foodie in Taipei

Japanese food in Tokyo

2008-09-20T12:38:00.008+08:00

I was in Tokyo, Japan recently and tried some local food. I love eating Japanese food and had to try what it was like in Japan. I went to this one place in the Shinjuku area. It was on the 5th floor of some building:

I ordered some dishes I love to eat:

Shishamo - grilled over charcoal giving it a wonderful fragrance:

Beef in a hot plate - lightly seared tender pieces of beef that just melt in your mouth!:

Mixed sashimi - fresh raw seafood...what more can I say?:

Very fresh fish:

What is left of the fish:

Cool and refreshing dessert:

What was surprising was the fish was still moving while it was served! My guess was they wanted us to know how fresh the fish meat was. They catch the fish from a tank, cut the meat off and serve it. If I had know this is what was being served I would not have ordered it.

I wish I had a chance to try more of the local food. Maybe next time I will find a local who can suggest some of the best food around Tokyo.

Long break

2008-09-20T11:45:00.003+08:00

It has been a while since my last entry. I was keeping busy but managed to try some new food. I will post some entries about these new places. Thanks for your support!

Meet Fresh

2008-08-04T22:38:00.006+08:00

This is a place that I visited a number of times since living in Taipei. I refer to this place as the grandma & grandpa dessert shop. Take a look at their web site below and you will see why.

Ice cold desserts are popular in summer. Meet Fresh (鮮芋仙/Xiān yù xiān) has a large selection of desserts and drinks. I normally go for the herbal (or grass) jelly ice desserts. There are English names for some of the desserts but I find it easier to order by number as there are too many ingredients to list out.

The jelly is consistently nice and the flavors of the ingredient mix work really well together. A cool combination of cold and sweet. There are many outlets around Taipei so give it a try.

Restaurant review link

Shop name (店名): Meet Fresh (鮮芋仙/Xiān yù xiān)
Address (地址): Refer to URL below.
Telephone (地址): Refer to URL below.
URL (網址): http://www.meetfresh.com.tw/
Menu (菜單): Chinese (English menu available on the countertop)
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above.

Bravo Burger - The Quest for the Best Burger

2008-08-04T22:23:00.009+08:00

It's a wonderful feeling to satisfy a craving. That's exactly what happened over the weekend. Satisfying a burger craving!

"The Quest for the Best Burger" is what Bravo Burger states on their menu. I found this place a couple of weeks back while looking to buy some batteries. There was a distinct burger smell as I walked by the restaurant. When I saw empty cans of Dr. Pepper, root beer and Mountain Dew I had to find out more. The was a menu posted outside but the owner was kind to give me a copy of the menu along with the business card attached. What service! I knew I had to go back and give it a try.

I had the "Mexico hot spicy cheese burger" which was really juicy and pretty hot. If you love jalapeno peppers this is a must try. A great combination of beef, lettuce, onion, tomato, jack cheese jalapeno sauce and, of course, pickles! Each table has ketchup and mustard bottles for you to decorate your burger. You have a choice of French fries, wedge cut fries or tortilla chips. The burgers range in price from NT$180 to NT$280 (for their Jumbo!!). So far this is the best value for money that I found.

"Mexico hot spicy cheese burger"

"Jumbo!!"

I washed everything down with my favorite drink, Dr. Pepper. They have some drinks that bottomless for an additional NT$10. They have a few brands of beer in case you you need a beer and burger.

You should either go early or make a reservation as there is limited seating.

I could not find a URL for the shop but here are some blog (in Chinese) links:

blog link 1
blog link 2

Shop name (店名): Bravo Burger (發福廚房)

Address (地址):
No. 2 Minquan East Rd., Sec. 3, Lane 140, Taipei City
台北市民權東路三段140巷2號
Mínquán Dōng Lù, sān Duàn, yìsìlíng Xiàng, èr Hào, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2713-5923
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): English & Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 11:30 am - 9:30 pm

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the brown MRT line (Muzha line; 木柵站/Mùzhà) to Zhongshan Junior High School (中山國中站/Zhōngshān Guózhōng). Exit, turn left and walk towards Minquan East Rd. At the main intersection turn right and cross the road (heading east) and walk till you pass the Watson's store.

SUMMER snowflake ice and jumbo squid - photos!

2008-07-24T21:54:00.010+08:00

After several attempts I finally made it back to my favorite squid shop to take some photos.

Night shots of the shop:

Fried jumbo squid before / After, bite sized & ready to be served!:

Cute little fried dessert balls:

These were like mini donuts. They were sugar coated, crispy on the outside and soft inside. What a combination!

Although I was quite full I had to take in the famous snowflake ice. I managed to try 2 other flavors this time. I did not get the names so I will try to describe the flavors.

This tasted like a 7-UP (or Sprite) slurpee:

Brown sugar ice with red beans:

The popular green tea with red bean:

All the flavors were great. The 7-UP/Sprite slurpee like ice brought back childhood memories. They used to have 7-UP/Sprite slurpees way back in Canada. Good memories!

The green tea flavor was strong yet not too sweet. Worth a try if you like green tea!

As I walked from the Japanese restaurant to my favorite squid shop I passed a new building. Here is the new & improved Guang Hwa Computer Market (光華商場/Guānghuá Shāng Cháng):

Shop name (店名): SUMMER snowflake ice (夏日雪花冰(光華店))

Address (地址):
No. 2-2, Xinsheng South Road, Sec. 1, Lane 12, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山區新生南路1段12巷2號之2
Xīnshēng NánLù, yì Duàn, shíèr Xiàng, èr Hào Zhī èr, Zhōngshān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2394-8328
URL (網址): http://tw.local.yahoo.com/biz.html?bizid=644160ecb83daf8e&sid=152959585&city=%E5%8F%B0%E5%8C%97%E5%B8%82&b=13&sort=-rating
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Another web site (Mobile01 in Chinese) talking about the fried squid, chicken and other delicious bites: http://5i01.com/waypointtopicdetail.php?f=189&t=445699

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the blue MRT line (Banqiao-Nangang; 板橋站-南港/Bǎnqiáo-Nángǎng) to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station (忠孝新生站/Zhōngxiào-Xīnshēng Zhàn). Take exit 1, turn right, walk a few meters and then take a left. Walk into a small dark lane with DVD signs above. You will soon reach a lane with a lot of food stalls.

Bus services: I took service 505 back home. Only a 10 minute wait and another 10 minute ride. Some other buses that serve the area:

Queuing for Japanese food

2008-07-24T21:53:00.008+08:00

It is 5 pm and a fellow foodie runs to my desk and asks if I want to try a popular Japanese place for dinner. How could I resist? Turns out a long queue forms due to it's popularity. The only way to beat the queue was to get there earlier.

Shop front with no queue:

All the food we had were of good quality. I particularly loved the squid as it was cooked to perfection! The other highlight was the miso soup. It had a unique and almost alcohol like taste to it. Go early if you want to avoid queuing.

Everyone had the eel rice / My favorite dish for the night:

Other popular dishes:

More photos at another blog. You can see how long the queue can get!

Shop name (店名): 肥前屋//Féi qián wū

Address (地址):
台北市中山北路一段121巷13-2號1樓
No. 13-2 Zhongshan North Road, Sec. 1, Lane 121, Taipei City
Zhōngshān Běi Lù, yī Duàn, yīèryī Xiàng, shísān Hào Zhī èr, yī Lóu, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2562-8701 or 2561-7859 (fax: 2541-1768)
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間):
Lunch (午餐): 11:30~14:30
Dinner (晚餐): 17:30~21:00

Tomato beef noodles

2008-07-23T22:01:00.005+08:00

I had a very interesting lunch with my colleagues. One of them arranged to go try this place known for their tomato beef noodles. This is the same colleague who recommended the awesome Wuxing Street beef noodles and yummy dumplings near Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT station. This makes 3 out of 3 super recommendations!

The beef cubes were thick yet tender. The hand cut noodles are chewy yet soft. Both mixed in a tomato soup made a wonderful combination. Relatively inexpensive as well. Only NT$120 for a bowl.

I did not have my camera with me so check out these blogs for some photos:
http://blog.yam.com/c87103244/article/9994840
http://blog.yam.com/sinye/article/614006

Shop name (店名): 山西刀削麵/Shān xī dāo xuē miàn

Address (地址):
No. 101 Siping Street, Taipei City
台北市四平街101號
Sìpíng Jiē, yìlíngyì Hào, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2504-2559
URL (網址): n/a
Operation Hours (營業時間):
Lunch (午餐): 11:00~14:00
Dinner (晚餐): 17:00~20:00

Well worth the 15 minute walk under the hot sun!

SUMMER snowflake ice and jumbo squid

2008-07-21T07:48:00.020+08:00

My weekend ended with a cool note.

I made my way back to the Guang Hwa Computer Market (光華商場/Guānghuá Shāng Cháng) area to satisfy my craving for snowflake ice (雪花冰/xuěhuā bīng) and jumbo fried squid. It turns out my favorite squid shop also sells snowflake ice. I did not have my camera with me so I will try to get photos next time. Note some people in the shop speak English. There is a tall and very friendly lady who speaks English very well. She provides great service and recommendations of what are the best items they have to offer.

This time, I managed to try 3 flavors, green tea with red bean, milk with red bean and peanut butter, of snowflake ice. All 3 flavors were really good, both in taste and smell. I love that chewy feeling of the ice in the mouth. Oh, so good! I must go back and try the other flavors. I find it to be a super way to beat the summer heat. They have seating inside the shop where you can sit down, avoid the heat and enjoy your cool dessert.

Since this shop is my favorite place to get jumbo fried squid I had to have a bag. I love the jumbo squid as the amount of batter is just right and has just the right amount of chewiness. I had some seasoning, garlic and herb leaves added to maximize the taste and experience. What a nice ending to a great weekend!

Shop name (店名): SUMMER snowflake ice (夏日雪花冰(光華店))

Address (地址):
No. 2-2, Xinsheng South Road, Sec. 1, Lane 12, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山區新生南路1段12巷2號之2
Xīnshēng NánLù, yì Duàn, shíèr Xiàng, èr Hào Zhī èr, Zhōngshān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2394-8328
URL (網址): http://tw.local.yahoo.com/biz.html?bizid=644160ecb83daf8e&sid=152959585&city=%E5%8F%B0%E5%8C%97%E5%B8%82&b=13&sort=-rating
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Another web site (Mobile01 in Chinese) talking about the fried squid, chicken and other delicious bites:
http://5i01.com/waypointtopicdetail.php?f=189&t=445699

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the blue MRT line (Banqiao-Nangang; 板橋站-南港/Bǎnqiáo-Nángǎng) to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station (忠孝新生站/Zhōngxiào-Xīnshēng Zhàn). Take exit 1, turn right, walk a few meters and then take a left. Walk into a small dark lane with DVD signs above. You will soon reach a lane with a lot of food stalls.

Beef noodles in Xinyi District

2008-07-20T09:22:00.009+08:00

I had a craving for beef noodles suddenly. As my friends never tried my favorite beef noodle shop we gave it a try.

Apparently, this shop is quite popular. I believe they even won some award. It is a very small shop with seating on the main and basement levels. Go early if you want a seat as the place fills up during the lunch and dinner times. I like the place so much I lost track of how many times I visited it.

The beef roll and beef noodles are really good. There are different types of soup, noodle and beef mixtures you can try. My personal favorite is to have beef and tendons with machine cut thin noodles in a spicy (dark) soup. The beef roll is super tasty. I think of it as Peking duck style but with beef instead of duck. The bread they use is made fresh on the main floor. It comes packed with raw green onions. It is a perfect blend of flavors and texture.

Yummy beef rolls (highly recommended):

Various types of beef (very tender!) noodles:

This time, I decided to try a new dish. According to the Chinese name it is a spicy mixed beef cold dish. I love mixed beef dishes so I wanted to give it a try. The dish was not very spicy but there were a lot of white onions. The dish was good overall.

Spicy mixed beef parts cold dish (涼伴麻辣滿漢牛雜/liángbàn málà mǎnhàn niúzá):

Shop name (店名): 穆記小吃牛肉麵館/Mùjì xiǎochī niúròu miàn guǎn

Address (地址):
No. 239 Wuxing Street, Xinyi District, Taipei City
台北市信義區吳興街239號
Wúxīng Jiē èrsānjiǔ Hào, Xìnyì Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2732-9372
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Notes:
It is across the street from Taipei Medical University Hospital (台北醫學大學附設醫院). They do not sell any drinks but you are allowed to bring your own with you. There are a few dessert places nearby.

Shilin Night Market & Jiantan hiking trail

2008-07-19T17:54:00.021+08:00

Taipei Shilin Night Market (台北市林夜市/Táiběi Shìlín Yè Shì)

The weekend started with a night at the famous Taipei Shilin Night Market. A friend told me about snowflake ice (雪花冰/xuěhuā bīng). It was described to me as shaved ice made with various liquids like milk, egg, tea, coffee and others. The ice is shaved, layered and looks sort of like snowflakes.

A particular shop was recommend as a 'must try'. With some help I managed to get a bowl of green tea with red bean (NT$70). It is difficult to describe the feeling of this special ice. It was sort of a mix between ice from a popsicle and ice cream. When I tried to bite into a spoonful it felt chewy. A very unique experience!

My green tea & red bean snowflake ice:

The shop:

Shop name (店名): Xinfating Crushed Ice and Fruits (辛發亭/Xīnfàtíng)

Address (地址):
No.1 Anping Street, Taipei City
台北市安平街1號
Ānpíng Jiē yī Háo, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): n/a
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 12:00 pm - 12:00 am

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the red MRT line (Danshui-Xindian line; 淡水/Dànshuǐ - 新店/Xīndiàn) to Jiantan Station (劍潭站/Jiàntán). Take exit 1 and walk along Wenlin Road (文林路/Wénlín Lù). After the Yangming Theatre turn left into a very narrow street, Anping Street.

Jiantan trail (劍潭山親山步道/Jiàntánshān qīnshān bùdào)

After taking dessert I decided to explore the area. I walked over to the Jiantan trail entrance to see how far it was from the MRT station. It turns out it is about 5 minutes walk if you take exit 2 of the MRT station. It was too dark to walk the trail so I was planning for the next day.

I noticed there were bus stops at the trail entrance. I noted down which buses from my area stop there (they have some major landmarks in English for each bus at the bus stop).

The next day I headed out for the trail. I took the bus and it was my first ride I planned on my own. The bus system is very similar to Singapore except for the payment system. You either pay when you get on or off the bus. One needs to look at a Chinese sign above the driver's head to find out. Alternatively, you observe other passengers to see if they pay when they board or alight the bus.

After a 15 minute bus ride (I felt it was much faster than taking the MRT from my place) I arrived at the trail entrance.

I found the beginning of the trail to be quite difficult as there are steep steps. Once you get further up it was much easier.

Just about at the top:

I noticed there were lots of temples on this mountain. There were sounds of music being played, insects and people talking all around. Did not seem like a quiet place to me.

View of the Grand Hotel from the trail:

Not a very difficult walk overall. Took about an hour to walk it quickly and exit at Beian Road (北安/Běiān Lù).

You can walk towards Grand Hotel (圓山大飯店/Yuánshān Dà Fàndiàn) along Beian Road and eventually get back to the Jiantan MRT station. The area is referred to as Yuanshan Scenic Area (圓山風景區/Yuánshān fēngjǐng qū) as shown in the map above.

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the red MRT line (Danshui-Xindian line; 淡水/Dànshuǐ - 新店/Xīndiàn) to Jiantan Station (劍潭站/Jiàntán). Take exit 2 and walk along Zhongshan N. Rd. Sec. 5 (6th Ave.) towards the Grand Hotel.

Bus services: From my place I can take either the 277 & 612 to get to the Jiantan MRT station trail entrance.

Japanese food & cakes in Neihu

2008-07-15T23:55:00.014+08:00

Tonight I met up with a Taiwanese friend I have not seen for many years. We went down to Neihu (內湖/Nèihú) and tried a Japanese restaurant inside the Grand Victoria Hotel (維多麗亞酒店/Wéi duō lì yà jiǔdiàn).

They have unique seating areas around the restaurant. Have a look at their URL below for more details.

View of the garden and a sample of the private booths:

I had the "fish set" which came with a lot of nice dishes. The best dish was the beef! It was very tender and delicious. The setting is very nice and you can even talk a walk in the garden.

Salad, sashimi & the very tender beef:

Restaurant: Izakaya Japanese Dining (小魚日式居酒屋)

Address (地址):
No. 168 Jing Ye 4th Rd, 4th Floor, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山區敬業四路168號4樓
Jìngyè sì Lù, yìliùbā Hào, sì Lóu, Zhōngshān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 6602-5678
URL (網址): http://www.grandvictoria.com.tw/en/rest2.php
Menu (菜單): Chinese (English upon request; set menu is only in Chinese)
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above.

We then went on to try some cakes. I was told that there are only 2 such shops in Taipei City. One of them is in Neihu. The cakes are nice and my favorite for the night was the lemon cheesecake.

Black forest, lemon cheesecake & a caramel cake:

Restaurant: Yannick

Address (地址):
No. 15, Lane 178, Ruihu Street, Taipei City

Telephone (地址): (02) 2657-4837
URL (網址): http://en.yannick.com.tw/
Menu (菜單): English & Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

Potstickers, missed squid and Macaroni

2008-07-14T22:47:00.019+08:00

Sunday:

I decided to visit an area famous for computers and accessories. Guang Hwa Computer Market (光華商場) is located near the Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT station (忠孝新生站/Zhōngxiào-Xīnshēng Zhàn). The market is in a temporary home but they plan to into a new building next door in a couple of weeks. After a little shopping I wanted to get some lunch. I went to a guo tie (potstickers) place to fill up on food.

Guo tie or potstickers:

Spicy Korean style:

Shop name (店名): 八方雲集水餃鍋貼專賣店(光華店)
(Bā fāng yún jí shuǐjiǎo guōtiē zhuān mài diàn (Guāng huá diàn))

Address (地址):
台北市大安區八德路一段82巷9弄12號
No. 12 Bade Road, Sec. 1, Lane 82, Alley 9, Daan District, Taipei City
Bādé Lù, yī Duàn, bāshíèr Xiàng, jiǔ Nòng, shíèr Hào, Dàān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2351-0810
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Earlier, I wrote a short note about a squid stall I love. Unfortunately, the shop was not open yet so I did not get to eat my favorite jumbo fried squid. I was told the fried chicken skin is a must try. Oh well, next time. Managed to take a photo of the shop opening up for the day:

Address (地址):
No. 2-2, Xinsheng South Road, Sec. 1, Lane 12, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山區新生南路1段12巷2號之2
Xīnshēng NánLù, yì Duàn, shíèr Xiàng, èr Hào Zhī èr, Zhōngshān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2394-8328
URL (網址): http://tw.local.yahoo.com/biz.html?bizid=644160ecb83daf8e&sid=152959585&city=%E5%8F%B0%E5%8C%97%E5%B8%82&b=13&sort=-rating
Menu (菜單): Chinese
Operation Hours (營業時間): 12:00 pm - 10:30 pm

It is interesting that the two shops mentioned above are on the same stretch of road but have very different addresses.

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the blue MRT line (Banqiao-Nangang; 板橋站-南港/Bǎnqiáo-Nángǎng) to Zhongxiao Xinsheng station (忠孝新生站/Zhōngxiào-Xīnshēng Zhàn). Take exit 1, turn right, walk a few meters and then take a left. Walk into a small dark lane with DVD signs above. You will soon reach a lane with a lot of food stalls.

After some more shopping I ended up at Romano's Macaroni Grill at Neo19. They have very good calamari as an appetizer. I had the seafood linguini which comprised of smooth pasta, fresh seafood and nice creamy sauce. The serving was quite large so I had no room for dessert. Sorry, no photos for you.

Restaurant: Romano's Macaroni Grill

Address (地址):
22, Sungshou Road, Taipei City (NEO19, 1st Floor)
台北市松壽路22號1樓 (NEO19, 威秀影城旁)
Songshòu Lù èrshíèr Háo, yī Lóu, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2722-4567
URL (網址): http://www.neo19.com.tw/index.asp?AREA=STOREINFO&tbKey=19
Menu (菜單): Chinese (English upon request)
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above.

Burger day

2008-07-12T09:21:00.018+08:00

Friday.

I never tried Outback Steakhouse anywhere in the world until yesterday. Last night, I gave Outback a try. I started off with "Aussie-Tizers" or appetizers. There were the 'Fried Calamari" and "Bushman 'Shrooms" (mushrooms). The mushrooms were really juicy even with the fried breading on the outside. I thought it was better than the calamari.

For the burger I tried their "The Mad Max". It was a large burger and sure quenched my craving for a burger. After a satisfying burger I washed it down with a "Chocolate Thunder from Down Under" (brownie with ice cream, chocolate sauce & whipped cream). It looked like a mountain in a bowl! You can see a photo of it in their menu via the web site. Most of their menu is on their web site so check it out. Note, the soft drinks are bottomless (free refills/free flow) even though I did not see it mentioned.

The food was pretty good but I was not satisfied with service. Initially, it was not bad. Later in the evening the server took away my glass to get a refill. The glass did not come back after several minutes. I had to ask a few times before they finally located my missing glass. Maybe someone borrowed it? The issue seemed to lie in the lack of coordination between the staff. On many occasions, several people came by to ask the same question twice. Strange that this happens when there are Dan Ryan's, T.G.I.Fridays & Swenson's all nearby.

Restaurant: Outback Steakhouse

Address (地址):
100 Dunhua North Road, 1st Floor, Taipei City
台北市敦化北路100號1樓
Dūnhuà Běi Lù, yī bǎi Hào, yī Lóu, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 8712-8818
URL (網址): http://www.outback.com.tw/
Menu (菜單): English & Chinese

Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above.

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the brown MRT line (Muzha line; 木柵站/Mùzhà) to Nanjing E. Rd. Station (南京東路站/Nánjīng Dōnglù Zhàn). Exit and walk east for about 10 minutes towards Dunhua North Road.

The entrance is between Asia-World Shopping Mall (環亞購物廣場) and IKEA.

Hot pot & cold cup

2008-07-09T08:08:00.022+08:00

Last night was a fun and interesting mix of hot and cold.

Hot pot:
We started off with a very popular Mala Yuanyang Hot Pot (馬辣鴛鴦火鍋). You need to make reservations in advance as the place tends to be fully booked at night. We had a mix of the popular Angus beef (frozen), mutton, seafood (some frozen), cheese balls, noodles and vegetables. The beef was so good we must have ordered 30 dishes! It is buffet style so you "eat until full" (吃到飽 - chī dào bǎo). Have a go at mixing and matching various sauces to dip your food into. They have a variety of sauces to choose from. Drinks (hot & cold) are included. Save room for dessert as they have Häagen Dazs© & MOVENPICK© ice cream, 8 flavors each. You can have the ice cream in a cup or cone! There are also fruits, cakes, jelly and other desserts to choose from. Note there is a 2 hour time limit so plan out your meal carefully. You may feel rather hot while eating but bring a jacket if you like to keep warm as the air-conditioning is very strong. You will feel cold after a few cups of ice cream....brrr!

The restaurant from across the street:

Only managed to take a photo of the beef:

Restaurant: Mala Yuanyang Hot Pot (馬辣鴛鴦火鍋)

Address (地址):
No. 86, Dingzhou Road Sec. 3, Taipei City
台北市汀州路三段86號
Dìngzhōu Lù, sān Duàn, bāshíliù Háo, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2365-7625
URL (網址): http://www.mala-1.com.tw/
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Gongguan Night Market (公館夜市/Gōngguǎn Yè Shì)

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the green MRT line (Danshui-Xindian line; 淡水/Dànshuǐ - 新店/Xīndiàn) to Gongguan Station (公館站/Gōngguǎn Zhàn). Take Exit 4, walk southwest towards Dingzhou Road. You will see the signboard when you reach the intersection with traffic lights.

Cold cup:
I heard about this place called Dancing Cows Ice Cream. The shop is run by an American and his wife. I was told they served the best green tea ice cream. I had to give it a try (even after having a few bowls of ice cream during dinner) as they open until 11 pm. It was just 1 MRT station away and a 10 minute walk from the dinner venue.

All the ice cream flavors we tried were good. We had green tea, dark beer, Oreo, Coffee & Cheese. Personally, I loved the dark beer...burp! All the flavors tasted like the real thing. If you love ice cream give this a try. You can have your ice cream in a cup or cone. We chose cups...cold cups. It was a nice way to finish the evening. In case you are wondering, the green tea ice cream was really good but my personal favorite is still the best for me.

We tried all but one of these flavors:

Note, they moved from their earlier Shidan Road location. I had a hard time finding it as I was given the old address. Give the shop a call if you have any difficulty finding the place. Both husband and wife speak English. They were a lot of foreigners and students in the area as there is a university nearby. Hope the information below helps.

The shop sign along with road signs:

Shop: Dancing Cows Ice Cream (搖滾牛冰淇淋)

Address (地址):
No. 66, Longquan St., Daan District, Taipei City
台北市大安區龍泉街66號
Lóngquán Jiē, liùshíliù Hào, Dà'ān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): 0932 335 307 (+886 932335307)
URL (網址): http://www.dancing-cows.com/
Operation Hours (營業時間): open till 11 pm (Sun-Thu) and 12 am (Fri & Sat).

Shida Road Night Market (師大路夜市/Shīdà Lù Yè Shì)

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the green MRT line (Danshui-Xindian line; 淡水/Dànshuǐ - 新店/Xīndiàn) to Taipower Building Station (台電大樓站/Tái-Diàn Dàlóu Zhàn), take Exit 3, and walk north along Shida Road. Turn right at Yunhe St. (雲和街/Yúnhé Jiē).

Beijing Duck & 15ème

2008-07-06T23:09:00.013+08:00

Last weekend I was out of Taipei for both days. This weekend I decided to take it easy and only went out to see the Kung Fu Panda movie yesterday. If you like a movie that makes you laugh the whole time then it is a must see!

Today, I decided to try a Beijing Duck place that I came across when I first arrived in Taipei. The place looks crowded all the time so I thought it must be good. The first thing I noticed was they do not carve the duck in front of you. In fact, they brought the duck over and just flashed it at me. I did not even see what the duck looked like when the staff ran off with it! The duck is dead and cooked. Where does it need to go? Maybe the staff felt it needed some makeup?

A few minutes later, the carved duck and skin arrive at our table and we dug in. The duck was average and a bit dry. Not bad if you must have duck but I have had better.

The menu and name card are only in Chinese. Bring along someone who can read the menu if you only know English. Below is the photo of the shop in case you want to give it a try:

Back on April 26th, I had Peking duck with the foodie gang at a place along Fuxing North Road (near the Nanjing E Rd MRT station). I only have the Chinese name (陶然亭北平烤鴨) and the Chinese address (台北市復興北路86號2樓). I felt this place offered a better duck that had juicy meat and thin crispy skin. Also, you get to watch the skin & meat carved off right in front of your table. The carver is so skilled he uses only a towel to hold the duck in one hand and the knife in the other. When you see the hot steam after the skin is cut you can imagine how though it is the carver! Next time I will try to get some photos and a video. Really great duck and enjoy the entertainment of the carving.

After today's lunch, we decided to see if 15ème was open on a Sunday. I was happy to find out that it was! Take note, make reservations if you plan to dine in. This time I brought my camera. Have a look at a few cakes that we tried:

Mt. Blanc d'Imbert:

Lost in Paradise:

Did not manage to get the name:

A peek at the display case:

Consistently fresh and tasty ingredients....satisfaction!

"The past is history, the future is a mystery, and TODAY is a gift, that's why it's called the PRESENT." - Oogway, "Kung Fu Panda"

Happy Canada Day! & Sun Moon Lake weekend

2008-07-01T06:22:00.016+08:00

July 01 - Happy Canada D'eh!

Friday: Pre-trip meal
I went to Ximending (西門町/Xīmén Tǐng) to have the famous Ay-Chung (Ah-Chung) flour-rice noodle. I think this is call mee sua in Singapore & Malaysia. The noodles were very tasty and smooth. The only thing is you must stand and eat it as there are no seats. Oh well, eat and watch people walk by....that is what people do in Ximending!

Take the MRT to Ximen MRT Station (西門捷運站) and explore! For those keen to some hypermart shopping you can check out the 24-hour Carrefour (家樂福) which is only 5 minutes walk from the MRT.

Shop name (店名): Ay-Chung (or Ah-Chung) Flour-Rice Noodle (阿宗麵線)

Address (地址):
Ximen Ding : No.8-1, Emei St., Wanhua District, Taipei City
台北市峨嵋街8號之1

Telephone (地址): (02) 2388-8808 or 2388-8182
URL (網址): http://www.ay-chung.com/
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Saturday: Sun Moon Lake
I had a group outing to Sun Moon Lake. Overall, it was a wonderful trip. The lunch was nothing to shout about but the dinner at the hotel was wonderful. I only managed to get a shot of the scallops though.

Scallops on a bed on Japanese jelly bundles:

The one thing I noticed was how the local food was rather expensive. Not sure if it was a tourist trap.

Sunday: Sun Moon Lake
The hotel had a wide spread of fresh items. It was an international buffet with a large mix of Japanese dishes. Since it was a buffet spread I did not take any photos.

I did take some beautiful shots of the scenery.

Beautiful morning view of Sun Moon Lake:

There was nothing special food wise to mention about on the way back to Taipei. I miss the wonderful scenery of Sun Moon Lake.

Beautiful and great tasting

2008-06-27T07:02:00.013+08:00

Thursday: 15ème

On Wednesday I found I missed out on a snack run. My friends arranged to goto my favorite squid stall to buy snacks. Even though I missed out I was offered some samples and even a drink! How nice! Thanks guys!

Somehow we got into a discussion about a bakery. I was told it is very good. It just so happened that I walked past the very location. What a nice place! They had beautiful cakes and cookies all over the shop. Even the boxes are nice to look at. They offer eat in and take out service. I decided to buy some cakes back for my friends. I did not have my camera so no photos this time. You can have a look at another blog for some photos. Thanks for the suggestion Mike!

The cakes are beautiful and have this fresh and no after taste effect. All my friends loved the cakes. Just note, the cakes cost about as much as a basic Taipei lunch (about NT$100-140 each). But I felt you get what you pay for. Enjoy!

Restaurant: 15ème (15區法式烘焙)

Address (地址):
No.11, Alley 6, Lane 113, Sec. 3, Minsheng East Road, Taipei City
台北市民生東路三段113巷6弄11號
Mínshēng Dōng Lù, sān Duàn, yìbǎishísān Xiàng, liù Lòng, shíyī Hào

Telephone (地址): (02) 2545-6760
URL (網址): n/a
Menu (菜單): Chinese with some English titles
Operation Hours (營業時間): 10:30 am - 8:30 pm

It is just behind Sherwood Hotel (西華大飯店; Xīhuá Fàndiàn).

Eat together, play together

2008-06-24T05:38:00.025+08:00

Last weekend was an interesting mix of food & fun...

Friday: Eatogether (that's how it is spelt in their web site!)

This is a place I saw about a month back. Some of the foodie gang was shopping at RT-Mart (大潤發/Dàrùnfā) in Neihu. The plan was to walk from RT-Mart to Carrefour (家樂福/Jiālèfú). Thanks to the low priced wine at RT-Mart I found myself carrying 2 bottles in a box (bags are not free but used cardboard boxes are). With the bulk of the box and thought of the short walk we barely made it out of RT-Mart when we saw Inbase Mall. It appeared to be an outlet mall with restaurants inside. On that day we saw 2 buffet restaurants, Ponderosa (childhood memories!) and Eatogether. We ended up settling for Ponderosa back then.

Last weekend, we decided to give Eatogether a try. What a wonderful spread of cooked and cook on demand food. They even had various types of BEER! The place is huge so the food is spread over several bars. Check out the classic glass bottles of soda (childhood memories!), chocolate fountain and the ice cream!

The place is clean and decor is more upscale than most buffet places. Even the "clean up" cart was dressed with an apron to hide away the messy dishes that we left behind. Great food, nice setting and lots of food selection!

Look at the jumbo oyster!:

Restaurant: Eatogether (饗食天堂)

Address (地址):
No. 68, Xinhu (or Sinhu) 2nd Road, Neihu District, Taipei City (Inbase Mall, 2nd Floor)
台北市內湖區新湖二路68號2樓; (inbase2樓)
Xīnhú èr Lù, liùshíbā Háo, èr Lóu, Nèihú Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2791-6989
URL (網址): http://www.eatogether.com/
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above.

Note that the web site and dish labels (in the restaurant) are in Chinese only.

Apparently, the prices will increase on July 01, 2008. Only a few days left to enjoy the current pricing.

Saturday: IKEA or Dim sum?

Saturday was a lazy day for me. Thought I was going to stay home the whole day until my foodie friend calls me for "lunch". It was almost 2 pm!

We were supposed to meet at IKEA and then decide what to eat. I ended up meeting at Nanjing East Road MRT instead. While walking from IKEA to the MRT station I noted down a few places for lunch. We ended up on a Hong Kong restaurant on the 2nd floor. The dim sum was not too bad. Hmm....maybe I need to hunt for the best dim sum in Taipei?

Restaurant: NATURESTAR 24HR HK STYLE RESTAURANT
(天星港式飲茶/Tiān Xīnggǎng Shì Yǐnchá); 24小時/èrshísì xiǎoshí

Address (地址):
275 Nanjing East Road, Sec. 3, Taipei City (just east of MRT)
台北市南京東路三段275號
Nánjīng Dōnglù, sān Duàn, èrqīwǔ Háo, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2713-3877
URL (網址): http://www.citystar.com.tw/naturestar/about.php
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to the URL above.

I did not have my camera with me so I did not take any photos.

IKEA AsiaWorld:

IKEA (宜家家居/Yíjiājiājū)

Address (地址):
B1, No. 100, Tun-Hwa N. Road, Song-Shan Dist. 105 Taipei (Asia-World Shopping Mall)
台北市105松山區敦化北路100號B1(環亞購物廣場)
Dūnhuà Běi Lù, yī bǎi Hào, B1, Sōngshān Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02)2716-8900

MRT (捷運/Jiéyùn) Directions:
Take the brown MRT line (Muzha line; 木柵站/Mùzhà) to Nanjing E. Rd. Station (南京東路站/Nánjīng Dōnglù Zhàn). Exit and walk east for about 10 minutes towards Dunhua North Road.

There was another place I went to but was too full to eat. It is a shop that I ate at back in February. They have an awesome fried squid. I need to gather some details before I write about it. Look out for an update.

Sunday: Playing & eating together

Super hot Sunday! There was a bike club outing that my friend invited me to join last weekend. I had to take a 1 hour MRT ride up to Guandu MRT Station (關渡站/Guāndù Zhàn) and meet my friend at 8:30 am. It was already hot by this time! While waiting for others to join we applied sun-block everywhere.

My home is too small for a bike so I had to rent one in order to join the group. I bought a helmet (safety first!) last Friday so I was set. We cycled to Bali (there is a Chinese name but I need to post it later)....no, not the island in Indonesia but it was near water. I took tons of photos so I will setup a photo account, post them and then link it later.

At the beginning of the trail:

It was a family event so the trail was pretty easy. I was told it was about 10 km (not sure if it was one way or return). A nice trail with lots to see along the way. We were cycling to a goal...work up an appetite to enjoy a great meal together (family event, remember?).

The ride was worth it! View from the
top of the museum at the end of the trail:

I think we were at a place called Bali Wharf. They had a lot of little shops selling food. We had lunch at a restaurant. The signature dish was described as a "peacock". After seeing the food I can only guess that the mussels we had looked like peacock feathers. Need to confirm this.

What a wide selection of food! Peacock or mussels? Bikers need to eat!

With all the excitement I did not take the name card of the restaurant. I only have photos. Same goes for the bread shop where I tried some famous "twin sticks" or what looked like American donuts. I also tried a milk tart and Taiwanese ice cream. Looks like I need to go back another time!

Later that night I continued with a meal at Chili's in NEO19. I was too busy talking and eating I forgot to take photos. My favorite is the Oldtimer® burger with cheese and bacon. Yummy! Soft drinks are bottomless (free refills) so plenty of washing down to do. The burger patty is bigger than those in The Diner but it does cost more as well. Both places are worth a try!

Restaurant: Chili's (饗食天堂)

Address (地址):
22, Sungshou Road, Taipei City (NEO19, 2nd Floor)
台北市松壽路22號2樓 (NEO19, 威秀影城旁)
Songshòu Lù èrshíèr Háo, èr Lóu, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2345-8838
URL (網址): http://www.chilis.com.tw/index.html
Operation Hours (營業時間): Refer to URL above
Menu (菜單): Chinese (English upon request)

Dumplings for lunch....The Diner for dinner!

2008-06-20T00:51:00.010+08:00

Thursday:
I had lunch at a small shop near the office today. They had different types of pork dumplings and soup. I had a hot & sour soup, a cold vegetable dish and a plate of dumplings (10 to a plate). It was not bad but it reminded me about an awesome dumpling place near Zhongxiao Dunhua MRT station. One day I will go down again to get some photos. I have the name card but I will post it another time.

For dinner, it was back to one of my regular burger joints, The Diner. It was a last minute invite but I couldn't resist the idea of chomping on one their super burgers. We ordered 2 starters to share, Buffalo Wings & Fried Mozzarella. We both had the California Burger set meal. I had a Dr. Pepper (my favorite!) to wash it all down. They have 2 outlets in Taipei, Dunhua South Road and Ruian Street. Each seems to cater for a different crowd. Dunhua seems to have a lot of executives and office type crowd. Ruian, being close to a university tends to draw the student crowd. I guess the gang felt like being young again so we ended up at the Ruian Street outlet.

They have lots of choices and a mini menu is on their web site.

Restaurant: The Diner (樂子)

Address (地址):
No. 6, Lane 103, Dunhua S Rd Sec. 2, Taipei City
台北市敦化南路2段103巷6號
Dūnhuà Nán Lù, èr Duàn, yìlíngsān Xiàng, liù Hào, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2754-1680

Address (地址):
145 Ruian St, Taipei City
台北市瑞安街145號
Ruì'ān Jiē, 145 Háo, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2700-1680
URL (網址): http://www.thediner.com.tw/
Operation Hours (營業時間):
星期一 ~ 星期五 10:00AM ~ 11:00PM
星期六 ~ 星期日 9:00AM ~ 11:00PM
最後供餐時間為 10:00PM

Monday ~ Friday 10:00AM ~ 11:00PM
Saturday ~ Sunday 9:00AM ~ 11:00PM
Last call at 10:00PM

Note: Chinese and English menu

Japanese Style Pork Cutlet

2008-06-19T00:03:00.012+08:00

I had a really nice mid-week (Wednesday) lunch at a Japanese Style Port Cutlet place. I met up with some old colleagues from my old office. Great company and food!

The 1st thing I noticed was how juicy the pork looked:

I took a photo of a mini menu that I kept. The pork appears to be very juicy and it was! I did not bring my camera to the restaurant so have a look at these photos.

The 2nd thing I noticed what that the menu had no English at all. Thus, I had to refer to the photos in the menu and my friends to describe what the options were.

The 3rd thing I noticed was my friends trying to explain the differences between the different pork options. They explained it as some have no oil and others more oil. I believe the explanation was lean versus fat meat. I think in the end the group all ordered the lean meat with white carrot. I did not have my camera and did not get the English translation of the menu item so I do not have much else to share.

The 4th thing I saw was a bowl of sesame seeds and a grinder. Apparently, one can grind their sesame seeds to make a powder like dressing for the rice or other dishes. Very interesting...make your own seasoning.

The last thing I found out was that many people in Taiwan want to learn English. Since I want to learn Chinese I think I will try to come up with a win-win training class where we can all benefit. Now, need time to prepare the English lessons!

Restaurant: 勝博殿(さぼてん)炸豬排/Shèngbódiàn zhàzhūpái

Address (地址):
No. 9, Songshou Rd., 6th floor, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越) Xinyi New Life Square A9, Xinyi District, Taipei City
台北市信義區松壽路9號6樓(新光三越百貨A9館)

Telephone (地址): (02) 2725-5829
URL (網址): n/a
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Business card:

Thanks for lunch guys & gal!

Agora Garden Hotel

2008-06-17T19:51:00.013+08:00

Pretty good food for a hotel...

Today, I had a training class at Agora Garden Hotel. I stayed in the hotel before and knew the food was pretty good. It was nice to hear that others in the class also found the food good!

What is T&T (Tried & Tested) is the Cantonese restaurant in B1. They have wonderful prawn dishes and pretty good dim sum. The prawns are succulent and juicy. When I bite into one the meat just crackles with crispness....wonderful! The foodie gang is planning to make a trip there in the future. Hope to have photos next time!

Restaurant: Jin Garden (錦園/Jǐn Yuán) @ Agora Garden Hotel (亞太會館/Yàtài Huìguǎn)

Address (地址):
B1, No. 68, Sung-Kao Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
台北市信義區松高路68號 (B1)
Sōnggāo Lù, liùshíbā Háo (B1), Xìnyì Qū, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 8780-1999 ext.8442
URL (網址): http://www.agoragdn.com.tw/en_resterant_jin.htm
Operation Hours (營業時間):
Lunch (午餐)：11:30~14:30
Dinner (晚餐)：17:30~21:30

Old photo of the hotel from a distance:

WWW

2008-06-17T00:11:00.029+08:00

WWW - Wet, Wild Weekend!

Sat:
Being a foodie I feel I have to keep a healthy appetite. With all the good food come extra calories. So I set out to do some activities hoping to stay in shape. Last weekend it was hiking Elephant Mountain. This weekend it was supposed to be another hike near Shilin. However, when I woke up it was WET! I thought to myself, oh well go over and check out the hike anyway. Maybe the rain will ease off. Besides, finding information and maps (in English) about the hiking trails was not easy on the internet. So I thought I may learn something by going over to the site. Soon after, my hiking buddy, Felicia, calls to tell me it's raining, so how? Two options sleep in or go anyway. I told her I'm going anyway hoping the rain will end. Shortly after leaving my home I realized the rain was not going to stop anytime soon. So we decided to change the plan.

We went over to Taipei Nangang Sports Centre near Houshanpi MRT station (後山埤站 Hòushānpí Zhàn). It was somewhere I wanted to go since I heard that you can go shooting there. We arrived a bit earlier than the shooting range opened (10 am) so we decided to have coffee. Felicia found a food review showing lamb chops (drool). So our next meal was decided (more later).

The shooting range finally opened. I soon found out that the guns are pellet air types used for competition. I think they are the gas type single shot. I took a rifle and my partner in crime took a pistol. Wasn't really Bonnie and Clyde but we gave it a "shot". It was tougher than I thought but it was fun!

All that training meant a massage was next. We went over to Tonghua night market to get all the shooting muscles relaxed....ah! Next, it was off to lunch....or dinner? Is there a phrase for lunch/dinner like brunch for breakfast and lunch? Anyway, I will call it "dinuch" for now, for lack of an accurate name.

So we decided to goto the place featured in the magazine. The place is called Bistro Le Jardin and they have a cooking school there. They serve French cuisine and I liked the setting. The menu was in both English and Chinese. I went for the set meal which included "scallops" (ended up to be only one...not sure where the others went), soup, prime rib and dessert. The rest of the "foodie gang" was there so we shared some appetizers as well (sorry, I did not take down the actual dish names):

- cheese platter
- stir fried mushrooms

The other foodies had beef stew pasta and the lamb chops. We finished with an apple pie and strawberry cake. Overall, the food was not bad. We did not have any leftovers so that was a good sign. But compared to Chef Show Time I would definite say Chef Show Time was a much better overall experience. The scallop at Chef Show Time literally melted in the mouth. The chef knew how to cook it just right. Same goes for the Chef Show Time pork ribs. The meat was so tender and juicy...what a memory! Anyway, back to Bistro Le Jardin. After enjoying all that food some of us had to leave something behind. To our surprise the washroom was unisex and a guy was standing doing his thing and left the door open! Not sure if that's what it means to have a unisex toilet or not. Just sounded a bit weird. Since it was still raining after our "dinuch" we didn't get to walk around the area much. There is a baseball field opposite the restaurant. There is also a mall nearby with Miramar theatre. Here are the details if you want to give it a try:

Restaurant: Bistro Le Jardin (馨亞歐法美食坊)

Address (地址):
1st Floor, No. 170 Jong Cherng Road, Sec. 2, Tien-Mou, Taipei City
台北市天母忠誠路二段170號1樓
Zhōngchéng Lù, èr Duàn, yīqīlíng Hào, yī Lóu, Tiānmǔ, Táiběi Shì

Telephone (地址): (02) 2877-1178
URL (網址): http://www.cookingstudio.com.tw/
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Restaurant:

Mains:

Desserts:

Sun: So I covered the "wet" and the "weekend" so where's the "wild" (it wasn't the air gun shooting as that was serious training!). The "wild" plan was to head out to Zhong Li and race go-karts! To get there we took a TRA train from Taipei Main Station to Zhong Li. I found out you can get different types of tickets that allow you to sit or stand on the train. We opted for sitting. It took about 45 minutes by train followed by a 10 minute taxi ride to get to the race track. After getting our heads wrapped up and protected we had our 1st race. There were a bunch of serious racers in our group. I admit I was not too sure how well I would do. In the end, it turned out to be seriously WILD! I even tried to clip a hairpin turn to overtake Garin. I ended up tearing out the grass and mud leaving a mess on the track. Oh well, better than the guy/girl who left a tire on the track for me to bump (and slow me down...excuse!). Round 2 was a focused race as it was only Felicia and myself. The guys gave her a 10 second head start! They didn't start my engine just so she can take off first! I finally got onto the track and tried to catch up. After one wipe out Felicia broke her car! She drove it so fast it just died on the track....nearly crashed into her too. Luckily she was okay and the people there replaced her car. Too bad, we never did find out who the winner was. We all did win something:

- Garin - won the prize for racing the least
- Felicia - won the prize for breaking her car
- Vincent - won the prize for dirtiest pants (what?...the seat of the car was dirty!)

The train we took:

Go-kart track:

One thing I didn't realize was how much arm strength you need to control the car. We had to stop after 2 races otherwise I'd have no strength to type this blog! After the racing it was back to Taipei for dinner. We decided to go to a T&T (Tried and Tested), VFM (Value For Money) place called Yamme Steak. They have a 7+1 meal where you get 7 dishes and 1 drink. The 1st salad and escargots are standard. You then choose a soup, 2nd salad, main course, dessert and then a drink. There is a NT$480 and a NT$800 menu depending on what you want. I will need to go there again to note down all the English names of the good dishes. Definitely worth a try.

Restaurant: Yamme Steak 亞米日記 (復北店)

Address (地址):
305 Fuxing North Road, Taipei City
Fùxīng Běi Lù, sānlíngwǔ Háo, Táiběi Shì
台北市復興北路305號

Telephone (地址): (02) 2718 9393
URL (網址): n/a
Operation Hours (營業時間): n/a

Beef rib with special wine sauce?:

After dinner you can head over to My Other Place for drinks. On Friday nights they give you peanuts to eat and you just throw the shells on the floor...great way to end a work week (if it ends on Friday for you.) I discovered both these places when visitor from USA stayed at the Sherwood Hotel and wanted to eat nearby.

Welcome

2008-06-09T00:57:00.005+08:00

Hello, hey, yo!

Welcome to my new blog.

I am a North American (eh?) working and living in AP. Currently, I am in Taipei, Taiwan. Being new to Taipei and trying a lot of food I thought I would share some of my experiences. Look out for some updates about food and sights around Taipei and Taiwan.

foodie

View of Taipei 101 from Elephant mountain:

View of where we started the hike: