AH PA TOFU RESTAURANT, HANZHONG STREET, TAIPEI CITY

Recently opened about three months ago, and just a stone's throw away from Ximen station, this modest looking restaurant specializes in dessert soyabean pudding and soya drinks, as well as other delicious Taiwanese small dishes.

 It's a small shop with only six tables inside, and two tables outside on the five-foot walkway.

The owner of the shop was very friendly and he recommended the dishes that we should order based on our preferences. 
The menu was once again in Chinese, so I left the ordering to my dad and went with the shop owner's recommendations.

 

Tofu with seaweed and beansprouts

Stir-fried mince pork with steamed rice

 

'yi' noodles with mince pork

Iceberg lettuce

Pork ball soup

Cold beancurd with century egg

 

Dried squid in a starchy soup base

And of course we also had to try their beancurd jelly dessert (douhua 豆花), or dau fu fa as I am used to calling it. It comes with two different toppings, so we ordered one of each.

Douhua with peanuts

Douhua with red beans

After eating mainly takeaway street-food for the past few days, it was nice to have a simple traditional sit-down meal.
I also ordered a hot soya bean drink to takeaway after the meal - my cough seems to have worsened, and I am now temporarily banned from having iced bubbletea (boo...).
The bill came up to which was a reasonable price NT$330, which is approximately RM35.50 (or £6.50 - bargain!) 
Our final meal in Taiwan before we departed the next day. Hopefully this new business will continue to blossom in the competitive food industry.

Address: Hanzhong Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan (opposite 85 degree cafe)

The Cheekster, signing out x

MIYAHARA OPTHALMOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Having just arrived in Taichung, we decided to check out one of the local recommendations that was close to where we were staying - Miyahara Opthalmology Department, otherwise known in Chinese as 宫原眼科 (Gong Yuan Yan Ke).

Located a few minutes walk from the Taichung Train Station in the Central district of Taichung, this red brick building was previously used as an eye clinic that was constructed by Miyahara, a Japanese optometrist, in 1927 during the Japanese occupation period.

The name was pretty deceiving at first, but today, the newly renovated building houses the flagship store of the famous “Dawn Cake” (日出蛋糕), and sells other interesting treats such as pineapple cakes, chocolates and cookies.

The interior inside, which is based on the original clinic and pharmacy design, is absolutely exquisite - fitted with high ceilings, medicines chests, wooden wall book cabinets, and the warm lighting which gave it a tranquil library atmosphere.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is also an ice cream parlour on the 1st floor, from which there are dozens of flavours to choose from - from various varieties of chocolate-based ones such as Venezuala 72% floral & fruity, to Miyahara Special flavours such as Honey cheese. There were also some rather intriguing sounding tea-based flavours such as 'Tomorrow will be better' and 'Between dreams and life'.

We were served by staff that were all dressed in uniform, and  were very friendly and efficient.

 

The queue was thankfully not too long, so I stood in line waiting excitedly for my order to be taken.

Almost as excited as this little cutie that was in front of me...

The order sheets that they handed out were in Mandarin, but thankfully there were also some leaflets with English translations.

 

 

There is then a selection of tasty toppings to choose from, depending on how many scoops of ice cream you have ordered. We went for three scoops in a waffle bowl, where we then could choose four complimentary toppings. I skipped the sauces as I had my eyes set on the interesting looking pastry and biscuit toppings...

 

 

There is also a restaurant on the 2nd floor, which we missed out on, but I would definitely like to check out should I visit again in future.

Deliciously good ice cream, and a bit of a history lesson - what's not to like?

Miyahara is located at No. 20, Chung Shan Road, Chung District, Taichung City, Taiwan, and is open from 10:00 - 22:00.

The Cheekster, signing out x

DIN TAI FUNG, TAIPEI 101

Our first meal after arriving in Taipei - the world-renowned Din Tai Fung which specializes in xiao long bao, and originated in Taiwan.
We arrived early in the evening so the wait wasn't too long - 20 minutes, which is considered a short waiting time.
We noticed how large the restaurant really was inside as we were shown to our table towards the back of the restaurant - utensils efficiently laid out, glasses filled with tea, and there was even a basket on the side to store bags and coats. As we walked in, we also passed by the kitchen area where we could view them making the dumplings.

 

Our hosts for the evening ordered a variety of dishes for us to try. Unfortunately I didn't take note of the names of each dish, because we were all quite hungry, and dived in as soon as each dish arrived at the table.
The order sheet was also in Mandarin, which I obviously was unable to read...
Oh well, food is food after all, and I'm happy as long as it goes into my belly!

 

 

We tried a few types of the xiao long bao with different fillings. Juicy meat fillings wrapped in lovely delicate skin, which apparently has a minimum of 18 folds - I even did a little count on one, just to check...

 

 

 

We were all happily stuffed by the end of the meal.
I would definitely recommend a visit if you enjoy this type of Asian cuisine. They have a few branches scattered outside of is native Taiwan, even in Malaysia - but I don't live in Kuala Lumpur, so this was a new experience for me.
Hopefully there will be one in London sometime in the near future..?
A great start to our short visit to Taiwan.

The Cheekster, signing out x

THE LOCKHART, 22-24 SEYMOUR PLACE

A Southern US restaurant in Marylebone.
After hearing and reading good reviews about Lockhart, I wanted to find out for myself if it was really as good as they claimed.

That cornbread, in particular.

 

| Virgin mojito | 

Because we felt like being good that evening...as we always are.

Some bread to start, which apparently had some pork crackling in it, although not very distinct.

Soft and fluffy with a nice crunchy outer skin.

We decided to order a mix of dishes to share instead of choosing personal mains and sides - sharing is after all the best way to go.

| Catfish goujons with creole remoulade |

Tasty crunchy batter, and great to nibble one whilst waiting for the mains.

 

| Grilled chicken oysters with yellow mustard bbq | 

Soft and tender, although the portion size was a bit smaller than we expected.

 

| Coleslaw |

| Catfish gumbo |

A warm and comforting dish, although I would have preferred more of a spicy kick to it, and maybe a bit more colour.

 

| Corn bread |

- baked to order - 

The much talked about corn bread...

I haven't really eaten much corn bread, but I liked this version, with that nice hint of sweetness. I especially liked the crunchy outer edges - the best bits!

A larger portion than we were expecting, not that we should complain - always happy to have more of everything...in most situations.

 

| Venison saddle & roasted apple with red eye gravy |

Deviating from our usual pork belly selection, we decided on the venison, which was nice and tender.

| Dessert |

Between the two options for dessert, we both agreed to order this to share - deep fried dough balls served on chocolate ganache.

Soft and fluffy and delicious rich chocolate sauce - a tiny bit sweeter and it would have ticked off all my boxes, as I am personally more of a milk chocolate lover.

 

Overall the food was good, and I did like the set-up and ambience of the place. 
I loved the vintage furniture, and especially the variety of pretty plates.
Our waiter was also really attentive and friendly, despite it only being his second day on the job (forgot to catch his name - oops).
 It was however a shame that the fried chicken was not on the dinner menu - guess this means we have to go back again for brunch/lunch! 

So many places, so little time...

The Cheekster, signing out x