snapshot/pizza: i still strongly recommend CHICAGO PIZZA FACTORY

Pizza isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think Taipei, but finding good pizza is pretty important to those of us who live here. Yesterday Taipei had such beautiful sunny weather that we had a picnic at DaAn park and my friend brought a couple of boxes of from Chicago Pizza Factory, which I haven't had in probably over a year (and last wrote about in 2009)  One slice of the combo pizza and it kickstarted my appreciation for their delicious pizza- the pliable chewy yet crispy crust, the plentiful toppings and the proportion of sauce to cheese to toppings to crust. Note to Chicago Pizza Factory fans, they are moving to a new location in March of this year-- hope they will let us know where.

Then I ended up making a collage of all the pizzas I instagrammed and ate and made a new tag (#taipeipizza)...

And I know I have lots more places I've yet to try. Where is your favorite pizza in Taipei? Check out all my past pizza reviews here!

PS. OMG! It's 2015! SO weird. I just looked at the date on blogger and thought it was wrong for a brief moment when it said 1/5/15.

snapshot/exploreTaipei: FAB CAFE at HUASHAN 1914 CULTURAL CREATIVE PARK

FAB CAFE
at HUASHAN 1914 CREATIVE PARK 
華山1914文創園區中三館
 No. 1 Bade Rd, Sec. 1
台北市八德路一段1號
(02)3322-4749

MRT: Shandao Temple or Zhongxiao/Xinsheng

Hours: Sun – Thu: 11AM – 10PM; Fri – Sat: 11AM – 12midnight

$$

website: fabcafe.com/taipei 

kid friendliness: probably more suited for older kids

visit reviewed: 12/28/2014

There's always something to explore at Huashan 1914 and today was the first time I wandered into Fab Cafe. Besides the cafe itself, which was full of diners, there's a space next to it that displayed Art Project 365 by different artists.

Fab Cafe originated in Japan as a creative cafe space, not only equipped with new technologies such as 3D printers and laser cutters for people to use, but also as gathering spot for events, workshops and Fab meetups. With other branches in Tokyo, Barcelona, Bangkok and Sitges, it's such a cool concept that I'm sure will make its way to the states someday. Taipei actually has a lot of creativity sprouting up in places like Huashan 1914 and central places like these will foster even more opportunities for people to be inspired. 

 

This was one of my favorite art pieces- a giant circular board covered in individual drawings cut out and fit together like a puzzle. Could be a fun thing to do at home... cover a wall with a drawing a day.

This was rotating images on a transparent glass... pretty mesmerizing to watch. Maybe one day there will be photo frames like this for homes.

Next post will be more about Huashan 1914 in general and some of the exhibits going on right now! Just thought Fab Cafe was so cool, it should have its own post. So if you've been itching to make your own fantastic 3D printed creations but don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on a machine, you know now where to go.

Other posts about Huashan 1914
VVG Thinking 

snapshot: new things spotted at Costco, November 2014

Things spotted on my recent Costco run- skillet bake it yourself cookies (tempting!), sun dried tomatoes, bacon mac and cheese, bulk fortune cookies (LOL! can you imagine a restaurant in Taipei serving these?), Snyders Honey Mustard pretzel, soft baked chocolate cookies, bottled frappucinos, and Christmas in full swing- trees, wrapping paper, decorations, candy and gifts. 

snapshot/bakery: i recommend FLORIDA BAKERY's HALLOWEEN COOKIES

Halloween is around the corner! Get your tricks and your treats ready. If you haven't binged on the Reese's Peanut Butter cups at Costco yet, you can get these cute and spooky cookies from Florida Bakery, or Halloween cupcakes from The Cupcake Shop or Les Bebes Cupcakery.

I haven't written about the Cupcake Shop yet, but have enjoyed their baked-to-order cupcakes immensely. Their playful and colorful designs are so creative and the Halloween Olaf is too funny! 

Krispy Kreme Halloween doughnuts 

snapshot/bakery: i strongly recommend the BISCUITS and WAFFLES from FLORIDA BAKERY

FLORIDA BAKERY  福利麵包公司
No. 26, Ren Ai Rd, Sec. 4
(02) 2702-1175

MRT: ZhongXiao/FuXing or ZhongXiao/DunHua

website: bread.com.tw Chinese and some English and Facebook page

hours: 6AM - 11PM

$-$$

kid friendliness: lots of fun cookies and snacks


I found biscuits in Taipei, totally by accident! They are perfect with some honey butter, jam or lemon curd, which I brought back from the states (but you can find at Smith & Hsu or Jason's at 101).

I actually went to Florida Bakery for their belgian waffle, which is yeasted, so it's crispy and airy at the same time, unlike the dense hockey pucks you'll find around town. I had to wait about 20 minutes when I went after 9AM for the waffle iron to be hot enough for them to make it, since people in Taipei don't eat waffles for breakfast, they eat it as a dessert.

So after I had wandered around Florida Bakery a few times and eaten a tuna salad sandwich  (a tad sweet with pickles and corn in the tuna salad and way too many slices of bread for me, but good for a quick bite) for breakfast in their little sitting area in the front, I paid for my goodies and magically a plate of biscuits were placed on the counter.

A golden pyramid of BISCUITS stacked upon each other!!! I immediately grabbed a few and rushed home to try them. They were buttery, flaky, warm and dangerous. Not as light as the freshly baked scones from Smith & Hsu, but a lot cheaper. LOL.

Florida Bakery also has the sweeter breads and cakes you'd find local bakeries, as well as little jars of salsa, garlic butter, corn & flour tortillas and super cute iced cookies.

snapshot/japanese: i still recommend COLD UDON at FU YU WU

FU WU YU SANUKI UDON

富玉屋 讚歧烏龍麵 

No. 14, Lane 83, DaAn Rd, Sec. 1 

大安區大安路一段83巷14號 

(02)2778-5255

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua

$$ Cash only  (about NT$300+ per person)

Snapshot review: 4/3/2014

Previous review: 10/2012

After my first few visits to Fu Wu Yu Sanuki Udon, I ended up falling in love with a cold tomato udon that was their specialty there. It was a unique and refreshing bowl. Unfortunately it's gone missing from their menu for the past year or so, on my past few visits (maybe the original chef is gone, or maybe it's only available during the summer?).

So instead I've ended up getting another cold udon on their menu, the Tempura cold udon (NT$340) which comes with julienned cucumber, seaweed, bonito flakes, a soft boiled egg, crunchy tempura bits, dashi broth and two tempura fried shrimp and fishcake. The hot shrimps and fishcake make it more filling than the usual salad cold noodles, 

And though this is no longer part of a set (no appetizer, no dessert), you can add refills of the QQ udon noodles for free!