Location: Hsinchu Vanessa European Country Kitchen
Travel notes: Last Saturday, after playing badminton all afternoon with friends, everyone had plans and left, so I called Boren to grab a meal together. He was about to eat instant noodles—good thing I called just in time! We went to the Jinshan Street area, specifically the quieter Jinshan 23rd Street. There's a shop here I passed by before; from the outside, it looked nice, boasting a European country style. The interior is cozy and warm. On Saturday night, this small place was packed—only one table was empty, all others full. The menu offers quite a variety: besides the basics like gratin, pasta, and hot pot, there are also steak meals. A banner at the entrance advertised a 20% discount for two people ordering steak meals. Boren got a hot pot (NT$250), and I ordered the pumpkin golden gratin rice set (NT$260). The set came with soup, chips with salsa sauce for dipping, and for dessert, I chose red wine apple ice cream, plus a mixed juice. The sides were fine, but honestly, the main courses were a bit disappointing. Boren said his hot pot was okay, no big issues, but my gratin was too sticky and not very appealing in flavor, so I…