Grapefruit green tea from cha FOR TEA

I was attracted by the poster of ruby red grapefruit green tea so I got it.




★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Grapefruit green tea:

I chose the 30% level of sweetness so it was not too sweet and I could still taste the tartness of the grapefruit.
It was really good because there were bits of grapefruit in the drink and the balance of green tea and juice was equal.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
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Taiwanese CNY delights at Check-In Taipei

As  well as HK, Taiwan celebrates CNY as well.
At Check in Taipei, they have come up with some festive dishes which I tried.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Wintermelon pudding drink:

Started off with the wintermelon pudding drink topped with tapioca pearls, at the bottom of the drink was a silky pudding.
It was sweet and fun to drink.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Crispy pork knuckles:

These bites were topped with soft stewed pork knuckles which were tasty and gelatinous.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taiwanese bbq prawns:

Next we had the bbq prawns which had a delicious mix of spices.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Braised pork nachos:

Then we had the nachos which were surprisingly addictive because the braised pork tastes much better than beef because the sauce has a lovely mix of savoury goodness.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese pepper pig ears:

Although the Sichuan peppercorns were quite spicy, I really liked the crispy prawns crackers and the diced peppery pig ears and the piece of soft tofu beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chicken and waffles:

These were similar to American chicken waffles but the chicken was crispy and it was coated with delicious Taiwanese spices complemented by the lovely sweet pineapple chunks in between.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Beef noodles:

To finish off, we had noodles which were delicious wide strips of slippery noodles with frilly edges.
Each strand was tasty after it absorbed the meaty broth and the pieces of beef were soft and well marinated.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Panna cotta:

The dessert was amazing because the Panna Cotta had pieces of pineapple in it and it tasted like heavenly clotted cream.
It was served with Taiwan's famous Sunny Hills pineapple cakes.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
I didn't drink any cocktails that night but the others had it and I thought the presentation and the names of the cocktails were fun.
I love Tai-Mei:

Fly me to Taipei:

Tea-ramisu:

Yearning Taipei:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

https://www.facebook.com/ctaipei

Taiwanese rustic dishes at Xiao Wang Beef Noodle

Time flies and there is now a fourth branch of Xiao Wang beef noodles conveniently located at the WTC.

Xiao Wang Beef Noodle is from Taiwan which has been established since 1973 by Mr. Wang Shih Chun, who is currently the Chairman of Cook’s Association of Kaohsiung City.
Xiao Wang Beef Noodle became a legend in the industry after clinching the dual championship in “Marketing Competition” and the“Most Popular Delicacy Award" in the 2008 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival.





Exclusively at this branch, there are rustic Taiwanese dishes and not just beef and noodles so there is a wide choice of homely cooked dishes on the menu.

Here was what we tried:

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Four treasures soup:
herbal soup for all ages, wine added before i is served to give fragrance.

I found this light but delicious and nourishing. It gives you that feeling of drinking soup at home.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Three cup abalone:
Cooked with with soya sauce, sesame oil and shao xiang wine in casserole

The abalones were fragrant with an aromatic basil fragrance.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Loofah and clams in fish soup:

The loofah was lovely because it was flavoured by the fish soup and the clams were fresh and sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed fresh crab with glutinous rice:

The crab was fresh and springy with delicious hot sticky glutinous rice beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
spicy king prawns with green peppercorn and chili:

These king prawns were springy and had a delicious touch of fiery green peppercorns and chili.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
sesame oil chicken pot :

I didn't realize it was going to be soup but the chicken broth had a lovely gingery taste to it and the pieces of chicken were delicately infused with sesame oil.
This dish is meant to be good for woman who have just given birth.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
stir fried kai lan with pork scraps:

The vegetables were crisp and tender with a fragrant pork lard taste.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
fried bamboo shoot with sauteed sliced pork :

The pork was soft and gelatinous in delicious rich gravy with grassy peashoots beneath it.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sitr fried hsin chu rice noodles Tainan style :

The noodles are similar to the rice vermicelli at Putien but these were al-dente with lots of julienne vegetables to give it an extra crunch.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Aiyu jelly with fruit and honey:

This was beautifully presented and you could smell the honey.
The aiyu jelly was sweet and cooling.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mango snowflake ice:

The mango snowflake ice had a strong mango taste and it basically melts in your mouth.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Xiao Wang Beef Noodle
Shop P211B, 2/F, World Trade Center, 280 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay

Taiwanese delights at Shang Palace

From 18th to 21st June 2014 at Shang Palace, executive Sous Chefs Elvis Chen from Taipei and Max Wang from Tainan will be guest chefs to showcase their signature Taiwanese delicacies available on both the à la carte and set menus.

During the food festival, guests can opt for the special set menu featuring chefs’ recommendations or a wide variety of specialities from the à la carte menu.

Here was what we tried.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Mullet roe, baby abalone, pork ear terrine.

My favourite was the mullet roe because it was thin slices of prawn patty with mullet roe in the middle.
The mullet roe has different colours according to its age.
As for the abalone, it was refreshing with the sauce and the texture was different because it was springy just like whelks.
The pork ear terrine was a bit too spicy because the Sichuan pepper oil was too strong.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Deep fried shrimp rolls:
A-li mountain longan flower honey mustard and cucumber pickles

The shrimp rolls were supposed to be wrapped in pig's skin but they used beancurd skin instead because it was healthier.
The shrimps inside the roll were extremely springy, while the beancurd skin had an amazing crunch complimented by the sweet honey sauce with a mild mustard kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Chinese cabbage and bamboo soup with deep fried promfret fillet

The soup was nice and filling with lovely strands of beanshoots, bamboo shoots, bamboo piths and crab meat which went nicely with the crispy fried fish filets on the side.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed spotted garoupa with pineapple bean paste

This was my favourite because it was a chunky piece of delicate fish steamed in tasty pineapple bean sauce.
It was salty and appetising because the aged pineapple begins to give out a wine flavour with a refreshing kick.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Traditional three cup chicken with fresh basil, work fried with soya sauce, rice wine and sesame oil

The pieces of chicken were tender because they were not fried but cooked in a different way infused with the fragrant aroma of fresh basil.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Steamed glutinous rice with whole fresh crab

The steamed crab is served during celebrations in Taiwan, for newborns where they put an egg or a piece of chicken according to the gender of the child.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taiwanese beef noodle soup

The beef was soft and gelatinous but I found the soup too sweet.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taichung pineapple cake with mango icecream and longan flower honey

Finished off with a lovely dessert.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taiwan oolong tea
To end the meal, we had oolong tea which was lovely and strong and helped digestion.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Shang Palace
G/F, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, 64 Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Checked-out Taipei

Saw some pretty good tasting reviews so decided to go and try the food.
Before I went I checked their website which was useful because the food featured on the tasting invitations were served in the evenings only.

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
PING PONG:


Tried the PING PONG because I like purple sweet potatoes.
I had to wait quite a long time for them but the staff were apologetic.
Anyway, they were a bit disappointing because I found them far too sweet and should have been served for dessert.
There was some sauce that made it palatable but there was only three tiny drops on the plate.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
The food was a bit pricey and you are only offered still or sparkling mineral water when you dine there.


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Check In Taipei:

27 Hollywood Road

Sandwiches from Taiwan's 洪瑞珍餅店 to Hong Kong

Thanks to 技巧樹熊 for getting me these sandwiches from Taiwan.
It was such a surprise because it was the first time I have seen sandwiches from Taiwan as I refuse to travel around in Asia.

The wrapping is quite cute, it is basically wrapped in a piece of clear plastic sheet which is then wrapped with a piece of crisp paper outside with words printed on it.


It is three slices of sandwich with cheese and cream in between.

The taste was really nice because it was sweet with a hint of cheese.

洪瑞珍餅店 

TAIWAN

Thanks to blogger TaiwanWalker for sending me a link otherwise I would not have known there is also another copycat shop with the same name.

http://ypsandwich.pixnet.net/blog/post/18377876-%E6%B4%AA%E7%91%9E%E7%8F%8D%E5%B0%8D%E6%B4%AA%E7%91%9E%E7%8F%8D%E2%94%80%E2%94%80%E5%9C%98%E8%B3%BC%E5%A4%A9%E7%8E%8B%E5%8F%B0%E4%B8%AD%E5%85%A9%E5%AE%B6%E6%B4%AA%E7%91%9E%E7%8F%8D

Let ur stomach bow to Bao Wow and be wowed

Previously tried Little Bao which was nice but expensive.

Anyway, here comes Bao Wow which does a good variety of Baos too.
They cost $58 for two.

[Please note that this review is quite old because I dined here a long time ago]

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Photos of restaurants:

A nice contrast of white and red.




The design of the menu was rather interesting because most restaurants emphasize their logo, but here the logo is on the corner and the 28 which is the street number is much bigger!


★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Taro fries:


A bit dry but otherwise ok.
As this review is old, the current taro fries are different.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Thai Fish fillet:





Fried fish fillet, Asian slaw, homemade Thai fish sauce.
The Thai fish fillet was soft and succulent complemented by the delicious purple cabbage slaw followed by a spicy aftertaste because the sauce was quite spicy.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Pang Pang chicken:


Shredded chicken, cucumber, crushed Sichuan spicy peanuts, homemade sesame sauce.
The chicken was really tasty and I loved the Sichuan peppercorns with the refreshing cucumber and nutty sauce.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Teriyaki Tofu (vegetarian):
Fried egg tofu, shiitake mushroom, teriyaki sauce.




This was my favourite bao even though it had egg tofu which I do not like because the pickled vegetables were tasty and the mushrooms were strong.
I was expecting myself not to like it because Teriyaki sauce is normally sweet but the combination of ingredients in this one really worked.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
Sesame ginger porkchop:
Fried pork chop, shredded cabbage, homemade sesame ginger sauce.


This was quite nice but more sauce was needed because the pork chop was a bit dry.
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

So far my picks would be the fish, tofu and chicken.

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Bao Wow:

Shop 2, 28 Tai Wong Street East, Wan Chai