Guilin Teppanyaki, Taipei

The Taiwanese have taken teppanyaki and localized it to their own little thing. If done properly in a nice place (with lots of butter - ha ha), it is actually one of the few localization attempts in Taiwan that work well. But cheap places like this have become more and more of a yawner.

Actually, I knew better than to come here - I had been here before (42 Dah An Street Section 1, behind Sogo in the Ding Hao area, 02-2773-3974) and I never really thought it was anything great. But it was convenient tonight, and plus I was getting sick of all that hot pot recently - I wanted something simple and greasy without getting inundated with spices. I've seen similar setups at some food courts in Singapore (with the standard issue foil on the grill, optional chili peppers when cooking, rice, greens, bean sprouts, a clear soup, and only a very minor variation in the other ingredients - like basil here - why is basil so commonly used in Taiwan now?). Well, at only NT$160 (US$4.50) for the sliced lamb set, it wasn't exactly a huge loss, but I definitely left unsatisfied and with a mild taste of regret.

I did pick up a cut of sa chi ma at a Chinese bakery on my way back though. I haven't had one of these in years: it's basically like a Chinese Rice Krispie treat, but using strands of wheat flour instead of Rice Krispies. It's less sweet than Rice Krispie treats too. It is mildly greasy (evil grin), sprinkled with sesame seeds and an occasional raisin. This made me a little happier, but I still wish I had a better meal tonight. Hmph.