CLOSED! japanese: TAI JUAN SUSHI

(Doh! Just got word from a friend that it really did close down, a year or two ago...CLOSED!)

TAI JUAN 太卷壽司簡食
No. 2-1, Lane 345, Alley 15, Ren Ai Rd, Sec. 4
台北市仁愛路四段345巷15弄2-1號
(02) 2775-1310

MRT: SYS Memorial Hall

$$$ (about NT$1200/person for lunch)

Kid friendliness: mostly sashimi, some grilled fish. some tables non-sushi bar seating

Visit reviewed: 11/3/2010




Catching up, catching up- story of my life. I have over 170 drafts in my backlog of posts, so some of these posts are going to be photo photo photo and just a little bit of my recollection, before some of these places close down before I have a chance to post about them (Ahem- Cubano).

I had high hopes at this omakase lunch, as my friend gathered a group of us and stated that this sushi bar was extremely popular on Japanese blogs. The slick red counter always stuck in my memory, but the rest of the meal unfortunately has faded. My favorite thing was probably the grilled fish (barracuda I believe) and the worst was the uni with a chemical taste. That ruined the whole lunch for me unfortunately, having the most sublime uni experiences in Taipei at other sushi bars. Apologies for the lack of detail for the sashimi- I think my notes are about 3 iphones ago and I was definitely more clueless about sashimi back then, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

scallop

ginger clam soup

corn

ebi

This was amazing, and grilled perfectly. Maybe my first time having barracuda!

oyster

tamago

the offending uni

dessert

If the pictures look good, you can give it a try, as omakases will change depending on the chef and what's fresh that day. But for the same price, NT$1200 circa 2010, there are a lot of better sushi bars I'd rather go back to.

snapshot/mexican: i recommend MACHO TACOS's California fries

Get your forks ready. California fries are a rare find in Taipei, maybe even for most of Asia. For those of you who don't know what Cali fries are, they are like nachos but with fries instead of chips. Carne asada (or in this case, carnitas), pico de gallo, cheese, and a dollop of fresh guacamole piled atop seasoned, crispy fries. Meat and potatoes!

It's one of the pricier things on Macho's menu, but it's a huge portion. It was too much for me as one person (shared with my friend) and definitely on the heavier side (or damn have I been living in Taiwan too long?). Some might nitpick and compare it to the version back home, wanting more meat, more guac or fresh cheese instead of the saucy kind, but it was enough for me, and people, this is going to be as close as you're going to get for awhile (unless Dos Chinos decides to try to get in on it)! California Burritos are available too (yup, burritos stuffed with fries), as well as chimichangas and mini churros since my last review.

chinese: i recommend DIN JEN FONG

DIN JEN FONG 鼎珍坊
No. 1, Alley 219, Fuxing South Rd, Sec. 1 台北市大安區復興南路一段219巷1號‎
(02) 2781-2518‎

MRT: ZhongXiao/Fuxing

website: d-jenfood.com Chinese only

$$ (about NT$600-900/person)

visit reviewed: 3/3/2011 & 9/2/2010

Din Jeng Fong features homestyle Cantonese dishes in a old school restaurant, perfect for large family meals. The first time I went, I was impressed with the variety and flavors of dishes that kept coming out for our large table of 20 people. So when we were deciding where to take some out of town friends from Manila (who had already to been to and loved Din Tai Fung and Shin Yeh 101), we decided to take them to Din Jen Fong.

The sizes of the dishes are quite huge, so I don't know how you would eat here solo or even as a couple. Some of the signature dishes also have to be reserved in advance. The menu is in Chinese only, but has photos for each item, with a lots of fried rice, noodles, seafood, braised meats and stews.

duck tongue

Some of my favorite dishes of the night and must orders were claypot tofu with seafood- the tofu was so silky and melt in your mouth. Perfect with rice.

The panfried dumplings that came with a paper thin crispy bottom and juicy meatfilled center. Everyone squealed when these came out the first time I ate at Din Jen Fong and we had to order a second plate. They weren't as crispy on my second visit, but you could request that they be made extra crispy.

When the Crispy chicken (NT$430/half) comes to the table, be sure to grab a piece with the delicious, crispy skin that crackles as you chew it.

The tender braised beef slices

Needing to be booked in advance, the Claypot sausage rice comes with three types of sausage and is massive. The rice is carmelized and slightly crispy from being cooked in the claypot with sesame oil/soy sauce and a savory accompaniment to the sweet sausage.

Ending the meal with a Chicken cabbage soup.

The prices at Din Jen Fong won't be as dirt cheap as some of other local Chinese restaurants offering up equally delicious food, but the huge family style portions and signature dishes place it on my list of places to consider while taking out family or out of town friends.

CLOSED italian/fusion: i still recommend FORCHETTA

CLOSED a/o 2014

FORCHETTA 叉子餐廳

No. 4, Alley 127, AnHe Road., Sec 1
台北市安和路一段127巷4號
(02) 2707-7776

MRT: Zhongxiao Dunhua (is the closest, but still about a 15-20 walk from the station)

hours:  Lunch 12pm to 2pm

Dinner: 6pm to 10pm

$$$-$$$$ (about NT$1300-1600/person for lunch set menu)

Kid friendliness:  no high chairs spotted, mostly fine dining type dishes

Visit reviewed: 12/28/2012

The last time I visited this cozy bistro hidden behind a curtain of greenery was probably the last time I wrote about it- over six years ago in 2007. But thanks to my Instagram friends, their recent photos spurred my curiosity and appetite to pick it for a lunch meeting with a friend from Hong Kong.

When the weather is nice, Forchetta is a nice place to grab a table near the the front. Or you could have a table in the back with an eye on the semi open kitchen in the back.

Set lunch menus run about NT$880-1500 depending on what main dish you choose. Forchetta sources quite a few things locally and notes it in the menu- duck and chicken from Miaoli, shrimp from Yilan, fish from Keelung. 

The complimentary bread is still wonderfully addictive, served with a garlic aioli and tomato sauce. The last time I came for dinner, they served fresh tomatoes to rub onto the bread. This is a bit less messy, but a bit less fun.

Organic duck gizzard with corn mash, served cold - two spoonfuls and it was gone. Sweet, creamy with the chewy cubes of gizzard.

Local fresh fish from Yilan, daily carpaccio, homemade air dried tomato and black olives - I liked this- fresh, delicate and beautifully plated.

Abalone, milt, fish stomach in duck consomme - this was my least favorite course. I didn't like the gummy texture of the the fish stomach and milt..

Yilan red guava sorbet - palate cleanser in an unique presentation. Kinda frou frou, but so the experience.

Grilled Australian lamb chop with rosemary and nuts (NT$1500) - There were a lot of great options for the main dishes. I considered the beef cheek (but just had it the night before), lamb shank (thought it might be too heavy) or duck confit, but I ended up ordering the lamb chop. Perfectly grilled at a suggested medium rare.

Dessert of the day- crumbled chocolate cookie with pineapple mousse - I thought I wouldn't like this dish because I didn't think pineapple and chocolate would work together and I usually don't like mousse, but it wasn't too acidic or sweet, so it was fine.

The thought of spending so much money on lunch prevents me from coming more often, but hopefully I'll be back before another six years passes by.