Elite Concept Cafe [一禮莊園 Cafe]

Visit: August 6, 2012
Address: 台北市南京東路三段133號
Number: (02) 3518 - 3177
Website: http://www.westin.com.tw/01_text.asp?sn=24

Menu

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Cake Display~

Cake Display

If only there were more cakes on display :/


Mango Tart (德式芒果塔) $200 NT

Mango Tart

The mango tart was just quite splendid. The crust was really nice and the mango slices were fresh instead of canned. 

Just some afternoon tea~

I would recommend Elite Concept Cafe for its cakes and its laid back atmosphere. Despite the fact that the cafe is in the lobby of the hotel, it wasn't loud or irritating at all. 

Yi Yuan Peking Cuisine [頤園北京料理]

Visit: July 24, 2012
Address: 台北市中山區南京東路三段133號 B2 (Westin Hotel)
Number: (02) 8770 - 6565
Website: http://www.westin.com.tw/01_text.asp?sn=52

I went to Yi Yuan under the impression that we'd be ordering the duck... but nope, never happened.

Menu 

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Combination of Two Appetizers: Shredded Chinese Cabbage & Marinated Chilled Salty Chicken (雙拼拼盤: 鄉野素還真 & 鹽焗雞隻白玉腿) $620 NT

Combination of Two Appetizers: Shredded Chinese Cabbage & Marinated Chilled Salty Chicken

The shredded Chinese Cabbage wasn't all that great but the chicken was pretty good.

Deep-Fried Pork Chop with Salt and Pepper (椒鹽排骨) $520 NT

Deep-Fried Pork Chop with Salt and Pepper

I was actually quite disappointed with the dish. I felt like the pork chop was a little soggy, and the meat was too tough.

Stir Fried Cabbage and Pork with Spicy Seafood Sauce (京式變臉) $400 NT

Stir Fried Cabbage and Pork with Spicy Seafood Sauce 

I very much enjoyed the stir fried cabbage. I loved the spiciness of the dish and how the bacon adds that extra flavor to the cabbage.

Pan-Fried Scallion Pancake (香煎蔥油餅) $320 NT

Pan-Fried Scallion Pancake 

The scallion pancake wasn't the best I've had, but it was still pretty yummy. The pancake wasn't too dry the way other places usually mess it up.

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato with Cane Sugar (地瓜拔絲) $320 NT

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato with Cane Sugar in the making

The sweet potato is first caramelized....

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato with Cane Sugar in the making

Then the waitress uses the remaining melted sugar to make the stringy sugar by pulling the melted sugar back and forth.

Deep-Fried Sweet Potato with Cane Sugar

The result was quite impressive. Although the taste was there, I felt like the sweet potato should have been caramelized more since some pieces were crispy, while some were just soggy. The sweet potatoes were also a little too dry in the middle.

Yi Yuan isn't the first restaurant I would go to if I had the choice. I've had their duck a while ago, and I remember that it was cooked pretty nicely. However, this time without the duck, the selection of food just seemed so limited. The dishes we ordered today were literally the only ones that sounded decent, the rest... mehh.

Danieli's [丹耶澧義大利餐廳] (Visit #2)

Visit: July 13, 2012
Address: 台北市南京東路三段133號1F (Westin Hotel)
Number:(02) 8770-6565
Website: http://www.westin.com.tw/01_text.asp?sn=26

Menu

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Complimentary Bread

Complimentary Bread

I couldn't get enough of the baked garlic, so the waitress kindly brought me more.

Boston Lobster Salad with Cherry Tomato and Sliced Orange (波士頓龍蝦沙拉襯香橙鮮番茄) $980 NT

Boston Lobster Salad with Cherry Tomato and Sliced Orange

Just a small lobster and a few pieces of salad for 980? Probably not something I would order again.

Baby Spinach Salad with Shaved Pecorino Cheese, Toasted Almond and Balsamic Vinaigrette (杏片乳酪菠菜沙拉佐葡萄酒醋汁) $620 NT

Baby Spinach Salad with Shaved Pecorino Cheese, Toasted Almond and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Once again a little overpriced, though the salad was quite enjoyable.

Shrimp, Squid, Scallop, Clam and Baby Octopus Pizza (蒜味什錦海鮮披薩) $650 NT

Shrimp, Squid, Scallop, Clam and Baby Octopus Pizza

There were so many different types of seafood on the pizza, and it was actually quite yummy. The seafood was fresh and the pizza was good though the crust wasn't as good as I expected it to be.

Pan Fried Grouper Fillet with Duck Liver, Sauteed Spinach, Oregano Potato and Virgin Olive Oil (嫩煎鴨肝石斑魚佐蒜香菠菜) $980 NT

Pan Fried Grouper Fillet with Duck Liver, Sauteed Spinach, Oregano Potato and Virgin Olive Oil 

The grouper was okay but the duck liver was not. The pieces of unevenly distributed fat was nor pleasant, and the liver was also not seared as nicely as that of Ruth's Chris.

Pan Fried Lamb Chops Served with Peperonata, Crushed Potato and  Black Truffle Sauce (香煎羊排襯炒洋芋及燉番茄蔬菜佐松露油) $880 NT

Pan Fried Lamb Chops Served with Peperonata, Crushed Potato and  Black Truffle Sauce

The lamb was actually quite good without the disgusting lamb taste.

Chef Signature Dessert - Tiramisu, Warm Chocolate Fondant, Apple Pie, Creme Brulee (主廚精選義式綜合甜點) $480 NT

Chef Signature Dessert - Tiramisu, Warm Chocolate Fondant, Apple Pie, Creme Brulee

The tiramisu impressed me the most. The cream on top wasn't the usual disgusting oily thing. The molten chocolate cake could've been more molten and the creme brulee didn't have the caramelized top so it might as well be called custard. Apple pie was quite delightful.

Gianduia Semifreddo with Kalu Sauce, Crispy Coffee Biscuits (榛果占督亞巧克力佐咖啡香甜酒醬襯酥脆咖啡餅) $320 NT

Gianduia Semifreddo with Kalu Sauce, Crispy Coffee Biscuits 

Ya I know, I'm a bit of a fatty for ordering another dessert. The dessert was basically a sponge cake on the bottom with cream in the middle. It was quite yummy.

My second visit to Danieli's was didn't really change my opinion of the restaurant. The food, service, and atmosphere are all good, but the price is just too high for the quality of foods offered. I would recommend the restaurant, but maybe as a second choice.

Danieli's [丹耶澧義大利餐廳]

Visit: March 29, 2012
Address: 台北市南京東路三段133號1F
Number: (02) 8770-6565
Website: http://www.westin.com.tw/01_text.asp?sn=26 

I was originally planning on having my birthday at Danieli's, but by the time I got around to reserving a room, the rooms were all full. Ever since then, I haven't had the chance to come by to try it until now.

Menu


Complimentary Bread

Complimentary Bread

I love love loved the baked garlic although I thought that the ones at prime 168 were actually a little better. Clockwise from the garlic were: yam bread, baguette, and cheese bread. The bread with the yam was a little too bland, while the cheese bread was just what I wanted.

Pan-fried Duck Liver - with apple chutney and raspberry vinegar reduction (嫩煎鵝肝襯特製蘋果醬佐濃縮覆盆子汁 $620 NT

Pan-Fried Duck Liver

The duck liver tasted pretty yummy without being too overly oily. However, the pieces of raisins in there were a little weird. The taste of cinnamon and five spice were also a bit too strong for my liking.

Roasted Veal Tenderloin - with oven roasted sliced tomato and smoked mozzarella cheese, sliced rosemary potato, zucchini and asparagus, marsala wine sauce (爐烤番茄乳酪小牛菲力襯蒜味節瓜蘆筍佐瑪莎拉醬汁) $880NT

Roasted Veal Tenderloin

 I always order my beef medium rare, but when they first served the veal, it was done past even just medium. However, the waitress was really nice about it when I returned the dish, and the second time around, another waiter came to ask if the beef was okay. When i first saw that the veal would be served with cheese, I was a little worried about how it would taste, but it ended up being awesome. I really liked the marsala sauce, and I kept secretly wishing that there was more of it.

Home Made Ravioli - stuffed with ricotta cheese and spinach, mushroom sauce, fresh fresee salad and parma ham, virgin olive oil and parsley (手工菠菜奶油起司餃襯帕馬火腿) $680 NT

Home Made Ravioli

I've never had a ravioli before, but because it seems/looks so cool, I had really high expectations. However, I was a little disappointed with how although good, but ordinary it tasted. The parma ham went really well with the ravioli because although the insides were cheesy, the ravioli wasn't very salty.

Chef Signature Dessert - Tiramisu, Warm Chocolate Fondant, Apple Pie, Creme Brulee (主廚精選義式綜合甜點) $480 NT

Chef Signature Dessert from left: Warm Chocolate Fondant, Creme Brulee, Apple Pie, Tiramisu

 Overall, the dessert platter was really yummy, except some parts of it were just a little random. The sesame cookies on both the chocolate fondant and apple pie were yummy, but I was just a little confused as to what they were doing there. The same goes for the fig on the chocolate fondant. The creme brulee was not caramelized at all. The crust of the apple pie wasn't stale, but I would have preferred not to have the whipped cream on there. The tiramisu was also yummy without the sogginess of the usual failed ones.

Overall, Danieli's was good, but I'm not completely sure I would pay so much for the food. I feel like I could get a much better beef and better ravioli at the same price. I'm not sure if I would recommend Danieli's, but I definitely don't regret coming here.

Silk Road Feast [絲路宴]

Visit: March 10, 2012
Address: 台北市南京東路三段133號B1 (Westin Hotel)
Number: (02) 8770-6565
Website: http://www.westin.com.tw/01_text.asp?sn=27

After being forced to wake up at a horrible hour of 5 in the morning to attend some family errands, my mom decided reward me with breakfast at the Westin Hotel's new restaurant - Silk Road Feast. Fearing that they wouldn't have seats, I tried making reservations a few days prior, only to find out that they didn't take reservations for breakfast. However, all that seemed fine because those having breakfast seemed like hotel guests, instead of food lovers like me.

I've seen a lot of cute pictures online, but seeing the cutely renovated restaurant in person really brightened my mood. There were 4 seating areas with different themes: one with bar stools, one with normal buffet tables, another with slender coffee tables and a plush sofa area. On the particular day, my mom and I were in the area with bar stools.

The surroundings...

The buffet area is in the middle of the room

The food...

Green tea

I ordered a pot of green tea to start my day off with. The green tea seemed to be mixed with some sort of wheat which made it really nice and hearty. You could also order practically any type of coffee. For those who would like to stay away from caffeine, there's a tiny bar at the buffet where they blend fresh juices in whatever combination you want them to.

More food...

Freshly made omelet: egg white omelet with mushroom, tomato and cheese

 There's a chef who stands there and makes omelets. There aren't that many choices of toppings though.

Mexican Wrap

Mexican wrap

 There's also a chef who makes some sort of freshly made Mexican wrap. He wraps everything, then melts the cheese within and toasts the tortilla on a grill. It was yummy. :D

 The Bread and Butter pudding was really good even though I guess it isn't the best way to start my morning with. The ham as well as the bacon were also nicely flavored and the bacon was extremely crisp. I really liked how they separated the soft bacon from the crispy ones so that we wouldn't need to dig through everything to find the type of bacon we're looking for.

 They have a cheese section as well. There's this type of bread with cheese bits inside that I really enjoyed. The mini cinnamon roll was also really yummy.

 The unflavored oatmeal they had was rich and creamy with milk. The blueberry danish pastry and the bacon cheese pastry were both better than those at usual breakfast buffets.

The Cream de cassis panna cotta wasn't all that amazing. But it's really cute.

There was also this Indian curry that was really yummy. The pork was stewed so that it practically melted in your mouth.

 I was really impressed with the Silk Road Feast. Before they completely changed the restaurant, it always looked so old from the outside. The only thing that confused me a little was the fact that they didn't have waflles or pancakes, but I guess that's not that bad. Although there wasn't that much variety in the food, overall, I really liked the buffet. I definitely recommend the Silk Road Feast and am looking forward to try their lunch or dinner.