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LITTLE SOUTH GATE
or XIAO NAN MEN
at 101 Mall
45 ShihFu Rd., B1

$

Kid friendliness: try keeping your kids away from this sweet treat! you probably have to get them their own, or at least their own spoon.

Visit reviewed:
Previously reviewed: 2/18/2006

Can you believe that before Little South Gate offered shaved ice that there wasn't really any decent place to find shaved ice in the area? That's probably why you'll usually find a line snaking around the counter of people waiting for their cold desserts in the air conditioned basement of the Taipei 101 Mall (or whatever mall you might spot this chain) before they head out to the hot weather. Of course there are other hole in the walls that you can find it cheaper (and possibly better), but this will more than satisfy your cravings while you are shopping/showing around your friends/eating lunch while fighting off people who want your seats on the weekend crowds without leaving the mall.

It's a summertime special that they've recently started offering along with their do hwa, but at higher prices (and profit?) maybe they'll keep it on permanently after all the Love Boat kids and summer tourists leave town.

Lots of options but I usually get the choose-your-own-4-toppings for NT$70 plus a big squirt of condensed milk (NT$5). My usual would be feng yuan or boba tapioca pearls, peanuts, aiyu yellow jelly, and tang yuan or rice balls. My friend got grass jelly with hers. Other toppings to choose from include red bean, green bean and assorted jellies. (But don't expect to find any mango or other fruits here!)

Figure out what you want while you are waiting in line or the servers will bristle at your slowness with all the people waiting behind you. Point at the pictures on the wall or at the stuff in the containers. A few seconds of the whirring of the ice machine and you'll get to dig in.

I would eat this every other day if I could.

Other locations include:

Breeze Mall
Foodcourt, B1
No.39, Fuxing S. Road. Sec 1

ESLITE Mall (XIN YI STORE)
Food Court, B2
11, SongGao Road
(02) 8789-3388

Breeze at Taipei Main Station
3, BeiPing W Rd, 2F
(02) 6632-8999

THE DINER
No.6, Lane 103, Dunhua S. Rd., Sec. 2
(02) 2754-1680

website: thediner.com.tw

hours: M-F: 10AM - 11PM
Sat/Sun: 9AM - 11PM
Closed alternate Mondays w/ other location

$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available and some couch seating. kids meals avail too.

Visit reviewed: 7/18/2008
Previous reviews: 12/17/2006 and 6/5/2007

Did you know there's a new Diner in town? And you have to wait here too for a table. SIGH! Otherwise, you can round the corner to Carnegie's for a meal (which I have yet to try, but I heard their breakfasts are decent).

Okay, so actually the branch has been around for awhile, opened after the Diner expanded their original location. For the first month or two before the word of mouth spread, we were able to get a seat without too much of a wait. But now the word is out, so you should call at least a day ahead for reservations during meal times. There's table seating upstairs on the first floor and more loungy type seating and room for big groups downstairs in the basement. While I waited for my table inside during the typhoon rainy weather, the servers rushed past me with plates of hot pancakes and burgers, balancing them while they went downstairs.

The burgers/breakfasts are still good. Check out my previous reviews for pictures and details about the all day brunch options as well as burgers.

But today I want to declare my love for the Diner's pecan pie ala mode (NT$90). Served warm with vanilla ice cream, it's sticky, sweet and tastes ultra decadent as the crushed and whole pecans and carmelized sugar melt in your mouth. The slice is big enough to share, sort of. I shared mine with a friend after we had burgers, but once I took a bite I wished I could have eaten the whole slice by myself. (I also took a bite before I took the picture above).

The apple pie (NT$80 plus NT$40 for ice cream) and brownie (NT$150) ala mode are great as well especially when served warm, but the pecan pie ala mode is the best deal!

OTHER LOCATION:

No. 145 Rui An Street
(02) 2700-1680

PS I really like how they designed their map. I wish I had the time to design something similar for all the restaurants I've reviewed.

Indian Fans
Yokohama Station
Sababa
Sweetberry &
Little South Gate at

BREEZE at TAIPEI MAIN STATION
3, BeiPing W Rd, 2F
(02) 6632-8999

website: breezecenter.com Chinese only

hours: 10 AM - 10 PM

$-$$

Kid friendliness: lots of options, relatively new and clean.

Visit reviewed: 2/22/2008

If you're looking for a casual place with something for everyone, or you don't have a lot of time but want to have a tasting menu of Taipei eateries, you should head to Breeze at Taipei Main Station. And with all the MRT lines going through the Main Station, you could stop by before you head home or off to your destination.

Essentially, it's a GIANT, full circle food court, with four main sections filled with lots of familiar eateries- Taiwan "Night Market" Chinese food; desserts/bakeries; Curries, and even a whole food court of eight different beef noodle soups shops to choose from. I guess you could have your own Iron Chef tasting if you wanted to. I'll have to give that a try next time.

When we went, we walked around the whole thing to see what our options were, and then settled on trying out the section that seemed to be where all the non-Chinese/foreign options were- curry from Indian Fans, Sababa chicken pitas and Yokohama Station's fried pork tonkatsu and omelette rice.



The Plata Sababa was reliably tasty (with hummus and roasted eggplant) and I introduced Sababa to my friend who enjoyed it. (Although I think the prices at Main Station are slightly higher than their other locations (maybe because of rent) or maybe they raised prices overall?)




The bite of omelette rice and tonkatsu I had were forgettable.




The flatbread from Indian Fans didn't even look like naan, and the rest of the menu was not appealing to me- it seemed more adjusted to Taiwan flavors. I'd rather eat at the other mall court staple, Indian Palace.



There is a lot of seating for each section with wooden benches and you can even take your food from one section to the next if you really want to eat something different from your family/friends.



Of course, you have to save room for dessert.




The desserts section is a white, brightly lit mod area with options like Xiao Nan Men (Little South Gate) do-hwa, Meet Fresh, Pinkberry knock off Sweetberry, Beard Papa or Oishii cream puffs, Movenpick, Mr. Donut, or various bakeries. There's also Starbucks or Mr. Brown coffee if you need a caffeine burst.




The pink and green branding of Sweetberry was just TOO similar to Pinkberry to not be a shameless knockoff. See the same shades of pink and green and similar font in exhibit number 1 from dessertbuzz.com! It's laughable that they even made the logo pretty much the same (but it's a heart). I guess since no one has heard of Pinkberry here, they thought they could get away with it. But I have!


exhibit number 1


exhibit number 2

The expensive price for the extremely small portion (NT$80) and even smaller portion of fruit was a big disappointment. The flavor was appropriately tart (like Pinkberry) and yogurt-like, but I was shocked at the lack of strawberries. I'd stick to the Xiao Nan Men do-hwa or soy tofu custard. If you want frozen yogurt in Taipei, then you'll have to head over to Yogurt Me.



Next time, I'd like to try Minder Vegetarian restaurant and some of the other desserts as well as the Beef Noodle Soup (Niao Rou Mien) section.


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STARBUCKS
near Zhong Xiao E Road and Dun Hua S Road intersection

website: starbucks.com.tw Unfortunately, Chinese only

$$

Visit reviewed: 7/24/2008

I swore off all the baked goods from Starbucks after my terrible experiences with their cakes the last year. But then when I was craving chocolate chip cookies, my cousin surprised me with chocolate muffins from Starbucks.

I was hesitant to like it, but once I sank my teeth into them (yes, she got me TWO), I was happy. It is definitely like eating mini chocolate cake and I always love the TOP of the muffins.

So I was craving a chocolate muffin yesterday, but they were sold out.

I ended up trying their *new* Banana Walnut Muffin (NT$60). It seemed smaller than the chocolate (but it's probably the same size) and tasted like you'd expect it to- dense, banana/nutty, sweet- but didn't live up to the "must eat" addictiveness of the chocolate muffin, therefore not worth the high price tag, unless you are in a pinch for breakfast at your business meeting at Starbucks.

Plus reminded me a bit of the Costco banana muffins (while the Costco chocolate muffins were not as delicious as the Starbucks chocolate muffins) SIGH!

At least they redeemed themselves from the terrible pastries I had the last time.

So I definitely recommend their chocolate muffin- moist, with chocolate chunks, devoured in one sitting with only some regrets afterwards, and then wanting to eat another one! I'll try to get a picture of it next time!

Food Court at
the LIVING MALL (CORE PACIFIC CITY MALL), B1
No. 138, Bade Road, Sec 4
(02)

website: livingmall.com.tw English and Chinese

hours: 11AM- 9:30/10:30 (fri/sat)

$

Visit reviewed: 6/28/2008

While there is nothing too exciting about the Living Mall's food court, I guess I should mention that the Living Mall itself is shaped like a huge ball. The shape can be seen clearly from the outside (or even from the 89th floor from 101) as well as the inside, with its funky design and circular floors, allowing you to peer down on the floors below. (A funny article about it here.

The first time I went to the Living Mall, I was reminded a bit of the Luxor in Las Vegas, another huge, unusually shaped structure that sort of makes you admire (or not) it at first sight, but then you just get used to it.

But anyways! Back to the food- there are a collection of restaurants upstairs (I've only been to Lawry's for their prime rib and creamed corn) as well as a movie theater there, but as I circled around the food court to find something to eat, nothing looked especially exciting. There are a selection of the typical Chinese wonton noodles, oyster omelette, stuff over rice, the ubiquitous Subway, I ended up choosing a bimbimbap from the Korean place.



While there was a decent amount of beef, you couldn't customize the vegetables- it came with the cucumber, bean sprouts, green beans and hot sauce. It fed me and was ok.

My friend got a wonton soup that was also pretty mall food-ish.



A looong time ago, I got a corn dog near the movie theater that was pretty decent, but I don't know if the vendors are the same anymore.

More memorable was our trip to Tai Yi later on in the evening. I tried out the mango milk ice (with tang yuan), I decided I liked the red bean and tang yuan milk ice better. Plus it's half the price of the mango shaved ice.




Mmm, looking at the shaved ice is making me hungry. I wish someone could make a shaved ice delivery service. That would be awesome!

HAPPY KOREAN CUISINE
No. 1, Lane 99, Xin Yi Road, Sec 3
(02) 2703-9237

hours: Lunch: 11:30AM- 2PM;
Dinner 5:30PM- 8:30PM
(closed every second and fourth Monday of each month)

$$

Kid friendliness: VERY! high chairs available plus a little play area in the corner with play kitchenette and toys.

Visit reviewed: 4/15/2008

I can't tell you how happy I am that we found this restaurant that was recommended by a friend. Every dish we ordered was delicious, the service was friendly and it was very affordable.

The English and Chinese menu has lots of pictures and everything from bimbimbap (a mixed vegetables rice) which the beef was slightly sweet and tender like bulgobi to the cold noodles I love to tofu stew to bbq meats.



Located in a little alley not too far from AIT, it's a good spot to hit up after you've been waiting in line all day. Or even if you're not near AIT, if you've been looking for a good casual Korean restaurant in Taipei.



I wasn't sure what to think when it was not crowded during the first time we went, on a weekday lunch, but the complimentary fresh panchan was a good sign- I always love it when japchae is included.



Little touches like that were continued throughout everything we received- the bimbimbap in a stone bowl (NT$190) had a bit of seaweed strips on top;



the cold noodles (NT$160) (which you can get with or without the soup) had thin slices of both radishes and pear in the soup which made a great layer of sweet and savory combination that was already in the vinegary soup.



On the second time we went, on a weekend, I made a reservation with a large group and thankfully I did because it was packed full with families. To be honest, the service was slower since they were busier and the seafood pancakes weren't as good (not as crispy) as the first time, so maybe try it out when they are less busy if you want to ensure the best experience.

They also offer vegetable pancake for the vegetarians out there- as well as vegetarian bimbimbap or cold noodles or tofu stew (which some Korean restaurants have few or no vegetarian options).





We also spotted a little playarea in the corner for kids to play which is such a great idea and makes the restaurant especially family friendly.



Until now, I had been fulfilling my cravings for Korean food at the food court at the various malls or doing the bbq beef at Mindong which is only open in evenings and also packed- but now this is a place that will top my list.

Especially with the "naengmyeon" or soupy cold noodles being a perfect way to beat the Taipei heat! It's the best version of it I've found at any of the Korean restaurants in Taipei.

SHI CA DWO
No. 26, Lane 216, Zhong Xiao East Road, Sec. 4
(02) 2773-3982

website: http://www.shicadwo.com.tw/

hours: 10:30 AM ~10:00 PM

$

To-go reviewed: 7/9/2008

When you think of green beans, you might think of stir-fried or steamed, but green mung beans are a different kind of green bean entirely. They are small and round rather than long and stick-shaped and often sweetened and used in desserts like on top of shaved ice or in dessert soups.

A family friend kindly brought some green bean dessert over from what he declared was the best stuff that I had to try. What he liked about it, that I have to agree, that it isn't too sweet. Everything is soft and sweet, but not mushy.

The white kernels in the soup looked and tasted like a mix of barley and popped popcorn, and after some googling, I found out that they are called Job's Tears or called Chinese Pearl Barley sometimes (though it's not technically barley). Both green mung beans and Job's tears are also supposed to be good for you, unlike boba (or tapioca pearls) another popular option in dessert soups/shaved ice.



So if you are tired of waiting in lines at Meet Fresh (which I have yet to try but I have seen the long lines and heard stories about their slowness), you can try out Shi Ca Dwo especially in the hot summer weather.

I never thought I'd be so happy to eat something from Subway, but if you are craving white chocolate chip macademia nut cookie, this is the place to go.

I'd actually been craving (Mrs. Field's style) soft baked chocolate cookies for quite awhile, but most of the cookies here are thin and dry and more like crackers. So sad.

I even bought the oversized tin of cookies from Costco but their cookies are TOO sweet, believe it or not.

So when my aunt said that we should eat Subway for dinner, and by the way, have I tried their freshly baked cookies and how delicious they are? I said, yes!!!

And it was melt in your mouth goodness with the butter and sugar and crunchiness of the nuts and the sweetness of the white chocolate chips.

I don't like raisins, but they also have Oatmeal Chocolate Chip as well as a Candy chocolate chip (NT$17). There's also a price break if you order more. If you eat it in the store, sometimes you can catch it out of the oven!

But it's bad for the waistline. I think I ate two in one sitting and then inhaled another three in the next few days. YUM.

DA AN ROAD & XIN YI ROAD STREET VENDORS

Jimmy Ice Tea
(02) 2754-5192

Lao Zhou Dao Xiao Mien
Jien Bao (dumplings)

at intersection of Da An Road and Xin Yi Road

11:30 AM - 11:30 PM
$

Visit reviewed: 4/7/2008

At one corner of the bustling intersection of Da An Road and Xin Yi Road, there is a busy alley of street vendors of knife cut noodles (or dao xiao mien), dumplings, beef noodle soup, boba milk tea and lots of other small eats.



Spotting a small cart on the main corner, my friend tells me about how "yo ming" or famous Jimmy is. There are few people waiting before us and only two workers who put together the tea and place it on the metal shaking machines. You can also adjust the level of sweetness and ice. The boba or tapioca pearls are fat and the tea is sweet, but overall, I still prefer the QQ mini boba and taste of boba milk tea (NT$35) of 50 Lan.



They have lots of other options on their to-go menu in Chinese and apparently they deliver with a certain minimum order.



There are people sitting at tables along the sidewalk, slurping their bowls of noodles and soup, while the vendors are busy making their food.



Spotting a man making fresh noodles, I decide to try the dao xiao mien- opting for the ja jiang mien (or shredded pork noodles) (NT$75 for small bowl) to go.



When I get home, the cucumber has become a bit soggy while the noodles have retained their chewiness. However, the sauce of the ja jien noodles is a bit bland and doesn't have enough thickness and saltiness to go with the density and volume of the noodles. I wonder if the beef noodle soup would have been better.



A few weeks later, while driving by the intersection, I see a long line of men at another dao xiao mien vendor a few doors down (past Lao Zhou) and make a mental note to try that place the next time instead. Or go back to the Shan Xi Dao Xiao Mien with the really great broth and noodles.

Walking back towards the corner, I spot freshly made dumplings and get 5 jien bao for NT$7 each of the meat and vegetable ones, pan fried though they also have steamed. These taste better than the noodles, though they are not as crispy at the bottom as I would have liked.





Overall, a neat street corner to explore though, but I didn't taste anything memorable that I'd crave on another day.

TOASTERIA CAFE
No. 2, Lane 248, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4

(02) 2731-8004

website: toasteria.com.tw

hours: Mon-Thurs 10AM-11PM; Fri-Sat 10AM-2AM; Sunday 11AM-9PM

$

Kid friendliness: tiny patio to eat along a busy alley, but cheese sandwiches and fries are definitely kid friendly.

Visit reviewed: 4/5/2008

With almost 20 types of grilled cheese sandwiches offered at Toasteria, there's a lot to choose from. Not to mention the fries, salads and fish and chips. From the basic classic grilled cheese (with cheddar, mozzarella and "good olive oil) to the tuna melt to chicken options to unique combos like Grapa (Grilled Gouda, red wine onion jam, roasted garlic and fresh basil)- Toasteria uses cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, feta, gouda, jack, and various combination with aioli, honey mustard, roasted peppers, pesto garlic and even wasabi!



I was in a hurry so I ordered my classic grilled cheese (NT$70) to go. It's definitely better to grab a seat (if they have one available) and eat your sandwich hot off the panini grill and the combo addition of fries and a drink for NT$60 is not a bad deal. I opted for Grape Fanta which I hadn't had in forever, and it definitely made me feel like a kid again, drinking grape soda with my grilled cheese. THe fresh basil is also a nice touch, giving the sandwich an extra layer of depth.



The patio, while small, is a nice place to people watch and eat if it's not crowded, and there's also seating along the bar. Right next door to the Zhong Xiao Alleycats (not TOO far from SYS Memorial hall), you should wander over to check it out, even if you are looking for a hot midnight snack with their late hours on weekends.

Next time, I want to try the Grapa (NT$95), the Chicken Jack Cheese (chicken, grilled jack cheese, caper aioli)(NT$95), the Tunamelt (NT$85) or the Feta Pesto (roasted pepper, shiitake mushroom and onion).