CLOSED! japanese/sushi: i recommend I-SUSHI

CLOSED a/o March 2012

I-SUSHI
No. 173, ZhongXiao E. Road, Sec. 5
(02) 2749-5951

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 10PM

website: i-sushi.com.tw and I-Sushi's Facebook page

$-$$

kid friendliness: high chairs available. first floor mainly sushi bar with 2nd floor additional seating.

visit reviewed: 4/28/2011

Walking around the 101 area, I was looking for somewhere new to try. Located on the busy ZhongXiao E. Road near Crown Bakery, I-Sushi is a solid choice for affordable, decent Japanese food in a family and group friendly environment. I was hesitant to go in at first because from the entrance it looks like there is only sushi bar seating and a few tables for couples on the side, but actually they have a second floor that has a ton of seating available for large groups.

One of the main negatives about I-Sushi is that the menu is only in Chinese with not a lot of pictures, so you have to bring someone who can read the menu, or quiz the fairly friendly waiters about what's available. The Chinese only menu is quite extensive beyond sashimi and only with advance reservations they have some sort of all-you-can-eat sashimi deal (NT$500 for 90 minutes?!) that I didn't quite understand. If anyone has tried it, explain to me how it works! Since we walked in without advance booking, we weren't allowed to try it. 

So instead, I got the I-Sushi chirashi bowl set (NT$380), loaded with raw goodies including uni, sweet shrimp, ikura, tobiko and slices of sashimi. Many of the sashimi bowls here come with a raw egg which I'm not crazy about, but I kind of went with it and put in a lot of wasabi. Everything tasted fresh, so I breathed a sigh of relief. The set also came with soup, salad, steamed egg and small appetizers.

My friend ordered the unagi over rice (NT$250).

I wasn't crazy about the soy sauce broth for the tempura udon (NT$160), but the udon itself and the tempura was good and came with big prawns. I also saw another large group and most of them ordered some sort of sukiyaki that came on a large ceramic mini hotpot.

I wasn't crazy about the soft shell crab roll (NT$200) as the rice was quite mushy and the soft shell crab was not crispy.

One of the best deals was the bowl of steamed rice with salmon and ikura (NT$50).

And a complimentary panna cotta for dessert. 

Opened over a year ago, I had never even noticed I-Sushi until I walked around this area (though after eating here I think there used to be a branch near Burger Stop?). It's always great to find another Japanese place, even better that it's not crazy expensive and a great option for a casual night out. 

CLOSED! hotpot/taiwanese: ASIA-MILAN HOTPOT

ASIA-MILAN HOTPOT 東方米蘭精緻鍋物

No. 2, Xinsheng S. Rd, Sec. 3 大安區新生南路三段2號

(02) 2365-7777 ‎

CLOSED!

MRT: Taipower Building

website: Asia Milan's FB page

$$ (about NT$300/person)

hours: 11AM- 12midnight

kid friendliness: roomy atmosphere

visit reviewed: 4/6/2012

Sometimes you pass by a place so many times, crowded with diners and make a mental note to try it sometime. After the Cranberries concert in Taipei at NTU Sports Center (yes! the Cranberries from the 90s of Linger and Zombie!), we wanted to find somewhere in walking distance to eat that was open at 10pm and ended up at Asia-Milano, a two story hotpot restaurant on the corner of Xinsheng and Heping, near Daan Park. All of us had always passed by, but none of us had ever eaten there before.

Asia-Milan Hotpot offers up hotpot sets with various types of soup base, including spicy mala, sour cabbage, coconut curry and Chinese herbal soup. In the back, there's an array of sauces to mix up to your liking, thankfully all labeled in both English and Chinese. I ended up with just sesame sauce and some scallions.

With the set, each person gets a small appetizer, choice of starch (udon, vermicelli or rice), choice of meat (pork belly, lamb, sirloin or duck), vegetables, dessert, drink and choice of soup base (NT$288-388). There are also seafood sets available (NT$888), as well as ala carte add ons. I chose the Japanese shabu shabu broth, the lightest (and blandest) of the bunch and udon, which came in a frozen puck. Different people can choose different soup bases and share with the dual sided hotpot. The appetizer seemed like a dried out ham wrapped around something- skipped it.

The veggies are fresh and the pork slices were plentiful as well as came with a small bamboo spoonful of fishcake to self scoop in, so I could see how Asia Milano could be popular with Taida students or families. With so many hotpot options in town, I wouldn't venture out of my neighborhood to come here, but it might be a roomy late night option for those looking for a last minute dinner spot....

Unless you're a fan of this soap opera, which I found a screenshot posted on Asia Milan's Facebook page, which shot a scene at the restaurant. I don't watch Asian soap operas so I have no clue, but maybe some readers out there are fans?

japanese/hot pot: i recommend MOMO PARADISE

MOMO PARADISE
at Neo 19, 2nd FL
No. 22 Song Ren Road
(02) 8786-1128

website: humaxasia.com.tw/momo Chinese only

hours: 11:30 AM - 12midnight; weekends and holidays 11:30 AM - 1 AM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs or boosters- booth seating

Visit reviewed: 11/3/2007



A good option for affordable all you can eat shabu shabu or sukiyaki (depending on what you choose) in a modern, if not popular setting. You might have to wait during peak hours and weekends since people can take their time at an all you can eat place, though I think Momo Paradise sets a cap at 90 minutes. Shabu shabu is basically you cooking meats and vegetables in your own pot of boiling water.

Sukiyaki is more of a grill where you can cook the vegetables and meats in a sweet soy sauce. To complete the experience, Momo Paradise gives you a raw egg that you can beat and use to dip the cooked marinated meats which gives it a slippery coating that might make some queasy, but completes the sukiyaki flavor for others.



What I liked is the variety of options and that they bring everything to you. There is a vegetable cart that they will plate up for you, but you can also add a mushroom plate or other things such as tempura or bowls of rice for no additional charge.



You can also pick from beef or pork or seafood (though I liked the pork better than the beef on this occasion). Though their meat is sliced paper thin, it's quite filling if you get enough trays. Plus it cooks faster that way.



Their charges vary per person if you want one or two pots at your table (say if you guys want both shabu shabu and sukiyaki for a bigger party) or the third option of a miso soup hot pot. From NT$299 lunch to $399 dinner up to NT$499 if you want all three pots at dinner. They also have slightly discounted prices after 10pm at their Neo 19 and Chung Hsiao locations. US$12 for all you can eat shabu shabu for dinner sounds like a pretty good deal to me!


forgot to take a picture while it was full of stuff! sorry, next time. this is basically the hot pot after you've eaten everything

Also, as you can see from the 'after' picture, the soup is not really for drinking, since they start off with plain water and not a broth. The Chinese hot pot places that start with the broth (like Hundred Mushroom Garden) has soup that you DO want to drink.

For an extra charge of NT$130, you can add udon, drink and dessert to your meal, although you already get a complimentary coffee jelly dessert with the regular meal. There are also limited sides available. I liked the udon, though I wished there was a tad more and that it wasn't an extra charge for it- though I think there is vermicelli and regular noodles or rice offered with the regular price.





Everyone probably has their own favorite local shabu shabu or hot pot joint, but for a chain I feel like this is a good choice too for couples, families or even business lunches, or even as a way of introduction shabu shabu to newcomers. The only downside is that their menu is only in Chinese and Japanese, but since all the offerings are mostly available on sight, you can pick and choose. I actually first had MoMo Paradise in Japan a few years back and was so stuffed by the time we left, trying both the shabu shabu and sukiyaki pots. Having had great memories of that experience, I'd say that the service is a little different here (less cozy, more casual) at the Neo 19 location, but maybe the other locations are different.

Growing up Chinese American, I never really gave the concept of hot pot a second thought, but for those of you who watch SURVIVOR- the last season had them competing in China, where one of the rewards they had hot pot on the Great Wall. The three Americans were confused (and later complained) about what to do with the hot pot, plates of meats and vegetables that was on the table. It was actually pretty annoying how much they complained about it (if you're starving, then then hot pot is a pretty good reward and they had a LOT of stuff available!), but it definitely reminded me that not everyone knows about what it is or how it works (though hot water + raw meat = food).

OTHER LOCATIONS:

2F, 293, ZhongXiao E. Rd., Sec. 4
(02) 2772-1577
Hours: 11:30 am-2 am (3-5pm closed)

Bistro 98, 5th FL
No. 9, Zhong Xiao East Road, Sec. 4
(02) 2752-6609
11:30AM-12midnight

KMall, 5th FL
No. 50, Zhong Xiao West Road, Sec. 1
Zhong Zheng District
(02) 2382-2668
11:30AM - 11 PM

No. 6, NanJing East Road, 2FL (near Chung Shan MTR, exit 3)
(02) 2562-2328
hours: 11:30 AM -12 midnight

No. 29, Ching Chen Street
(02) 2546-2838
lunch 11:30~ 3PM; dinner 5PM - 11PM

Taida
No. 68, Roosevelt Road, Sec 4, 3FL
(02) 2363-8998
hours: 11：30 AM - 11 PM

american/burgers: i recommend BONGOS

BONGOS
No. 3, Alley 5, Lane 74, WenZhou St
Gongguan area, near Taida

(02) 2365-6059

MRT: Gongguan or Taipower Bldg

hours: 11:30 am-10 pm

$$

Kid friendliness: No high chairs. Reservations (especially on weekends) strongly recommended.

Visit reviewed: 4/13/2008

A popular place in Gongguan area for burgers, Mexican fare and hanging out- Bongos has gained a following with both locals and expats for its affordable American-style eats and casual atmosphere.

I didn't expect it to be so packed on a Sunday night, but I'm glad I had called ahead and made reservations for my party of 8. Otherwise, I might have been turned away to Coda (the owner's newer restaurant nearby) or had to wait, as we witnessed happened to walk-ins. I was also surprised that it appeared that all the other customers were younger locals and I didn't spot any expats at all. It's very close to Taida (the nickname for National Taiwan University), so maybe many of them were students.

In the hustle and bustle, we were seated in the darkness of the outdoor patio, which was not bad in the cool weather, but very dark. A few of friends complained they must be getting old since it was hard to read the menu in the night's light. They have separate menus (with a few pictures) for Chinese and English and after request, I got an English menu instead. With appetizers, salads, burgers, Mexican, pasta and main dishes offered, most of the meals come w/ your choice of 2 sides (fries or salad) and a drink. Having been to Forker first, I recognized a lot of the fonts and identity styling had come from Bongos.

While waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive, we ordered the quesadillas (NT$260) (offered as a meal, not appetizer) a side of chili cheese fries and small salad, as well as the Five Layers Mexican dip (NT$180).



I was excited about the guacamole in the dip, but could barely find/taste it as the spicy salsa was the overwhelming flavor. There were also not enough chips to finish the dip (as with our experience w/ the spinach artichoke dip at Forkers). I tried to request more chips instead of fries when I ordered my burger, but they wouldn't do it, saying extra chips would be an extra NT$20. I definitely wouldn't order this again for the size and price.

The quesadillas were pretty good on the other hand, cheesy and meaty with a kick. The chili on the chili fries was thick and disappeared quickly.



The bowl of mushroom soup was also surprisingly good- it was creamy and aromatic and actually quite kid friendly. The side salad that comes with the meals was quite blah, as was their chicken entree salad which had slim toppings in a huge bowl of lettuce. We tried to order their udon salad at first, but they had run out of udon.



Instead, stick to their burgers. I ordered the bacon gouda cheese burger (NT$240) and requested guacamole on top (for extra NT$) and the burger was a lot better than my burger at Forkers. The wheat bun, meat patty and toppings all meshed together (after I picked ou the sprouts. I hate sprouts) to be a pretty good bite.



I was quite full after the quesadilla and chili fries appetizer and was unable to finish my double fries order with my burger (plus I was saving room for shaved ice at Tai Yi nearby afterwards).

My friends enjoyed their chimichanga, burger and sausage dishes. I thought the chimichanga was okay with spiced ground beef inside, but preferred the chimichangas at Jake's Country Cafe or La Casita,. Bongo's Mexican is more Tex-mex, if that. My friend also tried to order a pasta dish, and they were also out of that. There's no automatic service fee included in your bill, but your drink refills and water are self serve. They are quite busy getting to all the tables, so service can be on the absent side.



I'm glad I found it after getting lost in the taxi the first time. Now that I think about it, we were probably RIGHT around the corner and missed the small entrance, since there are no side signs in the one way alley, but instead right in front. It is easier to find from Xin Sheng South Road... as we walked around, there were a TON of little eateries and shops that I wanted to come back to check out.



Any other recommendations for this area?

(ADDED Oct 2009)

It can be a bit tricky to find, so I'd suggest looking for Tai Yi Milk King on Xinsheng S Road, and then taking the alley to the left of it, go three alleys past Wunjhou St and then turn right. It should be on the corner, on the left hand side. Look for white gates if you don't see the sign, or give the restaurant a call for directions. The green pin on the map below is Tai Yi, the red pin is Bongos.

food court: i strongly recommend Q SQUARE

QSQUARE 京站時尚廣場
1 Chengde Road, Section 1, B3 中正區承德路一段1號

MRT: Taipei Main Station

website: qsquare.com.tw

hours:

$-$$

Kid friendliness: mall food court with lots of options

Visit reviewed: 11/13/2010

There's no shortage of malls in Taipei to window shop in and same goes for the food courts, since most malls have a food court somewhere in their basement. Q Square is a newer mall that some might not have discovered yet, but definitely worth checking out. Easily accessible by MRT, it is even connected underground through the walkways at the Taipei Main Station stop.

The snapshots of the QSqaure food court are from a few years ago and I know since I've been there recently that it's gone through some changes since then. There's two sides to the basement floor- one side with the traditional square of food court fast food eats, plastic bento displays and plenty of seating and then the other side with mini stations of bakeries and cafes like Richard Blanc, Cloudy Cupcakes, Ariel Le Cafe and Movenpick.




There's also plenty of sit down restaurants if you don't want to bother with the food court, but during peak dining hours there's often a wait- ramen, curry, tempura udon sets.



Japanese bakeries like Yamazaki to stock up on some freshly baked sweet bread.


Jasons Supermarket if you need to pick up some fresh fruit or gourmet items as a local or tourist.

Food courts in Taipei are actually an affordable and tasty way to spend a meal. I enjoyed my bimbimbap (NT$160) with crispy rice from the stone pot....

Perfectly crispy underneath!

My friend didn't have as good luck with the Hainan Chicken rice which was lacking in chicken, instead fluffed up with shredded cabbage.

This cold soba/udon tempura combo was also a surprise in value and size, but sadly I think the Japanese shop was changed into a different store and menu on my most recent visit.


Or stick to Taiwanese eats with sticky rice ba zhang and wonton soup.



One souvenir that I've turned friends onto is the kimchi flavored popcorn from Planet Popcorn. Ask for samples if you spot this stand- it's kind of addictive with a spicy, sweet and slightly sour kick. My friends usually take home a bucket or two. There are plenty of other flavors- classic kettle corn, chocolate, cheese, caramel or wasabi.


Skip these cream puffs- I bought a box as a gift and disliked their frosting like filling and soft puff.

Lots to explore at Q Square- there's also restaurants like NY Bagel and Alleycats on the 1st floor; Ariel Le Cafe on the 2nd floor, and a whole floor of restaurants on the 4th floor including Crystal Spoon, Momo Paradise, Eat Together buffet and Vieshow theaters for movie watchers.

Oh yeah, there's shopping too!