Gastro Monkey // 美食家

I visited a friend in Nagoya before who told me  about Nagoya's tabasaki chicken wings. There are quite a few restaurants to choose from there, but she said they should all be pretty good. So, she let me choose. I picked based on the character on all of their signage. I dubbed him "Chicken Boy" after Bruce Willis's character on friends. In the Nagoya location, I ordered the same items and drank the local beer. While we were in Taipei, I wanted the boyfriend to try in case we don't make it to Nagoya on one of our Japan trips. Thus, this is a review of the Taipei location. It's really close to the Taipei City Hall MRT stop. Once you exit, it's just around the corner. You'll see a Chicken Boy standing right by the door. It was pretty busy when we got there, but it's pretty spacious inside so we were able to get a table downstairs. Since it's so spacious, they have the button system. If you need to order anything, just push the button and some...

Having had the fried chicken at Addendum before, I figured Ad Hoc would be just as good; or better considering that's their main restaurant. Also, it's in the Thomas Keller family, so that also boosted the credibility in my eyes. If you haven't been before, they only have a prix fixe menu. If you pay extra, you can tack on a few other main courses. Everything served is to share. We were a little disappointed that there wouldn't be any fried chicken, but the pork belly did sound good still. We decided to throw in some rib eye also for good measure. Since the weather was nice, we sat outside. It made it feel like an expensive picnic. Service was great. They came by frequently to check on us and to see how we were doing. The food was good, but not as good as I thought it would be. For the price and the name, I expected it to be better. I guess it makes sense for the location and name to charge that much, but I've had better. That poor rib eye had so much sauce on ...

One of my favorite things to eat since childhood is the onion pancake. It was one of the few things my non-Chinese friends would see me eating and not be ashamed. It was only for onion pancakes too, that they would give it a try and think it's good or even ask me to bring more to school to share. I was incredibly fortunate that my grandma would make these on a regular basis for me to eat. She would make huge batches of them, portion them out, and freeze them in ziploc bags to fry for me when I got home from school (like I said, incredibly fortunate! If not for her, my grandpa would make me an after school snack/meal).  What kids don't understand, especially spoiled ones like myself is that people won't always be around and you really should learn how to do it yourself  so you won't be for want. My mistake. I really should have learned how to make it the way she does, because it's so hard to find any as good as the ones she made.  Tianjin comes pretty damn c...

Once again, I find myself a tour guide in Taipei. Luckily, there are a ton of things to do in Taipei - including things I have yet to do myself! This time, I take my friend on the Maokong Gondola so we can check out some more temples and wander around some tea fields. Of course, the more we walk around and wander, the hungrier we get. It was hard to choose. There were a ton of places that were packed with tourists which made me question how good they were. Maybe they were fantastic and the tourists weren't wrong, but what are the chances? We all agreed to wander some more. We ended up at the Six Seasons Teahouse. What we really wanted was just a snack and to enjoy some local tea. It had a pretty good view, minus the power lines. I was also happy to see that they had some bitter tea oil noodles, along with some fresh bamboo. Bitter tea oil noodles/苦茶油雞 Sauteed bamboo/ 炒 竹筍 The patio. Pretty good size that is uncovered, but also a covered area in case it rains. ...

In case you had any doubt, I love crabs. Younger me hated them though, and always longed for lobster. Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, I took those Dungeness Crabs for granted. I thought those were a lot of work and only ate the stuff in the head because it was easier; just throw some rice in, mix it up, and scoop into your mouth! Man, was I wrong. So many other crabs that are so much more work. Like this little guy. Mitten crabs are tiny little crabs that are a ton of work. There's also a method to it, so if you are planning on having some, youtube it so you don't waste your time trying to figure it out. Someone else posted that the best way is to start with the legs since they are smaller and get colder faster.  Either way, make sure that the crab is fresh. I've had frozen before and it just wasn't as good. It makes a huge difference in the texture of the crab meat itself. And the butter. The whole point of mitten crabs are the crab butter. Supposedly the mal...

I feel like it's been a while since I posted about beef noodles, so it's time for another. This restaurant has been on my list for a while. I had attempted to go there before, but it was closed. They are one of the few restaurants that close between lunch and dinner, so plan accordingly! I feel like I have seen this place on someones blog or Instagram, or even just random browsing on Instagram. I am glad though, that this last trip out I was finally able to try it.  While most places in Taiwan I feel, have pretty good service, and are generally friendly, Furong is not one of them. They are of the please order right away and eat and don't dawdle. Good thing their beef noodles are pretty good! I would definitely come back for another bowl (although I would have to say my favorite is currently another place that I have been meaning to blog about, so I would be more likely to go there before attempting to come here). The next time you're in Taipei, give it a try and let...

Since it's Taco Tuesday, I thought I would throw a quick blog up today celebrating. One of the great things about living in California is the Mexican cuisine. Everyone has their favorite taco shop, and it's always interesting hearing where everyone else likes to go. If I haven't been there before, chances are I would love to give it a try! One of my new favorites is Tacos La Piedad. They are known mostly for their citrus barbeque chicken which tastes pretty amazing. Eat it there or to-go: they'll send you off with some tortillas and fixins so you can enjoy it in the comfort of your own home. As for the tacos, I always debate between getting the carnitas, al pastor, and lengua. They didn't have any al pastor that day, so I went with the carnitas and lengua. The lengua was a little dry, but still flavorful. Thinking about it is making me hungry though. Where do you like to get your Taco Tuesday on at? Tacos La Piedad 2700 Northgate Blvd Sacramento, CA 9...

In Elk Grove, CA there's a sandwich place that used to sell muffulettas.  I thought it was pretty good. Prior to that, I had never heard of a muffuletta so the first one I had was good. I couldn't wait to try the real thing in New Orleans though! If you have never heard of a muffuleta, it's a sandwich unique to New Orleans and has ham, salami, provolone cheese, and their house made olive salad smushed deliciously between a Sicilian sesame loaf. Don't settle for anything less! The bread makes all the difference! Note: I am spelling it the way they do at Central Grocery, although I have seen it spelled muffaletta. I am trusting the creators of this sandwich to spell it correctly. Another Note: You can order the sandwiches ready to eat from their website (linked below).  Central Grocery 923 Decatur St New Orleans, LA 70116 Saint Louis Cemetery #1 300 N Claiborne Ave New Orleans, LA 70112 I didn't know until I arrived in New Orleans that...