new in town/mall food: i recommend BREEZE XINYI

BREEZE XINYI 微風信義 

No.68, ZhongXiao E. Road, Sec. 5

110台北市信義區忠孝東路五段68號

MRT: Taipei City Hall (exit #3)

Hours: 11AM - 9:30PM / Thurs- Sat 11AM - 10PM

Visit reviewed: 11/12/2015

Opened last week, Breeze XinYi joins the crowded luxury mall space near Taipei 101 (not be confused with the nearby sister shopping centre Breeze Song Gao). With a prime spot on Zhongxiao East Road, it's right at the Taipei City Hall MRT as well as across W Hotel. Like the original Breeze Center, Breeze Xinyi is full of shops that you'd spot in Beverly Hills, such as Givenchy, Marc Jacobs, Chiara Ferragni, Max Mara,  Moschino, Red Valentino, Frette, as well as Taiwan's first Crate and Barrel, selling those drool worthy table settings, cheese and cake plates, baking supplies and furniture that feels more grown up than IKEA.

After window shopping and making a wish list at Crate and Barrel, I had to see what eats were available at Breeze Xinyi. Even the "food court" is upscale, instead with a floor full of sit down restaurants on the fourth floor, from casual to fine dining, including Osteria by Angie, Ben Teppanyaki, Anzu, Ramen Champ, Paradise Dynasty, Champion Beef Noodles, Trine and Zen and a lot of other Japanese/Korean eats. Some restaurants will take reservations, but only on weekdays, while others like Paradise Dynasty will only seat first come, first serve.

It's really impressive what they've been able to do with Breeze Songgao and Breeze Xinyi, and make both shopping center's dining options distinct from what already exists in Xinyi area. They'll even open Cova (from Hong Kong) and Morton's Steakhouse on the 45th floor later this year. 

Here's a peek at Breeze Xinyi. 

Kenzo pop up coffee truck

Instead having a basement food court like most Taipei malls, they have a restaurant floor called Master Chef's Kitchen on the fourth floor. 

TRINE AND ZEN 

MOTTO YAKINIKU 牧島燒肉

02-2722-6982

Japanese fusion barbecue

MAPO KING KOREAN BBQ  韓斤麻浦

02-2723-6066

GRILL DOMI KOSUGI 
02-2723-6498

Originating in Roppongi Hills, Grill Domi Kosugi has western dishes like hamburger and steak served Japanese style. There's also omurice, omelette rice, curry and combinations in a casual setting. This is their first branch outside of Japan. 

PARADISE DYNASTY 樂天皇朝
(02)2772-6545

Move over Din Tai Fung... there's another more photogenic xiao long bao in town. Paradise Dynasty's rainbow colored dumplings have been flooding my instagram feed for the last week and it was one of the restaurants that was busy even on a weekday afternoon.

BEN TEPPANYAKI 犇鐵板燒
02-8786-0203 

Ben Teppanyaki has two private rooms that seat 8 that can be combined into one room, as well as a main open teppanyaki area. For those craving luxe waygu, top cap steak, lamb chops or lobster, served in set menu form.

I thought it was cute how their bathrooms had little signs sticking out to signal that they were bathrooms. Also they are easy to spot and not hidden in a back hallway.

QUAN ALLEY 寬巷子
02-8780-6617

Quan's elaborate entrance is very eye catching and its creative menu displayed a lot of equally elaborately presented dishes, but on instagram it seemed the main draw for Quan was its dual hotpot with slices of blush pink pork origami'ed like roses and vegetables presented as miniature gardens. When the door opened, I got a peek of the inside which looked very moody and private.

THAI BAZAAR  泰集創意料理

02-2722-8618 

ICHIZEN 一膳食堂

02-2722-0657 Unagi bowls and Japanese food

RAMEN HERO 
02-2723-7085

TSUJIRI

WAN SUSHI 丸壽司

This sushi conveyor belt shop has outlets at Breeze Center and Taipei Main Station as well.

ANZU TONKATSU 

02-2725-3339

TSUKUMI 

02-2720-3296

CHAMPION BEEF NOODLES 晶華冠軍牛肉麵坊

02-8786-8799

OSTERIA BY ANGIE 
02-2722-3618

Third location of this popular Italian fine dining eatery. My review for them is long overdue 😁

CRATE AND BARREL

I have been waiting for Crate and Barrel for months ever since I heard they would open at Breeze Xinyi. Located on B1, it's slightly smaller than I expected, but there are still a lot of drool worthy things to imagine in your house. 

MOKUOLA DEXEE DINER

(02)2723-7837

This is one of the few restaurants not on the 4th floor, instead it is on B1. In Taipei, people don't seem to eat waffles and pancakes for breakfast- instead they tend to have them for dessert or afternoon tea. So Mokuola was busy in the afternoon, with a display of whip cream and fruit covered topped pancakes for diners to choose from, coming out of the pink neon lit pancake bar. Originated in Tokyo, the Japanese Hawaiian inspired menu also offers curries, loco moco, yakisoba and colourful cocktails. Named after Coconut Island in Hawaii, this is the first branch in Taiwan, they have other branches in Tokyo and Bangkok.

Been glued to the news since waking up to the horrific news about Paris this morning. This quote from Time Magazine struck me: 

"Within a week of the (9-11) attacks, French President Jacques Chirac flew to the U.S., the first foreign head of state to meet with President George W. Bush in the wake of the attacks. After his meeting at the White House, he flew to New York, where the scene made him “feel like crying.” “France… will not stand aside in a fight against a scourge that defies all democracies,” the BBC quoted him as saying at the time. “Today it is New York that was tragically struck, but tomorrow it may be Paris, Berlin, London.""

Taipei 101 was lit up in red, white and blue, joining other world landmarks in a show of support. I've never been to Paris, I hope to be able to visit someday. My thoughts are with Paris, with France and the other parts of the world where there is conflict and war. Let's pray not only for Paris, but also for Beirut, Baghdad, Russia, Egypt, Syria...for the world. Let's talk about what also happened in these other cities instead of watching the same news cycle on a loop. The lights of these buildings give me hope that people won't close their hearts and minds because of fear. #educatenothate 

http://www.vox.com/2015/11/14/9734536/paris-isis-origins-video

snapshot/chinese: it's HAIRY CRAB season! i recommend CHAO PING JI

CHAO PING JI 潮品集  

at San Want Hotel, 2 FL
No. 172, Zhong Xiao East Rd., Sec. 4 
台北市忠孝東路四段172號

(02) 2772-2121

MRT: ZhongXiao/DunHua or SYS Memorial Hall


Visit reviewed: 11/5/2015
Previous review: 12/2008

It's hairy crab season!! 

You would think that I would have had enough crab after feasting on Alaskan crab legs and Dungeness crab for three days in a row when I went to Alaska this past summer (yay Disney cruise), but when my friends reminded me that it was time to eat hairy crab, I couldn't say no. Although if you think about it, hairy crab is mostly for those that enjoy crab roe since its body and legs are tiny and thus yield less crab meat. San Want's Chao Ping Ji has different crabs from Shanghai, the ones we ate that day were from the infamous Yangchen Lake. We also had swimmer crabs, which had a fair amount of sweet crab roe and much more meat, and cost less. To be honest, you could skip the hype and just get swimmer crabs, or you could order and eat one of each.  

Don't forget to order some dim sum on the side. My favorites at Chao Ping Ji are the XO fried radish cake, Chiu Chow noodles (pan fried into a flat pancake and cut into slices then served with vinegar and sugar) and the stir-fried green beans with olive leaves. 

Hairy crab season is Sept - Dec, with the peak season now. It's best to reserve in advance since they get shipped in from Shanghai. 

These are swimmer crabs, as you can see from their legs. 

Half a swimmer crab compared to a hairy crab. Yum!! You can see the black fuzz on the claw of the hairy crab, aka mitten crab, named because of their unique claws. Next time I'll take some pictures of how to eat a hairy crab and use the scissors to cut the legs and squeeze the meat out. Served with black vinegar to dip in and ginger tea to offset the "cold" energy you get from eating the crabs.

Where else have you guys found hairy crab in Taipei? 

chinese: i strongly recommend QIN JIA BING DIAN

QIN JIA BING DIAN 秦家餅店

No. 12, Lane 6, Siwei Rd.
台北市大安區四維路6巷12號
(02)2705-7255

MRT: ZhongXiao/ DunHua

website: Qin Jia Bing Dian's FB page 

Hours: 11:30AM - 7PM

Visit reviewed: 11/6/2015

I was walking around the lanes behind Renai circle after lunch when I found a little shop that specializes in handmade chinese leek boxes, or  jiu cai he zi, that are cooked on a griddle without oil, as they are typically fried. At first glance when I was peering into the window, I couldn't tell what was in the steamer when the solitary white haired woman lifted the bamboo lid for another customer- they almost looked like handmade tortillas or empanadas- so I had to come in the shop to try it. 

As I was trying to decipher the signs for what the shop was selling, I observed to see what the people in front of me were ordering so I could gauge what was the popular item here. One customer asked the auntie, "what did you make yourself? I  only want to try things you made herself." She mentioned she still personally makes the braised beef as well as the dumplings which you have to preorder. Their Facebook page has a few videos of her inspecting a table full of chinese leeks as well as explaining how to steam one of their frozen items when the customer got home, with a real Taitung rice cooker. 

I've had chinese chive pie or chinese leek box before, but this shop's version is griddled without oil, and is a revelation. The wrapper is supple and chewy, like a doughier pita pocket or handmade naan, while the contents inside are still moist. Some online googling revealed that the secret in the dough is that they use cold water with the flour when making it.

I folded the flat pie in half as advised and demonstrated by the owner when she was packing it for me, so the chopped #chineseleek and glass noodles were bundled on one side. 

The portion is just right for a snack and it's not as greasy as the usual fried #chinesechivepie. I almost devoured the whole thing before remembering to take a photo (NT$45) 

CLOSED/korean: I recommend MOM's CHICKEN AND KIMBAP

This location closed when I went 8/2016. I think they may have moved to Ximen

MOM's CHICKEN AND KIMBAP 

馬咪炸雞塊&馬咪捲

No. 6, Lane 5, Tianmu W. Road

台北市士林區天母西路5巷4弄6號

(02) 2877-1223

MRT: Zhishan (but looks like 30 min walk from there)

Website: http://momscnk.com/store

Kid friendliness: kids can eat the non-saucy fried chicken or popcorn chicken. The kimbap is a good way to them to eat veggies 

Visit reviewed: 10/31/2015 and 10/26/2015

Opened a few weeks ago in Tianmu, Mom's Chicken and Kimbap focuses on  Korean fried chicken and kimbap aka Korean sushi, made by a few Korean moms using their moms' recipes, or so I heard from my friend who told me her friend opened it. 

Go for the addictive, saucy Korean fried popcorn chicken, Mom's Chicken Pop (NT$109) which comes in a convenient cup and lid to eat on the go. The owners say the sticky sweet sauce isn't spicy, and though it's more sweet than spicy, I think it does still have a kick to it. Korean fried chicken reminds me of orange chicken, but a fired up version. For those who are more sensitive, you can try the non-saucy version. Either way, the fried batter, the crunch, the juicy morsel of meat inside, it all works. If you've never had Korean fried chicken, it's fried twice so that it is irresistibly crispy and the batter doesn't fall apart from the meat and isn't too bready. 

Mom's Korean Chicken regular packages are family packs of wings and legs for NT$599-639 with fries and onion rings, or NT$399-439 for just the Korean fried chicken. I like the boneless popcorn chicken since I can eat it right away on the go, and don't have to get my hands dirty. The two bites of rice cake are also just enough to satisfy, but not feel overly heavy. 

Mom's BBQ kimbap (NT$118) wasn't what I thought it would be and the pork inside was dry. I wish they offered bulgogi kimbap, which I first tried at my friend's house. My friend's homemade kimbap is tastier. Otherwise, kimbap is not a bad way to get your veggies on the go, with carrots, cucumbers, pickled radish, egg inside. 

Mom's Chicken and Kimbap is in the alley right in front of McDonald's near the Tianmu circle for those of you in the neighborhood. Once you're in front of that alley, you will spot the bright orange sign. I love the name and the eye catching sign- it's quite clear what they are selling. Tiny space inside, only few spots for eating inside. Mostly for to-go orders. Owners spoke Chinese, Korean and English. Everything is made to order, and expect to wait at least 10 minutes or more for your order. They also have a stamp card, so make sure you get that.  I've been twice in one week which doesn't happen often, so I strongly recommend their #4 Mom's Chicken Pop, will have to try their Mom's Korean Chicken soon. I would give the whole shop a strongly recommend, but wavered because of the kimbap. I know there quite a few Korean fried chicken places in Taipei, especially after the popularity of You Who Came From the Stars, but most of them are sit down chicken and beer spots (Oppa, Chimac, Chicken in Bok and Beer, Ovenmaru, Palgoo Beer Chicken) and sometimes hard to get a table. This is easier to order and go, and now I'm addicted.