vietnamese: I strongly recommend VIETNAMESE BISTRO

VIETNAMESE BISTRO

No. 7-1號, No. 103, Lane 46, Chongqing N Rd, Section 2, Datong District

(02) 2556-1155  

MRT: Zhongshan or Beimen

hours: 10:30AM - 2:30PM ; 4PM - 9PM; Closed Wednesdays

$

Visit reviewed: 9/28/2021 (I was invited, but all opinions are my own)

Oh man. While writing this post, I took a look at the last time I posted about Vietnamese restaurants in Taipei and it's been years (blame insta!) and quite a few of them have closed since I posted about them. So this is the perfect time to post about this new Vietnamese restaurant I can't stop thinking about. 

Opened over a month ago by two cousins from Hanoi, Vietnamese Bistro came from when Anya and Ryan couldn’t find any authentic Northern style Vietnamese food while studying here in Taipei.  They reached out to me to give it a try and I went looking for it in the alleys not far from Taipei Main Station. 

With a table full of delicious noodle soups, spring rolls and salads, we’ve barely even scratched the surface of their extensive menu which includes pho ga, classic salt and pepper chicken and sliced goose marinated with lemongrass and ginger. The rice noodles in their pho and French rolls for their banh mi is all made in house, by Ryan, the cousin who was a chef back in Vietnam. 

My favorites I kept going back to were 

the Bun tron (dry rice noodles) with pork (NT$120), 

(I've always been partial to noodle salads which are the best of both worlds with slippery chewy noodles and crispy lettuce, carrots and veggies all in one bite. Light for a summer day or when you're not feeling like something soupy.)

the chicken papaya salad (must order) (NT$70)

(Crunchy, sweet and refreshing)

fried spring rolls (NT$80/120) nem rang 

(Cut into bite sized pieces, these were so crispy and addictive with plenty of flavor)

and washing it down with sweet Tamarind juice (NT$50)

The  bun ca (rice noodle fish soup) (NT$120) and pate banh mi (NT$80) are among their specialties to try if you have room, as well as their version of Northern traditional beef pho (NT$130). When we tried both at the same time, as the tangy and spicy broth of the bun ca was overpowered tasting the flavor in the lighter broth of the pho. Vietnamese Bistro’s pho comes from simmered beef bones and star anise, and their rice noodles are wider and soft. Because they make their pho rice noodles from scratch, they’ve broken into shorter strands to spoon up rather than do noodle lifting. The broth of the bun ca had a sweetness from the tomato and large pieces of fried fish were filling. If I had to pick one of the two, I would try the bun ca just because it’s so different. 

The pate banh mi comes as a whole sandwich, but they kindly cut it into quarters after we asked them to. I am almost too full after all the food to take a bite, but I couldn’t resist. The French bread is made in house too, with a smear of pate, crunchy fresh veggies. Next time I would probably try the pork banh mi. 

The restaurant is small but clean, with charming murals hand painted on the walls by Anya, one wall has their most popular dishes making it easy to order. The pricing is student friendly, or as they say CP is high, so it’s definitely worth a try the next time you’re craving Vietnamese food. 

vietnamese: i don't recommend PHO

PHO
at Eslite XinYi Mall foodcourt, B2
11, SongGao Road

10 am-10 pm (B2/ B1/ 1F/ 5F/ 6F)

visit reviewed: 5/31/2006

It was Chinese rice noodle masquering as pho- perhaps they think that the Taiwanese palate won't know the difference? Soggy and bland- I was extremely disappointed after thinking that this location would offer a new Vietnamese go to spot in Taipei. The soup didn't even taste anywhere close to the depth and flavor of the pho broth I've come to love. We ordered a family special to go- which include 2 appetizers, 2 main dishes, desserts and drinks. Even the non-pho options were sorely lacking, the chicken over rice was utterly forgettable and the fried spring rolls were greasy and bit stale. They didn't even have the rice paper spring rolls that I had been craving and searching for.

You might spot the bright green PHO sign along the wall of the basement of the Eslite Xin Yi food court and think that it's worth a try. Unless it's vastly changed since I've had it five months ago, it's not.

tea/coffee: i strongly recommend GENKI Q MILK

GENKI Q MILK or YUAN QI Q NAI
No. 21, Lane 51, Da An Road, Sec 1
(02) 2777-5200

website: genki.ecoda.cc

$

Visit reviewed: 8/13/2008

Is the boba milk tea craze over? Will it ever be over? While I was in LA, there was a big scare all over Asia of powdered milk from China being toxic and not only affecting a lot of moms who formula feed their babies, but foods that might have been made with the tainted powdered milk and in Taiwan, the boba milk tea business was hit hard as well with business down by as much as 50 percent. I think everyone knows by now that boba milk tea is not that good for you, but can you imagine if it had poisonous milk powder in it too!?

I still feel like drinking one every now and again and I think I might have found a place to knock off my favorite, 50 LAN as my go to spot.

In August, after getting some pho to-go from PHO HOA,I asked the hostess if the boba place across from them was any good. She said, you have to try this place around the corner.. it's really good.



And so I did. And I was soo glad I did.

Genki Q Milk or Yuan Chi Q Nai makes their boba milk tea (NT$40) from fresh cow's milk rather than condensed or powdered milk. They also boil their boba or tapioca pearls with brown sugar. The result? The milk tea is not that sweet- you can actually taste the tea. It's the big chewy tapioca pearls that have a carmelized sweetness and it's gratifying to chew each one like candy, rather than because they're there. And it helps me drink the whole thing slower because I'm savoring the boba rather than mindlessly sucking them down.



Their menu is filled with the letter 'Q', denoting boba since the Chinese word for chewy sounds like Q. The menu is in Chinese so I can't tell you everything on it, but there are hot, cold, slushy drinks and teas from NT$20-45. An extra NT$5 will get you extra brown sugar QQ, green beans, red beans, or extra NT$10 for pudding. Like the other milk tea places, you can request less sweetness, ice or boba.



Genki Q Milk is only in a few locations in Taipei, so I don't know if I would have found it if I didn't ask since it's just a tiny shop with no seating or lines or streetfront location. Look for it alleys near Zhong Xiao/Dun Nan intersection (and pick up some pho on the way home) or the other locations below. Maybe you'll rediscover your cravings for boba milk tea if you've given it up.

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OTHER LOCATIONS:

No. 4, Lane 152, Ming Chuan Road, Sec 2
(02) 2507-0862

No. 47-3, Shing An Road
(02) 2515-1533

No. 10, Lane 411, Nei Hu Road
(02) 2656-2856


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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.