Authentic Taiwanese spread at Kocha

Kocha Taiwanese restaurant is one of my personal favorite restaurants; and is one of the rare ones which serve authentic Taiwanese cuisine.
Well, there is not many to begin with; as I have mentioned in my previous post on Taiwanese food, this is one restaurant which has persisted and gone through the test of time over the years on this world-renowned touristy island and I have been a regular since its early days.
In fact, I have posted on my personal dining experiences more than once; with my usual favorites which, to be honest, remained consistent.
It either means I am just a boring person, or naturally faithful and confident in my own personal preferences of tastes and I am nodding my head vigorously at the latter.

Tucked along the busy, traffic-congested one-way street of Burmah Road which is home to many famous eateries such as Apong Guan, Him Heang, and many more, Kocha is unmistakably striking with its bright green neon lights signboard with red letterings spelling the restaurant's name placed high above and easily visible to commuters on the road.
The restaurant is located at the corner of the junction right after Hotel 1926 on your left, and there is ample parking space in the premises.

Sounds of flowing water and a large wooden table on the outer compound of the restaurant gives you an early idea of the restaurant, and step in to admire the dimly lit environment graced with the neon lights from the bright aquariums with colorful fishes, wooden furnitures, and interesting ornaments on display.
Be enthralled by the sights that behold your sight, and take a seat to enjoy the overall ambiance which   focuses on the balance of the elements inspired by the notion of Asian Feng Shui.





The authenticity of their Taiwanese offerings begin with their owner; who is a Taiwanese himself, and prides in their fresh ingredients and recipes; with most of them being imported from Taiwan directly. In fact, their menu boasts of a large variety of beverages and food which are found in the country of origin, and over the years they have expanded to include more home made offerings such as pineapple cakes and their very own developed recipes.

Taiwanese love their bubbly teas; complete with milk and pearls and the list they have here, while not extensive will still make you indecisive on which to have as everything sounds so interesting.



You will never go wrong with the traditional Taiwanese Bubble Milk Tea
Choose from their variety of flavored milk tea, and their list of additional toppings with a minimum extra charge.

If you are not into milk tea or anything frothy, then the Taiwanese favorite Plum Green Tea (MYR5.90) is simply irresistibly addictive.
I simply could not get enough of this ever since I tried it, and also when I was in Taiwan, and I have been hooked ever since; ordering nothing else but this drink every single time I dine here.

The refreshing tastes of the icy cold juice with that light sweet sourish note flavored with the preserved plums leaves a soothing sensation with the slight grassy hint from the green tea at the end.
This is truly an invigorating drink, and one that can make you longing for seconds after gushing them down your throat. Trust me, you will not stop at one sip.

Spicy Seafood Noodles (MYR16.90) is one of our personal favorites; simply for its mildly spiced hot soup laced with red chilies and spices. Served with fried fish fillets, prawn, meat ball, crab ball, cuttlefish, scallop along with their homemade noodles and garnished with romaine lettuce and coriander leaves, this is definitely a flavorful and light appetite teaser for any seafood or noodle lover.


I have always loved to start with this Salmon Roll (MYR11.90) which is a delectable choice to stimulate one's appetite with its fishy savory taste; beginning from the lightly roasted to crisp seaweed  outer layer tenderly smothered by the chewy fish paste before being rolled in layers alternately to hug its assorted filling of salmon fillet and paste, sliced cucumber.
Dip in the thousand island dressing or opt for chili sauce to enjoy each mouthful of temptation from this appetizing dish which is just simply addictive (at least it was for me!)

For a filling option complete with that palatable Asian style serving of staple rice, go for this
Steamed Cod Fish Set (MYR26.90) which comes with a drink (the Bubble Milk Tea), the Taiwanese style rice with minced pork, soup, vegetables, fruits, dessert (slice of cake) and the main course itself (of course).



Taiwanese favorite rice with minced pork and gravy done right here with their own style.



There are also other ways of serving the Cod Fish; Deep Fried and Five Flavored, but nothing beats the succulent and juicy bites from the silky smooth cod fish which just sends the taste buds to the nines. I am not sure about you, I may be biased in my very own fondness of this exquisite fish which is just nothing short of ordinary.

The light-sized cod fish fillet was steamed to perfection to retain its moist and tenderness, served with soy sauce and silky white tofu, completed with the garnishing of coriander leaves, finely chopped spring onions and red chilies.


The desserts may vary; though most often are found in the form of an adorably-sized sponge cake and of late, this matcha sponge cake topped with matcha cream and red bean is their trending as the dessert served with their sets.



To spice up the meal a little more, go for an ala carte and indulge in the Sweet and Sour Squids (MYR13.90).
Deep fried to golden brown and extreme crisp; the squids are still oozing with its natural juicy tastes on the inside and coupled with the spicy sweet alternating with sourish vinegar taste sauce, this is exotic and flavorful as an ala carte side to complement the meal or even good on its own to nibble on while engaging in a lively banter with friends.



These are just my personal regular favorites and I have more to share, which keeps me returning to this restaurant after so many years.

They have also opened another outlet at Penang Times Square, besides this main/original outlet on Burmah Road.

I cannot speak for anyone else, but for that authentic tastes of Taiwanese food, Kocha definitely did the trick to keep me in their spell!~



*Kocha, or Kochabi translates to means traditional tastes in local dialect/Hokkien*

*This is not a sponsored post and is based on my personal tastes and opinions, and may differ from one individual to another*

A Matter of Taiwanese Tastes at Taiwan Courtyard

It is rare to find Taiwanese restaurants around here; let alone a good one, and I am fortunate that most of the ones that I have come across have more than meets the eye.
While I was on my 'blogging break' during the peak season of my work(and also due to the inaccessibility to my blogs due to the malicious threats) a year ago, I stumbled upon this new restaurant in the hip and trendy Queensbay Mall.

In the place of the previous Xian Ding Wei on the 3rd Floor in the Centre Court of the Mall (right beside Sakae Sushi), Taiwan Courtyard opened its doors back then to the regular mall hoppers and family crowds on the prowl in one of the most happening shopping malls on the island.


While the predecessor opted for an Oriental touch to their interior, Taiwan Courtyard revamped slightly with a simple touch of contemporary chic design and a hint of home style decor; at the same time maintaining some of the existing furniture from the previous business.







If Xian Ding Wei portrayed the image of a classy luxe environment, its successor, Taiwan Courtyard made it into a homey ambiance with the concept of comfort and relaxation in mind; incorporating the minimalistic design and the emphasis of wood in the restaurant. One can enjoy a peace of mind, and also browse through the magazines on the open rack while waiting for the food to be served.

Start off with a mix of fruity flavors in this Mixed Fruit Tea (MYR7.90); a flavorful combination of the varied tastes from the likes of green apple, watermelon which can be found in generous chunks at the bottom of the drink, giving it that exotic yet enjoyable kick of a sweet and sour ride with a light scent of the tea.
It is one of the recommended drinks on the menu, and I can easily see why.



Taiwanese Style Wanton Noodles Soup (MYR12.90) is a simple and comforting bowl of thick rice noodles cooked in plain soup, alongside the well-sized hand wrapped wantons (dumplings) filled with minced pork meat.








For the seafood lovers, the Seafood Noodles Soup (MYR16.90) would probably be a delectable option.
Generous with the thick slices of grouper fillets, fresh juicy succulent prawns, clams, squids, mushrooms and vegetables, this is a light option to please the seafood-appeasing buds.





For those with a taste for dry noodles and with a twist of flavors, an interesting option would be the Minced Pork Noodles in Preserved beans sauce (Dry) (MYR12.90)







Taiwan-style Deep Fried Prawn Roll (MYR11.90), meant to be an appetizer, resembling our local version of Lor Bak, only this is filled with a mix of finely chopped prawns along with mixed vegetables wrapped in fried bean curd sheets.



For a taste of the comforts of home, this Homemade Village Fish Pot (MYR19.90), packed with the simple tastes of bean curd, enoki mushroom, napa cabbage in a light sweet broth enhanced by the fresh and tender deep fried fish fillets and tomato cubes.
While the name suggested the home connection, the taste and presentation of this dish did more than just connect the dots to remind one of mum's homestyle cooking.


Taiwanese Supreme Prawns in 3 Variety of Sauce (MYR16.90) is an interesting presentation of the prawns ala the Three Cup Chicken (三杯鸡) style.
Albeit a little saltish in taste, the luscious tastes of the juicy prawns made up for it and it would go very well with a bowl of white rice in that typical Asian meal style, no?






Another interesting flavor to enjoy the prawns, and one of my personal favorite is this slightly localized and probably fusion-styled Fried Prawns with Ginger Flower Asam Sauce (MYR14.90)


Taking a turn away from the heavier tastes of the earlier three varieties of sauce, this is a pleasantly aromatic and appetizing dish where the succulent prawns are enhanced with that extra kick from the sourish with a light sweetness asam sauce and is definitely tailored for the local taste buds. Yums!



Sweet Braised Squid (MYR12.90) is another favorite to crunch on; with its lightly crispy fried outer concealing the chewy and bursting with freshness squid rings.





Complete a Taiwanese meal with one of the favorite snowy desserts and there are just so many to choose from in the menu; but my always go-to is this Green Tea Snow Ice (MYR4.90 for S, and MYR8.90 for L)


Enjoy the soft lightly shaved ice in that cottony texture packed with the antioxidant properties of Green tea, and polished deliciously with the sweet and well-cooked red beans complemented by the mild tasting but extremely chewy black tapioca pearls. This is the perfect way to end a fulfilling Taiwanese meal, and definitely my favorite way to (if there is space, but it is worth saving that space to sample their variety of mouth-watering desserts!)



I am a fan of Taiwanese food, yet I would say that I prefer the local Taiwanese food here in my own backyard compared to the actual offerings in the original country.
Perhaps it is a matter of taste; and also our taste buds suited to the localized versions modeled to fit the local palates?
I am not sure, but I personally will be seeing more of myself in this Taiwanese joint whenever I need that Taiwanese food fix. After all, good food, ambiance and service definitely is a an attracting factor for one to return, and return as regulars here at this restaurant, now comfortably settling in their place with their growing popularity to rival that of the other eateries in the mall.

It is simply a matter of my personal preference of the Taiwanese tastes here at Taiwan Courtyard~



(This is not a sponsored post, and the post combines several visits and purely based on my personal opinions and experiences and may differ from one individual to another).

Taiwan Food Diary: Hot Pot with Ojijiman

On our last night in Taipei, we ventured to the backyard of where we were staying on a hunt for the local food before heading back to finalize our packing.
(I just hate it when it comes to packing and unpacking, it is always tiresome, stuffing and rearranging all those stuffs into the luggage which never seems to agree with you when you needed it to. Grrr...)

We stumbled upon this Steamboat/Hot Pot restaurant; Ojijiman Steamboat Restaurant, which apparently was a really famous hot pot restaurant we discovered after that.
Guess it is still our luck after all? ;-)
(Love the name of the restaurant, just sounds so cute!)



It was packed to the brim although we were there at an early hour; about 6.00pm, and we were heading out to leave. Perhaps it was the look of disappointment on our faces, or the fact that it was really cold out there, or we are just likable (that was a little overboard), the restaurant owner was really kind enough to help us to reserve a place and told us to be back around 6.30-6.45 where he can definitely secure a place for us.
We obliged, and loitered around the area, taking in the scenes of Taipei on our last night while enjoying a nice walk in the cool weather, something which is more of a luxury in our hot and humid weather.

When we arrived back at the restaurant at the appointed time, we were immediately ushered to our dining place (thanks to the owner's prompt and impressive service).
The restaurant was definitely still crowded, but we secured our place, which was facing the street.





The waitress bustled about cleaning up our table; which was technically a table on the counter facing the street separated by the glass window. Usually I would never have taken a table on the counter, well, let's just say it's a matter of personal preference, but in this case, I think the owner went out of his way to reserve us a table and I appreciate his kindness :-)





The funny thing is the way the waitress came to us (after cleaning up the table) and started speaking in this really fast-paced local Chinese on the procedure to do the ordering for the hot pot, as it was a Eat-All-You-Can and customers are free to order anything from the menu for unlimited times (with exception of certain items). She was practically reciting without taking a moment to breathe that we were really straining our ears to catch her each and every word.
It was really hard for us to form the words to ask her to, well, Repeat.

Anyway, we got the wind of it after that and selected our soups.
(Unlike Malaysia, this is something similar to the Japanese Shabu-shabu style where we were designated with our own individual pots of soup).

Herbal Chicken Soup 


Osmanthus Flower Soup (this is really unique, and pleasant in taste)


Vegetables plate and the settings on the table






The meat
Pork


Chicken




Seafood (snapper fillet, garoupa fillet, dory fillet, squids, tiger prawns)


Oysters


From left: Fish paste and Octopus paste


Lobster salad as appetizer while waiting for the hot pot to get cooking~


Sauces; the chili paste on the bottom was really spicy that it could send one shooting to the roof (technically, that would be me?)




Ice cream was part of the selection which one can help to the scoops from the counter; and is the dessert to complete the meal for the evening.


Overall the food was alright, but they do have a good selection of seafood; especially the fish which could be categorized into the different types of fish and all neatly made into fillets. (Just the way I like it).

It would cost about NT$590 per pax (if I am not mistaken) to dine here, and while I can't say that their selection is comparable to our steamboat buffet back home, nor can I compare it to others as this was the only one I tried in Taipei, I can only say that hot pot is definitely more suited for the cool weather.
Besides, with all that craze over hot pot here in Taipei (I see hot pot restaurants almost everywhere), the Taiwanese definitely do love this as a meal option and I think that is all the reason you need to justify for a hot pot meal while here?

Now, this is making me crave for hot pot and I am thinking of places to go for hot pot...or just make it at home? ;-)