ops at Hello Kitty Kitchen and Dining (formerly Hello Kitty Sweets) and the Hello Kitty snacks souvenir shop. 

Menu includes hot or cold teas, milk teas, sodas, smoothies and lattes, with drinks ranging from NT$30-60. 






And if you don't want to be seen carrying around a Sanrio cup but need some coffee since your girlfriend dragged you out to take pictures here, there's a Cama coffee right next door. 


Friday, September 18, 2015

Snapshot: HELLO KITTY x MCD's fried pineapple pie




If you're a fan of McD's fried apple pie, like I am, then you might find yourself trying the fried PINEapple pie in Taiwan. When I ordered it, I didn't even realize it was going to come in Hello Kitty-fied cuteness. Then I realized that I missed the whole Hello Kitty x McDonalds Taiwan menu (basically sticking HK's face on the packaging) they were doing the past month and the launch of the Hello Kitty toys. 

As for the taste? The crust is essentially the same crispy flaky goodness as the fried apple pie. The inside is a thick pineapple gel filling that is overly sweet and sugary, similar to the filling of those old Hostess pies. The pie is served hot, so be careful when digging in. Let's be honest- most of you will try this just because of the hello kitty cuteness, not the taste. 


Cuteeeeeee Hello Kitty x McDonalds toys- hello kitty ladybug, pineapple, strawberry and watermelon !! 


They should just stick Hello Kitty on everything for a few months and see what happens! Haha. 


Saturday, March 09, 2013

snapshot/dessert: HELLO KITTY at CLOUDY CUPCAKE



CLOUDY CUPCAKE 克勞蒂杯子蛋糕 
at Eslite Xinyi B2 誠品百貨信義店
No. 11, SongGao Road
台北市信義區松高路11號
(02)2722-2586

MRT: Taipei City Hall


Hello Kitty kind of gets around. I've been seeing her face everywhere and on everything. Taipei (and the world) is obsessed with Hello Kitty. We used to spend money on Sanrio stationary and pens and bags, but now it's moved onto Hello Kitty hamburgers, cupcakes and honey toast.

You can spot her lovers posing for a picture in front of the homebase Hello Kitty restaurant- Hello Kitty Sweets- any given day of the week.  I often spy her at 7-11, making me buy stuff to collect trinkets or stamps or magnets or whatnot, and now strawberry stuff. Dazzling Cafe also has been featuring Hello Kitty honey toast and desserts the past few months for a limited time (until March 11th, I believe).


from Dazzling Cafe's FB page

And now Cloudy Cupcakes has also been getting in the Sanrio action with the big red bow and some white chocolate candy faces. What is about the cuteness that makes us squeal and open our wallets? I didn't try them (since I've heard multiple meh reviews about their pricey little cupcakes), but I admit I was tempted. Don't know how long the cuteness will last at Cloudy, but had to share.



OTHER LOCATIONS

QSquare B3
No. 1 ChengDe Road B3
中正區承德路一段1號京站店B3
(02) 2552-5719


Thursday, August 30, 2012

not taipei/snapshot: HELLO KITTY LADUREE MACARONS



Who doesn't love receiving surprises? Especially when they come wrapped in ribbon and Hello Kitty?


I was surprised, but delighted to find that my friend hand carried a box of Hello Kitty Laduree macarons from Paris for me, back in May. How cute is this mint green box dotted with hand drawn macarons and matching colored mini Hello Kittys? 


Inside the box was a rainbow of the sweet, vibrantly colored confections- I took one picture and then began tasting. Decadence and joy and gluttony. My friend was bummed that some were a bit cracked during the transatlantic flight, but I assured him that they still tasted the same. 


Big thanks to my friend J for generously thinking of me and for my first bites of a Laduree macaron. Make a stop at the Laduree shop in NYC if you get a chance, as it is the first and only location in the states.


And props to this blogger who actually MADE Hello Kitty macarons, tiny ears and red bowtie and all, who I found when I was googling "Hello Kitty macarons." They were adorable and looked amazing with the right shape and eyes perfectly spaced apart! 

from i-heart-baking.blogspot.com
I Heart Baking gives a little photo tutorial for those with the patience and skill to make their own, as well as has lots of other Hello Kitty baking posts. Whoever could figure out how to make and sell these in Taipei would make a killing!

:)