Taipei City - 永樂市場 YongLe Market (迪化街 DiHua street)

 迪化街 DiHua street is a hugely popular area ,especially around Chinese New Year Holiday. However, it remains busy year-round selling all sorts of Chinese herbs, Taiwanese souvenirs and a multitude of different traditional Taiwanese food. 

As you walk down DiHua street, before reaching the end, the left side of the street opens up and 永樂市場 YongLe market comes into view. We got there around 11am on Sunday, and almost all of the stalls inside the market itself had already closed. I'm not sure if it closes on a Sunday or we just got there too late. But we will go on a Saturday next time, I guess.  

We settled down to this bustling 米粉湯 mi3fen3tang1 Rice noodle soup restaurant/stall. There are a lot of people, and you just have to sit wherever. What we ordered:

1. 米粉湯 mi3fen3tang1 Rice noodle soup

2. 炸蚵仔 zha2e2zi Fried oysters

3. 炸紅燒肉 zha2hong2sha1rou4 Fried red braised pork

1. 米粉湯 mi3fen3tang1 Rice noodle soup

Rice noodle soup is a great alternative for those times where you are completely fed up of rice and noodles. Even though it's essentially a mix of both, it has a different texture and flavour. Rice noodles can be varying thicknesses, but these ones are of a medium thickness for rice noodles. Within the soup there is also pieces of tuna and some fried onion. The broth is clean, has a mild fish taste and isn't too greasy. The rice noodles themselves are well cooked: still a slight resistance in the centre of the noodle. When rice noodle soup is done well, its wonderful. When it isn't, its a sad day. But, don't worry, this bowl is done very well!

2. 炸蚵仔 zha2e2zi Fried oysters

I'm a fairly recent convert to Oysters upon arriving in Taiwan. Whenever I see them now, I will give serious thought in whether to order them or not. However, prior to coming to Taiwan, I had a bad experience with them so I would completely ignore them on a menu. 

These oysters are deep fried in a crispy batter. Such is the texture of oyster, that the middle remains silky smooth and soft, whilst the outside has a good crunch to it. The flavour of the oyster is very good indeed: slightly salty, strong fish taste but also a creamy consistency. There is a really good portion of oysters here, and coupled with the mildly sweet sauce and the spicy ginger, it is a triumph.

3. 炸紅燒肉 zha2hong2sha1rou4 Fried red braised pork

Red braised pork is quite common throughout Taiwan. It originates in China, and uses pork belly. Originally, it was slowly braised so much so that the fat melted, and served atop rice. However, this variation doesn't use belly, but still uses the original spices. It is lightly fried so it is crispy and the middle remains moist. With noodles or rice, or rice noodle soup, it makes for a good meat accompaniment!

As far as prices are concerned, I can only hazard a guess at the individual costing as there are no visible price signs. Overall the meal cost us $140. Therefore, I would think that each bowl of rice noodle soup is around $30, then each other small plate would be $40. It isn't going to break the bank, that's for sure! 

Best dish: 1. 米粉湯 mi3fen3tang1 Rice noodle soup. It's easy to find an average rice noodle soup in Taipei. But to find a good one isn't so easy, this definitely falls into that category. I would strongly recommend it, if you're in the area.

Dish I wouldn't order again: None. I would gladly order all of them again, twice over. 

臺北市大同區民樂街3號

No. 3 MinYue street, DaTong District, Taipei City

Happy Eating!

New Taipei City - 世界豆漿大王 YongHe World Soy Milk King

Lot of places claim that they are the king of soy milk/soy milk king 豆漿大王, claim that they are from YongHe (the jury is out on whether they are or not) and most of them are completely average. For my money, this is certainly one of the better ones, and it is in YongHe. It's in an ideal location being <10min walk away from DingXi MRT station and is very reasonably priced. 

Inside the restaurant, there is always an abundance of people, yet the atmosphere never gets too energetic. The kitchen staff are very competent, efficient, friendly and fun. They don't speak English, but it really doesn't matter because they're quite happy to offer things up for you to try! 

There are plenty of tables inside, but sometimes it does get so busy that you may have to wait if there is more than 4 of you on the weekend (no more than 10mins). 

The menu is quite vast, but I have been here quite regularly, so I feel that I'm in a good position to be able to recommend some things in addition to what we ordered. 

1. 冰清將 （無糖）bing1qing1jiang1 (wu2tang2) Cold soy milk (no sugar).

2. 溫豆米漿 wen1dou4mi3jiang1 Warm soy and rice milk mix.

3. 燒餅油條來酸菜 shao1bing3you2tiao2lai2suan1cai4 fried dough stick, wrapped in a sesame seed pastry, topped with pickled vegetables and peanut sugar.

4. 豆沙餅 dou4sha1bing3 Sweet red bean pastry

5. 麥芽甜餅  mai4ya2tian2bing3 Malted sugar pastry

6. 廣式蘿蔔糕 guang3shi4luo2bogao1 Radish cake 

7. 蘿蔔絲蛋餅 luo2bosi1dan4bing3 Thinly sliced radish cake with egg

Other things that I can recommend:

叉燒包 cha1shao1bao Cantonese steamed pork bun

• A medium sized steamed bun with a sweet Cantonese pork filling.

鮮蝦蒸餃 xian1xia1zheng1jiao3 Steamed shrimp dumplings

• You get 4 steamed dumplings as it arrives in a bamboo steamer at your table.

鹹飯糰 xian2fan4tuan2 Savoury rice roll

• Rice, rolled out in a sausage shape and filled with a salted radish and pork floss filling.

鹹豆漿加蛋 xian2dou4jiang1jia1dan4 Salted soy milk with egg

• This is presented in a bowl, not a cup. It is served hot, and has a savoury taste with an added egg. 

1.2.

1. 冰清將 （無糖）bing1qing1jiang1 (wu2tang2) Cold soy milk (no sugar).

Without sugar is how I take my soy milk. It keeps it fresh and healthy. Without sugar it has an earthy, slightly burnt lush green taste to it, with a milky smooth finish. Cold, it is very refreshing and just what you want in those sunny days. Hot, and it's just what you want in the winter. When heated it gets a little thicker but still maintains all of those fresh and pure flavours that I've come to love in this wonderful drink.

2. 溫豆米漿 wen1dou4mi3jiang1 Warm soy and rice milk mix.

Unsweetened soy milk is quite a unique taste, so if you don't like it I would suggest getting it mixed with the rice milk instead of just with sugar. The addition of the brown rice milks makes the consistency a lot thicker, and feels almost medicinal when hot. However, when cold it can still be quite refreshing and also quite sweet.

3. 燒餅油條來酸菜 shao1bing3you2tiao2lai2suan1cai4 fried dough stick, wrapped in a sesame seed pastry, topped with pickled vegetables and peanut sugar.

Anyone accustomed to the fried dough stick 油條 will be aware that it can be very greasy. However, sandwiched between the sesame pastry 燒餅, it feels a lot less greasy. However, just the pastry and dough stick sandwich isn't enough. You need some pickled vegetables and peanut sugar to really add that extra edge that's required. Just like doughnuts or Churros; fried dough and sugar go famously together. The peanut powder mixed into the sugar gives an extra kick of taste and weirdly complements the pickled vegetable.

45

On the left we have the sweetened red bean pastry, on the right is the malted sugar pastry. 

4. 豆沙餅 dou4sha1bing3 Sweet red bean pastry

A tasty little delight. Red bean is something that is very popular in Taiwanese, Chinese and Japanese cooking. Be it in ice cream, doughnuts or like this. This red bean pastry is sweetened and works tremendously well with the salty pastry and sprinkles of sesame seeds on top. It's less than 4 bites, but is incredibly moreish. 

5. 麥芽甜餅  mai4ya2tian2bing3 Malted sugar pastry

Around 15cm in length, this malted sugar pastry is quite different to other pastries I have had before. It puffs up quite a lot, and the centre has a smooth layer of malted sugar. Just as the sweetened red bean uses the pastry to counteract the sweetness, the malted sugar does the same here. 

If the pastry is hot to the touch, I recommend leaving it a few minutes to cool down. As the sugar is as hot as the sun! (I learnt the hard way, several times) It's a perfect afternoon snack with a cup of your favourite hot beverage (I recommend tea, but then, of course I would - I am English).

6. 廣式蘿蔔糕 guang3shi4luo2bogao1 Radish cake 

This is a firm staple among the Taiwanese for breakfast. Using Daikon radish and rice flour, it becomes cake-like in its consistency and is fried on top of the hot plate. Frying the radish cake allows the outside to become crispy, yet the inside remains soft and floury. Inside there are flecks of bacon and also small chunks of radish. Even though it isn't strong in taste, it is still quite enjoyable to eat.

7. 蘿蔔絲蛋餅 luo2bosi1dan4bing3 Thinly sliced radish cake with egg

Unlike the radish cake of number 6, this one is finely sliced radish mixed with finely sliced carrot and served inside a flattened 餅 (餅 translates to cake, but it isn't a cake in the western terms of a cake, it is more like a flat hollowed out bread bun) and topped with egg. The slices of carrot and radish are simple but delicious, and the 餅 allows for a contrast in texture, with the egg on top adding richness and lifting the dish altogether.

A large dollop of their home-made chilli sauce, and you're really off to a winner here!

I love this restaurant and I come back again and again without hesitation. I always order number 1, 4 and 8. The price is right, the service is very fast and the quality of the food is good. Eating from the small breakfast shops is good for that on-the-go breakfast, but if you're driving past this place I would strongly recommend you to pop in. If not, I would suggest coming on the weekend. It is 24hours, afterall!

Best dish: 7. 蘿蔔絲蛋餅 luo2bosi1dan4bing3 Thinly sliced radish cake with egg - I know it's called World Soy Milk King, but this dish is just awesome. If I am in England, this is the breakfast I miss. Recently I was away for a few weeks, my first breakfast when I came back was this. I just couldn't wait!

Dish I won't order again: 6. 廣式蘿蔔糕 guang3shi4luo2bogao1 Radish cake - Served steaming hot, this is a good dish. However, this one arrived warm only. It isn't a strong taste anyway, but this one had almost no taste at all. I wouldn't recommend it when there are so many nicer things to eat on this menu! 

新北市永和區永和路二段284號

No. 284, section 2, YongHe Road, Yonghe District, New Taipei City 

Happy Eating!

Taipei City - Burger Fix - PERMANENTLY CLOSED

Thought it was about time to stray away from the norm briefly, with a burger and chips (fries ;) ). 

 The menu is small, which is what you want from a burger place, really. There is a Chinese side of the menu and then the other side is all English, so easy! Perfect for those hangover Sundays... What we ordered:

1. Fix Burger (Double) w/ skin on french fries and soda

2. Cheeseburger (Double) w/ waffle cut fries and soda

1. Fix Burger (Double) w/ skin on french fries and soda

The burger was big! Double patties sad inside a soft bun with lettuce, tomato and added pickles. 

You can see how juicy the burger itself really is, whilst remaining thoroughly cooked and full of flavour. The meat is of good quality and all of the additional ingredients are fresh and clean, too. Really, I have no complaints, its a good burger! 

2. Cheeseburger (Double) w/ waffle cut fries and soda

Maybe it's just coincidence, but this burger is presented much better than the Fix Burger. 

We chose to have this burger with added pickle and onions. The onions, paired with the cheese, made the burger orders of magnitude nicer than the Fix Burger.

Skin on fries, where are they then? Don't know, they never came. What came were fries, and the waffle cut fries we ordered. I wouldn't order the fries again, they were just fries. The waffle cut fries were, on the other hand, much nicer than the fries. They were fluffy, had an earthier taste and were, overall, much tastier. 

Pair your fries with Heinz ketchup, Heinz mustard or Saracha sauce.

Currently, Burger Fix have three deals (left picture), all of which run from August 21st - September 30th.

Overall, Burger Fix was alright. It was nothing more than alright. If I fancy a burger, and I'm in the area, I'll go. If not, I won't go out of my way. My one gripe is that it is quite expensive for what it is. But it is certainly filling if you go for the double burger! 

Best dish: 2. Cheeseburger (Double) w/ waffle cut fries and soda: the cheese makes the burger fit together much better, and the addition of the onions is a must for next time! 

Dish I won't order again: 1. Fix Burger (Double) w/ skin on french fries and soda: No cheese, and no skin on fries - just normal fries. 

Happy Eating!

Taipei City - Japanese Green Tea Dessert 平安京茶事

The area around ShiDa University is a busy area packed full of Taiwanese and also foreign students. The nightmarket is very popular, and the streets come alive with smells from 6pm onwards each day with ShiDa road playing a huge role in accessing this exciting place.

However, the opposite end of ShiDa road is where you will find this wonderful delight of a place. Unassuming from the outside, with just a small entrance curtain to show you of the place behind, you're bound to be excited by whats inside (if you're as much of a tea lover as I am!)

Only around 6-7 tables make up the inside, with 3 private rooms that can be booked in advance. The private rooms are arranged with a traditional Japanese feel, with shoes left outside and the table closer to the floor whilst you sit on a cushion.

(in order from left to right, top to bottom)

1. 若竹 ruo4zhu2  Kyoto style green tea sundae

2. 千層 qian1ceng2 Green tea layered cake

3. 抹茶巧克力 mo3cha2qiao3ke4li4 Green tea chocolate

1. 若竹 ruo4zhu2  Kyoto style green tea sundae

Arriving in this bamboo bowl, was this little beauty: a scoop of green tea ice cream, generous helpings of green tea jelly, 3 soup ball dumplings and a good portion of red bean. 

Ice cream: The ice cream has a very deep green tea flavour, and is slightly bitter. Unlike many ice cream, it is not sweet. But it doesn't suffer for that at all. Coupled with a strong taste of full fat milk, the ice cream oozes with depth of flavour and allows the green tea to really speak for itself, with what seems like very few other ingredients.

Green tea jelly: Once again, there is a strong taste of green tea. But this time, it isn't as rich or creamy as it isn't coupled with the milk. The jelly is quite soft and almost silky in consistency, and melts in your mouth. The taste of the green tea is wonderful, and comes across a lot sweet than in the ice cream. 

Red bean: Being such a popular ingredient in Japanese cooking, you can see why. It adds a grounding to a dish, and earthiness that is needed when some flavours become too predominant. Lightly sweetened, it contrasts the flavours and textures of the ice cream and the jelly really well. 

Soup ball dumplings: I don't get it, I really don't. I am looking for a good bowl of sweet peanut soup with soup balls (花生湯圓）then that's what I'll order. But I wasn't, so I didn't. Without ordering the soup, I still ended up with soup dumplings. It's weird and I don't like it. It upset the balance of the dish, I feel. All it added was texture. But, really, I already have jelly, ice cream and beans in one dish. Why do I need a tapioca like substance added into the mix? I don't.

2. 千層 qian1ceng2 Green tea layered cake

This was unreal. Really, this was something very special, indeed. I have had a fair amount of this style of cake before: lots of layers, with a cream or mousse in between a little like a mille feuille. But this one took the biscuit: 11 layers of green tea pancake, delicately thin, separated sumptuous layers of bitter green tea mousse. Plunging the knife or fork into this creation seemed almost too difficult at the start because you just know that it's all going to be a huge mess on the plate from that point onward; totally worth it! 

As predicted, the mousse oozed out on both sides as you put the knife inside and you feel yourself cutting through all of those 11 layers. Inside the mouth, it remains impossibly moist with an overwhelmingly beautiful flavour of strong green tea. Coupled with the raspberry smear on the outside of the plate, this dish ranks well up there in some of the best dessert I have had the pleasure of tasting (and I have one hell of  a sweet tooth!). 

Pairing this cake with the green tea could perhaps put off the non-green tea drinkers out there. Fortunately, I am a huge fan. I've been really lucky, living in Taiwan, to have tried some fantastic teas. With a big Japanese influence, too, I have been fortunate enough to try some impressive green teas. Kyoto (京都）is widely appreciated as one of the best green tea's in the world and, as this is from Kyoto, I feel privileged to have drank this. This style of green tea is done as a powder form. So the powder is added to the cup first, then the water on top. A special wooden whisk is used to incorporate the tea powder into the water, however, it will not dissolve as processed coffee granules (for example) will. It will, instead, turn the water into a thicker consistency and line the bowl/cup as you drink. It is bitter to the taste, but it has a very unique taste which is truly special to this style of green tea. If you haven't, you must try it!

3. 抹茶巧克力 mo3cha2qiao3ke4li4 Green tea chocolate

We chose to add a green tea chocolate to the plate. It came with the layer cake dish, and you can see it as the small dish in the back left corner. Working from the outside in, you can see the chocolate has been rolled in green tea powder when still warm, as the powder remains stuck to the chocolate. The next layer is of white chocolate. I had not expected white chocolate, but really, it makes perfect sense: green tea is inherently quite bitter, therefore a sweeter chocolate would be an ideal pairing, ergo: white chocolate. Encased with the white chocolate rolled green tea egg, lies a smooth green tea mousse. A little sweet and a little bitter but absolutely no evidence of a grainy mousse at all = winner. The chocolate was very good, but not worth the $70 for a single chocolate.

Overall, the service was fantastic, the atmosphere was homely and pleasant and the food was wonderful. I am already looking forward to going back, maybe with more people next time so I can drink more tea! 

Best dish: 2. 千層 qian1ceng2 Green tea layered cake. Not only the best layer cake I have had, but well up there with one of the best desserts - flawless.

Dish I wouldn't order again: 3. 抹茶巧克力 mo3cha2qiao3ke4li4 Green tea chocolate. On the menu there is a picture of 9 chocolates, but in reality you get just 1. Whilst the taste is superb, it is not worth the $70/1 price tag, for me. 

台北市師大路165號 (捷運台電站5號出口)

Number 16, ShiDa Road (Taipower Building exit 5), Taipei City

Happy Eating!

Taipei City - 躼腳日本料理 LaoJiao Sushi Restaurant

Summer, for me, means fresh and light food. Sushi is certainly high up on that list. Therefore, this review is of the famous 躼腳日本料理 near SongShan Airport (松山機場). 

We went at lunch time, which is very popular with businessmen. For me, this is the ideal time to go as businessmen, typically, don't have the time to be taking a slow lunch. Therefore, seats become available faster. We did have to wait for a table, but it gave us plenty of time to read through and scan the menu. 

1. Sashimi bowl with sea urchin 海膽生魚片丼套餐 （hai3dan3sheng1yu2pian4dong4tao4can1)

2. Miso soup added as part of a set to the Sashimi Bowl 附（湯）fu4 (tang1)

3. Side dish added as part of a set to the Sashimi Bowl 附 （日式小菜)

4. Egg roll 蛋壽司 (dan4shou4si1)

5. Scorched scallop 干貝 (gan11bei4)

6. Tomato with a plum dressing 番茄梅子 （fan1qie2mei2zi）

7. Peppered squid 透抽 (tou4chou1)

1. Sashimi bowl 海膽生魚片丼套餐 （hai3dan3sheng1yu2pian4dong4tao4can1)

Salmon, Tuna, egg roll, rice, ginger, wasabi and sea urchin (海膽hai3dan3). You can note from all of the sashimi pieces that they are cut very thick, which makes the dish very filling, deceptively so. Whilst there may only be 4 pieces, it's more than adequate for a meal. The surprise addition to this dish is most definitely the sea urchin. Let's face it, it is not the most aesthetically pleasing thing in the world, but the taste is better than the looks. It's another 'trust me' moment... The sashimi is all very fresh and a smooth and delicate flavour. I don't particularly like wasabi with my sushi, as I feel it overpowers the flavour a little, so I am quite happy that the wasabi is just in a ball on the side. The egg roll is a little sweet, so I feel that the small amount of it within the bowl is enough for me. Texture wise: it is quite soft and smooth. Unlike the wasabi overpowering the dish, I feel like the fresh ginger lifts the dish. However, the key addition is most certainly the sea urchin. I am not a regular sea urchin consumer, but I think I may well be from now on. Its very soft, almost like a warm butter consistency. It has a mild taste of fish and the sea, a slight bitterness to counteract the mild sweetness but also it is wonderfully rich in flavour as well as consistency.

2. Miso soup added as part of a set to the Sashimi Bowl 附（湯）fu4 (tang1)

With ordering the sashimi bowl, you can make the dish into a set meal by adding a soup and a small plate, or a soup and a sushi hand roll. Miso is a popular ingredient in Taiwanese cooking, not only Japanese cooking. Often it can be used to flavour stir-fried vegetables or meats, or used to make a simple broth with which to flavour your noodles. It's an extremely versatile ingredient. This miso soup is a little different to that used by Taiwanese, as there are large chunks of fish inside. In each bowl you may receive around 3-4 pieces of white fish (often with bones in, so be careful). The flavour of the fish is imparted in the soup, and the broth itself is salty and light. It's certainly one of the better miso soups I have had, moreover, it's included in the set (which is only around $100NT extra), which is fantastic value for such a dish.

3. Side dish added as part of a set to the Sashimi Bowl 附 （日式小菜)

I am unsure about this dish. Even writing about it now, I am unsure how to properly describe it to you. At the bottom, there are finely sliced red onions, on top of which are tiny white shrimp with roe. The shrimp felt a little slimy in the mouth, but were complemented by the crunch of the raw onion and lifted by the slight saltiness of the roe. I wouldn't choose it, as a dish, but as I chose the small plate option, this was just the small plate of the day. 

 4. Egg roll 蛋壽司 (dan4shou4si1)

Usually when we go to a Japanese restaurant, this is a staple choice. Once again, it has impressed. The egg is cute quite thinly from what is clearly a bigger piece of egg roll. It is then sat on top of rice and wrapped together with some Nori. Accompanied by ginger, it goes down really well. The egg is slightly sweetened, but nicely moist. It manages to retain some nice egg flavour, but it isn't mind-blowingly good. 

5. Scorched scallop 干貝 (gan1bei4)

There is a specials board inside the restaurant, but it changes quite often, so I would recommend pointing or using the Chinese on here to match up some of the characters and having an educated guess. Scallops are most certainly well up there with my favourite things to eat, however, I haven't had them raw too many times before. These scallops have been scorched with a blow torch, however, the inside remains raw. Scallops have a silky smooth texture, with a light taste of the sea and also a hint of a milky taste. with a squeeze of lemon, and a salad of Daikon radish (蘿蔔). I wholeheartedly recommend scallops whenever you can eat them. Alternatively, they are remarkably easy to cook at home: dry the scallop, put them into a hot pan with a knob of butter, pan fry on each side for 1min30secs with some bacon lardons and serve with salad (this is my personal preference for cooking scallops and how I cook with them, please consult a cook book or look online before cooking your scallops in future). 

6. Tomato with a plum dressing 番茄梅子 （fan1qie2mei2zi）

It looks like sliced tomato, and it is. The only difference being that the tomatoes are sitting on top of a smokey plum sauce. The smokey plum sauce imparts a wonderfully sweet flavour and really brings the tomatoes up to the next level. Whilst Taiwan isn't world-renowned for it's tomato harvesting, these tomatoes had a great flavour and paired with the sauce, made for a refreshing salad.

7. Peppered squid 透抽 (tou4chou1)

This was another dish that was on the specials board, but well worth looking out for. The squid was lightly barbecued. The wing tips of the squid were crunchy, yet the remaining meat was cooked to perfection - slightly rubbery with a little crunch inside. The tentacles to the right of the plate were also crunchy and delicious. With a squeeze of lemon and a dip into the pepper, it is a great mouthful of food: extremely clean and delicate.

This is a restaurant I have been to a lot before, but the first time I've reviewed it. When someone asks me about sushi in Taipei, this is the first place I think about and the first place I would think about recommending for sushi in Taipei. The restaurant has a fun and busy atmosphere, the service is very good and the prices are also reasonable.

Best dish: 1. Sashimi bowl with sea urchin 海膽生魚片丼套餐 （hai3dan3sheng1yu2pian4dong4tao4can1): The sea urchin is a truly unique flavour, and certainly one I want again and again! 

Dish I won't order again: None. If I could choose not to have the shrimp and roe small plate, then I would do so. But you don't really get a choice with the fact that it is just the daily small plate. 

台北市民權東路三段107號

No. 107, Section 3, MinQuan East Road, SongShan District, Taipei City.

Happy Eating!