Toscana - Sherwood Hotel Taipei

Address: 111 Min Sheng E Road, Sec.3,Taipei,Taiwan   台北市松山區民生東路三段111號

Telephone: (02)2718-1188 EXT.3001

Hours: Breakfast: 7:30AM-10:30AM; Lunch: 11:30AM-2:30PM; Afternoon Tea: 3:00PM- 5:00PM
Dinner: 6:00PM-10:30PM; Brunch (weekends only): 10:00AM-2:30PM

For our caveman ancestors, I imagine there was no more glorious thing than the invention of fire.  Not necessarily for the ability to battle the elements, but really for the ability to cook meat.  Think about how excited they must have been to sink their teeth into a slab of whatever animal was running around at the time.  Somethings really don't change, since many of us still revert back into cavemen when we are talking about beautiful beautiful steaks.  That visceral reaction we get as that perfectly cooked medium rare steak is brought forth...salivating over the keyboard as I think about it.
Toscana really is more than just about the steaks however, as they have a menu full of other options plus a salad bar that is teeming with gourmet choices for you to chow down on.  But even as I say that, it sounds hollow even to my ears.. as steak was what I came here for, and it was steak I got.

Meat Options

 Lovely Room.

Free Bread!

Toscana is located on the first floor of the Sherwood Hotel in Taipei.  It is a very luxurious looking room with seating for 92 patrons.  I found myself here with my family on a Sunday evening, and while when I arrived (6:30) the place was relatively empty, the restaurant filled up nicely as the night progressed.  

As you enter through the double doors, you will immediately notice the all you can eat salad bar laid out for your dining and viewing pleasure.  It costs around 800NT, so it's definitely not cheap for something that most likely won't be your main course (although it easily could be), but there was a multitude of options available and seemed very fresh.

 A quick look at the salad bar.  Loved the quiche and cheese options.

Simple pizza.  Didn't get to sample it, as it was reserved for the kids.  

I didn't order the salad bar for myself, but I of course picked off the plate of those who did.  This might be frowned upon, but when you are about to pay upwards of 5000NT for a steak, eating some cheese, veggies and quiche seems justified.  I forced my sister to keep getting more and more goodies for me from the salad bar, because lets face it, pilfered food just tastes so much better.

The menu also has other options on it as well, much of it Italian.  From antipasti, soups, pastas, pizzas and other items.  I decided to share a sea urchin pasta with my nephew.

 Sea Urchin Pasta

 Carbonara Pasta

 Simple Green Salad.

Lobster Bisque

The pasta was cooked well, but the flavors of anything else were drowned out by the heavy heavy taste of garlic.  There was only a faint hint of sea urchin in the pasta, and overall I thought the dish of a bit of a failure.  The look of the pasta was a little bland as well.  The colors were not there, and in an establishment like Toscana, I expected a little more out of any dish that I would happen to order off of their menu.

 Dry Aged Bone-in Wagyu New York Strip (18oz, 3200NT)

Some Fixings.

The cuts of meat at Toscana are all dry-aged.  Dry aging beef comes at great expense as it involves hanging the beef and storing it in near freezing temperatures.  This can only be done with the very best cuts of beef, as the process requires meat with a large, even distribution of fat content.  The effect of dry aging is that the concentration and saturation of the natural flavor of the meat.  

The moisture is evaporated from the muscle, and the beef's natural enzymes break down the connective tissues in the muscle.  Enough of the biology lesson? Just know that this process results in an higher quality of beef that is more tender than it would've been.  More tender = more yummy = more money.  

Add the dry aging to already prime cuts of meat and you have just entered meat nirvana.  The above picture is of a Wagyu New York Strip, done medium rare.  It was the choice of a few people of the group and the meat was incredibly tender and of course full of natural flavor.  Not much sauce is needed to enhance the flavors of the meat, but they have some horseradish and mustard options available.

I also thought the mashed potatoes were delicious.  Light and airy and not clumpy whatsoever.  

 Some accoutrements

 36oz Dry Aged Wagyu T-Bone Steak (5000NT).

 Tenderloin Steak side.

Strip Steak side

Ahhh.. the star of most steak restaurants.  The 36oz dry-aged Wagyu T-Bone Steak.  What makes the T-bone steak so enticing is the fact that its comprised of two different types of beef, the larger is a strip steak, while the smaller side is the tenderloin.  

The tenderloin is typically the more desired side of the steak as it is probably one of the most tender cuts of beef there is.  The juices were oozing from the steak, and really, it was difficult not to grin manically as I started cutting into the meat.  There are those that like their meat to be slightly tougher, but I enjoyed the tenderloin cut much more.  While the strip side was also very good, it was no match for the tenderloin.  

There were small bits of the beef that were slightly burnt as we got nearer the T-bone, but that was negligible as far as the overall enjoyment of Toscana's steak.

 Nice dessert options.

Had to do it.

There are also smaller sizes available (24oz for the T-bone at 4500NT, 16oz for the NY Strip at 2850NT) for the steaks above as well as other cuts on the menu.  A dessert bar laden with all manners of sugary treats is also there for your eating delight.  To be perfectly honest, I still don't know how it works.  Meaning i'm not sure if its there for everyone, or only for those that ordered the salad bar, since everyone at our table just basically started in on the desserts without asking.  No one accosted us for this behavior, so I'd say... go ahead and behave the same way.

If I had to do it over again, I think I would have laid off on all the other menu options outside of the steak and added the salad bar onto my dinner.  As you can see, eating at Toscana will run you a pretty penny, but realize that you are getting excellent service along with excellent food.  Perhaps dining in this manner shouldn't be done on a day to day basis, but it is a great place for special occasions or just for when you're feeling especially ravenous.  

I would have liked a little more in the way of perhaps sauces for the steak or dressing up the dish itself.  But the extensive menu options, along with the bountiful salad bar more than make up for these other deficiencies. 

Overall Toscana Receives: 

-Til Next Time-

TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel)

Address: No.39, Alley 4, Lane 345, Sec. 4, Ren Ai Road, Taipei.  仁愛路4段345巷4弄39號

Telephone: 02-2752-1829

Hours: Tue-Fri: 11:00AM-9:00PM ; Sat-Sun 12:00PM-9:00PM

Website: http://www.facebook.com/TMPB39

As a child, I really don't remember ever hearing about, let alone tasting, a macaron.  Wasn't dessert comprised of cakes, pies, cookies and candy?  I'm certainly glad of new things in my life, but when did we become so inundated with options?
There are many new things that I could learn to live without, but I would definitely not put these colorful morsels anywhere near the top of the list.  Macarons, and establishments like TM Patisseries & Bistro in general, have carved out an interesting place in society for themselves.  Without question, these type of places are all over priced, but for some reason we keep getting sucked in because of our love for pretty things made out of sugar.
It really just goes with what I said in my previous posts about everything going towards what people are perceiving as fancy, but in reality it really is just a synonym with 'this is going to cost you a lot of money and you will still be hungry.' This really has nothing to do with TM Patisserie & Bistro per say, its just more of a thought about the growing list of these sorts of establishments both when dealing with desserts and all manners of food.

There really does seem to be an ever expanding list of these type of sleek, cool, and cute dessert places.  But another reality is that obviously there is a market for them if they can keep finding the patrons to not only stay open but thrive.  TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) offers the customary assortment of brightly colored macarons.  My friend pointed out as we walked in that perhaps they were slightly TOO colorful, as if they came out of Willy Wonka's worst nightmare.  I thought that the coloring drew the eye, but I also believe that a point was made that they almost looked like they were dipped in florescent paint.  

It is a nice little space that will seat roughly 18-20 patrons.

 Nuclear Macarons.

Lunch Time specialty sets.

Let me be honest here, I have an uncontrollable sweet tooth.  There are those that walk the Earth that can abstain from sweets, but I'd like to think that those people are either short a few taste buds or really just robots sent to observe humanity.  So it is a little difficult for me to be critical of things when they are essentially sugar parading around in disguises.  

With that said however, you begin to notice the quality of things after a while.  You can like everything, but still be able to differentiate between what you liked more.  This is basically what I have been forced to learn to do, since I enjoy most things placed in front of my face.

TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel)'s macarons are something that I perfectly enjoyed and would eat non stop, but through sheer endless gluttony, I realized that there are better options out there for this delectable treat.

The look of the macarons we have already covered, but I found them to be too dense and slightly on the hard side of the spectrum.  Whether this was by design or having been kept in the cooler for too long I don't know, but it was an issue when it came to consumption.  

A gripe of my friend's was that the macarons were dense in the spots that were suppose to be airy, and airy in the spots that were meant to be dense.  While I didn't find this an issue at all, perhaps for the macaron connoisseur, It is really something worth griping about.

Still, I would pop these like a sleeve of oreos all day every day if given the option.  Its just that I've had better, and when it comes to the good things in life, its all a matter of degrees.

 Part of the lunch set.  Three macarons, a dessert option, panna cotta and a drink for 360NT.

I found the other desserts to be much more enjoyable.  The lemon tart (120NT) was well.....lemony and tarty. It wasn't overly sweet, and the crust was well done and I found it to be understated in its flavor yet very enjoyable.  The chocolate cake and other desserts were really all very well done.  Like the lemon tart, they were not overly sweet and cloying like how some desserts can be after a few bites.  

TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) also offers a few savory dishes that you can order to give your taste buds a little reprieve from all the sweetness.  They range from 290NT to 880NT for the Prime Angus Tenderloin Steak.  

 Pan Crisped Chicken Pasta (380NT)

As I looked at the prices for the savory dishes, I realized that they were of course on the pricey side, but that's okay as long as the portion is acceptable and the flavors were good.  On this trip I only gave the Chicken Pasta a go.  I thought it was very lovely to look at, and the colors of the pasta and the chicken really made it very appetizing based on appearance alone.  After tasting it, I found the dish to be slightly over seasoned and a bit too salty.  I thought the chicken and the pasta were both made really well, but the issue was in the seasoning of the entree.  

It is a very small kitchen so the food takes a while to prepare, so be aware of that before you decide to give everything a try on the menu.  TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) also of course comes equipped with all manners of libations, both alcoholic and not.  

I feel like these sorts of bistro/dessert places are judged a lot based on their macarons.  It's invariably what people bring up first, and really helps get people through the doors.  But of course there is much more to making a fantastic patisserie.  

While TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) might come up just a bit short in their execution of their macarons (at least on this day), the other treats were exactly that, a treat to eat and take in visually.  Judging the savory dishes on one solitary item might not be fair (although there were only 7 options), but I'll go out and say that its more than likely that the other dishes will be well prepared albeit definitely lacking in the important price to quantity ratio.

Without a doubt TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel)'s is a charming little spot to get together with a few friends and have a few treats, but there are definitely better options out there when it comes to the space and the food.  

Overall TM Patisserie & Bistro (Tim & Mel) Receives:

-Til Next Time-

樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen

Address: (Store Visited) No.10, Lane.83, Sec.1, Daan Rd, Daan District. Taipei 台北市大安路一段83巷 10號

Telephone: (02)8772-8159

Hours: 11:30AM-10:00PM daily. (arrive before 9:40 for last orders)

When I think of ramen, my mind usually turns to a boiling pot of reddish liquid that someone is gingerly stirring as the rest of us somehow try to manage our drunkenness.  Maybe ramen was never intended to be consumed as such, but that's what top ramen and cup o' noodles have done to the reputation of ramen across college campuses throughout the world.
It doesn't have to be this way.  You can consume better ramen that what comes in prepackaged foil, believe me.. I've seen it with my very own eyes.
I was itching to try out the ramen here in Taipei, and after doing a bit of research, settled on 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen as the guinea pig of my ramen tasting experiments.  Because of sheer proximity to Japan (the home of ramen) I blindly assumed that these noodle dishes must be superior to what I've had so far back in America.  Let's see how correct I was or wasn't.

Chicken Cucumber Miso salad.  Nice fresh flavors.

Thank goodness I didn't meander into here by myself.  You start off by filling out a form listing the thickness and hardness of the noodles you prefer, as well as making other choices such as soup bases.  This is a good option to be certain, as you can turn the same choice of ramen into something completely different with each visit as you mix and match with the different flavors.  

If you are a first time visitor, the servers will take some time to help you along.  At any point during your meal, you can also request for an extra bowl of noodles without any extra cost.  Just be sure to leave some soup in your bowl before you do.  The extra bowl of noodles only comes in one form (thin noodles cooked al dente), but hey, I wasn't about to complain.

Based on the type of ramen and soup base, it will range from 180-250NT for a bowl of ramen.  

 Pork Gyoza.  Nothing special.  Perfectly decent to consume.

They have a variety of fried good and other sides.  

There are multiple 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen's throughout the city, and I imagine you'll run into the same issues that we had during our Friday night visit.  There was a throng of people huddled outside the door, which can really mean only one thing.. time to wait for food.  Possibly one of the worst things ever when your hungry.  The wait was about 20-30 minutes, but they write down your phone number, so you can wander a bit if you wish.  Good thing about Ramen shops is that they produce their food relatively quickly so even with a longish queue, it moves briskly and soon you can be one of the people sitting inside while snickering at the ones outside.

I went with thick/harder noodles as my options.  I am led to believe that the Japanese prefer their noodles harder, while the people here prefer the noodles a bit softer.  I loved the broth as it was a little on the thick side and the consistency of it was amazing.  For my own tastes, it wasn't too salty, but quite perfect, but I can understand how some people might think it be a little on the salty side.  Just make sure you choose your options to your own personal tastes and you probably can't go wrong.

It was a large bowl, and with the extra heaping of noodles, it is enough to satiate almost anyone.  The extra little spices and vegetables just increase the flavor of the broth, and of course the sliced pork was tender and a staple of many a ramen dish.

Although it might look like it'd burn a hole in your tongue, the spicy broth really wasn't all that spicy.  The flavor profile really was relatively similar.  My friend went with softer/broad noodles.  I had a taste of both, and its my preference to go with the non spicy soup base.  I think the flavor of the broth is more distinct in that dish, and isn't overwhelmed by the spicy flavor.  

On the whole, I was very satisfied with the ramen at 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen.  As you can judge from my previous comments, I found that everything was done right and the atmosphere of the store was lovely.  The wood paneling is a nice touch, and the store comes equipped with the customary Japanese cat calls as you enter, leave and order.  But (there always is one) we are still dealing with ramen here.  

I am not discrediting the art of making a fantastic bowl of noodles, but when compared to something a little more sophisticated, it is sometimes difficult to judge how truly great a bowl of ramen is.  Even when it is done as well as 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen does it, I imagine there are many places that produces similar quality product.

But that really is a discussion for another time.  Just realize that if you want a good, filling bowl of noodles, then 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen should be high on your list of destinations.  The customization of your noodle bowl is nice, and there is enough other options on the menu to keep your taste buds occupied until the main dish arrives.  

Overall 樂麵屋 - Rakumenya Ramen receives.

-Til Next Time-

A satisfied grin and probably a belch.