american/steak: TOSCANA at SHERWOOD HOTEL

TOSCANA
at Sherwood Hotel, 1 FL
No. 111, MinSheng E Road, Sec. 3
(02) 2718-1188

website: sherwood.com.tw

hours: 11:30 AM - 10:30 PM

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. lots of finger foods available in salad/antipasti and dessert bar.

Visit reviewed: 3/8/2008



Toscana offers fine Italian dining and steaks in an upscale European setting. Make sure you don't miss the sprawling salad and antipasti bar, (which runs over NT$700 just by itself) as well as the dessert bar hiding in the back. The salad bar had a lot of build your own salad components, as well as freshly made Caesar salad, cheese platters (yum, Brie!) and lots of filling antipasto.

Our friend who chose the restaurant proclaimed that the grilled dry aged Smith and Wollensky New York cut steak was his favorite and that Toscana was the only restaurant here in Taipei that had chefs trained to prepare them.

I'm not a steak expert, I just like to eat them. Sometimes I can barely remember what kind of cut I like best. I tend to like my steaks juicy (probably = fatty) so I tend to lean toward the ribeye. Is that the right cut for me?

I got the set menu which included a soup, salad/antipasto bar, pasta, steak and dessert bar.



I have a faint recollection that our set menu was under NT$2000, but my friend was treating a group of us and I didn't take a picture of the menu, so I'm not sure. Currently, Toscana's set dinner menus run about NT$2650. Toscana is definitely a place to splurge, impress your date or use the corporate card.



I think I remember liking everything, but not being blown away. For an expensive dinner, personally I think you should definitely be gasping in delight over something, otherwise, why pay the higher price. But maybe the steak experts out there can divulge- is dry aged steak all that? Or maybe it's more appreciated when paired with the right wine?





So I'm slowly working through my list of backlogged posts. This one was for you, dessertobsessed!


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snapshot: i recommend swedish meatballs at IKEA

IKEA
at Asia World Shopping Mall
No. 100, Dun Hua N. Road, B1
Song Shan District
(02)2716-8900

MRT: Zhong Shan Middle School or Nanjing E Road (10 minute walk)

website: www.ikea.com.tw

hours: Sun-Thur 10 AM - 9:30 PM; Fri/Sat 10 AM - 10 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: bite sized for kid mouths! roomy food court

Visit reviewed: 5/25/2009

Fifteen swedish meatballs and fries (I changed it to mashed potatoes) for NT$139 makes for pretty decent food court food. They give a good gravy and a sweet berry sauce, which combined gives it a sweet and savory flavor. It definitely can't compare to the way Flavors restaurant rocks their meatballs, but you can't beat the price. They also sell frozen swedish meatballs to take home.

Any other good stuff that I missed? I don't like the ice cream or the hot dogs at the downstairs food court. It's not as good as the ice cream in the states.

And on the way to the food court, you can pick up some furniture, dinner ware or frames.


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korean: i recommend LIANG BAN JIA KOREAN BBQ

LIANG BAN JIA KOREAN BBQ
at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A9, 6 FL
No. 9, Song Shou Road
(02) 2720-1980

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: skm.com.tw

hours: 11 AM - 9:30 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. just keep hands away from hot grill.

Visit reviewed: 5/18/2009



Liang Ban Jia is a modern looking restaurant offering an extensive menu of Korean bbq meats, seafood, Korean hotpot soups and traditional dishes in Xinyi Mitsukoshi shopping mall, on the same floor as Saboten, a shabu shabu place, a Japanese restaurant and a Chinese restaurant.

I always walked by this place and assumed it would be too expensive, but actually if you have a group of people, you can get a lot of food for an affordable price. My aunt wanted to treat my visiting sister and I to dinner and we ended up getting the combo for 5 people for NT$2500. They have combination sets for 2-5 people which works out to be about NT$400-500 a person, which can also be cheaper than ordering different things ala carte.




Mostly everything was good, but the best parts of the dinner was the beef "galb" (NT$580 ala carte) and the stone bim bim bap. It might have been the biggest stone pot I'd ever seen!



The main beef I had (beef, hee hee) was that we finished a few of our panchans side dishes early and asked for refills. They said that refills cost extra. It kind of sucked that they didn't give more since we had more people.



Because the place was relatively empty, the server was able to cook all the meat for us and was very attentive at serving everyone.



My aunt said when it's busy, the servers have to work between a few tables, and the meat is definitely better when the experts cook it with their expert tongs-manship. There's even lettuce and two dipping sauces for your meat.



The pacing was pretty quick and after going through the seafood pancake, grilled mushroom, pork, beef, more pork, scallops, shrimp and fish, we barely had enough room for the bimbimbap rice and the seafood hotpot.



If I go again, I'd probably try the other options of ginseng chicken or kimchee hotpot since the seafood hotpot was a bit bland.



The seafood pancake was thick and crispy and stuffed with crab, squid and vegetables.



I thought the scallops were a bit dry and the fish and shrimp were just so so. At that point, I was wishing there was more beef kalbi instead, which was the most tender and juicy of all the grilled meats.




Mmm.. the bimbimbap was a nice way to end the meal. The crispy bits of rice and all the mixed in vegetable, egg and sauce.



Liang Ban Jia is perfect for business lunch and a great option for a tasty Korean meal with a group of friends or family. It's not as great a bargain as a place like Happy Korean, but it's roomier and less rowdy than Mindong and walkable for those craving Korean near 101.


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mexican/western: i recommend GOOD DAY

CLOSED! at this location a/o summer 2010

GOOD DAY
at Shin Kong Mituskoshi, A8
12 Sung Kao Rd, B2
(02) 2723-5220

MRT: Taipei City Hall

$

Kid friendliness: small roomy seating area away from the food court

website: gooddaytw.com Chinese only

Visit reviewed: 5/13/2009
Previous visit of different location: 11/29/2007

Maybe I've been in Taiwan too long. Or maybe the gooey burrito from Good Day and freshly fried crispy tortilla chips were actually decent. Either way, I'm recommending that all of you missing Taco Bell (admit it, you do) or Mexican food in Taipei, give Good Day a try.

If you were circling the food court at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, you wouldn't even find it. But if you went towards the other side, glancing past the random Japanese pastries and Johan bakery, then you'd spot the random gingerbread man wearing a sombero.



What?



Maybe it's an appropriate mascot for its equally random menu. Good Day's worldly menu includes not only burritos, tacos and quesadillas, but also burgers, cuban sandwiches, a few all day American breakfasts and Uruguyuan sandwiches.



Again... what??

Not quite the foods I picture being the demand of Taiwanese tastebuds, but maybe that's what's so cool about Good Day. It dares to offer it amidst the sea of rice and noodle dishes. If they build it, will people come?



Though I had a so-so experience at its Dun Hua location with the chicken tacos awhile back, I thought I'd give it a second chance.

The blue uniformed employees were helpful in explaining what items were and answering questions about the menu. Though not everyone there was sure about English names of items when I mentioned them, but we worked it out when I'd point to the menu names.

I'd suggest getting a beef burrito (NT$230 (combo with chips, fries and 1 dipping sauce). I was pleasantly surprised with how big it was, almost the size of a burrito you'd get back home- though I did end up digging out most of the mushy rice and not eating it. The salsa and seasoned ground beef was pretty good though, and I liked the melted cheese. I think it also helped I put some of my Costco avocados onto it.



The chips were warm and crackly crisp and great with my little side of nacho cheese.

I also tried the Classic Cuban (NT$190), but didn't get past a bite after eating my burrito. But it tasted great the next day- especially if you are feeling like a sandwich. For those of you who've never had a Cuban sandwich, it's a variation of a pressed ham and cheese sandwich. The bread wasn't as toasty as I'd like, but I think it might be because I got it to go.



The pickles and mustard give the Classic Cuban a nice zing, and while it compared nothing to my first experience eating a Cuban sandwich at the popular Porto's a few months ago, it's pretty amazing that you can even find a Cuban sandwich in Taipei. Although I don't know how authentic the variations (tuna, turkey or ham & smoked chicken) are.

So those of you who haven't yet had the time to trek to Danshui for Mexican food, take yourself to Good Day and let me know what you think. While it's not as festive an atmosphere as Amigo or Tequila Sunrise, the prices are cheaper and I might even try the all day brunch or one of their 10 or so burgers next time. Their website says there's a NT$100 lunch special for burger of the day plus fries. Sounds like the start of a good day to me.


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Other location:

No. 18, Lane 177, Dun Hua South Road, Sec 1
(02) 8771-0703

CLOSED! dessert/frozen yogurt: i strongly recommend YOFROYO

CLOSED!

YOFROYO
at Shida Night Market
No.9, Ln.59, Shida Rd.
Jhongjeng District

(02))2365-0188

MRT: Kuting

website: yofroyo.com

$

Kid friendliness: lots of free samples and kid pleasing marshmallows, mochi and sprinkles!

Visit reviewed: 5/18/2009



Everyone in LA has heard of Pinkberry. Maybe even heard of Red Mango, Yogurtland and the Frozen Yogurt Wars.

But in Taipei, the frozen yogurt wave is just beginning... there were some attempts here and there, but none that really seemed that they would take off until now. A few years ago, I even daydreamed to open a Yogurtland-berry-ish froyo place here and eat free frozen yogurt whenever I wanted, the way I wanted, but luckily for us, the founders of YoFroyo actually went ahead and did it.

YoFroyo is located in an alley off of the busy Shida Night Market, across from Subway. I would have never ventured there but for an email invitation letting me know about their Grand Opening. I couldn't make it then, but the call of tarty frozen yogurt (or fro yo, for short, hence the name YoFroYo) was too strong to let me wait too long to check it out.



And I'm glad I did. First off, next time I'd come with an empty stomach to the Shida Night Market since there are so many alleys full of street eats to sample, such as "gua bao", pan fried dumplings, crispy fried chicken cutlets or "G-pai" and sausages, just to name a few.

But if you are headed just for the frozen yogurt, you have a lot to choose from. There's an array of toppings, flavors and combinations. Most importantly, there were berries, or at least strawberries, and mango. They also have other confections- gummy bears, marshmallows, crumbled cookies, diced fruits, chocolate chips and even baby cream puffs to decorate your dessert. They also have freshly made baby mochi balls to choose from and quite a number of flavors (original, guava, taro, black sugar, blueberry, mango and lychee) to match whatever yogurt flavor you choose. The combinations ar endless. It's probably easier for locals to get the concept, since it's quite similar to picking and choosing your sweet toppings on shaved ice, which also comes in a plethora of colorful shapes and sizes.



If you've never had Pinkberry, the whole phenomenon came from the frozen yogurt being tart and sweet, rather than just overly sweet. Being a "healthy" dessert with fresh fruits, Pinkberry was even nicknamed "Crackberry" for its addictiveness. From that sprung entrepreneurial copycats with a twist, such as Yogurtland, which provided "pay as you weigh" and self service with 8-12 flavors of froyo to choose from. YoFroYo borrows a few elements from each and makes it own hopes of an Asian franchise- a shiny and hip plastic white and silver decor, a range of six tart to sweet yogurt flavors that can appeal to all ages and tastebuds, and putting an Asian influenced spin to it.

And it works. I really liked the green tea frozen yogurt with a dash of azuki red beans sample that I had. I liked the soft and squishy bite sized mochis that I tried.

All the choices can be a bit overwhelming and with all the signs to read (thankfully in both English and Chinese), I was a little overwhelmed at what to order.



But they try to make it easy for the newbies by giving you large samples and providing a list of wryly named Froyo creations like Tokyo Reverie, My Blueberry Night, Barbie Doll or Cookie Monster if you can't decide (which maybe would be easier to drool over if there were pictures to look at like Coldstones?)



But maybe most importantly, the portions are sizeable and the prices are great (perhaps a happy result of needing to be competitive with other night market eats and being near a university). A regular at NT$55 is totally shareable with 2 or 3 people, or large at NT$75 if you're really hungry.

And if you're not a fan of the tart or fruit flavored frozen yogurt (they currently have original tart, mango, blueberry, lychee), then you can get chocolate.



They even have a suggestion box for future flavors. I'd put a vote for peanut butter or strawberry, and white chocolate chips or yogurt chips toppings and of course, raspberry or blueberry toppings when they are in season. The founders are from UC San Diego and set on making it So-cal authentic.

As the weather gets hotter and word of mouth spreads, I'm sure we'll see more signs of a Taipei Yogurt War. Maybe you can be the "cool" one in your group to help your friends discover tarty frozen yogurt the next time you're tired of shaved ice.

What do you think? Is Taipei ready for tart froyo? Will you be checking it out?


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CLOSED! brunch/western: L'IDIOT brunch

CLOSED spring 2013

L'IDIOT
No. 156, Minsheng E Rd Sec 3
(02) 2545-6966

website: lidiotrestaurant.com

hours: saturday/sunday: 10:30AM to 5:00PM (brunch available weekends only)

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 4/25/2009
Last review: regular lunch on 10/28/2008



On paper, L'Idiot is a great addition to the growing brunch scene in Taipei. But after my latest visit to L'Idiot, I could see why the Diner has packed two locations and L'Idiot slowly fills until 1PM when it's mostly full. Not only do you get more bang for your buck at the Diner, but maybe brunch here at L'Idiot is a bit overly refined, rather than down home comfort food.

This is my fourth or fifth visit (lost count) to L'Idiot's weekend only brunch, but my first time posting, only because each time I never managed to get pictures. And unfortunately, I think this latest visit is my least impressive.



First- I ordered the mushroom and onion omelette (NT$300). But as I dug in, I noticed there wasn't any cheese. Zero. And what is an omelette without cheese?

I had a faint recollection that the last time I had ordered an omelette there had been plenty of cheese. So I waved down the waiter and asked- she said only I must have ordered their ONE omelette with cheese last time (the classic French omelette, I think). The three other omelettes didn't include cheese.

I wish the menu note it somehow, or the waiter could- since for me, the reason I order an omelette is for the cheese- so cheese lovers could request that it be added. Otherwise, I'd get poached eggs or something. And as silky and perfect looking as the omelette was, I personally prefer homemade-style omelettes. Egg without any milk or cream added in, as this one seemed to have.



The French Toast that came to the table was cool- lukewarm at best. Do you see how the cinnamon butter isn't nearly melting on the surface of the french toast? We asked to have it reheated, which they did, but it came back piping hot like maybe it was microwaved, and soggy soft to the point of no repair.

If you're really hungry, you can get the Super Deluxe, which is a good amount of food, but still a bit pricey for what you're getting at NT$620. Eggs, bacon, sausage, orange juice, tea or coffee, half a ham and grilled cheese sandwich, soup and salad and a dessert. Maybe if the dessert was more drool worthy and they dropped a couple hundred NT off the price.




My favorite was probably the beef and egg breakfast burrito (NT$380), which was the first time I spotted it on the menu. I liked the flavors of the steak and mild spiciness of the salsa in the wrap, but it would have been perfect if there was more meat and a dash of guacamole, especially for the price.



Of course, part of the higher prices you are paying for is the ambience, and the touches like complimentary ricotta bread appetizer and goody bag of cookies when you leave.




I've also had the crabcakes egg's benedict in the past, and found it a bit mushy. The crabcakes were not crispy, nor were the english muffins toasted, so with the poached eggs, there was no satisfying contrast in textures. The cheeseburger with egg is not bad, but I disliked the overly bready and soft bun. I'd also avoid the chicken pot pie, which doesn't come with a baked crust, but a biscuit on the side instead- my friends and I tasted it and no one wanted seconds.

My relatives (and maybe yours) preferred pasta dishes over a Western brunch and I had a taste and it's still good - seafood orechetta pasta and mushroom ravioli. We still love the lemon argula salad.





So if you don't want to wait in line at the other brunch spots around town, then make your reservations at L'Idiot, especially if you have larger groups. L'Idiot is more spacious and comfortable for larger groups, and nicer atmosphere and presentation if you need to impress the relatives. While I still like the regular menu at L'Idiot, the brunch needs a few tweaks to be equally droolworthy.




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Snapshot: Secret ingredients to 5 spice bag used in Chinese cooking

revisited/dessert: i strongly recommend BIG TOM's ICE CREAM

BIG TOM's ICE CREAM
No.505, Ren-ai Rd., Sec. 4
(02) 2345-4213

website: bigtom.us

$$


Kid friendliness: areas to lounge. friendly free samples.

Visit reviewed: 4/27/2009
Previous review: 11/16/2008



If you're jonesing for a good waffle, you should definitely give Big Tom's a shot... though it'll be covered with three scoops of ice cream and you'll more likely have it for afternoon tea than for breakfast.

And the SYS Memorial Hall location is perfect for a leisurely afternoon tea. The outside seating overlooks the lake and the SYS Memorial Hall.



If it's too hot or too many smokers, you can lounge in the cow-themed, homey cafe inside.



You might pass by it a number of times without seeing it. It's a bit hidden by the greenery, but it's across the McDonald's on Kuang Fu, to the right of the entrance to the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall.



My favorite is still the peanut butter, but all the flavors are I've tried are pretty awesome. Creamy, sweet, but not overly so. While it's not as exotic as Snow King Ice Cream, it's still a perfect place for those looking for something other than Haagen Daaz or Coldstone.



But the waffle is goood... and you know how I love waffles! And ice cream!


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Other locations:

No.233-2, Jhongjheng Rd., 2 FL
Danshui
(02)2626-1622

Tien Mu shop
No.1, Lane 63, Sec. 7, Jhongshan N. Rd.
(02)2875-5511

Songshan Shop
No.219, Sec. 2, Chang-an E. Rd.
(02)2772-2658

Taipei 101

Yijhong, Taichung
No.221, Yijhong St.
(04)2225-8778

Gongyi, Taichung
No.276, Gongyi Rd.
Tel：(04)2319-7199

Kending, Pingtung
No.12, Kending Rd.
Tel：(08)886-3983