japanese: i recommend CUISINE M

CUISINE M 信義三井

No.1, Songzhi Road Xinyi District Taipei City

台北市松智路1號1樓

(02) 2345-1101

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: mitsuitaipei.com.tw

hours: 11:30AM- 3PM; 5:30PM- 10PM

$$$ (about NT$1500-2000/person)

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 4/11/2013

Cuisine M is the Xinyi branch of Taipei's popular Japanese restaurant Mitsui, which is known for their high end, posh decor and elegant, fresh food. Mitsui is also the group that revamped Taipei's Fish Market into a gourmet market, sushi bar and destination- Acquatic Addiction Development (a post to come that I have way too many photos for!). 

Cuisine M is actually a bit hard to find, as its entrance is not on the main streets and not a part of one of the many malls near 101. Instead it sits right in the middle of them, the first floor of a bank high rise. Inside is a cavernous space with high ceilings and a shiny sushi bar in the back with a wall of alcohol above that would be at home in Vegas or LA. Cuisine M feels bigger than the Mitsui location in Neihu and more modern and glittery.

At Cuisine M, Mitsui, Sumie and other restaurants like them in Taipei, I usually go with the cheapest set menu (which varies at the different price points) since you get sashimi and a few cooked dishes that would end up costing more if you ordered ala carte. Of course if there is specific sashimi or dishes that you like, you're better off ordering off the menu or asking if the set can accommodate you. Having been to the other Mitsui, I know they can swap out certain grilled items and also do vegetarian sets. 

Everything is fresh and portioned for a multi course meal and quite filling. Service is relatively attentive and everyone usually gets their food at the same time, which doesn't always happen in Taipei.

Set solo salad is the perfect size and comes with a huge piece of king crab leg.

The flavors are relatively light so you can taste the natural flavors of the abalone, fish or beef.

I was pretty full by the time we got the nigiris.. so save room!

While I know Mitsui is a favorite for many and that Cuisine M is a branch of it, I actually have enjoyed my meals at Cuisine M more than my experiences at the original Mitsui. For those looking for Japanese in town (and there are a lot of amazing options in Taipei), it is a solid choice for a family or business meal, especially if you are looking for ambiance to impress and Cuisine M's Xinyi location makes it convenient for those working or visiting in the area.

american/bbq: i strongly recommend ED'S DINER

ED'S DINER
No. 216, Lequn 2nd Rd, Neihu
台北市樂群二路216號
(02) 8502-6969

MRT: Jiannan (about 10-15 minute walk away)

website: Ed's Diner's FB page

hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 11AM - 2PM; 5PM - 9PM. Closed Mondays.

$$ (Cash only)

Kid friendliness: minimum charge of NT$100 for kids on weekends

Visit reviewed: 4/18/2013 and 4/26/2013

American BBQ and ribs in Taipei. For the longest time, your options were Tony Roma's (which is now closed), Chili's, or the Jack Daniel ribs at TGIF- and those places aren't going to give you slow cooked, woodfire bbq. Baba Kevin offers a great bbq via catering or delivery, but then the ribs need to be reheated.

Those of you who love pulled pork, brisket and baked beans will be excited to see the menu from the popular Ed's Diner in Neihu. (Make your July 4th reservations now and tell them where you found it!)

You might even spy the logs on the side outside the restaurant that they use to smoke the meat and also realize that you smell like bbq when you head home. 

Ed's Diner uses the "same rubs and sauces as the six time winner of the Barbecue World Championship" and learned the secret winning recipe to use for the slow cooked, wood fire bbq. After a few bites, you can see why the recipe was a winner. 

I actually brought out my fancy DSLR to get some glamour shots and then my memory card got corrupted when I was uploading photos. BOOO! I already tried to recover it, but it's a lost cause. Thankfully, I have lots of iphone photos that will give you a general idea. I lost the interior and storefront shots, but you can just scroll down to the meat!

I knew I was going to want to try a little of everything so I rounded up a group of excited, ravenous friends so that we could order almost everything on the menu. Pork ribs, beef ribs, bbq pork, bbq chicken, beef brisket, pulled pork sandwich and a plethora of side dishes- my favorites were the baked sweet potato topped with butter and cheese (!!), baked beans and baked potato.

Service is relatively friendly and prompt and most of the waiters speak English, so ask for an English menu if you need one. Plate specials include soup, salad, bread roll and a drink- which is a soft drink or ice lemon or peach tea. Set soup changes daily, this was a pumpkin soup.

I loved the pulled pork sandwich (NT$300) and I think if you're dining solo and can only order one thing, it will be more than satisfying. Overflowing with pulled pork and topped with coleslaw, it is saucy and tender with the bun holding it all together. The side of veggies was us trying to be healthy- but go for the sweet potato!

Full slab pork ribs (NT$950) is the best for sharing, with lots of ribs to go around.

On my first visit, I had wished that there was more sauce atop or on the side, since the ribs have a dry rub, but on our second visit, we figured out you just have to ask. There's spicy or regular bbq sauce available for those that want a little more.

BBQ chicken (NT$280)

Waygu Beef ribs (NT$790)- I wasn't as crazy about these and they are a bit on the expensive side, so I'd recommend the pulled pork sandwich or the brisket for first timers.

BBQ brisket (NT$380) - a bit fatty but oh so good. I remember the bbq brisket I've had in the states being pulled apart already, but it's not a big deal to cut the tender beef myself and bathe it in some sauce. It's great with the baked beans, which have a sweetness and tomato flavor.

With such reasonable prices, good portions and delicious bbq for carnivores, Ed's Diner is packed during lunch and dinner hours, but takes reservations for parties of four or more. When we left around 2pm, the lunch crowd had cleared out, so if you don't want to wait or grab a table outside, then I'd recommend coming early when they open and having everyone in your party there ready to sit down and grub. 

snapshot/japanese: SANJI RAMEN's tsukemen

I'm the type of person that tends to order the same exact thing every time I return to a restaurant, especially if I really liked it the first time around. But who wants to eat a hot bowl of ramen when it's humid and a hundred degrees outside? So I decided to give the tsukemen at Sanji Ramen a try during a lunch with an out of town friend.

Tsukemen is the style where you dip the noodles in a reduced broth rather than have the noodles and soup together. The vegetables, egg and meat are usually room temperature as well. The noodles are very al dente chewy and a filling portion (though it only fills half the bowl. There's a wooden rack beneath the noodles)

There are three choices for the dipping broth at Sanji- pork shoyu, black sesame or spicy miso. I chose the pork shoyu. Sanji gives also a small pot of plain broth if you want to water down the dipping sauce to drink. Personally, I thought the warm dipping broth was on the salty side (as was warned by the waiter), but not rich enough to coat the noodles as I had first experienced at LA's popular tsukemen joint Tsujita. 

I probably would stick to the trademark Kagoshima style shoyu pork bone broth ramen on return visits, as many people in the crowded restaurant (and people waiting in line at 1pm outside) didn't mind slurping even with the summer heat outside. I also would give the tsukemen at Ippudo a try, which is a seasonal item on their menu.

RAMEN SANJI 麵家三士
at ATT4FUN
No. 12, Song Shou Road, 5FL 
台北市信義區松壽路 12號 5樓
(02) 7737-5188

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: ramensanji.com.tw 

$ (about NT$200/person)

Kid friendliness: lots of kids spotted, lots kid friendly menu options

Previous visit reviewed: 2/3/2012

night market/taiwanese: i still strongly recommend TONGHUA/LINJIANG NIGHT MARKET

TONGHUA/LINJIANG NIGHT MARKET
Linjiang Street between Tong Hua Street and Keelung Road

MRT: Liuzhangli (about 10-15 minute walk) or SYS Memorial Hall (about 20 minute walk)

hours: evening to 2AM

$

Visit reviewed: 5/24/2013

I've had an unusual number of visitors from the states this year. The good thing about it, besides catching up with friends, is that I've had a chance to revisit a bunch of night markets to compare and update my impressions. I get to take them around, point out the good eats and watch their faces as they happen upon the smell of stinkalicious stinky tofu.

While Tonghua Night Market may not be as famous or big as Shilin night market or have as fancy a sign as Raohe (which I think has gone downhill since I reviewed it last), I think it might be my new favorite. It's got great renditions of my favorite night market snacks- ice cream run bing wrap, Taiwanese sausage in sticky rice da chang bao xiao chang, and stinky tofu. Also not to be missed (though I didn't get a photo) are the candied yams that are bite sized pieces of yams with a crunchy, sugary coating and shaved ice. If you haven't eaten dinner, you can also grab a seat at the cheap teppanyaki shops that Tonghua is known for.

While most of my friends call it Tonghua night market, it's actually on Linjiang Street, so some people also refer it as Linjiang Night Market. The main night market area is marked by two entrance signs, so be sure to note which cross street (Keelung or Tong Hua) if you are meeting up with friends.

Remember to look for the block of peanut brittle sitting alone on the vendor's stand to spot the ice cream wrap. Otherwise it's really easy to miss if you can't read the signage. Once you place an order, the vendor springs into action to make fresh peanut brittle shavings to go with the ice cream and cilantro (yes! cilantro!)

The ice cream at this vendor was sorbet-like with pineapple, red bean and taro flavors and was not too sweet or watered down (I had a bad one at Sanxia last month) and the wrapper was paper thin. I recommend you try it with the cilantro, it really works with the flavor and texture of the peanut shavings. FAVORITE!

This was one of the first times I've seen so many savory options for the red bean cake. Not necessarily enticing to me, but unique.

This is what I'm talking about. Sweet grilled Taiwanese sausages shoved into a grilled sticky rice sausage, cut in half to be the bun. In Chinese, this Taiwanese "hot dog" is called Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang or Big Sausage wrapping the Little Sausage. Love it. LOVE IT! Not the most healthiest snack, but hey, I only night market it once in awhile.

You can get it with different toppings and sauces, but I prefer the original flavor with some pickled vegetables- not too much other craziness.

So if you're visiting Taipei this summer and making the night market rounds, be sure to include Tonghua on your list (I gotta go back and explore it some more too). Especially if you're staying near 101, as this is the closest night market to it.