CLOSED/mexican: JUANITA BURRITOS AND BAR

JUANITA BURRITOS AND BAR

No. 307 XinYi Road, Sec. 4

信義路四段307號

(02) 2703-5775

this was shortlived. now closed

MRT: XinYi/AnHe

website: Juanita's Facebook page

hours: 11:30AM - 6PM

$$ cash only

kid friendliness: leather seats and barstools in a bar, don't know there are rules against kids being in bars in Taipei?

visit reviewed: 2/23/2017

previous review: 9/2012

[TAIPEI] So quite a few of you were very excited when I posted on Instagram about Juanita's being "back," when I first spotted it on Ubereats a few months ago. It IS back, but as a pop-up of sorts, taking over the menu and space at Digout Bar on Xinyi Road only during the daytime hours. The strategy to save costs on both businesses bringing an unexpected ambiance to your tacos and burritos. So when you are walking around looking for Juanita, you actually need to look for these Digout signs instead (a couple doors down from Tai Ho Dien). Be sure to go before 6PM, since it turns into a pumpkin, I mean back into a bar then. I wonder if they still offer nachos or finger foods at night. 

The door is here- you have to slide it open. At first, I wasn't sure, so I thought I would point that out. 

Juanita first opened in 2012 and was closely modeled after Chipotle which made a lot of people happy until they closed in 2015. The sign from their original store made it to the new location, explaining the basics to the Taiwanese would-be customers who don't know a burrito from a taco. Haha!

The menu offers up burritos, burrito bowl, tacos, chili cheese fries, quesadillas or nachos, as well as sangria and cocktails, since it is in a bar. Vegetarian options are available as well. I was a bit disappointed to see that there was no barbacoa option since that was my favorite thing from Juanita and something that would be more difficult to make at home.

We ended up getting a burrito bowl, chicken quesadilla and a couple tacos. 

The chicken quesadilla (NT$230) was good, plenty of cheese and side of guac. But something one could easily do at home or find at other restaurants. 

My friend was happy with her steak burrito bowl (NT$190)

Note that the rice is "cilantro lime" rice instead of Mexican rice, same as their old location, but looks kind of like white rice to me. Now that the chicken chipotle bowl from Sugar Pea is available in Taipei, this can't compare.

And the tacos (NT$70-75). The tacos are probably the only thing I wouldn't order again. They weren't very hot and the flour tortillas were a bit thick and the toppings skimpy and bland. In retrospect, maybe I should have tried the burrito instead of the tacos, but when I asked the server if the taco tortillas were corn, she said yes. I think she misunderstood me and thought I was asking for corn salsa in the tacos? In the end, I would have rather spent my money and calories on fish tacos from Macho Tacos instead or stuck to making my own.

So those of you who were fans of Juanita while it was around can give it a try. But those looking for LA style dollar tacos will still have to keep looking. If you find it, please let me know!

revisited/street food: KO FU SHUI JIAN BAO at XINYI/GUANGFU

KO FU SHUI JIAN BAO 口福水煎包 
LONG XIANG SHUI JIAN BAO 龍香水煎包
No. 355 XinYi Rd, Sec. 4 (XinYi/GuangFu intersection)
台北市信義路四段355號(光復南路口)

MRT: XinYi/AnHe

$ (NT$14/bao)

Kid friendliness: kids probably prefer all pork fillings. scallion pancakes also available

Visit reviewed: 2/3/2015

Recently an anonymous reader asked on an old post from 2008 about an address for the shui jian bao shacks on the corner of Xinyi and Guangfu, and since I had revisited it recently I thought I'd throw up photos of that corner's new look. The baos look (and taste) the same, but the shops got a facelift in the past few years with brighter red and orange signage. 

If you've never had a shui jian bao, it's basically a bun typically filled with pork or veggies and is steamed and pan fried at the same time, so that it has a nice golden crispy bottom.  Shui jian baos can work as a breakfast, lunch, dinner, afternoon snack, post meal snack, midnight snack... you get the idea!

2008 Xinyi/Guangfu baos

2015 Xinyi/Guangfu Baos

The English signage at Ko Fu Shui Jian Bao helps identify the different fillings for the baos, but there's still a little that got lost in translation. Fillings include black pork, radish, squash (not cucumber), mustard greens (not green mustard), leek, cabbage and bamboo shoots. Hey, five out of seven isn't too bad! I admit I'm human too... back in 2008 I said the shop was at the corner of Xinyi and Yanji, which isn't completely wrong since Yanji ends when it hits Xinyi, but is easier to find if you go to the intersection of Xinyi and Guangfu.

There's two different bao shops on the corner, the one on the front has the fancier sign and there's another one next to it. Which one is better? 

Ko Fu also has scallion pancakes, radish pancakes and soy milk. Once a long time ago, I think I also got a huge, fried crispy red bean pancake there for a snack. It was one of those things you wolf down because it's so good when it's hot and then regret eating the entire thing by yourself when it's over. It's probably still available somewhere on that corner- I've been scared to go back and look for it!

There's also a Yong He Dou Jiang right next door (which I have yet to try!) and then further down GuangFu, there's a Mango Cha Cha for those looking for mango shaved ice.  

The baos are NT$14 now and larger than the ones you'd find at Tonghua or Shilin night market and I prefer the juicier, crispier baos at the night market, where the pork juice is going to be dripping down your chin and you usually get it hot out of the pan, but when you're having those cravings during the day, this isn't a bad option. 

If you're looking for steamed baos instead, you can also try Chao Zhou Bao Zi on Lane 216, or worst case scenario, any 7-11 in Taipei! Man, now that I'm looking at that old post, I realized their signage got bigger and fancier too!!!! I'm going to have to do an update post for them too!

japanese/sashimi: i recommend CAFE DE RIZ

CAFE DE RIZ
No. 34 Lane 78, AnHe Road, Sec. 1
台北市大安區安和路一段78巷34號
(02) 2755-6587

MRT: Xinyi/Anhe

website: Cafe De Riz's FB

hours: 11:30AM- 10PM

$$$ (about NT$800-NT$1200/person)

Kid friendliness: mostly raw sashimi available, though spotted one grilled salmon consommé rice option. no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 3/5/2014

I never had a chance to try Nomura, a Taipei sushi bar that garnered fame while it was open. When it closed in March 2013 due to Chef Nomura leaving, the partners reinvented the space into Cafe de Riz. Instead of a typical sushi bar, the specialty was seafood donburis and consommés. Donburi is Japanese for rice bowl and Riz is French for rice, so Cafe de Riz is a restaurant for serious sashimi donburi lovers as the limited menu presents only a few options.

You can opt to sit at the counter for a prime spot to watch the sushi chefs, or if you have a bigger group at one of the tables. 

A glance at the menu shows three options for those wanting something hot and four for those wanting  sashimi donburis. Prices are on the higher side, especially for lunch, compared to other chirashi spots in Taipei, but then again you are getting whole pieces of nigiri sized sashimi rather than chopped up bits in a bowl. 

Cabbage served with a speck of yuzu pepper paste, to share with six people. It's pretty potent, but for six people, might need more than that.

We quizzed the waiter on the differences between the various menu options and had no idea about the sizes. I had previously spied uni on instagram at Cafe de Riz, so of course I asked which don would have it. The server said that the Fabulous Seafood Don would have uni while the Seafood Don did not. I thought if I was gonna splurge, I might as well go for it for an extra NT$300. 

At NT$1200, the Fabulous Seafood Don rivals the price of an omakase lunch at a number of sushi bars.  But instead of waiting for the chef to delicately present each piece of nigiri, you get to choose your own pace as you dig into the huge wooden bucket for sashimi treasures. 

I think those of us who ordered the Fabulous Seafood Don yelped in excitement when we saw the huge wooden bucket and how much stuff was inside.

It's a pretty massive bowl, and honestly, you could probably split this with another person. There's 2-3 pieces of most of the fish and a layer of rice underneath. 

I loved the delicate soy sauce "teapot" and the presentation of everything. 

Let's go fishing...

beautiful piece of tuna

salmon

ebi shrimp

Seafood Don (NT$900) - my friend who ordered this was happy with it. I should have taken a photo of the seafood don and fabulous seafood don side by side to show the size difference, but hers came a lot later and I already started mine.  

Salmon and Roe Don (NT$800)

Bubbles of salty fishy goodness

Salmon and Roe Consomme (NT$600) is interesting- you get a pot of hot broth to pour into your bowl to essentially make your own soupy rice. Even though the consommé sets got extra side dishes (one cold one and one hot), I didn't feel like it was as good a value as the sashimi dons. Especially if you compare the salmon ikura bowls.

Genmatcha tea comes with the set and at the end of the meal. If you want to upgrade to a different drink, then you can add the price difference.

Maru Waffle (NT$220) looked different than I expected (not waffle shaped at all), but was tasty with red bean mochi and banana flavors.

All in all, Cafe de Riz is a lovely addition to the amazing Japanese eats in Taipei. It brings fresh sashimi to a relaxed cafe environment, great for a family meal or business lunch. Second location just opened featuring more desserts.