Classic Taiwanese Desserts: Mango Ice

Taiwan is filled with signature desserts. One of the most iconic is Mango Ice. It's such a simple dessert that's worth paying for.

Shaved ice, fresh mangoes, and a special condensed milk. There are also varying toppings, including seasonal fruits, ice cream, mochi, beans, and mango jelly (which taste and feels almost exactly like real mangoes.

When it's hot outside, it's the perfect cooling dessert. When it's cold outside, it doesn't warm you up, but it still totally satisfies your sweet craving. It's so fresh and refreshing.

You must have mango ice when you visit Taiwan. You're missing out if you don't.

Here are a couple bowls of Mango Ice that was savored and quickly finished.
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The slideshow here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Mango Ice

Chinese Sweets at Sweet Dynasty in Taipei

Dessert first to whet your appetites for Taiwanese eats.

One of my favorite food aspects of Taiwanese cuisine is all the sweets. Even if a meal fills you up, you still are tempted with all the dessert houses filling Taipei. And if you're really too full, you can have these sweets as snacks after walking off some of the calories.

Because we were craving for sweet tofu (tofufa), we were taken to Sweet Dynasty. Earlier in the year, my best friend in Hong Kong took my family to the location in Hong Kong.

That whole steaming bucket of tofu is a real treat. Fresh, warm, silky tofu instantly warms your stomach. With a little sweet syrup, this is a delightful and comforting snack or dessert.

Here are some pictures of the tofu barrel and some of the other sweet treats we had to satisfy our sweet tooth at Sweet Dynasty.
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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Sweet Dynasty

Honeymoon Desserts to Cool Down or Warm Up

There's something about traveling that makes me looks for sweets. When I was a little girl traveling around Europe during the summer time, I would love searching for ice cream trucks to cool down from the sweltering August heat. Not much has changed. In Hong Kong, one of my classic dessert favorites is stopping by Honeymoon Desserts. Cold and hot bowls for a sweet break.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Honeymoon Desserts

Not-Your-Typical-Afternoon-Tea at Cafe Iguana

One of my favorite pastimes is a leisurely afternoon tea. Little portions, both sweet and savory. After walking around Elements mall in Hong Kong, I found a restaurant that caught my eye because of their Afternoon Tea Set special. Cafe Iguana serves Latin and Spanish dishes throughout the day. Between 3-6pm, they have a set menu for 98HKD. Not bad at all. Fried food, fresh guacamole, and desserts - plus some cold beer - that's a great afternoon.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Cafe Iguana

Katsu at Dondonya

Elements mall in Hong Kong has a great variety of Chinese and Japanese restaurants. I really enjoy the Japanese restaurants because they are specialized. Sushi at sen-ryo, ramen/izakaya at Ippei-an, udon at Inaniwa, and now rice bowls/katsu at Dondonya. My favorite ordered the pork katsu. Theirs were not as good as my oyster katsu. Really flaky and crusty with the panko, and filled with hot, juicy oysters. Next time I go back, I'm interested in trying their donburis - after all the name of the restaurant implies they specialize in rice bowls.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Dondonya

Sushi Stop in Hong Kong

Every time I stop by Hong Kong, one of my usual restaurants is sen-ryo. They serve some of the freshest sushi and some great premium cuts of fish. Each visit requires me ordering a few pieces of toro that seriously melts in your mouth. It's so hard not to overeat in Hong Kong. This city is one of my favorite eating playgrounds.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: sen-ryo

Noodles & Dumplings at Elements Mall

One of the best comfort foods that always hits the spot is noodles. Homemade noodles just brings it all up to another level. For Chinese noodles, Xia Mian Guan is a pretty good place to enjoy noodle soups and dry noodles - homemade in minutes.

Aside from noodles, they have a decent selection of dim sum dumplings to complete the meal. It's no where close to being as good as Din Tai Fung, but it's still a comforting meal.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Xia Mian Guan

Cantonese Dim Sum in Hong Kong - That's where it's at.

I seriously cannot find a good place for dim sum here in Manila. I've tried all the "good" ones, but they are no where close to being as good as those in Hong Kong.

So when in Hong Kong, I indulge in some quality Cantonese dim sum! Lei Garden in IFC is totally the place to go for high quality Cantonese. Everything is fresh and really full of taste. Make reservations because this place always fills up fast.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Lei Garden IFC

2nd's makes you want to come back for more

As Fort Bonifacio continues to develop, new restaurants are constantly popping up. One of my favorite places in the Fort is High Street - lots of shops and eateries. A great place to walk around on those rain-free days and nights.

2nd's which is located on the second floor is a great new addition to High Street. It has the atmosphere, the food, and the service. The branding and concept are smart and well-executed. If you want a twist on Filipino food, American favorites, and basically modern International cuisine, this is definitely the place to go. Go once, and you'll definitely want to go back for seconds (again, great branding and concept!).


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: 2nd's

Classic Filipino Dishes at Fely J

There are some Filipino dishes that are best eaten in restaurants. For me, these are dishes that will make a mess in the kitchen, particularly fried dishes. So when I'm craving for these fried foods, it's so easy to find them in nearby Filipino restaurants that serve these classic dishes, like at Fely J.

Fely J in Greenbelt 5 is a place for locals and visitors to go to enjoy classic Filipino dishes. It's definitely a place to share and eat family style. That's the only way to go with Filipino food.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Fely J

Lobby Eats in The Peninsula Manila

When you're craving for multiple cuisines, sometimes a hotel lobby cafe can serve up just what you're looking for. Craving: Burger & Halo Halo. Place to go: The Peninsula Hotel, Lobby.

The burger is hefty, and with the works it's filling. The halo halo is huge and great to share. It's one of the best halo halos in town.

(Pardon the quality of the photos. I didn't have my camera on me, so this is all from my camera phone.)
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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Peninsula Lobby

Neighborhood Eats: Ba Noi

When you're at home, there are some nights when you don't want to eat in - the cooking and the clean up takes a certain mood. And there are also those nights when you want to eat out, but you don't want to go too far. The solution: neighborhood eats.

Ba Noi is one of those neighborhood restaurants that's cozy and serves up comforting Vietnamese cuisine. I love that Vietnamese cuisine, like Thai cuisine, has sweet, salty, sour, and spicy flavors in most of their dishes. These flavors really add complexity to any dish that makes you want to eat more and more. There's something about Thai and Vietnamese cuisine that satisfies you and doesn't make you feel grossly full.


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The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Ba Noi

Banana-Que: Caramelized Bananas on a Stick!

Banana-que is a common Filipino street food snack. Caramelized local plaintain bananas (saba) fried on a stick. It's great for breakfast, merienda (snack time), and dessert.

When they are freshly made, it's too easy to eat so many bananas in one sitting. Sweet bananas, caramelized with brown sugar.. Soo good.

The slide show here runs on Flash. If you can't see it, check out my Flickr album: Banana-Q