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

dos chinos.

dos chinos.  taipei, tonghua street area.

this new little place serves pork tacos, burgers, fries and cubanos. they’re made upon ordering, and served hot.

sO good compared to assembly line taco places currently in taipei. their capacity is smaller, but you go for their quality and authenticity.

pulled pork tacos, with onion, guac, and cilantro. lime to squeeze. i asked for the hot salsa to be served separate.

spicy chorizo tacos. my fave. they make their own chorizo.

their current menu’s succinct selection.

the mixed pork taco, (middle) is chorizo + pulled pork combined.

pork sandwich (cubano) with home made pickles, mustard and mayo. this was juicy and quite good as well.

so glad to have a place to get a taco fix! i’ll try their burgers next time.

 

xx

 

tonghua st, alley 38, #8

 

Sparkle Patisserie

sparkle patisserie in taichung.

i finally made it to taichung to dine at sparkle.

twG tea. french earl grey. the breadsticks are addictive. flaky pastry, parmesan and pepper.

mushroom truffle soup. fragrant truffle and small chunks of mushroom. not too much cream, keeping this soup light.

cheesy croque madame. sO good! not greasy, something thats rare for this dish.

the tiered afternoon tea set, compliments of our friends at sparkle.

the sweet tier.  light and fluffy, nothing was overpowering or heavy. note the handmade artisan chocolate in the middle. yuM!

my favorite was the scones! one sweet, and one savory. great texture. the savory rosemary cheese scone was especially delicious. flaky, buttery and warm.

savories. quiche, croque, mini burger, salmon, egg canape, chicken salad.

picked up some sweets to take home. mont blanc, red velvet cupcake, and my FAVE- carrot cake!

thanks sO much to our friends of sparkle! chef lucy, and front room manager vicky. we had a wonderful time.

xx

http://www.patisseriesparkle.com/

rooftop cat’s private kitchen: roy and pp’s

i recently had the pleasure of dining at roy and pon pon’s. the concept is simple. they serve a meal of 6-8 courses out of their home, and only take one party per meal. as you are guests in their wonderfully kitschy apartment, and sit among their 4 cats, the ambiance is quite warm and inviting. my friend made this booking 8 months ago, showing us that they are doing quite well.

the cuisine is a mix of eastern and western, and everything is well plated and thought out. you can tell them beforehand if there is anything you don’t eat.. otherwise they prepare the private dining menu, which can change seasonally or daily, depending on the availability of traditional market ingredients.

the warm table decor.

amuse bouche

amuse bouche with shrimp, cucumber salad and dried fish caviar.

salad with marinated pork and guava slices.

grilled salted pork with creamed red cabbage atop.

fresh iced juice blend, osthmanthus, pineapple, apple, honeydew, lemon, honey.

sesame oil chicken noodle. a gourmand’s take on a chinese classic comfort dish. i really enjoyed this.

prime beef rib

dried mushroom soup, served with a  scoop of chive egg custard. such an original dish- lOve!

poached pear with caramelized melon sugar. a great finish to the meal.

great experience, for the ambiance, company and food.

xx

屋頂上的貓私廚  http://rflower3f.blogspot.tw/

les bebes.

les bebes cupcakes.

near yongkang st.  my new favorite cupcakerie in taipei! their cakes are sweet, moist and fluffy, REAL cupcakes that i’m used to.. not muffin like- or “not sweet.”

current flavor i’m obsessing over- the Earl Grey. the cake has tea leaves and is fragrant with bergamot. the cream atop is super light and fluffy, and not thick or too sweet. it reminds me of the foam atop a latte. i could wolf down three of these in one sitting.

cupcake minis! i bought one of every flavor they had that day.. and since i couldn’t eat ALL full sized cupcakes, i went with the minis for about 2/3 of the flavors. among my favorites are the red velvet, peanut butter choco, and double strawberry.

red velvet- beautiful frosting.. earl grey, and bailey’s.

will be going back for the Chai Tea flavor on saturdays.

yuM!

 

台北市大安區潮州街149-4號1樓 (02)2358-2226

sakura flower healthy pot @ hualien.

lunch in Hualien. we ordered a lunch set, consisting of a healthy pot and  a few dishes. theres a self serve area, full of greens: they specialize in local organic veggies that you can refill and keep adding to your pot.(not pictured.)

above: some of the ingredients for the pot.

below, the manger came to our table, to do the presentation of a single lotus flower, which opens as it is immersed into the steaming hotpot. this variety of lotus flower is edible, and supposedly good for women’s health.

the process is quite pretty.. a bit gimmicky, but nonetheless still nice. the hotpot was my favorite part of the meal.

hotpot with all veggies and open lotus flower. almost ready to eat.

for meat, we chose to have their recommended hualien pork. the pork was local- and was probably the juiciest pork i’ve had in a hotpot. usually, when sliced pork is boiled, it takes on a chewy consistency. this stayed soft, and was delicious!

great presentation.

some of the cooked dishes that were served with our meal set: a vegetable tofu/egg of sorts.

a stir fry of pineapple, gelatin and tree mushrooms.

braised pork knuckle. (my favorite from their dishes)

healthy and light!

xx

Mei Yuan at Silks Place Taroko.

We stayed at the Silks Place hotel in Taroko Gorge last weekend, and enjoyed the national park.

dinner at Mei Yuan restaurant at the hotel.

starters. small plates.

scallops.

hualien local pork. sO good.

fried rice.

green beans.

bamboo soup.

three cup chicken. this was my favorite dish. flavorful, the basil was fragrant and the chicken juicy.

soft shell crab fried with tons of garlic.

fruit for dessert.

we also had a noodle that is not pictured, and a bottle of wine.. and the total was less than 3000NT.

great pricing!

yuM.

xx

http://taroko.silksplace.com.tw/en/aboutus.html

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 )

Qi Ming Organic Hotpot.

dinner at qi ming shabu shabu.

their veggies are organic, local and fresh, with farm to table being the restaurant’s concept. price wise, its on the higher end, but for the quality offered, i think its fair.

we started of with cold sake.

the pot: b and i ordered different broth bases- he had the tomato oxtail, and i had the vegetarian vege broth. i like that qi ming has quite a few options.. theres also a kombu, and a chicken broth.

i ordered a mix veggies basket, beef short ribs, and an extra order of frozen tofu. (not pictured) i wish there was more enoki- next time i think i’ll get an extra/side portion because the teeny bit in the basket is just not enough for me. there was a piece of mochi in the basket- which was a nice addition that cooked up chewy and gummy.

the prime beef short rib. tender, and lightly marbled. deLish. their dipping sauces consist of a ponzu, to which i added scallions and garlic. theres also a cardamom paste based sauce, which is a bit heavier, and goes well with the mochi.

cheers!

xx

2 F, #128,Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 4.  02) 2772-5123

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