[TAIPEI] The Adventure of Finding the Best Zhenzhu Naicha (Part I)

Must eat when you are in Taiwan? Of course the famous Bubble Milk Tea (Boba Milk Tea or Pearl Milk Tea) because this is the mother land of those chewy balls in the sugary milk tea. Believe me that there are a lot (like freaking a lot) of bubble milk tea stores here where you can easily spot them, like you can easily find 7-11 or Family Mart, because they are just everywhere! That is why I put this post as the first part of my adventure finding the best bubble milk tea (珍珠奶茶; zhēnzhū nǎichá).

The first one is 50嵐 (read: Wu Shi Lan). They are famous for their selection of latte. Being different from another bubble milk tea store, they offered a small version of those tapioca balls (but Dwi's preference is their original size where you can chew with so much joy LOL). Some people said that they are just the same like KOI (you can find in Indonesia, especially in Jakarta) which is originated from Hong Kong. I have tasted their Matcha Green Tea Latte with Pearl, Oolong Tea with Pearl and Coconut Jelly, and Green Tea with Pearl. But all the best is the first one. Beside the sugar level and how much ice we want, they offered two size of cups as well, medium or go large. The price is ranging from 40 NTD - 50ish NTD.

 

The cheap one is Coco where you can get one tall cup of zhenzhu naicha for just 35 NTD! IMO, teir pearl is the best so far. Chewy with the right size. I also have tasted their Milk Tea with Grass Jelly, and The Three Gems Milk Tea (coconut jelly, egg pudding, and pearl). All of it are good especially the Three Gems where you can get different three toppings in just one sip! Coco is my favorite so far!

I promise that there will be another post dedicated for this must-drink-when-in-Taipei, so just stay tune!

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[TAIPEI] 3 Idiots Toast & Curry

Da'an district is quite popular for the variety of cute stores, cafes, and shops. Not really too far from the Taipower Building area, there is an alley which is filled up by vegan and vegetarian restaurants, bars, and cafes. One of it is this tiny restaurant in the corner of 4-intersection (further details, please read this through :p). Dwi came in the lunch time and it was quite full, even they asked whether we have made a reservation or not. Luckily, there was one space, so no need to wait for a seat.

They served an Indian cuisine which focused on the vegetarian food. All the main dishes are separated into 2 kinds: toast or rice. It was kind of hard to choose what to eat because the menu is so attentive and invited. They also have the combo packet for 2 people but I personally think the price is quite expensive, so we chose for a la carte. Beside the main dishes, they also have the famous Indian appetizers such as Samosa and Pani Puri.

Dwi chose for the Grilled Masala Mushroom Curry Wheat Toast (180 NTD). This is a grilled wheat toast with mushroom, spices, lettuce, tomatoes with a mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Because they are a vegetarian Indian restaurant, I believe that they should carefully choose what kind of the bread they use. It should be egg and dairy-free. But having said that almost all of the toast menu are came with cheese, I believe this is a lacto-ovo vegetarian restaurant. Fortunately, they are put every details of the food in their menu with 2 languages available, Chinese and English so people would not be mistaken.

The toast is quite thick and the outer layer was crisp enough. It came as a 4-pieces fresh and warm, completed with Indian condiments such as chutney. As for the filling, the mushroom curry is a little bit too plain and the spices/herbs they use were not that any help. If you expect the mozzarella would make your appetite spikes, sorry not sorry that would be quite a high expectation because they didn't put that much on it so you won't see any pull-apart-cheese-entertainment. What I like about this dish  was the bread they use and their chutney sauce.

Another menu that I tried is their Curry Rice, Alu Gobi (240 NTD) and opted for the combo packet B consisted of salad and 1 drink which is Masala Milk Tea Hot. The portion was huge. It consists of rice (which was cute because of the heart-shaped), 2 pieces of toasted bread, cauliflowers and potatoes curry, and the salad itself. I expected the curry sauce would be rich of herbs and the authentic scents of Indian food but not that much. They cooked a little bit too long for the cauliflowers so it was overcooked, but the potatoes was just right. Their salad was standard, cabbage and cherry tomatoes with walnuts, chestnuts, and edamames!

The Masala Milk Tea has gave me another experience of milk tea because I could feel some kicks of fragrant in there.

All the waitress and the chefs are Indian, they can speak English and Chinese very well! So kind and quite helpful for the first timer like us, LOL. Oh, they also offered free water even if you didn't order their beverages. But expect the hassle during lunch or dinner time because the space from each tables are quite narrow.

Address: No. 28, Lane 283, Section 3, Luosifu Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, 106

How to get there: Stop at MRT Gongguan Station and take Exit 3 National Taiwan University

Opening Hours: 11.30-14.30 (Lunch) and 17.00-22.00 (Dinner)

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