CLOSED/western/drinks: i strongly recommend DIARY

 

DIARY 
53 Dong Feng Street
台北市東豐街53號
(02) 2706-3553
CLOSED

MRT: DaAn

website: Diary's FB page (hasn't been updated since 2013)

hours: 3:30PM - 1AM

$$ -$$$ (NT$600-1000+/per person with drinks)

Kid friendliness: maybe for an early dinner, but menu is probably suitable only for foodie kids

Visit reviewed: 4/27/2015

Once you see Diary's handwritten coaster notes for their drinks or its ink black bowl of "fried rocks," you won't likely forget it. Even though it had been years since my last visit to Diary, those images had made a distinct impression on me, which is not easy to do given the cluttered landscape of Taipei's restaurants (and I've had a lot of forgettable meals among them).

I hadn't planned on going to Diary when meeting up with a few new friends-- we had actually planned on meeting at a ramen shop, but it turned out to be closed on Mondays. Luckily, Diary had available seats for us at last minute's notice and I was curious about how Diary was since my last visit years ago. Diary has been doing bistronomy before it was a buzzword in Taipei, serving modern, creative food and drinks in a cozy, industrial space since 2009. Diary is easy to miss along Dong Feng Street since it doesn't have an obvious sign, but there's a lot worth exploring on this street (as well as the nearby Siwei Road).

The handwritten menu is more expansive and polished than I remember, with lots of tempting options for shared plates, like lobster soufflé, crab cakes or roasted spring chicken. We end up ordering a crab meat ravioli, a risotto, the fried rocks and lamb shank to share between three people.

Complimentary smoked rolls of turkey are brought to the table, with smoke dispersing when the glass cover is lifted. (Unfortunately I was too slow with the camera to get the cool part of the action before this shot)

Predictably, I order the mojito (NT$280). As indicated on the handwritten note under the glass, Diary's recipe for a mojito is Havana Club 7 year old rum, mint leaf, brown sugar and fresh lime juice. It's a more serious version of a mojito- not as cloyingly sweet as some other bars and a distinct brown color instead of clear when it's made with sparkling water and white rum.

The Crab Meat Ravioli (NT$320) was a hearty enough portion to share with bite size pieces bathed in cream sauce and black pepper. The ravioli dough is a bit gluey for me (maybe underdone a tad?), but we still clean the plate. I was pleasantly surprised with the portions of all the dishes at Diary that night as I remember the dishes being smaller on my last visit, and I dislike it when restaurants serve only four to five pieces of ravioli in an order, especially when it's not part of a set tasting menu.

Mushroom Risotto (NT$300) also delectable and fragrant with mushroom and cheese flavors.

Paired with the bright yellow saffron mayo, the Fried Rocks (NT$320) is the most striking dish at the table. I couldn't stop eating the crispy, squid ink battered, fried fish, squid and shrimp. Perfect amount of coating and crispiness and the seafood inside was still moist and sweet. Darth Vader of fritto misto. If you try one thing at Diary, you must order this signature dish.

The only other restaurant I had seen do black battered calamari in Taipei was the Spanish tapas restaurant Cocina de Jackie, who took the theme one step further and served it in a faux plant pot with a flower. 

Braised lamb shank with fennel (NT$1380) - I was getting quite full by the time the lamb shank and mashed potatoes came to the table, but it was still a happy addition to our stomaches. Some parts were fork tender, and some parts were a little bit tougher, but again, a good sized portion to share. I might try other dishes next time rather than reorder this again.

Reservations recommended for Diary, as the space and seating is limited. 

CLOSED japanese/sushi: i recommend IZUMI BY SUMI 湶

IZUMI BY SUMI 湶
No. 101 Song Ren Road, XinYi District
松仁路101號
(02) 8780-5265
(edited 8/2016: this location has been closed for a few months now since spring of 2016. may reopen elsewhere under different name according to their Facebook page)

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: Izumi by Sumi's FB page

hours: 12PM -3PM; 6PM -12AM

$$-$$$ (about NT$500-1000/per person)

Kid friendliness: room for strollers though kids probably better fit for lunch or early dinner

Visit reviewed: 3/1/2014

When Sumi Sushi closed shop last year, it was one of the few sushi bars serving American style rolls in Taipei that I liked. I had heard rumors that Chef Andy had moved back to Vancouver and I had guessed that customers found it difficult to find Sumi Sushi once it moved to a small alley near Ximending. So when I heard that Sumi Sushi had been reincarnated into a new Japanese restaurant in Xinyi District, Izumi by Sumi, I was happy and curious to give it a try.  Overall, if you liked Sumi Sushi's rolls before, you're pretty much getting the same thing, except with a higher price tag because of the swankier location (rent) and lounge bar environment. As before, you have to pick and choose certain rolls to get your money's worth if you're looking for size and value. But quite a few of you have asked me over the past few months about Sumi, so here's the address and a few photos to help you find it.

Located next to Brown Sugar in an office building a few blocks away from Taipei 101 and the surrounding shopping centers, you kind of have to know what you are looking for when you go. The signage is not easily noticeable and the windows outside blocked off with decorations, but there's a tv screen showing rotating images of sushi rolls to catch the eyes of those not familiar with Izumi.

Once inside, I admired the decor and the new lounge bar atmosphere which was very different from the mom and pop sushi bar feeling that I had become used to at the previous locations. And as I went for lunch during Izumi's soft opening, it was empty except for our group of friends and I could only imagine the vibe at night with the dimmed lights and loud music. You could imagine this being the setting for a trendy sushi restaurant in Hollywood.

Along with sushi rolls, sashimi and nigiris are available, as well as some Thai dishes and Yakitori. There are over 20 rolls to choose from and we seemed to know more about the rolls than the new waitstaff when some of my friends asked questions about the other rolls. Again it was during the soft opening, so hopefully they'll have pictures and more descriptions for the sushi rolls, especially since there are so many, there's bound to be questions about the different ingredients. I suggested that they take photos and put it on an iPad so people could browse and see photos that way.

We were a hungry bunch and anxiously awaiting the food, and with only Chef Andy making the food, it can be a long wait. When we asked, he said he will be training others to also make sushi, which will be necessary with the larger capacity. So one of the first things to come to the table and that we ordered again was the salmon (NT$400) and spicy salmon sashimi (NT$450). The salmon sashimi came in thicker cut slices while the spicy salmon were cubes of sashimi covered a sauce that was a mix of spicy and sweet.

My favorite rolls that I suggest ordering are the Crispy roll (NT$400) which is a california roll covered with scallops with mayo sauce and roe and tempura flakes for the crunch (thus the name crispy roll).

Choose this over the spicy scallop roll (NT$280) which is tiny in comparison even next to the side dishes - edamame NT$100, Niubang tempura NT$100

I also like the Sumi Sushi roll (NT$500) which is one of the bigger rolls with smoked salmon, eel and  and the whole thing is deep fried for a crispy tempura exterior. 

Spider roll (NT$400) is always one of my favorites. I felt like it needed more eel sauce that day, so we asked for some more on the side. The Spider roll and Sumi rolls are some of the bigger rolls, which are more filling than some of the bite sized rolls that are available for the same price.

Get a group of friends together to share rolls, then you can try different kinds. The presentation of most of the rolls were pretty much the same as it was at the previous Sumi Sushi. It'll be interesting to see if Izumi by Sumi make their presentation and rolls more trendy looking as time passes to match its trendy decor and vibe. 

Volcano Roll (NT$400) also with scallop, crab, cucumber, avocado so similar to Crispy Roll, but no crunch and more sauce.

Rockin Roll (NT$480) Spicy tuna, spicy salmon, cucumber

Everyone is a food blogger/instagrammer now trying to get the perfect shot. Lol.

Dragon Roll (NT$420) Unagi over california roll

Thai stir fried pork and green beans (NT$320) 

It's kind of random that there is Thai food on the menu, but a good spicy side dish to go with all the rice. Fits into the fusion menu and atmosphere of Izumi by Sumi.

Smaller vs bigger rolls 

I know it's quality over quantity when it comes to sushi, but with rolls, I can't help but to yearn for the type of huge rolls I ate with gluttony back in the states. Next time, I'm going to ask for some of my favorite roll combinations from back home-- deep fried salmon with avocado and crab with masago atop or spicy tuna piled atop crispy rice.

To be honest, before I moved to Taipei, I was pretty clueless about sushi and that's probably why I loved sushi rolls so much. Now I know the difference between a good and not so good piece of fish and where to find good chirashis and omakases in Taipei, it's hard to justify paying the same NT$400-500 amount for one roll (and need two to three rolls to be full) vs one heaping chirashi bowl with more fish inside it.

But I can't help but to crave for rolls once in awhile and Izumi by Sumi would be a good spot for a girls' night out or a group dinner, especially when the focus isn't on food but on hanging out and drinking. I only know of a handful of places that do sushi rolls well (NCIS,  A Plus, Ton 28 Sushi, Sumie at San Want, Kura Sushi) and I've had some horrible experiences when trying new places, so Izumi will be a familiar sight to fans of Sumi Sushi.

chinese/vegetarian: I recommend YANG SHIN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT

YANG SHIN VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT 養心茶樓
No. 128 Songjiang Road, 2F
松江路128號, 2F
(02) 2542-8828

MRT: SongJiang/Nanjing Station

website: http://www.ysvege.com/" target="blank"> ysvege.com

hours: Mon-Sun 11:30AM - 2:30PM, 5:30PM -9:30PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available, some room for strollers, kid friendly dishes

Visit reviewed: 2/23/2014 & 6/15/2014

My mom is a vegetarian, so I'm always on the look out for good places to take her. So when a friend suggested Yang Shin for their vegetarian dim sum, it was a great find. The entrance is slightly hidden, even though the sign is quite prominent. You enter through Nozomi bakery and then make your way to the second floor through the hallway and into the large dining hall. 

Even at an early 5:30PM dinner shift, the restaurant is completely booked and we are warned that we must finish dinner by 6:45PM for seating their next 7PM dinner reservation. So since they have to turn the tables over, food and service is fairly brisk. So be sure to make reservations early- they had no tables available for walk in customers. 

Can you imagine- this whole banquet full of families excited to be grubbing on vegetarian food?! Haha.

While we were most excited about the vegetarian dim sum, there is a huge menu of Cantonese appetizers, dishes and Chef specials to try out. So the more people you have, the more things you can try. If you love mushrooms, tofu or greens, this is the place for you.

Almost 30 dim sum dishes (NT$68-128) to choose from, while most other dishes are in the NT$300-500 range.

Some of my favorites that I recommend ordering and have ordered on repeat visits were the Cantonese barbecued vegetarian ham pastry (NT$108)- with endless flaky puff pastry layers that meld into the sweet, red sauce and "cha siu" inside.

I liked the baked cheese cabbage (NT$128), which is covered with a blanket of hot cheese hiding creamy chinese cabbage underneath, cooked until it's fork tender.

I usually order xian shui jiao whenever I spot it on a dim sum menu, so I had to try its vegetarian cousin here. The egg shaped deep fried stuffed mushroom dumpling (NT$98) tastes almost like deep fried mochi with a crispy shell and is soft and chewy in the inside, stuffed with bits of mushroom.

Fried pumpkin vegetable hand roll (NT$80 each) with crispy ribbons of crunchy fried pumpkin and julienned cucumber gives a nice crunch. They also have avocado and asparagus hand rolls.

Family favorite of Cantonese chow mein (NT$240) with lots of bok choy, bamboo, baby corn, and wood ear mushrooms. I always like to get a mix of the crispy noodles and some of the soggier parts drenched in sauce.

Deep fried spring rolls (NT$98 for 3)

Deep Fried Pastry with Shredded Turnip (NT$108 x2)

Fried sesame balls

Not the healthiest meal since we ended up ordering a lot of fried foods and dim sum, but Yang Shin's dim sum versions were close enough that you didn't miss the real thing.

I wouldn't order these next dishes again, they were a bit too out there for me-- 

Pinenut and vegetable cheese roll (NT$180 for 4) - the waitress encouraged us to order this, but I did not like it.

I can't remember if I liked the stir fried rice cake- I think there was something about the flavor that I didn't love.

The almond tofu was surprisingly too sweet- the milk it came in was almost syrupy sweet and the almond tofu itself was sweet as well, and I would have preferred to have the traditional peaches and pears in it rather than watermelon and kiwi.

Vegetarian food doesn't have to mean just salads and pasta/pizza/risotto adorned with mushrooms, which is what my mom usually ends up eating when she eats out with us. So we've happily been back to Yang Shin a few times, usually getting a huge table in the back of the restaurant.

Now those of you with gluten free restaurant questions? That's a tougher problem to solve in Taipei.