chi SPACCA

i am a carnivore.

lately, salads disgust me. all i want is red meat, served rare.. but executed with a bit of delicacy. after dining at a number of renowned steakhouses lately, this is what i’ve been searching for. chi SPACCA is probably the best dining experience i’ve had all summer. a part of the mozza empire on melrose and highland, this meat heavy little restaurant serves up a mean steak.

dining with 2 fellow carnivores was a delight- sO easy to order. we started with affettati misti for 2-4. yes, that is a breadstick wrapped in “white proscuitto”.. akd lard, and it was de-li-cious.

we also had a half order of the culatello, which is a cut of lambrusco proscuitto, aged 15 months. our waiter highly recommended, and we were curious to try. beautiful cut, great texture and light salted flavor.

for our main, we ordered the 42oz costata alla fiorentina, a prime dry-aged bone-in new york. at $175 I felt it was a bit on the pricey side, but that was all forgotten once i took my first bite. prepared very well, a tender rare to medium rare, with a great sear, cut up and trimmed. i was impressed. after giving up on finding a more fine tuned steak preparation in socal, i am happy to say that chi spacca can represent. they don’t just sear a steak and put it on a plate.. this is prepared very carefully and lovingly- as you can taste.

ta-daa!

ok, so we ordered ONE vegetable. their “creamed corn” which is actually made without cream. lots of butter. love it.

we also ordered a milk roasted pork loin, which was covered in deep fried sage… it was juicy and quite delicious.. and i forgot to snap a photo before we devoured it. next time!

dessert. a panna cotta with bluberry compote. light, easy way to finish off a great meal.

carnivores, rejoice.

http://www.chispacca.com/

totoraku.

totoraku. where to start.

i had been curious about this hard to book, invite only, japanese bbq for a while, and was looking forward to dining here when my friends husband, who was invited back, booked for us. i knew i wanted to try it to see what it was all about, but didn’t know what to expect. i was a bit unsure if the quality would match the steep (our dinner came out to 280/pp) prices.

i dined with a group of 5, and we brought champagne and a few reds. the restaurant is quite small, on a strip mall off pico.

the first thing that was brought to our table was this plate of little amuse bouche bites. very teeny but delicate and flavorful bites.

nice presentation, a good tone to start off the meal. the waiter went over every one in detail.. which i will not repeat, but the scallop and the sesame tofu, were especially memorable.

then we went into 3 courses of raw beef.

tataki, in a light sort of ponzu and scallion.

beef throat ( in the glass) and seared beef. when this was served the waiter stated that the throat was a rare cut of beef, and this is as much as you can get from one cow. i found it a bit chewy, and.. for lack of a better word, slimy.. i didn’t really enjoy it.

this one was my favorite, mixed with raw quail egg, apple + asian pear. i like the sweet fruit pairing.

onto the hibachi. i was surprised that the chef had us cook the meat ourselves. usually at better restaurants, they have a waiter or chef to cook most of the meat for you at your table… that way they can ensure that its done correctly, and give you the proper dining experience. we were instructed how long to grill each meat that came to our table.. and off we went onto 6 courses of grilled beef.

tongue to start. delicious, soft and fatty. a thicker cut than other restaurants.

filet mignon. lightly seasoned. this was probably my favorite cooked meat, because it required the least amount of grilling. we had it very rare, and it was tender and juicy. i don’t usually order filet, because i like some fat content, but the way this was prepared was to my liking.

after that.. top cap sirloin.

short rib. after this everything was about the same.. the short rib needed to be cooked more to medium/char for better texture.

seasoned bottom cap.

blurry pic, but was quite good. delicious skinned  and seasoned japanese tomato.

a side of veggies, soybean paste. to cut through the meat.

the last steak to be grilled, good, but sO. much. meat.

we didn’t ask for it upon booking, but our friend asked the waiter if they had the add on seafood soup, and when he checked with the chef they were able to accommodate. spicy king crab udon soup. yUM. the udon noodles had a great chewy texture, and the soup was just slightly spicy, so i was able to enjoy it.

overall a good dining experience. great service, but i do think we were paying a bit extra for the exclusivity of the restaurant. i’ve had good japanese bbq in japan, where there was A5 wagyu and kobe, cooked for you, and lower in pricing. its aLOT of red meat in one meal, so the wine was definitely needed.

the waiter told us that chef kaz was quite busy, as it was a friday night, so we didn’t really get to speak with him during the meal. we sent a few glasses of bordeaux back to him, but sadly he did not come out to drink with us. towards the end of the meal, chef kaz brought out the above soup to the table and said hello. we asked to take a picture with him at the end of the night, and he was very accommodating.

 

xx

 

 

D&C Bistro

lunch at d&c bistro in dazhi.

this was my first visit to d&c bistro.. being a regular at Danny & Company, i thought their second location was worth a try.

i ordered the lunch set menu, with the entree of ribeye cap steak, and started my meal with a latte.

casear salad. the dressing was creamy with a bite, good amounts of garlic.

pumpkin soup with foam. nice presentation, but the flavor was too light for me, a bit on the bland side.

my friend ordered the rib roast: looks delicious!

heres my rare steak. yuMm, as usual.

for dessert, their version of bread pudding with guava sorbet atop.

 

overall good experience, but if you’re normally in taipei, i don’t think its necessary to come to dazhi to dine here. i’d stick with the da an teppan danny&company location.

 

xx

soLo pasta.

dinner at solo pasta.

we’ve been here quite a few times in the past, but this dining experience was by far the best. i think we finally ordered “right.”

i started with the asparagus appetizer, with half poached eggs and parmesan shavings. sea salt and pepper to flavor.

we wanted bread for the table, but solo pasta doesn’t do complimentary bread- so we were advised to order their bruschetta, which came with 2 pcs. tomato, and pate. the pate was quite good.

b ordered a steak of sorts.. which was sliced, and sprinkled with arugula and parmesan shavings. a quasi steak, topped with a bit of salad- but i must say these are 3 of my favorite things to eat.. so i was happy to see them all in one plate. the meat was seared medium rare, and was tender. not bad at all!

the steak dish also came with another 2 pcs of bruschetta. plain and tomato. the server failed to mention this when she advised our “bread” order..

i enjoyed the duck pasta with balsamic sauce. sO good. the creamy tart balsamic flavor is amazing. this is by far my favorite dish at solo. it never fails to satisfy.

and for dessert, they had lemon tart. creamy but still sour, a nice balance to the balsamic pasta.

yum yum.

xx

 

No. 29-1, Section 1, Ānhé Road, Daan District. (02 2775 3645 )

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

STAY

dinner @ STAY.

on this dinner visit i decided to stick with the wagyu rib eye as my main course, but tried a duck consomme soup, and a different dessert.

the crusty, warm bread from lalo, as always, was amazing.. i ate 3 pieces. and killed half the butter.

amuse bouches.

starter of foie gras. this time marinated in red wine, and served with a wild mushroom bruschetta.

duck consomme soup.

wagyu ribeye steak, seared rare. no sauce.

fresh green salad on the side. light lemon + olive oil dressing.

b had carrots as his side.. they were a bit salty.

as we looked over the dessert menus, marshmallows and chocolate pops (not pictured) were brought for us to enjoy.

i decided on a lemon tart. yes, those are slices of lemon on the side. sO sour! it surprised me at first when i bit into a section- i had assumed it would be yuzu or grapefruit.. but when taken with a bite of the tart, the lemon was a good balance against the sweetness of the lemon curd filling.

b’s dessert of yuzu sorbet atop a meringue. the yuzu sorbet was sO good. really light and fresh.

on a side note, i’m currently obsessed with instagram..

.. sO, heres an instapix of what i ate, and what i wore.

sweater by something else + leggings by silvrdwn collection + boots by jimmy choo + bag by chloe.

xx

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

moE. bbQ.

MoE, japanese style bbQ in taipei.

the menu is unique, showing you a sectioned diagram of a cow, highlighting the cut for each order.

i really like their kimchee. fresh, sour and not too spicy. we ended up ordering two.

there’s a soy based and a lemon dipping sauce for the meats. i only used the lemon.. i think its actually there for seafood, which we usually hardly order.. we only ordered their bbq squid, which was good.

salad with sprouts and a japanese sesame dressing. light, goes well with meats.

one of the many meat orders we placed.. these are Australian beef cuts, one really fatty cubed steak cut,  one top sirloin, one flank.

nomnom… :d

xx

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