CLOSED! french: i recommend MAMM GOZ

MAMM GOZ
12, Lane 112, AnHe Rd, Sec 1
(02) 2709-6636

Hours: 11:30 am - 10 pm Tue-Sun
brunch on weekends til 430pm or so
(closed Monday)

$$

Visit reviewed: 4/25/2007

A menu of unique and tasty offerings as if you were in a charming sidewalk French cafe, especially unique for Taipei, though pricey for the novelty and portions. Go for the dessert crepes with a date or friends.

It always surprises me how many expat-run eateries there are here in Taipei. I always wonder- how did they end up here? Why Taipei? Just like the test of a good Chinese restaurant in the states is that it is filled with Chinese American customers, Mamm Goz quickly filled with expats, even on a quiet Tuesday night.

When we first arrived, we had our pick of a table of a near empty restaurant - we chose to sit on the patio in the open-area cafe, good choice, since the cafe quickly filled up about while we were eating. The server (owner?) was especially friendly, wanting to walk us through the menu and explain everything since it was all our first time there. The menu is quite self explanatory- in English and Chinese- with one page of Galettes and one page of dessert Crepes, with a few salads and ciders on the side.

Our party of three decided to share a salad (NT$150-270), three main dish Galettes (NT$300-450) and a two dessert Crepes(NT$80-260). You can also have a set dinner menu for NT$600, but limits your selection of galette and crepe.

The Cobb-like salad came with diced ham, egg, croutons, cheese and tomatoes- the dressing was a tad too tart for me.

My favorite of the night was the La Queen Anne galette (NT$420) with goat cheese, honey and nuts- though more of a appetizer or dessert than a main dish. The creamy sweetness with the soft skin of the crepe was very addictive. It made me want to order another, or go and buy some goat cheese and make some toasted honey goat cheese nut sandwiches at home. It was probably also the most traditional in my understand of crepes, where the 'stuff' is inside the crepe, rather than on top as the others were- but maybe why these were 'galettes.' The La Mamm Goz crepe with ham and mushrooms was also smaller than I expected and a bit salty.

The La Celtica chicken galette was like looking at and eating a chicken mushroom cream sauce penne without the pasta- the sauce was very rich and too heavy to be a good match for the thin crepe underneath. While I'm not complaining about the taste of the topping, I felt like it belonged on some penne.

On the other hand, the dessert crepes were right on target. Big scoop of vanilla ice cream, soft pillowy apple slices resting on a crepe bed with caramel sauce sheets- it was almost embarassing how many times my spoon went to the Treann (NT$230) dish though I was sharing with two other people. Take my advice, order your own dessert crepe- you will probably finish it and want another to go.

The banana, chocolate and coconut King Arthur crepe (NT$260) was flambed- a quick douse of rum and lit on fire. It tasted more like rum than chocolate, and I think the table preferrred the caramel apple flavor better. If you want a lighter fare- they also have plain, butter, sugar, nutella, honey and various other crepes (NT$80 +)

You can even spy the chef hard at work making each dish in the kitchen in the back of the house. You will definitely need to order more than one thing to feel full, so expect to spend at least NT$500-800 at dinner time. Definitely a charming space to feel like you're not in Taipei anymore and have conversation and Breton cider or beers for a few hours with unique handmade touches, such as these painted stones to set your forks upon.

afternoon tea/dessert: PASTA FROLLA

PASTA FROLLA
No. 12, Lane 236, Tunhua South Road
(in the lane right behind Tunhua Sogo)
(02) 2773-3736

website: pasta-frolla.com Japanese site
orangecobo.com.tw Taiwan site

11:30 AM- 10 PM

$

Visit reviewed: 2/15/2007

My friend was giddy with excitement that she had someone to accompany her to eat "all you can eat cakes" for afternoon tea. Not a bad deal considering that NT$199 (US $6) you could eat until you couldn't eat another mouthful of frosting. But you could also buy cakes ala carte for about NT$50 each, so you would have to each eat 4 cakes to make it your money's worth, which if you think about it is a lot of cake. But if you've ever had a fantasy of eating whatever cake you wanted out of a bakery, here is your chance- mousses, cake, cheesecake, creme brulee, pie, even green tea jelly. You can also go for the full buffet- one entree and the all you can eat dessert and salad bars for NT$269.

My favorite out of the bunch was probably the creme brulee. Crackilicious sugary roof over a creamy sweet pool of creme brulee. But it was probably among the most rich creme brulee I've ever had- it was very very sweet and sugary.

We had a seat in the back during the crowded afternoon hour. It was fun watching the chefs make cake and artfully arrange the fruit on the cake, ladle sugar over it and put it in the fridge.

You get one plate and then take that plate to the counter where you point to the slice of cake you want. It's to prevent you from eating one bite from many cakes for sampling. Their cake slices are pretty big to finish, so it's best if you go with more people to sample and share. There are no signs for the cakes in English, so you have to ask or go by sight. The pinkish cake above we thought was strawberry cake, but was actually cherry. The frosting was light and whipped.

We eventually got a slice of the fruit cake we were admiring them make. It was like a hybrid of a cheesecake-mousse cake with lighter chocolate cake underneath with a flaky crust.

If you get the afternoon tea buffet, you also get to wait in line for their hot foods, such as this au gratin potato dish, which appear every half an hour. Once the server comes out, there is a mad dash and a long line. The cakes and decor is more Japanese western style than American western style which I would guess their pasta dishes taste too, but I didn't get to try the pasta. Overall, the cakes are decent- not the best desserts I've had in Taipei and definitely nothing that made me gasp "ohmygod" and want to camp out in front, but pretty affordable price for all you can eat and large variety to choose from. The setting is more plain jane cafe and crowded with students than a luxe white linen setting like Joyce East or Sabatini in the new green Sogo, but hey, their afternoon tea sets are at least two to three times as expensive.

Couldn't find anything online about Pasta Frolla except food porn pictures from blogs in Chinese. It seems to be a Japanese chain brought over here, based on their Japanese website. There also seem to be some sister cafes that are very similiar- Berry Berry 62, Orange Cobo and Apple Cobo. It gets very busy in the afternoon, so head over a little earlier to beat the crowd and bring an empty stomach and your sweet tooth if you decide to go.

Other location:

PASTA FROLLA
No. 38, Lane 187, Tun Hwa South Road
(02) 2731-4980

chinese: DINING ROOM

DINING ROOM
in Neo 19
No. 22, Song Shou Rd
(02) 2725-3932

website: inhouse19.com Chinese only

hours: 11 AM - 10 PM

$$

Visit reviewed: 4/28/2007



Trendy lounge atmosphere to eat your Shanghainese food which had surprisingly better flavors than I expected. Filled with thirty something business types or couples at tables with moody lighting, there are no baby seats and no room for loud kids, especially at dinner hour. The menu is mostly in Chinese, though there are a few pages of English with pictures of their most popular dishes.

More detailed review coming soon...

my kitchen: vietnamese spring rolls and chicken tikka masala

Courtesy of Carrefour supermarket and a little elbow grease in the kitchen- my first time making Vietnamese OR Indian food. It's been hard to find Vietnamese spring rolls like this in Taipei since the place I went to seems to have gone out of business. I found it very tricky to soak the rice paper just right.. I think the water was too hot and this particular rice paper had a grid on it, which made it tear easily. But we managed to salvage a few. This package of rice paper includes the noodles too, but I probably wouldn't buy it again! I made these before I read these tips on oishiieats, but I did manage to wrap it with the shrimp facing out. I will have to try grilling the shrimp because I can practically smell the flavor from her pictures. Also, I bought some new rice paper with the rose on it the other day to try out along with the special dipping sauce. We'll see how that goes!

lunch:



dinner:

As for curry out of a can, you definitely have to add water and the tip on the can to add plain yogurt- I thought gave it that extra creaminess and slight sweetness that took it from average to above average, since the curry already has a slightly tangy lemon flavor already in the Tikka Masala. I stirfried the onions first a little bit and then cooked the chicken, before I added the curry and simmered it for a bit. I wish I had had bought some basmati rice or naan to go with it. I would definitely try the other varieties from Patak's Original brand if I see it again at the supermarket. I'm all about the shortcuts.

CLOSED/dessert: i recommend GINJER CAKES AND MORE

GINJER CAKES AND MORE
20, Lane 233, Tun Hwa S. Rd, Sec 1
(right around the corner from Eslite Bookstore on Tun Hwa S Road)
(02) 8773-3061
(CLOSED, not sure if they still offer catering. updating in 2019. notice the pinyin changes!)

website: ginjer.com English and Chinese

hours: 12 PM - 8 PM

$$

Visit reviewed: 5/11/2007

The first time I passed by Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, I saw a line out of the door and people leaving with brown boxes and brown cupcake stickers. Out of curiosity, I had to get in line. I had to see what the big deal was for myself. Even the guy in front of me volunteered how much the line was worth it and he was getting a box of cupcakes for his boss as a birthday gift. The cupcakes were huge and beautifully decorated with frosting perfectly spread and colorful button like candy wafers stuck in the middle of each one. But personally, I didn't like the taste in comparison to my cupcake favorite Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock. Whoever made your personal favorite- cupcakes were a childhood flashback food trend taking over the city. But outside LA and NY, not so much it seems.

You would think that a city like Taipei full of sweet tooths and most often willing to wait in long lines- for shaved ice, for red bean filled pastries and rice balls, for cream puffs, for ice cream covered waffles, for chewy rings of donuts, for slices of cheesecake and any other cake imaginable, that there would be cupcakes all over town- but cupcakes are not easy to find. Maybe it's too American of a tradition. Maybe the Taiwan palate is used to the less sweet frosting and cakes of the Japanese style cakes. Either way, if you're looking for cupcakes in Taipei, Ginjer is your one stop shop for now.



You can buy cupcakes individually from the counter or order them in bulk for a special event. They also have regular cakes, with a homestyle feeling of decoration. I've had mixed experiences with their cakes- the first time I had it, I thought the decoration was more appropriate for a child's party than adult's and the chocolate cake was dense without being moist enough and the frosting was not lick your fingers clean worthy. The second time I heard about their cake, I heard many people complain it was too salty- though I wasn't there to try it- perhaps there was a mix up in the kitchen that day? I've also heard good things from others about it- that it was just the way they liked their cakes and hard to find elsewhere in Taipei.

So I'd recommend that you try it out for yourself if you are tired of the lighter fare of cakes in Taipei and aren't up for baking something at home yourself. Hidden a lane away from Eslite on Dun Hua South Road, it's not hard to find once you are in that area. Once you are in the store, they will usually offer a few samples of their more popular or new flavors. Look for the hanging Ginjer sign and past the outdoor patio that is great for their afternoon tea time (one free drink w/ purchase of a cupcake from 12pm - 2 pm). They also offer cupcake decorating for kids everyday at 4 pm.



They have numerous flavors offered on their website, from chocolate, lemon, banana, taro, orange, pumpkin, cream cheese, coconut, and their original Cloud Nine and Ginjer special. They also offer red velvet seasonally and more unusual fare like Waldorf Salad and Apple Pie- though not every single one is offered everyday (but more than I thought in person- probably about 10 flavors). You can browse their decorations in their gallery which are cute and more home-grown than professional(NT$60-150 each for special orders). I tried the carrot cake cupcake (NT$50) on this day which I quite enjoyed- it was average sized (same as if you baked it in muffin tins yourself ) but also dense, fluffy, sweet with tiny slivers of carrots and a sprinkle of nuts (and no raisins thankfully which some carrot cakes do have) and topped with cream cheese frosting, which I love, and a cute little frosting carrot. It could have used a little bit more frosting if you ask me, but I am used to the piles of frosting that come with the big enough to share cupcakes in LA. You might have heard about it several times before from other people like I have, it's worth a try- you might surprise your sweet tooth.

japanese: RAMEN ON YONG KANG STREET

RAMEN
somewhere between 15 and 53 Yongkang ST

$

Visit reviewed: 5/8/2007



After a failed attempt to eat at the newly opened California Grill (which wasn't open during lunch on the weekdays while they were working out their opening kinks), we ended up wandering down the street to eat at this fairly decent ramen place, full of mostly students. Their menu is all in Chinese with different kinds of broths for your ramen, but there are a few pictures to point at and a couple of lunch sets. A big bowl of miso ramen with a side of chicken cutlet for less than NT$150. Simple, quick, tasty and cheap- it was a good warm up to what my friends were really waiting for: Ice Monster mango ice, just down the street.




On a hot day like this, it was a nice cold treat to share- and you have to eat it fast so it doesn't melt before you can dig in. I still think the sorbet on top is a bit overkill, but whatever floats your boat.

On our way from California Grill to the Ramen place, we also spotted a Pinkberry knock-off yogurt place- Yogurt Me. I'll have to save some room for my stomach to try it out the next time I try out California Grill.




CALIFORNIA GRILL
53 Yongkang St. (near Jinhua Road)
Hours: 11 AM -10 PM

ICE MONSTER
15 Yongkang St.

CLOSED/japanese: PEONY JAPANESE RESTAURANT

PEONY JAPANESE RESTAURANT
No 106, Xin Yi Road, Sec 5
(02) 8780-5757
(updating in 2019. this closed last year or so)

website: hachioji.com.tw (Chinese only)

hours: 11:30AM- 4:30PM
5:30PM- 10PM

$$-$$$

Visit reviewed: 5/14/2007





This is probably my third time to Peony, which is most definitely an elegant and fancy place to have your Japanese food, but somehow I feel that the food doesn't measure up in taste to (1) the price, (2) the way the restaurant looks and the food looks, (3) as compared to equally fancy Sumie or even less fancy places that offer better values. From my unagi bowl set lunch (NT$680) menu, that made me glance twice was the sesame ball appetizer which was a slightly deep fried ball of sesame tofu that was crispy on the outside with a soft, perfectly flavored center soaked in tempura sauce. It was light rather than dense and just the right texture. The sashimi and salad were fresh and beautifully presented, though nothing out of the ordinary. The cocktail glass seems to be a new trend in serving appetizers, but this tiny shrimp appetizer maybe was a little too trendy for me- as well as few others, especially for those who don't like to eat little seafood creatures with eyes. My unagi or eel was grilled in a way that left the meat less tender and less moist than I'd prefer- it's probably among the most dry eel I've ever had.

The menu is in English and Chinese and Japanese and there are several private rooms- ours had an elegant garden mural on the wall. They offer valet service which can be a bonus on the busy Xin Yi Road across the street from the 101 mall. It's a good space for large parties, families or business dinners because of it's elegance and presentation, but again, personally I think you could a lot more mouthwatering memories from other Japanese restaurants in town. It's one of those places I wouldn't mind going if someone else chose it, but not a place I'd choose on my own.

not taipei: i strongly recommend JOHNNIE's PASTRAMI

If anyone can tell me where to find a pastrami sandwich like this in Taipei, I will treat you to lunch there. (And yes I've tried the pastrami at the Diner and definitely not the same!) Ohhhh- juicy but not overly greasy pastrami with some squirts of hot mustard, lovingly hugged by two toasted soft buns. Huge sandwich you can share or pack to save the other half for later. Can't forget the chili cheese fries to complete your classic diner experience. Open late for your cravings and super busy at lunch.

So for my 5 readers out there, what are you guys craving in Taipei from back home?? Put it out there in the blog universe in the comments, and maybe other readers will be kind enough to share if they know where they can find it!

JOHNNIE PASTRAMI
4017 Sepulveda Blvd
Culver City, CA 90230
(310) 397-6654

hours: Sun-Mon 10am-1am;
Tue-Thu 10am-2:30am;
Fri-Sat 10am-3:30am

$$ (cash only)

new in town/dessert: i strongly recommend COLDSTONE CREAMERY

COLDSTONE CREAMERY
at NY NY Mall
12, SongShou Rd
Corner of SongShou Rd. (松壽路) and SongZhi Rd. (松智路) near the "Statue of Liberty"

phone: 0800-001-677

website: coldstonecreamery.com US site

hours: 11 am-10 pm

$$ (for ice cream)

Visited reviewed:

Nothing beats the heat like a nice ice cream cone and in Taipei, the humidity comes earlier than most summers. That's why I predict Coldstone's will be around for quite awhile. It's got more variation than the established Haagen Daaz and though it's sweet, I feel like it's less heavy than Haagen Daaz as well. It's easier to find than the local Big Tom's chain and got more pizazz than Movenpick.



I heard about its opening through a friend's text message a few weeks ago and when I passed by it on a busy Sunday afternoon, there must have been at least 40 people in line. A little googling showed that the same company (PSCP) that operates McDs, Mister Donut and Starbucks here plans to open 60 more Coldstone stores in Taiwan in the next 7 years. So maybe it's time to buy your stock in Coldstone. Even though most of the people I see here are so darn skinny, I know they have a sweet tooth too!



While you're waiting in line, try and snag a copy of their menu which is full of pictures and ice cream w/ English and Chinese names like "Monkey Bites" or "Cookie Mintster", but the description is only in Chinese. You don't like their combos? You can also make up your own.

So if you want details on what is in the combos (or do your homework on the website), ask one of their servers who are taking the orders. Ours had quite good English, and the servers at the counter- not so much. I sampled a dark chocolate flavor ice cream and asked him what flavor it was, and he didn't know the English name.

One you've placed your order, one of the many servers will scoop up your ice cream, mix in your choice toppings on the cold slab on the counter, and then scoop it back into your cup or waffle. I got a medium Mud Pie (which came with coffee ice cream mixed with fudge, peanut butter and almonds) with a waffle cone to share with a friend (NT$160 + NT$20). It's definitley not cheap, but soften the blow by sharing with a friend or getting a single scoop with one mix in (NT$90).

There were at least seven servers behind the counter buzzing about so the line went fairly quickly and occasionally they would burst into song, which I've heard is their trademark in the states.



Pay, get your stuff, and then eat on the go, or try and get one of the very few tables inside, or slightly more tables outside. Or if you have a whole team of eaters, have someone else grab a table while you wait in line. We had to wait a little while for them to make our waffle cone and wait for it to cool so it didn't melt our ice cream creation. It was a little softer than I would have normally liked, but it was still sweet and coffee-chocolately goodness.

So if you've had your fill of Ice Monster mango ice, then head over to get some Coldstone. Go on a weekday and you might not even have to wait in line!

I wasn't sure if they had cakes, but how awesome would it be if they had Red Velvet cake in Taipei?? I would become a fat, but happy frequent customer.