My run back from Kazakhstan took a little longer than I expected but as I have a legal right to remain in Taiwan, I was able to get in without any issues at the border.
In all seriousness, I am hoping I can keep this blog going due to the current situation vis-à-vis economic meltdown/ global crisis. The creative and hospitality industries have been particularly hard hit, and as I’m searching out some of the more leftfield places which are in even more danger than ever because of their niche place in the market, I worry for their sakes (far more than mine) that their businesses survive.
OK back to the real reason I get up in the morning. Obscure foods in the Taipei area.
Bhutan. One of those places you know is pretty secretive, pretty Buddhist and looks like a destination you’d like to go to (but you have probably got it mixed up with Nepal, because they’re both mountainous, in roughly the same place geographically and look nice in photos). It has a nice flag it… hmmm something, something, something.
An alternative name for the country is “The Land of the Thunder Dragon” which, had that been the name of a movie, my 12 year old self would have lapped it up. Having been raised at that point on anime, video game lore, US action films and Z-list Godfrey Ho productions/ rubbish ninja films- I would have expected magic swords, special moves and all kinds of cool. So too, would today’s eating companion.
A fellow traveler through mental illness and the martial arts, The Prophet of Miltown has been a stalwart of the 52 Foods Project from the very beginning, and twisted my arm so hard to write down my adventures, that I had to counter with some wicked chi sao (sticky hands) that he couldn’t predict. He was actually present in the first installment as he is married to Miss V but took a back seat, as we let the two Canadians battle it out for who could be the chattiest.
Once again, our lives have become meat festivals, so Bhutanese food was a good choice as it is all vegetarian. I was a little hesitant to include it as one of the 52, because the restaurant advertises itself as “Bhutanese food with an Italian flair” so, would possibly not be the most authentic.
As we were getting closer to the restaurant, I sensed a change in The Prophet like he had an ulterior motive for coming along. As we entered the place, I noticed a somewhat elderly man on a massage table in the corner, being massaged by two ladies half his age. In a very badly dubbed voice The Prophet said:
“I came here to see the Iron Gentleman, but I now see you are busy”
In an equally badly dubbed voice the Iron Gentleman stroking his long beard, replied
“Hehehe, let me toy with your ambitions”
Then it all kicked off because, after all, you can’t stop The Prophet.
In reality, I got there a bit earlier, and got a few shots of the place. As you can see from the photos, it is very nicely decorated with ornaments and whatnot from Bhutan. The Prophet would later comment that it was exactly like it should be- reminders of home and not too overdone. I sat down to find the most Bhutanese food I could find on the menu as I had done previously with the AMP in KGB Burgers. The Prophet arrived, and was in the mood to go a bit experimental. Here is the menu
I went with the Ema Dashi a spicy stew made with cheese (and rice), he went with spaghetti which I forgot to take a picture of. We both got meal sets, which included salad, soup and a drink.
Salad was salady, good for what it is, but notable for the fact it had guava in it (First time I’d seen that). Today’s soup was pumpkin, you may think that photo was me getting all arty, but was in fact an example of “Gosh darned, I forgot to take a photo”. All fine and dandy, there.
The main meal, was great (again) while we both had different meals, we could both see there was something there that was something different and clearly made it different to other foods we’ve had, but couldn’t begin to explain why it was different. I would also add that they weren’t kidding when they said the Ema Dashi is spicy. To my everlasting shame, I’m not that good with very spicy food, probably because I never cared much for rugby. And, although I know there are ladies present, I have to admit that once in an Indian restaurant I was sweating after eating butter chicken. Some English guy I am huh?
Next came drinks, which were in a word: unusual. PoM went for the sweet Bhutanese tea, and I went for the suja- salty butter tea. Sweet tea= awesome an unusual flavor that again like the rest of the meal had a flavor that you couldn’t quite explain. Sort of like you are trying to catch somebody but they are always two steps ahead- you just can’t quite do it.
Now, suja. A couple of hours later and I’m still trying to think how I could talk about it. The lady who runs the restaurant gave a brief explanation that the Bhutanese like to add rice to their tea and showed me the procedure. I don’t think there is a word in our language that can accurately describe it. I posed this point to The Prophet, who after taking a sip, was equally baffled. It’s sweet (kind of) creamy (definitely) savory but not scary. I loved it and would encourage anyone to try it, but when you do, see if you can describe it in one word. I don’t think it can be done.
Would I return? Definitely- it is a bit out of the way for me (even though it is in the centre of Downtown Taipei, but not an area I go to.) As you can see from the photos it was only us two in the place, so I hope that the developments worldwide don’t affect them because it was be a crying shame to lose a place like this.
Cost 504NT ( I went over my budget by 4NT, but I later found 4NT down the back of the sofa so it was OK)
Address: Alley 6 Lane 421, Guangfu South Road. Nearest MRT would be Sun Yet San Memorial Hall but it’s about 10mins walk from there.
52 Cuisines? 