We had just finished lunch and were wandering down Fuxing Ave. near DaAn MRT station when we noticed the unassuming cake shop and did a double-take. Tiramisu Cakes built a solid local reputation in Hualien before becoming a popular mail-order outlet, now finally opened up shop in Taipei. We'd had their cakes before on our trip to Hualien and they were very good. We weren't even particularly hungry but there's definitely always room for dessert. The shop sells slices of their signature tiramisu along with other cakes for 35NTD a slice, which was entirely too reasonable. Comparable in price to the 85C Coffee's cakes but the quality blows it away. They also offer coffee drinks and some space to eat in, but most people just drove by and hopped out of their cars to grab whole cakes to go. Too bad the location is a little out of the usual way for us otherwise we'd be here quite a lot.

The wife loves udon noodles, so I've been eying the new Taiwan outpost of the Japanese chain ever since it opened on Guangfu Rd. On the other hand, we're used to the traditional soup stock or stir-fried udons. The thought of the sweet and goopy Japanese-style curry on noodles didn't seem particularly appetizing.

However, we didn't go out searching for food until late one night. Other nearby restaurants were starting to close and the SO blanched at the thought of McDonalds. So it seemed as good a time as any to give Konaya a try.

We came in right near closing time so they'd already shut down the fryer, so no katsu or tempura for us. But the duck-breast over their signature curry udon wasn't bad at all. The soup stock had a strong Japanese curry flavor without being thick and goopy like the curry sauce on rice. The soft-boiled egg could go right into the noodles to add even more richness, while the other side dishes with the green salad and brown rice are safe and healthy. Excess curry soup goes well over the brown rice, too. The udon noodles themselves were thick and springy as they should be, perfect to wick up the flavorful soup in one long, noisy slurp, Japanese-style.

They carved out a corner in the Mitsukoshi Dept. Store XinYi A11 to make it into your standard brewpub, slightly miniaturized. For drinks, there was a sampler of the Gordon Biersch beer selection for me, and a strawberry lemonade for her. Started with a big plate of soy-glazed chicken wings which went nicely with both our drink selections.

SO wasn't too excited about the prospect of garlic-breath, but I insisted on the signature side-dish to go with my burger. The garlic was definitely strong with these fries, raw and pungent. They asked how I wanted my burger and surprisingly they actually meant it when I asked for medium-rare. The burger managed to hold together nicely on their custom bun, but still-pink meat was almost too juicy and moist for a burger.

The beers were fine, offering a wide variety of colors and tastes and me not being as picky about it as some. We sat right by the open kitchen and some of the other entrees going out looked appealing, too, and appropriately American-sized. It's probably a step up from Chilis, but enough to justify the price difference? Still, variety is good, and hopefully they'll be more active in offering sports viewing options in the future, to bring it really up to par to the American version.

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
  

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.

Unlike Margaret's Cafe, which is in the heart of Macau's glittering casino district, Stow's Bakery is located in the outer island town of Coloane. The bakery is located in the town square, and they have expanded to also offer a restaurant and a sandwich shop in the area. Unfortunately we didn't have the time to stroll around Coloane as much as we should have, but the bakery made for a perfect dessert stop on our way back to Cotai after a nice meal at Fernando's.

We didn't care to make a careful comparison between Stow's and Margaret's egg tarts. They're both more than good enough for my standards and I'd be happy to chomp down half a dozen or so any time. Instead I controlled my gluttonous urges so we could slowly savor the flaky tart shell and the rich, eggy filling, and still have some left over to bring back to Taiwan with us.

It was an expensive cab ride from The Venetian in Cotai out to Hac Sa Beach on the very edge of Coloanne. Got there just as they were opening up for lunch and there wasn't any of the big crowds that some reviews had warned about. The restaurant is just as famous for its relaxed beach-side setting as for its rustic Portuguese food, but it had rained hard earlier in the morning so it wasn't quite practical to sit outside. The red-checked plastic tableclothes and cheap pitchers of sangria wouldn't be out of place along Portugal's Atlantic coast, although the Cantonese-speaking waitresses break the illusion a bit.

We ordered a simple salad, a quarter roast chicken on fries, and a plate of Macau-fried-rice with Portuguese sausage. Nothing fancy, but solidly satisfying, and it's unique enough to us. The meal comes with excellent gluten-rich home-baked bread. And a whole big pitcher of cool, fresh-mixed sangria, complete with half a bottle of red wine and a couple shots of brandy.

I should've just ordered glasses of the wine punch instead, but we managed to finish the entire pitcher by the end of the meal. The fruity sweetness of the mixed punch and the cool drink in the sultry air fooled the wife into chugging way too much sangria. Thankfully the beach was nearby so we could rest on a bench and let her peacefully sleep off the alcohol in the seaside breeze.

After a terrible time at the gambling tables, it seemed much wiser to piss away money on a fancy meal instead of on a game of chance. The interior was almost cliche in its dim, dark-wood-paneled interior. No high-powered halogen-spots here. Thankfully they put us at a relatively bright table near some table lamps. The restaurant was about half-full at best, which was fine with us after a day amongst the bustling Macau streets. The waiter rolled out a cart showing off the different cuts of beef available and rattled off a well-coached spiel about all the offerings on the menu.

Sure, the salmon and lobster and fancy starters sounded interesting and tasty and all, but KISS is the way to go here, especially since all the side-dishes are a la carte and the bill adds up fast. Bone-in rib-eye, medium rare for me. Petit Filet Diane, mushroom sauce on the side for her. Skip the side dishes, and leave more room for red meat. At least the huge loaf of garlic-onion bread came for free.

And boy was it a fine piece of meat. Perfectly seared on the outside and medium-rare pink in the middle, simply flavored with salt and pepper. Asked for steak sauce out of habit but there was no need. The SO's Filet Diane mushroom sauce made for a tasty little side dish, and a big glass of robust Cabernet was a no-brainer pairing.

Nothing like 16 ounces of animal protein to fill the belly up good, but there's always room for dessert. Too full for the heavy cakes and pies, but the creme brulee seemed like just the ticket, a classic dessert for a classic meal. Plenty big enough for us two to share.

Thankfully it was all costed in an unfamiliar currency so I charged it all without worrying about the total bill. Probably wasn't worth the money, by some objective measure, but it was exactly what I wanted right then and I'm thankful we can afford such luxuries once in a while. We did take away loaf of bread, which seemed to be the common practice, with them having a bag for it and all. So we had breakfast taken care of for the next couple of days, too, to bring down the cost-per-meal a little, kinda.

I've been a big fan of the egg tart ever since Mom would bring back pink boxfuls of freshly baked goodies from the famous Golden Gate Bakery on her SF Chinatown outings. But they were the Hong Kong style with the smooth yellow egg custard filling. The more historical Portuguese-style egg tart, as inherited by Macau, features lovely dark caramel bits along the top of the egg custard, which is more creamy than the HK-style filling.

Margaret's Cafe is one of the more famous purveyors of Portuguese egg tarts in Macau. Located in an unassuming alley near the Lisboa casinos, with only a small sign along the main boulevard to point the way. Nevertheless the small bakery was packed with tourists and visitors scarfing down the egg tarts hot out of the oven, which is obviously the best way to have it. An iced milk tea went along nicely with the rich tarts, especially during the hot and stifling daytime.

The canopied seating area outside in the cobbled back-alley plaza gives it an European flair. The bakery also offers sandwiches which would make for a decent light lunch. Meanwhile, the locals dodged all the tourists and bought the more conventional breads to go. Considering all the butter that must have gone into the flaky crust, 7HKD per tart isn't all that expensive. And it's right along the conventional touristing route making it a good way to experience a local specialty.

]]> Margaret's Café e Nata
瑪嘉烈葡式蛋塔
Edifício Kam Loi, Nam Van
南灣金來大廈
Macau
+853 2871 0032

The interior was no different than your typical Hong Kong/Macau street-side restaurant with cheap chairs and cheap tables. Except the place was packed with tourists both coming and going, hustled along by the loud boss guarding the door. Not exactly Michelin-star service, here. The SO was desperate for an icy drink and the 西米霧 would do. Love the big icy mug engraved with their big cow logo. However the mini-tapioca was a bit too stiff and the ice-milk ratio was tilted the wrong way.

雙皮燉奶 is really their signature dessert, though, and that did not disappoint. A delicately congealed pudding made by slowly cooking milk, egg white, and sugar until it solidifies. An intense but pure milk taste with every spoonful. May be even better warm, but I was too hot and stuck to the cold version. Either way, definitely not for the lactose intolerant.

Yeah, I'm sure there is some cheaper and maybe even better hole-in-the-wall place in the back alleys somewhere. But it is famous for a reason, and it offers a fun taste of Macau without forcing you to go out of your way.

Macau's colonial Portuguese heritage combined with the Chinese love for food creates a unique culinary mix, offering Old World European cuisine in the heart of Asia. A Lorcha is one famous example next to the A-Ma Temple, and our first stop right after landing in Macau and checking into the hotel. English, Portuguese, and Cantonese all cheerfully spoken by the polyglot staff. Mandarin, not so much. Didn't have reservations so had to wait until 2:00 for a table, but it was well worth it for the food and atmosphere.

Caldo Verde is a barely thickened soup flavored with slice of Portuguese sausage and cooked with greens. Bacalhau fritters were solidly packed with the reconstituted salt-fish, a Portuguese classic. A bottle of cold Portuguese beer hit the spot on a hot day, although I should've just gone with the Carlsberg on tap for the quantity over quality.

The Galinha Africana (African Chicken) is a juicy half-chicken smothered in a slightly spicy sauce full of exotic spices. Very tasty and would've been great over rice except we had a tough time finishing the big portions as it were.

Feijorada is a hearty pig-knuckle and beans stew. Despite the Portuguese name, the dish didn't taste all that foreign to us since we're used to chomping on pig's feet.

The fresh-baked bread was excellent, too. The plain, crusty bread is such a refreshing change from the oily, soft Asian take on bread.

The place offers forty-plus varieties of burgers with a huge list of topping possibilities. Super-popular with the young folks with us having to wait for a table even on a Tuesday night. Us in our work-clothes appeared to be the oldest diners in the room. Made us nostalgic for the student days.

The starters were a nice touch. Veggie salad was decent enough, with a choice of dressings, but the flavor of the potato salad was totally overpowered by dill. I was hoping for real avocado slices instead of mushy wannabe-guac on my California burger. The chili-cheese-fries is a cardiac-killer but oh-so-good. SO's mushroom-cheeseburger was solid and the home-made bun didn't fall apart with all the shroom and meat juices which was a plus for them.

The forty-some burgers seemed a bit gimmicky, and The Diner probably does the basic burger a bit better. But some of the other topping options did look appealing. The side dishes are good and the space itself is very nice. Plus the location is convenient to us. So I'm sure we'll give it a try again, but will make sure to call in a reservation first.

The uncles wanted to take grandma some place nice for the Mother's Day meal, and this high-end seafood restaurant certainly qualifies. The restaurant was fully booked for Mother's Day, but uncle had enough pull to get us into the even fancier private lounge upstairs. Of course, with it comes the expectation that we'd order well enough to justify the expensive space.

Getting over the minimum order hurdle wasn't a problem once you throw in the standard Chinese banquet fare like the shark fins, abalone, etc., etc. Normally I could take or leave shark fin, especially considering its environmentally unfriendly origins, although I don't quite have the chutzpah to be militantly outspoken against it. However, the signature soup here is a thick, whole fin lusciously poached in a thick, complex broth soaking into each cartilaginous strand. I just kinda had to bury my conscience and enjoy the dish.

Frankly the shark-fin soup was enough for a meal in itself both food-wise and $-wise, but there were plenty more to come. Although after the signature soup even the fresh abalone seemed a bit pedestrian in comparison. The fetishistically phallic sea-cucumber would scare off just about all the non-Asians, that's for sure. Actually, he roasted duck feet roasted with the abalone and sea cucumber were just as tasty, in its own way, in spite of being humbler stuff than the fancy seafood.

Thankfully the later dishes are a bit lighter in nature than the heavy-hitters. Steamed fish, and the like. A beef course to keep the cousin happy but that's not really what they do. The kitchen is surprisingly versatile, though, as they also offer Shanghai-style 小籠包 and 蔥油餅 and Hong Kong dim-sum items, in case you're still hungry. The Cantonese 臘腸飯 is fantastic except you're always too full to eat when they serve it at the end of the meal.

It was all awfully good, but I'm glad that I'm not the one footing the bill for the meal.

Was inspired to have a big plate of good-old Japanese style curry with katsu by an article in Wired pining for the thick, brown goodness. CoCo Ichibanya is an imported Japanese chain serving exactly that. There's one in the Taipei Main Station near where the SO works. Unlike me, she doesn't get Labor Day off, working for a governmental agency. So I went out to meet her there for lunch.

No surprises here. A thick pork cutlet breaded and fried. The big plate is filled with half rice and half curry sauce. You can choose various degrees of hotness for the curry, and choose extra or less white rice for a bit more or less money. Funny how her plate of eggplant-spinach curry cost just as much as my big-hunk-of-meat katsu curry.

A perfectly simple meal in a quiet, clean setting. Good thing I had the rest of the afternoon to sleep off the starch-and-meat induced digestive coma.

The father-in-law had to fast for his health checkup so a nice all-you-can-eat buffet seemed like the perfect post-op fill-up. And he likes Japanese food, so the premium buffet in the Taipei101 restaurant row seemed liked a perfect option. We had a coupon for one-person-free which made the pricey buffet a more worthwhile value. The restaurant was packed but not overflowing even on a Tuesday night, which was good in that all the eaters helped to keep the buffet fresh. The place must be an absolute zoo on holidays, though.

The buffet line featured a wide variety of seafoods, meats, and main dishes. The coal-grilled skewers were tasty and freshly grilled, and they were surprisingly generous with the sushi with decent quality raw fish. The raw oysters and crab legs were a bit harder to come by, though, but the FIL was a crafty buffet-goer and snatched up enough of the good stuff for all of us. Probably not the best value-option for us small-stomached folk, but it worked out nicely for this particular occasion.