Monday, June 11, 2012

italian/pizza: VAPIANO



VAPIANO
at ATT4Fun
No. 12 SongShou Rd, 10F 台北市松壽路12號10樓
(02) 2722-7111

MRT: Taipei City Hall 


hours: 11AM - 1PM; Friday/Saturdays 11AM- 2AM

$$ 

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. everything is self-serve

Visit reviewed: 4/17/2012



Vapiano is a German chain of Italian restaurants with pizza and pasta bars, and has almost 100 restaurants around the world. Located at the top of ATT4Fun, be sure to check out the view of Taipei 101 or grab a seat outside on the balcony.  I had heard about it for awhile, but with so many Italian eateries around, I didn't get a chance to try it right away.

The first thing that happens when you enter the restaurant, the hostess gives you some cards to use swipe when ordering food at the different stations, and to return to the cashier to "check out" when paying the bill. It's perfect for those who are dining with co-workers and always have trouble splitting the tab. This makes it clear- whatever you swiped, you ordered. Some might even visit Vapiano just for this novelty factor.


The modern space with wood floors and panels has higher bar stool type seating and tables, as well as some tables and lounge bar type sofas in the back. 



Colorful drawings decorate the chalkboards above various stations while the details are on menus on the counter, with occasional special menu items offered. 



Essentially, it's like a dressed up Italian food court. You find your own seats, you walk around the different pizza and pasta and dessert stations and order, swipe the card at the counter register, take the buzzers back to your seat, come back to get the food when it's ready, and fetch your own utensils, water, napkins and extra plates. 


It's a bit of a scavenger hunt to locate everything for a first timer. I also had saved seats for the rest of my party and had tell at least 3 different people trying to sit down at the table that the seats were taken while I was waiting for them and my food. A bit awkward.


Luckily there are buzzers for the pastas and pizzas, so you don't have to stand there waiting in line and can multitask. Get all the stuff ready for the meal while the food is cooking up.


If you're in a group, it would be easy to split up the tasks, but since I was by myself, I ended up getting all the food and utensils first, making multiple trips from the pasta/pizza counters to the table. I can imagine that this could be a bit troublesome for diners with a kid or two- do you leave the kids by themselves at the table when you get the food, and the forks and the extra napkins and the water, or do you take them with you?



Pizzas range from NT$280-420 and are made to order. I enjoyed the rucola pizza (NT$360) since I don't often find fresh arugula/rocket in Taipei, and I added mushrooms to the pizza.


This was my friend's pizza with prawns and peppers and pesto sauce, I think it was a special of the day menu pizza.


I found the pastas that night to be a bit gummy and starchy, not al dente like I typically prefer. Even the bites of the other pastas I tried from my friends were the same. The pasta prosciutto tartufato sounded better than it tasted with the prosciutto being cubes of ham (not silky prosciutto like I thought), truffle oil, gorgonzola and baby spinach (NT$420). If I had known that it was ham, and not parma ham, I would have ordered a different pasta. I thought the sauce was just okay and the texture of the pasta kept me from really enjoying it. There are about 10 different types of pasta to choose from, and you can mix and match them with the sauces and toppings.


Chicken and bacon carbonara with fusilli pasta



My friends added some starters- a caesar salad, beef carpaccio and soup.





 

The premade desserts at the dessert bar.

I'd stick to the pizzas at Vapiano and the space is nice enough to relax and enjoy a few slices with a glass of wine, especially on a nice night out with the glittering view of Taipei.





Wednesday, June 06, 2012

snapshot: RANDOM SPRING ONION PANCAKE STREET VENDOR

Sometimes you can smell it in the air and then follow your nose to the cart. This one, tucked in the alley behind Keelung and Zhongxiao, next to 7-11 was a good find. Hot and crispy on the outside, with a soft chew on the layers inside without being too oily. I prefer the tsong you bing, or spring onion pancake, without egg and without sauce, but you could load it up for a mini meal.
You really can't beat the street eats in Taipei!

Monday, June 04, 2012

dessert/fusion: i recommend SEASON CUISINE PATISSIARTISM



SEASON CUISINE PATISSIARTISM
No. 22, Lane 397, Alley 2, MingShui Rd. 台北市明水路397巷2弄22號
(02) 2533-2377

MRT: Dazhi Station

website: Season Cuisine Patissiartism FB page

hours: Lunch 11:30AM - 2:30PM (last order 1:30PM)
Afternoon Tea 3PM - 6PM (last order 5PM)
Dinners- only Friday and Saturday until 9PM

$$-$$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs spotted, limited savory dishes available though lots of sweets to please.

Visit reviewed: 10/17/2011


If you've ever been the kind of person to plan your meal around dessert, then Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism should be next on your to-do eat list. Like its name implies, the restaurant aims to be part patisserie and part art, lead by the vision of Chef Season Hong.




The space is a simple backdrop to the food, one open room with a shared table in the center, all with a view of the window into the kitchen or to the dessert area where the daily specials are listed on the wall.


Eeny, meeny, miny, moe... so many luscious desserts to choose from...



When I went late last year, Season Cuisine Patissiartism, had been open only for a few months and only had a printed menu in Chinese.  There were only three dishes available for lunch sets when I went- a truffle risotto, a duck and a pork chop. On Season Cuisine's Facebook page, the 2012 menus now have English, as well as more options like oxtail stew, truffle fries, and shrimp and lobster risotto.


Fresh and bright flavors started the meal with a lightly dressed salad with balsamic vinaigrette, grilled onions and marinated salmon. Even the starters had notes of tang and sweetness.


The rustic bread made in-house that was served had me and my friends gushing- the firm crust, the chewy center- we wanted to buy some to take home, but unfortunately, that wasn't available.





Tomato soup with grapefruit compote gnocchi and seaweed 'biscotti'



The grilled natural pork (NT$980) was served with a mashed potato topped with figs and bits of brown sugar.




I love figs so the sweet and savory combination was a pleasant surprise to me. Some people would find it off putting, but it's no stranger than candied yams with marshmallows, or peanut butter and jelly. Salty sweet, sweet and salty.


The pork was especially tender on the inside and carmelized on the outside, and served intentionally pink as the server had told us that the chef prepared it medium well done. Not everyone at my table was willing to try a bite, but I devoured it without any problems afterwards.



A few of my friends ordered the truffle hazelnut risotto (NT$780).



My least favorite of the three was the duck with cherries and brownies.  I thought the portion was too small for the price, especially in contrast to my plate filling pork chop.




Along with the lychee sorbets that came with our set, we had to try some of the desserts.



My favorite was the chocolate cheesecake, which had a citrus touch to it.




Pour chocolate over something and you can't lose.


Our least favorites were the grapefruit jelly as it was a bit too acerbic, perhaps the pomelo was too ripe.




One of Season Cuisine's signature desserts which we regrettably did not get that day was Plant which is a mint ice cream hidden under a layer of chocolate cookie crumbs, served in a pot to look like a plant. Did I mention the mint ice cream has pop rocks in it? I think I'll have to go back.



On a nice day, I can imagine the patio filled with afternoon tea diners wielding camera phones in this little alley hidden somewhere in Dazhi.




:)