Showing posts with label area- MRT Taipei 101. Show all posts
Showing posts with label area- MRT Taipei 101. Show all posts

Friday, May 18, 2018

indian/revisited: i still strongly recommend MAYUR INDIAN KITCHEN





MAYUR INDIAN KITCHEN 
馬友友印度廚房
350-5 Keelung Rd, Sec. 1 台北市基隆路一段350號之5

MRT: Taipei City Hall or Taipei 101


hours: 11:30 am – 9:30 pm 

$-$$ (This meal was by invitation and hosted, but all opinions are my own.)

Visit reviewed: 4/3/2018
Previous reviewed: 5/17/2012

RECENTLY, I REVISITED THE ORIGINAL Mayur Indian Kitchen in Xinyi and was happy to find it even better than when I first wrote about it in 2012! (That rarely happens.) Since 2012, Mayur Indian Kitchen has expanded from one street side shop to six Indian restaurants across Taipei, all with different specialties including all vegetarian, buffet or late night with live music.  I'm not sure why I didn't return since I wrote about it six years ago, but Chef Mayur had kindly invited me over the years, as he sent messages here and there about the new restaurants he had opened. 

After I had posted some butter chicken that I had ordered after an ubereats fail from another Indian restaurant during Chinese New Year, he told me that my original blog post had brought so many customers to his restaurant, but that the Mayur Indian Kitchen I visited back then was completely different from my last visit and hoped I could see for myself. 

So I invited a few fellow Indian food loving friends to meet me at the Guangfu location, which was missing its sign above, but had doubled in restaurant space. Mayur Indian Kitchen (MIK 1) now had indoor table seating in a festive bright red dining area, as well as the al fresco tables outside. It's still quiet on this street, so sitting outside in good weather isn't a problem. 





 


The current glossy menu had page after page of appetizers, tandoori, vindaloo, tikka masala, butter chicken, masalas, vegetarian curries, naan, parathas, and drinks, which affordable prices from NT$190-395. I could understand why a revisit was overdue because the restaurant had grown into a completely different experience than the one that was just starting out in 2012 which chicken on the bone in the curry and less than a dozen curries available. Thank you to Chef Mayur for the invitation and for your hospitality.  (It's such a funny coincidence that my post in 2012 was exactly 6 years ago yesterday).








I'm a creature of habit, especially at Indian restaurants. I will tend to reorder the same things that I like, but I'm open to trying new things. So while we put in our order for butter chicken, palak paneer, naan, paratha, aloo gobi and raita, some finger foods came to the table.  



It was my first time trying these Dahi puchka from Kolkata (NT$150 for 6), which were small puffs filled with yogurt, tamarind and mint sauces. They were flavor bombs and slightly messy if you didn't eat it in one bite. A lighter way to start the meal than the more well known Punjabi vegetarian samosas (NT$135) dense with potatoes and peas. 



Soon our table filled with curries, naan, rice and vegetables. After a few photos, we dug in. Our favorites were the butter chicken (NT$245) which had that classic sweet and slightly spicy addictive sauce, and surprisingly the recommended aloo gobhi (NT$225), which is curried cauliflower and potatoes. It is a MUST ORDER. I used to order aloo gobhi all the time in the states, but sometimes you get more potatoes than anything else. Mayur Indian Kitchen's version had strong cauliflower game where the cauliflowers were just the right texture and was spiced without being heavy. 

Such a happy meal as my friends and I used the naan to scoop up every last bit of the butter chicken curry and filled our plates and bellies with food. I loved everything. 

The only thing I probably wouldn't reorder is the Malai Tikka (NT$225) which was not as juicy or flavorful as I've had elsewhere. Next time I'd try the tandoori chicken. MIK 1 also still only serves yellow rice, which I noted on my first visit. In my conversation with Chef Mayur, most people in India typically eat regular rice and not basmati rice because it's more affordable and it's more filling. 

Otherwise there are 18 types of naan, roti and paratha to order from, including garlic chili naan and sweeter coconut naan or cheese naan. We ordered three- plain, garlic and aloo paratha, for the three of us and it was more than plenty. 




butter chicken
palak paneer (spinach with paneer) & spiced rice

aloo gobhi and chicken malai 
aloo paratha (NT$85)
plain naan (NT$55)
garlic naan (NT$55)

A large sign outside the restaurant displays the new exclusively vegetarian MIK as well as the addresses of the other locations. Rather than make each restaurant the same, Chef Mayur chose to give each one a specialty. MIK 1 is homestyle Indian food. MIK 2 is more upscale.  MIK 3 is purely vegetarian. MIK 4 is a buffet (but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). MIK5 is stated to the be the largest Indian restaurant in Taipei. And last but not least, the newest MIK 6 is an Indian restaurant by day, hookah and live music restaurant by night, offering Indian food until 3AM. 



What was Chef Mayur's entrepreneurial secret to opening 6 restaurants in 6 years? Chef Mayur wooed his family from India to Taipei in his expansion to helm and cook at the different branches, and his father is the chef at MIK 1, which serves classic, homestyle Indian dishes. “My father cooks food for our guests just like the way he used to cook for our family. In fact, he treats all MIK customers as our family guests.” And to find that in Taipei is such a treat. 

Monday, March 13, 2017

snapshot/revisited: i still strongly recommend THE DINER


THE DINER
(XinYi 信義) at ATT4Fun
No. 12, Songshou Rd
台北市信義區松壽路12號
(02)7737-5055

MRT: Taipei 101

Previous review: 11/2011 and 12/2006

My must orders: pancakes and omelettes, fried mushrooms, chicken wings, quesadilla, burger


[TAIPEI- XINYI] New brunch spots may come and go in Taipei, but the Diner is the granddaddy of them all. Plus it's open before 10AM and sometimes you need to squeeze in some banana pancakes and be done by the time the cafes are even open. Portions and tastes are American style and delicious, consistently so even after all these years, (unlike some spots that reach peak success and then lose customers when the food quality starts to slide, or the portions start to shrink (i.e. Bakery 49, 1Bite2Go, California Pizza Kitchen). And even though I hadn't been to The Diner in awhile, I was pleasantly surprised to see that they keep adding to their menu to compete with the newer trends and places while keeping their signature favorites. 

The latest menu for The Diner - they even have a page for their healthy options and acai bowl (though it wasn't available when we went).





Vegetarian options at the Diner-- wow, they upped their game and even have zucchini spaghetti and sweet potato quinoa salad. 


Greek omelette with potatoes o'brien. Subbed avocados for the feta, and had the feta on the side (for my friend with the dairy allergy) (NT$280). So good, I think I inhaled my half.



Banana chocolate pancakes- dessert for breakfast, American style (NT$180 a la carte). A short stack and covered in banana slices. Perfect for sharing along with an egg dish.




DINER's other locations

(NanGang 南港)
No. 166A Jingmao 2nd Rd
台北市南港區經貿二路166號A棟2F(中國信託金融園區)
(02) 2788-3330

(DaAn 瑞安)
No. 145 RuiAn St.
台北市大安區瑞安街145號
(02) 2700-1680

(Hsinchu 新竹)
No. 73, GuanXin Road
新竹市東區關新路73號 
(03) 579-8188


Wednesday, May 11, 2016

hotpot/chinese: i recommend HAI DI LAO HOTPOT TAIPEI

 

HAI DI LAO HOTPO海底撈
at ATT4FUN
No. 12 Songshou Road, 6F
台北市信義區松壽路12號6樓
(02) 7743-1855 

MRT: Taipei 101

hours: 11AM - 4:30AM (Yes, 4:30AM. Post clubbing hotpot option)

$$$ (NT$1000+ per person)

website: Haidilao's FB page

kid friendliness: lively atmosphere, with lots of selection and lighter broth options. small kids room in front for pre or post meal waiting 

visit reviewed: 5/9/2016


HaiDiLao is a popular hotpot chain from China that opened up its first Taiwan branch last September. I first heard of it when I saw videos of their noodle dancers (yes, dancing noodle makers) on instagram and four square'd hotspots. Hearing about the long lines from a friend who was a regular of theirs in China and had waited hours to dine at the Taiwan branch, I finally had a chance to check it out along with a travel writer in town who scored reservations. 

Reservations are usually taken on the first of every month for the following month, but I still saw a crowd of people waiting at the entrance for seats. But unlike many restaurants that make you wait, HaiDiLao provides lots of services to distract you- complimentary manicures, massage chairs, a small playroom for kids, and even a costumed dancer. With this concept, Haidilao has opened over 100 branches around the world, including in Los Angeles, Seoul and Singapore. 



Manicure station near the front of the restaurant.


The restaurant space itself is massive, with large sauce stations and view of Xinyi district. Completely packed on a weeknight dinner at 7PM. Reservations are taken 1st of each month for the following month and Taipei's HaiDiLao is open from 11AM to 430AM. Post clubbing hotpot anyone?




Once you're seated, you're given an iPad to order from. They have English and Chinese available, as well as a photo for each menu item. I was a bit confused about how to order things, but the waitress was very helpful in showing how to use the iPad as well as making suggestions for a first time visit. First you choose your soup base- you can opt for one, two or four broths. There's a Delicacy broth (chicken/pork broth), Sichuan spicy broth, tomato broth and mushroom broth, as well as a fish and kelp broth that we didn't choose. Adding each broth has a charge of NT$105-120 per broth.



Half orders are available, which is great if you want to try different things when dining alone or with only one other person, and there's quite a range of choices for meats, seafood, tofu, veggies and offal. I've included the complete iPad menu for Haidilao Taipei at the bottom of the post. We were handed aprons, eye glasses cleaners and was even given a small blanket to use when we asked the server about the chilly air conditioning. 


After the hotpot gets bubbling and you've "sent" your order in, plates of veggies and meat start arriving to the table. Veggies combo (NT$288)




It's a good time to get your sauces when you're waiting for your food to come. The epic sauce bar is THE most varied set up I've ever seen. There are English and Chinese labels for everything, but I started with sesame sauce with scallions and cilantro, and a soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, garlic sauce. If you feel overwhelmed, you can ask your server to make a couple for you. In addition to two she had made for my dining partner (one for the tofu and one for the beef she said), she ended up making a new one with fried peanuts, ground beef, chili peppers, cilantro and spooning some of the spicy broth into it. It reminds me of the first time I had mongolian bbq and I didn't quite know how much of each sauce to add to pile of meat and veggies. I also enjoyed the glass noodles and black woodier fungus and there's dessert soups on that table as well.





The menu is equally dizzying with choices. I was happy with what we ordered, though next time I would like to come with more friends to try more meats and dishes. The server cooked some of the things for us in the beginning, but then we were left to fend for ourselves as new tables came in. She piped in the fresh shrimp and cooked the beef and tofu.


Mashed shrimps (NT$180 for half order) I expected this to taste like fish balls, but it tasted like fresh shrimps. Would order this again.


Lao tofu (NT$95) 




Lu rou fan (braised pork rice)


Scallops (half order) NT$160


Then we heard the Kongfu noodle guy before we saw him. He brings his own music and starts to twirl and twist one strand of dough like a gymnast performing a ribbon dance. It's very entertaining and the gravity defying noodle dancing and music catches the attention of the neighboring tables. To me, this is one of the must order dishes at Haidilao, and you can find it on the iPad menu with its own Lao Kongfu noodles icon. Dinner and a show for only US$3. (NT$110)  lol!




And the taste of the noodles were good! Quite bouncy and chewy. Especially with the perfect sauces you've concocted. See the noodle guy in action on my instagram video.


All in all, I would come back to HaiDiLao and so I recommend it to you. When Haidilao first opened in Taipei, the waits were as intense as the meal, in the four hour plus range. I had reservations, so I don't know what wait times are like now, but I would say this is about a one hour wait meal, tops, especially with so many hotpot spots in town. Of course, this is the only one with a guy that will hand pull noodles and dance for you at the same time. How long would you wait for HaiDiLao in Taipei?


Don't forget to save room for your AYCE Haagen Daaz ice cream near the front of the restaurant.



HaiDiLao Taipei's menu




:)