STAY

STAY @ Taipei 101.

my first visit to this french contemporary restaurant.

acronym for: simple table alleno yannick. the michelin starred french chef.

amuse bouche of canapes.

the amazing bread basket- obvy, because they serve bread from the MOF baker, Lalos, who has a shop downstairs. i polished off the basket.. not to mention the perfectly spreadable  butter. YUM. the mini crunchy french rolls with sea salt were my favorite

i started with a smaller serving portion of foie gras. their version has hints of passionfruit and coffee. sO good. the fruity tartness combined with the creaminess of the foie gras was a nice balance. the toasted brioche itself was tasty and crunchy/chewy.

then onto my entree of a Australian waygu beef tenderloin steak. seared rare. an order of sauteed mushrooms on the side, and a fresh green side salad. (not really pictured.)

butter sauteed mushrooms.

for dessert, we walked over to the display to pick out our choices. we were served marshmallow lollipops while we gazed upon the many minis to choose from. i saw marshmallows candied bits.. mini muffins, madelines, chocolates, cookies.. but i wished that there was something more substantial to choose from as well.. such as a souffle, or a chocolate galette… i ended up choosing the in season strawberry tart- because if you know me.. i MUST have dessert. :)

to make dessert more substantial, i requested vanilla ice cream to be served with the tart.

quite impressed. everything was well executed and portions were nicely thought out.

will definitely be back again.

 

xx

Butter Cafe and Creperie.

butter.

cute menu.

i came for the crepes, but found that the extensive menu had many french inspired options as well.. but for another time.

savories. there weren’t too many options to choose from- maybe 5? this one was the sausage + mushroom, with a sunny side up egg atop.

below is “la complete.” ham cheese, tomato, mushrooms + egg. the savory crepes are quite filling. i only finished 3/4.. or maybe that was because there was too much of it? the lettuce comes with a sweet yogurt dressing. note: both savory crepes ordered tasted almost the same. there was no variance in sauce/flavors.. only toppings (which were 80% the same) it would be nice if they mixed it up and tried pesto, red sauce, white sauces.. etc.

the sweet crepe was prepared with nutella inside, and then toppings were assembled like a pizza.. next time i’d ask for no powdered sugar. the chocolate ice cream was icy, not creamy- we barely touched it. it was good, but not impressive.

will return to give their cafe menu a try.

 

 

 

addy: 2F, 122-1, sec.4, zhongxiao e. rd

 

HONEY CAKE.

this honey cake from tai chung is just sO good, that it deserves a post of its own.

here we go. the golden box. (with address!)

remember that they don’t take orders in advance- one must go there, line up and wait.. it can be up to 2 hours i hear, to get a cake. we were lucky that a friend who went down to taichung for the day, surprised us with this one as a gift. best. gift. evarrr.

the cake, on the day it was made. to be eaten within 4-5 days for best quality. on the first day, before any refrigeration, the cake is slightly softer and spongier.  the fragrant honey flavor is more obvious.

after refrigeration.  i take out a slice and let it sit for a bit, to room temperature, before i enjoy. the honey cake is now more chewy- it takes on a bouncy texture that is quite enjoyable. the honey flavor however, is a bit more subdued.

its been my breakfast, tea and dessert for the past 3 days.

i’m obsessed.

 

xx

 

crisostomo, manila.

visited manila for the first time last weekend, and enjoyed “turn of the century filipino dining” at Crisostomo.

fish filets, with young mango and crispy spiced bits of.. im not sure what, but it was delicious!

slightly spicy taro leaf puree with a coconut curry sauce atop. it doesn’t look that appetizing.. but it was my favorite dish of the meal. tons of flavor.

filipino style crispy fried pork knuckle. hUge dish.

dessert, chiffon cake with a kind of custard with crusted sugar… the yellow custard with a layer of hardened sugar was a bit sweet, so i ended up scraping off the “frosting”… but the chiffon cake was ok. will try something else for dessert next time. i hear there’s a popular cake that i can’t remember the name of…

different from anything filipino i’ve ever tried.. and as we were taken by locals in manila, im pretty sure it was authentic cusisine.

love new food experiences.

cheers.

xx