CLOSED/western/drinks: i strongly recommend DIARY

 

DIARY 
53 Dong Feng Street
台北市東豐街53號
(02) 2706-3553
CLOSED

MRT: DaAn

website: Diary's FB page (hasn't been updated since 2013)

hours: 3:30PM - 1AM

$$ -$$$ (NT$600-1000+/per person with drinks)

Kid friendliness: maybe for an early dinner, but menu is probably suitable only for foodie kids

Visit reviewed: 4/27/2015

Once you see Diary's handwritten coaster notes for their drinks or its ink black bowl of "fried rocks," you won't likely forget it. Even though it had been years since my last visit to Diary, those images had made a distinct impression on me, which is not easy to do given the cluttered landscape of Taipei's restaurants (and I've had a lot of forgettable meals among them).

I hadn't planned on going to Diary when meeting up with a few new friends-- we had actually planned on meeting at a ramen shop, but it turned out to be closed on Mondays. Luckily, Diary had available seats for us at last minute's notice and I was curious about how Diary was since my last visit years ago. Diary has been doing bistronomy before it was a buzzword in Taipei, serving modern, creative food and drinks in a cozy, industrial space since 2009. Diary is easy to miss along Dong Feng Street since it doesn't have an obvious sign, but there's a lot worth exploring on this street (as well as the nearby Siwei Road).

The handwritten menu is more expansive and polished than I remember, with lots of tempting options for shared plates, like lobster soufflé, crab cakes or roasted spring chicken. We end up ordering a crab meat ravioli, a risotto, the fried rocks and lamb shank to share between three people.

Complimentary smoked rolls of turkey are brought to the table, with smoke dispersing when the glass cover is lifted. (Unfortunately I was too slow with the camera to get the cool part of the action before this shot)

Predictably, I order the mojito (NT$280). As indicated on the handwritten note under the glass, Diary's recipe for a mojito is Havana Club 7 year old rum, mint leaf, brown sugar and fresh lime juice. It's a more serious version of a mojito- not as cloyingly sweet as some other bars and a distinct brown color instead of clear when it's made with sparkling water and white rum.

The Crab Meat Ravioli (NT$320) was a hearty enough portion to share with bite size pieces bathed in cream sauce and black pepper. The ravioli dough is a bit gluey for me (maybe underdone a tad?), but we still clean the plate. I was pleasantly surprised with the portions of all the dishes at Diary that night as I remember the dishes being smaller on my last visit, and I dislike it when restaurants serve only four to five pieces of ravioli in an order, especially when it's not part of a set tasting menu.

Mushroom Risotto (NT$300) also delectable and fragrant with mushroom and cheese flavors.

Paired with the bright yellow saffron mayo, the Fried Rocks (NT$320) is the most striking dish at the table. I couldn't stop eating the crispy, squid ink battered, fried fish, squid and shrimp. Perfect amount of coating and crispiness and the seafood inside was still moist and sweet. Darth Vader of fritto misto. If you try one thing at Diary, you must order this signature dish.

The only other restaurant I had seen do black battered calamari in Taipei was the Spanish tapas restaurant Cocina de Jackie, who took the theme one step further and served it in a faux plant pot with a flower. 

Braised lamb shank with fennel (NT$1380) - I was getting quite full by the time the lamb shank and mashed potatoes came to the table, but it was still a happy addition to our stomaches. Some parts were fork tender, and some parts were a little bit tougher, but again, a good sized portion to share. I might try other dishes next time rather than reorder this again.

Reservations recommended for Diary, as the space and seating is limited. 

hotpot: i recommend NIPPORI SHABU SHABU 日暮里涮涮鍋

NIPPORI SHABU SHABU 日暮里涮涮鍋 (RI MU LI)
No. 3, Lane 220, DaAn Rd, Sec. 1
台北市大安路一段220巷3號
(02) 2704-7376

MRT: DaAn

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

$$ (about NT$380/person)

Kid friendliness: high chairs available and good seating for large groups. Older kids might enjoy cooking their own food. Small playground across the alley from restaurant.

Visit reviewed: 2/14/2015

Neighborhood hotpot place, reasonable prices, good sized portions. Family friendly seating, clean tables and environment, individual pots.  Can get busy, but luckily wasn't too crowded for a last minute lunch when we went with 10 people.

The Chinese name for the restaurant is 日暮里 which is pronounced Ri Mu Li in Mandarin, but translates in English to Nippori, which is an neighborhood/subway stop in Tokyo, Japan. So since I couldn't find an English name for the restaurant, I'll just call it as Nippori Shabu Shabu for my own reference (and those of you who can read Chinese can just refer to that!)

Chinese only menu- options start from NT$350 for kobe pork and sirloin beef options up to NT$800 for short ribs or NT$1000 for premium USDA beef. There's also fish and seafood sets. You can also order veggies and meats and whatever your favorite shabu add- in is ala carte.

With each set, you get a big bowl of veggies, a plate of thin sliced meat, and choice of rice, noodles or vermicelli rice noodles. The veggie plate includes cabbage, taro, straw mushrooms, tofu, shiitake mushroom, fishcake, fishball, tomato, all the usual suspects. What's good is everything is fresh and room temperature ready for cooking- I've been to some hotpot places where it seemed like that fish balls were still defrosting or just taken out of the freezer.

Pretty satisfied with the sirloin beef (NT$350) set. Some places cheap out with meat on their the inexpensive sets, but it tasted as good as some more expensive shabu places- the meat wasn't too tough or too fatty.

 

What's great about individual pots is that you can cook it however you like and perfect if there's a vegetarian in your group. But the table is also close enough that you can cook for others if there are kids or lazy people in your group.

I realized I was too busy eating and cooking to take a pic of all the veggies inside the pot- but you guys are seasoned eaters, you know how it works!

Complimentary red bean soup for dessert. Yum! Great way to end the meal.

dessert/snapshot: I strongly recommend the MOCHI WAFFLES from JIMMIBOBO

This is why I love #taipei so much. Was in search of spring onion pancakes at the street vendors on the corner of Xinyi/DaAn and ended up finding amazing #mochiwaffles instead.

MOCHI WAFFLES! 

Crispy and carmelized on the outside, chewy on the inside!!! My mochi waffle was caramel macchiato and I got it hot off the waffle maker. There's also matcha, chocolate, strawberry, cheese, caramel and plain. Perfect snack for this chilly day and best nt$35 I've spent in a long time!

There's more #streeteats to explore on this corner- steamed dumplings, knife cut beef noodle soup- check out my past review for pictures! But if your heart is set on trying the mochi waffles, then look for the street cart right near the corner with this blue sign- Jimmi Bobo. I think it's a new version of the Jimmy boba milk tea cart from my last visit.

I wonder if I throw a Mister Donut mochi donut on the waffle iron, will it waffle? That might have to be a blog post for another day.

JIMMI BOBO 吉米波波 QQ 餅 

corner of Xinyi and DaAn Road 信義大安路口 

in front of Felice Cafe

(02) 2754-5192

snapshot/pizza: i still strongly recommend CHICAGO PIZZA FACTORY

Pizza isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think Taipei, but finding good pizza is pretty important to those of us who live here. Yesterday Taipei had such beautiful sunny weather that we had a picnic at DaAn park and my friend brought a couple of boxes of from Chicago Pizza Factory, which I haven't had in probably over a year (and last wrote about in 2009)  One slice of the combo pizza and it kickstarted my appreciation for their delicious pizza- the pliable chewy yet crispy crust, the plentiful toppings and the proportion of sauce to cheese to toppings to crust. Note to Chicago Pizza Factory fans, they are moving to a new location in March of this year-- hope they will let us know where.

Then I ended up making a collage of all the pizzas I instagrammed and ate and made a new tag (#taipeipizza)...

And I know I have lots more places I've yet to try. Where is your favorite pizza in Taipei? Check out all my past pizza reviews here!

PS. OMG! It's 2015! SO weird. I just looked at the date on blogger and thought it was wrong for a brief moment when it said 1/5/15.

burgers/american: I strongly recommend BURGER AND CO.

BURGER AND CO.

No. 49, Tong An St.

台北市大安區通安街49號
(02) 2784-0182

MRT: XinYi/AnHe (new MRT line!)

website: Burger and Co.'s FB page

hours: 11AM- 10PM

$-$$ Cash only

Kid friendliness: limited seating but some room for strollers; kid friendly burgers and fries

Delivery: Available with minimum NT$250 order and NT$50 delivery fee

Visit reviewed: 12/16/2013 and 12/26/2013 (returned twice in 1/2014 and upgraded my review to strongly recommend)

Opened a few months ago by a New Yorker, Burger and Co. serves a limited, but tasty menu of handmade burgers, wings and fries. Some readers have compared it to  Shake Shack or In N Out when telling me about it. I found myself comparing it to the also new-in-Taipei BLT Burger which I had also recently tried. I liked Burger and Co's food better, at half the price of trendier BLT, but of course BLT has foot traffic and visibility at their Vieshow location and BLT name, which some may recognize from Hong Kong, NYC or Vegas.

Burger and Co.'s space is tiny, but cozy with pops of ketchup red and mustard yellow. There are only three tables inside and a row of counter bar seating so groups bigger than four would have to split up, and there are a few tables outside open for seating when the weather is nice out. Look for happy hour specials for beer and free wifi. 

After two visits and trying a few things on the menu, my favorite things were the bacon cheeseburger, the BBQ pulled pork sandwich, the buffalo wings and truffle cheese fries. The menu keeps it simple- burger, wings or fries.  Choices include burger, cheeseburger, double stacker (two patties), veggie burger or bbq pulled pork sandwich; three types of wings, classic fries, cheesy or with truffle cheese. At lunch, if you order a burger with fries, you can get a soft drink for free. I wouldn't mind seeing milkshakes on the menu too.

Burgers are made to order and you can see the patties sizzling away. Burger and Co. makes everything in house (except their buns which are made for them), so their wings and fries are never frozen.

While waiting for my friends, I ordered the truffle cheese fries (NT$150). The truffle flavor isn't dominant, but enough to give the handcut fries the extra layer of savoryness. The fries are mostly soft with a touch of crispness since they are made from fresh russet potatoes unlike the golden fries (previously frozen) prevalent at most Taipei eateries. 

Burgers come playfully branded with a mustache atop each bun and are served with a wrapper you can wrap around to help minimize the mess. Our bacon cheeseburger  (NT$170) was a good size and the proportion of meat and veggies to bun are nice and even. They don't have a lot of add ons (I asked if there was avocado and the answer was no), but you can opt for a fried egg topper.

A bit spicy, a bit sweet, I really enjoyed the BBQ pulled pork sandwich (NT$150) with the red cabbage slaw, though I noticed the sweetness of the bun more with this sandwich than the burger.

Both of the Buffalo Wild Wings (NT$140/6 wings) and Wild West Wings (NT$140/6 wings) are tangy and spicy, with the buffalo wings having more of the tabasco spiciness and the wild west wings had more smoky bbq flavor. The wings are fried then lathered in sauce so bring your wet naps. My friend who had come before our lunch said she ate a set of six wings by herself. I could definitely see why.

The second time I got my order to go and I felt that the patty on my burger was softer than I remembered from the first visit, but the wings were still excellent. The key for Burger and Co. will be consistency and word of mouth (with their location being a little off the beaten path, but near the Tonghua night market). Thanks to readers Paul, Sean and others for the heads up.