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Le Salon at Yongkang Street

April 22, 2012 in Food, Reviews, Taiwan, Travel

So I’m a pig.

My last food review was this handcut noodle place on Yongkang Street in Taipei. Well, shortly after that meal, I walked around the corner and headed into Le Salon (小茶栽堂), a popular cafe/afternoon tea place that sells an assortment of cakes, biscuits, chocolates, macarons, teas and coffees. It’s supposed to be pretty good. A little on the pricey side, but good.

This particular one we went to (there are a couple, apparently) has two levels. The ground level features all the pretty displays, and the upstairs area is where the diners can sit and chat away the afternoon (when we went there was a bunch of gossipy upper class ladies badmouthing friends who weren’t there).

Cakes...

More cakes...

Cookies and biscuits...

Tea and coffee...

Given that we were still pretty full, we decided against the mega afternoon tea sets, which cost NT$880. There is a royal set for 1680, but that’s for 3-5 people. We went with the classic cake + macaron + biscuit set to share (NT$450) — it was supposed to be a canele but they didn’t have it so we had to replace it with a biscuit. Fearing it might not have been enough, we also got an additional cake. Add on the 10% service charge and that’s around NT$700 for a light afternoon tea.

The first thing I will say is that the cakes looked nicer on the menu, and also in the display cabinets downstairs. Must have been the lighting.

The cake we got with the set was the oolong milles feuilles, which is supposed to be their speciality. That’s right, oolong tea flavoured milles feuilles! The other cake we got was the chocolate truffle ball, and the macaron was not strawberry but lychee. The biscuit was just, well, a biscuit.

Here are the photos.

Oolong milles feuilles

Chocolate dome

Lychee macaron and cookie

Was it great? Not really. The oolong milles feuilles was quite interesting but the oolong flavour was not as strong as expected. The flavour itself was fine but the layers of pastry were not quite crispy enough. The milles feuilles at Robuchon are much better.

The chocolate truffle ball looked good and tasted pretty good too, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. The inside was predominantly chocolate mousse, which made it lighter than I had expected (in a good way), but at the end of the day it was just chocolate.

The biscuit was somewhat forgettable, and I’ve had better macarons elsewhere — though I admit the lychee was a little different.

The beverage I got was a cold Japanese genmai tea. It was what it was.

So yeah, it was just okay. Don’t regret trying it out but don’t think we’ll be heading back there any time soon.

6.5 out of 10

Details

Le Salon  (小茶栽堂)

Address: No. 8, Lane 4, Yǒngkāng St, Daan District, Taipei

Phone: 02-2395-1558

Opening hours: 11am-11pm

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Shengyuan Shigua Steamed Dumplings

March 11, 2012 in Food, Reviews, Taiwan, Travel

 

Hard to get a clear shot at night

My food posts are back, baby!  I’m a little backed up, so hopefully I can catch up in the next couple of months.

Anyway, here’s a place I visited a few months ago.  If you like steamed dumplings (ala Din Tai Fung) like me, then a street near Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall might be your thing.  Hangzhou South Road, which borders one of the sides of the memorial, has several steamed dumpling (xialongbao) joints. But most of them are street vendors, so that may turn a lot of tourists off.

There is one proper restaurant, however, that is both clean and has awesome food. It’s called Shengyuan Shigua Steamed Dumpling and it’s on one of the side lanes off Section 2 of Hangzhou South Road (lane 25, to be exact).

The restaurant isn't spectacular, but at least it's a restaurant

On most nights, expect to line up, so it doesn’t hurt to book ahead.  The restaurant itself is quite big, with wooden tables and chairs like what you would see in those kung fu movies.  The kitchen is out near the front behind glass, so you can kind of see the cooks working away. A lot of the stuff is self-serve, like the mini cold side dishes on the display shelf, hot tea, napkins and utensils, as well as my favourite — the sauces.  In the corner of the restaurant there is a sauce stand where you can add your own soy and vinegar, shredded ginger, garlic paste, chilli and even a special thick pot-sticker sauce. Awesome.

Awesome self serve dishes

Self serve sauces

The variety is pretty good too, with an assortment of steamed dumplings, pot-stickers, wontons, meats, vegetables, soups, noodles and savoury snacks. You can also order traditional dishes but only large groups tend to order those. You would think the “must order” is the shigua (luffa) steamed dumplings (after all, that’s what the restaurant has in its name), but for us it was the beef pancake roll. My god it was the best I’ve ever had, so crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside…

Let me allow the photos to do most of the talking.

Hot and sour soup -- pretty good, but not super

Shigua steamed dumplings, the signature dish -- not quite as good as Din Tai Fung's but it's still very good and just a fraction of the price

Wontons with chilli oil -- a little different to what I am ordinarily used to but it was very nice

The beef pancake roll -- sliced beef with cucumber and shallots rolled up in a pan fried pastry topped off with hoisin sauce -- the best I've ever had

Pan fried pastry with pork filling -- mmmmmm.....

On the whole, the prices are extremely reasonable. You’re looking at about NT$100 for 8 steamed dumplings, NT$70 for the wontons and 30 for each mini cold side dish. Incredible value.

The service is virtually non-existent, but for the price and quality of the food, not to mention the sensational beef rolled pancake, I’d definitely recommend giving Shengyuan Shigua Steamed Dumplings a try.

8 out of 10!

Directions: Take the MRT to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. The nearest Exit is no. 3 but if you want to walk through the memorial you can take no. 5.

 

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Burgers at Rabbit Rabbit (Taipei)

January 25, 2012 in Food, Reviews, Taiwan, Travel

I have no idea why it’s called Rabbit Rabbit (as far as I am aware, there are no rabbit burgers), but what I do know is that the place is famous for its gourmet beef and chicken burgers, as well as its Western-style brunch, especially amongst the younger crowd.

There are currently three stores in Taipei.  On this particular night, we went to the one near the Shida Night Markets, and it was jam packed with youngsters.  The store itself is bright and colourful, with lots of soft colours such as baby pink, cyan and light purple and green.  Kind of looks like a hip nursery.

Thanks to a semi-reservation, we didn’t have to wait too long (20 minutes).  Seeing how busy they were, we ordered quickly.  Their menu is quite varied and interesting.

For the beef burgers there are the usual plain patties with different cheeses, but they also have unique combinations such as peanut butter, gravy and fried beef, shrimp and salmon burgers.  The peanut butter was apparently very popular but it was a bit too risky for my liking, so I went with another ‘recommended’ burger (ones with a crown next to it), the Chilli Sauce Beef Burger (NT$250), which came with a hand-made beef patty, chilli sauce and jalapenos.

The chicken burgers are also quite special, also with a peanut butter version, a thai-style burger (with spicy peanut sauce), teriyaki burger, honey mustard, cajun and so forth.  We went with Chicken Burger with Creamy Pesto Sauce (NT$250).

Note that the burgers come with lettuce, onions and tomato, a side of either fries, wedges or cooked vegetables, and include an unlimited refill beverage of your choice (limited to teas and soft drinks).

They also have an all-day brunch menu with stuff like sausages and eggs, appetizers, soups and salads, sandwiches, fajitas and even pastas.  But from what I could see, most people were there for the burgers or the brunch food.

It was quite a long wait for the burgers, but the wait was worth it.  The Chilli Burger was full of spicy goodness and gave a real kick to my taste buds.  Thankfully, they were not stingy on the chilli sauce or the jalapenos.  The side fries we ordered were also surprisingly nice — crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

The chicken burger was good as well.  The pesto sauce was thick and creamy and the chicken was tender.  The biggest surprise were the cooked vegetables, which sounded like a strange thing to have but it was super tasty and took the edge off the heaviness of the burgers.

From what we had, I’d say the burgers at Rabbit Rabbit were pretty good but not exceptional.  The flavours were great but they did feel a little heavy and oily because of the thickness of the sauces, so it’s not the type of place you would visit regularly.  It’s perfect for group gatherings and when you feel up for a big meal.

7.5 out of 10!

Details

Rabbit Rabbit

Website: http://rabbitrabbit-burger.blogspot.com/

Opening Hours: Sunday-Thursday 11am-10pm; Friday-Saturday 11am-10:30pm

Price: around NT$300 per head (note includes 10% service charge)

Stores:

East Store 1: No. 32, Lane 160, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Rd, Daan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106; (02) 8771-4073; Nearest MRT: Zhongxiao Fuxing/Zhongxiao Dunhua

East Store 2: No. 31, Lane 31, Section 1, Dà’ān Rd, Daan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106; (02) 2778-3445; Nearest MRT: Zhongxiao Fuxing/Zhongxiao Dunhua

Shida Store: No. 1, Lane 4, Pǔchéng St, Daan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106; (02) 2368-2338; Nearest MRT: Guting/Taipower Building

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Patisserie La Douceur (Taipei)

January 22, 2012 in Best Of, Food, Reviews, Taiwan, Travel

We were walking around the Yong Kang Street area a couple of months ago on a rainy evening when we stumbled across a fine looking French patisserie called La Douceur.  Even though we only just had dinner, the uber enticing cakes on display lured us in.

Judging from the diplomas on the wall I assume the chef learned his or craft in France, where the big shots of pastry making are.  They certainly looked as good as anything I’ve seen in Europe.

I’ll stop typing now and just let the photos speak for themselves.

This is the "Tahiti" -- looks like a chocolate macaron but it's actually berry flavoured with vanilla mousse!

Of course, the chestnut flavoured Mont Blanc

A big cup of light, frothy coffee!

We didn't get these chocolate goodies as some bastard pre-ordered them all, but damn they look good

The coffee was good and the cakes were sensational.  The Mont Blanc was up there amongst the best I’ve had (and I’m not even much of a chestnut guy) and the Tahiti was refreshingly different.  I loved the sourness of the berries and the light sweetness of the vanilla mousse.  A perfect combo.

Can’t wait to go back there and test out the rest of their delicious cakes and macarons (you can check them out here).

Details

Patisserie La Douceur

Address: No. 223 JinHua St, Daan District, Taipei

Nearest MRT Station: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall or Guting (a bit of a walk though).

Phone: (02) 33222833

Opening Hours: 1pm-9pm (Fridays and Saturdays till 10pm)

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Coffee at La Crema (Taipei)

January 15, 2012 in Food, Reviews, Taiwan, Travel

Man I miss the coffee in Sydney, and I’m not even much of a coffee guy.  After living in the UK and travelling around Europe and America, I have come to appreciate just how good the coffee in Sydney is.

What I didn’t realise was that Taiwan has a lot of cafes (not named Starbucks, Dante or Mr Brown, though some of the “gourmet” ice coffee  there isn’t actually too bad) and some of these places take quite a bit of pride in their coffee too.

A very popular cafe around the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall MRT station is called La Crema.  It’s a surprisingly spacious joint in a side alley filled with restaurants and cafes, and the decor inside has a old-school feel, with wooden furniture, a bar, a record player, jazz music, and from what I hear, live performances on occasion.  On Friday and Saturday nights the place is reportedly loud and crowded.

La Crema has a wide assortment of coffees made from fresh imported coffee beans.  Espressos, lattes, mochas — they’ve got all the usual stuff but also more exotic gourmet coffee from Brazil, Guatemala and so forth.  The specialities are apparently the latte and the espresso with two scoops of vanilla ice cream.  Their biscuits and cheese cakes are also popular.

Here are photos of what we got: a latte, an iced coffee and a plate of home-made biscuits.  We would have gone for some cake but we were actually coming off a big meal at Ma Shan Tang around the corner.

The biscuits were pretty good but not spectacular (they were better at San Kwai Tang Cafe near Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall MRT station) but the coffee was indeed excellent, reminding me a little of the awesomeness of some of the cafes in Sydney’s Newtown.  In other words, I recommend the place!

If you want to go during off peak times to avoid the crowds, I would recommended going for the afternoon special, which is available Monday to Friday between 1:30 and 5:30.  The special includes a tea, coffee or two espressos, plus either a cheese slice, cheese cake home-made biscuits or a piece of tick toast with spread for NT$160.

Details:

La Crema (克立瑪咖啡館)

Address: No. 45, Lane 280, Guāngfù South Rd, Daan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Nearest MRT: Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall Station — take exit 2 and walk straight until you see Lane 280 and turn right.

Phone: 02-2731-3264

Opening Hours: Sunday-Thursday 12:00-23:00; Friday-Saturday 12:00-23:30

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