Tasting Journey #145 - 小川台灣居酒屋

小川台灣居酒屋
台北市松壽路20號(威秀影城一樓)
02.2723.2005

I thought it was a izaakaya, but it's actually Szechuan cuisine.

Located in the same building as the Viewshow cinema, the restaurant blended well in this trendy district.  Brand new, still reeked of solvent, the lighting and the ambience provided a warm and comfortable setting. Cozy yet modern.

The first thing I noticed is the chair. Leather tightly strung to a metal frame. It looked cool, but it wasn't comfortable to sit in. I ended up switching seats with my friend who was originally sitting on a long wooden stool.

Menu offered dishes of some Japanese sashimi/sushi dishes, but at the same time, Szechuan stir fries.  While writing this post, I googled some articles about this restaurant, and read that it is owned by the cousin of a celebrity whose husband owns a chain of Szechuan restaurants in China & Taiwan.  According to the article, the chief of the Szechuan restaurant also played a role in determining the dishes that were offered.  Frankly speaking, I don't know what to think about it because the setting is quite izakaya-style, yet it offered a mix of Japanese and Szechuan dishes.  I guess this is considered "fushion"-style maybe?

We ordered a few Szechuan dishes, and they were all quite well made.  Of noting is the 金沙玉米. I wasn't sure what to expect, but it is quite unique and tasty.  Corn dipped in salted yok, and deep fried, I'm assuming. Definitely a recommended dish if you were to visit.

 

 

Tasting Journey #144 - 緣續緣

緣續緣
台北市指南路三段38巷16-2號2樓(貓空)
02.2936.7089

Located right next to the gondola of MaoKong district, this place overlooks the entire night view of Taipei City.  Mao Kong is an area known for tea drinking and view gazing. Because it is located on the top of a mountain, it has a light breeze, and captivates a lot of local tourists.

The restaurant has 2 sections, one that serves local Taiwanese dishes (for proper meals), and a section that offers tea drinking only.  We first had dinner on the roof top. It was amazing because we saw the entire Taipei city.  This is the perfect place to be at this time of the year because it brought on a cool autumn breeze, a perfect escape from the hot humid summer weather.

To my surprise, the dishes were super affordable and delicious. We had ordered a set menu for 8-10people, and it cost NTD$3,600. Because we had visitors, and it was an office event, it would have been awkward if I insisted on taking a photo of every dish.

After dinner, we headed indoor, to the section where they served tea.  To get into the tea rooms, we had to cross a fish pool, hopping over wet rocks.  I asked what happens if you need assistance with walking? How will you get to the rooms? They told me there's no other ways, but to drink the tea elsewhere.  Interesting.

The tea served is super traditional - ceramic pot with two tea cups, one for sniffing, and one for drinking.  I am no expert in drinking tea, let alone making tea. So I let others take charge.  We also ordered a lot of goodies for snacking with the tea. 

 

There were 10 of us, we ate till our bellies almost popped, drank tea till we almost drowned, sat there from 17:00-21:30.  This cost a total of $7,500. Totally worth it.

 

Tasting Journey #143 - 躼腳日本料理

躼腳日本料理
臺北市民權東路三段107號
02.2545.4699

Walked by this place many many times, and there's always a huge lineup outside.
It must be good, I thought....

Firstly, how do you even pronounce the name of the restaurant? The first character is pronounced "lao", and in Taiwanese, it means "tall". So combining with the 2nd character, it means long legs.

This restaurant doesn't take reservation, and given its popularity, they won't seat you until all parties have arrived. 

It's small, and the table turnover rate is quite high.  It is not high-end, delicate Japanese, but rather, Taiwanese-style Japanese restaurant that offered sushi, sashimi and grilled dishes at a very reasonable price.  Because it is not high-end, people go there, have dinner, pack up the left overs, and leave.

We ordered a lot of dishes... the three of us ended up paying $2,000 in total, and we were really stuffed.  I wouldn't recommend the sushi because the rice underneath is so huge that you'd be full after just 2 pieces.  The sashimi is fresh, but it not of high quality. It is also cut in such a large portion that I find myself feeling a big disgusted after 2 huge pieces of nothing but raw meat.  The grilled dishes are definitely worth trying.  Unlike the sashimi/rice-bowls/sushi's that are printed as part of the menu, all the grilled dishes are written on a board posted on the walls of the restaurant.  I guess this is because they will only purchase in-season ingredients for grilling...which is probably why it tastes much better.

Overall, the restaurant is a great experience. I wouldn't mind going back, but probably wouldn't recommend this place if you have a large group since the wait would be forever.

 

 

Tasting Journey #142 - Aroma Cafe

Aroma Cafe
臺北市文林路404巷9號2樓
02.2883.0030

I was looking for a place to get my daily fix of caffeine, and came across this café in Shilin area.

 

Located on the 2F of an old building in an alley way, I thought this might be a find of hidden treasure.  I don't think so.  It is small, and cozy with only 4 tables.  The café is decorated with loads and loads of Korean pop products.



I ordered an Ameriano, and it wasn't bad.  Nothing that really stood out if you're not a kpop fan (obviously I'm not).  I do have to say that the presentation is cute, in the sense that the coffee was presented on a cloth that had the café name sewn onto it.

 

Tasting Journey #141 - La Design Cafe

La Design Café
臺北市麗水街9巷13號
02.2396.8826
http://ladesigncafe.com.tw/


Do Not Come Here!!!

Located in the popular touristy district of 永康街, it's not uncommon that people stop by a café prior to enjoying some popular dumplings or mango slush desserts well-known for that area.

We stopped by the café for some afternoon coffee/dessert prior to dinner.  We ordered cheesecake, and all was very well presented until we noticed an ant on the cake.  We right away informed the waitress, but given our curiosity, we secretly made a mark on the cake to observe how they would deal with the situation.  The waitress came, we showed her where the ant is, she didn't apologize nor responded in any apologetic manner.  She had doubts on her face.  Nonetheless, she took it away and said they would replace a piece.  We haven't even touched the cake yet.

 

The cake came back, now with a different presentation design.  Who knew that we had made a mark on the cake? It's the same cake, less the ant.  We were disappointed with the dishonesty and the lack of integrity of this restaurant.

The quality of the drink and cake wasn't even that great.
We will not be coming back, nor recommending it to any of our friends.

Tasting Journey #140 - 煎餅磨坊

煎餅磨坊
台北市永康街30-1號
0939.333.402

I first came across this dessert parlour from watching a TV show that was introducing eateries around the touristy area of 永康街.

 

I go to 永康街 every now and then to get a dose of my favourite 酸菜白肉鍋 at 東門餃子館 (Tasting Journey #54). It is also a popular spot to take tourists to, for its famous mango ice, and steamed dumplings... and what better ways than to complete a meal with dessert.

 

This parlous is tiny, no AC, and is hidden away in an alley way.  With any place to sit nor walk, guests keep coming in to order take out.  I only had the chance to try out their dessert, but their salad looks amazing as well, and the price looks very reasonable.  Each creme brulee costs $50NTD.

Their creme brulee is what was recommended by the TV show.  Rich and creamy, the brulee goozes right out of the cup....and perfectly compliments the the crispy sugar flakes at the top.  The owners carefully sprinkles the sugar and toasts it with care, as if creating a piece of art. 

 Each of us first had one each, and ended up going back for a second round. The brulee tastes good both warm and cold.