IKKI Japanese Restaurant in Taoyuan

IKKI is a Japanese restaurant belonging to the WowPrime Group in Taiwan. There are about a dozen of IKKI restaurants spread throughout Taiwan counties. This review is a visit to the one near Zhongli station in Taoyuan County. It was a farewell party with some librarian colleagues. The best thing about eating with a large group is that you can share to sample different menu. IKKI offers you a full course meal starting from appetizer to side dishes to rice to main courses to dessert and beverage. And it's only at NT$698 or about IDR 210.000 per person. That’s actually an acceptable price considering the number of courses and service you get. For each course you'll get to chose one out of three or more items.

IKKI JAPANESE RESTAURANT

2F., No.118, Zhongshan Rd., 

Zhongli City, Taoyuan County

Website: www.ikki.com.tw

Payment: 10% service charge

Visit reviewed: 01/2014

Miso Soup

The first course is appetizer. We managed to order different menu out of three options. I went with fresh seasonal salad, while other friend chose fresh mushroom salad. Both taste really good. Fresh seasonal salad is tomato stuffed with potato and topped with thin slices of smoked salmon. It is served in a beautiful glass dish filled with garlic mud sauce. It’s a perfect way to whet the appetite.

Fresh Seasonal Salad

Fresh Mushroom Salad

The second course is side dishes. It's a deep-fried fish fillet with tartar sauce (a mayonnaise-based sauce) on top of grapefruit. It was excellent combination. It's my favorite dish at IKKI. 

Deep-Fried Fish Fillet with Grapefruit

There's still a couple of courses before the main. A bowl of rice with crumbed salmon & salmon roe and a glass of lemon sorbet. Next up, steamed-prawn with garlic sauce as seasonal boiled dish.

Salmon & Salmon Roe Over Rice & Lemon Sorbet

Steamed-Prawn with Garlic sauce

At long last, we finally reached the main course. There are 10 options. I went with salt-grilled seasonal fish. I was too full by then, so I asked the waiters to wrap it up and I took it home. When I got home at night, I could only think to eat my wrapped-grilled-fish from IKKI. I was surprised, they even manage to give me additional salmon rice without extra charge. I literally had my lunch and dinner by IKKI.

Salt-Grilled Seasonal Fish

Lastly, desserts and beverage. We got a caramel mousse cake and a pineapple panna cotta. Both were good. But I would suggest to go with pineapple panna cotta, since you've ate pretty much a series of courses. 

Fleur de sel Caramel Mousse

Pineapple Panna Cotta

Osmanthus Green Tea with Cream

In my opinion, the flavors of IKKI food are generally tasty. The service and quality are both excellent. You are not going to regret to pay for the price.

Halal Food in Taipei (2): Beef noodle soup

My third review on Halal food around Taiwan: beef noodle soup restaurant. Just like any other beef noodle soup restaurant in Taiwan, it also has peek into the dumpling wrapping open kitchen. It seems to have become characteristic for this kind of restaurant.

 Beef Noodles Restaurant

台北巿延平南路21號

No. 21, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei City

MRT: Taipei main station / Ximen

Visit reviewed: 09/2013

The halal sign of this restaurant is in front of the place. There's actually another halal restaurant right next to this one. Too bad that I haven't had time to get to that place, and now I've been back to Indonesia. In fact, a post for this restaurant has been sitting in my blog posts draft for several months, until I finally review it today.

So what to order? The good thing is they provide menu in english. But it presents without pictures. It wouldn't be easy for first-time-foreigner to identify what is what without the pictures. For us, we ordered niurou mian (beef noodle soup) which is the main dish here, and fried beef dumpling.

Fried beef dumpling (NT$ 00 each). A little bit too salty in my opinion, but still ok. I would still go to this restaurant for fried beef dumpling, only because I couldn't find it at qingzhen zhongguo niurou guan. 

Halal food in Taipei (1)

Another Halal restaurant I just visited in Taiwan, located in Taipei. Direction: From Taipei Main Station take MRT to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall station (blue line), off to Exit 1, turn left n just go straight, u will find this restaurant at the right side of the street. Looks like a very old place, but the room inside is comfy and they have various menu with affordable price. See my other reviews on Halal food in Taiwan.

QINGZHEN ZHONGGUO NIUROU GUAN 清真中國牛肉館

Halal China Beef Restaurant
No. 1, Alley 7, Lane 137, Yanji St., Taipei City

台北市延吉街137巷7弄1號

MRT: Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

Review updated: 02/2014

The first time I visit here, I ordered the house specialty - niurou mian (NT$140) and dumpling (NT$140/portion of 8 pieces). Niurou means beef and mian means noodles in Chinese. There are spicy and savory flavor for beef noodles. I enjoyed the spicy one. I could taste the sensation of spicy beef noodles when I had my first sip. That is, come from the oil and pepper boiled in the soup. 

Spicy niurow mian (beef noodles)

Steemed beef dumpling

At the other days I visit this restaurant, I ordered the same things again and again: beef noodles and dumpling. Until one day I look around at the stranger's table next to us. And that's how I found Chinese pancakes and beef shredded on the menu. The Chinese normally paired Chinese pancakes with beef shredded and wrap them together. And yes, it's goood when you eat it that way. 

Chinese pancakes and beef shredded

Dough making open kitchen

small plates of cold dishes

Food & Night Market

If you heard Taiwan you will heard 'Food & Night market' for sure!

The famous place here is night market where u can find many kind of tasty food. Many times i asked people, what is a must visit place here? then u will get 'night market' for the answer,n for every county. Bcos each county has at least one night market.

Neili night market, the nearest one from my campus, n also the smallest one i think :D

1. Grilled squid

2. Drink tablets

i dont know its name actually :D just bcos the shape looks like that. n it have various tastes; mango, kiwi, orange, mix tea, n more.

Tea+brown sugar and chinese red date.

Chung Yuan night market, the place is behind Chung Yuan Christian Univ (CYCU), the best one near my campus.

3. Stinky Tofu 'chou tofu'

I was afraid to try stinky tofu before, really it smells bad! but then i kinda like it, taste good :9

Barbeque stinky tofu

Fried & Soup stinky tofu

Shelin night market, one of the famous night markets in Taipei.

4. Master Mi

Keelung night market..

5. Oyster omelet

6. Touhua

Touhua +sweet bubble and redbean

7. Tempura

8. Rice ball

9. Crab snacks

Other rare food u can't find in Jakarta:
1. Vegetarian meat

it made of mushroom n other veggies.

2. Seaweed rice

3. Spinach ball

4. Pitan egg

5. Pizza hut Japanese Takoyaki

I just tried it last night, n it tastes good! :9

[Taipei] Modern Toilet Restaurant

Modern Toilet Restaurant is a unique and famous bathroom-themed restaurant in Taiwan. There are several branches in Taiwan, and  this review is actually a combination of two-times visits to the one at Ximending. A three-story restaurant that has everything -from the dishes to decoration- in bathroom-themed. You will see all sorts of fancy toilet bowls, once you enter the room. The idea was inspired by the manga, Dr. Slump. It first started with selling a pile of chocolate ice cream in a squat-toilet-shaped plates and has became a great success. It then took step forwards by launching this restaurant.

My two visits were in 2011 and 2014. Some decoration have changed a bit, but I think the menu has largely stayed the same. First-time visit, I went with my two Taiwanese roommates; Linda & Chole. I was lucky to go with them. It was not easy to find this restaurant in a crowded place like Ximending. Ximending itself is a shopping district which you can find shops, cinemas, market, and restaurants along the road, and there's a bunch of people at weekend. When I went there for the second time (in 2014) with Indonesian-mate I almost got lost. Since it has been long time from my first-time visit in 2011. I eventually asked some locals for direction. Yes, you can too. Even though they don't speak English much, they are very friendly and will try to help. 

In 2011, the pink-poo character greeted us at the entrance


In 2014, the golden-poo character was sitting there and smiling at us.
Pardon my pose, there's nothing to worry about the smell.

The price range for each is NT$ 120-300. However, you can order a set meal of toilet menu priced at NT$ 240 or about IDR 75.000 that includes meal, ice cream, and drink. The menu is quite varied such as appetizer, curry meals, gratin, hot pots, spaghetti, snacks, iced shavings, soft ice cream, and drinks. All dishes are served on plastic miniature toilet bowls, and drinks in miniature urinals.

This is for real. You can actually drink from Urinal. Yaks!

Pumpkin soup with crumbed-bread for appetizer. 

When I went here in 2011 this was not included on the set meal, but now it is.

A Modern Toilet Beef Curry came in a mini toilet bowl that looks a bit displeasing for your appetite. Haha. The curry served along with rice, soup, and salad. That is for NT$ 200 or IDR 62.000 if you didn't order a set meal.

Seafood Au Gratin came in a mini bath tub. That is for NT$ 250 or IDR 77.000 if you didn't order a set meal.

Next up was mine, spicy seafood spaghetti served in a wash basin plate. 

A pile of vanilla ice cream in a mini squat toilet. 

This is Linda with her chocolate-vanilla ice cream in a mini squat toilet. 

Chloe and her sister found it funny.

This is actually just a plastic poo cover for salad.

---

As I have mentioned earlier, everything at this eatery is bathroom-themed. The remaining pictures below show all sorts of fancy toilet decoration. The chairs where the guest sit are the unworking toilets. The table is a glass-covered bathtub. The lamp is the shining golden-poo. The walls are covered with shower-heads, urinals, and toilet covers.

Toilet chairs

Bathtub table

Golden-poo lamp

A set of shower-room decor

Toilet cover decoration

Toilet

At last, it's a real toilet over there. So make sure you don't get confuse with that :)) Another thing that surprised me was when I washed my hands, it's in a toilet bowl!

Overall, I think the taste of food at this eatery was just OK. But I still recommend everyone who are going to or in Taiwan, to enjoy the fun & unique ambiance at Modern Toilet Restaurant.

MODERN TOILET RESTAURANT

2F, No.50-7 Xining South Road, Taipei, Taiwan

Phone: +886 2 2311 8822

Open hours: 11:30AM – 10:00PM

Website: www.moderntoilet.com.tw

MRT: Ximending station

Direction:  Exit 6 and then walked for few minutes.

It is located across from a parking lot and near 7-11.

Visit reviewed: 2011 & 2014