snapshot: Tai Yi shaved ice

Who else is eating shaved ice this weekend? Tai Yi is SO good! Though I much prefer their red bean and fresh mochi balls with condensed milk over the mango/strawberry here.

For mango ice, you're better sticking to Ice Monster.

But there seems to be a new crop of frozen yogurt places coming to Taipei. I'll hopefully get to check them all out and let you know! Anyone try Yogurt Art or Yofroyo yet? What would you rather have to beat the heat? Shaved ice vs good frozen yogurt?

snack: i recommend SWEET POTATO CHIPS from Mitsukoshi A8

SWEET POTATO CHIPS from SNACK COUNTER
at Shinkong Mitsukoshi, A8, 5th FL

$

Kid friendliness: probably slightly healthier than the other snacks at the counter.. barely.

Visit reviewed: 4/18/2009

Hard to tell from this picture what this is, but if you are into either sweet potatoes or sweet potato chips, you gotta try these. Randomly stumbled upon them in a glass case at the snack counter on the kids' floor at Mitsukoshi while shopping for a gift.



For NT$50, you'll get a HUGE brown paper lunchsack sized bag of warm, slightly sugared sweet potato chips that you'll be crunching away until you have a stomachache... unless you have more self control than I do.

revisited/italian: i strongly recommend BELLINI PASTA PASTA

BELLINI PASTA PASTA
No. 16, Sung Shou Road, 2F
inside Warner Village Theaters
(02) 2758-6096

website: bellinipasta.com.tw

hours: 11:30AM - 11 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids' dinnerware available.

Visit reviewed: 4/26/2009

Previous review: 9/11/2006



Having not been back to Bellini Pasta Pasta in quite a long time (maybe a year, or two?), I was again pleasantly surprised at how it measured up to other Italian eateries I've been to since I first wrote about it. Although it's definitely more fusion Italian with a Japanese twist, there's a huge menu to please different tastebuds. This is evident by some of their options- a potato gratin with mentaiko cod roe appetizer or the spaghetti with "kinpira gobo," chicken and chili peppers or thin strips of seaweed atop a calamari, yuzu mentaiko pasta. But don't worry- those are just the extreme- there's still traditional carbonara, lasagna, seafood risotto, or pesto spaghetti.



My favorite is still the Bolgonese with two soft boiled eggs (NT$390) (and it disappeared quickly from the bowl) with the sauce being slightly sweet and the runny egg giving the noodles an extra slippery texture. Bellini also has a pizza with a soft egg in the middle (but I haven't tried it, though I've tried it at Primo).



I also really like that their serve the Caesar salad (NT$180) as a half romaine and is enough to share between four people. This time, they offered to cut it up for us. The dressing doesn't taste like standard out of the bottle dressing. For a little extra, you can add things like parma ham, smoked salmon or grilled chicken on top.



One cool thing Bellini does is let you have 1/2 portions of two different pastas (NT$480) for a popular few selections, in case you want to just give it a try. In this case, I thought the chili flakes made the clam spaghetti too spicy for me, but the pork cutlet pasta was good- maybe too little as a half portion.



The pizza was also better than I remembered- although it probably is best hot and not cooled down as it will if you get it as take-out. We got the number 5 mezzo e mezzo (NT$350) or half and half.



The crust was thin and there wasn't a ton of cheese on the pesto side, but the crust had a nice balance between crunchy and soft.



Bellini is a great option for a meal before the movie if you are Xinyi Vieshow or while shopping at Breeze Center. The atmosphere and menu works for a lunch date or a large group to share and taste a variety of different dishes.




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Other locations:

at Future Center, B1
No. 12, Guan Chien Road
Zhong Jheng District
MRT: Taipei Main Station
(02) 2388-8558

at Breeze Center
1, Fuxing South Road
MRT: ZhongXiao FuXing
(02) 6606-0688

Snapshot: Hello Kitty Ramen at 7-11

I think Hello Kitty is celebrating her 35th birthday so you can find all sorts of Hello Kitty related stuff for awhile at 7-11, or at least more than usual. I wonder if there is anything special about the ramen inside or if they just slapped an image on the package.

revisited/thai:i strongly recommend THAI TOWN

THAI TOWN
at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, A9, 7th FL
9 Song Shou Road
Xin Yi District
(02) 2723-9987

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: thaitown.com.tw

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and children's dinnerware available.

Visit reviewed: 4/6/2009
Previously reviewed: 10/27/2006



Since my first time eating at Thai Town and writing about it's take-out almost three years ago, I've eaten there a number of times, each time being impressed by its consistently good food and ample portions. It's a great place for a lunch date or even better, a huge group lunch so that you can have more dishes to share in a stylish, modern setting.

My favorite dishes to order are usually the Moon Shrimp Pancakes, Thai style satay, Thai Fried Rice Noodle (or Pad Thai) or Seafood and Pineapple Fried Rice, Curry Chicken and Spicy Fried Greens with Shrimp Paste.

But today, we tried out some new dishes- the Spicy & Sour Shrimp Soup(Tom Yom Kum) and the Green Curry Chicken in Coconut Sauce. Both were spicy, but good.



The Green Curry Chicken was more like a sauce than a curry (as the menu states)- and you definitely need the Thai white rice to balance the spiciness. When you order your food, your server will ask if you want regular rice or Thai rice, you definitely have to pick the long grain Thai rice!



The Tom Yum Kum was sour and spicy just like its name in Chinese "Thai guo suan la tang" and had hearty lemongrass, tomato, spicy flavors. I've only recently discovered a newfound love for Tom Kha Kai which is a Thai chicken coconut milk soup (but isn't on the menu here)



While Thai Town is more a casual sit down, chain-store version of Thai food (rather than the local mom and pop shops you'd find in LA) with a large English and Chinese menu of standard popular appetizers, main dishes and even desserts. It's one of my top choices for Thai food in Taipei, my first choice being the delicious Mei Kung and third choice is the fusion-esque Patio (formely Patara)

I know there are quite a few other Thai places in town I have yet to eat at, but when your favorite places are satisfying your stomach, I don't have a reason to wander.

other THAI TOWN locations in Taipei

Zhong Shan Shin Kong Mitsukoshi
No. 15, Nanjing W Road, 7 FL
(02) 2542-7277
MRT: Zhongshan station

49 Ren Ai Road, Sec 2
(02) 2351-0960

133 Anhe Road, Sec 2
(02) 2735-9638

116 Tien Mu West Road
Tien Mu District
(02) 2826-4852

68 Tien Mu East Road
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Building A, 7th FL
(02) 2873-6680

Miramar Shopping Center branch
22 Jingye 3rd Road, 2nd FL
(02) 2175-3355

165 Chen Gong Road, Sec 3
(02) 2791-9608

CLOSED! chinese/street eats: i strongly recommend YONG KANG KOU

a/o october 2010 CLOSED!

YONG KANG KOU
No. 1, Lane 6, Yong Kang St
(02) 2396-7532

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs

Visit reviewed: 4/17/2009



Stinky, stinky tofu. When my friend JL was in town, he had a wishlist of stuff he wanted to eat- taro ice cream, stinky tofu, oyster vermicelli, taro dessert dumplings from Din Tai Fung. So we hit up Ximending one day for an eat-fest and the next day at Yong Kang Street or Yong Kang Jie.

Right across from Ice Monster, you'll spot the entrance for Yong Kang Kou (next to the Vietnamese restaurant) which looks like it's been around forever. To our surprise, we spotted stinky tofu there (when we were told that we'd probably have to hit up a night market to find it) so we decided to give it a try.



And good thing we did! The "chou dofu" (NT$45) which comes fried perfectly crispy, with a touch of superfine minced garlic and pickled cabbage. The stinky tofu here was quite dry, but in a good way, which made the skin much more crispy than those that are served a bit soggy.

I'd also recommend ordering the "shou gong nuo mi da chang" or handmade sticky rice stuffed in intestines (first picture at top of the post) so it's like a sticky rice sausage (NT$55 for small serving) and "da chang oh ah mian sien" or oyster vermicelli with intestine (NT$40). I'd recommend adding a bit of the chili sauce to the vermicelli to give it an extra needed layer of flavor.



SO GOOD! If I didn't already have some beef noodle soup from Yong Kang Beef Noodle, I would have eaten a lot more. Next time I want to try their "ba wan" or a glutinous hockey puck stuffed with diced meats and bamboo with a sweet sauce.



So maybe while you can multitask while you are waiting in line for Din Tai Fung around the corner or looking to eat Taiwanese snack foods without having time to go to the night market (or wanting to avoid the crowds), you should definitely make a trip to Yong Kang Kou. And they deliver! (with a minimum NT$400 order)


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chinese: YONG KANG BEEF NOODLE SOUP

YONG KANG BEEF NOODLE SOUP
No. 17, Lane 31, Jinshan S. Rd., Sec.2
(a few blocks from Yongkang St)
(02)2351-1051

hours: 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-8pm

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 4/17/2009



Maybe my expectations were too high. Maybe it was too spicy for me. Maybe my tastebuds were just used to the chewier noodles and tomato accented broth of Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mian that we had eaten the day before or the lighter broth of beef noodle soup from Din Tai Fung the night before that.

But I just didn't love the braised beef noodle soup at Yong Kang Beef Noodle Soup. The beef was a bit tough and the soup's spiciness overpowered the rest of the seemingly soy sauced broth for me. I didn't even want to finish my bowl. Instead, I gravitated to my friend JL's bowl of clear broth beef noodle soup, which had more depth in the soup.



I loved how they had big pots of sour and sweet pickled greens on the table and I liked their large assortment of cold appetizer dishes, like the pickled cucumber. I also liked their side dish which had steamed pork and yams or "fen zheng pai gu" which is available also with intestines. There were other things on the menu, but it was only in Chinese.



But Yong Kang Beef Noodle Soup shop has been around forever, or since 1963, as the sign proudly declares. I guess they've also recently redone their sign in an eye catching yellow, which made me check twice we were headed to the right place, since a lot of photos I've seen online show red signage.



If you must try all the beef noodle stores in town, you should give this place a try and then walk around Yongkang Street for some other eats. But if you're looking for the best- you can try neighbor Lao Zhang, voted Best beef noodle soup in my Best of Taipei reader's poll (which I haven't tried yet either).

My personal faves? Probably the "niu rou mian" from Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mian, and half beef, half tendon from Little Shanghai or "Xiao Shanghai."


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brunch/italian: i recommend HSIANG THE BRUNCH

HSIANG THE BRUNCH
No. 18, Ln 236, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1
(02) 8771-8258

hours: weekdays 10 AM - 10:30 PM; weekends 8 AM - 9 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted

Visit reviewed: 2/3/2009



Every so often, I get to have lunch with my girlfriends.. Sometimes it's a new place that they are introducing to me like Tripod King spicy hot pot ("mala huo guo") or Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mian (thanks Jenny!). On this day, we passed by this cute looking shop and decided to give it a try. Even though my friends and I ended up at a place named for its brunch, all but one of us ordered pasta. And we were pleasantly surprised.



My camera ran out of batteries, so all these photos are from my iPhone.

The Spaghetti with beef short rib in spicy tomato sauce (NT$400) had a nice chili kick to the great tomato sauce and the beef was tender and plentiful.



Other hits at the table were spicy chicken leg pasta and Risotto with clams and scallop in white wine sauce (NT$380).



The owner definitely kept in mind the interior, decorating it stylishly with various types of seating, chairs and sofa seats, vivid purple walls and lots of window light. It's a perfect place for ladies who lunch or an afternoon tea, yet not too girly-girl for couples or families. A bunch of guys lunching here, I don't know.



You can make your pasta a combo with garlic bread, soup and dessert, but I was not impressed enough with their fruit/tart dessert to repeat that.



The pancakes seemed appropriately fluffy (though kind of weirdly served with a small green salad) and their brunch is served all day. So next time you're craving omelettes or pancakes (or pasta!), you can give Hsiang the Brunch a try.



My friend said she had tried the location in Tienmu which had cute presentation for their brunch, but the portions were smaller than she expected for the price. I'm not sure if it's the same in both locations. Anyone tried the breakfast/brunch there?

other location:
No. 8, Ln 50, Tianmu East Road
Tianmu, Taipei
(02) 2872-5851 CLOSED 2011


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japanese: i recommend ING HSIANG OMAKASE

ING HSIANG OMAKASE
No. 1, Alley 5, Lane 608, Bei An Road
Dazhi, Taipei
(02) 2532-3986

hours: 11:30AM-2:30PM; 5:30PM-9:30PM

$$$

Kid friendliness: high chair available

Visit reviewed: 4/5/2009

Not too far from the popular Mitsui in Dazhi is this little omakase restaurant tucked behind a nondescript entrance a few alleys away.



The first course set the tone for the rest of the meal- simple, elegant presentation and flavors. I think the server said the shellfish was like a cousin to the lobster- with the same sweet meat. Reminded me of crawfish, but not sure if that's what it was.

Second course- sashimi, mmmm, but my favorite- scallop.



You can see the difference between fresh wasabi and wasabi paste.



There's no "menu" since with the omakase, the chef will make different things based on what's freshest that day. They explained a bit about each dish after they served it, but it was in Chinese, so the specifics about everything was a blur.



It's cool if you like surprises, not so much if you want to know what you're getting for your money. This dinner omakase is relatively good deal at NT$1800 compared with other similar restaurants, like Shan Hua.



I felt like this omakase had more cooked fish entrees than other ones I've tried, along with unusual fare like blowfish. Overall, I'm not a huge fan of grilled fish with bones or fish with heads, so some of those courses I couldn't get excited about.



MMmm. Uni. If you don't like sashimi or raw fish, you can let them know and they will make substitutions. They can also make vegetarian omakase course, but I think you have to give them advance notice.



Miso soup with seafood...



If the parade of multiple little plates didn't fill you up, they offer a grilled onigiri or rice triangle dotted with flakes of salmon before the dessert.



The cantaloupe was good, and though I didn't get a picture of it, their tiramisu dessert was really surprisingly good! My favorites of the night were probably similar to what I like in general- uni, scallop, lobster, sashimi.



A cozy little sushi bar with two private rooms for larger groups, it could be a good place for a romantic date. The lighting is dark, but definitely not as dark as Mitsui which I find to be almost too dark to see your food sometimes!


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snapshot/dessert: i recommend KFC egg tarts

KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN
multiple locations in Taipei

website: www.kfcclub.com.tw/ Chinese only



I'm sure anyone reading this from the states is thinking, "Whaat? Egg tarts from KFC??" I know, I know. It's sort of strange. Actually, Kentucky Fried Chicken here doesn't even have coleslaw and mashed potatoes. Instead- it's portguese egg tarts.

But they weren't half bad. Surprisingly good even.

My friend brought some over when visiting and they were still warm. I think egg tarts are best eaten warm, when the flaky crust and silky yellow custard still has that melt in your mouth texture. The carmelized tops give it that creme brulee look and taste- and some of the egg tarts had red bean in them.



They weren't that good the next day after being in the fridge and the crusts got all soggy. So eat them hot.

And I like KFC's fried chicken too. They have original and crispy, though the crispy here is a bit spicy.

So mashed potatoes and coleslaw or egg tarts? Which one would you rather have with your fried chicken?