You are browsing the archive for 2010 January 05.

Plum Blossom Room: Yum Cha (Dim Sum) in Taipei

January 5, 2010 in Food, Taiwan, Travel

Restaurant: Plum Blossom Room
Food: Yum Cha, Cantonese Cuisine
Address: Level 2-3, Brother Hotel, 255, Section 3 Nanking East Road
Opening: 9am – 9:30pm

We were supposed to visit Naturestar Yum Cha Restaurant on Nanking East Road (Section 3), but it just happened to be closed for stove restorations that afternoon.

Accordingly, we went to the Yum Cha restaurant called Plum Blossom Room at Brother Hotel next door.  From the outside, it looks like one of those typical Chinese restaurants in hotels where people have their wedding banquets.  And sure enough, it is one of those places.

'Plum Blossom Room' is a direct translation

(Click on ‘More…’ to read the rest of the review and check out the food pics)

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Cheap and Tasty Noodles Near CKS Memorial Hall

January 5, 2010 in Food, Taiwan, Travel

Restaurant: Zhang Wu Ji
Food: Chinese noodles, wontons, soup and savoury pastries
Address: Corner of Ning Bo (Po) East Street and Section 1 Roosevelt Road
Opening: Early morning till roughly noon
Prices: Expect to spend around TWD 50-100 per head

There are lots of cheap and tasty (or cheap and dirty) little restaurants in Taipei, usually run as long-standing family businesses.  Most of these rely on the business of local residents and workers, but some are good enough to attract visitors from other districts.

The tiny noodle and pastry breakfast joint called Zhang Wu Ji on Ning Bo (Po) East Street, near the corner of Section 1 Roosevelt Road (Luo Si Fu Road), is unfortunately not one of these places.  However, if you are going to see Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in the morning, it doesn’t hurt to check this place out if you aren’t afraid of the local food spots.  They are usually only open up to about noon, so you need to get in early.

Zhang Wu Ji looks dodgy from the outside but the food is great

(Don’t be put off by the exterior, click on ‘More…’ to see the declious food pics!)

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Taipei Fine Dining: Le Jardin

January 5, 2010 in Food, Taiwan, Travel

Restaurant: Le Jardin (臻典西餐廳)
Food: Western-style Fine Dining
Address: Lane 70, Section 6, Zhōng Xiào East Rd, Nangang District
Opening: Tuesday-Sunday 11:20am-10:00pm
Contact: (02) 27852556, 27850023 (reservations recommended)
Prices: Lunch specials from TWD 180 – 380; Set dinner meals from TWD 450 – TWD 1200 (appetizer, bread, soup, salad, main course and dessert) + 10% service charge
Web: http://jardin57.pixnet.net/blog (English menu on left panel)

With so many ridiculously cheap eats in Taipei, it may come as a surprise to some that ‘fine dining’ is also very popular.

By fine dining I am referring primarily to the atmosphere – ie a nice, well-furbished restaurant with proper cutlery (as opposed to the disposable type) and presentable menus.  Prices are substantially higher than your regular street vendor but will in all likelihood still compare very favourably to counterparts in Western countries.

One such restaurant I visited is Le Jardin (臻典西餐廳), a pretty little establishment in the Nangang district of Taipei.

Rainy night outside Le Jardin

There aren’t a whole lot of seats inside, probably enough for 25-30 people at most.  On this night, there were 3 or 4 other tables, mostly family gatherings.  There is only one toilet, but it is surprisingly big, clean and quite classy.

(Click on ‘More…’ to read the rest of the review and see the food pics!)

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