RAW
No. 301, Le Qun 3rd Road, Taipei
台北市中山區樂群三路301號
Lunch: Wednesday - Sunday: 11:30 - 14:30
Dinner: Tuesday - Saturday: 18:00 - 22:00
Closed: Monday
Online reservations only
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Herban Kitchen & Bar
Herban Kitchen & Bar
No. 27, Lane 101, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei
台北市大安區忠孝東路四段101巷27號
Monday - Friday: 12:00 - 23:00
Saturday - Sunday: 11:00 - 23:00
MRT: Zhongxiao Dunhua (exit 8)
Herban is a vegetarian restaurant in the East district of Taipei. It is quite hard to find it, since it is hidden in a very small alley, with no signs whatsoever. My friend had to come out and get me, because apparently I have walked by it a few times without seeing it!
Once inside the restaurant, you enter a whole different world. The space is not big and quite cozy. The atmosphere is relaxed and makes you feel very comfortable, due to the natural colors (such as green) used in their interior design. The staff told us that they just renovated the place and it was their first day back in business after the renovation.
They state that they don't use any MSG or other questionable flavor enhancers, cheeses cultured with rennet, meat, and there is no microwave in their kitchen. And that they use mostly local produce in season. Organic eggs, grass-fed butter, non-GMO soy, mostly fresh herbs, good oil, himalayan salt and natural wines. The menu shows very clearly which dishes are vegan or containing garlic and onion. Furthermore, most of their meals can be customized to meet specific dietary preferences.
We ordered the Warm Mushroom Salad with Grilled Tofu (NT$ 290) and I was pleasantly surprised by how delicious (and how BIG the portion!) was. The combination of garlic, onions, diced tomatoes, mixed greens and roasted peppers with the Balsamic vinaigrette seasoning went very well with the grilled tofu and sauteed mushrooms. This dish is highly recommended and it's a must order item for me on every visit!
The Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Grilled Eggplant (NT$ 320) was recommended by the staff. It came with fries and a cup of home-made tomato soup. The soup was luke-warm, so that was a bit disappointing. The sandwich was good, but I think I was still overwhelmed by how good the previous dish tasted, so it couldn't top the flavors of the salad.
The Linguine Pasta with Creamy Pink Sauce with Mushrooms (NT$ 310) was served with a slice of foccacia bread. The pasta was prepared with sun-dried tomatoes, basil, mushrooms, cream, garlic and onions, topped with some cheese. The texture of the pasta was just right and the flavors were spot on. We didn't eat the foccacia bread, because it was a bit too soggy. Too bad, because some just-out-of-the-oven warm foccacia would have totally completed the dish.
The Moussaka (NT$ 340) came in a small pan with some salad on the side. The moussaka consists of eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, onion and cheese, and is topped with béchamel sauce. The flavors were good, but a bit blend and didn't stood out among the other dishes.
The Spicy Garlic Mushrooms Tapas (NT$ 200) were served with two slices of foccacia. Personally I thought this dish was soso, probably will try some of the other small dishes next time. The trumpet mushrooms were quite spicy, so it's not recommended if you cannot handle spicy food!
Jalapeno Hummus (NT$ 280)
We also ordered the Jalapeno Hummus (NT$ 280). The hummus is made of chickpeas, sesame paste, garlic, cilantro and jalapeno, and is served with pita bread, decorated with some some diced tomatoes. The pita bread dipped in the spicy hummus was delicious. You can taste the layers of different flavors in the hummus, and for jalapeno lovers, it comes with some fresh chopped jalapenos.
Sunday, May 10, 2015
劉媽媽飯團 (Mama's Liu's rice rolls)
劉媽媽飯團 (original store)
No. 88, Section 2, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei
台北市中正區杭州南路二段88號
Tuesday - Sunday: 05:00 - 11:00
Closed: Monday
劉媽媽飯團 (second store)
No. 1, Lane 9, Section 1, Roosevelt Road, Taipei
台北市中正區羅斯福路一段9巷1號
Tuesday - Friday: 07:00 - 10:20
Mama Liu's rice rolls are made at this cart station that is parked in front of the store.
The menu is posted at the side of the cart station and is in Chinese only.
They also sell black soy milk, purple glutinous rice drink, milk tea and almond tea.
On the wall they have a list of their top 5 most popular rice rolls. We ordered their top 1 and 2, which are actually basically the same in content, except for the rice that is used.
The top 1 is their Signature purple rice rice roll (NT$ 40).
It consists of stewed egg, fried dough stick, pork floss and salted and dried radish. The purple rice rice roll is quite filling and all the ingredients combined makes it a flavorful breakfast snack.
Their Signature (white) rice roll consists of the same ingredients as the purple rice rice roll. I didn't try this one, but I assume they are both equally tasteful.
林家乾麵 (Lin Jia Gan Mian)
林家乾麵
No. 11, Quanzhou Street, Taipei
台北市中正區泉州街11號
Tuesday - Sunday: 06:00 - 13:30
Closed: Monday
林家乾麵 is a traditional restaurant located near Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. They basically sells only 1 kind of noodles, 1 kinds of soup and a few side dishes (小菜). That's the whole menu there! Which means they must be very good at what they sell! There are always a lot of people, but it shouldn't take too long to get a table, since most people will leave as soon as they finish their food.
The noodles come in 3 different sizes: small, medium and big. I went for the medium bowl. It's a very simple dish, white noodles sprinkled with their secret sauce and topped with a bunch of spring onions. Simple yet so delicious!
We also ordered a bowl of Fish balls soup with a poached egg (NT$ 35). If you order the regular fish balls soup you will get 3 fish balls. The soup goes well with the noodles and the egg and the fish balls provide you with some protein. :)
If you haven't been here yet, go check it out!
Saturday, May 2, 2015
TankQ cafe & bar
No. 3-2, Lane 90, Songjiang Road, Taipei
台北市中正區松江路90巷3-2號
Monday - Sunday: 11:30 - 02:00
MRT: Songjiang Nanjing (exit 3)
TankQ cafe & Bar is located not far from Songjiang Nanjing MRT.
Upon arrival, you will see a very cute welcome sign in front of the cafe. (And a lot of people waiting for a table! So make sure you make reservations prior.)
The boss of TankQ cafe is a passionate collector of miniature cartoon characters and they are displayed all around the cafe. Minions!!!
Their menu is quite compact and in Chinese only. Not sure if they have an additional English menu, but I'm sure one of the staff can help you with your order. Basically they a brunch set, 3 kinds of risotto, salads, 3 kinds of burgers and some snacks/finger food.
As for drinks, they offer all kinds of coffee, tea, beer and soda.
I love pumpkin, so I ordered the Pumpkin Chicken Risotto with Cheese (NT$ 220). I really recommend this dish, it's so yummy! The melted cheese in the pumpkin risotto makes it to die for! The vegetables on top makes the dish complete, both healthy and color wise.
On a side note, the risotto comes in a cute and unique bowl. If anyone know's where to get this bowl, let me know!
We also ordered the Brunch Set (NT$ 320), which is served in an old-fashioned suitcase! I reckon this is their most popular dish, since you can find one of these on every table around us.
The brunch set consist of fries, some fried snacks, bacon, ham, sausage, mashed potato, potato salad and bread.
The brunch set comes with a drink (tea, coca cola or milk) served in a cute milk cup.
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