hotpot/chinese: i recommend HAI DI LAO HOTPOT TAIPEI

 

HAI DI LAO HOTPOT 海底撈

at ATT4FUN

No. 12 Songshou Road, 6F

台北市信義區松壽路12號6樓

(02) 7743-1855 

MRT: Taipei 101

hours: 11AM - 4:30AM (Yes, 4:30AM. Post clubbing hotpot option)

$$$ (NT$1000+ per person)

website: Haidilao's FB page

kid friendliness: lively atmosphere, with lots of selection and lighter broth options. small kids room in front for pre or post meal waiting 

visit reviewed: 5/9/2016

HaiDiLao is a popular hotpot chain from China that opened up its first Taiwan branch last September. I first heard of it when I saw videos of their noodle dancers (yes, dancing noodle makers) on instagram and four square'd hotspots. Hearing about the long lines from a friend who was a regular of theirs in China and had waited hours to dine at the Taiwan branch, I finally had a chance to check it out along with a travel writer in town who scored reservations. 

Reservations are usually taken on the first of every month for the following month, but I still saw a crowd of people waiting at the entrance for seats. But unlike many restaurants that make you wait, HaiDiLao provides lots of services to distract you- complimentary manicures, massage chairs, a small playroom for kids, and even a costumed dancer. With this concept, Haidilao has opened over 100 branches around the world, including in Los Angeles, Seoul and Singapore. 

Manicure station near the front of the restaurant.

The restaurant space itself is massive, with large sauce stations and view of Xinyi district. Completely packed on a weeknight dinner at 7PM. Reservations are taken 1st of each month for the following month and Taipei's HaiDiLao is open from 11AM to 430AM. Post clubbing hotpot anyone?

Once you're seated, you're given an iPad to order from. They have English and Chinese available, as well as a photo for each menu item. I was a bit confused about how to order things, but the waitress was very helpful in showing how to use the iPad as well as making suggestions for a first time visit. First you choose your soup base- you can opt for one, two or four broths. There's a Delicacy broth (chicken/pork broth), Sichuan spicy broth, tomato broth and mushroom broth, as well as a fish and kelp broth that we didn't choose. Adding each broth has a charge of NT$105-120 per broth.

Half orders are available, which is great if you want to try different things when dining alone or with only one other person, and there's quite a range of choices for meats, seafood, tofu, veggies and offal. I've included the complete iPad menu for Haidilao Taipei at the bottom of the post. We were handed aprons, eye glasses cleaners and was even given a small blanket to use when we asked the server about the chilly air conditioning. 

After the hotpot gets bubbling and you've "sent" your order in, plates of veggies and meat start arriving to the table. Veggies combo (NT$288)

It's a good time to get your sauces when you're waiting for your food to come. The epic sauce bar is THE most varied set up I've ever seen. There are English and Chinese labels for everything, but I started with sesame sauce with scallions and cilantro, and a soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, chili oil, garlic sauce. If you feel overwhelmed, you can ask your server to make a couple for you. In addition to two she had made for my dining partner (one for the tofu and one for the beef she said), she ended up making a new one with fried peanuts, ground beef, chili peppers, cilantro and spooning some of the spicy broth into it. It reminds me of the first time I had mongolian bbq and I didn't quite know how much of each sauce to add to pile of meat and veggies. I also enjoyed the glass noodles and black woodier fungus and there's dessert soups on that table as well.

The menu is equally dizzying with choices. I was happy with what we ordered, though next time I would like to come with more friends to try more meats and dishes. The server cooked some of the things for us in the beginning, but then we were left to fend for ourselves as new tables came in. She piped in the fresh shrimp and cooked the beef and tofu.

Mashed shrimps (NT$180 for half order) I expected this to taste like fish balls, but it tasted like fresh shrimps. Would order this again.

Lao tofu (NT$95) 

Lu rou fan (braised pork rice)

Scallops (half order) NT$160

Then we heard the Kongfu noodle guy before we saw him. He brings his own music and starts to twirl and twist one strand of dough like a gymnast performing a ribbon dance. It's very entertaining and the gravity defying noodle dancing and music catches the attention of the neighboring tables. To me, this is one of the must order dishes at Haidilao, and you can find it on the iPad menu with its own Lao Kongfu noodles icon. Dinner and a show for only US$3. (NT$110)  lol!

And the taste of the noodles were good! Quite bouncy and chewy. Especially with the perfect sauces you've concocted. See the noodle guy in action on my instagram video.

All in all, I would come back to HaiDiLao and so I recommend it to you. When Haidilao first opened in Taipei, the waits were as intense as the meal, in the four hour plus range. I had reservations, so I don't know what wait times are like now, but I would say this is about a one hour wait meal, tops, especially with so many hotpot spots in town. Of course, this is the only one with a guy that will hand pull noodles and dance for you at the same time. How long would you wait for HaiDiLao in Taipei?

Don't forget to save room for your AYCE Haagen Daaz ice cream near the front of the restaurant.

HaiDiLao Taipei's menu

sushi/japanese: i recommend SUSHI FUJIMORI X KOUMA AT SHERWOOD HOTEL

Sushi Fujimori すし藤森 x Kouma at Sherwood Taipei 
No. 111, Minsheng E. Rd, Sec. 3

Pop up - April 30- May 3, 2016

MRT: Zhongshan Jr. High

Visit reviewed: 5/2/2016

Sushi Fujimori's husband and wife team from Tokyo did a special menu for a few days at @thesherwoodtaipei's Kouma restaurant. One or two pieces/dishes were a tad too salty for me, but overall, I was really happy with the sushi. The seaweed, soy sauce, rice all selected by chef Fujimori and brought from Tokyo. His wife makes the cooked items in the set, and was formerly at three starred Michelin restaurant Kanda, when they met. After work, she and her coworkers from Kanda would eat at Sushi Fujimori, and eventually she and chef fell in love and got married, and now they work together at Sushi Fujimori. 

A few favorite bites from that day's lunch- uni, crab, amaebi and toro temaki. 

My friend who invited me didn't manage to get seats at the sushi bar, so we were seated in one of the private rooms. We thought we weren't going to get to interact with Chef Fujimori, so it was a pleasant surprise when a wooden cart was rolled in and he deftly made and presented a couple nigiris to start the meal for us. It gave us a feel of what it would be like to dine with him at the sushi bar in Japan and made the experience 100x better, especially since he was so friendly. I unfortunately didn't catch all the names of the fish since the waitress didn't know them in Japanese/English and told me that I would get a list at the end (which never appeared) so I got as many as I could. 

Pea soup

Akami (tuna)

Kinmedai and clams 

Shelled fresh crab is always such a treat.

Amaebi (sweet shrimp)

Steamed winter melon

Uni with tomatoes, edamame and jelly. So good and refreshing 

These pieces were marinated in kombu, and with the additional soy sauce were a bit too salty for me, especially the chutoro. 

Seaweed steamed egg chawanmushi. They said that all the saltiness was from the fresh seaweed.  

Tamago to end the meal 

Loved this toro handroll! Attention to detail like making sure the seaweed is crisp, the rice is the right texture and adding sesame seeds and finely minced pickled cucumbers gave it a unique crunch. Still thinking about it now. 

I'm going to Japan in a few weeks and this meal made me excited about all the good eats I'll be hopefully having soon. Thanks JC for including me and for the treat! 

dessert/american: STAR WARS CUPCAKES from the CUPCAKE SHOP

May the fourth be with you! 

Always love the cupcakes from the Cupcake Shop.. They are my go-to shop for cupcakes, but since they don't have a store, it takes a little planning (three day notice and coordinating pick up). My favorite flavors are red velvet and carrot cake, but all the flavors are moist and right enough of sweetness since they are made to order. What amazes me are their designs- these Star Wars ones are perfect for Maythefourth! All frosting, no nasty tasting fondant!

Since Les Bebes is gone, other top cupcakes in Taipei options include 

-Twelve Cupcakes (maybe third best cupcakes in Taipei? They have some simple but cute designs and lots of flavors to choose from)

-Felicitas Patisserie (newcomer shop frosts lovely bouquets of flowers and roses atop cakes and cupcakes. Will have to check them out soon) 

-Cloudy Cupcakes (they have Hello Kitty cupcakes, but their cupcakes are smaller and dense)

-Ginjer Cupcakes (I heard they closed their storefront but can order online)

-Black as Chocolate (kind of overpriced for me, but they have a Disney license to do Mickey and Pixar decorated cupcakes)

-We Love Cookies (haven't had their cupcakes in a long time too, but they have some good flavors, and delicious cookies although they kept their cupcakes a tad too cold for me)

-VVG Bon Bon (pretty but sometimes dry. Also more petite than American sizes) 

-Cupetit (haven't tried it yet.. Maybe I should do a cupcake taste off soon!)

Who else am I missing? 

previous review: 5/2015

taiwanese/breakfast: YONG HE DOU JIANG DA WANG - REN AI

YONG HE DOU JIANG DA WANG 永和豆漿大王

No. 63 RenAi Road, Sec. 4

仁愛路四段63號

Phone number(02) 2751-2713

MRT: ZhongXiao DunHua or ZhongXiao FuXing

hours: 

visit reviewed: 4/12/2016

When in Taipei, you must try Taiwanese breakfast at least once. There are breakfast shops like this all over Taipei- look for the signs with the characters above or a basket of long fried crullers out front. I am the type of person that will get excited about a photo of a basket of you tiao.. If you are too, then you are in the right place. 

Typically the shops are most busy in the morning, but some are open twenty four hours. The most famous one currently is probably Fu Hang Dou Jiang because of its mention on CNN's list of 40 Taiwanese foods we can't live without. (Look for number 28 and then 18 and 35 for my picks)

I am still unsure if all the Yong He Dou Jiang's originated from the same source at one point, or did they all spring up individually? This Yong He Dou Jiang Da Wang layout is quite similar to the other one with the same name, with the work space to make the you tiaos in the front.

If you want to eat where the locals eat, then start with your neighborhood Yong He Dou Jiang... My personal picks are a cup of cold soy milk with shao bing you tiao (pictured up top as first photo) 燒餅油條 or sesame flatbread with fried Taiwanese crullers. Or as my friend Chris said when he tried it for the first time, a carb sandwich!!! 

I wouldn't say this is my favorite Yong He Dou Jiang Da Wang, but it's a good place in Daan District to grab and go when you don't want to wait in line. (My favorites are all getting too damn crowded) It's right off the RenAi circle and near Jiu Ru, which has really delicious won ton soups and tang yuan, though I haven't been in years. This shop preps a lot of the food in advance, so my you tiao wasn't crispy although the shao bing was good. The you tiao wasn't crispy inside the fan tuan either, which was a bummer. The best fan tuans for me are from the street carts... they always manage to have crispy you tiao inside. NT$87 for cold soy milk, shao bing you tiao and fan tuan. Can't beat that.

my kitchen: EASY CARBONARA PASTA

First time making carbonara pasta, pretty happy with the results!!! Will definitely make it again. 😊😊🍝 I found an easy recipe with only 5 ingredients and adapted it a little bit. I'm sure there are more elaborate or authentic versions, but I wanted to try something easy for my first time and it was surprisingly creamy with no added cream or butter.

EASY CARBONARA PASTA

adapted from Damn Delicious

http://damndelicious.net/2014/03/29/spaghetti-carbonara/

1- Boil pasta (half pack of spaghetti)

2- Pan fry bacon (I didn't have bacon so I used half w pack of salami. Pancetta is also recommended. ) with some minced garlic (I also added fresh peas) on medium heat 

3-Stir together 1.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese with 2 room temperature eggs. Using room temperature eggs will help the eggs not scramble when you cook the sauce. Mix with strained pasta when pasta is cooked. 

4-Stir pasta on super low heat with salami, peas until carbonara sauce is slightly creamy. This should take no longer than 1 minute. 

5- Salt and pepper 

6- Plate, top with more grated fresh parm and serve!

salad/desserts: i recommend SAVOUR CAFE

SAVOUR CAFE
No. 115 Xinyi Rd Sec. 4
台北市大安區信義路四段115號
(02) 2701-2498

MRT: Daan

hours: 11:30AM - 10PM

$$ (NT$400+ per person)

website: Savour Cafe's FB page

kid friendliness: quiet atmosphere, but kids may like sandwiches and desserts. i wonder if there is a drink minimum for kids.

visit reviewed: 4/12/2016

I've probably passed by Savour Cafe hundreds of times and never noticed it since (a) I'm usually on the other side of Xinyi so it's blocked by the bus stop stands in the middle and (b) the glaring MUCHO sign down the block and the red Eclat boutique hotel around the corner are more eye catching. But if you were walking down the street, you could definitely spot the cafe with the white and gold sign. 

Inside, they make the most out of their narrow space, with a few tables and throw pillow type seating and the "kitchen" and counter in the back. There are quite a few solo patrons working on their laptops and all of the customers are women (except my lunch date). Makes sense considering the light fare on the menu. By mid afternoon, all the of the tables were filled.

There are pretty much only four things on Savour Cafe's menu- a caesar salad, a baby spinach pumpkin salad, a basil chicken panini or a spicy duck breast panini (NT$180-200). The good- the salad that I had come for was delicious, especially since I had been needing a place to fill the void that the loss of Les Bebes' veggie salad left. The bad? They have a mandatory drink minimum and every drink price is jacked up to at least NT$140-180.

UGHHHHHH. I hate drink minimums. I would much prefer a restaurant have a minimum charge. I even asked the server, what if I ordered dessert? But the answer was still no. The drinks to choose from include coffee, tea, au lait, juice, soda, slush or milkshake. After reluctantly mulling over the menu for a few minutes, I tried to pick a drink with the least damage calorie wise- rose tea (NT$180).

Service was fairly quick- the paninis came out around the same time and before the salad that we were going to share. Each panini is cut into three slices and came with a few potato wedges and small salad. Both sandwiches tasted like something I could make at home, which was a good sign, meaning that I liked the flavors and the combination of elements in the sandwiches.

Spicy Duck Breast Panini (NT$180) with pan fried duck breast, jalapeño, tomato, cheddar cheese and mozzarella.

The spread with our mandatory drinks- rose tea on the left and mixed berry soda (NT$180) on the right. I probably wouldn't order the rose tea again- it was floral but not rose, and tasted like watered down tea. Luckily my friend treated me to lunch so I wouldn't lament the fact that I was forced to pay NT$180 for watered down tea. Sure makes for a pretty photo though! (lol, read with sarcasm)

Baby spinach pumpkin salad (NT$180) the salad was plentiful to share between two people (along with a sandwich each) and I liked how they added various almonds and nuts to give the salad a contrasting crunch. The dressing was a bit on the sweet side, but I thought it went well with the baby spinach. The grilled pumpkins were caramelized and tender. I wouldn't mind eating just the salad by myself, with dessert.

Toffee banana tart (NT$160) 

Whipped cream and toffee caramel sauce slathered atop frozen banana slices and cookie tart crust. Like if tiramisu and banana split had a baby. I wasn't going to order this, but I had to ask them about the red velvet cake, and then looking at instagram, it seemed quite a few people raved about the desserts. After finishing the whole thing myself, I could see why- the icy banana slices taste like ice cream and the thick toffee sauce gives it a sticky sweetness. So so good- I might have to try making it at home. They also had red velvet and cinnamon apple cake on the menu, but were out of red velvet. 

So would I come back to Savour Cafe and acquiesce to their drink minimum again? The toffee banana tart was so good that I'm thinking that the red velvet has a good chance of being good as well, so yes. Next time, I'll skip the teas and get coffee to go with my dessert instead.