american: SUBWAY

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!! Just doing some quick catchups on old visits.. but hey, it's new to you! :) Be sure to scroll down and make sure you haven't missed anything because I've been making up for lost time. Best of everything in 2008 and hopefully you're having a good few days off with friends and loved ones and getting some extra ZZZs in this gray and rainy weather.



SUBWAY SANDWICHES
No. 28, SongDe Rd, Taipei
(02) 8780-8380

and various locations listed below

website: new.fresh-fit.com

$

Kid friendliness: sandwiches, chips and even cookies on the menu. don't recall seeing high chairs at locations.

Visit reviewed: 12/3/2007

Ahh.. good old Subway. It's quick. It's easy. It's familiar.

Sometimes you feel like a sandwich and a bag of chips, then you'd head here. Most sandwiches are the same as you'd find in the states, though I find that the Meatball sandwich's (NT$85/6 inch or NT$145/12 inch) meatballs here seem smaller and taste a bit more artificial or "meat-like" rather than ground beef than I'd prefer. So if I don't get the meatball, I usually get the Tuna.

If you've never eaten at a Subway, you basically choose the sandwich (various coldcuts to steak), the bread, the vegetable toppings (lettuce, tomato, olives, bell pepper, onions, jalepeno peppers, pickles, cucumbers), cheese and dressing (olive oil, vinegar, salt/pepper, mayo, mustard), and watch as they assemble your sandwich. In the states, I usually pick Quizno's over Subway for their hot sandwiches, but for American style cold cut or tuna sandwiches here in Taipei, you have Subway or Au Bon Pain to choose from.

I think some of the Subways deliver too. With menus in English and Chinese and lots of pictures, it's pretty easy to navigate.


OTHER LOCATIONS:

漢口店 HanKou Branch
02-2314-5725 02-2314-5798
台北市漢口街1段57號
57, HanKou St. Sec 1, Taipei

新光三越 Shinkong Mitsukoshi Branch
02-8780-1661
信義新天地A8館 台北市松高路12號B2美食街
12, SongGao Rd, Taipei (B2 Food Court)

光復店 GuangFu Branch
02-2723-7781 02-2723-7703
台北市光復南路435號1F
435, FuXing S Rd, Taipei

南京店 NanJing Branch
02-2545-7721 02-2545-7591
台北市南京東路4段99號1樓
99, NanJing E Rd, Sec 4, Taipei

內湖大潤發店 NeiHu RT Mart Branch
02-2792-2856 02-2792-8870
台北市舊宗路1段188號1樓
188, JiuZhong Rd, Sec 1, Taipei

陽明山店 YangMingShan Branch
02-2861-7999 02-2861-9154
台北市陽明山格致路14號1F

南京建國店 NanJing/JianGuo Branch
02-2517-0439 02-2506-7029
台北市南京東路二段216號
216, NanJing E Rd, Sec 2, Taipei

師大店 ShiDa Branch
02-2322-1767 02-2322-1768
台北市金山南路2段230號
230, JinShan Rd, Sec 2, Taipei

新生店 XinSheng Branch
02-2395-5686 02-2396-8477
台北市新生南路一段106-1號
106-1, XinSheng S Rd, Sec 1, Taipei

中和建一店 ZhongHe/JianYi Branch
02-8226-5819 02-8226-5813
台北縣中和市建一路168號F棟
168, JianYi Rd, Floor F, ZhongHe City

木柵店 MuZha
02-2234-6802 02-2234-6823
台北市文山區萬壽路27號
27, WanShou Rd, Taipei

101 MALL
02-8101-8195
台北市市府路45號B1-10
45, ShiFu Rd, B1-10, Taipei

復興店 FuXing Branch
02-2518-3062 02-2518-3215
台北市復興北路270號
270, FuXing N Rd, Taipei

環亞店 Asia World Branch
02-8101-8195
台北市南京東路3段337號地下2樓
337, NanJing E Rd, Sec 3, B2, Taipei

台大店 NTU Branch
02-3365-2629 02-3365-2630
台北市羅斯福路4段85號1樓
85, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 4, Taipei

中山店 ZhongShan Branch
02-25375276 02-2568-3613
台北市中山北路2段101號
101, ZhongShan N Rd, Sec 2, Taipei

龍安店 LongAn Branch
02-2368-0007 02-2368-2006
台北市新生南路3段8號1F
8, XinSheng S Rd, Sec 3, Taipei

文大店 PCCU Branch
02-2862-2161 02-2862-2161
台北市華岡路55號
55, HuaGang Rd, Taipei

大直店 DaZhi Branch
02-2533-5255 02-2533-5277
台北市大直街61號
61, DaZhi St, Taipei

京華城店 Living Mall Branch
02-8761-6630 02-8761-6823
台北市八德路4段138號B1
138, BaDe Rd, Sec 4, B1, Taipei

世貿店 World Trade Center Branch
02-2345-3009 02-2345-3169
台北市信義路5段2號B1
2, XinYi Rd, Sec 5, B1, Taipei

敦南店 DunHua South Branch
02-2709-2008 02-2709-2009
台北市敦化南路2段150號
150, DunHua S Rd, Sec 2, Taipei

士林店 ShiLin Branch
02-2834-0028 02-2838-4139
台北市士林區中正路120-2號
120-2, ZhongZheng Rd, Taipei

台電店 Taipower Branch
02-3365-3359 02-3365-1751
台北市羅斯福路3段241號1F
241, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 3, Taipei

中崙大潤發店 Zhong Lun RT Mart
02-8772-6072 02-8772-6072
台北市八德路2段306號B1美食街
306, BaDe Rd, Sec 2, Taipei (B1 Food Court)

東門店 DongMen Branch
02-2327-8688 02-2394-7909
台北市大安區金山南路二段11號
11, JinShan Rd, Sec 2, Taipei

瑞光店 RuiGuang Branch
02-2657-9298 02-2657-9923
台北市內湖區瑞光路277號1F
227, RuiGuang Rd, NeiHu, Taipei

敦化市民店 DunHua/ShiMing Branch
02-2578-7813 02-2578-8173
台北市敦化南路一段63號1F
63, DunHua S Rd, Sec 1, Taipei

三民店 SanMin Branch
02-2769-5839 02-2764-6622
台北市三民路152號
152, SanMin Rd, Taipei

慶城店 QingCheng Branch
02-2546-4467 02-2546-4821
台北市慶城街12樓1樓(台北商旅)
12, QingCheng St (Les Suites), Taipei

italian: i don't recommend VINO VINO CAFE

VINO VINO CAFE
2, Lane 80, ShiDa Rd.
(02) 2362-1167

$$

Visit reviewed: 12-12-2006

I had been hearing so much about Bongos... but after a winding taxi ride around the lanes and alleys near Shi Da, we simply could not find it. The telephone number we had was not being answered. The address we had seemed to lead to a dead end. So hungry and lost, we directed the taxi to take us out to the nearest main street and spotted a charming looking Spanish looking cafe with people lingering on the patio with a little park in front of it, and that is how we ended up at Vino Vino Cafe.



However, maybe we should have tried harder to find Bongos? Despite the appetizing sounding choices of pasta and main dishes on their English and Chinese menu, we ended up with some not so savory plates (NT$960 for 3 set menu lunches). Well, at least my friend did- her penne pasta was so salty it was inedible.



My risotto was not bad with bits of mushroom and chicken mixed into the creamy, soft rice, but the other parts of my set menu were nothing to brag about and I felt bad that my friend didn't enjoy her food.



A very plain lettuce salad and a watery soup under a not flaky puff pastry. I think the most places I have seen so many puff pastry soups is only in Taipei- it's not a phenomenon that I've seen as much elsewhere. But it doesn't mean that it tastes as good as it looks.



And then a sad watered down gelatin dessert- the pale lemon yellow looked slightly like "ai-yu" or yellow jello, but tasted like someone had forgotten to add the flavor packet.



Watered down seemed to be the theme- the watered down soup, the watered down dessert, the watered down ice tea, the watered down service.

With so many great little Italian spots in Taipei to discover and eat at, this was a big disappointment- so don't be lured in by the good looking facade unless you just want to hang out on the patio.