Aniki Burger

Address: No. 1, Lane 238, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Rd, Daan District
Telephone: (02) 2711-6077
Hours: Mon - Sun 11am to 9pm
Price: $$

Sometimes, I visit food porn websites. I'm sorry you had to find out this way. Getting lost in the images of cinnamon buns, steaks, cupcakes, and eggs Benedict, I think, "How is it possible to take a photo of food like that?" Well ladies and gentlemen, at Aniki Burger I came as close as I possibly could.

Aniki Burger was established in 2010 near a small SOGO on Dūnhuà South Road. From the front, it looks a little like an Asian restaurant. Only upon closer inspection do you notice the small English sign proclaiming delicious burgers live here. The interior is a mish-mash of several themes (though the owner was trying to go for the "American diner" look): modern and minimalist meets wannabe diner. I actually think that this works out in Aniki's favor. Too many places here try to replicate that 1950s Americana look and Aniki would just be "one of many"; the modern vibe offsets that.

The menu is outrageous. I spent a solid 10 minutes flipping through the menu, debating. The appetizers range from cheese fries to calamari ($100 - $180 NT) and the salads ($120 - $180 NT) are among the biggest I've seen in Taiwan. The eggs Benedict ($220 - $250 NT) come with a variety of toppings like smoked turkey and smoked beef, and the omelettes ($220 - $270 NT) are equally as diverse with fried beef, salmon, Mexican chili, and Provence chicken.

The sandwich and burger section is extensive (chicken burgers, fish burgers, tofu burgers) but one burger stood out to me: the peanut butter hamburger ($230 NT). Now, I'm no maverick burger connoisseur who dreams of burgers with truffles or caviar or fine Italian mascarpone lightly added on top. But I do like to see inventive burgers and people thinking about a traditional American food in a new way. I've heard of peanut butter burgers back home and thought today was a good day to jump out of my comfort zone.

Good news, unlimited refills! Or at least unlimited soda, coffee, and red tea refills. I opened up my laptop and logged onto Aniki's Wi-fi while waiting for my burger. I noticed that some of the tables are retro Plinko games that you can actually play. I saw at least three patrons making great use of these games while waiting for their food; it got quite competitive at one table!

The moment I'd been waiting for. The peanut butter burger arrived at my table in all its peanut buttery glory. It was fantastic. The bun was sweet, lightly toasted, and the size of a small plate. The fries were crispy, flavorful, and hot. And there was peanut butter everywhere. I mean, absolutely everywhere. It was dripping down the plate and my hands and face. ... I looked like a small child and enjoyed every second of it.

While it's true you can't really taste the burger (or the cheese for that matter), there would be bites that had a greater meat to peanut butter ratio and that's when you would taste the juicy, flavorful goodness of the burger. It was the perfect marriage of peanut butter to burger. Yes, the peanut butter was the main focus, but the kitchen didn't throw any ol' patty on that bun. I highly recommend it.

Aniki has a policy of no outside food or drinks (honestly why would you want to?!) and you need to spend  a minimum of $100 NT. There's no service charge and the Wi-fi is good and reliable. It's password protected, but everyone speaks English and asking for help shouldn't be a problem. Also, there are milkshakes on the menu! You can look at the menu here or stalk photos on their Facebook page. It's definitely worth a visit.

The Door

Address: No. 26, Lane 57, Dàzhí St, Jhongshan District
Telephone: (02) 8509-8786
Hours: Sun - Thurs 10am to 9pm, Fri - Sat 10am to 10pm
Price: $$

Who would've thought an American diner such a lucrative concept in Taipei? Well, apparently, everyone. And they're right on the money.

In my new favorite part of town, there's an offshoot of the popular "the Diner" called the Door. Tucked down a tree-lined lane in Dàzhí, the Door is in a picturesque neighborhood. Walking from the Dàzhí MRT, you get the feeling that you're in Portland. What with all the college kids from Shih Chien University, tree-lined avenues, free Wi-fi cafes, bookstores, and small parks and green spaces, it's as close as you'll come to the real thing.

the Door is significantly smaller than the Diner and has only eleven tables inside, some able to accommodate five people easily, while others can accommodate two at best. Arriving on a Sunday around 2pm, I was told there was a 20 minute wait. So, I headed down to Kooka Coffee (yup, you read that right) for a cold latte; more on that later.

Taking a seat at my table for two, I immediately ordered the Asparagus and Chicken Omelette ($250 NT). I'm working my way through their amazing omelets and this one was next on the list. The omelets come with a choice of white or wheat bread, hash browns or potatoes O'Brien, and coffee or tea. There's a complimentary glass of kiwi juice that comes with each omelet order, a small cup of assorted fruit, and all omelets are made with organic eggs.

Several minutes later, my breakfast arrived, smelling divine. Tucking into the potatoes O'Brien, I was initially overwhelmed with the seasoning. There was a lot of salt and pepper on the potatoes and, though the potatoes weren't soggy, there was more oil than I'd care to see at the bottom of the plate. This was the first time I've had a less than wonderful experience with the potatoes O'Brien, so I'll definitely order them next time despite my latest disappointment.

If there's one thing the Door does right, it's most certainly the omelets. Fluffy and delicious, these omelets never disappoint (I should probably knock on wood). The eggs are cooked enough so that they aren't raw, but not so cooked as to taste like rubber. You immediately notice the cheese! It's the glue that holds the whole delightful concoction together. It's warm, gooey, flavorful, and present throughout the omelet, not just stuffed in the middle.

The diced chicken pieces are huge and lightly seasoned, adding another dimension to the omelet. My only minuscule complaint is that the asparagus pieces were quite tiny, a little lacking in quantity, and I had envisioned asparagus heads as being in the omelet, though this was never specified. Also, the onions got a little lost in the sauce, as the saying goes; but overall, I was immensely satisfied.

The wheat bread was lightly toasted and the whipped butter on the side was appreciated. Not wanting to leave, despite my hour-and-a-half-long stay, I decided to order myself a treat (as if a huge omelet wasn't enough). I debated between the milkshakes, nachos, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, until I remembered the list of imported sodas.

the Door serves three imported sodas ($60 NT for a 12 fl oz. can): Dr. Pepper, A&W Root Beer, and ... Mountain Dew? I've forgotten the last one. My eyes probably glazed over after reading Dr. Pepper. I ordered one and was tempted by the waitress to turn it into a Dr. Pepper float for an extra $40 NT, but didn't.

If you need additional reasons to love the Door (you know, besides the locale, Dr. Pepper, American style food, Wi-fi, and cute waiters), consider this; there's self-serve, all-you-can-drink hot coffee/hot tea/ice-cold water, and no service charge! My total came to $310 NT and I drank a swimming pool's worth. The menu is in English and Chinese and the staff speak both. The Facebook page is here.

Swensen's

Address: No. 109號, Section 4, Rén'ài Road, Daan District

Telephone: (02) 2772-6174

Hours: 24 hours

Price: $$

Well a little researching could have saved me from making this mistake. As I've mentioned, it's Chinese New Year week so many of the places I want to review are closed until Friday or Saturday. In the meantime I decided to review an American chain restaurant I've seen a couple times. Swensen's is an old-fashioned San Franciscan restaurant that serves shakes, root beer floats, cheeseburgers, and other classic American dishes.

 The interior is a little reminiscent of an Applebee's with the dark color scheme and classic Tiffany-esque chandeliers. I like that the seating mainly comprised of booths, not tables. This restaurant is smaller than I was expecting, and I noticed several parties of three or more waiting in the lobby. I researched Swensen's online menu to get an idea of what would be served, how much it would cost, etc. The website is simply swensens.com so instantly I knew it would probably prove less than helpful. In Taipei, Swensen's serves everything from steak to curry to pasta to tuna melts to fish and chips. There are four types of burgers, three types of melts, and two types of curry, so the choices under a particular heading are sparse. 

I ordered a chocolate milkshake ($199 NT) and thought that the waiter would come back for my food order. Seeing him wait beside my table, I told him I didn't know what I wanted. He said that that was okay and he would just wait for me to make up my mind. I'm not really good at deciding what I want to eat with members of the wait staff standing over me and waiting for me to make up my mind. I hastily pointed at something in the direction of the sandwich section and gave him my menu.

My meal arrived sans milkshake. I thought that maybe it would be served as my dessert, but it arrived a little while later. I wished the milkshake was served as an appetizer or as a regular beverage that comes before a meal, but to each his own. Also, I had apparently ordered a mushroom burger ($280, "set menu" $420 NT). Fine by me. The burger was definitely American-sized and looked delicious!

The first thing I noticed about the plate was a surprising lack of potato wedges. Are they rationing them out? I had exactly eleven wedges which was a little disappointing. The burger itself was okay. The bun was by far the most memorable part of the dish! It was lightly buttered and toasted, perfectly fluffy, and served as an additional "condiment carrier" for the chives, grated cheese, and sour cream. I can't really explain this burger, so I've made a list of pros and cons. Pros: fresh lettuce, toasted bun, melted swiss cheese. Cons: soggy-beyond-recognition tomato, lukewarm burger, unexpected presence of chives, sour cream, and grated cheese. In Swensen's defense, perhaps the chives, sour cream, and grated cheese WERE mentioned on the menu and, in my haste, I didn't see this. 

As I was eating, I noticed many diners had ordered the "set menu" of practically all dishes. The set menu differs slightly depending on what you're ordering but for the sandwiches, "International Favorites" (like Hungarian goulash and fish and chips), and curry, the set menu includes a beverage, soup, salad, main entree, and a dessert. Maybe this is why I had eleven potato wedges? 

Anyway, the chocolate milkshake was delicious! It wasn't too watery or milky and tasted like a good ol' Swensen's chocolate milkshake. Swensen's Taipei has an ice cream bar, but the flavors have changed to reflect Asian preferences. For example, there's no cookie dough, macadamia, Rocky Road, cantaloupe, Wild Mountain blackberry, bubblegum, almond praline delight, etc. but there are red bean, yam (taro), Japanese green tea, lychee sherbet, and Brandy Bordeaux cherry flavors. I like that Swensen's has "Taiwanese" flavors of ice cream but was too full to sample any of them.

Will I be coming back to Swensen's? Sadly no. If I need an American food fix, I'll head over to the Diner or Carnegie's. Fun side note; as I ate, I couldn't help but notice Jay Z was rapping in the background. It was such a weird juxtaposition to be sitting in a Swensen's and listening to "Niggas In Paris". Okay, maybe "Paris" wasn't playing, but still. 

I'm not sure how well individual staff members speak English, but the menu is in English, so just point if all else fails. There's a 10% service charge and there's a $100 NT per person minimum. If you want to know more about Swensen's locations in Taiwan, check out the international website at http://www.swensens.com/

The Diner

Address: ATT 4 Fun Building, No. 12 Song Shou Rd (台北市信義區松壽路12號1樓)

Telephone: (02) 7737-5055

Hours: 9am to 3am

Price: $$

  Oh the Diner. One of the first places I ate in Taipei, the Diner was a humble restaurant off of Ruian Street. While the original remains unchanged, the Diner has really taken off and opened two additional restaurants, one in the ATT 4 Fun building by Taipei 101 and one off of Dunhua South Road by the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza and Carnegie's. The atmosphere in the three restaurants differ and I think it's a cute way to differentiate one from the other and pick a favorite. Today I visited the ATT 4 Fun location for some good ol' fashioned American brunch.

As per usual, the place was packed! I wasn't able to sit upstairs at the bar or at a personal table, so I made due with the small seating area downstairs. I believe this is the newest of the Diner's and the ambiance is modern rustic? Does that make sense? Well anyway, it's tastefully decorated with a muted color scheme. The choice of artwork on the walls and use of corrugated metal differentiate this locale with the other two Diner locations.

 Now, I had originally come into the Diner thinking I'd be having a pancake brunch. Wrong. There are simply too many delicious things on the lunch menu. First, the drink menu. What isn't on the drink menu? There are milkshakes (small $160 NT, large $180 NT) in a variety of flavors like Chunky Monkey and Nutella Marshmallow, hot chocolate (regular $70 NT, with marshmallows $100 NT), fruit yogurt drinks ($120 NT), and then there's your standard juice, milk, imported sodas, smoothies, coffee, tea, etc. Alcoholic beverages are the basic Heineken, Corona, Budweiser ($100 NT), Bloody Mary's ($180 NT), and if I'm not mistaken they have Mimosa's and alcoholic milkshakes, though I wasn't looking for these and can't confirm if they're on the menu. After much debate, I chose the hot chocolate with marshmallows. The marshmallows have chocolate syrup drizzled on them and if you let them sit in the hot chocolate long enough, they're almost gooey enough to remind you of that one time you went camping. The hot chocolate itself is relatively standard. It's good, but nothing too memorable. 

 Deciding on a main course was extremely difficult (as always). There are sandwiches, burgers, pancakes (AMERICAN style pancakes), french toast, classic breakfasts, five variations on Eggs Benedict, salads the size of a small alpine mountain, steak, macaroni and cheese, chicken alfredo, and the list goes on (seriously, nachos, quesadillas, cheese fries, chicken wings, etc, etc.). Whilst reading all of this, I decided to try the California burger ($320 NT) which consisted of beef, "white cheese", and avocado. The Diner also has mushroom cheeseburgers, Aloha burgers (with bacon and grilled pineapple), chicken burgers, garden burgers, and (get this!) a Velveeta burger that has Velveeta cheese smushed into the hamburger patty! There is nothing if not variety in this eatery. The price for a burger with your choice of a side (french fries, sweet potato fries, coleslaw, or mashed potatoes) ranges from $170 NT to $330 NT. 

My California burger arrived promptly and it was Absolutely Delicious. This burger is pure Americana. Close your eyes and you could be in one of those swanky Vegas burger joints, this burger is that good. The bun is something to be savored in and of itself. The Diner apparently gets all of their bread from a bread artisan overseas and the proof is in the pudding ... or bun. The hamburger meat was perfectly cooked to my specification of medium rare, the cheese hot and melted, the avocado fresh and ripe. The vegetables to the side were also fresh, crisp, delicious. The french fries leave a little something to be desired though. They were room temperature when I received them and because of my close proximity to the door, they cooled quickly. They were your average french fries from your average restaurant. I would recommend trying the sweet potato fries or another side dish. 

Another fantastic thing about this burger is the sheer heft of it. In Taipei there are too many burger joints selling minuscule burgers. By minuscule I, of course, mean that the burger probably is less than 2,600 calories which, as we all know, is absolutely unacceptable. The Diner burgers are huge, enormous American affairs and for those Americans living here abroad, myself included, these burgers will remind you of home. 

As always, the staff speak both Chinese and English, and the English menu is very detailed with photos and explanations of ingredients used. By the cashier, there's a dessert case with pies, brownies, fresh fruit, and other pastries. I didn't see any prices, but I was much too full to contemplate dessert. While I'm a huge fan of the Diner, my one complaint is the lack of restrooms. In fact, there isn't one. You need to go outside, into the ATT 4 Fun building and find one. If memory serves me correctly, the other two Diner locations have restrooms, so this is just an issue with the ATT Diner. 

Another helpful hint: There is always a crowd outside of every Diner location, but the original Diner on Renai Road seems a bit calmer. Try to go before the lunchtime rush (11:30am to 2pm) and before the dinnertime madness (5pm to 8pm). 

The Diner's website has better directions, but the English version of the website is outdated and largely inaccurate. You're better off copying and pasting the Chinese version into Google Translate. http://www.thediner.com.tw/