台一牛奶大王

Location: 台北市大安區新生南路三段82號
Phone: 02-2363-4341

Located in the Gong guan area by the National Taiwan University (NTU), this shaved ice store is known not only by the college students in NTU, but also by many other young adults from different age ranges. 

For first comers who do not know what to order, you can start out by trying the most classic shaved ice flavor; red Azuki beans with glutinous rice balls (湯圓) drizzled with condensed milk. Beans were cooked just enough that there is a little bite to it, the glutinous rice were chewy (like how any Taiwanese loves!), but a little too sweet on the side. 

I also got to try the one with fruits on it, which was again, a little way to sweet. In the back of the picture you can also see another plate with shaved ice and lemon juice which I strongly recommend to curb up all the sweetness and the icy creaminess of the condensed milk and especially for those who show up here on a very thirsty hot day (and do not plan to get thirstier after a very sweet plate of shaved ice). 

池上便當 | Chi Shang Bento/Biandang

Walking around Taipei City, you will encounter numerous Bento stores named Chi Shang (池上). On my way down south to Tai Dong (台東) I had the opportunity to taste the real deal. 池上 is in fact a location south of Taiwan and on my way to Tai Dong, the train makes a brief stop at the Chi Shang Train Station (池上火車站) in which passengers will have time to get off the train really fast and have their coins or bills ready to purchase a Bento. 

The Chi Shang Bento is known for its little wooden box that makes it recyclable. Unlike the usual so-called Chi Shang Bento you eat in Taipei City, the difference is of course the taste! The rice already was much fresher and sticky, the egg was packed with flavors from the egg white to the solid yolk and the veggies were stir-fried to taste. But really, when it comes to take-out foods like a Bento, Chi Shang is the most traditional one in Taiwan. If you ever go for a small trip down south, go ahead, skip lunch and wait till you get to the station to run down and purchase your Chi Shang Bento! 

北平都一處 | Beijing, Do It True

Location: 台北市仁愛路四段506號 (close to SYS Memorial Hall)
Telephone: 02-2729-7853
Hours: 11:00-14:00 & 17:00-21:00

The best Chinese cuisine, undoubtedly comes from China and what other better place is there to start tasting true Chinese cuisine than Beijing, the capital city. The Restaurant 'Beijing, do it true' is truly one way to have a taste of authentic Northern Chinese cuisine in Taipei City.

Always packed with people, I suggest you to call and reserve a seat before going!

At Beijing do it true, you must try their braised pork (醬肉) and their most acclaimed Chinese sesame buns (芝麻醬燒餅); crispy layered with sesame aroma combined with the tenderness and the juiciness of the braised pork, is like the yin and the yang!

Another of their must-try is their hot pot that comes with crab, pork and what makes it really special, the sour cabbage that add a kick to the stock that turns it into a really nice soup to enjoy especially during winter season.

   

Bellini Pasta

Location: 台北市信義區松壽路 20號2樓 ( 華納威秀2樓 ) and many other branches!!!
Telephone: 02-2758-6096
Hours: 11:45 - 22:00 (last order 21:00)
             Fri-Sat till 23:00 (last order 22:00)

First and foremost impression is their warm and welcoming staff. I had the opportunity to step into Bellini Pasta on a Thursday night and try out some dishes with my friends. 

The Carpaccio to begin with was pretty good. Thinly sliced with Parmiggiano Reggiano, drizzled with olive oil and a hint of fresh parsley ... it was the way to start off an Italian meal.

The pizza, thin crusted Margarita topped with basil and mozzarella. The tomato sauce on the pizza was a little too sweet, it was missing that acidic and salty punch to bring out the mozzarella cheese. Overall the crust was very tasty with a crispy crunch to it!

The spaghetti Carbonara was a very large portion, but good. Very creamy texture with strong cheesy flavour (maybe a little too strong for those who are not a big fan of cheese). Cracked pepper traces and the pasta itself was (thank god) not mushy. It was really Spaghetti al Cacio e Pepe which its a very traditional Italian spaghetti dish made of cheese and pepper.

Check out their website for more: http://www.bellinipasta.com.tw/main/uploads/humaxasia/bellini-pastapasta-tw/

Sababa Pita

Location: 台北市和平東路二段118巷54弄8號 (Heping Branch)
                 台北市羅斯福路三段283巷17號 (Gong Guan Branch)
Telephone: 02-2738-7769 (Heping Branch)
                    02-2363-8009 (Gong Guan Branch)

Craving for Middle Eastern flavors I finally found a restaurant that offers from Chicken Souvlaki to Falafel and made my way down to one of the Sababa Pita branches (Heping Branch) near the National Taiwan University area.

Sababa is a a small lunch/dining place, not ideal for a big gathering since it can get really hot and noisy, but the food is definitly worth it.

To begin your meal, I suggest a nice hummus dip, creamy rich of chick peas with roasted eggplant, falafel and tomato accompanied by pita bread.

Then  I continued to satisfy my Middle Easter cuisine cravings with the Lamb Shawarma.... it was delicious! The pita was fresh, the lamb was well seasoned and the fries were crispy and hot right out of the fryer. For those hummus and pita lovers, this is definitely your place to go.

Check out more Menu on their website: http://www.sababapita.com/index.php

We Share Everything Dining Area | 分享餐廳 (Food Court)

Location: 台北市信義區松仁路28號B2
                    Song Ren Road, Xin Yi District, Taipei City, Taiwan. Bellavita at Xin Yi (MRT City Hall)
Telephone: 02-8729-2700
Hours: Mon-Fri 11:00 - 22:00 (last order 21:20)
           Sat-Sun  11:00 - 22:30 (last order 21:50)

Below the Bellavita Mall near the City Hall MRT Station there's a food court. Unlike other food courts, to match up the luxurious ambiance of the mall itself, in this food court you sit down in a place and order your food from a menu that offers a selection of cuisines from Italian to Thai (Restaurant Lacuz) dishes.

I ate a truffled mushroom risotto that I believed to be highly overpriced for the quality it delivered (approximately 420+NT) .  The rice and the sauce felt separated, it was like if you heated up the sauce and threw in cooked rice. Overall bland.

Continuation of Food Lover Taiwan

Hi!
this blog is a continuation of my previous blog!
as you may have noticed I haven't updated
my old blog for a while and I'm sorry about that.

After 1 year of "blogging-break," I have eaten
in some really nice places (and fortunately only
some bad ones). I'll post reviews soon!

Cheers!

Old Blog Link: http://taiwanfoodlover.blogspot.tw/