Showing posts with label area- MRT danshui. Show all posts
Showing posts with label area- MRT danshui. Show all posts

Friday, November 26, 2010

CLOSED! snapshot/mexican: i still strongly recommend EDDY's CANTINA


This location is closed a/o 2/2012. There is still a branch in Tianmu

EDDY'S CANTINA
151-1 Zhongshan Rd
Danshui
(02) 2628-2638

MRT stop: Danshui

website: eddyscantina.com

hours: Weekdays 11:30 AM-2:30 PM; 4:30PM-10PM (closed Tuesdays)
Weekends 11:30 AM- 10 PM

$ - $$ Cash only

Kid friendliness: High chair available. Restaurant above a stairway, so would need to fold up or lift strollers.

Visit reviewed: 11/20/2010
Previous review : 12/5/2008

It's been awhile since I've been able to make the trek out to Danshui for Mexican food at Eddy's Cantina. Of any foreign food in Taiwan, especially Mexican food- there will be lovers and there will be critics- all relative to what you're expecting and what you order and how long you've been in Taiwan and if you've tried the other places in Taipei that serve "Mexican" food. I hadn't been back for a couple of years so I was curious to see how it would compare to my first few visits.

For me, the chicken enchiladas (NT$250) still hit the spot- seasoned chunky bites of chicken, tortillas soaked in a sweet and tangy red sauce and melted cheese on top. If it's not spicy enough for you, spoon some of the chunky salsa atop. After devouring my portion of the nachos, I actually couldn't finish the good sized enchiladas and had half of one as leftovers the next day and it still worked.

The cheese quesadillas (NT$130) were like the ones I often make myself at home...



New additions to the menu included fish tacos which I might have to try sometime.



The nachos had plenty of chips underneath the cheese and taco seasoned ground beef. I could have used more cheese, but then again, I also like goopy nacho cheese cheese.



The bite of carnitas I had was still good, but got lost a little bit in the carnitas burrito with the soft rice and refried beans. It would have been nice to have more carnitas to rice/beans ratio (and tossing in some pico de gallo and cheese).



With the opening of Oola and closing of La Casita, I've been fulfilling my burrito cravings a little bit closer to home and there's nowhere else I know of in Taipei that I can get enchiladas anymore. Here's to hoping Eddy will someday open a place in Taipei that's a bit closer than Danshui!


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Monday, May 25, 2009

revisited/dessert: i strongly recommend BIG TOM's ICE CREAM



BIG TOM's ICE CREAM
No.505, Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4
(02) 2345-4213

website: bigtom.us

$$


Kid friendliness: areas to lounge. friendly free samples.

Visit reviewed: 4/27/2009
Previous review: 11/16/2008



If you're jonesing for a good waffle, you should definitely give Big Tom's a shot... though it'll be covered with three scoops of ice cream and you'll more likely have it for afternoon tea than for breakfast.

And the SYS Memorial Hall location is perfect for a leisurely afternoon tea. The outside seating overlooks the lake and the SYS Memorial Hall.



If it's too hot or too many smokers, you can lounge in the cow-themed, homey cafe inside.



You might pass by it a number of times without seeing it. It's a bit hidden by the greenery, but it's across the McDonald's on Kuang Fu, to the right of the entrance to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.



My favorite is still the peanut butter, but all the flavors are I've tried are pretty awesome. Creamy, sweet, but not overly so. While it's not as exotic as Snow King Ice Cream, it's still a perfect place for those looking for something other than Haagen Daaz or Coldstone.



But the waffle is goood... and you know how I love waffles! And ice cream!


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Other locations:

No.233-2, Jhongjheng Rd., 2 FL
Danshui
(02)2626-1622

Tien Mu shop
No.1, Lane 63, Sec. 7, Jhongshan N. Rd.
(02)2875-5511

Songshan Shop
No.219, Sec. 2, Chang-an E. Rd.
(02)2772-2658

Taipei 101

Yijhong, Taichung
No.221, Yijhong St.
(04)2225-8778

Gongyi, Taichung
No.276, Gongyi Rd.
Tel:(04)2319-7199

Kending, Pingtung
No.12, Kending Rd.
Tel:(08)886-3983

Thursday, February 12, 2009

dessert: i strongly recommend BIG TOM ICE CREAM



BIG TOM ICE CREAM
No.233-2, Jhongjheng Rd., 2 FL
Danshui
(02)2626-1622

website: bigtom.us

$$

hours: 9:30 am- 11pm

Kid friendliness: areas to lounge. friendly free samples.

Visit reviewed: 11/16/2008



The first time I had Big Tom's ice cream was probably over 4 or 5 years ago- at the cute and cozy location near SYS Memorial hall, hidden behind trees on Ren Ai Road. Although I loved the Peanut Butter ice cream and my fuzzy memory thought their waffles for afternoon tea were quite good, somehow I didn't make it back that often.

So I was excited to see the huge Big Tom's in Danshui after visiting the Fisherman's Wharf and had to see if the Peanut Butter ice cream was good as I had remembered.





And it was! The thick chunks of peanut butter are swirled in the ice cream and melt in your mouth. The Oregon Strawberry was also great too and tasted as fresh as ice cream could taste. When you get your ice cream, you also get this little spoon with tiny bumps that makes you almost notice the ice cream more, by "bump"-ing the focus to your tastebuds and tongue.

Big Tom's ice cream has a great range of flavors and each flavor carries off the perfect balance of sweetness, creaminess and heaviness. And that's because their ice cream is stated to use "all natural ingredients." It's definitely a contrast to times after eating a few bites of certain flavors of Haagen Daaz or Coldstone's I feel overwhelmed with how sweet or dense it is and don't want to finish it, but yet don't want to waste the money that I've spent on it.

And Big Tom's service surpasses the sometimes snooty Haagen Daaz service by a long shot- they were friendly and generous in letting us try samples- and their quirky cow-themed decor makes the whole space fun (and a bit like Ben and Jerry's).

Okay- I'm going to rant for a moment here about Haagen Daaz.

My friends and I had a few negative experiences with Haagen Daaz- starting with their differentiation of "to go" and "sit down" orders. My friends ordered, paid and received two huge ice creams sundaes at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Haagen Daaz and then tried to sit down in the lounge-y area and told they couldn't since they had gotten their orders to-go (and in the paper cups). When my friend offered to pay for the service fee (that's charged when you sit down and eat), they were adamantly refused even though the space was pretty much empty on a cold weekday afternoon. It's the kind of thing that makes me not want to give them my business because you have two customers that have just paid US$20 for ice cream and you're not going to let them sit down in your space to eat your ice cream because of bad corporate logic that says only customers that declare they want to eat "here" get to eat here? It's one thing if the place is packed and there's a line and they are taking someone else's space, but it's another if it's totally empty and they are offering to pay a service fee! Anyways- something similar happened to me before at Vieshow Haagen Daaz, not to mention another time I wanted to just get a scoop of ice cream and asked if I could pay extra for banana on top and they said no, I had to get the banana split (with 3 scoops) to get banana.

Okay- end rant.

ANYWAYS- if you haven't yet tried Big Tom, you'll have to give it a try on your next date, ice cream craving or afternoon tea with the girlfriends- or maybe take that special someone for upcoming Valentine's Day.

It doesn't have as many locations (especially in malls) but they are the only one on the 85th viewing floor of 101. And that is pretty awesome.



Maybe it was my imagination, but the scoops even seem bigger. Other de-luscious flavors include Mocha Choco, Kahlua, Vanilla Bean, Green Tea, low-fat Marionberry Cheesecake. They also have toppings and other desserts. One scoop is NT$108 and 2 scoops is NT$178, but the price also includes the waffle cone.

Their website also says they have ice cream making classes with a big hand-crank old fashioned ice cream maker, but didn't offer any information on where or when.

Other locations:

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall shop
No.505, Sec. 4, Ren-ai Rd.
(02)2345-4213

Tien Mu shop
No.1, Lane 63, Sec. 7, Jhongshan N. Rd.
(02)2875-5511

Songshan Shop
No.219, Sec. 2, Chang-an E. Rd.
(02)2772-2658

Taipei 101

Yijhong, Taichung
No.221, Yijhong St.
(04)2225-8778

Gongyi, Taichung
No.276, Gongyi Rd.
Tel:(04)2319-7199

Kending, Pingtung
No.12, Kending Rd.
Tel:(08)886-3983

Saturday, December 06, 2008

CLOSED! mexican: i strongly recommend EDDY's CANTINA



i'm not teasing you.. these pictures are from Taiwan!


(edited 3/2012 This location was closed in 2012, but they have a second location in TianMu)

EDDY'S CANTINA
151-1 Zhongshan Rd
Danshui or Tamsui
(02) 2628-2638

Nearest MRT stop: Danshui

website: eddyscantina.com

hours: Weekdays 11:30 AM-2:30 PM; 4:30PM-10PM (closed Tuesdays)
Weekends 11:30 AM- 10 PM

$ - $$ Cash only

Kid friendliness: High chair available. Restaurant above a stairway, so would need to fold up or lift strollers.

Visit reviewed: 12/5/2008



chicken enchiladas


If you're visiting Taiwan, you're probably headed over to Din Tai Fung for some xiao long bao, to Yong Kang Jie for some beef noodle soup or niu rou mien and mango shaved ice, to the night market of your choice for some oyster omelette or stinky tofu or giant fried chicken ji pai, or to Ximen Ding for some Ah Chung mien shien or vermicelli that you can eat only standing up. That's what I always ate when I visited. These are the places I usually take my friends when they visit.

But what about when we're no longer visitors?

When Din Tai Fung is as exciting as McDonald's and we're drooling over non-Chinese food on food blogs in LA, theOC, San Diego or more from OC? When all we want is a half decent burrito?

In the past, I tried all the Mexican places in town and then eventually end up at Chili's for the fajitas and guacamole, or make my own guacamole from the Haas avocados from Costco.

For months, I drooled over the possibility that good authentic Mexican food could fill my tummy when I read about Eddy's Burrito in Danshui and the new El Gallo in Tienmu. Perhaps I didn't want to get my hopes up, even as I read good reviews, that nothing could compare to the carnitas or enchiladas in LA. Everytime I made plans to trek to Danshui, the weather would rain me out. But I finally made it after a friend also wanted to try it and volunteered to drive.

And the drive (or MRT ride) is worth it.



Eddy's Cantina is not only THE BEST Mexican food in Taipei (and believe me, I've tried them all), but also makes me feel like I could be sitting in some mom and pop Mexican hole-in-the-wall in LA (and that is a good thing). Eddy's Cantina is run by Eddy and his wife Jo, and the food is prepared with fresh ingredients from Eddy's family recipes. The menu has been expanded from their days as Eddy's Burrito, a stand at Lao Jie.



From the English and Chinese menu to the service with a smile to the great prices, Eddy's Cantina offers almost everything a Mexican food lover could want. Burritos, soft shell tacos, chimichangas, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, horchata, margaritas, beers and even dessert. Their lunch menus offer up a variety of six different bowls- carnitas, taco salad, fajitas, mexi-breakfast, rice and beans (NT$99- NT$129).

The decor is bright and colorful and the space is not huge, but doesn't feel crowded. Mariachi music playing overhead adds to the festive setting.



With each dish, you can make it a set for additional NT$80 and choose a drink and three sides (from beans, rice, potatoes, salad or chips). It was a kick getting my Orange Fanta in a glass bottle, and my friend loved her horchata. You can also order the horchata with a shot of Kahlua.




The carnitas (pork) burrito (NT$160 ala carte/NT$240 set) came first and I had to hold in my excitement. The pork was roasted and had the slightly chunky and stringy browned carnitas look that I was familiar with, and the burrito was soft and warm, filled with pork, Mexican rice and refried beans- so if you get the additional sides, don't get the rice/beans unless you want extra!




The three complimentary sauces are served separately for you to add if you find your burrito not spicy or wet enough- white sour cream, spicy red chili rojo sauce and green guacasalsa sauce. I think next time I might ask for some diced tomatoes and onions or cheese too (which are available in their lunchtime only Carnitas bowl). Or even better, if there was chunky guacamole on the menu. You can also ask for jalepenos.



The carne asada (steak) tacos (NT$185 for 2) were topped with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro and cheese. There's even a slice of lime to squeeze onto the taco. However, as reader Dan C. reminded me with his inquiry, the tortillas are flour, not corn. It would definitely be better with corn tortillas, but I guess I've been in Taiwan too long and acclimated to making my own soft tacos when eating fajitas at Chili's or Yuma with flour tortillas. I honestly can't believe I didn't react to it right away.



Last, but not least, were the chicken enchiladas (NT$200 for 2). My go-to dish at a Mexican restaurant is chicken enchiladas- the seasoned chicken wrapped in a corn tortilla and baked with melted cheese on top is just comfort food for me. But they have been impossible to find in Taipei- only at La Casita were they decent. The enchiladas weren't drowning in sauce, but they were still moist and flavorful. The tortilla was soft and each bite made me increasingly happy. My friend who hadn't eaten Mexican food since she had come back to Taiwan over three years ago liked this dish the best.



Even though we were both stuffed, we decided to try the dessert. Two tortillas with butter and sugar in between, the Tortilla Dulce (NT$100) is served warm with chocolate drizzled on top and ice cream- it reminded me of a dessert crepe. The chocolate chip ice cream was so good and it was a sweet ending to a delicious meal.



If you can't make the trek, Eddy's Cantina can also deliver burritos and more through a 7-11 freeze/deliver service for you to reheat the next day. I haven't tried it yet, but I'll probably make the call the next time the craving hits me. It's definitely going to be better than the frozen rice and bean burritos at Costco (UGH!) or the frozen enchiladas at Jason's.

It was kind of surreal, finding authentic Mexican food in Taiwan and at totally affordable prices. Sure it's almost an hour away from where I live in Taipei, but that's a lot closer than LA!


PS. BY THE WAY- don't forget to vote for your favorites
in the Reader's Choice poll!!!
I'm really hoping you all will help me give it a try-
it's your chance to share your faves,
especially if you've disagreed or agreed with me before
even if it's for a few of the categories!!! Thank you!

:)