Shipi 23 Snack Bar — Restaurant in New Taipei

Cooking for small intimate groups is a scary affair. You wonder if your customer likes your food, and it's quite apparent if they don't.

The ambience was lovely enough. The owners of the place, a husband and wife pair, were friendly and chatty. Unfortunately, we weren't thrilled by the food. It was a 5 course lunch with basic/ affordable ingredients that cost a steep ntd1900 for 2 persons.

Courses

1. Scallions Tempura - crispy, yes. Way too flaky. Could have been served as small bite sized pieces to avoid the mess. Could have used local veg or mushrooms instead of just scallions.

2. Scones - freshly baked. For the uninitiated, it is impressive. For those of us who bake, it is not difficult to achieve. Would have preferred if they provided special Taiwanese tea flavoured clotted cream or Taiwanese fruit jam to pair with it. The owner said good scones don't have to be accompanied by any condiments. But if you are going down that route, why serve sauces for your tempura and French toast? The scones could have been made so much better with cream or jam.

3. Smelly tofu with shrimp and edamame in olive oil - as someone who lives in South East Asia, with easy access to tofu products, smelly tofu tastes like tau kwa. I love tofu, but the portion of tofu was way too huge, around 200g x 2 pieces. It was also drenched in olive oil without much flavour. The amount of olive oil in this dish doesn't make sense at all. 1 tablespoon of olive oil is already 120 calories. Having eaten tempura (deep fried - fats), and scones (carbohydrates), it would have been a good time to serve quality protein without that much fat. Also didn't like the way the tofu was butchered up for us, I would have preferred cutting up the tofu myself.

4. Vermicelli with cabbage - mostly just noodles and cabbage. Accompanying mushrooms were way too salty. Very few slivers of pork belly. Yet another carbohydrates dish.

5. French toast with bananas - another carbohydrates dish with banana, the most sugary of fruits.

A good meal must be balanced in macronutrients -- carbohydrates, protein, and fat. The macronutrients ratio of this meal was way off. Taste-wise, it's nothing we can't get back home. The complimentary mystery drink at the beginning was just watered down coffee. I didn't like that the owner asked us to try without telling us what it is first. Especially because I'm someone with fatal allergies and I had already mentioned to him at the start of the meal.

At one point in time, the owner coughed into his hand and used that same dirty hand to plate the serviettes for the tempura dish. We were appalled but were too polite to say anything. My husband and I discussed it the next day and realised we both noticed this same incident, it isn't something we imagined.

We see the effort and sincerity. But this meal definitely isn't up to mark. If you want a Michelin star, the choice of ingredients, quality of execution, and professionalism all needs to be elevated to a much higher standard. The meal also could be focused on Taiwanese flavours that is more meaningfully crafted. Right now it's just a bunch of cheap carbs and "expensive" olive oil used in wrong proportions. Fantastic meals also doesn't need to be bragged about. The compliments should come from the customer to the chef, not from the chef himself about...

A real hidden gem in Jiufen. Reservations/bookings are a must as seating is very limited and dining times are organised into sessions. Call or visit ahead to make arrangements. Set aside at least 2 to 3 hours for the best experience.

Owned and operated by a husband and wife team with a passion for food and people. It is definitely worth the little hike out to it even if just for the photo opportunities.

The menu is organised into 3 main sections. The first are 3 "must have" items, scone, french toast (dessert) and tempura scallions. Second are highly recommend, fermented Tofu and fried vermicelli. Then the third section are additional items if the first 2 sections have not satisfied you yet. We found an item each from the first section, and one order of the second section to share between 2 more than satisfying. All the food are wonderfully balanced flavor wise and laced with a delightful home made olive oil based chili oil. In fact, if you are a spice fan, I highly recommend picking up the chili oil to take home. It is the star of the savoury dishes, adding not only a nice spicy kick, but wonderful layers and depth of flavors.

The dining experience is not only unique but very personal. It is essentially a chefs table experience. The proprietor begins every meal session with not only an introduction to the menu but also with a personal story of their culinary journey. It would be ideal to have some basic understanding of mandarin or have a translator along for the fullest experience.

Without doubt, one of the highlights of our visit to Jiufen and in my opinion a must do dining experience up there with a visit to...

We found this place from online reviews, its a few minutes walk from the main old street, but definately with the extra stroll.

The owner is a very friendly husband and wife couple, giving you a very personal and welcoming feel from when you enter to when you leave.

Food is amazing too, would call it Michelin level, so would suggest visiting before it becomes well known, and probably having to line up, rather than the current chilled simple walk in vibe.

Tempura is probably best I've tasted when compared to other parts of Taiwan, Japan, Australia and other parts of the world we've visited.

The coffee is an interesting blend which is a diluted long black for the ones who cannot take the full strength of a long black, very light and refreshing.

The scone may not be a favourite to some. However, I've always complained about how scones are too soft, this one has a hard shell but a very soft and fluffy interior. Probably the best scone for my liking.

The sticky tofu is said to be from a Shanghai near recipe. It is not sticky at all when it is first served hot. This is the first stinky tofu I tasted so I cannot compare. If you like stinky tofu this is worth a try, the stickiness comes out a bit after when the tofu cools down a little.

French toast is so soft it feels like you are eating pudding.

They do not skimp on using the best ingredients for each recipe.

You also enjoy a beautiful view of...