CLOSED! cajun/western: FIREBITE

FIREBITE

No. 15, Lane 86, XinSheng S. Rd, Sec. 3

台北市大安區新生南路三段86巷15號

(02) 2362-2468

(CLOSED a/o 2014)

MRT: Gongguan

website: FireBite's FB page

hours: 12PM - 12 AM

$$

Kid friendliness: non spicy seafood and appetizers available

Visit reviewed: 3/18/2013

Cajun in Taipei? I always thought it was a concept that would be a hit in Taiwan, the land of seafood and spicy loving eaters, as long as the flavors and concept were right. I spotted and heard about a few restaurants that came and went before I got a chance to try them (Spicy Alley and  The Boiling Seafood in Urban 1 Mall), so when I heard about Fire-Bite from thethousandthgirl Stephanie (thanks Steph!), I was sure to be quick about it.

Like quite a few Western restaurants in Taipei, Fire-Bite expands its menu beyond what's unfamiliar to the Taipei locals in order to attract more business, so instead of just Cajun food, there's also Tex Mex appetizers like quesadillas, nachos, sliders and honey wings. I'm here for the main attraction, the "fire seafood" or your choice of shrimp, mussels, clams or all three tossed up in your level of fire spiciness. You can also add corn, sausages, or potatoes to the mix. 

Along the walls are amusing photos of various customers (friends?) that look like they have tried something extremely spicy. 

Quesadillas (NT$160) with some salsa. We actually ordered the chicken quesadillas, but got plain cheese. We were hungry so didn't bother sending it back.

Now those of you who are Boiling Crab fans in LA will make the obvious comparisons as will I, as I heard about the popular chain for the past year and finally gave it a try a few months ago. Because the memory is relatively fresh, I will end up comparing this experience and taste to Boiling Crab.

Not too long after we order, our bucket of combo seafood in mild spiciness (NT$900) comes in a plastic bag to dump into the bowl and a big roll of paper napkins to use.  The cajun spices coat the seafood, but there isn't any extra liquid to dip in (unlike Boiling Crab). The mild flavor is quite spicy, with strong chili and paprika notes, but I miss the stronger lemon pepper and garlic butter mix that evened out the spiciness at Boiling Crab. For me, I think that would make it more finger licking and saucy. It would have been nice to have some fresh lemons or limes too.

I liked the shrimp the best, though the sauce doesn't really permeate the shell, so a pool of extra liquid for them to sit in or to use to dip the shrimp in would have been nice. The clams are smaller than I expected and the mussels are a bit tough. If I ordered this again, I'd order only shrimp. For lunch, they have NT$199 plate specials that feature fire shrimp with rice or pasta that is quite affordable.

Bring your own wetnaps. 

Of course it's important to note that with seafood places, turnover is important. If there isn't a lot of turnover, then you don't know how fresh the seafood is as it is definitely an expensive inventory.

Otherwise, you could go with the sliders - my friend's Lucky 4 sliders (NT$280 ) came with bacon and cheese, salsa and cheese, jalapeno and cheese and fire sauce and cheese and cajun fries, which were quite addicting. 

The honey wings were also good and provided a sweetness to soften some of the heat. 

I wasn't crazy about the nachos (NT$200) as there wasn't enough cheese and the chips were a bit stale but made better by being toasted, but the guys at the table finished them.

It's worth a try if you love seafood and spiciness, or you're looking for something different to try. It probably won't satiate picky Boiling Crab fans, but you gotta admit that it's pretty cool that there's something even close in Taipei. And afterwards, you can cool off with some shaved ice at Tai Yi Milk King that's right down the street.

CLOSED! hotpot/taiwanese: ASIA-MILAN HOTPOT

ASIA-MILAN HOTPOT 東方米蘭精緻鍋物

No. 2, Xinsheng S. Rd, Sec. 3 大安區新生南路三段2號

(02) 2365-7777 ‎

CLOSED!

MRT: Taipower Building

website: Asia Milan's FB page

$$ (about NT$300/person)

hours: 11AM- 12midnight

kid friendliness: roomy atmosphere

visit reviewed: 4/6/2012

Sometimes you pass by a place so many times, crowded with diners and make a mental note to try it sometime. After the Cranberries concert in Taipei at NTU Sports Center (yes! the Cranberries from the 90s of Linger and Zombie!), we wanted to find somewhere in walking distance to eat that was open at 10pm and ended up at Asia-Milano, a two story hotpot restaurant on the corner of Xinsheng and Heping, near Daan Park. All of us had always passed by, but none of us had ever eaten there before.

Asia-Milan Hotpot offers up hotpot sets with various types of soup base, including spicy mala, sour cabbage, coconut curry and Chinese herbal soup. In the back, there's an array of sauces to mix up to your liking, thankfully all labeled in both English and Chinese. I ended up with just sesame sauce and some scallions.

With the set, each person gets a small appetizer, choice of starch (udon, vermicelli or rice), choice of meat (pork belly, lamb, sirloin or duck), vegetables, dessert, drink and choice of soup base (NT$288-388). There are also seafood sets available (NT$888), as well as ala carte add ons. I chose the Japanese shabu shabu broth, the lightest (and blandest) of the bunch and udon, which came in a frozen puck. Different people can choose different soup bases and share with the dual sided hotpot. The appetizer seemed like a dried out ham wrapped around something- skipped it.

The veggies are fresh and the pork slices were plentiful as well as came with a small bamboo spoonful of fishcake to self scoop in, so I could see how Asia Milano could be popular with Taida students or families. With so many hotpot options in town, I wouldn't venture out of my neighborhood to come here, but it might be a roomy late night option for those looking for a last minute dinner spot....

Unless you're a fan of this soap opera, which I found a screenshot posted on Asia Milan's Facebook page, which shot a scene at the restaurant. I don't watch Asian soap operas so I have no clue, but maybe some readers out there are fans?

CLOSED/revisited/bakery: I still strongly recommend WE LOVE COOKIES

WE LOVE COOKIES
No. 17, Lane 283, Luo Si Fu (Roosevelt) Road, Sec. 3
(02) 2369-5555
CLOSED

MRT: Gongguan & Taipower Bldg

website: We Love Cookies Facebook page

hours: 5 PM - 10 PM; Closed Mondays

$

Kid friendliness: buy extras for yourself because the kids will eat them all

Visit reviewed: 11/20/2011
Previous Visit reviewed: 8/17/2011

Finally caught We Love Cookies during their open hours again and spotted a new refrigerated display case for cupcakes and lots more options.

The first thing I had to try? Red Velvet whoopie pies!!

Cupcakes and mini cheesecakes are NT$50, whoopie pies NT$25, cookies are still 5 for NT$100. Flavors of the day were carrot cake, mint chocolate chip, passion fruit, Bailey's and banana cupcake with chocolate frosting. Cookies are not usually available until after 5pm, but will be warm and fresh from the oven.

The Bailey's cupcake had Bailey's irish creme liqueur in the frosting, as well as coconuts and pecans. The cupcake was moist with a few chocolate chips inside.

The cookies are still chewy and delicious even a day or two after buying them- my favorites are still the chocolate brownie dusted with powdered sugar and the cornflake cookie with dried cranberries.

Oh and the red velvet whoopie pies were good! Moist with cream cheese frosting in between the cake cookie layers, it was the right amount of sweetness and tasted like it could come out of any trendy bakery in LA.

Still no official sign for the storefront as We Love Cookies shop is a still a "work in progress", but look for it in between the Sababa or the instant ramen shop, a few alleys behind Tai Yi Milk King, across from Taida. Perfect for picking up some desserts for the next holiday potluck.

Snapshot/dessert: i strongly recommend ice cream & saltines sandwich from TAIDA CAMPUS

I've seen ice cream sandwiches made from all sorts of cookies, but this is first time I've seen it with giant saltines!




It kind of works, especially for those who like the sweet and salty combo that's popular these days, for only NT$15. I love that the saltine is crispy, not soft and the ice cream is milky, not artificial tasting. My aunt brought some to us from the Taida campus store, where there are also frozen treats like red bean and peanut popsicles or bing bang. I'll have to try it next time I have some saltines and ice cream at home.

CLOSED/bakery: i strongly recommend BREAD SOCIETIE

CLOSED! a/o March 2015 as well as the one on RenAi

BREAD SOCIETE
No. 267, XinYi Rd, Sec. 4
(02)2701-1598

website: thebread.com.tw

hours: 7AM-10PM

$

Kid friendliness: great options that aren't too sweet

Visit reviewed: 2/16/2011



With so much competition in town, a bakery has to be pretty good for me to keep going back. So after passing by Bread Societe and its unique logo for months, I finally stopped in one afternoon. When I found myself stopping by Bread Societe again and again, I knew that I had to try different things in the store to see if it could become a new favorite.

If you pick up one loaf, the one that had me addicted was the walnut bread (NT$38) which is dusted with sugar on top to give nuttiness an extra layer of sweetness. The bread is soft and usually devoured by the time I get home. There's also quite a few healthier loaves that aren't as sweet, including cranberry walnut bread and multigrain wheat bread.



I also love that most of their items feature English as well as Chinese signage so I'm not guessing like I often am in most bakeries around town. The shop is also very clean and modern.



I also like their soft garlic cheese bread (NT$36) and pineapple bun.




And how could I not pick up one of these adorable panda breads (NT$35)? I've seen a lot of cute bread, but this one rivals Mr. Donut bear donut cuteness. I just noticed that the sign says that the it is a raccoon, but I think it looks more like a panda. LOL.



The bun is heavier than expected with a firm exterior for the crust.



There's also pudding breads, loaves of sliced bread made with soy milk, cookies and cakes. I even spotted Boston Creme pie and three types of cheesecake by the slice. (Try the lemon cheesecake for creamy, thick cheesecake with a citrusy topping).



There's also coffee, teas and soup (priced somewhere between Starbucks and 85 degrees) and mellow interior seating in some shops for those looking to afternoon tea or grab an early breakfast.

OTHER LOCATIONS

SYS Memorial location
No. 449, RenAi Rd, Sec. 4
(02)2751-8185

No. 511, ZhongHe Rd, Yonghe
(02)2922-0132

Taida shop
No. 331, Roosevelt Rd, Sec. 3
(02)2368-0080

No. 92, MinQuan W. Rd
(02)2552-9940

No. 36, DeXing W. Rd
(02)2832-2132

Tianmu shop
No. 20, Lane 38, TianYu St.
(02)2872-9517

No.121, MinSheng E. Rd, Sec. 5
(02)2760-9877

No. 85, BaDe Rd, Sec. 3
(02)2570-8008

Shida shop
No. 45-2, Shida Rd

XinDian shop
No. 217, Xinzhuang Rd.
(02)2911-6718

No. 763-5 Xinfu Rd.
(02)8991-1396

Neihu shop
No. 2, ChengGong Rd, Sec. 2
(02)2790-8166

pizza: i strongly recommend MARYJANE PIZZA

MARYJANE PIZZA
No. 25, Lane 44, TaiShun St.
(02) 2368-5222

MRT: Guting or Taipower Bldg

website: maryjanepizza.com English and Chinese

hours: Mon-Fri 12-2 pm, 5:30-9:30 pm
Sat & Sun 12-3:30 pm, 5:30-10:30 pm

Delivery available: minimum NT$500 order to only ShiDa, GuTing, TaiDa, GongGuan districts

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted, but lots of room for families

Visit reviewed: 5/11/2010



I had heard about Maryjane's Pizza for a long time and I don't know why it took me such a long time to try it, but I'm glad I finally did. With locations at both Shida and Taida, it's a cozy neighborhood pizza joint offering a huge menu of pizzas with fresh ingredients for great prices.





Just from the menu, you can tell that Maryjane has a lot of personality- the cute menu is shaped and designed like a pizza, the pizzas have quirky names and descriptions (there's mention of David Hasselhoff and George Bush? LOL) and the more unusual toppings include broccoli, bacon, ricotta cheese, carmelized onions, artichokes, blue cheese, squid or smoked salmon. There's even a dessert pizza with apple, cinnamon and mozzarella called "Eve's Temptation."

Nothing on the menu is over NT$300 and there is no service charge, but there is a minimum NT$150 charge per person.



If you get overwhelmed from all the choices in the menu (there are no substitutions or additions to their specialty pizzas), you can opt for something off their lunch special, which includes a soup or salad and drink (NT$160-200). Besides the typical cheese and pepperoni, there's Crispy Bacon with Sunnyside Egg or Amigo Rocks (jalapeno, red onions, tomatoes and genonese sauce). Or you can build your own pizza.



It's really hard to decide, but I end up choosing the Pesto Chicken (NT$250) with baked chicken breast, feta cheese, tomatoes and pesto. My friend is feeling the Hola Jalapeno (NT$200) with pepperoni and jalapenos. The pizzas don't take too long to come out, or maybe we are too busy talking and sipping on our ice tea.



The pizzas all come as 10 inch pies, which is a hearty portion for one. When the pizzas arrive, you can smell the bubbly cheese and all the aromatic ingredients. The pizzas are thin crust and on the drier side, but still have some bite to them. Though I expected the tomatoes on my pesto chicken pizza to be larger sliced tomatoes and under the cheese, I don't mind the fresh half slices of grape tomatoes. The flavors of the pizza meld together nicely and before I know it, I've finished half the pizza.



Maryjane Pizza makes for a good quick lunch spot or a place to kick back with some buddies with beers and pizza on the weekend. With a larger group, you could order different pizzas to share and try more flavors.



There's no lingering after lunch though, as they promptly turned off the lights and ushered everyone out when they were closing for their afternoon break. But otherwise, the service is prompt and friendly and our complimentary ice tea was frequently refilled without asking.


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OTHER LOCATION

Taida
No.89, WenZhou St.
(02) 2369-5333


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pizza/vegetarian: i recommend SO FREE PIZZA

SO FREE WOOD FIRED PIZZA AND CHEESE
No. 28, Lane 283, Roosevelt Rd., Sec. 3
(02) 2364-3351

MRT: Gongguan or Taipower Bldg

website: SoFreePizza's blog

hours: 11:30 AM - 9 PM

$

Kid friendliness: not a lot of seating, but adjacent to a park with a few benches

Visit reviewed: 5/16/2009



The first time I passed by So Free, I wondered what all the people were doing standing around the rustic looking cabin. When I realized it was a pizza place, I had to give it a try.

The menu at So Free Woodfired Pizza and Cheese is short, but sweet. Eight 8 inch pizzas cooked to order in a wood fired oven.

And you can't beat the price at NT$120 for an 8 inch pizza with fresh ingredients, especially in comparison to the fancier options in town- Fifteen Pizzeria and Primo Trattoria pizzas run in the NT$300 range for the same size.

The tradeoff for the lower price is limited seating and the limited selections of pizzas, especially if you're craving some pepperoni. All the pizzas are vegetarian.



But So Free still keeps it interesting. I'm not sure if I'd try the Korean kimchi and Ginger Superman, but the pesto mushroom and rosemary potato sounded appetizing. You can also appeal to your sweet tooth with a dessert pizza topped with apple cinnamon or banana apple.

I tried the Mushroom Asapargus pizza which came fairly loaded with fresh ingredients- chopped asparagus and mushroom with lots of cheese and sauce. The crust is thick enough to hold all the toppings, but pliable enough to fold a slice in half for a bite for your mouth.

The seating at the Gongguan eatery is extremely limited, so you can opt to wait awhile for a barstool seat, or do what we did which was order it to-go (which is still a good 10-15 minute wait when they are busy) and eat it at the adjacent park. It's also close to Tai Yi Milk King, so you can get some shaved ice afterwards if the weather is warm.

I know I still have quite a few pizza places in town to try- some readers have recommended Mary Jane's Pizza and Le Rouge- but I'm slowly working my way through them all! Any others to add to my to-do list? And has anyone tried the dessert pizzas here?


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