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.

i don't recommend random korean place

random korean place
name and address TBA
(around the corner from Lane 141, Hu Lin Street)

$$-$$$

visit reviewed: 11/28/2006



You know how sometimes you are headed for one place, but then you end up at another? Sometimes it yields awesome results. In this case, not so awesome.

I was with a friend and thought she would enjoy the delicious and very affordable pho from Delicacies of Vietnam. After a short walk, I was extremely bummed to find their shop mysteriously closed at 6:30PM on a Wednesday. So we took our hungry stomachs to the nearest decent looking place we could find. Around the corner, the bright neon sign indicated korean BBQ and I thought, sure, why not?

Inside, it was warm colored walls, but sparsely decorated. The menu was only in Chinese, mostly handwritten, and a few pictures in the front and the back. I ended up pointing at the bimbimbap in the stone bowl, the seafood pancake and the beef (to be grilled) (or galbi, though they didn't know what I was talking about when I said galbi).



Excited to see a tray full of side dishes, or panchan, at our table on top of the grill, I was slightly confused when the owner/waitress seemed to be taking it away. Apparently, they weren't free here, they were NT$40 each. A bit impatient, she hurriedly pointed out the different ones and practically walked away before we could make up our minds. We ended up choosing the seaweed and sprouts (instead of the cucumbers, kimchee, and kimchee radishes).



Although they were quite speedy, they were not the most friendly, or at least to us. There were two white guys at the next table who also seemed to have a bit of trouble communicating with the owner/waitress, though she seemed quite friendly to the larger parties that eventually trickled in.

The beef came first, and simliar to what I experienced in Korea, it is already cut off the bone and they start grilling it for you. However, it was quite different from the picture in the menu and that it seemed like a lot less than we envisioned for NT$300. It is also grilled without any marinade- instead you wrap it with the lettuce and can use the sauce to flavor it.



Maybe I had high expectations, but it just seemed like not a good value- a little bit of meat for almost US$10. It would have been worth it if the quality of beef blew me away (like some of the Korean bbq I had in Pusan), but it wasn't memorable at all.

Next came the seafood pancake (NT$300)- it was doughy and crispy- the thicker texture made it a bit heavy. The owner/waitress cut the freshly panfried pancake into slices in front of us.



After awhile, the bimbimbap (NT$200) came out and again the owner/waitress "served" it by mixing the ingredients before we could touch it. I didn't get a picture of it, since it didn't look as appetizing after it was all mixed in with the kimchee redness being the main element. The spiciness stood out the most about the dish, and after a few minutes, the bottom of the rice hardened into a crispy, browned crust to enjoy. It was dried out and gave my teeth a work out, but I enjoy that part of eating with the stone bowl. You can also get it without the stone bowl for NT$150.

In contrast to the warm hospitality I felt at my only other experience of Korean food in Taipei so far, Fire Tree Silver Flower Korean bbq buffet, this place left me feeling like they didn't really care if we ate there or not. Some places, the food is good enough that you will brave that kind of service. This place, why bother if there are other tastier, friendlier options just a few steps away.