Japanese food in Tokyo

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.