chinese/mall food: i strongly recommend XIAO NAN MEN at BREEZE

XIAO NAN MEN DIAN XIN SHI JIE
(or Little South Gate Dim Sum World)
at Breeze Center
No. 39, FuXing S. Rd, Sec 1

$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 9/6/2009 and 3/22/2009



When you first come back to (or visit) Taipei, you think, wow, most of this mall food is awesome! It's way better than any Asian mall food back home. And for the most part, that's true- it is better than the mall food back in the states. But once you eat at enough mall joints, you discover that a Taipei hole-in-the-wall is usually better and more filling than the average food court ramen/tonkatsu/korean bim bim bap.



But when I ate at the corner of Breeze Center's food court at Xiao Nan Men, it was like eating at a hole in the wall, but in a nice air conditioned food court.



A long list of the usual suspects on a Chinese-only check off menu, you can't go wrong with the beef noodle soup, the hot sour soup, the steamed dumplings, the beef roll, stir fried vegetables, or my favorite, the crispy, pull apart pancake or zhua bing. But I think here it's called lao4 bing. I really wanted to order another one after everyone took their piece. Zhua bing was one of my favorite things to order when we'd go as kids to Happy Family, a vegetarian Chinese restaurant in LA. It's something you can find from certain street vendors, but Xiao Nan Men perfected the crispy edges and soft doughy center, so you must must order it here.



Don't forget to grab a few of the colorful liang tsai or cold appetizer dishes at the front near the register. Everyone has their own favorites- pickled cucumbers, eggplant, or soybeans wrapped in tofu skin



The pan fried dumplings or guo tie (NT$110) weren't as crispy the second time around. Longer and flatter and greasier versions of the steamed dumplings with ground pork, they come in a set of 10.



The steamed dumplings (NT$110) can be ordered with pork, beef or vegetable fillings and come 10 in 1 steamed basket order. The dumpling skin has a nice handmade bite to it, and the fillings are soft and finely chopped/ground.



I've had better steamed and pan fried dumplings elsewhere, but they were decent.



And you can't forget the noodles. There's rice noodles in a tofu soup,(NT$100) pan fried hand cut noodles, or jia jiang mian. BTW- what the heck is the right spelling? Is it mien, mein or mian??

The tofu soaks up all the soup and makes for a juicy bite. The noodles and soup seemed a little blander on second visit, but it mights a light choice for those not wanting anything too heavy.



The Moo shi chow mein are chewy stir fried noodles with sliced pork, eggs and vegetables mixed in.



The ja jiang mian (NT$100) is thick and slightly oily, you should mix the sauce and everything together. The noodles are al dente and chewy and slippery.



If you just feel like soup, the hot and sour soup(NT$45) is peppery and with strong vinegar flavor without being too spicy, with bits of rice noodle, congealed pig's blood and silky tofu that tastes like Xiao Nan Men's famous dessert soy tofu dou hua. In Chinese, the name suan la tang is a literal translation- sour spicy soup.



Or this tasty seafood soup that my uncle ordered back in March- had a slightly sweet flavor that I couldn't figure out.



The total damage after everything is devoured on one visit- a little over NT$1100 (US$33) for 7 people. Awesome.



OTHER LOCATIONS:

Breeze Food Court at Taipei Main Station
No. 3, BeiPing W Rd, 2F
MRT: Taipei Main Station

Xinyi Eslite, B2
No. 11, Song Gao Road, B2
MRT: Taipei City Hall


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snapshot/brunch: i recommend weekend brunch at VVG BISTRO

VVG BISTRO or HOW YANG
20, Alley 40, Lane 181, Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 4,
(02) 8773 3533

$$

snapshot with iphone: 3/14/2009
previous review: 4/2006

The more I eat at the different brunches around town, the more I appreciate the variety and inventiveness and flavors of weekend brunch at VVG Bistro. While it's not a traditional pancake and eggs breakfast by any means, it's a changing set course that always manages to surprise and delight me.

This particular set is a flashback to earlier this year in March, and included fat, crispy crab cake and cheese, mushroom, sausage omelette.



If you can't get a seat at VVG Bistro, they might just redirect next door to VVG Table whose brunch is equally good, or the nearby girly VVG Bon Bon. Brunch is available weekends at a leisurely 11am until 4pm in the afternoon.


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western/fusion: CHEF SHOW TIME

CHEF SHOW TIME
No. 8, Lane 20, Anhe Road, Sec 2
(moved from Dun Hua S Road address in summer 2009)
(02) 2702-5276

website: chefshowtime.myweb.hinet.net Chinese with some English for menu

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

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 5/2/2009




With a name like Chef Show Time, I expected vegetables juggled in the air, flaming desserts or some table side chef magic. Or at the very least some fireworks inside my mouth. Wouldn't you?

Instead Chef Show Time was a sprawling menu of East meets West meets East again dishes including appetizers, salad, pasta/rice, seafood, vegetables (NT$180-2500) or a bowl of lu ro fan (NT$40) or a popular Taiwanese braised pork over rice dish. The brick red interior gives it a nice European feel and suitable for large dinner parties, like the one we spotted that night. The waitress helped us choose items from the menu after making some recommendations, and chose items that I saw echoed on plates for the large table in front of us.



There was some flair in the presentation and some good dishes during the night, but after ordering our various set menus, we were still wanting and ordered the lu rou fan which was probably my favorite dish of the night.

I thought the steamed egg with scallop and sea urchin (NT$480) would be a treat, but was overpriced for the chawamushi we got topped with uni.



A light vegetable soup, salad and trio of bite size appetizers starters for the set.





The bread that came with set was pretty good, and there was a mysterious homemade olive oil sauce that was strangely addictive.



Then the main dishes come out to be shared family style. I liked the creamy Seafood spaghetti with cream sauce with large pieces of fresh shrimp, scallop and mushrooms with al dente spaghetti.



The grilled lamb chops (NT$600) were chewy and thick, though I couldn't help but to yearn for the tender lamb chops from Sumie, which has a slightly sweet marinade.



The fried fish had too many baby bones for me- it's a personal dislike for me after too many bad experiences of not find it and having it caught in my throat.



Unfortunately, I didn't like the Thai style chicken either, which came in a thick gravy-like sauce that had too much of something in it for me- basil? oregano? I wasn't sure, but the chicken was also a bit dry and tough.




Fortunately, we tried the lu ro fan just for a taste, and it was good enough to want to order another bowl (but we didn't). At the end of the meal, I was wistful and wishing that more of the dishes were like the simple bowl of pork over rice dish- hearty, comforting and familiar.



Earl grey mousse cheesecake at the end of the set menu.




I did see some other things on the menu that looks interesting- pan fried asparagus with grapefruit sauce, stewed seafood with saffron sauce (bouillabaisse), pan fried scallop with soy and cream sauce- so perhaps a different set of dishes would have showed off Chef Show Time better?

I am still not sure as I'm writing this if I would feel the same or different after another visit, or if the effusive reviews on other blogs I've read are outdated with items no longer served on this menu, or if my tastes are just different than people who like these flavors. Maybe I'll find out someday, or maybe there are just too many good restaurants otherwise to eat at.

Since I've been to Chef Show Time, it's moved from its original location off of Dun Hua to new digs off of Anhe Road (that I haven't seen).


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japanese/tonkatsu: i strongly recommend ANZU

ANZU TONKATSU
No. 63, Nanjing E Road, Sec 2
(02) 2537-3767

website: anzu.com.tw Chinese only

hours: 11am to 2:30pm, 5pm to 9pm; weekends 11am to 9:30pm

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs and kids dinnerware available

Visit reviewed: 6/12/2009 and 7/4/2009



Ever since discovering Saboten a few years back, all the tonkatsu places I've eaten at have paled in comparison. Anzu is the first one to give it some competition. I liked it so much that I took my grandma and sister there to lunch a few weeks after my first visit.

Anzu offers an array of variations of the tonkatsu (or fried pork cutlet) as well as a few side dishes and desserts. If you've never had tonkatsu, think of it as the japanese cousin to Country Fried Steak, but instead of being breaded and fried in breadcrumbs, it's breaded in panko or japanese breadcrumbs and instead of being topped with gravy, you have a sweet and salty tonkatsu sauce, similar to a Japanese Worcestershire sauce.

The space is open and modern, with lots of booth seating as well as a long shared table seating in the center.



The menu is in Chinese and Japanese with photos, but they have an English menu upon request.



The funny thing is that the English menu only has prices with Chinese characters- but mostly everything is in the NT$200-300 range. (And the characters for 1-3 are easy to spot with 1, 2 or 3 horizontal lines).



I think the English menu is still a bit confusing though- with dish names like "Big bowl of deep fried pork loin set" or "Anzu signature specially meal" which don't provide any English descriptions. You can also save a few bucks by order a bento from their to-go only menu (NT$180-250). Their katsu sandwiches are available only to-go. I've always thought about getting one to go, but I'm usually too full after eating.

Like Saboten, they give you whole sesame seeds in a ridged bowl and a chubby wooden stick to grind them up by yourself- a Japanese style mortar and pestle, as well the bottles of help yourself tonkatsu sauce and dressings and all you can eat shredded cabbage.





You can choose the plain pork loin tonkatsu (as I usually do), or with curry, tea, mushroom soup, grapefruit and grated radish, fried shrimp or croquettes, or even mixed in with eggs in a katsudon. The sets also come with all you can eat miso soup (their soups change every so often) and rice (choice of white or purple). For an additional fee, you can add a drink and dessert to your set.

There is the "pork loin" and the "pork fillet"- I feel like the pork loin or "li ji" in Chinese is juicier. The tonkatsu is quite large (noticeably larger than Saboten or other tonkatsu places I've been to), as well as a bit fattier. But just as crispy and just as mouthwatering.



I usually don't eat the fat and end up with chunks of fat leftover on my plate. You could always try the pork loin to get a leaner cut. But it won't be as juicy!



If you want to try something different, you can get the radish/grapefruit pork loin set to cut the grease of the crispy fried skin. They give you half a grapefruit to squeeze over the grated radish and it provides a citrus touch to the heaviness.



Out of the appetizers/side dishes, the one I liked best was the chawamushi or steamed egg. You have to resist to slurp up the creamy, pudding like consistency.



I wasn't as enamored with the stewed beef and vegetables and fried chicken. I wished the beef and vegetables were more fork tender. The portions are small, but the prices are around NT$100.




All in all, Anzu is a great place to grab lunch or dinner with the family or friends. It's suitable for large groups and has a lot of choices if you don't mind eating something fried or meaty.

When you go to the Nanjing location, make sure you find the right entrance. There is another Japanese restaurant on the corner that might be confusing.




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other location:
No. 2, Lane 271, Fuxing S Road, Sec 2
(02) 2701-0298

western/swedish: i strongly recommend FLAVORS

FLAVORS
No. 13, Alley 26, Lane 300, RenAi Rd, Sec. 4
(02) 2709-6525

website: flavors.com.tw

hours: lunch- reservations must be made in advance; dinner-

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: no kids allowed.

Visit reviewed: 5/1/2009



Ever since Flavors Swedish Restaurant won for "Best Unexpected Find in Taipei" in my reader's poll last year, I moved it up on my to-do list to visit. After all, who would expect to find Swedish food in Taipei?

First things first, dessert! If you decide to go, you MUST remember to order the apple cake. It's moist, crumbly, sweet, flaky- just SO good. The picture doesn't do it justice and I would go back to Flavors for the dessert alone. It's more like an apple pie than what I pictured as an apple cake, but either way it was my favorite dish of the night.



I've never had Swedish food before (and I don't think Ikea counts). Flavors does have the Swedish meatballs (in a much more home cooked and delicious way), but they also have a full menu with changing appetizers, sous vide meats and seafood main dishes and drinks that reflect the simple, but hearty cuisine.

The English and Chinese menu is pretty huge and can be a bit overwhelming. If you choose a main dish, it comes as a set with the soup of the day, bread, salad, apple cake and coffee. There are also a few multi-course set menus to choose from- "Taste of Sweden" (NT$1700) with aquavit (a flavored spirit) and snapas (small shots of snaps), or Chef Ola's "Summer Gourmet Menu" which included 3 appetizers and 2 desserts (NT$1100).

We ended up wanting to try as much as we could, so we got the Taste of Sweden (though in retrospect, I would have gotten the regular meatball set since I am not a big alcohol drinker and it would be a price difference of NT$900 or so).

The atmosphere is romantic and intimate, with an elegant bistro like quality. They have a no kids policy so that adds to the "romantic dinner out" atmosphere that you can take a date. It's run by a couple who love food so the service is personable although the waiter spoke on the soft side so I didn't get everything he was saying.



The starters include the homemade bread which come with an olive tapenade and garlic spread. The bread is doughy and I like the rustic feel of the plating.



The lighting was dim with candles, so my camera was having trouble focusing on some pictures. So sorry in advance! The soup of the day was an orange and pumpkin soup had a nice savory and sweet touch.



The amuse bouche was swedish caviar on what seemed like a cream cheese mousse and bread. And it came with the frosted flavors aquavit. I'm not crazy about creamy mousses, but I do like caviar!



Next was your choice of appetizer- I got the grilled rosemary scallops which again were beautifully presented. They were juicy and wrapped in bacon- who would complain? I probably could have eaten more than three.



The 3 x snapas had three different shots with bite sized treats on cool looking forks. Smoked salmon and proscuitto. Imagine serving something like this at your next dinner party.




As each dish came, I was looking more and more forward to the main dish. And I wasn't disappointed. The meatballs and new potato with brown sauce and lingonberry jam was awesome. I think I heard the waiter say that the lingonberry jam is brought in by Chef Ola from Sweden.



The potatoes were roasted until the skin was crispy and the meatballs were plentiful and browned so they had a crispy and tender combination of textures. I was unsure to dip the meatballs in both of the sauces or in only one, but you end up mixing it all together, sort of like Thanksgiving gravy and cranberry sauce (although I never liked cranberry sauce before) and everything is on the sweet side. I would have loved more potatoes or vegetables.



My date got the sous vide venison which I wasn't crazy about. I stuck to my meatballs.



And then the 3 x dessert which included tiramisu and although our favorite by far was the apple cake. Next time, I'm going to just get a huge apple cake.



Flavors is open for weekday lunch by reservations only, but also offers brunch on the weekends. Flavors won"Best Unexpected Find in Taipei" on my blog's reader's choice poll.. and I have to agree. I don't know if I ever would have tried Swedish food in the states, but I'm glad it's available here.


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