Saturday Brunch

Got treated to a nice brunch by Juju's parents, Lyn n Shaun. At the oh-so-posh, and very private members only, World Trade Center Club - ob the 33rd Floor of the Taipei World Trade Center. This venue is mostly used for Weddings and also Bussiness Meetings...

The ambiance was everything you would expect from such a place... nice, posh, quiet, and spotless....   the food - main entrees -  pricey and well presented....  i mean PASTA for NT$900 (a little over US$30....  but with each entree - one does get to have as much as he wants in the BUFFET area....  Sushi, sashimi, all kinds of salads, seafood, fruits, nachos and guacamoles, bread and cheeses, and of course, my personal fave, a wide array of sweets...

 

Comeal Cafe - Kaohsiung

This visit in Kaohsiung, had the pleasure of experiencing another new Cafe/Resto, Comeal Cafe - a Fun, Spacious, Artsy, & Cool place to hang out with your friends...   and eat tasty entrees & refreshing concoctions at the same time.....

The 2 level Cafe is a feast to the eyes with it's various wall art - hand painted especially for the place by a local artist....  I love the old feel of the wall painting...  reminiscent of those from the 50's or even before... styles that are quite popular now.....   the seat and tables fits right in...  a dash of color to accentuate each table...  and everywhere you look there is something to catch the eyes - though some are a bit cheap looking, for the most part each item catches ones' eyes....  the display case boasts a collection of Jimmy Liao licensed goods - so you know am already in Heaven looking at them.....  the really cozy feel of the 2nd floor is soooo inviting wish we were seating up there.....  the hanging whimsical light fixture is sooooo  cute I wanted to take it down and bring home with me....   LOL....

The food I cannot complain about either....   tasty...  a variety of offerings to choose from....   and reasonably priced....  LAVAZZA coffee is the Coffee of choice, not bad at all... and the Iced cold drinks are perfectly concocted to keep on refreshed and satisfied....

The staff are quite friendly, as well...  and it helped that on of the current staff is none other than, Johnny Wu - always GREAT when you get extra service....  even the Laoban (Owner) came to our table for a chat...  and even graciously served us with perfectly brewed coffee....

Be sure to check out the place when in Kaohsiung....  and, not sure how long this promo is running for - but if you checked in on Facebook while dining - a plate of Yummy Fries will be served to you - FREE!!!

FOR MORE PHOTOS CLICK HERE

A Pirate's Life For Me....

Juliana and I had one of those unscheduled lunches yesterday... and it was a very nice break from all the work and hassles I was going through from a project that was never really a project.... but that's another story.... something I try to not think about too much - for now... LOL...

Anyway, Juliana called to tell me about a mutual friend's art on display as part of a "Pirate Exhibition" at Tom's Diner... off of Chung Hsiao North Rd.and it only running thru the 12th of DEC... so of course we had to go.... plus, it is a diner - so Burgers and Fries - for sure!!!! LUCKY US!!!

The food was actually good.... just as good as TGI Fridays or Chili's, if not better.... and priced modestly... a little less than NT$300 ($9.00US) for a set meal (main course of pasta, burger or hot dogs; hot or cold drink; and desserts - you choose from the 4 different flavours of Sundaes on the menu! Not bad at all....

The place was FUN!!! A quaint, hole in the wall, entrance that leads you to the 2nd Floor resto - all in red, white and black - truly, reminiscent of the better diners I frequent in San Francisco, California. It also has lots of biiig windows overlooking the streets... and since it is not that big of a place, every table gets a window seat!!! It also has a very nice counter style seating with cool swivel red stools.... And of course, the BIGGEST DRAW for us both: the place is overflowing with Vinyl Toys on display!!! At the moment, Pirate themed vinyl toys, tote bags, memorabilias, and :oh-so-cool" sketches and illustrations (by well known and not-so-well known, talented artists) adorns every nook and cranny of the place.... the vinyl toys are soooo cool and ecclectic... Premium Toys, TOFU, Disney Characters, Big Boy, so many other cuties whose names escapes me now.... Blythe dolls even!

Our friend, Jin Jin's COOL ART! She is actually the one that told Juliana about this place and the cool Exhibition...

Love this Display cased overflowing with Pirate Themed Toys... including a Pirate's Ship!

Tom Diner's Complete Photos Here

Tom's Diner
1F, No.2, Lane 248, Sec.4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da An District
Taipei City, 106, Taiwan
0287736664

Hump Day Break with Sue...

Today, Wednesday the 3rd, Sue and I were finally able to schedule another lunch get-together... last time we had lunch together was at least, a couple of months back.... and to think her work is only a 15 minute walk away from my home.... LOL..... Much of it, of course, is the busy schedules... like this month, I fly to Manila on the 15th and back on the 23rd; while she flies to Beijing on the 22nd for a few days... so scheduling is always tricky!!! And sadly, Cecilia's work is not too close - so she could not join us....

The Japanese restaurant we have gone to before, that I liked, had closed down... not sure why as it was quite Busy & Popular, from what I gathered... maybe the rent in the area was just way too much.... But Sue knew of another Japanese restaurant, SAKURA - so the craving for Japanese food was still satisfied...

The restaurant is pretty quaint and very Japanese - it should be as one half of the married couple owner is Japanese.... Western and Japanese style seatings are available - we opted for the latter, of course.... the decor is nice and simple -- but lovely... and the food - DELICIOUS!!! Desserts are even baked in house, they are actually famous for their desserts, as they also have a popular bakery called, Chiffon - a few doors down... Overall, it was a satisfying meal we both had... and of course, just to sit, chat & catch is and foremost, the highlight of the get-together....

No get-together will be complete without exchanging something fun to remember the day by... I gave her Flat Tops, my fave childhood chocolates from The Philippines and a Rosary from The Vatican... and she gifted me with this cute "12 Apostles" tee... an original design for a fundraising project of the church she goes to... I LOVE IT!!!

And of course, we were accompanied by a couple of Bearbricks, too: Gremlins - the good and the bad versions....

COMPLETE PHOTOS HERE

chillin' @ chili's

Had a LOVELY fun time at my Nov 1st lunch with Juliana @ Chili's, in the Warner Viewshow area - a themed resto from the Southwest of the good ol' USA... it did not disappoint - it was as TASTY as I was already imagining/dreaming/salivating over everything tht is to be, since the weekend prior to the lunch date.... I SWEAR! (NOTE: now that Juliana is back being a full time working gal - scheduling a lunch get-together becomes tricky once more... but we managed somehow - hehehehehe )
We did not overdo the ordering - as we know the servings are quite big.... we shared a Nachos Platter... A Bacon Cheeseburger.... Bottomless Ice Teas... and the creme de la creme: a Chocolate Marvel for dessert.... this dessert was HEAVENLY - chocolate cake, with creamy chocolate fudge filling inside and topped off with vanilla ice cream covered with hardened chocolate shell.... YUMMY!!! TASTES of the SOUTHWEST, INDEED!!!We were accompanied by three of my Bearbircks - of course!!! Just to add some fun to the day - especially when taking photos.... plus, it gives others something fun to see and talk about, too.... LOL... also, had the pleasure of being served by Jeff, a nice young boy from my Gym.... and the other added pleasant surprise is my Halloween Gift from Juliana - a commemorative, limited edition, 7-11 OPEN chan iCASH card

COMPLETE PHOTOS HERE

if it's Tuesday, it MUST BE brunch time with Juliana!

Yesterday was another fun afternoon lunch with Juliana..... actually. the longest we ever had... 4 hrs sitting, gabbing, and eating to be exact!!! a lazy Tuesday afternoon Gab Fest - what FUN!!!

First off was a stopover at her home to admire more of her Bearbrick collections.... love seeing her 400% ones out and on display - especially since I have a couple of this size Bearbrick.... a tokidoki LA ROBBER in Taipei, like hers in the photo... and a BEATLEs on in Manila....Then we walked on over to Breeze Center for an afternoon lunch at AFTERNOON TEA.... a Japanese Themed/Chain restaurant... it was inside this POSH MALL - so it was quiet enough.... nice & clean ambiance.... and everyone there seems to be just enjoying the afternoon - nothing to rush to whatsoever.... it was soooo relaxing.... so much so that 4 hours went by and we did not even noticed.... LOL!!! We whiled the hours away devouring and enjoying our food.... and of course, gabbing about life, loves, toys - just about everything, really....

Right after we trekked on down to MONSTER Taipei to check out the latest Bearbricks... and pick up a few, of course!

Hello Kitty Cuteness, AGAIN!!!

Another get together lunch with Juliana... at first, for lack of decisiveness we were going to go to our regular TGI Fridays, next to SOGO on Chung Hsiao East Rd, but somehow at the last minute, we opted instead to give this Hello Kitty themed restaurant a try... just off the road... Hello Kitty Sweets - What a place!!!

I have passed by this restaurant a couple of times before, and each time, it is jam packed with people.. I actually thought they only served desserts -- given what is displayed in the front window... rows and rows of cakes, all adorned with Hello Kitty's face. Depending on how you feel about Hello Kitty -.they are either total cuteness or overwhelmingly gaudy. I prefer to take the Fifth on this one with my opinion - hehehehehehe...The place is two floors of Hello Kitty Heaven... with Hello Kitty emblazoned on just about anything they can put her Kitty face on - from the walls to the furniture... to the place settings... and right down to the food... How about a Burger in the shape of Hello Kitty's head? Or each and every dessert served is adorned with Hello Kitty's smiling face... A total Hello Kitty overload...

Most everyone do not mind though -- from what I witnessed... young and old; man or woman; each dines with a smile on their faces... everyone getting up and about admiring both floors, and snapping photographs to show their friends (or to BLOG about - like me!)... From what I gathered, tourists from all over flock this place... and today was no different, as I heard Japanese and Cantonese spoken from the neighboring tables...

The food was not too bad but certainly not something I would want to go back for again and again... they were tasty enough but does not warrant the prices in my opinion. NT$500 (US$15.00) for a small size pizza (and I mean small), a drink, & a chocolate cookie; or NT$350 (US$11.00) for a slice of cake and a drink - is a bit on the pricey side. Honestly, what you come and pay for is the sheer joy of dining in the midst of Hello Kitty & her fans.
For More Hello Kitty Cuteness - CLICK HERE!

Hello Kitty according to WIKIPEADIA
My First Hello Kitty Post: Kawaii Ne!!!