Cozi Burger

Address: No. 223-2 Jinhua Street, Taipei Taiwan.  台北市大安區金華街223之2號

Telephone: (02)2358 1809

Hours: Mon-Fri: 11:00AM-10:00PM ; Sat-Sun: 10:00AM-10:00PM

I might have been away for a while, but that doesn't mean I haven't been eating.  It's true that most of the food that makes up my diet now is courtesy of the generous government of Taiwan as part of my mandatory military service, but I will not neglect my blogging duties and fit in posts when I can. Appreciate the patience, and hope that you dear reader will still check back when you can and spread the good word.

Cozi Burger was one of the last meals I enjoyed with my friends before my hair was taken from me.  It is part of the ever expanding net of western eateries that is finding a stronger and stronger foot hold here in Taiwan.  I'm certain there will never be a day when the Taiwanese Xiao Chi that I love so much gets replaced by foreign fare, but the margin will probably continually get smaller at an ever diminishing rate.

1885 Burger Store is the only other burger joint that I've properly reviewed on this blog, and in my estimation, Cozi Burger falls short of the quality established by 1885.  I happily and greedily devoured every bite of my burger here at Cozi, but there were somethings lacking that would've turned it from a good/decent burger to a fantastic one.  

Besides the burgers that inhabit the menu, Cozi offers a wide selection of American Brunch options and a variety of pastas.  But I always like to point out, when the word burger is explicitly worked into the title of your restaurant, a burger is what I shall order.  Cozi is located right next to Patisserie la Douceur in the widely popular Yong Kang Street area that is famous for its fantastic food.  The decor is simple, and has ample seating as the restaurant is divided into two separate levels.

Where as at 1885 Burger I opted for a simple burger to really taste the flavor of the meat itself, at Cozi, I decided to try a more adventurous approach and tried a burger that was a little bit more off the beaten path. You are not mistaken, that is a combination of bananas and peanut butter heaped on top of a burger patty.  I've seen PB and B sandwiches, but they were of course missing the beef that makes this combination so intriguing (and possibly disgusting to some).
Cozi, isn't the only burger joint that offers this combo, but most other burger places I think leave out the banana and just incorporate the peanut butter, but who couldn't use some extra potassium in their diet?  Upon the first bite, my taste buds were a little thrown off, and thought that it was slightly too sweet and cloying.  But I must say, as I moved along, I began to enjoy the burger more and more and thought while this isn't a type of burger everyone can find joy in, people who enjoy an interesting mix of textures can definitely give it a try.

  Burger selections tried by my friends.  Fish Burger, Philly Cheese Steak, and the Lucy.

The biggest disappointment according to my friends was the fish burger.  She complained of its dryness and the hardness of the skin.  Having a bite of it myself, I can confirm her reports about the burger, and is definitely an option I would stay away from.  The other two burgers were perfectly fine, and I was happy with the portions offered by Cozi.  

I think my two complaints about the burgers here are about the patty and the bread.  Lets be clear again that I enjoyed my burger, but the bread wasn't soft enough (for my tastes) and the beef was slightly overcooked and lacked that.. juiciness I want when I dig in.  With so many burger options cropping up all over the city, there really isn't a need to settle for something that you don't deem to be worthwhile.  As far as gourmet burgers are concerned (i've subsequently eaten at both Evan's and Bravo Burger), Cozi ranks last in my estimation.

If I were to be walking by, and was in need of a hamburger fix, then I would very happily walk through its doors, but if I had options, then it is my opinion that Cozi deserves to be ignored.  

Over Cozi Burger Receives:

-Til Next Time-

Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 - Westin Hotel

Address: 133 Nanjing East Road, Sec 3, Taipei. (B2 Westin Hotel)

Telephone: (02) 8770-6565

Hours: 12:00PM-2:30PM; 6:00PM-9:30PM

What do you know when you are about to dini at a quality hotel? You are definitely getting great service in an upscale atmosphere that will make your wallet bleed.  I would also dare say that typically the food can be counted on to be excellent.  It stands to reason that when an 4 or 5 star hotel provides every other amenity that a guest would desire, providing amazing dining choices would be one of the most important things that they would care to strive for.
Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 at the Westin is able to pass all of the above criteria easily.  The food is splendid, the service is magnificent, the decor is luxurious and the prices are of course exorbitant... check, check, check and check.

 Combo Platter.  Some good flavor with a spicy kick to it.

 Sea Cucumber. 

Nice QQ(cannot think of the English equivalent... perhaps chewy) noodles that is mixed on hand.  

Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 is located on the B2 floor of the beautiful Westin Hotel, with ample seating for large parties and intimate gatherings alike.  We were here for a dinner on a quiet Monday night and were seated in a private room.  The restaurant didn't seem too busy, but there were a decent number of patrons coming in and out.  

I arrived in time to see my God-Mother finishing up her order with the waitress.  I was not privy to what was ordered, and to be honest, I wasn't too worried about it.  Eating at a Pekingese restaurant, I knew there was definitely going to be one thing guaranteed to appear in front of me, and that was enough for me.

 Oh boy.. YUM.

Duck.  In all stages of devastation.

Isn't Pekingese cuisine synonymous with Duck? Is that just my uncouth nature spilling out again? Regardless, Peking Duck is the signature dish of this type of cuisine, and why the heck shouldn't it be? It's just oh so very delicious.

The Peking Duck at Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 is renowned around the city as being one of the best Taipei has to offer.  I've been told that in the Japanese tour books about Taiwan, they all highly recommend Yi Yuan, so you will often see Japanese tourists come here to dine on this exemplary creation.  The chef is known to travel to Beijing every year to review his skills on roasting the duck, and his techniques on making the sauce and pancakes which often accompany the duck.  As you can see, Yi Yuan 頤園 and its chefs take tremendous pride in their signature item, and it shows in the finished product.

The duck is superb.  The meat is moist, the skin is crisp, and every inch of it is oozing with flavor.  If you manage to wander into Yi Yuan 頤園 without ordering the Peking Duck, then you have truly missed out.

 Pancake and the necessary fix'ns. 

Yi Yuan isn't only renowned for its roast Peking Duck, but as also a great spot to get a taste of many modernized versions of Pekingese gastronomical staples.  We had a wide range of food for us to experience.  From a mushu like dish, to combo platters and dumplings.  I found the food to be a joy to look at, which I have continuously said might be on occasion just as important as the taste of the food itself.

 Love the sauce that accompanies the perfectly cooked fish.  Sweet and a bit tangy.

Yi Yuan 頤園's version of the scallion pancake.

Caramelized Taro with spun sugar.  

You can fill out your meal around the necessity that is the Peking Duck.  But I would definitely recommend the scallion pancake, along with the combo platter to start.  The sea cucumber is also a famous dish of theirs, but i'm not a fan of sea cucumbers in general so I didn't give it a taste.

To be honest, I didn't find any dish to be lacking, but clearly not everything can be great.  But it is a testament to Yi Yuan 頤園 that everything ranged from good to excellent.  I enjoyed the presentation of many of the dishes, and how they preparation was done table side, that's always a nice touch and something commonly done in Pekingese restaurants.

I greatly enjoyed my experience at Yi Yuan 頤園, and must thank my God-Mother for the treat.  If people are ever in the mood to be a bit lavish and have some amazing Peking Duck done right, I now know where to go.

Overall Yi Yuan 頤園 Receives: 

-Til Next Time-

BAANCHAN - ATT4FUN MAll

Address: ATT4FUN 5th Floor. Taipei Taiwan.

Eating in a department store is always so confusing.  For some reason, everything always seems so appetizing to me.  I really don't know if other people feel the same way, but there is something about all these restaurants and food options being piled together that excites the heck out of my taste buds.  The downside is that eating in such a place is typically a very hit or miss proposition.
My mother and I found ourselves in the relatively new ATT4FUN for lunch on a random Friday.  I think we walked by each restaurant twice, traversed multiple floors before we decided to test our luck at BAANCHAN, and give this Korean restaurant a go.

Like all Korean restaurants.  Some small dishes to get you started.

All the customary Korean fare was represented on the menu.  From savory pancakes, tofu soup, to your grilled meats and Korean style sushi.  The restaurant is nestled in one of the corners on ATT4FUN's fifth floor food pavilion, and has nice large windows overlooking the city.  The decor was simple, and the place was happily buzzing along with a good amount of patrons.  

Like any Korean restaurant, BAANCHAN provides you with some simple side dishes to start.  Some bean sprouts, kimchi and other little treats for you to nibble on as you wait.  This is somehow always my favorite thing whenever I choose Korean food as my dining option.  Who doesn't love appetizers? This is just like getting a ton of appetizers for free....... always appreciated.

 Tofu Stew.

 Meat!

 Seafood Pancake.

Mother's Bibimbap.

We opted to go with a seafood pancake to start, while my mother chose a bibimbap (mixed rice dish) as her meal.  I went with an combo that consisted of a choice of tofu stew and a choice of meat.  

Overall, I didn't think any of these dishes were particularly good.  The seafood pancake was a bit too bland and bready, without having enough of the agreed upon seafood in its DNA make up.  While my mother is notoriously hard to please, her scowl as her bibimbap was brought to her was still slightly exaggerated in my opinion.  She claimed that the dish wasn't authentic and was a bit too dry.  I had a taste myself, and it seemed fine, although definitely far from the best I've had.  

I liked the flavor of the tofu soup although it was definitely a bit on the salty side.  It went well with the rice, but when eaten on its own, the saltiness is eminently noticeable.  The beef however was tough and almost tasteless.  The marinade must have been having an off day as the flavor was definitely lacking.  I can overlook the fact that there were only four pieces since this was a part of a set meal, but the lack of flavor for Korean BBQ is unforgivable.

Some simple Korean sushi options.

Also picked a simple california roll as a topper to the meal (wasn't called a cali roll on the menu however).  It was simple yet satisfying and the thousand island-ish dipping sauce went well with it.  The prices were acceptable, but nothing that I would label cheap for Taiwan as it ran around 1200NT for everything.

Another gripe that I had was the service of the employees.  Something I have grown accustomed to while dining out in Taipei is the impeccable service that you will find in many of the restaurants, be it high end or low end.  The workers were both not attentive and seemed somehow put upon by even the simplest requests.  

As you can see, I wasn't overly pleased with the meal I had at BAANCHAN.  With that said however, the soup and sushi was good, and good Korean food seems to be difficult to find in Taiwan.  If I were to eat at ATT4FUN, there is almost no chance I would choose BAANCHAN again, unless the craving for Korean food had taken over my body.  Percentage of that happening? Slim to none.

Overall BAANCHAN receives: 

-Til Next Time-