YABI KITCHEN 台北誠品南西店
【Foodholic Niko @ Taipei】
"YABI KITCHEN Taipei Eslite Nankai Store" is located on the second floor of Eslite near Zhongshan Station. The overall decoration of this place is a bright and lively yellow, which truly gives off a South Asian culinary atmosphere.
Our table was right next to a large glass window, and when looking out, we could see the extremely large intersection known as the "Shibuya of Taiwan," bustling with people. Sitting on the second floor and looking down felt very pleasant.
First, the downsides:
You can pay at the table, but when the staff finished swiping the card and returned, they loudly and a bit rudely said (almost shouted): "Whose card is this?" Considering there’s a 10% service charge, I found this service attitude unacceptable. My friends and I were quite taken aback, so I deducted 0.5 stars.
YABI Roti $298
This was my favorite dish of the day. It resembled a small pizza; the egg pancake was slightly fried, which made it very fragrant. I loved it! In addition to having ingredients similar to sausage on top, it was also filled with various fillings. I remembered tasting beef and red onion. Though it was a bit of a deception, it didn’t feel greasy at all.
Vietnamese Coffee Ribs (4 pieces) $380
As soon as it was brought closer, I could smell the strong coffee aroma. It tasted quite like coffee candy and was flavorful, presenting a very unique dish. However, I don't recall seeing this dish while traveling in Vietnam. Could it be that this is another dish invented by Taiwanese people?
But the ribs were quite small, with not much meat on them, and to pay nearly $400 for just four pieces feels too expensive.
Lemon Water Spinach $195
The lemon flavor was quite strong. Although it's on the heavier side, the lemon taste prevents it from feeling greasy. We didn’t order rice; eating the vegetables on their own was quite enjoyable. If you want to have some greens, this dish is a good choice.
Oolong Sparkling Drink
This beverage is quite unique. Since there were three of us, we chose the large bottle, and when the staff brought out the cups, they put ice cubes made from tea leaves inside and then poured the oolong sparkling drink. Overall, it was quite refreshing and thirst-quenching.