There is no shortage of food selection in Taipei when it comes to vegetarian options.
I'm going to introduce a couple of my favourites so far.

So Free, Wood Fired Pizza, No.1 Ln.50, Sanshui St., Wanhua District

This adorable pizza place is in Ximending, a "fashionable" district filled with younger people. (Lots of unique shopping, restaurants, nightlife, etc - more about this later.) My lovely mother found this place all on her own and has since been trying to convince everybody she knows to join her here. She's right though; they do make some tasty thin-crust pizzas with special toppings. The pizzas are individual-sized but if you're not monstrously hungry, it could most likely feed two people.

We split a Mushroom Asparagus Pizza between the two of us.

Other choices on the menu include "Smoked Cheese Pizza," "Rosemary Potato Pizza," "Apple Cinnamon Pizza," "Korean Kimchi Pizza," and "Ginger Superman Pizza." Clearly, we opted for the least adventurous choice. Next time around, I'll definitely have to try out one of their dessert pizzas.

Landi (Lan de) Pasta, 1F No.7 Wenhua Road, Yonghe District
Classy and vibrant atmosphere. I like the huge arch windows spanning entire walls of the restaurant because they make you feel connected to the busy street and bright lights outside. This is not technically a vegetarian restaurant but I know that they make veggie versions of the dishes on their menu and they are  kind and happy to take your request.
Here's my dinner, Butter Rice and Mushroom Casserole!
Creamy, gooey goodness.

Cafe India, Food Court of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越) No.66 Sec.1 Zhong Xiao W. Road
I was wandering aimlessly around the food court and could not resist when I saw the dishes in the display. Their menu is not strictly vegetarian but they have at least 6-7 veggie options. I ordered a Spinach Cheese Paneer which came with soup, salad, na'an bread, and rice.

Take a look at the display below. I would say it's a little pricey by Taiwanese standards, $200-300 NT, around $10 CAD. I think this type of cuisine is a less common in Taiwan, hence the inflated price. The paneer was worth the money though!

Da-Ai Vegetarian Food Court, Tzu-Chi Hospital No.289 Jianguo Road, Singdian City, Taipei County
I admit that it seems odd to list a hospital food court as a lunch destination but if you've seen this place, you'll understand. They have a wide variety of cuisines such as Thai food, Congee, Italian food, pastries, and more. The lobby upstairs usually has music performances around lunch time with volunteers (or possibly special guests) playing traditional Taiwanese music/instruments as well as piano and violin. There are also booths and a large gift shop selling environmentally friendly products, non-profit CDs, children's books, etc. This has been our lunch destination for the past 4 days consecutively and I'm still not tired of it yet! There is also a snacks/treats shop and a bakery in the food court. The food court is strictly vegetarian and all dishes listed below with "meat" titles are imitation meat.

Fish sticks with peppers in sweet and sour sauce. I apologize for the out-of-focus photos, I'm still figuring out my new camera and all its tricks.

Thai chicken red curry. The chicken is hidden beneath the generous amount of curry sauce.

White turnip soup with carrots, tofu, and fishballs.

Rice and cucumber casserole. Yum, casseroles are definitely in my top ten favourite foods in case you couldn't tell.

Chicken strips in sweet soy sauce. In my opinion, the flavouring of this chicken strongly resembles actual meat.

Here's the bakery I mentioned earlier.

Believe it or not, all of these are veggie buns. I am particularly fond of the veggie hotdog bun. Both of these need to be eaten while they are fresh, as they will go bad within 1 or 2 days even if refrigerated. (I believe due to lack of preservatives.) The sweet patries and cakes don't have this problem.
And here's a quick peek at the snack shop.
Assorted crackers, baked chips, dried fruits, dried cheese strings, and seaweed strips!

This post is archived under Food, Taiwan

William Beauty Salon, 2F-No.227 Zhulin Road (Yonghe District)

Through some experiences bouncing around different hair salons/stylists, I've become more finicky about getting haircuts. Too often, I've ended up with unflattering blunt cuts or excessive layers to the point of a mullet. Thankfully, I have been recently introduced to a Japanese style salon that I would trust on a regular basis if I lived in the area. The William Salon entrance (for the location I visited) is rather inconspicuous unless you know where you're going. It is a narrow flight of stairs squeezed between a clothing boutique called Sen and a bakery. Once you make it up to the second floor, the salon is bright, shiny, and fairly spacious. The stylist who helped me is named Michael, a very calm and friendly fellow. He was highly attentive and explained what he was doing every step of the way, which was awesome.

My haircut/trim which included shampoo+blow dry came out to a grand total of $276 NT, or a whopping $9.20 in Canadian dollars. That's pretty phenomenal, considering my usual haircuts in Toronto are 4x that price! The salon also offers various conditioning treatments, almost all under $20 CAD. Highly recommend this salon and stylist if you happen to be in the area!

This post is archived under Taiwan

For the Starbucks fans out there, here's a glimpse at Starbucks in Taipei.

The display case shows a noticeably different selection. Although these big brand food chains carry the same logo across the globe, it is interesting to see the adapted menu based on regional tastes and cuisine. (McDonald's is another food chain where I see a pretty different menu incorporating more Eastern style tastes.)
I haven't had a chance to try them yet but the pastry choices look fantastic.

The Taro Roll Cake is especially on my mind! The beverage selection is also a little different from what I've seen on the US and Canadian menu; there's definitely a wider variety of tea options. I tried out a Rose Tea Latte which was not bad at all. They also had Oolong Tea and Oriental Beauty Tea containers in place of some of the Tazo containers typical in North America. For those with less of a sweet-tooth, there are snack sandwich options with curry chicken or garlic bread and other savory options.

Additionally, there's the obligatory Starbucks mugs and souvenirs for collectors:

This post is archived under Food, Taiwan

I thought I'd share a couple things I picked up at Toys "R" Us for my adorable goofy little cousins in Taiwan. They are two boys - one charming toddler and one sharp and determined preschooler. No matter how many times I've done this, I always find it strange to be on the other side of the table - there's an odd sense of power involved in being the adult choosing and purchasing materials or toys. I hunted through both Toys "R" Us and the Disney Store a few times trying to find something that would entertain them without requiring too much supervision or being overly high-maintenance.

Non-flying remote control helicopter.

The actual airborne ones seemed like they would become out of control within 3 seconds flat, considering I saw only one button and no navigating stick. I ended up opting for the more boring but less catastrophic choice that operates more as a car. However, even ground-bound, I'm still not sure how the thin propeller will hold up to all the running around and banging that will definitely occur! As it turns out, this is the toy that impressed both parents and kids the most - I recall their mum giving it "a test run" for a good while.
For the smaller little guy, I picked out a truck from Disney Pixar Cars. Seems pretty solid and sturdy so I think it will survive whatever chaos it is subjected to. We had to double-check for small parts though since it is labelled as suitable for ages 3+. Both vehicles light up and make a satisfying amount of noise (sorry, mum and dad). Although in all seriousness, the batteries can easily be removed for some nice peace and quiet when needed!

I also picked up a pack of Disney Pixar Cars stickers and a Thomas the Tank Engine colouring book, which proved to be a big hit. A great activity to keep them occupied and fairly quiet. I was surprised at how meticulously the two little ones lined up the stickers on each page like a painstaking art project. Almost made me feel guilty for tickling them during their serious work :)

Here they are, rowdy little creatures that I adore.
In the left photo, they are attempting to set up a race between the truck and helicopter. (Edit: 9/21/2011) I picked out another little gift for them at the outdoor market today which I am excited about. I'm thinking it would be wise to wait to share it with them though since I don't want them to permanently associate my visits with presents and become disappointed later on or I will feel obligated to always bring something. Not to mention, their parents will ban me from their house for spoiling their kids rotten!

This post is archived under Kids, Random thoughts, Taiwan

As promised, here is a mini post dedicated to my food discoveries over the weekend.

M Café, which sits on the corner of Maisonneuve and rue de la Montagne.

We actually frequented this place twice in the span of 24 hours! Reasons being 1) Great breakfast and brunch food, 2) Tempting dessert selection, 3) less than 5 minutes walk from our hotel.

My choice for breakfast was the eggs benedict. Unfortunately, I failed to capture a picture of it. I remember digging into it promptly as soon as it was delivered to the table so that might explain the lack of photography. Take it as a compliment to that dish!
Here are the dessert options.

I saw the stacked carrot cake in the display and decided I had to have it. No complaints about their flavoured hot chocolate either!

Plaisirs Coupables, 1410 rue Peel
I'm sure that laziness was the strongest factor in choosing this bistro/restaurant. It was around the corner from our hotel and caught my attention because of the bright modern decorating. Decent food but sadly enough I have to comment that it felt more than a little overpriced, even from a vacationer's point of view. My approximately $13 burger was not accompanied by any fries or sides (unless you count one lovely pickle slice).

Here it is, veggie burger. Tasty nonetheless!
I liked the texture of the veggie patty/filling. It started falling apart in my hands and I made an unsuccessful attempt to enjoy it with utensils. So, keep that in mind - devouring dripping gourmet burgers - probably not the most lady-like date impression.

Caffé Art Java, 837 av. du Mont-Royal Est
Since Au Pied de Cochon was closed (yes, I had a poutine craving at 10am), we scouted the outdoor market and came across this cute place nearby. My chai latte turned out delicious and my mushroom and squash omelette was most likely the healthiest thing I ate all weekend. My friend went for the yummy eggs benedict.
The coffee and tea selection here also looked quite impressive. Nice hustle bustle atmosphere without being too annoyingly loud. There were a few people sitting around with laptops so I'm sure there was free WiFi access as well. Definitely recommend this place; I would be a regular here if I didn't live over 300 miles away!

Ginger, 16 av. des Pins Est
This is a sushi restaurant/lounge hidden in a corner just off st-laurent. They open at 6:15pm so it's definitely more of an evening destination. The place is actually dim and candlelit - you can't tell by the photo because we were sitting by the window. They have a bar along the side and roomy booths for seating. Regrettably, I only took this one snapshot of the place so you'll have to use your imaginations. Of-course, I ordered my usual Philadelphia roll! We also split a House roll - everyone has to try this roll, it's seriously amazing. Their desserts are not the typical tiny scoop of green tea ice-cream that you find in most sushi restaurants. Think deep-fried ice-cream rolls! Not the best for your arteries but your tastebuds will be happy.

Reuben's Deli, 1116 Ste-Catherine Ouest
This was our final meal in Montreal! Good service and a wide selection.

Here's my lunch choice, classic reuben sandwich.
I had to pack half of it to go as you can see it's not a light meal. In my opinion, the texture of the meat is not as "crispy" (not sure if that's the word I'm looking for) as Schwartz's but I think it measures up pretty well. The fries reminded me a little of McDonald's fries.

Believe it or not, the above photo is a poutine, not a mere pile of meat. Not for the herbivores out there, that's for sure. I think I prefer my poutines less meaty and more gravy-covered and cheesy. I'm going to hunt around Toronto later this week on a poutine mission.
On that greedy note, I'm wrapping up this entry. Hope you found some of this as appetizing as I did!

This post is archived under Food, Montreal