A meander through Taipei - March 2012 Part 1

In March I took, what I thought would be, a quick trip with a friend to Taipei to check out the local cuisine and culture. After two, terrifying, aborted landing attempts into a foggy Taipei airport we were redirected to Khaosiung in southern Taiwan. After landing we spent 2 frustrated hours on the aircraft then a further 2 hours in the airport with no communication from the airline and next to no connection to the outside world  - finally they took us to a hotel and the following morning we took a 5 hour road trip (quite literally a road and not much else to see) back to our original destination....  Highlights of our view below..

Basically we lost a day and an evening and about 10 years off my life. I was fairly certain I was living my last moments on that aircraft but fortunately I live to tell the tale.  

We knew we had to make the most of our remaining two days and I think we managed to pack quite a lot in. It was around 30C which was about 20C higher than what we had left so it was a bit of a shock to the system but a rather pleasant one all the same.

Completely drained from the journey we walked just a few minutes to the famous 101 building close by and ate dinner at the first place we found - the DinTaiFung dumpling restaurant- I know, I know they are all around the world  - but it was a no brainer and we were desperate. As we were in DTF's  birthplace we mistakingly thought it might be "better" than its franchised sisters - which by all accounts aren't too bad at all.  It was pretty inconsistent -  but sadly it ended up being one of the better meals of the trip.  After dinner we strolled around what turned out to be a rather colourful (literally not metaphorically) city - then ended up having an underwhelming massage in a joint nearby our hotel. (btw I do recommend the HOME hotel  - great location and comfortable rooms - the included breakfast is rather average but it puts something in your body before you head out into the day - and its cheap enough to fill up elsewhere if you need to.

I do like this whole "city" bike idea! Even if its been years since I have ridden one - although I am on a challenge from friend Ricky to get my butt on one sometime soon so I can experience true freedom in Kyoto! Dinner below for those who are interested. 

   

the towering 101 building below

 A happy ending to our massage - cookies and ginger tea - cheers!

First stop the following day was the National Palace Museum teahouse..

After a long morning roaming the exhibitions of the museum (which I highly recommend - but be prepared for the hoards) and sipping and dining in the fabulous tea house on the roof we stopped for a much needed foot massage - boy did they work our poor, tired feet. No pain no glory as they say. It was fabulous and about $10AUD for half an hour.

 We floated away refreshed and headed for the Shilin Market past some stunning architecture - old and new. There was something about this building below that seemed so out of place, but so right. 

The Shilin market (below) is reportedly the most touristy of all the night markets and I'd have to say I agree and wouldn't bother to return - the smaller markets are far more interesting - however the bustling food hall under the market is well worth visit.

Here's the highlights from the aboveground market

 

   

OK -  .forget that above ground stuff - underground was where the "goods" were waiting...

spicy stinky tofu.... that it was

I thought these were fat, porky sausages... until they split them open and started filling them with relish and real pork sausage goodness... Sticky rice in sausage casings - acting as bun for your "dog"! fantastic!

Cheese on a stick... no really.

on the way out we stopped for "bubble tea" as you do in pretty much any asian country you can think of these days... apart from almost choking on "small bubble" it was very refreshing in the humidity of the fading day. 

which way did you say?

We stumbled across this gorgeous temple on the way home and were welcomed to come in and take photos...so we did.

The sign says it all.. I thought it was funny enough that Blue Nun still existed but I have only just now realised we were being invited to enjoy a Blue Nun's buttle!  

Then on to find a local arts and culture festival - however it wasn't quite ready for us - the colourful temple area was worth a look anyway.

Strolling into the evening we came apon a tea shop - and proceeded to spend about an hour indulging the tea master and his pet pooch - it was actually nice to stop and rest for a while and he was very nice - so was the dog.... they certainly had a routine up their sleeves

won't you buy some tea????

 What about if I entertain you with a little dancing  - human style..??? eh?? eh??

x

Grand finale ... whaddya think? wanna buy some tea??

How bout I drink some with you??

just one more pose and my job is done.. this one will clinch that sale for sure...

This is where we got lost....after walking miles in the wrong direction....

We tried this joint for dinner... again not bad - but didn't rock our world 

Mushrooms in rice paper

and

Layered tofu and black egg with pork floss and sweet soy sauce

crisp pork belly n hot mustard  and stuffed lotus

pan-fried taro cakes with preserved meat

The local drop - not bad at all

Stay tuned for part two where I feature some particularly ..ahem.."earthy" food markets... I'll try not to make it too graphic - even though I know some of you can't get enough blood and guts!

**Obscure tip... Taipei has wonderful bookstores with large english language sections - Japan could take a leaf out of their, oh... well you know.

Zenbu Zen

Pssst! I'm a little bit excited to share this with you.  Its the cover of my new book - shortly I will finally see the finished product!

Zenbu Zen is due for release on 01 October 2012 - it seems so far away but not so long to wait in the scheme of things! Its been a long time in the making and its so wonderful to know that I will soon hold a hard copy in my hands for the very first time. 

Being in Japan for the last 8 months I have been working on digital files only  - so I haven't had a chance to feel real pages...  there is something so lovely about flicking through the pages of a hard copy book... That might make me sound a little old fashioned (and I get that a bunch of novels are easier to carry to your holiday destination on an electronic device than drag around in your luggage) but to me, there are few things more enjoyable than sitting quietly in your favourite corner of the sofa or perhaps under a shady tree with a cuppa or a glass of wine and pouring over the pages of a beautifully designed and well considered book.  Getting lost in a book's text or images and, in the case of a great cookbook, plotting and tagging all the recipes you want to sample and who you will share them with, is one of life's simple pleasures. 

The team who worked on the book have done such a great job to ensure my text stayed true, my recipes were beautifully photographed and that my own images of Japan were used in such an empathetic and stunning way.  I was so lucky to have Uber designer Reuben Crossman working his magic on this title as he did with Snowflakes and Schnapps. I can't thank him enough. The recipe images are as gorgeous as they are thanks to photographer Cath Muscat and the food itself was lovingly and so perfectly cooked for the shoot by the very lovely Olivia Andrews from Have you Eaten and Firetruck.. Keep an eye out for this one she is a very clever young miss! 

I am a lucky girl to have had such talented peeps working on my book. My words, although trimmed to fit, could not have been more respectfully edited by the gorgeous women who are Carla Grossetti and Katri Hilden. Thank you also to Laura from Murdoch Books for keeping it all ticking along. 

I will be updating my blog occasionally in the lead up to the release but in the meantime...

Here is the jacket blurb just to give you a taste:

"When bestselling author Jane Lawson finds herself burnt out professionally and personally, and anything but healthy, she retreats to Kyoto to find more balance in all aspects of her life. Through an immersion in Japanese culture and especially in its food, she slowly regains that equilibrium - the zen of the title. "Zenbu Zen" is her very personal journey of discovery, interspersed with well-explained and beautifully photographed recipes."

Key points: stunning food photography; detailed explanation of Japanese food and ingredients with more than 60 recipes; provides a unique insight into Japanese people and culture."

And here is a link to my facebook page where I will also be adding regular info on my Japanese life and the book  - please do hop over and "like" my page - that way I am sure to keep you in the loop. 

Cheers, Jane x

Kakinuma かきぬま

About a week ago I enjoyed a very pleasant meal with friends at Kyoto's Kakinuma. The chef used to be in the family business (his father was a Tempura master) but his parents have retired and he now has a place of his own on Marutamachi dori between Kawabata and Higashioji dori. On the north side of the road. 

The food is simple and fresh with clean flavours and the dining space is a wonderful mix of traditional and elegant contemporary Japanese furnishings. You sit on the floor but there is a deep hole for your legs under the table - much easier for foreign visitors than a 4 hour stint on the tatami but with a similar atmosphere due to sitting at the low tables.  There is also a counter that faces the kitchen as per below - you are still on the floor, but on backed cushions for support and of course that lovely, comfortable drop for your legs. 

We started with a first course comprising of a variety of fresh seafood, with land and sea vegetables and a lush gomadofu or sesame tofu (see above pic - the gomadofu was served on a spoon with some uni or sea urchin on top)

Then came the fresh homemade tofu inside a bamboo cup - try it unadorned at first then with salt or freshly grated ginger.

One of the several wonderful sake's we sampled...

More excellent sashimi - toro (tuna belly) was the highlight

Crisp skinned, tender fleshed butter red emperor with grated daikon, soy and lemon

 Tai (snapper) in slightly thickened dashi with junsai (pond plant) and yuzu flower buds for fragrant. Kinome (sansho leaf) sits on top of compressed flakes of snapper. 

Lotus root puree stuffed with chicken mince, deep fried and served with a light ankake (thickened sauce of dashi, soy, mirin) 

Individual rice servings

The rice course comes with a choice of seasonal green peas, small clams or tai. Eat it straight at first then pour over tea/dashi for ochazuke - make sure you scrape up the okoge - the lovely crisp and caramelised rice granules that have stuck to the bottom of the cooker. Enjoy with pickles on the side. 

Dinner starts at around 5000y per person (for the above course) - alcohol not included. 

Yokai (Monster) Street!! よかい

Its a rather rundown strip ...and I wouldn't go out of my way to visit these little critters (which are supposed to draw in visitors to the extremely tired area ) but if you are in the vicinity of the Kitano Tenmangu Shrine its worth taking a short stroll south to Ichijo dori. 

Standing at the south exit of the shrine on Imadegawa dori you will see a street just east that leads south -  walk south a couple of minutes until you hit a small huddle of shops - turn west and you will run into these guys.  

There is a spooky monster parade in October each year and other monster related events -  legend has it that Monsters used to stroll down this street in centuries past. 

For more info on Monster street paste this link into your google chrome browser with Japanese to English setting switched on .http://kyotohyakki.com/

Sadly we were there on a Sunday when most of the shops were shut so I'd choose another day of the week for the best experience. 

Scary no-face monster lady

Devilishly purple ramen and black monster croquette (coloured with edible bamboo charcoal) are on sale if you dare.