Taipei City - PAUL 保羅麵包沙龍

Value for money: 8/10

Cleanliness: 9/10

Service: 9/10

Quality of food: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

Noticed how the Taiwanese seem to idolise everything French? You must have noticed the innumerable amounts of Eiffel Tower figurines, French style bakeries and Macaroons around Taipei by now. 

Going for breakfast is certainly worth doing every now and then, as the relaxed and comfortable feel of Paul at breakfast time is something that can be enjoyed whilst further enjoying your eggs.

This isn't going to be a long post or packed with pictures. I will be keeping this one short and sweet. 

I had the Eggs Benedict with Salmon ($320). This is one of my favourite breakfasts when I eat out at any western place. However, previously eating this at The Diner made me become a little more cautious (runny hollondaise sauce and poorly cooked eggs at the DunHua Branch a while back), so I tend to save my order for places I am sure will be able to pull it off to a high standard. 

Cue - PAUL:

Two beautifully cooked poached eggs with the yolk nicely runny, plenty of thick cut smoked salmon layered on top of nice crunchy toasted bread and accompanied by a fried tomato and a salad with vinaigrette dressing on the side. Washed down with a coffee, it well and truly hits the spot.

In the morning, Paul can get a bit busy, so I did make reservations beforehand. However, this is quite easy over the phone and they are likely to speak English, too. Definitely make sure to check out their range of baked goods and pastries as they are not likely to dissapoint, too. A favourite of mine being the Strawberry mille feuille ($225)

Opening times：
Monday - Sunday
8:00 - 22:00

Phone: 02 2771 3200


PAUL's Website

PAUL on Facebook

臺北市大安區仁愛路4段107號

107 RenAi Road, Section 4, DaAn District, Taipei City.

Happy Eating! 

*Special* London Borough Market

I recently took a trip back to the UK, so thought I'd document one of the oldest and best markets for foodies in London.

Monmouth

Monmouth coffee is definitely the place to be starting off your Borough Market journey. You'd need this in order to conquer the masses of people if you decide to tackle Borough Market on the weekend.

Flat White $140

Solid Flat white. The milk tastes like full-fat milk and gives it a good depth of flavour. The coffee itself is also very nice.

If you start at Monmouth Coffee, as I did, and work your way through the south section of Borough Market without grabbing any food (I'd be very shocked, for one), then I would highly recommend HOBBS.


HOBBS

I went for N0. 4. 

If you really want your fill of English snacks, then try the Pork Scratchings here. Crunchy, salty, fatty, moreish and as English as it gets.  

If you can't visualize what meat you can see or match it up with the menu, then just go for the classic - point and nod.

The Number 4 -  Louisiana BBQ Beef Brisket with caramelized onions and horseradish mayonnaise. 

$241

I think, from this picture, that the beef here looks a bit dry. But, it most certainly isn't. The beef in this brisket sandwich is deliciously succulent, and the fried onions are in no way greasy, either. The horseradish cream used inside gives a big kick (bordering on too much) of fresh spice that can be likened to Wasabi.

However, it isn't quite worth the price tag, I don't think. 

Next on the list: 

The Veggie Table

Borough market has such a diverse collection of stalls and restaurants ranging from oysters to fine Spanish prosciutto's.

However, we went for The Veggie Table, here. The Veggie table offer up all sorts of vegetarian and vegan quick bites.

On the right is the Heavenly Halloumi Cheese Burger, and on the left is the Sweet Potato Chickpea Burger.

As they were out of buns :-( I went for the Heavenly Halloumi Cheese Burger 'on a leaf'. The burger itself is a very strange texture and feels soft, mushy and not an altogether pleasant consistency.

As for the taste: it was good. I am not going to wax lyrical and say it was the best thing I have ever tried, but it offered up some clean flavours and paired with the red pickled onions quite well.

I didn't eat the leaf.


Finally... 

One of the amazing things about Borough Market is that it is a short (5mins or so) walk from The Thames, with such views of Paul's Cathedral. If it's a nice day (rare, I know) then I would highly recommend a walk along the riverside or even hop onto a boat using your oyster card, seeing the city from a different point of view. 

Just imagine there aren't any cranes to block out this otherwise quite pretty skyline.


The Veggie Table

Monmouth Coffee

HOBBS

Borough Market Webpage



Eating in Taipei

Happy Eating! 

And travelling.

Taipei City - 施家麻油腰花 XinYi Sesame oil chicken

Value for money: 8/10

Cleanliness: 7/10

Service: 9/10

Quality of food: 9/10

Overall: 8/10

I've never been to this area out near MRT Elephant Mountain station in the XinYi area, but this place is definitely worth a look!

Organs splayed out on an ice slab isn't the nicest thing to see...

You can opt for a normal soup 清湯 sesame oil soup 麻油湯.

What we ordered:

1. 麻油豬肝湯 má yóu zhū gān tāng Sesame oil soup with liver $70

2. 麻油腰花湯 má yóu yāo huā tāng Sesame oil soup with kidneys $120

3. 滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn Braised pork over rice $30

1. 麻油豬肝湯 má yóu zhū gān tāng Sesame oil soup with liver $70

It's been a while since I have eaten liver, but I won't be leaving it so long now I know this place exists. 

The portion of liver in the soup is really very plentiful. It's thinly sliced so it has only been flash cooked in the pan. This means that it remains really soft and retains its wonderfully silky texture.

Anyone new to sesame oil soup - this is what you're looking for. You don't want a huge amount of oiliness, but you should still expect some. A kind of rice wine is used during the cooking process which gives it an almost flowery and floral aroma and taste. It's got quite a 'thin' taste, if that makes sense? It looks like it's going to taste quite thick and heavy, but it doesn't.

2. 麻油腰花湯 má yóu yāo huā tāng Sesame oil soup with kidneys $120

This is a little bit more pricey, but still a solid choice.

Again, there is a more than ample portion of kidney going on in here. The kidney is quite clearly fresh and it has a wonderful taste. Kidney doesn't pack huge amounts of flavour, however it is cooked, but the texture is very good, too. 

3. 滷肉飯 lǔ ròu fàn Braised pork over rice $30

I've spoken about this numerous times before, but braised pork over rice is something that everybody should have in their lives, especially this one! The pork and fat melt in your mouth and allow the crunchiness of the pickled radish to contrast the softness (but not too soft) of the rice. It's perfect, really.

Overall, I would recommend this place to anyone - it is a true Taiwanese experience!

Best dish: 1. 麻油豬肝湯 má yóu zhū gān tāng Sesame oil soup with liver $70 - Awesome, on every level!

Dish I wouldn't order again: 2. 麻油腰花湯 má yóu yāo huā tāng Sesame oil soup with kidneys $120 - Only because the liver is so much more awesome, and also the braised pork over rice also is, too!


臺北市信義區松山路540巷538號

No. 538, Alley 540, SongShan Road, XinYi District, Taipei City

Happy Eating!