吃飯了嗎？

巴黎廳1930 (Paris 1930)

The flagship restaurant at the Landis Hotel is widely acknowledged as the finest formal Western restaurant in Taipei, and priced accordingly. However, at the last tourism convention show, the hotel was offering vouchers at 10% off face value, and who can resist a nice discount? Actually we resisted for a long time, until the one year due date of the vouchers was almost expired. So much for saving it for a special occasion, let's just pick a convenient Friday night and go already.

The menu is set up to offer various multi-course meals, such as a seafood meal, a chef's menu, a vegetarian menu, and the obligatory over-the-top extravagant selection. I chose the seafood and she had the chef's menu.

The menu speaks for itself, the pictures not so much, due to the dim lighting. Still can't quite let myself bust out the DSLR at formal restaurants. The service was certainly up to the expected standards, with the added bonus that the wife could converse easily with the waiter, and the live piano/violin added a bit of liveliness to the atmosphere without being obtrusive. It'd be perfect as the can't miss proposal restaurant. There were also more than a couple of birthday cakes delivered to the other tables during the meal. However, the entire meal just wasn't as good as other places we've been, like L'Atelier de Joel Robüchon, which offered a more casual atmosphere and finer preparation all at the same time. They offered much the same frou-frou techniques, but the foams at the Michelin-starred restaurant were just a bit finer, the jellies had that much more flavor, and the seafood just a bit more umami. On the other hand, plane tickets to Tokyo don't come all that cheap these days, either.

• Amusé:
  Pâté mousse on roe. Greens dressed with aged balsamic vinegar.
  

• Appetizers:

  Toro Carparccio and Kumamoto Oyster
  Squid Ink Jelly, Sour Cream and Spiced Cod Roe Chantilly, Red Pepper Wafer, Lemon Thyme and Anchovy Oil Capsule
  

  Sakura Prawns and Spanish Ham
  With Melon Jelly Cube, Sweet Pepper "Yolk" and Manchego Dentelle and Herb "Mille Feuille"
  

• Soup Course:

  King Prawn
  Celery Leaf and Watercress Tempura, Shellfish Consomme Flavored With Aromatic Herbs and Clam Fondue
  

  Poached Digby Scallops
  Clams, Orange Essence and Crispy Chorizo With a Potage of Tomato al la "Basque"
  

• Fish Course:

  Mine:
  Flounder Filet
  With Tarragon Butter, Carrot Orange and Polenta Puree and White Asparagus

  Hers:
  Butter and Thyme Poached Lobster and Shitake Ravioli
  With Vanilla Bean Oil, Saffron Emulsion and Ragout of Snails, and White Hon Shimeji
  

• Savory Course:

  Scallops Poached in Lemongrass and Coconut Oil
  With Yellow Curry and Sea Urchin Emulsion, Enoki, Chinese Cured Ham and Cabbage Spring Rolls
  

  Foie Gras
  Peking Duck Broth, Creamed Onion and Parsnip, Pea Greens and Carrot "Air"
  

• Entree:

  St. Pierre "Barigoule"
  Cauliflower, Frothy Bacon Cream and Saffron Aioli With Artichokes, Mussels, Confit Pear Tomatoes and Dried Parsley Salt
  

  Lightly Smoked Whole Roasted Pigeon
  Lemon Sage Flavors with Wild Rice, Bacon, and Morel "Pilaf", Cumquat Relish and Celeriac Puree
  

• Desserts:

  Seasonal Sweets
  Raspberry sorbet, chocolate cake with apricot gelee, fresh fruits.
  

• Extra Touch:

  New York style cheesecake, as we pretended it was our anniversary dinner.
  

• Mignardies
  

巴黎廳1930 - 亞都麗緻大飯店
Paris 1930 At The Landis Taipei Hotel
台北市民權東路二段41號
41 Min Chuan East Road, Section 2, Taipei
02-2597-1234

天讚烏龍麵

Dinner before a movie is always kinda awkward since there's no time for a big sit-down meal, but the typical food-court options get old after a while. Tempura Sanuki Udon is on the first floor of the Warner Vieshow Cinema with its entrance located on the side-street between the Cinema and the Neo19 building, so it's perfectly situated for pre-movie or post-shopping dining. Its offering of Japanese standards seemed like a good option for a quick sit-down meal.

Being down in the basement, the restaurant seemed a bit dark, relying on halogen spots to light its thick Japanese-style wooden tables and benches. I had the veggie ten-don with a big cake of tempura vegetables. SO had the pork yaki-udon, with lots of benito flakes on top. My rice bowl was drizzled with plenty of soy sauce, and her noodles had the soy sauce cooked in, so it tended a bit on the salty side but not out-of-line.

The restaurant is a cousin of the Aubergine Curry chain, and it lives up to the same standards of good casual Japanese dining. One of those options that's perfect to have around for a certain time-and-place, so we'll probably eat there again sometime when we're looking for a meal before the 7:30 showtime.

天讚烏龍麵
台北市信義區松壽路16號1樓
02-87883099

Toasteria Cafe

We were near Zhongxiao-Dunhua and considered getting take-away pizza from Alleycats on the way home, but it would've been quite a wait for the pie to bake. Instead we got a couple of panini-pressed sandwiches from the Toasteria Cafe next door. It's squeezed into a tiny space less than 10-ping, but they managed to coordinate an combinatorical array of panini sandwiches featuring traditional Italian and nouveau Asian fillings. A copper-clad bar adds a touch of permanence and class to what otherwise would be a hole-in-the-wall, allowing a handful of patrons to eat-in. But we were happy to take our tomato-basil-mozzarella and BBQ-chicken sandwiches with us to enjoy at home. It's kinda between two MRT stations so it's not as convenient as one might hope, but an unconventional and fresh option for quick-eats is quite welcome.

Toasteria Cafe
土司利亞
忠孝東路四段248巷2號
(02) 2731-8004