Gastro Monkey // 美食家

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that Noodle in a Haystack is my favorite ramen restaurant/pop-up in the States. You can find my previous blog entry here . I broke down the reasons why it's worth making that elusive reservation, and what makes Clint and Yoko's ramen so great and unique. So, I'm not going to repeat myself. What I want to do this time around (and next time because I assure you it's not my last visit), is show some pretty pictures and introduce one of the other ramen seatings that they had. They have a few different ramen varieties in rotation which depend on what they feel is fresh. They had a shio clam ramen I wanted in on a few years ago, but they stopped making it because they didn't like the clams they were using. They finally brought it back (don't worry, if you aren't able to go, I will definitely report back!) for July 2019. For how long, I can't say though. So really, if you see something you like, BOOK IT. Th...

Not much makes me happier than an amazing bowl of beef noodle soup. There are two that I really love in Kaohsiung: 港園 and 牛老二. At 港園, their star is the clear broth beef noodle soup.  For those who are just learning about beef noodle soup, there are two kinds.  The first type has a darker broth which has soy sauce added and can be often referred to as 紅燒牛肉麵, or "hong sau." This kind can also be found listed as 四川牛肉麵, or "Szechuan niu rou mian." This is based on the Szechuanese people who fled to Taiwan after the war. Wanting that taste of home, they did what they could with local ingredients. So, while the main basis of beef noodle soup in Taiwan is the Szchuanese style from China, it has developed and become a star in its own right in Taiwan. The history of it all is a bit complicated, but worth digging an d researching. The best websites seem to be in Japanese, but if you are lucky enough to find a print book, those are even better! The other ...

I just get in these moods where I crave Taiwanese food with a fierceness. Mostly, I blame Facebook. Facebook likes to remind me of my "memories" which is filled primarily with pictures of food. I always take a lot of pictures while I'm there even though I've been so many times, like it will make my stay longer, or like I can keep Taiwan with me while I'm in the States. It's frustrating though, having Taiwanese restaurants in the Bay area that usually just aren't the same. I'm definitely willing to drive to the Bay to get my Taiwanese food fix, but it just really makes me want to buy another ticket home. Luckily, my friend introduced me to Tai Kee. While I might not think that all of the food is as good as it is in Taiwan, the wonton soup is. The flavor of the soup - clean and full, the texture of the wonton wrappers, and the filling. It's almost like i'm in Zuoying at my favorite wonton shop having a bowl. The pricing is pretty good too. B...

There were a few places that I ate at in Longtan, but I didn't always take pictures. At the time I only had my D700 and didn't like lugging it everywhere. That and a lot of the time I would just bring the food home and eat it while grading. I feel like all I really did during that time was grade papers and hate my job. On the way home from work, there was always this one restaurant that I would pass that looked interesting. I normally ate at a place with no name that served rice with chicken and pork over it with a side of tofu and veggie soup for 80NT, but this day, I thought, I will be like a Murakami character and try something new. Book in hand, I asked the proprietor what they recommended and also ordered a side of veggies. The owner told me that this was a Hakka dish, and that the noodles they serve are hand made. They have other dishes that people might find more familiar, but this noodle dish was certainly interesting. It had these dumplings made from a translucent...