mexican: i recommend EDDY's CANTINA in Tienmu

EDDY's CANTINA 艾迪墨西哥餐廳
No. 1, Alley 3, Lane 450, ZhongShan Rd, Tienmu
士林區中山北路6段450巷3弄1號
(02)2873-7612

MRT: Mingde Station

website: eddyscantina.com

hours: 11:30AM- 9PM; Closed Tuesdays

$$

kid friendliness: kids meals available and lots of rooms for families

Visit reviewed: 5/13/2012

Almost a year ago, Eddy's Cantina opened up a second shop in Tienmu, bringing their enchiladas and nachos a little closer to Taipei city. I suppose the move was good, since earlier this year in February 2012, they committed to the move and Eddy's Cantina closed down their Danshui shop (or Tamsui, I guess it's now has been converted back to). (You can tell I'm really behind on posts when it takes me a year to write it up, but I figure that I should definitely remind readers so that no one makes a trip to Tamsui and find a "For Rent" sign instead of Eddy's). 

Eddy's Cantina Tienmu retains the same festive, bright color scheme from the original location is a lot more spacious for large groups of hungry diners. Eddy's Cantina really feels like a mom and pop shop, with Eddy often in the kitchen and sometimes his mom coming to town, making limited edition tamales.

The menu includes all my favorites- nachos, enchiladas, chimichangas, as well as tacos, burritos- or lunch special only rice bowls with carnitas, huevos ranchero or fajitas, and even an array of beers and cocktails for happy hour.

Eddy's Cantina's has one of the best nachos (NT$300) in town, always a heaping pile of chips, cheese, jalapenos and ground beef. I think we had to order seconds.

With the set lunch specials, you can choose between refried beans or potatoes as a side, and it comes with a nice side salad. I usually end up getting the chicken enchiladas (NT$280) anytime I end up at Eddy's Cantina and they always hit the spot with the slightly sweet red enchilada sauce and gooey cheese.

Many of my friends hadn't had mexican food in a long time and enjoyed their orders- beef chimichanga (NT$230), which is like a massive deep fried burrito that can be shared...

chicken quesadilla, which my friend tried to cut up to share...

and fish tacos...

The Mexican food landscape has evolved and changed a lot since Eddy's Cantina first opened (and closed) shop in Danshui, when I reviewed it in 2008.  For quick fixes, there are other options in Taipei now (I prefer the California baja style of burritos and fish tacos with corn tortillas at Macho Tacos, but when I'm craving enchiladas, I head to Eddy's), but for a sit down meal, Eddy's still is a good option especially those in Tienmu.

snapshot/sightseeing: i strongly recommend TAIPEI ZOO

TAIPEI ZOO

MRT: Taipei Zoo

Somewhere in LA, there are pictures of me with my cousins at the Taipei Zoo, probably taken in the early 80s. In my fuzzy recollection, I only remember that zoos are smelly. After visiting the zoo when I first moved back, I prepared myself for the smell of elephant sized manure, but found out that like many memories, it was slightly exaggerated and the real thing wasn't so bad (as long you kept moving!) Even though I have yet to go to the LA Zoo or the San Diego Zoo, I found myself at the Taipei Zoo several times a year, gawking at the giraffes and elephants, taking pictures of the pandas and penguins like all the other visitors. It's a nice way to spend an afternoon, and luckily they've amped up their shops sometime the past year as well for touristy souvenirs and midday eats.

If you want to eat before or after all the trekking through the zoo, there is a McDonalds and 7-11 after the zoo's entrance, as well as a gift shop with funny animal hats and a photobooth. But I recommend that you find the zoo tram, take it all the way to the top of the zoo and walk your way down. Somewhere near the zebras, there's picnic tables and a mini zoo food court that includes pork chop rice, pizzas, fried chicken and 50 Lan drinks. 

yay for signage in English!

Also don't miss the panda bears who might be playing outside or running on their obstacle course, since there isn't as crazy of a wait these days.

thought this shirt was so cute

A quick MRT ride from the city and short walk from the Taipei Zoo MRT stop. 

chinese/peking duck: i strongly recommend SONG CHU

SONG CHU 宋廚
No. 14, Lane 15, Zhongxiao E. Rd, Sec. 5 台北信義區忠孝東路五段15巷14號
(02) 2764-4788

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM- 9PM

$$ (about NT$500/person)

Kid friendliness: lots to eat, especially duck!

Visit reviewed: 3/28/2012

Peking roasted duck is a guilty pleasure of mine. The crispy skin, the slathering of hoisin sauce on the pancake, rolled up together for a fatty, juicy bite. There are quite a few good options for peking duck in Taipei, but none like Song Chu. 

At first glance, it seems like just any other Chinese restaurant in town from the outside. But apparently, Song Chu is so popular they book their reservations for a whole month, the month before that month. Still with me? 

My friend asked me in early February if I wanted to try Song Chu in late March. Talk about torture, waiting two months, thinking about duck. I said yes, of course, but didn't hear about the semi-complicated reservation system that is as hard to book at Ludobites until we were eating lunch together. On the first of every month, diners call in to the phone number in attempt to get a live voice to secure a table, or can wait in person at the restaurant when they open- to get a reservation for the next month. Talk about planning ahead- perhaps this way they have their duck inventory down to an exact number.

The menu is only in Chinese. When asked if there was an English menu, they didn't even respond. I suppose if people can't even walk in to eat, you'd have someone who could read Chinese in your party to even know how to book at table there. But there's a ton of things on the sprawling menu- you'd never been able to order it all- the next time I'd like to try the lettuce wraps, or candied sweet potatoes.

Orders come in small, medium and large plates and are priced accordingly. There's lots of familiar and unfamilar looking things that quickly arrive to the table, filling up the lazy susan.

Out of the main dishes, my three favorites that I would order again would probably be the stewed intestines, 

stewed intestines

cabbage peanut slaw, a refreshing bite from all the meat and heaviness,

shredded cabbage salad with peanuts

spring onion cake,

spring onion pancake

and chopped chives in pan fried bun, which also needs to be ordered when you make your reservation.

jiou tsai bing 

rice noodle with sour cabbage

Skip the fried bread, I've had it crispier and sweeter at other places, like Xiao Shanghai.

fried bread

Although the dishes are very tasty, you have to save room for the main event- the duck. Unlike some other restaurants where they show you the duck, only to whisk it away back to the kitchen, Song Chu carves tableside, with deft precision and speed, separating the crisp skin from the fat and meat. 

As I'm taking pictures (along with half of the table), they warn us to not stand too close since sometimes oil spatters from the carving.

The slivers of golden brown skin are plated and served first...

along with a plate of hoisin sauce, green onions and thin pancakes.

It's so good and best eaten hot before the duck skin gets colder and you realize how fatty it all is. The more people you have, the more you can order. But be sure to specify and order more than one duck when you make your reservation if you have more people so there's enough to go around.

After the carving, the duck has a second round of being served, in soup, or stir fried with basil.

If you have room for dessert, the thin and sweet red bean sesame pancake is a solid choice, almost the size of a pizza with small slices for each person.

I don't know if I would have the persistence to try to call in and make my own reservation (I've heard it's like trying to call in to a radio station to win tickets, you just have to keep redialing), but if my friends manage to grab a reservation, they can count me in! What do you think? Who's been there and is it worth the trouble? Tomorrow is May 1st, who is going to try calling?