chinese: TSUI JIAN BAO

TSUI JIAN BAO
at corner of Xin Yi Road and GuangFu S. Road  Yen Ji Jie 
(02) 2704-8142

$

Kid friendliness: take away only. kids may like to eat, but very hot at first.

Visit reviewed: 3/12/2008

Tsui Jian Bao or Sheng Jian Bao or pan fried dumplings were my favorite thing to eat when I first came back to Taipei for a visit in 1997 after not having been here for over 13 years. After all, NT$10 for 1 seemed like such a bargain for a fresh steaming hot filling bun that was definitely a rarity in the states, much less LA.

The best tsui jian bao place that I've eaten at is probably still at Shih Lin Night market , but I don't go to the night market as much these days (getting old. ha ha), so I had to give it a try when I saw the crowded stand on the busy corner of Xin Yi and Yen Ji Jie. (The little cart near Dun Hua Eslite is not bad either).

There were three separate stands (Heard afterwards from some people that only 1 is good). Have any of you eaten at all three and know which one is the best?



This particular one (the one on the farthest left, red sign) offers 6 different fillings for the bao (NT$12) and spring onion cake (NT$35 for 1/2). They also have a squash variety (which wasn't available that day).





I got three different kinds- one with cabbage, one with pork and one with jiou tsai or chives. My favorite was the pork, then chives- I didn't really like the cabbage one.



Overall, the buns were okay. Don't know if they sat too long in the plastic bag, but the the bottoms were not as crispy as I'd like and the dough overall was too thick, especially at the top.



The spring onion pancake, on the other hand, was really good. Thin, crispy and flaky, and not greasy at all.



This day was SO HOT- a rarity in the week of grayness- and I bought a drink from 7-11 which I thought was lemonade-ish, but turned out to be ai-yu is, which is more like a jelly consistency. My friend later told me that the bottle says that it's "filling like a meal" or something like that.



It was lemon-limey, but would have been better if it had some juice in it too. Ah well.



One day I'll have to do a review on 7-11 and all the random things you can eat there. hahaha. Happy St. Patty's day.

dessert/bakery: i strongly recommend cake donuts at COSTCO

COSTCO
No. 268 Jiu Zong, Sec 1
Nei-Hu, Taipei
(02) 8791-0110

website: costco.com

hours: 10:00 am - 9:30 pm

$

Visit reviewed: 3/13/2008

Who would have thought the perfect American style cake donut would be at Costco? I spotted it on my trip today and couldn't resist- after all- you get 8 for NT$119 which is basically the price of 4 Mr. Donut donuts.

The tray comes with half chocolate donuts and half plain (4 each)- they are a good size with vanilla frosting.

I practically inhaled mine- it was moist, sweet and dangerous! It's so simple, yet so satisfying especially in contrast to the dry bricks of cake-style donuts that I've had at Mr. Donut or Dunkin Donuts. It was dense, but not heavy.



I don't know if it's a staple like their muffins, croissants, cheesecakes, or seasonal like their pumpkin pies, but I was happy to find it! I totally love their cheesecake and birthday cakes too. They also have freshly made cream puffs and cookies, which I haven't tried here, not to mention their churros and frozen yogurt in the food court.

Oh, and good beef hotdogs (not like the nasty hot dogs at Ikea).

I also spotted some ice cream sandwiches today there, I guess, an organic brand called Julie's. I didn't feel like paying a premium NT$300 plus for 12 ice cream sandwiches so I bought the blackberry sorbet bars which I haven't tried yet.

If only they made lemon meringue pies, then Costco would be even more awesome.

What's your favorite thing from Costco or what do you wish Costco Taipei would import in?

korean: i strongly recommend DUBU HOUSE

DUBU HOUSE
No. 9, Lane 233, Dun Hua S. Road, Sec 1
(02) 2781-1119

website: dubuhouse.com.tw Chinese only

hours: 11:30AM - 11PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kid bowls/cutlery. can order tofu without spiciness to go with rice.

Visit reviewed: 3/4/2008 & 3/10/2008




What is "dubu"? It's Korean for tofu and something you might be hearing more and more about. Soondubu or korean tofu stew is already a popular staple in LA and I wouldn't be surprised if it gained a following in Taipei. A friend of mine mentioned that we should try it out (as well as being a big fan of soondubu in NY) and we went for lunch.



Dubu House is apparently a Korean chain that's opened last month on the lane near Dun Nan Eslite to packed lunchtime crowds. The menu is a paper menu with English and Chinese and a few pictures- with tofu stew available with beef, lamb, oyster, seafood or combo options (around NT$260-300), as well as kimchee variation. There's limited other things such as seafood pancakes (not available at lunch), bbq beef and eggrolls. They have table seating as well as tatami style seating where you sit on the floor with a lower table (which seems available to bigger groups).



What's good about it? Like any comfort food, it's just soothing to eat and hits the spot, warming you up, especially in the rainy and cold weather.

After you are seated (there might be a short wait), a few dishes or panchan and hot tea get delivered to you after you order. I wish they had more than the 4-5 small dishes they give you, but at least it's complimentary. It seems to vary each visit, which the staples of nori or seaweed and kimchee.



Next they'll bring out the tofu stew and purple rice, stacked on top of each other and uncover everything for you. BTW- the first time I had purple rice (in a tofu stew place in Gardena) I was a bit freaked out, but it doesn't taste that different and is supposed to be better for you.

Then they'll crack a raw egg into the super hot soup which you can stir up or let poach. Also, you can scoop up your rice into the bowl and eat the crispier parts closer to the stone bowl, or they may scoop it up for you and pour tea into the rest to make a congee.

Personally, I like the semi-burnt crackly rice and didn't like the tea flavor of the rice that we did try- I think it makes it easier for them to clean the bowl. haha. So don't let them do it if you don't want that option. Don't let the rice sit too long though, otherwise, it might burn.



We shared a beef soondubu (NT$260) and a kimchee beef soondubu (NT$280)- the beef one is not spicy, but still flavorful made with beef stock. The kimchee one was spicy and you can request it to be more or less spicy, depending on how much heat you like. If you want to try, you can order the non-kimchee version and put in some of the panchan kimchee into your stew yourself to adjust it to your own liking. Don't expect a lot of meat in the stew, the main feature is the tofu, but I wish there were some mushrooms or something in too. Also, the stew stock is beef meat-based, so there is no vegetarian options available here.



They seem to be slowly working out the kinks in their service when they are busy. On our first trip, we drooled at the sight of seafood pancakes coming out to other tables so we ordered one. The waitress replied it would take about 20-25 minutes to which we said ok. Then she came out and said that they 'ran out of ingredients' and weren't making any more, though we saw two more come out, presumably from previous orders. On my second trip, they just said, no seafood pancakes at lunch were available (which seems more fair- all or nothing), though we were again bummed not to be able to snack on any. They can also be slow to refill your panchan if you are eating a lot of it.

I also really recommend the kalbi or bbq beef (NT$220)- it's deboned making it less messy to eat, deliciously marinated and grilled to the right tenderness. It comes in small or large plate (NT$420) on a bed of raw sliced onions.



To finish off your 'tofu' experience, they bring out some complimentary do-hwa or dessert soy tofu. Lightly sweetened with what tastes like a brown sugar syrup and a bit of grapefruit peel, it's a refreshing end to the meal.



Dubu House is a welcome addition to the Taipei food scene in my book and I'll probably go there a few times a month, especially when the weather is cold. I've mentioned it to a few of my friends who are from LA living here, and they are excited to try it out. The menu is not as extensive as Mindong, but their specialty is the tofu stew and Mindong isn't open for lunch. I guess I'll have to try and make it to dinner one time to see what the seafood pancake tastes like!

chinese: i strongly recommend LAO YO JI NOODLES AND CONGEE

LAO YO JI NOODLES AND CONGEE
or "Old Friends" Noodles and Congee
16, Ln 232, Dunhua S. Rd, Sec 1
(02) 2731-2269

kid friendliness: high chairs available; baby/kid friendly porridge and lots of rice/noodle dishes.

hours: 11:30am to 9:30pm

$

Visit reviewed: 6/5/2007



Place for a quick Cantonese lunch- very flavorful congee (NT$85), roast duck/chau sau (bbq pork), soupy won tons and egg noodles, fried lo mien, and shrimp rice noodles (NT$75). The menu is only available in Chinese with no pictures, but there are basically just variations of the traditional HK dishes at very affordable prices.



Lunch hour gets very crowded and fast paced with cantonese songs playing on overhead. You can wait to be seated, but it's usually not a long wait since many of the people in front are waiting to place or get their take out orders, or pay after they've finished eating. You can also see all the roasted duck and bbq ha sau pork being sliced up for the hungry patrons from the front counter and outside window.

Once you're seated, serve yourself with the menu and chopsticks already on the table. A bowl of hot broth gets served to the table rather quickly before your food comes.

If you can't decide what you want, you can go for the 3 meat combination plate over rice or noodles. While I wished there was a tad bit more duck, there's plenty of rice with soy sauce spooned on top.



The won ton egg noodles were a tad salty and in general I preferred the rice and congee over the noodles.



They also have steamed shrimp chang fen or rice noodle which comes in fat squishy rolls with a ladle of slightly sweet soy sauce.



I've eaten here a few times a month since I've discovered it because it's cheap, fast and tasty and on the way home from where I'm going. I usually end up getting the 3 meat combo. Sometimes some of the duck pieces are bony mixed with the meaty pieces and other times I have better luck. There's a lot of things on the menu that I can't read, so if you take someone who reads Chinese then you'll have more to choose from!

dessert/frozen yogurt: YOGURT ME

YOGURT ME
No. 4, Lane 216, Alley 27, Chung Hsiao E. Road, Sec 4
(02) 8771-4210

website: www.yogurtme.com.tw

hours:

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs or boosters, but lots of lounge areas. Yong Kang branch is to-go.

Visit reviewed: 10/29/2007 and 2/4/2008

If you've ever thought, hey, someone should bring Pinkberry (or list copycat franchise name here), Yogurt Me has beat you to it. Although it doesn't quite have the elements that I think make Pinkberry so successful, I think that with a few tweaks it could be the next trend in Taipei.

First (and most importantly), where are the BERRIES and MANGOS? When we visited, it was a stack of non-cut fresh fruit behind a glass- a pineapple, grapes, oranges, kiwis, passionfruit, bananas- not exactly toppings I pictured on top of my tangy yogurt. Yes, it was October when we first went, but I think part of what makes Pinkberry so successful is the array of fresh cut fruits available year round- not frozen, but still sweet. My staple yogurt toppings are strawberries, white yogurt chips and either raspberries or blueberries, so I was out of luck- I chose banana and kiwi. Their "classic" set (NT$135) is a yogurt with three fruit toppings, and it's quite sizeable to share.



Second, it is too slow when you have to wait for them to chop up the fruit. I understand their volume/turnover is not as high for them to have fruit sitting around and then waste it if they don't do good business, but if you have a group in your party, you have to wait for them to bring out each yogurt one by one which is kind of a drag. They need pre-cut fresh fruit and they need strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and mango (though I think their Yong Kang location does have pre-cut fruit).



Third, they should show off their non-fruit, untraditional toppings, like cereal, cookies or chocolate chips in a candy-store style display near the fruit, so people know that they can choose it. We got some in a side dish and I wasn't sure if it was because it was a slo-o-o-w night for them or if they usually did that for everyone. I also think that's one of the big draws for Coldstone's.



Since October, they've added waffles (NT$180) and other set menu items to their menu. The waffle set comes with a small yogurt, side of fruit and coffee/tea. The waffles were too doughy/cakey and a disappointment although they looked very nice. My friend finished it though, though he agreed it was a bit dense.



Kind of cute, but kind of funny, their menu is presented in a scrapbook like cover, but in Chinese only. You have to look at their to-go menu for English.

As for flavors, they have the original (tart), green tea as well as chocolate and strawberry. They misunderstood me the second time I went asking for a small with strawberries and oreos. Instead I got a small strawberry yogurt w/ oreo (NT$105).



It's kind of weird that you get 1 oreo, rather than oreo bits broken up already as a topping for your yogurt, but I guess you have to use some elbow grease.

They also have huge smoothies (NT$105) available in about nine various flavors. I didn't have any though it again, looked good... Maybe similar to Froot, which is the Jamba Juice-ish smoothie place around town.



Could be a fun place for afternoon tea with various coffee/tea options available, or to grab some yogurt after eating nearby. We walked over from Chili House with some visiting friends who were excited about the yogurt trend in Taipei as HUGE fans of Yogurtland (in Irvine, CA). Overall, it was a disappointment for them because of the lack of selection of toppings and flavors (though it really is hard to compete with Yogurtland which is self serve and has 10 flavors or so and TONS of toppings available to choose from).

Other locations:

Yong Kang branch
No. 2, Lane 14, Wing Hong Street
(02) 2396-0237
M-Th 11:30 AM - 10:30 PM
Fri, Sat 11:30 AM - 11 PM

No. 49, Nanjing W. Road
(02) 2550-7398

japanese: i don't recommend YABU SOBA

YABU SOBA
106 Nanjing E Rd, Sec 1
(02)2511-8017

hours: 11am to 2:30pm

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs. lots of booth seating.

Visit reviewed: 11/28/2007

After some bleary eyed typing, copying and pasting, I created an index page for all the restaurants reviews so you can look up a restaurant by name and I'll try my best to keep it updated as new reviews come along.

Very friendly service in a casual, old school Japanese restaurant, though the food was very disappointing. The soba was soggy instead of chewy, the tempura and agedashi tofu were not served crispy hot, and the oyakodon had strangely too much corn starch in it. It was one of those cases where we were hungry, wandered in, finished the food because we were hungry and got out of there. I guess you could forgive the kitchen if one thing is off, but if everything we were served was not good, then I have give it a "don't recommend." I've eaten better soba from boiling it from a package at home.

This Taipei Times article says that dinner seems to be the izakaya small dishes are the way to go. Maybe some of you who have happened to eat here can let me know if you agree or disagree. Menu was with pictures in Japanese and Chinese with some items written in Japanese on the walls.

italian/taiwanese: GERGE's/GIORGIO's

No. 8, Lane 640, Bei An Road
Dazhi, Taipei
(02) 2533-0698

$

Visit reviewed: 12/14/2007

See, I told you I was catching up on old posts... but three posts in a row with ZERO comments. I'm so sad. :(

If you want to try the epitome of localized "Italian" food for Taipei, this is it. We all know that many many, let me repeat, many restaurants here adjust their food to the Taiwanese tastes, but some places (many of them the local pasta places) were never meant to be for people other than the locals. From the typos to the flavors to the baked pastas/rice dishes, I had to just go with the flow that night. I have to say though that the service was very friendly and it was pretty full of Taiwanese families enjoying the night out.

First off, the name of the place is "Giorgio's." Or is it? On the sign outside, it is. But on the menus and business cards, it's "Gerge's."




What the heck? They can't even get the name of the place spelled right? Or maybe someone took over the store and renamed it, but was too cheap to redo the sign outside. Note the clues: on the outside sign, it's pasta and curry, on the business card, it says, pasta and gratins. Who knows, it makes me laugh out loud.

Second, who wants some "scurf and tart"? It can be yours for NT$400...



While I didn't get the fancier set menu, we got pasta/gratins to which you could turn into a set menu which included a small salad and the typical mystery slightly watery chowder and choice of tea/coffee for an additional charge. The rest of menu is in English and Chinese, filled with mostly pastas, a few gratins and soups/salads.



Third, my spaghetti with pork chop and tomato meat sauce (NT$120) was so strange tasting I couldn't get past a few bites. I watched everyone eat up their baked gratins and I was sad that I happened to feel like red sauce that day. I don't know what it was about it- it was a bit too acidic or had some weird spice in it? It wasn't sweet like bolognese and it wasn't salty like plain meat sauce. The pork was okay, but tasted like sweeter pork chop that you might find on rice, so the two flavors didn't really match at all. But after mentioning it to the servers, they quickly took it away and offered to replace it with something else of my choice, free of charge.



I got a baked gratin with penne, chicken and mushroom (first picture) and I liked it... it was cheesy and hot, the pasta with cream sauce was probably put in there just before they topped it with cheese and baked it, but it was better than a frozen dinner and it was a LOT better than the meat sauce. Overall, I wouldn't go there again on my own, but if my relatives said, hey, let's go back to that Italian place, I would know that I'm not really getting Italian food, but I'd go along for the ride and stick to the gratins.

Other location:
No. 6, Lane 93, Shi Da Road
(02) 2369-9136

american/mexican: GOOD DAY

GOOD DAY
No. 18, Lane 177, Dun Hua South Road, Sec 1
(02) 8771-0703

hours: TBA

$-$$

Kid friendliness: like a fast food place. no high chairs. stairs leading downstairs (where the restrooms are) so slightly hazardous for running toddlers

Visit reviewed: 11/29/2007

Don't confuse this Good Day with the other G'Day cafe, which I think I heard also had some Mexican food offerings (but haven't been). Picked as a lunch location by a friend, it was relatively empty during lunchtime except for us- it's a clean, bright fast food setting where you order over the counter and pay, but the food is made to order so it's not particularly fast. We had about five people and everything came out separately so some people were eating ahead of others. The menu is above the counter in English and Chinese although they told us (when asked) that the pictures are only for reference and not of _their_ actual food. The menu includes burgers, mexican food, pizzas, salads and other snack type fare.



On my quest to try every Mexican food (or Mexican-ish with a Taiwanese take) in Taipei, I ordered the chicken taco combo (NT$220). I had a side chips, drink and a sauce, for which I chose nacho cheese. I was going to get the guacamole, but it was not an option as a freebie. I asked if it was made in house with Haas/American avocados and they said no, so I opted against paying for it. The taco was harmless enough though very very far from authentic- the strangest thing was that it had a double layer of flour tortilla which sandwiched a layer of cheese. Pretty pricey for one taco- unless it was an awesome taco, and it wasn't.



The cheese sauce actually made for tasty dipping for my store-bought chips, though not enough. Nacho cheese, believe it or not, is harder to find than you'd think in Taipei- most of the places when I order nachos give us melted cheddar or mozz or mysterious cheese atop of chips instead of the movie theater style nacho cheese that is more melty and suitable for dipping. Mmmm, that makes me want to request that some Tostitos con queso dip get sent back in my next care package (even though it's something I never eat in LA.. don't you think it's weird the things and places you eat at in Taipei that you NEVER eat in the states?)

I didn't get to try the burger, but it actually looked pretty decent (bacon cheeseburger with onion rings) with fries. Lots of the local places here have been pretty capable of putting out good burgers.



Located in a little alley near Dun Hua, I spotted a lot of features in Taiwanese magazines/papers about them, so maybe they had a little publicity in the past few months. Its "American/Mexican" specialties are more likely to impress locals than those who are looking for the real thing.



PS. Speaking of THE REAL THING? Can it be?

I was browsing the forumosa.net boards and spotted this thread about a little stand for burritos, quesadillas and sopapillas up in Danshui run by Mexican couple who uses recipes from their family with FRESH tortillas and sauces and prices like NT$79 a burrito.

I am crazy excited.... I may be making the trip there to find Eddy Burrito since the word of mouth on the forum is so positive. And.... handmade corn tortillas!

Check out their website for hours and info.

CLOSED! western/american: BELLE FUSION

BELLE FUSION
149 Dunhua S Rd, Sec 1
(02) 2777-3322

Hours: 1F & 2F 10 am-12:30 am;
Rooftop bar/lounge bar 5F & 6F 8 pm-3 am

kid friendly: high chair available.

$$

Visit reviewed: 4/24/2007 and 8/2007

I have a lot of half written posts/reviews in "saved drafts" folder at blogspot- sometimes because I'm missing the business card/addresses or prices of the food, sometimes because I've started writing it and visited the place again and my experience was different, sometimes because it's been so long since I've eaten the food that I've forgotten the details, sometimes because I'm working on the blog from one place and the pictures are in another place, or maybe I'm just wondering if the place has changed since I've been there and if it's a fair review from the initial visit that I made. What's the point in posting pictures if you don't know where to go or how it tasted?

I eat at new places every week, take the snapshots, scribble some brief notes and when I have time upload the pics, translate the Chinese to English and type type type- and then the old ones get pushed further and further back. It frustrates me to no end, but apart from having a solitary confinement week-long catch up marathon, it's a deadly cycle.

Belle Fusion is one of those reviews... I saw it recently and thought, "Oh yeah, never got around to finishing it. Sigh." I actually went there shortly after Belle Fusion opened almost a year ago and wrote something up, but then changed again when I ate there a few months later. Honestly, I don't know if my reviews are what the menu and food is like now since it's been a good six months since I've been, but here is a snapshot of what my experience was then:


Unique decor, outdoor patio and eclectic menu of cross-fusion offerings should provide a place for repeat visits either for their set lunch, afternoon tea or lazy weekend brunches. For hot summer days, there is an airconditioned pink and green themed room on the second floor, seemingly filled with ladies that lunch.

A few months ago, I was quite excited to try out Belle Fusion after hearing about it- a new place to offer Western style breakfasts/brunches and seeing its large patio next to the bright white stand alone building with a cool rooftop with cathedral architecture. The menu offers a wide array of choices though it has changed since I've been back.



Originally, it had sandwiches ranging from pork katsu to steak to roasted vegetables and other region's cuisines such as Indian curry chicken and foie gras risotto which definitely represented an offering of a wide array of cuisines. But having just visited Belle Fusion again, many things I spotted on the menu back in April were now replaced by other pastas, meats/seafood and lunch sets which were equally tasty but not extraordinary.

Lunch sets range from NT$300ish to NT$500ish, depending on what main dish you order and comes with the daily soup, salad, dessert and drink. The soups are generally better than the salads (made with lettuce and overly dressed) and the dessert changes often.





The indian chicken curry I ordered had the right spices and portion, but pairing it white jasmine rice seemed kind of an incomplete experience. I was eyeing the risotto that someone else had ordered (but not an offering on the lunch set menu) but by August of 2007, neither of those things were available on their revamped menu.

Now, your drink is a coffee or tea, but back then, you could have your choice from the menu. I chose the refreshing sounding mint and lemon frappacino, but got an unbearably SOUR drink. After sending it back and requesting that they make it sweeter (and edible), it came back not much better.



Overall, it's not a bad price for what you get- though the drink I ordered was awful. I would have expected more from a cafe/bar, but maybe the bartender that is there doing the day hasn't learned all the drinks yet from the night bartender. I ordered a more unusual drink- mint and lemon- expecting some dreamy mojito-like drink, but non-alcoholic, but I got this lime green smoothie that was too sour to even taste. I guess they had blended the mint leaves and lemon together? Even after sending it back with the request of adding some sugar, it still came back like tasting like you were sucking a green lemon.

I've never been here for anything other than lunch, but after dark it turns into one of Taipei's many lounge spots. With each floor having a very stylized theme and decor and its unique rooftop to hang out and people watch on the busy street below, I'm sure it's worth a try if you are into the nightlife here. It's just down the street from Cosi o Cosi or Haagen Daaz, and you can't miss the bright white three story building with the outdoor patio.