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SHIN YEH JAPANESE BUFFET
Fnac Future Center Building, 6 FL
12 Kuanchian Rd.
(02) 2371-3311

hours: 11:30am to 11:30pm
230-430 $460
$750

$$ (about NT$540 for lunch; NT$690 for dinner when I went)

Visit reviewed: 5/2007



A lot of variety and even some fresh made to order options in this Japanese buffet by uber popular Taiwanese eatery Shin Yeh. Suitable for large groups, families, or even a party of one, if you like Japanese food, you should be able to find a lot of things to satisfy your stomach.

Granted, it has been over a year since I've eaten here, but I still remember sitting at the extra long table with my grandma, cousins and relatives, each taking our turn at wandering around the hot and cold food sections. Isn't that what most of our memories are about? Not necessarily what we ate and how it tasted (unless it's an amazing meal), but who we were with and how we enjoyed spending time with each other.

My favorite part of the buffet was probably getting the made-to-order handrolls and getting an extra spoonful of bright orange masago (raw fish eggs) in my handrolls when I asked.

If you've never had masago/tobiko, the bright orange miniscule eggs are like the Pop-Rocks of sushi. As kids, we would squeeze the saltiness out of each egg or smush them between our fingers. There's a sort of crunchiness and taste of the ocean that you get when you eat it, without it being TOO salty like the larger ikura. YUM!



It's definitely a step up from Todai, (those in California and the states might be very familiar with), a popular all-you-can-eat Japanese buffet with everything from piles of seafood and rows of sushi to Americanized chicken teriyaki and stir fried noodles because it offers more authenticity and freshness at a better price.

There's a lot of options to satisfy even if you don't want to eat sashimi.



But if you like sashimi, load up your plate and grab the wasabi. Even better than having it sit out all night, you have to request (or point) to what you want, and the sushi chef will slice it up for you.



You can even grab a teapot of mushroom soup, which offers a light broth.



Of course, one of the best things about buffets is getting to sample more than one dessert. I love creme brulee with its crackable hard layer.



This of course is just a random sampling of all that was there... I was too busy eating to take a picture of everything! Writing up this post makes me want to visit there again soon. If I do, I'll let you know if it's changed or the locations are different.

Other locations:

No. 52, Chungshan North Road
(02) 2542-5858

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, A11
5 Songshou Road, 11 FL
(02) 8780-1366

Taoyuan shop:
No. 61, Chungcheng Road, 11 Floor
(03) 331-5511

AUBERGINE
aka EGGPLANT CURRY
at Bistro 98, 3 FL
No. 98, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec. 4,

(02) 6638-6889

website: aubergine.com.tw

hours: 11:30AM - 9:30PM

$$

Kid friendliness: kids meal offered; high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 7/10/2008 & 7/21/2008



My girlfriends had been telling me about Aubergine for awhile and finally we all got together to have lunch there. In Chinese, the name is "Eggplant Curry" which is kind of funny since there isn't any eggplant on the menu.

Aubergine is a chain restaurant that offers variations of two of the most popular Japanese dishes- curry and omelette rice. If you've never had Japanese curry before, it's slightly sweet and savory, but not as sweet as Thai or Indian curry. Also, you can have the curry with stewed meats inside the curry, or separate on top of fried pork, chicken or seafood. Omelette rice is basically a delicate layer of egg enveloping stir fried rice, shaped like an omelette.

Once we got the menus, everyone gasped, "you have to order the Cordon Bleu curry (NT$250)," "it's my favorite," "I always order this". All but one, who said she usually always got the chicken curry, but even she was converted by everyone's enthusiasm.

The picture in the menu looked promising, even though I'm not that crazy about cheese and ham stuffed inside my katsu. It's the one with the cheese stringing between the pieces of fried pork cutlet on the bottom.



I wonder if the waiter thought we were funny that all five of us ordered the same thing.

The menu has a picture for everything with English, Chinese and Japanese for each item, making it very easy to order. There's also a complex series of diagrams on the bottom, which is essentially the add-on options for your meal. You can add a drink, salad or soup (or two or three options) for varying prices, and you can choose from their options (caesar or mixed salad w/ thousand island or japanese dressing; onion or cream of mushroom soup).



The drinks are quite sweet, even the ice tea, and they have options like mango, lychee or passion fruit juice. Maybe it's to balance the spiciness of the curry?

As for the spiciness of the curry, there is a scale of 1-5 for how spicy you'd like your curry. I ordered a 2, but it was still a bit too spicy for me. It's definitely got a kick, but a few of my friends ordered 5 (the spiciest). So if you like heat, you should try it out.

The starters come fast and the service is pretty efficient. The salads are simple, the soups are better.



The curry comes separately in a silver pouring bowl. I like to pour mine on top of my rice and the cutlet. Somehow I always eat a lot of rice when I'm eating curry.



The Cordon Bleu was not as cheesy as I thought it would be, but overall it was a pretty decent katsu curry. I liked it enough to take my mom over a week later when I couldn't figure out where to eat. My mom is a vegetarian so that eliminates a lot of places I like to eat that use solely beef or chicken broth in their soups (such as Pho Hoa or Dubu House).

This time I wanted to try out their omelette rice with fried oysters (NT$260). I think this is the first time I've actually ordered it. I've lots of bites of friend's plates, but I've never felt the urge to order it in the food courts, where it seems to be everywhere.



The kakifry (fried oysters) was good, but two were not enough for me. If I ordered it again, I'd probably get it with pork cutlet. I admired how the chef got the thin layer of egg around the rice and onto the plate without breaking the delicate skin. The egg is well done on the outside, but still silky on the inside.



I requested a level 1 spiciness curry to go with it, though I think they have a tomato/ketchup based sauce with the omelette rice usually. The rice is a bit sweet, as if stir fried with ketchup or something similar, with diced onions, ham and corn. I think the onion flavor was a bit too strong.



My mom liked her Curry with Mushroom Bonanza (NT$190). Haha, that's the official name. You can't tell from the picture, but there's different kinds of mushroom in the mushroom curry.



The kid's meal is also fun-served in a combo plate shaped like a car, it's definitely a kid pleaser. It had fried rice, some fried pork, french fries, hamburger and broccoli. And a dessert! Which is dangerous to have it all on the same plate, since the kid will probably want to just eat the dessert first.



I wasn't in awe of the food as I was with Saboten's tonkatsu, but at least here, you don't have to wait and there are more options, especially for vegetarians. Another good (and cheap!) tonkatsu option is Kitaro.

The Bistro 98 space is great for people watching if you get a seat near the window. The first time we went, it wasn't crowded at all and my friends said that Aubergine used to be more popular when it first opened. The second time we went, it was almost full, with lots of large groups and families, making for a lively atmosphere.


OTHER LOCATIONS:

Taipei

No. 50, Zhong Xiao W. Road, Sec 1, 5FL
(02) 2388-6068

No. 85, Roosevelt Road, Sec 4, 2nd FL
(02) 2366-1258

Tien Mu

Eslite Mall, B1
No. 188, Zhongcheng Road
(02)2875-6389

GORDON BIERSCH
Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11, 2F
11 Songren Rd

(02) 8786-7588

website: gordonbiersch.com.tw

hours: 11am- 12midnight

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. crayons. lots finger foods

Visit reviewed: 6/13/2008

You may or may not have heard about this new addition to the "Western Chain Restaurants" (or now known as "WCR") that have made their mark in the Xin Yi area in Taipei in the recent years. Gordon Biersch is a restaurant that I first heard about because of its garlic fries. So imagine my surprise when I saw its familiar sign on the second floor of Shin Kong Mituskoshi where there used to be random shops.

I went there opening week (it was packed at 1pm) and again the following week (not so packed at 12pm).



Why so long for the review? I wanted to figure out how to fairly describe their opening week kinks (and there were lots). I wanted to think about how GB is different than the other WCRs.

It's got an across the board menu filled with appetizers, salads, burgers, pastas, pizzas, grilled meats similar to TGIF, but has yet to work out its growing pains in training its servers to (1) bring you drinks right away and keeping them filled; (2) understand English requests/questions/orders and (3) bring you bread/soup etc right away to keep you happy/munching.

Service was on the slow and confused sides on both visits- with our first visit experiencing a missing pasta dish that ended up having to be reordered and coming about an half hour after we'd all started our food. And the Linguine Marinara ended up being too acidic for my tastes (though my friend thought it was ok).

Another annoying thing is that on the lunch special menu, it says in English that one of the options is lemonade. But apparently, that isn't an option according to the servers. They have lemonade, it just isn't complimentary as a drink with the lunch special (even though it's printed on the menu). And there is no option to upgrade the lunch special sodas/ice tea/coffee to something like lemonade (which turned out to be VERY sour).

But if you like BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, then you should definitely try the one at Gordon Biersch. I don't think you could get one anywhere else in Taipei (please correct me if I'm wrong).



And if you go at lunch and ask them to switch out the potato chips for garlic fries (it might take a few tries) and get the business set lunch that comes with soup OR dessert and drink, then it's not a bad deal. With a sprinkle of coleslaw and tender pulled pork bathed in tangy sweet bbq sauce, it's better than quite a few pulled pork sandwiches I've had in LA. And the garlic fries-- good, but hopefully you get a batch that is not overfried.



And if you're tired of the same old spinach salads from Mac Grill or Quesadilla Explosion salad from Chili's, then you should try the Grilled Chicken Cashew salad here.

GB also has a selection of award winning beers and even a beer sampler of shot glasses for you to try if you can't decide on which one. Personally, I'm not a beer drinker, so I can't report how it is.

From the lunch special, the various creamy soups (potato? mexican chicken?) go down easy like reheated Campbell soups and the chocolate cake is a good size for lunch (not too big, not too small). Chocolate-y enough though not as rich as the cakes from Mac Grill or Chili's.





But there were a few other things on the menu I might want to try if I go there again.. crabcakes, hummus, a couple of their other salads. BTW- if you end up with a menu with English titles for the foods but the descriptions in Chinese, you can ask for an English menu. Most of the WCRs have separate Chinese/English menus that you need to request if you are NOT an obvious Not Chinese Menu Reader like me (aka Chinese American who went to Chinese School for six years but can still only recognize first grade level characters). har har. Okay, my Chinese comprehension has gotten better than that since I've been here so much, but I'd still like my English menu.




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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.

where's the beef?

JB BURGER
No. 2, Lane 345, Alley 15, Ren Ai Road, Sec 4
(02) 2775-3027

hours: 10AM - 10PM

$$

website: wretch.cc/blog/theJBburger

Kid friendliness: small space for seating.

Visit reviewed: 7/9/2008



A semi-new little burger place near Lane 216, JB Burger looked promising. The bright white, red and yellow sign and menu and fonts that oddly reminded me of In N Out (a very popular burger chain in the states, in case you've never heard). Maybe it was the promise of "the fresh experience" or the English menu with the double patties or the fat onion on the burger.

Anyways, it was enough to draw me in for a "snack" before dinner "research" at around 4:30PM. And it had quite a few other people who felt the same, eating inside or waiting for their order.



The pros: they offer not only a beef patty, but also pork patties. Their fries are freshly cut and fried and they offer veggie sticks if you want healthier fare. If you can read Chinese, you might spot their options menu on the counter which says you can ask for grilled onions or other styles for your burger. They also have coffee/latte, Budweiser and Root Beer as drink options.

The cons: they were out of their fresh cut fries and only had potato slice(NT$40).


I did eat a few wedges in the car before I took this picture

Also their beef patty in my burger (NT$65) was much, MUCH smaller than I would have liked. It looked small on the grill and even smaller next to the huge hunk of lettuce they stuff inside the burger.



Overall, the taste is not bad, but it's just an unwieldy bite. The huge lettuce actually makes the burger harder to eat since it's not pulled apart for you. It's not an anomaly since I saw them putting together other burgers with other semi-wedges of lettuce. They also add a thousand island like dressing without asking.

JB Burger has been open since April 2008 so it shouldn't have any more opening kinks to work out. All in all, it's one thing if your burger is small but fat OR skinny but wide enough for the bun- but my burger patty was neither and just not enough to be satisfying or fill out the bun.

And I shouldn't have to get a double patty burger to feel full either.

Granted for these prices, it is nice to know I'm getting a freshly made burger and I'm not asking for a burger like I'd get at Chili's, but I shouldn't have to think that I'd rather get a Whopper from Burger King while I'm eating it.

Have I been brainwashed into thinking everything should be American-style "supersized?" or am I justified in my gut feeling? My burger doesn't even look the same as the ones on their website and outside their store.



Guess we'll just have to wait to go back to LA to go to In N Out for the real thing, or maybe finally try out Mary's Hamburger or California Grill.

FURUKAWA
No. 1, Lane 132, Zhongsan N Road, Sec 2
(02) 2562-1115

website: furukawa.com.tw

hours: Lunch: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM ; Dinner 5:30PM - 10PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. friendly service.

Visit reviewed: 2/23/2008



The best thing about this dinner were the fried oysters or kaki fry. They were hot, crispy, juicy inside and what I expected. Everything else, was to be honest, sort of a let down.

I had mentioned to my friends that I was craving a good bowl of udon with tempura, but this was before we discovered Tenpura Sanuki Udon. So he did some research on blogs written in Chinese and said that he had found a restaurant that had been recommended.

The restaurant was pretty full with families and groups, with a cool modern-ish atmosphere.



The menu doesn't have any English, but is full of pictures. There is a wide variety of combos to choose from (around NT$300), as well as appetizers, sushi and sashimi.



The udon tempura sushi set was calling my name. But when I got it, the udon was soggier than I would have liked and there were only 2 pieces of tempura to eat. I was used to the fried shrimp hanging out on a mountain of fried vegetables, but this was more like 1 lonely shrimp on top of an anthill.



My friends who had gotten the cold soba set with sashimi were better off. The soba was chewy and you can't go wrong with the dipping sauce. They liked it so much (and since I ended up eating some of their soba instead of my udon), they ordered another plate of soba, though we agreed the second round was not as good as the first.




We also had a weird experience with the sha-ba or the fish chin/jaw. The first time, it was a huge piece, but wayyy too salty. Inedibly salty. When we complained to the waitress, they took it away and replaced it with no problem. But the second piece was soo bland. The chef just couldn't find the middle ground for us that night, so we just let it go.

While the service was quite friendly, the food that we had ordered didn't give us a reason to return, especially since it's farther away from my part of town. But it's too bad since everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food so maybe there are other things on the menu more worth trying out.

ROSE HOUSE
No. 15, Lane 233, Dun Hua S. Rd, Sec 1
(02) 8773-2519

website: rosehouse.com Chinese only

hours: Weekdays 11 AM - 10 PM ; Fri-Sat 11AM- 12AM

kid friendliness: Not recommended. Quiet, delicate atmosphere and friend with nursing baby was asked by servers to take baby outside if he started to cry. Have heard that others were refused entry when with babies at other locations.

$$

Visit reviewed: 5/15/2007

If you're looking for a quiet place for a cup of tea with your friends or business associate or your significant other, then Rose House is a pretty good choice. If you are looking for a place to have lunch with your friends and their babies/kids or have boisterous conversation, then you should probably go somewhere else.

Rose House is a chain tea shop/cafe that you might have spotted around town. With its frilly logo on the sign to its equally frilly interior with bone china in cabinets and along the walls- it's a ultimate setting for afternoon tea, English style in Taipei.

With a wide offering of teas, coffees and drinks, Rose House's signature rose tea and fruit teas are a refreshing and tasty accompaniment to conversation at the table. However, they want to maintain that atmosphere for all their guests, so it's not the most kid friendly place.

While having lunch with a friend with a relatively new baby, the server actually asked my friend to take her baby outside if he started crying when he started quietly fussing at the end of our meal. We were quite surprised because the baby had not made any noises past our table and also a squirmy toddler at our table that we thought that they would have complained about first. I think if the baby actually did start to cry, my friend would have automatically walked him around outside, but to have the server approach us first was definitely a surprise, especially when there only a few scattered guests inside. I guess I could understand that they would want maintain their quieter setting for those who came to sip their teas in silence, but it was still the first time it's ever happened to me at any restaurant around the world.

While you should go to Rose House for their teas, they also offer various sandwiches, meat dishes and curries for lunch which seem more Taiwanese than English. But then again, I've never been to England.

My friend said his pig knuckle dish was just okay, as was my steak. My other friend's baked risotto was made with white Jasmine rice rather than Arborio, but she said the cheese and sauce made it tasty enough.

There are quite a few locations and I tried to find an English source for the addresses, but you will have to check the website.

OTHER LOCATIONS (thanks to Google Translator and some elbow grease!)

No. 95, Nanjing East Road, Sec 2
TEL: (02) 25603112
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

No. 5, Nanjing West Road
TEL: (02) 25235170
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 11: 00 PM

No. 3, Zhengzhou Road (at Chengde Lu Avenue intersection)
TEL: (02) 25585399
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 11: 00 PM

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Mall (Xin Yi), B2
No. 12, Songgao Road
TEL: (02) 87809932
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 9: 30 PM (weekdays)
11 :00 AM- 10: 00 PM (Friday and Saturday holidays)

No. 9, Lane 450, Xinyi Road
TEL: (02) 87896606
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 10: 00 PM

No. 11, Chongqing South Road, Sec 1
TEL: (02) 23121282
Hours: 11 :00 AM -11: 00 PM

Shihlin shop
No. 604, Zhongshan North Road, Sec 5
TEL: (02) 28338464
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00AM to 11:00 PM

Yongkang shop
No. 3-1, Lishui Street
TEL: (02) 23948202
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00AM to 11 PM

NTU/Shida shop
No. 1, Lane 86, Shida Road
TEL: (02) 33651977
Hours: 11 :00AM-11: 00PM

Tienmu shop
Dayeh Takeshimaya Mall
No. 55, Zhongcheng Road, Sec 2, 4th Floor
TEL: (02) 28345848
Hours: 11: 00AM - 9: 30PM (Mon-Thur, Sun); 11: 00AM- 10: 00 PM (Fri, Sat)

No. 218, Ruiguang Road
TEL: (02) 77202070
Hours: 11 AM - 10PM

No. 19, Jinhu Road
TEL: (02) 27927205
Hours: 11 :00AM -11: 00PM

Taipei Tienmu shop
No. 15, Lane 14, Chungshan North Road, Sec 7
TEL: (02) 2872-3630
Hours: 8 :30 AM - 10: 00 PM

TEAROOM
at Miramar Mall
No. 20, Jingye 3rd Road, B1F
TEL: (02) 2175-3023
Hours: 11: 00 AM - 10: 00 PM

TEAPUB
at Miramar Mall
No. 20, Jingye 3rd Road, 1F
TEL : (02) 8501-1360
Hours: 11: 00 AM - 12: 00AM (M-Th, Sat); 11: 00AM -1: 00AM (Fri, Sat)

CELESTIAL RESTAURANT
(or TIEN CHU)
1 NanJing West Rd., 3F

(02)2563-2380

hours: Lunch 11:30 AM -2 PM
Dinner 5 PM - 9 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 11/23/2007 and 2/24/2008



Overall, Celestial Restaurant has a very family friendly, impress your guests menu with lots of Chinese favorites such as xiao long bao and a variety of stir fried dishes , but everyone in the packed restaurant is probably there for the Peking Duck.

YUM- I can't say how much I love Peking duck. If you have been looking for Peking duck in Taipei (or anywhere), this is where to find it.

The carved slices of crispy skin and duck meat bundled inside the warm flat pancake, with a do-it-yourself layer of hoisin sauce and optional sliver of green onion- together has got to be one of the world's perfect finger foods.



Kind of like a mini Chinese burrito without the rice and beans.

I try not to think about how fattening each bite is while I chew on each heavenly crispy morsel. I also try to not look like I'm waiting for the lazy susan to wander back my way, and politely let each relative at the table have their turn when I just want to stockpile a whole plateful for myself. The skin should be crispy and the pancake is slightly doughy, so the textures mesh together so it's not too greasy. Plus the skin shouldn't have too much fat on it, otherwise, they didn't do good job carving it (as I've had at other restaurants).



The nicely presented plate of duck meat comes out after the initial plate of crispy roasted skin... you can also have them cook the remainder of the duck (meat and bones) into a soup with rice noodles and vegetables that is also very tasty (and filling) that comes at the end of the meal (around NT$1100 for whole duck + soup).



To be honest, I can't remember much about the rest of the food on the table because I was so focused on the duck, but it was good. Plus when you eat with relatives, you don't really get to look at the menu- they order all the good stuff. There was this interesting appetizer dish- celery with a mustardy, wasabi-ish sauce that was addicting- that I'd try again.







The second time we went, they had private rooms on the 3rd Floor. Look for the entrance below or the Royal Inn Taipei. The atmosphere is busy with lots of large tables- it's sort of a middle ground ambience- not a hole in the wall, but not as a fancy as a hotel restaurant, and so the prices are somewhere in the middle too. The menu is in English and Chinese and Japanese, and I've heard popular with tourists and locals alike, so it's best to call ahead for a reservation for dinner and weekends.



While they don't carve the duck in front of you like other restaurants that might be a bit more showy, what matters is how the food tastes, right?

The first time, I had some almond tofu to finish the meal.



The second time, there were these hot fried tang yuan that were so good. If you've never had it, you should definitely give these babies a try.





Just forget about counting the calories for one night.

KOREA RESTAURANT
No. 6, Lane 380, Keelung Road, Sec 1
(02) 2723-3302

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 4/2/2008



First let me say, I'm writing this review after finding another Korean restaurant elsewhere that is MUCH better, so I can't help but to compare the two in my mind, which makes the food here LESS tasty in comparison than if maybe I didn't have an alternative to go to. Make sense?

Anyways, I spotted this place when I went to the Vietnamese Restaurant across the street, er, lane and knew I had to wander inside to see if they had the cold noodles. It was a great sign that they were packed during lunch and that it was full of tables of people speaking in Korean. I think to myself, jackpot authenticity!

But I didn't order what seemed to be the popular order of the Korean spicy hot pot and bbq beef at the other tables- it was too much food for one person. Instead, I opted for trying the seafood pancake and (Yay) the cold naengmyun noodles.

It cracks me up to realize that when you say "naengmyun" in Korean it sounds sort of like "liang mien" in Chinese, which both mean "cold noodles."

Their menu was in Chinese on the table, but when I asked if they had an English menu, they did have a menu with pictures.



The seafood pancake was just okay and didn't seem to have any recognizable seafood chunks in it. You know sometimes you can see the shrimp or crab or squid, but I didn't really spot any.



The noodles were also just okay. They were chewy and soupy, but not slightly sweet or super cold at all. I think it was also missing a piece of meat that was in the picture in the menu. I got an additional squeeze bottle for vinegar, but it became more of a chore than pleasure to try and finish as much as I could.



After paying my bill, I asked how long they had been around and I think she said for over 10 years. I asked for a business card and she gave me a lighter that had the info on it (that I subsequently can't find, so sorry for no phone number yet) (found it!). If there are any readers who have found this little place, I'd love to hear what is good here, since they obviously have done well enough to maintain a Korean customer base.

BONGOS
No. 3, Alley 5, Lane 74, WenZhou St
Gongguan area, near Taida

(02) 2365-6059

website:

hours: 11:30 am-10 pm

$$

Kid friendliness: No high chairs. Reservations (especially on weekends) strongly recommended.

Visit reviewed: 4/13/2008

A popular place in Gongguan area for burgers, Mexican fare and hanging out- Bongos has gained a following with both locals and expats for its affordable American-style eats and casual atmosphere.

I didn't expect it to be so packed on a Sunday night, but I'm glad I had called ahead and made reservations for my party of 8. Otherwise, I might have been turned away to Coda (the owner's newer restaurant nearby) or had to wait, as we witnessed happened to walk-ins. I was also surprised that it appeared that all the other customers were younger locals and I didn't spot any expats at all. It's very close to Taida (the nickname for National Taiwan University), so maybe many of them were students.

In the hustle and bustle, we were seated in the darkness of the outdoor patio, which was not bad in the cool weather, but very dark. A few of friends complained they must be getting old since it was hard to read the menu in the night's light. They have separate menus (with a few pictures) for Chinese and English and after request, I got an English menu instead. With appetizers, salads, burgers, Mexican, pasta and main dishes offered, most of the meals come w/ your choice of 2 sides (fries or salad) and a drink. Having been to Forker's first, I recognized a lot of the fonts and identity styling had come from Bongos.

While waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive, we ordered the quesadillas (NT$260) (offered as a meal, not appetizer) a side of chili cheese fries and small salad, as well as the Five Layers Mexican dip (NT$180).



I was excited about the guacamole in the dip, but could barely find/taste it as the spicy salsa was the overwhelming flavor. There were also not enough chips to finish the dip (as with our experience w/ the spinach artichoke dip at Forkers). I tried to request more chips instead of fries when I ordered my burger, but they wouldn't do it, saying extra chips would be an extra NT$20. I definitely wouldn't order this again for the size and price.

The quesadillas were pretty good on the other hand, cheesy and meaty with a kick. The chili on the chili fries was thick and disappeared quickly.



The bowl of mushroom soup was also surprisingly good- it was creamy and aromatic and actually quite kid friendly. The side salad that comes with the meals was quite blah, as was their chicken entree salad which had slim toppings in a huge bowl of lettuce. We tried to order their udon salad at first, but they had run out of udon.



Instead, stick to their burgers. I ordered the bacon gouda cheese burger (NT$240) and requested guacamole on top (for extra NT$) and the burger was a lot better than my burger at Forkers. The wheat bun, meat patty and toppings all meshed together (after I picked ou the sprouts. I hate sprouts) to be a pretty good bite.



I was quite full after the quesadilla and chili fries appetizer and was unable to finish my double fries order with my burger (plus I was saving room for shaved ice at Tai Yi nearby afterwards).

My friends enjoyed their chimichanga, burger and sausage dishes. I thought the chimichanga was okay with spiced ground beef inside, but preferred the chimichangas at Jake's Country Cafe or La Casita,. Bongo's Mexican is more Tex-mex, if that. My friend also tried to order a pasta dish, and they were also out of that. There's no automatic service fee included in your bill, but your drink refills and water are self serve. They are quite busy getting to all the tables, so service can be on the absent side.



I'm glad I found it after getting lost in the taxi the first time. Now that I think about it, we were probably RIGHT around the corner and missed the small entrance, since there are no side signs in the one way alley, but instead right in front. It is easier to find from Xin Sheng South Road... as we walked around, there were a TON of little eateries and shops that I wanted to come back to check out.



Any other recommendations for this area?