Pur.

Pur’ at the Park Hyatt Vendome, Paris.

Michelin star Chef Jean Francois Rouquette’s set course of the day.

i cant remember all the courses and their descriptions, so the pictures will have to suffice.. yes, it was pretty good.

starter mini brioche.

spiny lobster slice with lemon and fennel jelly

ostera caviar.

abalone.

b’s steak.

sea bass.

cheese course. with honey, salted caramel and pie crust- like crumbles.

strawberry confit in the tube! vanilla gelato, strawberry cake.

poached fig, fig tartin, pecan caramel ice cream.

 

xxx

hotel: Le Sun Chine

Le Sun Chine, near the french concession, Shanghai.

really cute.. a vintage mansion renovated into a 20 suite boutique hotel.

vintage inspired decor, every room is a little different.. there are color schemes + special details in the suites.

we stayed in the “Blue” suite. it photographed really well. i have so many pictures to choose from… i’ll just post the ones that actually show the room layout more.. and not as much the artsy decor detail shots.

hotel sitting room/lobby floor.

Blue suite living room.

breakfast table by the entry. fresh fruits + flowers upon arrival.

nice modern vintage detail.. radio/cd/phonograph! but it played only ONE old school chinese song.. it would have been nice to have a few options..

bedroom.

view of living room from bedroom.. it was a little far, but i watched tv in bed.

writing desk in bedroom, with internet hookup. too bad i didn’t bring my laptop with me..

hipstamatic shot of the writing desk. this place seriously photographs well.

entry to washroom from the bedroom.. love the wallpaper + all the white molding details

sink, porcelain china bowl details..

tile shower w/ marble doorway + seperate soaking tub. i love the tub. its beautiful. look at its feet!

detail shot of the tub fixtures. so pretty. (using my iphone hipstamatic camera.)

shot of the huge balcony from a hallway window.. it opens up from the living room to the bedroom. we had breakfast out on the balcony early one morning.

last pic! really cool bright pink hallway. its a little bit scary, but i took tons of pictures. RED.. RUM.. (X

xx

shanghai: afternoon tea @ the pudong Ritz

high tea at the ritz is something i try to have in every major city i visit..

this week we visited the new ritz carlton in pudong, shanghai. on the 52nd floor, sitting above the newly opened IFC mall + apple store, the Aura lounge has great view of the bund. of course there was some smog, but today there was plenty of sunshine as well.

blue and gold decor, sitting room of couches and armchairs.

a birdcage sample of what is being served.

the view from our table.

darjeeling earl grey for me.

the sweets combined. a mix of the aura tea set, and the ritz tea set.

my favorite was the lemon tarte.

two servings of the house savories. the cucumber finger sandwiches + smoked salmon were the best.

the sweets set my friend ordered, comes with 3 pcs of your choice, and tea/coffee.

love high tea @ the ritz! it never fails.

xx

Danny and Company, round II.

we dined a second time at Danny & Co with friends this past week.. here are the pics.

i ordered ala carte again.. as i’m not a fan of too much cooked seafood, the sets were not for me.

gillardeau oysters.

mushroom truffle cappuccino soup.

green salad with figs + balsamic viniagrette.

onion + leek hash brown. sO good.

wagyu sirloin cap. see the roasted garlic..?

YUM.

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

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.

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

LV. Jean Georges Steakhouse

las vegas! dinner date at JG steakhouse.

we started with oysters and bread.. not pictured.

had a glass of ferrari carano chardonnay, which goes with everything ‘cept the steak. super smooth.

baby lettuce salad with bleu cheese dressing and bacon. a little too much dressing.. i would ask for it on the side next time. otherwise, it was good- super flavorful.

lobster bisque. beautiful presentation, poured tableside.

the sides we ordered: sauteed spinach, truffle + comte fritters- these were aMazing.

melty creamy cheesy truffle goodness. uGh.. i miss it already.

b’s ribeye steak, medium rare. the green herb sauce that came with it was sO good. reminded us of indian tapenade..

piece d’resistance : passionfruit souffle. very tart, not to sweet. i loved.

the JG molten chocolate cake.

JG was worth the long reservation leadtime. we’d def go back again.

dim sum.

ji ping. dim sum in taipei.

upscale, with nice decor. not the usual noisy sticky atmosphere i expect when i think dimsum..

their bbq pork pastries were aMazing.

didnt get to try everything.. will def go again with a bigger group.

steamed veggie dumplings

turnip cakes.