snapshot/revisited: i strongly recommend boba and snacks at CHUN TSUI TANG

CHUN TSUI TANG
A9 Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Mall, B2
Xin Yi District

Snapshot: 1/12/2009
Previous review: 7/2006

Despite discovering other cheaper and equally delicious boba milk tea places like 50 Lan and Genki Q Milk, Chun Tsui Tang still is a nice place to have a Chinese-style afternoon tea with it's large array of hot and cold drinks and menu of small plates and noodles. Must try their fried radish cake (luo buo gao) and I like their spicy mushrooms. Get the minced meat noodle for something more substantial.

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1st Annual 2008 Best of Taipei Readers' Choice Poll

So Hungry Readers, here are the belated results of the first ever, hopefully annual HungryInTaipei.com's Readers' Choice poll in 2008! Thanks to all that voted and hopefully more of you will vote next year! I'll probably adjust the rules next year (no voting for just one category or just one place for multiple categories), these are the results as they are. If you disagree with the results, you can campaign for your favorites next year!

To see how people voted, you can see the comments at this post. Some categories were unable to get votes or a consensus so I haven't named any winners- such as for Best Coffee/Tea shop, Best Vegetarian, Best Splurge Restaurant, Best Bar Scene or Best of the Best.

I look forward to trying some of your favorites that I've never eaten at or heard of, like Niu Sushi, Flavors or Tutto Bello, and maybe some of the winners will pique your curiosity as well. When you eat there, don't forget to to mention that you found out about it here!

1st EVER HUNGRYINTAIPEI.com's BEST OF TAIPEI READERS' CHOICE RESTAURANT POLL

Best New Restaurant in 2008, Best Family Dining, Best Desserts- L'IDIOT

Newcomer L'Idiot swept the votes for best new restaurant in 2008, offering seasonal but simple Western fare as well as impressed voters with its desserts- molten chocolate cake, homemade sorbets and ice creams, crepes, mousses and pies. Bring back the lemon tart and boston cream pie!
No. 156, Minsheng E Rd Sec 3, (02) 2545-6966, lidiotrestaurant.com

Best Super Cheap Eats (Meal NT$100 or Under)- SABABA

Sababa is one of those restaurants that I'm surprised is in Taipei, but am very glad is successful. Part of the reason is its fast and fresh pita sandwiches and hummus platas- all great prices, especially for a "foreign" specialty food. Must try the Plata Sababa- hummus with roasted eggplant topped with a falafel.
No. 8, Alley 54, Ln 118, Heping E Rd Sec 2, (02) 2738-7769;
No. 17, Lane 283, LuoSiFu (Roosevelt) Rd, Sec 3, (02) 2363-8009;
No. 3, Lane 12, Yong Kang St, (02) 2327 9159;
Breeze at Taipei Main Station,
www.sababapita.com

Best Breakfast/ Brunch- THE DINER

The first time I ate at the Diner, I couldn't decide what to eat- but in a good way. Offering a wide selection of Western brunch/breakfast options all day, it's definitely the place to go if you're missing tasty pancakes, eggs benedicts, omelettes or even a breakfast burrito. Just be prepared to wait for a table and don't forget to try the dessert menu.
No. 145 Ruian St, Taipei, (02) 2700-1680;
No. 6, Ln 103, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, (02) 2754-1680,
www.thediner.com.tw

Best Late-Night Bites- CONGEE on FUXING

While voters didn't vote specifically for No Name, I included its address and review so you could get a gist for the general area. Offering Taipei's version of comfort food until the wee hours of the morning, a row of restaurants offer up congee and all the sides you'd want on Fuxing South Road.
No. 130, Fu Xing S. Road, Sec 2, (02) 2784-6735

Best Romantic Restaurant- VILLA 32

Complete your romantic evening with some hot springs or a couples massage, or just wine and dine your honey at ultra-luxe Villa 32's Euro restaurant, tucked in Beitou, about an hour outside of the city.
No 32, Zhongshan Rd, Beitou, Taipei, (02) 6611-8888, villa32.com

Best Buffet- CAFE at GRAND HYATT HOTEL

Cafe offers both Western and Eastern cuisines in its huge buffet spread- you might even miss a part of it if you're not thorough.
No.2, Sung Shou Road, (02) 2720-1234

Best Night Market- SHIH LIN NIGHT MARKET

Eat at the covered, indoor part of Shih Lin Night Market or follow the crowds to the street eats near the theater or tucked inside the alleyways. Offering all the classic night market foods from oyster omelette to stinky tofu to baos to shaved ice or random food on a stick, no visit to Taipei is complete without a visit to this night market.
Near Chien Tan MRT station

Best Restaurant to take Tourist Friends, Best Xiao Long Bao- DIN TAI FUNG

There might be cheaper or fancier option, but world famous Din Tai Fung is inevitably where we'll take our friends to eat as voted best xiao long bao. I'm guilty of it, you're guilty of it- but only because it's worth the wait.
218 Chung Hsiao East Rd., Sec 4,(02) 2721-7890;
No. 194, Xinyi Road, Sec.2 (entrance of Yong Kang Street) (02) 2321-8928
No.300, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Sec. 3, (02) 8772-0528
www.dintaifung.com.tw

Best Unexpected Find in Taipei- FLAVORS

Swedish food in Taipei? I guess so! Flavors has moved to a bigger location and apparently still delicious. Can't wait to try it.
No.13 Alley 26 Lane 300 Ren Ai Rd. Sec.4, (02) 2709 6525, flavors.com.tw

Best Delivery- CHICAGO PIZZA FACTORY

I've never heard of Chicago Pizza Factory until now, but I'm definitely looking to check it out. While most of us used to ordering Chinese (or Thai) delivery in the states grumble that it's not easier to find here, it's still nice to get pizza delivered. Do you think anyone will ever bring Chicago style stuffed pizzas to Taipei?
No. 1, Lane 11, Jianguo S. Sec. 2, (02) 2707-2121

Best Food Court- 101 Mall

Grab a quick lunch while sightseeing at 101 Mall or just go for the variety. Offering almost every type of cuisine as well as lots of familiar chains (McD's and Subway), you can also hit up JASON's Supermarket for some hard to find items before you head home.
45 Shifu Road, Xinyi District

Best Fast Food- MOS BURGER

Mos Burger beat out Subway as your favorite stop for a quick bite. Hamburger or rice burger, Mos Burger offers up Asian flavors at a fast food setting.
over 100 stores across Taiwan, mos.co.jp

Best Uniquely Taiwanese Restaurant- SHIN YEH

When even the locals line up for this Taiwanese restaurant, then you know that it's good. Shin Yeh offers Taiwanese classics in a sit down, family friendly setting.
No. 112 Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4, 2FL, (02) 2752-9299
No. 34-1, ShuangCheng St, (02) 2596-3255
No. 12, NanJing West Road, 8F, (02) 2523-6757
Shinyeh 101 at No. 45, Shifu Road, 85 FL (02) 8101-0185
shinyeh.com.tw

Best Chinese Restaurant- SHANGHAI SHANGHAI

Even though there are so many options for Chinese food in town, Shanghai Shanghai still impresses with its large menu of classic Shanghainese dishes and nice sit down environment. Must get the river shrimp with sweet peas, but everything there is delicious.
Far Eastern Shopping Mall at No. 203, DunHua South Rd., Sec. 2, B1, (02) 8732-1536;
Dun Hua SOGO at No. 246, DunHua South Rd., Sec. 1, B2, (02) 8771-5511;
SOGO, 11FL, No. 45, Chung Hsiao E Rd, Sec. 4, (02) 2778-1088;
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A9, No.9, Song-Shou Rd., (02) 8789-2929
No. 129. Ming Sheng E Road, Sec 3, B1, (02) 8770-6969
shanghaishanghai.com.tw

Best Japanese Restaurant- SUMIE NOUVELLE CUISINE at SAN WANT HOTEL

I always get the multi-course set menu and my friends new to the restaurant always are dazzled by Sumie's plating and presentation of every dish. Don't let the upscale modern interior scare you away from some of the freshest sashimi in Taipei.
No. 172, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, 4 FL, (02) 2781 6909, www.sanwant.com

Best Sushi/Sashimi- NIU SUSHI

Niu Sushi is new to me, but after asking around some friends, it sounds like it does have a great reputation. Looking forward to trying it!
No. 150, Shin Sheng N Road, Sec 1, (02) 2542-9978

Best French- CHEZ JIMMY

You can't get more decadent than the foie gras and steak at Chez Jimmy. Apparently there used to be locations in Tien Mu or on Fuxing N Road (or so says Yahoo Travel and other websites) but after a call to the restaurant, they confirmed only 2 locations right now.
No. 128 Xin Yi Road, Sec 5 (02) 8788-3336
No. 180, Zhong Cheng, Sec. 2 (02) 2874-7185

Best Italian- TUTTO BELLO

Another place I hadn't heard of until now and am looking forward to trying. Upscale Italian that might surprise you in Taipei.
No. 15, Lane 25, Shuang Cheng St, (02) 2592-3355
tuttobello.com.tw

Best Indian- TANDOOR

One of the oldest Indian restaurants in town, Tandoor offers all the curries, naan and tandoori you'd expect, plus a weekend brunch buffet.
No. 10, Lane 73, HeJiang St. (02) 2509-9853
Tien Mu: No.9, Lane 13, Tien-Mu W Rd, (02) 2876-7206
www.tandoor.com.tw

Best Mexican/Latin/Spanish- CHILI's

I was a bit surprised to see Texmex Chili's win for best Mexican/Latin/Spanish, but I guess readers would rather get the fajitas, guacamole and chips here than the other places in town. Maybe next year Eddy's Cantina or Yuma Southwestern Grill will give it a little competition.
Xinyi: No. 22, Sungshou Road, 2FL (02) 2345-8838
Tien Mu: No. 200, ZhongZhen Rd., Sec. 2, 2F (Mitsukoshi "B"), (02) 2875-4838
chilis.iclubs.com.tw/

Best Thai/Vietnamese/Southeast Asian- SUKHOTHAI and MEI KUNG THAI and VIETNAMESE RESTAURANT (tie)

Mei Kung Thai and Vietnamese would definitely get my vote for best Thai in town with its consistently great service and fast and delicious food. With a huge menu and late hours, you have lots of options if you are ordering take out or eating with a huge group. My favorites are the Thai fried chicken, pineapple fried rice, prawn vermicelli pot and yellow chicken curry.
157-3 Yanji St, (02) 2752 3051

At the Sheraton Taipei hotel, you'll find Sukhothai which tied for best Thai restaurant in Taipei, offering up another huge menu of Thai dishes and curries.
at Sheraton Taipei hotel, No. 12, ZhongXiao E Rd Sec 1 , 2FL; (02) 2321-5511

Best Korean- HAPPY KOREAN

One of the only places in Taipei that I've found to have delicious cold noodles in soup just like I had in Korea, Happy Korean delivers very affordable and authentic Korean food throughout the day without the fussiness.
No. 1, Lane 99, Xin Yi Road, Sec 3, (02) 2703-9237

Best American/Western- MACARONI GRILL

You can find huge American sized salads, pastas, pizzas and desserts at Macaroni Grill, and though it's a little more than what we'd pay in the states, there's nowhere else in town you'd get table side opera.
at Neo 19, 30 Sung Shou Road, (02) 2722-4567

Best Noodles- LAO ZHANG

Lao Zhang beef noodle soup is the winner for best noodles, and I'll have to try it to see if I agree!
No. 19, Lane 19, Jin Shan Road, (02) 2396-0927

Best Dim Sum- CHAO PING JI at SAN WANT HOTEL

Chao Ping Ji makes traditional dim sum fried and steamed to perfection as well as offering a few unique spins on dim sum like the Sauteed Rice Roll with XO Chili Sauce and a full menu with Chao Chow specialties.
No. 172, ZhongXiao E Rd, Sec 4, 2F, (02) 2772-2687

Best Hamburger- CALIFORNIA GRILL

Since opening its second branch behind Dun Hua Sogo, California Grill has captured new customers and established itself as the best hamburger in Taipei among quite a lot of competitors. Offering a "So-cal" or Southern California spin on its burgers (beef, chicken, salmon or even tofu) and salads, once you try their lunch special you might be hooked.
53-1 Yong Kang St., (02) 2343 5111
No. 1, Lane 238, Dun Hua S Road, Sec. 1, (02) 8771-9423;
californiagrill.com.tw/

Best Hot Pot- ORANGE SHABU SHABU

If there was gourmet shabu shabu, Orange Shabu Shabu would be it. Offering luxe meats and seafood like prime rib beef or emperor crab for the customized copper hotpots, Orange also offers sashimi and cooked seafood dishes in a romantic ambiance.
No. 135, Da An Road, Sec 1, B1, (02) 2776-1658;
29, RenAi Rd, Sec 4, 2 FL, (02) 2771-0181;
orangeshabu.com.tw

Best Pizza- ALLEYCATS

Locally founded Alleycats wins votes with its stone oven baked pizzas and fresh toppings and multiple locations. One of my favorites is the "Napoletana" with fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, anchovies, olives and spinach.
No. 6, Li Shui Street, B1, (02) 2321-8948
No. 285, Song Ren Rd, (02) 8780-5421;
Da An- No. 2, Lane 248, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4, (02) 2731-5225;
Tien Mu- No. 31, Lane 35, Zhongshan N. Rd Sec. 6 , (02) 2835-6491;
Nei Hu- No. 67-1 Cheng Gong Road, Section, 5, (02)2630-6278;
Xi Men- No. 49, Alley 10, Cheng Du, 2FL, (02) 2370-8858;
www.alleycatspizza.com

Best Steak- RUTH CHRIS

American chain Ruth Chris Steakhouse's broiled steaks are topped with butter and apparently that's how the readers like it.
No. 135 Min Sheng East Road, Sec. 3, 2 FL, (02) 2545-8888; www.ruthchris.com

Best Afternoon Tea- JOYCE CAFE

Offering waffles, souffles or afternoon tea sets- Joyce Cafe beats out a bevy of afternoon tea contenders for the top spot.
No. 22, Ching Cheng St, (02) 2713-8362;
Joyce East- No. 128 Xin Yi Road, Sec 5, (02) 8789-6128

Best Ice Cream- MOVENPICK

Everyone has their favorite ice cream flavor and mine might be the mint chocolate chip from Movenpick. Drool!
No. 12-1, QingCheng St, (02) 2546-7126;
Breeze Center (02) 8772-5457;
DaZhi- Miramar Mall, 3rd FL at 22 Jing Ye 3rd Road, (02) 21753608;
Banqiao- Far Eastern Dept Store, 13 FL (02) 29568291;
Kung Kuan MRT Station, (02) 2362-0906 ;
Taipei 101 B1 (02) 8101-8525 and 89th FL (02) 8101-0156 ;
Xin Yi Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, A4, B2 (02) 2723-6030
www.movenpick-icecream.com.tw/

Best Shaved Ice- ICE MONSTER

Make your way to Ice Monster and you will probably find a long line of locals and tourists alike waiting for their diced mango and sherbert piled atop of shaved ice.
No. 15, Yong Kang Street, (02) 2394-8279; www.icemonster.com.tw

Best Bakery- PAUL, 85 DEGREES C and MAISON KEYSER (tie)

Even though Paul has some of the priciest bread and napoleons in town, customers are still lining up to buy their imported fare.
No. 107, Renai Rd Sec 4, (02) 2771-3200

On the opposite end of the spectrum, homegrown 85 Degrees C offers almost everything for under NT$50. With favorites like blueberry cheesecake or iced latte at a third of the cost of other coffee shops in town, this is one place you wonder how it's so cheap but still so good.
No. 2, Lane 16, Da An Road, Sec 1, (02) 2776-6350 and many more , www.85cafe.com

Maison Keyser also offers many french breads and gourmet desserts at a gourmet pricepoint. But you may find yourself going back and splurging.
at Breeze Center, B2, No. 39, Fuxing S. Rd, Sec. 2, (02) 6600-8888, www.maison-kayser.com

snapshot/supermarket: SUSHI at SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI SUPERMARKET

SHIN KONG MITSUKOSHI SUPERMARKET
A11, B2
Xinyi District

$

I just got to Taipei this past week from LA and have been hungry at strange times of the day like wanting to eat lunch at 10:30am or snack in the afternoon, since I've been getting up at 4 or 5 in the morning. But hopefully I can get back to writing up all the places that have been sitting in my drafts folder. I'm going to try to post more often, but it might be a snapshot or three from my iPhone of random things food or non-food related of life in Taipei.

This is the first one- as I was wandering around the mall looking for snacks. After devouring a bag of warm Mini One crossiants, I was thirsty and got sucked into the sushi section by the cheap prices- NT$10-$15 a piece!!



So the unagi (eel) was a bit rubbery and the seaweed on the rolls soggy, but it was only NT$50 (or about US$1.75!) to customize my own mini sushi bento snack. Shinkong Mitsukoshi Supermarket has covered trays of an assortment of nigiris and eel, shrimp, egg, futomaki rolls, inari, to let customers put together their own combos.



You pay by the piece- unagi NT$15, masago NT$10- but I was a bit afraid of having to pay of having the price for cheap sashimi (an upset stomach, worst case scenario) so I avoided anything raw, but the inari sushi (seasoned rice stuffed in sweet tofu skin) wasn't half bad. It's a cool option for those who always want to pick and choose their own and get it on the go, but definitely don't have high expectations!



Of course there are a ton of other goodies at the supermarkets here, but this was the first time I had noticed and tried the build-your-own sushi combo packs.

night market/taiwanese: i strongly recommend HUA GUANG JIE STREET EATS

HUA GUANG JIE STREET EATS
Hua Guang Road and Jhong Jheng Road intersection
Shih Lin District

Sausage Vendor
(02) 2833-1616

$

Kid friendliness: not a lot of seating areas, most offered are cramped and along the sidewalk.

Visit reviewed: 11/23/2008



If you are a stinky tofu lover, you'll have to try this 20-ish year old stinky tofu vendor in Shih Lin that my friend declares has the best stinky tofu in town. Sit down on the side of the sidewalk, order large or small, with or without "la jiou" or chili sauce, and take-in the fried pungent aromas. This location is not as crazy a scene as the Shih Lin night market and it's a quicker stop since all the basic offerings are clustered together in a convenient vendor hopping maze.

While I can't say that not all stinky tofu isn't stinky, I have to say that fried stinky tofu is a smell that has grown on me in the past few years. It makes my mouth water because I think of the crispy hot tofu and the strong flavors and I actually like it, especially with the pickled cabbage. I can't stand the non-fried crazily stinky variety though.



The vendor right next to the stinky tofu also has some good "ba wan" and tempura, but you'll find out that you have to change seats if you want to eat it. You can't sit at the stinky tofu seats and eat the neighboring vendor's food.

There are street vendor rules, you know. LOL

If stinky tofu isn't your thing, there's plenty other of street eats to find on this busy intersection of Hua Guang Road and Jhong Jheng Road in Shih Lin. You can't leave without trying the grilled sausage- you get a half of a large sausage, sliced up for NT$60. Chinese sausage is slightly sweet and fatty, but so good.



This stand is 10 plus years old and watching the sausages slowly rotate on the sausage ferris wheel is slightly mesmerizing, if only the glass weren't so greasy.



Also good are the "tsui jian bao" or the steamed buns with crispy bottoms for NT$10 each. They only have one filling though and that's a slightly mushy pork and cabbage filling. Personally, I prefer the "tsui jian bao" at the Shih Lin Night Market.




A bit further away, there's "do-hwa" or soy tofu desserts, "ai yu" lemon jelly and drinks, freshly roasted peanuts, fried items on a stick, pig's blood on a stick and squid vermicelli. The vendors on the far end of the corner seem a bit deserted, so I'd stick where everyone else is crowding around.





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dessert/hotel: i recommend CHEESECAKES from HOWARD PLAZA

CHAMPS ELYSEES
at HOWARD PLAZA HOTEL
160, Ren Ai Road, Sec 3
(02) 2700-2323

website: taipei.howard-hotels.com

$$

Kid friendliness: mmm cheesecake

Visit reviewed: 1/7/2009

I had lunch with family friends at the Chinese restaurant upstairs and decided to check out their cakes on the way out. In the lobby on the first floor, they sell whole cakes, but on the second floor near Champs Elysees, you can buy cakes by the slice. They have chocolate and tiramisu and other cakes, but I was drawn to the cheesecakes.

I couldn't decide between the NY style looking cheesecake and the blueberry topped cheesecake, so I decided to get both to go. I liked the firmer, more traditional NY style cheesecake (as the hostess had recommended) rather than the softer sweeter blueberry cheesecake. A lot better.



Wasn't crazy about the blueberrry's crust too, though it looked promising. My favorite cheesecake in Taipei is probably still the blueberry cheesecake at 85 Degrees C. But I have to give Howard Hotel credit for making a decent cheesecake that wasn't too light or too dense or Asia-fied like some of the more sponge cake type cheesecakes that you'd find here.


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japanese/ramen: RAMEN KAGETSU ARASHI

Ramen Kagetsu Arashi
at Xinyi Vieshow Cinemas Foodcourt
20, SongShou Rd, 2F
(02) 2729-2128

website: gone-grp.com Taiwan site- Chinese only
kagetsu.co.jp Japan site- Japanese only

hours: Mon-Thu 11 am-11 pm, Fri/Sat 11am/10am-1 am, Sun 10 am-11 pm

$$

Kid friendliness: kids meal with smaller sized ramen available. no high chairs

Visit reviewed: 12/20/2008



Over the past few years, the Vieshow food court has stayed mostly the same- Burger King, Haagen Daaz, Doner Kebab, the Korean and Taiwanese places, Bellini Pasta- with some turnover in the Pho spot, Froot and a long time ago Taco Taco. In the back, you can play some arcade and basketball shooting games while waiting to see your film. And what used to be a DVD/CD shop is now a ramen restaurant.

Apparently, movie goers have been waiting for ramen. Ramen Kagetsu Arashi was packed on the day I wanted to try it and after waiting a few minutes on the list, I grabbed my seat. The menu is only in Chinese and Japanese with a lot of pictures, so I wasn't sure what made the ramen different from from the places- but apparently this is the newest Taipei branch of a popular ramen chain in Japan.



I think they offer 3-4 basic broths (garlic and pork bone broth, white pork bone broth, miso broth), and then you can order extra meat or make it spicy. They also offer different sides such as salads, tonkatsu fried pork cutlet, potato croquettes and gyoza dumplings.



The space is a natural modern, though a bit tight as the tables are on the small side and they want to get you in and out.

On every table, there's a nice little assortment of spices and seasonings to customize your ramen as you like it.



I ended up getting the bowl with the biggest picture and the shop's best seller with a "No. 1" (NT$160). But after eating it, I wasn't crazy about it- the "Ninniku Genkotsu Ramen" broth just seemed oily and not had a slightly burnt garlic flavor. The cha shu and noodles were decent, but the tastes overall weren't up my alley. Was I missing something? The white pork broth soup was better. Maybe I should have stuck to my preferred miso flavors. At that point, I had wished I had walked to Ajisen Ramen at A4 instead.



It was only after getting back home and doing some googling that I find out that Kagetsu has a lot of fans- the soup is a "shoyo tonkotsu" or soy sauce pork bone soup and supposed to be oily and rich.

And when you are done, you gotta deal with the line again at the register which seemed to take almost longer than the meal. Maybe they've improved that since I've visited, but you'd best stick with your other food court options if you are in a hurry to catch a film or plan in the extra time.

I'd love to hear from the ramen lovers out there if I should go and try it again, or maybe I'm just a miso ramen kind of girl.

OTHER LOCATION

Breeze at Taipei Main Station
3, BeiPing W Rd, 2F
(02)2389-1998

CLOSED! pizza/american: i strongly recommend FAMOUS LARRY's NEW YORK PIZZA

a/o 2010 CLOSED

FAMOUS LARRY's NEW YORK PIZZA
No. 2, Lane 137, Yanji St
(02) 2771-1032

website: thenewyorkslice.com

hours: Mon-Sat 11am to 9:30pm; Sundays 12pm to 8pm

$-$$ Cash only

Kid friendliness: big slices and lots of choices for toppings. space is not large but not too tight for kids.

Visit reviewed: 12/3/2008 and 12/31/2008; 2/6/2008



I first heard about "the NY slice" when I saw a huge sign near Dun Hua Eslite Bookstore. Of course it piqued my interest and I found the website and even went by the new location last fall. But it turned out that it hadn't even opened shop at that point yet. And then I went to LA and forgot about it.

Then I happened to get some food from Sababa at their Heping branch, and spotted the Famous Larry's New York Pizza sign right next door. I was a bit startled seeing the naked pizzas on the counter- half baked dough with red sauce but nothing else- but thought I'd give it a try since I was there. Famous Larry's Pizza sells pizza by the slice, but not really how you might expect. It's pizza by the slice to order, rather than already made pizzas that you would grab and go. I was a bit doubtful that the way that I was familiar with wasn't the way to go, but after eating the pizza I could see why.



The pizza's dough is a crusty soft and crunchy at the same time, sort of like good bread. It's thin crust, but unlike Alleycats' super crisp, almost cracker-like crust, Famous Larry's NY Pizza is a chewy crispy.



But once the pizza cools down the crust starts getting really hard. So I could see that their crust probably wasn't prime for reheating- plus it's a cost saving method- if the turnover isn't as high as you think that day might be, then they don't have as much pizza to toss.

Anyways, something about Famous Larry's NY Pizza works for me, most of the time. It might be a touch of corn meal or something in the crust that gives it an extra texture. It might be the balance of sauce and toppings, and the toppings are hearty and aplenty. It might be the NT$69 price for the slice of the day, which is huge and could easily be the mass of a Pizza Hut or Alleycats personal pizza. (I might have to take a picture of the three side by side one day). It might be the absence of corn on any of pizzas, but instead fun combos like "Soho" (chicken, pesto and mushrooms) or the spicy "Downtown" (pepperoni, jalepenos and onions).



My favorite is the Hawaiian Vacation- the slice is covered with ham and pineapples.



The meat heavy "Brooklyn" or Vegetarian "Uptown" is second.


Can you tell I've been there a lot? The slice of the day is a good deal at NT$69, but you can still order whatever you like at NT$75-115 a slice. Nineteen inch pizzas run from NT$450-650 and you can customize pizzas to have each half have a different flavor.

My least favorite so far is the "Bronx". I thought it would be a winning combination with mushrooms and meatballs, but the mini meatballs are too soft, almost mushy. The meatballs in the meatball hero are also unfortunately soft- I miss the old meatball sandwiches from this sub shop in Carson that my mom's friend used to own. Meatball subs with provolone cheese and Orange Bang. Mmm.

Recently, they started delivery, but it still has a lot of kinks to be worked out. I placed an order at 12pm and they said that they were doing a delivery so I'd have to get my pizza after 12:30PM. I said fine. I got a call at 1pm asking if I still wanted my pizza? A bit frustrated, but hungry, I said yes. I had hoped that they could communicate somehow with their driver so that they could be already baking my pizza to be ready for the driver to pick up and bring to me rather than call me and confirm with me "did I want my pizza" and then bake the pizza. I ended up getting my pizza around 1:30pm- an hour and half after I ordered it. You'd have a much better time just having lunch at the location, although there are times you just want your pizza delivered.



If you're going to hang out, the Heping Yanji St location is better with a few seats and bar seats (it's not too far from the Zhong Xiao East Road, Lane 216 Alleycats). The Yanji St Heping location seems strictly to go. Also don't confuse NY Slice for the also relatively new NY Pizza Kitchen (near NY Bagel) on Ren Ai Road. Now if only someone would bring back California Pizza Kitchen! I think it would draw customers and lines like crazy in Taipei, don't you?


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OTHER LOCATION

No. 8, Alley 54, Lane 118, Heping E Road, Sec 2
(02) 2738-4747

dessert: i strongly recommend BIG TOM ICE CREAM

BIG TOM ICE CREAM
No.233-2, Jhongjheng Rd., 2 FL
Danshui
(02)2626-1622

website: bigtom.us

$$

hours: 9:30 am- 11pm

Kid friendliness: areas to lounge. friendly free samples.

Visit reviewed: 11/16/2008



The first time I had Big Tom's ice cream was probably over 4 or 5 years ago- at the cute and cozy location near SYS Memorial hall, hidden behind trees on Ren Ai Road. Although I loved the Peanut Butter ice cream and my fuzzy memory thought their waffles for afternoon tea were quite good, somehow I didn't make it back that often.

So I was excited to see the huge Big Tom's in Danshui after visiting the Fisherman's Wharf and had to see if the Peanut Butter ice cream was good as I had remembered.





And it was! The thick chunks of peanut butter are swirled in the ice cream and melt in your mouth. The Oregon Strawberry was also great too and tasted as fresh as ice cream could taste. When you get your ice cream, you also get this little spoon with tiny bumps that makes you almost notice the ice cream more, by "bump"-ing the focus to your tastebuds and tongue.

Big Tom's ice cream has a great range of flavors and each flavor carries off the perfect balance of sweetness, creaminess and heaviness. And that's because their ice cream is stated to use "all natural ingredients." It's definitely a contrast to times after eating a few bites of certain flavors of Haagen Daaz or Coldstone's I feel overwhelmed with how sweet or dense it is and don't want to finish it, but yet don't want to waste the money that I've spent on it.

And Big Tom's service surpasses the sometimes snooty Haagen Daaz service by a long shot- they were friendly and generous in letting us try samples- and their quirky cow-themed decor makes the whole space fun (and a bit like Ben and Jerry's).

Okay- I'm going to rant for a moment here about Haagen Daaz.

My friends and I had a few negative experiences with Haagen Daaz- starting with their differentiation of "to go" and "sit down" orders. My friends ordered, paid and received two huge ice creams sundaes at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Haagen Daaz and then tried to sit down in the lounge-y area and told they couldn't since they had gotten their orders to-go (and in the paper cups). When my friend offered to pay for the service fee (that's charged when you sit down and eat), they were adamantly refused even though the space was pretty much empty on a cold weekday afternoon. It's the kind of thing that makes me not want to give them my business because you have two customers that have just paid US$20 for ice cream and you're not going to let them sit down in your space to eat your ice cream because of bad corporate logic that says only customers that declare they want to eat "here" get to eat here? It's one thing if the place is packed and there's a line and they are taking someone else's space, but it's another if it's totally empty and they are offering to pay a service fee! Anyways- something similar happened to me before at Vieshow Haagen Daaz, not to mention another time I wanted to just get a scoop of ice cream and asked if I could pay extra for banana on top and they said no, I had to get the banana split (with 3 scoops) to get banana.

Okay- end rant.

ANYWAYS- if you haven't yet tried Big Tom, you'll have to give it a try on your next date, ice cream craving or afternoon tea with the girlfriends- or maybe take that special someone for upcoming Valentine's Day.

It doesn't have as many locations (especially in malls) but they are the only one on the 85th viewing floor of 101. And that is pretty awesome.



Maybe it was my imagination, but the scoops even seem bigger. Other de-luscious flavors include Mocha Choco, Kahlua, Vanilla Bean, Green Tea, low-fat Marionberry Cheesecake. They also have toppings and other desserts. One scoop is NT$108 and 2 scoops is NT$178, but the price also includes the waffle cone.

Their website also says they have ice cream making classes with a big hand-crank old fashioned ice cream maker, but didn't offer any information on where or when.

Other locations:

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall shop
No.505, Sec. 4, Ren-ai Rd.
(02)2345-4213

Tien Mu shop
No.1, Lane 63, Sec. 7, Jhongshan N. Rd.
(02)2875-5511

Songshan Shop
No.219, Sec. 2, Chang-an E. Rd.
(02)2772-2658

Taipei 101

Yijhong, Taichung
No.221, Yijhong St.
(04)2225-8778

Gongyi, Taichung
No.276, Gongyi Rd.
Tel：(04)2319-7199

Kending, Pingtung
No.12, Kending Rd.
Tel：(08)886-3983

hotpot/taiwanese: i recommend TRIPOD KING SPICY HOTPOT

TRIPOD KING SPICY HOTPOT or DING WANG
No. 89, Guangfu N Rd
(02) 2742-2116

website: tripodking.com.tw

hours: 11 AM - 2:30AM

$$

Kid friendliness: i think i saw high chairs. not for picky eaters. only spicy hotpot or pickled cabbage soup hotpot

Visit reviewed: 1/6/2009



If you haven't heard about "mala huo guo" or spicy hotpot, then you've been missing out on the perfect meal for a cold and rainy day in Taipei. "Mala" hotpot is a spin on the regular hotpot, but offers a ultra-spicy deep red blood colored broth to cook your meats and vegetables in.



Tripod King or Ding Wang is one of the more famous joints in town- my girlfriends were raving for weeks that we had to try it and said that every time they attempted to call to make a reservation the line was busy. Sometimes it is easier to just go there ahead of time and get a reservation in person.

I'm assuming that the name Tripod King comes from the shape of the hotpot- a huge metal bowl with three short feet.



There's a set up fee just for the all you can drink broth- NT$98 per person- and then you pay for whatever additional plates of sliced meats, fresh fishballs or vegetables you want (NT$90-290+). If you want to have a half spicy and half not spicy like we did, it's an additional flat fee of NT$150. It ended up being about NT$500 a person for our group of girlfriends- it would probably end up more for a bunch of guys.

The menu is in English and Chinese with a picture for almost everything. I did giggle at a few typos and the way they attempted to describe the more unusual parts of animals. Would you like some "rice nuddles," "selected rectum" or "selected honey cumb?"





But one thing that is pretty smart is that they have "assortment" plates for each type of thing they offer- for example, they offer 5 types of handmade dumplings, if you can't decide, you can get the sampler plate that has 2 of each. They also have sampler meatballs, sampler mushrooms, sampler



I also almost giggled after the waitresses bow after each time they come to your table. The first time was novel, but after each time (a glass of water, a refill of the soup, a new plate of vegetables) it kind of was a time waster when you were trying to flag down the waitress from another table.



After you first sit down and order, they bring the hotpot to the table and all the dishes. The "mala" side already has large chunks of tofu and duck's blood (it looks kind of like chocolate tofu, as my friend's sister used to call it when she was a kid). The non-mala side has pickled cabbage and pork that gives the broth a slightly sour flavor. You can then go to the back of the room and get your own sauces and rice.




Supposedly you're supposed to use the creamier sauce for the mala and the soy sauce for the pickled cabbage, but I used them both.

And then once you get cooking, you've got a bowl full of food. There's huge ladles for everyone to use- if you're a first time hotpotter, try to keep your personal chopsticks out of the hotpot as well as remember to use a different pair of chopsticks to cook the raw meat.

Other favorites you should make sure to order are the "youtiao" or fried breadstick that will soak up the broth with a crunch, kind of like dipping your garlic bread in soup at an Italian restaurant. Also they have freshly made fishballs that they will spoon in for you.



I wasn't so crazy about the Szechewan mini-meatballs, but mostly everything was good. The mala is too spicy for me to drink, but I enjoyed digging out some duck's blood and tofu and eating it with the rice. But I'd cook my meats and other things in the preserved cabbage side.

This trip to Tripod King was actually after going to another Ding Wang that I liked better. Tripod King's name in Chinese is Ding Wang2 (Wang meaning King, so 2nd tone), and the less famous but equally good Ding Wang4 is the 4th tone. The other Ding Wang4's non-mala broth was not a pickled cabbage broth but their own hotpot broth, and they also offered lunchtime NT$100 noodles that were so delicious (and to be reviewed!)

My friend said that once they had a reservation for 10 or 12 people and they were all squished at a table for 10... which is all fine, except that they all had to share just ONE hotpot. If you can't wait to eat, you might be better off at the all you can eat Momo Paradise which has a hotpot for every 2-4 people.

But if you can get a seat, you shouldn't turn it down. And if you can, go with a bunch of friends or family so you can enjoy chatting while you sharing good food, and can try more things when you order for more people so you don't have a huge bill for just yourself.