Travel – Page 15

Taipei – Fuzhou Ancestral Pepper Cake and Returning on EVA Airlines

June 15, 2024 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

After an early dinner at Kao Chi we took a round about way back to our hotel room. While walking up Chongqing South Road the Missus noticed a food stall. She had remembered how much I enjoyed the Hujiao Bing ( Pepper Bun) at the Wenhua Road Night Market and pointed out the stand to me. It is named Fuzhou Ancestral Pepper Cake.

The pepper buns were actually made on the spot. And then cooked in a tandoor style oven.

Even though we had just finished dinner, I just had to have one!

I couldn't wait to tuck into the pepper bun. Heck, this isn't Japan, it isn't taboo to walk and eat, so I just went for it.

The bun is thin with a slight pleasing crispness to it. The filling was scalding porky heaven, with nice hints of black pepper, mild sweetness, and savory tones. This was delici-yoso!!!

I jokingly told the Missus that I'd return to Taiwan just for the Pepper Bun and Pork Chops! Actually, I'm not really joking!

Fuzhou Ancestral Pepper Cake
No. 13, Section 1, Chongqing South Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan

Well, this was it. Our flight out of Taoyuan International Airport was leaving for LA at 10am in the morning. Luckily, our accommodation was right next to the Z2 Exit for Taipei Main Station. Even though the station is still confusing for us, we found the ticket office, and got on to the Taoyuan Airport MRT Express which takes 35 minutes to get to the airport.

And since we were flying Business Class we were able to access the lounge.

Which was quite busy….but it was a nice stop for breakfast.

And the flight back to LA was quite interesting.

It was a nice end to our trip. And it had us thinking about the next time we'll be back here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Taipei – Kao Chi Xinsheng Restaurant

June 14, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel, Xiao Long Bao

On the way back from our Tea of Taipei tour, our driver/guide started asking about what we had enjoyed eating in Taiwan. Of course we mentioned Lu Rou Fan, Turkey Rice, and how I could not get enough pork chops! And inevitably, the subject of Xiao Long Bao came up. We mentioned going to the original location of Din Tai Fung on Xinyi Road which got a nice nod. Then he quickly asked if we'd been to Kao Chi. Kao Chi? Both the Missus and I had never heard of the place. He then wove us a story of how Kao Chi was started by Kao Su-mei (高四妹) 8 years before Din Tai Fung, back when DTF's owner was still only selling cooking oil. And Kao Chi should have been the famous Xiao Long Bao, but there came a moment when some international news outlet; I couldn't find much to corroborate my story except this, the owner of DTF got the interview instead and the rest, like they say is history.

You know how much we like a good story! We decided to head to Xinsheng South Road, where the restaurant had moved from it's original location on Yongkang Street and check things out.

It's a nice, bright, and modern storefront. There's a case in front of the shop selling snacks. The restaurant is definitely not as packed in as DTF, more relaxed, and the Missus told me that the customers seemed to be overwhelmingly Taiwanese.

The Missus placed our order which soon started arriving.

We had enjoyed all the veggies in Taiwan and when we saw white bittermelon on the menu we had to order that.

We loved the texture of this; slightly firm, yet tender. And for some reason, at least to us, white bittermelon while still being quite "puckery" is not a strongly bitter as the green species.

And of course, we had to get the Pork Xiao Long Bao.

IMG_7924_b So, how did this match up? Well, the wrapper was not as tender and more brittle than what we'd had at DTF. The "soup", the aspic based liquid was porky and flavorful. The filling was tender, though not quite as flavorful as DTF in our opinion. Though, it could be that having been to several locations of DTF around the world we've been indoctrinated?

What we really did enjoy was the Shen Jian Bao.

The buns arrived in a metal pan and really didn't look too impressive. But, with a slight adjustment of turning them over…..

At first glance, the tops didn't seem to be as fluffy as we'd prefer our SJB, but we were surprised when biting into them. The dough had a nice mild sweet-savory-yeastiness and that pan fried bottom really added to the textural contrast.

The filling was moist, slightly soupy, tender, porky goodness.

We'd gladly have this again!

Kao Chi Xinsheng Restaurant
No. 167號, Section 1, Xinsheng S Rd.
Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan

Man, we were so sad that our tirip to Taiwan was coming to an end. We'd be leaving in the morning. We decided to take a longer walk back to the hotel, walking all the way to Chongqing South Road. And this is where we came across one last, wonderful, surprise!

Stay Tuned!

Taiwan – Maokong Gondola, Shiding District, and Tea

June 1, 2024 mmm-yoso Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

Our time in Taiwan was nearing an end. We had one last day before leaving. The Missus had become a fan of tea over the last decade, so I decided to book a small group Tea of Taipei tour for us. It turned out that no one else had booked the tour for that day, so we had our guide/driver David to ourselves. It was a fun day, I'm going to mostly post just photos, otherwise this would be a super long post.

We got picked up at our hotel and immediately headed on out. David was amazing, had so much info for us. We were provided tickets for the Maokong Gondola at the Taipei Zoo and were told we'd be met at the top.

It was a fairly clear day, so the views were wonderful.

At the top we were met and taken for a nice stroll….

There are quite a few trails in the area and we were taken to a few of them.

All were easy to traverse.

After which we were taken to the Taipei Tea Promotion Center.

Which went over how tea is produced, the differences, and how to taste and approach tea.

The Missus really enjoyed this.

Taipei Tea Promotion Center
No. 8之2號, Lane 40, Section 3, Zhinan Rd.
Wenshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan

Seeing that the Missus was so interested in tea, David made a couple of stops so we could walk and admire the fields of tea.

It's quite beautiful!

We then headed to Bitan and walked along the river and on the famous suspension bridge.

There seemed to be a number of hiking trails and walks in the area. I'm sure the Missus wants to return and go hiking here.

It was time for lunch and David asked us if we wanted to eat along the river…….which seemed a bit touristy. The Missus explained that we enjoyed typical, simple Taiwanese food and mentioned Lu Rou Fan. We walked over to nearby Xindian Road to this stand.

Which was ok, not as memorable as Jin Feng.

And then headed of to the picturesque Shiding District.

Making several stops along the beautiful Shihding Ciandao Lake (aka Thousand-Island Lake 千島湖) which is not a lake nor does it have a thousand islands, but is quite lovely nonetheless.

We visited a temple.

When I noticed some abandoned buildings along the shoreline, I was told about the creation of Feicui Dam which created this "lake" and also submerged part if Bishan Village, which was eventually abandoned.

The last stop for the day was the town of Shiding and Shiding "Old Street" which I was told dates back to the Qing Dynasty.

It was quite an interesting rustic town. Our destination was this tea shop.

Where the Missus got schooled in the traditional tea ceremony and tasting by a certified Tea Master.

The Missus really enjoyed this and of course we ended up buying some really great tea as well.

Fongchun (逢春茶莊)
No. 28號, Shiding E St.
Shiding District, New Taipei City, Taiwan

This was a fun day and as we were driven back we had a nice chat with David and he told us an interesting XLB tale and made a recommendation for dinner…..

Stay Tuned!

Taipei – Addiction Aquatic Development (上引水產)

May 23, 2024 mmm-yoso Memorable Meals, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi, Taipei, Taiwan, Travel

You know, there are times, even in these "influencer – make things look great online" times where you might only need a photo or two of a delicious, memorable meal instead of extensive verbiage. And I think that these two photos are all that are necessary.

Add to that the fact that each of these nigiri "plates" was less than $25 each?!!?!?

Ok, I'm going to go now, see you tomorrow! JJK!

Though honestly, you could stop here if you'd like to…..

Otherwise, here goes…..

After spending most of the day checking out the National Center for Traditional Arts and Kavalan Distillery, we headed back to Taipei. On the way back, I thought stopping by a fishmarket-dining hall named Addiction Aquatic Development would be nice for dinner. The Missus agreed and we told our driver to drop us off in front of the market hall.

Our wonderful driver dropped us off right in front of the place which is located in a part of the Zhongshan District we hadn't been to yet.

We entered the huge market hall, historically this was the Taipei Fish Market and was transformed into the AAD in 2012. The morning fish market is now held next door. As we entered we came across tanks of seafood….wonderful looking seafood.

The Missus, who had become quite the social person in Taiwan asked one of the workers where all the seafood came from and he answered Her say, "mostly Japan!"

So, choosing where we were going to eat was pretty easy.

We picked the sushi bar of course! What's interesting about the sushi bar in AAD is that it's a stand up operation.

The young lady who served us was unusually serious compared to what we had encountered in Taiwan, but would prove to be quite good to us later on.

Anyway, instead of ordering the usual combination from the menu, we picked our own nigiri to start, based on what I saw in the counter case as I walked by. Our initial a la carte foray cost us a handy $10200 NT, now if that sounds expensive to you, well, it was about $30/US at the time of our visit. Pricey by Taiwan standards, but let's look at what we got.

We liked that the rice was on the smaller side and the shari wasn't overpowering. And yes, that buttery Otoro, Hokkaido Uni (!), so umami-sweet and creamy, tender-sweet-oceany Hotate, and Amaebi!

We also got two Temaki, the Ebi-Asparagus was $75 NT, about $2.25/US and the Uni $150 NT – $4.50/US.

These were fine, but not nearly as good as the nigiri.

We went with the standard "Addiction Sashimi" $240 NT, think $7.25 US!

Now, I think we had been spoiled by the nigiri as the typical maguro, which was fine and the thick slices of hamachi, etc, was perfectly fine….but we wanted more nigiri.

So, we decided to order a second round of nigiri. Now this is when the young lady came in really handy. I started ordering using the Japanese names; you know, hotate, otoro, uni, when she stopped and said something to the Missus and walked away. I was wondering what was going on. Apparently, she told the Missus, "you like fatty, we have something for you!"

And wouldn't you know it; when our nigiri arrived there was the great otoro, hotate, and uni….but also engawa, which was so collagenic and sweet!

Man, this was a great meal and when you totaled things up, it came to $ 2425 NT, big bucks right? That's about $75 US! For real…..

We had myriad of great meals in Taiwan, but man, this one really spoiled sushi for us.

Addiction Aquatic Development
No. 18號, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu E Rd.
Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491

Can you believe this?

Taiwan – Dongshan River Forest Park, National Center for Traditional Arts (Wujie), Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan), and Kavalan Distillery

May 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Distilleries, Seafood, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

**** This is a pretty long post so I'm not going to spend too much time on food (and whiskey), so if you'd like to return tomorrow I wouldn't hold it against you. But, if you'd like to see more of Taiwan, read on….

Time was flying. It seemed like we had just arrived yesterday and here we were leaving in two days! Wanting to make the most of our remaining time in Taiwan, I went ahead and booked two private tours/drivers. On this day, I wanted to visit one of my favorite whiskey makers while exploring a part of the island we hadn't been to yet.

Our driver was right on time and while she spoke no English, the Missus's Mandarin came in handy. Our driver had an end destination and we left it up to her to make stops along the way.

The first stop was in Yilan. A rather newish "Ecopark", the Dongshan River Forest Park. Opened in 2016, it was a wonderful green space, with art installations along the way. And the railroad still passes thru the park as well.

We enjoyed wandering around and just taking in the art and the beautiful sunny day.

We had some coffee and then headed off to our next stop. Apparently, our driver just got a sort of "vibe" from the Missus for our next stop.

We stopped in Wujie Township at the National Center for Traditional Arts. This 60 acre "town" is devoted to preserving and accenting the heritage of Taiwan, be it crafts, arts, music, and so on.

The various structures represent various architectural styles of Taiwan as well.

There are even temples onsite.

And performance areas as well.

And of course art abounds.

While one could take in the art…..

Or perhaps take a boat ride in the lake…..

There was some serious shopping to be done here.

There ere workshops with artisans in residence actually doing their "thing"!

And you were free to watch.

The one shop were I wish the Missus actually bought something was the one dealing in Black Jade.

Some of the item were just plain stunning.

In the end, after being tempted so many times……

We found something we both liked.

This was fun. We actually spent almost 3 hours here!

And when we left; it was time for lunch. Our driver headed into Yuanshan. We parked and then were led past pools of fishes and other creatures being raised.

This was the restaurant of Bajia Fish Farm. As a whole, a tourist type restaurant.

The interesting thing being that the main product of this "fish farm" is Ayu, also know as "sweetfish". I was quite interested to see how it would taste.

I had read about the fish smelling like watermelon, being sweet and fruity and so on. Basically, this tasted like a milder version of sanma to me.

I was glad to have tried it here, but it wasn't anything special to me. Perhaps being farm raised changed things a bit?

Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan)
No. 1之10號, Bajia Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 26444

After lunch we headed down the road a bit, soon arriving at the Kavalan Distillery.

When planning our trip to Taiwan, I had really wanted to visit Kavalan. I first had Kavalan in, of all places Paris at Arnaud Nicolas. The Missus and I really enjoyed it, when having it again at Seven Grand and found that Old Town Liquor carried Kavalan, though I really didn't get the expensive stuff. Over time, I found that I really enjoyed the Solist Amontillado Sherry Cask, but heck, I ain't spending $500 a bottle for it. Anyway, our driver dropped us at the front of the distillery. And we headed in.

Because of the amount of time we'd spent at the National Center for Traditional Arts, it was getting later in the day, and we decided not to do a tour. Instead, we went to the "main" tasting room.

And the Missus and I shared the "World Championship Series" tasting.

And with a touch of water to "open things up", the Amontillado Sherry Cask, with the rich, slightly smoky-nutty-stone fruity flavor was again our favorite.

We really enjoyed this stop!

Kavalan Distillery
No. 326, Section 2, Yuanshan Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 264

Soon after, it was time to head back to Taipei. It had been a fun day, but now the question was; "what's for dinner?"

Stay Tuned!

Road Trip – Bar le Cote (Los Olivos)

May 15, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Seafood, Travel

After spending the evening in Monterey Park and having dinner a Mandarin Noodle House we headed up to our destination. We'd be spending the night in Buellton with reservations for lunch the next day at one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Bell's. Of course we couldn't check in until 3pm, so we needed a a place to pass the time and also for some lunch.

We had always enjoyed Los Olivos; we had enjoyed our first lunch there back in 2018 at the now defunct The Bear and Star and had always enjoyed strolling and shopping the town. Even though our last meal there at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe was just passable, we love the vibe of the town. We'd gladly stay there except that hotel and AirBnB prices there are way too expensive for us! Thus, we'd be staying in Buellton.

I had read that the owners of Bell's were now co-owners of a Seafood forward restaurant named Bar le Cote in Los Olivos and it seemed like a nice lunch and shopping stop for us. So, I made reservations for a nice Thursday lunch. The place opens at noon, and we got into town a bit early, which gave us some time to do a bit of shopping.

The Missus loved this shop.

It might have been this that drew Her in.

Avec Moi Decor
2906 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

The shops kept us occupied until the clock struck noon and we walked over to the cottage which housed the self-described "Seafood Tavern".

We waited a bit to be noticed and when the rather abrupt hostess came over, we chose to eat al fresco since it was such a nice day.

The woman Serving us was very professional and nice.

We ordered a couple of dishes I'd read about and since I was a fan of the beef tartare at Bell's, we ordered that as well.

First up was the Peel & Eat Shrimp ($18).

We found the "BLC spice" a bit on the saltier side which nullified the flavor of the shrimp. The shrimp were also over-cooked and rubbery. In this case adding the cocktail sauce or the aioli just further distracted one from the shrimp.

The dry aged Yellowtail Crudo ($24) had a wonderful, firm, yet almost cheese like texture and the flavor was quite mild.

We enjoyed the acidity from the lemon vinaigrette as well.

Next up, the beef tartare ($28).

The fried oysters were an interesting touch, I guess it was there to replace the usual egg yolk, and of course BLC is a seafood based restaurant. but we didn't care for the fishiness it added to the beef which was almost mushy. The horseradish cream was excellent; adding the palate and nasal cleansing pungency to things. It seems like everything was minced too finely. The fries were crisp and lightly dusted with what seemed to be the "BLC Spice". In this instance it seemed to work fairly well.

Last up was the Crispy Skin Branzino ($34).

This was the best item of the day; the skin was very crisp, yet light, with a briny edge. The flesh of the fish was tender, moist, with a hint of oceany sweetness. The charred lemon added a smoky-citrusy-sweetness. The Romesco Sauce was fine, but not needed. The greens were crisp and fresh.

Overall, an inconsistent meal which ran over a hundred, plus an automatic 20% (which we have no problem with) was not quite what we expected. I don't think we'll return. Which is too bad since we'd enjoyed Bell's so much.

Bar Le Côte
2375 Alamo Pintado Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Then it was time to head on over to Buellton.

Thanks for stopping by!

Where in the world were we?

May 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Ecuador, Galapagos, Latin American Cuisine, Travel, yoso-silly

Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.

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From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.

To the even higher surroundings.

The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!

Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".

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And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.

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Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.

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And the Captain even took us on a spur of the moment visit to see nature in action as well!

Even more impressive was the wildlife.

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And each island had unique variations of species.

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There are strict rules in place on the islands, thus many creatures displayed no fear of hoo-mans.

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Some were even quite curious.

And it was amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat.

It was an enriching experience and we learned so much.

And yes, this is still a food blog…..so we have that covered as well.

So let me recover from jet lag and get back to posting!

Thanks for being "a pal"……

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And "dropping in".

Thanks for stopping by!

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Roadtrip – Brodard (Fountain Valley), Wing Hop Fung, and Mandarin Noodle House (Monterey Park)

April 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel, Vietnamese Restaurants

A few months back, what is now several road trips ago, we decided to head on back to one of our favorite lunch restaurants in Santa Barbara County. Instead of making it a single over night stay, we decided to stretch things out into three nights. We'd be doing a bunch of shopping along the way and be able to take our time. We'd spend the first night at the huge Courtyard by Marriott again, then head off the next morning.

We started off early, with thoughts of hitting up Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ again. But we had gotten an early start and the Missus changed Her mind and suddenly requested a visit to Brodard. Brodard! I told Her that Brodard had moved since we last visited over a decade ago(!). Cathy has visited the "new" (it's all relative) location a couple of times.

We arrived a shade past 9am.

The place was almost empty, with one two top occupied.

The restaurant is quite large, with a dedicated takeout area. The space is modern and clean.

I could never have imagined Brodard being this quiet.

Service was quite pleasant and relaxed.

Of course we had to order the Nem Nuong Cuon. These days you can order just two rolls if you want for $2.50 each!

These seem a little smaller than I recall, but the sausage was nicely grilled and the proportion of ingredients seemed right, so one could enjoy the salty-sweet-savory flavors of the "bouncy" nem nuong and the crunch of the crisp egg roll wrapper. The wrapping was done perfectly, neither too loose nor too tight which would make the rolls tougher, creating what I'd call "bad botox spring rolls". The sauce was as before slightly sweet-sour, with garlic and umami tones. I does seem a bit more watered down than I recalled.

We also got the Banh Khot ($14.95).

I did notice that one of the shrimp was "MIA". Still, the Missus enjoys the crisp rice flour cup/shell, which has a hint of coconut. The shrimp were plump and tender, nicely cooked. These are quite a treat with the mung beans, pickled veggies, the anise-citrusy tiet to (perilla), and the slightly sweet-chili-fish sauce concoction.

We're glad we stopped by and will make sure to visit more often.

Brodard Restaurant
16105 Brookhurst St.
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Hours:
Daily 8am – 9pm

We then headed off to the SGV. We did some shopping at the TS Emporium off Rosemead (I'll do a bunch of shopping/misc posts later) and some other stops before heading to the Courtyard. We were lucky enough to be able to check in early and spent the rest of the afternoon napping.

We hadn't made any plans for dinner. We were just going to play it by ear. It was a Wednesday, so we didn't expect things to be too crowded. The Missus wanted to walk to our dinner destination, so we headed down Atlantic, pausing at Daikokuya, then crossing over and taking look at a couple of places. We crossed back over Garvey and noticed Wing Hop Fung in the strip mall that housed 99 Ranch Market.

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We had passed by many times over the years, thinking this was something along the lines of TS Emporium. But once entering….whoa….

The Missus made a beeline for the teas.

And really took Her time checking out the Pu-Erh. Well, this was no cheapo shop.

It seemed like some good quality products here.

And in case you have $1800 lying around.

And the wine/liquor section was no less intense.

They also carry a good selection of Kavalan, one of our favorite brands. My favorite over time has been the Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Malt Whiskey. Our visit to the Kavalan Distillery affirmed that it is still my favorite. You can get that here. It's ahem, "only" $549 a bottle. I'll just admire it from afar for now….

We enjoyed our time in Wing Hop Fung, it looks like the herbs/tea are high quality and the selection is vast. I understand that for many years Wing Hop Fung had a very popular store in LA's Chinatown. Though I really don't recall that.

Wing Hop Fung
725 W Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754

We walked out of the store suffering from a bit of sticker shock. We decided to get something comforting and simple for dinner. We had passed a Taiwanese place right around the corner named Mandarin Noodle House many times over the years . It had been around back in the days when we lived in the SGV! I was really missing the pork chops I'd enjoyed in Taiwan, so I thought it would a great time to finally stop by. We turned the corner and there it was.

The restaurant is simply adorned, a typical mom-and-pop type establishment that immediately made us comfortable. The prices seemed so reasonable.

The gentleman working was nice and efficient. Ordering was a breeze as we immediately set our sights on two dishes.

Of course I wanted the Pork Chops. At $14.95, this seemed a bargain for these times.

The rice was decently cooked, the pickled greens were fine. The soy sauce egg had been cooked to death, the yolk dry. I enjoyed the Taiwanese spinach. The pork chops had a good amount of pepper, but not enough five spice flavor, was on the salty side, and really tough and chewy. Sadly, it did not remind me of Taiwan.

The Missus got the Pig's Feet ($14.95).

Which came with the same cooked to death soy sauce eggs. But after that, things got so much better. The wonderful porky-sweet-savory-soy based sauce had been poured over the rice. Oh man, talk about comforting! The pigs feet had been cooked perfectly; still intact, but the skin was so tender, the flavor of the cooking liquid had permeated every nook and cranny of the trotters. Once the skin was off, the meat fell of the bones, porky deliciousness. We got a winnah here!

By this time, folks had started coming into the restaurant. Different nationalities, all classes, from guys in workwear and boots speaking Spanish, to three guys in suit and ties, an older couple who knew the guy working. All converging on this little business, it was great to see. Looks like Mandarin Noodle House might be what I call a "thread in the fabric" of this neighborhood!

Mandarin Noodle House
701 W Garvey Ave.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
Hours:
Daily 1030am – 9pm

Taipei – Mountain and Sea House Restaurant

April 10, 2024 mmm-yoso Beer, Fine Dining, Memorable Meals, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

While planning our trip to Taiwan, I came across a Michelin listing for a place called Mountain & Sea House, which had one Michelin Star. But what really got my attention was the restaurant served Taiwanese dishes that harkened back to the 1930's. In addition, the restaurant sourced their ingredients from their own farm, their swine from a ranch that raises indigenous breeds and so forth. Honestly, I could've spent the entire trip eating Lu Rou Fan (and of course pork chops), but that wouldn't be any fan fun, would it? A big plus is that Mountain & Sea House did online reservations, which I took advantage of.

The walk from our hotel was about 25 minutes where we ended up on Ren'ai Road and a lovely looking structure. The really knowledgeable staff told the Missus that the building is in the style of the Japanese Meiji Taisho period, which coincides with the time period of Japanese rule in the country and what is considered the heyday of Taiwanese banquet cuisine by many.

01 Mountain Sea House

The interior is austere yet classy.

Of course, it was only the Missus and I, so ordering huge banquet dishes was not a possibility, but there is a huge "family menu" for 8 people that needs to be ordered in advance; a bunch of set menus, whole suckling pig, chicken cooked in pork stomach, and a bevy of seafood offerings as well.

We just ordered a couple of interesting items off the a la carte menu.

What was interesting is the the restaurant had it's own beer, barrel aged in wine barrels.

This had some nice tart-fruitiness to it; but wasn't as strong as say, a Belgian (of which I've had a few).

The Missus started with a Rose from Weightstone and winery in Taichung.

Which She really enjoyed. She would have a glass of white from the same winery, which was exclusive to the restaurant later during the meal.

After our tea service….

Our food started arriving. First up, was the eye catching "White Flowered Mountain Gourd".

The zucchini and carrot laced parcel was filled with a concoction of dried scallops, black pork, and several different type of mushrooms. It was a bit milder in flavor than we had anticipated, but man, the velvety chicken stock, seasoned perfectly, studded with sweet-earthy mushrooms was fantastic.

Next up were the Oyster Fritters.

It was the two types of greens; bitter-vegetal-crunchy that made this dish. The oysters and pork were quite mild in flavor and the fritter batter not as crisp as we would like.

My favorite dish of the evening was the Three Cup Pig Tail Stew. What seems like a bajillion years ago, I had my first taste of Taiwanese food in a restaurant in the SGV. One of the dishes was Three Cup Chicken. It was love at first bite! It was strange for us to not come across that dish in restaurants we visited in Taiwan? Regardless, this was amazing.

At first glance, the pork looked really dark, but it wasn't overly salty, loved the whole cloves of sweet-pungent garlic, a hint of ginger wafted through the air. The earthy mushrooms added another "meaty" dimension to the meal. The pig tail was swiny, the skin soft, the pieces of cartilage perfect for gnawing. The fragrant basil added the necessary herbaceous-anise tones to the dish.

The "Maqaw" Roast Pork was fine if a bit underwhelming.

Love the tender – porkiness; but the pork seemed to have not been marinated long enough for our taste.

I had our wonderful, friendly Server order me a glass of local Whiskey, he told me it was Lychee Flavored. It was quite nice.

This was a fun meal. We enjoyed the service and watching the families, many multi-generational enjoying their meals here. While we could have easily stuck with smaller restaurants, night markets, and street food; I'm glad we made time for places like this!

Mountain and Sea House Restaurant
No. 94, Section 2, Ren'ai Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan

Road Trip – Treehouse Bar & Lounge (Taos)

April 6, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chocolate, Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

After our lunch at Manzanita Market we decided to check out a couple of shops we'd seen the day before. The Missus wanted more chocolates, so we stopped in at Chokola.

Which had a nice selection for the Missus.

The Missus got a nice box of chocolates which She enjoyed.

Chokola
100 Juan Largo Ln.
Taos, NM 87571

We enjoyed window shopping.

Here's an interesting sign in the gift shop for the Benedictine Monks of Taos.

We found a shirt that both that Missus and I liked in one of the shops and decided to get that. It's one of my favorites currently.

On Kit Carson Road, past all the art galleries and shops we saw a tea shop.

And popped on in. The girls working were really nice, but didn't have much knowledge regarding some of the teas they sold, so they got the manager to chat with the Missus.

And in the end, the Missus got some Early Grey and stuffs for Her.

tea.o.graphy
125 Kit Carson Rd.
Taos, NM 87571

After which we headed back to the hotel for a break.

As for dinner; well, I hadn't made any reservations for this evening, but had shown the Missus the menu at Lambert's which many consider to be the best fine dining establishment in Taos. The Missus really wasn't feeling like having that type of meal, wanting something more relaxed. I then showed Her the menu of Lambert's more casual bar and lounge called the Treehouse and we knew where we'd be getting dinner. The place was basically a half block from where we were staying and we strolled over getting there a bit after 5pm.

The place was already fairly busy! We got one of the small high-tops with stools, our bartender, I wish I could recall her name was awesome. We asked about the various wine and cocktails and once she knew our tastes, heck, we just left it up to her! She didn't let us down.

As for the food; things started off with the Smoked Trout Deviled Eggs.

Quite smoky and savory, creamy, with a slight eggy-richness. Not overly fatty, this was quite nice.

Next up was the Duck Confit and Waffle.

The duck confit had been breaded and fried, the batter was super sweet, the duck tougher and drier than what we'd consider duck confit. The blue corn waffle was crisp, but the supposed chipotle-agave glaze was overly sweet as well. We loved the charred turnips.

We enjoyed the Bison Relleno.

Crisp exterior, the bison short rib had a light, seet-beefiness to it and was very tender. The cilantro-lime crema really helped to cut the richness of the dish.

Last up was the Goat Birria Tostada. Knowing how much I like birria de chivo, you know I had to try this.

Loved the crispy-crunchy blue corn tostada. The queso was mild, so it didn't mess with the flavor of the goat, which was milder in gaminess than other versions I've had but not bad. Mild spices, did not like the broth/sauce which were bland. The pickled onions really helped things by adding acidity to the dish.

Overall, a pretty nice, relaxed meal. Most of the customers on this evening seemed like locals. I'd return if we're in Taos again.