Shabu Shabu in Taipei

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

Stir it up!

Sorry, I don't really know the name of the place, or exactly where in Taipei I was. I had had been at the National Palace Museum for a meeting with some colleagues and when they offered to take us out for dinner and a tour of the Shilin Night Market, it wasn't possible to say no.

This was my first experience with Shabu Shabu, a Japanese variant of the Chinese hot pot. You get a large cooking pot of broth and a selection of meats, tofu and vegetables (along with various sauces) and DIY.

Sitting at long tables, we all joined in the cooking fun and had a delicious and tasty time.

Meal: Dinner
Rating: *****
Date: 24 February 2009
Address: Taipei, Taiwan
Website: N/A

Tea fit for the Emperor

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Originally uploaded by martin_kalfatovic

San-hsi-t'ang Teahouse
National Palace Museum

San-his-t'ang, located in the west hall of Yanghsin Pavilion of Forbidden City, was Emperor Chien-lung's studio. At the National Palace Museum, the San-hsi-t'ang Teahouse is located on the top level of the museum with an excellent, panoramic view down the mountaintop and overlooking the peaks of the museum rooftop.

Inside, the decor is simple, yet elegant, lots of dark wood and comfortable seating. I was lucky to be travelling with a knowledgeable companion, and I put the ordering in her capable hands. We were a party of three (joining three other colleagues who had arrived earlier), so there was some room for experimentation.

Since this was a teahouse, we had to have tea! My colleage ordered two selections for us: a light and refreshing green tea and a darker, delicous oolong.

For my meal, I was started off with a seafood dumpling soup. It was a surpring and delicious dish.

Floating in a broth was a large, pillowy dumpling. Poking into the dumpling revealed a potpouri of marine treats. Shrimp, shellfish and some other mysterious items (perhaps bamboo fungus?).

After soup came a selection of steamed dumplings. including a particularly tasty cabbage roll. The topper to the steamed rolls (actually, the bottomer, as it was at the bottom of the bamboo steamer), was a sticky rice and mushrooms served in a lotus leaf.

After eating, we sat back to enjoy the view and finish off our tea. A delightful lunch before heading off for an extensive tour of the Palace Museum collections!

More photos online.

Meal: Lunch
Rating: ***** of 5
Date: 24 February 2009
Address: National Palace Museum, 221 Chih-Shan Rd., Sec 2, Wai-shuang-hsi, Taipei 11143, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Website: http://www.npm.gov.tw/hotnews/dining/index1_en.html