CLOSED! mexican: LA CASITA revisited

CLOSED
a/o August 2010

LA CASITA
No. 7 on Lane 64, Song Jiang Rd
(02) 2531-9246

$$

date revisited: 12/9/2006
original visit reviewed: 7/29/2005

If you haven't seen the original review, you can scroll down to read it first if you like. LA CASITA has been around for a long time and is one of the few places you can find Mexican food in Taipei. Despite the not-so-friendly service from my last visit, I was craving chicken enchiladas and had no where else to go. All my friends know that since I have been spending more time in Taiwan, the food that I miss most when I am here is Mexican food! Some of my friends were even trying to figure out how to pack and ship some carnitas soft tacos to me. I miss the spices and flavors, the tenderness of carnitas, fresh guacamole and pico de gallo, the melted cheese inside a crispy quesadilla, a bite of mexican rice after eating a bite of an enchilada, holding a carne asada taco and trying to eat it without having it fall apart... man, even El Pollo Loco chicken sounds good when I am here.



The chicken enchiladas here are made with shredded chicken, red sauce and melted cheese, just the way I like it. You can order just one for NT$150/US$5 or get a pair with rice and beans for a combo plate which is probably the best value at NT$280. You can also order combo plates with tacos as well. The accompanying salsa is very very hot and too spicy for me. It doesn't come with guacamole though, just a dollop of sour cream, so I ordered a side of guacamole and chips (NT$180 or US$6).



The chips were a bit stale (who can ask for freshly fried chips in Taipei, yes I know that's asking for a bit too much!) and the guacamole was made with Taiwan avocados which gave it a lighter green color and slightly stringy texture rather than the sweeter creamy taste of Haas avocados that I love in guacamole. They said that they make it from the imported avocados when the Taiwan avocados are not in season, but they are more expensive. But I'm guessing that the imported avocados is reflected in their prices already, so you're out of luck if the Taiwan avocados are in season. Personally, I don't think it's worth the NT$180- you'd be better off ordering the nachos.

It was nice that they put a little tree in the entrance. As we were pretty much their only customers while they were there, the owners were quite chatty and friendly today, mentioning that they could make dishes that weren't available on the menu, like chicken mole, on request.



I have yet to find any other place that can make chicken enchiladas that compare to La Casita's, so until I do, I will probably be back. If you are craving some too, then look for this sign outside in this little alley near Song Jiang Road.



I have heard about Mexican food at Bongos and Citizen Cain, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. Have you ever eaten Mexican food in Taiwan and what has your experience been like? Where would you recommend as the best place to eat Mexican food in Taipei?


ORIGINAL REVIEW:

The first time I went to La Casita was earlier this spring, after craving Mexican food for weeks and not knowing where to find it in Taipei, a quick google named about 3-4 places. I called first, asked when they closed, and they said if we came over that they would stay open for us (I think it was about their afternoon siesta time). I went there with a friend, and he asked the owner for his recommendations for us. We had nachos to start, chicken enchilada for me, and beef burrito for him. He said that his ground beef burrito tasted similar to a meximelt from Taco Bell (which he likes, so it was sort of a compliment, meaning that what the owner chose for him was appropriate). I also was craving chicken enchilada, so we were quite pleased with what the owner recommended. We left satisfied and happy to return again to this mom and pop mexican hole in the wall. We also thought it was a funny coincidence that the owners were relatives of a friend of a friend.

Our most recent experience however, was unfortunately not quite the same. I called first, confirming the address and asked if we had to make reservations for 4-5 people. She asked when we were coming and I said that we were leaving soon- and she said that she would set the table for 4 and add a seat for the 5th person if we needed. I said that was fine. We arrived in different taxis and I was excited to introduce this hidden place to three friends. When we arrived, there were about 4 other customers there occupying 2 tables, and the place is pretty small, with about 4-5 tables in total.

The menu has a selection of appetizers, including chips, nachos and quesidillas, then an assortment of burritos, chimichangas, tacos, enchiladas and combo plates which include a side of rice and beans. There are also fajitas, margaritas and desserts.

Like most mexican or tex-mex places in Taiwan, they charge you for chips, salsa or any accompaniments. We ordered nachos to start, with beef, guacamole and salsa (all additional separate charges) which made them about $10 US. The chips were crispy and topped with nacho cheese, beef and jalepenos. The cheese was like nacho cheese, maybe like the kind you would find at the movie theater, or melt yourself at home from a jar, rather than shredded cheese that was melted on top. The guacamole and salsa looked homemade, and the portion came in a small side bowl. The salsa was pretty spicy, but you can tell them what level of spiciness you want when you order your dishes. It was a decent sized plate of chips, but not enough for five people to share, so we had to order another set.

Because La Casita is a smaller place, everything is basically run by the two owners and their family. They take the orders and then go back to the kitchen and make it. They have two daughters (I think) who come and bus the tables and bring over dishes when they are ready. So you have to have an open mind with the service and be patient since each dish is being made by one person.

The atmosphere is cute and quaint with murals along both sides of the wall, and signatures of previous customers raving about the food or their visit, and making their mark that they were there. It's entertaining to read while you are waiting and you may find a name or two that you recognize.

I ordered a chicken enchilada and chicken chimichanga combo. Overall, I enjoyed the dish- the chimichanga was crispy and the shredded chicken in both were tender. The enchilada had a good amount of cheese and sauce and last time the owner said that the corn in the corn tortilla were made from purple corn. However, the dish was topped with sour cream, which I don't like, but scraped to the side, and no guacamole and a tiny bit of salsa (which I thought I saw came with enchilada).

I also found the dish overall to be a bit salty as did some of the other people that night. I finished most of the food, including the rice, which I liked. The refried beans were a bit dry and I left more than half of that on my plate. The other three people got various assortments of combo plates, which were mostly finished, though I have to say I was disappointed that one person's order was wrong- he ordered a beef burrito and chicken taco and got the reverse, a beef burrito and a beef taco.

Our dishes all came one at a time, and we were pretty much all finished by the fifth person's fajitas came. This was a combo of it being the fifth dish, as well as being shrimp fajitas, I think. When the shrimp fajitas finally came they were not peeled and the heads were still on the shrimp. It looked more chinese than mexican, and the friend whose order it was said it tasted that way. In addition to us all staring at him because we were done and we were curious, he later said the shrimp tasted funny so he had it packed to go. He actually also requested that we stop by Burger King after we left and he ordered a sandwich.

The other thing about that night that left a bad taste in my friends' mouth was that once our food started to come, the restaurant had emptied out. We were cramped into a table for four with five people (four guys) and asked the owner if we could move one of the empty tables to adjoin ours and create more space. He seemed to be in a bad mood and responded "You made a reservation for four." which actually was not true- I had talked to the other owner and explained the situation when I called. The table _was_ occupied when we came, but was now available, as well as the rest of the restaurant. He was more rude than accomodating, as well as when I went to order the extra nachos, he pointed towards the kitchen, rather than accepting the order himself. Later on, he went outside and stood outside grumpily and walked around. This left quite a bad impression on my friends, who felt that he shouldn't have come that day if he was in a bad mood, and it was definitely a contrast to the last time he had greeted us.

So unfortunately, I would say, that if you are really really craving mexican food- you can stop by La Casita. But don't go with a larger or odd numbered group, don't order the fajitas (if you want fajitas, Chilis and TGIF actually have good fajitas) and maybe even get your order to go. I was going to take pictures, but I was kind of scared- maybe the next time if I can convince someone to go with me!

another hungry girl!

hey! It's fun to browse and see how people come to visit my site. I started it for myself and for fun and it's really great to see responses from people who can also look at it for fun, to drool over the pictures of the food, or to actually use to find places to eat! One recent person came from a search for "hungry girl" and there's actually more of them out there! hahahah

hungry girl on yahoo

it's a very shiny cool looking blog about food in general.. *sigh.. another blog to drool over during the holidays!

what are some of your favorite food blogs out there? do you read them for restaurants to go to, to drool over the photos or for recipes to try?

happy holidays!

chinese: NONG LAI

NONG LAI
No. 1 on Alley 11, Lane 147, Ming Sheng E Rd, Sec 2
(02) 2505-0891

Lunch: 11 AM-2:30PM
Dinner: 5 PM - 9:30 PM

$$

date visited: 11/24/2006

Family dinners always come with too much food. Maybe because whoever is hosting that night wants to make sure no one leaves hungry, or maybe it's just easier to order from the family menu. I don't think it's strictly a Chinese thing- think about the holiday season, the table full of more food than you could ever digest.


fish eggs and lobster

This night was a perfect example- dish after dish after dish came to the table of what my uncle proclaimed were "Taiwanese" dishes. The restaurant was full of locals and the menu was only in Chinese with a few pictures, and the entrance to the restaurant was pretty difficult to find.

In general, the portions were huge (!), the food came quickly and the service was fast and efficient- they would switch the older dishes to smaller plates, and change the plates you had every few dishes without asking, so you didn't have to eat underneath shrimp shells and chicken bones.

I really enjoyed snacking on the fish eggs and lobster, although I hate mayo and scraped all of mine off. The boiled lobster underneath was a bit bland without it.

another angle lobster with lots of mayo and fish eggs

The chicken was tender and moist.


chicken

I don't like the taste of sea cucumbers urchins, despite the repeated insistence of my mother who asks me to taste it every time it's served. I'm not afraid of it (as some people are)- I rather not eat the rubbery, tasteless texture in my mouth. I do like the shiitake mushrooms though.

sea cucumbers and mushrooms

The shrimps were small, but fresh. It's a pain to peel them, but I usually peel a bunch at time then clean my hands with a hot towel and lemon and am done with peeling. They taste better dipped in soy sauce and wasabi.

boiled shrimps- picture taken after everyone served themselves- sorry i was too busy eating!

Didn't try the herbal soup, but it was HUGE.


herbal soup

Tried just a bite of the fish- it was tender, but bland.


the fish -almost all gone

Too full to eat anymore vegetables, but...


vegetarian mushrooms and chinese broccoli


seafood with vegetables

I left room for some unagi! It was sticky sweet and tender and delicious.


unagi with eel sauce

I had a little bit of crab- I thought it was a bit dry- even the eggs, which I like to eat, were also dry. It's not worth all the work of peeling the layers of getting the crab if it's not going to be moist and sweet.

fresh crab

The fried mushrooms and oysters were good, crispy and hot, especially dipped in the sweet wasabi salt. These were the smaller oysters and again the portions are HUGE!

fried mushrooms and fried oysters

Finally almost done with the dinner- a dessert is served. I've never seen this- sweet green mango under crushed ice, but the taste is refreshing and almost addicting. The mango almost tastes as if it was pickled in a sweet syrup.

sweet green mango under crushed ice

Overall, it was a good dinner- although I was a bit disappointed some of my favorite shellfish weren't as moist or tasty as I would have liked, there was SO much food, it was hard to complain. Nong Lai offers set menus at NT$5000-8000 and we had eleven people. I don't know which set menu my uncle got, but you can see from the amount of plates and the portions of the dishes, it can be a great deal per person. Of course, you can always order from the menu as well. Perfect for huge family get togethers with round tables and the lazy susans to make sure everyone gets a chance at the food.

if you see this sign on the corner, you are steps away from the entrance

chinese: i strongly recommend LITTLE SHANGHAI

LITTLE SHANGHAI
68 Ming Sheng E Road, Sec 4
(02) 2718-5783

lunch: 10AM-2:30PM
dinner: 4PM-9PM

$

visit reviewed: 11/20/2006

Long before I had even heard of Din Tai Fung, I would always crave the dumplings and beef noodle soup I had here at Little Shanghai, near my grandmother's house. I think my grandmother was sort of amused at how passionate my cousins, my sister and I would insist (separately) that eat at least one meal at this very local, unflashy and cheap (nothing is more than NT$150) spot. Actually, once I heard about Din Tai Fung, I refused for the longest time to eat at the more trendy, popular chain, insisting on eating at the hidden gem. Now that I've been to both more often- I would say that their xiao long bao are very comparable, but Little Shanghai definitely beats DTF in the beef noodle soup department.

From the outside, you can see a team of people busy wrapping, cooking and serving the food. At lunch, it often gets very crowded, but off peak hours, it's not too hard to get a seat inside.


the menu on the wall- only in Chinese

The menu is pretty simple, although it's only in Chinese on the wall and on the order sheet- xiao long bao (with pork), vegetable and meat dumplings, zhong zhi (rice dumpling- sweet or salty), sesame buns, fried bread, beef noodle soup (with beef or tendons or half and half), and small sides. If you are living in Taiwan, I think one of the first characters you learn to recognize is "niao ro mien" or beef noodle soup!

We grabbed a bunch of side starter dishes (NT$30 each) from the front while we waited for our food to come, and quickly devoured them.

small dishes from L-R clockwise: cold tofu and thousand year old egg, bamboo, cucumbers, tofu slivers with celery and carrots, gluten

The steamed basket of xiao long bao (NT$100) quickly comes, with the hot, juicy, bite sized pockets of deliciousness. I am getting hungry again looking at these pictures. Sometimes the flavor of ginger is too strong, but today it is just right.

xiao long bao


self serve vinegar and soy sauce

The beef noodle soup (NT$100-150 or US$3-5) is still what I think one of the best in Taipei. The hearty broth is so flavorful and a bit spicy while not being too salty or oily- you could drink the whole bowl. Also, the noodles are handmade and thick, providing a satisfactory bite to spoonful, or you could slurp it down. They also have a choice of tendon along with the beef, and often run out of the tendon if you go later in the evening. You can order a serving of everything that looks good to you and eat it family style to get a sample of everything and order more if it's not enough.

beef noodle with beef and tendon

Their vegetable dumplings (NT$100) used to vegetarian, but now they include a bit of ground meat inside. Today, the dumpling skin is a bit thicker than the ones on the xiao long bao and taste a little gummier. Unfortunately, their vegetable dumplings are not as consistently good as their other dishes.

vegetable dumplings

So the vegetarian options here are limited to the fried bread or the sesame buns, in addition to the side dishes. When I was a kid, I used to devour these fried bread. They are have a slightly sweet crispy crust and steaming hot soft bread rolled up inside. MMMMMMMMM. I don't usually see this served elsewhere.

fried bread

I would definitely pick the bread over the sesame buns ($40 for 2). The sesame is a bit too sandy and sweet for me. I'd also rather have the red bean dumpling dessert at Ding Tai Fung, which uses the xiao long bao skins to wrap either taro or red bean and steam them.

steamed sesame buns


black sesame filling inside

Everyone has their favorite "local" and authentic place to eat- this one is mine. Nearby the old downtown district of Taipei, a few blocks away from Tony Roma's and Ruth Chris', this is an awesome alternative for those who are looking for a new xiao long bao or beef noodle soup spot. Every friend I've taken there has always left with a full and content stomach and asked to go back again another day. If you do go, be prepared to memorize the characters of the dishes you like in Chinese or recite it to the waitress. It'll be worth it!

CLOSED! american: TAHITIAN NONI

TAHITIAN NONI CAFE
No. 108, Xin Yi Rd, Sec 5
(02)8788-1987

CLOSED!

hours: 9AM-7PM

official website: tncafe.com

$

visit reviewed: 11/16/2006

One day walking near 101, the bright blue, yellow and white store front sign for Tahitian Noni caught my eye. Inside, there seemed to be an array of displays of spa-like merchandise and in the back, a counter with models of salads, sandwiches, shrimp bowls along with a menu of hot and cold drinks, including their branded Tahitian Noni teas and juices.

It's an interesting lunch option for a city short of good places for good salads and wraps- most of the places that have decent salads, such as Macaroni Grill or Chili's, have huge family style portions at family style portion prices. Here the portions are still enough to split between two people, but quite affordable for a quick lunch (about NT$400 for 2).

My friend and I ordered a chicken quesadilla and a sesame chicken salad at the counter and took at seat near the window. The website asks you to enjoy the food in the "Tahitian" decor which is warm and simple, yet inviting, sort of like the food.

But as much as I wanted to LOVE the food, I didn't. The salad was mostly lettuce, with a pile of shredded carrots on top, with some sprinkling of peanuts, red bell pepper slices, broken ramen noodle pieces and smoked chicken cubes. I found the chicken to be dry and hard, and the ginger sesame dressing to be more oily than flavorful.



The chicken quesadilla fared a little better- while they used the same smoked chicken (if it wasn't smoked, it tasted like it)- and the tortilla looked as if it was grilled. But the other ingredients inside looked as if they might have been assembled from canned beans, corn and salsa from a jar from Costco.



After browsing their website, which mysteriously lacks listing a location in Taiwan, yet has the Taiwan phone number under "locations" in the USA section of the website, there are other locations in Germany, Japan, Brazil and in the US, Atlanta and Dallas. The menu here also seems more limited than the menu on the site- perhaps they will bring in more options as the cafe gets more popular? I'd love to try their Kalua pork sandwich or crab cake salad and their shrimp bowl seems popular. They also have breakfast options in the morning, such as breakfast sandwiches and wraps.

I would definitely give them another chance, especially to avoid the overwhelming madness of the food courts during lunchtime- their lunch set menus offer a good deal with a drink with the salad or bowl of the day. They are practically across the street from 101, next to Peony Japanese restaurant, but somehow inside, you feel much further away.

breakfast/american: i strongly recommend THE DINER

THE DINER
No. 145, Rui-An St.
(02) 2700-1680

HOURS: 10AM-11PM
closed Mondays

website: thediner.com.tw

visit reviewed: 12/17/2006



the outside- look for this storefront

As we approached the restaurant, it was not yet open at 7 minutes before 10am, and a few other people were waiting already. My friend who had spotted THE DINER awhile ago said that the last time he passed by, it was packed with quite a long wait, so he was excited that we had timed it just right to get a prime seat on this busy Sunday morning.

The inside is cozy and more cafe-like than diner-ish, with simple wooden furniture and various lamps hanging down above the tables. It was decorated for the holiday season with hand-drawn cards and a "merry kissmas" image of two snowmen kissing above the counter/kitchen area.

one of the very cute hand drawn cards

We sat down around 10AM and got our own menus to order and the place quickly filled up. The forty or so seats was completely full by 1021AM.

While the menu features such American staples such as meatloaf and country fried steak (served daily after 11:30AM), the reason people mostly come is for their all day brunch options like omelettes, pancakes, french toast, eggs benedict, eggs florentine and breakfast burrito. I ended up getting the eggs benedict (probably the first time I've had them in Taiwan) and most of the other people got omelettes. The breakfasts come with choice of hash browns or o'brien potatoes as well as a small cup of OJ, and bottomless cup of coffee or tea and a side of fruit (in this case, 1 strawberry with condensed milk on it). The omelettes also come with a slice of bread cut into triangle halves.

greek omelette- spinach, feta and mushrooms

We lingered over conversation, our hot drinks and the morning paper, and our food trickled in a few at a time. The omelettes seemed to come out a lot faster than the eggs benedicts, which were the last to come. One of our eggs benedicts came so far after all of us were done, we thought maybe the kitchen forgot about it and a couple people decided to order more to eat.

Overall, the food was pretty good. They only use organic eggs and the omelettes were fluffy, flavorful and full of the ingredients. It didn't taste or look processed like some omelettes sometimes do. The o'brien potatoes were also very tasty- probably pan fried with a lot of butter.

vegetarian omelette with mushroom, peppers, onions and cheese

My eggs benedict looked pretty delicious by the time they came. Fluffy poached eggs resting atop the english muffins, with the sunny hollandaise sauce spooned over it. It was very good, and just a few notes from being awesome - (1) the hollandaise sauce was too runny/watery than I prefer and there was too much- it made the muffins soggy, which I don't like, (2) the muffins didn't seem toasted- they were soft and mushy rather than the crispy soft texture of the toasted variety that I prefer, (3) it needed few sprinkles of pepper and salt. The side of potatoes though were a home run- I probably could have eaten a whole plate of them if I wasn't careful- they were tasty, bite sized and had some herby flavor that made them unlike any breakfast potatoes I've had before.

eggs benedict w/ o'brien potatoes

I didn't get to taste the breakfast burrito or the pancakes, but everyone's plates were emptied pretty quickly. The pancakes looked golden brown and fresh off the griddle, unlike the dry, hard pancakes from NY Bagel.

breakfast burrito with hash browns and side of salsa


pancakes w/ hash browns and sausage

The next time I come, I will probably try the pancakes or french toast, or get an omelette. I also spotted on the lunch menu a pastrami sandwich that made me very tempted to order one for lunch later that day. The authenticity of their American-style breakfasts bode very well for a potential authentic pastrami sandwich- and how great would that be to be able to eat a pastrami sandwich whenever you wanted in Taipei? (hahah.. you see I've been here too long!)

Everything on the menu seemed appetizing and very affordable, and it also featured kids options for only NT$100 each. There's also a parking lot available at the corner of Rui An St and He Ping E Rd.

I almost didn't want to write about the Diner since it's one of those brunch places that have a wait-time for those in "the know" in the Shida area, and I didn't want to let the secret out so that the wait would be even longer the next time we went, but it's definitely too good of a find not to share. If you're going to wait on the weekend for NY Bagel, you might as well give this tastier, fresher, more authentic and faster option a try- but if you go, let me know what you thought!

italian: MR. PACO

MR. PACO
No. 23, Alley 4, Lane 345, Ren Ai Rd, Sec 4
(02) 8771-3102

$-$$

date visited: 11/13/2006

Mr. Paco might sound like a dive that serves Mexican food, but actually it's a quaint comfortable restaurant that serves Italian fare such as pizza, risotto, pasta, salads and desserts. My friend works near here and raved about it to me more than once. After a long day, we thought we'd have an early dinner around 5:30pm or so. The space was really cute and bisto-ish, with burnt orange walls and candles on each table that would be great for a romantic date or a lively dinner out with friends and family. It was unusually quiet because we were there off-peak- she said it's sometimes hard to get a table during their rush hours.

beating the dinner rush

She told me that she usually ordered pizza and pasta, and was happy to try some new things that looked appealing to me from the menu which was in English and Chinese. The menu had a pretty wide selection of antipasta, salads, pastas, pizzas, and main dishes like risottos, paella and kebabs. We chose to split a chicken asparagus mushroom salad, steamed mussels with white wine and sundried tomato and prosciutto risotto.

To my surprise, the salad we ordered wasn't really a salad- more like a stir-fry with four leaves of lettuce, and nothing in the menu listed it as a hot salad. The flavor was not bad- with a bit tart with balsamic vinegar flavor which was soaked up by the chicken and mushroom, but not the asapargus. It was also very peppery and a bit watery.

chicken, asparagus and mushroom salad?

On the menu, you can choose from many different sauces for the mussels- including white wine, sundried tomatoes, pesto, garlic- and the waitress suggested the popular white wine. When the order came, the mussels were smaller than I expected- they looked sort of shrunken and not as big as their shells. Though there seemed to be lots of onions and garlic, the flavor was a bit bland. It was a bit disappointing compared to really great steamed mussels I've had at other Italian eateries (such as Grappa's in Hong Kong. mmm)

steamed mussels with white wine

But the risotto hit the spot. It was creamy, hot and flavorful. Although I have to note, there was no cheese- only a few of their risottos have cheese.

sundried tomato and prosciutto risotto

Perhaps it was my own fault for try to explore the items off the beaten path of popularity for this restaurant- or maybe my tastebuds were different from my Taiwanese friend. I will go back and try the pastas and pizzas someday, but I suppose at any restaurant you are going to strongly recommend to a friend- you want anything off the menu you order to amaze your tastebuds- so you won't know if you always stick to your favorites. But with a menu this large, maybe there will be a few misses before we hit the jackpot.

japanese: i strongly recommend MOUNTAIN FLOWER

MOUNTAIN FLOWER
or SHAN HUA
No. 1 on 146 Alley, Dun Hua S. Rd, Sec 2
(02) 2708-3080

lunch: 12 PM- 2:30 PM
dinner: 6 PM - 10 PM

$$$- $$$$

kid friendly?: no high chairs, though can accomodate stroller especially if you call ahead. can be quiet atmosphere though so may not want to bring rowdy loud ones

visit reviewed: 11/17/2006

I'm no means a sashimi or sushi expert. After all, I used to only eat California Rolls and Inari Rolls and Tabiko nigiri until maybe five years ago when I was introduced to world of super fresh and delicious sashimi. So even now, when I eat sashimi, I couldn't necessarily tell you everything that I am eating- yellowtail, Hamachi, salmon- I would need one of those plastic diagrams that come on the table. I know what tuna, uni, unagi, and sweet shrimp are, but at a place where the chef's set menu (about NT$2000) just comes to you, you have to just go with the flow.

Mountain Flower is a cozy, small-ish rectangular room of a restaurant with a sushi bar- we heard of it from a friend who works with organic foods and raved about their vegetarian set menu. It's definitely a place to treat yourself, or use the company credit card, since their set menu will set you back NT$2000 or US$60, but it will be worth every penny. It's simple, delicious flavors and you'll leave full from the food and the experience, but not stuffed. We were lucky to get a reservation a day or so earlier, since the space can only seat so many people. WIth the darker walls and ambience, it was very modern and sleek and the restaurant was bustling with businessmen, couples and people enjoying their food.

So I will do my best to describe everything we had from that night- but honestly, I'm not sure what everything was- but it all tasted awesome- so if you are a sashimi expert, you can let the pictures do the talking.

We sat at the sushi bar, so when the chef was ready, he's dish out the new plate. Before we start eating, they ask if there is anything that we do NOT eat. For the appetizer, we dipped the paper thin slice into a sauce. Later the chef would specifically suggest when not to dip something in a sauce.

sashimi appetizer

The sashimi was so fresh. I think the white slices on the right were squid- they were a bit rubbery unlike the meaty texture of the fish. In general, I prefer the taste and texture of tuna and I think what was yellowtail?

sashimi plate

I ate a couple of the scallops before I took this picture. It was soft and chewy and I like scallops in general, so I really enjoyed this. I don't like ikura, so I gave this to my friend.

scallop and ikura

This to me was heaven because I really miss eating spicy tuna from the states- it's hard to find here and this was an elegant twist on one of my favorites. I almost wanted to ask the chef for more than the two bites that we got.

spicy tuna

And the food kept coming while we were eating and talking. This set was probably one of my favorites- the slightly seared toro melted in your mouth and though not everyone likes uni, I have grown to love it, and it was very fresh and creamy.

toro and uni

The thing about sashimi and sushi is that it should never smell or taste fishy. If it does, don't eat it! Next came a grilled miso fish, which was just the right size and flavorful due to the marinade.

miso fish

I wasn't sure what this was and my friend called it "the essence of fish" to which I was like, what does that mean? Brain? Sex organs? Stomach? After some googling, It reminded me in taste and appearance of cow brain, in the soft creaminess, but it would be the most beautifully presented fish milt I've ever seen.

fish milt

Here are some dishes from the vegetarian set menu- I don't think I took a picture of everything, but it's a sample in case you ever want to try it.

fried shitake mushrooms

nuts

vegetarian yams and mushrooms

vegetarian rolls

Then capping the meal with a slice of fresh pineapple and red bean dessert and green hot tea.




If you've ever wanted to go somewhere and let the chef hand pick your food, then you must try MOUNTAIN FLOWER. The simple elegant sign outside reflects the "japonaise" style and attitude inside- they make it look easy and the fresh while
appetizing flavors stay with on your mind. As with most set menus, the dishes will changes as the seasons change, but at least you can be assured that whatever you are eating will also be the freshest.