[Taipei] Toutouan (燈燈庵)

Another fine Japanese restaurant hidden in my stash.  I first heard of Toutouan for their afternoon tea.  A quick look at their website led me to discover their kaiseki dinner.

[Taipei] Gu Xiang Restaurant (故鄉餐廳)

Good food generally happens when I am least expecting.  The beautiful sceneries at Bamboo Lake made us craved for traditional food (農家菜), dishes that were made with the freshest local ingredients!  Gu Xiang (故鄉) seems to fit the bill perfectly when we were checking out their menu.  Perhaps it's a popular restaurant among the locals but I wouldn't know.

[Taipei] L'apres Midi Cafe (立裴米提)

When everyone in Hong Kong still still trying to get in line for Coffee Alley's strawberries / salted caramel waffles, Taiwan is already on the next craze: mochi waffles!  Although less commonly found compared to the regular waffles, there are a good number of cafes already serving mocha waffles.  One of them is L'apres Midi Cafe (立裴米提) in Zhongshan (中山) District.

Hotel Double One (倆人旅館)

I want to switch gears and tell you about a hotel I stayed in Xin Beitou last February 2014.  Again, apologize for the untimely update but if you follow me on Instagram (@letstalkfoodandetc), you will know I have been quite busy these days... hahaha!

[Taipei] Good Cho (好.丘)

Good Cho is known for it's bagels.  As a lover of bagels, I was excited to come and try.  The area where the cafe is located is also worth a visit.  It is located inside a redeveloped military dependents' village commonly known as 眷村.   This particular one is called the 四四南村 (Four Four South Village) and is the first one to be built by Republic of China in Taipei in 1948.  If you want to find out more, you can click this link.

[Taipei] Mingyue Tangbao (明月湯包)

When it comes to soup dumplings (aka tangbao, xiaolongbao, XLB, 小籠包), the name that comes to your mind immediately is perhaps Ding Tai Fung (鼎泰豐).  I have been to DTF a few times myself and I like their XLB.  However, I just hate waiting in line and it's available almost worldwide these days... so why go to DTF in Taiwan? All their shops follow the same process when making their XLB anyways (unless your city doesn't have it I guess).

Well, that brings me to Mingyue Tangbao (明月湯包).  I was introduced to this place in 2009 by my friend and we had such a great time.  I have wanted to come back for their XLB since.

[Taipei] Du Xiao Yue (度小月)

Du Xiao Yue (度小月) is most well-known for its noodles (擔仔麵).  The brand has been around since 1895 and considered one of the most recognized Taiwanese restaurants among tourists.  Second to Ding Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) perhaps?

[Taipei] Tian Yuan Taiwanese Seafood Restaurant (田園台菜海鮮)

Tian Yuan Taiwanese Seafood Restaurant (田園台菜海鮮) is one of those traditional Taiwanese restaurants I have been looking forward to visiting after reading the stellar reviews on other Taiwanese food blogs.  So when my local friends suggested to bring me there I was pretty excited.  Unfortunately, it was one of those places where fame was louder than the food itself.  I have to say I was pretty disappointed.  Maybe we didn't order the right dishes?  Maybe we didn't come with a regular?  I don't know but I know I will not return.
 

[Taipei] Al Cicchetto (義麵坊 小酒館)

In my recent trip to Taipei, I made it a point to check out Eslite Living (Xinyi) (誠品生活松菸店), which was opened in August 2013.  I simply adore that place and can easily spend a whole day there.  Since I went after work, I was hunting for food and I found Al Cicchetto (義麵坊 小酒館), which is located right across from the popular Wu Pao Chun Bakery (吳寶春麥方店).

[Taipei] Fika Fika

Fika Fika is a Nordic inspired café within Zhongshan District in Taipei.  In fact, the word "fika" is both a Swedish verb and noun that basically implies "drinking coffee".  I went there for the first time while I was waiting for my turn at Chan Chi Hot Pots Lab (詹記麻辣火鍋).