Taiwan 03/2012 - From Yilan to Jiaoxi 礁溪温泉

So after a good night's rest at 芯园宜兰民宿，here's how our breakfast looks like:

Super shiok please!  Dimsum, salad, wraps, fresh fruits and a big pot of porridge!  The breakfast was just awesome.  We could even ask for more without additional charge!

The weather was great too,  but we had to leave for our next destination.

So once again we lugged our heavy belongings and took a cab to a train station.  There are no buses in the vicinity so we had to pay NT200 to get to the nearest train station. There, we met this little gal. She was with her mom but were following us around. Haha so cute.

She especially liked Sis and even threw a tantrum when our train arrived and had to say goodbye.

Jiaoxi 礁溪 was only three stops down, and we walked to our hotel (Artspa Hotel). 

Our lunch was a simple noodle soup + seaweed.  There is NOTHING to shop for around the area. I think Sis and I spent most of the afternoon in the nearby supermarket for snacks instead. The pool/spa wasn't open until 5 or 6pm.

They have a huge outdoor spa and jacuzzi facility filled with natural spring water. My favorite is the hot stone 'bed'. I think I really did fall asleep there for a good 15 minutes or so.  I enjoy water activities but I don't like water massages, so I went back to my room before Sis did.

Even if I don't want to leave my room, guests can also enjoy the hot spa in the comfort of their own big-ass bathtubs.  I'm not quite sure how to use the smaller one though.

It was only a night's stay before we headed back to Taipei.

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Taiwan 2012 芯园宜兰民宿

Overdue!!! Taiwan March 2012

Our trip to Yilan (宜兰) was one of the most memorable stops during our Taiwan trip this year.

From the city, it'll take about 1~2 hours drive out to the 'countryside'.  In fact, not many cabs were willing to take us out as they won't be able to get any passengers back to Taipei from there.  Besides, we had quite a bit of luggage with us.

We went by quite a few paddy fields and throughout the ride we just enjoyed the view.

Luckily for us, there was a cab uncle who could visit his friend there and agreed to take us there, for additional charges though. It costs us about NT1000+ (near to 2000) to get to our boutique 'hotel'.

芯园宜兰民宿 is privately owned by a family, who refurbished their land/house and made it into themed rooms/hotel.  The theme they work with is "Fairytale" [我的梦中城堡], it is evident and very consistent in both exterior and interior designs.


The entrance of the hotel facing a paddy field.  The air was good and the surrounding quiet, just the perfect spot for a quiet getaway.

At the "lobby", one corner was meant for customers to have breakfast or enjoy tea, while further down the corridor is a mini bar bistro.

To the right is a storeroom where customers are welcome to try out and borrow any of their costumes available to play dress up!  I picked up what I saw first, which is the giant Stitch hat.

Most of the dresses were a bit too long so we (Sis and I) chose about 4 outfits to bring back to our room.

There are 12 rooms in total, each with a different theme. The one we really wanted was already taken, so we decided on "Sleeping Beauty".

See, although the night's stay wasn't exactly cheap, it could accommodate all four of us and it's not just a tiny room we get, but more of an entire apartment.  To know what I mean, just go check out their site and look at the photo gallery. 

I would LOVE to stay in the Queen's Dome for my next visit there.   The bed looks SUPER comfy. Hahaha 
  

In order to reach our Sleeping Beauty Castle, we had to climb this flight of stairs! I wouldn’t be complaining, except that my luggage was huge and filled with shopping loots from the previous week. Lol. 

We also went around to explore the vicinity and found the Snow White’s abode (seven dwarfs behind!). 


My parents were exhausted so they watched TV and napped, while sis and I started our dress up and camwhoring.  

Sis explored the coffee machine and I sat in the bathtub (cute!). 

 
Our beds were separated from our parents, of course! We stayed on the second floor. :D
I love how even the coat hanger is so artistic.

We both didn’t look very good in this dress, but the back + train details were just so gorgeous!
Yes! We have a white wooden horse and a cartwheel bench just outside our room. 

An all-white gown, looks a bit like a casual wedding gown.

We spent the whole afternoon playing dress up and taking pictures lol.  Sis brought the curler so we just went completely had fun (and got my finger burnt -..-).  

Changed into a peach dress, and I have to act all dainty. Eee. Lol

In the evening, it was time to head out for dinner. Since we didn’t have any means of transport, we had to call a cab from the counter (NT20) to head out to the nearby market/central streets.   

We had a quick dinner at one of the stalls and then started shopping (as usual).  Saw Taiwanese stars filming for variety shows; got hungry, bought the 鸡蛋糕 and oh they were SO YUMMY. 

So that kinda sums up our first day at Yilan, away from the city’s hustle and bustle.  Lovin’ it. I would love to bring Alien there some day! 

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Taipei: Modern Toilet Restaurant

After travelling to Taipei all these years, it was the first time that I got down to the main branch at Ximending to try out the famed toilet-themed restaurant (便所主题餐厅）.

Click on the above restaurant name to be directed to their site.  It's best to make a reservation lest you be disappointed to find out the venue is fully booked (for dinner).  I made our reservation a few days before on their Message Board.

Usually I don't hang out at Ximending because of the crowd and overpriced goods,  so I wasn't familiar with the area and had a little difficulty trying to find this place.

I know many Singaporeans have already been to this place but I still wanted to give a shot anyway.  On our way up, a big family was just leaving.  We could tell they were Singaporeans from their accent (dead giveaway).

From all the media coverage the restaurant received, I'd expected the place to be a lot bigger and "grander", but it wasn't.  It's a cute cafe located on the second floor, adorned with bathtubs, showerheads and toilet bowls.  

Lovely wallpaper to whet your appetite :D

Even the light bulbs come in shapes of poop. Lol.

Our dining menu was reusable and creative, you just write what you want on it and it's erasable (like a whiteboard).  I was interested in a beverage with an attractive name:

Loosely translated as Shit Pee Fly Fruit Tea

While waiting, Sis and I walked around to check out the place a bit.  On the other side of the second level is where the cashier was. We were seated nearer to the toilet (the real one).

It was only after we ordered and paid that I realized almost all the other teenagers in the cafe were eating Milky Hotpot.  As it turns out, that was their best seller and people usually come here for that. Oh well.

What we had:

I thought my baked rice was rather adorable being served in a bathtub, and my Shit Pee Fly Fruit Tea served in a standing urinal.

The rice was so-so, and the drink was pretty nasty (too sour x sweet). 0.0!

Mudder's hotpot

 She was quite peeved about the whole eating from toilet bowl thing. Lol.

We ordered an extra fries to share, which was surprisingly good (Sis ate everything).

I got a bit confused when I went to the washroom, coz' i wasn't sure if I used the REAL one. Hahaha. I had to double check with the flush.

This wasn't the real toilet bowl, it's the wash basin. See what I mean?

Last but not least, we had a bit of dessert:

Chocolate ice-cream! Hahaha. I didn't like it at all.

Overall, I found the furniture was really cute, but the food was below average.  Maybe the waitress could have told us earlier that the milky hotpot was recommended. 

Modern Toilet Restaurant
便所主题餐厅

Address:
2F, No. 7, Lane 50,  Xining South Road, Tapei City
108 台北市万华区宁南路50巷7号2楼

Phone:
(02)23118822

Business Hours:
11.30am - 10pm

Average Meal:
NT$300 

The nearest metro station is 西门 (Ximen) Station, take exit 6 and walk along Chengdu Road.

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A380 In-Flight Kitchen Restaurant

This is super backdated but I've been wanting to blog about some of the places that I went to in Taipei earlier this March.

I didn't really want to go back to the same places again because I like to try new stuff, so I brought my family to a novelty restaurant -- A380 In-Flight Kitchen Restaurant （A380 空中厨房）.

The restaurant was to model after the largest passenger aircraft - A380. However, I can't say the same for the service. The "steward" and "stewardesses" were very unattentive, I had to pick up some food myself or walk up to them to let them know we needed something.

It's a very interesting concept though, for customers to have an A380 dining experience.  Check out these seats and walls:

I like how the restaurant paid attention to the little details, such that the seat belt and no smoking lights signs were also part of the decor.

There was a wide range of western food to choose from.  Sis and I chose lunch sets with different combinations, while my parents chose something from the ala carte menu.  The lunch sets came with salad, soup of the day, bread and butter, main course and a dessert.

I chose the salad with vinaigrette sauce, Sis chose the thousand island one

The soup's pretty nice and I love the butter buns!

My egg custard (yums!) and sis's not-so-nice chocolate mousse cake

Mom's baked rice (too cheesy!) and dad's nicely roasted chicken

Here's a short video clip of how the restaurant looks like:




There was a private room available, behind an automatic glass doors, my guess is it's reserved for private parties/functions/events.

We went on a weekday afternoon where only one other table was occupied other than ourselves. I guess business ain't that good for them, considering that the food is on the pricier side (in Taipei).
 

Address: 168, Dingzhou Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市汀州路三段168號)
Telephone: (02) 2367-3928
Open: Daily from 11:30am to 10pm
Average meal: NT$500
Details: Chinese and English menu; credit cards accepted

Information taken from TaipeiTimes.

The nearest train station is Gongguan. Take Exit 1 and walk for about 3-5 mins and you'll see the signboard.

A380 In-Flight Kitchen is the sort of restaurant where you'll visit once just for the novelty sake, but not enticing enough to make you go back for more.

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