Is Taiwan is Chocolate [Taipei/Cafe]

Is Taiwan Is Chocolate品台灣手作甜品

add:台北市大同區酒泉街10巷11號

hours: 11:00am-10:00pm

tel: (02) 2586-5733

mrt: yuanshan

pricing: pricey $$$

A colorful pebble cheesecake and three pieces of decadent latte , rose and passion fruit chocolate.  

Is Taiwan is Chocolate is right outside Yuanshan MRT. 

They offer a huge variety and assortment of chocolate, from fruity to spicy chocolate and even creamy chocolate shaped like chicken feet. 

They also have a good selection of cakes and pastries. 

Plum vinegar and a strawberry breeze. 

We shared a savory pancake set. The set came with a salad loaded with bacon and sausage. But the most interesting of the set was the beer mug pancake.

When it first arrived I was intrigued by what was layered between the cakes. After removing the cream I then realized it was nacho flavored Doritos. 

A very interesting combination of pancake, Doritos and cream. 

After the pancakes this cute platter of desserts was brought before us. The passion fruit and latte chocolate were quite flavorful and creamy. While the rose tasted artificial. The cheesecake was a complete miss , and I couldn't even finish it. 

Dubu House Korea [Taipei/Korean]

Dubu House Korea 涓豆腐[should go]

add:台北市中正區北平西路3號

hours: 10:00am-10:00pm

tel: (02) 2311-9288

mrt: taipei main station 

pricing: moderate $$

After our sweat drenching yoga practice, we decided to grab a bite to eat, but we wanted something not too oily. So we decided on soondubu. But I was a little hesitant since I've bad experiences with Korean food in Taiwan. For a country that is enamored by Korea, Taiwan has a hard time making very authentic or delicious Korean food. 

Soondubu is basically just a stew , a big bowl of hot deliciousness. 

Banchan or side dishes accompany your meal. And the best part is they are refillable, so if you like them just eat to your hearts content. We asked for refills of kimchi and beansprouts a few times. 

Stone pot rice is the best. I love how it crackles and rice crisps when it touches the hot stone pot.The hard part is getting the burnt rice off of the pot, it takes skill and patience, but it is well worth it. 

The Beef soondubu was great, had a nice consistency and flavor. 

The seafood pancake was a tad too battery for my taste. However it made soaking up the delicious sauce that much easier. 

Beef short ribs, were outstanding. They were tender and flavorful. 

TWG Tea Salon [Taipei/Ice Cream]

TWG Tea Salon

add:台北市復興南路一段39號

hours: 10:00am-10:00pm

tel: 0809-008-888

mrt: zhongxiao fuxing

pricing: moderate $$

TWG tea salon recently opened this year in Breeze center. I love tea and was eager to check it out. TWG tea has often been confused with another brand, Twinnings. However TWG is from Singapore while Twinnings is from England.. 

TWG salon has a huge variety of tea, from the more floral  and fruity tea to the earthy. 

A gorgeous selection of well flavored ice cream. I sampled a few flavors and they were all very well infused with the tea. 

There are three sizes, I choose a single scoop.

I decided on the Silvermoon tea flavor, this just had a nice blend of green tea and vanilla. The flavor was on point and very flavorful and the texture of the ice cream was very decadent and creamy.  Now I cant wait to try their afternoon tea set. 

Ramen Nagi [Taipei/Ramen]

Ramen Nagi 豚骨拉麵 [should go]

add:台北市大安路一段75巷5號1樓

hours: 11:30am-10:30pm

tel: (02) 2778-1899

mrt: zhongxiao fuxing

pricing: moderate $$

I just love a big bowl of pipping hot of ramen. There is just something special and gratifying about a bowl of perfectly stewed broth and noodles. Recently several big Japanese ramen chain stores have set up shop in Taiwan. But after careful field research, most chain stores fail to measure up to their Japanese counterpart. However ramen Nagi truly surpasses most other ramen shops. 

One thing I love about ramen Nagi is the ability to customize everything about your bowl of ramen. It reminds me of my favorite ramen shop, Ichiran. You're able to decide the oiliness, garlicness, saltiness and hardness of the noodles and other aspects. 

Ramen Nagi has various broths for you to chose from. 

Like most ramen shops, the seats are quite close together and you'll probably find yourself sitting next to a stranger.

Delicious condiments to further flavor the ramen.

Spicy marinated bean sprouts that give a kick to the ramen.

pickled radish. 

My friend ordered his pork ramen with less salt and oil. He also choose the leaner cut of meat and green onions to round out his order. 

I also ordered a pork ramen  but with more oil, more salt, more garlic, a fatty pork slice and green onions. love the taste of a  full bodied ramen that is oily and salty. The harmonious blend of the broth, the firmness of the noodles, the fattiness of the pork slice and wonderful taste of green onions makes Nagi my preferred ramen shop.

URBAN331 [Taipei/Afternoon tea]

URBAN331 @ Madison Taipei台北慕軒

add:台北市大安區北市大安區敦化南路一段331號

hours: 2:30pm-5pm

tel: (02) 7726-9090

mrt: xinyi anhe

pricing: pricey $$$

Only a few blocks away from Xinyi Anhe MRT, right next to Renai circle is the chic boutique hotel, Madison Taipei. 

Right next to the lobby of the Madison Taipei, is it's bar/restaurant URBAN 331. 

A large space with tons of seating. The couches were very comfortable and spacious with good distance between them so you can talk freely with your friends. 

A very well stocked bar.

A tray of tea samples, which you can smell and decide which one you want. 

We ordered the tea set for two people. 

Beginning the set we were served these scones and shots of some kind of fruit juice. 

Each set arrives in two wooden boxes. One box is full of savory items and the other of sweets. 

The canapes in the savory box included : braised beef croissant , crab salad stuffed tomato, shrimp salad puff pastry, bacon cheese ball, anchovies custard and a a chilled muskmelon soup. 

The braised beef was very tender and flavorful, but the croissant was a little to soft and soggy. The rest of the savory items were okay.

The sweet box included: mini raspberry eclair, cheesecake, mango dacquoise, hazelnut mille feuille,raspberry dark chocolate cake and a Madison signature chocolate ball.  Similar to the savory box, nothing particularly was amazing but nothing was bad either.

We ordered two pots of Supreme Earl Gray to accompany our tea set. 

URBAN 331 would be a place Id come back with friends for a drink or two , with its very comfortable and large room. But I think having their tea set once was enough for me. There are many other places with far better food for the same price. But if you're looking for a place that's relatively quiet and private to talk and eat a little, then this place would be an ideal spot!