japanese/sushi: i strongly recommend ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT

ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT 上引水產

No. 18, Alley 2, Ln 410, Minzu E Rd

台北市民族東路410巷2弄18號

(02) 2508-1268

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High School Station or XingTian Temple Station

website: addiction.com.tw

hours:  11AM - 5PM

$$- $$$ (cash only)

Kid friendliness: no high chairs available. outdoor seating for seafood bbq area, room for strollers

Visits reviewed: 3/3/2012, 5/25/2012 and 10/9/2012

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED REVIEW FOR 2015 HERE :) 

After Mitsui revamped the old Taipei fish market near the Songshan Airport into a sleek, modern space that looked more like their upscale Japanese restaurants than what one would envision as a fish market, Addiction Aquatic Development was THE place to go, earlier last year, when it first opened. 

The first few visits had customers entering directly into the supermarket section, but now the entrance is to the left into the fish market section where you might spy an array of flowers and plants for sale. It's not scary and smelly as I'd envisioned- it's very open, clean and organized with large tanks for different fish, shellfish and crabs. Reminds me when I'd look into the crab tanks at Redondo Beach Pier as a kid.

Once you head into the main part of Addiction Acquatic Development, you should head straight to the sushi bar area and grab a number since there might be a wait. When it first opened, wait times were up to an hour or more, but when I went it was only about a half hour wait, which is perfect for exploring the rows and rows of sashimi, alcohol, fruits and vegetables and Japanese ceramics. There's even desserts and macarons for sale.

Fruit smoothies available outside. 

There's also a seafood and raw bar in the back, charcoal grilled bbq outside (which I'll write up in more detail in the next post) and hotpot (which is the only restaurant that takes reservations) upstairs if you want to try something else, and those usually don't have a wait.

Of course, you could just grab and go- imagine your local Japanese market's sushi section times 100, filled with trays of fresh sweet shrimp, tuna, salmon, uni and even mixed nigiris and rolls. The selection varies by day and I personally feel like it's fresher in the morning than later in the afternoon so that the rice isn't as hard and cold.

And the prices are super reasonable and a lot better than the NT$20 sushi available at the local Taipei supermarkets. 

I was SO tempted to get this and go home and make some uni pasta and stuff my face with uni until I felt sick, but it was just TOO much. Maybe if you have a big family or could split it with friends.

Pretty and expensive...

There are a few areas and tables to sit down if you decide to pick up a to-go tray, but seating is limited. Note also you can't bring it into the grill restaurant if you decide to eat there and you have to pay an extra NT$2 for the disposable chopsticks.. 

The hot food area seemed the least tempting to me, but quite a few people were grabbing bentos to go.

We check every so often to see if our number has come and we finally get to go inside.

It doesn't bother me that it's a standing only sushi bar, but it is slightly cramped and not a place you're going to linger for a long time. Also they won't seat you unless everyone in your party is there.

The menu is Chinese only with no photos so it's hard for non-readers to order. If you want to order one thing, get the NT$600 mixed nigiris set. You get about 12 pieces plus uni and tamago egg. It's a pretty amazing deal, so this was the photo I was seeing on all my foodie friends' facebook for the weeks after Acquatic opened. With this kind of simplicity, you can taste everything, so everything is ultra fresh, if not just from the tanks or ocean.

The waitress takes the order with an iPad and you have to pay right after you order, before you get your food, cash only. So if you want to order a drink or some additional food to your order, you'll see the ipad and have to bring your wallet again.

They also have lunch sets that include nigiris, salad, soup and grilled seafood item that range from NT$580-980, but overall I liked the NT$600 assortment the best.

Scallop/clam nigiris

Seared fish set- 4 pieces- I felt this was a bit bland and dry, both times I ordered it. 

Between the NT$780 and NT$990 sets, I actually liked the NT$780 lunch set better because you got more pieces of sashimi and grilled shrimp, which I prefer to grilled fish that has a lot of bones in it. If you're not sure about what the set includes that day, you can quiz the waitress.

Tuna roll starter is same for both sets. Yum.

NT$990 set

NT$780 set

If you're looking to eat more grilled items, you're better off sticking to the bbq area outside.

My hungry girl friends and I ordered a NT$600 to share along with the lunch sets. While this is a good value and quite fresh, it really is just fish slapped onto the rice with dabs of wasabi. It's not as delicately presented as I've seen it at other restaurants, but then again, deal seekers won't care as long as it tastes good in the tummy.

I've taken quite a few friends there and all of them have been wowed by the size and selection of what's available there. Addiction Aquatic Development is a very cool addition to the Taipei and I'd definitely recommend sushi loving visitors and locals alike to check it out at least once. Japan has Tsukiji Fish Market (which is relocating to a bigger space this year) and now Taipei has our own version in  Addiction Aquatic Development.

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED REVIEW Addiction Acquatic for 2015 HERE :)

western/italian: i recommend VVG THINKING

VVG THINKING
at Huashan 1914 Cultural Creative Park
No. 1, Bade Road Sec. 1
華山文創產業園區．
紅磚六合院 / C 棟 ( 杭州北路．北平東路口 )
(02) 2322-5573


MRT: ZhongXiao/XinSheng

website: VVG's FB

hours: Noon- 9:00pm

$$

Kid friendliness: room for strollers. pastas and risottos and dessert fare

Visit reviewed: 1/25/2013

Sometimes you need a quiet place to be alone with your thoughts, with a cup of coffee and some atmosphere. Where to find that among the hustle and bustle of crowded cafes and diners and food courts in Taipei? 

Deep inside the Huashan 1914 Creative Park is VVG Thinking, the latest restaurant from the VVG empire, which may be the biggest, most eclectic and hipster of them all. I was meeting friends there and got a bit lost as VVG Thinking wasn't on the map as there are two sides to Huashan Park. A phone call and some directions led me to a row of red bricked buildings and a pair of angel statues to point me to the entrance.

Once inside, you might find your eyes wandering up as the ceiling at the entrance, at the grand two story ceiling and the industrial meets vintage chic warehouse space.  VVG Thinking transformed the former factory space into a first floor bistro and second floor shop. I didn't even know there was a shop upstairs until my friends mentioned that I should check it out, so be sure not to miss it.

And in true VVG fashion, presentation sets the tone for the meal. Even the potato bread comes in an aluminum tin can, wrapped in layers of paper.

The menu has various lunch sets available at NT$880-1480 (available only from 12noon to 2PM), depending on how many courses you choose, as well as a la carte soups, pastas, salads, risottos and main dishes, mostly around NT$300-500. But the portions run on the small side, so you might find yourself ordering more than one dish to be full, or thinking about a post meal snack elsewhere, so you might consider ordering a set.

The salads come in a glass tumbler, capped with a wooden lid so you can shake and mix the dressing in. It's really a cool way to present the salad, which doesn't look as fancy when it's poured onto the plate with the slim toppings.

The pink shrimp and grapefruit salad (NT$320) comes with a spicy Thai chili dressing which did have a kick to it. We also tried the apple and prosciutto salad (NT$320) which came with long paper thin shavings of apple and a shiso and yuzu dressing. Between the two, I'd order the apple and prosciutto again first.

The dishes slowly made their way to the table one by one and we were getting a bit impatient and hungry. So prepare to share a bit of your food, or don't come too hungry. 

The mentaiko, scallop and mushroom linguine (NT$420) came drizzled with mentaiko sauce (mayo?).

I thought the scallop and mushroom risotto with white truffle oil (NT$420) would be a good dish to share, as the waitress said it was one of the more filling dishes, but it turned out to be a quarter the size I thought it would be. The flavor was on point, but for the price I wished there was a lot more than a few spoonfuls. (For a fuller plate of risotto, check out Bianco or Sonnetor Cafe)

The porcini linguine with white truffle oil (NT$380) came with more greens and pepper seasoning than my friend expected.

The zucchini and shrimp linguine (NT$360) was fairly light, but probably more filling among the dishes we ordered.

Time to go explore...

Looking up at the loft like shelves and second floor...

Looking down at the desserts...

You could instagram here the whole afternoon and not have to post one photo of the food.

Always love thumbing through cookbooks.

All in all, a very cool place to explore and maybe do a bit of thinking, browsing, eating and have a conversation with friends.

japanese: i recommend CUISINE M

CUISINE M 信義三井

No.1, Songzhi Road Xinyi District Taipei City

台北市松智路1號1樓

(02) 2345-1101

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: mitsuitaipei.com.tw

hours: 11:30AM- 3PM; 5:30PM- 10PM

$$$ (about NT$1500-2000/person)

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 4/11/2013

Cuisine M is the Xinyi branch of Taipei's popular Japanese restaurant Mitsui, which is known for their high end, posh decor and elegant, fresh food. Mitsui is also the group that revamped Taipei's Fish Market into a gourmet market, sushi bar and destination- Acquatic Addiction Development (a post to come that I have way too many photos for!). 

Cuisine M is actually a bit hard to find, as its entrance is not on the main streets and not a part of one of the many malls near 101. Instead it sits right in the middle of them, the first floor of a bank high rise. Inside is a cavernous space with high ceilings and a shiny sushi bar in the back with a wall of alcohol above that would be at home in Vegas or LA. Cuisine M feels bigger than the Mitsui location in Neihu and more modern and glittery.

At Cuisine M, Mitsui, Sumie and other restaurants like them in Taipei, I usually go with the cheapest set menu (which varies at the different price points) since you get sashimi and a few cooked dishes that would end up costing more if you ordered ala carte. Of course if there is specific sashimi or dishes that you like, you're better off ordering off the menu or asking if the set can accommodate you. Having been to the other Mitsui, I know they can swap out certain grilled items and also do vegetarian sets. 

Everything is fresh and portioned for a multi course meal and quite filling. Service is relatively attentive and everyone usually gets their food at the same time, which doesn't always happen in Taipei.

Set solo salad is the perfect size and comes with a huge piece of king crab leg.

The flavors are relatively light so you can taste the natural flavors of the abalone, fish or beef.

I was pretty full by the time we got the nigiris.. so save room!

While I know Mitsui is a favorite for many and that Cuisine M is a branch of it, I actually have enjoyed my meals at Cuisine M more than my experiences at the original Mitsui. For those looking for Japanese in town (and there are a lot of amazing options in Taipei), it is a solid choice for a family or business meal, especially if you are looking for ambiance to impress and Cuisine M's Xinyi location makes it convenient for those working or visiting in the area.