Vegas Vegas Bar & Restaurant [維加斯美國風創意餐廳]

Visit: July 19, 2012
Address: 台北市中山區南京東路一段19號
Number: (02) 2541 - 6788
Website: http://vegas.smartweb.tw/

I was feeling lazy and I really didn't want to travel too far, so I decided to try a restaurant I've absolutely never heard of before, and chose it just because I wanted some salad.

Menu

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Caesar Salad (凱撒沙拉) $200 NT

Caesar Salad

Grilled Rib Eye Steak (碳烤肋眼牛排) $690 NT

Grilled Rib Eye Steak

I wouldn't say that the steak was bad, but it definitely tasted pretty cheap. Although the steak was a bit overcooked, the meat wasn't too tough to chew on.

American Sweet Heart (香草美國甜心奶酪) $60 NT

American Sweet Heart

I have to admit, I was a bit apprehensive when my dinner date wanted to order this custard. I was leaning towards the brownie or the caramel...basically anything but this. But... as fate will have it, the portions of the other desserts were all too big. When I tasted the custard though, wow, it was pretty damn good. The custard was rich enough and the coco flakes on top brought me back to my childhood.

This isn't a bad restaurant to be at if you want some chill American-like but not authentic food.

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.

La Caja de Musica [樂盒子]

Visit: Mar. 3, 2012
Address: 台北市長安西路138巷3弄18號
Number: 0920885996 / 0975330741
Website: http://taipeicjm.blogspot.com

Recently, my friend has been telling me about how he has been craving for some legit Spanish food since nothing he has tried in Taipei can compare to the food he indulged himself in at Barcelona. So, as a little food adventure, we did some research and ended up in the dark alley on a drizzly night, standing outside a small restaurant - La Caja de Musica.

The Menu

The Menu

This is only part of the menu. They have tapas, main dishes, sets as well as a selection of Spanish beverages.

 Sangria (西班牙水果酒) $850 NT/pitcher

Sangria

 Yum~ I liked the natural fruit flavor as opposed to the fruit juice flavor in the wine. If you get what I mean...

Tomate Asado (鑲烤番茄) $100 NT

Tomate Asado

 I really liked how the tomato was still really freshly done. Inside the hollowed out tomato was a combination of minced pork, spices and what I assume were chopped walnuts. The mix of ingredients made this a fine tasting dish.

Tortilla de Patatas (西班牙蛋餅) $120 NT 

Tortilla de Patatas

 The only other times I've had Spanish omelets like these were at buffets, and to me, those always tasted like just...boring omelets. But this time, with the mixture of nicely cooked potatoes, cheese and I'm not sure what else the chef added, but it wasn't as boring as the normal ones. I really liked how the not-too-rich potatoes enhanced the flavor, but according to my friend, there actually isn't supposed to be that many pieces of potatoes in there. But hey, this suited me just fine.

Gambas al Ajillo (蒜辣蝦仁) $220 NT

Gambas al Ajillo

 Out of all the dishes, this was my least favorite. I remember distinctly the waiter telling us how this is a very spicy dish. As a chili lover, I was so pumped...until I took my first bite. Not only was it not spicy, but the shrimp itself didn't have a very fresh texture, and it just wasn't very pleasant to eat. The fact that it was bathing in minced garlic and oil really didn't help make it look any more appetizing either.


Paella (西班牙海鮮飯) for two

Paella

 Before this meal, I was always led to believe that paellas were just the Spanish way of risotto. Unlike the Spanish flavored risottos or the super soggy rice I've had before, this paella was definitely different. The rice was cooked just right and not soggy, yet there was still that sticky juice that holds the rice together. It was a very special texture that I've never had before. The seafood in the paella was also fresh and nicely done. The calamari was tasty, the scallops were overcooked as I was expecting them to be, and the shrimps (big and small) were a lot better than those from the Gambas al Ajillo.

 La Caja de Musica is such a cute and homey restaurant tucked in one of the little alleys of Taipei. The owners seemed really friendly and halfway through our meal, they owners began to sing for the diners while strumming on the guitar. I really liked the nice atmosphere as well as the yummy food that my friend deems as qualified Spanish. I would recommend La Caja de Musica if you want some Spanish food or if you simply want a tasty meal.

Galerie Bistro [百藝畫廊]

Visit: Mar. 3, 2012
Address: 台北市大同區南京西路25巷2號
Number: (02) 2558 - 0096
Website: www.galeriebistro.com/main.html

Despite a night of Spanish food at La Caja de Musica, I wasn't satisfied without dessert. Finally, after half an hour walking around the area and deciding what to get, we finally realized that Galerie Bistro was the only decent place left at such a late hour.

Swiss Dark Chocolate Fudge with scoop of Movenpick Vanilla Ice Cream (瑞士濃巧克力布朗尼) $380 NT

Swiss Dark Chocolate Fudge with Vanilla Ice Cream

It's funny, on their menu, they have two sizes of the chocolate cake: for one, and normal sized. Wanting to indulge ourselves, we decided to order the normal sized portion... to discover that I could easily clean off the normal sized one by myself. The chocolate fudge cake was extremely moist, rich, dark and yummy. I really liked the fudge on top of the cake as well as the vanilla ice cream and whipped cream on the side since they really did work well together. However, the nuts in the chocolate cake just seemed really out of place in such a fudgey cake, and although they tried to serve it warm, there were some cold bits in the middle of the cake and definitely wasn't warm enough for my liking.


Classic Italy Tiramisu (傳統義式提拉米蘇) $380 NT

Classic Italy Tiramisu

I have to say I was thoroughly disappointed with the tiramisu. From blog posts online as well as the little logo by the tiramisu on the menu, I was expecting the tiramisu to be good if not way above average. When I took a bite into it though, I was greeted with a yummy mousse on top, but an extremely soggy cake. With the wine in the dessert, the  flavor of the tiramisu was really good, but the texture of the cake was just way on the other end of the spectrum. Tiramisu expelling excess liquid as I chew on the cake is definitely not something I enjoy.

Out of the two desserts I tried, the chocolate fudge was definitely the better one. I've been to Galerie Bistro before, and the quality was definitely much better than what I had today. Maybe it was the late hour, or maybe their desserts just aren't as great, but either way, after today's visit, I don't think I would go back to Galerie Bistro for desserts. I'm not sure I would recommend Galerie Bistro, but if you're around the area or simply just want to try it out, it's an okay choice.