I’m a fan of Yaletown.
It’s weird to me how many places in Taiwan will make a Reuben with pastrami rather than corned beef, though. It’s still good, but it should have a different name.
4 Likes
I think its just simply down to price, availability and customer base. Obviously processed left over animal chunks ground into glorfied hotdogs and sliced smoothly are easier and cheaper than corned beef. I have literally seen served some kind of salami type thing haha. Given Taiwan not being a beef producer or even much of a connoisseur traditionally, it makes sense. Getting more popular though. Watch the next decade improve, at least in flavor and mouth feel rather than quality of farming, in taiwan for beef. now that the government finally opened up us beef and pork and stopped worrying about the pork lobby death threats locally, local fare should start improving.
I think you probably notice the inconsistency of dryness just cause most restaraunts hire people cheap and to just get by. Essentially most cooks (not going to call them chefs) are like gas station employees that like to eat. Going to higher end restaraunts that pay their chefs slightly better and/or companies that actually put in serious effort on sourcing/production will be more consistent. Most eateries here tend to spend their money on decorating and fail on quality, consistency and logistics…many close within a few years, or at least go downhill fast. The exceptions being franchise/chains with enough capital to source at least ok quality at cheap prices. Sad truth. Thats why i always try, money allowing, to support people that put in the effort locally. I would far rather eat once at say Yaletown than twice at mcdonalds for exactly this reason. I got some fries at mcdonalds (never good to be starving and working in the heat at 3pm breaktime) last week and saw their menu. They have meal sets that are nearly 200, for mcdonalds! i would far rather spend that on a local shop that puts in the effort, of which there are many (not necessarily burgers as beef is expensive here). Honestly, most places that are local and not getting the amazon destruction wholesale price are say 250 to 350 for burger sets…which is more than fair in my opinion. I don live in ktown, but the city closest to me has a friggen awesome burger set with fries and drink for 250ish. Im a veggie hippy so i get the falafal burger which is insanely yummy, even for meat eaters.
2 Likes
Nobody likes Laya Burger?
Any suggestions? Have had a bite from friends that ordered and wasnt impressed.
Our groups have tried their mushroom beef, hotdog wiener (not sausage), cod and the panini one. They are cheap, basically on the level of a local mcdonalds i would say. Not great. Still better than say most breakfast shop franchises. But not by much. Do you have suggestions?
Yes, the ancovies
A little Worcestershire can help as a marinade to keep the patty from drying out, especially if you’re cooking it beyond medium. As far as its flavor goes, I’m neutral toward it except in bloody Marys, where it is absolutely essential.
Interestingly, it was originally created as a UK attempt to approximate Asian fish sauces…or so I seem to recall reading somewhere once. I find it to be pretty mild compared to many of those, though.
It’s processed industrial bullsh&t.
Guy
3 Likes
Blasphemy.
I’m gonna refer to afterspivak’s appropriate terminology above.
4 Likes
Cheese and thick sliced beef, with egg. Nothing tastes better than home made burger, but it’s cheap and feels healthier than McDonald’s. Maybe it’s just prejudice.
What, in terms of their burgers? 
They’re just the typical low-quality Taiwanese breakfast burgers in my experience, not too different from any of the other low-quality Taiwanese breakfast burger places on every other corner. This might just be me, but my tolerance for the amount of gristle or bone I want to bite into inside a burger patty is pretty low.
I do like that they have a picture/English menu - that’s probably why I’ve bought food from there before, plus there was one very close to my old apartment. I stopped after a few times though, mostly because they had a habit of messing up my orders (I think they got more of them wrong than they got right).
1 Like
I like laya burger. But this thread in particular is about Southern restaurants. Laya is nationwide.
Do you like Taiwanese/Asian food, @Marco?
It’s a genuine question. I thought you’d been here for ages, well integrated into Taiwan, etc. But the only foods I’ve ever seen you mention on here are Western (-style) fast foods: Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, and so on. 
Sure, why not?
I don’t really think I talk about food all that much here to begin with.
To be fair, I’ve been here 14 years and don’t eat any Taiwanese food 
I don’t think you do either (or I hadn’t noticed it). It’s just that when I did notice you talking about food, it was always those places…
1 Like
It’s usually because the conversation warrants it at that time. Obviously, Taiwanese food is ubiquitous in Taiwan, so the more novel thing is to talk about foreign food options because they’re more rare and more variable in quality. There’s just nothing to talk about between this beef noodle shop and that beef noodle shop, they almost look and taste the same. Same thing with night market food, almost every night market has the same stands.
I like it, but it really does remove a lot of conversation.
When I’m with a family for CNY or the absolutely AMAZING bbq during the Mid Autumn Festival…it’s a family affair, so… What’s to talk about?
2 Likes
I’ve been here around 5 years, and I seldom do. Danbing and the occasional rechao with friends, and even more occasional beef noodles, being the exceptions. I don’t especially like Taiwanese food for the most part though.
I have Thai and Vietnamese food quite a lot though, and usually cook at home anyway.
1 Like
Fair enough! Thanks for the explanation. 
1 Like
For some reason i thought you were taiwanese…
1 Like
Seriously? 
Please explain.