Pizzeria Passione | 帕希諾 窯烤拿坡里坡薩

Location: 台北市大安區敦化南路一段233巷34號 (near MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua Exit 3)
Telephone: 02 2778 3030

Hours: 11:30-14:30 & 17:30-22:00

Pizzeria Passione is a warm little locale recently opened in Taipei City that brings Naples' flavours at your table. Naples (or in Italian Napoli) is the capital of the Campania region and it is also the third largest city in Italy . Neapolitan cuisine is widely known for its pizza (as it is commonly known for them to be the creators of it). And unlike the pizza you eat in Rome, the one in Naples has a thicker border and softer dough. 

The locale offers a selection of appetizers ranging from the most traditional ones such as Prosciutto e Melone  (怕馬火腿哈密瓜), Rucola Salad (芝麻葉沙拉) or Antipasto Caprese (水牛起司番茄) to others like Scugnizzielli Vuolo (頑皮小孩) that are rarely seen around Taipei. Scugnizzielli is a very typical Neapolitan dish that consist of pizza dough being fried and served with savory seasoning as an antipasto or sweet for dessert. 

The menu comes with a wide selection of pizzas. We started off with the Margherita (D.O.C) Pizza (馬格麗特 D.O.C.) that is made of very simple flavors of fresh tomato sauce, Mozarella Buffala and Basilico leaves. Simple ingredients that render you with a complex mouth feel. And most importantly, when it comes to pizzas, the dough plays a crucial role as it is the base that will hold in all the flavors in. The dough here has that consistency. Its very smooth with a chewy texture and it has that wooden aroma from the fire-oven that brings together the  flavors in your topping. Its one big harmonious balance that gives you that wow-taste factor you need!

For those who like a stronger taste on their palate can opt for the Napoletana Pizza (拿破里塔納) that comes with anchovies. I also recommend the one with Prosciutto e Rucola (怕馬火腿芝麻葉) that is made with imported Parma ham, rucola and Parmiggiano Reggiano shavings. 

For dessert we tried the sweet Scugnizzielli that was very crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and above all, it is infused in Nutella, a creamy hazelnut chocolate. The Tiramisu was good, but the cream was a little on the soft side. Nonetheless, both desserts were a perfect ending to curve from the savoriness of the pizzas. 

Last, but not least, to end an Italian meal is of course a nice cup of espesso!

The pizza here range from 240NT to 510NT and appetizers from 120NT to 260NT. The average consumption of one person is approximately 450-500NT. I recommend to come with one or more people so you can taste different pizza flavors and also share the bill.

Visit their Facebook Page for more information: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pizzeria-Passione-%E5%B8%95%E5%B8%8C%E8%AB%BE_%E7%AA%AF%E7%83%A4%E6%8B%BF%E5%9D%A1%E9%87%8C%E5%9D%A1%E8%96%A9%E5%B0%88%E9%96%80%E5%BA%97/246944052098134

Ikki | 藝奇 新日本料理

Location: 台中市西屯區福雅路95號(近福科路口) and another 8 branches also in Taipei City.
Telephone: 04 2461 6022
Hours: 11:30 - 14:30 & 17:30 - 22:00

Ikki is a Japanese restaurant chain owned by the renowned Wowprime Company (王品集團). Easily found in various locations, the restaurant offers set menus for 680NT + 10% service fee. 

The meal begins with a Dobin mushi which is a Japanese steamed seafood broth. Then you get to pick 1 of the 3 appetizer choices in which I strongly recommend the fish skin appetizer if you're into the chewy-gummy feeling. if not you can always go for a classic salad. 

It was then followed by a choice of sashimi, scallop with smoked salmon or roasted garlic shrimp. The one-bite scallop with smoked salmon was truly to die for! Fresh, sweet and tender covered by the smokiness of the salmon, really good!

Followed by a small dish iwth another 3 choices: a cherry shrimp with steamed egg, which I believe it wasn't really good. the consistency was just all mushy and gooey. The second one was a cod in grapefruit and lastly, a little cup of mushrooms.

For the main dish, I ordered their classic stone cooked beef, but the one that has been already cut and cooked. My friend instead ordered the one that you get to cook it by yourself (岩燒石板牛肉). The meat was good, but lacked a little seasoning and above all a wow-factor. Nonetheless, I found the pickled pumpkin really special since you only usually see pickled daikon or carrots. 

Last, but not least, you have 3 different rice choices: a 'hand roll' in a Romain lettuce, rice with salmon or rice with duck.

Lastly the desserts ranging from the black fungus drink, azuki bean tiramisu and azuki bean&sesame crème brûlée. 

Drinks included coffee, a selection of tea, juices (the one below is aloe juice, made from fresh) and others.

Overall it is a restaurant that delivers its food according to price, but what it lacks is that kick in its dishes to make you want to go back and revisit the restaurant again.

Ikki's website for more information: http://www.ikki.com.tw/

Eccola Pizza | 愛客樂純手工窯烤披薩

Location: 新北市八里區中山路二段191號
Telephone: 02-2610 7860

Hours: Mon - Sun: 10:30 - 21:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)

Opened on October 2012, Eccola Pizza is a little pizzeria located near Danshui. The name "Eccola" in Italian is the combination of the word 'ecco' meaning 'here' and 'la' which is a direct object pronoun, thus meaning "Here it is."

Handmade pizza and baked in a wood-fire oven to order, the pizzas here take a twist on the traditional Italian pizzas and gives it its own Bali signature. They offer a variety of flavors from the most commonly known Hawaiian (that actually originated in Canada and not Hawaii) to Kimchi pork flavored pizzas. Crunchy crust with wooden aroma flavors and fresh toppings, one couldn't ask for anything better. Each pizza is approximately 10'' inches so its fairly enough for two people to eat and prices range from 230NT to 280NT per pizza.

For more information, you can check out their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/EccolaPizzabalihomemadepizza/info

Healthy Veggie Roll

Location: just outside Breeze Centre in front of the 7-11 (in between MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing and Nanjing E. Rd.)
Hours: Mon - Sat irregular, usually if you go there after 2pm, she's there.

If you're looking for a quick healthy, low-calorie on-the-go meal, this is it! A 15 minute walk from Zhongxiao Fuxing station, is impossible to miss this little stand when you're about to arrive at the main entrance of Breeze Centre. Handmade fresh in a clean environment, each roll is only 35NT and you'll have a packed variety of daily veggies to go. And don't worry if you don't like carrots or raisins, you can tell her to omit those when she's making them!

Dosan Kanroku | 土三寒六烏龍麵街

Location: 台北市大安區安東街52號之三 (三店)

                 台北市復興南路1段126巷6號1樓 (二店)

                 台北市忠孝東路3段251巷7弄15號1樓 (本店)

 (ALL locations are near MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Exit1)
Telephone: 02-2771-6661 (三店)

                    02-2771-2689 (二店)

                    02-2775-4611 (本店)

Hours: All week 11:10-21:00 (三店)

             Mon - Fri 16:50-21:00  Sat & Sun 11:10-14:00/16:50-21:00 (二店)

             Mon - Fri 11:10-14:10/16:50-21:00  Sat & Sun 11:10-21:00 (本店)

Dosan Kanroku is a little eating locate that makes fresh handmade Japanese Udon. I visited the third branch which is also the one closest to the MRT exit (the place is very easy to spot especially at night since it has lanterns hanging outside!)

We had two side dishes: fried tofu, which is a well-known in the store. Soft fresh tofu on the inside with a little crunch on the outside, can it get any better? The best part is that the batter outside is not thick and chewy, but rather thin and crispy clean. The second one was chicken, also very good. Tender meat coated with a crunchy texture and sizzle some fresh lemon juice on it, perfect!

For the Main, we ordered a small sized udon with crispy chicken (I must say if you do order this, do not order the chicken side dish) and another cold udon with tempura. 

Veredict: on a hot day, definitely go for the cold udon with the tempura. Its refreshing with a chewy bite and you get to taste the noodle as they are, but on a cold day, the dark brown broth udon with a little spiciness is not such a bad idea either! Prices are a little under 400NT. 

Solo Pasta

Location: 台北市大安區安和路一段29-1號 (near MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua Exit 6)
Telephone: 02-2775-3645

If you still haven't eaten here, you're missing out big time! The last time I posted something about Solo Pasta was in my old blog (http://taiwanfoodlover.blogspot.tw/2011/04/solo-pasta-italian-cuisine.html) in 2011 and believe it or not, after 2 years the price of this Creamy Balsamic Sauce Pasta with Smoked Duck has not changed. I recommended it 2 years ago and I still recommend it today. The creamy balsamic taste just combines so sweetly with the smokiness of the duck, it will leave you yearning for it!

We also tried out new desserts on the menu, one of them was called Montebianco or Mont Blanc. Originated in France, but very famous in the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy, this dessert is all about the chestnuts. The other was a Parfait di Mandorle or an Almond Parfait that is famous in the region of Sicily. I would strongly recommend the latter one. The taste of home toasted almond with the combination of the cold ice cream was literally 'parfait' or so they would say in French.

If you go there during lunch hours (11:30-14:00) they have a Business Lunch at 350nt that includes a pasta with a salad or soup and bread! 

Shika

Location: 台北市安和路一段137號 (near a 235 bus stop)
Telephone: 02-2700-0299 or 02-2700-1332
Hours: 11:30-14:30 / 17:30-22:00

Last weekend, thanks to a Groupon deal, I took a visit to a newly opened Japanese sushi place near XinYi Road called Shika. Searching through the web, I found out that 'shika' (しか) in Japanese means 'only,' 'just,' or 'merely' and it goes with a negative sentence. Anyways, for those who are interested I'll leave below the website I used and you can freely explore it if you like.

Entering the place it had a very soothing Japanese ambiance to it. We sat down just in front of the sushi bar and the itamae (aka sushi chef) explained to us about the lunch set menu variety that included: Gyūdon (牛丼), Baked fish (烤魚), Chirashizushi (散壽司), Nigirizushi (握壽司) and Sashimi (生魚片).

The set menu started with a salad. Some of the Roman lettuce leaves had some browning on the sides, but the scallop did it. It was juicy and fresh, a really nice piece with a nice sear. 

Then we had a little Yam & Tomato shooter. It was ... extraneous. And I mean that because it had some bubble that made it feel gooey, but the crisp of the yam balanced the cloying smooth-feeling of the bubbles and tomatoes. Following that was a little dish of fish which I believe it was really hard to eat. There were so many spines, I had to stop talking to make sure I didn't choke on one. Flavor wise, nothing special, it had a very ordinary fish with light soy sauce flavor.

For the main course, I has the Sashimi. It was good, fresh and just like how you would picture a really nice place of sashimi. 

Another main entrance is the Nigirizushi which looks like this: 

Overall I say it was good, and it wasn't the Miso soup or the fruits in the end that did it for me, but it was that sea urchin with roe in my main entrance that I will remember. It was a really nice sea flavored combo. Nonetheless the service was a little off. At some point I was eating my main entrance with 2 empty plates around me. And it was such a shame that the itamae did not make the sushi in front of where we were sitting. At a price offered by Groupon for 1499nt for 2 people (around 750nt per person) I believe it was decent, but slightly on the higher end.  

Japanese Language Website: http://www.learn-japanese-adventure.com/japanese-expressions-dake-shika.html