Lunch at Sushi Shikon with Kelvin and Noel to see Kaki-san again!

It was so nice to see Kaki-san again. He was the head sushi chef at Nakato in Atlanta for a long time, and we would go sit at the sushi bar and see him when we wanted to eat sushi. He left for Tokyo, then ended up in Hong Kong at Sushi Shikon - a 3 Michelin Star - as their head chef. It seats only 8 people, and you definitely need to book ahead.

We chose to do lunch with Kaki-san, so that we could bring Kelvin and Noel, Kitsune's cousins, to try epic sushi.

Kaki-san is such a great guy. He is so passionate about what he does, and the connections that he creates through his craft.

He openly welcomes photo's and loves to talk about each step and why he does what he does. He says that 'Sushi is so simple. It's just fish and rice. The way to have good sushi, is in all the little details. That is what takes years to perfect' It takes many many people to create the perfect sushi experience, and Kaki-san is very humble and open about how he may be the person that people see, but all he does is the final steps in a long process.

Everything at Sushi Shikon is from Japan. Even the water that they use is flown in each morning from Japan. This is all so the customer can have an authentic sushi experience.

Because that is what a place like this is. An experience. One that you will never forget.

Kaki-san remembered Kitsune from Atlanta, and was excited to see us again. He was flattered that we would go out of our way to see him while in Hong Kong. He treated us to some items that normally would not be served during lunch as a special treat.

Kitsune and Kaki-san 

I'll just post up some of the pictures that I took of the nigiri etc, that I thought were particularly striking. If you are ever in Hong Kong, and can afford to treat yourself to an amazing lunch or dinner, definitely go to Sushi Shikon. Kaki-san may only be there for another year or so, so don't miss out!!

Ankimo (Monkfish Liver) with fresh wasabi

Chawanmushi (steamed egg) with Uni (sea urchin) and fresh wasabi

A type of clam, not sure which one.

Sayuri (Needle fish) This one was my favorite. The yuzu he dashed on and the greens was amazing together.

Tako (octopus) He massaged the tentacle with sea salt then braised it. There was not one hint of chewy. It was so tender.

2 types of Uni (even I like this one, and I am not into Uni.)

Japanese Tiger Prawn

Otoro (fatty tuna) He says no need to chew when done properly. It simply melts in your mouth. 

Akami (tuna)

Abalone with Abalone Liver sauce - Rated number 8 in Top 10 Dishes in the World. 

Tamago with yam - it was just like a cheesecake. Amazing.

Strawberry with Red Bean wrapped in hand made mochi sheet.

Jiufen Rainy Day - Spirited Away town!!!

Jiufen

Let me just start off and say that this place is amazing.

Like...REALLY amazing.

Like...totally awesome and the feels it gives you...it is so hard to describe and the pictures just can't capture.

But I'll try.

This little town's Old Market Street is supposedly what Spirited Away is based around. When you enter the small cobbled stone walk, you can immediately see why. There is something bittersweet about it, yet hopeful. Rain fell the entire time we were here, which was annoying because even with umbrellas you just got wet (it was inevitable), but it just added to the atmosphere. I'm actually glad that I was able to first experience this little town in the rain. The overhanging cover that didn't keep the wet out, and the drips and rain that continued to fall...it was just...I can't describe the feeling.

Even with the rain, the place was crowded but didn't really feel cramped. The shops and food stalls were all open, and upbeat. Old Street is like a night market and shopping mall all in one. There were craftsmen selling their handmade goods, some sitting focused on their creations as you walked along and watched. There were the regular night market mish-mash of items, and the food stalls. Hotels and Hostels dotted along between the shops. Cars and scooters even made their way through the streets honking at people to get out of the way.

We wondered down the main street, steadily going down the mountain side. As we went there were a lots of little places to stop and take pictures and see the town that meandered down the mountainside.

I took so many shots that night, in the wet and rain. Some are actually pretty good I think, but this one I think captures the town best. We left the Old Market Street, and continued down into the residential, very quiet, area. The place was just peaceful. Even though the wind blew rain on us, and threatened to rip away our umbrellas, I was relaxed, and happy. There is just such an energy there.

Outside the market area, down on the street toward the residential side, with the rain and the empty road...it felt very Totoro-esk to me. I loved it. So so much. I want to experience the place in the sunlight and twilight without rain...but I am so glad that the first time was with it.

Little Bear got to see Shaudi again!!

Hooray for being able to get in touch with Shaudi through facebook. We were able to keep up with each other over the year, and it was super easy to be able to coordinate how to meet in Taipei. Leighton had not yet met Shaudi, so he was excited to be able to discuss movies and filming with her. (Shaudi is a famous director and teacher)

Shaudi Wang

Little Bear is so thrilled he fainted :D

Shaudi came by our hotel to pick us up and take us to one of her favorite places to eat. She has been there several times and each time the food is different.

I'm not really sure, other than Bistro, what the restaurants name was. Done in a European style, there were no chopsticks, and the food was more western in flavors. At the end of the meal, the waiter who designed the meal for us (we didn't order anything, the chef chose what to serve) asked us what our favorite dish was.

Can't remember if it was duck, but I really liked this dish. Whatever it was. 

Kitsune loved the dish that is featured on the menu, they freeze the meat, then stir it into the hot onions that are in the middle of all the slices. It was really tasty, but a bit too much onion for me.

I didn't eat any of this, spicy and all shellfish (bleh) but visually it was lovely

There were many more dishes that were served, (I didn't even think to take pictures we were so into our conversation) but they were all very visually appealing and pretty unique and tasty.

Nommy coffee for dessert

With a fabulous dark chocolate lava cake. Noms!

Leighton and Shaudi talked about how films can make you feel, how her favorite genera is Thrillers, and proceeded to give us goosebumps telling us a story from a film she had seen. Leighton told her about his concept for a story, and Shaudi excitedly gave him tips and other ways to play out his basic idea. It was a lovely time. We spent around 3 hours there chatting and eating.

Later in the week we were able to get together again with Shaudi and Iching (no clue how to spell her name, she works with Shaudi in her studio) to go to dinner and see an indie stop motion film at ESLite. This time we went to Thai, and had fun trying to find mild dishes that I could eat :P

Shaudi engaged in conversation with Leighton. 

Little Bear isn't too sure about this fish. We thought it was super tasty though

Another lovely evening with Shaudi came to an end, and it was time to say goodbye. We will miss you Shaudi! Can't wait to see you again!

Jiang Le Dinner of Yumminess...that you will never get to see.

Back in 2014, Kitsune, Jake, and I had dinner at Jiang Le sushi for the first time. I, unfortunately, was pretty ill that night and simply couldn't enjoy it. Even so, Kitsune was enamored with the food, the freshness, quality, and how personable the chefs are.

So we made sure to book a reservation for one of the nights we were staying in Taipei, so he could once again have an amazing sushi dinner, and I could hopefully enjoy it this time with him.

An article on Jiang Le

So Jiang Le doesn't allow pictures. Literally no pictures, even of yourself, or as a group of friends. You have to step outside into their little courtyard if you want any documentation to remember by.

It's really disappointing, not because I want to take pictures of everything I eat (although I do love to take pictures of foods that are visually appealing to me), but because everything is soooo pretty. They serve everything with such style, one dish had a beautiful red maple leaf and pine needle as garnish. Their dishes are so astoundingly artistic...and we can't take any pictures. So sad!

The chef's remembered Kitsune from two years before, and made sure to say they hoped to see us in two years time. Pretty cool! (Kitsune is pretty memorable though, so not too surprising.)

Anyways, I really enjoyed dinner this time. Like Nomura, everything was very fresh and tasty. Kitsune gives Jiang Le the nod over Nomura, but I'm half and half. I really like somethings about one and somethings about the other. Either way, they are both great sushi restaurants.

We left the restaurant under our umbrellas, walking happily along in the rain back to the hotel. The evening was a great success.

We ordered a sake, (splurged a bit on it but OMG so worth it). The waiter suggested it, as it was a bright, floral, and fresh tasting sake. They brought out individual chilled glasses so we could each pick our own style (like Ryu Gin last year, so cool). They let us keep the bottle, but it was too difficult to take with us. So I shot a bunch of pictures so we can hopefully find it again.

Little Bear and Bear Selfie Time Feb1, 365 challenge

Heading back to the hotel from Guanghua Digital Plaza. Spent the day wandering it's levels and then buying some new Ducky keyboards!! Yay!

It's a Dongmen kind of day!

Saturday was (thankfully) just cloudy so we took Leighton to Dongmen for the day. Well, for most of it. Anyways...

Just between lines as we left. First time I saw the place without a long queue!

This was the beef noodle place that Lily took us to back in 2014. There is almost always a line to get in, and their Beef Noodles are pretty darn amazing.

Beef noodle soups

I got just the plan beef noodle soup, and Leighton and Kitsune ate the spicy beef and tendon noodle soup. As before, the noodles were great, the broth rich, and the beef soooo tender. Love this place.

Of course we had to go to Monster Ice (Ice Monster?) that is now known as Smoothie House, or Super Mango Snowflake Ice...possibly. Not sure. We just call it Monster Ice.

Shaved ice with mango, kiwi, strawberry fruit, and panacotta on top. Noms 

Lily was the first to bring us here, and it was love at first shaved ice bite. Then, Liming and Shaudi brought us here, and eventually we stopped by on our own as well. If you are ever in Dongmen, you really need to try this place. Expect to wait, and cram around a tiny piece of counter to eat. They are always packed.

Love the trees here so much.

Little Bear chilling on Kitsune's shoulder

We knew we wanted to go to James Kitchen for dinner (Kitsune fell in love with their food last time) but they are kind of hard to notice. We went quite late at night the first time and struggled trying to find the entrance. It looks very residential and tends to have a few people lounging outside, so we were a bit nervous to enter. This time, we wanted to make sure where to go so we would not get lost come dinner time.

Wandered down the familiar paths toward James Kitchen, and felt rather nostalgic. The last time we were here was with Liming and Shaudi.

We <3 you Liming! Little Bear too!

Liming passed later that year, and we were so thankful that we had the time we did with her.

The sky was threatening rain once again, so we stopped by a really cute shop that sold all handmade items. Mainly, umbrellas.

Handmade umbrella and accessory shop

This designers things are so cute. The umbrellas seem to be of really good quality too. There are lots of different styles and designs, if you need umbrellas, come here! I bought one, so that Kitsune and I could both have umbrellas since Taiwan is adamant about being wet. The design I settled on was a purple umbrella, that has a bear in a hot air balloon, and the words 'Send a good message to the world' all along the border. I <3 it.

Little Bear hitched a ride in front of James Kitchen after dinner.

We continued to mosey along, looking for James Kitchen and enjoying the many little shops along the way. Once we found the restaurant, we ended up just wandering around the city before heading back to the hotel to rest a bit. Then off to dinner, and more moseying on home. I really love the sparkly pavement...like I have mentioned several times before.

<3 

Taipei unlucky Weather Times...

The weather since we arrived in Taiwan has been crazy. When we arrived it was the coldest it has ever been in like 40 years. Then Sun Moon Lake we had lovely weather for one day, and overcast for another. Once we left for Taichung it was cold and wet and humid. Reach Taipei, and the cold and wet and humid continues!

We had one day so far in Taipei that was just overcast. The day I was able to get a shot of the pretty sparkly pavement. Have to say...pretty tired of the humid cool wet.

We joined up with Leighton on Thursday evening (technically Friday, it was almost 1am) and he crashed in our hotel room since his hostel he booked was locked up for the night. Once we woke up, we wandered out into the yuck to try and find some lunch. We only had one umbrella, so that was not terribly fun. Ended up at Mos Burger, then got Leighton's hostel situation straightened out.

Inconspicuous hostel entrance. 

Our friend had previously stayed at this hostel when we came to Taiwan with him in 2014. So we remembered that it was a bit difficult to find, or rather, notice. It's right next to a 7-11 and apparently a stairway to heaven...or at least a creepy version.

Creepy stairway. It just keeps going up. I would get wicked vertigo trying to come down these stairs.

Once Leighton was set, we just headed back to our hotel room. Of course, I was thrilled to be able to stop and get Bog Tea again (although I drink coffee there :P) They are right next to our hotel, and I love their coffee. Anyways, we just spent the day recovering from our travels, and then Kitsune and I headed out for our dinner date at Nomura! Leighton jet lagged out and zonked in the hotel.

Little Bear Loves Taiwan Milk Tea :D January 31, 365 challenge

Fou Fou Bunny (handmade brand) key chain - Loves Milk Tea!

Bought several things from the small handmade brand that were on sale at ES LITE in Taipei. Little Bear approves.