Smoked Salmon Mousse

You didn't think I'd leave you like that, did you? You bet I'd talk about the food I cooked. =)

I love the idea of bite-size hors d'œuvres, especially when no utensils are required. I've always dreamed that one day I'd serve some in my house. There is a first time for everything, right? This occasion seemed to be the perfect vehicle. True, the idea of salmon mousse in cucumber cups is nothing original, but it's a good opportunity to try my hands on something more sophisticated than my day-to-day plain Jane.

Smoked Salmon Mousse in Cucumber Cups
based on this recipe

4 ounces smoked salmon
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 lemon, juiced, about 1 - 1 1/2 tbsp
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
¼ tsp salt
pepper
2 English cucumbers

Place smoked salmon in a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth. Mix in heavy cream, cream cheese, 1 tbsp lemon juice, dried dill weed, salt and a dash of pepper. Taste, season with additional salt, pepper and lemon juice if necessary. Blend to desired consistency.

Use a zester or vegetable peeler to score the length of the cucumber to create the alternating striped effect. (My zester and vegetable peeler couldn't do this, so I used a knife and made two cuts lengthwise ⅛ inch apart at an angle towards each other. Remove the peel. Repeat the cuts every ⅜ inch.) Cut the cucumbers into ½ - ¾ inch sections.

Use a melon baller to scoop out the center of the cucumber disks. With a star tip, pipe in the mousse. (I used tip #18, which I found to be too small. Next time, I’d try #22.)

Dinner Party at Last

As much as I love cooking, I'm a novice when it comes to dinner parties. Other than my own wedding, and a few birthday parties, I hardly ever planned any parties let alone DINNER parties. The planning I can handle, but the food prepping just seems like a monumental mount of work that I shudder at tackling. I just don't understand "easy entertaining". So what do you think hubby suggested for this holiday season? A dinner party, of course! At least, we started small only with 2 friends.

A week before the party, I started planning. I made sure that only the least amount of cooking was necessary when our guests were here. So this is the menu I ended up with:

Hors d'œuvres:
Baked Puff Pastry with Brie and Apple Compote
Parmesan Crackers
Cheese Quesadillas
Smoked Salmon Mousse in Cucumber Cups

Chilled Tomato and Sweet Pepper Soup

Pear and Blue Cheese Salad with Candied Pecans

Roasted Chicken

Grilled Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

Roasted Potatoes

Popovers

Cheese Course:
Brie, Beechers Flagship, Gorgonzola, Dried Dates, and Baguette

Crème Brûlée

Well, that was the plan. Unfortunately, plans don't always work out. The week before the party, there were still abundant asparagus, but the 2 days before, there seems to be a sudden shortage. I visited a few stores, and there were no spears in sight. Luckily, I found some good looking brussel sprouts. I also didn’t have time to get a loaf freshly baked baguette. So I had to serve the cheeses with some more of those Parmesan crackers.

Of course, our friends didn't mind these last minute ad libs. Friends and conversations are more important than food, right? =)

Merry Christmas!

I am sorry to have been silent for so long. It's just that December is such a crazy month. I think holidays are fun for kids, and exhausting for the adults, at least the non-holiday-spirited ones like me. Lately, there have been a few things ranging from disappointing, annoying, stressful, to a royal pain, that made me extremely lacking in the holly jolly department. I know I have many things to be thankful for, but still I can't wait for this year to be over, and hope for some better luck next year.

Sorry about venting. I just wanted to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Green Onion Buns

I'm in love, in love with bun-making that is. Maybe it's similar to people who love making bread. I get a sheer joy out of watching the dough rise and the sweet yeast smell in the air. Today, I didn't feel like making any red bean paste, so I made green onion buns instead (HuaJuan). (OK, you caught me, it's not that I didn't feel like having some red bean paste, it's just this was a last minute thing, so I didn't soak any beans last night. =P)

Green Onion Buns

Makes 8

3 green onion, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
oil

Dough
300g flour (about 2 ½ cup) + more for dusting the working surface
pinch of salt
1 tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry active yeast
150g warm water (100F - 110F)

You make the doughs just like the Red Bean Paste Buns.

Work with half of the dough at a time. Roll the dough out to a rectangle about 9-10 inches wide, 12-13 inches long, ⅛ inches thick. Brush with a little bit of oil, sprinkle half of the salt and green onions evenly. (Use the salt and oil sparingly.)

Fold the dough along the width to thirds, forming a long 3 inch wide strip. Pinch the seam. Cut along the length to 8 1½ inch sections. Stack 2 pieces together, seam side inward. Using a flour-dusted chopstick, lengthwise (cut sides facing out) press down hard in the middle of the dough without cutting through. Pick up the dough, pull the two folded sides down, and pinch together at the bottom.

Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Let the buns rest for at least 30 minutes. Steam for 15 minutes.

There are many ways to shape/fold green onion buns. You can roll. You can twist. I found this method quite simple with nice results.

ART's Second Chance

When we had the unsatisfying lunch at ART back in March, I vowed to steer clear of the place. However, I swayed when I saw the reviews on yelp, and decided to give it a second chance. J didn't have school on Veteran's day, so off the two of us went.

Like most hotel restaurants, ART knows how to take care of kids. As soon as we sat down, J was offered a small dish of fresh fruit which he chowed down in record time. (He was really fascinated with the wire place mats. =) It was even more promising when the bread wasn’t as hard and dry as last time.

The TV trays were probably very badly received in March that ART changed their format this time to a true 3-course meal. Planning on sharing everything with J, I ordered Crispy Calamari ($8) with chipotle aioli from the regular menu. The calamari was well cooked - tender inside with crunchy batter. It didn't even need the aioli. The aioli was smooth and creamy, with only the slightest punch that even a kid would love.

Our 3-course started with the Escarole Caesar topped with white anchovies and foccacia croutons. The salad was just OK. While the anchovies weren't really fishy, for some unexplainable reason, the salad was.

J decided on our entree - Grilled Herbed Quail. It sat on top of braised greens and Medjool date brioche stuffing, drizzled with pomegranate sauce. The quail was nicely done. But it was SO small that it should only be called an appetizer.

The Maple Cheesecake with a walnut bacon shortbread crust wasn’t exactly to my liking. Luckily it was only a bite size pyramid that I didn't consume much unnecessary calories. =P

Even though this lunch still didn't impress me, it was certainly a huge improvement from the March offerings. I think they have potential to be great. I'm also hoping that their regular entrees are more fulfilling. =) Whatever ART lacks, it excels in taking care of the junior patrons. J was offered a cotton candy that made him ecstatic.

ART Restaurant and Bar
99 Union Street (Four Seasons Hotel), Seattle, WA 98101
(206)749-7070

Palisade, Revisited

November came and went. For most people, November is synonymous with Thanksgiving. Well, yes, but to me, more importantly, it meant Dine Around Seattle month.

Couple of weeks ago, we celebrated J's birthday. After having those wonderful lunches at Palisade in March, I wanted to share my find with the family. I wanted to declare Palisade as my favorite restaurant.

The evening started wonderfully. Palisade seems to be THE place for celebrations. There were many tables with rose pedals and cards, including ours. A little detail like that made J's evening, and warmed our hearts.

The bread was exactly the same as before, and as good as I remembered. I ordered the butter lettuce salad again, and hubby had the made-to-order shellfish chowder. Consistency is a good thing, but it could get a little boring. The salad was almost exactly the same as last time. Hubby's chowder was rich and creamy with lumps of Dungeness crabmeat and shrimp.

Back in March, I recommended Palisade to a friend. When she went for dinner, she also got the butter lettuce salad and the sirloin. My lunch salad had one prawn, and her dinner one had more. At dinnertime, the sirloin was really a surf and turf dish paired with prawns. So I was slightly surprised that my salad was exactly like my previous lunches - with just one prawn - only sloppier presentation. Were they trying to reduce cost?

When our entrees came, my suspicion was confirmed. Hubby's sirloin was the only protein on the plate, accompanied by asparagus, chanterelle mushroom pieces and potato galette. While the steak was cooked to a perfect medium, it was too peppery for hubby. The potato was a bit dry.

My crab cakes were quite disappointing. The two cakes were only average with mild seasoning. The escarole watercress salad with lemon vinaigrette was underwhelming. And the sweet corn succotash was extremely bland. The only tasty component of the whole dish was the sweet and sour plum butter sauce! I should have chosen the third option - King salmon.

The kids' teriyaki steak bites weren’t bad, but that’s all they were - teriyaki for kids!

I can't say that the dinner was disastrous since our Chocolate "Lovers" Cakes were as sinful as I remembered. However, as a whole, it fell short of my expectations. Even though, $30 is still a very attractive price for a three-course meal at Palisade, both the quality and quantity were either on par or below my $15 lunches.

Did they just cut cost on dinners? Or was lunch always a better value? With all these questions, I made a point to go back to Palisade for lunch during the last week of November.

As usual, I ordered the butter lettuce salad and the sirloin. The salad had no prawns at all now! The julienned pear was all wet and limp, not crisp at all. I would pin that to some over-ripe pears, and not hold it against Palisade though. My sirloin was not very peppery, and almost exactly the same as our dinner. Maybe it was slightly smaller, I couldn't tell. The chanterelle mushrooms were much better.

On this particular day, service was so slow, I had to get dessert to go. Wanting to try something other than the chocolate cake, I got the Pineapple Bread Pudding made with vanilla custard brioche, caramelized vanilla bean Maui gold pineapple and maple rum anglaise. By the time, I had the bread pudding, it was all cold. It was still good, but the chocolate cake would have been much better.

Other than the missing prawn, the only thing they cut down during lunch service was the bread. So yes, lunch is the way to go. Even though, the meal wasn't as spectacular as it was in March, I'd reckon that Palisade still serves one of the best, if not THE best, Dine Around Seattle lunches. It's just unfortunate that I no longer feel that I could declare it as my favorite restaurant. Oh well, the search is on!

Palisade Waterfront Restaurant
2601 W Marina Pl, Seattle, WA 98199
(206) 285-1000

Taiwan, Part XXI - Da Wan Yakiniku

For my very last dinner in Taiwan, we went to a yakiniku restaurant - Da Wan. The competition of yakiniku restaurants in Taipei are almost as fierce as hot pot restaurants.

Da Wan is located on a side street in the busy Dun Hua business district. Other than the bar area, there are only couple of tables. We put our name down before they opened for dinner, and were told that we had only an hour and half to eat. When you arrive, you get a locker for jackets, purses, etc., so your belongings don't smell of the smoke. The wait staff will help you grill almost everything, making the experience even more enjoyable and entertaining, not to mention risk-free. (If I were to grill things myself, I'm sure I'd have overcooked and ruined a few pieces.)

The three of us started with a Japanese wakame salad (NT$140). I love wakame. And this salad was perfect to cleanse our palate for the parade of meat that was following. =) Our feast started with the Salted Green Onion Beef Tongue (NT$240). I've never been a fan of animal tongues. In fact, I used to dislike green onions so much that I'd pick them off of my food till a year ago. However, these beef tongues were so tender and juicy that I couldn't tell them apart from some nice steak. They were only grilled on one side, but there was more than enough heat to cook the green onions on top as well. The green onions added a nice aroma to the tongue. They were the perfect accompaniment. Dipped in lemon juice, these were heavenly. We loved these so much, we got a second order.

The Salt and Pepper Pork Cheek (NT$160) and the Brisket Marinated with BBQ Sauce (NT$260) were just as succulent. While I didn't really enjoy the Salt and Pepper Chicken Cartilage (NT$140), my friend J loved it. We also had one of the specials - the Wagyu Combo (NT$1680) which included Australian wagyu top blade steak, rib-eye steak, and rib cap. When I had wagyu filet mignon carpaccio style at Alexander's Steakhouse, I thought they were delicious. These grilled wagyu were even better. They were marvelous without any seasoning. The marbled meat literally melted on my tongue. These might be expensive by Taiwanese standards, but they are much more affordable compared to what wagyu steaks command in the States.

To balance off our meal, we also had Salt and Pepper Chicken Leg Mushroom (NT$80), Corn (NT$80), and Okra (NT$80). The mushrooms and corns were good. What really surprised me was the okra. I normally don't like okra due to its sliminess. However, these okra weren't slimy in the least bit. The outside was grilled to subtly crispy. The inside was perfectly tender. Who knew that I would enjoy okra! =)

The Japanese style Salmon Tea Soaked Rice (NT$80) and the Buttered Enoki Mushroom Soup (NT$80) were so comforting, that they were almost homey.

We added an order of Hokkaido Capelin (NT$180) at the end since you can't get capelins here. These tiny fish had bulging stomachs filled with eggs. They are quite difficult to grill - if you flip them too early, they would stick to the wire and tear; if you flip them too late, they'd burn. The taste isn't exactly my favorite, but it was very interesting.

As my last meal in Taiwan, we certainly ended on a high note. The meal was so satisfying, I was ecstatic.

My Taiwan recap has come to an end. It's been almost as fun as the trip itself. I already miss my friends and can't wait to go back again. Oh, there are so many more places to visit and things to do!

Da Wan Yakiniku (大腕燒肉專門店)
Address: 22 Lane 177, Dun Hua South Road, Section 1
地址：台北市敦化南路一段177巷22號1樓
Telephone: 02-2711-0179
電話：02-2711-0179
Hours: 6 pm - 2 am
營業時間：18:00-02:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Many years ago, our friends, the Ls, decided to invite their single Canadian guy friends over for Thanksgiving. This became a tradition. As the years went by, some got married, some had kids, but no one strayed. The group grew as the girlfriends, wives, and kids joined the party. Hubby was one of those guys.

Every year, we look forward to Thanksgiving at the Ls'. When it snowed on Sunday, I didn't think too much of it. However, by Tuesday, the snow still didn't melt. I started getting worried about our Thanksgiving feast. There is no way that we would miss our yearly traditional for some measly white flakes, even if we have to pack snow chains, sleeping bags, and toiletries. =) Unfortunately, the Ls couldn't negotiate a sled service contract with the deer and raccoons to take people up the hill in front of their house. So they had to reschedule Thanksgiving to Friday. While to us Thanksgiving is when we celebrate at the Ls', to the rest of you, Happy Thanksgiving! =)

Taiwan, Part XX - Ji Pin Seafood Restaurant

Ever since the first time I heard about the "quicksand" bun, I was enchanted. On my last day in Taipei, I was determined to have this unique dessert at Ji Pin. Besides the famous "quicksand" buns, Ji Pin is a seafood restaurant, specializing in shark fin and abalone.

Ji Pin's clientele consists mostly regulars. The boss and the manager walked around the room, greeting and chatting with people. Their lunch "specials" change from time to time. When I visited, there were 4 options, all 9 course meals, price ranging from NT$1280 to NT$2980. Yes, these would be expensive lunches. A little shocked by both the price and the amount of food, I stayed away from the specials, and ordered a few dim sum items. In hindsight, I should have gone to Ji Pin with an empty stomach, and splurged on an extravagant lunch, instead of having a pre-lunch snack.

When my Cantonese Sausages with Rice in Clay Pot (NT$200) came, the clay pot was still hot. The rice on the bottom got very crispy. After mixing together the rice and the sausages, every bite had some crunchy, some soft, and some meaty. This was really tasty. The only thing is that like most dishes with Chinese sausages, it's a bit greasy.

The Ji Pin Shark Fin Dumplings (NT$240, 3 pieces) are steamed with shark fin, shrimp, carrots, bamboo shoots, tree mushrooms, and shiitaki mushrooms. Shark fin is a very mild-taste ingredient. So these are very similar to shrimp dumplings, with bits of slightly crunchy vegetables. Don't get me wrong, they were good, just not much of a surprise.

The signature dessert - Quicksand Buns (NT$120, 3 pieces) are really molten custard buns. They are very similar to steamed custard buns. When the bun is hot and torn open, the custard would run out. Their menu translated the name to Steamed Salted Egg Custard Bun because the custard was mixed with cooked salted duck egg yolk. The dough was nice and fluffy, like regular custard buns, with a little sweetness. Unlike regular custard buns, the filling was sweet and salty, creamy and gritty at the same time as the duck egg bits hit your tongue. It was quite an experience.

Ji Pin Seafood Restaurant (吉品海鮮餐廳)
Address: 25 Dun Hua South Road, Section 1, 2nd floor
Telephone: 02-2752-7788
地址：台北市松山區敦化南路一段25號2樓
電話：02-2752-7788
Address: 236 Xin Yi Road, Section 4, 2nd floor
Telephone: 02-2700-3311
地址：台北市信義路四段236號2樓
電話：02-2700-3311
Hours: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm 5:30 pm - 10 pm
營業時間：11:30 - 14:30 17:30 - 22:00

Taiwan, Part XIX - Master Ji

There is a famous sushi stand at Shi Dong Market called Master Ji. (It's truly a "stand". There isn't any place to sit.) From what I've read, normally people just tell Mr. Ji their budget, and let him decide everything. Since this was my last day in Taipei, and I had another plan for lunch, I knew exactly what I wanted to get. The small downside was that I wanted to get to my final lunch destination at a reasonable time, so I didn't wait for Mr. Ji, or the official 11 o'clock opening time.

One of the highly praised items was the sea urchin Ezo Bafun Uni (scientific name: strongylocentrotus intermedius) flown in from Hokkaido. "Bafun" means horse manure. What a distateful name for such a delicious delicacy. Well, name aside, the urchins were so smooth and amazingly sweet.

I also ordered two other highly recommended items - salmon roes and toro. Those didn't quite live up to my expectations. Salmon roes were just OK, nothing special. I've had better. At dinner, my friends told me that the salmon and salmon roes in the Pacific Northwest are much better than the ones in Taiwan. No wonder, I would definitely skip this in the future.

The toro was VERY fatty. (The second picture is the puddle of tuna oil left behind the toro.) It was torched, topped with the super fine menegi (leek sprouts). I don't like the strong pungent flavor of raw onions, green onions, etc. The menegi, however, was very mild, perfect with sushi. I felt the torching was unnecessary. It rendered a lot of the fat into oil, and completely covered the fish, that all I could taste was the oil. I would much more prefer a perfectly cut and unaltered piece of toro nigiri.

There is always a pot of fish soup at the end of the counter that the customers are welcome to help themselves. The broth was well prepared with pieces of random fish (with bones) that didn't make to sushi. Some other bloggers have mentioned that if you spend over certain amount, you'd get the special soup with shrimp that they keep in the back.

My two hand rolls and one piece of nigiri rang up to NT$600. It's unfortunate that I didn't like the salmon roe or the toro. Next time, I would definitely wait for Mr. Ji, and get more uni.

Master Ji (阿吉師)
Address: 100 Shi Dong Rd (Shi Dong Market, 1st floor, stand #88)
地址：台北市士東路100號(士東市場一樓88攤)
Telephone: 02-2834-6136 0936-132578
電話：02-2834-6136 0936-132578
Hours: 11 am - 5pm, closed on Mondays
營業時間：週一休息，平日11:00am-5:00pm

Taiwan, Part XVIII

In the States, the Asian supermarkets are often associated with being dirty and messy. However, I find the supermarkets in Asia very clean and often much more upscale the normal Safeway's or QFC's. On this trip, I was particularly impressed by the sushi selections at a supermarket. I don't know how they taste, but they sure look scrumptious.

There are another type of markets in Taiwan, similar to permanent farmers markets. You can find produce, meat, poultry, fish, and other random things. They are sort of like Pike Place Market, only that these places are not tourist attractions, they don't toss fish for show. Shi Dong Market is supposedly the best. (Do you see how large that winter melon is? Even with the ends chopped, it's still over 3 feet long.) Walking around, you'd see the regulars greet the merchants. There are tanks filled with live crabs and other shell fish. There is cooked food, next to a stand with raw animal parts hanging. I have to admit that walking by some of the stands, you need a strong stomach. At the same time, it's very fascinating. This is the kind of place where you get to see how the locals eat and shop.

Taiwan, Part XVII - Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant

Beef Noodles are such a big part of Taiwanese local food scene, that there is even an annual Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival dedicated to it. So one day I set out to try a place that's the Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's favorite - Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant.

Mu's is a small hole-in-the-wall kind of place, located across the street from Taipei Medical University's front gate. Even with 2 floors, the space is very limited. I arrived shortly before noon, and walked down the steep staircase to the basement. Ninety percent of Mu's menu are various beef noodles and soups. When you order noodles, you can choose thin or home-made thick noodles, they will also ask if you'd like green onions and cilantro. I love tendons, so I ordered the Half Tendons and Half Meat Noodles (large NT$190, small NT$170) with thick noodles. The tendon was melt-on-your-tongue tender without disintegrating. The meat was also very tender, but not as outstanding as the tendons. I would probably just get all tendons next time. The broth was flavorful without the taste of MSG. The noodles were just the right level of al dente for me.

Another specialty at Mu's is the dry-cooked layered pancake, which comes with the Shredded Pork (NT$150) / Beef (NT$160) in Peking Sauce, or stuffed with beef (NT$100). Since I've already ordered beef with the noodles, I went with the shredded pork. The pancake was so flaky and light. Since there is no oil, you only taste the natural sweetness of the flour. While the pancake is quite large (it’s folded into quarters on the plate), it's so good that most people would just eat it by itself, end up finding the one piece that comes with the dish insufficient, and order another one (NT$40). A friend told me to request the Shredded Pork in Peking Sauce cooked with some chili. The sauce was sweet, salty, and mildly spicy. This would be perfect with rice too.

The food is served really quickly at Mu's. The place gets filled up just as fast. When I arrived at 11:40, it was still half empty. However, when I left at 12:15, not only the place was packed, there was already a long line waiting. (That's when I took the picture of the outside.) Don't get discouraged, it's totally worth the wait. If I had more time, I'd definitely visit Mu's again.

Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant (穆記小吃牛肉麵斤餅店)
Address: 239 Wu Xing Street
地址：台北市吳興街 239號 ( 台北醫學院正門口附近 )
Telephone: 02-2723-9372, 02-2722-2707
電話：02-2723-9372、02-2722-2707
Hours: 11 am - 9 pm
營業時間：11:00～21:00

Taiwan, Part XVI - KiKi Restaurant

I know it might sound like I had a lot of mediocre food, but I did have some great food too. KiKi Restaurant was one of the memorable experiences.

KiKi has 6 locations, including a cafe and a Thai restaurant. Even though I cannot vouch for the quality at other locations, I believe KiKi's popularity is largely due to the dishes being consistently delicious, instead of the celebrity ownership.

Having only a pepper pancake for lunch, we showed up for dinner when they opened, ready to devour anything. Like most restaurants in Taiwan, there are many small appetizers at the counter for the customers to choose and take to their table. My friends picked the Sichuan style Shredded Bamboo Shoots (NT$80). It was a very good start! The bamboo shoots were tender and moderately spicy.

KiKi has a long list of house specials. The number one is Crispy Deep Fried Egg Tofu (NT$200), and that's a well deserved title. The skin was paper thin, and deep fried to golden brown. The inside was so soft and tender that you'd think you are eating custards, not tofu! This was definitely my favorite!

The Stir Fried Minced Pork with Chinese Chives and Fermented Black Beans (NT$220) is extremely popular as well. I've never been a fan of Chinese chives, so I can't declare this as a favorite. We asked for mild, even though there were a lot of chili peppers, it wasn't spicy at all, a little bland for me. Next time, I would ask for medium spiciness.

The Thinly Sliced Boiled Pork in a Piquant Garlic Dressing (NT$220) was indeed "piquant". =) The meat was thin and tender, the garlic was very mild, the sauce was what made the dish.

The Pan Fried Omelet with Dry-Salt Meat Sauce (NT$200) didn't stand out against the other plates, but it didn't disappoint either. I remember the sauce being the star.

The Sauteed Diced Chicken Legs with Chili Peppers (NT$330) wasn't like what you get in the States. The chicken pieces were small. They were deep fried to such a crispy level that they were almost crumbly. Again we asked for mild, and as alarming as those chili peppers and garlic slices might look, it wasn't spicy.

The Whole Pan Cooked Fish in a Piquant Molasses and Vinegar Sauce (NT$320) was deep fried, then topped with a sweet and sour sauce. (Their translator must really like the word "piquant". =) The fish was perfectly tender. The sauce was titillating. While I’m not much a rice person, I'd be content with a bowl topped with this sauce.

Can you believe the three of us ate all of THAT? And every dish was so delectable that I'd order it again. Even the freshly brewed Hot Fruit Tea (NT$170), with diced fresh apples, pears, oranges, and pineapples, etc., was so fragrant, it was the best fruit tea I've ever had. This was definitely one of the most gratifying meals of the trip.

KiKi Restaurant (KiKi 餐廳)
Address: 28 Fu Xing South Road, Section 1
地址 :台北市復興南路一段28號
Telephone: 02-2752-2781
電話 : 02-2752-2781
Hours: M-Sat 11:50am - 3pm 5:15pm - 11pm Sun 11:50am - 3pm 5:15pm - 10pm
營業時間 :週一至週六11:50~15:00 / 17:15~23:00　週日11:50~15:00 / 17:15~22:00