All posts filed under: Places we ate at before we turned Vegan

Taiwan: Taipei – Xi Men Ding 西門町 (Taiwan Travel Review Series)

Published by Beatrice

Xi Men Ding (西門町) is hailed as Taiwan’s version of Harajuku/Shibuya and it does not disappoint in delivering the same city energy, glitzy lights and ads, and crowds in the shops and restaurants. I believe the shopping will be great in summer, but most of the shops were selling winter wear, which I will hardly wear in Singapore. Even the name Xi Men Ding (西門町) has Japanese roots – the character 町 means cho in Japanese, which means a part of a municipal ward, a term commonly used in Japanese addresses. We tried a random stop for breakfast, Tian Tian Li, which turned out really good! We tried a few famous food places in Xi Men Ding. First up, famous Ya Rou Bian (鸭肉扁) coffee shop, which has been opened for 63 years now. The shop name is called duck, but they actually sell goose meat! We shared a quarter of a goose and liver. Goose are usually tough but this meat was soft and tender. N enjoyed the flavourful liver very much and managed to finish it despite …

Taiwan: Taipei – L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Restaurant 侯布雄法式餐廳 (Taiwan Travel Review Series)

Published by Beatrice

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon (侯布雄法式餐廳) is one of the best meal experiences I ever had, joining the ranks of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay @ Hospital Road in London, and Saito Sushi in Tokyo. Taiwan does not have Michelin Star ratings, but Robuchon is acclaimed by many local Taiwan reviews as one of the best French food in Taiwan and it is not hard to see why after this experience! Joël Robuchon is a French chef who operates a dozen restaurants in Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Monaco, Paris, Singapore and Tokyo, with a total of 28 Michelin Guide stars among them – the most of any chef in the world, so L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon is one of his restaurants in Taipei. L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon’s décor is dark, red, modern with dim lighting. As we made a reservation pretty early on, they put us at the counter seats right in front of the open kitchen so we could see all the action. Highly recommend to ask for these counter seats if you reserve early! We tried …

Taiwan: Taipei – Wu Fen Pu 五分埔 Shopping and Rao He Night Market 饒河街觀光夜市 (Taiwan Travel Review Series)

Published by Beatrice

Taiwan has joined Japan in our most loved Asian countries. We love Taiwan for the incredibly friendly local folks. We love that the Taiwanese respect queues, that our random masseur recommends the best location to view the 2014 countdown fireworks while avoiding the crowds, that our public bus driver helps us with our luggages without being asked, that random Taipei folks we meet in wintry He Huan Mountain takes a polaroid of us with their camera to give us as a souvenir without asking anything in return, that food vendors offer to throw the rubbish in our hands for us from previous stores because we look like we are carrying so many items, that their service is warm and sincere. The kind acts of many Taiwanese we met really warm our hearts and make us want to return to Taiwan more often! We spent ~7 days in Taiwan including travel time: Day 1-2: Taipei Day 3-4: Alishan Day 5: Sun Moon Lake, Cing Jing, He Huan Mountain, Taroko National Park Day 6: Taroko National Park …

Yakitori Enmaru @ Ion, Orchard

Published by Beatrice

Wanted a central, quiet restaurant to catch up with a secondary school friend so my friend obliged me to try Yakitori Enmaru at Level 4, Ion orchard. Yakitori Enmaru is know for robatayaki (炉端焼き) which is similar to barbeque but the food is slow grilled over hot charcoal rather than raw fire. I arrived slightly early and it was nice to be received by a customized reserved seat sign. This really gives the detailed Japanese touch. I was also promptly provided a hot towel, which I later realized is part of the cover charge of $5, which includes towel and appetizers. But the hot towel did help to make me feel welcomed! We decided to share all our dishes. So we shared the main – Kaisen Chirashi-don ($29.80). The fish was fresh, but still doesn’t match my favourite Chirashi-don at Chikuwatei. Because Yakitori Enmaru is known for its Robatayaki, we tried the chicken (Ibushi Yaki, $18.90). The smoking technique is supposed to infuse the chicken with a tender texture while having a charred flavour. While it …

Grouper King Seafood Restaurant (大洋城) @ Shaw Towers

Published by Beatrice

My cousins celebrated 2 of our birthdays at Grouper King Seafood Restaurant. They bought a deal online so we had free flow of Chinese dishes, including all sorts of fish at ~$35.90/pax. I checked online and they are running a similar deal now on Qoo10. The usual price is $59/pax. As the name of the restaurant suggests, they are known for GIANT Grouper fish!! There are a few mains like main Soups, Peking Duck that can only be ordered once, but otherwise, there are at least 40 ala carte items you can re-order. Feasting… As you can see, we had a lot of dishes including many dishes of fresh fish (I assume is grouper!) cooked in many ways. Very good value for free flow seafood dishes with the deals for $35+ for dinner, and great for family gatherings for a big group. Do note that you have pay $3-$5 more per pax depending on the drinks package picked as well; they have ala carte and free flow drinks as well. — Grouper King Seafood Restaurant (大洋城) …

Crystal Jade Steamboat Restaurant @ Zhongshan Park

Published by Beatrice

Firstly, for all who have not been to Zhongshan Park along Balestier, I highly recommend it for grocery shopping (Fairprice Finest) for those who live in the area. Zhongshan Park, though it has a very Chinese sounding name, is a modern hotel cluster comprising Ramada Hotel and Days Hotel. The Fairprice Finest is spacious and eco-friendly, with wide aisles and great selection. They also have a dog-friendly pub – Starker Fresh Beer (Stärker Frisches Bier) with a great nice lawn to chillout. Just below Fairprice Finest, there is a Crystal Jade Steamboat Restaurant, so we went for the Kurobuta Pork Set for 2 at $39.80. It comes with 2 types of soup base you can choose from, so we chose Pork Broth and Sweet and Sour. There are also many different sauces to pick from. I enjoy the spacious restaurant, fresh meats and pretty good value meal especially after 20% discount promotion! For their opening promotion, they have the below promotion but not sure when it will be taken off. Good for families! — Crystal …

Banh Mi 888 @ United Square

Published by Beatrice

I was introduced to Banh Mi 888 by a Vietnamese friend from work, and Banh Mi 888 is truly authentic Vietnamese and affordable. Some of their mains are under $6! “Banh Mi” means bread in Vietnamese but this dedicated team of Vietnamese serve more than just bread! They also serve all the Vietnamese specialties – Pho and Spring Rolls with all the authentic sauces that I have tasted in Ho Chi Minh! One of us also tried the Beef Pho ($8.50) which had very sweet, peppery soup. I am amazed at how they created the tasty flavour without MSG. They also provide a loyalty card where you get a free main with 10 chops (essentially 10% off) so I find this healthy meal has great value. Great lunch spot for those we work around the area as well! — Banh Mi 888 Address: #B1-06, United Square Shopping Mall, 101 Thomson Road Phone: 63543858 Hours: Daily, 10:00 – 21:00

Let’s Sea Beach Restaurant @ Hua Hin

Published by Beatrice

We were searching for good food in Hua Hin town, and after reading Asia-city recommendation, we decided to try out Let’ Sea Restaurant, which is part of Let’s Sea Resort. An al-fresco restaurant, Let’s Sea is a fusion cuisine restaurant including nostalgic Thai favorites, and its cuisine is inspired by memories from family dining moments and childhood memories. The first thing that struck me about Let’s Sea is the immediate view of the sea from our cushiony couch seats indoor. There are also a few seats outdoor with similar amazing views. The servers were friendly, and were helpful in recommending dishes. The overall ambience met its objective of being a very relaxing restaurant on the beach. From the snacks and nibble section, we tried the Grilled Sirloin with a Spicy “Jaew” Sauce (350 baht). Juicy, tender with a hint of Thai from the sauce, this was my very favourite dish! For the mains, we shared the Pad Thai with Tiger Prawn (320 baht). This was the best presentation of Pad Thai I have ever seen in any …

Pranberry Restaurant @ Hua Hin

Published by Beatrice

Pranberry Restaurant, which is just opposite Aleenta Resort and Spa @ Hua Hin, caught my eye because of its interesting logo and interior. From the outside, I could see that the whole restaurant is set in sand though the restaurant is relatively inland. I checked out their Facebook to learn that Pranberry is only open on weekends and I am so glad we got to try because I would say Pranberry is the most delicious meal I had in Hua Hin! Pum, one of the owners of Pranberry, was very friendly and informative. She explained that Pranberry is only open on weekends because all the partners are actually working full time in Bangkok. They opened Pranberry (which sounds like Pranburi, the district Hua Hin is in) as a passion to serve fresh and good food. So they drive up every Friday or Saturday and take turns to open the restaurant. Sometimes they start driving from Bangkok at 10am, but only reach Hua Hin at 5pm (the drive should only take 3 hours) because they stop …

The Garden Slug @ Telok Kurau

Published by Beatrice

We have been to Garden Slug a few times on weekends to bring my dog along for a ride and meal. I love the simple, no frills decor of this 7 year old cafe, and the fact that fluffie can have a meal with us! TGS Mixed Grill – Platter of Ribeye Steak strips, Lamb Loin, Bratwurst, Real Mash™ & salad ($39.80) for 2 to share. Very JUICYYYYYYYYY Lamb without the gamey aftertaste! Pan-seared Dory Fillet ($18.90) – Fresh fish and salad, with sweet mash potatoes I will definitely be back for great freshness and food value, especially when I want to bring fluffie out! Forgive the camera phone shots as it was hard to shoot with fluffie moving around! — The Garden Slug Address: 55 Lorong L Telok Kurau, #01-59/61 Bright Centre, Singapore 425500 Phone: 86888575 Email: justask@thegardenslug.com Operating Hours: Mon – Tue: 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm Wed – Thu: 10:00 am – 10:00 pm Fri – Sun: 9:00 am – 10:00 pm