Niu (cow) Sushi.

cow? niu sushi, dinner.

we ordered by setting prices, and letting the chef know if there are any items/food we do not want. we went for NT$2000, me opting for less cooked items + more sushi.

there were a LOT of courses.. and i didn’t take pictures of them all. but there was a good balance between the cooked + raw. and their beef tips yakitori was delicious and fatty.

here’s a peek..

most of the seating is around the ginormous sushi bar. the restaurant is small.. it probably seats only 30 people.

sashimi to start.

uni handrolls. LOVE. i just love uni in general.

seared super fatty fish meat from beneath the fins. wow was it good.

i think this was octopus? cute no?

ROUND ICE CUBES! X) haha.

chawanmushi, with a taiwanese twist- the soup on top was like “meat stick soup.”

crab with really garlic-y creamy broth.

i was a little peeved that the waiters didn’t tell us what was being served to us.. dishes came and they disappeared.

but. the uni and the round ice balls sold me.

i’ll be going back.

Danny and Company

we had dinner here for b as an early birthday.

the food is cooked by teppanyaki, and served at your table. it feels more like a nice steakhouse, but maybe thats because we were seated at a table farther away from the teppan.

there were 2 set menus that night, but i opted to ordered a la carte.

the amuse bouche was iberico jamon. delish..

mini boule : really good, with truffle whipped butter.

ostera caviar. note: teeny portion for NT1300..

gillardeau oysters. very fresh, salt + onion. :)

green salad with figs, olive oil + balsamic viniagrette dressing.. and touch of lemon + pecorino. yum.

the foie gras from b’s set menu, sitting atop teppan pear. it was GOOD. so i had to add to my post.

i went with the smaller 4oz. USDA dry-aged ribeye.

really good flavor and sear, but the cut was a bit too rich/fat for me..

onion and leek “hash brown”

chocolate cake.

xx

http://www.dannyandcompany.com

hot pot: old sichuan

in chinese, this place is called “old sichuan” it’s ma-la hot pot.

on their sign outside, the english says ” Kingdom of Pa and Shu. Hot and Spcy Tofu with Beef”

a little misleading.. anyhow.

we went with a group of 10 and had 2 of the mixed pots. half ma-la spicy (with tons of duck blood. so good.) and half non spicy.  for the pots, we ordered 2 different kinds of beef, which came in huge portions, enoki mushrooms, 2 green veggies. intestine, fishcake balls, large mushrooms.. i forget what else, but that was what I ate at least!

the pots with the base soups before we started cooking and adding ingredients.

the spicy side was a bit oily/greasy.. mostly spicy oils, but once you cook the beef, it was… FAT.

like i said. HUGE portions of meat. good for big groups.

i’m really starting to enjoy chinese ma-la hot pot… guess this means i’m finally assimilating to taiwan! i used to only love shabu shabu.. X) which i still do of course.

http://www.oldsichuan.com.tw

dazzling mint.

second location of Dazzling Cafe: Dazzling Mint.

dazzling is still insanely popular and crowded. booked for months ahead, guests are willing to line up an hour before opening each day for a number, for the first come first serve seating.

we were lucky to get reservations for a sunday afternoon, so we didn’t have to brave the heat and wait in line.

fruit iced teas. i had the green tea with fresh kiwi.

banana chocolate honey toast. yum.

the shell is filled with larger cubed, toasted honey toast.

strawberry honey toast.

the presentation. why guests with a sweet tooth (mostly girls) will line up.

the toast for this version is cut into long cubes, baked with butter and sugar, then placed back into the bread cube. topped with ice cream, strawberry, syrup + cream.

i cant believe i eat half a loaf of bread at a time…  but its sO good.

xx

Booday.

i had lunch at booDay last week.. BOO-DAY. bood aye.

near jhongsan mrt station, the streets are full of boutiques, shops and cafes. booday is an eco friendly, simple + clean 4 story lifestyle store, with a cafe on the 2nd floor.

on the 1st, they sell their magazine, some clothing, art, jams, totes..

iced latte. it was pretty perfect.

i ordered a mushroom quiche. not bad..

everyone else was ordering their daily lunch sets.. looked like modern chinese cuisine.. which is what i think ill try next time.

love the name.

http://www.booday.com/

nonzero again.

at my current favorite, nonzero.

sunflower + grain bread with chorizo + feta. and with eggplant.

deSsert. when i ordered, this was simply “peach pie” on a blackboard.

but look what was served…!!! X)

peach “pie” tart, glazed caramelized baby banana, passionruit + creme anglaise. chocolate + tea shortcake cookies.

with a cup of coffee.

serious indulgence.

more street.

oH dirty food.

seriously. i KNOW its dirty. but i eat it and suffer anyways.

this roasted corn at shilin night market is different from the usual street corn. they add a layer of something carb-y and then another layer of spicy sauce.

you can choose the level of spicyness.. its a little bit of a wait, and not cheap, for street food.. but its worth it!

now. on to “dirty street noodles.”

the first noodle stand on the right, the side street next to the CA fitness, behind zhongxiao rd.

zha jiang mien. looks clean enough right?

my stomach hates me!

butter sammichhh!!

sO. i finally had this for the first time.

cantonese style pineapple bun, with slices of butter sandwiched inside.

the bun is made fresh + hot, with  a crispy top. so very good on its own.

then cold butter sandwiched inside, which softens and then melts quickly.

butter sandwich. O_O. its wrong.

i have to find out where the lady from the office got it.

xin yeh.

taiwanese restaurant that serves local food in an upscale setting.

deep fried pork intestines. yum..

gua bao. my favorite taiwanese “sandwich”

not bad! though i prefer it.. dirtier? it just seems to be missing something when theres tablecloth…

big square. teppanyaki.

teppanyaki, across from taipei 101.

NT$2000 set course. counter style seating. good service.

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highlights: pink rock salt. freshness of ingredients. delicious beef rolls, one with foie gras wrapped inside.

teppan POPCORN: caramelized sugar + black sesame. my favorite part!

dessert served in a separate sitting area.