korean: KOREA RESTAURANT

KOREA RESTAURANT
No. 6, Lane 380, Keelung Road, Sec 1
(02) 2723-3302

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 4/2/2008



First let me say, I'm writing this review after finding another Korean restaurant elsewhere in Taipei that is MUCH better, so I can't help but to compare the two in my mind, which makes the food here LESS tasty in comparison than if maybe I didn't have an alternative to go to. Make sense?

Anyways, I spotted this place when I went to the Vietnamese Restaurant across the street, er, lane and knew I had to wander inside to see if they had the cold noodles. It was a great sign that they were packed during lunch and that it was full of tables of people speaking in Korean. I think to myself, jackpot authenticity!

But I didn't order what seemed to be the popular order of the Korean spicy hot pot and bbq beef at the other tables- it was too much food for one person. Instead, I opted for trying the seafood pancake and (Yay) the cold naengmyun noodles.

It cracks me up to realize that when you say "naengmyun" in Korean it sounds sort of like "liang mien" in Chinese, which both mean "cold noodles."

Their menu was in Chinese on the table, but when I asked if they had an English menu, they did have a menu with pictures.



The seafood pancake was just okay and didn't seem to have any recognizable seafood chunks in it. You know sometimes you can see the shrimp or crab or squid, but I didn't really spot any.



The noodles were also just okay. They were chewy and soupy, but not slightly sweet or super cold at all. I think it was also missing a piece of meat that was in the picture in the menu. I got an additional squeeze bottle for vinegar, but it became more of a chore than pleasure to try and finish as much as I could.



After paying my bill, I asked how long they had been around and I think she said for over 10 years. I asked for a business card and she gave me a lighter that had the info on it (that I subsequently can't find, so sorry for no phone number yet) (found it!). If there are any readers who have found this little place, I'd love to hear what is good here, since they obviously have done well enough to maintain a Korean customer base.

chinese: DA AN RD/ XIN YI RD STREET VENDORS

DA AN ROAD & XIN YI ROAD STREET VENDORS

Jimmy Ice Tea
(02) 2754-5192

Lao Zhou Dao Xiao Mien
Jien Bao (dumplings)

at intersection of Da An Road and Xin Yi Road

11:30 AM - 11:30 PM
$

Visit reviewed: 4/7/2008

At one corner of the bustling intersection of Da An Road and Xin Yi Road, there is a busy alley of street vendors of knife cut noodles (or dao xiao mien), dumplings, beef noodle soup, boba milk tea and lots of other small eats.



Spotting a small cart on the main corner, my friend tells me about how "yo ming" or famous Jimmy is. There are few people waiting before us and only two workers who put together the tea and place it on the metal shaking machines. You can also adjust the level of sweetness and ice. The boba or tapioca pearls are fat and the tea is sweet, but overall, I still prefer the QQ mini boba and taste of boba milk tea (NT$35) of 50 Lan.



They have lots of other options on their to-go menu in Chinese and apparently they deliver with a certain minimum order.



There are people sitting at tables along the sidewalk, slurping their bowls of noodles and soup, while the vendors are busy making their food.



Spotting a man making fresh noodles, I decide to try the dao xiao mien- opting for the ja jiang mien (or shredded pork noodles) (NT$75 for small bowl) to go.



When I get home, the cucumber has become a bit soggy while the noodles have retained their chewiness. However, the sauce of the ja jien noodles is a bit bland and doesn't have enough thickness and saltiness to go with the density and volume of the noodles. I wonder if the beef noodle soup would have been better.



A few weeks later, while driving by the intersection, I see a long line of men at another dao xiao mien vendor a few doors down (past Lao Zhou) and make a mental note to try that place the next time instead. Or go back to the Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mien with the really great broth and noodles.

Walking back towards the corner, I spot freshly made dumplings and get 5 jien bao for NT$7 each of the meat and vegetable ones, pan fried though they also have steamed. These taste better than the noodles, though they are not as crispy at the bottom as I would have liked.





Overall, a neat street corner to explore though, but I didn't taste anything memorable that I'd crave on another day.

american/sandwiches: i recommend TOASTERIA CAFE

TOASTERIA CAFE
No. 2, Lane 248, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4

(02) 2731-8004

website: toasteria.com.tw

hours: Mon-Thurs 10AM-11PM; Fri-Sat 10AM-2AM; Sunday 11AM-9PM

$

Kid friendliness: tiny patio to eat along a busy alley, but cheese sandwiches and fries are definitely kid friendly.

Visit reviewed: 4/5/2008

With almost 20 types of grilled cheese sandwiches offered at Toasteria, there's a lot to choose from. Not to mention the fries, salads and fish and chips. From the basic classic grilled cheese (with cheddar, mozzarella and "good olive oil) to the tuna melt to chicken options to unique combos like Grapa (Grilled Gouda, red wine onion jam, roasted garlic and fresh basil)- Toasteria uses cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, feta, gouda, jack, and various combination with aioli, honey mustard, roasted peppers, pesto garlic and even wasabi!



I was in a hurry so I ordered my classic grilled cheese (NT$70) to go. It's definitely better to grab a seat (if they have one available) and eat your sandwich hot off the panini grill and the combo addition of fries and a drink for NT$60 is not a bad deal. I opted for Grape Fanta which I hadn't had in forever, and it definitely made me feel like a kid again, drinking grape soda with my grilled cheese. THe fresh basil is also a nice touch, giving the sandwich an extra layer of depth.



The patio, while small, is a nice place to people watch and eat if it's not crowded, and there's also seating along the bar. Right next door to the Zhong Xiao Alleycats (not TOO far from SYS Memorial hall), you should wander over to check it out, even if you are looking for a hot midnight snack with their late hours on weekends.

Next time, I want to try the Grapa (NT$95), the Chicken Jack Cheese (chicken, grilled jack cheese, caper aioli)(NT$95), the Tunamelt (NT$85) or the Feta Pesto (roasted pepper, shiitake mushroom and onion).

bakeries: i strongly recommend MINI ONE

MINI ONE
at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Food Court, A11, B2
No. 11, Song Shou Road

website: donq.co.jp/family/minione.html Japanese only

$

Kid friendliness:

Visit reviewed: 4/18/2008

If you like your croissants on the sweet side, then you definitely have to try Mini One. I first had these freshly baked croissants a few years ago when Donq had a little corner bakery in A11. But when they moved to A4 and was replaced, neither location had the chocolate croissants that I liked with a slightly chocolately center.

While these mini-ones are not as mini as I remember, they still have a crispy outer shell (because they are brushed with sugar water after they are taken hot out of the oven) to reveal the flaky layers that get softer to the core. For NT$50, you get 4 croissants (100g) where I think previously you got 6 (because they were smaller). As with most of the baked goods here, you should eat them right away or within the day or two.



They also sell little cheesecakes, but I'd choose the chocolate croissants over the other options anyday. If you can't decide, you can wander to the counter and try out samples of each.

BTW- if you haven't been to A11 foodcourt lately, they've remodeled it. KFC is no longer there and most of the food court options are of the Chinese variety.

american/burgers: i recommend BONGOS

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

(02) 2365-6059

MRT: Gongguan or Taipower Bldg

hours: 11:30 am-10 pm

$$

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

Visit reviewed: 4/13/2008

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

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

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

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



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

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



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



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



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

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



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



Any other recommendations for this area?

(ADDED Oct 2009)

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

CLOSED! mexican/revisited: i do not recommend LA CASITA

"No reservations? No enchiladas for you!"


CLOSED
a/o August 2010

LA CASITA
No. 7 on Lane 64, SongJiang Rd.,1F
(02) 2531-9246

$$

kid friendliness: if you can take the attitude, no high chairs and a little room for strollers

visit reviewed: 4/23/2008
previous visits reviewed: 12/9/2006 and 7.29.2005

Have you ever seen that SEINFELD episode with the Soup Nazi? He has a set of rules that you must abide by if you are to eat his food, abuses his customers, but even though he is so mean, the customers can't help but to buy the soup. I feel like I was in a Taiwanese variation of that episode after my lunch experience with La Casita today.

There really is no where to get decent Mexican food in Taipei... so despite my previous up and down experiences, I thought I'd head over to eat some chicken enchiladas during lunch. It's never been completely full when I'm there, so I figured I didn't need to call ahead to make reservations. Boy, was I wrong.

When we stepped inside, it was empty, though the tables were separated into large configurations. I figured some reservations were probably made. The owner asked if we had reservations and after saying, no, he bluntly stated they were booked.

He pushed, "All my old customers know that they should make reservations." Okay... well, shouldn't you treat all your customers with respect whether or not they are new or old, make reservations or not? While my mom offered congratulations for being so busy, he said, "No need for congratulations, I'm booked at lunch til Friday."

I asked if we could to-go something, he reluctantly agreed, saying that the kitchen wasn't really open yet (though they open at 11:30am and it was already 11:45am) and said if wanted to to order, we should hurry because once his "reservation" customers arrived he would not be able to help us.

He also very reluctantly agreed to let us sit down while we waited for our order. Keep in mind the restaurant is COMPLETELY empty at this point.

His demeanor was just so uninviting and downright rude, I was about ready to leave without ordering anything.

I was torn. Should we just walk out and away from his attitude?

But I figured I came all this way, I hadn't eaten Mexican in so long, I might as well order what I wanted since my friend and Mom didn't care. Even while ordering, he was pushing me to hurry. I felt like if a "reservation" customer walked in, he would tear the menu away from my hands and no longer let me order.

As our order came out, it was 12:08pm.

The restaurant was STILL empty.

He could have sat us down, served us and we might have been out the door by the time all his tables came in. Or at least gave us a semi-apologetic response and kindly asked us to make reservations the next time.



I ate some of the nachos with cheese, beef and guacamole (NT$300) in the car and my chicken enchiladas with rice and beans (NT$280) at home. The guacamole made with imported avocados was freshly made and did hit the spot.

But the whole experience definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

When I complained to my friend that the owner was mean to me again (he had been with me and our friends the last time the owner was cranky), he said, "I should get mad at you. You should have left without ordering anything and you should not support his business and his attitude."

My girl friend who had come with me tried some of the food and agreed that it's the best she's had in Taipei, but that she just didn't understand why the owner was such an a-hole.

The owner also complained to my mom and friend that before SARS he had a huge restaurant with lots of employees and after SARS business wasn't as good. Ummm, maybe there is another reason why your customers are not coming back....

Before I headed over today, I was excited about re-reviewing the place and giving it a good recommendation, but after the way we were treated today (I don't think it's out of the ordinary), I can't recommend it despite the food being good (for Taipei) especially to new (or occasional) customers who aren't going to be treated with respect. I'm not even angry (like with the terrible service at Diamond Tony's), just really sad since it could be a place I'd like to eat at often. I guess if you are really desparate to eat there, just be sure to make reservations and deal with crochety service.

Should I have left without ordering anything? Have you ever endured bad or even rude service for food?

my kitchen: my hello kitty sandwich maker

After a friend of mine told me how awesome her Hello Kitty sandwich maker was, I tried to find one for awhile in Taipei. None of the Sanrio stores really knew what I was talking about and I finally found one, GUESS WHERE, at Watson's of all places!! It was a pretty good deal at around NT$500 (I bought it awhile ago, I forget exactly how much!) and it actually makes REALLY good toasty cheesy sandwiches.

Some of my favorite combos are:

-ham and cheddar cheese
-goat cheese, honey and pecans
-mozzarella cheese and marinara sauce
-avocado, tomato, ham and cheese



I just bought some goat cheese and gouda cheese (SO GOOD) from Costco last week so I will probably be making some goat cheese honey ones and some gouda canadian bacon ones. I love how the sandwich maker seals in the melted cheese and makes the bread all crispy like it's almost fried, but without any oil.

The slightly burned HK face is really cute too.

dessert/bakeries: ROSE PIE at SOGO

ROSE PIE
at SOGO, B2
No. 45, Zhong Xiao E. Road, Sec. 4

(02) 7711-0768

website: rosepie.com.tw

hours: Sun- Fri: 11am-9.30pm; Sat: 11am-10pm

$

Visit reviewed: 4/6/2008

So who remembers me craving lemon meringue pie? (You guys were no help, by the way!!) Who knew there was a supermarket and little pie shop in Sogo????

My friend wanted to get some drinks from Sogo's supermarket and I had only been to their food court on B1, so she introduced me to another basement floor I'd never been... that actually had lemon meringue pie among a ton of other kinds of pies.

Rose Pie's offerings looks like Taiwanese King's Hawaiian with more fruit and cream type of pies, but I almost gasped in surprise when I saw the lemon meringue with the fluffy egg white meringue topping. You won't spot apple pie or other crust topped pies here.



While I did have my craving satisfied by a birthday gift from a friend a few weeks ago of a lemon meringue pie from Home Cake (to be reviewed!), I couldn't resist checking this out.

In comparison, I'd have to say it was not tart or sweet enough for my American tastebuds, but they did a good job with the meringue and flaky crust. I'd like to go back and try the fruit custard pie, tiramisu and cheesecake. I guess pie isn't really a big thing in Taiwan yet- it's mostly about the bread and cakes here so far.

Based on their brochure, they seemed to have originated from Taichung and only have this location in Taipei. You can buy pies by the slice (around NT$45) or over 45 different kinds of whole pies (NT$300-450), as well as cakes. Check out their website to see pictures and the various styles they offer.

mall food/taiwanese: OYSTER OMELETTE at Xin Yi Eslite Foodcourt

OYSTER OMELETTE
at Xin Yi Eslite Foodcourt
No. 11, SongGao Road

website: eslitebooks.com

hours: 10 am-2 am Bookstore (2F/3F/4F) ;
10 am-10 pm /Shopping Mall (B2/ B1/ 1F/ 5F/ 6F)

$$

Kid friendliness: roomy foodcourt for strollers

Visit reviewed: 4/10/2008

If you've been in Taipei long enough, you will eventually try the oyster omelette or "oar jien."

And maybe even like it enough to crave it!

A semi-chewy scrambled egg dish with small oysters, chopped chinese cabbage and a sweet reddish/brown sauce on top completes it. The addition of starch in the egg makes it chewy and slightly gummy, but it should compliment the egg rather than overwhelm it. Most food courts (and night markets!) wouldn't be complete without a oyster omelette store with a side of vermicelli, fried noodles or fried rice. Sets include omelette, side and meatball soup for only NT$100.



It might sound weird to eat have oysters in an omelette if you've never tried it, but it's not really a breakfast food like American style omelettes which usually have cheese. The size and sauce makes it more like a snack.

At this location, it's a bit starchy around the edges with an okay amount of oysters, the noodles may have been sitting around for a bit since it's the afternoon and the soup is good, though I like the brown meatballs better than the blander white ones. If you don't like this set, they also offer fried pork chop on rice, fried tofu, vegetables and "lo bah beng" (Taiwanese) or "lu rou fan" (Mandarin) which is stewed fatty pork and soy sauce over rice.

The best part about this food court is that you can get some do-hwa or (dessert soy tofu) afterwards or leisurely browse the English or Chinese books on the multi-level store which is open til 2 AM!



It's fun watching vendors make the oyster omelettes at the night market, though with any seafood you have to hope you're getting something fresh. It should NOT taste or smell fishy at all, so if it does, don't eat it.

my kitchen: french toast

French toast is probably one of the easiest breakfast foods to make- you just need bread, an egg, milk and a hot pan. I like to add a little vanilla extract as well, but it's not a must have item if you don't have it in your kitchen. I don't know why I don't make it more often or why I felt like making it this morning, but it was easier than trying to get it to-go from NY Bagel.


Someday I'd like to try it with challah bread or french bread, but it tastes great with regular sliced bread too.

I tried a few new places the past few weeks that I will blog about soon:

- Finally found Bongos and had some awesome red bean and mochi shaved ice at the very crowded Tai Yi afterwards.
- Said farewell to fellow Taipei bloggers haochr at Mary's Australian Bistro. Have fun back in the states- we'll miss you!
- Tried Yong He Dou Jiang and the nearby street stalls at Da An and Xin Yi Road
- Had family dinners at Shanghai Fans and the always reliable Shanghai Shanghai
- Made some peanut butter brownies but they disappeared too quickly to take pictures! Maybe next time
- Had an oyster omelette set at the Xin Yi Eslite food court
- Found cold Korean noodles (aka naengmyeon) and seafood pancake at the Korean restaurant across from the Vietnamese restaurant

Thanks to everyone for reading, commenting and emailing me. I love hearing from you guys. I've been trying to keep up the pace of a few posts a week, so we'll see how long I can keep it up! :)