chinese/dim sum: i recommend YA GE at MO TAIPEI

YA GE 

at MANDARIN ORIENTAL TAIPEI 

No. 158, DunHua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei

(02) 2715 6788

hours: 12PM- 2:30PM; 6:30PM - 10PM

$$$

Kid friendliness: environment on quieter side; no high chairs or children spotted

Visit reviewed: 11/2021

[TAIPEI] 🥟Michelin starred dim sum at @mo_tpe . Faves include the honey bbq pork, crispy taro puffs with foie gras, and rice roll with crispy shrimp. I’ve missed eating with a table full of dim sum and Cantonese food. 

Ya Ge is now headed by chef Tommy Cheung Kwok Pong who was previously at Peninsula Hotel in HK for over 10 years with signatures such as birds nest dumpling,  garoupa with chicken and duck au jus, pork ribs with aged vinegar and pear and wok fried rice noodles with crab. 

Thank you Mandarin Oriental for the lovely lunch and hospitality. 

chinese: I strongly recommend SZECHUAN COURT

SZECHUAN COURT

at AMBASSADOR HOTEL TAIPEI

Visit reviewed: April 2021

Previously reviewed: 2007 (!!)

snapshot/chinese: it's HAIRY CRAB season! i recommend CHAO PING JI

CHAO PING JI 潮品集  

at San Want Hotel, 2 FL
No. 172, Zhong Xiao East Rd., Sec. 4 
台北市忠孝東路四段172號

(02) 2772-2121

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua or SYS Memorial Hall


Visit reviewed: 11/5/2015
Previous review: 12/2008

It's hairy crab season!! 

You would think that I would have had enough crab after feasting on Alaskan crab legs and Dungeness crab for three days in a row when I went to Alaska this past summer (yay Disney cruise), but when my friends reminded me that it was time to eat hairy crab, I couldn't say no. Although if you think about it, hairy crab is mostly for those that enjoy crab roe since its body and legs are tiny and thus yield less crab meat. San Want's Chao Ping Ji has different crabs from Shanghai, the ones we ate that day were from the infamous Yangchen Lake. We also had swimmer crabs, which had a fair amount of sweet crab roe and much more meat, and cost less. To be honest, you could skip the hype and just get swimmer crabs, or you could order and eat one of each.  

Don't forget to order some dim sum on the side. My favorites at Chao Ping Ji are the XO fried radish cake, Chiu Chow noodles (pan fried into a flat pancake and cut into slices then served with vinegar and sugar) and the stir-fried green beans with olive leaves. 

Hairy crab season is Sept - Dec, with the peak season now. It's best to reserve in advance since they get shipped in from Shanghai. 

These are swimmer crabs, as you can see from their legs. 

Half a swimmer crab compared to a hairy crab. Yum!! You can see the black fuzz on the claw of the hairy crab, aka mitten crab, named because of their unique claws. Next time I'll take some pictures of how to eat a hairy crab and use the scissors to cut the legs and squeeze the meat out. Served with black vinegar to dip in and ginger tea to offset the "cold" energy you get from eating the crabs.

Where else have you guys found hairy crab in Taipei? 

event: BRAHMS and CO. at W TAIPEI

W TAIPEI 

10 ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 5, 31 FL

Reservation line (02) 7708-8887

MRT: Taipei City Hall

$$$ (NT$2000/person)

If you've ever wanted to hear sweet nothings mummured in French with some live trumpeting and DJ'ing, then check out Brahms and Co at the W Taipei, with special set fusion menus offered at Yen. I got the chance to check it out and enjoyed the tasting, ambiance and the company. Dress up, put on the sparkly heels and feel like a part of the cool kids. 

The last night of the limited event is tonight March 17th at 8PM.

Yen appetizer combo- boxer chicken, crispy soft shell crab and otah scallop

baked snowfish, leatherwood honey soy dressing

I enjoyed the egg white "rice" which I thought was polenta or couscous, but it was a pool of tiny pebbles of creamy egg white which left me wondering, how did they make this. The fish was tender and sweet from the honey soy dressing.

I really dug the presentation of the grilled Kurobata pork  and the sweet and spicy mix of the Thai chili sauce. I wanted to sneak the sauce and the adorable mini ceramic crock pot home. I was surprised that this type of food was coming out of Yen, and I was told that the chef was originally from Singapore and I could definitely taste the subtle expertise.

grilled kurobata pork, jaew dipping sauce and glutinous rice

The slight awkwardness of the plating of the dessert made me giggle, with the non edible chocolate clef pushing all the mousses to the side, but I got over it once I tasted the bite sized Guanaja chocolate and passionfruit, white chocolate and raspberry desserts. I'm usually not a fan of mousses, but these had the firmer texture like flavored cheesecakes.

With the swanky lounge bar atmosphere and flowing bubbly, it felt a little bit like New Year's Eve instead of an ordinary weeknight in Taipei.

afternoon tea: WOOBAR at W HOTEL

WOO BAR
at W HOTEL
No. 10, Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5
(02) 7703-8887

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: wtaipei.com

hours: 3-5 PM daily for afternoon tea

$$$

Kid friendliness: fancy lounge area for posh kids

Visit reviewed: 8/16/2011

When Food je t'aime wanted to meet for afternoon tea at the W Hotel, it was the perfect opportunity for me to check it out too. Since the W Hotel had opened in February 2011, I had seen many a friends' Facebook check in there and at the Woo Bar, so I was curious. And I had been to the stylish and modern Yen, the Chinese restaurant at the W. So I expected no less from the Woo Bar.

from wtaipei.com

Full of oversized cherry red plush lounge chairs and a view of the pool, Woo Bar is definitely a prime place to people watch. The menu is presented on bright neon colored cards and I wondered if there would be a day where I would order the million dollar burger for NT$2200 with waygu beef, seared foie gras and tallegio cheese. Not today.

Instead, we oohed and aahed when the angular afternoon tea set for two (NT$1400) was brought to the table. With a black and white theme, it was definitely one of the most modern and pretty presentations for afternoon tea I'd ever seen. Not just simple tea sandwiches here- instead there were lobster cream eggs and black and white gummy bears. Kind of random, but

After sampling the various layers, I preferred the set's sweets over the savory. Our favorite surprise was were the white chocolate bon bons with pop rocks hidden in the center. I also liked the mini lemon meringue tarts and black and white sesame macarons.

But there were a few misses for me- too much cream on stale-ish toast Caviar Crisps and soft apple chips.

And I thought these were dense cupcakes, when on the website I found out later they were Valrhona Guanaja Brownies.

Eye candy for sure, but with so many options for afternoon tea to explore in Taipei, I was hoping to be wooed by more than presentation.