(Sugar and spice, and) Everything nice

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An old friend's in town on business.  I haven't seen him in a while, so I was really happy to have a chance to meet up with him.  He suggested that we go to Tutto Bello, one of his favorite places in Taipei.  I can't remember how long ago my last visit was, but that visit many moons ago - under a very different chef now famous around town - did not produce a return visit for me… until now.

I arrived to find that, to my surprise, the dinner party had doubled in size.  My friend had rounded up a few of his good friends who share his passion for wine, and there was already a spread of bottles on the serving table…  This is a group of regulars at the restaurant, so the menu has been arranged by the kitchen.

8 pieces for lunch

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The Specialist is town again and wanted some more Japanese, so I looked around for a new place to try.  I had long heard someone rave about Honda (本多日本料理), so I thought I'd give it a shot.  It also helps that the place is within walking distance from my office...

I decided to try out some sushi on the first visit, so I took the Take Sushi Set Lunch (握壽司午餐“竹”).

The Colgin perspective

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It's been three days since I first met Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, and I was seeing them for the third time this week - this time in Taipei.  The Specialist had kindly invited me to join her tonight at Justin's Signatures, where Sotheby's was hosting dinner for a select group of clients.  The auction house is working with Ann and Joe to showcase the wines from Colgin Cellars, as a parcel of library wines feature prominently in the upcoming Hong Kong auction.  While my wine collection seems miniscule compared to those of my fellow diners, I am a big Colgin fan as well as a loyal client… and I was so looking forward to tasting all the wines tonight!

My golden fix

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A couple of friends knew I was back in town and wanted to do lunch at one of my favorite places, so we booked a table at Gold, knowing that I'm having a hard time finding decent pasta in Taipei.  It would, of course, be silly for me to refuse, given how much I love the place and the big man…

A star in the city

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I had a pretty busy day, running around to catch up with a few people while I'm in town.  After failing to participate in a vertical tasting of Pontet-Canet, I caught up with Mr. and Mrs. Tigger over dinner at Yuè (粵), the newly-minted 1-macaron restaurant in the City Garden Hotel (城市花園酒店).  This is Tigger's new discovery, as he tries to wean himself from the Mandarin Oriental.

Barbecued pork (叉燒) - Tigger of course asked for the lean cuts, while I asked for the fattier cuts (半肥瘦).  What we got was pretty nice... and satisfied both of us.