Restaurant #41: 1885 Burger Store, Taipei

Since I came back to Asia, every once in a while I’ve been tempted to eat some big fat greasy burgers. Basically, here in Taipei, it is not easy to find big burgers… Burgers here are so tiny!!! I used to be okay with it, but I guess my stomach adjusted to American sized burgers…

I checked some burger stores in Taipei area, especially near by my school, and I found some in neighborhood; 1885 Burger Store, Evans Burger and California Grill. Well, which one should I try first? Let’s start from 1885 Burger Store!

1885 Burger Store serves handmade burgers, American style breakfast (all day!) and some appetizers. They offer daily specials. If you add NT$ 40, you get one drink with free refill. Very nice~!

This afternoon was all packed. There were bunch of students having a lunch party, so it was quite noisy. I would like to go there a bit later, so that I can have quite nice lunch. Their décor was pretty cook with bricks. All workers were friendly. I really wanted to try their beef burgers, but I was not sure which beef they use (NZ, US or…?), so my friend and I decided to try out their chicken sandwiches.

B.B.Q Grilled Chicken Burger

My choice: B.B.Q Grilled Chicken Burger (NT$ 190). I usually don’t eat BBQ taste, but they only had two chicken burger. Taiwan-raised chicken (I hope!) was appropriately cooked, and BBQ sauce was spread. The taste of the sauce was a bit strong, though. They prepared three kinds of buns; roll, cream, and whole wheat. I chose whole wheat bun this time. The burger was served with a cute wooden tray, including crispy seasoned French fries.


I liked the presentation. Slices of lettuce and chicken breast were already on the bun, but veggies were on the side. Fresh slices of tomatoes, onions and pickles. You can eat separately or of cause you can make your own sandwich (with or without onions) as you like—cute!


Seasoned French fries were so tasty! It came with a small bucket. I thought the bucket was full of fries, but don’t worry, a half of the bucket was full, so I eventually ate everything. It made me full!

Mexican Tartar Chicken Burger

My friend’s choice was Mexican Tartar Chicken Burger (NT$ 210). Actually, I was also curious about this… Hmmm Mexican tartar… It was spicy! Jalapeño was added on regular tartar sauce. The combination of the crispy chicken and a sauce was amazing! I just wish that the chicken was a bit thicker for a big eater like me. :)

Overall, I really liked 1885 Burger Store. I definitely want to go back there and try different burgers.

Total: NT$ 400 (for 2 people)

1885 Burger Store
24-1, Pucheng St., Da-An dist.,
Taipei, Taiwan
02-2367-8258
http://www.1885burgerstore.com/

Travel #03: Sapporo to Taipei

I have to apologize that I couldn’t update any information for a while. Although I don’t have many readers, there are still some who may wonder what I’ve been eating everyday. Ha ha. Taipei’s temperature and humidity went up quite a lot, and I have been struggling with headache and some skin problems these days. Compared with Sapporo, humidity is quite high, and I guess it cause the headache constantly. Anyway, I am still alive, but I don’t eat well… Or I should say I have been cooking by myself, which is… pretty miserable. (I am not a good chef…)


I would like to update about Sapporo trip back in May. On the way back to Taipei, I was happy to see the new international airport just opened a few months ago. It was a brand new, clean, organized one. The only thing I was a bit disappointed was that the flights were limited between Asia. They used to have a flight to Hawaii and Amsterdam, but not anymore… A flight to China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea… pretty much that is it. It seemed that the city built for an Asian tourist, not for a citizen of Hokkaido. I hope they will have more flights to other countries later on.


After getting off JR train, the international gate became a bit far, but don’t worry. A lady took me with a cute cart to the gate. Of course, it is only a few minutes for a walk to get to the gate, but I had some souvenirs and wanted to try the cart, so I enjoyed the short ride.



On the way to the gate, you would see some booths displaying each country, such as Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russia, Australia, Thailand…





The departure gate is in upstairs.



This time, I used my mileage for business class, so I enjoyed the lounge. Here the lounge was small but pretty! Less people, so I could relax…


Food was less, but these tiny breads were so delicious! I especially loved the sesame one on the top right. I enjoyed those with a cup of corn potage.


On the way back to Taipei, the business seats were almost empty; flight attendant was friendly, but too casual.






Basically the food was almost out. I wanted to try the Western style lunch, but they said already out. So I had no choice… I ate Sukiyaki. Compared with the food from Taipei to Sapporo, this sukiyaki lunch was MUCH BETTER! OK here is the tip. From Japan to anywhere you go, basically Japanese (or Asian) style meal would be better than western style meal. Their beef was tender, the taste was appropriate. Sukiyaki came with shiitake, negi, carrot, spinach, shirataki and tofu. A piece of sushi made me smile. A cup of rice was warm and fresh enough.

It was only a three-hour flight, but I enjoyed their food and service. In-flight movie was “Invictus”; yeah, my favorite actor/director, Clint Eastwood!!! It all made me happy~!

If you have a plan to come to Japan, please make a few extra days, come and visit Hokkaido!