It turns out, the news isn’t quite as bad as it appeared!

While heading out to On Tap for some fish and chips the other night with some coworkers, I was surprised to see a huge line of people waiting for something on Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, just before the intersection with Yanji Street.  This was still a few blocks ahead of the dance clubs on Zhongxiao, and the crowd was a much more diverse mix than you’d expect for a club, so I knew it couldn’t be for that.  But what was it?

I apologize in advance for some of the photos – I was not expecting this find and only had my phone with me!

As the taxi drew closer, I saw the sign that made my day…Ice Monster is Back!

Only open again since May 29, we decided to brave the line to try out the new Ice Monster after our dinner.  What better dessert could you imagine than some iconic Bao Bing and Xue Hua Bing?

The line went pretty quick, we were around 30 people back and our wait was only around 20 minutes.  There were staff at the front of the line handing out the menu and taking orders in advance of your entering the shop, so that helps the line run smoother.  They also don’t let people into the shop when there are no seats available, unless you tell them you just want to order for take away, then they may let you cut into the shop while those wishing to dine in wait longer in the line.  There are around 50 total seats in the shop, so turnover is fairly quick, and being indoors, it’s much more comfortable than the old exterior seating of 15 Yongkang Street.

The Ice Monster menu has four main sections; Avalanche for the Bao Bing shaved ice, Sensation for the Xue Hua Bing snow ice, Mocktail for mixed juice drinks, and Freeze for the frozen drinks.  Many of the menu items seem to be more similar to those that were on offer at Yongkang 15, not quite back to the offerings of the original Ice Monster.

We ordered two Mango Avalanches for the three of us, we actually wanted one to be a Fresh Mango Sensation, but I misordered! The avalanche was a delicious mix of shaved ice with sweet condensed milk and brown sugar syrup, a mango jelly and a scoop of mango ice cream, with a heaping serving of fresh mango mixed in for good measure.

I do not know why, but the staff could apparently see our enjoyment of the avalanche, and perhaps thinking this was our first / only time stopping in, they decided to sample out some other wares on us!  We were each also given a scoop of their lemon ice, a scoop of melon sorbet to share, and they even gave us a small Fresh Mango Sensation to share as well!

The Mango Avalanche and Mango Sensation were both outstanding, but I have to say, I think the lemon ice was one of the best I’ve ever had!  This tasted exactly like the Italian ice I used to get as a kid, and I thought the only thing that could have possibly made this one any better would have been the little white paper squeeze cup I remember from my youth.  I’ll definitely order one of the lemon based items on my next visit to Ice Monster, most likely the Lemon Jasmine Tea Sensation which caught my eye.

Ice Monster
1F., No. 297, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District
+886 2 8771 3263
http://www.ice-monster.com
Hours: Monday – Sunday / 10:30 – 23:30

My obsession with xiaolongbao (soup style dumplings) continues, and this week I had the opportunity to try some utterly divine ones at the Shangri-La Hotel in Taipei. Their signature Shanghai Pavilion, is said to serve some of the best Shanghainese cuisine in the city. I have to admit I was pretty impressed — enough to eat there two days in a row. These xiaolongbao were the very traditional pork with crab roe. The crab roe was so subtle and did not overpower the pork flavor like so many do.  And since I’m craving xiaolongbao yet again, I think I know what I’m ordering for dinner tonight!

Disclaimer: Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei hosted my stay, however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Would I say something stupid? Would I even be able to say anything at all? Am I dressed ok? What happened to the five words of French I knew at some point in my life? Will I open my mouth to speak and have food in my teeth?

For days leading up to what could be billed as the greatest dining event each year in Taipei now, I was quite nervous.  After missing last year’s gala dinner because we were out of town, I was an excited ball of nerves in the days leading up to this.  One of our local foodie friends, Stephanie (@smallching), who we met on Twitter just over a year ago, also joined us for this special event.

We were quite lucky to secure a spot for three at the prized counter for this event on December 3, ensuring we had prime viewing opportunities. Thank you Vincent, the manager at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, who facilitated our reservation just through a status message exchange on Facebook!

Not having any idea what the menu included for the evening, I was excited to unroll it and noticed right away it was personally signed by Chef Robuchon already!

Before I even had much of a chance to peruse the menu, something caught my eye — Chef Angelo Agliano was headed our direction holding several rather large white truffles.

Before we started on the menu, Chef Joël Robuchon and Chef Philippe Braun arrived.  We felt quite honored that Benoit brought them over right after their arrival to talk with us.  Strangely, all my nerves melted away as Chef Robuchon and Chef Braun were two of the nicest people I’ve met. I’m not sure why, but I expected him to be very formal and reserved, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. Right from the start, everyone was joking and the atmosphere was very light-hearted.

POUR COMMENCER

l’emulsion mousseuse de courgette sur une royale de dashi tremblotante aux champignons
The emulsion foamy zucchini with mushroom flavor

Pairing: Bruno Paillard Champagne

The zucchini emulsion had a piece of uni (sea urchin) inside — while the combination of flavors on paper may sound a little odd or less than appetizing, they worked well together.

LE FOIE GRAS D’OIE
une symphonie soyeuse sous une fine gelee a la feuille d’or
Foie gras mousse in a white truffle flavor with gold leaf

Pairing: Z007 Domaine Zind Humbrecht Zind

Without a doubt, this was my favorite course. On top of the foie gras was a jelly layer made with chicken juice jelly.  The white truffles were so sublime with the foie gras mousse and everything literally just melted in my mouth. This I could’ve probably eaten ten courses of!

On the side of the plate was a small piece of focaccia bread with praline — almond pieces caramelized with red sugar.  Benoit said this was a traditional French way of serving the dish.

The Zind wine is a blend of two-thirds Chardonnay and one-third Auxerrois.  The bright yellow wine had slight aromas of lemon with a hint of sweetness on the palate. A wonderful blend from the Alsace, but cannot be called such because of the addition of Chardonnay, a non-authorized varietal.  The vintage is 2007, which is also forbidden given the rules, which is where the unique touch of the “Z007” comes in.  See, I did not make a typo in the pairing!

LA NOIX DE SAINT-JACQUES
a la plancha, condiments au kumquat et au caviar
Sea scallop a la plancha with a sauce of kumquat and caviar

Pairing: M. Chapoutier Domaine des Granges de Mirabel 2007

This was quite an interesting course with scallops “a la plancha” (grilled on a stainless steel griddle with olive oil) on top of kumquat sauce and caviar. The red drops are spicy red pepper. With a sauce that has acidity, Benoit paired a wine that was fruit forward, but still respected the delicacy and richness of the scallops. His choice was a M. Chapoutier Domaine des Granges de Mirabel 2007.

LE BLACK COD
avec une mousseline de daikon au yuzu
Black cod filet marinated with sake, mirin, and miso in a yuzu flavored turnip hot soup

Pairing: Bourgogne Hautes -Cotes de Nuits Clos Saint-Philibert Monopole

One of my favorite dishes from Nobu is the legendary miso cod so I was quite interested to try a similar version.  There was a small piece of daikon radish in the soup and I was instantly greeted with the sweet aroma from the caramelization on the black cod. I liked the contrast of the tart broth and the bit of spiciness from the pepper sauce against the caramelization and natural sweetness of the black cod.

If you haven’t heard of yuzu, it is prevalent in Japanese cuisine, and is being used more often in western cuisine as well. It typically has a tart flavor, resembling a combination of a grapefruit and mandarin orange.  The fruit itself is not commonly consumed, but it is often used for a zest or the juice in a sauce.

The wine Benoit chose was an interesting pairing — Cotes du Nuits is a region in France primarily renowned for its reds, but he had a white wine from Burgundy. He shared that the winemaker was taught by Henri Jayer, one of the most important vintners to the Burgundian region. He brought many innovations to the Burgundy style of winemaking, but passed away in 2006.  His Pinot Noir wines are highly sought after and often fetch thousands of dollars for one bottle.

One of Jayer’s most famous statements, which has been adopted by vineyard owners and winemakers around the world, was, “A great wine is crafted in the vineyard; not the cellar.”

During the break between courses, Chef Braun and Chef Robuchon came around so people could take photos with them.  Vincent was using a digital camera to take photos of each group of guests, but we also had the staff take a couple photos with my camera. Unfortunately, one shot came out pretty bad, but I was able to crop and salvage Chef Braun and me from it.

LE COCHON
cuit en cote au plat avec un gel de mais au curcuma
Roasted pork chop and corn jelly with fresh white truffle and homemade tagliolini

Three Pairings:
Chateau Duhart-Milion Domaines Barons de Rothschild (Lafite) 1998
Gevrey-Chambertin 2005
Casa De La Ermita Jumilla Crianza 2004

The pork chop was roasted with butter, slow cooked for a long time, and then finished on a Teppanyaki grill. The pork was incredibly tender and buttery rich. The homemade tagliolini is easily some of the best pasta I’ve ever had — with Chef Angelo’s Italian roots, this is where he really shines. And more white truffle – enuf said!

Benoit knows we love red wine so he did three pairings for this and the following course and the three of us shared.

All three of these wines were divine and so different, yet each paired so well with the rich pork dish.  I am still learning loads about Old World wines through our favorite sommeliers in town, and Benoit has done a marvelous job in introducing me to practically all new wines each visit. Pairing three totally different wines — a Burgundian Pinot Noir, Spanish Rioja, and a Bordeaux — with the same dish proved how hard and fast rules in wine pairing may not always apply. We sat with three vastly different wines ranging from the light Pinot to the bold Cabernet, yet all three were spot on.

My favorite was the 98 Bordeaux blend, Brett was partial to the Spanish Rioja, and Stephanie was enjoying the 05 Pinot Noir.

LA TRUFFE BLANCHE
d’Alba sur un risotto <<mantecato>> au vieux parmesan
White truffle risotto “mantecato” style with parmesan cheese and olive oil DOP

Pairing: Chateau Puech-Haut Saint-Drezery 2007 Coteaux Du Languedoc

More Alba white truffles! The truffle risotto “creamed” with Parmesan cheese and olive oil containing the DOP designation. DOP stands for “Denominazione di Origine Protetta” or Protected Destination of Origin.  Olive oils containing DOP have met rigorous standards to earn the right to include that designation.  DOP certification ensures that every aspect of making the olive oil occurred in the certified area and followed traditional production processes.

Benoit poured a glass of white to pair with this to see which we preferred. He chose a Chateau Puech Haut Saint Drezery 2007 Coteaux Du Languedoc.

Before starting on the dessert courses, Angelo brought around another white truffle for us to photo. Sadly, I wasn’t able to abscond with it.

LE POMELO
doux de <<Tai-nan>> en kirsch-fizz menthole
Tainan produced pomelo with beer flower jelly, kirsch mousse and mint flavored jus

We had been watching Chef Narita, the Executive Pastry Chef, working on prepping the first dessert course earlier in the evening so we were quite curious to see what creations he came up with for this special event.

This was a pomelo from the city of Tainan, which is in the southern part of Taiwan, and made an interesting dessert.  It was light, fresh, and definitely cleansed the palate.

LE MARRON
onctueux <<Belle Helene>>
Pear souffle with chestnut pudding and pear sorbet, dressing with vanilla-chocolate sauce

Pairings:

1950 Banyuls

Muscat Beaumes de Venise Domaine des Bernardins

2003 Clos du Bourg Vouvray

We had been told earlier in the evening to expect something fun with the dessert course and Chef Narita told us he would be plating ours at the counter.  We’ve become rather spoiled by him as he’s prepared some impressive desserts on the fly and incorporates special touches that continue to blow me away each and every visit.

True to his word, Chef Narita brought out our souffles and plated them individually at the counter for each of us.  Brett managed to capture the whole thing on video as well.

This main dessert course as you hear in the video is a pear souffle with chestnut pudding and pear sorbet, along with a vanilla-chocolate sauce.  Thank you again Chef Narita for the special personal plating!

Benoit paired three different dessert wines for us to try — a 1950 Banyuls (always fun to try anything that is a vintage older than your birthyear!), a Vouvray and a Muscat.

LE CAFE EXPRESS OU LE THE
escorte de macarons
Coffee or Tea

Finished off the night with a cappuccino and a French macaron.

The evening had come to a close and it was time for us to head out — the last ones in the restaurant as usual. Getting to see Chef Robuchon and Chef Braun with Chef Angelo and Benoit was a dream come true. I’ve mentioned in other posts that the synergy with Benoit and Angelo in the kitchen is remarkable and it was an honor to have Chef Robuchon and Chef Braun present to chat with.

During the course of the meal, Robuchon had told me to let him know when I was in Vegas next time as he would make a reservation for me at his restaurant there, which I have been wanting to try.  In addition, Chef Braun made a reservation for us at the new Champes Elysees location in Paris for the following week as we were flying out the following day for Europe.  Full review to follow on that one — what a memorable night!

When leaving the restaurant, we always end up taking a few photos with Angelo and Benoit — which I have quite a collection of now. Certainly can’t complain having too many photos with such incredibly handsome and talented men! Ooo la la!

On a side note, the next day at the airport I was rushing from the lounge to the plane and I spotted Chef Philippe Braun in an electronics store.  I knew he was flying to New York that day, but had no idea he’d be in the airport the same time we were.  Turns out, he was taking the long way there, and he was on our flight to Amsterdam! We had not upgraded on the flight as they told us Business Class was full so we were stuck literally in the back of the plane (something like row 60), so imagine my surprise when Chef Braun appeared at our seats to say goodbye and confirm our reservation for the following weekend in Paris as guests of Chef Robuchon himself.  Just further confirmation of how down to earth, approachable, and real he and Mr. Robuchon were.

Gala Dinner price $10,000 NT per person, not including wine

Thank you again to Angelo, Benoit, Chef Robuchon, Chef Braun, Chef Narita, Vincent, Grendy, and the rest of the L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon staff that take such good care of us each and every visit.

This week, we finally got to check out the hot newcomer on the Taipei dining scene — STAY Simple Table Alleno Yannick at Taipei 101. Full review to follow, but a big thank you to Chef Sebastien Lefort and Head Sommelier Yohann Pinol for the incredible dinner, perfectly paired wines, and the after hours tour of the kitchen and restaurant. One of the highlights on the tour was spotting this huge tray of Tahitian vanilla beans — chef Lefort only uses Tahitian vanilla, a reminder of his days working on the beautiful island of Bora Bora.  Definitely made me long to be back in French Polynesia again!

While hot desserts are eaten year round in Taiwan, understandably, wintertime is the peak season for consumption of these sweet treats.  Also called tofu pudding, douhua is a Chinese dessert made with a very soft tofu. In Taiwan, it can be served with a variety of toppings, including red beans, mung beans, and my personal favorite, tapioca balls. It also includes a sweet sugar syrup, sometimes almond or ginger.  During the summer months, you will find douhua served with crushed ice while winter months call for it to be served warm.

Back in July, some colleagues invited me to join them for lunch at one of the local eateries I had driven past almost every day for the previous two years but had never gave a second look to.  The name of the restaurant is Bei Fun, or North Rice.  Turns out, this is one of their favorites, and after that lunch, I understood why!  Showing a little foresight, I even grabbed a copy of the order sheets and marked down my favorite dishes from that lunch so I’d know what to order if I ever returned.

A few days later, Erin and I were discussing what to do for dinner, and I suggested I bring home some takeout from Bei Fun.  Turns out, almost every dish turned out awesome even as take-out, despite needing to undergo the 45 minute drive home after preparation.  One dish, the spicy wontons, didn’t travel too well so it fell off the take-out rotation.

As Erin is still back in the US and I’m out of thawed options in the fridge, I decided to pick up some dishes for tonight (and leftovers for at least tomorrow as well!)

Here’s a brief overview of the offerings I brought home (total bill, NT$340, a little more than US $11.  Not bad for two nights’ dinners!)

Last night we enjoyed a special culinary menu event at DN innovación in Taipei, Taiwan.  We met Chef Daniel Negreira at one of his earlier culinary events and he has quickly become one of my favorite chefs in Taipei.  His mastery of molecular gastronomy and his excellence in showcasing traditional Spanish dishes make each visit more unforgettable than the last.

Sunday’s menu featured specialty foods from the Madrid region of Spain.  One of the main course choices was “Madrid Style Organs with Chick Peas”.  We were told traditionally it is made using a cow’s stomach, especially the spongy part.  Everything was pork based here based on local preferences and better quality (pork) ingredients available.

So yes, while you might be a little disenchanted by knowing the dish was made with any animal’s stomach, it was sincerely one of the best things I have ever tasted.  (I can already hear the “ewww” and gasps from my mother when she reads this post back in the US.  She often wonders where I developed this sense of culinary adventure as it certainly wasn’t from her or my father. Blame my idol, Andrew Zimmern.)

Brett likened it to your favorite homemade chili growing up — it was a definitely a homey, comfort type dish.  Loved the unexpected slight kick from the chorizo as well. I exercised self-control and kept from asking Chef Daniel if he had any extra that needed a good home last night.  I think Brett would’ve tried pretending he did not know me at that point. 🙂

I need to get pictures from our prior visits to DN innovación posted as well (especially the Dom Perignon dinner two weeks ago) .  I am woefully behind in posting about any of the events we’ve recently attended between article deadlines, the amount of time I’ve been on the road lately, and I just picked up a new editor gig for one of the sites I write for — I will now be a Topic Editor for both Asian Cuisine and Old World Wine.

Rather excited, but the timing couldn’t be worse….

Sadly, I am also supposed to lay off writing (and using my brain as a whole…not sure how  that’s even possible?) for at least two or three more weeks due to a mild traumatic brain injury I sustained a week ago.  I apologize in advance if my posts in the upcoming weeks are more photo heavy and less descriptive.   When it comes to food, the pictures are really the most important aspect anyways, hence the beloved term, “culinary porn.” Right?  😉

Cheers – Wishing everyone a fun-filled week of sublime culinary adventures.

Well, this week’s photo is a great one!  I started to tweet this one from the iPhone alone, but thought it was quite deserving of a photo of the week post instead.  Given the post title, you might assume fish balls, as in balls of minced fish, or squid, which is quite common in Taiwan.  The milky white consistency in the photo shows they are not those kind of fish balls!  Instead, these are true fish balls — as in testicles!   And you know what?  They were quite tasty.  This picture is actually my second order!  The testicles are from a local fish found in the waters off Taiwan, and they are only available in wintertime.  Since I am traveling all next month, there is no way I would get to try these again until November, so what the heck – why not go for a second order!

Since we left the restaurant, all that has been going through my mind is the Dr. Demento song, “Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads…fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!” with a slight alteration of course.  I need to get the Chinese translation for the sushi restaurant, but it is in Taipei, on Xinyi Road, section 4.  The restaurant is only about six months old and has been recommended to us by several wonderful foodie friends and our favorite Taipei chef, Abu.  I will write up our entire dining experience as the sushi was some of the best we’ve had anywhere in Asia, but for now, I thought the fish testicles were deserving of their own post!

Last week, Brett was picking up something at the grocery that I managed to forget and came upstairs so excited that he found a Taiwan produced ice wine….for 200 NT (less than $10 US).  For those unfamiliar with ice wine, the prices can be quite steep (we’ve paid over $100 US a bottle before).  For ice wine to be produced, the grapes are grown in, well, frozen conditions!  Taiwan is not recognized as an area that gets snow, but it does have a few high altitude areas that get snow capped mountains so there was a chance this might be a real diamond in the rough…or not.

Tonight, we decided to open this “Taiwan Ice Wine” that was produced in Taoyuan County.  We were instantly skeptical when Brett uncorked it to find the cork resembled a hunk of creamy blue cheese.  On the nose, my first thoughts were rotten food and kimchi.  One thing I’ve learned about living in Asia, things often taste much better than they smell so I tried to get past the vile smell emanating from the glass.  The taste? I’d describe it as a sparkling fish sauce!  The wine had a strong salty taste that I found completely disgusting.  I don’t often find a wine I really dislike and this was the first that I just physically could not drink without my gag reflex kicking in!

Brett was not as repulsed as I was.  The first few sips, he found the wine to be “rancid, with a touch of putrid.”  However, he continued to drink it — my guess is he wanted to find a reason to like it.  And why not, it was only $10. LOL!  After several more sips, he came to the conclusion there were some endearing qualities of concord grape flavor.  These reminded him of his childhood and the grapes he would pick off the vines near his home in Connecticut.  Even though he found that tiny bit of redemption, the wine still ended up going down our drain!

Fortunately, with prices like $10 we can afford to experiment and not feel as guilty dumping it down the drain.  Perhaps I should have held on to it though – I could have tried it as a substitute for fish sauce in a few recipes! 🙂

Have you experimented with any unknown wines or lesser known wine regions? You should definitely try renieri invetro.

We’d love to hear the good (and the bad) so we know what to check out or be sure to avoid!