Showing posts with label ~ Travel: Taiwan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ~ Travel: Taiwan. Show all posts

Thursday 4 February 2016

Smoothie House 永康街思慕昔 (Taiwan, Taipei)

Super Fruits Mix Mango Snowflake Ice and Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet
Smoothie House 永康街思慕昔 also located at Yong Kang Street is located directly opposite Fried Scallion Pancakes 天津葱油饼.
As its name suggest, it serves shaved ice. It occupies two storey building which is air-conditioned. Although the seating capacity is limited at level 1, there are lots of space at level two.
Menu

Menu
They offered few selection of items; just four shaved ice and five smoothie items. Their menu is catered to tourist, as it comes with English, Chinese, Japanese and even Korean language on it.We wanted to order the Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Panna Cotta. However, the item was not available. In the end, we ordered the Super Fruits Mix Mango Snowflake Ice and Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet.
 Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet 180 TWD (S$7.80)
Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Sorbet 180 TWD (S$7.80) consisted of shaved ice with mango syrup, mango chunks and a scoop of mango sorbet.
Super Fruits Mix Mango Snowflake Ice 190 TWD (S$8.30)
Super Fruits Mix Mango Snowflake Ice 190 TWD (S$8.30) consisted of shaved ice with mango syrup, kiwi and strawberries chunks and a scoop of mango sorbet.

The portion was huge. Although there was five of us, we had difficulty finishing these 2 shaved ice. The fruits were fresh. Taste wise, they added a tad too much syrup and it was too sweet.  Though this was not too bad, personally I prefer the shaved ice that I had in South Korea.

Smoothie House 永康街思慕昔 (Taiwan, Taipei)
No. 15, Yongkang St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
台北市大安區永康街15號
Tel: 886 2 2341 8555
Opening Hours: Daily 10am – 11pm
Website 

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Tuesday 26 January 2016

Fried Scallion Pancakes 天津葱油饼 (Taiwan, Taipei)

Fried Scallion Pancake (Plain) 25 TWD (S$1)
 After our meal at Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵, we were walking towards Smoothie House 思慕昔 (Mango Snowflake Ice) when this stall selling Fried Scallion (Spring Onion) Pancakes called 天津葱油饼 caught our attention. 
This stall is located opposite Smoothie House 思慕昔 along Yongkang Street and there was long queue at this stall. It sold a variety of fried scallion pancakes (plain, with egg, ham, cheese, etc)
Menu
 They sell just 6 varieties of fried scallion pancakes
Look at the amount of scallion pancakes they are frying... and yet there is a long queue. We had to wait about 10 minutes for ours.

These scallion pancakes are made from dough (instead of batter) folded with oil and minced scallions. In a way, it is similar to roti prata which is made from dough. 
Fried Scallion Pancake with Egg and Ham 40 TWD (S$1.75)
The Fried Scallion Pancake (Plain) 25 TWD (S$1) was crisp, fluffy and tasty. As for the Fried Scallion Pancake with Egg and Ham 40 TWD (S$1.75), it was less crispy, but still delicious.

The Fried Scallion Pancakes were simple yet delicious. No wonder there was a queue. 

Fried Scallion Pancakes 天津葱油饼 (Taiwan, Taipei)
No. 1號, Lane 6, Yongkang St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106


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Monday 11 January 2016

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)

Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺
Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 opened since 1963 is known to be one of the best beef noodles restaurant in Tapei especially for their Spicy Broth 红烧 variety. Yong Kang Beef Noodles is located at Yong Kang Street 永康牛, a dining destination in Taipei with restaurants, cafes  and carts selling all types of food that cater to all budgets. This is also the place where the original Din Tai Feng restaurant is located at.
We arrived at the restaurant for lunch at around 2 pm as we got lost along the way. Despite the late timing, there was still a queue in front of the stall.
Menu
 This is the menu for tourist with translation of the dishes in different languages.
Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手
When we saw that they had the Wanton with Hot Chilli Sauce 红烧抄手, we knew that we just had to order it. As you can see from the photo, the wantons are placed on top of the chilli oil and pepper. It is extremely spicy and addictive! Not for the faint hearted.
Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺
This is the signature Braised Beef with Noodle in Spicy Broth 红烧牛肉麺 which is raved to be one of the best. The Australian beef servings are generous and so tender with a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. As for the noodles, they were decent, smooth and chewy. The spicy broth was a winner. It was spicy but so flavourful. No doubt one of the best beef noodles we ate in Taiwan!
Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺
As for the Braised Beef with Noodle in Clear Broth 清燉牛肉麺, the only difference was that the broth was not spicy. It was still flavourful nevertheless. I prefer the one with spicy broth, this version would be good for those who cannot take spicy food.
This name card shows the location and address of the restaurant. The beef noodles definitely made this trip worthwhile. A must try!

Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麵 (Taiwan, Taipei)
台北市金山南路二段31巷17號 
No. 17, Street 31, Jinshan South Road Section 2, Taipei
Tel: 02 2351 1051 
Opening Hours: Daily: 11am to 9.30 pm
Directions: From Dongmen MRT 東門 (Tamsui-Xinyi Line - Red), Exit 4, walk straight and turn right immediately into the small road. Walk straight till you see Jinhua Primary School. Take a right turn and you will see the restaurant a few units away.  
Website


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Thursday 3 December 2015

Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

Complimentary Breakfast
 Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 is a popular guesthouse (minsu) located in Cing Jing.
 We chose this guesthouse because of the following reasons.

1) It has the best view as it is strategically located at the highest point of Cing Jing
2) Great reviews on the hospitable and and friendly service
3) Complimentary steamboat dinner and breakfast that garnered good reviews
I am not joking when I wrote that it has the best view. Look at the sunset! We had an unblocked view as we were at the highest point. We arrived just in time for sunset. The owners immediately told us to go to the porch to view the sunset, and leave the luggage with them and pay the remaining payment later.

If you thought that this view was great wait till you see the photo on sunrise at the end of this post. 
Complimentary Steamboat Dinner
Located so high in Cing Jing, the temperature was so cold, making it perfect for having steamboat dinner. The portion of food was for 4 persons.
Complimentary Steamboat Dinner
The food was wrapped up in cling wrap to keep the food fresher till the guests were ready for dinner. Such thoughtful gesture from the owners! As for the meat and soup, they were served only after the guests were ready.
Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner


Complimentary Steamboat Dinner

Complimentary Steamboat Dinner
The ingredients provided were all very fresh. The only complain I had for the dinner was that there should have been more meat.
Complimentary Steamboat Dinner
This is their homemade chilli dip. Spicy and addictive.

Everyone staying at the guesthouse all woke up early and waited for the sun to rise. This is the photo of the sunrise. Beautiful right?
Complimentary Breakfast (Toast and egg)
After watching the sunrise, everyone went for breakfast which consisted of toast, egg, fruit, salad and coffee or tea. The breakfast was cooked by the owner's wife.
Complimentary Breakfast (salad and fruit)

The breakfast was simple yet delicious especially the toast. However, the portion was too little =(.

Nevertheless, we had a great stay at Starry House Cottage. Highly recommended! 

Starry House Cottage 清境觀星園景觀山莊 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)
台灣南投縣仁愛鄉大同村博望巷96號
No.96.Bowang Ln,Ren'ai Township
546 Nantou  Taiwan
Tel: 049 280 2242
Website



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Wednesday 25 November 2015

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)
Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant is an alfresco dining restaurant perched over a mountainous deep valley in Cingjing. 
This restaurant is well-known among Taiwanese for its food and scenery. It has been featured by their local magazines and visited by Taiwanese celebrities.  
This is the magnificent view from the dining area. It is beautiful and the air is so fresh. Coupled with the cooling weather, it is a perfect place to enjoy our food during the afternoon.
Set Menu
We ordered the Set Menu for 5 persons at 1200 TWD (S$52.40). It consisted of Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚, Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉, Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦, Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍, Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜, Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 and Steamed Rice.

We also ordered their signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞560 TWD (S$24.50). This is dish and the Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚 are their signature dishes \.

Do note that, I have literally translated the Chinese characters to English Language. Hence, the dishes may sound weird in English Language.
The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 is a very famous dish here and this is a must try at the restaurant. The chickens are marinated and then cooked in huge earthen jar placed outside the restaurant. The chickens are hooked up-right and cooked (roasted).  The essence and fats from the chicken is then collected at the bottom. Each earthen jar can cook four chickens at any point in time. Every now and then, a staff will take out each chicken from the jar and spray them with a layer of oil before putting back to roast, resulting in the crisp skin and tender meat.  
Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)
The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50) was served with dipping sauce (i.e. chilli and salt) and interesting a pair of cotton knitted work gloves and plastic gloves! Just like what you see in the above photo.

The chicken was so tender that it was easily torn into smaller pieces by hand. Hence, gloves were provided. The chicken skin was crispy and there were no fats in between as the fats had all been roasted. The interior meat was juicy and tender, not dry at all. Taste wise, it was just nice and there was no need for me to use the dipping sauce. A must try
Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜
These cabbage from the Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜 dish were grown and harvested from the mountains. Although it was well cooked and the cabbage was sweet and crunchy, it was just an ordinary dish. 
Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot  雞湯滷桂竹筍
The Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍 is another must try.This dish was well executed. They were so fresh and crunchy with a sweet taste. Not hard at all and taste so different from the ones you eat or can buy in Singapore. 
Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦
The Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦 was a very addictive dish. The shrimps were deep fried with their shells still intact and were lightly seasoned with pepper, salt and chilli. They were so well deep fried that the shells were so crisp and crunchy which the interior meat was soft and sweet. Perfect with plain rice (white steamed rice).
Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉
The vegetables and pig used in this dish (i.e. Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉) were grown from the mountains. They were very generous with the pork meat.
Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚
This is another signature dish - Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚. The trout fish was taken freshly from the fish tank. Its head and tail were removed leaving just the body. The fish was then cooked with shredded ginger, chili and garlic mixed with little soy sauce till it was 50% cooked. It would then be served to customers.  The staff would then advise the customers to wait 10 minutes as the fish would continue cooking. By then the fish would be perfectly cooked. 
Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚
The trout fish had a lot of bones in it. Even for someone like me who is used to eating fish, I was extremely careful when eating this dish. I did not find this fantastic. 
Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯
As for the head and tail of the trout fish, they were not wasted. They were used to cook the Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 together with ingredients such as mushroom and carrot.
Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯
The soup was lightly flavoured.
高山鱒魚
Look at the number of Trout Fish in the fish tank. Interestingly, they were all perceptually swimming in a particular direction. 

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳(Taiwan, Nantou Country)
546南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路信義巷36之1附1號
No. 25-1, Rénhé Rd, Renai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 546
Tel: 049 280 3710
Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm


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Friday 13 November 2015

Dazzling Cafe Sky 蜜糖土司專賣店 (Taiwan, Taichung)

Vanilla Ice Cream Waffle 200 TWD (S$8.70) 
Dazzling Cafe is a popular cafe chain in Taiwan known for their Shibuya Honey Toast. Did you know the Dazzling Group first started out as a clothing and jewelry boutique called Dazzling Fashion before embarking on the Food and Beverage journey.
We went to Dazzling Cafe Sky in Taichung which is located in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi department store.
We visited on a weekday afternoon at around 2.30pm. We were surprised to learn that the cafe was fully booked (all the air conditioned seats). Yes, at 2.30pm! Ridiculous right? It is a weekday, don't people need to work!
This whole area (indoor) was booked. Even the empty tables..as they were reserved by customers for the sitting at 3pm. We understand that those dining indoors had a 90-minute time limit., even then it was still fully booked. That is how popular Dazzling Cafe is!
The only place left is alfresco dining outside. But that means dining under the sun. These groups of customers were like us, they did not make any reservations.

After weighing our options, we decided to dine under the sun as this cafe was so popular and back then there was no plans to open the cafe in Singapore. It was quite warm but we still went for it =D

This is the menu.
Part of the drinks menu.
Soup, salad and appetizer menu.
The honey toast and waffle menu.
Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea (Pot) (cold) 160 TWD (S$7)
Each person was required to order a drink regardless of how much food is ordered. We ordered the Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea (Pot) (cold) TWD (S$7).
Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea (Pot) 160 TWD (S$7)
Each individual cup was filled with sliced fruits (apple, orange, grape and strawberry) and ice.
Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea (Pot) 160 TWD (S$7)
We all loved the Fresh Tropical Fruit Tea. It was light and refreshing. It kept us cooled and sane despite having to sit under the sun.
Dazzling Cocoa (35% Cocoa) 140 TWD (S$6.10)
This is the Dazzling Cocoa (35% Cocoa) 140 TWD (S$6.10). I had expected it to be better, but it was just too thin for my liking.
Truffle French Fries 210 TWD (S$9.10)
The Truffle French Fries 210 TWD (S$9.10) was delicious. The fries were straight cut (thick fries). They were hot, crisp and  full of truffle aroma. We all loved this dish and polished it off quickly.
Vanilla Ice Cream Waffle 200 TWD (S$8.70) 
Although we were here mainly for the dessert; Shibuya Honey Toast, we decided to also try their Vanilla Ice Cream Waffle 200 TWD (S$8.70). The ice cream was served at the side. The shape of the waffle was unique and it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast 290 TWD (S$12.60)
Now this is the what we really came for, all the way from Singapore! Tada~ Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast 290 TWD (S$12.60). The two pictures did this no justice. It taste way better than it looks. We were very weary that the ice cream was melting very quickly in the heat hence the hastily taken photos.
Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast 290 TWD (S$12.60)
The Hazelnut Chocolate Honey Toast consisted of thick honey toast, vanilla ice cream and hazelnut sauce. The bread was perfectly flavored and toast. If you thought that the exterior was delicious, wait till you get to the interior. The toast cubes in the interior had hazelnut bits in them. And when you pop one into your mouth, the hazelnut flavour just seems to explodes out. The taste is totally out of the world. It made the trip worth it especially sunning ourselves outside and sweating for a good one hour for this. This is a must try

You have got to visit Dazzling Cafe in Taiwan! One of our member in this group has tried the outlet in Singapore and was disappointed. It was different from what she had in Taiwan. 

Dazzling Cafe Sky 蜜糖土司專賣店 (Taiwan, Taichung)
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 台中新光三越  
Tai Zhong Gang Rd. Sec.2, No.111 3F 台中港路二段111號3樓 
Tel: 04 2251 8036
Opening Hours: Sun to Thur 11am - 930pm
                           Fri & Sat 11am - 10pm
Website


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