Tasting Journey #117 - 貳樓

貳樓
various locations
台北市大安區敦化南路二段63巷14號
02.2700.9855
http://www.secondfloorcafe.com/

This seems like a fairly popular place to dine at recently.  I was surprised how packed the place is, despite that it was a weekday lunch.  The interior decoration looked more like a lady's afternoon-tea place, with white wooden frames, and shelving units...but the reality is, the place was busy and loud like a burger joint. 

The restaurant offers a huge menu selection ranging from omlettes to burgers to spaghetti's, and from Italian to Thai to American-style.

Price is reasonable, ranging from $200-$400, and the food quality is also quite decent.  I would rank it a 8 out of 10.  A suitable place for when you need to find a wide variety of food to please a group of people.

Tasting Journey #116 - 拾米屋

拾米屋
台北市北投區大同街153號1號倉庫
02.2892.2800
http://sheme.tw/

Unlike most of the cafe's in Taipei, Sheme Cafe is hidden away in an alley in Beitou.  The building is a converted rice storage warehouse. The walls are rundown, and the roof is made of sheets of metal.  It is a coffee shop recommended for winter, not in the midst of summer as there is no air conditioning available.  There must've been at least 5 circulating fans hard at work.  Despite the not-so-comfortable condition, and its difficult-to-find location, it is still packed with guests.

  

 

According to my colleague, the cafe was founded by a coffee lover, who then joined-business with two sisters who are into bakery.  No set menu for the desserts, as they offer whatever they have available the day of. 

I had an ice coffee (very unusual) because it was recommended by my co-worker. It was the perfect choice for the hot summer.  The ice-coffee is made with carbonated water, so the coffee tasted more like pop, but less the sugar.  Refreshing and light.  I do have to say that coffee, when drank cold, loses its aromatic flavour, and could yield a slight sour after taste.  I also don't get that kick of calmness like I do with hot coffee.  Nonetheless, it was still a great choice when dined at a place with no AC.

 

Tasting Journey #115 - 金樺城鵝肉担

金樺城鵝肉担
台北市北投區石牌路二段75巷1號
02.2820.9394

Randomly found this place online, and thought I'd give this local eatery a try.
I was by myself, so I couldn't really order much.
The goose meat is really tasty.  The wonton soup's OK.
I would be up to try other food next time if I'm in the area.

Cost - Goose $150, Soup $40

Tasting Journey #114 - Rufous

Rufous
台北市大安區復興南路二段333號
02.2736.6880

 

Another cozy coffee shop amongst the gazillion amazing coffee shops in Taipei.  I didn't try out their Americano, as it seems that the popular drink is the honey cinnamon latte. It tastes amazing because you can still taste the coffee despite the added flavours.  I always worry that in latte drinks, the milk flavour is too strong that it overrides the aromatic taste of coffee, making the dish taste like as if I'm drinking warm milk.

According to my colleague, the owner of this coffee shop actually has won awards for roasting coffee.  I wouldn't be surprised, as it seems the entire coffee shop portrays a strong sense of coffee culture and character.

I would definitely go back to try out other flavour coffee drinks.

Tasting Journey #113 - 北平一條龍

北平一條龍
台北市萬華區峨嵋街10號
02.2321.6166


Located in 西門町, this dumpling place looks like it's been around forever.
Red interior decoration, elder server, scratched cutleries, this entire restaurant showed nothing but signs of age. The food's not great, but definitely portrayed strong flavour of Chinese dishes - something that foreigners would like. 

As soon as we sat down, the server offered us 小菜 (cold appetizer dishes).  These aren't really tasty, nor does it say how long it's been sitting around.  Nonetheless, I wanted my friend to try out these appetizer dishes, as I feel this is also part of the Taiwanese dining experience.

I probably wouldn't come back though there isn't anything drastically wrong with it.  It's just not authentic - 北平 cuisine is more Chinese than Taiwanese, though I believe these dishes probably have been "Taiwanized" already.  If I happen to be in the area, there are definitely other much better places to try out.

Tasting Journey #112 - 十里安

十里安
台北市慶城街一號2F
02.8712.3863

 

Another recommendation by colleague for the perfect place to take visitors for dinner.
Nice setting, friendly and quiet ambience.  This place serves delicate Taiwanese food.
The portion's not large, but the flavour amazing.  A definite place to show visitors why Taipei is such a great place for great food. 

The only downside, is the lack of food selection, but of the dishes we ordered, they were all wonderful.

 

 

 

Tasting Journey #111 - 京鼎小館

京鼎小館
台北市松山區敦化北路155巷13號
02.2546.7711

This place is recommended by my co-worker, as I was looking for a dumpling place near the hotel of a friend visiting Taipei.

 

The restaurant is hidden away in a lane, but the crowd that ate there on a weeknight showed signs that it must be fairly good.  According to the articles and signs posted on the restaurant door, it says that the chief is an ex-chief of the infamous Ding Tai Fung dumpling restaurant.  Interesting....

The service was great (probably also because it wasn't busy).  The restaurant is clean and the food was tasty too. This is definitely a place that I can take visitors next time.  It is local, yet not too local. It is fancy, but not too fancy.

 

 

 The three dishes cost $550.  Not exactly cheap, but for the quality and service, it is still considered acceptable and affordable.