Friday, October 21, 2016

Taipei City - Why I love the Taiwanese breakfast

Let's go back to basics. 
Here are the breakfasts you should be enjoying whilst in Taiwan:


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Fried egg pancake 
蛋餅
Fried egg pancakes are just one of those Taiwanese breakfast staples that pretty much every breakfast store sells. At anything between $30-$70, they're certainly affordable! Often with such fillings as bacon, cheese, potato salad, tuna or corn, there's something to please everyone. 




A good place to start would be Loco Food in the ZhongShan District, make sure to try their tuna fried egg pancake!

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Steamed bun 
包子
When we talk about steamed bun, there are a whole host of different flavours, but the most popular one by far is the pork bun. You can buy these from 7-11 for around $30 or buy them from a smaller Taiwanese breakfast store, too.

You can even get one that doesn't have meat inside (饅頭）and they can fry an egg and put it inside for you. Delicious, and sure to fill your belly to start the day.


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Soy Milk 
豆將
Soy milk should be the drink of choice for your Taiwanese breakfast. It is said to have its origins in YongHe 永和 which is located in the New Taipei City area. My recommendation 100% goes to YongHe Soy Milk Magnate 世界豆漿大王 located near DingXi MRT station. 

Day or night, this place is booming, 24hrs a day. You can have it hot, cold, warm, sugary, unsweetened and salty with egg – so many ways to get your soy milk fix! For the seasoned soy milk drinker, go for the unsweetened one, but for the first time drinker I think the best way to start is cold and sugary.


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Breakfast sandwiches
Just like in the west, Taiwanese people love a good sandwich and like to put their own twist on them. My favourite is 上山採覓 up in the ZhongShan District of Taipei near SongShan airport, where they first toast their bread over coals and then fill it with pork floss and fried egg. 

They also roast their tea over the coals and produce a delicious latte to kick off your morning, too.


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Fried radish cake 
蘿蔔糕
The Daikon radish is ever present in Asian dishes, none more so than the fried radish cake so often consumed for breakfast in Taipei. Also very popular in Cantonese style Dim Sum, the radish is processed into a paste, bacon pieces are added, slices are cut and it is then fried on the hot plate with a fried egg on top. 
A photo posted by @bailittlebai on

Each breakfast place does theirs slightly differently, but I would say Tim Ho Wan would be a great option as theirs is wonderfully crispy on the outside, but deliciously soft on the in.

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Fried dough sticks 
油條
These dough sticks are fried fresh for you, and are dunked into your morning soy milk. They are (often, but not always) around 1 foot (30cm) long and can also be placed inside a toasted pastry 燒餅 and eaten like a sandwich. 

My recommendation is definitely the ones at FuHang Soy Milk 阜杭豆漿 but be prepared to wait, as this place gets busy! 

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 Steamed Soup Dumplings
小籠包
Regardless of what time of day it is, these little beauties will hit the spot. For breakfast, it is certainly one of the best!



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 This post is only a brief outline of what I like to eat, and what I feel you should be eating here, too. Breakfast is my favourite meal of the day, so I like to take my time and really enjoy it. 

 If you have any recommendations on where your favourite breakfast is, then let me know!
Happy Eating!

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posted by Unknown @ October 21, 2016   0 Comments

Monday, September 05, 2016

Taipei City - 伊洛瓦底 ShiDa Nightmarket Thai style food

Value for money: 8/10
Cleanliness: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Quality of food: 7/10
Overall: 7/10


This isn't Thai food, I am afraid to say. But, more a Taiwanese version of Thai food. 

Unfortunately it was raining so heavily that I couldn't take outside pictures...


Basically their entire set menu accounts for each person spending $300.


The dishes can easily be substituted, so if your Chinese is good enough, you can ask.

 We went for Meal F, but we changed the 1st dish (Red thai chicken curry) to Beef curry.
Set Meal F - $600

 1. 豆皮龍鬚菜 dòu pí lóng xū cài 
Tofu skin and gurka sprout stir fry
($200)

2. 咖哩牛肉 gā lí niú ròu 
Beef curry 
($200)

3. 泰式海鮮酸辣湯 tài shì hǎi xiān suān là tāng 
Thai style sweet and sour soup 
($200)


1. 豆皮龍鬚菜 dòu pí lóng xū cài 
Tofu skin and gurka sprout stir fry
($200)


 Just the way I like it: fresh stir fried leaves with lots of garlic and tofu skin - delicious!
2. 咖哩牛肉 gā lí niú ròu 
Beef curry 
($200)


 I had been craving a thai curry but didn't want chicken, and this was the only one they could provide us with in the set. The result? A sub-par beef curry that was too oily.
3. 泰式海鮮酸辣湯 tài shì hǎi xiān suān là tāng 
Thai style sweet and sour soup 
($200)


 I like a good hot and sour soup, but I must confess: the one I make is better :-)


 I did enjoy the shrimp/prawn a lot, though (2 shrimp/prawns per soup)


 And, to be fair, there were some lovely big chunks of fresh fish which tasted alright, too.
The bottom line
If you want cheap Thai style food, go here. If you want authentic Thai food, don't go here.
Opening times:
Monday - closed
Tuesday - Sunday 11:30-14:00 and 17:00 - 21:00

 Tel:
02 2363 8906

 台北市大安區龍泉街76號

 No. 76, LongQuan Road, DaAn District, Taipei City



Happy Eating!

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posted by Unknown @ September 05, 2016   0 Comments

Saturday, July 30, 2016

Taipei City - 阿月子油飯 Ah Yue Zi Oily rice

Value for money: 9/10
Cleanliness: 6/10
Service: 6/10
Quality of food: 9/10
Overall: 7/10


Tucked in an alley just off 泰順街 TaiShun Street near the ShiDa area of Taipei, waits this 38 year old restaurant.



These being the characters for oily rice - 油飯 yóu fàn 


It's not a big place, and most of the rice sells out by around 12 mid-day. It opens up early in the morning, but shuts at 14:00, so get there early on. 


At a guess, there are around 10 tables inside (including both rooms)



Usually a huge fan of the oily tofu 油豆腐, we decided to stick to what we heard was good, here. But, that will be tried next time, I'll make sure of that!


 Certainly not a big menu, but these were what they still had when we got there around 12:30. It's very reasonably priced.


 So, here's what we ordered:

 1. 油飯 yóu fàn
Oily rice
$35 

 2. 米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng 
Rice noodle soup
$25

 3. 油豆腐 yóu dòu fǔ 
Oily Tofu
$15

 4. 綜合黑白切 zōng hé hēi bái qiē 
A mix of meat with offal
$50

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 1. 油飯 yóu fàn
Oily rice
$35 


 Solid performance all round by this bowl of oily rice! However, I do prefer the one at YongLe Market...

2. 米粉湯 mǐ fěn tāng 
Rice noodle soup
$25


 This is delicious, and probably on par with the oily rice, I feel. The noodles were superb and the flavour was great.

3. 油豆腐 yóu dòu fǔ 
Oily Tofu
$15
+
4. 綜合黑白切 zōng hé hēi bái qiē 
A mix of meat with offal
$50

 They put the tofu on the side of this dish (the right side). The tofu was very tasty and even though we only ordered 1 piece, they seemed to give us two. So, either their 1 piece is 2 squares of tofu, or they were feeling generous toward the end of the shift...?


There is a sign (I forgot to get a picture) near this little 'help yourself' trolley, telling you to be aware that the hot sauce is HOT. So, only take a bit. Let me tell you, it is HOT HOT HOT! Do listen to them (not like me, I took too much and couldn't finish it) and only take a little. It really does go a long way. Even though it is 'burn your tongue' hot, it has a good depth of flavour. 


Opening Times:
Tuesday - Sunday 
07:00 - 14:00
Monday - Off


Tel:
02 2362 6589


臺北市大安區泰順街2巷4號

No4, Lane 2, TaiShun Street, DaAn District, Taipei City




Happy Eating!

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posted by Unknown @ July 30, 2016   0 Comments

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Taipei City - 平安京茶事


Value for money: 8/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Service: 10/10
Quality of food: 9/10

Overall: 9/10

This is just an update on the post above. This time we ordered slightly differently, so take a look at both posts to see which you prefer.

 Basically this should be called:
"The Everything Set"
$1000

Because that's pretty much what you get: a bit of everything!

Ok, so, here we have: Matcha cream roll, Matcha madeleine, Matcha Canale, Matcha Layer Cake and a Japanese rose dessert.

Wow, wow, wow! This is just a Matcha overload all crammed in to one picture.

 Matcha cream roll - 10/10 show-stopping. We went for a no added sugar option of the matcha cream. We were warned it would be bitter, but we both absolutely love matcha tea, so this was no issue in any way whatsoever. However, for the not so regular matcha consumer, I would probably recommend a slightly sweetened version.

 Matcha madeleine - 8/10 Really very good! My reason for the 8/10 is that it was bordering on the dry side. However, it is worth noting that it is still awesome and definitely worth getting. Maybe I am just being over-critical because the cream roll and the layer cake were just that good.

 Matcha Canale - 8/10 Also very good. However, the outside wasn't quite crispy by the time it had got to us, and the centre was quite cold, too. It had definitely been left to cool and then put in the fridge. Which, in itself, is understandable as they can't be expected to bake them to order, however, I have had better elsewhere.

 Matcha Layer Cake - 10/10 An absolute winner every time. This is a must-order here. It hasn't changed from the first time I came and I never want it to.

 Japanese rose dessert - 8/10 A Japanese slightly sweetened dessert with a wonderfully fresh and floral rose flavour. A delicious end to a lovely meal.

 Matcha Ice cream sundae - 8/10 Top drawer matcha, but maybe a personal taste of not particularly liking tapioca balls means this only scores 8, for me. The matcha ice cream isn't sweet but the matcha latte within is a little sweet. Using Hokkaido milk, the ice cream is thick and rich - delicious! At the bottom of the glass there are plenty of tapioca balls, if this is what you are into (I, however, am not. Unless they are at 陳三鼎).

Can't come here and not get a cup of wonderful Matcha. We got this as part of the meal, simply swapping out the Matcha Latte and ordering this instead. I am not a big fan of latte, especially when a cup of matcha is on the cards. You don't get a big cup, but the matcha is of a high quality, imported from Kyoto (the home of Matcha) and really ticks all of the boxes when it comes to taste. Served with a cherry blossom flower on top.

Tel:
02 2368 2277

Opening hours:
The first Monday of the month Off
Every day 12:30 - 21:30

Week days before 18:00 minimum charge of $300 per person
Week days after 18:00 minimum charge of $150 per person

Weekends before 18:00 minimum charge of $450 per person
Weekends after 18:00 minimum charge of $300 per person

平安京茶事 on Facebook


Eating in Taipei
Happy Eating!

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posted by Unknown @ May 24, 2016   0 Comments

Monday, May 02, 2016

Taipei City - 橫浜蛋包飯 Taipower egg covered rice

Value for money: 8/10
Cleanliness: 6/10
Service: 8/10
Quality of food: 6/10
Overall: 7/10



This is a fairly standard evening meal, no frills or anything. But, let's face it, it looks pretty interesting?



 It's right near ShiDa nightmarket and MRT Taipower Building Station, prime student area.

You can get a meal from $90 - $160 depending on what you fancy - not a bad evening meal price, really.


Here's what we ordered:

1. 特製蛋包飯 (茄汁飯) tè zhì dàn bāo fàn  (qié zhī fàn ) 
Special egg covered tomato rice
$100

2. 咖哩豬肉蛋包飯 kā lī zhū ròu dàn bāo fàn 
Pork with curry over egg covered rice
$130

Soup is provided and you can refill your own drinks.


1. 特製蛋包飯 (茄汁飯) tè zhì dàn bāo fàn  (qié zhī fàn ) 
Special egg covered tomato rice
$100


 This sauce is very close to the sweet and sour sauce which you can find in many Cantonese take outs in the UK. It's not my favourite, but it's ok. The tomato rice inside is just a pink coloured rice flavoured with tomato. Again, it's just ok. No meat in this dish, but filling, nonetheless.


2. 咖哩豬肉蛋包飯 kā lī zhū ròu dàn bāo fàn 
Pork with curry over egg covered rice
$130

I feel like its certainly worth spending the extra $30 to order the curry one with pork. There are plenty of pork pieces and the curry is slightly sweet with a mild curry powder flavour - a lot like Japanese curry.

If we take a look inside, you can see the rice that is secreted inside. 

Please note that this egg is delicious on top of the rice - it is scrambled and fried in one piece then placed on top of the rice. The curry one is delicious.



Overall, if you're on a budget or not looking for anything that will particularly blow your mind, but still looking for something new - then this is a good place to go.


Opening Times:
Monday - Saturday 
11:00-14:00 and 17:00-22:00 
Sunday off

Tel: 
02 2363 6092

臺北市大安區浦城街57號

No.57 PuCheng Street, DaAn District, Taipei City




Happy Eating!

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posted by Unknown @ May 02, 2016   0 Comments