Tasting Journey #96 - 濟南鮮湯包

濟南鮮湯包
台北市濟南路三段20號
02.8773.7596


Recommended by a high school friend of mine as her favourite dumpling place, and then later on suggested by a colleague, my friend and I decided to give this place a try.

Hidden away in an alley way, this place must serve pretty decent quality food as it is quite a busy place.  You would think that places like this would offer real local eatery supported by local foodies, this place indeed, is actually 2 floors, decorated in a sea-food restaurant style, and air-conditioned. Of course, it is reflected in the price as the price range is much higher than what you would expect for a basket of dumplings at a local eatery. Well, still cheaper than the infamous Ding Tai Fung.

My friend and I ordered three dishes to share, all very basic: sour & spicy soup, pork wrap, and of course, the dumplings.  To our delight, all three dishes were very tasty. The soup had the perfect ratio of spiciness and sourness. The dumpling skin was thin and the meat was juicy and tender.  Pork wrap was decent.

I've never been a fan of Ding Tai Fung.  It is over-rated and packed with tourists.  I would definitely recommend this place over DTF any day.

Tasting Journey #95 - 好樣思維 VVG THINKING

好樣思維VVG THINKING
台北市八德路一段一號
華山文創園區
02.2322.5573

The first time I heard of this place was a friend's suggestion for risotto.  We didn't end up going.  This time, it was recommended by another friend who suggested that we go there for afternoon coffee.

The restaurant is located in the middle of an art culture park that is known for art performances, and restaurants.  The interior decoration at VVG Thinking is very medieval, with wooden carvings of animal heads hung on brick walls; Arch pillars to move between rooms, and floral interior decorations.  This is just the first floor. 

 

The second floor is a shop with collections of antique goodies ranging from books to clothing to cutleries and postcards.

Dessert is ordered at the display counter.  Not a lot of coffee options.   The restaurant also offered a decent selection of meals which I have yet to try.  

There were five of us today, and each of us selected a different dessert to try.  Of course, we each all had to have a bite of every dish.  I have to say that their crème brule is excellent with oatmeal used as the bottom layer. Very interesting combination, and I would no doubt order this again.

My next favourite is the cinnamon apple.  It is super aromatic with cinnamon, the sappiness of the apple has completely evaporated from the sugar broth that it probably spent hours boiling in. 

 Next in line would have to be the tea flavoured angel cake.  Very spongy and aromatic.  This is an option to keep in mind if you're looking for something light, and something not too sweet.

  The rest of the dessert isn't worth much mentioning nor trying.

 On the side, we all ordered some kind of drink.  Coffee is decent but nothing special. One of us ordered sparkling wine. Not that great.

 Oh, and price? Yes, this is a place where you are also paying for the ambience.   Service can definitely improve as they constantly mix up our orders, and dishes coming super late.

Tasting Journey #94 - 天津蔥抓餅

天津蔥抓餅
台北市師大路39巷&龍泉街路口

I first saw recommendations of this green onion pancake booth in a food program on TV.  The program was recommending the "chives with egg" flavoured green onion pancake option. Given that it is located in the 永康商圈, and that I oftentimes head to that area, I thought I must try it the next I stop by.

 

The first time I noticed the booth is because of the crazy line up.  Then every time after that, I was in that area for food, so I didn't have the stomach space nor time to line up... and finally, this time, I was at the right place, and at the right time! The line up took 20min and I bought myself an original green onion pancake.

Crispy and layers well-defined.  Rich in green onion flavour.  A definite pleasure to eat. Super affordable.

Tasting Journey #93 - 鳥家居酒屋

鳥家居酒屋
台北市忠孝東路四段223巷46號
02.2771.3902

Every time I walk by this place on a weekend, it is always packed.  Very typical izakaya-style where the entire restaurant front is made of wood, with a red lantern.
Menu is hand-written, and the selection is as expected. Servers are very interesting, as they all wear a name tag that showed some popular Japanese names. I asked one of them whether that is part of the uniform, but the Taiwanese responded that that is his name during working hours.  What an interesting policy/humour.

Food-wise, I have to say that 作田 is still much better. Price range is similar.
Dishes are all served on a small plate, and the portions are typical izakaya. I have to say that if I am looking for izakaya food, 作田 is still number one choice.

Tasting Journey #92 - 小樽手作咖啡

小樽手作咖啡
various locations
台北市東興路23號
02.2528.3288

Came here with a girl friend of mine because I needed to work (it was Monday afternoon), and she was waiting for me to finish up so we can go shopping together.

Architecture-wise, what struck me as interesting is the wooden door; It is heavy, huge, and thick.
The interior is quite common within the coffee cuture in Taipei - modern and wood themed. It is spacious, well-lit, and with electrical outlets for people who wants to surf the web.

 

Menu-wise, we went there for coffee, so I only paid attention to their coffee selection. It offers more creative coffee than single bean coffees for the experts.  Lots of latte's and frangrant drinks.
I ordered a sea salt latte. 

 

I did not know what to expect. Salty coffee?  Taking a sip of the coffee, I am pleasantly surprised by how well it tastes.  The sea salt is blended into the frothy milk that sits on top of the coffee.  Maybe the addition of salt makes the froth smoother and creamier.  Maybe the addition of salt stabilizes the froth so that it stays frothy longer.  Maybe the addition of salt brings out the aroma of the coffee.   Maybe, and maybe. A definitly maybe just a little bit better. :)