Lacuz Thai Fusion Cuisine

Visit: March 24, 2012
Address: 台北市中山北路五段437號
Number: (02) 2883-2959
Website: http://www.lacuz.com.tw/ 

Every time I pass by Lacuz, I've always wondered about what the restaurant was like. Finally, when I was delegated the task of picking a restaurant for a little gathering, I chose Lacuz.

Menu


Fried Moon Shrimp & Calamari Cake (月亮蝦餅)

Fried Moon Shrimp & Calamari Cake

The fried moon cake had too little of the shrimps and calamaris, and so it was a little bit like eating fried dough.

Fried Preserved Eggs with Thai Sauce (泰式炸皮蛋)

Fried Preserved Eggs with Thai Sauce

I honestly don't think drying the eggs made much of a difference, but the sauce drizzled on top of the preserved eggs was pretty good.

Fried Chicken with Pepper Sauce (雲拌椒麻雞)

Fried Chicken with Pepper Sauce

 I can never get enough of the thai fried chicken. The friend chicken at Lacuz was really tender, but because the fried chicken is in the sauce, the skin became a little soggy after a while.

Fried Chicken with Pepper Sauce (香蘭葉包雞)

Fried Chicken with sauce

 I'm not sure why this and the previous dish have the same English names in the menu, because they tasted drastically different.I didn't like this dish very much because it was too oily without being crispy at all, and the sauce was a little too sweet for the chicken. It was just a weird combination.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chili (泰式辣炒雞肉)

Stir-Fried Chicken with Chili

 I wasn't completely sure what I was expecting the stir-fried chicken to turn out like, but I was definitely not expecting this. Since its name had the word "chili" and since I was dining at a Thai restaurant, when this dish came, I didn't even realize that this was the stir-fried chicken with chili. The chicken didn't taste Thai at all, but instead tasted like bad Chinese.

Stir-Fried Chicken with Green Curry (綠咖哩雞)

Stir-Fried Chicken with Green Curry

Fried Rice with Pineapple & Curry (夏威夷鳳梨炒飯) 

Fried Rice with Pineapple & Curry

 I've never had pineapple fried rice with curry. Although the fried rice itself was okay, the curry added a nice little twist to it.

Pad Thai (緬式炒河粉)

Pad Thai

 The pad thai was kind of bad...

Fried Chicken with Satay Sauce (南洋沙嗲雞)

Fried Chicken with Satay Sauce

 I was expecting beef skewers, but instead this was just like stir fried chicken.

Thai Style Meat Rolled with Chez (墨式起司辣捲)

Thai Style Meat Rolled with Chez

 I did not expect such a non-Thai dish to appear at Lacuz. The skin was fried to crispy, and the flavoring was okay.

Water Spinach with Shrimp Sauce (蝦醬空心菜)

Water Spinach with Shrimp Sauce

 Although the spinach was standard, it was actually pretty good.

Stir-Fried Eggplant with Yunnan Sauce (雲南茄子)

Stir-Fried Eggplant with Yunan Suace

 The eggplants were in "yunnan sauce"...so how is this in any way thai? They were yummy though.

Green Papaya Salad (青木瓜沙律)

Green Papaya Salad

 I think I could have finished the entire dish in around 3 bites.

Steam Fish with Lemon Sauce (清蒸檸檬魚片)

Steam Fish with Lemon Sauce

 I liked the sauce but the fillets of fish were still a little bland.

Thai Curry Crab (泰式咖哩炒蟹塊)

Thai Curry Crab

 Out of all the curries, I enjoyed the thai curry crab the most. However, it was kind of weird because the crabs weren't fried long enough beforehand, and so the crab shells was borderline edible.

Thai Curry Beef Tender (緬式咖哩牛腩)

Thai Curry Beef Tender

Once again, this didn't really taste like Thai Food. 
 
Fried Toast with Chez & Fruit Sauce (果香炸立方)

Fried Toast with Chez & Fruit Sauce

 The fried toast was literally fried toast...but it was unexpectedly yummy. The sauce though, was pretty nasty.

Considering how it was only $460 NT per person, I would say this was a pretty good deal. Although it's all you can eat, you actually order your food. Although this wasn't the best dining experience or the most authentic Thai food I've ever tasted at all, Lacuz is worth a try. Most of the food they serve are okay and not nasty.

Dragon Restaurant [龍都酒樓]

Visit: March 21, 2012
Address: 台北市中山北路1段105巷18-1號
Number: (02)2563-9293

I'm not completely sure how many times I've brought up this restaurant to my grandparents, but apparently it made quite a huge impression on my visiting cousin. When I finally got us reservations at the Dragon Restaurant, my cousin laughed and told me that after listening to me nag for 5 months, I was finally going get to try it the duck.

Dragon Restaurant

Dragon Restaurant

The seating area of the first two floors right when they opened for the night...

Menu


Complimentary Appetizers (小菜)

Appetizers: Preserved eggs, tofu strips, pickled cucumber.

 My favorite out of the three was the preserved eggs.

Cantonese Roast Duck (廣式片皮鴨) $1200 NT

Cantonese Roast Duck

Cantonese Roast Duck

 I was getting super hungry by then....

Sauce and chili wrapped green onions

Sliced Cantonese Roast Duck

Cantonese Roast Duck in the process of being wrapped

 My favorite part of the roasted duck is always, the skin and the sauce, and Dragon Restaurant did not disappoint. Most of the fat was gone from the skin, which made the skin so much crunchier. I also liked how the green onions were wrapped by a piece of chili. It didn't do much for the taste, but it was definitely aesthetically pleasing. And of course, the duck meat itself was awesome and juicy.

Cantonese Duck Congee  (薑絲皮蛋鴨骨粥) 300 NT

Cantonese Duck Congee

During my research (yes I take food very seriously), almost all the blogs I looked at recommended the Cantonese Duck Congee; however, I was thoroughly disappointed. Maybe they were having an off day, or maybe I'm just not that into congee, but the congee tasted rather normal.

Roast Suckling Pig (化皮乳豬件) $560 NT

Roast Suckling Pig

 I think Dragon Restaurant has a special way of processing their meats, because once again, the roast pig was tender and not oily at all. I was really pleased with this dish.

Fried Delicious Prawn (濟頭鼓味皇中蝦) $380 NT

Fried Delicious Prawn

  I kind of forgot what this dish was called, so I'm blindly guessing from the menu. The prawns were fried and had a garlicky taste to it. The seasoning was nice, and I loved how I could just eat the prawns without peeling the shells off.

 Saute Kale (清炒芥蘭) $260 NT 

Saute Kale

Fried BBQ Pork Pie (蜜汁叉燒酥) $70 NT

Fried BBQ Pork Pie

The pork pie was so crispy and the bbq pork inside so yummy.

 Sesame Mochi Ball (流沙芝麻球) $70 NT

Sesame Mochi Ball

 I actually have no idea what this is called in English, but calling it sesame mochi ball does not do it justice because once you bit it open...

Insides of the Sesame Mochi Ball

Yes, it's warm sesame sauce, not paste, inside. The mochi was really chewy and unlike what I had first assumed, the sesame wasn't too sweet either. The only thing I had with it was that it wasn't warm enough when it was served.


Sweet Almond Jello (凍杏仁豆腐) $70 NT 

Sweet Almond Jello

Its mandarin name is quite deceiving with the "tofu"; however it really was just jello.


Three Layered Jello $70 NT

Three Layered Jello

The bottom layer I think was red bean, the middle coconut, but I couldn't quite figure out what kind of jello the top was. This was a nice refreshing serving of dessert.


Complimentary Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup (綠豆薏仁湯)

Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup

The mung bean soup was well flavored, but most important, the job's tears well cooked. They were cooked to the point of chewy without being too hard or soggy.

After months of suspense, Dragon Restaurant did live up to my expectations. The roast duck and roast pig were just simply delicious! I definitely recommend Dragon Restaurant! Make sure to make reservations a few weeks in advance though, because although it has three floors of seating area, it's always so fully booked even on weekdays. I can't keep track of the number of times I failed to get reservations even though I called a week in advance.

Osteria by Angie

Visit: March 19, 2012
Address: 台北市大安區光復南路280巷33號
Number: (02)2711-0385
Website: http://www.osteria.com.tw/ 

Finally, I convinced my parents to take me to Osteria :)

 Complimentary Bread

Complimentary Bread

The bread was just a little bit too dry.

Selezioni di formaggi - Assorted Italian Cheeses (綜合義式起司拼盤) $780 NT

Selezioni di formaggi

The assorted cheeses were all very good. My favorite would be the mozzarella, but honestly, this is just personal preference. The very yummy chewy but not dry bread slices served on the side is just like a plain pizza without the cheese. The platter was also served with cauliflower and bell peppers in some sort of vinegar as well as olives, marinated tomatoes and nuts. This was a nice way to start off my meal.


Fegato grasso - Pan seared duck foie gras with mushroom, glazed apricot, Chianti reduction (煎鵝肝搭配磨菇 杏桃 紅酒醬汁) $520 NT

Fegato graso

The seasoning of the foie gras and the mushrooms were really nicely balanced. The glazed apricot also went really well with the goie gras. However, the felt that the foie gras was a little too oily.


Agnolotti Plin - Piedmont style agnolotti filled with veal and pork, porcini mushroom sauce (手工義大利餃 內餡小牛雞豬肉 搭配牛肝菌醬汁) $550 NT

Agnolotti Plin

I really liked the agnolotti and how the minced pork and veal was not overpowered by the sauce it was cooked it. I can't imagine how much work it must have taken to make all of these.


Risotto ai funghi - Risotto mushroom with braised beef shank in red wine (磨菇牛肉紅酒燉飯) $500 NT

Risotto ai funghi

The risotto was extremely disappointing. Although the seasoning wasn't bad, the texture of the rice was just off and resembled nothing like a risotto. In the end though, we didn't even end up finishing and instead returned it because my dad discovered a little piece of rock in the risotto with the help of his teeth. It was a pretty loud crunch.


Prosciutto e rucola - Tomato, mozzarella cheese, rocket salad and Parma ham (番茄醬汁 水牛馬芝拉起司 芝騰葉 帕瑪火腿) $600 NT

Proscuitto e rucola

 The pizza wasn't bad, but I wasn't a huge fan of it either. There was nothing special to it in terms of its taste and it was a little too oily for my liking. The crust though, was amazing.


Osteria - Black truffle, seasonal mushroom, frisee lettuce, Parmigiano Reggiano (夏日黑松露 時節磨菇 綠捲鬚萵苣 帕瑪森起司) $2000 NT

Osteria Truffle Pizza

 This would be the most expensive pizza I have ever ordered or tasted in my life...but I would say that it was worth it. There were generous amounts of black truffle slices over the pizza and contrary to usual truffle dishes, I could actually smell the black truffle. The slices of cheese also went really well with the pizza. Although the pizza was still a little bit oily, I definitely did not mind it because the seasoning and the texture of the entire pizza was just awesome.


Selezione di dolci della casa - Osteria dessert combination (for 2 persons) (綜合家常甜點平盤 2人份) $580 NT

selezione di dolci della casa

 I've realized that recently, I've had my fair share of bad tiramisu's. However, the tiramisu at Osteria was neither soggy nor overly sweet. Finally, a tiramisu I enjoyed. Out of the two scoops of chocolate and coffee ice cream to the left of the tiramisu, I enjoyed the coffee one the most. It had a really strong coffee taste and wasn't disgustingly sweet. The chocolate cake above the ice cream was warm and slightly molten inside. Eat it before it cools down!The panna cotta to the right of the chocolate cake was just your usual panna cotta over slices of fruit.

I would definitely recommend Osteria. The restaurant was small with attentive waiters and had a really chill and laid back atmosphere. The food was good even though the price range was a little higher than normal. And if you're up for it, ordering the black truffle pizza wouldn't hurt!

On Tap - Restaurant & Bar (Visit #2)

Visit: March 16, 2012
Address: 台北市大安區忠孝東路四段216巷11弄21號
Number: (02) 2741-5365
Website: http://www.ontaptaipei.com

Craving an all-American (not exactly) night after Bravo Burger, I found myself at On Tap once again. 

10 Chicken Wings with Zesty Honey Chili (炸雞翅 配蒜味蜂蜜辣味醬) $200 NT 

10 Chicken Wings with Zesty Honey Chili

The chicken wings were a little disappointing but only because I was expecting something phenomenal and it turned out to be simply good. I also think I should have just stuck with my original plan of ordering BBQ sauce instead of feeling adventurous and ordering my wings with zesty honey chili. The zesty honey chili wasn't bad, I just don't think it worked as well as the BBQ sauce could have.

What I love most about On Tap is the really laid back atmosphere it provides. I would definitely recommend On Tap for both its food and its atmosphere.

Bravo Burger [發福廚房]

Visit: March 16, 2012
Address: 台北市大安區市民大道四段72號
Number: (02) 8771-9787
Website: http://www.bravo-burger.htm.tw/

Many weeks of preparation actually took place before I was able to enjoy my burger. After hours spent on food blogs, I finally decided that I wanted to try the peanut butter burger and the deep fry chicken burger. My evil plan was to have my friend order one of the two and I, of course, the other so that I could try both :D


Peanut Butter Beef Burger (花生醬牛肉漢堡) $230 NT

Peanut Butter Beef Burger

 I know it sounds quite weird, but the peanut butter burger was really good. The patty itself was okay, but I really liked how the buns were toasted on one side as well as the bacon bits in the peanut butter. I wonder how it would taste if the peanut butter was crunchy....
The fries were very usual but I loved the option of having honey mustard to go with fries.

Deep Fry Chicken Burger (轟炸蜂蜜芥雞腿堡) $230 NT

Deep Fry Chicken Burger

 This would be the biggest fried chicken burger I have ever laid my eyes on. The crispy chicken was  about twice the size of the bun and I had to work hard to eat this and not look barbaric. The chicken super crispy, super tender, and awesomely yummy! The honey mustard was a little too sweet for my liking, but overall the burger was really good. I ordered fried mushroom as my side order. I didn't really like how the outside was crispy but because mushrooms are moist in nature, the fried batter and the mushrooms were no longer connected. The mushrooms also had a little too much water content, which caused the texture to be a bit off.

Oreo Milkshake (Oreo 巧酥奶昔) $120 NT 

Oreo Milkshake

 The oreo milkshake was good without being overpoweringly sweet. However, I wish that there were more oreo bits in the milkshake...or am I just being greedy?

I definitely recommend Bravo Burger to anyone who is in the mood for burgers. Both our burgers were yummy and I was extremely impressed with the size of the fried chicken burger.

Salut [灑綠茶館]

Visit: March 11, 2012
Address: 台北市仁愛路四段266巷8弄2號
Number: (02)2325-6878
Website: http://www.salut.com.tw/main.htm

On this particular afternoon, my friend made reservations for Salut to celebrate her birthday. Knowing me, I had already researched Salut before entering the restaurant and sadly did not like it. However, I decided to attempt to enjoy this afternoon with an open mind.

Menu
 
Afternoon Tea Set for 2 (灑綠下午茶 2 人份) $580 NT

Afternoon Tea Set for 2

Afternoon Tea Set -  Egg Salad Sandwich (玉米蛋沙拉三明治), Tomato Bruschetta (義式番茄片) and  Seafood Quiche (海鮮酥盒)

Egg Salad Sandwich, Tomato Bruschetta, Seafood Quiche

Our of all of these, the sandwich was my favorite. I really liked how they toasted their bread with a waffle maker. There's also a lot of substance in the sandwich instead of a simple slice of ham and cheese. The seafood quiche was also quite enjoyable.

Afternoon Tea Set - Cookies (手工餅乾）, Madeleine Cake (瑪德連）and Fruit Tart (水果塔)

Cookies, Madeleine Cake and Fruit Tart

 The madeleine cake was way too dry for my liking, and the fruit tart wasn't all that yummy either. Out of the three, the cookie was the only decent one.


Ａfternoon Tea Set - Mont Blanc (蒙布朗) and Lemon Cheese Cake (香檸起士)

Mont Blanc and Lemon Cheese Cake

When I looked at their collection of cakes, I was so disappointed with how everything consisted a significant amount of mousse. I tried ordering the lemon cheese cake to get away from the mousse, but even over half of the cheese cake was made of lemon mousse. The mont blanc was also pretty horrible, because it just tasted like sweet whipped cream.

Afternoon Tea Set - The a l Opera （歌劇綠茶) +20 NT and Fresh Fruit Tea (水果茶) + 30 NT

The a l Opera

The tea was good, except I wished that there were tea leaves in the pots and that they would refill the tea pot instead of simply pouring tea in our teapot when they first served it.


Fruit Waffle Set (水果鬆餅) $160 NT 

Fruit Waffle Set

 The waffle was decent but had nothing special to it.

Quiche Set - Spinach and Bacon (菠菜培根鹹派) $130 NT

Spinach and Bacon Quiche

 I enjoyed the crust of the quiche, but overall, the quiche was just okay.


Tiramisu (提拉米蘇) $90 NT

Tiramisu

 The bottom layer of cake was soggy and the mousse was pretty greasy.

Chocolate Mousse (巧克力伯爵幕斯) $90NT

Chocolate Mousse

 Once again, this was just greasy mousse. There's a really tiny piece of cake in the middle of the chocolate mousse, but it definitely wasn't enough to offset he greasiness.

Berry Mousse Cake $90 NT

Berry Mousse Cake

 I was expecting a lighter version of the other cakes, but this was once again pretty heavy. By now, I felt pretty grossed out by all the mousse.

Molten Chocolate Cake (岩溶巧克力蛋糕盤）$120 NT
before

Molten Chocolate Cake

after 

Molten Chocolate Cake

The molten chocolate cake was yummy and was my favorite cake out of the huge selection we ordered.

Beef Lasagna (茄汁牛肉千層麵) $280 NT

Beef Lasagna

 The beef lasagna didn't exactly taste like a lasagna. It wasn't bad, but it had a pretty weird taste.

Baked Rice with Chicken in Red Coconut Curry Sauce (紅咖哩雞焗烤飯) $270 NT

Baked Rice with Chicken in Red Coconut Curry

 The only thing I enjoyed about this dish was the cheese on top. The rice was soggy, and I could barely taste the curry sauce. The chickens were kind of random scattered throughout the rice.

Salut is definitely not somewhere I would go again or anywhere that I would recommend to anyone. You do get a lot considering how much you pay for the food, but there are yummy but cheap places out there. I would've liked cakes without mousse and actual salty food instead of things they sprinkle cheese on then stuff into the oven. Although I had a pleasant day at Salut with my friends, I wasn't satisfied at all with the food.