nonzero

nonzero.

fresh, organic foods.. my new favorite lunch place.

i had lunch there 2 days in a row after i first went there.

love the rustic decor.

the restaurant is relaxed, with long wooden tables and an open kitchen. the vegetables are displayed in a chiller for all to see..

this is their NT$400 lunch set. soup of the day, fresh ( fluffy) salad, and olive + tomatoe bruschettas. ( + tea/coffee )

the soups are served in little pots.  XD

YUM.

the freshest lightest salad i’ve had so far in taiwan. with raspberry vinaigrette.

dessert: carrot cake. (for me it was more like a carrot bread, but still very good)

i will be returning very soon…

Orange Shabu Shabu

shabu shabu! the meat quality is good, and the ponzu is just right, sour, and not too salty.

Orange is on the more expensive side.. and they have sets, with a small appetizer, choice of meat, veggies, fruit + dessert.

tomato + onion salad/appetizer.

sirloin shabu

shabu pot with veggies for two.

you can also have rice congee made with the soup base after you are done cooking, for a small fee. which is.. delicious. they make it for you, and boil down the broth so that the congee becomes thick and really flavorful. especially good to try if someone at your table ordered seafood shabu shabu.

xx

A CUT steakhouse

A CUT steakhouse @ the Ambassador Hotel.

i didn’t know i was going until the day of.. so these pictures were taken with my iphone… hence the lacking quality.

that said…

this is the first impressive steakhouse i’ve been to in taipei.

cheese plate.

soup/salad course: i had the caesar salad with crispy prosciutto.

b had the french onion soup, which was really good too.

four different salts for the steak. i remember.. pink himalayan, and the french sea salt..

heres a shot of a small chunk of the dry aged ribeye steak. seared to perfection, medium rare.

roasted garlic clove that came with the steak. YUM.

sides: BBQ creamed corn.a little too sweet.. probably wouldn’t order this again but it was worth a try since i love creamed corn.

side: whipped potatoes.

note to self* order the baked potato next time. my friend ordered one, and it was delish. loaded with sour cream, butter and bacon.

now, on to DESSERTS. they do desserts from le bouquet, a bakery upstairs..

molten chocolate cake. hazelnut ice cream.

raspberry souffle. this was beyond my expectations. they do souffle right.

and that scoop of ice cream on the side was an additional order i requested.. of their almond milk ice cream.

i could just eat their desserts and be happy.

but i wont, since the bread, steak, garlic were.. all worthy.

xx

i love carrot cake.

i’ve been craving carrot cake on and off for the last few months.

i’m used to a dark cake, full of brown sugar and tons of juicy carrot.. walnuts.

at home, i love it from sweet lady janes, and the frozen sara lee kind from the market.. X)

in taiwan i haven’t found a bakery i really love yet, because everything is light, and not sweet enough for my taste.

but the carrot cake cupcake from ginjer will do nicely,

because even though it’s really light, and more muffin-like, it has just the right amount of cream cheese frosting-

and tastes good cold from the fridge. i actually prefer it that way.

xx

Hsiang the Brunch

first i have to say, this place confuses me a bit.

first,  super girly decor.. see the lavender walls accented with floral white details?

the menu was all over the place.. breakfast, pasta, steak, afternoon tea?

sO i ordered a chicken quesadilla. but they brought me a “mexican breakast” instead.. so while they were re-doing the order, they comped a squash/pumpkin soup. (which was okay..)

my slightly expensive but good iced latte. which was very pretty.

note: they serve Julius Meinl coffee.. we love their cafe in chicago.

and the quesadilla. small. but surprisingly good for “mexican” in taiwan.

it was crispy on the outside, with melted pepper jack cheese, shredded chicken and green onion on the inside.

it came with all the right fixings, guac, sour cream and pico de gallo. ( :

the food was decent. i think there just needed to be a theme or some sort of common thread somewhere..

but yes, i’d go back for the quesadilla and coffee.

sHave ice @ green isLand.

i visited Green Island, off the coast of TaiDong last weekend. we ate a ton of fish + seafood. a little chicken and pork- no beef whatsoever.

my favorite was the shave ice that i insisted on having every day. it was about 95 degress out and hot as hell. too balmy. the sun was too hot to bear!

the island was a prison at one point, that housed political criminals. ( reminded me of alcatraz, but much prettier, with good snorkeling.)

this first shave ice joint was aptly “jail” themed.

seaweed was also big on the island.. so heres the first ice. see the seaweed?  it was covered with condensed milk, and was pretty light in flavor, so it was more textural than anything. yes, it was good.

i ordered a stawberry milk ice.. boring, i know. it was jammy.. strawberries were not in season anymore.. forgot.

another place we went to was called “seaweed ice”

sO..  i ordered  green bean and grass jelly. X)

it was yuM. it was my lunch actually..

and lastly.. a friend ordered this. this was the weirdest looking ice ive seen yet.. covered with seaweed, with some sort of  fish egg looking substance inside. it tasted fishy.. but i think it was agar? jelly? or some sort of tropical fruit. sO confusing.

i love shave ice.

mOndo.

mondo. this italian restaurant is near the office.  so i’ve only been for lunch.

that said, its on the expensive side, (for lunch) but the service is good, and the food is pretty decent. ( i once ordered soup and salad, and the bill came out to be 1000. yes, they charge for water and bread. )

i like that the barista + kitchen is in the center, open to the dining area. creates a lively atmosphere- not stuffy.

pumpkin soup with a seared scallop. this was good.

spaghetti. simple. but often done wrong. it was right here.

all in all, it was good. i have no complaints about the food.

the thing is…

i’ve been in a slight food rut since my return to taiwan.

now that b and i have different working hours, i end up eating alone more than often. eating alone doesnt bother me.. i used to love living alone in hancock park, being able to grab pinkberry and fruit, or a ghetto dog and some jamba juice… the occasional sweet lady jane croissant with a latte. these are all excellent dinner choices ; )

oh, and M cafe’s quinoa salad n bento boxes… i miss you.

but here in taiwan.. i dont have a huge list of “single eating girl” places to grab a bite.. nor is it easy to navigate, find, nonetheless order, when i can’t read the menu… the are a zillion places along the way home from work, so how come i cant figure out a new routine?  i’ve realized all my food choices are “us and he”-friendly. ex: “family style meals” a few dishes.. places you cant grab something small in one order and be done with it.

also.. i’m not a fan of eating asian noodles or rice dishes as a meal. :O yeah, i said it.

ok. pad thai is an exception.. and italian/japanese pastas. sOrry to my other half, who loves beef noodle soup so much he can eat it 3 times a week. (barf)

so.. i had dumplings twice this week, and tonight, i am having boba, apple, and a wax apple.

i’ll live. : )

theres always more to come.