snapshot/taipei: 7-ELEVEN X MISTER DONUT

7-Eleven X Mister Donut 

Spotted at 7-Eleven in Taipei 101 today. I wonder if it's just at a few locations, or there will be Taiwan-wide displays to tempt you while you wait in line at the front check out. 

It's a smart move by Mister Donut considering they shut down most of their stores a few years ago. Even the one I went to most often at Xinyi Mitsukoshi closed. Now I can only think of the one at  Hankyu.  

Will Krispy Kreme vie to be next to pop up?

mall/chinese: i still strongly recommend TAIPEI 101

Happy holidays from Taipei! 

If you haven't been to Taipei 101 food court recently you might be surprised to find a sleeker, glossier version since a remodel a few months ago. I definitely was- all the signage has been streamlined and made shiny, there's glassware chandeliers hanging above the new black and gold seating. 

i was so surprised to see the revamp

There's a few new Japanese restaurants with its own seating in the corner near KFC where the pho and Indian place used to be. Things have been moved around a little, including the do hua shop Xiao Nan Men to the back and the addition of a new Hi Sushi and Baskin Robbins and Laetitia. Subway is gone. I guess it's appropriate as 2013 is almost here- out with the old, in with the new.

i thought my fave taiwanese dessert was gone, but it's just relocated in the back

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy new year. With all the craziness happiening recently and even though it might not feel like Christmas in Taipei, use the holidays to connect with those you care about, spread a little holiday cheer and kindness, hug your loved ones and yes, treat yourself to some good food.

i love that even Din Tai Fung is getting in on the holiday spirit, making its xiao long bao mascot even cuter.

new in town: ATT 4 FUN

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.

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

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?

CLOSED! thai: CRYSTAL SPOON

CLOSED a/o 2011. I think there is still a branch in QSquare.

CRYSTAL SPOON
at 101 Mall, 4 FL
45, Shi Fu Rd.
(02) 8101-8123

11 AM - 11 PM

$$-$$$

visit reviewed: 12/28/2006




A safe bet for a nice ambience and trendy Thai food, though the service is often spotty and unattentive (which I also found to be true for their now defunct Spoon, formerly at Neo 19). We found it hard to get service and you're lucky if you get your water refilled. It was a bit better at the Sogo location, maybe because it was lunch instead of dinner, maybe they weren't as busy, or maybe they are just trained better at the new location. Even so, the restaurant can get quite busy evenings and weekends, often with groups of stylish business set.



Nothing too bad to say about the food, which is pretty standard and a good place to eat if you are wandering 101 Mall craving Thai. The tender chicken and pork Satay (NT$280) has a hint of coconut or lime and the peanut sauce is equally tasty. If you like the peanut sauce, there is toast for your dipping pleasure.



The seafood salad (NT$320/460) is spicy and sour with a strong dose of lime - a good extreme rollercoaster of flavors for those wanting some heat with fresh squid, shrimp, crab and clams.



The Fried Rice with Pineapple (NT350) is served in foil in a half pineapple shell- which a lot of the other Thai restaurants in Taipei have stopped doing. Nothing spectacular about it, but nothing bad. I actually don't mind the pork floss in the pineapple rice, but I know quite a few people shudder at the thought of it.




I quite enjoyed this vegetable (San Su) that my friend ordered- I thought I wouldn't like it by the sight of it, with a slightly purple tinge- but it tasted like a crunchier cousin of Chinese broccoli with a slighly seaweed texture to the leaves.






The braised vermicelli (NT$480/680) was forgettable. I prefer it at Mei-Kung as well as the service. The menu is in English and Chinese, with lots of pictures. Their thai ice tea is more sugar than tea- too sweet and the Tom Yum Gung soup we tried to chase down was forgotten and brought at the very end after reminded, with no comp or apology offered.

also at
at Sogo (new green building)
45, ZhongXiao E. Rd., Sec. 4, 11F
@ MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station - on Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 3, facing north

CLOSED! indian/food court: i don't recommend CURRY AND TEA HOUSE

CURRY AND TEA HOUSE
at 101 Mall foodcourt
(near JASONs Supermarket)
45 ShihFu Rd., B1

$$

Visit reviewed: 12/26/2006




After passing by this mall court spot a number of times, I finally got the chance to try it out. It looks appealing with good portions, but too bad the taste of the meal didn't live up to its promising appearance. You can choose a curry set menu with chicken (NT$120), beef (NT$160), mutton (NT$150), and your set menu comes with rice and a small salad. I added a naan (NT$35) to try it out.




The chicken curry (NT$120) was extremely watered down yet oily- I didn't even want to dip the naan into the curry. The rice had no flavor and naan was more a tortilla than naan. I didn't bother finishing the meal or packing it to go. I kind of picked out the chicken to eat with a few bites of rice. For Indian mall food, you're better off trying Tandoor at the Far Eastern Mall since they offer you two different curries in their set menu (which is still a bit watery but at least it has good flavors) and their naan is actually naan, or just going to a sit down restaurant.

But now everytime I pass by Curry and Tea House, I don't have to be tempted anymore.

korean: 101 korean mall food

Korean Food at
101 mall food court
(near Watsons)

$

date visited: 11/8/2006

It's cheap, it's fast and it's easy- sure it's mall food- but for NT$150, you can get a pretty good bim bim bap. Plus the rice gets all crispy on the bottom and you can either stir it up yourself or eat it all separately like I do.



The sides are pretty tantalizing too- with a range of kimchees, potato salad, vegetables and tempura, you can get a choice of 3 for NT$80.




There are two Korean places in the basement food court at 101, so be sure you try out the one that looks like this. It's the one near Watsons. They also have hot pot selections you can eat at their bar-like seating. Sometimes during weekends and rush hour, it's hard to get a seat with their affordable prices. You get complimentary side dishes too when you get the hot pot selection. The other Korean shop has good sides, such as curried potato and cold jap chae, but the bim bim bap here is better.

CLOSED/afternoon tea/dessert: SAZABY AFTERNOON TEA

as of October 2007, Sogo Dun Hua location CLOSED/REMODELING!

SAZABY AFTERNOON TEA
Sogo (Dun Nan store) B1
No. 246, Dun Hua South Rd, Sec 1

also at Taipei 101, B1

$-$$

date visited: 11/28/2006

afternoon-tea.net (official site)



A chain of eateries with Japanese style pastas, salads and cakes, with afternoon tea specials. You can also get the cakes to go or shop in their store which sells colorful and cute tableware, towels and random accessories. The Afternoon Tea cafe space in Dun Hua Sogo is very airy and bright with the high ceilings and windows. The space is spread out so you can enjoy your space and has high chairs for babies. I didn't get a chance to take a lot of pictures of the space because we were busy manning and feeding the three kids under the age of 3 we had in our group that day, but there is breathing room for them to eat, walk around and even lay down and sleep on the booth if lunch runs into their nap time, as it did ours.



Their pastas tasted better than these pictures look, but there are a lot of better pasta places in Taipei. The portions are good though and they have some unique options, such as the popular pink mentaiko eggs Spaghetti. The tables next to ours had three out of four orders of the pink spaghetti. The menu is in English, Japanese and Chinese and features a few salads, soups, sandwiches, pastas, and desserts, with quite a few teas, coffees and drinks, and you can get a set menu of pasta/sandwich/salad with drink and dessert for NT$299.

The cakes have never made me go "wow" since they are very light flavored with too much frosting for me, but they had a cheesecake that was not bad.

It was hard for me to find any information about the chain in English, but I've enclosed the official Japanese website as translated by Google. I don't know if there are any other locations besides the ones in 101 and Sogo Dun Hua, but I'm sure there are, as I remember spotting the Afternoon Tea shops elsewhere.

It's a good choice for a group of friends or moms or a casual lunch, with affordable prices and a nice relaxing atmosphere.

And you can even shop for new tea cups after you pay your bill.

CLOSED! american: TAHITIAN NONI

TAHITIAN NONI CAFE
No. 108, Xin Yi Rd, Sec 5
(02)8788-1987

CLOSED!

hours: 9AM-7PM

official website: tncafe.com

$

visit reviewed: 11/16/2006

One day walking near 101, the bright blue, yellow and white store front sign for Tahitian Noni caught my eye. Inside, there seemed to be an array of displays of spa-like merchandise and in the back, a counter with models of salads, sandwiches, shrimp bowls along with a menu of hot and cold drinks, including their branded Tahitian Noni teas and juices.

It's an interesting lunch option for a city short of good places for good salads and wraps- most of the places that have decent salads, such as Macaroni Grill or Chili's, have huge family style portions at family style portion prices. Here the portions are still enough to split between two people, but quite affordable for a quick lunch (about NT$400 for 2).

My friend and I ordered a chicken quesadilla and a sesame chicken salad at the counter and took at seat near the window. The website asks you to enjoy the food in the "Tahitian" decor which is warm and simple, yet inviting, sort of like the food.

But as much as I wanted to LOVE the food, I didn't. The salad was mostly lettuce, with a pile of shredded carrots on top, with some sprinkling of peanuts, red bell pepper slices, broken ramen noodle pieces and smoked chicken cubes. I found the chicken to be dry and hard, and the ginger sesame dressing to be more oily than flavorful.



The chicken quesadilla fared a little better- while they used the same smoked chicken (if it wasn't smoked, it tasted like it)- and the tortilla looked as if it was grilled. But the other ingredients inside looked as if they might have been assembled from canned beans, corn and salsa from a jar from Costco.



After browsing their website, which mysteriously lacks listing a location in Taiwan, yet has the Taiwan phone number under "locations" in the USA section of the website, there are other locations in Germany, Japan, Brazil and in the US, Atlanta and Dallas. The menu here also seems more limited than the menu on the site- perhaps they will bring in more options as the cafe gets more popular? I'd love to try their Kalua pork sandwich or crab cake salad and their shrimp bowl seems popular. They also have breakfast options in the morning, such as breakfast sandwiches and wraps.

I would definitely give them another chance, especially to avoid the overwhelming madness of the food courts during lunchtime- their lunch set menus offer a good deal with a drink with the salad or bowl of the day. They are practically across the street from 101, next to Peony Japanese restaurant, but somehow inside, you feel much further away.

chinese/mall food: i strongly recommend BAN MU YUAN

BAN MU YUAN or "HALF ACRE GARDEN"
(or as known in the US- A & J)
at Taipei 101 Mall foodcourt
45, ShihFu Rd., B1

$

website: www.banmuyuan.com.cn in chinese. There is an English option, but most of the links are "under building..."

date visited: 12/5/2006

beef rolls: thin slices of beef wrapped in chinese pancake with scallion and sauce

A few weeks ago, I spotted a woman eating these delicious looking beef rolls at the food court... it definitely didn't look like mall food, but I had already ordered somewhere else. I finally got a chance to try it this week and it didn't disappoint! I am actually thinking about heading back to get some as a snack as I write this.

I asked a friend to help translate the name of the store into English and he said, "oh that's A&J" which is a popular noodle shop in California (OC and San Jose) where we would get our beef noodle fixes. According to AOL cityguide, they are all part of chain from Taiwan that now has six stores in Beijing that features traditional Chinese good eats such as handmade-style noodles, steamed dumplings, xien bing or "chinese hamburgers" and beef rolls.

the sign/storefront you should look for

Anyone who has been to the 101 food court (or maybe any food court in Asia) knows that (1) there are quite a few decent options as far as food courts go and (2) it can be overwhelmingly noisy, crowded and busy especially during lunch and dinner hours and weekends, so try and get a seat and not run into anyone carrying hot soup. There's a strategy, you know? Get one person to order and the other to claim your stake for your seats. The other funny thing to note is the strict efficiency of the ladies to bus the tables, almost to the point of amusement- you could not yet be done with your food and they swoop in to take away your tray until you protest.

I am quite behind on my food court reviews (Warner Village already turned over a couple shops that I had in my drafts folder).. so I am going to just get this online while I have a few spare minutes. This shop is all the way in one of the corners, near the entrance of the food court near Watson's. Look for this wall next to the shop has a large blown up photos of their offerings on the adjacent wall.
And though nothing in the menu is in English, there are lots of pictures and plastic models to point at.



For three people, we ended up getting 2 orders of the beef rolls (NT$100 each set) (which come 2 on a plate, each roll cut in half, so four pieces to one order), 1 ja jiang noodle set which came with soup and 1 pork xien bing at NT$178, and two additional pork xien bing (NT$73) which are like flat pan fried round dumplings (and you can choose either pork, beef or vegetable) and 2 side dishes (NT$50 each)- marinated eggplant and mustard greens with tofu skin. This was all about NT$551, or US$17, or US$5.50 a person.

Both the xien bing and the beef pancake roll had this pan fried look and taste that made it slightly crispy, yet not greasy. It was so good, I practically inhaled my portion. The beef pancake roll has slices of beef and a slightly sweet and salty touch from the sauce that is spread on the chinese pancake. The scallion was a bit hard and I ended up taking it out, otherwise it usually provides a nice crunch. The xien bing has ground beef and green onions inside and a dumpling like skin around the meat.

xien bing aka chinese hamburger

The ja jiang mien noodles was just okay, especially since I wish that they had given us more sauce. You mix the salty tofu, ground pork sauce with the sliced cucumbers and sprouts. Although the noodles themselves were really good, thick with a handmade texture, the dish over I probably wouldn't order again. Same with the side dishes- the eggplant was a tad bland and oily, but the mustard greens were good, which I ended up mixing in my bare-boned noodles.

Next time I'll try their dumplings and beef noodle soup to go along with my beef pancake roll. They also have a green bean porridge and other small dishes. If you want to look for it the next time you are at the 101 foodcourt, it's near the entrance by Watsons, to the right hand side- just watch out for the crowds when you're finding a seat during the lunch hour!

Apparently, there is a sit down restaurant location in Taipei, but I haven't translated the address yet: if you are desparate to go, here is the phone number

(02) 2700-5326