CLOSED/FRENCH: i strongly recommended ABU AUTHENTIC

ABU AUTHENTIC 阿布法國料理)

No. 28, Siwei Rd, Da’an District

(02) 2707- 0699

CLOSED a/o April 2014

$$$-$$$$

Visit reviewed: 3/2011 & 7/2012

Of all the restaurant closings of the past year, Abu is the one I'm most distraught over. It was my special occasion restaurant, the place that housed many of my favorite meals, and like any love lost, I wish I had spent more time there so I could have tasted more of the spectacular food there.  Abu Authentic was a repeat winner for several years, voted by my readers in the hungryintaipei readers' choice awards, before I gave it a try. 

The first time I went to Abu, I thought the chef was a mind reader. The dinner set had all my favorite things- lobster, foie gras, mussels. It was amazing, my mind was blown, it was one of my favorite meals that year. Maybe in my life. Unlike other fine dining restaurants, where you leave remembering only a dish or two, or feeling like you overpaid for the restaurant having a Michelin starred chef in name, I always was wowed by every dish and savored each bite. When you spend US$100 on a meal, you want it to be one of the best meals you've ever had right? 

The last time I ate there was this past March for lunch, and when a friend wanted to eat there a few weeks later, she said went by the restaurant and it had closed indefinitely from a kitchen fire. Apparently costs to rebuild were too expensive. 

Abu wasn't a large space, so while there was room to book a large dinner party in the main dining space or in the private area downstairs, smaller parties felt a tad cramped if the restaurant was busy.

Abu's bread basket included an assortment of choices, including a deliciously chewy sesame bread (that must have some mochi in it) as well as a tuna spread, French butter and olive oil.

Truffle scallops

Pan fried duck foie gras, longan sauce 

My date's quail starter

Warm lobster with cauliflower sauce - this was so amazing. I will never forget this dish. Creamy, sweet, perfectly cooked.

Provence tomato soup, mixed seafood 

Sauteed mussels, tomatoes, lemon sauce

Organic rose granita palate cleanser

Pan Roasted Rib Eye Steak

Special occasion souffle with ice cream 

These photos from another meal aren't as clear since they were taken with an iPhone in a romantically dim setting, but you get the gist of how delicious the food is.

Pan seared foie gras, longan sauce and roasted baby quail

Warm Lobster Salad - I could eat this everyday.

Wild mushroom, truffle egg

Cream of pumpkin crab meat soup

Wild cod fish, spicy seafood tomato sauce

Potato confit, duck confit with its own jus

Desserts du chef

Wild mushroom truffled egg mixed salad 

Corn soup with crab - looks like any corn soup, but was velvety, creamy and like drinking the essence of the sweetest corn.

Duck confit with its own jus, potato confit - crispy skin, tender meat.

Scrolling through these pictures make me sad. Is there another restaurant in Taipei that has the same level of consistently fantastic food? I know Chef Abu has a vegetarian restaurant in Beitou, but hoping he'll open another restaurant or bistro in Taipei soon. Let me know if you guys hear that he does.

new in town/mall food: i recommend BREEZE SONG GAO

BREEZE SONG GAO
No. 16, Song-Gao Rd., XinYi District
台北市信義區松高路16號

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: Breeze Song Gao FB page

hours: 11AM - 9:30PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: lots to eat and check out, including Dairy Queen and new Ice Monster!

Visit reviewed: 11/23/2014

 

When the construction started popping up in the already crowded Xinyi area for new shopping centers, I thought, "Seriously? Do we need more malls when there's already Taipei 101, ATT4Fun, Vieshow, four Shin Kong Mitsukoshis, Bellavita, Eslite and Hankyu all in a few blocks of each other?" But once Breeze Song Gao opened with its huge hot pink sign and a new Ice Monster, I gave in to curiosity and had to check it out.

Breeze Song Gao sits next to the new-ish boutique hotel, Humble House, across from Bellavita and next to Xinyi Mituskoshi A8. You can spot the recently opened TEXAS ROADHOUSE from the front as well.

Breeze Song Gao did a good job bringing some new things to their mall that you can't find in the nearby malls or Xinyi area- the number one thing being ICE MONSTER. With a prime window spot on the first floor, it's hard to miss, and with the shortage of great shaved ice in this Xinyi area in general, I can definitely see them drawing crowds to their mall. Mango shaved ice lovers get ready to line up next summer!

AGNES B. CAFE sits in the front of the first floor for sandwiches and coffee. Their expansion has been pretty impressive- almost like a Taiwanese Starbucks, in that there's one on each corner and they always seem to be filled with customers. On the way to the MRT, you can hit two more Agnes B Cafe's at Xinyi Eslite and Hankyu.

Breeze Song Gao doesn't have a food court, but rather a floor of restaurants with each place having its own seating area. On the day that I went, the Japanese restaurants seemed the most popular, while TJB Pho, Pepper Steak, Kiwi Cafe and Liz Gastronomie offer some variety. 

Here's a quick first look at the restaurants on B2 floor. Leave a comment below if you've tried any and what you think!

OOTOYA KITCHEN/ 大戶屋- Japanese katsu, udon, katsu don, soba dishes

TIEN HSIANG LO- Hangzhou cuisine, fast casual style

OBON DE GOHAN/ 御盤 de 食堂 - Japanese set meals and desserts in cute cafe setting. Original outlets in Japan and Narita airport.

FUJI TEPPANYAKI/ 富士鐵板燒

INAKA UDON/ 稻禾烏龍麵- freshly made udon bowls with tempura options, served cafeteria style. Also near Xinyi Eslite and inside SongYan Eslite

Kiwi Cafe/ KIWI日味義麵 -  Japanese Italian pasta in valentine red and pink chaired cafe

SHENG SHI TONKATSU/ 勝勢豬排- this is definitely the next place I want to try. I spotted their black tonkatsu on instagram and they had one of the longest lines to get in.

TJB PHO - have yet to try any of the TJB Cafes or TJB dim sum so it's interesting to see that they've expanded to pho! Kind of how Dazzling expanded to Thai....

OLYMPIA/ 世運食品

LADERACH - Laderach's chocolate bark are SO good and I occasionally get them as gifts or gift to myself. My favorite is their raspberry blackberry chocolate and recently discovered their chocolate covered orange peels. It's a bit pricey, but it's made in Switzerland and imported from there. Ask for samples if you ever pass by. They also have a store in Taipei 101.

TRINE AND ZEN- at Breeze Fuxing, Trine and Zen took over the ex-Dean and Deluca space so it's a deli/cafe. Didn't get a chance to see if it's also a deli here, or just a cafe.

Wine guy

SHUI JIAN BAO - good for a snack on the go

PEPPER LUNCH/胡椒廚房 - sizzling steak on the iron plate, with various toppings.

MENYA MUSASHI RAMEN/ 麵屋武藏- I ended up here for lunch after making a circle around B2. Menya Musashi is a popular ramen shop from Japan, and also has locations in Hong Kong and Singapore. They have tonkotsu, ship and miso ramens as well as tsukemen dipping ramen. I'll post more pictures and details in a separate review.

LIZ GASTRONOMIE- bakery and desserts. Didn't spot this place behind the escalators until I went to the bathroom. Haha! It's a bit hidden, but I guess you'll pass by it if you are looking for the restroom. 

With new malls come new food courts and restaurants to explore, making the competition for everyone's dining dollars fiercer than ever. It's really insane the density of food available now in just the shopping areas alone, I think it hurts some of the nearby restaurants since it's easier to meet at a mall and walk around to find a place that can seat you when you're with a bunch of friends, than to walk across the street to the shops behind Zhongxiao. While it is convenient to be able to have so much available in the area, the downside is that it's sure to increase the traffic which was already so horrific in this area during rush hours.

I'm excited to check out the rest of Breeze Song Gao later, since there's another floor of eats on B1, including Dairy Queen, Beard Papa Cream Puffs and Favvi Cafe. I'm also curious to see what the bigger Breeze Xinyi will have when they open.