[Taipei] Tomitamaya Sanuki Udon 富玉屋讚岐烏龍麵

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[Taipei] Tomitamaya Sanuki Udon 富玉屋讚岐烏龍麵

Tomitamaya Sanuki Udon 富玉屋讚岐烏龍麵 (venue closed)

Add: 14 Lane 83 Da’an Lu Section 1, Taipei / 台北市大安區大安路一段83巷14號
Tel: (02) 2778-5255
Hours: [lunch] 11:30am~2:30pm [dinner] 5:30~10:00pm
Website: www.wanpan.tw
Price: 280~320 NTD/udon set, 980~1380 NTD/hot pot set
Visited on: 2012-07

On a hot summer day like this, what’s better than a bowl of ice cold udon noodles for lunch?

Tomitamaya 富玉屋 is a recently opened udon specialty restaurant behind Sogo BR4, ran by a Taiwanese man who has learned the trade during his 15 years of residence in Japan. The decor is simple and clean, with wooden tables and colored seating mats that add warmth to an otherwise very plain space.

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[Taipei] Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰魯肉飯

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[Taipei] Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰魯肉飯

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Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰魯肉飯

Add: 10 Roosevelt Road Section 1, Taipei / 台北市羅斯福路1段10號
Tel: (02) 2396 0808
Hours: 8am~1am
Price: 50~100 NTD/person
Visited on: 2012-06

Despite how easy it is to find a decent bowl of braised pork rice (魯肉飯 lu rou fan) in Taipei, Jin Feng has impressively made a name for itself as the best place for braised pork rice in town. The street side joint is small and admittedly not so pretty, but it’s always packed with patrons who are addicted to its perfectly braised pork bellies. Let’s give it a try.

So what is lu rou fan? Pork belly slow-cooked in soy sauce and five spices then finely chopped (but not quite minced), then served over a bowl of hot rice. It’s super fatty, and that’s what makes it so delicious. At Jin Feng, a bowl of braised pork rice is priced at 25~45 NTD depending on the size of your order.

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[Taipei] Wakin’ Up Cafe Apartment 自然醒咖啡公寓

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[Taipei] Wakin’ Up Cafe Apartment 自然醒咖啡公寓

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Wakin’ Up Cafe Apartment 自然醒咖啡公寓

Add: 2F No. 157 Section 2 Heping East Rd Taipei / 台北市和平東路二段157號2F
Tel: (02) 2709 6066
Hours: 1~11pm (closed on Tuesdays)
Price: [drinks] 140~170 NTD [desserts] 80 NTD
Visited on: 2012-07

Nestled on the 2nd floor of a nondescript apartment building on Heping East Road is Wakin’ Up Cafe Apartment, a space where time stands still (if you look around, the clocks here literally not not moving). The cafe was slightly stuffy on a Saturday afternoon with the weekend crowd, but the cozy decor and friendly service still lured us to lounge here for hours.

After venturing up a flight of rather steep stairs, you will arrive at this.

Love the blackboard drawing behind the bar.

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[Taipei] Nichi Cafe 日子咖啡

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[Taipei] Nichi Cafe 日子咖啡

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Nichi Cafe 日子咖啡

Add: No. 8, Alley 17, Chifeng Street, Taipei / 台北市赤峰街17巷8號
Tel: (02) 25559 6669
Hours: 1pm~10pm
Price: [drinks] 90~170 NTD [desserts] 80 NTD
Visited on: 2012-06

My plan to spend an afternoon at Eslite fell apart once I saw how crowded the bookstore was (even on a Thursday afternoon!), so instead I ventured out of my comfort zone (namely 東區 & 信義區) to explore some hidden cafe shops in other neighborhoods.

I wish I can say I stumbled upon Nichi Cafe through pure serendipity, but it was actually recommended to me by a Taiwanese blogger, who has graciously put together a customized restaurant/cafe list for me as a reference. Nichi Cafe somewhat reminds me of Cafe Megane, a stylish and slightly quirky Japanese cafe near the Tun Hwa/Hsin Yi intersection, except Nichi is even smaller in both store space and menu offerings.

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[Taipei] Yong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麵

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[Taipei] Yong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麵

Yong Kang Beef Noodle 永康牛肉麵

Add: No. 17, Lane 31, Jinshan S. Rd., Sec.2 / 台北市金山南路2段31巷17號
Tel: (02) 2351 1051
Hours: 11:30am-2pm, 5:30pm-8pm
Website: beefnoodle-master.com
Price: 180~240 NTD/bowl
Visited on: Jun 2012

I have FINALLY been to arguably the most famous beef noodle joint in Taipei, and yes, it was as good as I expected it to be.

We started the meal off with some side dishes (40~120 NTD each) and Yong Kang’s famed 粉蒸肥腸 (100 NTD), which is steamed fatty pork intestine with sweet potatoes. This may sound disgusting (the look might be even worse), but it’s really, really good. For those who are put off by animal innards, you can instead try 粉蒸排骨 (100 NTD) which substitutes the intestines with spareribs.

Then on with the noodles. I ordered 紅燒半筋牛肉麵 braised beef & tendon with noodle in spicy broth (200 NTD/small), which in my opinion includes the best of both worlds – the tenderness of beef  and the chewiness of its tendon. The noodles were done perfectly as well, not too soft and not too chewy. The broth? Slurp!

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[Taipei] Caffe Libero X Red on Tree La Pâtisserie

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[Taipei] Caffe Libero X Red on Tree La Pâtisserie

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Caffe Libero + Red on Tree La Pâtisserie

Add: 1, Lane 243, Jinhua Street, Taipei /台北市金華街243巷1號
Tel: (02) 2356 7129
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 12pm~12am [Sun] 12pm~6pm
Website: redontree.com
Price: [drinks] 60~280 NTD [desserts] 80~220 NTD
Visited on: 2012-06

Caffe Libero is another one of the many stylish cafes that are tucked away in the Yongkang Street neighborhood. The shop, renovated from a 40-year-old mansion, oozes a sense of nostalgia with its original Taiwan zelkova flooring, marble walls, engraved wood door, and vintage furnishing. What it offers: specialty drinks like Longan Latte, and lovely pastries from Red On Tree La Pâtisserie. A good place to linger.

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[Sydney] Leaves & Fishes

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[Sydney] Leaves & Fishes

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Leaves & Fishes

Add: 737 Lovedale Road, Lovedale NSW 2320
Tel: +61 (2) 4930 7400
Hours: [Wed-Sun] 11am~4pm [Fri-Sat] 6:30pm~10pm
Website: leavesandfishes.com
Price: [lunch] 30~50 AUD/person [dinner] 55~70 AUD/person
Visited on: 2012-04

We stumbled upon Leaves & Fishes by pure luck. Sitting in the car around noon time, taking a break from our Hunter Valley winery hopping yet completely clueless as to where to have lunch, one of us literally just pointed to one of the forks (which denotes restaurants) on the tourist map, and off we went. To our pleasant surprise, lunch turned out to be a most lovely experience.

I had an instant good feeling when I stepped into Leaves & Fishes. The design is airy, cozy, stylish, yet relaxed, and the best part is that there’s a patio overlooking a tranquil lake – what a perfect spot to sit out on a day like this.

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[Sydney] La Renaissance

Categories sydney
[Sydney] La Renaissance

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La Renaissance Café Pâtisserie

Add: 47 Argyle Street The Rocks Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: +61 2 9241 4878
Hours: 8am~6pm
Website: www.larenaissance.com.au
Price: 15~25 AUD/person
Visited on: 2012-04

La Renaissance wasn’t really on my list until someone casually mentioned that it’s got Sydney’s best macarons. Uh, did you just say “best macarons”?

So there I was, the very next morning, lining up behind the crowd for a taste of La Renaissance’s pastries. This small cafe has a cozy courtyard in the back, which would be lovely on any sunny day.

Ordering at La Renaissance is one of those hectic experience where you try to eye everything on display before deciding which of these good-looking things you want on your plate, and you don’t want to take too long either because the customer next to you is growing impatient.

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[Sydney] Four Seasons Hotel

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[Sydney] Four Seasons Hotel

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Four Seasons Hotel Sydney

Add: 199 George Street, Sydney, NSW 2000
Tel: 61 (2) 9250-3100
Website: www.fourseasons.com/sydney
Visited on: 2012-04

When my friend and I walked in to our Grand Premier Full Harbour View Room at Four Seasons Sydney, we nodded in agreement: We liked what we saw. The 53 sq. meter open-plan space includes a lounge area, an oversized bed, a generous executive business station, and – let’s not forget this – views overlooking Sydney Harbour and the Opera House. Ah yes, we could stay here for a while.

As is typical with Four Seasons Hotels, the room is classically and comfortably furnished. Amenities-wise, everything you need is here – the 42-inch flat screen TV, the DVD players, the iPod dock, the wireless (not free though), mini-bar with coffee machines, etc. Here’s our large bed with down pillows and comforters – a good night’s sleep guaranteed.

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