indian: i strongly recommend THE SPICE SHOP

THE SPICE SHOP

No. 6, Alley 10, Lane 50, Tienmu East Rd, Taipei
台北市天母東路50巷10弄6號
(02) 2873-7775

MRT: Mingde or Shipai (closest MRTs but would probably still need a taxi to the restaurant, or 30 minute walk. Near/behind Tianmu Shin Kong Mitsukoshi mall)

website: Spice Shop's FB page

hours: 11:30AM - 2PM; 5:30PM - 10PM

$$ (about NT$500-600/person)

Kid friendliness: I always think Indian is a more difficult kid friendly cuisine unless your kid can tolerate spiciness- some non spicy options- naan and tandoori chicken.

Visit reviewed: 5/29/2013

I'd often passed by Spice Shop on my way to its next door neighbor Saffron, also an Indian restaurant. I  was curious and heard good things about Spice Shop, but didn't want to give up a sure thing for a delicious lunch for a new unknown, especially when I had made the trek to Tianmu. 

So luckily someone asked to meet me there for lunch so I had no more excuses to not try it, and I'm glad I did. It's equally delicious as Saffron, with a more casual vibe and slightly more affordable prices. It seems they've remodeled since the last time I passed it by, making the decor more modern and upscale from the brighter, eclectic decor they had before. It's not too crowded for a weekday late lunch, though it's probably best to make reservations for the weekend.

The menu is expansive, with lots of vegetarian options to choose from. Since my friend was vegetarian (and chose the restaurant), we ended up with two vegetarian dishes and one meat. Dishes range from NT$260-NT$560, so if you want variety, it's better to come with more people to share. That's definitely one thing I miss from the states- the weekday lunch buffet and get stuffed with a plate full of different curries and chicken tandoori for US$10. Does anyone do a weekday brunch here? I only know of Ali Baba and Tandoor on the weekends. Oh and Aaleja (I almost blocked it out, it was so traumatizing).

Complimentary papadam

The food came out fairly quickly, in small deep bowls. I loved the flavors and mild spiciness of all the dishes and even though I only got to try three, it was enough for me to want to come back again. If you like it spicy, you should let them know what level of heat you want when you order.

The baigan bharta (eggplant curry) (NT$270) had a sweetness from the additional cooked tomatoes and onions.

Aloo gobi had a lot of cauliflower and large chunks of potato.

Butter chicken (NT$360) has become a new favorite of mine, with its creamy, sweet curry, being a less spicy cousin to my previous favorite, chicken tikka masala. I usually sop up the curry with plain naan (NT$80) or basmati rice (NT$30). So good!

For those of you Hungry in Hsinchu, there's a Spice Shop there as well! 

OTHER LOCATION

No.19 Xinguang Road, Hsinchu, Taiwan
(03) 5710687

event: i recommend TAS FOOD FAIR 2012

TAS FOOD FAIR

at Taipei American School

No. 800, ZhongShan N. Road, Section 6, Tianmu

台北市中山北路六段800號

MRT: Mingde Station

$-$$

Kid friendliness: public event at the Taipei American School. Very kid friendly with games and bounce houses, but crowded

Visited reviewed: 10/27/2012

When I was in high school, oh so long ago, we had a food fair. I don't remember much except that we marinated chicken and made over 100 teriyaki skewers to grill, made paper signs for our booth and it was a in a dirt field at our school for students and teachers to raise money for their clubs. The food fair at the Taipei American School is a fancier and bigger version of that, with parents and local businesses doing the cooking and selling and open to the public.

With a NT$20 entrance fee, the parking lots of TAS have been converted into game booths, dessert booths and food booths. There's also performances in the center where I heard Gangnam Style being blasted at least 5 times throughout the morning.

I grabbed a sample of See's Candies...

and spied adorable bars of Halloween chocolate and custom chocolate bars from ChocoForAll.

It's best to show up early as it gets more crowded throughout the day and sometimes the food runs out and seating is limited. The first year I went, almost everything was gone as I went in the late afternoon. Last year, I grabbed some delish smoked paprika Galician styled octopus from DN Innovacion.

It's a great place to find some different flavors, with booths featuring food from Singapore (laksa and curry chicken), India, Korea, New Zealand (lamb chops), Germany (sausages and bretzels), Indonesia, Brazil, US (Costco hot dogs and chips), Taiwan, Turkey (Turkish ice cream), and more. Dishes and packaged in small portions and priced under NT$200.

Last year, I waited in line forever for sauteed mushrooms (NT$100) from Wendel's, only to have them run out when I was next in line. So this year, I had to grab a plate when the line seemed to be moving quickly. If you don't want to wait in line, you can order the mushrooms at any of their bistros.

Mmm.

I admit I'm a creature of habit, so I had to return to get my plate of Brazilian picanha bbq steak plate (NT$150). Homemade by TAS parents, it's a dish you're not going to easily find in Taipei elsewhere. I was a bit bummed to see there didn't seem to be as much steak, since they added some spicy sausage to the plate.

So good! Maybe one year they'll offer up fried plantains as a side dish.

The sun was coming out so it was time to get in line again, this time for mango snowflake shaved ice which came in a handy cone-like plastic cup, which made it easy to walk around and eat.

Cute penguin shaved ice machine.

Finally!

I didn't try it, but even the W Hotel came out this year, with some mini nachos and veggie paninis. They had some cocktails, but were sold out.

Another option for dessert this year was the new froyo player in town, Yoppi, which was on the game side of the fair. I got a small cup of original tart with two mochi toppings (NT$100).. they have a shop right near the school on ZhongShan, so was doing some promotions.

A fun and tasty event to visit if you hear about it, even if you're not a student or alumni (which I am neither!). The time changes every year, but is usually around October. TAS also has various other events open to the public during the year, as does TES, the European School, but the food fair is the only one I've ended up checking out. Expect to wait in a lot of lines, but bring some friends and flashback to your days in high school.

mexican: i recommend EDDY's CANTINA in Tienmu

EDDY's CANTINA 艾迪墨西哥餐廳
No. 1, Alley 3, Lane 450, ZhongShan Rd, Tienmu
士林區中山北路6段450巷3弄1號
(02)2873-7612

MRT: Mingde Station

website: eddyscantina.com

hours: 11:30AM- 9PM; Closed Tuesdays

$$

kid friendliness: kids meals available and lots of rooms for families

Visit reviewed: 5/13/2012

Almost a year ago, Eddy's Cantina opened up a second shop in Tienmu, bringing their enchiladas and nachos a little closer to Taipei city. I suppose the move was good, since earlier this year in February 2012, they committed to the move and Eddy's Cantina closed down their Danshui shop (or Tamsui, I guess it's now has been converted back to). (You can tell I'm really behind on posts when it takes me a year to write it up, but I figure that I should definitely remind readers so that no one makes a trip to Tamsui and find a "For Rent" sign instead of Eddy's). 

Eddy's Cantina Tienmu retains the same festive, bright color scheme from the original location is a lot more spacious for large groups of hungry diners. Eddy's Cantina really feels like a mom and pop shop, with Eddy often in the kitchen and sometimes his mom coming to town, making limited edition tamales.

The menu includes all my favorites- nachos, enchiladas, chimichangas, as well as tacos, burritos- or lunch special only rice bowls with carnitas, huevos ranchero or fajitas, and even an array of beers and cocktails for happy hour.

Eddy's Cantina's has one of the best nachos (NT$300) in town, always a heaping pile of chips, cheese, jalapenos and ground beef. I think we had to order seconds.

With the set lunch specials, you can choose between refried beans or potatoes as a side, and it comes with a nice side salad. I usually end up getting the chicken enchiladas (NT$280) anytime I end up at Eddy's Cantina and they always hit the spot with the slightly sweet red enchilada sauce and gooey cheese.

Many of my friends hadn't had mexican food in a long time and enjoyed their orders- beef chimichanga (NT$230), which is like a massive deep fried burrito that can be shared...

chicken quesadilla, which my friend tried to cut up to share...

and fish tacos...

The Mexican food landscape has evolved and changed a lot since Eddy's Cantina first opened (and closed) shop in Danshui, when I reviewed it in 2008.  For quick fixes, there are other options in Taipei now (I prefer the California baja style of burritos and fish tacos with corn tortillas at Macho Tacos, but when I'm craving enchiladas, I head to Eddy's), but for a sit down meal, Eddy's still is a good option especially those in Tienmu.