burger: I strongly recommend EVERYWHERE BURGER CLUB

EVERYWHERE BURGER CLUB 

No. 21號, Lane 420, Guangfu South Road, Da’an District, Taipei 

(02) 2704- 6825

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

hours: 11:30AM - 3PM; 5PM - 10:30PM 

$$ 

 Visit reviewed: July 2021

Scanning their Instagram, it looks like Everywhere Burger Club has been around for awhile since 2016. Starting out as a food truck, they took their burgers, well, everywhere, around Taipei and so the name is fitting. I had heard about them for awhile, but hadn’t had a chance to try them until our months long lockdown and ordered a few for takeout when I couldn't get my usual spot on the phone. 

Their Classic Pickles comes with a layer of relish which gives the burger a refreshing bite. (I got mine without cheese and a double patty. I was also a little confused when I was ordering on the phone without a menu and when I ordered the hamburger, they said pickles in Chinese "huang gua"). I also had my eye on the Double Smash Burger with melted cheese. I did kind of miss the crunch of lettuce on the burgers, but the burgers look more consistent in photos and photograph really well. Luckily, they did taste as good as they looked. 

They were out of French fries that day (!?) so I just tried the burgers. But they also have mashed potatoes and sweet potato fries on the menu, as well as milkshakes. Can Everywhere Burger Club become a serious contender for best burger in Taipei? Based on the response on Instagram from just one photo, looks like everyone is still looking for burgers. 

Everywhere Burger Club also has a few unusual burger flavors- along with a vegetarian bean and edamame burger, there is also an almond bacon peanut butter (Peanut butter burgers were all the rage in Taipei maybe 10 years ago and now are a consistent option here, but I wonder if the almond is almond slivers or almond butter or where does the almond come in?), grilled garlic sour cream and mushroom, spicy jalapeño salsa, guacamole club (which sounds kind of good as long as they are using Haas avocados) and fried pineapple/grilled pineapple butter. I might have to try a few of those. 

And just to note, looks like their prices are slightly more on Ubereats than if you pick up yourself. 

takeout: 8 NEW MUST EAT DESSERTS IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW

Social distancing and staying at home the past few months can take a toll on us all. With the ban on dining in restaurants in Taipei extended to August, we could all use a little pick me up. 

There's always been plenty of places in Taipei to grab dessert, shaved ice or cakes, but these are the newest and best sweets that might be harder to find in Taipei that I've been telling my friends to try. Cherry galettes, boston cream pie, confetti cake - if you're like me, these words are music to my ears. (I added one after I posted! Never too many dessert options!)

8 MUST EAT DESSERTS TO TRY IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW

1. CHERRY GALETTE by AVENUE TAIPEI

2. CONFETTI CAKE by SUGARPEA 

3. BASQUE CHEESECAKE by CAFE DE RIZ

4. BOSTON CREAM DONUTS by AVENUE TAIPEI 

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5. CINNAMON ROLL BOX by SALT AND STONE

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6. MULBERRY WAFFLE by BOTTLESS

7. MARSHMALLOW 5 SPICE BROWNIE by CHINOIS

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8. PINEAPPLE PASSIONFRUIT CANELES by SAM LIU

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hawaiian/taipei takeout: I strongly recommend KAME HOUSE

How do I have 157,930 photos on my phone? Every time I feel my phone struggle with the load of that many photos, I start deleting photos but then I wonder how do I delete photos from my phone without deleting them from the iCloud. The dilemmas of being tied to technology. 

But I know this is not why you came here. You came here to find out where to find legit poke in Taipei. Because when you search "poke in Taipei" online, an array of shops that show very not-poke-like-at-all-or-least-not-seen-ever-in-hawaii-or-LA poke bowls with toppings like corn, carrots, chicken, tomatoes, okra, and *shudder* raisins. They basically fill the need for build your own salads bowls in Taipei, but that's not what poke is.  I won't name names, but you can see for yourself and shake your head along with me. 

But this is not that. 

This is poke that reminds me of Foodlands or Alicia's Market in Honolulu- Hawaiian poke that is just marinated fresh, raw fish. 

The poke bowl (NT$400) here ahi tuna three ways- spicy mayo ahi poke with avocado, shoyu ahi poke and Hawaiian style ahi poke with macadamia nuts. A poke trifecta that's onolicious and so good over rice and side dishes (I usually pick salad or roasted veggies and fries). SO GOOD. 

Besides the poke bowl, my must orders are the garlic shrimp (NT$350), the spam musubi (which they don't usually have everyday but is on the takeout menu, 8 for NT$400) and the loco moco (NT$350). All the main dishes come with sides. Auntie's Fried Chicken is also tasty and they have teppanyaki fried rice with steak and seafood options (NT$599). The half lobster is also such a good deal!!! (NT$500). 

But if you could only pick one dish, try the poke. Hands down my FAVORITE poke bowl in Taipei. 

Kame House and its sister restaurant Kamekona are more known for their teppanyaki, but my favorites are from its a la carte menu. The reason why everything tastes as it should is because the  owners are from Hawaii so they've brought the taste of Hawaii to Taipei and making sure it stays true. (Did anyone else see how fast Eggs N Things in Taipei came and went?) They worked at teppanyaki restaurants in Hawaii and have also brought back the tricks and fiery displays that teppanyaki chefs do more often in the states than here. 

I've been a fan of Kame House since I first went over a year and half ago, though I always go for their poke (at least once a month) and have tried the teppanyaki only at Kamekona. Their shops have a cute Hawaiian vibe inside and the staff has always been so friendly and welcoming. They even sing and play ukulele when its your birthday. The owners also have donated meals to frontline workers during this last month during the pandemic. With two shops, it's been tough for teppanyaki and other restaurants to pivot and I want them to survive the pandemic, so that's why I'm sharing my secret favorite poke spot with you. Because life is too short to eat bad poke. 

KAME HOUSE 

No. 13號, Lane 32, Yixian Road, Xinyi District

台北市信義區逸仙路32巷13號

(02) 8786-9466

MRT: Taipei City Hall 

$$ 

Takeout reviewed: 5/2021

Poke bowl 

Spam musubi

Garlic shrimp

Loco Moco

Auntie's Fried Chicken

Teppanyaki Lobster

Teppanyaki Ribeye with fried rice 

Hawaiian feast at home in Taipei 

Kame House 

Kame House takeout menu during lockdown 2021

american/brunch: I strongly recommend BOTTLESS brunch

BOTTLESS 非瓶

No. 26-1, Qingcheng Street, Songshan District, Taipei 

(02) 2514-0089

MRT: Nanjing/Fuxing (Brown line) (3 minute walk)

website:  drinkbottless.com

hours: 11AM- 3PM; 5:30PM- 11PM

$$ 

Kid friendliness: many kid friendly dishes on the menu

Visit reviewed: April 2021/ December 2020

iceberg wedge salad 

Pork belly chilaquiles, iceberg wedge salads and giant cinnamon rolls- these are some of my must orders on the brunch menu at Bottless, the sister restaurant of Gen Creative. 

Opened over a year ago by the chefs at Gen Creative, Bottless offers two completely different menus for brunch or dinner, and most importantly to diners today, at sizable American portions at affordable prices. You won't find avocado toast or omelettes here- instead it's Korean American Chef Han Cho's heartier versions of American classics. 

Dinner is a completely different menu with appetizers, mains and desserts to share. I've only been to dinner here once when they first opened, I need to go back for dinner again! The name Bottless comes from their wine on tap concept and wanting customers to enjoy a glass of wine with their meal without the fuss. 

Broccoli and iceberg wedge salad

There are few salad options on the brunch menu. I'm a fan of their broccoli salad (NT$320) and like to get the tart dressing on the side. I love the toasted quinoa and pickled onions for the added crunch. The new iceberg wedge salad (NT$300) is a new favorite. I love how the dressing wasn't too heavy despite being creamy and I just just found myself going back for more. 

Pork belly chilaquiles 

The pork belly chilaquiles(NT$390) are My MUST ORDER dish here! it's like having nachos for brunch but fancier. the dragon corn is SUPER sweet and all the flavors just go together for the perfect bite. This was everyone's favorite at my recent visit which was everyone else's first visit. 

Grilled cheese and tomato soup

The grilled cheese and tomato soup (NT$350) was hard to share so not sure I got an accurate taste of this dish. I had 1/8 of the grilled cheese and dipped it in the tomato soup. But I LOVE tomato soup. I miss the version at Woollomoolooo, they stopped making it a few years ago. Sad face. 

Coconut curry chicken

And I was too full to enjoy this Coconut curry dish. (NT$420) With chicken, rice and slaw, this is a very complete dish for one person. 

Fried chicken and biscuits

Can't go wrong with fried chicken and biscuits (NT$380). The biscuits here are bit more dense and less fluffy and they are slightly sweet. 

Kaya French toast

Kaya French toast (NT$340)! The server gave us a heads up that we probably didn't need the additional syrup and he was right. The spongy French toast is new to the Bottless menu.

Other things to order- giant cinnamon roll, ice cream sandwiches 

I would also recommend ordering/saving room for their giant cinnamon roll (NT$260), but we didn't have room for it on this visit because it was my friend's birthday and there were a few birthday cakes already. But the cinnamon roll IS worth the calories. Other things I recommend trying from the brunch menu at Bottless are the ice cream sandwiches, the burger and the breakfast sandwich if it ever returns to the menu!

Advanced reservations recommended. 

 

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BOTTLESS SPRING 2021 MENU

chinese: I strongly recommend SZECHUAN COURT

SZECHUAN COURT

at AMBASSADOR HOTEL TAIPEI

Visit reviewed: April 2021

Previously reviewed: 2007 (!!)