hungryintaipei recommends: 7 PLACES TO SATISFY SO CAL CRAVINGS IN TAIPEI

Whether you've lived in Taipei for one year or for eleven (like me), you will inevitably end up craving a few things from home. When I first moved back to Taipei in 2005, the things I missed most was Mexican food as it was difficult to find and when you did find it, it didn't mean it would be very good. Then it was trying to find LA style pho or kbbq. Then salads. Anyone who has lived here longer than five years can appreciate the new waves of cafes, restaurants, bistros, brunch and bakeries that make Taipei more diverse in its food choices every year, when you don't feel like Chinese food.

Every summer, I get a chance to go home to LA and eat at all my favorite places, and this year I found some new favorites. The biggest trend in LA this year?  Build your own poke bowls, with at least a dozen different shops opened across LA just in the last year or two. This one is from SEA SALT POKE on Sawtelle.  Let's see who brings pokemania first to Taipei. Maybe NCIS?

Inspired by my travels this year, I'm going to try to put together a series of posts of how to find different cities in Taipei-- Paris, Tokyo, Boston and LA, for starters. Here is my take on where to take yourself when you just can't eat another bian dang and you're craving pie or tacos. 

7 PLACES TO SATSIFY SO CAL CRAVINGS IN TAIPEI

LA: Craving DTLA's LOBSTASHACK or LOBSTATRUCK's lobster rolls?
TAIPEI:  Try LOBSTER BAR in Taipei.  No. 17, Lane 116, DaAn Road, Sec. 1, (02)  2771-0333

Lobster Bar was the first to cause a flurry of lobster roll photos to spread on my social media in Taipei when it opened a few years ago. Lobster Bar's lunch menu is a limited business menu, while they have more options like oysters and uni pasta at dinnertime full menu. Note they also do not serve the lobster roll on weekends, instead they have a brunch menu with a lobster sandwich and eggs benedict. The lobster roll and fries are not cheap at NT$680, but you know, they are pretty expensive in LA and Boston too! I will also have to try the newer Lobster Foods and Le Kief.

Lobstashack is super hidden shop near DTLA's Chinatown

LA:        Craving Sawtelle's TENTENYU tori paitan ramen?
TAIPEI: Try NYC's TOTTO RAMEN. No 9, Lane 16, DaAn Road, Sec. 1 (02) 2778-9866

Both Totto Ramen and Tentenyu offer tori paitan ramen, which simmers chicken and chicken bones for hours rather than pork, for an equally rich and satisfying bowl of ramen. Both are relatively new shops in their neighborhoods. Totto Ramen opened in Taipei in late spring of 2016 this year, while Tentenyu also just opened a few months ago.

Tentenyu trying to get in on Tsujita's tsukemen business

LA/OC: Craving BOILING CRAB's cajun spiced whole shabang seafood boil?
TAIPEI: Try Taipei's BROOKHURST SEAFOOD BAR or SHRIMP DADDY.

My dad absolutely loves the dungeness crab in whole shabang sauce (mild spiciness) so much that we have taken him to Boiling Crab for the last four years since we first took him. So I was fairly excited to try Brookhurst (and other restaurants that were inspired by Boiling Crab but have since closed) to see if they could be a good spot to take my dad. Brookhurst has done their own thing by adding options like scallops, lobster or noodles, and even serving the combos in large skillets instead of plastic bags. 

Boiling Crab. Salt and pepper and limes for dipping!

LA/OC: Craving OC's SAIGON 9?
TAIPEI: Try the pho at CYCLO. No. 9, Lane 75, DaAn Road, Sec. 1 (02) 2778-2569 or No. 137, Section 3, Chenggong Rd (02) 2796-1313 

I haven't been to Cyclo since it moved to its new shop near ZhongXiao/Daan, and their offerings aren't going to be as varied as the shops you'll find in Garden Grove, but they have a solid bowl of pho, bottles of Sriracha and crispy egg rolls. Yes, there are ton of mom and pop Vietnamese shops in Taipei, but this is going to be the one most like what you'd find in LA. They've also opened a branch  in Neihu last year. 

Saigon 9, quick lunch right next door to Great Wolf Lodge

LA: Craving tacos from GUISADOS?
TAIPEI: Try TWINKIES TACOS or MACHOS TACOS in Taipei 

Let's not even pretend that what you are going to find in Asia is going to be the same level as what you would find in LA/Cali, but unless you are going to make your own Mexican food or fly to LA, you have slim pickings. And you know what, Machos delivers a solid baja style fish taco and chimichanga (though their nachos could use more cheese) and Twinkies is off to a good start with their tacos, but I don't want to hear complaining it's not as good as Cali. That's a fact, IT WON'T BE THE SAME, just like how beef noodles and dumplings aren't going to be as good and cheap in the states. 

drooling so badly at this mini tacos sampler from Guisados. only $7!

LA: Craving Korean cold noodles from Ktown??
TAIPEI: Try SAM WON GARDEN No. 45, Ln. 188, Ruiguang Rd.  (02) 8752-3222

Sam Won Garden is my go-to place for when I'm craving galbi and mul naengmyeon, or short rib and cold noodles. Just like the Vietnamese food scene in Taipei, there are a ton of little localized places here, even in every food court, for when you want bibimbap or Taipei style kbbq, but Sam Won is the most LA-ish of them all. It's a big enough restaurant to host your group of 20, they give you a bowl of the Korean lettuce salad that has the slightly sweet and spicy dressing, and they have chewy, soupy cold noodles on the menu. 

LA: Craving GULFSTREAM's lemon meringue pie? 
TAIPEI: Try DRIP CAFE No. 26, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhongxiao E Rd (02) 2764-8181

I can't be the only one craving American style pies in Taipei. There is no shortage of lemon tarts in bakeries here, but it's not the same as a towering slice of pie with a crown of torched airy meringue. I semi-regretted getting the slice at Gulfstream since it's $12 a slice now (you can practically get a whole pie at Marie Callender's for that price), but it was still amazing. While Drip Cafe is known for their cronuts, I fell in love with their lemon meringue pie (and banana cream pie). 

Gulfstream's lemon meringue pie

bbq/american: i strongly recommend BABA KEVIN's AMERICAN BBQ

BABA KEVIN's AMERICAN BBQ  

爸爸Kevin's美式BBQ

No. 6, Lane 115, Minsheng E. Road, Sec. 2

0800-887-427

MRT: Xintian Temple

website: Baba Kevin BBQ FB page or Baba Kevin's website

$-$$ 

kid friendliness: high chairs available, play area available downstairs 

hours: weekdays 11AM - 2PM; weeknights and weekends by advance reservation only

visit reviewed: 6/6/2016

WHEN I SPIED PHOTOS OF BABA KEVIN'S BBQ PLATTERS at his new shop, I made a mental note that I had to visit as soon as possible. Baba Kevin has been catering slow smoked bbq for over seven years in Taipei, sometimes to hundreds of people at one event, and his customers have been asking for years when he was going to open up a shop. A long time ago, I had even gotten a sample of Baba Kevin's frozen ribs and brisket to try at home (and I remembered the brownies and cornbread), but regrettably my photo skills were not as good as they are today and the pictures didn't do the food justice. So I never posted the photos despite liking his bbq and so I was happy to finally make a stop at his shop, opened three months ago, in an alley off of Minsheng East Road, to see if the food was still as good (and share it with all of you).

Baba Kevin's American Barbecue is currently open only for weekday lunches with lunch plates (NT$200) and BBQ sandwiches (NT$150) of beef brisket, pulled pork, lamb or chopped bbq chicken.  I believe is from the US. If you want ribs for lunch, you need to call at least one day in advance, so Kevin can prep them. The menu is slightly fuller for dinner and weekends, which are currently by advance reservation only, as sometimes they are booked for events or catering. Baba Kevin's seats about 30 people in the main dining area, which was pretty full at lunch today. Decor is simple, but clean and bright with lots of windows. 

When you step inside, the menus are on the overhead screens behind the counter, in English and in Chinese. Lunch plates come with four sides (sides change daily, sometimes there's mac and cheese, sometimes cream corn), while sandwiches come with candied jalapeños, both come with free soft drinks. That makes Baba Kevin's lunch plates one of the best deals in town, especially for 24 hours smoked bbq. A handful of restaurants specializing in BBQ have opened in Taipei over the years (Ed's Diner, Tony's BBQ Smokehouse (the only one I haven't tried), Lucky Ribs, Texas Roadhouse, most recently Mighty Quinns) - Baba Kevin is one of the few that smoke their meats with imported hickory, mesquite and oak wood chips.

The beef brisket platter (NT$200) came with generous piles of cole slaw, buttered rice pilaf, mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, so much that it almost dwarfed the beef brisket. The brisket was a bit fatty, but juicy and the housemade bbq sauce helped give it that layer of flavor. I really enjoyed the brisket and alternated bites between all the sides. For the price, I think that the amount of meat given is fine, but I shared it, so I asked if I could order some additional brisket on the side.  

I also got a freshly baked cornbread (NT$30) and brownie for dessert (NT$30)(not pictured, devoured too quickly). The sides, while delicious, are a bit carb heavy, especially since I added the cornbread, so it would be great to see some more veggie options in the future (Corn on the cob, steamed broccoli or tomato salad would be good. Or a sweet potato casserole? Ok, sweet potato is a carb too, but I love sweet potatoes).

Additional brisket is by weight, this was NT$200 worth of beef brisket. It would be great to have some combo platter options for people who would like to try different meats. It came with two kinds of housemade bbq sauces- Texas Yellow (a mustard based bbq sauce inspired by the famous bbq sauce at Salt Lick in Texas) and Kansas Red (a ketchup based bbq sauce). You can see the smoke rings on the meat and we got both the burnt ends and the fattier cuts. Yum. 

The pulled pork sandwich comes with coleslaw (NT$150) and I didn't know until Kevin mentioned the little pile on the side were candied jalapeños. My first time having candied jalapeños and they were so good!! Sweet, sour and a touch spicy, nicknamed "cowboy candy." Baba Kevin should jar this and sell it for people to take home! I liked the pulled pork, but the bun was a touch dry for me, but maybe I was carbed out from eating all the buttery pilaf and sides from the brisket plate. 

A peek downstairs, the space has already hosted a few family friendly parties and events with a permanent buffet table set up for family style servings, toys for the kids to play with a projector to play films on the wall. 

Kevin also gave me a sneak peek at his current project, trying to cure and make his own pastrami. His Facebook page says it takes 17 days for him to make it, so it's not on the menu yet, but if you're a huge pastrami fan, maybe you can ask Kevin about it. I also spied bbq prime rib on his Facebook page, I might have to see if I can make that happen in the future. Looooove prime rib. 

Baba Kevin's currently a mom and pop shop, run by him and his wife, so along with the catering, he must have his hands full. So if you're looking to go for dinner or weekends, be sure to call and check, you don't want to show up and find it closed if they are at a catering event or closed for a private party. Kevin is so friendly and passionate about bringing authentic American smoked bbq to Taipei, it shows in his food. If you can't make it Taipei, you can also order vacuum packed frozen bbq ribs or bbq that can be delivered anywhere in Taiwan.

Any Baba Kevin BBQ or BBQ fans out there? Where is your favorite BBQ joint at the moment in Taipei? 

mexican/ fusion: i recommend TWINKEYZ TACOS

TWINKEYZ TACOS
No. 7-1, Lane 131, Yanji St. 

台灣台北市大安區延吉街131巷7-1號(02) 2778-7707
MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

hours: 6PM - 11PM weekdays 

11:30AM-11PM weekends (although call before you go, this is from their Facebook page but two people told me they tried to go today (Sat lunch) and they were not open)

price: $$ (about NT$500/person)

kid friendliness: lots of non spicy options for kids, there are also fries and corn and chips

website: Twinkeyz Taco's FB page

Visit reviewed: 6/1/2016

I'M ON THE HUNT FOR TACOS IN TAIPEI on a quiet alley near Yanji Street. My phone GPS tells me I'm close and I spot the bright blue neon sign not far away. After attempts to walk in at Mume (packed), Le Blanc (kitchen closed at 9pm), Thai Made (closed at 9pm), Chi Mac (too heavy), I remembered that I wanted to try Twinkeyz and we walked from Yanji/RenAi to Yanji/Zhongxiao. 

Opened just a week ago, Twinkeyz Tacos aims to bring both street and uptown tacos to Taipei in a casual yet cool vibe. Along with tacos, there are nachos, kimchi fries, mexican corn, chicken wings, horchata and beer (although don't expect any burritos or quesadillas here). I know we all get excited everytime there is a new taco place in town, and even though I didn't want to get my hopes up, I can say, I think there's a lot of promise and y'all can get excited too.

In neatly lettered writing on the chalkboard above the counter, there's over a dozen tacos to choose from as well as a handful of munchies. It wasn't until I spied someone else with a paper menu that I asked to see it later for photos, even though I had already ordered. If you're traditional, stick to their street tacos like chicken, carnitas (pork), barbacoa (beef) or baja fish (which can be fried or grilled). If you're adventurous, you can try some fusion flavors like bollywood chicken (indian spiced), korean beef bulgogi (all the rage in LA, 10 years ago), gua bao remix (replacing the bun with tortilla in a Taiwanese pork belly bun), or sous vide Carne Asada. There are also three vegan tacos on the menu with soy chorizo, tofu taco or veggies.

I ordered an assortment to try (although I wish they had told me about the taco flight deal when I ordered) and my favorites surprised me..

It's great that Twinkeyz gives you free chips and salsa which is strangely rare in Asia. That being said, they just opened a week ago and are still in their soft opening, so they are still working everything out- from their pricing to the serving style to QC. The chips in my first round were fine, but the second round of chips were not crispy and not appetizing. 

TACOS! From left to right - Daddy's shrimp shebang (NT$130), Carnitas (NT$95), Carne Asada (NT$150), Barbacoa (NT$95)

When I ordered you can choose between flour or corn tortillas. Of course, corn. 

Let's take a closer look at the tacos. 

Daddy's shrimp shebang taco (NT$130) was hands down my favorite bite of the night. With shrimp marinated in the Shrimp Daddy's shebang sauce, mango salsa and (a bit too much) sour cream, the taco was filled to the brim and the shrimps were fresh and sweet. It was so good, I had to order another one. I haven't been to Shrimp Daddy's yet, but this taco made me want to try it. And if you're wondering why they are offering Shrimp Daddy's sauce, it's because the chef here at Twinkeyz used to make tacos at Shrimp Daddy's on Thursdays and it was so popular, it evolved into Twinkeyz Tacos.

Carnitas pork (NT$90 ) solid

Barbacoa beef (NT$95) solid 

Carne aside with guacamole (NT$150)-  I was a bit disappointed with the carne asade, especially since it was one of the most expensive tacos on the menu. The 48 hours sous vide made the meat quite tender, but the amount of meat in the tacos seemed lacking in proportion to the price and the guacamole though creamy, didn't taste sweet or maybe it wasn't ripe yet. I could get a whole burrito elsewhere for the price of this taco. I wouldn't order this again personally.

Nachos de Twinkeyz (NT$240)
Although there were a lot of chips on the platter, this was overpriced for me with no meat included in this price. (Meat is extra) There wasn't enough cheese, or it was oddly distributed, so that there were clumps on certain chips and zero cheese on many of the pieces. I have to say I'd prefer the nachos at Machos Tacos, 1Bite2Go or even the diner over this version, but it's an easy fix here. I would totally order Korean kimchi bulgogi nachos or even shrimp nachos, so if Twinkeyz could figure out some way to custom the nachos with marinated meats they already have on hand for the right price, it could offer the customers a lot more options. 

Round two 

Daddy's shrimp shebang taco (NT$130) still good as the first round, more mango salsa and less sour cream.

Baja fish taco- grilled mahi mahi. I originally was going to get the fried version, but the server suggested I try the grilled version and I'm glad he did. With purple cabbage and Twinkeyz orange sauce, this might have been my second favorite taco of the bunch.

Gua bao taco remix (NT$120) with braised pork belly, pickled vegetables, peanut powder and onions/cilantro. I've often bemoaned about the fact that many of the Mexican restaurants in Taipei were localized into weird versions of mexican food to suit local tastes (Doritos plus salsa does not equal nachos). But this kind of Tai-Mex fusion is something that I can say YES to. Why not take the heavier bun and swap it out for a tortilla, but keep all the elements of the gua bao? I wonder what locals will think of this, but it doesn't matter. This is totally something I could see happening on a food truck in LA.

The printed menu is fun with directions of "how to eat tacos like a boss" and more descriptions of each taco that I wanted to see when I was initially ordering. But eventually Twinkeyz will have to have either photos of some of their tacos and other dishes or photos of their food out front, if they want to draw in locals passing by. Macho Tacos, Eddy's, the defunct Juanitas and all the Mexican restaurants before them have done a lot of educating Taipei on what and how Mexican food is, but Twinkeyz has a slightly more gourmet vibe with the fusion tacos and higher price points, so they will still have to figure out ways to explain their different tacos quickly, so that if there are lines not everyone is asking a million questions on their first visit (like I was) instead of ordering. 

The prices on the menu are already different than the ones on the chalkboard and the chalkboard was taken down after I ordered and erased, so price points and menu are still being worked out and may not be exactly the same as this visit. That being said, I do think Twinkeyz should offer some sort of soft opening deal for early adopters/supporters who go and try their tacos while they are working everything out and also elicit feedback from customers. It would be great to have taco flight being buy 3 tacos, get 1 free or something along those lines, since it's best to try a variety of tacos and you need at least 3-5 to be full, since they are not that big. That being said, I'm happy there's another taco place in town, there's room for more. I know you guys love tacos too, so let me know if you try it based on this review and what you think, do these pics make you want to try it? Looking forward to my next round of tacos and trying to Twinkeyz into making me some customized nachos with more cheese please.