breakfast/western: i strongly recommend ANTIPODEAN

THE ANTIPODEAN
No. 4, Lane 26, Gangqian Rd, Neihu District, Taipei City, 114
(02) 8751-0027

MRT: Gangqian

hours: 9AM - 6PM

price: $$

visits reviewed: 9/19/2016, 12/15/2016

My must orders: acai bowl, avocado breakfast plate, raspberry tart

Down a typical residential Taipei alley in Neihu is a small bright blue sign with a kangaroo logo. Turn left and when you're greeted by an even bigger pop of color with cerulean blue benches and a huge sign you'll have discovered Antipodean. It's a great place to grab a quiet breakfast since it opens at 9AM, or a group of friends for lunch to share salmon avocado toast, big breakfast plates and my favorite acai bowl (of the moment) in Taipei.  Dare I say an avocado toast and acai bowl wave has been rolling through Taipei the past year? Add this cute cafe in Neihu to the list, @theantipodean does it quite well.

The brunch menu is short and sweet, but avocado lovers will be happy to find that you can either have it mashed on toast (with smoked salmon and arugula), sliced on a breakfast plate (with baked beans, eggs, hash browns, mushrooms and a baked half tomato), or baked with spicy chorizo. 

Someone asked me the other day to recommend good coffee shops #☕️ to be able to work in, with free wifi and an outlet for a laptop. I recommended a few, including @theantipodean. Do you guys have any favorite coffeeshop offices? 

Water, cups and utensils are self serve. 

Lots of pretty corners to choose from for those with the patience to pose for selfies or pose their food. 

Having been to the Antipodean several times, my go to order now is the Avocado big breakfast (NT$320) since it has a little bit of everything, and you can DIY your avocado toast with the slices of sourdough they give you. The scrambled eggs are fluffy and creamy, baked bean slightly sweet, roasted mushrooms and tomato to feel healthy.

If you're looking for meat in your morning, then the Antipodean Big Breakfast (NT$320) swaps out avocado for bacon and sausage.

I'll always remember the Antipodean as the first place I ever tried an acai bowl (only a few months ago. I know totally behind the times), and though I've only tried a couple afterwards, I still like Antipodean's the best. The consistency and iciness of the acai smoothie is just right and their house made granola gives a nice sweet crunchiness. Even though I had a little bit of sticker shock the first time as their bowl is NT$380, the size is larger than the other places I've had it and they do not skimp on the fruit. Deflect the cost by sharing with friends. 

Loved the thin slivers of almonds, the caramelized granola and the fat slices of bananas, strawberries and blackberries (Yay!! Loveeee blackberries). Can you believe this was my first acai bowl EVER? Underneath the layer of crunch and fruit are creamy, icy spoonfuls of acai berry smoothie. 

I think I was always a bit intimidated by not knowing what it would taste like (and how do you pronounce acai anyway?!) but if you like yogurt bowls, you should enjoy this. 

Avocado toast hiding under the smoked salmon. I do love it with the arugula. (NT$320 for 2)

Founded in April 2016, the name of the Antipodean is a nod to its founder's Australian roots, and calls itself a third wave Australian inspired coffee shop. It does remind me a bit of Woollooomoolo in the early days with their breakfast plates before they raised prices and made portions smaller, and made certain menu items exclusive to weekends. The owner is quite friendly and you might catch him behind the counter to strike up a conversation. I've been wanting to keep Antipodean to myself since their space is limited, but I've already seen a flurry of instagram posts with their bright blue table and carefully placed dishes since I first posted it, so I might as well post my write up for my friends who have been asking me "what's good there?" 

vegan/salads: i strongly recommend OOH CHA CHA

OOH CHA CHA 自然食

No. 207, Nanchang Road, Sec. 2

Zhongzheng District, Taipei 

(02) 2367-7133

MRT: Guting

website: oohchacha.com

hours: 10AM - 9PM

$$ (about NT$300/person+)

kid friendliness: depends on how healthy your kids are. saigon bowl with tofu and potato wedges might be a good place to start. 

visits reviewed: 6/19/2017 & 5/12/2016

must orders: Saigon Bowl, Wild Mushroom Bowl, vegan Bacon Cheeseburger, garlic kimchi

IT'S BEEN AWHILE SINCE I've been to Ooh Cha Cha, a vegan cafe in the alleys near Guting MRT stop. But I've just come back from Seoul, where I've eaten a week's worth of bbq meats, kimchi, crab, octopus, and my body is calling out for some veggies. Even at 1PM, Ooh Cha Cha is busy with diners multitasking on their laptops and I've managed to grab the last table before I have a chance to glance at the menu and order at the counter. 

Opened four years ago, Ooh Cha Cha offers vegan bowls, salads, toasts, burgers and desserts. Last year I dipped my toes into the vegan scene in Taipei and was amazed with the range of restaurants I found once I fell into the rabbithole.  It's always exciting to discover more choices and options for food. Even better when you can eat clean and healthy. 

In the sunlit cafe, tables seat about 10 people and there's a small corner where solo diners can grab a seat along the wall when there's no tables left. Ooh Cha Cha also can pack orders to go and I've spotted it on Ubereats, so that's also an option. Two people walk in while I'm waiting for my food and get told that "there's no more seats." But if it were me, I would still place an order while I'm waiting for the table to clear up because tables become available pretty soon after the people walk out the door and the food takes just as long to be prepared. 

Ooh Cha Cha dubs itself a "plant based cafe" and promises no refined sugar, along with the typical no animal products, no dairy (eggs, milk, cheese) that a vegan cafe would avoid. The menu includes a good assortment of toasts, salads, burgers, bowls as well as smoothies and desserts. Diners can also add on things like tempeh, kimchi, baked potato wedges or eggplant bacon to customize their dishes. From the last time I visited, Ooh Cha Cha has smartly changed their sandwich rolls to toasts, which are (a) more on trend and photogenic and (b) more tasty as you focus on the toast topping rather than just taste the bread.

Get a closer look at their menu on Ooh Cha Cha's website. 

I upgrade my meal to a "set" by adding NT$100 and getting a drink. I opt for the Fruity Punch, which has strawberry, organic apple, mango, seasonal greens and orange juice. It doesn't have the pop in color or taste as my last drink, which had beets and apple, so I think I will stick to that next time. But because they don't add additional or refined sugar, I know I'm not drinking empty calories. 

I get a bit hangry as I wait almost 30 minutes for my food, and I remember the last time I also waited quite awhile. I can see that my plates are almost ready and I walk over the counter hoping that it's ready, and the server mentions that the tofu is grilled to order, so I ask for my plate of side dishes first. 

The beet hummus resembles a raspberry sorbet, especially with its bright pink hue, creamy texture and scoops topped with nuts, so it's an odd sight next to the sliced balsamic mushrooms and golden garlic kimchi. If you've been craving LA's Lemonade, where you can order different deli counter-like veggies to put together as a meal, I think I might have just found a vegan surrogate. 

My dish arrives to the table shortly after I've given the counter my "I'm so hungry I will pass out" look. I always forget the name of this dish, but I just remember that my favorite is the one with the tofu, and then I see that it falls under "bowls" on the menu, even though it's more of a plate. 

The Saigon bowl has non-GMO lemongrass tofu, organic quinoa with pesticide-free brown rice, pickled daikon and carrots with cucumber, a small salad with local organic greens and spicy almond butter sauce. It's so satisfying as I mix it together and add the mushrooms and kimchi and start inhaling my food. I notice everyone who leaves has eaten their plates clean also. I end up wishing I had some thin slices of toast or something to eat with my hummus, so I end up packing most of it to take home. 

You can see Ooh Cha Cha's menu from my first visit, over a year ago, and there's only been slight changes with the rolls being taken off, replaced with toasts and with double the number of burgers from three to six options. Most of the smoothies are still the same.  All of Ooh Cha Cha's sauces, spread and patties are all made in house from fresh vegetables, nuts, dried beans and seeds. 

Saigon Bowl and a side of garlic hummus and beet balls. 

Bacon cheese burger with spicy "nacho cheese" made from cashews. (NT$280) The patty is made with mushroom and beans, while the bacon is made from eggplant. I enjoyed this burger and was pleasantly surprised by the extra kick that the cheese gave the burger.

Raw cheesecake. There's also vegan beer available and an assortment of hot tea, coffee and even fair trade hot cocoa.

Sometimes people mistake eating clean or eating healthy for needing to eat bland, but I think vegan restaurants in Taipei like Ooh Cha Cha, Miss Green, Green Room and Plants challenge and dispute that. The founders are passionate about educating customers that vegan food can be both nutritious and tasty, and worth paying a little extra for.  Check out my interview with Ooh Cha Cha's co-founder Mai Bach here. 

Something like a tofu salad could come out flavorless, but by creating different layers of flavors and textures with the pickled veggies, the lemongrass, the spicy almond butter, the meal is more than just throwing a bunch of veggies on a plate. It ends up being something I crave and know that the ingredients are sourced mindfully and cooked with care.. Who else has been looking for something like this in Taipei? 

burgers/smoothies: I recommend MEAT UP

MEAT UP 

No. 124-4, Section 2, Wuchang St
西門町武昌街二段124號
(02) 2331-4200

MRT: Ximen

website: Meat Up's Facebook page

Hours: 11:30AM–9PM; Weekends until 10PM; Closed Mondays

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted, room for strollers. Kids probably will enjoy burger fries and smoothies

Visit reviewed: 12/12/2017

My must orders: burger with mushrooms and feta, dragonfruit with kiwi and yogurt smoothie, onion rings

[TAIPEI] AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF XIMENDING, there's a bright cafe called Meat Up across from Vieshow Cinemas where I met up with a friend. Meat Up is seemingly designed for the Instagram crowd, with colorful smoothies and overflowing milkshakes and eye catching storefront murals. Burger was tasty with a lot of add on options, but I was addicted to the onion rings and truffle mayo. Dragonfruit yogurt smoothie also refreshing with right amount of sweetness. 

So many cute hand painted murals to admire, or take photos with. Pick a wall and strike a pose, or bring out your smoothie to get the natural light.

The menu includes burgers and fries, customizable with over a dozen toppings,  fried shrimp burger, chicken Caesar or feta salad and sides like buffalo wings, mushroom fries or onion rings. 

The juices and smoothies have names like volcano, summer, autumn, exaggeration or Anna Sui, and have fruits like kiwis, guava, dragonfruit, orange, strawberry, mango and passionfruit. For a sweeter shake, there's chocolate or Oreo banana. 

We didn't know what to get, so we asked the server to pick two for us. I really enjoyed the Dragon fruit and Kiwi Smoothie with Yogurt (NT$150), carefully layered with sliced kiwi peeking out from the mason jar. I would happily order this refreshing drink again.

The Banana and Oreo milkshake is over the top, but either we took too long taking photos or it would have been better with some Oreos or chocolate inside the shake, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the fruit smoothie. I didn't taste much chocolate, maybe it was just a banana milkshake, but tasted a bit watered down. (NT$195)

Burger with truffle mayo, mushrooms and feta cheese and French fries (NT$280); onion rings (we ate some before this photo) (NT$120) I was pretty full from half a burger, onion rings and the drinks. We also got the truffle mayo on the side, and it was delicious as a dipping sauce. Burger had nice fat layer of grilled mushrooms as well as fresh tomatoes, onions and lettuce.

Bring at least one friend so you can try more things. When we got there, we saw two other girls taking photos and a million selfies, but barely talking to eat other. Thanks to my friend D for letting me take a million photos and trying a new place with me, but hopefully we spent more time talking than on our phones. Thanks Meat Up for the invitation and lunch!! (Disclosure- I received this meal for free from Meat Up, but the opinions expressed are my own. No compensation was received.)