Cliff(y) Goes Dining

Red bean sweets with gold flakes! I had the chance to visit the Temple of the Golden Pavilion when I was in Kyoto. Having the top two stories covered with pure gold, the pavilion is integrated within the verdant landscape in an artistic way.

Granny Smith made her way to a mooncake! Let's take a short break from Japan eateries, and indulge in mooncakes. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! This year, I've decided to give the ones prepared by Regent Singapore a try. To tell you the truth, I've been eyeing on their snowskin mooncakes since last year.

Vegetable-centred lunch set with super sweet onions! Literally located on the second floor of the famous Kanematsu vegetable shop at Nishiki market, Yaoya no Nikai only serves one set lunch everyday. Going by the name of 長寿ランチ ( chouju ranchi , lit. longevity set lunch), it features seasonal gourmet vegetables. If you can read Japanese, you can find out the ingredients used for the day from the small slip of paper placed on each table. I still have it with me for reference.  

Cheese crackers went along with sake! I stayed for one night at a small ryokan (traditional Japanese inn) within the Fushimi ward of Kyoto, a relatively serene area away from modernisation. It was a pity though that I didn't have the time to visit Fushimi Inari Taisha, a famous shrine of the God of rice. To complete the experience of Japanese living, I dropped by an izakaya (a type of Japanese establishment serving alcohols and food to go along with).

Fuwa fuwa egg omelette! Welcome to Kyoto, Japan! Formerly the capital of the country for more than a millenium, Kyoto is the place to experience traditional Japan with its preserved architecture and thick culture. I visited Pontocho, a district famous for geisha (Japanese female entertainers) and had a fulfilling meal there. Kyoto cuisine is the highlight of today's review.

Huge, yummy beef meat and tendons! September is here, and that means two things. Firstly, I should start hunting for mooncakes, and secondly, my birthday is coming soon! Anyway, this shall be the last review of the series of eateries in Taipei for now. Heralded as the eatery serving the best beef noodle soup in Taipei, Yong Kang Beef Noodle has been thriving in business since 1963.