吃飯了嗎？

總督西餐廳 Viceroy Restaurant

Auntie invited everyone to dinner to celebrate her son's grad. school acceptance. The old-school steak-house has occupied its now-prime location right on Zhongxiao E. Rd. for over 30 years.

The all-you-can-eat salad and dessert bar is a key component of the Taiwanese steak-house. The desserts were a bit pedestrian, but the kid didn't mind as long as the puddings kept coming. The salad bar had enough circulation to insure the freshness of the lettuces, et al. Although there's always quite a rush for the good stuff like smoked salmon and the shrimps.

We stuck to the dinner sets which offered various cuts of steaks and seafoods in combination. Not quite a full surf & turf but a tasty combo nonetheless. The beef came with the inevitable pepper sauce but the meat itself was good enough without drowning it in sauce. The seafood medley was stir-fried with a bit of XO sauce for a bit of spicy zing. Auntie's son ordered a pricier rib-eye which came sizzling on an iron pan and showed that they can turn out a serious steak, if one ponies up for it.

Can't really judge these sort of restaurants against modern Western restaurants since the food has evolved to its own category, like Japanese yoshoku cuisine. Though hardly fashionable it's still pretty good food on its own merits, give or take the steak sauces. Now that Fine Herbs has closed it's probably the best option of its kind nearby.

總督西餐廳
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段104號2樓
02-2772-3302

Gaku-Den Bakery

The relatively new and aggressively expanding chain opened a branch right outside the SYT subway station Exit 2. From the Nihongo name to the wood-slatted interior it's obviously trying hard to present itself as an upscale Japanese-style bakery. The posters on the wall espouses the benefits of their all-natural home-grown yeast starter, and placards tell of the local sources for the bread additions. There's the obligatory baguettes, but soft-and-fluffy is the predominant theme, with a variety of savory and sweet fillings. Sure, Euro-bread purists may scoff on such Asian stylings, but all the variety is fun and it goes well with a hot cup of coffee in the morning.

The open layout with the bakers visibly shaping and filling fresh dough is a nice sight to see. And considering the size and quality the breads don't seem too expensive. Definitely comparable with the bakeries found in the high-end department stores' food halls. Not trying to be an ultra-premium import at all. Locations are convenient, too. It'll probably be our go-to bakery in the future.

樂田麵包屋
GakuDen Bakery

Many locations

Four Seasons Bali, Sayan

By booking via Taiwan passports we got a detached villa for the rack rate of a in-building suite. Each villa features it's own deck and plunge pool. Despite the tightly packed villas, privacy is protected by the lush surrounding vegetation.

One could have breakfast delivered to the villa, or take it in the restaurant. I wanted to take advantage of the morning hiking tour of the resort grounds, which meets at the main building, so we went to the restaurant, same table where we had dinner the night before. In daylight we had an expansive view of the resort grounds, with a pleasant breeze, and our pick of anything off the breakfast menu as part of the meal package. We were actually relatively modest in our indulgence, compared to others in the restaurant. A dash of keffir lime in the Hollandaise sauce of the signature Sayan eggs benedict. Egg yolks a little overcooked, but wife doesn't like for her eggs to be too raw anyway. Meanwhile I was pigging away on my banana pancakes, washing it down with lots of local coffee, and we shared big plates of fresh fruit and yogurt.

I was off to the river trek tour while wife lingered over breakfast. The resort was laid out to preserve as much of the original fields and villages as possible, and the tour route showed off the local touches. Glad to have worn my Doc boots and waterproof shell for some of the narrow, muddy paths. Climbed up to this spot for an ideal view of the resort's grass-roofed villas set amongst the working fields.

Our two-night stay in Sayan also included an afternoon tea-set. Would've liked to take it later at FS Jimbaran the next day, so we could spend more time in Ubud, but they wouldn't allow the transfer. The tea set on the terrace was a good way to relax after spending the morning in Ubud town, but not particularly worth rushing back for, in and of itself. But it was probably for the best to have a reason to return to the hotel early, instead of letting the pregnant wife walk about all day under the hot sun. The dessert plate contained raspberry cake, mango sorbet with fresh fruit, coconut and chocolate cake squares. And more Toraja coffee, of course.

The next day we ordered in for breakfast and ate out by the villa pool. This wasn't your typical room service as the full breakfast menu was available to order. The spacious restaurant was nice, but enjoying a big breakfast spread in our own little world was definitely more of a special intimate experience.

After an oily Balinese message, we had lunch at the cafe next to the riverside swimming pool, overlooking the stream of rubber rafts floating by, each full of tourists in their bright orange life vests. The Bali tuna carpaccio appetizer was overlaid with kemangi lime pesto, rucola salad, and puffed capers. The main was an Asian "Chicken Scaloppine" grilled chicken breast with curry sauce. And there was even dessert Es Rumput Laut, with spheres of tropical fruit and pandan jellies in a coconut-milk soup. A refreshing conclusion to our time in Sayan.

Four Seasons Resort Bali At Sayan
Sayan, Ubud, Bali 80571 Indonesia
+62 (361) 977577

壺同燒肉

Took the younger cousins out to a nice yaki-niku place to celebrate the end of exam season and the beginning of summer vacation. Okay, so they don't keep the meat coming like the cheaper all-you-can-eat places. But at least for the money we got thicker, tastier cuts compared to the usual paper-thin slices. The service dudes are happy to cook the meat for you over the charcoal grill, should you decide to keep your hands clean, a selling point for dainty ladies. Having an experienced hand also helps to make sure the trickier cuts like tongue were grilled for optimal tenderness. Doesn't hurt that the uniformed dudes were good looking with fashionable hair and all. They even came by to change the grill after almost every plate to prevent charcoal buildup. In fact, this was probably the most genuinely helpful restaurant service I've ever had in Taiwan. But if it were just up to me, though, I'd trade eye candy and friendly banter for another couple plates of sirloin, for the price.

胡同燒肉
台北市八德路三段12巷70弄18號1樓
02-25773738

Big Tom's Ice Cream

Wife's mother, aunt, and cousin all came over to see the baby. With all the extra help available it was a good opportunity to take him outside for a stroll around the park. But after a few circuits around SYT Memorial Hall on a cloudy but muggy summer day we were all looking for a break from the heat. There's a bottle for the baby, but what about the rest of us?

Big Tom Ice Cream is located on the grounds of the SYT Memorial itself, with a large patio extending into the park and air-conditioned rooms inside. It does great business on the weekends with all the kids running around the park, but we just happened to run into an empty table inside. The baby could have his bottle, a cold glass of juice for auntie, and ice cream for the rest of us.

Big Tom has your standard array of fruity and chocolatey flavors, named after American locales for interest. The waffle combo seems to be an especially good deal. Three scoops of your choice on a big freshly-made, warm Belgian waffle for about NT300. Crunchy waffle cones and bowls are also available to hold your scoops. Nothing fancy in the presentation, but good desserts at a good value at a convenient location. Not quite as many unusual flavors as Haagen Daaz, but the ice cream seems a bit thicker and creamier, and the entire atmosphere is much more down-home than the big flashy brand name places.

BIGTOM美國冰淇淋文化館
國父紀念館翠湖店
台北市中正區仁愛路四段505號
02-2345-4213

尚林鐵板燒

The merry-go-round of restaurants around Dapinglin Station continues at a dizzying pace. A new teppanyaki place opens with a bang by offering a 20%-off grand-opening discount. The attractive price break plus the usual curiosity over a new restaurant successfully drew a large crowds lining out the door. Being just across the street, we were similarly tempted into giving it a try. Thanks to sis for waiting in line to grab us a place.

The menu featured the usual assortment of different meats and seafood combos in different grades, depending on the price level. Amongst the five of us we could get a nice selection of beef, pork, and seafood meals. Unlimited refills for white rice, soft drinks, and corn chowder soup, to make sure you won't leave hungry. The aluminum foil instead of real plates indicates that it's not a high-end spot. On the other hand the beef was surprisingly tender. Sprinkled with black pepper and accompanied by the pile of sauteed garlic slices, the steak went great with the white rice. The herb chicken and lemon-butter cod were also solid. Have had better, but at much more expensive places, of course. Cabbage and bean sprouts for a well-balanced meal, and they always taste sweeter and crunchier sauteed on the professional hot teppan.

As of this writing, a few months after eating there, the restaurant still seems to be doing well. The key thing seems to be that teppanyaki offers a familiar cuisine to attract repeating business, but there aren't as many copy-cats nearby, unlike hot-pot shops, so the competition isn't quite as cut-throat. At full price I probably wouldn't volunteer to go regularly, but as a convenient nearby teppanyaki option one could do worse.

尚林鐵板燒
台北縣新店市民權路10號
02-8665-0199

La Crema

After all that time cooped up at home nesting, it's time to get the wife out and moving about a little bit. First a stroll around SYT park, then into the side alleys nearby looking for a cafe for afternoon tea. Noticed good reviews for this cafe and managed to find it with some help from the Google Map on the iPhone. Although the wife did wonder why I kept looking down at my phone as we walked.

Compared to the flashier, hip lounge-cafes in the area, LaCrema offers a more old-World European feel, with dark woods and small, hard chairs, which probably wasn't the best thing for the wife, come to think of it. The background music was certainly a notch above the rest, being played on some hard-core audio equipment mostly comprised of massive BAT gear, with a Jeff Rowland pre for the front end, plus a NuForce solid-state amp for the modern touch.

The cafe is obviously a family affair. The kids plus some hired help took the orders, the wife handled the food and the register, while the serious-looking dad painstakingly made all the coffee drinks. They offer a few simple desserts and snacks, but the focus is definitely all about the coffee. As one might imagine, with the small crew and filled tables, the service was a bit spotty, and it took a while before my cappuccino and her hot cocoa arrived. But the wait turned out to be worth while, as LaCrema joins the short list of places where I can honestly admit the coffee is better than what I can make at home. Almost a wine-like lingering complexity in the coffee's flavor. The home-made cheesecake is pretty good, too, and complemented the coffee drinks well.

Despite its low-key nature, the cafe seemed to be doing great business. It's always nice to see quality being rewarded, which is not always the case in Taipei. We'll have to make time for more visits, once the wife is allowed to have caffeine again.

La Crema
克立瑪
台北市大安區光復南路280巷45號
02-27313264

Cacao et Chocolat

The wife is usually not a big chocoholic, but she was intrigued by the mention of this particular French import's Taipei opening, as mentioned on a celebrity blog. Plus she went to some pre-birthing classes which encouraged her to get more active in preparation for labor. So a short walk out to the nearby shop seemed like the perfect destination to get out of the house.

The little shop is tucked away in an alley off of 光復南路, next to a 7-11. The refrigerated glass case displayed the truffles and bonbons in a variety of exotic flavors, directly imported from France. Each were decorated in their own way with edible gold paint. A chocolate fountain was pouring out over itself for the choco-dipped strawberries, etc. Another big glass case in front showed off the chocolate macaroons. The side cases displayed packaged chocolate-coated nuts, candies, cocoas, and various gift boxes. Priced according how you'd expect for French-imported perishables would cost.

NTD 50-60 per candy was a bit too much for just a single bite. But they also offered some cafe-style sit-down options for a few small tables inside the shop. We decided to share a small pot of the chocolat chaud. The intensely concentrated European-style hot-chocolate was plenty to satisfy the both of us. They also offered us some taste samples of the other candies, too. Some fresh whipped cream like Anglina in Paris would've been nice, but that'd be too rich to handle, to be honest. On the other hand, they do throw in a shot of Grand Marnier on the side which you can add to your hot chocolate for an orange-liquer kick. Very nice touch.

So if you ever need to gift someone with expensive chili-pepper-flavored chocolate, this is the place for you!

Cacao et Chocolat
台北市光復南路180巷14號1樓
02-2775-1106

The Bard & Banker Public House

Enjoyed walking around Victoria's historic downtown quarter during the afternoon. But after dinner all the shops were pretty much closed, so most of the folks from our tour group just went back to the hotel, even though it was still early yet in the evening. Wife and I both wanted to do something on our own and have a local experience instead of yet another blah Chinese meal in a distinctly un-Chinese city. I noticed the large number of pubs while we were wandering the city during the day, and this particular converted bank building's imposing facade and cool-Brittanic name certainly made an impression. So a night-cap at the public house seemed liked the perfect way to close out our day in Victoria.

On a Thursday evening it wasn't hard to find a table upstairs, where we could see the fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling above, and look down onto the bar converted from the bank's teller cages below us. A guy came in and played cover-songs for a bit for some added entertainment. No alcohol for the pregnant wife, of course, but they had a cappuccino plus trifle dessert combo which was perfect for her nightcap. The trifle's layers of sponge cake, pudding, and whipped cream topped with fruit is just like how they make cakes in Taiwan, so it was actually a comfortingly familiar dessert for us, and I had to hold back to not scarf too much of it from her. Had myself a sampling of Victoria's finest local brews, enjoying light and dark beers produced from the craft-brewing microbrewery culture of the Pacific Northwest.

Finished our drinks just as the performer finished his set. If we were bigger party-types we could've had ourselves a good time pub-crawling, but it's another early departure the next morning so it's back to the hotel we go. I probably should've been more social and invited fellow couples from our tour group to come with us and made a good time of it. But after all that hectic traveling with the big group, it was so nice to enjoy a relaxed evening with just the two of us.

The Bard And Banker
1022 Government St.
Victoria, BC
+1 (250) 953-9993

Tartine Bakery

Although not up to the level of Acme, there is some decent breads to be had in Taiwan nowadays, but I don't know if it's the weather or the skill of the bakers but it's still impossible to find decent croissants or viennoiseries. So I take advantage of the jet lag to get up with the dawn to head to the nearest bakery when I'm back in the States. Being in the East Bay, it's taken me a while before finally getting around to the place widely acknowledged as SF's best bakery while on our way to Carmel. The pain au chocolat and breakfast bun might be quite a bit larger than how the French would make them, but who cares about what the French think? Especially when the pastries are tasty and cafe au lait came in a big bowl like it should. Couldn't resist getting a scone, too, but it was too much for us to finish that morning. Took it with us to Carmel and back and it was still fresh and tasty two days later, after a minute in the toaster oven. Very impressive considering how quickly scones typically go stale. Boy the world sure seems better place when there's a good bakery nearby.

Tartine Barkery
600 Guerrero St.
(between 18th St & 19th St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 487-2600

提拉米蘇蛋糕

We had just finished lunch and were wandering down Fuxing Ave. near DaAn MRT station when we noticed the unassuming cake shop and did a double-take. Tiramisu Cakes built a solid local reputation in Hualien before becoming a popular mail-order outlet, now finally opened up shop in Taipei. We'd had their cakes before on our trip to Hualien and they were very good. We weren't even particularly hungry but there's definitely always room for dessert. The shop sells slices of their signature tiramisu along with other cakes for 35NTD a slice, which was entirely too reasonable. Comparable in price to the 85C Coffee's cakes but the quality blows it away. They also offer coffee drinks and some space to eat in, but most people just drove by and hopped out of their cars to grab whole cakes to go. Too bad the location is a little out of the usual way for us otherwise we'd be here quite a lot.

提拉米蘇精緻蛋糕
台北市復興南路二段162號
02-23256578

Toasteria Cafe

We were near Zhongxiao-Dunhua and considered getting take-away pizza from Alleycats on the way home, but it would've been quite a wait for the pie to bake. Instead we got a couple of panini-pressed sandwiches from the Toasteria Cafe next door. It's squeezed into a tiny space less than 10-ping, but they managed to coordinate an combinatorical array of panini sandwiches featuring traditional Italian and nouveau Asian fillings. A copper-clad bar adds a touch of permanence and class to what otherwise would be a hole-in-the-wall, allowing a handful of patrons to eat-in. But we were happy to take our tomato-basil-mozzarella and BBQ-chicken sandwiches with us to enjoy at home. It's kinda between two MRT stations so it's not as convenient as one might hope, but an unconventional and fresh option for quick-eats is quite welcome.

Toasteria Cafe
土司利亞
忠孝東路四段248巷2號
(02) 2731-8004

Lord Stow's Bakery

Andrew Stow was the main man responsible for the revival of the Portuguese egg tart in Macau, and partly responsible for launching the (short-lived, unfortunately) fad in Taiwan. Now that the fad has ended, but Lord Stow still occupies its own little culinary niche in Macau. In fact, Margaret's Cafe, the other famous egg-tart establishment, was founded by Mr. Stow's Chinese ex-wife.

Unlike Margaret's Cafe, which is in the heart of Macau's glittering casino district, Stow's Bakery is located in the outer island town of Coloane. The bakery is located in the town square, and they have expanded to also offer a restaurant and a sandwich shop in the area. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to stroll around Coloane as much as we should have, but the bakery made for a perfect dessert stop on our way back to Cotai after a nice meal at Fernando's.

We didn't care to make a careful comparison between Stow's and Margaret's egg tarts. They're both more than good enough for my standards and I'd be happy to chomp down half a dozen or so any time. Instead I controlled my gluttonous urges so we could slowly savor the flaky tart shell and the rich, eggy filling, and still have some left over to bring back to Taiwan with us.

Lord Stow's Bakery
澳門安德魯餅店
1 Rua da Tassara
Coloane Town Square
Macau
+853-28882534

Margaret's Café e Nata

Just before I returned to Taiwan, there was a massive craze for Portuguese egg tarts. Celebrities sunk big bucks opening splashy bakeries in prime locations selling nothing but. Of course, like most Asian fads, the trend died out quickly and now I can't find any decent Portuguese egg tarts here. And no, the sad excuse of an egg tart they sell at KFC doesn't count.

I've been a big fan of the egg tart ever since Mom would bring back pink boxfuls of freshly baked goodies from the famous Golden Gate Bakery on her SF Chinatown outings. But they were the Hong Kong style with the smooth yellow egg custard filling. The more historical Portuguese-style egg tart, as inherited by Macau, features lovely dark caramel bits along the top of the egg custard, which is more creamy than the HK-style filling.

Margaret's Cafe is one of the more famous purveyors of Portuguese egg tarts in Macau. Located in an unassuming alley near the Lisboa casinos, with only a small sign along the main boulevard to point the way. Nevertheless the small bakery was packed with tourists and visitors scarfing down the egg tarts hot out of the oven, which is obviously the best way to have it. An iced milk tea went along nicely with the rich tarts, especially during the hot and stifling daytime.

The canopied seating area outside in the cobbled back-alley plaza gives it an European flair. The bakery also offers sandwiches which would make for a decent light lunch. Meanwhile, the locals dodged all the tourists and bought the more conventional breads to go. Considering all the butter that must have gone into the flaky crust, 7HKD per tart isn't all that expensive. And it's right along the conventional touristing route making it a good way to experience a local specialty.

Margaret's Café e Nata
瑪嘉烈葡式蛋塔
Edifício Kam Loi, Nam Van
南灣金來大廈
Macau
+853 2871 0032

Smith & Hsu

Excellent whole-leaf tea and fresh baked goods served on stylish chinaware.

The fancy tea shop opened a while back right on the bustling 忠孝東路 near Exit 1 of the Taipei City Hall subway station. We pass by a number of times but never quite had the time to step in to check it out. Finally we had a dreary Saturday afternoon with nothing to do and a spot of afternoon tea seemed like just the thing.

The small store is made smaller split in half with one half acting as the showroom for their selection of high-end tea and teawares, while the other half contained a row of heavyset tables and designer rattan chairs for the teahouse crowd. On this gray day, the bright halogen spots was a fair substitute for the ray of sunshine.

There's a wide variety of black, green, and herbal teas on tap from their extensive catalog and various light pastries and sandwiches for accompaniment. The signature fresh-baked scones was a must, and we also picked a slice of thick-set apple pie.

The apple pie was pretty good but it seems to have been sitting in the cold case for a while. On the other hand, the warm scones had that fluffy texture that only comes with freshness. The scones came with small dishes of fruit jam (your choice of flavors) and clotted cream for that perfect extra touch to go with my Darjeeling tea. The pot contained delicate whole leaf in a removable filter basket to prevent over-extraction. The SO had some herbal tea mix which had an interesting flavor and is probably good for you but it sure doesn't taste anything like Camellia sinensis.

For the price of tea and cake we could've gone around the corner and got a couple of big fat 便當 meals to go. But there's something to be said for nice furniture, too. The wife was happy, so that's good enough for me.

Smith & Hsu
台北市忠孝東路五段33號
No.33, Section 5, Zhong Xiao East Road, Taipei
02-2747-4857

冰館

Located on 永康街, Ice Monster is famous for their mango ice, made with farm-fresh mangoes. Famous enough to become a popular tourist stop for dessert after eating at the original 鼎泰豐 around the corner. Unfortunately, no mangoes for us during the winter, but the strawberries and kiwi fruit ice, with a scoop of mango sherbet on top, was still good even in the middle of winter. It's expensive, far as shaved ice goes, but it's clean and they don't skimp on the fruity goodness. And the insistence on fresh, seasonal fruit is quite admirable. It's certainly earned a return visit for when the mangoes come in.

冰館 (Ice Monster)
106台北市大安區永康街15號
02-23948279

夏慕尼新香榭鐵板燒

FIL is rarely in Taiwan nowadays so SO+SIL wanted to take him some place nice for dinner. He likes teppanyaki and this place on 光復南路 was a good mid-price option.

It's part of the 王品集團 restaurant group which includes 陶板屋, 聚火鍋, etc. Although the food styles are quite different, they do have in common cleanly decorated spaces, well-trained (almost robotically so) staff, and slightly higher price points than the competition. But with enough flourishes and small touches to make it feel worthwhile.

There's the usual selection of seafood and meats for the main. Not the super-top-notch stuff, but everything was fresh and tasty and juicy thanks to the teppan sear. Between the four of us we managed to sample most of the available options, as our teppan chef chatted with us about his time in Europe doing the 鐵板燒 thing.

My duck breast was first seared on the teppan, then allowed to rest for a while before being finished with a Calvados flambé. The chef allowed me to play with the fire a little bit. Thankfully minimal damage was done, nothing permanent anyway.

After the main meal, they chased us upstairs to a separate lounge for dessert and drinks. It's mostly to free up the teppan seats for the paying customers, but we didn't mind it. It's nicer to sit around a table instead of all in a row anyway.

夏慕尼新香榭鐵板燒
台北市光復北路95號
02-2742-5527

EVA Air / Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge

It's not too hard to pick up eligibility for the frequent flier 貴賓室 lounges as a couple of trans-Pacific flights will pile up the miles pretty quickly, plus some padding from the Taiwan-Hong Kong commuter runs. This causes EVA's flagship lounge in Taoyuan tend to be overrun with folks like me, to such an extent that they had to open another area for the real Diamond-level, first-class frequent fliers. The Taoyuan food is just your standard steam-table Chinese food anyway. Although the high-mountain Oolong teabags are pretty good, such that mom always swipes a bunch when she passes through and so do I.

It also behooves EVA to have a nice place at HKG since it is a major transit point for their customers. Of course, on their home turf nobody can match Cathay's huge and fancy lounge which takes up half a level by itself. EVA shares their HKIA lounge services with Virgin Atlantic, right off the inter-terminal tram up the escalator near Gate 40. EVA fliers probably get more use out of the space, but the original design is definitely all VA. One see Branson's touch of hip in the decorative elements. The space is just a partitioned off open-area in the upper level, and they took advantage of the airy openness along the outside with pastel mod furniture looking out onto the gates and planes. The interior enclosed with a more plush look with dark wood paneling. And of course the bathroom fixtures are also a few steps up in design compared to the standard institutional fare.

The design may be modern-Euro but the free food is Asian fare. A person comes to you to take the order and brings the the food&drink to you, which is a very nice touch. It's simple food such as won-ton soup, congee, and noodles, but served in nice faux-lacquer or real-porcelain bowls with cloth napkins, albeit with disposable utensils. The portions are closer to snack-size rather than full meals, but that's plenty for a quick bite before the flight. I like the shrimp won-tons with big chunks of shrimp although the broth tastes a bit MSG. There's also forgettable finger sandwiches and mini-pastries set out for self-serve.

There's a nice bar but I haven't been inclined to partake in anything alcoholic. I do like to ask for black tea, though. It's only Lipton yellow-label, but as one might expect from a British company, the tea is served on a sleek porcelain service set. Goes well with the bread pudding from the menu.

The Clubhouse
(Virgin Atlantic and EVA Air)
Hong Kong International Airport
Level 7, escalator near Gate 40

Namaste Curry

For some practice time behind the wheel, GF drove us down to the NTU area where her mom has a parking pass. There's always plenty of cheap eats around a uni campus. Many of the convenient places in the streets and alleys already had lines out the door as we neared dinnertime. There's a row of curry houses and GF noted the colorful sign and the unconventional Nepalese style. It's also located at the top of a very steep flight of stairs. We figured all that would be sufficient to discourage the bulk of the crowds but even then we only barely got the last free table in the small 2nd-floor space.

The menu mentioned the owners love of Nepal and its culture. The space was painted in gold and maroon reminiscent of the Nepalese temples, with large blow-ups of photos printed on the walls. The hangings and decorations also are also nominally Nepalese, including a beautiful rug which decorated the floor of a no shoes, no chairs, raised sitting area. The menu consisted of a few simple curries with some extras as a set meal. The soup is generic Taiwanese slop, but the Nepalese flatbread was a bit more interesting, crispy pan-fried surface reminiscent of the Chinese green-onion crepes but with a very strong buttery flavor.

The restaurant's not big and the kitchen's even smaller, and it struggled to keep up with the dinner rush as we had to sit quite a while before we got our main dish. The saffron rice had a nice color but wasn't particularly memorable flavor-wise, i.e. probably not much real saffron in there. The curry appeared similar to your standard Indian curries, as one might expect based on geographical proximity. My beef stew had a strong note of cardamom to distinguished it, and GF's chicken curry was a more standard turmeric-based sauce. However, both our entrees were absolutely loaded with actual spices, as I was picking out coriander, bay leaf, peppercorns, and who-knows-what-else. The spices and seeds could've used a good bash with the old mortar-and-pestle to really bring out the flavor, but it is definitely a refreshing change to see the aggressive and one-presumes authentic spicing in a Taiwan restaurant.

The menu blurb stated that the restaurant was a labor-of-love. The decor and flavors certainly demonstrated love and care. However, the service showed the downside of amateur enthusiasm, as servers had no clue which dishes were due for which table. The kitchen was slow and inconsistent in delivery, as our neighboring table had one entree delivered long after his friend had already finished his meal. I was willing to accept the bad with the good, but the brutally competitive marketplace may not, and all those spices and seeds don't come cheap. I fervently hope that they can fix the problems and find a niche before market pressures force them to water down the authenticity to better fit mainstream Taiwan tastebuds.

The uninspired soup should've been a hint, but we we were finishing up our meal with the complementary dessert and I was intrigued by the gelatin. What was that delicate flavor and how did it acquire the translucent purple color, I asked our server?

It's grape jello. We didn't put enough sugar in it, did we?

Oh, that's good to know. Thanks.

Namaste Curry
台北市中正區羅斯福路3段316巷16號2樓
02-23629538

Patio Contemporary

Was looking for a place to eat before the movie. Didn't feel like fast food but also had to wait for GF's sister and cousin to meet us after work so no time for a leisurely meal either. The restaurants in Mitsukoshi seemed liked a convenient choice. Went looking for a casual Japanese-style Italian place in A9 but turned out that it had been replaced by the Patio, selling an Italian-Asian fusion theme. Was a bit skeptical considering Taiwan places can barely even manage to get straight-forward Italian right, but the open kitchen had a guy hand-rolling pizza dough, and it did seem interesting, plus we were short on time. So why not.

Ordered while the GF went to get the movie tickets. Chose two pizzas plus a pasta and two sets of soup+salad for a light dinner for four people. The daily salad was a Caesar, but it was actually good Caesar. Whole leaves of romaine hearts, with a zesty creamy dressing (unsweetened!) full of cracked pepper. Okay, the bacon isn't authentic Caesar, but it was real bacon, and you can't take points away for more bacon.

The cream-of-spinach soup had more of a split-pea color and it was creamy and green but not all that interesting. Should've stuck with good-old cream-of-mushroom. The Thai-style seafood soup was a creamy-tomato broth with a big mussel, calamari ring, shrimp, and some squid-ink noodles. The Thai-ness came from the bit of sour and heat in the soup which was an interesting touch.

The pizzas were thin-crust. Could've been a bit more blistered and the crust sogged and sagged a bit under the toppings. The cheese tasted a bit cheap, but the toppings were good. The tomato+mushroom was simple but tasteful, with thick slices of bright red tomato. Mushroom was plain-old button, but I can see how fancy 'shrooms wouldn't fit in the budget. The other pizza had a Thai-style topping, some sort of chewy dried fish with a spicy crust. It certainly was different, but not sure how well it really went with the cheesy base.

I picked the squid-ink pasta with soft-shelled crab. The crab was breaded and fried and one could eat it shell-and-all as advertised. The black pasta was dressed with a simple but zesty tomato-onion-mushroom sauce. The rich flavor of the crab really put the dish over the top, with all the crabby goodness and none of the hassle.

On a weekday night the place was mostly populated by folks coming off work from the nearby office towers. Considering it's situated in a department store with a nice view the prices were reasonable enough, plus the food was actually pretty darn good. Seemed like somebody was paying attention to the ingredients and preparations. We'll see how long the good intentions stick.

PATIO Contemporary 義式料理
新光三越信義新天地A9館7F
02-8789-5008

Casa Restaurant and Lounge Bar

Was going to meet up with the GF at the hospital to visit her grandfather, but when we got there we found out that he's doing so well that the doctor actually released him to go home already. Made our way back toward the east-side on foot and by bus and wandered through the back alleys behind 忠孝敦化. I was wandering aimlessly in the alleys slightly overwhelmed by the sheer number of restaurants. It was the first real warm day of the spring, and the GF was tired of being dragged along, so she chose this place as we wandered by. The little courtyard out front, the dark interior, and the couches along the edges of the room helped to make the space appear inviting despite the bare concrete walls and cheap furniture.

The menu was ambitious-sounding and they manage to mostly pull it off. I had the duck confit in honey-wine sauce. It's a large portion with sliced half-breast and a leg sitting in the sweetened goopy brown sauce. Interesting contrast of textures as the breast meat was chewy, almost tough, while the leg was fall-apart tender. Wish there was a bit more to the sauce, but I got my money's worth with the meat. GF had a chicken dish with a leg breaded with a strongly herbed (oregano?) crust on a cream sauce. The crust was crunchy and flavorful and kept the meat juicy. Unfortunately the GF took off most of the crust/skin, but thankfully there was still the sauce to provide some additional flavor. So the main items were interesting and good, at least. Both were accompanied by a scoop of mashed potatoes and steamed veggies (button mushrooms, baby carrots, and a stalk of bok choy). Not too exciting, but we're not paying enough to be getting fancy sides.

They offered half-bottle of wine, which is always convenient, but I wasn't terribly impressed with Chilean Concha y Toro 2004 Casillero Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon. I found it a bit acidic and young without the easy-drinking-ness that comes with young wines. On the other hand the wine gets good reviews on the Net, so maybe I've just been spoiled the Bordeaux Premier Crus that I've mooched from uncle.

Casa
台北市大安區忠孝東路4段216巷27弄17號
02-87718799

EVA Flight BR18

They handed out the menu to us in the Deluxe Evergreen class at the beginning of the flight. The unagi rice seemed promising, more so than the coq-au-vin anyway. Although I've had more good unagi rice than good coq-au-vin so may I wouldn't mind airline's version as much. The point was moot, since they gave us the wrong menu for the flight. So here was what I ended up with.

• Marinated Shrimp and Squid Salad

They weren't kidding when they said "shrimp," as in singular. It and its squid ring friends sat on a bed of cucumber and tomato with a tangy dressing. The squid had texture without being rubbery, which was the key.

• Braised Beef with Red Wine Sauce

The alternative was Chicken with Sukiyaki Sauce, which just sounded dull. Thought the beef and sauce may go well with the complimentary wine. Except the wine wasn't all that great, either. The braised beef was tender enough and the boiled potato chunks were alright, but the flavors were blah. Good enough for airline food, I guess.

• Seasonal Fruit

Apple and honeydew. Not sure how seasonal they are, but with globalized farming practices it hardly matters.

• Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream

They only had vanilla. That's okay. I like vanilla.

• Scrambled Eggs with Pan Fried Beef Sausage

For breakfast. Not much to say about something like that. Also had Yoplait yogurt which was nice.