【台北行天宫美食】美麗餐廳 Bib Gourmand Mirei Taiwanese Restaurant

来这里吃晚餐的原因有几个：

1）感觉是很到地的台菜、目前为止吃过的人当中还没有读到任何负面评语

2）台菜的内容符合我的口味

3）脸书上发现原来许多明星如蓝心眉和陈升都光顾过这里（而且最近六月还有食尚玩家来采访）他们都是美食老饕、食物应该不差。

4）得到米其林必比登bib gourmand 的台菜餐厅有五家。五家当中这家的彩色和第一印象最吸引我。

5）环境舒适、没有dress code、没有高级餐厅用餐的压迫感、比较适合我一家人chin chye 的风格

通过他们家的官方脸书订位、很快就得到回复、而且服务超亲切。周日傍晚ng餐厅、半个小时后就开始有许多下班的老阿伯来聚餐、座无虚席（还好有订位）餐厅没有菜单、菜名都贴墙上。虽然菜色看起来很少、想吃的东西太多、即使十人办一桌也肯定点不完。

招牌红蟳冬粉是我最期待的一道菜。不想吃螃蟹可以单点冬粉。虽然店家说两者没太大的差异、我还是选了红蟳冬粉。毕竟那几乎是每桌必点的。冬粉分量很大、调味上跟新加坡一般吃到的冬粉相比下手没有很重、却还是挺入味的。只是口感绵了一点、不是每个人都可以接受。红蟳有经过油炸、所以会慢慢发现冬粉越吃越油。蟹膏超级多、可是比全熟蛋的蛋黄还干硬。红蟳肉质细腻、吃起来有点麻烦。所以最后我一直在攻冬粉的部分、配上一点红辣椒就不知不觉吃了好多碗。

地瓜叶：最爱地瓜叶、而这里的地瓜炒法很有家的味道、没有过度的调味、地瓜叶还保留了鲜脆感。上面铺满的自家制肉燥有淡淡的甜味、搭配起来很好吃。不过先警告⚠️这道菜超～级～油～因为是用猪油炒的。积累在盘中的猪油多到吓死人、唯有自我催眠说没有看到。炒一道菜有必要那么油吗？

煎菜瓜：看起来像菜脯蛋、不过是用薯粉、菜瓜、鲜虾一起油煎料理。外端很薄脆、往里走就软q。只是不知怎么搞的、有菜瓜的部分总是超级咸。

鲁肠是店家强力推荐的。可是老爸老妈觉得还是新加坡的kway chap 比较好吃。不过里头的滷白萝卜很入味、大家都很喜欢。

菜单上没有标价是因为分量会依据人数来调整。不过我觉得公开比较透明化。这样四道菜总共约台币2400。 

再访指数：🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑

美麗餐廳

For directions and all other info: https://www.facebook.com/Mirei.Taiwanese.cuisine/

Nearest station: 行天宫 

17:30-21:30 (21:30)

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菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO: The Mont Blanc that Lasts Only Ten Minutes

I used to wonder what is the hype with a 10-min Mont Blanc? Why has it been so popular amongst dessert afficionados in Kyoto?


I finally visited the shop and found out the truth. The 10 min Mont Blanc is so named because it is said to have a super short lifespan of 10min from the moment it is created. As such, don’t even think of having it as a take-out. But does it mean that one has to finish it in 10min? I don’t think that is necessary. To be honest, I took my own sweet time and I didn’t notice any apparent change in texture. But I couldn’t help smiling to myself from the start to the end.

The seasonal variation I had, Sakura Mont Blanc, could possibly be the best Mont Blanc I’ve ever had. The cream was utterly soft, with subtle notes of savouriness and gentle scents of Sakura. It had none of those boorish sweetness of typical Mont Blanc, though I can’t guarantee the same for the original Mont Blanc here. Beneath the cream was Mochi and matcha cream on a airy crisp small meringue. Excellent.

With a focus on a la minute desserts, the shop freshly prepared the desserts upon order and customers are invited to the backyard kitchen to view their dessert being made in front of their eyes (or iPhones). Fortunately the desserts here are not just an act of gimmick.
After being full blown away by this Mont Blanc, I decided to check out its latest chocolatory that is just few shops down the same street. Opened only in Feb 2018, it’s a chocolate retail gourmet shop that sells all kind of chocolate bars. I was thrilled to be able to taste test all types of chocolate and finally settled on buying the Sakura and Matcha after much deliberation. If you are keen to learn more about the techniques of chocolate, you may be able to pick up some tips here. In fact, chef Keizo Nishida was making some chocolates at the chocolate kitchen instead of the cafe when I visited.

There’s no queue for chocolatory Keizo but if you want to try the Mont Blanc for yourself, be prepared to arrive early before the shop opens to stand in the queue.

菓子工房&Sweets Cafe KYOTO KEIZO

https://kyoto-keizo.com/

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Salon De Muge 無碍山房: Dessert in the woods by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi

 Getting a seat here by reservation was a horrible story.

 I don’t know whether to count that is gaijin sabetsu because they can only take in reservations if you have a Japanese phone number. Even hotel concierges don’t help because they don’t want to be liable to the cancellation cost.

But the popularity of this place amongst the locals isn’t surprising at all. As the first dessert salon opened by Michelin 3-Star Kikunoi, standards and expectations are set in place.

I only had eyes (and stomach space) for one dessert and that’s the matcha Parfait.

My first reaction was “やばい 超濃厚だ” it was very rich but strangely the more I eat the sweeter it became. Here, there’s the order of eating, carefully planned with the position of the spoon. I was told to spoon from the right to the left, which means I will encounter the Yuzu castella first before reaching the ginger castella on the other side. The yuzu castella was too sweet, which probably make things rather “jelat”.  There was nothing much special about the warabi jelly as well but I guess what merits praises is the matcha ice cream that boasted such a charming dark hue which would be perfect if it is less sweet.

I’m glad I didn’t have to queue long for this. My neighboring customers ordered the seasonal Ichigo Parfait which looked no less attractive then the matcha Parfait. Perhaps that could be a better bet.

Website: http://kikunoi.jp/kikunoiweb/Muge/

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ESqUISSE Tokyo : Sweets Selection by Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2017

Some people are good at studying but they may not be good at teaching. Some chefs may be good at doing plated desserts but not petit entremets. I haven't try the plated desserts by Asia's Best Pastry Chef 2017 Chef Narita of 2-Michelin star Esquisse Cinq, but I must say that the individual sweets are underwhelming.

Housed in the ultra posh Tokyu Plaza Ginza, ESquiSSE is an atas French restaurant that has a takeaway booth for its petit cakes and breads. Dine-in is only strictly for plated desserts so takeaway can be troublesome. But fortunately Ginza 6 is smart at playing the marketing game. Shoppers can "dabao" food and enjoy them with a panoramic view of Ginza on the Kiriko Lounge 6F.

We deliberated amongst the small and expensive cakes before settling on 5. Papillote (\800) has the most unique design as it is shaped like a gift made of chocolate. It was difficult to "untie" the present (maybe it wasn't meant to be untied) and the Tiramisu cake hidden inside was mediocre. The Mont Blanc looked promising but the meringue was too hard to crack. The Fraisier was pretty but boring and too sweet. Armagnac caught my interest as very few chefs would openly sit a mousse dome on a mixed nut base in this manner. The bitter caramel mousse pairs beautifully with the orange creameux but I would love the base to be slightly crunchier.

My favorite, turned out to be the dark horse--Riz Au Lait (\650) which is an oriental spin from the classic rice pudding with dust of Matcha. It was the least sweetest of all and I always have a weakness for things with a pleasant, light milky aroma. But for an award winning chef, I would be expecting for creative and bold creations. Currently these lean on the conservative side and I would gladly invest elsewhere.

Tokyu Plaza Ginza 4F
5-2-1 Ginza  Chuo-ku
Tokyo
http://www.esquissetokyo.com

Mont Blanc

 

Armagnac

Riz Au Lait

Papillote

Fraisier

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Bistro Marx by Thierry Marx : Probably the Most Expensive French Toast in Japan

Tokyo isn't short of Michelin-star restaurants and it isn't surprise to find overseas Michelin-star chefs venturing into the local market. One good example is Bistro Marx by chef-owner Thierry Marx of 2-star Sur Mesure in Paris. For the price and the location in glitzy Ginza, Bistro Marx is more like a upscale fine-dining restaurant than anything else. 

I haven't read much about his legacy but I know he started his training as a baker and pastry chef before moving on to the culinary cooking. He even established bread school back in 2013. I wondered why he chose to open a restaurant instead of a bakery. Nonetheless, his signature Brioche Feuilettine (only limited to 30 per day), besides his Pain Perdu and Marx Burger, was one of the items highlighted by local media.

My visit was an unplanned one on a Sunday afternoon, during which the afternoon tea menu was only limited to desserts and tea. As a French Toast lover, I instantly picked his Pain Perdu which came in the option of half size (1 cube) for ¥900 and full size (2 cubes) for ¥1800.

The Pain Perdu was soft and custardy, but not as creamy or pudding-like as the ones from Grain Traders, which perhaps makes it more qualified to be called a French toast to the french toast purists. It was served with both maple syrup and caramel syrup, of which the latter' burnt bitter taste might be a little strange with bread. The vanilla ice cream was too sweet, but just right when you mopped them with the pain Perdu. This is no doubt delicious, but hardly superior than the ones from Mercer Brunch so I felt it was overpriced.

The Marquise Chocolat was a trio of moist, fudgy baked chocolate cake with a slightly crisp edge. But that's only a part of the story. It's actually hollow within, filled with generous amount of chocolate ganache which was concealed from the eye with a paper-thin chocolate sable.


Paired with the tangy raspberry coulis, this is rich dessert for serious chocoholics only. I loved this more than the Pain Perdu and probably more worth the splurge because it's chocolate.

My friend who visited the place for dinner commented that the food was good. With a "million-dollar" sky view overlooking the crowded streets of Ginza, this might be a

[BISTRO] 11:00–23:00 daily
[BAR] 23:00–26:00 / Closed Sun/PH
7F GINZA PLACE 5-8-1 GINZA CHUO-KU, TOKYO, JAPAN

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黄金の塩らぁ麺 Due Italian: Michelin Bib Gourmand Cheese Ramen in Tokyo

No, it's not some Angmoh cooking up some ramen. It's Japanese ramen with an Italian twist. Think ramen in cheese broth with Parma ham. Something like soup pasta but the broth is thinner and not overwhelmingly rich. This Fromage Ramen is the signature creation of Due Italian, a little red ramen-ya that has been awarded Michelin Bib gourmand for 2 consecutive years. 

Chef-owner Ishizuka was born in Italy and opened up to 6 Italian restaurants in Tokyo at one point in time. Business took a downward turn due to economy recession but he met Sato Minoru san, the founder of famous ramen chain "支那そばや" and learnt the ropes from him. With the aim of serving healthier ramen, he created his signature "Golden Shio Ramen" (黄金の塩らぁ麺) that boasted a special broth made with a golden formula of Nagoya chicken bones, scallop, konbu etc. When I first stepped into his little red shop in Ichigaya, I thought I entered a small Chinese noodle house, not a typical hole-in-the-wall ramen ya. The only thing that reminded one that it is a ramen shop is the self-order vending machine. Nonetheless, it felt more welcoming than a ramen-ya and no wonder 80% of the customers are ladies. 

The basic Fromage noodle (980 yen) was an interesting dish served with two globules of cheese. Parma ham can be added for 200 yen and I think anyone should do so because it imparted more bite and flavor to the dish. Once stirred with chopsticks, the cheese disintegrated rapidly under the heat and turned the soup creamy white. Yet it wasn't as thick nor rich like a carbonara but more like a cheese-flavored milky chicken broth that was light and tasty. 

Add the beauty Genmai rice served towards the end into the remaining soup and you'll get somewhat watery porridge which they call "risotto". 
On the other hand, the Golden Shio Ramen (880 yen) tasted quite flat and pedestrian. I was expecting more from this bowl but there was nothing much to shout about except for the tender Matsuzaka charsiu. The soup was clear and significantly less oily than average ramen, though those who are used to rich heavy flavors will find that this lacked the kick. 

One thing I like is the flexibility to change the usual noodles to zero-calorie konnyakyu noodles for extra 100 yen. In fact, the texture was almost the same. 

Overall, the concept of a healthy Italian style ramen sounds pretty attractive but I'm uncertain if it is worthy of a bib gourmand. I'll look elsewhere for a more satisfying ramen experience. 

Due Italian 黄金の塩らぁ麺
〒102-0074 Tōkyō-to, Chiyoda-ku, Kudanminami, 4 Chome−4−5−11
Mon-Fri 11am-4pm/5pm-10pm
Sat 11am-10pm
Sun/PH 11am-9pm
http://www.dueitalian.jp

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