Taipei City - 光羽塩 LyTea

Value for money: 7/10

Cleanliness: 6/10

Service: 7/10

Quality of food: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Rent a scooter for the afternoon and scoot up to MaoKong from the Zoo, but make sure to stop here along the way.

That's not a bad view, agreed?

And the menu is also in English, too.

I've had the tea here, before. It is good, and certainly worth doing if you're only in Taipei for a short time, as the tea ceremony is something to truly enjoy and savour. Check out this tea video on youtube for more information (this is not my video, I just share it as an example of what I believe to be a good example of a Chinese tea ceremony).

1. 鐵觀音拿鐵 TieGuanYin (Iron Buddha) Latte $230

We went for the Iron Buddha, or TieGuanYin tea. This is a tea known to be grown in the MuZha area of Taipei, where MaoKong is situated. This tea isn't brewed in the special way in which the others are, however, it is still adequate for your tea fix. It can be a little sweet, if your latte is made using the standard amount (over the top amount) of sugar that a lot of the Taiwanese enjoy. So, be sure to get either 微糖  Less Sugar (wēi táng) or 無糖 No Sugar (wú táng). 

2. 茶油麵線 chá yóu miàn xiàn Tea oil rice noodles $120

3. 蟹黃豆腐煲 xiè huáng dòu fǔ bāo Steamed tofu in crab roe $280

3. 蟹黃豆腐煲 xiè huáng dòu fǔ bāo Steamed tofu in crab roe $280

This is one of the reasons why this place got a 6/10 for cleanliness. Don't serve anyone a broken anything: be it a bowl, plate, cup or glass. How are we to know whether it was broken during the dishing up process, cleaning process or some other time? I fished around at the bottom, first, until I could be sure that there was no shards inside the dish - fortunately, there wasn't. 

As for the taste: it was really quite nice. The crab roe made the soup broth quite thick and tasty. There wasn't an overpowering crab flavour I thought there could have been upon seeing the colour of the fish. However, the flavour was mild and pleasant. The tofu had a softness inside with a nice resistant skin on the outside. It's pretty good, actually! 

2. 茶油麵線 chá yóu miàn xiàn Tea oil rice noodles $120

Another reason why this place only receives a 6/10 for cleanliness, check out the top of the bowl: Poor form.

Tea leaves serve as a good addition to a light oil for these noodles to be cooked in for a brief moment. They are served with a little extra oil over the top with garlic and roasted onions. They're quite good, but they are also a little soggy. I've had better tea oil noodles from the other side of the MaoKong valley (yet to blog, though).

Overall, this place is certainly less visited than other more popular spots at the top of MaoKong. It would only be 10-15mins walk from the top, too! Take a stroll on a nice day and get a good view of the Taipei basin in all its glory.

Opening times:

Tuesday - Thursday 11:00-00:00

Friday and Saturday 11:00-03:00

Sunday 11:00-00:00

Monday - Closed

Tel:

02 2939 4050

LyTea's Website

LyTea on Facebook

臺北市文山區指南路3段38巷2號14之

14之2, Lane 38, Section 3, ZhiNan Road, WenShan District, Taipei City

Happy Eating! 

Taipei City - Purebread

Value for money: 9/10

Cleanliness: 10/10

Service: 10/10

Quality of food: 10/10

Overall: 9/10

There's not a lot else inside this little bakery, but it isn't needed. You can see croissant, pain au chocolat, morning buns and pain au raisin on the front and on the back shelf are a range of sourdough breads.

To the right side (and what you can mainly see beckoning you in from the window outside), we have Kouign amann, almond croissant , focaccia and also mexican bread at the back. 

I also couldn't help but indulge in the French baguette, too! (which was available from around 11am).

1. Kouign Amann $50

This is a delicious little pastry to help your morning coffee go down all the smoother. Made with orange zest, it pops with citrus notes and the caramelized sugary crust underneath gives a great texture to the flaky and light pastry. 


2. Morning bun $70

The morning bun is made with cinnamon, and as so carries an incredible aroma. This was my favourite of the two, I really can't recommend this enough. Flaky layers of pastry folded together and sandwiched with cinnamon and butter - how can you not like this?

3. Almond Croissant $80

Plenty of lightly toasted almonds on top mix together in one mouthful with crunchy pastry and almonds inside. It's another great pastry. However, I think I actually prefer the plain croissant $55.


Only having been here for 6 months, Purebread is still new on the scene in Taipei. However, I have no doubt it will succeed, as the bread is delicious, and the pastry even more so. I do think, also, that it is competitive with pricing against chain bakeries such as Gakuden, 85, Sunmerry etc. Yet, I believe the quality to be much greater than those.

In addition, the road it's on is ideal for picking up a pastry from here and then sitting outside one of the many coffee shops situated on the road. That's exactly what I did with Purebread and Cafe Doux - wonderful morning!


Opening times:
Thursday - Monday 10:00 - 21:00
Tuesday & Wednesday closed


臺北市大安區四維路154巷15號

No. 15, Lane 154, SiWei Road, DaAn District, Taipei City.

Happy Eating!

Taipei City - World Design Capital 2016

I was really fortunate to have received an invitation to the World Design Capital 2016, this year taking part in Taipei, Taiwan. 

It was a special event, at The Mandarin Oriental Hotel (where the awesome Bencotto is located). Whilst this doesn't follow the theme of my previous posts, I feel it is something I'd like to share with you, regardless.

World Design Capital 2016

Can you guess the theme? Yeh, purple. Everything was purple, which made photography a nightmare for the less advanced photographer of myself. Therefore, all of my photos are provided to me by The World Design Capital 2016. The event, itself, was quite large with a lot of differing nationalities in attendance, also being sponsored by RADO.

2 prizes were up for the grabs, they were:

1. World Design Impact Prize

2. Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award

1. World Design Impact Prize

World Design Capital 2016

The World Design Impact Prize was presented to Warka Water for their design of a water catchment system which allows the more rural communities where water isn't so readily available, to access clean drinking water. Warka Water doesn't offer this as a solution, but more of a temporary aid until something more reliable can be put in place for such communities. 

World Design Capital 2016

Nice flower, right? All jokes aside, what Warka Water and their Italian designers have done is create a very useful water system that can aid the communities where such aid often doesn't reach. A great idea, and deserving of the prize, in my humble opinion.

2. Special Award for Social Design of the Golden Pin Design Award

World Design Capital 2016

5% Design Action Social Innovation Platform won the Golden Pin Design Award, the idea behind 5% is that it invite designers and professionals from a range of fields to pitch in just 5% of their free time to develop a whole host of societal challenges and public/private sector challenges, too. 

Recent projects that 5% have focused on are: cancer screening service design and also sustainable agriculture experience design. 5%, I am sure, will continue to develop greatly following this award. The idea sounds an interesting one and certainly one that looks to bring together a whole host of professionals to brainstorm ideas in a non-profit scenario, also with an online membership of over 2,000, too. 

BUT, I cannot, talk about this kind of event without mentioning the food:

World Design Capital 2016

Can't start the evening without some cocktails...

World Design Capital 2016

The starter was a selection of tomatoes, skin off, and seemed to have been marinated in a plum juice with thinly sliced radish and some micro greens on top. It looks great, but it simply served as a palette cleaner. It didn't sing with flavour, but it was alright.

World Design Capital 2016

The soup was very suspect, for starters: It was grey! Grey soup? Not a fan. I think food need to be both visually exciting as well as tasty. This was tasty enough, but it was grey. In all honesty, I don't know what the flavour was as the greyness put me off so much that I only had a spoonful.

World Design Capital 2016

This was the chicken, you could also have had either the fish or the vegetarian, too. The fish resembled this plate exactly, with the only difference being a substitution of fish for chicken. The potato on the plate was a purple potato but I find that it can go grey in colour (perhaps what the soup was made of, too) when it is mashed. I wasn't a fan, it was quite starchy. The chicken was delicious and the vegetables were also well cooked. 

I find that with big banquets such as this, it is difficult for 1. The food to be kept hot without losing its integrity and 2. The dish to be exciting. 

Often it is easier to make it visually appealing as you can systematically plate each dish to be a carbon copy of the previous one and arrange it ahead of time just to place the meat on last. However, it often means that unless the plate is piping hot, the vegetables arrive cold. This was what happened. I cannot blame The Mandarin Oriental or any of the cooking staff, it is just what happens at such events.

Overall, The World Design Capital 2016 was a great success with some showcasing of design and creative success for some worthy organisations. It was an honour to be invited, and I await the further development of both Warka Water and 5% Design Action Social Innovation Platform, good luck to them in their future development stages!

Furthermore, thank you to The World Design Capital 2016 for my invitation and for the use of their photographs (much more professional than my purple snaps I took). I have my creative mind on, now, and I await to see further developments in the creative side of Taipei for years to come!

Ash.

Eating in Taipei

Taipei City - Whalen's 味鄰 (round 2)

Value for money: 8/10

Cleanliness: 9/10

Service: 10/10

Quality of food: 8/10

Overall: 8/10

This is an update on the food at Whalen's, as I have already posted about my first visit here: First Visit 2015/09/05.

Since this is an update on the food, please look to my original post for pictures of the restaurant. However, the menu has just been updated, so the new menu is as below: 

And the Chinese menu:

Moosehead is a Canadian beer (fitting, for a Canadian restaurant) and is brewed in Nova Scotia, Canada, in its 6th generation of family ownership - going strong! I've seen this beer around a few other places in Taipei, too. But mostly the green bottled Mooshead lager. I much prefer the Moosehead Pale Ale, here. But beer is very much a personal preference, as I know some people adore Stella Artois but some people hate it with a passion. So, I'll let you try it first, then decide.

1. 菠菜洋薊醬 bō cài yáng jì jiàng 

Spinach and artichoke dip w/ home cooked tortilla chips $230

The tortilla's here are thin and crispy, and not that greasy for saying they've just been fried on site. They yield a great crunch and pair well with the cheesy, rich flavour of the artichoke and spinach dip. There's lots of cheese in the dip so it is very thick, but that's got to be a good thing, right?! Good flavours all around.

2. 費城牛排堡 fèi chéng niú pái bǎo 

The Philly Sandwich w/side order of cheeseburger poutine $360

The Philly steak is something that is very popular throughout the world, with many sandwiches entertaining it. Thin cuts of beef in a rich onion gravy put inside a warm ciabatta - my mouth salivates at the thought. We paired it up with the cheeseburger poutine which is meat overload heaven. It looks, and is, very rich. But it's delicious! The burger has been cooked and broken up into smaller pieces and scattered amongst the cheesy poutine layered with a bbq sauce. 

3. 牛肉千層麵 niú ròu qiān céng miàn 

Lasagna $350

I'm not a great fan of eating lasagne out for dinner (or lunch) because my mum makes a great lasagna. So I am of the opinion that others won't match up. Unfortunately, this one also didn't match up to my high lasagna expectations, however, that isn't to say that it isn't a good lasagna - because it is. 

The lasagna has many layers and each are sandwiched with beef mince in a tomato sauce. Cheese is sprinkled on top and it's baked in the oven. For me, the lasanga sheets were a little too soft, and could do with having a bit more of a bite. Additionally (and maybe it's a personal preference), It could have done with perhaps grilling on top to make the cheese bubble and the edges of the lasagna get a nice charring.

Side order of Maple Bacon Poutine

Sounds wrong, on so many levels. But, it's so right on all of them! 

Maple + Bacon + Cheese + fries = Happiness.

I'm a fan of the whole slightly sweet saltiness going on in the dish, and I would order it again and again (and I will do, on my next visit).

4. 白巧克力布郎尼  bái qiǎo kè lì bù lǎng ní 

White chocolate brownie $160

At this point I was full beyond words, but can't refuse a dessert. The brownie was heated up before serving and the outside was crispy, whilst the inside gooey and cakey. It is quite a heavy piece of brownie, so maybe don't eat a lasagna and a side order of poutine after an appetiser and a beer, followed by the brownie. 

Granola

You absolutely cannot leave Whalen's without trying their granola. You can also buy it to take out at $100/100g. I would strongly recommend doing this！ 

In addition, Whalen's now has a new Poutine Punch Card. The Poutine Punch Card works like this: every time you order a poutine, get a stamp. When you reach 10 poutines, have your 11th for free. If you like late night guilty pleasures, Whalen's is your place. If you're looking to satiate that need for a cheat meal, then Whalen's is your place. 

I can now happily say that I am an avid fan of the Poutine. I'm definitely going back.

Opening times:

Monday - Thursday 11:00 - 21:00

Friday 11:00 - 00:00

Saturday 00:15 - 00:00

Sunday 00:15 - 21:00

Tel:
02 2739 3037

Whalen's on Facebook

Happy Eating!