Taiwan Day 2: European Style Bread at Maison Kayser / 梅森凱瑟的歐式麵包 (Taipei: Songshan District / 台北市: 松山區)

European style bakeries are popping up all over Taiwan, but the tried and true Maison Kayser (梅森凱瑟) still stands as one of the best in Taiwan.  The local Taiwanese palate is not quite tuned toward Western breads, for most of the locals believe that the texture is rather tough and not as soft and chewy as expected.  Good news for the locals here... Maison Kayser inside Breeze Center (微風廣場) bakes up both traditional pan as well as breads with flavors and textures tailored to local taste buds.

The French classic pain aux raisins is always a must.  The spirals are crisp through to the core, and the multiple layers are visible from the edges of the bread.  What I really like about this bread is that the center continues to be light and flaky.  Many pain aux raisins tend to have the heavy density of pretzels in the middle.

For something a little less sweet, the olive bread is one that hits the spot.  The crusted cheese on the toasty flat bread is a texture that I always look forward to, and I liked the sweet black olives contrasted with the briny green olives as well.  There was also a hint of either rosemary or thyme in the bread that gave an extra dimension in the flavor.

The pineapple danish is an example of a traditional European classic filled with local Taiwanese ingredients.  Since Taiwan is famous for its tropical fruits, the Taipei location of Maison Kayser offers the deep, rich sweetness of its island pineapple in the center of its crisp and flaky pastry.  The shredded coconut flakes decorated around the danish are small enough that it does not give the added chewy bite that its infamously known for but just plentiful enough that the aromatic tropical fragrance complements the pineapple.

Other top offerings include their pain aux chocolat and the expansive selection of cakes and other desserts at the front counter.  Until next time, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

Maison Kayser (梅森凱瑟)
台北市松山區復興南路一段39號
微風廣場 B2F
No. 39, Fuxing South Rd., Sec. 1, Songshan District, Taipei City
Breeze Center, Basement 2

ML - 20130701

Post 40: Club 33 and Disneyland (OC: Anaheim)

My actual birthday had finally arrived, and some very good friends of mine kidnapped me to the Happiest Place on Earth... somewhere I haven't been since high school.  The churros were as expensive as I had remembered... the Dole pineapple whip soft-serve was completely new to me... and the satay skewers from Bengal were simply awesome... but Club 33 trumped all.

Club 33 is located at 33 Royal Street just a few doors down from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride exit.  We found the buzzer (there are two... the lower one leads nowhere) next to the pale green door hidden between 31 and 35 Royal Street.  A receptionist answered, welcomed us in from the freezing cold, took our jackets and put us through the lift (she corrected me and said it wasn't an elevator) to the second floor.

The inside was a world apart from the hustle and bustle of New Orleans Square.  Ornate decorations adorned the walls... props from Disney movies stood in the walkways... Mickey's ears formed the finger grip of the martini swizzle sticks... there were no screaming children here, but it was still definitively Disney.

Never mind that the chicken was a bit dry or that the salmon tasted more like the char than the fish itself... the chateaubriand was awesome, and the risotto made me think twice about rice.  Mickey and Pluto were there to celebrate with me and the dozens of other birthday boys and girls in the restaurant.  I was just happy to be there with some of my favorite people in the world...

We rode our favorites, had lunch at a hidden restaurant and watched World of Color on the California Adventure side of the park.  It was absolutely freezing, which implied that it was a bad idea to ride Splash Mountain... but the absolute lack of a line beckoned us.  Three of us are now sniffling, sneezing, and hacking our lives away (someone may even have a sinus infection), but it was all worth it.

The weather forecast called for rain, but there was no rain.  Just a few clouds skipping across the sky... on the run to Space Mountain, we caught a glimpse of the full moon hiding behind the clouds.  If it hadn't been there, the smiles from the sea of children were enough to light up the night sky.

The fountains at Bellagio in Vegas were the first to inspire my return to an organically constructed body of water, but the World of Color will guarantee my return.  Apparently the World of Color gets updated every so often... will this motivate me to buy an annual pass? Smart move, Disney...

The day started off with a bit of confusion... where was I to spend the day? Clues: outdoors, need comfortable walking shoes, somewhere between LA and San Diego... there was only one place in my mind.  And it ended with nothing but certainty for me... I have the best friends in the world.

ML - 20101124/20101121

Post 3: Kimchi Fried Rice Fail means Kimchi Omelettes

Goal: Spam+pineapple+kimchi fried rice

Result 1: Spam+pineapple+kimchi omelette
Result 2: radish kimchi omelette (泡菜浦蛋)

Complete fail? Not quite. There's a very simple explanation for how my fried rice became two omelettes. I expected to find day-old rice (the kind you need to make good fried rice) in the refrigerator, but when I peered within the door... milk, eggs, orange juice, uhhh... no leftover rice? What??! I felt like a peasant during the Chinese revolution.

Okay, so time for plan B. Uhhh... Spam+pineapple+kimchi... salad? Gross. Pasta? No way. An omelette? Hrmmm... perhaps. As the least of all evils, I decided that a Spam+pineapple+kimchi omelette was doable. After all, I had just made Korean pork belly with Brussels sprouts and kimchi, and that was delicious. So if this Spam+pineapple+kimchi omelette really tastes as good (or disgusting) as it sounds, at least I would know for sure.

Ingredients:

1. Spam - Original tastes best, but Lite or Low Sodium are also available

It says "crazy tasty" on the label, hahahaha, awesome marketing, Hormel.

2. pineapple - fresh or canned (doesn't matter) but must be drained

3. kimchi and kimchi juice

4. 2 eggs - scrambled

5. salt and pepper (S&P)

Directions:

Step 1. Brown the Spam. A little bit of oil goes a long way here.

Step 2. Add the kimchi and kimchi juice, and let it reduce with the Spam.

Step 3. Toss the pineapple in with the Spam.

S&P (salt and pepper) the S&P (Spam and pineapple).

Step 4. Take out the omelette's organs.
Pour the eggs over the skillet and let it firm up.

Step 5. Put the omelette's organs back in. Attempt to fold/roll the omelette.
It gets interesting here, hahaha.

After an utterly failed attempt at folding the omelette, I came to the sinking realization that Spam+pineapple+kimchi could have made a delicious contemporary pizza a la CPK. *smacks forehead* Feeling disappointed in myself for not thinking about pizza as a possibility, I sank into my overstuffed sofa seat hoping that my kimchi omelette would taste decent at the very least.

Spam+pineapple+kimchi omelette. Good morning, America!
I covered the rip in the omelette with kimchi. You'd never be able to tell otherwise. :P

As I took my first bite, something hit me (I think it's called shock). Savory Spam... sweet pineapple... and spicy (and a bit crunchy) kimchi... all wrapped in a little bit of neutral (the egg)... delicious! But just to make sure my taste buds weren't screwing with me, for my second bite, I raced into the kitchen for a bottle of Tabasco. A dash here, a dash there... bite no. 2. Nom, nom, nom. Mmmm...! The savory+sweet+spicy combo was really working for me. More munching ensued... and a few minutes later...

Demolished. Tabasco and kimchi blood remain.
Chopsticks are more convenient than any other utensil.

I think I've just created an Asian omelette! But another realization hits. I don't think I'm the first one to have created an Asian omelette. There is a Taiwanese-style omelette that is made with pickled daikon radish (Chinese-written: 菜浦蛋; Taiwanese-spoken: tsai bho nngh). I've had this Taiwanese radish omelette plenty of times before. So I went back into the kitchen, excited to try a Taiwanese-inspired, Korean-flavored omelette (泡菜浦蛋). Instead of Taiwanese picked radish, I used Korean pickled radish kimchi. The kimchi isn't as salty or as crunchy as the pickled daikon, but it was well worth a shot.

Taiwanese-inspired, Korean-flavored. Radish kimchi omelette.
I may try scrambling the eggs with the radish kimchi inside next time.

Just as I had thought... not as salty and not as crunchy, but not bad at all. In comparison to the first omelette, the second one is physically flatter and flatter in taste as well. There isn't as much of a "Hmmm... what exactly is this that I'm tasting...?" To improve, maybe I would add another pinch of salt in the egg and then eat it with a side of kimchi (either cabbage or radish).

Surprise! A simple spinach omelette.  
I was in a mood to scramble eggs.

Gah! I've had way, way too many eggs this morning. Kimchi pizza next time? Until then, let's all get S.O.F.A.T.

ML - 20100113