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mexican/colombian: i strongly recommend QUANTUM TACOS and MECADOCOLOMBIA at MAJI SQUARE

September 10, 2017, 11:18 am
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QUANTUM TACOS 
MECADO COLOMBIA
at MAJI SQUARE
No.1 Yumen Street 玉門街1號
MRT: Yuanshan 

websites: Quantum Tacos Facebook

Pricing: $ (NT$150/ person) 

Visit reviewed: 9/10/2017

 

I HAVE FOUND THE BEST TACOS IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW and you'll never guess where. Forget all you thought you knew about Mexican food in Taiwan and get yourself to the outdoor food court at Maji Square. 



Hidden in plain sight among the jumble of stalls of oyster vermicelli, burgers, poutine and Indian food are TWO food stalls you must try if you've been craving something better than the landscape of "It's good for Taiwan" Mexican food. 

If you are on my blog today for night market finds, beef noodles soups and dumplings, then scroll through my previous posts for a moment while we talk about this. 

But if you've lived in Taipei longer than a year and/or eaten your fair share of Mexican food fails,  I'm talking to you right now. 


I didn't even realize what the name of the shop was, my eyes just went from TACOS on the sign straight to "al pastor,""carnitas," and "chorizo." The photos of the tacos looked promising, the person manning the shop didn't look like a bored Taiwanese worker, and the price of NT$150 for 2 tacos or NT$200 for 3 tacos was reasonable. 

After peppering the guy at the stand with a flurry of questions, I decided to get a plate of 3. Regrettably the carnitas wasn't ready yet, but I could get al pastor chicken and al pastor pork. He said it would take 5-10 minutes, so I would wait in anticipation by making another circle around the food court. A small price to pay for the promise of legit street tacos. 




I made my way back to Mecato Colombia which had drawn my attention with their bright and festive sign, flanked by the yellow, blue and red stripes from the Colombian flag, and more importantly photos of their empanadas. Because I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and try them both out and empanadas with tacos sounded pretty good. 

 I asked which ones were best and settled on the Traditional Chicken and the chicken and mushroom, which the owner said also had cheese. Sounded good to me. There's also pork, salami and Hawaiian empanada on the menu at Mecado (Is Hawaiian a real thing for empanadas? Or is that just for Taiwan????), as well as arepas, drinks and obless, which looked like Colombian tortas and cookies.

I think I made the owners a little bit nervous with all my questions and by concentratedly eyeing them getting the fryer ready for the handmade empanadas, so went back to look for my tacos. 




I have seen (and eaten) A LOT of tacos in Taipei (and around the world!) and the way the tacos look  dictate a lot about how they are going to taste. And these tacos al pastor from four month old Quantum Tacos were definitely in the right direction. 

First, they had corn tortillas. Second, they were sprinkled with diced onions and cilantro, and ONLY onions and cilantro. Third, there was a proper meat to tortilla ratio, enough meat that when you rolled up the taco that you could see the meat coming out of the edges. (And the fact that the corn tortilla was thin and pliable enough to roll up, you couldn't imagine what a rarity that even is in Taiwan!) 



And the taste? HEAVENLY.

I did not realize how much I wanted to eat a taco until my mouth was chewing the tender bits of spit -roasted pork and fat mixed with the punch of the bits of onion and cilantro,  and I forgot that I was even in Taipei. That I didn't even have to think, this is good for Taipei. I thought this is good PERIOD.



The al pastor had enough flavor from the tomato (which gives it its reddish color) and spices to not need any extra hot sauce. But if you like it with a bigger kick, they did have a bottle of Cholula and housemade hot sauce on hand. All these details because the food was being made by someone who knows what it's supposed to taste like.

Sam, who was from Mexico, said that when he started, he didn't know how to cook these recipes, which are from the owner who is Taiwanese but had lived in Mexico for over 20 years. But after learning, he could adjust to taste when he was cooking it day to day because (let's say it again) he knows what it's supposed to taste like. And that makes a difference.

Also, I noticed when I picked up my food that there were two business cards on the counter and realized the owner of Quantum Tacos was ALSO the owner of Teotihuacan Restaurant, which I had just found on the internets a few days before when I was researching to revamp my list of Mexican restaurants. I had never heard of it before then and now it all clicked IRL.




When I realized my empanadas were ready so I had to put down my taco (you can see the bite I took above) to pick them up. They were golden, fist sized puffs with braided edges and I knew that I was probably the only person in the food court filled with Taiwanese families, eating both tacos and empanadas right then. And they were MISSING OUT.


The chicken and mushroom empanada (NT$55) was deliriously cheesy, so much that they should put the word "cheese" in the description so people can know they are basically getting a fried cheese and chicken savory doughnut. The crust was flaky and the center cheesy, I didn't even mind that I didn't taste any mushroom. I seriously could not believe my luck, that the taco and empanada universe finally expanded to include Taipei. 


The chicken and potato empanada (NT$50) was also delicious, and reminded me of a croquette since it had the diced potato, but with the bonus of the fried crust around it. I am typing this up right now and thinking about if I should go back tomorrow for more. 


If you're looking for somewhere air conditioned to dine, you can also try the Argentinian Gaucho at the end of Maji Square, but while their grilled meats are good, their empanadas are no where near as good as the ones from Mecado. And their menu overall is definitely more expensive.

But seriously, who would have ever thought a food hall in Taipei would have Mexican, Colombian AND Argentinian food in one place? Is this the first you've heard about these spots? Do these photos make you excited? Where else have I been missing out on?? Leave a comment and some love, so I know you're reading! :)

PS sorry, let me also know the photos are turning up blurry? Blogger is having some issues for me, but I didn't want to wait to share.. so I will try to replace the photos later, but my eyes sometimes are also seeing blurry because i'm on my phone wayyy too much.
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dessert/taiwanese: i strongly recommend DAZHI FENG YUAN

September 14, 2017, 7:35 pm
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DAZHI FENG YUAN 大直粉圓
No. 35 DaZhi Street
 臺北市中山區大直街35號
(02) 8509-8805

MRT: Wenhu (brown line) 5 minute walk

price: $ (about NT$60/person) Delivery available 

hours: 11AM- 9PM

Kid friendliness: very. at this price, they can each get their own bowl

visits reviewed: 8/18/2017 and 9/10/2017


DAZHI FENG YUAN IS A SMALL SHOP IN DAZHI, but with more than all the essentials for Taiwanese shaved ice. With over 20 different chewy, colorful toppings from taro balls to grass jelly to boba and red adzuki beans, you could make a number of combinations. Feng Yuan translates to the name for tapioca in Chinese, so that's why you see a big bowl of it on their sign, advertised for NT$30. 





A bowl of shaved ice is NT$60 with a choice of four toppings. I especially like their pearl barley, so much that I got double of it. I know Taiwanese shaved ice toppings can sound strange to people who are used to having their barley with beef soup or beans in chili, but think of how oatmeal which is usually eaten sweet for breakfast is now being used as a savory option. In Taiwan, mung beans, red beans, pearl barley, oatmeal are all sweetened and used for desserts. I've even seen creamed corn as a topping on shaved ice (which still repulses me, but hey, corn ice cream is a thing in the US now, so we can't judge).



They also have douhua, or soy pudding, but I found the flavor to taste a little on the burnt side, which I know some soy milk places are known for, but I personally prefer it without. You can add three toppings to the douhua, which are hidden underneath. 




Dazhi Feng Yuan's ice isn't super fine, but with the creamy and chewy toppings and brown sugar syrup, it all works together. 

And those who don't like the traditional toppings, they have mango shaved ice, but it's seasonal. I haven't tried it yet because I'm still trying different combos of the traditional. My go to combo is usually pearl barley, aiyu, boba and mochi balls, but on this day my friend wanted to try the big red beans and the taro balls. 




They have about 10 seats and it's fairly clean and they let you use their bathroom. Haha. I had to note that because A LOT of little shops won't let you use their bathroom, even though you know they have one. Anyways, this no frills shop has become a go to when I'm in the Dazhi area for a quick snack. Cuz global warming. The shop is near Shih Chien University and Dominican International School. 

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chinese/dessert: i recommend HONOLULU CAFE

September 24, 2017, 6:43 pm
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HONOLULU CAFE 檀島香港茶餐廳
at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11, B1
No. 
松壽路11號B1 
( 02) 6613-1013

MRT: Taipei City Hall

website: Honolulu Cafe Taipei facebook page 

hours: 11AM–3PM, 5–10PM

Price: $$

Kid Friendliness: 

Visits reviewed: 




THE SATISFYING FLAKINESS OF 192 LAYERS of pastry and a jiggly, custard-like center. This is the egg tart that has lured me and all the other people to Honolulu Cafe's first Taipei shop. 

If you hadn't heard of Honolulu Cafe, the famed cha chaan teng from Hong Kong yet, then the trays of freshly baked egg tarts from the entrance's window and the line of people wrapped around the corner outside the building might pique your curiosity to wait in line too. The store introduces itself with well placed signage "Honolulu Cafe | Since 1940" at the entrance, and hand drawn posters diagramming its egg tarts features for newbies. 


Even though I had been a fan of Honolulu Cafe's egg tarts for years, even bringing boxes back to Taipei from Hong Kong, I didn't know there were 192 layers until I saw it on the poster. I just knew that the flaky crust was one of the best egg tarts I had eaten. So I was extremely excited to hear about the opening at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11. 


Honolulu Cafe's menu is a dizzying array of choices, especially without English translations, but luckily the waiter drops off an iPad menu of glossy photos to browse and order. 


As we swipe through the menu, everyone excitedly agreed that each person will get their own egg tart, and everything else we can share family style, including a few pineapple buns with thick slabs of butter inside, another classic Hong Kong treat.


The pineapple bun is spongy and sweet with a crumbly crust. Those who love this dish devour it with the butter, those of us who can't just eat straight butter nibble around it. I would choose the egg tart over the pineapple bun, which is not as moist as the Taiwanese bolo pineapple bun or the cha siu version of it at Tim Ho Wan. 


And let's not forget, the drinks. Iced lemon tea, coffee brewed with sweetened milk tea, or iced coffee, something that I've never had at the original shop. 


To be honest, I've never actually eaten inside Honolulu Cafe in Hong Kong, I've only picked up takeaway of a half a dozen egg tarts from their shop's front counter outside the store every time. So stepping into their restaurant I'm surprised by the bright modern decor- there are several seating sections, all slightly different with booths, tables and outdoors. 


After we've ordered, a medley of Hong Kong classics arrived to fill our table and the ones around us- dim sum favorites like steamed shrimp chang fun, platters and noodle soups of roast bbq meat, and claypot tofu dishes. 




For a filling bite, I also enjoyed the Hong Kong style french toast, two slices sandwiching a layer of peanut butter and then drenched in maple syrup and a pat of butter. 



My favorites were the roast bbq pork, crispy pork and duck that come with four different dipping sauces, the deep fried soft shell crab, and the sausage claypot rice. And of course the egg tart. 





Try to eat the egg tarts as soon as it's served. It's best eaten hot, though of course don't burn your tongue. The crust is flaky which makes it messy to eat, and the filling is more custardy and soft than dense and sweet like bruleed Portuguese egg tarts, but that's what I love about it. If you prefer the shortbread crust and filling that doesn't wobble, this might not be the egg tart for you, but for me, I'm happy since I won't have to haul back boxes from Hong Kong anymore!!! 

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hungryinTAINAN: HOW TO EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH TAINAN IN ONE DAY

October 18, 2017, 3:09 am
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If you're like me, you've often thought about taking a day trip to another city in Taiwan, but end up putting it off. Where would I go? What would I eat? How much trouble would it be? So when I was invited by a representative for the Tainan City Government to explore some of their English Friendly restaurants, I took it as a challenge to pack as much as I could in one day. It helped that I had a ready made short list to check out. All I had to do was map it out and figure out what made sense according to their location and opening hours. 

Tainan has often been touted as the Taiwan's oldest city and an equally delicious and historic city to visit as Taipei, with plenty of temples, street eats and museums to visit. The past few years Tainan City Government has created an initiative for businesses to be more English Friendly, creating menus and resources for people who don't read Chinese to be able to discover and patronize these places. All the places I visited did have English menus, and most of them were able to explain menu options or answer questions in English. 

If you had asked me where to eat and go in Tainan a year ago, I would have had no idea. Last year was the first time I went to Tainan despite living in Taiwan for over a dozen years. This last visit was only my third. And even though I feel like there's a lot more for me to explore, I know if you followed my itinerary for this visit, you would be a pretty happy and full visitor. 

9AM BUYING TICKETS TO THE HIGH SPEED RAIL IS EASY




I enter the West Gate of the Taipei Main Station and look for the vending machines along the right side, not too far from the entrance. There's several machines that take cash or credit card and it's easy to choose "English" as a language options and buy a ticket, even last minute. There are unreserved and reserved seats, as well a business class option for a premium. For weekends, it's best to get your tickets in advance. I've checked the schedule ahead of time at the website, so I quickly click through the screens. Travelers can also get tickets from the high speed rail (HSR) app or at a ticket counter. I prefer to get it from the vending machine so I can see all the departure time options and usually there isn't a line. 

With my ticket in hand, I look at the signs for the train. It's a weekday morning, so the train station isn't too crowded yet. It's similar to the train stations I've been to in Italy and Japan, except that buying tickets is very English friendly with the vending machines. The trains leave very promptly so I head to the train level for my 9:21AM train with plenty of time to spare. 

The HSR trains have restrooms, vending machines and sometimes the vendors have snacks and bento boxes during meal times.  I end up getting assigned Car #1 and the Economy reserved is not full. I spy a phone charger outlet on the map in car #4 so I head over there wondering if I can get an empty seat, but it turns out the charger is in a phone booth like space, not at each seat. I decide it's not worth it to stand half my trip to charge my phone. The AC is very strong though, and even though I'm wearing a jacket I'm cold. I make mental notes to pack a scarf next time. 

11AM TAINAN, HERE I COME

Two hours have sped by especially with a book and returning messages on my phone. When I arrive at the Tainan stop, the lush greenery opposite the train station is a welcome contrast to the metropolis in Taipei. I eye the lunch boxes for sale at the exit, but I know I have a full day of eating and I can't get distracted. For those that want to eat at the Tainan HSR station, there's a Mos burger, Starbucks, Mango cha cha and 7-11 to fit all your basic needs. There's a line of taxis waiting at exit 3 and I give the taxi driver the address to the first restaurant, which is about 20 minutes away from the HSR station. My iPhone battery at 52 percent already and the taxi driver is peppering me with questions in Taiwanese. We pass by the Chimei Museum, which you can't miss because it's inspired by Versailles, and I wonder if I should have made a stop there before going into town. Next visit! 

11:30AM COMFORT FOODS AT A FARM TO TABLE CAFE


The first stop is Birches Pastoral, a cozy two story cafe opened just a few months ago by a farmer and his family to introduce some of their farms' organic products to customers, like red quinoa which they mix with their rice dishes like braised pork rice, Japanese chicken curry and onigiri. The Chinese name is a combination of his and his wife's Chinese name, while the English name is inspired by the idea that birch trees are friendly for the environment. Mr. Yu-Chung Cheng interacts with customers while his wife cooks up homestyle Taiwanese, Western and Japanese dishes like curry and udon, favorites from the time she studied in Japan. Besides featuring the farm's products on the menu, which include quinoa, mango, sesame and radishes, some are also available for purchase to cook at home or made into jams or sesame oil.  Even though the cafe has been open only for a month, the first floor of this cafe was filled with customers, mostly from word of mouth. The owners made friendly conversations while the food tasted like home cooking. As Mr. Cheng shows me his farm's website (http://suidohomeland.com/), I spy links to TED Talks titled "what's wrong with our food system" and I can tell that Mr. Cheng has a lot of ideas and Birches is just the start of one of them. 





So many dishes from the menu looked tempting, but I knew this was only the beginning of the day. I ended up trying some of their most popular dishes, the Japanese style Curry Rice Set (NT$249) which came with large pieces of deep fried chicken, and the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (NT$65) which is also a generously sized portion. Birches Pastoral opens early, so a tuna sandwich or egg salad sandwich would make a fitting breakfast if I were in the neighborhood. 



The mango juice (NT$120) was thick and sweet,  a refreshing drink while I was waiting for my meal. 


Birches Pastoral's menu focuses on comfort foods- braised pork rice, onigiri and curry with fried chicken. The owner said they drained the oil from the lu rou fan to make it healthier, so this would be good for those who love this dish, but want a healthier option. My favorite was the Japanese curry + crispy kaarage- the chicken was so juicy and crispy and I couldn't stop eating it. The curry was a little spicy, but was the perfect pairing for the rice dotted with red quinoa and the fried chicken.  I can't believe how much I've eaten 😂 and this was just the first stop.










1PM MILK TEA AND ICY DESSERT NEAR CONFUCIUS PARK 




Phoenix Flower was the first to use the traditional "hollow cake" or peng bing, as an edible cup for soft serve. The idea came to owner Mr. Alan Lu three years ago when he thought about taking the hollow cake and reinventing it with a modern twist. Traditionally, they were filled with sesame oil and egg, flattened before serving, as a sweet and savory snack to women after they had given birth in one month confinement. Mr. Lu was friends with the owner of a popular pork bun shop that made the hollow cakes and they opened Phoenix Flower next door. Three years later, the dessert is featured in Japanese guidebooks and magazines. They usually have two flavors for soft serve, brown sugar or sesame,  but over 10 flavors for the hollow cake including the original brown sugar, mango, strawberry and pizza. (I know! 🍕??). 

One of the difficulties with finding information about local foods is figuring out what to name it or research it in English, if there is no English menu or common name. While I don't think "hollow cake" is the right name, it's better than previous names for this pastry- which include hollow cookie, protruding cake,Tainan Brown Sugar Bun Cake, or Round-top Pastry. The Chinese name is a slightly better description, macaron hollow cake, which describes its flaky type texture. 

The lemon yogurt was a bit too sour/bitter for me, and he was sold out of the more popular flavor sesame, but it was neat to see this shop's modern take on a traditional pastry. Less of a cake and more of a cookie. (NT$70) The fairy milk black tea was good though and uses a popular Formosa black tea brand. Phoenix Flower is near the landmark Tainan Confucius Temple, so it's easy to check out both at the same time. 




A post shared by Joan (@hungryintaipei) on





2PM THE OLDEST DEPARTMENT STORE IN TAINAN

Hayashi Department Store is a cool stop on the way to my next destination, with snacks, handcrafted goods and souvenirs from Taiwanese makers. The roof is also a popular spot for photos and to check out an aerial view of Tainan. 




3PMLEARNING ABOUT TAIWANESE ORGANIC TEAS WITH A TEA CEREMONY 



Loved the tea ceremony tasting at One 2 Teahouse which specializes in Taiwanese organic oolong teas. The owner Ms. Jenny Chen-Ni Chen was very knowledgeable and passionate about teas and able to answer a lot of my questions (in fluent English!). Being clueless about teas, I learned a lot in that short hour. Ms. Chen explained that, "different seasons will have different flavors. (Teas from) spring and winter are the best because the weather is very cold in Taiwan and the taste is more delicate because the tea leaves grows slowly. If it grows quickly, you have to harvest it in a short time." She and co-owner Ms. Ssu Ting Liu had fond memories of their grandfathers and fathers brewing and drinking tea everyday and wanted to introduce tea to their friends and share what they've learned. 




Highly recommend making a reservation if you are curious or shopping for Taiwanese teas. The tea ceremony includes a tasting for three different types of teas, taking a journey from lighter to deeper flavors, and is complimentary if you purchase a tea. She warms the tea pot and cups with hot water first, to let the scent and taste come out and steeps the teas several times so that I can taste the difference. 








The first tea I try is Lishan Oolong tea from Taichung, which has light fermentation and is grown in high altitudes. The notes say it's "full bodied with oriental pear notes and sweet aftertaste." The non roasted tea is very bright and lighter in flavor than the teas she chooses for me later. My favorite was the Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Kushan, Nantou, which is very aromatic from medium roasting. The last tea I try is the Sun Moon Lake Black Tea, which is completely fermented but not roasted. 








They put so much thought into everything, from the detailed packaging where each tea has its own unique colors and pattern (which won a Red Dot Design Award) to going to the farms each season to inspect the quality of the tea leaves. Ms. Chen was super friendly and even gave me a recommendation for the bus back to the HSR (H31)! One2Teahouse's teas are also available to purchase online and shipping within Taiwan. 

The space is very modern and I wouldn't expect that there's a tea ceremony option by walking by, so this was one of the more unique things I've experienced. It was very quiet and the space upstairs would be perfect as a quiet working or studying space and there's also tea flavored ice cream and waffles if you're looking for afternoon tea snacks. 









5PM THE BOWL OF SLACK SEASON NOODLES WITH A 120 YEAR OLD HISTORY 






Du Hsiao Yueh is a familiar spot to noodle lovers, as I had tried their signature slack season noodles in Taipei long before my visit to Tainan. In the front of each restaurant, there is an old school noodle station to pay homage to the founder who made the noodles when fishing season was slow, and carried the buckets on a stick on his back. The danzai noodles 擔仔麵 are first topped with minced pork braised in a master stock, then shrimp head broth, touches of vinegar and garlic, and the single shrimp atop. (NT$50) Customers can opt for regular noodles or thin vermicelli noodles. 

Every dish has a story, every restaurant has a history. I love that Du Hsiao Yueh has documented its family's restaurant 120+ year history so beautifully and tells its story at the front of the menu. The restaurants are run by fifth generation family members in Tainan and Taipei, and counting. 

While I didn't have time (or stomach space) for it today, their menu is full of family friendly Taiwanese dishes. Some of my favorites are the fried oysters and the deep fried shrimp rolls. 











530PM SOUL WARMING SOUPS IN A CHINESE MEDICINE SHOP 



Po Jen Store is a 60 year old chinese medicine shop, but last year Mr. Eric Chou and his wife Ms. Ting Su decided to also serve up herbal soups to customers from grandpa's recipes. The soups have different levels of herbal flavors (and health benefits), from clear broths to murky dark ones, which I suggested that they could add to the English menu for herbal soup newbies like me, or even rank them in order of intensity of Chinese medicine taste since he's not really able to explain the details in English. I asked for a "new to herbal soups" level and was happy with the clear broth chicken soup with four types of herbs with side of thin sesame oil rice noodles. (NT$120) 

I'm the only one here because it's blistering hot and humid outside, but at the end of a long day the chicken soup is still healing. Taiwanese version of chicken noodle soup- somewhere you would definitely end up if you were feeling under the weather. The soup is scalding hot and the flavor is light, so don't be afraid of "herbal soup." They had a lot of customers who wanted to drink the herbal soups but didn't want to prepare it at home as soups are simmering for at least four hours, so many of their customers come after work. If I lived in Tainan, I'd definitely come back to try the pork rib with flowery knotweed or the bak ku teh, which is a popular pork rib soup in Singapore and Malaysia. There's also dessert soups, like the white woodear, which I've never been a huge fan of, but it's supposed to good for your respiratory system. 


The family run shop is so unique- the long tables are black with gold engravings, which Mr. Chou said were repurposed from the walls when they decided to add tables and soups to their shop at night. The alley that it's located in is quiet and there aren't really other restaurants around it, but it's worth seeking out. 











630PM EATING DUMPLINGS AND NOODLES WITH THE LOCALS 




I didn't think I could eat one more bite after basically eating ALL DAY, but spicy chili wontons! The vinegar in the sauce was the perfect touch (NT$50).

The most popular menu options at Fuzhou Noodle Shop are listed in photos above the counter, but they also have a English menu upon request. I ended up getting sesame paste noodles and wontons in chili oil, as well as some veggies. Fuzhou Noodle shop has been opened for 12 years and the three aunties are busy cooking, plating and dishing up orders after two large groups of kids fill up the tables outside. The space is semi-outside and a bit old school, but you can't beat having noodles AND wontons or fishball soup for NT$50-55 (or under US$2). There's also a counter full of fish cakes, tofu, braised snacks and instant noodles to add to your order. Service is quick and efficient and don't forget to find the condiment area if you want to add some spicy chili oil to your noodles. 









7:30PM A TAXI AND TRAIN RIDE HOME

While I didn't have the energy to figure out and wait for the free bus was to go back to the HSR station as I had been walking all day to and from all my destinations, there is a free bus to station from certain hotels and bus stops. My taxi was NT$460 and about 30 minutes and my HSR ticket was NT$1350 each way. I get in the taxi at 7:30PM, get to the Tainan station at 8pm, with plenty of time to walk to the departure area for my 8:13PM train. I get back to Taipei by 10PM, and plot my next day trip adventures. 

I hope this post will help some of you with an itinerary for Tainan if you ever want to make a day trip. If you're ever visiting Taipei, I would strongly recommend taking a day to visit Tainan, even if it's just for the day. I will have to write up my eats from my other visits because there really is so much to explore there. Thanks again to Tainan City Government for the invitation to check out these restaurants, and thank you to the owners for the hospitality of all the restaurants I visited. 


WHERE TO EAT 

110 Qingzhong Street, Tainan
中西區慶中街110號
(06) 215-8806
8AM–2PM, 4PM - 8PM

No.83 Nanmen Road, Tainan
704中西區南門路83號
10AM- 7PM 

No. 118, Zhongzheng Road, West Central District, Tainan 
中西區中正路118號
(06) 223-3319
1:30–9PM

DU HSIAO YUEH 度小月
No. 16 Zhongzheng Road, Tainan
中西區中正路16號
(06) 223-1744
11:00AM- 9:30PM

No. 27, Alley 300, Ximen Road, Sec. 2
西門路二段300巷27號
( 06) 222-6473 
4PM –10PM

FUZHOU NOODLE HOUSE  福洲麵館
No. 299 HaiAn Road, Sec. 2
海安路2段299號
(06) 226-8677
5PM - 11PM 




This blog post is sponsored by Bureau of Economic Development, Tainan City Government (臺南市政府經濟發展局廣告).
For more information about the English Friendly program in Tainan, check out: Tainan EZ Go! or Facebook Page.






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pop up/french: CHEF MATTHIEU DE LAUZUN x ORCHID RESTAURANT

November 12, 2017, 7:10 pm
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shine bright like a diamond



One Michelin star Chef Matthieu De Lauzun from Montpelier, France popped up in Taipei from 11/9 - 11/12 at Orchid Restaurant 蘭 using local vegetables and focusing on seafood. 

My favorite dish of the tasting menu was the poivron farci, or stuffed pepper. The sweet roasted red pepper was stuffed with fresh crab and the squid was presented two ways, as "noodles" atop and fried. 

This is Chef Matthieu's first time to Taipei. I got a chance to chat with him a little and he said he really thought the local ingredients were great so he tried to use as many vegetables and seafood locally. He also has had a chance to enjoy local eats, one of his favorites being the pepper bun from the night market. (Mine too! Can't miss it when visiting!)

With Michelin Guide coming in 2018, it's great Michelin starred chefs can collaborate with local talent and Taipei diners can also get a taste of what's already ranked as Michelin-worthy around the world. Thanks Orchid for the invitation and for continuing to discover and bring guest chefs to Taiwan. 



my weakness - bread and butter






saumon sauvage



the DIY version would be a tortilla rolled up with smoked salmon and cream cheese. or maybe i've been watching too many buzzfeed videos. 


Poivron farci

Roasting the red bell pepper brought out a sweetness that was almost fruity that matched the sea sweetness of the crab and squid, which were executed to the perfect texture. The lump crab is hiding underneath all of the "noodles." Loved this. 


Bar (de pêche atlantique)




truffe blanche (de alba)

I also enjoyed the truffle risotto with the perfect egg, the yolk in limbo between solid and liquid. 



filet foie gras joue de boeuf
so full at this point, but i was very happy to have the foie gras



Sphere framboise/ citron


citron et mandarine



Sweet ending. 



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sandwiches/american: i recommend LIQUID BREAD CO

December 13, 2017, 1:51 am
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LIQUID BREAD CO
No. 270 YanJi Street. 
延吉街270號
(02) 2704-6218

MRT: Xinyi Anhe

hours: 11:00AM - 9:00PM.  Closed Mondays

website: Liquid Bread Co facebook page 

hours: 11AM–9PM, Closed Mondays

Price: $$

Kid Friendliness: kid friendly sandwiches like cheese bites, BLT. no high chairs spotted

Visits reviewed: 12/5/2017



[TAIPEI- XINYI] SO MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE I STARTED BLOGGING 12 years ago. I used to take photos with my pocket Canon, upload them to my laptop and then upload to blogger and then tinker around with the html, type and post. But now even though taking and editing beautiful photos is easier and faster, it hasn't made blogging any easier. 

The app I used to use "Blogger" has slowed down as iPhones got faster and is now no longer in the app store. But then the blogger app started to upload the photos in a lower resolution sometimes AND crashed when I type more than a few letters. But since the app is no longer in the app store, it longer has any technical support and I couldn't download it to my new phone. So in order to upload pics from my new phone to my old phone, I had to airdrop them.That's why I was posting so infrequently on the blog because it would take FOREVER to do. 

BUT today I had an epiphany. I could airdrop photos to my desktop (because my laptop's hard drive is full as is my iCloud) and then do it the old school way, upload to blogger and type and post from there. 

SO here it is, a new post!




Liquid Bread Company is sandwich shop founded by the owners of Purebread Bakery and Gen Creative earlier this year, located in the quiet alley behind the Xinyi and Guangfu intersection. Those craving American style sandwiches in Taipei don't have a lot of choices, so the founders of Liquid Bread Co saw on opportunity to offer the sandwiches they wanted to eat themselves with higher quality ingredients made almost entirely in house. 

Liquid Bread Co's partner Jim says, LBC was "the natural progression of a bread shop, the wanting of showing how sourdough is used, in addition to missing a well put together sandwich." 

The menu includes classic sandwiches like pastrami, BLT, tuna melt as well as creations that give a nod to Gen Creative's chefs' heritages like carnitas, spicy pork belly, Taipei Bomber, which is a ham and cheese sandwich with egg salad added in. 

Every month, there is also a collaboration with a guest chef to offer a limited edition sandwich. This month, it's with Le Blanc's Chef Long Xiong and (regretfully) Le Roast Beast was sold out the day that I went. (I will have to go back before the month's end to try it!)




The menu board on the wall is only in Chinese, but there is a paper menu with English sandwich names and ingredients. It is a bit tough to match up prices to the sandwiches if you don't read Chinese since the prices are only on the menu board, but they range about NT$290-420 and half sandwiches are available. 

Side dishes include housemade soup of the day, pickled broccoli slaw, potato salad, egg salad and packaged chips like Doritos. A variety of craft beer is also available to down with your meal. Service is self serve, meaning that you grab your own food, pay at the counter and then bus your table afterwards.






The roasted tomato soup (NT$90) comes with two small pieces of bread, which I used with the egg salad to make a mini toast. It would pair perfectly with cheesy bites and I used it to dip my tuna melt. Since it's more on the sour side than sweet, I wouldn't be able to finish off a bowl on its own, but paired with a sandwich, the creamy tartness is a great complement to each other. You could create your own soup and half sandwich combo, though it would be nice if they could offer a price break on the soup if you added it on. 




After trying almost every sandwich on the menu (thanks to Liquid Bread Co), which were my favourites? I was expecting it to be carnitas since that's the sandwich I had heard raves about on Instagram, but they were out of carnitas that day. Booooooo.


So I was actually surprised by how much I liked the BLT (NT$290). The thick slice of Sedor Farms bacon was crispy yet juicy, and perfect with the crisp lettuce and tomato. I typically wouldn't order BLT, but the owner Jim insisted I try it. It would be even better with some avocado slices, (BLAT? ABLT? BLTA?), but on its own it's a refreshing bite with the addictive tomato jam. 




The pastrami sandwich (NT$420) was a nice stack, with provolone cheese, house prepared mustard and zucchini pickles. I liked it a lot, though the kind of pastrami I usually crave is the juicy, jus soaked heaps of thinly sliced pastrami like what you would find in LA at Johnnie's Pastrami or the Hat, rather than the traditional deli style pastrami on rye. 


Made with mozzarella, gouda and parmesan, the cheesy bites (NT$180) were super buttery and cheesy, like a grilled cheese cut into quarters for bite sized enjoyment (or dipping in tomato soup).



The tuna salad and the tuna melt sandwich are both priced at NT$290, and the tuna is made from fresh tuna for the tuna salad. 



And in my video making, I only got video and not a photo of the Pork Belly sandwich (NT$290), which was really hearty with three slabs of spicy pork belly in each half, pickles and cabbage slaw on a soft dinner roll. The meat wasn't as fatty as I expected and since I didn't have room to eat it at lunch, I had it for dinner and it held up pretty well as leftovers. With so much meat, this sandwich is definitely the most bang for your buck, and an underrated AND filling sandwich where carnitas and pastrami get all the hype. 





And last but not least, the junk cookie with chocolate chips, marshmallow, oreo and peanuts. It's that kind of crispy chewy cookie that is hard to find, but not as monster sized or gooey as the cookies from DPT Coffee. 




Before I went to Liquid Bread, I had heard a lot of people say, "the sandwiches are really good, but it's on the expensive side." I can't say that I disagree, as the prices for the sandwiches average about NT$290 and that's without any included sides or soup, but that they are serving some of the best sandwiches in Taipei right now and if you love sandwiches, then it's worth it to fill that craving- they taste just like a sandwiches you would get in the states. 

The day that I went, almost all the other customers included expats or people speaking English and I wonder if the market for sandwich lovers is big enough for them. It will be a bit of a hurdle because I consider myself in their customer demographic and even I find it a bit expensive to pay US$10 for a BLT or US$13 for a pastrami sandwich since I often do make sandwiches myself at home. I would definitely recommend Liquid Bread to my friends and you guys, so I was on the borderline of whether to strongly recommend or recommend them, taking price into consideration.

When I posted the picture of the pastrami sandwich to my Facebook page- multiple people excitedly asked where? So good food will get people excited, but how many others are like us? That's seems to be the topic of discussion for a lot of the restaurants I've been trying lately- trying to offer something that's different for Taipei in the style of what's popular in the US with quality ingredients, but can they compete despite the higher price point? 

Would love to hear your guys thoughts! Comment below or chime in on my Facebook or instagram!

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News: TAIPEI’s FIRST MICHELIN BIB GOURMAND & CLOSING OF LE MOUT AND ORIGINES

March 6, 2018, 4:50 am
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(4/3/2018- I wrote this last month but never posted it.. I think I was trying to find an appropriate photo, but I will just have to post it without as too many things are happening in the meanwhile!)

WITH THE RELEASE OF TAIPEI'S first Michelin guide and this week's Bib gourmand list, my newsfeed has been flooded with announcements. The Bib gourmand selection includes places that Michelin wants to honor, usually under a certain price point, but have not been awarded an actual star. The first list spotlights a lot of local eats including 10 nine market stalls and 8 beef noodle soups. I thought it was also interesting that they recognized Joseph's Bistro, an Indian restaurant.

The past few days, I've also learned that Origines helmed by Chef Cyril Hou will close at the end of this month and the award winning Le Mout in Taichung will close at the end of 2018. Both have announced the closings on their Facebook pages, and Chef Lanshu has written a heartfelt letter about her decision to close her 10-year-old restaurant. I have yet to try either restaurant, but would like to try them before they close.

So with the upcoming release of Taipei is Michelin guide, will it make some of our favorites more even crowded, or will it shine a global spotlight on Taipei's fine dining restaurants that need more than local customers to thrive? Perhaps both. The past five years or so we've seen a boom of fine dining restaurants, modern bistros, steakhouses, sushi bars, Japanese and Korean bbq. Now we as customers have a wider range of culinary options, but are there enough people in Taipei who eat out that often, at that price point with that palate? As much as I enjoy a fancy meal out now and then, there are so many places even I have yet to try, or favorites that I haven't revisited in months.

Are you looking forward to what restaurants the Michelin guide will pick? I'm definitely curious! Do you think they will be able to find both the well known and not as well known local favorites? Or do you be more interested in a Taipei street food guide?


TAIPEI 2018 BIB GOURMAND

  • DIAN SHUI LOU (Songshan) 點水樓 (松山)
  • DIN TAI FUNG 鼎泰豐 (信義路)
  • FU HUANG SOY MILK  阜杭豆漿 
  • HAMAMATSUYA濱松屋 
  • HANG ZHOU XIAO LONG BAO (DaAn) 杭州小籠湯包 (大安 )
  • HAO GONG DAO JIN JI YUAN 好公道金雞園
  • JOSEPH BISTRO
  • MAO YUAN 茂園 
  • MEILI 美麗餐廳 
  • MY ZHAO My 灶 
  • MY SWEET HOME SMALL KITCHEN 我家小廚房 
  • NO. 1 FOOD THEATER CUSINE 一号糧倉 
  • PENG FAMILY 彭家園 
  • SERENITY 祥和蔬食 
  • SHUANG YUE FOOD 雙月食品 
  • SONG KITCHEN 宋廚菜館 
  • TAO LUAN TING ROAST PEKING DUCK PALACE 北平陶然亭 
  • ZUI FENG YUAN 醉楓園小館 

TAIPEI 2018 BIB GOURMAND BEEF NOODLES
  • HALAL CHINESE BEEF NOODLES 清真中國牛肉麵食 館
  • JIAN HONG BEEF NOODLES建宏牛肉麵
  • LAO SHANDONG HOMEMADE NOODLES老山東牛肉家常麵 店
  • LIAO BEEF NOODLES 廖家牛肉麵
  • LIN DONG FANG BEEF NOODLES 林東芳牛肉麵
  • LIU SHANDONG BEEF NOODLES 劉山東牛肉麵
  • NIU DIAN BEEF NOODLES 牛店精燉牛肉麵
  • YONG KANG BEEF NOODLE 永康牛肉麵

TAIPEI 2018 BIB GOURMAND NIGHT MARKET
  • A NAN SESAME CHICKEN
  • STINKY TOFU BOSS
  • LIU YU ZI 
  • RONG'S PORK LIVER
  • CHEN DONG PORK RIBS MEDICINAL HERBAL SOUP
  • FUZHOU BLACK PEPPER BUN at RaoHe Night Market
  • SHI BOSS SPICY TOFU



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news: 2018 OVERDUE TAIPEI RESTAURANT ROUNDUP

April 9, 2018, 11:50 pm
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A TAIPEI RESTAURANT ROUND UP is long overdue. I have a lot of drafts of blog posts in my folder and this one had the following sentence- "Every summer when I come back from LA, I notice a few changes, but this summer was the first one where a lot of people had one restaurant on their lips- "have you been to Longtail yet?""

Now it's April 2018 and I've already done a 10 places you should try next that I should republish here and Taipei has moved onto another new set of restaurants. Michelin finally came to Taipei and everyone is abuzz about the bib gourmand list.

The list is going to be long because I have a draft of 2016 that was never published to add in- so forgive me if some of these places look not-so-new to you, it's new since my last round up. Please let me know if you have a restaurant that has opened or closed and I'll add it! Let's get to business.

2018 CLOSINGS
  • Commune A7 (closed to make way for construction for hotels)
  • Emack and Bolios (ice cream)
  • Origines (closed at end of March 2018)
  • Le Mout (will close at end of 2018)
  • La Cocotte (closed after 9 years, the same month it was awarded 1 Michelin star)
  • Juanitas (closed again)
2017 OPENINGS (aka how behind I am in posts)
  • Longtail 
  • Liquid Bread Co (sandwiches)
  • Tamed Fox (brunch and desserts)
  • Ichiran Ramen
  • NKU (modern)
  • Coffee DPT (chocolate chip cookies and coffee)
  • Commune A7
  • Honolulu Cafe (from Hong Kong)
  • Gusto Market (italian deli and shop)
  • Steam Pot
  • Buttermilk at Amba 
  • Grace
  • GDS Play cafe (DaAn)
  • Tastelab by Regent Hotel 
  • Banco (pizza and pasta)
  • Maple Tree House Korean BBQ
  • District One Taipei (modern vietnamese, oxtail and lobster pho)
  • Amaronis (NY Italian American)
  • Pokeholic (Poke bowls)
  • Jumbo Seafood (Singaporean)
  • Red Dot (Singaporean/Indonesian)
  • Gastrojoy (private kitchen)
  • Ura muteki (deep fried wagyu)
  • Kamekona Hawaii (teppanyaki)
  • Mecato (empanadas at Maji Square)
  • Quantum Tacos (Maji Square)
  • Ice Mountain (shaved ice)
  • Gusto Pizza
  • Pie Guy 
  • Meat Love (korean bbq)
  • Wok
  • Juanitas (mexican)
  • Lady M (crepe cake)


2017 CLOSINGS
  • Achoi 
  • STAY (closed 9/30/2017) 
  • Sweet Tea (also closed 9/2017)
  • Le Kief
  • Savor Private Kitchen
  • Grandma Nitti's
  • Flavors Meatball 
  • Bite2Eat 
  • Juanitas
  • Lobster Bar
  • Dairy Queen 
2016 NOTABLE OPENINGS (even longer lists of places that I am due to post) 
  • Sugar Pea 
  • Jamie's Italian
  • Mitsukoshi A11 foodcourt reopening 
  • Nur
  • Chou Chou 
  • Terroir 
  • Street Churros
  • Plus Pizza 
  • Rou
  • Cafe by Juicy Diary 
  • Machin
  • Le kief 
  • Line Cafe
  • Domani (Italian)
  • Rakujin (wagyu yakiniku)
  • Antipodean
  • Revel Eatery
  • Baba Kevins (american bbq)
  • Twinkeyz Tacos
  • Sarabeths
  • Ramen Nagi
  • Plants Eatery (vegan)
  • Green Room (vegan thai)
  • Mortons Steakhouse
  • Cheogajip (korean fried chicken)

2016 CLOSINGS 
  • Cozi Burger 
  • Lobster Bar 
  • Amigos (in March?) 
  • Dan Ryans 
  • Burger Fix 
  • Voodoo doughnuts 

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indian/revisited: i still strongly recommend MAYUR INDIAN KITCHEN

May 17, 2018, 8:55 pm
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MAYUR INDIAN KITCHEN 
馬友友印度廚房
350-5 Keelung Rd, Sec. 1 台北市基隆路一段350號之5
(02) 2720-0011

MRT: Taipei City Hall or Taipei 101

website: Mayur's FB page 

hours: 11:30 am – 9:30 pm 

$-$$ (This meal was by invitation and hosted, but all opinions are my own.)

Visit reviewed: 4/3/2018
Previous reviewed: 5/17/2012

RECENTLY, I REVISITED THE ORIGINAL Mayur Indian Kitchen in Xinyi and was happy to find it even better than when I first wrote about it in 2012! (That rarely happens.) Since 2012, Mayur Indian Kitchen has expanded from one street side shop to six Indian restaurants across Taipei, all with different specialties including all vegetarian, buffet or late night with live music.  I'm not sure why I didn't return since I wrote about it six years ago, but Chef Mayur had kindly invited me over the years, as he sent messages here and there about the new restaurants he had opened. 

After I had posted some butter chicken that I had ordered after an ubereats fail from another Indian restaurant during Chinese New Year, he told me that my original blog post had brought so many customers to his restaurant, but that the Mayur Indian Kitchen I visited back then was completely different from my last visit and hoped I could see for myself. 

So I invited a few fellow Indian food loving friends to meet me at the Guangfu location, which was missing its sign above, but had doubled in restaurant space. Mayur Indian Kitchen (MIK 1) now had indoor table seating in a festive bright red dining area, as well as the al fresco tables outside. It's still quiet on this street, so sitting outside in good weather isn't a problem. 



 


The current glossy menu had page after page of appetizers, tandoori, vindaloo, tikka masala, butter chicken, masalas, vegetarian curries, naan, parathas, and drinks, which affordable prices from NT$190-395. I could understand why a revisit was overdue because the restaurant had grown into a completely different experience than the one that was just starting out in 2012 which chicken on the bone in the curry and less than a dozen curries available. Thank you to Chef Mayur for the invitation and for your hospitality.  (It's such a funny coincidence that my post in 2012 was exactly 6 years ago yesterday).







I'm a creature of habit, especially at Indian restaurants. I will tend to reorder the same things that I like, but I'm open to trying new things. So while we put in our order for butter chicken, palak paneer, naan, paratha, aloo gobi and raita, some finger foods came to the table.  



It was my first time trying these Dahi puchka from Kolkata (NT$150 for 6), which were small puffs filled with yogurt, tamarind and mint sauces. They were flavor bombs and slightly messy if you didn't eat it in one bite. A lighter way to start the meal than the more well known Punjabi vegetarian samosas (NT$135) dense with potatoes and peas. 



Soon our table filled with curries, naan, rice and vegetables. After a few photos, we dug in. Our favorites were the butter chicken (NT$245) which had that classic sweet and slightly spicy addictive sauce, and surprisingly the recommended aloo gobhi (NT$225), which is curried cauliflower and potatoes. It is a MUST ORDER. I used to order aloo gobhi all the time in the states, but sometimes you get more potatoes than anything else. Mayur Indian Kitchen's version had strong cauliflower game where the cauliflowers were just the right texture and was spiced without being heavy. 

Such a happy meal as my friends and I used the naan to scoop up every last bit of the butter chicken curry and filled our plates and bellies with food. I loved everything. 

The only thing I probably wouldn't reorder is the Malai Tikka (NT$225) which was not as juicy or flavorful as I've had elsewhere. Next time I'd try the tandoori chicken. MIK 1 also still only serves yellow rice, which I noted on my first visit. In my conversation with Chef Mayur, most people in India typically eat regular rice and not basmati rice because it's more affordable and it's more filling. 

Otherwise there are 18 types of naan, roti and paratha to order from, including garlic chili naan and sweeter coconut naan or cheese naan. We ordered three- plain, garlic and aloo paratha, for the three of us and it was more than plenty. 



butter chicken
palak paneer (spinach with paneer) & spiced rice

aloo gobhi and chicken malai 
aloo paratha (NT$85)
plain naan (NT$55)
garlic naan (NT$55)

A large sign outside the restaurant displays the new exclusively vegetarian MIK as well as the addresses of the other locations. Rather than make each restaurant the same, Chef Mayur chose to give each one a specialty. MIK 1 is homestyle Indian food. MIK 2 is more upscale.  MIK 3 is purely vegetarian. MIK 4 is a buffet (but only on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays). MIK5 is stated to the be the largest Indian restaurant in Taipei. And last but not least, the newest MIK 6 is an Indian restaurant by day, hookah and live music restaurant by night, offering Indian food until 3AM. 



What was Chef Mayur's entrepreneurial secret to opening 6 restaurants in 6 years? Chef Mayur wooed his family from India to Taipei in his expansion to helm and cook at the different branches, and his father is the chef at MIK 1, which serves classic, homestyle Indian dishes. “My father cooks food for our guests just like the way he used to cook for our family. In fact, he treats all MIK customers as our family guests.” And to find that in Taipei is such a treat. 
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repost: 10 NEW PLACES TO EAT NEXT IN TAIPEI - SUMMER 2017

June 18, 2018, 6:49 pm
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A lot of you might have noticed that I've posted less and less on the blog over the years. I've started to freelance as a (paid) contributing writer for various sites and publications. In case you missed it, this was an article for Taiwan News of some of my favorites and places I wanted to try last summer. This obviously skews more internationally- as they were new openings of a modern Vietnamese restaurant from Vegas and two Korean BBQ joints with roots from Korea, a world famous Japanese ramen with insane lines, and a cheese shop serving up Italian cheeses. Almost a year later, all of them are still putting out good food and Longtail was even awarded a Michelin star! The only ones I still haven't tried yet are Longtail and EPL- where does the time go? Time for another round up. 


Do you want to see more round ups like this on the blog? I know my readers are split- many of you are finding my blog when you are researching where to go for a first time visit and others have been living here a long time like me. 



10 new places to eat next in Taipei

HungryinTaipei's (HiT) list of what's been trending and new in Taipei, Summer 2017

1. DISTRICT ONE TAIPEI 

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 
District One Taipei just soft opened last week, but photos of their signature lobster pho have already drawn in crowds to their shop in the Da'an district. Opened by Chef Khai Vu and the team from Revel Eatery, District One brings Vegas modern Vietnamese to Taipei, with delicious dishes like beef carpaccio, crispy egg rolls, oxtail fried rice and pork vermicelli. The lobster pho might get all the (well deserved) attention, but the brisket oxtail pho (NT$300) with the tender meat and beefy broth is definitely not to be missed. 
No. 21, Alley 7, Lane 181, ZhongXiao East Road, Section 4, DaAn District 
2. ICHIRAN

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 
Now that the lines have died down a little bit, it's time to try the ramen that broke the world record for longest consecutive line in the world (over 250 hours!). Because Ichiran is open 24 hours a day, they had people waiting around the clock for over ten days. Known for its single person booth seating, Ichiran serves mainly one thing, tonkotsu ramen (NT$288), but customized hundreds of ways depending on how rich you want your broth and dashi, how strong your spiciness and how firm you want your ramen. I recommend adding the egg, extra pork and seaweed "Ichiran special" (NT$134) because one slice of pork won't be enough. 
No. 97 Songren Road, XinYi District, (02) 2758-3868 
3. GUSTO MARKET OF TASTE

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 
Buying cheese in Taipei can sometimes feel like highway robbery, paying a fortune for a sliver of truffier or comte that is gone in a few bites. That's why I found myself very excited when I finally went to Gusto Market, a small shop located on the same alley as Addiction Aquatic Development. Owner William Di Nardo, formerly a chef at Osteria by Angie, brings his experience and tastebuds to not only bring in an array of Italian cheeses (burrata!), wines, olive oils and products, but also is helpful in suggesting what you would like, at prices that can't be beat. 
No. 6, Alley 23, Lane 410, Minzu East Road, ZhongShan District,  (02) 2518-0458 @gusto.taiwan
4. LONGTAIL 
Longtail is the newest venture for Chef Kin Ming Lam and his team (Chou Chou, AChoi) which continues his Taipei streak of modern fusion menus, cocktails, desserts and space that feels grown up. Dishes like charred foie gras dumplings (NT$680), shrimp sliders with pickled onions and sriracha (NT$420) and fried chicken, raita, curry leaf gives you a taste of the layered flavors and ingredients that Chef Lam brings to the table. I've heard their cocktail game is also strong and they are open only for dinner, but they stay open until 3 a.m.
No. 174 DunHua South Road, Section 2, DaAn District, (02) 2732-6616 @longtail.taipei
5. HONOLULU CAFE

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 
Despite the name, Honolulu Cafe serves up Hong Kong Cafe eats (Cha Chaan Teng) rather than Hawaiian food, as fans of the original shop, opened since the 1940s in Hong Kong, know. The first Taipei branch opened earlier this summer in the basement of Xinyi Mitsukoshi, with a full menu of roast meats, dim sum, stir fried, claypot, rice and noodle dishes as well as the classics, pineapple buns stuffed with butter, Hong Kong style French toast drenched in honey and Hong Kong milk tea. The MUST ORDER here are the signature pastry egg tarts (NT$35 each or NT$100 for three) and I always order extra to take home. 
Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11, B1, No. 11 SongShou Road, XinYi District, (02) 6613-1013
6. & 7. MAPLE TREE HOUSE and MEATLOVE

(Photo from Maple Tree House Facebook) 

(Photo from Meatlove Facebook) 
The two latest additions to the Taipei Korean bbq scene have roots from Korea, as Maple Tree House is a popular chain in Seoul and Meat Love has a Korean founder that has popular restaurants in Korea. Both offer an assortment of beef, pork and wagyu cuts to grill and unique panchan like marinated perilla leaves (Maple Tree House) and cold vegetable broth (Meat Love). My must orders are Maple Tree House's jumbo galbi tang (Korean beef rib soup) (NT$520) and Meat Love's housemade kimchi and soupy cold noodles. 
No. 585 Guangfu South Road, XinYi District, (02) 8780-9222 @mapletreehouse_taipei
No. 468 Xinyi Road, Section 4, XinYi District, (02) 2729-9488 @meatlove_taipei
8. LIQUID BREAD COMPANY 

(Photo from Liquid Bread Company Facebook) 
When I heard that Purebread Bakery and Gen Creative were the partners behind the newly opened Liquid Bread Company, I suddenly understood why pastrami and carnitas sandwiches had been popping up on my Instagram feed the last few weeks. With sandwiches like Taipei Bomber (ham and cheese with egg salad on sourdough) Pot Belly and Carnitas (NT$290-420), this is next on my list to try. Add on beers on tap from Taihu Brewing, craft beers, bags of chips and and housemade chocolate chip cookies make the hipster Subway sandwich shop that Taipei didn't know it needed. 
No. 270 Yanji Street, DaAn District (02) 2704-6318 @liquidbreadco
9. EPL STEAKHOUSE AND LOUNGE

(Photo from EPL Facebook) 
If seafood towers decked out with oysters, king crab and lobsters upon ice are your thing, then EPL Steakhouse is where you should take your friends. The most drool worthy dishes I spied on Instagram were the lobster mac and cheese, crab au gratin, t-bone steak and chicken and waffles. Currently open dinner only, signature cocktails include Flaming Pink Panther and Sunset Over Rio. 
No. 147 DaAn Road, Section 1, DaAn District, (02) 2752-7191, @epl_tpe
10. ICE MOUNTAIN

(Photo by @hungryintaipei) 
There's no shortage of shaved ice places in Taipei, so it was to my surprise that I found myself waiting for over 30 minutes in blistering Taipei humidity, in line with over a dozen young women dressed for selfies. Ice Mountain's menu includes mango shaved ice, boba milk tea shaved ice, fruit shaved ice. The good news is that the shaved ice was actually very tasty- the fruit ice with lychee shaved ice (NT$160) was my favorite and half sizes in cups are available. The bad news is that the space is incredibly narrow and cramped and every corner of the pink and sky blue shop is primed for photo ops, so you might find yourself trying to avoid being in the background of someone's IG story or waiting in line for photos in the neon lit, pool toy corner. 
No. 16, Lane 41, Nanjing East Road, Section 2, ZhongShan District, @icemountain2017
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taiwanese/revisited: i still strongly recommend DU HSIAO YUEH

October 14, 2018, 8:39 pm
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DU HSIAO YUEH 度小月
9-1 Yongkang St., Taipei 
台北市永康街9-1號
(02) 3393-1325

MRT: Zhongxiao/Dunhua or SYS Memorial Hall

website: Du Hsiao Yueh Facebook 

hours: 11:30AM - 10PM

$-$$ (NT$50-500/person)

Kid friendliness: lots of kid friendly options

visit reviewed: 5/13/2018
previous visit: 5/14/2012 (formerly romanized as Tu Hsiao Yueh, although with this change it should be Du Xiao Yue)


[TAIPEI] IT'S EASY TO MISS DU HSIAO YUEH when walking along Yong Kang Street. Afterall, most tourists' destinations are Din Tai Fung, mango shaved ice and nowadays, spring onion pancake. But the last few times I was looking for a casual but clean and authentic Taiwanese restaurant for visiting friends and families, I ended up at here. Even though you could go there and just eat their signature dan zai mian, or slack season noodles, for NT$50, it's worthwhile to come with a larger group to be able to try some of their other appetizers and dishes. 

Each branch has an homage to their founding ancestor, who carried baskets of noodles and soup on his back during the low fishing season, by having an old school set up where server spoon broth, minced pork into bowls of noodles to order. Next time you go, you can look for the pot that simmers the minced pork sauce is a master stock of sorts, where they keep adding new ingredients and sauce into the pot and it retains a flavor that comes from being simmered and built upon for years. 


The menu is easy to read, with photos, English, Chinese and corresponding numbers for the order sheet. I like to get different types of noodles to share- instead of the original noodles, I also like the thinner rice vermicelli noodles and the wider thick rice noodles. (NT$50) 




Loved all the appetizer dishes and the new mala duck blood mini hotpot that I tried for the first time. I also always get the fried baby oysters. Try fresh bamboo when it's in season, especially if you've never had it.











OTHER LOCATIONS
-No. 12, Alley 8, Lane 216, ZhongXiao E. Rd, Sec. 4 台北市忠孝東路四段216巷8弄12號 　
(02) 2773-1244
-No. 16 Zhongzheng Rd, Tainan (Original shop) 台南市中正路16號
-No. 101, Zhongzheng Rd, Tainan 台南市中正路１０１號 
-Taoyuan Airport, International Terminal 2, B2

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hungryinTAINAN: 5 DESSERTS TO TRY IN TAINAN

November 18, 2018, 6:37 pm
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THERE'S ALWAYS TOO MUCH TO EAT AND NEVER ENOUGH TIME, especially when you travel to a new place.  The past two years, I’ve slowly been exploring the cities outside of Taipei after years of just staying in town- Taichung, Kaohsiung and Tainan- but there is still so much of Taiwan I've yet to visit. I'venever been to Kending, Chiayi or Changhua despite the bookmarks from my instagram feed. 

If Tainan is on your to visit list (as it should be) and you need some ideas of where to find dessert worthy of wearing your stretchy pants, I've got you covered. A few weeks ago, I returned to Tainan for an epic day of eats, with desserts on my checklist. After one full day,  a high speed rail roundtrip ticket, five official stops (and a few unofficial ones) and 8 hours of eating my way through the city, here is my dessert crawl of sorts (though be warned they are all over the map and not walking distance at all). I kind of fell in love and would totally revisit these places if I ever made my way back to Tainan. 

This is my second time accepting the gig from the Tainan City Government- they've worked with over 50 shops in 2018 to help business owners with the translation of their menus and to be featured  by English bloggers like me. Check out where I went last year to write up 5 spots for the Tainan English Friendly program.  

 It was definitely a LOT of dessert for one day, but it can be done. 😂 Three short day trips definitely can’t capture the entirety of what to eat in Tainan and my first visit to the night market showed that there’s so much more to explore.

1:23PM 
Brunch and brown sugar lattes at BRIDGE+ [ 橋上看書 ]



BRidge+ is a cozy neighborhood cafe serving up brunch and coffee. Seven years ago, the owner Rebecca put her love for books and brunch together to open BRidge+ (the capital R in the name is a nod to Rebecca) and the menu offers American sized brunch plates along with Japanese sets like curry or beef don with scrambled eggs. 


While their popular brunch sets include french toast, cheesy omelettes, egg salad with diced apple on croissant, I loved their black sugar latte (NT$120) which can be served hot or cold. BRidge+ makes theirs with Baoshan black sugar from Hsinchu and plenty of caramelized foam. The cafe is perfect for a leisurely coffee and brunch before heading out to all the desserts on your list, or if you have a laptop and need a corner to work. (And yes while the brown sugar latte is not technically a dessert, it's got enough sweetness and sugar to fit the bill.) 

No. 13, Lane 52, Shengli Road, East District, Tainan, 
hours: 9AM-5PM 
phone: 06-236-3088










Bonus eats: the fluffiest taiwanese bread at a bakery just around the corner









3:06PM 
Feng yuan soy pudding and tang yuan shaved ice at 
AH CHUAN FEN YUAN [ 阿川粉圓 ]


AH CHUAN HOMEMADE TAPIOCAS is a streetside shop selling drinks, shaved ice and soy pudding with homemade tapioca balls, or fen yuan. The family recipe for these mini tapioca balls, made weekly with sweet potato starch and no preservatives, was passed down from the owner’s grandfather, who used to sell it from the bicycle that sits in front of the shop. It's a sweet homage to his grandfather and his father who sold it from his motorcycle. 

I would recommend getting a bowl of soy pudding, or dou hua, with the signature feng yuan along with xiao tang yuan and more QQ jelly (NT$40). The fen yuan you might notice is a lighter color and more transparent than the typical boba that you would find in your boba milk tea. The texture is also slightly bouncier and not as hard. For mochi ball lovers, you can get a bowl of shaved ice topped with brown sugar and the familiar pink and white xiao tang yuan, which you have to eat (and take photos) quickly before gravity starts to do its thing and the mochi balls start avalanching off the ice onto the table. 

There was no apparent English signage when I went, but they had their English friendly menu ready when I asked. I mentioned that putting up some photos of their best sellers or even taping up a copy of their English menu to the counter would help the customers that can't read Chinese (and might be afraid to ask for one.) 

No. 82, Hai'an Road, Section 1, West Central District, Tainan 
700台南市中西區海安路一段82號康樂市場
hours: 09:30–23:00
phone: 06-223-9373 














4:32PM 
Crispy chili soft serve at DOGA CHILI [ 香酥脆椒 ]
DOGA CHILI is whimsical shop selling packaged crispy chilis and soft serve.🍦 I was a little hesitant to go to Doga at first because it was so out of the way from everything else on the list (like going to Banqiao from downtown Taipei), but I could understand the appeal after visiting.

From the cute colorful houses facades of the shop decorated with the shop's original mascots, to the addictively spicy and crispy chili crisps to the soft serve, it seems like it was made for instagram (just see the array of photos on their location tag).

 But the owner started out 14 years ago making kimchi (way before social media), taking the chili peppers and putting them in the food dehydrator and seasoning them just for friends. The word spread and soon she was making an online shop. The signature shop opened 5 years ago.

Doga has won several awards and they let you sample their dozen or so flavors- from jalapeño, cumin, Thai sweet and sour to caramel, chocolate and lemon. Everything is labeled in English and Chinese for easy shopping and the service was friendly and helpful. Before I visited, I thought they were spicy rice crackers but they are actual chili peppers. Besides their sample size and boxes of chili crisps, Doga's whole crispy garlic, mushrooms or preserved fruits are perfect for souvenirs.

If you're not a fan of mixing spicy/savory and sweet flavors, then there's a few cereal and syrup only toppings for soft serve available too.

No. 556號, Anping Road, Anping District, Tainan 
hours: 10AM - 8PM 
Phone: 06-221-8995





 







Bonus eats: beef soup just a few doors down



5:46PM 
Homemade gelato at FELICITA  [ 費尼希卡義式冰淇淋 ]




FELCITIA GELATO is a small gelato shop selling homemade gelatos and desserts. With bright pink walls and a mural filled with balloons, the cheerful interior is nice stop for a few scoops. The young owner Sandy makes all the gelatos in house and the flavors use many Taiwanese fruits and ingredients. It was hard to settle on just two flavors after sampling many- we ended up with the milk tea ice cream and 70 percent chocolate gelato. I also really liked mascarpone and blueberry yogurt flavors. She also bakes desserts on the weekends like cinnamon rolls or brownies, and offers waffle bites, but I would stick to the gelatos. 

No. 386, Hewei Road, Section 2, North District, Tainan
Hours: 3PM - 9PM
Phone: 06-282-6116





Bonus eats: the Garden night market is just down the street, but unfortunately it was closed that night. The Tainan night markets have an alternating schedule where they are open on different nights. For someone like me from Taipei, I found it all very confusing, but we found our way to XX Night market after a 20 minute walk. Apparently no one walks in Tainan because when we asked about night markets nearby we were told that it was too far to walk, and we didn't really encounter pedestrians or bicyclists as we walked. 

 

7:30PM 
Homemade sweet potato/taro balls at ODOSAN [芋豆賞]


Odosan is a small Taiwanese dessert shop selling housemade sweet potato and taro balls. If you ever make your way to Tainan, this is combo number 7 for the ultimate sweet potato ball/ taro ball lovers. 🍠 There’s seven kinds of homemade toppings on top of handmade dou hua soy pudding, including (1) taro balls, (2) sweet potato balls, (3) taro ball stuffed with sweet potato, (4) sweet potato ball stuffed with taro, (5) candied sweet potato, (6) Taro, and last but not least (7) mini tapioca balls. (NT$55). 

There was a lot going on in that bowl and it was so good. I could definitely taste the difference between this and chain places that sell mass produced kinds. I've also never had stuffed taro/sweet potato balls, and it's cool they reverse the fillings. The portion is quite sizeable for the price. 

My dad loved the pickled plums that came with the aiyu lemon jelly and it turned out that their grandmother still makes batches for them. 

The owners opened Odosan when they decided they wanted to make their own douhua when they had kids, and started out learning from the husband’s mom. Nine years later, their little dessert shop was busy with customers and to-go orders on a weekday evening. Now they make everything in house- from the soy pudding to the sweet potato and taro balls.  Sometimes they sell out, but luckily we got the last bowl. 

There are a few photos on the wall in the back of the shop but the English menu can be little bit overwhelming. It might be better to decide if you want shaved ice, aiyu, or soy pudding then pick the toppings from the choices on the counter. Or just go with their signature dessert- combo number 7!

No. 56號, Beiyuan Street, North District, Tainan City, 704 
06 209 9077 
12PM-9PM








This blog post is sponsored by Bureau of Economic Development, Tainan City Government (臺南市政府經濟發展局廣告). For more information about the English Friendly program in Tainan, check out: Tainan EZ Go! or Facebook Page. I've told them they should have more information in English on their Facebook page, but baby steps. 


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event: TAIPEI DANGDAI INTERNATIONAL ART SHOW 2019

January 19, 2019, 8:39 am
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Hello you guys! It feels sort of strange to be typing on a laptop instead of trying to peck out letters on my iPhone, but it feels good. You know how January resolutions go, you cross your fingers and hope that it sticks at least for the first month. So here come some new posts for the few of you guys still reading, as long as my hardware and software cooperate with me! 

Wanted to share some of my fave pieces from the Taipei Dangdai (January 18-20, 2019) with you guys in case some of you wanted to catch it on its last day (Sunday, January 20, today!). Tickets at the door are NT$700. Kids under 12 are free and seniors/students/disabled are NT$400. There's some food and drinks in a mini bar in the back corner by Gastrojoy. 

I usually miss these sort of things because the word doesn't spread far enough, but luckily I had a few friends with an extra pass and they invited me along on Friday (yay for cultured friends). It's much less intimidating to walk around a show than into individual galleries, which most of us not in the art scene rarely do.

With pieces from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Europe, NY, and of course, Taipei, It's the first year for this size of an international art show it seems,  or one poised to become a "global contender." Co-founder Magnus Renfrew brings his experience from Art HK which turned into the extremely popular Art Basel in Hong Kong, and is also the co-founder of the shiny and new Art SG for Singapore. 

Walking around Taipei Dangdai, there were definitely a lot of international art galleries and art dealers in the house. Whenever there are THAT many new people in town for an event, I always wonder, where are _they_ eating in Taipei and did they come across my blog? lol!

So, anyways, here is a small glimpse from the Nangang Exhibition Hall. I'm sorry I didn't catch all the names, until walking around halfway I realized I should take notes. There's quite a lot to take in and fun to wander and gaze and admire and see which ones spark joy. 

Going to try to type up a few more posts while the words are flowing!

can't escape baby shark, THE song of 2018

Dawn Ng

absolutes or shades of gray?


There should be places to sleep (2018) Liam Gillick 

Untitled #TK-98 (2018) Mit Jai Inn

Neither Day or Night (2011) Jules de Balincourt
close up. if i had the luxury to buy one painting, this would be it.
Laura 11 (2018) Alex Katz 




Blue Mountain (2018) Wang Gongyi

Green Eye (2018) Satoshi Ohno

Plastic Stone (2017-2018) Mariko Mori

This one is definitely more captivating in person. Each side is a different color/shape, one is reflective, one is translucent, the way a bubble is iridescent and catches the light.  

Diaphanous (2018) Yu Yasuda

This was probably my second favorite. This is similar to something I would want to paint for myself.  It makes me feel peaceful, as if I was on Antarctica or somewhere remote. BTW- I had to google "diaphanous" and it means (especially of fabric) light, delicate and translucent. you're welcome!

the edges of the painting.. otherwise it's just a poster. 

The Street (2017) Mingjun Kim

wings made of cleavers


Save the date!





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flashback/dessert: i still recommend KRISPY KREME

February 11, 2019, 7:27 am
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KRISPY KREME
No. 20, Songshou Road, Xinyi District
(02) 2345-3798

MRT: Taipei City Hall

hours: 11AM - 11PM

$

OPENED 2013


I TELL PEOPLE ALL THE TIME that when Krispy Kreme opened its doors in Taipei in 2013 that the lines were INSANE. It was a FOUR HOUR wait, with lines around the block of Vieshow and this went on for a few months. YES, you read that correctly. FOUR HOURS.

Why are people so crazy about donuts? I remember hearing this about Mister Donut when they first opened in Taipei too (in Tianmu.. who remembers this?)

this is only the part of the line that is closest to the shop
So I've been trying to cleanup my computer, make sure my backup drives are still working, so it took me down memory lane. When I saw these (blurry) photos of people waiting IN THE RAIN for Krispy Kremes, I had to write a flashback post because I don't think I ever wrote about this when it was happening. Since no one blogs anymore, there are NO RULES. lol.

I was, though, lucky enough to be one of the first to receive a box of Krispy Kreme originals without having to wait in line (it's nice to have friends in high places) and it was so satisfying after such a long dearth of donuts. This was around the time that BLT Burgers and CPK opened up at Vieshow as well, and only Krispy Kreme still remains in 2019.




Sadly, they have moved to a spot much smaller than their original location pictured here, and they don't make the donuts on site anymore, thus no "hot doughnuts" to grab off the assembly line. They have, however, expanded to 5 different shops around Taipei, as well make the cutest seasonal donuts, and I do see people still buying them, though these ridiculous lines have moved onto something else, thankfully. 

I still go there for an original donut once in awhile, sometimes I go crazy and get a salted caramel one too. 

other locations: 

at Breeze Nanjing, No. 337 Nanjing East Road, Section 3, Songshan District,  opens 10AM
No. 49 在站內，M3, Zhongxiao West Road,  Zhongzheng District, opens 7AM
No. 20 Jingye 3rd Road, Neihu, opens 11AM
 No. 53, Tianmu East Road, Shilin District, opens 8AM
at Global Mall, No. 7號, Section 2, Xianmin Boulevard, Banqiao District, opens 11AM


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western/drinks: i strongly recommend AVENUE

April 8, 2019, 12:37 am
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AVENUE


Hi guys. Long time, no talk. I have a TON of drafts like this, just waiting to be sent into the world. I wanted to add some more photos from other visits to this post before posting this, but today I decided to just hit "publish" because Avenue is definitely one of my favorite new places that has opened recently. 

You probably get a good idea of Avenue's vibe just from this. Starfruit cocktails, mini corn dogs and cobbler skillets? I would say so.

Current faves from Avenue are the beet and apple salad, the burger, the truffle cheesy orzo and the beef cheek tagliatelle. And the mini corn dogs if you have room! Will have to dig up those photos buried somewhere in my 100,000 photo stream to add later. Until then, have a great week!








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news/michelin: 10 TAIPEI CHEFS TO WATCH (+ 1 IN TAICHUNG)

April 9, 2019, 1:03 pm
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Ever since Michelin launched its inaugural awards last year, Taipei has had a wave of chefs relocating here to try their hand with local ingredients, new restaurant openings, and passionate discussions about who belonged on the list (or not). 

With Asia's 50 Best wrapped and Taipei Michelin awards around the corner, I thought it would be the perfect time to highlight a few restaurants and chefs that have been on my radar and should be on yours too. 

1. JL STUDIO / Chef Jimmy Lim 
@jlstudio_tw / @jimmy_jlstudio
Chef Jimmy Lim and JL Studio was honored with the Miele's One to Watch this year at Asia's 50 Best Restaurant Awards putting this Singaporean restaurant in Taichung on the map. (and yes, I know he's not in Taipei, but he's definitely One to Watch!)

2. IMPROMPTU BY PAUL LEE / Chef Paul Lee
@impromptu_tw / @paulhwlee

3. LOGY / Chef Ryogo Tahara
@logy.tw / @ryogotahara

4. ORCHID / Chef Perin Gildas
@orchidno.83 / @gildasperin

5. ADACHI/ Chef Hiromasa Adachi 

6. VERDE / Chef Timothy Lu 
@verde_taipei / @cheftimothylu

7. ANIMA / Chef Marco Compagnin 
@anima.taipei / @compa89 

8. AMAMOTO/ Chef Shogo Amamoto

9. BENCOTTO/ Chef Iacapo Frassi
@mo_tpe / @iacopofrassi

10. SUGAR PEA / AVENUE / Chef Sandy Yoon
@sugarpea.taipei / @avenue.taipei / @sandyyoonn

11. INGE's BAR AND GRILL/ Chef Vincent Weng
@inges_taipei / @vincent_inges

I wanted to post this before the 2019 Michelin star announcements were made, so I will post first and add details later! The only two restaurants I have not been to on this list are Logy and JL Studio, but I hope to be going there SOON!!

And these are some of the chefs that earned Michelin Stars last year that you should know if you don't already. Currently, Mume, RAW and Ryugin are the three Taipei restaurants to hold the honor as one of Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2019. 


  • L'ATELIER ROBUCHON TAIPEI / Chef Olivier Jean * @olivierjean_23
  • LONGTAIL/ Chef Lam Ming Kin * @longtail.taipei @kin.cooks
  • TARROIR / Chef Kai Ho * @tairror @kaiho1011 
  • SUSHI RYU / Chef Yolong Yang*
  • MUME / Chefs Richie Lin and Long Xiong * @mume_taiwan @richie_lin 
  • RAW / Chefs Alain Huang and Andre Chiang * @raw_taipei @alainh001 @andrechiang_sg
  • RYUGIN / Chef Ryohei Hieda ** @hiedaryohei
And speaking of Michelin, they should definitely honor Din Tai Fung and Shin Yeh with stars imho, as Din Tai Fung is definitely a place that people travel across oceans to eat at- the OG shop that made xiao long baos a household name. How can it have earned a Michelin Star in Hong Kong, but not in Taipei? 
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news: 2019 TAIPEI MICHELIN GUIDE STARS REVEALED

April 9, 2019, 11:10 pm
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If you didn't make your reservations at one of the 24 newly minted Michelin starred restaurants before they were awarded stars today for the 2019 Michelin Guide Taipei, then good luck getting a seat the next few weeks! I remember last year going to L'Atelier Robuchon a week or so after the inaugural awards and it was a packed and busy house. 

After screenshotting and cropping the Michelin Guide announcements like a madwoman, I've compiled a list of every Taipei Michelin starred chef and their restaurants on Instagram (and updated my previous post of Taipei chefs to watch with instagram handles as well!)




New to the Taipei Michelin Guide list are Sushi Amamoto with 2 stars, while RAW and Tarroir both moved up to two stars (!!), joining neighbor Shoun Ryugin, taking the number of 2 starred restaurants in Taipei from two to five. RAW and Shoun Ryugin are in the same building in Neihu, while Tarroir is right next door, so there are six Michelin stars just in that one block. 

I'm surprised by the some of the 1 starred restaurants that have remained on the list (there are a few I think that I personally wouldn't recommend), but happy that Impromptu by Paul Lee and Logy earned a star. Both were very buzzed about since they opened, and well deserved honors. 




Out of nine Chinese restaurants awarded stars, four are Taiwanese restaurants -Golden Formosa, Ming Fu, Mountain Sea House and Tainan Tantsumien Seafood Restaurant. Personally I think Din Tai Fung and Shin Yeh also deserve to be honored, but I think their multiple branches works against them.

Five sushi bars make the list, but Michelin still might not have been able to get seats to Adachi, one of the hardest sushi bars to book in Taipei (and one of the best imho). Le Palais remains the lone three star restaurant. 



If you prefer street food to fine dining, check out the 2019 Michelin Guide Taipei Bib Gourmand Street Food list here  and the new entrants to Taipei Bib Gourmand selections here. Also, last fall I wrote an article about Gastromonth for Taiwan Scene that featured Sushi Ryu and Guest House. I've linked it here!

Congrats to all the chefs and teams! 


Michelin three stars
Le Palais / @palaisdechinhotel
Michelin two stars
RAW / Chef Alain Huang & Andre Chiang @raw_taipei @alainh001 @andrechiang_sg
TaÏrroir / Chef Kai Ho and pastry chef Angela Sy  @tarroir @kaiho1011 @angela_sy
Sushi Amamoto / Chef Shogo Amamoto 
Shoun RyuGin / Chef Ryohei Hieda @hiedaryohei
The Guest House / @sheratongrandtaipei 
Michelin one star
Da San Yuan
Da-Wan
Danny’s Steakhouse
Golden Formosa 
Impromptu by Paul Lee / Chef Paul Lee @impromptu_tw @paulhwlee
Ken An Ho 
Kitcho 
L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon / Chef Olivier Jean @olivierjean_23
Logy  / Chef Ryogo Tahara @logy.tw @ryogotahara
Longtail / Chef Lam Ming Kin @longtail.taipei @kin.cooks
Ming Fu
Mountain and Sea House
MUME / Chefs Richie Lin and Long Xiong @mume_taiwan @richie_lin 
Sushi Nomura / @sushinomura
Sushi Ryu 
Tainan Tantsumien Seafood Restaurant
Tien Hsiang Lo
Ya Ge / Chef Tse Man @mo_tpe


































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My kitchen: EASY BANANA BREAD WITH YOGURT

June 8, 2019, 11:27 pm
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I had the best mini loaf of banana bread from Tamed Fox a few weeks ago and since then I’ve been craving it. I actually went back a few times but they didn’t have it or ran out and sometimes you just can’t wait. I had some ripe bananas but only had two, so I adjusted this Recipe that used 2 bananas and I had some walnuts on hand, but pecans would work too. I also need to find some whole wheat flour since I really loved it in Tamed Fox’s version and it makes it slightly healthier. Putting this down for the next time I need it. 

Easy Banana bread with yogurt
(This recipe made 12 muffins) 

  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup white sugar 
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used salted butter so I omitted)
  • 1/2 cup yogurt 
  • 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup chocolate chips 
  • 2 medium bananas, mashed 

1- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). 
2- In a large bowl, stir together 1/2 cup melted butter and 1/2 cup sugar. 
3- Add 2 eggs and 1 tsp vanilla, mix well. 
4- Add 1.5 cup flour and 1 tsp baking soda, stir into the liquid mixture until smooth. Then, fold in the 1/2 cup yogurt, and 2 mashed bananas. 
5- Finally add walnuts and chocolate chips with some to sprinkle on top. 
6- Spoon into muffin tin so it’s 80 percent full.
7- Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and top is browned. 

This is the previous recipe I used- http://hungryintaipei.blogspot.com/2015/01/my-kitchen-easy-banana-bread-muffins.html?m=1



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freelance writing: TAIPEI summer 2019 Cover story

October 2, 2019, 7:11 pm
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SO PROUD to have my recent article about Taipei Michelin restaurants for @taipeitravel to be the COVER STORY of the Summer 2019 issue. 

It’s been amazing to see the changes in Taipei’s culinary landscape the last 10-15 years, as well as be a part of highlighting it and helping people discover it! Still something magical about seeing your words in print

Everyone always asks me what other restaurants to go to beyond RAW and Mume (both which are amazing and definitely worth trying), so it was a chance to share a few other places. 

Many of you have asked me how to get a copy or read the article since I shared it on instagram. You can find the article here- 

From Street Eats to Tasting Menus, Michelin Guide Showcases Taipei's Thriving Culinary Scene

It also was reprinted in China Post.

As for where to find a copy in real life, locations listed include Taipei City Hall, Tourist Center in the arrival lobby at Taoyuan airport, AIT, TAS, MOCA, Taipei artist Village. Let me know if you guys have seen it!













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taiwanese: i recommend 397 MINGSHUI

November 17, 2019, 6:49 am
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397 MINGSHUI
明水397 飯堂
51, Alley 47, Lane 458, BeiAn Road, Dazhi
(02) 2532-5687

[TAIPEI] A little bit of everything, juicy braised pork belly + egg, with a bowl of mifun tang. Taiwanese comfort foods. This Dazhi shop used to be at the address MingShui 397 but when it moved it kept the old address as the name. If you're looking for where locals eat Taiwanese food, this is it. 


mifun tang

bamboo

braised pork and egg
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