Beitou Squid Snack Review

I'm definitely on a roll...2 reviews in 2 days! Now that I have the Blogger app on my phone, it's so much easier to snap food pics and instantly upload them. Ahh the power of the SmartPhone!

Tonight's restaurant review is of Beitou Squid Snack next to the Zhishan MRT (exit 2). This is a chain and there is another one in Tienmu [on Dexing East Road between Zhongshan & Zhongcheng], but the one we always go to is across the street from where the taxis line up at Zhishan. It's hard to miss!

View from the MRT side of the street looking across.

Easy to see sign that's hard to miss!

This is a great place to grab lunch or dinner as it's super efficient, it's tasty, and it's cheap! The trifecta of success in a Taiwanese restaurant. You can tell that it's popular as it is pretty crowded during lunch and at peak dinner time. One issue: no English menu, but I have a photo of the translated menu (and would be happy to send you the translated menu if you want it). 

English version of the menu. Message me if you want the original!

Now on to the food...like I said, it's quite yummy! It is a pretty standard Taiwanese noodle shop with lots of noodle dishes, soups, and wontons. They also have grilled squid (I'm assuming that's where the restaurant's name came from) and other grilled dishes. And for the adventurous, there's always the spicy duck blood! (Jordan recommends it). One of my favorite parts is the fact that they have choose-your-own side dishes. You can just walk over to the shelf and grab whatever looks tasty! I usually go for the Japanese eggplant, the green beans, or the cucumbers. 

Food wall of choose-your-own side dishes. Love it!

Tofu on the left. Super delicious green beans and eggplant on the right.

Close up: Yummy side dish that I don't know the name of but I think it's tofu (fingers crossed).

Close up: These green beans are fantastic! Crunchy with the perfect amount of garlic. 

I'm also a huge fan of these cucumbers because they are served cold - perfect on a hot summer day!

Dry noodles with pork & shrimp wontons. I always get the small size which is plenty to fill me up, but Jordan gets the big one.

And, in the end, if you really need to you can just point at the pictures on the wall :)

This is definitely on the weekly rotation of restaurants that Jordan and I run through on a regular basis. For the two of us to eat dinner usually costs under $300NT - gotta love Taiwan prices!

Food post #2: Tianmu Kushiyaki Place

The first food post from last week garnered some interest, so here's a go at a second one!

Tonight's restaurant is another new one in Tianmu - a yummy Kushiyaki (or Yakitori) place! Again, the name of the restaurant isn't in English, so I don't know what it's called but it's pretty easy to find. It's down the alley that is next to Subber across from Carrefour on Dexing West Road. You will see the restaurant on the right immediately after turning down the alley. 

Front of the restaurant. Look for the large hanging lantern!

The interior is nice and new with a variety of tables and bar stools. There are even two tables out front, but no one was sitting at them when we were there. Best of all: there is an English menu! Ordering was not a problem as we just marked what we wanted on the order sheet. 

Bar stools over looking the grill area.

Another view of the bar from the other side.

The menu that has both Chinese and English - easy!

The food was quite good, although it did take awhile to get all of it. It's pretty standard for food to come out in waves at a Kushiyaki place, so it wasn't a huge deal...but probably not the best place to eat if you're in a hurry! We left feeling satisfied for about $840NT for 2 people. 

Kimchi at the beginning of the meal. Not a huge serving, but enough to feel happy about it.

Pork belly with leek on the left. Lamb rib (we think) on the right.

Japanese eggplant on the left. Green pepper (or capsicum) on the right.

Chicken thigh with leek. Really tasty!

Beef rib that was quite juicy but a little on the chewy side.

A great end to the meal - an entire grilled squid! Beautiful presentation, but we did have to ask for them to cut it up for us otherwise we couldn't figure out how to eat it.

We will definitely be back, especially since its literally a 4 minute walk from my apartment. It's nice to add a little variety to the weekly dining menu, and I don't know of any other Kushiyaki places in Tianmu! And hopefully they'll get a bit faster in the kitchen with a little bit of practice :)

Last thought: the only weird thing we encountered was the fact that they were playing Adele's "Someone Like You" on repeat...hmm. Maybe they'll have a better DJ next time!

First attempt at food blogging!

For about a year now I have contemplated the idea of turning my blog into a food blog...so here is my first ever attempt at posting about my dining out experiences in Taipei! I don't think I'm ready to fully commit to solely food blogging, but I do want to keep track of some of the yummy restaurants I frequent and the meals I consume. If you're reading this and you're IN Taipei, feel free to contact me for any additional info regarding the places I post about. I'm not good with addresses, so I'll try to give details of the surrounding area. Here we go!

Restaurant #1: New Ramen Place in Tienmu (no name in English that I could see)

This place literally opened like 4 days ago and is at the intersection of Keqiang and Chung Shan on the east side of the street. 

Sign in front of the restaurant

There is a big red sign with lanterns underneath (see above). It's not a huge space inside, but there is a counter to sit at where you can watch them cook and some tables along the side that seem to fit between 2-4 people. There's no English menu, but it didn't matter as there are pictures on the menu for the majority of the food. And the owner speaks English!

View of the inside from the outside

First page of the menu - no English but lots of pics!

Jordan and I both ordered ramen, though there is other stuff on the menu like soba noodles and grilled fish. We chose two different ramens that ended up having slightly different broths, but were both quite tasty. The real centerpiece of both bowls was the PORK! It was nice and tender with crispy edges and they put big chunks in the broth. Totally fantastic if you're into pork. 

The $170NT ramen at the top of the first page...I blame the iPhone 4 for the slightly blurry pic.

Check out that crispy pork! Drool worthy for sure.

I can definitely see this becoming a staple in our Tienmu restaurant rotation, especially when it starts getting cooler (I will admit that I started sweating during dinner, but I'm used to that going into year 3 of this humidity!). Solid menu options, great broth, and once again, totally yummy pork.

Voila! First food post done. Now to contemplate the next meal...

Summer Recap

It seems fitting that I'm writing this as I watch the rain come down in torrents from my apartment window on our surprise "Typhoon Day" off from school. I can't believe the summer went by so fast! I am already into my second week of my THIRD year in Taipei. Time really does fly when you're having fun :)

I decided to use my time off today to organize pictures from the summer (i.e. reminisce about all the fabulous moments) in order to actually get back into the blog world as I have been noticeably absent since...errr...April? So what better way to start a new year than with a look back at the past three months! Here we go (mostly in picture form, of course)...

Summer 2013 consisted of three major events:
1. Anna's wedding in Virginia Beach and my surrounding East Coast travels
2. My three week-long Europe trip bouncing from London to Rome to Ireland
3. Ben and Amanda's wedding in Cville for one last hurrah before returning to Asia

Let's start with Anna's Wedding:
There is no better way to start the summer than with old friends! The Bachelorette Party in Charlottesville was a blast and the wedding two weeks later was just gorgeous.

Loving my time on the Lawn with the bride-to-be!

TEAM BRIDE ready for action!

All of the ladies at the Rehearsal Dinner

Couldn't have asked for a better date!

Just about ready to walk down the aisle <3 

Next it was off to Europe for three weeks:
The purpose of going to Europe was for a Professional Development (teaching) course in London. The BENEFIT of going to Europe was getting to travel around and eat my weight in delicious food! Jordan joined me after the course, and we made our way from London to Rome and finally to Ireland. Rome has always been at the top of my "to visit" list, and it didn't disappoint! And to be honest, there was no way any of those locations could "disappoint!"

Stopping for the iconic Buckingham Palace photo while on our bike tour of London

Enjoying one of many pints during the London experience :)

At the Trevi Fountain! Good thing the crowds are cropped out of the photo...

Stop #3 on the most amazing food tour of Rome

Bringing a little bit of Asia to Rome

Biking the oldest existing road in the world: the Appian Way!

The best first stop to make in Dublin

Stopping for a scenic pic along the "Ring of Kerry" in Ireland

And finally the summer ended with one more wedding...for Ben and Amanda!:
This was definitely the summer of weddings! I flew back to Virginia for one more celebration the weekend before coming back to Taipei. It was for my friends Ben and Amanda from college, and it was a great way to end a fabulous summer. Having the chance to revisit my favorite restaurants, bars, and vineyards was just icing on the cake.

The happy couple :)

Beautiful friends on a beautiful occasion!

And that wraps up the summer of 2013! Here's to the next one!

TAS does MUN in KL

April travels bring...wanting to stay home in May!! The past month has been a flurry of plane flights, different countries, and unfamiliar beds. First Korea, then Hong Kong, and finally Malaysia, but I can't complain too much, right? I signed up for all of it!

This past weekend was spent in Kuala Lumpur at a Middle School MUN [Model United Nations] conference at Mont'Kiara International School. I traveled along with 13 8th graders, 2 high schoolers, and 1 other coach to represent TAS at the conference. Last year was my first year having anything to do with MUN, and I felt like I spent the entire year confused. But THIS year I actually have a vague idea of what is happening, so I was semi-helpful! It was fun getting to know a new group of kids, especially 8th graders as sometimes I feel like I'm stuck in the 6th-grade-Twilight-Zone.

Ready to get started on the first day!

The nice thing about traveling with TAS kids is that they are super attentive and really sweet, so the weekend was a breeze. Our team represented France, and right away all the other coaches were asking, "What school are the French delegates from??" It's a nice feeling to know that all of the hard work the kids [and the coaches!!] put into preparing were well worth it. By the end of the conference, almost half of our delegates won awards - a pretty major accomplishment considering there were about 250 delegates there!

Looking classy and ready to dominate!

Official group photo

Helping out in the Advisory Panel room. Luckily I kind of know what to do this year!

Next week we our hosting our own MUN conference, and then it will be time for a breather before the cycle starts again next year. I'm definitely looking forward to a travel free May!

Surviving Seoul

Over the past few years of living in Asia, I have typically utilized all of my vacation time to visit new countries...and especially new beaches. Spring Break is the holiday that seems to call out the most for beach time as it serves as a reminder that summer is close and gives a brief respite before digging into the home stretch. This year, however, I decided to spend my Spring Break a little differently: chaperoning a school trip to Seoul, South Korea.

How did I get sucked into technically working during my holiday, you might ask? Answer: Jordan is very convincing. He sponsors a club in the Upper School called ConNeKt - a group of students who work to raise money for North Korean defectors living in South Korea. They are connected with an organization in Seoul called Durihana run by a pretty spectacular man named Pastor Chun who personally goes to help rescue North Korean refugees. [Click here for a PBS video that is quite informative and moving about Durihana and Pastor Chun's work]. I decided that actually having an educational [not to mention free] Spring Break that might actually give back to others sounded well worth it!

The other question you might be thinking is: why in the world did you go to South Korea in the midst of Kim Jong-Un's crazy threats against the US and S. Korea?? Answer: Once again, Jordan is very convincing and assured me that it was safe. BUT I was still thinking the same thing as we got on the plane last week [especially since I was in charge of 10 students] - yet when we got to Seoul, Jordan was right. There were no signs of war or concerns from the people there. It seems as though North Korea's rhetoric has been heard so many times in the South that they just ignore it now.

We spent the first two days of the trip working with North Korean refugee children who live and go to school at Durihana. None of them spoke English, but most of them spoke Chinese and/or Korean, so it was easy for our students to communicate with them [though Jordan and I were left in the dark for most of the interactions, for better or for worse]. The last two days we spent going to various historical sites, shopping districts, and eating areas...and yes, we did go to the DMZ and saw North Korea! Pretty intense. And now that I've rambled on, I will explain the details of the trip via photos. Note: there are no pictures of the North Korean defectors because it's too dangerous for them to have pictures online as many still have family members in North Korea.

Arrival at Incheon Airport - definitely one of the nicest airports in Asia. Wayyyy better than Taipei's...

The first of many meat grilling meals. Yummy but my body was seriously craving veggies by the end of the week.

A view outside of Durihana. This is where we spent the first two days working with the North Korean defectors.

Seoul City Tour: stop at the World Cup Stadium.

GANGNAM STYLE!

Posing in front of one of the many palaces in Seoul, which was actually destroyed by the Japanese and has been completely rebuilt.

We missed out on the English tour, so the guidebook was the next best option!

Walking the back streets of old Seoul.

Locks of Love at the Seoul North Tower. Apparently it's a tradition to leave a lock to have everlasting love, but we didn't have a lock with us...oops!

I had to get a picture with this dude after I saw him chop bamboo in half with one swipe of his sword!

Enjoying the sunset at the Han River.

The official DMZ photo. Glad we didn't get caught in a war!

One of the kids was a great photographer, so he kept snapping pics of us!

Posing in front of the Korean War Memorial. Quite a dramatic statue.

Strolling along the Cheonggyeocheon Stream that runs through the middle of Seoul on our last day in the city.

All in all a very good trip, but I must say that I was a bit relieved to get off the plane in Taipei and know that we were on neutral ground.