ESCAPADES | Sugared & Spiced

Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits 逸鮮棧

Add: No. 500-5, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao Dong Lu, Taipei / 台北市忠孝東路4段500號之5
Tel: (02) 2725 3555
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-10:30pm
Price: [lunch] 320-660 NTD [dinner] 600-1200+ NTD
Visited: Feb 2015

When some friends invited me to have dinner at “Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. “Fresh Station” itself sounds like a salad bar, and the sushi + fruits combo just threw me off completely. Apparently this is a sushi bar that incorporates fruits into its cuisine, which sounds like a desperate attempt to differentiate itself from the hundreds of other sushi restaurants in Taipei…but the friends who invited me to dinner are serious foodies, so I trusted their opinions and went in for a try.

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Upon being seated, my friends told me that they are actually not a fan of Fresh Station’s fruit cuisine, but really enjoy the more traditional sushis prepared by the chefs here. So that’s what we had that night.

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One of the restaurant specialty is its large variety of pickles – apparently they pickle everything – which are supplied to customers generously throughout the meal.

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2015/02/102015/08/05

[Taipei] Si Zhi Tang 四知堂

taipei

Si Zhi Tang 四知堂

Add: 18, Section 3, Jinan Road, Taipei / 台北市濟南路3段18號
Tel: (02) 8771 9191
Hours: 12-10pm
Price: 800-1200 NTD/person
Visited: Feb 2015

Si Zhi Tang, a low-profile Taiwanese fusion restaurant with dishes that are a little bit out of the ordinary. Reviews of this place are highly mixed, with the negatives generally focusing on its high prices. I was debating whether to try this or just go to a good old Taiwanese restaurant with guaranteed good food and good prices, but decided to come here anyway to see what it’s about. The meal turned out to be quite pricey as expected, but the dishes were delicious, the service was smooth, and the overall dining experience very pleasant. I’d say it’s a nice place to try at least once.

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Si Zhi Tang might be slightly hard to find even if you have the exact address, especially if you go after dark. When you reach No. 18 on Section 3 Jinan Road, look for a small alleyway-like entrance that will lead you to the restaurant.

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2015/02/092015/08/05

[Taipei] Stoppage Time 補時

taipei

Stoppage Time 補時

Add: 30, alley 15, lane 96, Section 2, Heping East Road / 和平東路二段96巷15弄30號
Tel: (02) 2736 6506
Hours: 11am-11pm
Website: www.facebook.com/stoppagetimecafe
Price: 100-160 NTD/coffee, 130-140 NTD/pastry, 220 NTD/sandwich
Visited: Feb 2015

A stylish cafe that opened up pretty recently in Taipei. They’ve got a huge kitchen area, communal tables, and individual desks. They serve coffee and tea, sandwiches and sweets. They play good music, and they project movies and soccer games onto their big white wall from time to time. I like, quite a lot.

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2015/02/052015/08/05

[Taipei] 1789 Café, by Cyrille Courant

taipei

1789 Café, by Cyrille Courant

Add: 97-1, Section 2 Renai Road, Taipei / 台北市中正區仁愛路二段97-1號
Tel: (02) 3322 2089
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 11am-8pm (closed on Mon)
Price: 120-150 NTD/éclair
Website: www.1789.com.tw
Visited: Feb 2015

Chef Cyrille Courant has been roaming around the world for a while. He started his cuisine training in France, and subsequently worked in Germany, England, China, and eventually Taiwan where he decided to settle and open a pastry boutique (more details on his professional career here). I first met Cyrille and his wife Sabine back in 2013 at a little cafe in Paris, where we shared our pastry stories (his being infinitely richer than mine) over a few of glasses of wine and some saucissons. He was still in the planning stage of his boutique at the time, and – without having tasted any of his pastries – I could already tell that he is someone passionate for and dedicated to his profession. Cyrille opened his boutique in early 2014, and during my current trip to Taipei, I finally had the chance to try his creations.

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Cyrille’s boutique, named 1789 Café, is dainty and efficient. It starts with a bright pastry display, a few tables just behind to the left, a chocolate display corner, and an exhibition kitchen with counter seats for those who want to gawk at the pastry chefs at work. The boutique opens at 11am, but I went in earlier to see the kitchen during their morning prep time. Here are some action shots…

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When I arrived at 9:30am, Cyrille and his two pâtissiers were in the middle of finishing the éclairs – piping the cream, glazing the top, decorating with chocolates and fresh fruits, etc. Seeing them at work reminded me of my days at Fauchon, where I garnished and glazed endless éclairs day after day…I really wanted to roll up my sleeves and join in on the action!

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2014/11/162015/08/05

[Normandie] Honfleur & Deauville

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Day 2 in Normandie started with a large coffee, toasted country bread, and homemade jams for breakfast. With sunlight spilling in from the windows, even better.

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Then, we drove over to Honfleur, a touristy port town that has managed to maintain some of the charms that once inspired artists like Monet, Courbet, and Boudin.

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2014/11/152015/08/05

[Normandie] Orbec

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Spent some lovely time last weekend staying with friends in Orbec, a small 2500-people town in Normandy. As much as I love Paris, it sure does wonders to the body and mind to leave the city once in a while.

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A stroll through the Sunday market, followed by visiting the church where my friends will get married next Spring.

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2014/10/082015/08/05

[Berlin] Day 3

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Day 3 in Berlin, woke up early for breakfast at Zeit für Brot (Time for Bread), a charming bread shop in the Mitte neighborhood. Cinnamon buns and milchkaffee, a perfect start to the day!

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Then, a visit of the Reichstag, the Imperial Diet building. The large glass dome at the very top of the Reichstag has a 360-degree view of the surrounding Berlin cityscape and is free or charge to visit, complete with an audio-guided walking tour that last for about 45 minutes. You do need to register in advance, and don’t forget to bring your reservation confirmation and ID when going to the appointment.

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2014/10/062015/08/05

[Berlin] Day 2

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Day 2 in Berlin started off on a serious note with a visit to the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a.k.a. the Holocaust Memorial, a site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field.

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