A day (and night) in Taipei 101

The concert venue of the Kpop Concert we are to attend is right next to the Taipei 101. 

Here's a photo of the Taipei 101 day and at night. 

Inside the Taipei 101 were a lot of high end shops and food stalls. There was also a grocery right next to the food court. The food choices was a variety of different cuisine. There's Singaporean / Malaysian Food, Chinese Cuisine, Indian Food, Fast Food, Shaved Ice Desserts, Fresh Fruit juices and Bubble Tea.

So we really had a good amount of time in there, for some really good food at the food court, and of course we just have to try out the best Xiao Long Bao or Soup Dumplings in Taiwan. It is in the same level as the food court. The queue is long, there was about 40-60 minutes of waiting time and that is about 20 people ahead of you, and yet people wait for their turn.

Sticky Rice

Soup Dumpling

If you are in Taiwan, You must also not miss trying out the Shaved Ice Desserts. 

Some good take outs or pasalubong shop is also in the Taipei 101 food court. It must be really good as we saw a couple buying like at least 10 boxes whilst we were walking around and looking for something to eat.

Also, in Taipei 101, We bought their MRT Easy card for $120. For Souvenir! =) 

Food Trip in Bangkok - Thailand!!!

Main reason in going to Thailand with my friends was to Watch a KPOP Concert, so I won't be posting a lot of travel guides, etc. We haven't gone to a lot of places because it was a brief stay. =) But... we managed to go around places to have a good eat! =)

Best place to go if you want to just chill and take a break from the Hot weather in Thailand... is in Terminal 21. Its a huge 8 story mall with food courts and stalls and shops. The shops here are a bit om the upper scalem so this is not really the place for great and cheap bargains. But food prices are reasonable in the foodcourt.

When you go to Thailand, Mango Sticky Rice is a must! =) 

Also, there is this meringue with coconut shavings. It is really so yummy! 

The Salad is a combination of sweet sour and salty taste, but it does work well. Its refreshing to the taste. =) 

Coconut Ice cream!!! Its okay, we got and tried it because it was served in mini coconut husks. Its cute! haha see the size in the next photo. =) 

On a different mall, we ate at a foodcourt again. hehe the foods were all so great and tasty! They also aren't expensive. =) 

Beef Noodle Soup (above) and Tom Yum Kum (which is a bit sour and spicy)

Pad Thai is also a must try!! Its really good! I never really thought pad Thai is this good. so next time I go to a Thai restaurant, I'd try Pad Thai again. hehe 

Rice meals are common as well, Roasted duck and rice meal is also a good choice if you want a heavy lunch.

Pork leg and Roast Duck with Egg! this is similar to the Pork Leg or Pata Tim in Chinese Restaurants.

Milk Tea!!! They are also one of the common stalls in Bangkok. There are so many kiosks that offers fruit juices and milk tea, So far there aren't any flavors we tried that isn't good.

END

Leanne's Tea House - Korean Restaurant

Korean Restaurants are booming in business in Manila! Well, maybe because of the Korean Wave! KDramas, KPop!!! Well This restaurant has been around for a while already near where I work. This is recommended by my office mates who just love to eat out. 

Leanne's Tea house  is closed on Mondays, so go there Tuesdays to Sundays. The Restaurant is located in Mother Ignacia street. 

As you order, you will be served with side dishes (that are refillable, by the way). Its kimchi, veggies, and mashed potato. I like this potato though. Im not a fan of Kimchi, not here not anywhere else because I do not like the taste of the red bean / chili paste.

Our usual order here is the Seafood Pancake (This is to die for!) Must order!!! Next is the Crunchy Pork Tonkatsu Kimbap. Their Bibimbap is good too. (Ah, I don't have photos - my associates always digs in so fast). 

If you like spicy food, go for the Spicy Seafood Stew as well. But every time we come here for food, we will sure to order the pork samgeupsal, and Beef Woosamgeup. 

So I always see the black bean noodles in most Korean dramas or even variety shows I watched, and they have it here in Leanne's too; so i gotta try it. hmmm but its not my taste. Its bland, not sweet, not spicy, not salty. I don't know what its suppose to taste like but yeah, I won't suggest this noodle. 

Comfort Food: Home Made Grilled Cheese Sandwich

What you Need:
1. Loaf Bread / Wheat Bread
2. Cheddar Cheese
3. Egg/s
4. Butter
5. Optional: Sweet Ham or Sliced Spam (if you want it to have a meet)

To Cook:
Use a Non Stick Pan

1. Cook Eggs first, Sunny side would be great for this; make sure not to over cook the yolk. Set Aside.

2. Get the Loaf ready. Melt butter in a non stick pan; Toast the bread.

3. Place the cheese in the toast. If you have sliced spam place it over too.

4. Remove the set; toast another bread and place rest of the food you prepared. Open the toasted bread and place the egg inside. 

5. There you go! =) Its really good, and cheaper. 

Enjoy! 

Foods you shouldn't miss when you travel to Osaka (Kansai Region) Japan

Food, Snacks and Desserts alike tastes so good in Japan. All of those we tried have made quite an impression. Here's my list of what I would be going back to Japan For. In no particular order, hope this helps as you may have come to the blog with hopes of some information on what to try out in Osaka Japan.

(1) Food court meals! If we have only found out about this sooner, We would have tried as much as we could, but really just one order would make you full already. There are a lot of  Bento boxes, Salads, Croquet, Desserts. Try the Shrimp Salad, the Shrimp Croquet, the Turkey Leg, and some sweets. Taking out would costs you half the price compared to eating in the restaurants around Namba or Dotonbori.

Desserts

 Almost all train stations in Osaka leads you to a department store exit in the subway. Get inside the mall and look for the grocery.

 

 

Fresh Seafoods, Best for Sashimi

Salads, Vegetables, Fruits, and Seafood Salads

 

(2) Takoyaki - There are a lot of Takoyaki stalls, restaurants in Japan. in Dotonbori and in Namba Walk alone. The best so far is in Dotonbori. Where you see this huge octopus at the top of their establishment.


If you also happen to go to the Universal Studios, find time to go up one of the buildings in the Universal City. There's a Takoyaki Museum with about 5 Takoyaki shops all serving different takoyaki's. If you happen to love this snack, they serve Takoyaki with lots of scallions, cheese flavor, curry flavor and more! Try to grab a souvenir Takoyaki Keychain too if you will. =)

(3) Grilled Eel -  A lot of the restaurants in the Namba and Dotonbori Area serves grilled eel. Even in Kobe, Japan there's a grilled eel restaurant, but it was expensive! They costs from 1800 to 2500Yen. When we went to Yoshinoya, they serve grilled eel for half the price! Get in there for lunch or dinner, order this heavenly fish meal. Philippine's Yoshinoya does not have this on their Menu. 

(4) Okonomiyaki - I never thought I would love this Japanese Vegetable (Cabbage) Pancake. But I do. Now that I am home, I crave nothing more than I do this pancakes! Its so delicious, I would love to have another set all to my self.

 

You can choose to put in noodles in there, for a more filling meal. But for my taste, the regular one tastes better. Go for the Pork, Beef and Shrimp combination. It tastes so good, I looked for restaurants in Manila that serves okonomiyaki the moment I arrived here in Manila! =P

With Bonito Flakes

 (5) Kaiten Sushi(Bar) - The taste is good, tastes better than most sushis i have tasted in the Philippines (of course). The experience made it all different actually as you get the sushis in front of you as they go on a trip on the conveyor belt. At 135yen per plate, you will probably get to finish 7 to 10 plates on one sitting.

The menu is also in front of you; when you do not see something you like pass by you, just ask one of the waiters to make it for you and they will send it out in the conveyor belt.

 

 When you come to this sushi restaurant in dotonbori, do not miss out on the green tea (powder) as you enjoy your sushi. Its one of the best green tea I have had in Japan.

(6) Ramen - We have eaten quite a lot of noodles and noodle soup in Japan, Mostly in Osaka they offer Udon. I am not a fan of Udon because I like think noodles. This place in Dotonbori is a must! DO NOT MISS Ichiran. Go there, make time, wait for at least 30 minutes, do not leave nor give up. It's worth the wait. Order an Extra Egg too!

(7) Cheesecakes and Desserts- There are a lot of cheesecakes, and pastries alike in town. We tried the ones where we see  people line up for.  

First, is the Rikuro's Cheesecake. This cheesecake is worth around 700 yen (medium sized) The texture is similar to a marshmallow, but not sticky. The taste is quite nice and it is light. Best when hot or warm.

Next is the Pablo Cheesecake - which happens to already have a branch here in Trinoma Quezon City.  The Pablo Cheesecake has a different texture than Rikuro's. The cheesecake feels like a cream. It is coated with a gelatin like glazed (which i originally thought as caramelized cheese) :P Pablo Cheesecake is great even when cold. They actually keep it in a fridge at the store. 

Belgian Waffle - When you decide to go to Himeji, you will pass by a Manneken Store. The smell will just invite you. Don't miss it. Try the Belgian with Almonds and the Maple Waffle. They taste really great.

Even in their cold weather, you will be surprised as to how they loved sundae cones, or ice creams. We have gone to a lot of tourist spots and almost always see a dessert station with all sorts of flavors. Green tea is among the favorite. But we chose a simple sundae bar near the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, taking a bite slowly and just enjoying the day.

Not to Forget, Japanese Cakes are everywhere too, they have all sorts of filling. Red Bean paste and green tea also among the favorites.

(8) Yakitori - The best ones are found in Kyoto! When we went on a trip to the Thousand Tori Gates, along the exit routes are several street food stands. Food sure catches our eyes, and so we went ahead and fall in line with other tourists in there. 

Pork Yakitori

Crabsticks good for sharing

 The Beef Yakitori, Pork, and even Crabsticks. We tried all these three and they are all just great! 500 yen per stick makes it a good deal because it is quite thick and the texture is of good quality. The pork and Beef have moist and nice flavors.

(11) Torikara (chicken) Stick - They serve all kinds of fried chicken nuggets, or chicken strips. The best flavor is the one with cheese filling. I love it, plus you get to choose your own sauce. This is along Namba Walk.

 

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(10) Other Foods we tried: Pork Burger and a pound steak, at Meat Rush Restaurant (Yodobashi 8f Dining) in Umeda. The burger is a favorite, the steak is soft and not chewy. Garlic and Onion Sauce also compliments the fresh beef as well.

 

The Mayo Sauce is just heavenly

One Pound Steak

If you must try Mcdonald's in Japan - go for the Ebi Sandwich. Partner it with their Chicken nuggets for an additional of only 60Yen.  I seriously had no expectations over this sandwich, and thought it must be shredded shrimps. To my surprise, it was packed with whole shrimps! This sandwich is really good, I wish they have this in the Philippines!

For experience, Try Sukiyaki. They serve it for a cheap price in Yoshinoya too. It tastes good and they even give you a good portion. Below photo is only a regular order, and they have large ones too!