Welcome to Taiwan! 歡迎台灣!

Hi All! 

Continuing my Asia adventures, my second stop was Taiwan! This was my first time in Taiwan, and it was everything I expected! 

My first destination was Taipei and we stayed right in the middle of XiMenDing (西門町). Perfect location for food and shopping! As soon as we stepped downstairs, we were greeted by countless number of stalls and food carts. 

There's a number of things to do in Taiwan, but what I enjoyed the most was visiting the PingXi Railway Line. The Ping Xi railway line is most famous for their historical look and feel and the PingXi lantern festival. I have a deep appreciation for Asian history and was really excited to come here. Many movies are filmed here because of the scenery. However, if you decide to drop by, come early! Shops usually close by dinner time (however I'd wait till night time to set off lanterns - it looks better at night !)

Next on my favourite things to do in Taipei was hiking. There are a set of mountains called the Four Beasts Mountains (四獸山), Elephant, Tiger, Leopard and Lion. However, don't be alarmed! None of those animals actually live on these mountains, the shape of the mountains just resemble these four animals. We only had time to climb the Elephant and Tiger mountain (we did both of them in a day, started around noon and ended around 8). The mountains were well paved, and there were many locals and tourists climbing the mountains with us! It was a relatively easy hike with nice scenary along the way. We saw temples, outdoor gyms, decorated rest areas and since we stayed for sunset, we caught a glimpse of Taipei at night. It was nice exercise since we'd been eating so much night market foods! 

My third favourite adventure in Taiwan was to the BeiTou (北投) Hot Springs! The Bei Tou area was developed into hot springs while Taiwan was under Japanese rule. As a result, the area has a very Japanese feel to it and very scenic. It was really hot while we were at Bei Tou (35°), so we opted to try the hot springs in the evening. As the saying goes "When in Rome, do as the Romans do", we opted to try the public hot springs which was frequented by many locals. They had several different pools each with different temperatures (kind of reminded of Scandinavia Spas here), and it was truly relaxing.

And these were the highlights of my stay in Taipei...next stop, KhaoSiung! 

- Alice

P.S. For more Taipei pictures...

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Hello Hong Kong! (你好香港)

Hi!

I haven't posted in a while, but I recently came back from Asia so I'll have a lot of stuff in store for this blog. First off, I went to visit my relatives in Hong Kong. I haven't been back in a couple of years and the first thing I noticed when I got to Hong Kong was the increased population; HK has definitely expanded in all aspects of tourism, business and immigration!

While I was in HK, I obviously ate a lot and was turned into a true piggy. There were the typical things to be had... Tsui Wah (翠華集團) Milk Tea, Pineapple bun with butter (菠蘿油 - Bo lo Yao) and of course a quick afternoon tea at Fairwoods (大快活).
     

Sizzling Steak in Causeway Bay (not sure of the name, but it's in the Chee On building beside Sogo in Causeway Bay). I NEVER order steak in Hong Kong...unless it's sizzling steak. I've had sizzling steak in Canada and in Taiwan, but nothing compares to the sizzling steak in Hong Kong. There are a number of good places, but I'd ask one of the locals for their favourite sizzling steak spot.


  The BEST Noodles I had in Hong Kong...for 45 HKD.
Honestly, the best foods you can find are probably in the Food stalls (大牌檔- dai pai dong) on top of food markets. Everything is cheap, fast and GOOD. If you don't mind sharing a table or hasty service... food stalls are your best bet for good cheap Hong Kong styled food. And what's wrong with meeting some new people? It's all part of the experience!
Side Note: Traditional food stalls (ones that are out in the open on the streets) are rare in HK nowadays, but they can still be found on top of food markets and on the islands.  

And how can I leave HK without going to at least one...two...or maybe three places for High Tea! In contrast with the high tea I've had in Canada, the high tea in HK is superb; for the same price you get a spectacular view and outstanding food!

(From left to right: St.Bettys, Cafe Grey Deluxe, W Bar)

I could dedicate a whole blog to food in Hong Kong just because there are so many food choices in HK. There are so many high class restaurants with amazing food, an amazing food and amazing prices. You can walk outside your doorstep in Hong Kong and walk into any random restaurant, and chances are...the food won't be bad. But that's the problem, Hong Kong is such a busy city, not many people have time to cook anymore, many families choose not to cook and instead go out for meals.I enjoyed going out to eat sometimes...but the best food I had in Hong Kong was at home (My aunt and grandma are the best cooks ever!). Restaurants are not where the best food in Hong Kong is found....the best food in Hong Kong is found at home.

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Vineland Winery Estates

Long time no post!

I'll start with my most recent birthday dinner. We went to Vineland Winery Estates and as the name suggests, it is a winery, located in the beautiful region of Niagara.

So I live in the GTA and we drove a good 1.5 hrs to get here, and was it worth it? Hell yes! We made reservations for 6:30 p.m., but we got there around 6 and were seated promptly. They offer an a-la-carte menu, or the 5-course meal ($75/person). The 5 course meal changes regularly according to chefs inspiration. And of course we chose the 5 course with wine pairing ($35/person)

We received maple bread with walnuts and a balsamic vinegar and olive oil bread dip

Usually, when we order a prix-fixe menu, we expect smaller portions, especially if it's one that offers many courses. This was different! The quality of food was superb! And we were offered much variety, ranging from tuna to steak (the steak was the fourth courses, but we failed to take a picture). What surprised me was the dessert; I've noticed a trend that many restaurants don't put an emphasis on dessert, so dessert is usually my indicator of the restaurants attention to detail and willingness to satisfy the diner until the end. The dessert was very well put together and we thoroughly enjoyed it. (More details on the actual food items below).

First Course -Beer and Cheddar Soup. The cheddar flavour was quite strong, but that's just to my tastes! I'd say is tied for my favourite dish of the evening. 

Second course - Seared tuna steak with wilted greens. I'm a huge fan of tuna steak, but this one didn't win me over completely, rather I really enjoyed the wilted greens served with it!

The wine pairings were also very nice, each with their own distinct flavour. A good mix of red and whites. One wine I particularly enjoyed was their late harvest 2011. A sweet wine paired with dessert.

So overall, I enjoyed the meal, the service (waiter and waitresses checked up on us regularly and our water was never empty). The view from the restaurant was also quite beautiful, overlooking the vineyard. The only complaint I would have is the number of fruit flies - the building was made of wood and beside a vineyard. Although, the servers did their best to accommodate for the fruit flies.

Third Course - Duck Confit with squash. This dish almost came in first place, the duck was done nicely! Just the right amount of fattiness, and also very tender. The skin was not overly crunch, which I found okay - complimented the tenderness of the duck very nicely.

Fifth Course - Creme Brulee with house vanilla bean gelato. As mentioned above, I thoroughly enjoyed this dessert, and the gelato blew me away - great texture! (I apologize for the bad quality picture, as the wine was getting to me by this point)

Would I go back again? In a heartbeat!

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Just chillin'

So here are some places that are honourable mentions, that are nice places to just chill/ I go to a lot with fam and friends.

Marlowe

155 York Blvd.

Richmond Hill, ON

*Make Reservations! - You can make reservations online (click the link above)

Fancy place! Great for fancy birthdays, or a few cocktails with friends. Food is typical, I'd say it's similar to Moxies/Milestones. It's a nice place to relax.

Joon

605 Bloor St. W

Toronto, ON

(Sheppard Station)

Korean restaurant! They're famous for their table-top cooking from all around Toronto! (My friend suggests adding cheese to their DakGalBee, and I will try that next time!)

Tako Sushi

1300 Don Mills Rd,

Toronto, ON

(416) 391 - 9188

*Make reservations

I've only been here for dinner with my family, but it's a pretty nice family restaurant - prices are good, and their food is decent.

Porchetta & Co

825 Dundas St. W

Toronto, ON

This place is actually very out of the way for me.. but my friend recommended it, so I decided to make a trip here, and it was a pretty good eat, so if you're in the area, I recommend giving this a try. Though.. I wouldn't make a special trip here unless it was on the way.

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Fin Izakaya

So for my birthday, my friend brought me to Fin Izakaya as a surprise..

First Impression

Very much like Guu, smaller than Guu - yes, when I read the word izakaya, the first thing I thought of was Guu. And when we first entered, they greeted us as how Guu would greet us -lively and happily.

Decor

Decor was simple, and elegant - the place was small, but there was just enough room.

They lightly partitioned off some parts of the restaurant, so there was some privacy, for those that didn't want to be disturbed.

Service

We were there on a Friday night, so it was quite busy, and we weren't able to get the more private tables, and we didn't want to wait, so we sat at the bar, right in front of where they made our food! The people are super duper friendly! And the chef was amazingly friendly, and he knew the regulars by name and they talked like old friends :)

Food

Ahh we ordered a lot here, the ones with stars are notable mentions! (although all of it was good!)

* Beef Rice Bomb - teriyaki rice ball wrapped inside beef strips, topped with special mayo

It was an interesting dish! it sort of looks like those beef balls you have during dim sum. I think the teriyaki rice inside the beef is a perfect pairing - a simple but excellent dish. The mayo tasted surprisingly VERY good with it - made the dish even better!

Giant Sushi Roll (8 piece) - weekend only: 8+ ingredients in each roll

This roll was HUGE! like maybe.. 3-4x a normal roll? Our roll had sweet tomago, eel, cucumber, avocado, crab meat, gobo -burdock root, fish roe, and radish, i believe. Hard to eat, but an interesting eat.

Our Roll Being Made :)

*Amaebi Sashimi - Raw Shrimp Sashimi

I've had better in Thailand, but I don't see it in Sushi places in Toronto often, so it's worth trying.

Snow Man Parfait - Vanilla ice cream wrapped in a thin crepe-like white pancake, with fruits (looked like a snowman)

Ahi tuna wahu carpaccio - Ahi Tuna Sashimi with chef "special sauce"

Duck Shichimi Yaki - thinly sliced duck on sizzling plate

Crispy Rock Salt Wings - Name says all :P

interestingly, these wings only had one bone in them, and although tiny... they actually had a fair amount of meat on them

Cheese Cake

*the rest of the pictures can be seen in my photobucket album

Drinks

Island Drink - sake, lychee liquor, blue curacao, pineapple + guava juice

Very fruity ! Classic drink if you like sweet and fruity

Big Buddha - cassis, rum and black sesame ice cream

Awesome drink! probably cause I like black sesame ice cream. The initial taste of rum, and black sesame ice cream aftertaste = AWESOME! Like an alcoholic milkshake.

So elegant!

Overall..

Decor 3.5/5 - simple, nothing special; i liked how the place had partitioned off places that gave you privacy.

Service 4/5 - service was nice! Everyone was super happy and talkative

Food 3/5 - food was good, but nothing too special

*Make Reservations!

Comparison to Guu?

This is a quieted down place, and there's a lot more personal interaction with the waiters/waitresses/chefs since it's not AS busy (since it's a smaller place). There's a larger variety of food, but at the same time their dishes aren't as spectacular. They essentially have different things to offer versus Guu, so it's a good visit.

Fin Izakaya

55 Eglington Ave E

Toronto, ON

(get off @ Eglington Station)

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