Taipei Recap: Rain can't stop us!

We spent the first 9 days of the New Year in Taipei visiting my parents so this is part of many posts I'll be doing to recap what we did before flying back to reality.

 My mom has been meaning to take us to "The Dragon" a restaurant specializing in Cantonese food located within the Taipei Sheraton.

We used to have another favorite dim sum place in Taipei but recently we've found the food quality has dropped and the prices increased. I still love the ambiance considering they relocated and refurbished the entire interior but my mom wouldn't stand for it. Since then, she's been on the hunt for our new spot.

The last place we tried was located in the Ambassador Hotel called Canton Court. My blog recapping that foodie adventure from July 2011 can be read here.

I was excited to see what my boyfriend thought of the food.

Tofu and Seafood 'Bao' (Treasure)

Lotus Leaf Wrapped Sticky Rice and Pork 

Scallops topped with Sakura Shrimp and Vegetables

Barbecued Suckling Pig

My boyfriend thought it was a little too sweet :)

Cabbage Gratin (Influenced by the Portuguese when they occupied Macau)

Char Siu Pork Buns (YUM!)

Red Bean Stuffed Pastry for Dessert

After our much satisfying meal, we headed toward the Xin Yi district for my mom and brother to get massaged. My boyfriend felt like we had been massaged enough on our trip thus far (once in Taipei, twice in Thailand) and wanted to do something else. We ended up window shopping around the Taipei 101 area enjoying the gorgeous displays while digesting. I also made mental notes of potential gifts for myself and other people ;)

Chinese New Year is almost here so the decor is reflecting that!

I love the small hand roll inspired flower arrangements

After our long walk, I asked my boyfriend if he wanted to check out this craft beer restaurant that my mom recommended. We had time to kill before my mom and brother met up with us so we went to sit down.

Le Ble d'Or ( 金色三麥) apparently has several locations throughout Taipei. My mom said a lot of her friends find it "cool" to go there for a beer and post it on Facebook. I thought that was funny :)

They have happy hour between 3-5 pm where beer is half off. My boyfriend wondered who gets out of work at 3 pm?

I didn't drink beer but I ordered one of their beer infused Peach smoothies.

I had NO idea it would be this big. Thankfully, it was mostly ice and wasn't overly sweet.

I have to admit though I had brain freeze every few minutes. 

My brother finally joined us after his massage (....) and he ordered some mozzarella sticks. His water glass was TINY compared to the giant 1 liter glass of lager.

One day...they'll share a real beer!

My brother wanted to go home with my mom but my boyfriend and I wanted to explore some more. We ended up in Hsi Men Ding. I compare it to NYC's Soho area where the teenagers and the under 30 crowd hang out.

It was slightly rainy but that didn't stop us from walking around. We ended up having a nice hot bowl of ramen for dinner. It was extremely satisfying.

Ramen!

All in all, it was a nice relaxing day in Taipei regardless of the weather. I'd like to think I didn't go overboard by overindulging.

It's nice to have one on one time with the boyfriend.