vietnamese: I strongly recommend VIETNAMESE BISTRO

VIETNAMESE BISTRO

No. 7-1號, No. 103, Lane 46, Chongqing N Rd, Section 2, Datong District

(02) 2556-1155  

MRT: Zhongshan or Beimen

hours: 10:30AM - 2:30PM ; 4PM - 9PM; Closed Wednesdays

$

Visit reviewed: 9/28/2021 (I was invited, but all opinions are my own)

Oh man. While writing this post, I took a look at the last time I posted about Vietnamese restaurants in Taipei and it's been years (blame insta!) and quite a few of them have closed since I posted about them. So this is the perfect time to post about this new Vietnamese restaurant I can't stop thinking about. 

Opened over a month ago by two cousins from Hanoi, Vietnamese Bistro came from when Anya and Ryan couldn’t find any authentic Northern style Vietnamese food while studying here in Taipei.  They reached out to me to give it a try and I went looking for it in the alleys not far from Taipei Main Station. 

With a table full of delicious noodle soups, spring rolls and salads, we’ve barely even scratched the surface of their extensive menu which includes pho ga, classic salt and pepper chicken and sliced goose marinated with lemongrass and ginger. The rice noodles in their pho and French rolls for their banh mi is all made in house, by Ryan, the cousin who was a chef back in Vietnam. 

My favorites I kept going back to were 

the Bun tron (dry rice noodles) with pork (NT$120), 

(I've always been partial to noodle salads which are the best of both worlds with slippery chewy noodles and crispy lettuce, carrots and veggies all in one bite. Light for a summer day or when you're not feeling like something soupy.)

the chicken papaya salad (must order) (NT$70)

(Crunchy, sweet and refreshing)

fried spring rolls (NT$80/120) nem rang 

(Cut into bite sized pieces, these were so crispy and addictive with plenty of flavor)

and washing it down with sweet Tamarind juice (NT$50)

The  bun ca (rice noodle fish soup) (NT$120) and pate banh mi (NT$80) are among their specialties to try if you have room, as well as their version of Northern traditional beef pho (NT$130). When we tried both at the same time, as the tangy and spicy broth of the bun ca was overpowered tasting the flavor in the lighter broth of the pho. Vietnamese Bistro’s pho comes from simmered beef bones and star anise, and their rice noodles are wider and soft. Because they make their pho rice noodles from scratch, they’ve broken into shorter strands to spoon up rather than do noodle lifting. The broth of the bun ca had a sweetness from the tomato and large pieces of fried fish were filling. If I had to pick one of the two, I would try the bun ca just because it’s so different. 

The pate banh mi comes as a whole sandwich, but they kindly cut it into quarters after we asked them to. I am almost too full after all the food to take a bite, but I couldn’t resist. The French bread is made in house too, with a smear of pate, crunchy fresh veggies. Next time I would probably try the pork banh mi. 

The restaurant is small but clean, with charming murals hand painted on the walls by Anya, one wall has their most popular dishes making it easy to order. The pricing is student friendly, or as they say CP is high, so it’s definitely worth a try the next time you’re craving Vietnamese food. 

#hungrylist/ repost: 10 NEW PLACES TO EAT NEXT IN TAIPEI - SUMMER 2017

A lot of you might have noticed that I've posted less and less on the blog over the years. I've started to freelance as a (paid) contributing writer for various sites and publications. In case you missed it, this was an article for Taiwan News of some of my favorites and places I wanted to try last summer. This obviously skews more internationally- as they were new openings of a modern Vietnamese restaurant from Vegas and two Korean BBQ joints with roots from Korea, a world famous Japanese ramen with insane lines, and a cheese shop serving up Italian cheeses. Almost a year later, all of them are still putting out good food and Longtail was even awarded a Michelin star! The only ones I still haven't tried yet are Longtail and EPL- where does the time go? Time for another round up. 

You can find the original article here. 

Do you want to see more round ups like this on the blog? I know my readers are split- many of you are finding my blog when you are researching where to go for a first time visit and others have been living here a long time like me. 

10 new places to eat next in Taipei

HungryinTaipei's (HiT) list of what's been trending and new in Taipei, Summer 2017

1. DISTRICT ONE TAIPEI 

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 

District One Taipei just soft opened last week, but photos of their signature lobster pho have already drawn in crowds to their shop in the Da'an district. Opened by Chef Khai Vu and the team from Revel Eatery, District One brings Vegas modern Vietnamese to Taipei, with delicious dishes like beef carpaccio, crispy egg rolls, oxtail fried rice and pork vermicelli. The lobster pho might get all the (well deserved) attention, but the brisket oxtail pho (NT$300) with the tender meat and beefy broth is definitely not to be missed. 

No. 21, Alley 7, Lane 181, ZhongXiao East Road, Section 4, DaAn District 

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? 

snapshot/vietnamese: i still recommend SAVOY

august 2015 zhongxiao shop

Thick slices of bbq chicken, slightly sweet mayonnaise, pickled radishes, carrots and cucumbers  in a toasted chewy yet crusty french loaf. I was so ravenous that I tore into the chicken sandwich as soon as I got home. I wanted to try the newly opened Lee's Sandwiches, but it was a bit far me in the Taipei Main Station neighborhood. So I went with something familiar- the chicken banh mi (NT$160)  from Yue Yuan. Except this time it came with tomato. I love tomatoes so I didn't mind it was a bit different than I remember it, but the flavors, chicken and bread were the same as the one that that I've had over the years and fell in love with at first bite years ago. 

Savoy is also known as Yue Yuan (their Chinese name), but a few years ago they went through some rebranding and now the shops sport bright orange signs saying SAVOY instead of the original yellow and black signs that had their chinese name 越苑 and in English, the word "pho." Their pho is still solid, as are their dry rice noodles, but I love their sandwiches for a quick bite on the go.

feb 2015 anhe shop

SAVOY 越苑

No. 10, Alley 32, Lane 216, Zhongxiao E. Road, Sec. 4

忠孝東路4段216巷32弄10號 

(02) 2731-9597

11:30AM- 9PM

Original Shop

No. 12, Ln 155, Dunhua N. Rd

台北市敦化北路155巷12號

(02) 2718-0660

Anhe Shop

No. 8, Lane 103, Dunhua South Road, Sec. 2 

台北市敦化南路二段103巷8號

(02) 2701-2523

CLOSED / the owners reopened as PHOEVER in 2020 with similar menu and just as good a banh mi

vietnamese/pho: i strongly recommend CYCLO

CYCLO 洛城牛肉粉

No. 377, RenAi Rd, Sec. 4 

仁愛路四段377號1樓  (this location closed, but new location near Zhongxiao/Daan)

(02)2752-8666 

MRT: Zhongxiao/Dunhua 

website: Cyclo's FB page 

hours: 12PM - 2PM; 6PM - 9PM

$-$$ (NT$200-300/person) cash only

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted. semi-tight seating except for one table in the front

Visit reviewed: 4/23/2012

Cyclo is a newly opened LA style Vietnamese pho and rice restaurant, seating about 25 people in a bright, new space with a row of tables leading up to a semi-open kitchen. Bubbles of thoughts appear on one decorated wall like a stream of consciousness mission statement- "Pho!!! Fresh, casual, healthy... Create your own! Fast, delicious!"

Bottles of Sriracha and hoisin sauce sit on each table, waiting to be squirted into diners' bowls. Seats fill up fast, so show up a little early if you want to make sure you get a table. 

If you don't get handed a menu, grab one from the pile next to the door and a pen. It's one menu per person and mark your initials in the top box so you know who's order is whose. Cyclo's menu reminds me a bit of the Counter, but instead of building your burger, you're building your bowl of pho. I love that there's English and that there's even a sense of humor- "For People who Don't Eat Beef" and "For People who Don't Eat Noodle." You can choose your type of noodle, 3 items for NT$190 or 4 items for NT$230, yes or no for richness in the broth and your choice of herbs. Appetizers and rice plates are listed at the bottom in Chinese only, but our server that first day helped us out with swift and patient English translations. 

Vietnamese cha gio egg roll (NT$45) comes stuffed with vermicelli and ground pork. Nice and crispy.

Vietnamese spring rolls with spam. (NT$55) Yup, spotted cans of spam in the back on the shelf. Spring rolls are also available with fried shrimp. I preferred the fried ones, over the summer rolls at this shop.

Lemon ice tea (NT$70) was nice and refreshing, with sugar to adjust your own sweetness. My friend said it was like lemon ice teas she's had in Hong Kong. It is also the only drink to come with free refills, so a better deal than the honey lemon and the lemon sugar cane drinks.

One of my lunch dates ordered one of the rice plates, I think this was pork (NT$230). Or was it chicken? Haha, I didn't try it, but it looked delish and filling. 

Not too long after we ordered, our bowls of pho came out. If you write your name on your menu, then it would be easier for them to ask which bowl goes where. The waiter waved the menu at me and I didn't know what she wanted until I realized she wanted to know who had ordered on the menu she was holding.

My rare beef, brisket point and tendon pho with rice starch noodle (NT$190) was pretty awesome. The brisket point was so tender and I kept savoring it as I chewed. The rare beef was pink and cooked a little more as I swirled it in the golden broth. The slippery noodles were the perfect texture. And like in LA, you get a small plate of basil, sliced jalapenos, bean sprouts and here a slice of lemon to add to your pho. I tried the "rich" version of the broth on my second visit, but while it wasn't salty while I was drinking it up, I was a bit thirsty later that day.

Cyclo will be sure to have strong word of mouth. The day my friends told me about it, they had gone for both lunch and dinner. The last time I went, I ran into three separate groups of friends, without knowing that they were going to eat there too, which was pretty funny. I even wasn't sure if I wanted to blog about it yet, but I figure it can't be more crowded than it already is. Some of the days I went, the waitress was even turning away people from empty seats because the kitchen was slammed with an entire restaurant's orders at once. Personally, I would have let the poor hungry people just sit, mull over the menu and wait for their food... after all, some people in Taipei wait in insane lines for a bowl of noodles (at the newly opened Ippudo and Santouka), so why not for pho.

vietnamese/pho: i strongly recommend YUE YUAN PHO

YUE YUAN PHO
or VIETNAMESE GARDEN PHO
No. 12, Lane 155, Dun Hua N. Road
(02)2718-0660

MRT: Nanjing East Road or Zhongshan Jr. High School

website: Facebook page

hours: 11:30 AM-3 PM: 5:30 PM -9 PM; weekends 11:30 AM - 9 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: clean and spacious, though fills up quickly during lunch/dinner time;

Visit reviewed: 11/10/2009



If you've never had Vietnamese food in Taipei before, get ready to try the real deal. Even before I stepped foot into the restaurant, I was drooling over photos of Yue Yuan Pho's banh mi Vietnamese sandwiches and pho soups, after reader Richard kindly recommended the new restaurant with "a yellow sign that says "Pho." (Thanks Richard!)

I quickly made plans with my friend S to give it a try and she said it was near Chang Chun Road. Good thing because otherwise, I would have ended up on Dun Hua S. Road instead of Dun Hua N. Road when I confused the two when telling the taxi driver the address in Chinese. I know, I'm retarded, but I still confuse the two in my head sometimes because I'm thinking of the "N" sound for "North" = "Nan" when in fact "North" is "Bei" phonetically.



Anyways, once you end up on the lane populated with restaurants, you can quickly spot the bright yellow sign. At 11:30AM, we didn't have to make reservations, but the restaurant quickly became full after 12noon.



The simple menu is on a sheet of white paper in English and in Chinese. It's funny that instead of using the word "pho", it's instead titled "beef noodle soup."



The space is sleek and clean, with lots of light from the storefront windows and a long mirror along the top of one wall that makes the space feel slightly bigger.

A bottle of Sriracha and Hoisin sauce are set on every table- believe it or not, I think this is my first time seeing Sriracha in Taipei. I don't know why, but it makes me excited- maybe because it reminds me of LA.

If you've never heard of Sriracha, here is a cool NY Times article about its not-Thai, not-Vietnamese, but American origins.



We were set on trying the beef pho, a dry noodle and a sandwich. But we got talked into ordering the "Luna Shrimp" by the waiter with a sense of humor, saying that it was what he ate everyday. I wasn't clear from the name that it was Thai style fried shrimp cakes, but after ordering it, he said it was enough food and we shouldn't order the sandwich.



First came the plate of basil and bean sprouts and shortly after, a steaming hot small bowl of rare steak pho. (NT$140) The broth had a distinctive beef flavor, slightly sweet and spiced by onions and star anise. It really stood out from other broths I've had in Taipei. The beef quickly cooks after a few swishes inside the soup.



When I asked the waiter which of the rice vermicellis we should try, he suggested the BBQ pork over vermicelli with egg rolls (NT$140+30). You can also get bbq pork chop, chicken or beef with rice.



The large slices of grilled pork were tender and carmelized, like a Vietnamese take on the more familiar char siu. Buried underneath the pork were plain rice noodles on a bed of bean sprouts, where you could pour the house made dressing (or "nuoc cham") and make a sort of cold noodle salad.



Next came the fat slices of the shrimp moon cakes, or called Luna Shrimp on the menu here (NT$180). Sure they were crispy, hot and thick with mashed shrimp, but they weren't what my friend and I came here to eat. We ate a few and offered a few to the older couple sitting at table next to us. Out of pity (and probably curiosity), they took a few.



Though we were pretty full, I still wanted to try the sandwiches. After all, that was a rare find in Taipei. We reasoned with ourselves and decided we'd just sample it, and if we couldn't finish, we'd take it home. After ordering and waiting a few minutes, the BBQ chicken with pickled vegetables(NT$120) on french bread came.



O.
M.
G.



The succulent, hot, grilled chicken thigh, warm crusty french baguette, tangy julienned pickled carrots and radishes, and a slightly sweet mayo-ish sauce they used to "glue" it all together. It is perfection. And believe it or not, it's hard to find a good sandwich in Taipei, much less a good Vietnamese banh mi sandwich. I'm drooling as I write this and it's not even lunch time.

The food is so good, I must go again the following week with a gaggle of friends and order all the same things, but also try the spicy green curry with french baguette and the classic ham, meat loaf, liver paste with pickled vegetables banh mi sandwich (NT$120), which are both also amazing. Although this time, we have trouble getting service when the initial order of food is not enough (they are packed to the brim and running around like crazy. It seems only a few of the waiters are trained to take orders, some of the others are just delivering plates/cleaning up) and one sandwich order gets dropped for 20 minutes until we repeatedly ask for it.

It's pretty bold of a place to declare itself the best, as Yue Yuan Pho does on its Facebook page (or maybe a superfan set it up for them), but in this case, it is earned. It even kicks the butt of my former favorite local Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Hoa. The word of mouth is quickly spreading for this six month old restaurant in the good Vietnamese food deprived city of Taipei.

A second shop is already set to open this week or next, in the killer location between the Dun Hua Diner and Carnegies.


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