TAIPEI: Shiyang Culture Restaurant 食養山房餐廳

台北市士林區菁山路101巷160號
No. 160, Lane 101, Jinshan Road
Hours: 12:00-3:00PM / 5:30-9:00PM
(02) 2862-0078

PRICE: $$$$ (approx. NT$1100/person ~US$37/person)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive or you can take the MRT to Shilin and hail a cab
RESERVATIONS: Needed
MENU: None.
MUST GET: Everything they give you.

So if you ever get a chance and make it out to Yangmingshan while you are in Taipei, you should definitely try this restaurant. This place definitely takes advantage of its natural surroundings. This restaurant consists of multiple one story buildings, so it takes a while to walk around the entire area. But it's a nice walk surrounded by many trees, flowers, and even some small man-made lakes. It's a bit hard to spot unless you know the area, so make sure you look for the following two pictures, a huge gate, and one of the waiters typically standing guard out front... if not, you might just pass it without realizing.

The restaurant is very elegant, despite being in the middle of the "woods." Everything is very sleek in design and the atmosphere is quite soothing. Shiyang is known for its modern Chinese cuisine. The menu is seasonal, so it's not a place I would go back to again anytime soon but its definitely worth going to at least once. Maybe when it hits wintertime, I'll find my way around here again. It's also a set menu; the only options you can choose from is vegetarian and non-vegetarian, so be open to the dishes they serve you. Everything I had tasted great. The only downfall is that the lunch and dinner menus are the same.





mango + passion fruit puree


vegetarian roll; mountain spring tofu with passion fruit, soy sauce, and wasabi; smoked salmon and potato salad


scallops in a steamed egg custard


pineapple vinegar


smelt fish, rice, and flowers wrapped in bean curd with pumpkin and broccoli on the side


an assorted sashimi and vegetables plate


chrysanthemum vinegar


fried rice cake with abalone


rice with king oyster mushrooms and prosciutto


chicken with lotus roots, lotus seeds, and bamboo soup topped with a waterlily


raspberry puree, panna cotta, papaya, and honeydew melon

The mountain spring tofu with passion fruit, soy sauce, and wasabi was by far the softest tofu I have ever tasted. Not to mention the pairing of passion fruit with soy sauce was amazing! I was also a really big fan of the bean curd with smelt fish, rice, and flowers and the fried rice cake (the abalone I gave to my mother however). I was stuffed after the assorted sashimi and vegetable platter came out, but I was still able to have multiple bowls of the soup! Apparently, for the soup the waiter is supposed to be able to open the lily so carefully that it will actually float on top of the soup, but sadly our lily decided not to cooperate.

So bottomline, for the scenery alone this restaurant is unbelievable but paired with its light and tasty dishes this restaurant has gone to the top of my lists of places people should eat at while in Taiwan. The price is nothing to what you would pay back in the States, but for Taiwan it is quite hefty but it's worth it!




***Also, so funny story... I made the reservation for my mom, my aunt, and me. When we got there, at our table sat a magazine about Taiwan for foreigners! Of course, it was the ONLY table that had this magazine. Once again, my American accent gave me away! How embarassing!

TAIPEI: Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐

台北市忠孝東路三段300號B2
B2, No. 300, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao East Road (inside SOGO)
Hours: 10:00AM-9:30PM
(02) 8772-0528

PRICE: $$$ (approx. NT$400/person ~US$15/person)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing
RESERVATIONS: Not taken, you have to wait
MENU: Chinese, but there are pictures!
MUST GET: Pork soup dumplings (aka xiao long bao)
WEBSITE: http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/ch/index.asp

Din Tai Fung is an institution in Taiwan. I don't know anyone that doesn't like the place. The wait may be long, but trust me it's worth it. You cannot come to Taiwan without going to this place. This place is so good and so popular that it has 42 restaurants around the world in countries like America, India, Japan, Korea, Australia, Singapore, etc.

I have always been a big fan of this place since I was young. Whenever I came to Taiwan, I always begged my parents to bring me here. We used to go to the original store, but after I discovered that there is one in Sogo this is the only one I ever go to now. There is ALWAYS a wait at this place, the usual wait is about an hour sometimes you might get lucky during the off hours and just wait about 15 to 20 minutes. However, since its in SOGO all you have to do is walk around the department store and do some shopping to kill time, they will hold your place until you get back. How convenient is that?

DTF is known for their pork soup dumplings (xiao long bao). These dumplings are by far one of my favorite Chinese dishes, so I've definitely had my fair share of them at many, many places and still DTF is my favorite. The meat is so soft and juicy and the dough on the outside is just the right thickness. It may not look like much from the pictures, but I'm craving them already just from writing this article.





You pair these soup dumplings with vinegar and ginger. For those of you who have never eaten this, don't worry they have a paper explaining how you should eat them in multiple languages!

And while, I can eat two baskets of these dumplings on my own, the other dishes at DTF are also good so I always try to make space for other things. One of the things I always get is:



This plate of veggies doesn't even have an English name. It's Chinese name is just A菜, which is A vegetable in English. It's a simple dish where the vegetables are just sauteed with garlic, but it lives such a fresh flavor in your mouth. It's also my favorite vegetable dish, which makes this restaurant even better because it always has them year round.



During this trip, I also ordered wontons because I was craving the kind from home. While they were good, they are sadly no match for the ones my mom makes. I know I may be partial, but I can't help it. I would still recommend them to those who love wontons however.



And Joe got an ordered of pork chop noodles which he devoured. I love the soup for these noodles and of course the pork chop itself. (The noodles itself is good, but to be honest I've never been one to eat much carbs. Not because I'm on some sort of diet or whatever; I've just never been a big fan of noodles, rice, or bread.)

Also, usually when I go to DTF with my parents we order their chicken soup. Joe and I didn't order it this time since both of us got soup dishes (wontons and noodles), but their chicken soup is also another one of their signature dishes so make sure you try it when you make your rounds to DTF.

TAIPEI: Pho 越粉舖

台北市信義區松高路11號B2
B2, No. 11, Songgao Road
(02) 8789-3388 ext 1919

PRICE: $$ (approx. NT$300/person ~US$10/person)
RATING: YYY (I recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Take the MRT to City Hall
RESERVATIONS: Not needed
MENU: English and Chinese!
MUST GET: Spring rolls
WEBSITE: http://www.noodlehouse.com.tw

I wouldn't say that I'm a pho-connoisseur, but I think I have had my fair share of good pho-- actually just Vietnamese food in fact. I have always eaten Vietnamese food since I could remember-- there is a local one near my parents' office that I can remember going to when I was in elementary school and we still go there. Of course, there were a few places back in New York that I would frequent with my friends (Thai Son and Pho Bang). And then there was my short stint in Vietnam for Semester at Sea where I had a wide variety of Vietnamese foods from the fancy restaurant at the Renaissance Hotel to the small hole in the wall places in random alleys. Needless to say, sometimes I have a craving for good hearty bowl of pho.

So imagine how excited I was when I saw this Pho restaurant at the B2 level of one of the Eslite buildings in the A4/A9/A11 section of Taipei. Joe saw how my eyes lit up when we saw this restaurant, so despite his craving for Western food we made our way here. The decor of this restaurant in this large food court is simple and modern. The chairs fit snugly underneath the round tables. The menus are laid flat for passerbys to see, as well as the large images of Vietnam on the walls. I was sold.


I was a big disappointed when I first looked at the menu though. Although they had a number of pho bowls to choose from, they didn't have what I wanted. I wanted the one filled with beef, tendon, and tripe, but instead all I found was beef, beef balls, curry, or shrimp. I stuck with the first option figuring it was going to be as close as I would be able to get it to my usual bowl. So I ordered that and spring rolls. Joe got a chicken leg curry with French bread.


Everyone who dines at this restaurant gets a small bowl of pickled cabbage, which I think is more of a Chinese thing than Vietnamese (correct me if I'm wrong). It was tasty, but I was anxiously awaiting my noodles.


When they came out, I noticed right away the beef wasn't raw like they normally are at restaurants I've gone to in the past. Part of the fun of eating pho is seeing the raw meat cook in the soup, but oh well it's not a big loss. Usually at Vietnamese restaurants, they give you a plate of basil, bean sprouts, lemon, and cut jalapenos to add what you like in your soup but here the basil and bean sprouts were already added with a small slice of lemon on the side. After adding lots of lemon to my soup, it finally tasted similar to what I was hoping for. The noodles were a bit thicker than usual and the beef was not as soft, but it gave me my fix.


The spring rolls, however, were right on the money. They were exactly what I was used to down to the lettuce wrap and the sauce. I devoured the plate and was still left thinking if I wanted to order one more.


Joe's chicken curry was great and the bread that accompanied it was a good touch, but curry isn't something I would order at a Vietnamese restaurant.

I would come back to this restaurant again, but I don't think I would bring Allison here if she were ever in Taiwan. =)

TAICHUNG: 8 King

台中市北區育才南街8號
No. 8, Yutsai South Street
Hours: 11 am-10:30pm
(04) 2225-9289

PRICE: $$ (approx. NT$400/person ~US$13/person)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =)
RESERVATIONS: Not needed
MENU: Chinese only
MUST GET: Steak with black pepper sauce, Pork Cutlet Cordon Bleu

This place is relatively new. I only discovered it about a month or so ago, but after the first time I went there I went back once a day for the next two days and I went again a few times since then. I love their decor; it feels like you stepped into a lounge bar which I guess is fitting because they also serve alcohol (wine and beer). Usually it's not crowded, but I've noticed there's a growing number of people who are dining at this place.

The meal prices aren't too expensive considering that you get a salad and dessert with your entree. The first time I went I ordered their carbonara, which is probably my favorite pasta dish at this moment. I've ordered it many times since being in Taiwan in many different restaurants and I'll have to say the carbonara at 8 King is definitely in my top 5. The second time, I ordered their steak and hot pot combo and stole a bit of Joe's steak and pork cordon bleu combo. Everything was great, but I would definitely opt for the cordon bleu the next time I order their combo. Beyond pasta and steak, they also offer a few gratin dishes where you can choose from pasta or rice. The last time I went, I ordered their Indian chicken curry gratin rice dish. I really enjoyed the flavors, minus the pieces of red pepper (capsicum) and black olives inside. I typically only enjoy roasted red peppers, so the ones I found inside my rice dish were just not soft enough and I've never been a fan of olives, but I just don't think olives and curry are a good pair.

If you come here for afternoon tea, you get a free appetizer with your drink order. The down side is that you don't get to choose which free dish you get, instead you stick your hand through a big vase that they have with rolled up paper. The paper you end up selecting will have the name of your free dish. I like the idea, but what if you don't like or can't eat the dish you chose? I got their fried cuttlefish dish the last time I went. It's similar to calamari, but instead of rings of squid you get minced cuttlefish meat. (Minced cuttlefish meat is a common alternative to calamari in Taiwan. Most restaurants serve this as opposed to what you may normally be used to back in the States.)

The tea here is usually not that sweet, so be carefully when you ask for half sugar here especially when you order green tea mixes. I've noticed that mine have come a bit too bitter than what I've been used to. The tea selection isn't as wide here as it is in most restaurants in Taiwan, but it has the regular choices like lemon and honey (no passion fruit though!).





Another time I went back to 8 king, I decided to finally try their waffles that had appealed to me since the first time I went to the restaurant. I ordered their honey green tea waffles. They weren't bad, but not as great as I had hoped. They weren't as light and fluffy as I was expecting, but in general I think that's hard to come by in Taiwan.

Overall, it's a nice place to go to if you want to meet with friends over a meal or a drink or if you just feel like taking a break and having a short moment to yourself.

The Philippines

Day One

Travel Cafe Philippines:

Philippines Mango Ice Tea

Cream of Tomato Soup in a Pandesal

Kare-kare (Oxtail in Peanut Sauce)

Renaissance Hotel:

Mango Juice

Day Two

Fely J's:

Crispy pata

pork adobo

lechon

sisig fried rice

tamarind drink

Classic Confections:

Two cookies (Oatmeal and Chocolate Chip)

Starbucks:

Tall Non-fat Hazelnut Latte

The Coffee Bean:

Regular Chai Latte

Renaissance Hotel:

Sashimi

Vietnamese Spring Rolls

Red Ribbon:

Sansrival

Day Three:

Via Mare:

Babingka with goat cheese

Babingka with salted duck egg

Crispy adobo flakes with scrambled eggs

Vigan Longganisa with eggs (sunny side up)

Crispy Tapa with eggs (sunny side up)

The Coffee Bean:

Regular Green Tea Ice Blended

Figaro (Rockwell):

Small Cafe Mocha

Kisera (The Fort):

La Oya (oxtail soup)

Chicken Asado

Kare Kareng Galung

Crab Rice

Ripe Mango Shake

Cupcake (The Fort):

Coconut Cupcake

Berries and Cream Cupcake

Vanilla Shortcake Cupcake

Hazelnut Latte

Day Four

Bizu

Filipino Breakfast (Tocino, Tapa, Bangus, Garlic Rice, and Tomato)

Mango Tea

The Coffee Bean

Regular Non-fat Chai Tea Latte

Ensaymada

Jollibee

Cheese Fries Overload

Holy shit... it's a surprise I'm not fatter.  HAHA!

TAICHUNG: Bakku

TAIPEI: KOREAN

TAIPEI: JURASSIC

台北市中山區八德路2段192號
No. 192, Sec. 2, Bade Rd
Hours: Sun-Thurs: 5:30pm- 2:00am / Fri-Sat: 5:30pm- 3:00am
Credit cards accepted.
(02) 2741-0550
http://www.indian.com.tw (Chinese only!)

PRICE: $$ (approx. NT$300/person ~US$10/person)
RATING: YY
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =)
RESERVATIONS: Not necessary
MUST GET: ...
MENU: English and Chinese!

Okay, I'll be honest and say this entry is going to be based on a vague memory. I went to this restaurant months ago and really-- I don't remember much about it which goes to show you this isn't a place I would strongly recommend.

What happened was Joe and I were in a cab on our way to another restaurant when we saw this place... there's no way you can miss this place if you are driving or walking past. Not only does this restaurant have three floors, but it also has dinosaur skeletons hanging off the front facade! Needless to say, Joe, the biggest grown up Indiana Jones fan you can find, wanted to go in, so we stopped the cab driver and got out.

We got inside and noticed that it was completely dead on the first floor despite the cool decor. For a second, I hesitated-- if there's no one at a restaurant during peak dinner hours, that's a bad sign; but we were quickly escorted to the second floor which was not only filled with people but also had a band playing. We also got a seat near the remains of a woolly mammoth. Neat.

Of the dishes we ordered, I only remember the egg and radish pancake and the fried crickets stir-fried with basil (as shown below). The egg and radish pancake was good, but how can anyone mess up this traditional Taiwanese dish? The menu is extensive, so I had to ask the waiter for recommendations and seeing that Joe is a foreigner, he said we should try something special like fried crickets because he thought Joe had never had them before. Joe actually had them back in Malaysia and liked them, so he suggested we give it a shot since I've never had them. The first few crickets were good, but then I ate one that just left this rotten taste in my mouth so I stopped eating them after that. I'm glad I tried them though, I'm always down to eat anything once.







So bottom line, I wouldn't go back here again. It's a restaurant you just need to go to once-- it is an experience. If you do wind up going, I would recommend you go with a few people to try more dishes on the menu and order some beer since that seems like the thing to do here.

TAIPEI: GERMAN BEER

TAICHUNG: GERMAN BEER

TAICHUNG: tapa's top

台中市政北一路1號4樓
No. 1, ShiZheng N 1st Rd, 4F
Hours: 11 am-2 am
Credit cards accepted. 10% service charge.
(04) 2258-0026

PRICE: $$ (approx. NT$500/person ~US$17/person)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =)
RESERVATIONS:
MUST GET: French-style beef salad, Two colors sausage and rice

TAICHUNG: 畢昂卡 7 街

(Biancha 7 vie）

台中市精誠七街12號
No. 12, Jing-Cheng 7th St.
04-23275919


PRICE: $$$$$ (approx. NT$500 for a 5 course meal)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =)
RESERVATIONS: I always go after work, so I've never needed one but I would assume they must be busy during the peak hours.
MUST GET: Their set meal.

TAICHUNG: 天外天

(TIAN WAI TIAN -- Heavenly Day)

台中南區公益路二段18號
No. 18, Sec. 2, Gong-Yi Road

PRICE: $$ (approx. NT$439/person ~US$14/person)
RATING: YYYY (I strongly recommend this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =)
RESERVATIONS: If you go in a big group during their peak hours (i.e. lunch/dinner), then yes. But if you are like me and you go after work at approx. 10PM, you're fine without them. a
MUST GET: Ma-la hot pot and of course Haagen-Daaz ice cream on a cone!

There's a lot of hot pot places in Taiwan, all of which offer a huge variety ranging from individual pots to family style, sour cabbage base to curry base, soup to "dry pots", individual orders to buffets, etc. etc. If they don't have it now, I'm sure someone will make it eventually-- just give them a month or two. And of course with such a huge variety comes a variety of prices, however this place is a great deal for your buck-- not just for the price, but also the food quality. I think their meats and vegetables are a lot fresher than other buffet places.

I always get their ma-la hot pot, of course. However, my friends seem to really like their tomato base. I hear the kimchi and curry one is alright too, but personally curry hot pot doesn't sound particularly appealing to me. The ma-la base comes with braised tofu and goose blood, so if you are faint of heart and not willing to try the latter stay away from the "black tofu." I personally love it; its much better than the pig's blood we get back in the States.

And since this place is a buffet, you can pick and choose what you want to add into your pot and how much of it you want to add which is great. I usually stick to pig's intestines (I'm Chinese!), beef, and load up on a variety of vegetables, especially cabbage. But for those of you who like yo tiao (fried dough) in your hot pot like I do, stay away from the ones here. They just aren't crispy enough which was a huge disappointment, but I can live without it.

Oh, don't forget to leave room for Haagen-Daaz! It's not a trip to 天外天 if you don't load up on ice cream (plus the cone!)!

LOS ANGELES: chosun

3330 W Olympic Blvd. (and S Manhattan Pl)
Los Angeles, CA 90019
323.734.3330

PRICE: $$$$$ ($50-$60)
RATING: YYYYY (I love this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Drive. =) There's valet parking in the back.
RESERVATIONS: Needed if you have a big group.
MUST GET: chosun kalbi, sam gyap sal, ke jang

I grew up eating Korean food (my dad's family grew up in Korea) so I think I'm a pretty good judge when it comes to kimchi, soondubu, sahlangtang, etc. etc. Chosun is my favorite place in America for Korean BBQ (I've only had better when I was in Seoul). In fact, for my last trip home to LA for Chinese New Year, this place was the first restaurant I went to once I got off the plane and the last restaurant I went to right before I go back on the plane to come back to Taiwan. (Korean food in Taiwan is awful!)

I always get the same key dishes whenever I go here: chosun kalbi, sam gyap sal, and ke jang. Sometimes those are surrounded by hae mool pajeon, eundaeku jiree, and/or yookejang. Chosun kalbi is short ribs marinated in their own special sauce. San gyap sal is basically bacon (fatty pork), so if you cringe at the sight and taste of fat obviously don't get it. If not, make sure you dip this thing in the salt, pepper, and sesame oil sauce before you put it on the lettuce wrap or your mouth. Ke jang is raw crab in spicy sauce. I love this dish despite how hard it is to de-shell these suckers, but it's definitely not meant for the mild hearted. I'm not the biggest fan of hae mool pajeon, but its one of the better ones i have had so if you're a fan its worth a shot. Eundaeku is black cod for those of you who are curious. If you love spicy food and fish, I highly recommend this dish. The meat just comes falling off, but its not soft to the point of mushy. The sauce is great, especially when mixed with rice but usually at this point I'm too full to eat more. And yookejang has got to be one of my favorite korean soup dishes ever, but if you sweat at the sight of jalapenos or anything red-- don't even bother. The dish is basically shredded beef and vegetables in a redddd broth.

I recommend sitting outside in their nicely decorated patio, but despite the ventilation you'll still come out of this place smelling like meat. Chosun is one of the nicest Korean restaurants I've been to. It has a simple, modern decor that despite the years and all its customers has remained spotless. It's a nice place to go to bring a date, family, and even clients.

NEW YORK: cafe habana

17 Prince St. (and Elizabeth St.)
New York, NY 10012

PRICE: $$ ($10-$20)
RATING: YYYYY (I love this place!)
DIRECTIONS: Take the 6 to Spring St. or the RW to Prince St.
RESERVATIONS: They don't take any, so have fun waiting for an hour+ if you go during their busy times... or get it to go, but the wait is worth it!
MUST GET: grilled corn, grilled steak, roast pork

I can't reiterate how much I love this restaurant. It's cheap, the food is great, and it has the best corn I've ever had-- need I say more? It's one of my favorite restaurants in New York. My mouth is watering and my stomach is rumbling just thinking about it-- no joke.

You can't come to this restaurant without ordering their corn, so I highly recommend you don't come here for your first date! The corn is served grilled smothered with cotija cheese and chili powder. It smells a bit funky when you first get it, but sprinkle some lime over it and take a bite. Two come per order, so split this starter with a friend unless you're really greedy. Their cuban sandwich used to be the only entree I ordered which is quite ironic since I'm not a fan of ham or cheese, but it tastes so great I overlooked it. It's roast pork, ham, swiss cheese, and pickles on pressed cuban bread. I usually got it without the pickles and smothered their habanero sauce (the green one!) all over it. After a few visits, I finally decided to venture out and try their other delicious dishes. I highly recommend their grilled steak and roast pork dishes. The grilled steak is really tender skirt steak while the roast pork is caribbean style shredded pork. They both come with rice and beans-- I recommend getting it with yellow rice and red beans. Their chuleta de puerco a la pimenton (grilled pork chop and goat cheese toast with wild mushroom and chipotle au poivre sauce) is good too, but with all the other great dishes here I don't think I'd get it again.. but heck you might be a huge fan goat cheese, so give it a shot. Their fish tacos aren't bad either (they sure gave me my fix when I started missing home and wahoos), but the fish tacos at five points are a closer match to what I used to get back in la. Also, for the price of their fish tacos you might as well get the grilled steak or roast pork. And finally, they are opened for brunch too. I got their huevos rancheros which isn't bad, but nothing to make my tummy rumble.

Cafe Habana is tiny. It's also always packed, so prepare for a tight squeeze. They don't take reservations, so have fun waiting but if you're incredibly impatient go next door (on the Elizabeth Street side) and grab it to go. They have a don't-fuck-with-me new york attitude when you put down your name, but the staff is always friendly... they're just damn busy. Plus, this place doesn't have AC! So make sure you grab a cold beer, Pacifico and Tecate are recommended-- where else can you get these in New York? All I have left to say is:

Whatever, it's worth it.

TAICHUNG: bollywood

NEW YORK: shanghai cafe

NEW YORK: awash

NEW YORK: angor on sixth

NEW YORK: flor de mayo

NEW YORK: bon chon