Tasting Journey #106 - 翹翹板小屋

翹翹板小屋
台北市內湖路一段285巷59弄7號1樓
02.2627.1482

A cafe that serves tasty valuable meal at super amazing price.  Seesaw Hut Cafe is located away from downtown Taipei, in Neihu.  It is located in a lane within a lane...which is probably why it's such fairly priced.

The ambience is cozy, with lots of ikea-looking furniture.  Well-lit, and clean.  Mostly highschool and university crowd.  The only thing was that they did not turn on the AC until I requested they do.  The weather has been quite humid and warm, the perfect cultivating season for mosquitoes.  Me, being a feast for mosquitoes, while waiting for my friend to arrive, I got bitten 3-4x.  The room was slightly stuffy, and I couldn't bear it any longer. I had to ask them to turn on the AC. The cooler breeze would rid the mosquitoes somehow.

Each of us ordered a burger, and we ordered fried chicken to share.  The fried chicken was amazing - much juicier and tastier than it looks.  A definite must-try if you visit.  The fish fillet burger wasn't great.  It just tasted out of place, having smoke salmon slices in a burger.  The regular beef burger was amazing.

I'd come back any time. I would love to try other dishes served here.

Tasting Journey #105 - Hong Kong 茶水攤

Hong Kong 茶水攤
台北市南京東路三段218號
02.2778.7120

 

As a big fan of HK-style cafe, I was super excited to try this place out when my colleagues suggested that we head for dinner after our team yoga class.  Located near the busy cross-street of 南京東路 & 復興北路, I can't believe that I've walked by there so many times, and have never noticed this 4-story tall building.  Maybe it's because Taiwan is full of brightly lit and flashing street signs that blends everything into one big colourful image.

Like all HK-style cafe, the walls of the restuarant is full of signs and posters telling guests the new must-try specials that they are now offering. Reading the menu is like reading an essay - a gazilliong combination tht makes you dizzy unless you know right away what you want.  Of course I know what I want, given my biased favouritsm for HK-style cafe's.  Noise and crowd is also what you would expect at a place like this.  All not a surprise and fully accepted for this type of cuisines.

My gauge of a HK-style cafe, is their HK-style milk tea.  Not bad at all.  Dishes are fair priced and well portioned for a hungry group of post-yoga peeps. I have to say that their dishes are quite authentic in the sense that they are quite similar to the flavour that you'd find in Hongcouver.  I had the Singaporean vermicelli noodle and fully enjoyed it.  My colleagues said the seafood curry dish was amazing as well.

 

 

I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good eat.

Tasting Journey #104 - Urban Park Kitchen & Cafe (都會享食)

Urban Park Kitchen & Cafe (都會享食)
台北市信義路五段八巷七號
02.2758.9468
 

Hidden away in an alley way in the midst of the most expensive area of Taipei, is a small burger cafe called Urban Park.  The cafe is located right behind my office building. We walk by it almost every other day, always looking to try it, but never really did.  We weren't too sure what it served, nor price range, as we couldn't really tell from looking at the tiny restaurant door front.  We decided to attempt in steps.  First attemp is to get an understanding of the type of food it served, so we went and grabed a take out menu while getting a feel of the restaurant interior.  After studying the menu, we felt it was worth giving it a try.

The restaurant is tiny - like the size of a small, local, izakaya.  It is like the size of a loft, the size of my dog-sized apartment.  As soon as we entered, friendly servers greeted us behind the counter.  First floor is the kitchen. Nothing else.  We walked up the stairs, and there are approximately 4 tables if I remember correctly.  Super tiny, but clean.  Colourful furniture, yet cozy. 

We looked at the menu, and decided to all order something different to give it a try.  Not bad, but the portions aren't big.  Coffee's also a so-so. Would I go back? Well, it's a nice cafe, but nothing that really jumps out at me.  Nothing that really earns for my return.  Great tasting journey though...
 

Tasting Journey #103 - G'Day Cafe 晴西餐廳

G'Day Cafe 晴西餐廳
台北市興安街180號
02.2717.5927
http://ezwin.com.tw/gday/


G'Day Café is located in a fairly quiet district (or so it seems), and serves authentic home-style brunch.  It is authentic because, first of all, it serves American style brewed coffee with free refills.  The burger is simple, yet tasty.  The buns has the texture of what you could probably get at Safeway, and the patty is hand-made, none of those fancy chain burger joints where you know that the patty probably comes out of a factory.  Each patty is unique and flavourful.  I like it.  The fries is also very well deep fried.  No full-on service, but friendly waitress - again, very family-style.

 

The walls are full of cartoonic drawings ranging from the Tiny Toons to Asian manga characters, which to me clashed with the whole American themed cuisine.

 

Tasting Journey #102 - 我 ! 就厲害

我 ! 就厲害
台北市市民大道四段147號
02.2578.6578
http://www.wow-jolihi.com.tw/

 

 

This place is a BBQ & hotpot all-you-can-eat that is strongly recommended by Mandy.  She says she must dine here at least once every time she comes on a development trip.  Is it really that good?

 

First of all, the price ranges from $439, $499, and $639.  At $439, you have all-you-can-eat BBQ;  At $499, you have BBQ plus hot pot, and at $639, you get pricier ingredients.  What's worth mentioning is that this place all serves kirin bottomless beer.  So if you are a beer lover and a meat lover, this is definitely a place worth considering. 

 

 
 We decided to go for the $499 option.  Frankly speaking, I think $439 is sufficient, especially when the meat are quite decent quality, and that the selection is quite abundant.  They have all the typical pork, beef, chicken etc. as well as grilled mushrooms and vegetables, but what is worth mentioning is their grilled ice-cream, marshmallow, and their selection of sweet desserts.

 

The only thing that I would say needs improvement is the seating. The tables are so close, and the leg room is barely there.  Even I find it crammed. 

Tasting Journey #101 - 蘇阿姨比薩屋

蘇阿姨比薩屋
台北市光復南路300號
02.2740.2328

 Aunt Su's Pizza house serves not only pizza, but also fried chicken.  We came here on a Sunday evening around 6:30pm.  Walking towards the restaurant, we saw from afar, a huge group of people packed outside the restaurant all waiting for a seat in.  First thing I noticed is it's all YOUNG people.  People in the age of later teens to maybe mid 20's.  I feel old, although I probably blend in.

 This is a fast food joint that serves thick crust pizza that is topped with ooooozles of cheese that strings with every bite.  The fried chicken is also very well prepared. It has a thin crispy crust, and the meat is juicy and flavourful.  We ordered a six slice pizza, and 5 pieces of friend chicken. This cost approximately NTD$600.  Not exactly cheap for pizza and friend chicken if I were to get this in Vancouver, but I don't really know what the typical price would be in Taipei given that this is considered "foreign" cuisine.

We decided not to dine-in, as it will take forever to get a table.  A very good option, assuming it is not mid summer nor rainy, is to get take-out, walk over to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park, sit on one of the ledges and dine over the food while watching the night lights of Taipei 101.  How romantic. haha....well, that is if you don't end up making a big mess of your pizza...:)