A CUT

a recent birthday dinner to A Cut.

i started with a seared foie gras. served with a fruit compote, and crispy flatbread. good portion sizing ( smaller size, suitable for foie gras) and served with a reduced balsamic glaze. delish.

mushroom cappuccino soup. this soup was chewier than i remembered. i think i’ll order the tomato soup next time.

assortment of salts to accompany our steaks. my favorites are the white sea salt and the pink himalayan.

the “A Cut Steak,” ordered rare. i have to say i was not impressed with this cut recommended by our waiter.. it was a bit stringy, and in my opinion, was not the best eaten rare. next time i would stick with something i know, like the wagyu ribeye or top sirloin. the roasted garlic bulb on the side- delicious as always.

side of corn. yum. i skipped greens on this meal altogether.. i usually would order a baked potato, but since i started with a foie gras instead of a salad this time, i thought it would be too heavy.

my faVe- souffle. their flavor of the day was vanilla bean. sO good. served with a scoop of frozen raspberry yogurt.

complimentary chocolate birthday cake topped with fruits.

 

Ambassador Hotel, B1,63 Chun Shan North Road, Sec.2, Taipei, Taiwan

xx

da wan bbQ.

another favorite.

da wan bbQ. its a small restaurant, with mostly bar seating.

there are tons of bbQ restaraunts all over da an district in taipei, but to me, what makes da wasn special, is their cooks/waiters. they’re trained to cook the meat in a certain way, and it makes all the differance. usually there will be a cook/waiter grilling your meat for you- and that’s when it turns out the best. they wait for high tempatures, for a nice sear, and a medium rare inide. the seasoning used is light and minimal, and enhances the meat flavor, instead of covering it like many bbq places that use lower quality meat.

to order, we ask them to arrange some meats for us and give them an amount.. 1500 has been good for me so far! as for meat, i ask for mostly beef, with some chicken and veggies.

i’ve been there several times already, since i found that im discovering this gem a bit late .. but every time i go i’m so excited to eat, that i forget to snap photos… so here’s a compilation of pics from my last 3 visits.

beef with minced onions. seared medium rare, rolled up and served. dip in freshly squeezed lime juice. one of my faves.

below: steak in its process! here you see it marbled and rare, ready to grill.

grilling. smells so good..

sliced and ready to eat.

another wagyu steak ready for the grill.

this is another favorite, they serve it with a bit of wasabi- which makes the meat taste sweeter and adds a refreshing kick.

sigh…

lastly, chicken cartilage. crunchy, with bits of meat still on.. yuM yum.

i’m salivating just posting this..

xx

 

No. 22, Lane 177, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Rd, Daan District

thai made.

thai made, on dong feng st in taipei.

went once last week, and again today. it’s quite possibly my favorite thai restaurant so far. their dishes are flavorful, spicy,  but not too much, and definitely not greasy.

this dish below was a first- i’ve never had anything like it before.. its a dish consisting of egg, coconut milk, veggies and seasoning (originally this should have seafood, but we asked for a vegetarian version.) it’s soft and fluffy, yet a bit creamy.. a sort of thai chawanmushi, i guess? goes really well with rice. sO good.

thai beef salad with onions. the meat was soft and medium, the onions, scallions and some crunchy onion type veggie i think complemented the spices and beef well. this dish would be great for leftovers- put between some bread as a sammy.

chicken in yellow curry. creamy and amazing. the chicken was tender and fell off the bones.

green chicken curry. with basil, peas, and green tomatoes. a little heat, a little coconut milk.

all these dishes are for downing rice with- i could eat 2 bowls when i’m here. below, some “hollow center veggie”

pad thai. the noodles themselves were of note- chewy/glutinous.. with a nice consistency.

b and i enjoyed every dish here. definitely going back regularly. a few things on the menu i want to try- their shrimp cake, minced beef with basil, and the pork cold salad. i haven’t been able to order dessert yet, because always i’m so full from the rice and curries.. next time!

xx

 

No. 34, Dōngfēng St, Daan District

vapiano.

vapiano @ ATT for fun.

i dont know why i haven’t posted this yet.. but this has been my favorite lunch/dinner for the last few months.

when i crave salad, i get vapiano’s rocket salad.

arugula, cherry tomatoes, and freshly shaved parmesan cheese, make up the salad; which i ask to be lightly dressed with pesto cream.

i also like to add medium rare grilled steak, to make the salad into a meal.

a lemon pellegrino or a iced latte on the side.

perfection.

xx

ATT for Fun: 10F-2, No.12, Song Shou Road, Xin Yi District, Taipei

grass jelly shave ice. pengHu.

visited peng hu, an island off the southwest area of taiwan, for the first time last weekend. and ate tOns of good food.

what stood out the most was their grass jelly shave ice. the fluffy kind, with the flavor in the ice.

this is the “mixed/combo” grass jelly ice-“cotton ice” type texture. with tapiocas and pearls. their glutinous toppings were all very chewy and fresh- nothing soggy or mushy. we went twice.. and i’m craving it again now.

looks weird- but so good. its refreshing and light- and for a dessert, its not really sweet at all.. it has more of the bitter grass jelly flavor. the condensed milk mini tapioca topping adds some sweetness.

yuM. i would fly back just to eat this again.

xx

extraordinary desserts.

extraordinary desserts, balboa park location.

visited san diego, and stopped in for cakes + coffee, as usual.

amazing weather in may.. sunny and warm, with a slight breeze.

love the cake display… i want to try everything. the rustic decor and homemade frosting “look” really makes me feel like loving care was put into these desserts. fresh flowers, always a plus in my book.

passionfruit millefeuile. amazing plating. not my favorite dessert here, but i wanted to try it. i think the pastry was a bit chewy, rather than flaky.

banana cream tart. yuM.

i think the cakes, (slices) are still my favorite order.. but i dO love all sweets!

relaxed tees + leggings = room to EAT more. ;)

cheers.

xx j

Baby Blues bbQ.

baby blues in venice beach.

one of my favorite bbq joints.

i love the baby back ribs. with tons of bbq sauce on the side. the xxx/porno sauce is super spicy, but has a good flavor.. i like to mix a few drops of it in with their mild sauce.

1/2 rack with cornbread and collard greens.

1/2 rack with mash potatoes.  below, “blues on the cob.” butter, chile, cotija cheese + lime, perfection.

dig in, and get your hands dirty!

xx

 

the donuttery.

donuttery, huntington beach.

their blueberry donuts are sO addictive. i’ve been twice this week already.

soft, chewy and fruity. it’s similar to m&m, but without the long wait, and still at a great price.

on my first visit i also tried red velvet, and sprinkles.. which are both good, but in my world, cannot compare to the blueberry.

yuM.

xx

17420 Beach Blvd, Huntington Beach

tacos. feliz cinco de mayo!

back in caLi.

carne asada tacos @ taqueria de anda.

oh how i’ve missed real tacos.

(:

xx

woolloomooloo. meat pie!

they have MEAT PIE!

i was looking for meat pie on the menu during my first visit at lunch, but did not see it… because its only offered at dinner!

and i’m pretty happy it is.

shiny.

look at the buttery, flaky crust, chunks of beef, carrots.. i’m drooling a bit just posting this.

great texture, good flavor. i haven’t had a good pie in taipei until now.

and of course i had dessert- banana cream pie again.

gluttony.

 xx

No. 379, Section 4, Xìnyì Rd, Sinyi District (02) 8789-0128