Macho Tacos

First of all, please do not ask the stupid question "How is it compared to L.A?" Obviously, there is no comparison because we are out here in TAIPEI. But if you want a quick fix and a delicious bite to eat, please do yourself a favor and come to Macho Tacos.

The Yanji location is a bit small so grab seats while you can or just hover over the other customers and make them feel uncomfortable so they leave (just kidding..). I've been frequenting to Machos over the years and their menu keeps expanding and the food improves every single time I go. They have tacos (hard shell and soft), quesadillas, burritos, chimichangas, burrito bowls, California fries, jalapeno poppers, etc. they even have churros and horchatas, yum! The great thing is they have ground taco meat, carne asada, chicken, carnitas, fish and even tofu for a vegetarian option.

 

I went for Taco Tuesdays (my favorite day during the week) $39NT for tacos, excluding fish (which are so fucking delicious, FYI). But my fat ass also got an order of California Fries with carne asada. They weren't stingy with any of the fixings and there was steak with my fries in every bite. This is my absolute favorite thing that they have on the menu, this is A MUST ORDER, TRUST ME.

I ordered the taco meat tacos which reminded me of Taco Bell or Del Taco, which isn't a bad thing. I'm not ashamed, I love mexican fast food, so when they added this on the menu I was super excited #fatgirlproblems. They also offer jalapeno cheese aka nacho cheese, that bright yellow gooey goodness, I basically dipped everything in the cheese. The jalapeno poppers were delicious and filled with creamy cheese, a bit spicy for some so be careful! But if you like spice, this is perfect for you. The churros are quite addicting, fried, crispy, and dusted with the right amount of cinnamon and sugar. I had 2 orders of this and I kept wanting more. Damn this sweet tooth of mine! 

Everything at Machos is good and they will listen when you want to substitute or add anything in your order. The staff there understand English, so ordering will not be a problem for non Chinese speakers (they're really nice too!). The prices are great for the quality of food and portions that you are getting. If you're fat like me, just order everything and eat it by yourself #foreveralone.  But if you have friends, go and order everything-buffet style. 

CYCLO洛城牛肉粉忠孝店

A good bowl of noodles is not hard to find in Taipei, but a good bowl of Pho is trying to find a 8 at an all you can drink club. I needed something to soothe my hungover soul, so I dragged my ass out of bed and went to go meet my girlfriend. Cylco has 2 locations, which is great because if one is packed, just walk on over to their other one. When you first walk in the interior is bright, imported sodas on the shelves, and lots of siracha, that you can also purchase and take home. The owners are from LA and you can tell from their decor, menu, t shirts, personalized iPads that take your order, etc. I ordered a bowl of pho, 3 proteins of my choice, I got 2 orders of tripe, and an order of tendon for $190NT. Extra raw onions and bean sprouts on the side (20NT each). I also saw fried zucchini ($75NT) on the menu and I had to order it!

When my bowl came, I asked for more cilantro, threw in some of my extra add ins, and doused the whole bowl in Siracha. The noodle to protein ratio was kind of off in my opinion. Too much carbs and not enough protein. But the bits of tendon and tripe I got were delicious and really wish I had more. The soup can be thicker and more flavorful or maybe because I was hungover, I burnt my taste buds off with vodka the previous night.. Either way I slurped down everything and cleaned my entire bowl. I liked how with the extra side orders of onions, I have enough to put in my pho and enough to eat raw, topped with Siracha (kind of like Viet style kimchi). The fried zucchini came, it looked crisp and plentiful, and also came with a side of RANCH! I was slightly disappointed because the zucchini was a little too hard and the batter a bit too thick. But the batter had a great seasoning and I really appreciated the fact that they had ranch. Sorry, forgot to take a picture, I suck as a food blogger...

All in all, Cyclo is a place that I frequently go to. The prices are a tad higher than other places but I would say it's pretty worth it. They have a large menu, I saw Bun Bo Hue and chicken pho on the menu, plenty of appetizers, your standard crack cocaine Vietnamese coffee, and much more. So, next time when your hangover has taken full control of your life or you're missing LA style pho, come by CYCLO and put yourself out of your misery. Trust me, you'll be back to 100% in no time.

TRIBECA

 

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the lack of pictures. I didn't know I would start this blog business this soon. And to be fair I'm NOT always in a low cut shirt. So, I'm just using old pictures and reviews, I promise I'll step up my game! Anyway, onto Tribeca. Their menu looked pretty big and had a lot of dishes that you wouldn't normally see but I only tried 2 things, their wings and kimchi pulled pork fries. A lot of my friends have been going because of their great deals on Wednesdays, 10 NT wings! I think we ordered about 50 wings, we got spicy korean style, thai chili, and buffalo. I might be biased because I am seriously addicted to fried chicken and that's my fuckin' problem. And with a deal like that, it probably made it even tastier. But I was not disappointed nor was I drunk, the wings were tender and all their sauces had their own distinct flavors, I could taste all the spices and tell which sauce was which. They were fried nicely and all the wings got coated in yummy gooey goodness (take that how you will).

I am a huge fan of kimchi anything, mix that with mexican food and I am sold. When I saw this on the menu, I HAD to order it. I'm a little hazy on the price of this but I'm going to say it was around $280NT? The portion was a good size and there was lots of kimchi and pork in it. I asked the waitress to give me more sour cream because apparently I just like white sauce that much. But without the amount that I added it seemed a tad on the dry side. Overall, I really liked this dish. They found a good balance of spicy, tart, creamy, and all the flavors worked really well together.

I am definitely coming back for more wings and going to try the other things on the menu. When I went it was super crowded, I think there was an office party or something going on. Tribeca also has a wide selection of beers and cocktails. It seems like a pretty legit place to pregame before ladies night or a group gathering before you go to the lounge of your choice on the weekend. Get your stomach full before or while you drink is key! They have a few tables outside for smokers and inside they have regular tables, bar tables, and the bar. I'm really glad that there are more and more places like this opening up in Taipei, it's 'bout damn time. 

First timer.

Bear with me, I am a monkey when it comes to technology, blogs, and all this shit. This is my first time blogging, besides like xanga back in 8th grade. Got this fine idea of titties and food because my friends were taking creepy pictures of my chest while I was eating (thanks, y'all). But seriously..who doesn't like food? And who doesn't like boobs? So here's a picture of my chest to keep things interesting.

  Cum for the boobs, stay for the food.

Herban Kitchen

 
  Herban Kitchen in the east side of the city is a vegetarian bistro tucked in one of the alleys. I've actually been here multiple times already and I'll have to say, it's really fuckin' hipster. The decor, vibes, music, and even the food is like a hipster's wet dream. It's not a bad thing, there's really no other place like Herban in Taipei. It will sometimes give you a "roll your eyes" moment or two. But regardless, the food is on point so I've been back many times. The menu is pretty big, from eggs florentine, eggs benedict, different types of grilled cheeses (that come with fries and tomato soup!), pasta, salads, smoothies (that taste kind of TOO healthy for me because they probably are..) dessert, and specials that they have scribbled on their chalkboard.

   I loved their eggs benedict with zucchini and caramelized onions, the sauce had the right consistency and wasn't too watery like most places in Taipei..*ahem* looking at you, The Diner. The eggs were poached perfectly, definitely yolk porn once the bright orangey yellow comes out (that's what she said..). I liked how they gave you roasted sweet potatoes and potatoes and weren't stingy on their portions. Side salad is side salad, nothing spectacular. I could taste the sweetness of the onions, the zucchini still had a nice crunch and I liked how I could see all of the ingredients. This was probably one of the best eggs benny I've had in Taipei.

      

This was the warm tofu and roasted red pepper salad. I actually don't like tofu at all, so I made my friend eat it. But I liked all the other components, it had a assortment of mushrooms that were really well seasoned and was the dressing was a balsamic vinaigrette. There was only about 4 ingredients in this salad, greens, tofu, mushrooms, and and roasted red peppers. But I think anything more would be too overwhelming. This has become one of my favorite salads. Super fresh and great flavors.

What I really like about Herban Kitchen is that you can really taste how fresh everything is. The price range is decent, you're basically paying for what you get. Next time grab a couple of friends and go try everything family style. 

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