Taipei City - Where can you get Western food in Taipei?

My site isn't necessarily built up for discovering Western food in Taipei, but obviously I still go to a lot of westernized restaurants, as Taipei is a capital city and has a diverse array of Western food. 

These are only a pick of a few Western restaurants dotted around the city. Click on the links in the name for a more extensive review.

(N.B. I will only be posting 7/10 and above restaurants)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whalen's 味鄰

Whalen's FB

What to expect: 
'Comfort food' is the order of the day here. Expect generous portions, with all the trimmings.

What not to expect: 
Fine dining. That's not to say the dining experience isn't good, but I mean that you don't have to think twice about which type of cutlery to use with which dish or which sauce to drizzle delicately over which deviled oyster.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul

What to expect:

Paul is a chain restaurant/bakery with many international branches. Expect French styled food which is consistently good each time you go.

What not to expect:

Snails or frogs legs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RAW

What to expect:

Interesting and thought provoking dishes with excellent precision in execution.

What not to expect:

An inexpensive meal. Expect to pay anything between $3,000 - $7,000TWD for a 2 person meal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BING

What to expect:

Excellent burgers and excellent side dishes.

What not to expect:

Fast food at fast food prices. Expect time and care taken in creating your dish, and a solid price tag to boot.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pond Burger

What to expect:

A slightly Taiwanese take on western food. Good salad and a solid burger.

What not to expect:

Generous portions of fish in your salad.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Take Five

What to expect:

Delicious deli food such as quiches, sandwiches, ratatouille etc.

What not to expect:

Burger and fries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bencotto

What to expect:

A beautiful date place set in The Mandarin Oriental Hotel with delicious Italian food at great prices.

What not to expect:

Unlike many 'Italian' places in Taipei, this place genuinely feels like it is REALLY 'Italian'.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dazzle

What to expect:

Humbling Indian food with plenty of flavour and a good level of spice.

What not to expect:

Refined plating skills. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April Trip Breakfast

What to expect:
Bowls of cereal and solid breakfast burgers/sandwiches.

What not to expect:
A long lie in, this place is in DanShui/Tamsui

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Purebread Bakery

What to expect:
Delicious croissants likened to the ones sold in France, and bread enough to rival any other bakery in the city.

What not to expect:
Habitually sweet bread like most places in Taipei. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Garret

What to expect:
A lot of variations on flavour.


What not to expect:
Butterkist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Illy Cafe

What to expect:
A decent enough attempt at a western breakfast.

What not to expect:
Sweet sausage.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

September Cafe

What to expect:
Delicious french toast. With plenty of light inside.

What not to expect:
Small tables, they're all huge!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caliburger

What to expect:
Great fries and deliciously simple burgers with great pickles.

What not to expect:
In-N-Out burger

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mia Cucina

What to expect:
Hearty salads and delicious toasted sandwiches.

What not to expect:

Meat. This place is vegetarian.

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

A collection of some of my favourites, so far...

As I reach 20,000 views on my website, I would like to share with all of you who have supported me, in one way or another, my top 10 restaurants/stalls/places I've posted about.

This is my top 10, but they're in no particular order - click the title for the link to my original post to read more.

Enjoy!

1. 阜杭豆漿

Recommended order: 鹹豆漿 xián dòu jiāng Salty soy milk

2. Whalens

Recommended order: Mexican or Maple and Bacon Poutine.

3. 香港茶水攤 茶餐廳


Recommended order: 星洲炒米粉 xīng zhōu chǎo mǐ fěn Spicy Singapore vermicelli AND 
黑米仙草奶撈 hēi mǐ xiān cǎo nǎi lào Wild rice, grass jelly and milk pudding

4. 林東芳牛肉麵


Recommended order: 牛肉麵 niú ròu miàn Beef noodles

5. WAYO

Recommended order: WAYO fried chicken

 


6. 永樂市場


Recommended order:  米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng  Rice noodle soup AND 炸蚵仔 zhá é zi Fried oysters

7. Caliburger

Recommended order: Cali Double w/ fries and a Strawberry Milkshake.

8. 平安京茶事 


Recommended order: 千層 qiān céng Green tea layered cake

9. RAW


Recommended order: It's a tasting menu, so you have no choice. But, that being said, I am sure you'll love it!

10. Bencotto

Recommended order: Brasato - 12hour braised Wagyu beef cheek, mashed potato and green peas with prosciutto

As ever, Happy Eating!

Taipei City - Mandarin Oriental Hotel - Bencotto

Value for money: 10/10

Cleanliness: 10/10

Service: 10/10

Quality of food: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

So many times have I avoided Italian food in Taipei due to a few bad experiences, but I had heard great things about this place. And, as you can see by my rating for Bencotto, it didn't disappoint in any way. 

Inside the restaurant there are vast areas of open space and it doesn't feel crowded in any way. 

There are areas of relaxed seating, too.

The kitchen is vast and looks wonderfully clean.

The wine cellar is right near the back of the restaurant and you can go in to look at the wines and choose which one you'd like. Heaven! 

Here's what we ordered:

1. 4 Course dinner $1,800

1a. Cappesante E Frutto Della Passione - Hokkaido scallop, passion fruit and braised lettuce.

1b. Maltagliatali Al Reagu Di Vitello E Funghi - Hand-cut tagliatelle, Canadian milk fed veal ragout and mushrooms.

1c. Brasato - 12hour braised Wagyu beef cheek, mashed potato and green peas with prosciutto.

1d. Cannoli Siciliani - Ricotta and chocolate filled pastry cone

2. Pecorino di Fossa - sheeps milk cheese aged underground $450 

3. Special selection Carnaroli Acquerello Risotto aged for 12 months - Saffron risotto with wine glazed duck tongue $600

4. 2 Glasses of Berlucchi 61 Brut $800 (each glass is $400)

1. 4 Course dinner $1,800

1a. Cappesante E Frutto Della Passione - Hokkaido scallop, passion fruit and braised lettuce.

I was a bit wary of the passion fruit in the dish but it turns out it is really just a light sauce, which marries well with the scallop. Scallops are among one of my favourite things to eat, and I was very pleased with the dish. The braised lettuce is a little weird, but this may be a personal taste - I don't like my lettuce warm.

1b. Maltagliatali Al Reagu Di Vitello E Funghi - Hand-cut tagliatelle, Canadian milk fed veal ragout and mushrooms.

This hand-cut tagliatelle gives a very vintage look and is left quite thick with an al-dente bite to it. The meat sauce is pretty decent and is quite rich.

1c. Brasato - 12hour braised Wagyu beef cheek, mashed potato and green peas with prosciutto.

This was the star dish.

Smooth mashed potatoes served next to a pea and prosciutto mix and served with this sensational piece of beef cheek, which has been braised for 12 hours.

The meat just falls apart at the slightest touch and is so amazingly rich and full of flavour. The sauce compliments everything nicely, imparting a further richness. 

1d. Cannoli Siciliani - Ricotta and chocolate filled pastry cone

The cannoli is a Sicilian specialty consisting of a fried pastry, usually filled with a mix including a ricotta.

This cannoli was decent, filled with a ricotta and chocolate mix. It's served with a raspberry jelly-like substance and an ice-cream. 

2. Pecorino di Fossa - sheeps milk cheese aged underground $450 

Fantastic! Pecorino is one of my favourite cheeses - a sheeps/goats milk cheese which has a very strong and unique flavour to it. There were 4 bits of pecorino, served with two pieces of bruschetta and a nice salad.

3. Special selection Carnaroli Acquerello Risotto aged for 12 months - Saffron risotto with wine glazed duck tongue $600

Glazed duck tongue, really? Yep, and it was great! However, I did manage to hold off on taking a close up of one of the duck tongues - I thought it was a bit too much.

The taste of the glazed duck tongue was very good, and the risotto held a wonderfully luxurious consistency with great depths of flavour.

4. 2 Glasses of Berlucchi 61 Brut $800 (each glass is $400)

We indulged in a couple of glasses of some of the Brut, too. Solid!

Overall, I was hugely impressed with Bencotto. As you exit the elevator, you arrived in the restaurant immediately and the lights are dimmed down with big tables and a relaxed and quiet atmosphere. The kitchen seems to tick along nicely and every member of the staff we spoke to seemed knowledgeable. The staff explained the dishes both in English and Chinese, speaking pretty decent English, too.

I feel that the quality of the food for the price is very difficult to beat!

Best dish: 1c. Brasato - 12hour braised Wagyu beef cheek, mashed potato and green peas with prosciutto - Just awesome.

Dish I wouldn't order again: I'd gladly order all of them over and over again. 

Opening times:

Lunch time 12:00 - 14:30

Dinner time 17:30 - 22:00

motpe-dining@mohg.com

+886227156868

Menu PDF

Set Menu PDF

Set Lunch Menu

Bencotto's Website

Eating in Taipei

Happy Eating!