Fatimaid, Taipei's Maid Cafe, Taipei, Taiwan

I decided to pay the maid cafes of Taiwan a visit to help out AniMaid Café that is currently using my photography services. Since this was a golden opportunity to see what other maid cafes are like around the world, I jumped at the opportunity. Fatimaid is located in Taipei Taiwan and there are a lot of differences that I’ve noticed with this café and AniMaid, with to start, the regular maids do wear matching uniforms and they have anime counterparts to them. It was an interesting experience because one of the maids spoke Japanese, and the other 2 spoke Mandarin. Granted that Taiwanese is my Forte, it was actually rather interesting for me to communicate with them. I talked to them about my work with AniMaid café and shared some photos of Mio, Mikan, Kchan, Tanpopo and Stae. They were greatly interested with learning more about the US cafés that I wrote in their guestbook about AniMaid café. I also gave them a few of my business cards, they were quite happy about that. Oh and to Mio & Kchan, I have their business cards for you.

The café is a small café, with 28 total seats, they work 5 different sessions: Early Lunch, Lunch, Afternoon Tea 1, Afternoon Tea 2, and Dinner. The room is divided in to 6 tables that are 2-top, and 4 tables of 4 tops. The Maids tend to rotate around and each one had different things to take care of for their customers. The 3 maids I had the pleasure of meeting are Momo, Natsuki and Tsubaki. The cooking time for my dish was 10 minutes and it came out to order. Natsuki had done most of the more complex drawings with chocolates and ketchup on the dishes. Tsubaki does some as well, but not as fast or complex. The merchandise they sold was Folders, Cards, Doujinshi Mangas. The Folders were 100 NTD (~$3.33), Cards were 50 NTD (~$1.67), while the Doujin were 150 NTD (~$5). They also sold their paper bags for 100 NTD as well.

Corn Soup

Typical Corn soup consisting of Corn, Potatoes, Carrots and Chicken Stock

Judgment: The soup is seasoned with black pepper and came out hot. It wasn’t piping hot where I would burn my tongue but I saw that they had a “Rest” Period that the soup went through before it was served to me. It does seem like it was catered to the American taste because most foods in Taiwan don’t have strong seasoning flavors that Americans are used to. 8 / 10

Croissants

Butter Croissants

Judgment: Fresh Baked Croissants, they were flakey and buttery. I wish I could've eaten all of it, but all the food together was pretty filling 9 / 10

Croquettes

One Vegetable, and One Cheese Croquettes with Rice and Veggies

Judgment: The dish was presented and explained by the Maid which did clarify my question why the 2 colors were so different. The Cheese Croquette had what was something like a piece of gooey Mozzarella in the middle of the potato croquette. The Vegetable one consisted of basic vegetable mix of Carrots, Peas and Corn. The dish altogether was served with Ketchup which was okay, but I did wish I had Tonkatsu sauce or something similar. 8 / 10

Specialty Maid Cake of the Day

Black Forest cake with a blueberry center

Judgment: The cake was a typical store-bought cake. I wished it was home made but it was just a typical cake. The decoration is a lovely touch with the chocolate sauce by Natsuki. It was drawn so well, that I didn’t want to ruin it. 6 / 10

After food time, there was game time with Tsubaki, so we played Connect4. Man, she did not make it easy for me to win at all. I had to be on my toes the entire time. In the end, I walked away with the victory with almost every chip used.

Momo informed me that they usually don’t let the guests take pictures, otherwise there’s a service charge to do that. I guess they enjoyed having me around, so they were ok with taking some with me.

Momo and I

Tsubaki and I

Natsuki and I

more of Natsuki

The AniMaid Moe Moe Signature Move

Conclusion: This café is worth a visit if you’re into the Maid Café scene. It is fun and I enjoyed myself quite a bit. The café got really busy just before I left so I had to ask them to take a few pictures with me quickly. The Food is pretty good, maybe go with some other dessert instead of the cake that I got.

The Café gets an A.

Pizza Hut Dessert

This is dedicated to Mio-chan. I told you I'd find some yummy noms so here's my pick of tonight :D

Cinnamon Mini Apple Pies



Fried Mini Apple Pies

Judgment: The apple pies are fried to a golden brown and the center just oozes out of the pie when you bite into it. It is dusted with cinnamon and brown sugar mix which you would typically find in a traditional apple pie. 9 / 10

Conclusion: The pies are a good way to end a night of eating junk foods. Even if it is unhealthy, it is a sweet ending.

Tofu Plus, Cerritos, CA

This korean establishment was formerly known as "The Restaurant In Between". It was stuck between a Hong Kong Style cafe and a Pho restaurant. Now the two restaurants surrounding it have closed down yet this place still remains! They've since changed their name to "Tofu Plus" but the owners and employees are still the same.

Fresh Salad



Typical garden salad with lettuce, red cabbage, carrots with citrus sesame dressing

Judgment: The salad is more of a teaser than an actual dish. It looks pretty big in my picture but literally you can fit it in the palm of your hand. Ingredients were fresh, but looking at my freind's salad, her's looked a little on the old side. The lettuce had changed colors on hers for some reason. 6 / 10

Gamja Jeon (Korean Potato Pancake)



Potato Pancake

Judgment: These are always tasty. It does come on the slightly salty side, but I enjoy that. I'm not sure exactly how these are made but they're a nice starter. 8 / 10

Bulgolgi with Rice



BBQ Beef Mix with Mixed Rice

Judgment: This dish was not what I expected at all. I don't even know why I enjoyed it the first time I tried it. The flavor did not match bulgolgi seasoning at all. Instead, I felt that mine was way too peppery. In the end, I did not finish this dish because it was not that enjoyable. 4 / 10

Conclusion: The restaurant has some very good items available. Like their Ramyun dish with Rice Cakes or their Hamburger Steak. Both of those are regular things I would order there. My recommendation is to avoid the bulgolgi. They do have a dish that's similar and served with squid instead. A much better choice. The restaurant as a whole has 2 menus. The eastern menu, and the western menu. It tries to play itself off as a fusion style restaurant.

This restaurant gets a C-Rank

The Boiling Crab, Garden Grove, CA

So it's a typical Wednesday night eating out with my Wednesday eating crew. Yes, I have multiple eating crews. Although I don't eat with each crew every week, I do rotate among them. :D

Cajun Style Fries



Medium Spicy French Fries

Judgment: The fries come out piping hot and covered in Boiling Crab's own seasoning mix. It has a strong taste of paprika and other heat-type spices that make you reach for your drink. 7 / 10

Cajun Wings



Chicken Wings covered in Cajun spices with Ranch Dipping Sauce

Judgment: The wings come out dry, not really messy at all like other buffalo/hot wings. Be careful taking the first bite, these are piping hot and can burn your mouth. 8 / 10

The Whole Shabang



Cajun Seasonings with Lemon Pepper and Garlic Butter Shrimp

Judgment: The whole shabang should be the only option that is available because the mixture is just wonderful. Albeit that the lemon pepper is overpowered by the other two flavors, but the sauce is just great. Generally, I'll peel the shrimp and then dip it back into the sauce for a rich strong flavor. 9 / 10

Conclusion: This place gets PACKED. Generally be prepared to wait at least an hour when you go here unless you have insider connections with the host/waitstaff/owner. The particular one on Brookhurst in Garden Grove will not seat large parties unless the ENTIRE party is there. I had my entire party there (8 people) and 2 of them went next door to look at something, they threatened to give away my tables if they didn't show up 5 minutes. I wasn't happy with that kind of service but judging by how the restaurant was filled to the brim, I don't blame them.

This restaurant gets a B-Rank.

Chili's Bar & Grill, Cypress, CA

When I can't think of something to eat, I usually end up going to Chili's Bar & Grill for happy hour. Simply because, they have free Chips & Salsa at Happy Hour there.

Bottomless Chips & Salsa



Fresh Tortilla Chips with Salsa

Judgment: Some of the most basic appetizers you can get. The chips are almost paper thin and are very crispy. The salsa is very finely chopped so that it won't be too heavy for the chips. Although, the chips are so fragile, they do tend to break upon scooping of salsa sometimes. I usually enjoy this. It has a slightly spicy flavor and is a great starter. 8 / 10

Sweet Corn Soup



Sweet Corn Potage with Cheese, Corn and Scallions

Judgment: This soup is amazing. If you love corn soup, this is something you should try. It has a Potage feel to it, which is a corn + potato & cream type of soup. It has a rich body and the sweet flavor of the corn just spreads through your mouth when you eat it. The addition of scallions and corn give the soup some accent while changing up the flavor slightly. 9 / 10

Flame Grilled Ribeye



Flame Grilled Ribeye with dry rub + Seasonal Vegetables and Corn

Judgment: The steaks here are generally cooked to your requested temperature accurately. Their seasoning rub is a bit on the salty side but it's not too overwhelming. The vegetables are typically steamed and lightly seasoned. Today's veggies were a bit on the soggy side, probably because they've been sitting too long. The corn on the cob here is typically on the salt-heavy side. At one point, i had to wipe my mouth a few times because it was becoming overwhelming. 7 / 10

Conclusion: Chili's is a typical chain restaurant. I thought about making an effort to avoid writing reviews about restaurant chain foods, but Mio reminded me that food blogging should be done regardless of location. That's the idea of blogging! To write out your thoughts! All in all, I do enjoy myself when I go to these kinds of places and generally the food will be good, albeit, not AMAZING like some other restaurants but then again, you might find little gems in these types of places like I did with that soup.

This restaurant gets a B-rank.

Phoenix Food Boutique, San Gabriel, CA

After the hot pot, it was dessert time.

Mango Creme Custard



Mango Custard Cubes

Judgment: Not exactly what I was expecting, but I do like a custard once in a while. It's rare, but there are times that I like this stuff. This was pretty good. Plenty of mango bits inside the custard and it had a good texture to it. It reminded me of eating a fresh mango, but with the texture that mimicked the firm tofu. 7 / 10

Fresh Fruit Tropical Tea



Passion Fruit Tea with Fruit Bits

Judgment: The tea was SO sour! The first few sips had my face sucked in like that episode of the Simpsons where those shelbyville guys steal the lemon tree from Bart and his friends. The father of the boy that stole it bites into a lemon and slowly his faces just sucks into itself. Aside from that, I remember drinking something similar to this before at a cantonese style restaurant that used to be open in Cerritos. In the end, the fruit really offsets the sour taste of the tea and they came together fairly well. 6 / 10

Conclusion: The dessert shop gets CRAZY packed. We barely snagged a 4-person table for ourselves but even then, the shop gets really crowded to the point of we're sitting shoulder to shoulder. The parking to this place is actually behind the restaurant.

This place gets a C-Rank.

Tan Yu Tou Spicy Hot Pot, San Gabriel, CA

After a LONG day at the REMIX car show in Irwindale, CA, I decided to meet up with Kchan, Kyosuke, and Mio for some dinner. We couldn't decide where to go at first until we ended up with Hot Pot.



Soups Boiling - (L) Spicy, (R) Ginger



Various Mix of Pots

Judgment: The restaurant was pretty simple. Just order whatever you felt like eating and they bring it to you. Although I had a little trouble because naturally, I wanted to just ask for everything in english but it appeared to me that the restaurant staff required me to speak mandarin to them so they could understand my requests. Even just filling water was questionable. The ingredients ranged a lot from fresh cuts of meat to freshly caught shrimp, all the way to stale and disgusting corn. The worst tasting thing that I had that evening that would've easily earned this place a 1 / 10 was the corn. It seemed as if it had been pre-cooked over and over until the point that the corn on the cob was rubbery and disgusting. Mio had questioned it because it was green in colour and I was thinking it was just a special breed of corn. The meats were fresh cut and you can see the quality in it. We had chosen beef and lamb as our ingredients. I was also unhappy about the portions of cabbage that we received. Typically when I have hot pot, they are in nice square pieces that are fairly large and you can fold and what not. The restaurant serves it in long strips and I did not enjoy that as much. Over all, I'd give this a 6 / 10 for quality of ingredients.

Conclusion: The restaurant is located in a tiny shopping center inside San Gabriel. There is expanded parking underneath the plaza, and for the super low cars like mine, you might want to stick to the over-ground parking. Mio had a slight laugh when we got down to the structure and my bumper went nose-first into the ground.

The Restaurant gets a C-rank.

Kogi BBQ Truck, Irvine, CA

To celebrate St. Patricks Day this year, I decided to chase down the elusive Kogi BBQ truck in hopes to try their Chef's Specials. Last year, in 1 night, I tried everything on their regular menu on the truck and it came out to $39.

Blackjack Quesadilla



Pork with Caramelized Onions, Cheese Quesadilla with Verde Sauce and Sesame Seeds

Judgment: To be honest, I thought it was chicken stuffed inside these things. They were freaking delicious. It was part of their "specialty" menu that wasn't part of the original set. Their normal Quesadilla is the Kimchi Quesadilla and this one totally blows it out of the water. The flavors come together nicely and it has a subtle sweet flavor to it thanks to the onions. The salsa is very mild and not too spicy at all. 10 / 10

Beef Short Rib Sliders



Short Ribs, Cheese, Kimchi on a Bun

Judgment: The Sliders this time were much better than my other visit. The first time I tried them the beef had this odd-hot-chocolate-powder taste to it. This time none of that was around and it was quite tasty. The sliders are nice change of pace if all the kimchi and spiciness is too much for the average eater of Kogi. 7 / 10

The Stinky Leprechaun Burrito



In celebration of St. Patrick's Day they had this as the Chef's Special. Pastrami, Kimchi, Cabbage, Salsa Verde and Relish

Judgment: For the special, this was not too impressive. I think their regular burritos are tastier than this one. Although, pastrami is usually very tasty and this was no exception. I just felt it was a bit too out there in terms of flavor. 6 / 10

Blackjack Quesadilla (again)



Yeap, the quesadilla again.

Judgment: Yes, this quesadilla was SO good, I had to order a second one. There was someone in our group tasting this and they were standing there after taking a bite. Standing there and just wondering why this quesadilla tasted so freaking good. 10 / 10

Trés Leches Cake



Chocolate Spiced Cake with Milk Tapioca Center topped with Peanut Brittle

Judgment: This dessert was just OK in my book. A friend of mine with me said it was pretty good but personally, I did not enjoy this as much as he did. If you were to imagine it, it was similar to a chocolate flavored carrot cake. Except it was made in the style of a Molten Chocolate cake, but instead of melted chocolate, there's Milk with Tapioca in the center. It does ease up the richness of the chocolate a bit but the Tapioca was over the top for me. 6 / 10

Conclusion: The Kogi truck is an elusive thing to chase. They upload their projected locations for the week on Tuesday at their website. The regular stuff is pretty good, stick with the short rib stuff like tacos and burritos. The chef's special comes and goes and is always changing based on their website. I'm hoping the Blackjack Quesadilla is a permanent addition to their menu because it was freaking good. The location they chose of K-1 Speed Go Kart in Irvine was actually pretty good. It's just down the street from 85 C Bakery, the crowd doesn't get too crazy here, and all in all the lot is pretty big. As I've said before, I won't go out of my way by myself to get Kogi again, but if anyone would like to go, I'd be happy to tag along.

This spot gets a B-Rank.

Shin Sen Gumi Robata, Fountain Valley, CA

After a long day at work, with Yogurtland being called "lunch" I decided to hit up Shin Sen Gumi for their $1.50 Happy Hour. Every Monday & Tuesday at the Fountain Valley Shin Sen Gumi Robata (the non-ramen side) they do the happy hour from 6 PM to 10 PM now.

Flap Meat



Flank Steak (typically Carne Asada meat)

Judgment: Steak came out to a juicy Medium Rare. The restaurant will grill it this way unless you ask them for a different temperature. It was seasoned lightly with salt and delicious. 8 / 10

Pork Belly



Pork Belly

Judgment: Seasoned with salt and usually one of my favorites. Today's was actually a little tougher than I remembered so it wasn't to my expectation. 6 / 10

Lamb



Lamb Chop Cubes

Judgment: This was pretty good. It was lightly seasoned with salt with a generous helping of pepper. The meat was soft and tender and I would definitely order this again. 9 /10

Meat Ball



Asian style Meat balls

Judgment: Not your typical meatball that you would enjoy with pasta but much softer in structure. The meat falls apart in your mouth and oozes out deliciousness from the fats being cooked inside 7 / 10

Yakitori



Chicken Thigh with Green Onion, Salt (top), Yakitori Sauce (Bottom)

Judgment: The staple of the Yakitori restaurant, Chicken Thigh with Green Onion. They prepare it 2 different ways here at Shin Sen Gumi, and depending on your mood, you might have a preference of one over the other. The salt one is generously seasoned with salt and brings out the richness of the chicken to life. The yakitori sauced one has a mild and sweet flavor to it that you would expect in Teriyaki Chicken, but it wasn't as messy. 9 / 10

Garlic



Fire Roasted Garlic with Miso Paste

Judgment: I'm a garlic lover, I'll admit it. This was one of my favorites at Shin Sen Gumi after I discovered they had it, I always order it now. There's something about Garlic that I just really enjoy, the flavor, the oils, the deliciousness. Although I don't know if my friends who are dining with me will enjoy it but I like it. When the garlic is roasted, it becomes soft and almost butter like. 9 /10

Chicken Skin



Yes, you read that right, Chicken Skin

Judgment: The best part of the chicken on a stick. I love this stuff too! They fire roast it and the skin just melts in your mouth. It is lightly sauced with Yakitori sauce as well. 10 / 10

Pork Belly with Shiso Basil



Basil wrapped with a thin slice of pork belly

Judgment: The fragrant flavor of the basil is not overpowered by the pork belly but rather enhanced with it. The 2 flavors come together very well. 9 / 10

Pork Belly wrapped Enoki Mushrooms



Bundles of Enoki Mushroom wrapped with pork belly

Judgment: A spin on Beef Wrapped Enoki Mushrooms and quite tasty. Although I enjoy the basil more, this was pretty good. The pork belly oozes itself in between all the mushroom so it bursts with flavor in your mouth. 8 / 10

Conclusion: Yakitori is a great way to end a long day at work. Especially if it's paired with some alcohol or just simply whatever you like to drink. The restaurant serves a small collection of sake, umeshu (plum wine), shochu, beers and the typical sodas and teas. I really enjoy my time there, just it does get on the expensive side if you're really hungry. $1.50 does add up really quickly when you order a lot!

This restaurant gets an A-Rank

Yogurtland, Cerritos, CA

It was a typical winter day in Southern California, nice 84 degrees. I couldn't decide what to eat for lunch so I ended up just grabbing Yogurtland to-go.



Plain Yogurt with Strawberries, Mangoes, Cheesecake bits and a shot of condensed milk.

Judgment: On a typical sunny day like today, this is very refreshing. The Ingredients are fresh sliced everyday, although they may not be the ripest fruits but that's what the Condensed Milk is for. I would have enjoyed this more, except my co-workers kept calling me and interrupting my lunch break so by the time I got around to actually eating it, half of the yogurt had turned into liquid already. I blame my co-workers for that. 5 / 10

Conclusion: This particular Yogurtland is not low car friendly at all. They have some of the most ridiculous driveways I've seen. Furthermore, this particular franchise does not have as many flavors as other ones I've been to like Long Beach or Irvine. The ingredients however still taste refreshing and the standard flavors are all there.

This location gets a C-rank.

Gaja, Lomita, CA

So after the AniMaid Cafe Meeting on saturday, almost the entire gang at the meeting decided to go to Gaja to celebrate one of the maid's birthdays there. I discovered Gaja thanks to Kchan and a random tuesday night happy hour there. For those people that don't know what Okonomiyaki is, the easiest description I could think of was inspired by a friend of mine. It is basically an Asian style-Pancake/Pizza thing. As my friend Marc would call it: Slanted Pizzas.

Modern Okonomiyaki



Modern Consists of Cabbage, Mountain Yam, Ginger, Yakisoba, Pork, Egg, and a plethora of other ingredients.

Side Note: This one was cooked by yours truly. I didn't think to make smaller portions so I just made 1 giant one on the griddle :D

Judgment: The okonomiyaki's ingredients were fresh and you can tell when you just bite into it. For not cooking Okonomiyaki that often, I felt I did an okay job cooking this one. I had recruited the assistance of Koto to mix up the ingredients and I think she did a great job. The Okonomiyaki was flavorful and it was visually acceptable. 7 / 10

Modern Mix Okonomiyaki (I think)



Similar to the ingredients of the Modern Okonomiyaki but with seafood as well

Side Note: This Okonomiyaki was cooked by Mio-chan of AniMaid Cafe. It was portioned and sized to fit the small dishes we were served and she did a great job with it.

Judgment: I thought this Okonomiyaki tasted better than the one I had prepared probably because these young ladies of the maid cafe had more experience in cooking these things than I did. Again, the ingredients that the restaurant provides was fresh and delicious. 8 / 10

Cream Puff Eclair Parfait



Mixed Fruit, Cream, Ice Cream, Chocolate Syrup, Honey Corn Flakes, Ice Cream, Whipped Cream, Eclairs, Cream Puff and Pocky

Judgment: I had a hard time deciding which dessert I had wanted. I was stuck between the Deluxe Japanese Parfait and this one. The only reason I didn't go with the Deluxe Japanese one was because they had that An-Pan Bread thing that Doraemon eats on it and I wasn't feeling it. I went with the Eclairs and Cream Puff. To my dismay, the Cream Puff and Eclairs were too frozen when I received the dessert. Also, this was stacked so majestically, I didn't even know where to begin other than the Pocky. I wished the pastries were softened a bit, I would've enjoyed it a lot more. 7 / 10

Conclusion: So this restaurant specializes in Okonomiyaki and Monjayaki, and it is very DIY encouraged, but for the lazy or just simply don't know how to cook, the restaurant does offer to cook your meal for you so you don't have to go through the hassle of trying to figure out what to do with all the ingredients. The restaurant itself is pretty small and cozy, especially when you have large parties like the group I went with, everyone's gonna be sitting real close to each other. The parking lot is almost terrible for the people with very low cars like mine. I recommend getting a ride with someone with a normal car when you want to visit this one. Otherwise, it might be a good idea to park a little further away and walk over to the restaurant.

The Restaurant gets an B-Rank.

Lucca Cafe, Irvine, CA

Last night, I was originally going to visit Lucca Cafe in Irvine, CA with Kchan from AniMaid Cafe, unfortunately, she had to cancel so I asked one of my regular dining friends to join me.

Amuse Bouche



Toasted Bread with Green Olive Tapenade

Judgment: The tapenade was made with sun-dried tomatoes, olives and other herbs and seasonings in a refreshing manner to start you on your food journey in the quaint little restaurant. The bread was toasted to a crispy texture and paired well with the Tapenade. 8 / 10

Charcuterie Platter



Porsciutto, Speck and Salami with Pickles and Marinated Garlic

Judgment: The platter consisted of 7 slices of the meats that the restaurant offered in their deli. Among the 3, the Speck was my favorite of the 3. Well cured and plenty of fat on the meat. It stood out more than the Porsciutto on the dish which was quite surprising. The Salami was your typical Italian Salami that you would find in any deli. 9 / 10

Certified Angus Beef Hanger Steak



Beef Hanger Steak in a Sage Mushroom Sauce with Grilled Shrimp, Crab Cake and Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes

Judgment: In this entire plate of food, the Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes were the boring item. There was no twist, no creativity in it. It was simply just a Yukon Gold Potato, mashed up, not even butter or salt was added to it. I felt I would've enjoyed it more if it had ANYTHING else done to it other than being boiled and then mashed. The Crab Cake was average, it broke apart and flaked very well and it was easy to eat with the onion straws they topped it with. I wished they had a little more sauce with it because after eating about half of it without sauce, it felt really dry. The Shrimp was delicious. They were prepared with a spicy sauce and paired with sun-dried tomatoes and the two complimented each other very well. The steak was also just average. This was probably because it was not Prime grade beef, and the sauce was a little overwhelming. 7 / 10

Belgian Dark Chocolate Cream Brule



Chocolate Creme Brulee topped with Strawberry and Whipped Cream, Garnished with a mint leaf

Judgment: The Creme Brulee was amazing. You would expect it being a chocolate Creme Brulee to be very dense and rich, but this one hit the mark. If you were to imagine it, it was like eating a Creme Brulee made out of Hot Chocolate. After I had finished eating the dessert, my friend had to tell me "There's no more Gilbert!" while I was trying to lick the bowl clean. 10 / 10

Conclusion: The restaurant is an interesting experience, as it was designed to be eaten like an European family meal. Meaning every dish that was ready was served immediately, and they're small dishes that people were encouraged to share. Unfortunately, I wasn't planning to share my food but have it all for myself. I regretted sharing a slice of Speck with my friend because I wished I had a second piece. However, most of the food there was delicious and I would definitely visit this restaurant again. Just maybe choose a different Entree.

This Restaurant gets an A-Rank.