Wolf Bites

 If you find yourself craving for legitimate Japanese food in Taiwan, then I highly recommend that you go to Umeko.   It’s famous for it’s Japanese food and it’s one restaurant that can definitely compete with the stuff I have eaten in Japan.  As we were not quite sure what we should order, we decided to go for their set menu NT$480 (PHP 800) . We ordered their eel set which cost an additional  NT$50 (PHP 83.46).  Appetizer The first course that they brought out was their sashimi. It consisted of two pieces of salmon and a single piece of snapper. Their sashimi appetizer was so good it brought tears to my eyes.  It brought back memories of the delicious omakase I had in Japan .  The fish was so incredibly fresh and cool. You could really taste the sweetness of each piece of fish. The salmon had a certain fattiness to it that was so incredibly sweet.    I savored each bite... hoping... praying that it wouldn't end.  But alas, three ...

My dear friend R went on a two month vacation in the United States. She toured around the country and when she came back this is what she told me... 'Z! If you ever go to the USA absolutely MUST eat at Shake Shack! Their shakes and burgers are SO good! Their milk shakes are thick and creamy and their burgers are JUST WOW...' - R I just smiled at her as she described how wonderful her experience was.  Trips to America were were expensive and there were no budget flights from the USA to the Philippines during that time. Flights like those would cost an arm and a leg, not to mention that would just be considering the flight cost... Living expense, travel expense, and other factors had to be considered as well. "One day..." I replied. Little did I know that the one day would come sooner than I thought.  SHAKE SHACK (New York, USA) In 2018, my dad was able to book our entire family a flight to the USA at an incredibly discounted rate. We travelled across the country and li...

Sushi. Raw fish and rice. What was once regional cuisine is now common fare the world over.  People eat sushi in casual restaurants, fine dining restaurants, specialty Japanese restaurants, and even in their homes. They eat it as take-out, as a snack, and for parties...  There are many kinds of sushi too... You have traditional nigiri sushi, maki rolls, reverse maki like the California maki... And so on. But the thing that always baffled me is what many chefs, food bloggers, and critics would emphasize: Sushi is about the rice.   In fact, it can take a Japanese sushi apprentice 10 years of just washing and handling only rice before they are finally allowed to touch the other ingredients.  'Crazy!' I thought, 'All that hullabaloo over rice.  The mastery of the toppings should be priority!' I understand why rice is important though. In some restaurants,  the rice is either too dry or completely mush. Or it would fall apart at the touch or was mashed together ...

Addiction Aquatic Development If you're a foodie looking for a great place to wrestle up some grub, the one place you MUST visit is Addiction Aquatic Development.  Why? Aside from being a giant complex dedicated to seafood... It's also... THE BEST PLACE FOR KING CRABS! That's right. I said it. King Crabs. The stuff you see on "The Deadliest Catch"... You see them LIVE swimming around in the tanks. You can buy them fresh or you can get them from the grocery... Chopped up, cooked, and served in more affordable portion sizes. IT'S A PLACE WHERE BUYING KING CRABS WON'T BREAK THE BANK! You can buy lobsters, Snow Crabs, and other different species of crustaceans as well. But I strongly recommend you buy King Crabs when you're here.  The price for crabs and lobsters start from NT$ 600 (PHP1, 006.75) to NT$ 3, 000 (PHP 5, 033.77) for a generous portion.  The crustaceans are boiled and their shells pre-cracked so you can easily access the sweet tender meat.  T...

SUSHI EXPRESS If you ever find yourself craving for sushi in Taiwan, look no further than Sushi Express. Sushi Express is an affordable kaiten sushi or conveyor belt sushi chain in Taiwan. Each plate of sushi will only cost you NT$30 which is around PHP50.33 or US$1 . They have a wide variety of menu items which you can grab from their conveyor belt or order from a server.  Salmon and Salmon Roe (Ikura) I highly recommend their salmon and salmon roe sushi.  Aside from them being my personal favorites... Their salmon is fresh, meaty, and succulent. The flesh of the fish is absolutely tender and goes perfectly with the rice. The slices of fish on the salmon sushi are significantly better than the tuna sashimi. It's a classic and a definite must have. Salmon roe is my favorite type of sushi since it's very difficult to find and when I do find it... It's expensive. It's great to be able to eat salmon roe here in Sushi Express... It comes with a half slice of cucumber...