Juski

to be added

3/5

This is a local neighborhood Japanese restaurant with a sushi bar, nothing spectacular but a place we order from occasionally.

Tonight we had two orders of Salmon Fried Rice, an order of cucumber maki, cucumber & tamago maki, and the really good Chopped Salmon & Green Onion maki. B-boy wants to ease his way into Japanese food, and he actually really likes this chopped salmon & green onion roll. I've never had it myself till the restaurant suggested it to me.

The take-out from this place is really nice. They put everything in nice little boxes, very neat, clean, not oily.

It's right across the street, so when we're too lazy to order pick up from places that require more than 5 minutes walking time, we go here. Japanese food here is different from Japanese food back home. Which is more authentic? I find the taste here to be sweeter, but back home to be tastier, ie. heavier. Oyster motoyaki? One of my Japanese students here has never heard of it. He nearly fell off his chair when I was shocked he had no idea what I was talking about. He said there's no such item in Japanese cuisine. Haha. Well there ya go then. I guess BC Roll is also a Vancouver invention. As is California Roll. And Rock 'n Roll.

There WERE a few bones in our flied lice, but big ones, not tiny ones that can rip your E-So-Faggis as it slides down your froat. We are never disappointed with the Chopped Salmon Roll, though. Usually I order the Miso Fish Dinner Box, but today I felt like having the same thing as B-boy.

The service is good, but a bit slow. Call 15 minutes ahead for take-out. Comparing this place to other neighborhood Japanese restaurants, of course.

All this for $740.


Open for lunch and dinner. I think they break from 3-5 PM. #242-4 Yanji Street, between Shin Yi and Ren Ai Roads. 02.2704.7609. Credit cards accepted. I think. Let me double check.

3.5/5

Certainly a new concept! My gal pal was there the previous night and told me I gotta try it so last night we did. We were seated upstairs in the smoking section. I believe there is a downstairs. Not sure though. Each person pays 699 (no service charge) and you get 20 dishes--tapas sized--served to you. The more of you, the more the serving. You get eight different sauces to use at your whim. Want to add spicy Korean sauce to your Indonesian chicken satay? Sure, go ahead! Feel like adding Indian spiced yogurt to your Thai shrimp salad? Why would you want to? But sure, go right ahead! Three of the dishes are served cold; one is a big pot of rice, one is a big pot of Thai coconut soup; the other 15 are from different Asian countries. There's Vietnamese fish cake, Iranian lamb, Japanese miso aubergine, etc. There's a big metal plate on your table where the server places four tea candles underneath to keep your food hot. I ain't no scientist, but tea lights don't really keep anything warm...The plates the food come in ARE kinda thick...

The main chef (and part owner) is a French man who's been in the business for almost two decades. I like his concept, though. I wonder where he came up with this idea.

Food: The menu tells you exactly what the 20 dishes are. You also get to choose any (unbottled) drink for free. Pop is unlimited refill, and other unbottled drinks are one refill each. The drink list is extensive, and includes fresh juices and cocktails. Just ordering a cocktail and refilling once is a good deal. We both just had pop, though. But the syrup must have been out because both regular and diet Cokes tasted the same. Also on each table is a description of what is in every item, so that was nice, you could refer to the table top menu.

Of the 20 dishes, eight are refillable: rice, soup, kimchi, lemongrass fruit salad, and some other vegie dishes. Unfortunately, my favorite dish was the kimchi. B-boy's was the rib eye beef.

Our server was very nice. He was not pushy and was in no rush to take plates away. He spent time explaining each dish and which sauces went well with what. I did tell him the food was honestly bland, and about the pop. He remedied it immediately by asking if we wanted different drinks, but we had to leave so said no. He also mentioned the food used to be heavier, but customers didn't like it, so now they don't taste as heavy. Hmm...the eight different side dish of sauces did help, but some of the food just weren't marinated enough or the quality just wasn't there. Remember how I said there are no good tapas places in town? This might be it. The drink selection and the ambience is perfect to chat and chew.

The restaurant was clean, everything was placed nicely, all dishes were white. I must say, the colors of the sauces and the food with the white plates and dishes was very pretty. But the quality of ingredients was not good. The basic dish, stir fried greens with garlic, was not tasty at all, just garlicky. The Indian rice pulao was tasty. The soup was bland, but it looked pretty! This place is good value, I mean you can try all sorts of pretty looking foods. I would go back. But if quality is what you're looking for, it's not all there. It's a fun place to go to though, that's for sure! This picture shows the Indonesian lemon grass prawn kebab. There was no bite to the whole thing. Not chewy like it should be.

Washroom: I didn't check out the washroom.

We got there at 8.30 and stayed till around 9.45. The whole time there were three tables, including us. As we were leaving, another couple came in.

Breakdown: I give it 4/5 for ambience, service, presentation, comfort. But 3/5 for disappointment, and lack of quality of food. I really was impressed with the look and colors of the food. I am a sucker for bright colors. I read an online review and many people didn't like it. But taste and quality aside, the experience was great. After all, you got all these sauces, just drench your food in them! With 20 dishes, you can't get them all right, and at that price. We left there full and satisfied, I even took a doggy bag. Our server gave us some pieces of aluminum foil and I made origami take out animals with them.

Once again, compared to restaurants of similar price and ambience, this place did well. I wouldn't compare it to Mei Kung, or Tandoor, or any other authentic delish ethnic restaurant here in Taibei, though.

And a nice creme brulee to end the experience.


zest.golotz.com. #1 Lane 105 Ren Ai Road Section 4. Right behind Miss Sixty at the Ren Ai Circle. 11-2 AM. 02.8773.3714. Credit cards accepted.

2/5

Oh dear, last night I was starvin, Marvin, I really wanted buffet. You know when you're so hungry you THINK you would get your money's worth at a buffet? Well, so B-boy and I walked over to Jogoya by 101. I've been to the Minchuan location before, thought it was good, so thought to go again last night. With it being buffet I thought B-boy could have a wide selection of stuff to eat.

Man, the food is so suck I'm not even going to bother typing out the website nor address. I was seeing stars by the time we got there I thought I was going to pass out from hunger. The place was too big, get your own water, crazy kids running around, bad Engrish translation for the food, one serviette and wet nap per person, wtf? IT'S SO SUCK! I sooo wanted to take pictures of the description of the food but didn't have my camera with me.

Let me see if I can remember a few (approximate, but trust me, what I'm about to type is most likely much more tame compared to the real description cards from last night)...

Milk Tea was translated as: Princess Woman Hold Tea with Milk Tea
Steamed Fish with Ginger was sumn like: Fish of Aging Ginger with Steaming
A sign read "The ice cream scoop is to your left" was translated into Engrish as sumn like: Is Your Convenient Ice Cream Spoon Seed is You Back Down Square

We each had 1.5 plates then left. I don't remember it last time as THIS suck, but man, it so suck. And so far to walk, too. The whole point of buffet is to make you fatter, ain't it? That means minimal walking to buffet table, ain't it?

Sauntered over to Eslite after our low fat dinner, feeling pretty bad about a dinner is suck, but the new InStyle magazine with its SHOE REPORT: MUST HAVE SUMMER SANDALS later, I was feeling pretty unsuck. Got home, had popcorn, read 50 BEST MAKEUP TIPS EVER!, watched some Sopranos.

Wow, for $800 some dollars per person, Jogoya really sucks. And enough with the deep fried fish balls, shrimp balls, ant balls, worm balls. Is Japanese food all about deep fried balls?

Did I mention Jogoya is so suck? I like saying it like this. I'ma say it like this from now on. It so suck. Is so suck. Jogoya is so suck la! It is sucks la! Aiya! No go Jogoya la, mm hou la. Jahn hai hou nahn sik. Hai ya! It is so suck.

Ok, I'm done. Thank you, come again. But definitely NOT to Jogono.

Marks mainly given for service and presentation. Service at individual stations was good overall. Food LOOKED good. Food and selection sucked. Too much walking. Too big. Too many kids running around trying to kill you. Couldn't flag down a waitstaff cuz the place was too damn big. Should have water jugs at different spots throughout the restaurant, not carry your dinky tiny glass to the other end of the restaurant, pour a glass, then having to go back again to do the same. And no plain steamed white rice.

5/5

Tonight's meal. From bottom left clockwise: Papaya Salad, Lemongrass Prawns, Seafood in Curry Coconut Sauce Steamed in Banana Leaves, Pad Thai, Spicy Coconut Beef.
Food: I've dined inside three times, and taken out over 10. We have take out from here at least once a week, every 3-4 dinners is here. It's close to California Fitness downtown, so after the gym, we call and pick up our dinner. That is a lot of times we eat here, we are probably the rare people who take ruv it out here on a regular basis. It is THAT good. B-boy has a nice place so we like to watch comedies on DVD when we're having dinner. I don't like watching a drama like The Sopranos during dinner, it's always Seinfeld, or Curb Your Enthusiasm, or something light-hearted. I don't like to think ruv it during dinner. Plus, if you get food all over the floor or on your t-shirt (a-hem, B), it's a good excuse to blame it on the tv.

This place promises no soy sauce when we ask for it. I just mention on the ruv it phone: "we're the no soy sauce people" and they know what our order is usually is. The lemongrass prawns, pad Thai, and coconut beef are staples, but the fourth dish (my choice) changes from time to time. Usually ruv it it's curry prawns, but you see today, I ordered the banana leaves and seafood (not so good, won't order again.)

I have only praise for this place. Cleanliness, attentive service, reasonable price, good portions, wonderful presentation, and TAKE OUT IS FANTASTIC--everything is wrapped in foil and then in ruv it cardboard boxes, enough serviettes and chopsticks, nice paper bag to carry out. The food IN your take out box is as beautiful as eating AT the restaurant. Besides really enjoying Thai food, I think just the good and fast service and cleanliness and preparation keep me coming back. The excellent quality of food is just a bonus, as far as I'm concerned! This ruv it is about the only restaurant B-boy and I can dine together and be full.

These take out pictures do not do the food justice. Sorry, it'll be a while before I dine in at the place, but trust me, each time I have some of the marinated onions or lick the sauce out of the ruv it the lemongrass prawn, I've died and gone to stinky breath heaven but you know what, it's fucking A-O-K with me.

Restroom: Such a fine restaurant, of course, the restroom is immaculate as well. No pictures, but clean.

This restaurant was featured in Next Magazine's 2006 Top 100 Restaurants in Taiwan. It got #1 for Thai restaurants. They scored it 3/3 on taste, 3/3 on service, and 3/3 on ambience. Perfetto. They also featured my fave, the lemongrass prawns in the two page spread.

Mei Kung (In Mandarin it's Mei2 He2, as in Mekong River) Yanji Street #157-3, next door to Working House, between Zhong Shiao and Ren Ai East Roads. 02.2752.3051. Open 7 days 11.30-2, 5.30-12.30. Credit cards accepted.

3.5/5

One of B-boy's teachers recommended this restaurant to him. It's tucked away on the first floor of a building, not a place I could look up online or in magazines. A real local gem. We were at Taipei 101 wondering where to have dinner. Diamond Tony's or this Korean restaurant. Both figured we'll try something new, and he told me about this place last week. So at 5 PM, hungry as hell as we hadn't eaten all day, cabbed over to Brother Hotel and made our way over to this little Korean paradise.

Food: One of the finest things about Korean food is the side dishes. I'm a big fan of side dishes, I'm a picker. I like tapas, I like dim sum. I like to have an array of foods in front of me for me to pick 'n choose and chit chat in between. What can I say, I'm a people person. So back on track, we ordered bibim bap (not in stone pot), bibim neng myun ($220), grilled seafood plate cooked at your table ($300), fried rice cakes in spicy sauce, bottle of diet Coke and bottle of Apple Sidra. Total was just over $1100, and it was good! The grilled seafood was nothing extraordinary but ordered it cuz there wasn't enough on the menu we could both eat. All other grill items were marinated in soy sauce, or in the case of the unmarinated pork, B-boy thought it was too fatty. I saw they had kampoongi (deep fried chicken then covered in sauce) but me no eat meat, B no eat wheat. Now that, that woulda been good shit. Maybe one day I'll order it and just to look at it. And lick it.

The bibim neng myun was just like home. I have never ordered bibim neng myun in Taiwan, but this first time, it's on the same taste level as Chosun by Joyce and Kingsway. The pickled items were great, except for the kim chi daikon, which were not as crispy as they could have been. I really like Korean food, but ever since I went no meat, my choices have become extremely limited, as Korean is best when you can enjoy the staple meat-beef. The seafood plate was nothing special. I wouldn't order it again. Would prob look for something else, or another order of rice cakes or bibim bap.

The fried rice cakes in spicy sauce was really good, and not too spicy. We went to Kao Lee Bang, some celebrity-filled Korean restaurant, and I did not like the rice cakes there (and service, but that's another story). So the rice cakes at Kyung Ju were refreshing. Sweet chili sauce with rice cakes and fish cakes, good eating.

There were four too many mosquitoes. Marks off for that. It's a bare bones hole in the wall sort of place, but seems like the kind of place only regulars know of. And I definitely will become a "regular" there. I'm comparing this restaurant to other Korean restaurants I've had here, of the same ambience. Also, marks off for finding a piece of brillo pad in my side dish of seaweed.

Restroom:
-Tp? Yes, the roll kind
-Garbage bin: no sign telling you to throw tp in garbage bin (bonus points)
-Paper towels: Yes
-Soap: Yes, dispenser style
-Faucet neck: nice and far from basin.

Clean restroom. No pictures here, but two stalls. The bowl was at least 1.5 feet from the door, so when you open the door toward you to get out, you can still manage to not get any part of your body touching the bowl. No signs requesting you to throw your tp in the garbage can (bonus). Two washbasins outside the stalls, next to the kitchen (there is a curtain separating the handwash basins from the kitchen). Didn't check for hot water.

A return trip is scheduled. Will bring mosquito tennis racket. I killed two mosquitoes.

Kyung Ju is located on the 1st floor #62 Fu Shing North Road. It is inside a business building, behind the security guard. (Diagonally across from Brother Hotel.) 02.2776.9928/02.2776.2286/02.2781.4931. Credit cards accepted.

4.5/5
I had read about The Diner on Forumosa.com a few weeks ago, and everyone only said good things about it. In Taiwan, western food is few and far between. Edible western food is even rarer (can you say "rarer?"). However, when I get that feeling, I want culinary healing. Even if that culinary healing is a heavy on the butter and cheese. If it reminds me of IHOP or Denny's, bring it on. Thank goodness this craving is rare so I only need to endure undelicious "western" food once in a while. Hey, I may be far from a good greasy spoon, but that don't mean I gotta lower my standards on artery-clogging eats.

So today Debrowski, Tashkinski and I made our way to The Diner.

Food: I had a refillable coffee to start, followed by a small salad with today's honey mustard dressing that was included with the tuna melt I ordered. It was two open English muffins with a healthy scoop of tuna salad on both. Warm, toasted, with red onions, lettuce, a thick slice of tommyto, and a nice dill pickle. The bill? NT$130. WTF is right. The cafe is clean, bright, soft, and cozy. Spacious, and did I mention clean?

My friends each had a burger. Cheese, bacon, jalapeno cost $30 extra. They had yogurt drinks on the menu, and fresh fruit juices. Even did a half kiwi half grapefruit juice for one friend, no extra charge. And you know why they can do that? Cuz it's fresh juice, they just halve the portion of each fruit, unlike those fakkin places that give you a blank stare and say, "We can't do that. We just can't." I saw on the menu they use organic eggs (bonus). Definitely going back. It's regular diner fare without the diner look. Omelettes, hash browns, burgers, fries.

Restroom:
-TP? 2 full rolls (not the Kleenex style)
-Paper towels? Yes (bonus points)
-Hot water? Yes (kills all competition there already)
-Soap? Yes, dispenser style
-Faucet neck: Good distance, at least two inches from side
-Garbage can? Stainless steel step style with lid. Not overflowing. Also, built in garbage can on counter top
-Lighting: a bit dim, not recommended for make-up application

Clean, unsmelly, TWO ROLLS OF TP, both with tp! I felt I could make a nice phone call in there and not feel grossed out like I usually do in most washrooms. I think my elbow even brushed against one of the walls and I was confident enough with the hygiene in there that I didn't wash my elbow. Yes, that's a little too OCD, but you can never be too sure what diseases you can catch these days.


I didn't get a diner booth seating feel (but I don't like booths anyway, but if the name of the place is The Diner, you expect it to look like a diner). The food was as good as a good diner, without all the grease. But a bit of garnish would be good, considering the place looked quite nice. All contradictory ideas here, but the bottom line is, the name The Diner conjures up images of a greasy spoon, which this place isn't. I gave it marks off ambience for its lack of diner coziness. Everything else was spot on for the price, service, and quality of food. Glad to have found a new place. Though a bit out of the way, definitely worth returning again and again.

145 Rui An Street (very close to Heping and Jianguo intersection. Walk half a minute into Rui An Street and it's on your right hand side. 02.2700.1680. Closed Mondays.