Beijing Duck & 15ème

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"

Beautiful and great tasting

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).