Austria, Vienna - Skopik and Lohn

Value for money: 10/10

Cleanliness: 10/10

Service: 10/10

Quality of food: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

It's not in Taipei, sorry. This place in Vienna, Austria, is definitely worth making the trip to if you ever find yourself lucky to be in this area.

As soon as we walked in, we were struck by the white blazers worn by the waiters and servers - definitely a cool touch!

New on the scene in 2015, Skopik and Lohn (the name) is a combination of its founders, serving up traditionally Austrian dishes with a modern edge.

Unfortunately (for you, not us at the time), the light doesn't lend itself well for pictures. So, I apologise for any dark pics.

A nice little touch was a candle in a paper bag. The way the flame dances inside the paper bag mesmerised me constantly throughout the course of the meal.


- The menu - 

Just what I like - a small menu with a great variety.

We started off with some bread: a mix of sourdough and also a type of pumpernickel, both of which were delicious.

Black pudding with potato cream and red cabbage salad
€9.00/$300TWD

Black pudding is such a weakness of mine. Any time I see it, I get it. Here, I saw it, and I wasn't disappointed. The black pudding was crispy on the outside and still slightly red and soft on the inside. 

For any that don't know - Black pudding is essentially a type of blood sausage made from pork blood and fat. 



Red beet soup with roasted apples and daikon
€5/$166TWD

Sweet, earthy and fresh flavours fill this bowl of soup. The soup was hearty and hit the spot.


Braised lamb with white bean puree and savoy cabbage
€15.50/$517TWD

Well, this was my first white bean puree. I don't know if I was much a fan of it by itself, however, together with the lamb it works perfectly.

The lamb was quite clearly braised for a long time as it fell apart even when I looked at it. The gravy was rich and thick and the cabbage was braised perfectly. A flawless dish.

Wiener Schnitzel with potato and cucumber salad
€19.50/$651TWD

The side dishes of potato salad and cucumber salad were both brilliant and we thought about asking for a refill on both bowls, alas, we didn't...

I also struggle to find flaws in this dish, too. The schnitzel was HUGE, which got my alarm bells going when it arrived. As, in Berlin, we had a terrible experience with a disgustingly thick, poster sized schnitzel that was impossible to eat.

This, however, did not fit that bill.

Paper thin, flavour in bucket loads and crispy batter. It is, hands down, the best schnitzel I have had.

Chocolate tart with salted caramel and black sesame ice cream

€8.00/$266TWD

Warm dark chocolate tart gives way to crunchy biscuit scattered on the plate, and a healthy dollop of delicious sesame ice cream.

This was the best meal we had in our 2 day (admittedly, a short time, yet still our pick of the bunch) stay in Vienna, Austria. Shortlist it for when you're there and I assure you, you won't be disappointed. 




17 Leopoldsgasse, 1020, Vienna, Austria

http://skopikundlohn.at/

Happy Eating!

My most 'Liked' pictures of 2016

2016 was up and down for me, personally. However, my blog has gone from strength to strength, as has my ability to catch a good picture.

I still have a lot to learn, that I know. Here are just some of the shots that were both my most 'liked' on social media. And also some that I 'like', too.

Happy New Year!

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1. Yu chocolatier

Mille Feuille - incredible

My most recent post on here was about Yu Chocolatier. Just off the RenAi circle in Taipei, sits this wonderful chocolatier.

What to expect: Cleanliness, precision and care in everything done. Also expect good English and knowledge of the dishes, here. 

What not to expect: Big, open spaces. There are only 4 tables inside. So, if it's a special occasion then I would suggest booking ahead. 

2. World Design Capital, 2016

Looks better than it tastes

Even though the food wasn't great, it was fun to be a part of this event held at the Mandarin Oriental hotel.

3. TaiQi Beef Noodles

Original flavour (left) and 紅燒 flavour on the right

Delicious beef noodles with some great beef to boot. Overall, definitely worth writing down for the new year.

What to expect: Salty beef with a delicious broth.

What not to expect: Cleanliness.

4. PingAn Matcha House

The matcha sharing plate

Hands down my best Matcha experience (so far) in Taipei. The closest rival is 108 Matcha Saro, but they offer up a different take on Matcha. If you go to PingAn, then make sure to get both the layer cake and also the roll - awesomeness.

What to expect: Deliciously bitter matcha in a traditionally Japanese setting.


What not to expect: You can't just order 1 thing here, as there is a minimum spend. So, don't expect an inexpensive afternoon tea. 

5. Betty's, Harrogate 

(not Taipei, but I couldn't resist...)

More tea, vicar?

Afternoon tea is a British institution and Betty's do a superb one. They're only in Yorkshire, though, and have only a handful of stores. The stores are around 4 hours drive from London and it is definitely worth spending a few days around the area as there is plenty to do!

What to expect: Quintessentially Englishness at every turn.

What not to expect: Burgers or Pizza.

6. RaoHe Nightmarket

Pork and pepper baked bun

RaoHe is increasingly popular, because of the delicious food. My top two picks are these pork and pepper baked buns and also the Chinese medicine soup. It's definitely a place to visit in the colder winter days.

What to expect: To burn your mouth (they're scaldingly hot, but smell so good. The temptation will be too great - I guarantee it).

What not to expect: To walk to the stand and get your food immediately. Lining up for 10+ minutes is a standard.

7. Roots Creative 

Shrimp Toast

A fairly recently established Taipei restaurant, with seasonal produce and fun takes on food. The menu is small, the portion sizes are good and the execution is wonderful - how can you not be happy with this?

What to expect: Menu changes with the season, meaning spectacularly fresh food.


What not to expect: Greasy food or poor presentation.

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2016 was a good year for food, let's hope that 2017 is just as exciting. I will definitely be returning to some of these restaurants posted here to get some more of their delicious offerings!




Happy Eating!

(And Happy New Year!)

Taipei City - Gēn Creative

Value for money: 10/10

Cleanliness: 10/10

Service: 10/10

Quality of food: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

This will be only my 3rd 10/10 review out of 115 posts.

Located just off DunHua South Road on the same road as Purebread Bakery is where the wonderful Roots Creative is located.

Inside there is a great atmosphere, with plenty of tables, mirrors and light but also darkness to make it feel secluded and comfortable.

The kitchen is alive with activity. However, even though it is a modest size, it is kept spotlessly clean and is ran very well by the head chef - Eric Liu.

The attention to plating detail is something to behold at any level of this standard. I love watching the intricate nature of everything going on.

The pâtissière was working hard to prepare and create deliciously wonderful desserts all night long.

^Here she was making our souffle

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The menu

The menu has been separated into 3 different main sections: Earth, Ocean and Land.

The Earth section looks to tackle the vegetarian option head on. Whilst a lot of places stick the occasional vegetarian dish on to appease those non meat eaters out there, Roots Creative don't even see it as a vegetarian option and just go for it, dedicated 1/3 of their menu to it. It all sounds lovely, using fresh and seasonal ingredients all sourced locally.

The Ocean section is something that excited me, especially that Shrimp Toast!

Finally we have the Land section, with a lovely selection of beef, pork and chicken done in a variety of ways.

I hope you saw that snack dish at the top of the menu. You saw correctly - fried soup! 

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What we ordered:

前菜

Amuse bouche 

Delicate chunks of tuna done with chilli, cilantro and daikon radish, topped with a crunchy breadcrumb. It did exactly what the amuse bouche is made to do: get you ready for more delicious food! 

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牛筋脆片

Puffed beef tenderloin

$240

Let me tell you: This tendon is braised for 8 hrs, compressed using weights on top, frozen, cut thinly and then fried in canola oil. Total processing time: 1.5 days. Damn.

It was fun to eat, not greasy at all and had lots of beef flavour. In fact, it tasted like it had been cooked in beef dripping. The dip is cilantro and lime crema which punched with flavour and the lime helped to cut through greasiness which accompanies anything that has been deep fried.

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炸湯

Fried Soup

$280

As pretty as this looks, do not try to look inside the soup balls without being ridiculously careful. It took me a long time to delicately prise one open, failing once and getting garlic soup on my trousers...

The soup inside was deliciously creamy and full of garlic flavour. The champagne vinegar added the sourness needed and lifted the dish. Delicious.

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陽明山無花果

YangMing Mountain figs with burrata

$380

I adore fresh figs and could eat them every day. These were deliciously fresh and obviously bursting with that sweet and honey-like flavour that only figs have.

The burrata is the cheese in the middle there that looks like mozzarella. In fact, burrata is made with mozzarella and cream. The skin on the outside has that thickness that mozzarella skin has, but the inside is creamier and resembles more of a cottage cheese, of sorts. It was creamy, delicate and moreish.

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深海大蝦

Shrimp Toast

$800

Marvel at the beauty in this plate. Can you see the brioche toast lurking at the bottom?

After the lobster bisque is poured over the top, the whole dish just comes to life with aroma. You feel like you're at the ocean and it's just wonderful.

The lobster bisque is fantastic, give me a bowl of that alone and I am 1 happy man. The different colours of tomato add more colour to this orange and green and red and purple plate. The shrimp are roasted to perfection and the whole dish works together in perfect harmony. No complaints. At all.

It may seem steep at $800 but I feel like it may be the best $800 I have spent on one dish.

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軟殼蟹
Soft shell crab
$680

I am not much a fan of soft shell crab, but we went for it anyway - and I am so glad that we did. It was delicious. I find soft shell crab a little disconcerting as it is just a crab that has malted and been taken before its outer shell has been allowed to harden.

The flavour was mild and delicate. However, when eaten with the red curry noodles, the flavour of the crab was a little lost. The star fruit added a nice element to cut through the curried noodles which were pretty spicy. The flavours were (again) fresh and clean. I enjoyed it, but not as much as the shrimp toast above. 

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屏東豬五花
Korean style pork
$640

Yes.

Eat your greens.

Look at that beautiful plate of pork, yum yum yum!

Take a salad leaf, put some of the daikon radish strips and the carrot on top, then top it with a piece of pork - sorted!

As for the pork - I expected it to be chewy BBQ style pork. But, it most certainly isn't. It's a slow cooked belly pork where the fat just melts away and the pork breaks apart effortlessly as you eat it. 

The sauce is a chilli sauce, which isn't too spicy but is quite salty. I liked it a lot.

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愛爾蘭咖啡
Vanilla souffle with coffee ice cream and coffee cream
$450

Check out that riiiiiiiiise.

...and again, just because.

We were recommended by the pâtissière to make a well in the center of the (incredibly velvety soft and delicious) souffle and pour the coffee cream inside. As we did so, the souffle enter oozed out and the most wonderful vanilla aroma came with it.

Adding the coffee cream just combined two wonderful flavours together and the results were mouth watering.

The coffee ice cream was flavourful and creamy, a perfect accompaniment to the dish.

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Refreshing ice cream

It was OK as a palate cleanser, but I don't think we really needed the tapioca balls. 

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Fortune cookie

The cookie was really quite nice, I always fine fortune cookies fun.

Nice to know ;-)

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Roots Creative FB

Roots Creative Website

Opening Times:

Monday - Saturday

17:30 - 22:00

Sunday

Closed

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台北市大安區敦化南路二段63巷24號

No. 24, DunHua South Road, Lane 63, Section 2, DaAn District, Taipei City

Happy Eating!