國立傳統藝術中心 Natural Center for Traditional Arts, Bike Riding, & Coffee at 小熊書房 in Yilan

We wanted Goose but it didn’t open til 5pm so we headed to the National Center for Traditional Arts (國立傳統藝術中心)  Sometimes pictures speak louder than words. Or they do, and sometimes, rarely, I just don’t wanna talk that much.

Those are pointy red tomatoes. insane right?

Yilan is known for their scallions…. so we found a food booth that was made with everything scallions.. noodles, dumplings… everything. YUM.

Modeling as a 格格 aka a princess of a chinese emperor.. if only.. ;]

小熊書房 – Little Bear Cafe

New Song Museum, Agnes B. Cafe and Khaki Cafe

No words Necessary for this post… let your eyeballs enjoy

New Song Museum

Agnes B. Cafe

I won a mug :]  They were surprised cuz people usually only win once a week or so and I got it on the first try – what what?!?!?!… heyyyoooo

SO CUTE AND YUMMY

And then late late dinner was at Khaki Bar/Lounge

Beef Noodle Soup

Dumplings

Boom!

I love MAC & CHEESE… and visiting W’s parents

I headed into DC early the other day, W was back for a few days so obviously I was gonna visit.  Squish face. Why? Freaking HANGRY. I woke up super early, got into the airport early and had the most LONG WAIT in the “more speed” line and “bag drop” line ever. I barely had time to pee… but then PLANE WAS DELAYED. PER USUAL.  Nothing in my belly and no sense of how long the delay was – I was cranky… and hangry…

Thankfully I ended up having time to buy a salad…. which reminded me of Detroit. RIP Wolfgang Puck resto at the MGM in Detroit HA HA.

Soon after we got there, W and his mama picked me up and after debating over where to eat lunch we headed to Costco to buy some things and to get food…

I found a shed and ME being ME I opened it and found bears.  I wanna take them home and cuddle with them, they’re huge.  I also ended up inside the shed, closed, and staring at people outside the window holding a giant bear. I RULE.  Poor bf thinks I’m CRAJEEEE…

We got Berry Froyos and Pepperoni Pizza. YUM!

And when we got back to W’s parents’ house we swapped bday gifts!!!

MINE

W got me Gold Snakeprint Alexander McQueen heels with a heart cut out and a beautiful gold ring!

I got baby a SEXY Burberry watch… no pic of it here, just him opening the box :] TEEHEE

SHOES <3
LOVE! I can’t wear them til my Birthday trip in Vegas tho.. I promised him.

:D Pretty Furbabies

Chigga what?

And after some QT with his mama at the grocery store we came home with groceries and we popped open some delicious Chilean wine and made spaghetti.

CARB OVERLOAD, I passed out EASILY that night watching MasterChef with W….

Next morning…

Mac & Cheese MAC MAC MAC & Cheese… I already inhaled W’s mama’s homemade fresh Fried Chicken Thighs HAHAHA.. OOPS

Mövenpick Cafe at 明曜

I woke up with I NEED ICE CREAM FACE

OK I woke up late… I’ve been taking SUPER meds since I’ve got stupid ear infection and then I got a weird skin allergy that gave me super hives :[ I wanted ice cream…. but I needed some grub with it as well…. HRM… but I ended up wandering around til like 330ish before I finally sat down to eat something….

*I dream of Ice Cream*

OOOO LA LA… after getting insulted by a short stout girl saying I needed a size L corset for my wide waist and that I couldn’t fit into her smaller size, I DID and it was LOOSE. BITCH! GRR. So, after getting the TINIEST size corset, telling them HA! I headed over to Mövenpick Cafe for ice cream :] I’ve ALWAYS had their ice creams all over Taiwan but just at restaurants, buffets and stands.. not their Cafe. And OH MY YUM have I been missing out!

Here are some things on my list of things to tryyyyy!!!

VOLCANO!

Strawberry Princess..

Alcoholic Dress Toast

Dutch Waffle Pastry :] MMM Layers

And their DELICIOUS Ice Cream Flavors.. gotta eat them all!

First I needed some real food, there was some Tea involved [with a chocolate muffin]

And a Seafood & Chicken Salad with Rosemary Bread

Cucumbers, Romaine, Tomato, Egg, Shrimp, Crab, Chicken, Olives & Corn… YUM!… with a creamy Caesar dressing on the side [sans anchovies haha]

Then after a quick gobble down I was ready for my DESSERT!!!! Come baby come!!!

Americano [x2]

Fantasy Ferris Wheel

Pistachio, Stracciatella, Maple Walnut, Chocolate, Black Currant, Vanilla, Strawberry

The Maple Walnut, Choc, Vanilla and Strawberry were the ones that came with the wheel and I got to choose 3 more.. BOO! I thought it was 7 of whatever I wanted and I made my whole list and submitted it until they told me LATEAR that I could only pick 3 :[ *pout* I hate rules!

But this plate was licked clean! Maple Walnut & Stracciatella are still my favorites. The vanilla was SOOO creamy tho and the chocolate had chocolate ribbons in it like the Stracciatella :] And each ball was on top of a slice of brownie. NOM!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Right after, I headed to SOGO to meet up with my cousin, his gf, their adorable baby girl Zoe, my aunt [cous’ mom] and my mommy for dinner at Ding Tai Fung!!!!

She looks so much like when I was a baby :] My mini-me! She was posing with me all nite!!! TEEHEE* And we played peekaboo after dinner until she was ready to fall asleep and started getting a lil fussy hyper. LOL CUUUUTE!!!

I’m an Auntie ;]

Late Night Eats & Drinks at Khaki Cafe Bar 珈啡吧

One of my favorite lounge-y/cafes to go late at night in Taipei is Khaki… part of the whole night club/bar/lounge on different floors and Fifi Market Place next door [which sells fashion designer Isabella Wen 溫慶珠‘s beautiful and sexy clothes/accessories, WHICH I LOOOOOVE and always buy a TON of when I’m here in town]

They changed up the menu and even tho it was late I hadn’t eaten dinner yet cuz of my late start to the day… I was in Taipei 101 area after my little tea session at Aunt Stella’s earlier so all the walking got my tummy grumbling, that and I wanted a little wine and bubbly in me…. Of course I ended up buying a few items at Fifi next door before heading inside to get a corner table with couches to get my grub and drink on….

Bubbles to start..

Stir Fried Clams with Basil

They gave a ton even tho it was on the “tapas” menu.. soooo juicy, tender and a nice spice and TONNNNS of garlic and sliced cherry tomatoes in it :] YUM!  I dipped it in chili sauce!  The broth was soooo good I was practically drinking it -if I had bread [omg or toasty garlic bread] it’s be GONE!

Grilled “Satin” Fish

It’s actually “Sardines” hahaha and it’s grilled in Olive Oil. YUM!

雲吞湯/ Wonton Noodle Soup

Delicious chicken brother – see how white it is?! MMMM!!!! SOOO enriched with yum!!! Slices of omelette, scallions delicious tender noodles and tons of mini pork wontons…

So cute and bitesized of YUM!

紅燒牛肉麵/Niu Rou Mien [Spicy Beef Noodle Soup]

Bok choy, tonsss of yummy noodles… and tender slices of beef. SOO GOOD. The beef broth was great, not too spicy so they gave extra chili for extra heat on the side…

泡菜/Pickled Cabbage

They also gave some pao cai to put in with the beef noodle soup or to eat on it’s own. SOO GOOD in the soup!!!

Baked Chicken Wings

Fried quickly, sprinkled with sesame seeds, then baked for a perfect finish. SO hot and yummy. Crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. MMMMMM

By this time I was onto red wine.. well actually I was by the chicken wings LOL.. so our waiter said this was great “Drinking Food”

手工芝麻烤餅/Home Made Bread with Sesame

Crispy on the edges and flat and while a bit bland it was addictive and full of sesame seeds. Thicker fluffy parts and crunchy thinner parts offered variety and paired well with the wine. NOM NOM NOM. I love carbs. Our waiter was sweet enough to cut it up for us too… teehee.

干層法式蛋糕/Melaleuca French CakeFor dessert we ended up getting this crepe cake.   Unlike a regular Mille Crêpes this had layers of chocolate cake as well as cream in-between the crepes. Our cute waiter said he tried making it one day for the staff and they loved it so much they put it on the menu. COME ON. After that I HADDDD to order it :] Delicious – PLUS it came with two crispity thin oatmeal raisin cookies that I fell in LOOOOVE with.  Btw crepes here are SOO much eggier than back home OMG AMAZING. I need to make my crepes eggier now too.. LOL

Waffle Break at K’s Cafe

I needed a quick snack before I headed off to the Spa for my 2 hr full body massage, when I’m in Taiwan I get it done like twice a week – ahhhhh relaxation!!! This place was cute, tons of magazines and books to flip thru while we chatted, ate and people watched!

K’s Cafe at Kinokuniya Book Store in the Breeze Center

Brown and White Sugar Crystals for our Syphon Coffee

I got Syphon Blue Mountain Coffee, YUM!

Splendid!

We ordered two Christmas Special Dessert Plates available only during this season…

Waffle/Donut Banana/Nut Plate w/ Vanilla Ice Cream

I loved the donut… it looked buttered and tasted like a nice dense pancake! I’m usually a lover of waffles but I devoured this first and then went into the waffles! YUM

Waffles with Fruit & Vanilla Ice Cream

Fruit, jelly, whipped cream and ice cream.. YUMZERS! Fluffy piping hot waffles with crispity edges… it always reminds me of when my daddy worked at MIT and I used to make my own waffles for dinner, only there, and smother them with blueberries in syrup NOM

Midnight Snack @ Mr Cat with Friends 貓咪先生的朋友

Okay, back from another Family Fun day.. tired, sore but still ready for more.. so I headed to 貓咪先生的朋友 right by my hotel… aka Mr Cat with Friends. I’ve been past it SO many times and kept saying, “next time I’ll go” but haven’t. SO I went in expecting just to grab a beer or something but alas, more happened…

貓咪先生的朋友
Taipei, Taiwan台北市大安路一段83巷3號A樓1F
02-27318387

Go in the cute red door…

Cuteeeeeee

I love her. I want her. Can I still her? Makes me miss my cat Misty :[ She was that small when I first got her.. in 6th Grade… *pout* Also miss my Didi baby…

She drank form my water glass EEEE <3

Cutest Decor, no?! And cute fluffy cats everywhere!!!

Lychee Liquor, Blue Rum, 7-Up, Fruits and Fruit Jellys

After talking with one of the owners for awhile he was nice enough to come up with one of their special concoctions for me.  Previously it was gonna have tequila, but I guess me being a girlieeeee he replaced it with lychee instead :]  Kinda wanted the teguila, bu this tasted like candy!!!!

SOOO GOOD… the jellies made it SO fun! I’d love this if I were 5, couldn’t taste booze at all… I’ve been eating so much all day not sure if it was weak on the alcohol content or I was just already too poisoned from the drinks & wine earlier… ;]

Fried Snack Platter of Fries, Mozzarella Sticks, Chicken Nuggets and Onion Rings..
BEST kind of drinking food ;] They were sprinkled with rosemary and parm :] Or was it oregano… wait, either way, yummy herbs and parm.. dammit! Why is everything SO much tastier here?! The cheese seemed forever melty and stretchy.. the nuggets were supppppper QQ [haha tender] and SOOOO JUICY… and crispity perfectly fried fries.. OHHH MAN!!!!

So, they have lots of “real” dishes I wanna try, including different mini pizzas, burgers and sandwiches… BUT since it was almost midnite and I’ve been eating all day, I got… this?! to “eat less”?! Yeah I duno, drinking food ;]

Crepe filled with Amaretto Cherry Ice Cream

Fluffy tender crepe with fruity sauces drizzled over it… wrapped inside was delicious creamy ice cream… and sprinkled on top was a variety of chopped nuts. YUM! I need more black peanuts tho *must resist to open til back in States LOL

This place is cute, quaint and yummy :] The owners are super nice, especially the guy with the facial hair who talked with us for a good while and they are open til like 2am which is great for girls like me who are always hungry mostly after midnite :] PLUS, cute kitties to play with!!!!

and now, for your amusement…

— coming soon, currently uploading —

Taiwan* Second & Third Day, Return to AoBa, 劉家小馆, Kaffee Amadeus & a Vegetarian Dinner

Day two of the bangs and I’m not quite sure if I’m super used to it yet.  I slipped on some new shorts and my new Moussy top – yep it’s like 81 degrees here – I curled my hair, brushed my bangs and decided to head out for some solo shopping and coffee before dinner with my mom and her sisters…

Dinner was my choice since I had barely eaten all day… so obviously I chose AoBa at the Breeze Center since I already hit up Din Tai Fung the night before ;D

The Breeze Center is only a few blocks away from where I’m staying in Taipei and I ADORE their pig’s feet dish…. light, not greasy and just amazing… but onwards we go…

Their famous Sweet Potato Congee

CHUNKS of tender super sweet, sweet potato in a bath of steaming hot delicious fresh congee :]  Super simple but amazingly awesome.  Congee is always a great comfort food, so comfort away belly :]

A-Cai

Delicious! And it’s super good for you – can’t find good A-Cai in the states, it’s not as tender and delicate as in asia…. so I eat a TONNNN of this while I’m here. If it’s on the menu/available, I order it!

醃蚋仔 – Baby Clams in Soy Sauce, Basil and Hot Chili Peppers

So good!!! I usually get it with loofah, the veggie not the shower sponge aka 勝瓜, [basically a chinese okra], but my aunt said it’s not in season and is too watery, so we ordered it in the classic style – basil, chili and a light soy sauce! SOOOO GOOOOD!  The clams were cooked to perfection, super tender and succulent. Oh yes, SUCCCCCCK-YOU-LENT ;]  The sauce was light, not too salty, and just a slight touch of heat and basil added to the flavor of the clams without overpowering.

嚕筍絲 – Braised Bamboo

What I miss the most about living in the states is super fresh, bamboo from the garden next door – literally – EVERYWHERE. I eat this stuff like crazy.  These were braised down to supreme tenderness :]

乾煎馬加魚 – Pan Fried “Chinese Perch” of some sort

Super tender, and according to my aunt it’s most delicious when pan fried not steamed or broiled. it’s tiny but expensive and OH-SO good.  Tender flakey flesh with a crisp skin… I ate practically the whole tail!

Sweet Potato Greens

It’s also hard to find good quality sweet potato greens in the states, so it’s a super delicacy to me to have it so fresh and tender here.

菜脯蛋 – Pickled Radish Omelette

When you buy the pickled/dry radish in the states, it’s always not that fresh and oversalted because so.. this made me not really like this.  Here they add a hint of sugar to the egg, the pickled radish is not too salty and they made the eggs so fluffy and  light…… oh sigh* I’m in love.

And of course, last but not least my favorite dish from AoBa:

花生豬腳 – Pig’s Feet with Peanuts

Delicious boiled peanuts in a super light sauce.  The pig’s feet are NOT greasy, not oily and doesn’t taste fatty at all.  The collagen in the skin of the feet are super good for your skin [keeps you looking young] so eat away.  Every had a piece and gave me the rest :] YUM! My fav!

And while they had a pretty decent dessert menu, I was looking forward to their complimentary dessert…

Freshly made Warm Peanut Mochis

<3 So happy.

Me and the aunties :] OH family <3 The night was full of laughter and giggles.. and new sandals [I told you, 81 degrees during the day… end of November, I brought ALL winter wear and boots and uggs… NOT cool when you have sweaty puffy red feet from overheating]

I haven’t been back to Liu Family Small Eats aka 劉家小馆 in like two years…. I remember them having delicious small dishes and the best dumplings ever!!!… yes, EVER!

Dressed and ready to eat!

Still getting used to the bangs…

After hobbling around in my new heeled sandals and getting nice new fresh cuts on my feet.. we got to the place.. also near where I’m staying but we all forgot the exact location – it’s super local and run by a small family so only the people IN the know KNOW about it :]  Here’s where you can pick out what you want for your small dishes!! I’m sure they change to some degree every once in awhile.

We sat there.

Ready to munch

Some small dishes I helped pick out from the front stand

Little anchovies with hot chili peppers and fried tofu strips

Sweetened Bitter White Melon <3

Stewed Pig’s Feet

Vegetarian Dish – Basically Seitan with Mushrooms

Garlicky 豆苗 – Pea Shoots

Garlicky Cabbage

The best dumplings in the world

薺菜水餃 – Jiaozi stuffed with Sheperd’s Purse aka Capsella Bursa=Pastoris

These have wonderful thin skin, tender delicious JUICY JUICY filling – and the taste of the Sheperd’s Purse is sooooo different from any other… It’s hard to find it, I swear, so it’s SUCH a joy when I can find it in a dish – while common in dumplings in asia… it’s still a delicacy for me! I come here, literally FOR these dumplings!

Aren’t they such a cute little weed? And so yummy!!!

“…known by its common name shepherd’s-purse because of its triangular, purse-like pods, is a small (up to 0.5m) annual and ruderal species, and a member of the Brassicaceae or mustard family. It is native to eastern Europe and Asia minor^[1] but is naturalized and considered a common weed in many parts of the world, especially in colder climates,^[2] including Britain, where it is regarded as an archaeophyte,^[3][4] North America^[5][6] and China^[7] but also in the Mediterraneanand North Africa.^[1]

…C. bursa-pastoris is gathered from the wild^[10] or grown^[11] for food^[11][7] to supplement animal feed,^[10]for cosmetics,^[10] and for medicinal purposes.^[7][10] It is commonly used as food in Shanghai and the surrounding Jiangnan region as food, where they are stir-fried with rice cakes and other ingredients or as part of the filling in wontons.^{[citation needed]} It is one of the ingredients of the symbolic dish consumed in the Japanese spring-time festival, Nanakusa-no-sekku. In Korea it is known as naengi and its roots are one of the ingredients of the characteristic Korean dish, namul (fresh greens and wild vegetables).^[12]” [Source]

Thinly Sliced Pork Belly with Scallions

This was “light heat” so it was lightly spicy.  I usually like my pork belly nice and thick so this didn’t have the nice chew to it that I usually enjoy BUT it was really really good.  My mom loved it nice and thin but me and one of my aunts like it nice fatty and chewy :] The fattier the better <3

Garlicky  Chinese Water Spinach 空心菜 [kong xin cai]

Fish of the Day: 黄鱼 – literally “Yellow Fish” which is apparently a kind of Croaker Fish…

Simply made with scallions and ginger :] It was DELICIOUS!!!!!! You could tell it was super fresh since it was SO tender and not fishy at ALL!

And in true #fatties fashion we headed straight to Tea Time after lunch :]

Amadeus Cafe at the top of Sogo

My Hot Coffee

I got the Kardinal… it’s light lady fingers over this creamy coffee mousse with chocolate chips… AMAZING!!!

All the desserts, including mine, came with an ice cream bon bon – flavors varied, a brownie, chocolate and of course our choice of pastry/dessert!

Cheesecake

I think there was dried fruits/nuts on the bottom of it :]

Pistachio Mousse Cake

Very pistachio-y, delicious, but a bit sweet – the only one that came with white chocolate and a white chocolate bon bon :D

Cherry Cheesecake

Ice Cream Sundae… Chocolate, Nut Nougat & Red Wine with fruits and chocolate syrup

Afterwards we walked all the way to the bookstore to shop, read/buy books and to eat at one of my favorite vegetarian restaurants in the food court – it’s sort of like a buffet and you pay by the weight of your plate – per usual I piled high and ate the most :]

Vegetarian Dinner at the Bookstore

Oops! I did it again.. I ate all that food….

Sweet Potato Bistro [Takeout]

So my mother was a judge at a kid’s chinese speech contest in Newton MA [I think it was for GBCCA] saturday and she had “bian dang” aka “餐盒” aka lunchbox — which, in chinese culture is usually protein, veg, soy sauce egg, pickled veg and rice or noodles :] YUM! — btw I LOOOOOVE the Taiwan High Speed Rail [台灣高鐵] Lunchboxes- or any chinese train ride lunchboxes for that matter hehehe………

Sexy example NOT from my photo albums..:

ANYWAYS… so she had her lunchbox from this new Taiwanese cafe from Newton. OBVIOUSLY we’re always looking for good Taiwanese food and while I’ve been to a few around town, in Boston I’m still partial to Taiwan Cafe – teehee biased – but this new place is pretty good. What is it called? Sweet Potato Bistro – cute name.  Mommy immediately decided to buy a few things from them, including 油 條  – you tia – [Taiwanese Fried Dough] which I don’t have a pic of cuz I ate them too fast, but they’re SUPER GOOD….  SO MUCH SO that she went THIS morning to buy some of their dim sum. SO?! Review!

涼拌海蜇皮
Jelly Fish Salad

The first order I had was SOOOOO salty…. apparently cuz they put in unsoaked jellyfish on accident, but the second time I had it was SOOOO YUM!  Crunchy, fresh, garlicky with lots of fresh cucumber! Crunch crunch crunch and refreshing – but I had MAJOR garlic burps after ;D #sexy

Traditional processing methods, carried out by a Jellyfish Master, involve a 20 to 40 day multi-phase procedure in which after removing the gonads and mucous membranes, the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed.^[28] Processing reduces liquefaction, off-odors and the growth of spoilage organisms, and makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a “crunchy and crispy texture.”^[28] Jellyfish prepared this way retain 7-10% of their original weight, and the processed product contains approximately 94% water and 6% protein.^[28] Freshly processed jellyfish has a white, creamy color and turns yellow or brown during prolonged storage.

In China, processed jellyfish are desalted by soaking in water overnight and eaten cooked or raw. The dish is often served shredded with a dressing of oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, or as a salad with vegetables.^[28] In Japan, cured jellyfish are rinsed, cut into strips and served with vinegar as an appetizer.^[28][29] Desalted, ready-to-eat products are also available.^[28]

蘿蔔糕
Pan Fried Turnip Cake

Turnip aka Daikon – which is kinda radish/carrot-y too

Turnip cake is a Chinese dim sum dish made of shredded radish (typically Chinese radish ordaikon) and plain rice flour. The less commonly-used daikon cake is a more accurate name, in that Western-style turnips are not used in the dish; it is sometimes also referred to as radish cake. It is commonly served in Cantonese yum cha and is usually cut into square-shaped slices and sometimes pan-fried before serving. Each pan-fried cake has a thin crunchy layer on the outside from frying, and soft on the inside. The non-fried version is soft overall. It is one of the standard dishes found in the dim sum cuisine of Hong Kong, China, and overseasChinatown restaurants. It is also commonly eaten during Chinese New Year, since radish (菜頭, chhài-thâu) is a homophone for “good fortune” (好彩頭, ho-chhài-thâu) in Hokkien.^[1]

This was sooooo goood.. just wish there was more texture, cuz I’m all about the texture. it doesn’t taste powdery like some Dim Sum places BUT… grated texture would’ve been amazing!!! YUM… the sauce they give with it looks like poop but it’s good :] I add my favorite chili oil to it and UUUBER YUM

Also tried the Taro Cake [芋頭糕] which I thought which was a bit too dry… LOVE Taro but def needs more fat/moisture in it – yep suggesting fat – fatty pork perhaps?! :D

 雞卷
Chicken Bean Curd Skin Roll

and the vegetarian one 素卷 [Vegetarian Bean Curd Skin Roll] – whcih was filled with mushrooms and yumminesssssss… Liked both.  Though they were nothing spectacular – but nom nom nom good.  Good spices, texture, flavor, etc…. def a must order – PLUS mommy LOOOOVES the chicken one!

韭菜盒子
Pan Fried Chive Pie

I think of it more as a giant pan-fried dumpling or/aka samosa or literally chinese chive boxes BUT anyways. So the best ones I’ve ever had is my exes’ mother’s – the only good thing that came out of the relationship was that his parents were FABULOUS cooks… his dad was the first person to get me to eat TONS of lamb and enjoy it.. and his mom would make these and I’d eat 20-30 at a time :]

I wish there was more filling.. I like the super thin vermacelli in these… while I did enjoy the super thick rice noodles….. needed more chives and eggs.. and you could even throw in some dried shrimp or pork to PUMP IT UP – but it was a bit flimsy. but the crust was DELICIOUS!  Pan fried to perfection, nice and thin… just needed more loving when you bit in…..

紅油耳絲
Julienned Pig Ear Salad Cold Cut in Hot Chili Oil

Very delicious.  Thinly sliced, crisp, and spicy… not over seasoned or overly salty – phew – I loveeeee pig ears but sometimes ppl cut them too thick and they lose that…. crunch/chew to it and it gets TOO chewy and TOO MUCH… these were perfection! NOM!

小籠包
Soup Dumplings aka Xiao Long Bao

Yes the infamous obsession of mine.  I’m always scared of getting these for takeout but I was still curious about the flavor of the filling – I was surprised that there was NO soup at ALL and they were completely dried out…. filling was okay, underseasoned but it was fine with the black vinegar/ginger it came with – BUT kinda disappointed. I LOOOVE  Taiwan Cafe… and I actually get XLB from there a lot – and while the skin goes lacking and it’s a little less juicy, there’s soup and chew… these were BONE DRY AND… no soup leaked out in the container :[

生煎包
Pan Fried pork Buns

Also tried the steamed ones….  菜肉包 [Steamed Pork Buns]

Filling was great.. love both.. pan fried has some crunch and grease on the outside, steamed has delicious chewy tender 饅頭 [mantou] bun.  JUST the filling is a tiny ball :[  NEED MORE MEAT! I’m a meat girl, need more!

蚵仔煎
Taiwanese Oyster Omelet

Oyster Omelet made with Eggs, Tapioca Starch and served with sweet and mildly spicy sauce

The dish consists of an omelette with a filling primarily composed of small oysters. Starch (typically potato starch) is mixed into the egg batter, giving the resulting egg wrap a thicker consistency. Pork lard is often used to fry the omelette. Depending on regional variation, a savory sauce may then be poured on top of the omelette for added taste.

I LOOOVE this… in taiwan.. but here it’s so disappoining.. too much, not much egg and while the oysters were HUUUUGE – freshness was questionable and the spinach was fresh…. the sauce wasn’t the red I was used to and just SOOOOOO much starch like ALL starch, no egg and it was just piled on top of spinach and oysters, not cooked into an omelette! :T  I ordered this despite the fact I had been told it was not good :T Sad that I still need to go to Taiwan for the best.. authentic… real….. this was not even close :[

米糕
Sticky Rice Ball

Not a huge fan….. this was complimentary and I was disappointed in it :T  I ate the cilantro off of it tho… I love cilantro haha… the rest was just subpar

燒餅夾肉
Five Spiced Beef in Shao Bing

SOOOO GOOD.. while the bun could’ve been flakier and thicker… it was just a nice crunch.. you could chew thru the layers… the beef was good and perfectly seasoned and the scallions were fresh and crunchy. ADORED

And of course an order of the regular 燒 餅 [Sesame Thousand Layer Cake (Shao Bing)]

甜豆花
Soy Bean Custard served with Light Ginger Syrup

In Taiwanese cuisine, douhua is served with sweet toppings like cooked peanuts, adzuki beans, cooked oatmeal, tapioca, mung beans, and a syrup flavored with ginger or almond. During the summer, douhua is served with crushed ice; in the winter, it is served warm.

:] Good, fresh, and while I usually don’t eat peanuts in this, it was good :D  This is one of my favorite asian desserts – minus the sweet potato dip in ice water or black seasame balls in red bean soup or shaved iced…. but yeah this is def in the top 5 :]

All in all it was pretty good Taiwan food, I’m glad it opened…. I def need to try it THERE in person and not takeout :] So keep that in mind, takeout food is never AS good as THERE! — of course then there’s leftover pizza & chinese takeout which is SO much better a day or two later HEE HEE – NOM ;D

ONWARDS

Heard their 排骨飯 [Pork Chop over Rice], Taiwanese staple, is pretty tasty…  the 夫妻肺片 [Beef/Triple in Hot Chili Oil], Taiwanese staple 彰化肉圓 [Ba-Wan – Large Taiwanese Dumpling made from a gelatinous dough and stuffed with pork, mushrooms and bamboo shoots] which you’ve seen if you’ve read my blog ;D KINDA freaks me out that they have “Thai Dishes” on their menu cuz seriously?! Taiwanese and Thai is SOOOOO different…. BUT… hopefully we can get some off the menu REAL Taiwanese food :]

La Provence, ……… in Concord MA

So I was lucky enough to have doctor appointments galore this week…. and today?!… Gyno & Oral Surgeon.. more on that after this…. so inbetween I had a little over a hour and a half to eat lunch. SOOOO.. off to La Provence.  My mom and her girlfriends have lunch dates here ALL THE TIME – so why not?!.. quick, cheap, delicious, fresh!.. FAST!  Best of most of all worlds…..

LUNCH!

You order at the counter, pay, sit down at one  of the cute tables in two different rooms [front and back] and they bring it to you — gets busy during super lunch times.. good thing I got there a little before the rush.

NOM NOM NOM.. mmm TEA

Vegetable Frittata

Great marinara… lovely… thick and fresh.. but the frittata was a bit dry and overloaded with JUST noodles.. just a tinnnny bit of egg to hold it together and…. SERIOUS lack of veggies *pout*

Chicken Curry… with Potato Gratin and Cheesy White Asparagus

Side of Wild Rice

3 Salad Plate…. Pickled Beets&Onions; Hearts of Palm, Fennel, Tomato, Olives; Artichokes & Peppers

LOOOOOOOOOVE the hearts of palm salad the most.  And all of this was like.. what.. 6 bucks?!.. At WHOLE FOODS it would’ve been like 20 hahahaha… :] YUM  I adore fennel! We need more raw fennel in foods and salads!! NOM NOM NOM!..

SOOOO GOOD, I got another plate!!!

I had all of this.. and a few cups of hot hot tea :] Even met an ABC/Taiwanese Boy there from Cali. Noooo worries, he’s still in school and I’m not a cougar.. all the time ;]  But he was nice.

And then I DESPERATELY needed something chocolately.. so I bought this Bumble Bee BOMB to eat when I got home and started working….. cup of hot hot coffee and this chocolately mousse over a honey soaked butter cake.. OH EM GEE <3 LOVE – Aside from this they have yummy fruit tarts..  which I love to get. but today I really needed chocolate

OK so after lunch with cake in hand.. I went to my oral surgeon to check on this black spot on my tongue.  It suddenly appeared last year when I was still living midtown in NYC and while I was alarmed I never got it checked out.  Earlier this year my dentist wanted me to go see if it was serious but since I was still so back and forth from NYC I didn’t…. so finally. this Monday I talked to my doctor about it and INSISTED me to check on it.  I did – it’s not, thankfully, tongue cancer  – it’s a freaking TONGUE FRECKLE…. *sigh* I’m a dork.

OK, so back to this place.  Quick, easy, fresh, delicious – while the sweets are a bit *sweet* the food is simple and yum!   Methinks they have beer too cuz I saw some old people near me bring it over and drink some Sam Adams :] so THUMBS UP.. sorta.. [I don’t think I’ve ever had a Sams Adams.. maybe a special fall brew or something but that’s it]  Great service, super sweet… just don’t go during rush times cuz you have to wait for EVER.. yes it’s that’s popular. :]