Actually, this bar wasn't on our must-visit list. We just happened to pass by the door and heard someone singing inside. The singing was so nice that it attracted us to go in. Since it's located in an alley, it’s not easy to spot this quaint little decorated bar. 🍷
The bartender was actually quite polite and made an effort to communicate with us in English. We casually ordered two cocktails, but both cocktails 🍸 were quite disappointing. The flavors were very light, and there was almost no alcohol taste. The bartender’s preferences were completely different from ours, and the cocktails came out tasting very much like cough syrup. After having one drink each, we decided to leave this bar. I didn't even remember the names of the cocktails... You can imagine they really lacked any distinctive features.
If you prefer drinks with a lighter alcohol taste, you might want to give it a try, as the bartender is quite dedicated to finding customers' tastes, and the atmosphere in the bar is fairly nice, but it just didn’t suit my taste at all.
There are two parking lots available. 🅿️
#Vegetarian
Hello everyone, I am Huaguibin Pidan🐩
Since the arrival of FOODAY, I've had a little extra budget for meals every day🙆🏻♀️
It's been a while since I wrote a food review!!!
Today, I'd like to share a slightly higher-priced restaurant and bar with you all🤏
This place is called "Buna Cafe," located in Neihu.
It’s quite famous in Neihu; every time I pass by on the bus, I see that the place is packed with customers.
Despite the somewhat high prices of their dishes, people still come flocking here,
which shows that whether it's the food or the decor, they must be really appealing to everyone👍
That's my irresponsible sharing from Huaguibin Pidan🐩
For detailed descriptions of the food's flavors, please take a look at the images and captions☺️
If you're interested, feel free to check it out and visit!❤️
If you're driving there, you might need to arrive quite a bit earlier. The wait for the parking lot entry took a little longer than expected.
The appetizer is Pacific shrimp and Hokkaido scallops with honey mustard sauce. The scallops definitely show their raw grade quality. The vegetable jelly was surprisingly good; I originally thought it would be nothing special, but the vegetables had a surprising juiciness to them. The shrimp were quite standard, but I found the asparagus a bit spicy (or maybe it's due to the honey mustard sauce).
For soup, I chose the creamy mushroom soup. It was decent, but it got a bit rich towards the end. I feel like it’s a pity that they didn’t offer a lighter soup option, as all three choices were creamy soups.
For the main course, I chose the filet mignon cooked medium. Although the service staff recommended medium rare or medium, I think medium is just right (five-star rating!).
Although the meat was rated highly, the overall value felt a bit lower. However, it’s still a great place for a date or celebration, and the atmosphere is quite nice.
Today, I visited another ramen shop in Yunlin called Yan Ye. First of all, this place is huge, has a lot of seating, and the lighting is bright. It's clean and comfortable, which definitely adds to the experience.
This time, I ordered the rich pork bone ramen. I was hoping for a strong pork bone flavor in the broth, but it turned out to be just a typical pork bone soup, lacking the richness I anticipated; it didn't feel very special to me.
The other components, such as the noodles, chashu, and soft-boiled egg, were average—not too bad, but not great either.
Finally, besides being able to add extra noodles, this shop also offers free rice. If you have a larger appetite, the value for money should be very high. Just remember to save some broth!
ROBIN'S Teppanyaki is located on the second floor of theحن华 Hotel. Although there is an underground parking lot at the hotel, parking spaces may be full during dining hours. If you do not arrive early, you might not be able to park in the underground lot (on the day of my meal, the parking queue took about 25-30 minutes).
The appetizers are small bites that you can finish in one mouthful, completely whetting your appetite and making you eager for the next dish!
The salad, made with a jellied texture using vegetables, was very nice and showcased the fresh sweetness of the veggies. The scallops were seared to a beautiful color on the outside while managing to maintain the moisture and texture of sashimi-grade scallops on the inside!
The French onion soup topped with cheese was very rich, and the cheese was just the right amount—not too overwhelming (I personally don’t have a particular liking for cheese).
The bread was also grilled on the teppan, paired with sautéed red quinoa and butter, which gave a rather unique texture (though I personally prefer it without the quinoa flavor).
For the filet steak, it is recommended to order it medium-rare or medium; I chose medium. It was served with garlic sauce, pepper, and wasabi from Alishan. The garlic sauce was the most special because it complemented the beef without overshadowing its flavor, pairing quite well. The pepper, when eaten with the steak, was a bit more ordinary, while the wasabi wasn’t too spicy and had a mild kick; you could dip a little to try.
Since I didn’t order any extras (if the portion doesn’t seem enough, you could add something like Wagyu fried rice), after finishing the main course, we waited for them to prepare the beverage station before having dessert and drinks.
Today's dessert featured fruit jelly that included ice cream along with what seemed to be bubbles made from fruit juice; the overall sensation was refreshing and well-blended. As for the drinks (I forgot to take a photo), I chose chamomile tea, which was at a comfortable and pleasant temperature—not too hot.
Perhaps because I indicated that this was a birthday gathering when making the reservation, they kindly provided a small birthday cake at the end. The ice cream on top was very delicious, while the base seemed to be a salted caramel cheesecake—quite a unique flavor!
Overall, the dining experience was pleasant. However, considering the cost in relation to value, it might be a little on the lower side! If dining with friends who have larger appetites, you may need to order extra fried rice to make it just right!
This old-fashioned steakhouse has many regulars among the older generation of political and business elites. It's located in the basement of a building and has a nostalgic American atmosphere. Most of the waitstaff are quite experienced, which is rare in today's dining industry; they are professional, enthusiastic, and even help celebrate birthdays by singing, which is quite charming.
The selection of salads, desserts, and fruits is diverse, fresh, and delicious, and it's an all-you-can-eat setup; however, be careful not to overindulge because it can really fill you up. There are also various soups, such as onion, pumpkin, and oxtail; all of which have unique flavors and are enjoyable to drink. The bread may seem ordinary, but you find yourself finishing a whole piece without realizing it.
As for the main course, the filet is wrapped in bacon, but it was a bit tough and not as easy to bite into, which was a slight disappointment. The New York strip was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, very tasty. The flank steak was also flavorful and delicious. Overall, it was a great experience, but I was just too full, hahaha.
📍Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Thanks to Fooday AI, I found a restaurant to celebrate with my family. The keyword was 🔍 “recommended omakase.” At first, my vague request 🔍 “recommend a restaurant suitable for celebration” didn’t yield suggestions that matched what I wanted, but after giving a specific and clear instruction, I found a suitable restaurant! Here’s some reference for everyone.
I evaluated the price, availability, convenience of parking, and whether there were any discounts, and finally chose “Mingshuiliang・Le,” considering how far it was from home, I opted for the “Far East Department Store Xinyi Branch.”
It was my first time eating omakase, so I was unfamiliar with the process. When making the reservation, I had to prepay the “full meal cost + 10% service fee” within the deadline to secure the booking, which was limited to bank transfer. They would also call the day before to confirm ✅.
💰 There are only two set menus priced at 1600 and 2400, and I could prepay 1600 for the reservation. If I wanted to upgrade at the venue, I could ask the staff if there were ingredients available to upgrade my meal.
There are two teppanyaki chefs, each serving six guests. With each dish served, they explain the name of the dish to us. The chef at our table seemed shy and didn’t make much eye contact with the guests while explaining, speaking rather softly; in contrast, the chef at the adjacent table spoke louder and interacted more with the customers, sharing laughs. This part depends on personal preference and luck, whether you prefer a quiet meal or a lively one 🙂.
Aside from that, it was quite interesting to watch the chefs prepare the dishes while having our meal, so it wasn't boring at all. There were a total of 14 dishes, and the entire meal ended up taking about 2 hours. The staff provided excellent service, proactively refilling our tea and adding side dishes.
I’ll share some favorite dishes in the pictures:
⭐️ Clam soup
⭐️ Salted egg lobster claws
⭐️ Lobster
⭐️ Wagyu beef hamburger
⭐️ Main dish A5 Wagyu
Overall, the seasoning of the dishes was rather light, perhaps to showcase the original flavors of the fresh ingredients. Looking at the dishes I liked, they all seemed to be the comparatively richer-flavored ones 😂. The food was delicious, but not overwhelmingly impressive; I feel that the internet's “must-try” rating for omakase is somewhat overrated.
When making the reservation, they asked about birthdays or anniversaries, and we could receive a complimentary cheesecake. Everyone seemed to mention it, and while every group received one, we didn’t since we forgot to write it down, so I felt a little shortchanged 😅.
The manager was very thoughtful and played a little ukulele rendition of “Happy Birthday” for us at the end, jokingly saying he was the resident singer when he handed over his business card, which was quite amusing.
Overall, this experience was quite nice; the environment and service are suitable for celebrations. The meal also included validation for parking at A13 for about 3-4 hours. I can't remember the exact time, but after eating, I still had plenty of time to browse around the department store, so I would recommend it to everyone.
🥭 Miyazaki Airport's Specialty? Mango Ice or Taiwan's Best 🍦
While waiting at Miyazaki Airport, the scent of mangoes was in the air. Miyazaki is known as a premium mango-producing region in Japan, and a single mango can cost several thousand yen. So, when Japanese people visit the area, they definitely indulge!
However! How could mango ice possibly compete with Taiwan’s? It's winter now, and what they serve is actually just thawed frozen mango, which can’t compare to fresh mangoes.
Although the soft serve itself is very rich, I suggest that if Taiwanese people have the opportunity to visit Miyazaki, they should skip this and buy more mango-flavored cookies as souvenirs instead, which are much more worthwhile.
Environment
The tasting location this time is Hai Di Lao on the 15th floor of Guangsan SOGO. We had a reservation, so we didn't wait too long to enter. If there's a line at the restaurant, there are plenty of services available to pass the time. I feel the tables for dining in are a bit small; if you order too many ingredients, there might not be enough space, but there is no time limit for dining, so you can order in bulk.
Food
There are many items on the menu, and I would recommend a super cool combination:
📍 Slices of meat + Ling Ling roll + Shrimp paste.
You can ask the staff for help rolling it. I was really impressed during my first tasting; the texture is very rich, and the meat slices, whether beef or pork, both work well. Dipping it in a little sauce makes it a delightful experience. 😋
📍 Ice powder dessert.
I highly recommend this dessert option, which comes with fruit, tapioca, and agar jelly. It's cold and refreshing, a bit sweet but not overly so, and I couldn't help but keep eating—finishing the bowl in no time!
Parking
Scooters 🛵 can be parked at the plaza in front of the entrance.
Cars 🚗 have access to the department store’s underground parking lot 🅿️.
Service
The service at Hai Di Lao is truly excellent. However, it also depends on the server's level of experience and their interaction with customers. The server I encountered this time, Mei Qi, made my dining experience very satisfying, and I was surprised that such great service didn't come with a service charge. I highly recommend it!
Payment Methods
Cash 💵
Credit card 💳
Mobile payment