japanese: i strongly recommend MOUNTAIN FLOWER

MOUNTAIN FLOWER
or SHAN HUA
No. 1 on 146 Alley, Dun Hua S. Rd, Sec 2
(02) 2708-3080

lunch: 12 PM- 2:30 PM
dinner: 6 PM - 10 PM

$$$- $$$$

kid friendly?: no high chairs, though can accomodate stroller especially if you call ahead. can be quiet atmosphere though so may not want to bring rowdy loud ones

visit reviewed: 11/17/2006

I'm no means a sashimi or sushi expert. After all, I used to only eat California Rolls and Inari Rolls and Tabiko nigiri until maybe five years ago when I was introduced to world of super fresh and delicious sashimi. So even now, when I eat sashimi, I couldn't necessarily tell you everything that I am eating- yellowtail, Hamachi, salmon- I would need one of those plastic diagrams that come on the table. I know what tuna, uni, unagi, and sweet shrimp are, but at a place where the chef's set menu (about NT$2000) just comes to you, you have to just go with the flow.

Mountain Flower is a cozy, small-ish rectangular room of a restaurant with a sushi bar- we heard of it from a friend who works with organic foods and raved about their vegetarian set menu. It's definitely a place to treat yourself, or use the company credit card, since their set menu will set you back NT$2000 or US$60, but it will be worth every penny. It's simple, delicious flavors and you'll leave full from the food and the experience, but not stuffed. We were lucky to get a reservation a day or so earlier, since the space can only seat so many people. WIth the darker walls and ambience, it was very modern and sleek and the restaurant was bustling with businessmen, couples and people enjoying their food.

So I will do my best to describe everything we had from that night- but honestly, I'm not sure what everything was- but it all tasted awesome- so if you are a sashimi expert, you can let the pictures do the talking.

We sat at the sushi bar, so when the chef was ready, he's dish out the new plate. Before we start eating, they ask if there is anything that we do NOT eat. For the appetizer, we dipped the paper thin slice into a sauce. Later the chef would specifically suggest when not to dip something in a sauce.

sashimi appetizer

The sashimi was so fresh. I think the white slices on the right were squid- they were a bit rubbery unlike the meaty texture of the fish. In general, I prefer the taste and texture of tuna and I think what was yellowtail?

sashimi plate

I ate a couple of the scallops before I took this picture. It was soft and chewy and I like scallops in general, so I really enjoyed this. I don't like ikura, so I gave this to my friend.

scallop and ikura

This to me was heaven because I really miss eating spicy tuna from the states- it's hard to find here and this was an elegant twist on one of my favorites. I almost wanted to ask the chef for more than the two bites that we got.

spicy tuna

And the food kept coming while we were eating and talking. This set was probably one of my favorites- the slightly seared toro melted in your mouth and though not everyone likes uni, I have grown to love it, and it was very fresh and creamy.

toro and uni

The thing about sashimi and sushi is that it should never smell or taste fishy. If it does, don't eat it! Next came a grilled miso fish, which was just the right size and flavorful due to the marinade.

miso fish

I wasn't sure what this was and my friend called it "the essence of fish" to which I was like, what does that mean? Brain? Sex organs? Stomach? After some googling, It reminded me in taste and appearance of cow brain, in the soft creaminess, but it would be the most beautifully presented fish milt I've ever seen.

fish milt

Here are some dishes from the vegetarian set menu- I don't think I took a picture of everything, but it's a sample in case you ever want to try it.

fried shitake mushrooms

nuts

vegetarian yams and mushrooms

vegetarian rolls

Then capping the meal with a slice of fresh pineapple and red bean dessert and green hot tea.




If you've ever wanted to go somewhere and let the chef hand pick your food, then you must try MOUNTAIN FLOWER. The simple elegant sign outside reflects the "japonaise" style and attitude inside- they make it look easy and the fresh while
appetizing flavors stay with on your mind. As with most set menus, the dishes will changes as the seasons change, but at least you can be assured that whatever you are eating will also be the freshest.

i don't recommend random korean place

random korean place
name and address TBA
(around the corner from Lane 141, Hu Lin Street)

$$-$$$

visit reviewed: 11/28/2006



You know how sometimes you are headed for one place, but then you end up at another? Sometimes it yields awesome results. In this case, not so awesome.

I was with a friend and thought she would enjoy the delicious and very affordable pho from Delicacies of Vietnam. After a short walk, I was extremely bummed to find their shop mysteriously closed at 6:30PM on a Wednesday. So we took our hungry stomachs to the nearest decent looking place we could find. Around the corner, the bright neon sign indicated korean BBQ and I thought, sure, why not?

Inside, it was warm colored walls, but sparsely decorated. The menu was only in Chinese, mostly handwritten, and a few pictures in the front and the back. I ended up pointing at the bimbimbap in the stone bowl, the seafood pancake and the beef (to be grilled) (or galbi, though they didn't know what I was talking about when I said galbi).



Excited to see a tray full of side dishes, or panchan, at our table on top of the grill, I was slightly confused when the owner/waitress seemed to be taking it away. Apparently, they weren't free here, they were NT$40 each. A bit impatient, she hurriedly pointed out the different ones and practically walked away before we could make up our minds. We ended up choosing the seaweed and sprouts (instead of the cucumbers, kimchee, and kimchee radishes).



Although they were quite speedy, they were not the most friendly, or at least to us. There were two white guys at the next table who also seemed to have a bit of trouble communicating with the owner/waitress, though she seemed quite friendly to the larger parties that eventually trickled in.

The beef came first, and simliar to what I experienced in Korea, it is already cut off the bone and they start grilling it for you. However, it was quite different from the picture in the menu and that it seemed like a lot less than we envisioned for NT$300. It is also grilled without any marinade- instead you wrap it with the lettuce and can use the sauce to flavor it.



Maybe I had high expectations, but it just seemed like not a good value- a little bit of meat for almost US$10. It would have been worth it if the quality of beef blew me away (like some of the Korean bbq I had in Pusan), but it wasn't memorable at all.

Next came the seafood pancake (NT$300)- it was doughy and crispy- the thicker texture made it a bit heavy. The owner/waitress cut the freshly panfried pancake into slices in front of us.



After awhile, the bimbimbap (NT$200) came out and again the owner/waitress "served" it by mixing the ingredients before we could touch it. I didn't get a picture of it, since it didn't look as appetizing after it was all mixed in with the kimchee redness being the main element. The spiciness stood out the most about the dish, and after a few minutes, the bottom of the rice hardened into a crispy, browned crust to enjoy. It was dried out and gave my teeth a work out, but I enjoy that part of eating with the stone bowl. You can also get it without the stone bowl for NT$150.

In contrast to the warm hospitality I felt at my only other experience of Korean food in Taipei so far, Fire Tree Silver Flower Korean bbq buffet, this place left me feeling like they didn't really care if we ate there or not. Some places, the food is good enough that you will brave that kind of service. This place, why bother if there are other tastier, friendlier options just a few steps away.

chinese/mall food: i strongly recommend BAN MU YUAN

BAN MU YUAN or "HALF ACRE GARDEN"
(or as known in the US- A & J)
at Taipei 101 Mall foodcourt
45, ShihFu Rd., B1

$

website: www.banmuyuan.com.cn in chinese. There is an English option, but most of the links are "under building..."

date visited: 12/5/2006

beef rolls: thin slices of beef wrapped in chinese pancake with scallion and sauce

A few weeks ago, I spotted a woman eating these delicious looking beef rolls at the food court... it definitely didn't look like mall food, but I had already ordered somewhere else. I finally got a chance to try it this week and it didn't disappoint! I am actually thinking about heading back to get some as a snack as I write this.

I asked a friend to help translate the name of the store into English and he said, "oh that's A&J" which is a popular noodle shop in California (OC and San Jose) where we would get our beef noodle fixes. According to AOL cityguide, they are all part of chain from Taiwan that now has six stores in Beijing that features traditional Chinese good eats such as handmade-style noodles, steamed dumplings, xien bing or "chinese hamburgers" and beef rolls.

the sign/storefront you should look for

Anyone who has been to the 101 food court (or maybe any food court in Asia) knows that (1) there are quite a few decent options as far as food courts go and (2) it can be overwhelmingly noisy, crowded and busy especially during lunch and dinner hours and weekends, so try and get a seat and not run into anyone carrying hot soup. There's a strategy, you know? Get one person to order and the other to claim your stake for your seats. The other funny thing to note is the strict efficiency of the ladies to bus the tables, almost to the point of amusement- you could not yet be done with your food and they swoop in to take away your tray until you protest.

I am quite behind on my food court reviews (Warner Village already turned over a couple shops that I had in my drafts folder).. so I am going to just get this online while I have a few spare minutes. This shop is all the way in one of the corners, near the entrance of the food court near Watson's. Look for this wall next to the shop has a large blown up photos of their offerings on the adjacent wall.
And though nothing in the menu is in English, there are lots of pictures and plastic models to point at.



For three people, we ended up getting 2 orders of the beef rolls (NT$100 each set) (which come 2 on a plate, each roll cut in half, so four pieces to one order), 1 ja jiang noodle set which came with soup and 1 pork xien bing at NT$178, and two additional pork xien bing (NT$73) which are like flat pan fried round dumplings (and you can choose either pork, beef or vegetable) and 2 side dishes (NT$50 each)- marinated eggplant and mustard greens with tofu skin. This was all about NT$551, or US$17, or US$5.50 a person.

Both the xien bing and the beef pancake roll had this pan fried look and taste that made it slightly crispy, yet not greasy. It was so good, I practically inhaled my portion. The beef pancake roll has slices of beef and a slightly sweet and salty touch from the sauce that is spread on the chinese pancake. The scallion was a bit hard and I ended up taking it out, otherwise it usually provides a nice crunch. The xien bing has ground beef and green onions inside and a dumpling like skin around the meat.

xien bing aka chinese hamburger

The ja jiang mien noodles was just okay, especially since I wish that they had given us more sauce. You mix the salty tofu, ground pork sauce with the sliced cucumbers and sprouts. Although the noodles themselves were really good, thick with a handmade texture, the dish over I probably wouldn't order again. Same with the side dishes- the eggplant was a tad bland and oily, but the mustard greens were good, which I ended up mixing in my bare-boned noodles.

Next time I'll try their dumplings and beef noodle soup to go along with my beef pancake roll. They also have a green bean porridge and other small dishes. If you want to look for it the next time you are at the 101 foodcourt, it's near the entrance by Watsons, to the right hand side- just watch out for the crowds when you're finding a seat during the lunch hour!

Apparently, there is a sit down restaurant location in Taipei, but I haven't translated the address yet: if you are desparate to go, here is the phone number

(02) 2700-5326

japanese: i recommend MOS BURGER

MOS BURGER
nearly everywhere
at 100 stores across Taiwan

$

date visited: 11/26/2006

Mos.co.jp Mos Burger menu for Japan (Japanese only)

Mos Burger Corp (English)

Yakiniku beef burger

You've probably spotted the red and white M logo somewhere on the street or in a food court if you wandered Taipei enough. The concept for their most popular burgers is actually pretty straightforward- it's like a teriyaki beef bowl masquerading as a burger- instead of a bun, you get rice smushed into two compact patties surrounding your filling (choose between beef, chicken, pork, seafood or vegetables.) To fill out the menu, there are fries, hot dogs, fried chicken or shrimp sides, dessert and regular hamburgers.

the counter- click to see the menu in a larger photo

On this day, we hit a small shop on Min Sheng East Road for a to-go order for our whole family. We got there a bit before 12 noon on a Saturday, so we didn't have to wait long to order.. but we did wait quite awhile for our food because the cashier left some of the burgers off our order after my uncle used a coupon and they started to get busy with the lunch rush.

while i wait, the view from the inside

our burgers to-go

When we finally got our food, our chili dog (NT$65) was just a hot dog (NT$55). We asked for them to put on some chili (and offered to pay the difference), but they firmly denied our requests by saying it "wasn't possible" nor could they give us chili on the side. After some nagging, they made us a new chili dog which was just a tiny bit of chili spread on the hot dog with some jalepenos on top. (You'd be better off with the hot dog from Costco).

chili hot dog

The best bet is to stick to the basics- the Yakiniku beef burger (NT$65). It is thin slices of beef marinated with sweet teriyaki-like sauce, and the grilled beef is tender though I think the ratio of beef to rice could be improved with more beef. I always seem to have rice leftover. The rice patties are supposed to be grilled, although they don't have a crunchy edge and end up soaking up the juice and falling apart into the wrapping.

Yakiniku beef burger

I also like the Kinpira burger (NT$60), which has sauteed burdock, carrots, bamboo shoots, a piece of nori seaweed and a kick of spice with the Kinpara style sugar and soysauce.

Kinpira burger

I wouldn't bother with the fried shrimp (NT$55) or chicken (NT$52) - they are a bit stale and overfried, probably fried from frozen goods. The flavor of the fried chicken was not bad, but it was just not worth ordering again. I tried the seafood burger (NT$70) a few years ago and also didn't care for it. They also have fried cutlet burgers and new burgers every so often.

side of fried chicken
the last shrimp from the side order

I think the reason why Mos Burger works is because people who love rice can eat it on the go, rather than having to sit down with chopsticks. The packaging and design is even made for eating it on the go- the thin styrofoam wrapping is easily unpackaged and creates a pocket for you eat and try to keep the mess contained.

the wrap helps keep your hands sauce-free

It feels a tad healthier than eating a burger, although I think the size of the burgers is small. You might need two or three burgers to fill up if you were pretty hungry. (On this lunch, I had a Yakiniku and a Kinpira (leaving some of the rice behind) and was still a little hungry) It's pretty clean and nice inside for a fast food place though I'm sure each location is different. Also, if you love Mos Burger enough to eat it often, you should buy a pack of gift certificates because with NT$1000, you can get a few coupons for free burgers. This location has menu items listed in English, though it's hard to know what "Shogayaki" or "Konnyaku" burgers are if you have never eaten there before (Shogayaki is ginger pork and Konnyaku is firm jelly that is high in fiber) according to a quick google). There are menus with pictures on the wall, but not with English subtitles. So you will probably just point at the ones that look good at the counter if you don't speak Chinese.

Although it's a chain from Japan, it's often one of the "must-try" items on a list of touristy things to eat in Taipei (which I've found include Mr. Donut (another Japanese eatery), Din Tai Fung and night market food). The concept of rice patties and yakiniku beef is popular enough to be co-opted by the local McDonalds, although I have to say I haven't tried the ones at McDs yet. At prices under NT$60-$100 (or ~US$2-3), it's definitely affordable to try at least once to see if you like it, although portion for price, I think you can get better values with your local food court, although it won't be as easy to eat on the run.

night market: i recommend RAOHE STREET NIGHT MARKET

RAOHE STREET NIGHT MARKET
near Song Shan train station

hours: afternoon to early AM

$


It's so great having relatives in town because it gives me an excuse to go out to my favorite touristy spots, and sometimes even go somewhere new. I had never been to the Raohe Street Night Market, but my mom says it is a favorite of my dad and grandparents. Heading into the entrance, we almost got lost in a group of Japanese tourists.



We went after dinner around 830pm or so on a Saturday night and it was crowded, but not like Shih Lin night market where you barely have room to move.

There are the typical Taiwanese small eats- oyster omelettes, herbal soups, stinky tofu, roasted corn, food on sticks, fruits, candies, noodles, as well as some unusual treats.

I didn't get the chance to try it- but they had something I'd never seen before- a super long curly chip, basically a spiral carved out of a potato and deep fried. They place it on a stick for you to eat and season it with your choice of seasoned salt.




I did get to try a lamb wrap (NT$80) from the Allah Din, after spotting their grilled kabobs, which was fairly close to the entrance. The guy making the kabobs called out to the crowds in Chinese to try it and spoke a little English as well.


the paratha bakes quickly

They "baked" the fresh paratha (Indian flatbread) and you could choose lamb, beef or pork for your filling. The signs were only in Chinese and I ordered lamb, thinking I'd get the kabob. To my surprise, I got minced lamb to which I tried to tell them that I wanted the kabob meat. They said that what they were giving me was better and that I didn't order the kabob, I ordered the wrap, even though I saw them wrapping a chicken kabob meat in the wrap for someone else. I ended up just deciding to try it.

Look for this Allah Din sign

It was not bad- it was warm and spicy. The paratha (Indian flatbread) was chewier than naan which is usually crispy and chewy. They added pickled carrots and cucumbers which gave it a nice crunch and added the green sauce which gave it some heat. I would love to try the tikka chicken next time. There's also seating in the back, if you want to sit down and order a plate. I've never seen this in the states, but I've seen it at the Shih Lin night market as well (with English signs). The guy at Shih Lin also has more room to toss up his paratha bread (kind of like pizza throwing) which usually draws a crowd.

Indian burrito

I also shared some shaved ice (NT$50). If you've never had shaved ice, you can usually choose up to four toppings from an assortment of toppings or just choose one. My sister liked the powdery texture of the ice, sort of like eating fresh fallen snow.

choose from toppings like lemon jelly, grass jelly, rice mochi balls, boba balls, fruit, peanuts, red bean, green bean, pudding, taro, passion fruit sauce and more!

Although the ice wasn't enough for us, the owners gave us more shaved ice when we asked for it without any trouble. One of the women who worked there was very pregnant and it turned out she was five days away from her due date.

We chose boba, rice mochi balls, aiyu lemon jelly and red bean with evaporated milk on top.They also served sweet tofu dessert and a crispy flaky looking dish.

does anyone know what this is? salty or sweet?

If you don't eat your shaved ice fast enough, especially in hot weather, it will melt into a puddle like this.

Once you walk into Raohe night market, you basically walk down a LONG row of eateries and shops until you exit the other side. There's also quite a few NT$10 shops so you could end up with a bag full of things before you leave. Come with an empty stomach and you can hop around the different stands to find your spot to sit among the crowds.

night market: i strongly recommend SHIH LIN NIGHT MARKET

SHIH LIN NIGHT MARKET
Between end of Wenlin Rd., Jihe Rd. and Zhongshan N. Rd.
(near the movie theaters)

MRT: Jian Tan

$

afternoon to 2-3am

Wikipedia

date reviewed: 11/24/2006



Back in the 90s when I used to be a visitor rather than a part time resident of Taipei, I would always make sure to visit Shih Lin night market sometime during my trip. There is so much to see, eat, shop- you could spend all night fighting the crowds on a busy weekend night and not even cover half of it. One of the most popular destinations to buy souvenirs and bargain for goodies and eat everything and anything- it can also be a great people-watching spot as you'll find everyone there- students, families, couples, tourists.

A few years ago, they moved the main eating area to a enclosed space near the MRT Jian Tan exit, but disjointed from the main part of the night market. If you are looking for stinky tofu, oyster omelette, giant slabs of fried chicken or sausages wrapped in sticky rice sausages (YUM!!)- head over there (and I'll return to review another day!)



But you can also find lots of cheap good eats inside the main section of the night market- specifically the side near the movie theaters where there is a cluster of stands and shops, which is where we went on this night.

One of my favorite snacks is the pan fried dumplings (NT$10)- first steamed in this giant pot and then the bottom is fried to a delicious crispness. I think that the prices are the same as when I first ate them almost 10 years ago!

pork and green onion filling

There are about 3-4 bao places- they are all pretty good, but there is one located next to the shaved ice place that usually has a line which is my favorite. The bao is almost too hot to hold and thankfully it's too big to eat in one bite so you can enjoy all the bites after the first. The skin is thicker than xiao long bao, with a steamed doughy texture accompanied by the crispy bottom. The ground pork is tender and juicy, so watch out for the juices dripping down your chin or to your shirt!

Jien bao or pan fried dumplings. Buy 10 get 1 free!
NT$10 for one??!?!?! YUM!

I love shaved ice. I rarely find good shaved ice at the malls- instead you find it at the night market with the whirring machines and big blocks of ice and larger selection of toppings. They were out of some of my favorite toppings (rice mochi balls) so I opted for a red bean with evaporated milk (NT$40) and my cousin had green bean with evaporated milk (NT$40).

Hong doh/lyu doh bing or red bean/green bean ice

When it was brought to our table, I was pleasantly surprised at how huge it was!! It's definitely enough to share with a few people and yes, it's just ice, but you'd be surprised the varying sizes of shaved ice you'll get for the same price at different places.

There's something about the crunchy ice and the mushy beans and the overly sweet milk that combines into a irresistible treat. The ice here is shaved the way that I like- not too fine and not too coarse. Some places have shaved ice that seem like you are eating the ice from your soda, and some have powdery ice that melts too quickly- this one falls somewhere in between.

They also have aiyu bing or lemon jelly ice, with boba and extra lemon juice (NT$40). It's more soupy than like shaved ice and the extra lemon gives it an extra sour punch.

You just wander around and navigate the crowds to find what you like. Since there's not a lot of English signs, but everything is on display, you can usually get by with just pointing and finger signs if you don't speak fluent Chinese. There's also lots of food on sticks, fruits, sausages, noodles, roasted corn and even a stand offering wraps made with freshly made naan and Indian flavored chicken, beef and lamb kabobs.

sausages

As the biggest night market in Taipei, it is PACKED on weekends, sometimes you can barely squeeze through the aisles through the people. But it's also a great place to go if you want to hang out- it's open late sometimes until 1am - 2am (but remember to head out earlier if you need to catch the MRT). Some shops have a place to sit, but most of the stands in this area you eat and walk. If you need to sit down, head over towards the enclosed area. If you want to avoid the crowd, go during the day, on a weekday or earlier in the evening. Just exit the Jian Tan/Chien Tan MRT exit and look for the crowds- or ask the taxi driver to take you to "Shih Lin yeh sih." (yeh sih= night market!) If you only have a few days in Taipei, definitely try and save one night to check it out!

american/snack: i recommend MCDONALDS fried apple pie

McDONALDS
Hsi Men Ding
and almost everywhere!

$

date visited: 11/24/2006

Does anyone else remember when they used to make fried apple pie in the US? It came in a funky shaped green cardboard box, with an warning in small print about how hot the filling would be on the side. The crispy fried goodness of a crust, the sticky sweet sugary filling and the bite-sized chunks of "baked" apple? It was probably one of my favorite desserts as a kid and suddenly McDonalds was health conscious and switched to baked apple pies with a stiffer, drier crust.

If you do remember and ever have a craving for it- they actually still make fried apple pie (NT$20) in Taiwan!! I think it was almost ten years ago we first started re-appreciating it in Taipei, and thankfully, it hasn't disappeared here like it has in the US.



It's not the healthiest thing in the world, but who eats at McD's to be healthy? Although the portion seems much smaller and there's less apple in the filling, it's just enough of taste to make a good snack on the go. If you need something salty after eating something sweet, you can try their new steak fries. They are over crispy and fatter than their well-known fries, but don't provide the same satisfactory salty crunchy oomph. Stick to the original for the fries.



As for the rest, everything is pretty standardized compared to other McDonald's I've tasted in other parts of the world and on occassion, I like to eat a Sausage egg biscuit and hotcakes and hash browns. Mmm. I heard tha they might start serving breakfast all day at some McD's in the US.