chinese/taiwanese: i strongly recommend GOLDEN FORMOSA

GOLDEN FORMOSA 金蓬萊 

No. 101, Tianmu East Road, Shihlin District,  

台北市士林區天母東路101號

(02) 2871-1517

MRT: Zhishan

website: hipage.hinet.net/golden-formosa

hours: 11:30AM- 2PM; 5:30PM- 9PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 12/21/2011

Shihlin is home to Golden Formosa, a two story Taiwanese restaurant that serves a wide menu of homestyle dishes, with a space and taste different than the more well known, upscale Taiwanese family restaurant Shin Yeh. I've been to several Taiwanese restaurants that my local relatives chose for dinner when US relatives are visiting and Golden Formosa stands out as one of the better experiences. 

The English, Chinese and Japanese menu is quite tourist friendly, except there aren't many pictures for reference. Some dishes come in smaller vs larger sizes and the menu is huge. The specialty dishes are located convienently on one page, and then there's sir-fried dishes (heehee), traditional dishes, vegetables, seafood and more. The front of the menu even has a story about how the family owned restaurant has been passed down the generations since the 1950s.

Plate after plate came to the table until the lazy susan was full. My relatives patiently turned each dish to me first to let me have a pristine picture before digging in. Everything that I tried was tasty. Mouthful after mouthful, bowl after bowl, the tastes all blend together while catching up with family, so I'll have to let the pictures do most of the talking.

Cold steamed chicken 

Crispy fried spare ribs (NT$150/each) were popular at the table and we had to place a second of order for this and the fried cuttlefish balls.

Salt cured mullet roe with radishes

I really enjoyed the Narrow-barred Spanish Mackarel with Rice Noodles, the soup had a depth that kept me slurping. A must order.

Pork kidneys with marbled pork in sesame oil (NT$650)

Curry crab

If you're adventurous, you can try the chicken testicles with steamed egg. I personally wasn't THAT adventurous, so I kept to the bottom layer, with the creamy steamed egg.

Yeah, not the most popular dish at the table. You have to have some balls to eat this dish. LOL!

Can't have a Chinese dinner without whole steamed fish topped with scallions and bathed in soy sauce.

Can you tell the relatives can eat?! After all that food, a huge claypot of chicken soup still came to the table with a whole chicken inside. OMG, who saved room?

Even the Deep-fried Taro Root was delish, with a chewy, mochi-like center and a crispy shell, and I usually don't like taro.

Reservations recommended and bring a large group so you can try more dishes.

japanese/sushi: i recommend HI SUSHI

HI SUSHI 海壽司
No. 58 MinSheng E. Rd, Sec. 4 台北市民生東路四段58號
(02) 8712-2538

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High School

website: hisushi.com.tw

hours: 11:30AM - 9 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted, mostly sushi bar seats with limited booth seating. cooked seafood items also available.

Visit reviewed: 6/17/2012 & 8/23/2012

For the longest time, I was a bit of a sushi snob. I was surprised that a chain like Sushi Express repeatedly won the readers' vote as "Favorite Sushi" on the Best of Taipei Readers' Choice Poll and I avoided the sushi conveyor belts for years. It also didn't help that I had found some tiny sushi bars that offered amazing, fresh sashimi for affordable prices.

But one day my friend said her son loved eating at Sushi Express and invited me to join. Seeing the variety of nigiris and the plates stack up brought down the wall that I had put up. It wasn't the most amazing sushi at NT$30 for everything, but it was relatively fresh and kaiten sushi was a different, fun experience. 

Hi Sushi is another conveyor belt chain, but supposedly a step up, with slightly higher prices and fancier decor. You might have spotted it in your neighborhood or in a mall food court, and the multiple locations makes it quite convienent. This one was near my grandma's house and she had never been, so I took her there for lunch. You can sit along the sushi bar, or there are some booths available along the conveyor belt too. Some locations, like the one on Zhongxiao even has seats apart from the belt, which takes some of the fun out of it.

The individual photos make it easy to order if you can't tell what things are as they are whizzing by, and reminds me of those table top signs at American Japanese restaurants growing up. I didn't eat sashimi until I was in my 20s, but once I got used to the idea I was chewing on raw fish, it was as satisfying as eating a slab of steak. Hi Sushi wouldn't be a bad place to introduce a newbie to sushi, since everything is clearly identified and a variety of things can be sampled.

Hi Sushi's menu also has English, Chinese and Japanese for each photo, and little colorful dots next to the Chinese name. The dots match the plates of the dish and represent how much it is. If you're on a budget, you can stick to the yellow plates which are NT$40 each, or get the daily special which give you an extra piece for the first order of your party. Hi Sushi also serves tempura vegetables, grilled fish, mini hotpot and other main dishes to make a more filling meal.

There's probably over 50 variations of sushi to choose from, but here are some of my favorites that I ordered on repeat visits. I like ordering some items directly from the waiters or sushi chef, since you can never know how long some of those plates have been making the rounds. 

Tuna with Spring Onion (NT$60) and Shrimp Roe (NT$40) Since it's hard to find spicy tuna here, this is a good sub. Chopped up tuna to spice up with some wasabi. I like to order this from the sushi chef so the seaweed is crisper and fresher made to order.

Botan shrimp (NT$150) is plump and sweet and fresh. The sparkly plate means that it's going to cost you! This is the most expensive plate I've picked up, but the Hi Sushi color scheme pricing has plates as expensive as NT$250.

The Seared Salmon with Mentaiko Sauce (NT$80) has become a favorite of mine. When salmon is seared it's melts in your mouth and the extra sweetness and creaminess of the mentaiko mayo lends it a dynamite baked effect. The seared cobia and the flounder on Hi Sushi's top 10 list are not bad too.

These next pricier items I'd rather rather get at my favorite sushi bar, but if you're craving them, you can give them a try. I have to note that I had an allergic reaction after a visit to the Zhongxiao shop which might have come from some of the shellfish I had that night, either the scallops or the shrimp, since my friend also had a reaction a few days later from dining at that branch.

Seared scallop (NT$120) 

Anago (NT$100) is okay, but lacks the seared smokiness that makes it fragrant.

I definitely wouldn't order the uni (sea urchin) handroll again. It lacked the sweetness and intensity that I have had from sea urchin at other places and it's worth paying for a better bite.

I like to organize my plates by color when we're done and do some math before the waitress rolls by to tally the bill. Even though the plates are cheap individually, they add up and it ends up usually being around NT$400-500 a person. Hi Sushi is not a bad way to create your own omakase for the evening or have a quick meal when you can't get last minute reservations at your favorite hole-in-the-wall sushi bar. What's your choice? Sushi Express vs Hi Sushi vs your favorite sushi spot?

OTHER LOCATIONS

Nanjing 南京店 
No. 22, Nanjing E. Rd, Sec 3

台北市南京東路三段22號
(02) 2508-0618

ZhongXiao  忠孝店 
No. 2, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 4, 2FL 
台北市忠孝東路四段120號2樓
(02)2781-8989

Tianmu 天母店
No. 55-1 Tianmu E. Rd 

台北市天母東路55號之1
(02) 2873-3565

Neihu 內湖店
No. 244, Neihu Rd, Sec. 1 

台北市內湖路1段244號
(02)2656-0968

Taipei 101 信義一店
No. 45 ShiFu Rd, B1 

台北市市府路45號 (101購物中心B1)
(02)8101-8358

No. 298 XInyi Rd, Sec. 4 

台北市信義路四段298號
(02)2701-8378

Hankyu Mall 阪急店
No. 8, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 5, B1

台北市忠孝東路五段8號(統一阪急百貨)(02)2723-3592

ShinKong Mitsukoshi A4 新光三越A4

No. 19 Song Gao Rd, 6FL 

台北市松高路19號6樓 

(02)8788-1155

ShinKong Mitsukoshi A8 新光三越A8

No. 12 Song Gao Rd, 6FL 

台北市松高路12號B2 

No. 156 ChengDe Rd, Sec. 1, B3 

台北市承德路一段156號B3(京站時尚廣場)
(02)2555-1135

No. 7 HengYang Rd 

台北市衡陽路7號
(02)2388-1658

MOMO店
No. 337 Nanjing E. Rd, Sec. 3, B2

台北市南京東路三段337號(MOMO百貨B2)
(02)8712-5365

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.