Tasting Journey #174 - 古月炎串燒居酒屋

古月炎串燒居酒屋
台北市遼寧街-246號
02.2515.5225

Recommended izakaya place by my colleague.  She said it's owned by her friends, and that it's her favourite grill spot.

The restaurant is small, and "Japanese", like all izakaya places.  Not too many seats, and it seems that reservations are constantly full.  We happened to be there just a bit earlier than dinner time, so we were lucky to be given a spot.

Menu has quite a few selections, all very standard, and nothing too extraordinary.  Having tried quite of a few items, I would say that the noteworthy dishes is the boneless chicken wing stuffed with chili pepper.  This is unique as most other places would stuff kimchi or mentaiko instead.  Despite the menu selection, I was disappointed to see that they didn't offer 山藥 (mountain taro) slices with 明太子. They only had potato slices instead. 

 

My colleague recommended their chili sauce as it is their "special ingredient".  It tasted good, but nothing too special that would serve a lasting taste in my memory.  All other grill items were also average.

In summary, this is a mediocre izakaya at a typical price range.  I must say that my favourite is still 作田 by far, both for ambience and for quality.

 



Tasting Journey #173 - Butter Cafe

Butter Cafe

台北市大安區忠孝東路四段122-1號2樓

(愛群大廈C棟入口)

02.8772.3832

 

Came here for Sunday brunch with my girl friends.  We met up at 11am and the restaurant was empty.
Maybe because it is located on 2nd floor or maybe the food just wasn't attractive enough for the crowd.

Frankly speaking, I am only logging this journal three weeks since my visit and I don't remember what was attractive about the dish.
The restaurant is spacious, so serves as a great place for girl's chit chat tea time.  However, if you are looking for a tasting journey, maybe 十里安 next door is a better choice.
Price-wise is average for its location in the East district.

Tasting Journey #172 - 樂子咖啡

樂子咖啡
Various
臺北市基隆路一段147巷5弄1樓
02.2764.1680
www.thediner.com.tw

This restaurant had a deal on Groupon, so we came to give it a try.  The restaurant is located in the heart of Taipei, in the busiest area of East District near City Hall.

 

Upon arriving the cafe, we immediately saw a patio that has an external heater. Love. Walking in, I noticed that the decoration is made of lots of displays ranging from photos to lego figurines to books.  All fell within one theme - inspirational quotes.  What really stood out for me is "Eat to Live". I'm ure many will resonate with that, lol.

I have to say cafe's like this mostly caters to audiences that only require a comfy place for chit chat, and not so much focus on the food. So I guess there's no surprise nor disappointment there.  The interesting section of the menu is the pancakes. Every dish, whether savoury or sweet, was made on a wrap/pancake-ish type of base.  Some worked well, others, meh…

 

Overall experience isn't bad. I probably wouldn't return for the food, but if I need a last minute place to rest my feet, this would be an option to consider.

Tasting Journey #171 - 一番食堂

一番食堂
臺北市延平北路二段91號
02.2558.8488

 

Izakaya/sushi place that offers hospitality and quality food.

 

 

 I was in the area for some errands and stumbled across this precious find.  The restaurant looks like any other local izakaya that is rich in Japanese flavour.  But what really stood out for me is the hospitality of the server and chief.  They were really chatty, and the chief could not stop sipping on his whiskey.  He noticed that I was taking photos of the dishes, and kept reminding me to take photos of the restaurant exterior. To this date, I am still puzzled by why, but his hospitability definitely stuck around.

We sat at the sushi bar, and the service was quick.  We got all our dishes in no time.  Quality was amazing.  Their 炎稍比目魚was mind blowing. It absolutely melted in my mouth. It was buttery smooth, yet not fatty. Amazing. A definite must try at this place.  Their sashimi bowls are also excellent. Lots of sashimi, and the rice had sprinkles of seaweed sesame, always a delight on rice.

 

Price range is also very affordable for the quality received. I would definitely recommend this place if you are ever in the area.

Tasting Journey #170 - Fanier Burger

Fanier Burger
台北市內湖區瑞光路478巷18弄30號
02.2659.7752
http://www.fanier.com.tw/content.php?id=3260


Fast food quality in a family diner setting.

This place serves breakfast, burger and pasta.
Food quality so-so, but friendly service.
Refillable Americano coffee.
Busy restaurant.
Suitable for relaxing, non-formal gathering with friends.

 

Tasting Journey #169 - Sparkle Patio No. 3

Sparkle Patio No. 3
台北市信義區信義路五段16號B1
02.2758.8850
http://www.sparklehotel.com.tw/zh-tw/gourmet/patio-no-3-italian-bistro.htm



Located across from the landmark of Taipei, 101, Sparkle is a hotel (surprisingly) located on the basement of an apartment building.  According to their website, this hotel has a few restaurants, though the perimeters of these restaurants are not clearly separated.  We decided to try out Patio No. 3, an Italian style café.

Though in a nicely decorated hotel setting, we sat in a small long corridor.  I guess it is expected, as this is a restaurant converted from an old apartment in the most expensive district of downtown Taipei.

Their lunch menu ranges from $400-$500, and includes an entrée, soup, and bread.  We all decided to go for the lunch menu, seeing that a la carte entrees cost closer to the thousand NTD range.  It was disappointing.  The portion is small, and not worth the price.

Service wasn't great either.  There were a few servers around, but it seems that we were never able to get their attention when needed. 

Overall, the experience was disappointing.  I think there needs to be lots of improvements, both service, quality, and quantity. I don't think I will go back again.