Restaurant #46: DongMen Dumpling 東門餃子館, Taipei

It has been quite long time since I found a real good restaurant. DinTaiFung is too popular, and others are pretty good but have no service or have some hygiene problems. So, I went to the Japanese book store and read some guild book magazine. DongMen Dumpling Restaurant was on the magazine right next to DinTaiFung, most of magazine recommend their dumpling repertories. OK let’s try out!


A gorgeous big sign represent their name and pride.



The exterior is quite interesting. A big sign of the restaurant and KOI in an outdoor small koi pond welcome customers. Unfortunately, this restaurant is not barrier-free. At the entrance, we need to across the big stairs...

The interior was quite simple, but workers were friendly, and quickly guided us to the table. Table was clean as well as on the floor. It seems in good hygiene. :)


They offer steamed, boiled and fried dumplings as well as other popular Chinese dishes, including Hot Pot. We ordered Tofu with Shrimp (蝦仁豆腐), steamed pork dumpling (豬肉蒸餃), and steamed rice.

Tofu with Shrimp, Steamed Rice

Tofu dish had three kinds (with Shrimp, with Pork and Veggie, with Pork and spicy sauce). You were able to choose S/M/L size.


We ordered small one, but it was enough for two people. 蝦仁豆腐 (small) (TW$ 100) was served with tender tofu, middle-size shrimp, and green peas. It was a bit salty for me, but once I put steamed rice into my mouth, the taste was balanced.

Steamed Pork Dumplings

This steamed pork dumplings (豬肉蒸餃) (TW$ 90) was so delicious! So far the best steamed dumpling in Taipei! Once I put into my mouth, I became speechless! The tender pork was appropriately cooked, still in good temperature, and tasty juice spread in my mouth. It was not oily at all, and was not too much. Everything was perfectly balanced—not too much, not too less. 10 pcs only cost TW$90. I strongly recommend you to try this!!! It was amazing!!!


We went there at noon, and enjoyed our meal and time. They let us stay until 3pm~. I was satisfied with their hospitality and food. I definitely want to go back and try other dumplings soon.

Total: about $250 (for 2 people)

DongMen Dumpring Restaurant: 東門餃子館
No. 37, Lane 31 Sec. 2, JinShan S. Rd., Da-an Dist.,
Taipei, TAIWAN
http://tungmen.redirectme.net/

Restaurant #45: Jin ji Yuan金鶏園, Taipei

YongKang Street has been a popular tourist area in Taiwan. Many good restaurants are waiting for you. The most famous dumpling restaurant, DinTaiFung, and mango shaved ice, YongKang 15 (originally known as Ice Monster), are the most well known shops in this area. From National Taiwan Normal University, it takes only five minutes to get to YongKang Street, so it is easy for me to try out all kinds of restaurants.

The 金鶏園 (JinJiYuan) has been popular for 小籠包 (steamed dumpling) lovers. Their dumpling is big and tasty. DinTaiFung is a competitive restaurant in this area, but many like to come to JinJiYuan because of the price. Of course, other menus are popular. I think their price is reasonable, and their service is not bad at all. Since it is close to the university, I see many students here coming for lunch.

First floor is a kitchen, so we go up to the second floor. All workers welcomed us. At the second floor, three waitresses were working, and immediately led us to the table. All workers didn’t smile, but worked quickly. I always go there for lunch by myself, but this time I invited my friend to join me. We ordered 排骨飯 (TW$ 80), 小籠包子 (TW$ 80), and 菜肉蒸餃 (TW$ 90).

Fried Pork Chop Rice

排骨飯 (Fried Pork Chop Rice) is a popular dish in Taiwan. I usually order fried chicken, so it was a first time to try pork chop. It was pretty good, but I have to tell you that their pork chop was nothing special. (^^;) Good part of ordering this for lunch is that it comes with three different side dishes (小菜)—seeweed wakame, green beans and bamboo shoots. You see some meats over the rice? That is called LuRouFan (魯肉飯), which is one of popular Taiwanese dishes. Minced, ground fatty pork stewed in special soy sauce and spices, and served on steamed rice.


It is easily prepared--but tasty--dish. If you prefer white rice, you can ask the waitress “no LuRou over rice”.

Pork Steamed Dumplings

This is their signature menu, 小籠包子!!! It is much bigger than the one in DinTaiFung, and also price is reasonable. It is only TW$ 80 for 8 pcs! It was served quick enough, and dumplings were hot! Once I bit, delicious soup was spread in my mouth. First dumpling was without any sauce, the second one was with a bit of soy sauce and sliced ginger, and the third one was with vinegar. All kinds of sauce you can enjoy.

Vegetable Steamed Dumplings

小籠包 is always my favorite, but don’t forget about 餃子. There are three types of dumplings—boiled, fried, and steamed. I love all those, especially fried dumplings (not deep fried, though). Recently, I discovered the vegetable steamed dumplings were healthy and tasty, so I tried theirs. Once I bit, the soup came out slightly; it was from the vegetable. After that, I felt some sweet taste. I am not sure if it is purely from veggie or MSG. This sweet taste stayed until the end of the lunch time, and personally I was not a huge fan of it. If I have a chance, I would like to try it again and want to figure out what this taste is.

Overall, I go to this restaurant very frequently, and I enjoy their food. It worth to try.

Total: TW$ 220 (for 2 people)

Jin Ji Yuan 金雞園永康店
No. 28-1, YongKang St., Daan Dist.,
Taipei, TAIWAN
02-2341-6980
09:00-21:00 (closed on Monday!?)

Restaurant #44: 阿3的義大利麵 A3’s Pasta, Taipei

Finally, I found a reasonable, tasty spaghetti restaurant in my area! (It took me almost for a year to find.) I already wrote about Gino pasta, but this阿3的義大利麵 is much easier to access from MRT YongChun station. Their signature menu is cream mushroom pasta. It is not only tasty but also in reasonable price. If you have a chance, please visit them and try their food!

Going to 阿3的義大利麵, it only takes about 5 minutes from MRT YongChun station by walk. Dining area is in appropriate size, and take-out is also available. From kitchen area, an owner’s wife welcomed us. All workers are friendly, and lead us to the table. Décor was simple, or I should say typical Taiwanese restaurant style, but organized.

Cream Sauce with Mushroom & Bacon

Cream Sauce with Mushroom & Bacon (奶汁菌菇培根麵), NT$100, is a signature item. Their cream sauce is quite special, especially with some cheese powder. If you are a vegetarian, you can order it without bacon (NT$ 90). Tasty juice from mushroom (Shitake & Enoki, and might be also Eryngii) and creamy sauce really matched. Don’t forget to add some cheese powder~!

Vongole

Every Italian restaurant serves Vongole, but their Vongole (白酒蛤蜊) was used fresh clams and taste good, and it costs only NT$ 90. I didn’t taste the butter, so I believe they sautéed minced onion with olive oil, then added a cup of white wine. Taiwanese basil doesn’t have strong flavor as much as I expected, but it kept the good balance of flavor and it matches with vongole. “Cream Sauce with fresh clam” is also available. I tried it but I prefer eating clam with white whine sauce.

Creamy Pesto Risotto with Chicken

Their risotto is… not a real risotto. lol What should I call it… soup rice?!? Well, they serve five kinds of “soup rice”. I tried Creamy Pesto Risotto with Chicken (奶油青醬雞肉燉飯) (NT$ 110). You can also choose this flavor with spaghetti. I tried the pasta later on, but the pasta didn’t make me full unless I add extra spaghetti, so I recommend it with rice. I was amazed how tender the chicken was, and pesto sauce came with shredded parmesan cheese.

Since then, I sometimes go there and try out different items; A3 became one of my favorite pasta restaurants in Taipei. All workers are friendly, especially the owner’s wife. I would recommend their cream sauce item and also pesto chicken risotto. I have never tried their tomato sauce, so I definitely want to eat it next time.

Total: NT$ 300 (for 3 people)

阿3的義大利麵: A3’s Pasta
台北市信義區忠孝東路五段524巷1弄3號
02-2728-3017

Restaurant #43: California Grill, Taipei

California Grill serves, as you can tell, California-style big fat burgers! There were two branches in Taipei, but it seems one at Dun Hua (敦化) just closed. I hope Yong Kang street (永康街) branch is still okay. Anyway, near by National Taiwan Normal University have several burger stores. I already went to 1885 Burger Store, which was great. This California Grill is another one in this area.

I went to Dun Hua branch. Unfortunately, this branch was already closed, but you might try Yong Kang Jie branch. The décor was simple, but it gave the feeling of California. Some old Hollywood movie posters were displayed, and some chairs were American-style diner. They have open kitchen, so you can see how the workers take care of your food.

Their special menu is Tofu burger! It looked very healthy, but I wanted to eat something to make my stomach full! So I ordered Chicken Sandwich with French fries, and my friend ordered Western Burger with salad.

Hidden Valley Chicken

My choice was Hidden Valley Chicken (NT$ 195), and added Fries and drink (NT$ 50). Grilled breast, ranch, bacon, pepperjack cheese, sprouts, red onion… All on wheat bun! Their buns were a bit dry, but sprouts made me so happy! Chicken was juicy enough and extra accent with bacon. This was a great combination. A few things which I didn’t like were the freshness of tomatoes and French fries. Slices of tomatoes were too tiny, and French fries were ordinary. Yet, overall, I liked it!

Western Bacon Burger

My friend’s choice was Western Bacon Burger (NT$ 205), added salad and drink (NT$ 50). You can choose the meet among beef, breaded chicken, teriyaki chicken or tofu. She chose beef. Onion rings, BBQ sauce, bacon & cheese on white bun. It looked very tasty! It reminded me of western burger at Carl’s Jr., actually. Ha ha. She said the taste was okay, but I guess the quantity of salad was a bit less.

Overall, I liked the atmosphere and food was so far so good. I was surprised that all the waiters could speak American English perfectly! They told me that they’ve never been to America. It seems that the owner of this restaurant was from California, and he taught them English very well. Well done, owner! I definitely want to go back there, next time at Yong Kang Jie branch. Oh, let me note that they use USDA beef.

Total: NT$ 500 (for 2 people)

California Grill
YongKang St. #53-1, Taipei City
02-2343-5111
http://www.californiagrill.com.tw/index.html

Restaurant #42: Gino Pasta 吉諾義麵屋

It is good to be in Taipei if you love B級グルメ. B級グルメ means a cheap, casual but delicious food. Many food stalls and family-owned restaurants on the street of Taipei have tasty, tasty items, and when I find a new one, it feels that I finally find a treasure. This restaurant, Gino Pasta, was one of the restaurants which made me feel that way. It is a little bit far from MRT YongChun station, but this price and the atmosphere, it worth to go there.

Several things I liked about this restaurant. First, their signature menu was tasty with reasonable price. Second, the owner (I believe) was a single, handsome guy. J I went there twice so far, and tried different menus. I believe all the items are in good price and tasty.

The only thing I concern was the hygiene, which is the most important issue when I go to Taiwan’s restaurant. They cook the food in front of the restaurant, but they put the big refrigerator in a dining area. When you get into the store, you see some tables and chairs, and on the side, there is a big refrigerator and a big table. The workers sometimes organize pasta and ingredients on this table. All kinds of customers come to this store, and some might cough, some might have a cold… Those directly hit the food. Plus, some remains of the veggies and foods may attract small bugs...


We ordered a cup of pumpkin soup and a variety of pasta. Sorry I forgot to take a picture of pumpkin soup (NT$ 30), but it was delicious.

Vongole Bianco

A lot of crams and quarter bunch of broccoli demonstrate the healthy color combination. Crams were fresh enough, but the taste of white wine was a bit strange. I don’t know how to describe… I am not sure it was white wine or their original sauce. If it was original, I guess I prefer a simple garlic white wine sauce. (NT$ 100)

Spicy Chicken Pasta

I believe this is their signature menu; Spicy Chicken Pasta (NT$ 90). This creamy pasta was special, I really liked it. Without red peppers, I believe the taste is a bit heavy. So spicy taste help us to keep eating and eating… Fresh broccoli and slices of mushroom give light accent in my mouth.

Spaghetti aglio olio e peperoncino

Aww… I simply chose their cheapest menu, Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino (NT$ 70). Peperoncino is my favorite, but it is difficult to find a good one. I only found it at one small pasta restaurant in Japan before. Here, this, unfortunately, was not my taste. They used the mixed herb powder with MSG. Well, the garlic was not fresh, so of course I don’t taste anything but MSG. I don’t recommend this item.

Cheese & Bacon Penne Gratin

A gratin is the most delicious food in the world! Most of gratins make me disappointed, but their gratin was not bad at all, and it costs only NT$ 100 (US$3 or so). As mentioned as menu, the ingredient was only bacon, which was a bit boring. If they put broccoli, mushroom and onion besides bacon, I don’t mind to pay NT$ 120. I definitely want to try their Tomato Gratin next time.

I would like to go back there again if they improve the hygiene issue. I recommend you to visit there before 8pm, because the dining area is still clean and all free drinks are still available.

Total: NT$ 390 (for 4 people)

Gino Pasta 吉諾義麵屋
1 F, No.1-1, 540 Lane, Song-Shan Rd.
Xingyi Dist., Taipei City
02-2726-9020

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!