1887 locations with photos and travel notes
Morgan visited 1887 places in Taiwan, including Taipei Shilin Mio Vino Wine, Shilin Circus Market [Wine Shop], MingXiong Brothers Hui Party — Taichung, Taipei Zhulun St. Wo Fu Wine, Taipei Cats Down Dunbei Club. This page lists all locations with photos, visit dates, addresses, and an interactive map for each.
Taiwan covers 6 popular cities, ranked by visit frequency: 台北 (1097 places), 台中 (426 places), 新竹 (113 places), 台南 (52 places), 桃園 (23 places), 高雄 (17 places). Each city's locations include full visit notes, photos, and map positions.
Location: Taipei, Shilin, Mio Vino Wine. Travel note: Wrapping up today with a glass of Argentine Malbec at Mio Vino Wine in Taipei's Shilin district, near the Taipei Performing Arts Center. By Morgan, evening of April 26, 2026.
Location: Taipei, Shilin, Taipei Astronomical Museum. Travel note: Second visit to the Taipei Astronomical Museum in Shilin, plus a stop at Circus Market [wine shop]. This morning, my sister came up from Taoyuan to run errands and dropped off my two young nephews for me to babysit. I decided to take them to the museum to learn and explore. By two or three in the afternoon, my sister came back to take over, and we all had a simple Vietnamese meal together before parting ways. Seeing how nice the weather was on this Sunday afternoon, I found a wine shop nearby in Shilin and sat down to enjoy a quiet, fleeting moment of leisure. By Morgan, afternoon of April 26, 2026.
Location: Taichung, Mingxiong Brothers Club Gathering. Travel note: Yesterday evening, while drinking at Woof Wine in Taipei, I suddenly got a long-awaited notice from the Brothers Club. So after leaving Woof, I headed straight from Taipei to Taichung. At Zixuan's office, I met up with Yen and Maxim—four of us together. Zixuan grabbed a Cohiba Edición Limitada 2011 from his humidor for me, and Yen had his apprentice send over a six-bottle Burgundy set. We opened a 2019 Saint-Georges from Nuits-Saint-Georges to pair with the cigar, and later added a white wine from Côte de Beaune. We ate takeout and chatted until nearly 4 AM. 'In a group of three, there's always a teacher,' and with four of us tonight, I learned a lot of interesting stuff from the brothers. A rare gathering—thanks for the hospitality! Now I'm heading back to Taipei! XD By Morgan @late night, April 24, 2026.
Location: Taipei, Zhulun Street, Woof Wine. Travel note: Miss T invited me here for a drink in the evening. Taiwan is so small—we ran into a Cathy here, and T called her name as soon as she walked in. Turns out they're in the same group and have had meals together. Besides the owner John, I also met a new friend, Jeff. We ended up drinking here until an hour after closing time. Cheers~ By Morgan @evening, April 24, 2026 #WoofWine
Location: Taipei, Mao Xia Qu Dun Bei Club. Afternoon: attended a briefing for a Malaysian development project located 300 meters from the Petronas Twin Towers, with a direct skybridge and 78 floors. Evening: had dinner and drinks nearby with Yen, Steven (whose birthday is today), Samuel, and a new friend, A-Jiang. To celebrate Steven's birthday—he was my cousin's middle school classmate—we had four bottles of wine, finishing with a Napa Valley wine. Thanks to Yen for treating us. A-Jiang shared some profound insights on philosophy and the I Ching, leaving us all thoughtful. Cheers~ By Morgan, evening of April 22, 2026.
Location: Taipei, Huang Dalong Guangshi Chicken Pot - Jilin Branch. Evening: had dinner at Huang Dalong Guangshi Chicken Pot - Jilin Branch and Longma He Jiu (3rd visit) with Yen, Minnie, and Otto. Thanks to Yen for treating us. After dinner, we headed to Xiao Bao's place for sake and fruit liquor. Cheers~ By Morgan, evening of April 21, 2026.
Location: Da'an District, Taipei. Travel note: After a noon meeting, I went to Guanghua Market to buy a Logitech mouse and had a pretty good Wagyu ramen at Soup God. In the afternoon, I visited two nearby wine shops. The first was Pro Wine, run entirely by women, with a basement venue that can host 8–10 people. I ordered two glasses of French white wine. At the second shop, Adelaide, I ran into Eric, who promotes wines for many foreign estates and writes wine reviews for magazines. He was chatting with the manager Lydia, so I opened a bottle of Bordeaux Left Bank wine for everyone. Lydia also opened a 2008 Italian Cabernet Franc from her personal collection, and another staff member, Clos, brought out a French wine. We shared them all and talked about wine. I've been mistaken for a wine merchant more than once—I just love drinking and enjoying serendipitous encounters. Cheers~ By Morgan @2026.4.21 evening.
Location: Nanjing East Road, Taipei. Travel note: In the evening, I had dinner with A-Le, his employee Jenny, and Zhengliang at Old Song Tian Izakaya (skewers and bar) for the second time. Thanks to Zhengliang for treating us. Cheers~ By Morgan @2026.4.20 evening.
Location: Taipei, Yucheng Street, Woof Wine Annual Clearance Sale. The Threads algorithm is truly scary—I got pushed this post more than three times. So after finishing up on Sunday afternoon, I came over. I chatted with the owner John, who said this clearance post had over 60,000 views on Threads. In the end, I bought four bottles of wine and headed to a nearby female friend's place to keep drinking. Cheers~ By Morgan @April 19, 2026 evening #WoofWine
Location: Taipei, Qixidi Yakitori Izakaya, Xinyi Branch. In the evening, my friend Zhengliang invited me for a casual drink. Cheers~ After dinner, I stopped by his place for a bit. Wishing you all the best with your new job! :) By Morgan @April 16, 2026 evening
Location: Dinghuang Club, Songshan District, Taipei. Travel note: Dinner at Brother Baoming's place, which I hadn't visited in a while. Met new friends from all walks of life—golf course operators, national security personnel, frozen food, electromechanical, Vietnam leasing, printing, and more. Then headed to the East District for a drink with old friends. Thanks to Chairman Zeng for the treat! Cheers~ By Morgan @2026.4.13 evening.
Location: Sake Bar Xiaojiu, Zhongshan District, Taipei. Travel note: A reservation-only sake bar tucked away in an alley. Last time I dropped by without a reservation and couldn't get in, so this time I booked ahead. Started with a limited-edition Kuro Ryu Daiginjo from Hyogo Prefecture (served in a Burgundy glass), followed by an aged Hatsugame: Ginjo Aki-zake, and finished with Yamagata Masamune, a ginjo aged at -5°C. Compared to regular sake, these aged sakes were richer and fuller, with a pronounced, concentrated umami of rice on the palate. Three glasses tonight were just right. By Morgan @2026.4.9 evening.
Location: Black Bottle, Songshan District, Taipei. Travel note: I was in the middle of vibe coding when I got pulled out for a drink. This time I listened to Brother Yan share stories about celebrities like Joey Wang, Lan Xinmei, Li Ao, Yuan T. Lee, and Morris Chang visiting his restaurant back in the day. Tonight we had Hungarian Bull's Blood wine, Yushih Japanese whisky, and a rare Israeli wine called NANA. Across from me sat Eric, who's been back in Taiwan for a while and is heading to the US again in May. Taiwan is small—Eric's cousin was classmates with Xiao Hei Ge in middle school. The bill was about 10,000 NTD tonight. Thanks for the treat, Eric. Cheers~ By Morgan, evening of April 10, 2026.
Location: Taipei, Zhongzheng District, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Passport Renewal Travel Note Summary: A decade has passed in the blink of an eye. True to the principle of making the most of things, I've used this old passport to visit many countries since 2017. Having the chance to explore the world has been a dream since childhood, and I've worked hard to make it a reality as an adult. But who knows how much energy I'll have left for future travels? I'll just keep going as best I can. @@ P.S. 1. For lunch, I went to a hotpot restaurant (W. Mala Bar) that gives birthday celebrants as many clams and small scallops as their age. I was stuffed. P.S. 2. For dinner, Lman invited his colleague from over 20 years ago at AdLink, Viking, to meet at Fridays. Taiwan is so small—I looked up and saw Brother Leon and Sister Jennie there too. Thanks to Viking for treating me to red and white wine. Cheers! By Morgan @2026.3.31 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, L'Etoile Vin Wine Shop Travel Note Summary: This morning, I first went to Ding's home to pay my respects and offer incense for Brother Jiaming's final journey. Life is all about connections; it's enough that we had the chance to meet and chat. At noon, I had lunch with Pat, Elton, and Kyle at Nong Lai nearby. Lately, my reflections on life have deepened—when there's a chance and time to gather, let's gather as much as possible. Thanks to my brother for picking up the tab. After the meal, Pat went back to the office for a meeting, while I found a very quiet little shop in the afternoon. I sat down alone and ordered a glass of red wine from Argentina, a Malbec, to relax and contemplate in the tranquility. Sipping away, I naturally moved on to a second glass, a Greek red wine not commonly found in Taiwan, a 2016 Xinomavro. Then came a Hungarian white wine, a dry (not sweet) Tokaji, but with quite a pronounced aroma. All three glasses were interesting wines, shifting my mood from contemplation to immersion. @@ By Morgan @2026.3.30 afternoon
Location: Taipei, Yanshou Street, Black Bottle Travel note: Third visit to Black Bottle on Yanshou Street in Taipei. Met up with Ms. T in the evening for drinks at Brother Yan's place. I brought a 1999 French fortified sweet wine to share, and Brother Yan opened a Burgundy red wine gifted to him by the winery owner in return. First time meeting Brother Yan, we wrapped up at 7 AM. Second time, we finished at 6 AM. Afterward, we continued at King of Karaoke—thanks for the hospitality! This time, hoping to end by 5 AM—the later, the better. XD Cheers~ By Morgan @2026.3.27 night
Location: Taipei, Torikizoku - Qingcheng Branch Travel note: After a morning meeting, had lunch with Lman senior and Samuel at Torikizoku in Taipei. We exchanged insights on using AI Agents to improve workflows and discussed future copyright issues with AI Skill files. Thanks for the treat, senior—Cheers! Later, we went to Sky Cofi café above senior's office nearby, ordered a glass of rosé, and kept chatting until almost 5 PM. A fulfilling day~ By Morgan @2026.3.24
Location: Taipei, Leli Road, Old Hill Skewers - Daan Branch Travel note: Jimmy suddenly invited me for skewers in the evening, so after work, I met him at this spot. We enjoyed quite tasty skewers while listening to Jimmy's funny stories about his tenants from Mexico, the US, and India. Time flew by—it was already 11 PM before we knew it. Thanks for the treat, Jimmy—Cheers! By Morgan @2026.3.23 night
Location: Taipei, Changchun Ambassador Cinema - Deep Quiet, Hong Kong Old Bing Kee Dai Pai Dong Travel note: Yesterday, my older sister brought her two kids from Taoyuan to Taipei and treated me to a movie and dinner. After the film, the director and lead actors (Joseph Chang, Ariel Lin) came to the theater. Later, we ate at a highly cost-effective Hong Kong-style restaurant nearby. Thanks, sis! After parting ways, for late-night drinks, Aleh—a friend of almost 20 years—invited me to his newly set-up office with Lige. The three of us had a small gathering. Aleh has been deep in property management for years, accumulating many properties in Taipei, and recently started a new fan page ( https://www.facebook.com/share/17FoDsTzqH/ ). We drank Dalmore 12, chatted about various topics, and didn't part until after 1 AM. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2026.3.22 #禾富物業管理
Location: Tainan Travel note: On my 46th birthday, I seriously asked myself for the first time: "What have I truly left behind in this life?" Looking back, there may not be any earth-shattering achievements. But if there's one thing I've done consistently for over twenty years without interruption, it's probably—writing. Travel notes, food diaries, life snippets. Starting from my junior year on the Dreamland BBS, writing on food and travel boards, even composing playful poems about Tainan snacks, appearing on TV news and newspapers a few times. Later, working in Hsinchu Science Park, switching to Wretch Blog, reaching over a million views. Then on Facebook, becoming lazier, turning into stream-of-consciousness diaries. But one thing never changed—no matter how late, tired, or drunk, I'd finish writing about that day before sleeping. Writing like this, over 26 years, accumulated over 4,000 articles. Looking back, I realized those fragments I thought were just casually written down have actually been preserved. Some things aren't about aiming to achieve something from the start; just by doing them persistently, they slowly become part of you. Perhaps some people are walking a similar path. I've also slowly realized: what I'm recording isn't just my own life, but—everyone who has ever appeared in my life. Without these friends, without those moments of eating, drinking, traveling, studying, working, serving in the military, playing sports, or being in relationships together, I couldn't have written these stories. So I've always believed one thing: the connection between people truly comes down to "fate." Without fate, we wouldn't meet in this lifetime. Recently, during several long trips, I thought about many things alone. I started using computers at age three, took on programming projects, built systems, and worked with databases in college. But the AI era has arrived. I clearly know—one day in the future, I won't need to write a single line of code. This is somewhat impactful because it's a skill that grew up with me. Three weeks before my birthday, I made a decision even I didn't expect: I formed a "team entirely composed of AIs." Some handle design, some development, some AEO SEO, some research the latest information, some optimization and testing. And I'm only responsible for one thing: handing my ideas to them for realization. From having to write hundreds of pages of specifications myself in the past, to now—just by speaking, an entire system can be built. Sometimes it even feels like I'm more like "directing an invisible team." So what do I want to do next? I thought of a simple answer. What AI cannot change is our past lives. But what AI can change is how these lives are presented. So I did one thing: organized these past 4,000 articles from different platforms, one by one. Turned them into two websites—Morgan Travel Map https://morgantrip.com, putting these years of memories back on the map. Morgan Food & Drink Map https://morganbars.com, finding a place in the city suitable for a drink. The travel map holds footprints I've left around the world over the years. From Asian mountains and cities, to European culture and history, to different landscapes in the Middle East and elsewhere. Dozens of countries, countless moments, have all become part of my life. Also including times not far away, in the city, ordinary yet real daily moments. Perhaps travel takes me far, but sometimes, life actually happens in the city. If you like travel and also appreciate subtle feelings in life, perhaps here will leave inspiration for you. The food & drink map is another very real part of my life. I've lived in Taichung, Tainan, Hsinchu, Taipei, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and accumulated vast memories of "eating and drinking" in these cities. One year, I even had over 400 gatherings. Not for networking, but because I truly enjoy—that slight buzz, that exchange between people. Over the years, I've visited one by one in Taipei, compiling about 700 bars and dining spots, each personally visited and written about. Sometimes friends ask me where's good for a drink today, or want to find a place to gather. Sometimes, I just want to sit alone, quietly for a while. Over time, these places slowly accumulated. If you're in Taipei tonight and happen to want to find a place to sit down—have a drink, let time slow down. You can open this website. Some places aren't just for drinking, but for remembering a period of time. If you're in the city and want to find a place to sit down, perhaps here will leave some moments for you. Limited life has a fixed length. But one thing I've always done is—strive to live its "width" larger. Thank you to everyone I've met in my life, whether friends or strangers briefly encountered on journeys. Without you, there wouldn't be these stories, nor these two websites. I'm recording not just my own life, but all the "fate" that has intersected with mine. If one day, you want to see the lives others have walked, or just want to find a place to sit and have a drink in Taipei, perhaps these two websites will come in handy. Morgan Travel Map https://morgantrip.com Morgan Food & Drink Map https://morganbars.com By Morgan @2026.3.21
Location: Taipei Black Bottle Travel note: Second visit to Taipei Black Bottle. Brother Yan brought out a decanter he had kept since opening his Italian restaurant over thirty years ago. Then Annie, the owner of the neighboring Ling Wine Selection, joined us later. Finally, we all continued the night in Ximending at a shop near Xiangsi Garden (Asia). Cheers! By Morgan @2026.3.20 evening
Location: Taipei City Hall Station TGI Fridays Travel note: Nth visit to TGI Fridays at Taipei City Hall Station. Busy from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., then headed out after 3 to meet up with Brother Leon and Brother Henry, who had returned from the U.S. for a short stay. We brainstormed from various angles—hardware, software, products, business models, cross-border matters... Thanks to Brother Leon for treating! By Morgan @2026.3.18
Location: Taipei Minsheng Community Hua Guo Private Kitchen Liao Family Feast｜iCheers Travel note: On Sunday morning, I walked out for brunch (with wine) and came to this place I hadn't visited before. Chatting with the staff, I found out it's opened by the son of the owner of Hua Guo Hotel. That suddenly made me miss the aged steak from Hua Guo's Empire Steakhouse, so I ordered the Hua Guo-Empire Beef Noodles from the menu to satisfy the craving. When I wanted to order a glass of red wine to pair, the staff brought two Bordeaux bottles. I asked which was better, and she said both should be good. In that case, I decided to have a glass of each! The staff laughed when I said that. XD While eating, I also watched the Venezuela vs. Japan baseball game on my phone. A moment of rest after yesterday's busy Saturday. Note: iCheers also rents space here—turns out this online wine platform I've bought from many times actually has a physical store. :P By Morgan @2026.3.15 #華國私廚廖家宴 #iCheers
Location: Taipei SUSURU [Japan/Taiwan Distilled Spirits · Shochu Bar] Travel note: Evening drinks with President Liang, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. Came to this bar that's been open for over a year, a rare spot in Taipei focusing on shochu. While drinking, President Liang shared stories of how, without any family background, he encountered many helpful mentors and through self-reliance, eventually became a global partner at Invesco, managing a public fund company with about $20 billion in assets. As we talked, I couldn't help but think of a recently departed acquaintance, under 50 years old, reported in the news. Just over two months ago, we were all laughing and talking in his office, listening to him describe grand blueprints and plans after the company's IPO, filling us with infinite anticipation. But in an instant, he was gone, without any warning, leaving only shock and regret in the world. Living in the moment, though just a slogan, might be the most important thing to prioritize before life and death. Everyone's dreams are different, but living safely and healthily is more important than anything. Chatting with President Liang, nearly 80, about his many life insights also stirred up more reflections on life in me. Thanks to President Liang for treating, and finally, thanks to the female owner Abby for coming over to treat us to a shot. Cheers～ By Morgan @2026.3.13 evening
Location: Hsinchu Gongdao 5th Road Jingyan Banquet Hall Travel note: Second visit to Jingyan Banquet Hall on Gongdao 5th Road, Hsinchu, and Zhubei 201 Bistro. For the third consecutive year, I attended the Taichung First Senior High School Hsinchu alumni event at noon. Most at our table were alumni from classes 56–59. Before the banquet, Director Qiu, class 45 from the Industrial Development Administration of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, gave a speech: "AI Development Trends in the Era of New U.S. Tariffs." Taiwan is small—chatting with Zhengnan, a lawyer from the same class living in Shanghai at our table, I found out we both worked at Polaris Group around 2008–2009, and we both reported to General Manager Shi at the time, just in different departments. Also, Zhengnan is familiar with Deputy General Manager Zhenkun and former colleague Steve. Zhengnan sent our photo to General Manager Shi, and after all these years, General Manager Shi still remembered me—touching. Afterward, I went to the home of Bowen, a junior from class 62. He turned the rooftop into a private glass house bar, only for friends and colleagues, and even made a 201 Bistro sign. We drank an Italian red wine together. Thanks to my junior for treating, Cheers～ XD Taiwan is too small—just returning to Taipei from Hsinchu, I ran into Sam from Future City Technology (electrochromic glass) right after exiting the HSR station. XD By Morgan @2026.3.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Yitong Street, Jiu Yin - Modern Chinese Bistro & Bar Travel note: Had lunch with Samuel and senior Lman at Jiu Yin on Yitong Street. We mostly talked about Claude code and coworking. Senior also showed us the team of digital employees he's built. Thanks for the treat, Samuel! :) By Morgan @2026.3.5
Location: Taipei, Minsheng Community, Black Bottle Travel note: Came here after finishing work tonight and met 71-year-old Brother Yan. He's been in the F&B and wine industry for 45 years, having run French, Spanish, and Italian restaurants. We barely started talking, and without ordering or paying for any drinks, Brother Yan first poured me 6 glasses to try—4 whites and 2 reds. Later, a sales rep from a wine supplier came over and offered whisky for Brother Yan to sample. He seems to know many wine suppliers in Taipei. Originally scheduled to close at 22:30, Brother Yan and I ended up drinking and chatting happily until past 7 a.m. Cheers! By Morgan @2026.3.4 night
Location: Taipei, La Copa Oscura (Deep Cup Shipti Concept Store), Wine Dot (Tianmu), Burgundy Wine Shop (Qilian) Travel note: Spent the day wandering around Beitou and Shilin (Tianmu). La Copa Oscura, which focuses on Spanish wines, opens at 13:00. I entered right on time, and four different customers—all women—came in after me. They had a wine guessing event in February; guess correctly and get another glass. I took a sip, noticed a distinct plum flavor, guessed right, and got a free glass. Next, I went to a shop where the owner has a WSET3 wine certification. As a contact for Spanish wine suppliers, this place also mainly offers Spanish (and some South African) wines. Interestingly, the owner wasn't in the shop from 15:00 to 17:00, so the person minding the store was the owner's 72-year-old father, a retiree from IBM and Syscom. So instead of talking about wine, I chatted with the owner's dad about whether the recent drop in IBM stock was really related to COBOL, and we talked from DOS, Lotus 123, Little Professor all the way to Microsoft. He also shared his daily visits to Nung Chan Monastery. Compared to just drinking wine, sometimes meeting all sorts of people and being able to chat about various topics is actually more interesting and important~ :P The last stop at 22:00 was the Burgundy Wine Shop near Qilian MRT Station, with plants and flowers outside creating a nice atmosphere. I opened a small bottle of Chablis white wine, finished it while on a phone conference, ending today's three-shop tour. By Morgan @2026.2.25 night #LaCopaOscura #WineDot #BurgundyWineShop
Location: Taipei, Beitou, Dharma Drum Mountain, Nung Chan Monastery - Water Moon Dharma Center Travel note: In this turbulent era, seeking a moment of tranquility.
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, San Xun - Seafood Cuisine, Taiwanese Izakaya Travel note: Brother Zhengliang is going to New Zealand for a while the day after tomorrow, so we had a farewell dinner for him tonight. We also chatted about some thoughts and experiences from my last trip. Thanks for the treat, Brother Zhengliang, Cheers~ By Morgan @2026.2.24 night
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Cashbox Partyworld Zhonghua New Branch Travel note: It's been two years since I last saw Julie, who came back to Taiwan from the US for the Lunar New Year. She spontaneously invited me to hang out, so we had red wine and sang karaoke—we ordered two bottles between the two of us. Julie, who was pursued by Jonathan Lee in her youth, absolutely refused to sing any of his songs, so I had to pick them instead~ XD Thanks for treating, Julie~ Cheers! By Morgan @Evening, Feb 21, 2026
Location: Taipei, Dongqu alley, Izakaya TOKU Travel note: Izakaya TOKU in an East District alley (3rd visit). On the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Andrew, Ms. T, and I came here for a late-night snack. We finished a 1,800cc large bottle of sake and ordered another pot. Cheers! By Morgan @Evening, Feb 20, 2026
Location: Taichung, Mitsui LaLaport North Building 5F, Hakata Tempura Sanmai Travel note: Hakata Tempura Sanmai at Mitsui LaLaport North Building 5F in Taichung. During the New Year, it's been a gathering every day. Today, I had lunch with Telder and Jiangcun, seniors from my NCKU club (Computer Network Enthusiasts Club) who are also seniors from my high school. Senior Telder just moved to a new networking department at ASUS, and Senior Jiangcun recently transferred from ITRI to Delta Electronics. Taiwan is so small—when I was heading to meet the seniors at LaLaport, I passed by a familiar face but wasn't sure. Later, I saw a check-in on FB and confirmed it was my high school classmate Changxian. We haven't met since graduation, and he hasn't changed much, so I wasn't mistaken~ XD We chatted a lot about tech and life over lunch. Thanks to Senior Telder for the meal. :) By Morgan @Feb 20, 2026
Location: Taichung, Zhujian Hot Pot Travel note: Zhujian Hot Pot (Chongde Branch), Xitun District, visiting a senior's home. At noon, my sister treated the whole family to a meal—thanks, sis! In the afternoon, Senior Don invited me to join a gathering of his Weidao High School classmates. Everyone present was a senior over 70 years old. Hang, Lin, Jiang, Fang, Huang, Xie, Zhu—seven seniors in total, along with some of their wives and two of their children working in the US or Vietnam. Seeing the seniors still gathering after over 60 years of friendship is truly rare. Listening to them clearly recall the names of different teachers from back then, as if it were just yesterday, was amazing. At the same time, hearing them share stories of a lifetime of hard work in various fields—building factories, founding schools, practicing medicine, land development, renewable energy—while drinking a 30-year-old Kinmen Kaoliang brought by one of the seniors, I felt like I was experiencing Taiwan's development history alongside them. Thanks to the seniors and their wives for the hospitality. :) By Morgan @Evening, Feb 19, 2026
Location: Taichung, Central District, visiting a senior's home Travel note: Taichung Central District, visiting a senior's home. This is the third consecutive year I've visited the old house of 72-year-old Senior Don (Weidao + Zhongyizhong) for Lunar New Year greetings. We also stopped by the nearby Wanchun Temple, a popular Mazu temple, to pray. Senior Don usually lives in the US or travels worldwide, but he always returns to his Taichung hometown for the New Year, and his classmates from various stages, including NTU, come to visit. So, every time I come, I meet many retired seniors. Today, I also saw a 30-year-old Moutai gifted to him during a visit to the Kweichow Moutai headquarters in 2005 when he was still on Wall Street. Counting the total time, this is truly a half-century-old liquor~ I always spend several hours at Senior Don's house, from afternoon until dark. The knowledgeable senior always teaches me something new. Thanks for the hospitality, Senior. Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, Feb 17, 2026
Location: Rolling Bar, 5F, InterContinental Taichung Travel Notes: Second visit to Rolling Bar on the 5th floor of InterContinental Taichung. After having New Year's Eve dinner with my parents, I met up with my old military friend from the alternative military service, Yujia, and his wife at the hotel bar. We drank red wine, bowled, and played air hockey. Thanks for hosting, John! For the second round, we headed to a community in Qiqui's Baohui area. Thanks to Howard and his brother Max for the hospitality. Cheers! Happy New Year, everyone! :) By Morgan @2026.2.27
Location: Machuanchuan Green Pepper Grilled Fish, Jinhua North Road, Taichung Travel Notes: Machuanchuan Green Pepper Grilled Fish on Jinhua North Road in Taichung. Since returning to Taichung, I've been meeting different friends almost every day without a break. Today at noon, I had lunch with my old junior high school classmate from Weidao, Steven, and Brother Gong's family at this restaurant that Brother Gong has visited several times. The owner, Brother Tian, who came from Dalian, is really skilled. Besides the sour fish, the other hot dishes he served were quite delicious. It's a place that makes you want to come back. Thanks for treating us, Brother Gong! By Morgan @2026.2.15
Location: Lin's Palace Wedding Banquet, Taichung Travel Notes: Wedding banquet at Lin's Palace, Taichung, and Private Kitchen on Zhongmei Street. Came to drink at the wedding of senior Guozhi and senior Ruqi in the evening. As the champion of a wine blind tasting, the senior naturally invited many guests who love drinking wine. After sitting at table 6, I got to know a round of people: Brother Lin (KC), retired from TSMC, Brother Cai next to him, Sister Huang, Brother Wang whom I met before at Brother Chaoren's place, and Sister Chen, who used to be at Dazhaimen and now works at the private kitchen. After finishing the Côte de Nuits Premier Cru red wine and a bottle of champagne brought by KC, he asked the wine merchant to send two more delicious champagnes and another Burgundy Côte de Nuits village-level red wine to the banquet. Thanks for the treat, KC! First time drinking such good wine at a wedding banquet. After the banquet, we moved on to the private kitchen, Private Kitchen, on Zhongmei Street, where I got to know Chef Zhou. Thanks to all the brothers and sisters for the hospitality. Unbelievably, I had a great time drinking tonight. Cheers! By Morgan @2026.2.14 evening
Location: Chun Shui Tang, Taichung Travel Notes: Chun Shui Tang (Chongde Branch), Taichung, and WildBBQ on Wenxin Road. Met up with my senior from NCKU, Zhihao, whom I haven't seen in three years, at noon. The senior brought his two adorable first-grade daughters along. We chatted about using cryptocurrency debit cards as a hedge in case traditional banks have problems or war breaks out. Thanks for the treat, senior, and also for the gift of Johnnie Walker Blue Label Cask Strength (55.8%). After accompanying my family to the hospital in the afternoon. In the evening, my brother Pat returned to Taichung for the New Year and asked to meet up early. Pat and I talked about an IC design company planning to IPO this year. Thanks for the hospitality! Cheers! :P By Morgan @2026.2.13 evening
Location: Taichung, Nantun, Taixi Fishing Village Flavor Inn Travel note summary: Had dinner with Brother Gong, Chairman Lin, Brother Wenpei, Notary Wu, and Xiao Bing at Taixi Fishing Village Flavor Inn in Nantun, Taichung. After the meal, we continued the night with singing and drinks around Zhonggang Road. Cheers~ Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat! Happy early birthday to Brother Wenpei! :) By Morgan @2026.2.11 evening
Location: Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel, Polish-Taiwanese Chamber of Industry and Commerce Dinner Travel Notes: A packed day. At 1:00 PM, I first went to the courtyard on Heping East Road for an art exhibition preview (by invitation) hosted by Pavilion, with 18 galleries participating. Brother Hong's Dahe Art Gallery was also exhibiting, so I made a special trip to say hello and see the works. I also met artist Wang Xun, thanks to Brother Hong's introduction. I've seen Teacher Wang Xun's works many times before, and the pieces displayed this time were incredibly moving and full of vitality! Then, at 2:30 PM, I made my way to a meeting upstairs at the World Trade Center. Coincidentally, there was an event for the Beigang Chaotian Temple on the first floor, preparing for the New Year's goods exhibition. After the meeting, at 5:30 PM, I arrived at the B2 level of the Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel for the Polish-Taiwanese Chamber of Industry and Commerce (PTCIC) dinner. The chamber is chaired by Bart, President of SKB Group, whom I met during my last trip to Poland, with Michael Chiu, Vice Chairman of HCG Group, as Vice Chairman, connecting resources between Poland and Taiwan. About 150 people attended tonight's banquet, making it quite lively. After exchanging business cards with Michael and chatting briefly with Bart, I also met and greeted Brother Shen, who always seems to be surrounded by Ukrainian and Polish beauties. I also had brief chats with chairmen and key members from various companies like Jinwang, Yadian, Fusi, Shengyang, Baocheng, Yousi... After this, Brother Jason from Singapore Airlines, who happened to be on duty in Taiwan, invited me for drinks. So, at 9:30 PM, I went to Brother Xiaohei's bar on Linsen North Road (1496 Bar, 22nd visit). After finishing the whiskey he had stored from his last visit, Brother Jason opened a new bottle of Balvenie 14-year-old and put it under my name—so generous! XD Later, I thought about it and took Brother Jason to Ryoma Wasyu instead (2nd visit). Arriving at 11:15 PM, Xiao Bao first treated us to a rare limited-edition sake with a rice polishing ratio of 18%, which the president of Sake Hundred had just gifted him not long ago—one glass each for Brother Jason and me. After that, we continued with various refined, high-end daiginjo sakes. I wanted to treat him this time, but Brother Jason warmly insisted on paying. Thanks for the hospitality, Brother Jason. The connections in life are truly wonderful. Cheers!
Location: TT Wine, Taipei Travel Notes: Came to this shop that's been open for over a year in the East District tonight. The owner is called ToneTone, so the shop is named TT Wine. It was quite interesting—the whole night, it was just me and four women. Besides TT, there was Jessica, an engineer; Patty, who usually lives in Europe and just returned from Paris; and Sister Shan Shan, the owner of the nearby Xiaoshanxiang Chengdu Spicy Hotpot. I opened a bottle of Italian white wine, Sister Shan Shan opened another white, and Jessica brought strawberry daifuku from the shop 'Ziyang.' Then, owner ToneTone took various frozen base spirits from the fridge for shots—tequila, vodka, rum... I lost count of how many rounds. After everyone else left, she brought out a bottle of Jeju Island soju, and the two of us finished it together. An unexpected night—not just 'Cheers,' but a truly interesting evening.
Location: Les Saisons Wine Bar, alley off Guangfu South Road, Taipei Travel Notes: Had a meeting in Xinyi District at noon, then ate hotpot. In the afternoon, I wanted to find a place to look up some information, so I came to this new wine bar that's only been open for two months. The owner, Candy, used to work in the coffee industry, but over the past three years, she became interested in wine. She took courses and studied, opening this small shop at the end of last year. It opens as early as 3:00 PM. Since not many people know about it yet, it's very quiet during the afternoon. It's nice to relax, have a few glasses of red wine, and focus on work comfortably. :)
Location: Lasamiya Izakaya, Civic Boulevard, Taipei Travel Notes: In the evening, first accompanied a foreign friend to 'Mingxiang' on the 12th floor to experience a dance show. At night, Brother Zhenliang invited me for drinks at an izakaya. Total for this week: 5 days, 9 establishments: Monday: fruit wine + cocktails; Tuesday: wine + wine; Wednesday: sake + sake; Thursday: cocktails; Friday: beer + sake. Time flies~
Location: Corkscrew Wine Shop, Guangfu South Road, Taipei Travel Notes: After eating Chaoshan stone hotpot at night, came to this shop near Civic Boulevard on Guangfu South Road that's been open for three years. Ordered a 'Rice Fragrance' cocktail made with rum as the base, mixed with popcorn syrup. Paired with rice crackers, the crispy texture when you bite down, then sipping the sweetness from the glass—the finish is long. Since I was sitting at the bar, I chatted a bit with the manager & bartender, Xiao Kai, who's under 30. Xiao Kai is also from central Taiwan, studied industrial engineering at university in Taichung, and has been in Taipei for over three years, saving up to open a shop back in Taichung. A very relaxing and cozy bar—a nice night for a casual drink.
Location: Taipei, Longma Hejiu (Ryoma Wajiu) Travel Notes: Had lunch with Wic at Youshou Sushi - Zhongshan branch in Taipei's Zhongshan District. He wanted my opinion on his team's new product nearing completion. Thanks for the treat, Wic! He and Xiaomin even gifted me a bottle of red wine. After the meal, since the Taipei Fine Arts Museum was nearby, I dropped by to check out the new exhibition again (my third visit). Around 4 PM, I went to Longma Hejiu, a place FB has been pushing on my feed lately. They had a promotion from 3–6 PM: 9 glasses for 999 TWD. At that price, I expected mid-to-upper-tier sake at best, but surprisingly, all 9 were Junmai Ginjo or Daiginjo grade with a rice polishing ratio of 45–60%. Completely unexpected! I planned to have just one round but ended up going for two rounds of the 999 deal. The owner, Xiaobao, holds a Japanese sake sommelier license. His profound knowledge, extensive experience, and eloquence regarding Japanese sake were truly impressive, and I learned a lot of rare facts. For instance, I learned about sake aged over 500 meters underwater, with barnacles clinging to the bottle. There was also Juyondai, a sake that gained popularity in France before returning to Japan, and Takijiman, fermented under a waterfall, which won a gold prize at last year's IWC competition. Each serving came with 2–3 sakes for comparison: sweet vs. very dry, different brewing methods from the same brewery, different plots from the same brewery, different brewing times for the same rice from the same brewery... In the end, the 18 glasses of sake I drank were all different, even including one with a 35% polishing ratio. I willingly stayed from dusk until nightfall. It perfectly hits the Aries love for trying new things! XD By Morgan @2026.1.14 evening #LongmaHejiu
Location: Taipei, Minsheng Community area, Gam ve Gam Lingjiu Selection Travel Notes: Got off at the wrong bus stop in Taipei's Minsheng Community area and stumbled upon a small shop in the evening. The store offers some Mediterranean products or spreads. Additionally, starting from 2:30 PM, they also serve wine by the glass, along with some Israeli spirits, giving it its own unique character. Drank while handling some matters on the phone. Taipei has so many shops; it feels like I'll never get to try them all. @@ By Morgan @2026.1.13 evening #GamveGam
Location: Taipei, Daan District, Deep Cup - Daan Branch Travel Notes: The main store is near Shipai Station, but you don't have to go that far; there's also a branch in Daan District. It focuses on Spanish wines and cuisine. They open from 2:00 PM. After lunch, I came here and ordered an afternoon wine set, which included one white, one red, and one rosé, each 50ml. The rosé was from Romania and tasted quite good. There were also some tapas snacks. The winter afternoon sun streamed through the window into the room, warm and quite comfortable. By Morgan @2026.1.13 #DeepCup
尋秦記 電影版 近年來，已經很少會專程為了一部電影主動進影院， 但為了這部橫跨25年，堪稱穿越劇鼻祖的神作， 值得讓我在台上映沒幾天，就趕緊買票去看個情懷。 當眼見幾乎是25年前原班人馬…
Location: Taipei, Dihua Street, Corner Sip (Wine Bar) Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I attended a performance by the dance troupe founded by Shao Laoshi, a fellow wine enthusiast, at the NTU Foreign Language Resource Center. Enjoyed dances from Arabia, Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan, and other regions. Afterwards, I visited a couple of museums at NTU that I hadn't been to before. In the evening, I came to Dihua Street, where there's a wine bar called Corner Sip that opened less than six months ago. Like LANDED, it was opened by three women. The wines in the shop are mainly Italian because one of the female owners previously studied and lived in Italy. But they also have wines from other Old and New World regions. During the over three hours in the shop, besides me, there were two Hong Kong girls and an American guy. I listened to them happily chatting in English about Hong Kong movies and various topics. In the end, everyone played a game guessing each other's ages, with constant laughter. It's a relaxed and fun little bar. Thanks to the female owner for treating me to a plate of pasta and chickpeas, and for letting me try many small glasses of red wine. The shop also has a cigar room. A quite fulfilling day. Cheers! By Morgan @2026.1.10 evening #CornerSip #AssadMiddleEasternDanceTroupe
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, Chengxin Chengyi Natural Wine Bar Travel Notes: After an evening meeting, went to Guanghua Digital Plaza to buy some computer peripherals. Had a sashimi set meal at Today's Fish Market nearby. Then, from Zhongxiao Xinsheng along the Orange Line, came to near Minquan West Road Station. Two weeks ago at 911 Wine Bar, heard Sa mention there's also a newly opened wine bar here, so I took the opportunity to visit tonight. Started with a quite interesting orange wine from Spain, followed by a red wine from Jura, France, and ended with a wine from Southern France. Thanks to the owner, I was also treated to an extra glass of red wine from Southern Italy. It was a just-right evening. #ChengxinChengyi By Morgan @2026.1.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Wanhua World Afternoon Bar. Travel note: Wanhua World Afternoon Bar, Hakkou Cafe in Songshan. An interesting shop inside a traditional market (Wanhua Xin Fu Market), mainly selling alcohol. For food, you can grab a plate from the shop and walk to the various stalls in the market to buy food and bring it back to eat. Inside the market, there's oden, braised dishes, roasted meats, fried snacks... all kinds of food, even sashimi; you can find a place to have it freshly sliced for you. Wanhua World only requires a minimum of one drink (45 minutes). Even around 1 PM, the place was still packed, hard to find a seat. Although I only had one sake here, since I started, one leads to two, two to three, and three can lead to everything. So after eating, I found what seemed like a newly opened sake + coffee shop to visit, had two more glasses of sake, making it three for the day before calling it quits. :P
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Hei Song Jiu Mi Professional Liquor Store. Travel note: After cooking hotpot at home and eating in the evening, Miss T suddenly asked to drink. Seeing that I had nothing else to do, I went out to drink with her. Remembering that Teacher Aaron mentioned at Orange Flower Store yesterday that Hei Song recently opened a physical liquor store, I checked and it really opened less than a month ago. So T and I came here to try it out. Inside, there's wine, whiskey, kaoliang, sake, kaoliang cocktails... all kinds of alcohol you can buy to take home or open and drink on the spot (100 NTD cup cleaning fee per person). Judging from the daiginjo we drank tonight and the pricing of various sakes on the fridge shelves, sake indeed has a pretty competitive advantage in tasting prices. Wine ranges from a few hundred to over two hundred thousand NTD. Since we didn't try any, I don't know how it is, but there should be opportunities to visit again later. Cheers～
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Orange Flower Store Multiverse Wine Store Bar. Travel note: The new year begins, a reset. With my friend Cory, who collects a lot of wine, we arranged to have a small drink on the first day of 2026. Chose the physical store of the wine merchant (Ming Yang) located on the first floor of the Sunrise Hotel. The current store manager is also well-known in Taiwan's wine circle, Aaron (Teacher AA), whom Cory has known for a long time. Listening to Aaron share about how Italian wine pairs better with suitable dishes to shine, how aged Beaujolais (Beaujolais of certain vintages) is actually worth trying, and various interesting knowledge about German reds, Australian whites... learned a lot. Thanks for Cory's treat～ I like going off-peak; starting to drink at 2:00 PM on New Year's Day, the whole afternoon was really quiet, allowing me to quietly enjoy the time. XD Cheers!
Location: Taipei. Travel note: Counting, I was away from Taiwan for 3 months this year, but on the last day of 2025, I still chose to spend it in the most familiar Taiwan. Today, following Pat and my junior Elton from Ruixian CVC, we crossed 3 different offices in Taipei city/county in one day, running 3 meetings, including: 1. INT Tech (Chuang Wang Optoelectronics), Chairman Zhu and his team. (Saw Native RGB OLEDoS for XR DEMO - AR glasses) 2. Taiwan's largest chemical filter manufacturer - Yuxiang, Chairman Zhuang and his team. (TSMC, Micron, etc. are their clients, planning to go public next year) 3. Dayan Biomedicine, which just went public this year (market cap over 10 billion NTD), met with Calvin whom I haven't seen for a while. (Calvin's second successful IPO company after Shangfan - Love Apartment) Stopped at Far Eastern Plaza in between; Matt from Cherubic Ventures also came over for a bit, Pat handed something to Matt. From 10 AM, 1 PM, 2:30 PM, to 4 PM, hardly any time to eat, until 5:30 PM, ending a full day's schedule. Finally, thanks to Calvin for the Dayan Biomedicine products as a New Year's gift. New year, hope all friends are healthy, safe, and smooth! :) Drank all year, today is a rare rest day, no Cheers～ :P
Location: Taipei VINDEX Yacui. Travel note: Taipei VINDEX Yacui│ Fubei Store Wine Shop, National Center of Photography and Images Taipei Branch, Yizhan Fengtu Terruño No.1 Wine Specialty Retail. After a morning meeting at the World Trade Center, wandered around in the afternoon. Had been to the Xinyi store of Vindex before; the Fubei store opened this July, using a card + machine for single glasses, changing the wine list every two months or so, recently themed on American wines. In between, visited one of the very few exhibition halls in Taipei I hadn't been to yet, the photography center renovated from the Osaka Shosen Kaisha Taipei Branch. The last stop today was Yizhan Fengtu hidden in an alley on Huayin Street. Opened this August, specializing in Spanish wines. The owner Martin and his wife, along with sommelier Tony, were all very friendly chatting with me, making me relax here. Fully enjoying the beauty of wine tasting, it's a shop that makes you want to come back. Cheers~
Location: Taichung, Intercontinental Baseball Stadium, Mayday 25th Anniversary Tour Concert Travel note summary: Thanks to my buddy Pat for inviting me and giving me the ticket—my first concert ever! Sat right in the front row, center of the rock zone. :P 25,000 people in the venue, so hype!!! By Morgan @2025.12.27 night #Mayday
Location: Taipei, Datong District, 911 WINE CLUB Travel note summary: 911 WINE CLUB (reservation only) & CANA BISTRO wine bistro. Met Lawrence, one of the earliest shareholders of Gamania, during an online meeting yesterday—he shared about his ongoing project to tokenize IP and carbon credits as RWAs. This afternoon, had a meeting with an energy equipment & EPC provider and learned some related knowledge (BESS, PCS, EMS...). After finishing up, had a simple snack for dinner and visited a newly opened wine club. Hidden on the 10th floor of a building, you need the staff to open the door. It's only been open for over two months, so not many people should know about it yet, but business was quite good on a Friday night. Drank while enjoying the night view from upstairs. Chatted with the manager, Sa, for a while, and also with a handsome 22-year-old part-timer still in his senior year studying finance. Drank 4 glasses here: a Spanish white, a Napa white from the US, a German natural wine, and ended with an interesting German sweet red (can be served chilled or warm). Paired with chocolate, it was quite special. After leaving 911, went to Cana, a wine bistro that's been open for two years nearby. Chatted with the owner, Backy (also an Aries), while switching to New World reds, and understood the ups and downs of running a shop from our conversation. Planned to have about 2–3 glasses here, so that should be enough for today—both in terms of alcohol and the different life stories shared with the people I met... By Morgan @2025.12.26 night #911wineclub #canabistro
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern Shangri-La Hotel 6F, Li Bai Lounge Travel note summary: Li Bai Lounge (2nd visit), Songshan District, Yu Le European Creative Cuisine (2nd visit), Fish & Vegetable Izakaya. Merry Christmas~ At 3 PM, came to Li Bai Lounge. Christine from Washington Securities returned to Taiwan from Hong Kong for Christmas and invited me for a small gathering, so came here for a glass of red wine to warm up first, while updating each other on recent situations and various business needs. Thanks to Christine for the treat. Then at 5 PM, Brother Zhengliang invited me to their office near Taipei Arena to chat (Enoch Independent Financial Advisory). Then for dinner, we went to a nearby restaurant together, having another bottle of red wine with the meal—thanks to Brother Zhengliang for the treat. It had been a while since we last met, so we chatted happily and later went to a nearby izakaya for another round. Ended the day with simple sake. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.12.24 night
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Tik & Sip Wine Bar Travel note summary: Tik & Sip Wine Bar (natural wine bar). Had meetings in the morning, went to the bank in the afternoon, visited Taipei Tianhou Temple, then at 4:00 PM came to Tik & Sip, which just started trial operations in October—probably the first natural wine bar (or even dedicated wine bar) in Ximending. The entire old house space has five floors, with a community café, small recording studio, multi-purpose classroom... can be used or rented for various venues (venue name: CollaPlay). Tik & Sip is on the fourth floor. Chatted with Raymond, one of the owners, for a while. This used to be his grandfather's office living room (watch business), and the decades-old historical atmosphere immediately came through. Taiwan is small—Raymond had previously gone to Tamsui for Cookie哥's Bar Qvevri's 10th anniversary celebration, and we probably crossed paths in that space back then. In the old house, drank several natural wines recommended by Raymond and ones I was interested in: from France's Jura region, Spain's Canary Islands (volcanic) origin, all the way to biodynamic orange wine, a label-less red wine with herbal grass flavor from the sherry region, and finally a rare Czech blend red that reminded me of my time in Prague last month. Drank a total of 5 glasses, paired with quail eggs and a delicious peeled chili chicken soup. Sat from when the sky was still clear until it turned dark. Also took a moment to reminisce about the two years I once lived in Ximending. By Morgan @2025.12.23 night #TikSip #tiksipwinebar #collaplay
Location: Taipei, Dazhi, Keelung River, Yacht Party Travel note summary: Sam organized a Christmas party with a Japanese female DJ and several Japanese girls joining. Japan-Taiwan friendly exchange—in these incredibly turbulent times, let's live in the moment. Sunday night, Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.12.21 night
Location: Taipei, Yaohe Sake Signature Bar Travel Notes: It's rare for me to visit the same place twice within just a week. But this week, Yaohe happened to have a special single-glass offering of a certain Juyondai sake. So after my meeting today, I came back here. I started with two glasses of sake and a six-grid selection of fruit wines (summer citrus wine, brown sugar plum wine, oolong liqueur, red guava wine, watermelon sake, honey lemon plum wine), and finished with a glass of Juyondai from Takagi Shuzo's 'Bessenshiro' line (Banshu Yamada Nishiki Junmai Daiginjo - Special Selection Rice). I spent about 5 minutes slowly savoring it from the recommended drinking temperature of -5°C to +5°C, enjoying its rich floral and fruity sweet flavor—initially smooth and delicate, then suddenly bursting with a refreshing sweetness on the tongue. Cheers remotely with Jason, whom I met here last week and who's now in Melbourne drinking red wine! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.12.18 evening #YaoheSake #Juyondai #TakagiShuzo
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, Sawajiro Izakaya Travel Notes: Everyone in the Mingxiong group is busy, so we had to meet separately. Yesterday was with Zixuan, today with Samuel. Samuel is returning to the US for Christmas next week, so we seized the time to meet today. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.12.13 evening
Location: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, 2025 Taipei International Building Materials & Products Exhibition Travel Notes: Zixuan's Japanese company arranged for Kumamoto Prefecture government and some local manufacturers to exhibit in Taiwan (booths J1204~J1208). The booth had many products made of hinoki cypress. In the evening, I dropped by to say hello and catch up with Zixuan, and also enjoyed the fragrant and soothing scent of hinoki—very calming. After leaving, I went to the nearby LaLaport for a simple dinner. By Morgan @2025.12.12
Location: Taipei, Alley off Zhongpo South Road, Yaohe Sake Signature Bar Travel Notes: After a meeting at the World Trade Center this afternoon, I realized it had been a while since I had Japanese sake, so I found a place and arrived right at opening time, 6:30 PM. It's a relatively new shop, over two years old, but located outside the city center in an alley, so it's very quiet. I was the only one there all evening until a Singapore Airlines flight attendant showed up. This Jason guy, who collects fine wines, visits here every time he has a night layover in Taiwan. We had a great chat, and he opened several bottles of sake worth thousands (NTD) for me and the staff. I ended up having 13 drinks here, Cheers! When I came back from the restroom, I was surprised to find that Jason had paid my entire bill. Later, Joey, who suddenly returned from Shanghai, also invited me for a drink, so we moved to Xiao Hei's place on Linsen North Road, 5th Alley. I was pretty drunk by then—thanks again for the treat, Jason! #YaoheSakeBar By Morgan @2025.12.11 evening
Location: Taipei Travel notes: Days of running around. Last night around 11 PM, I was suddenly called out by my ramen senior to a business hotel to discuss some capital market-related matters with CC. Today at noon, I went to the office of Cherubic Ventures on a lane off Ren'ai Road to exchange information with Snow (who's returning to Singapore tomorrow) about the AI and Crypto projects they're currently investing in. Then in the afternoon, I came upstairs at the Taipei World Trade Center for a meeting. Downstairs should be the Taiwan Education Technology Expo—quite crowded~ :P By Morgan @2025.11.13
Location: Moonwell Bar&Bistro, Zhongshan District, Taipei Travel note: In the evening, Jade invited me for dinner to catch up and chat, along with her assistant Ray, making three of us. Jade and I talked about cryptocurrency, biomass energy, forex, gold... from 7 PM all the way to 10 PM. Thanks for Jade's hospitality, and thanks to Ray for driving me back to my place in the company car. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.10.30 evening
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Jinyuan Cha Canting Travel note summary: Had lunch at Jinyuan Cha Canting, another dim sum brand by Jinyuexuan on Gongyi Road in Taichung. The food was pretty good—thanks for the treat, little bro! By Morgan @2025.10.27 #JinyuanChaCanting
Location: Taichung Zhongshan Hall, Taichung City Choir 50th Anniversary Concert Travel note summary: Little bro treated Mom to lunch at a great-value Japanese restaurant, Senkawa Washoku on Shanxi Road, with some simple sake. In the afternoon, I accompanied Mom to the concert at Zhongshan Hall—the first floor was completely packed. It was my first time hearing the Taichung City Choir, which has a 50-year history! :) By Morgan @2025.10.26 evening #TaichungCityChoir
Location: Taichung Qingshui, Taichung Marine Museum Travel note summary: On the second day of the holiday, my little bro and I visited the newly opened marine museum in the afternoon. In the evening, my sister and her family treated us to dinner—thanks for the meal, sis! By Morgan @2025.10.25 evening #TaichungMarineMuseum
Location: Taichung, Qinyuanchun, LaLaport Taichung Store Travel note summary: My little bro rarely comes back from the Netherlands, so we had a long-awaited family lunch at this Michelin Bib Gourmand-recommended old-school Jiangzhe cuisine restaurant. In the evening, we enjoyed Mom's home-cooked dishes at home, chatting casually over plum wine with my bro. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.10.24 evening
Location: Taichung 333 Gallery, 'Time Drift' Zhu Chenwei Solo Exhibition in Taichung Travel note summary: After a meeting at Taipei World Trade Center, I saw Art Taipei was opening but had no time to visit. Rushed to the HSR station to return to Taichung for the opening reception at my junior Maxim's gallery. The young artist Zhu Chenwei, featured in the exhibition, was selected for Forbes Asia's 30 Under 30 2025 in The Arts—truly a talented and promising artist. To support him and Maxim, I bought a small painting using a crypto debit card. My bro, back from the Netherlands, joined me, and we coincidentally met senior Vincent from Taichung First High School. Three alumni spanning nine grades shared a cheers! Maxim later opened several rare Italian red wines—we drank to our hearts' content. Thanks for the hospitality, junior! XD By Morgan @2025.10.23 evening #333Gallery #ZhuChenwei #Forbes #30under30
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, 333 GALLERY Travel Note Summary: I attended the relocation party for my junior Maxim's gallery in Taipei's Da'an District this afternoon. He moved the gallery space from the 3rd floor of Breeze Nanshan to a historic house near NTU and Da'an Forest Park, giving it new life in this historical atmosphere. The event was star-studded, with former ministers, ex-securities firm CEOs, pro basketball players, and many socialites... Jerry, a student of the world-renowned tenor Pavarotti, gave an impromptu and brilliant vocal performance. After greeting Maxim's mom, Paul and Marcus also dropped by later. Just before it ended, Maxim's brother and my old classmate Hans rushed over—he had an F1 race to broadcast for ELTA TV that evening. So the whole afternoon, 333's new Taipei space was buzzing with excitement. The event was also sponsored by Japanese whisky Hibiki, and we ended up going through over ten bottles. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.10.18 evening #333Gallery
Location: Taipei, TGI Fridays Xinyi Store Travel Note Summary: Taipei, TGI Fridays Xinyi Store (visited many times). Had dinner with William and his girlfriend Cami in the evening. Cami is from Hong Kong; she previously worked at Vivo in Hangzhou and now works at a women's shoe brand in Taiwan, doing AI + CRM. They also passed along skincare gifts from Steven, who bought them in Korea, to T. Friday night at Fridays was packed, completely different from coming on a weekday afternoon. Thanks for the treat, William. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.10.17 evening
Location: Taipei, digiblock C Digital Innovation Base - Jinwang Climate Agriculture Technology Travel Note Summary: Taipei, digiblock C Digital Innovation Base - Jinwang Climate Agriculture Technology. Came in the morning to listen to a presentation by Shawn, a junior from NCKU class of 101, on biochar, carbon sink soil, carbon removal, Puro.Earth carbon credit certification... Also present was Eva, the chairperson of the Taiwan Carbon Digital Development Association (TCDD). Although I don't understand the technical details, after listening, I gave Shawn some suggestions from my own perspective in other areas. At noon, thanks to the Jinwang team for treating me to a simple meal at their office. :) By Morgan @2025.10.16 #JinwangClimateAgriculture #CarbonCredits
Location: Taipei, Yanping North Road, Insieme Travel Note Summary: Taipei, Yanping North Road, Insieme (Italian Wine Bar). Recently finished binge-watching in one week: '藏海传' (40 episodes), '赴山海' (40 episodes), '献鱼' (33 episodes). In the evening, met up with Samuel and senior Lman. This place is a new wine bar recommended to me by Leticia. The three of us chatted about various interesting projects we've each been involved in recently, and listened to Samuel and senior share updates on their own projects. Senior Lman is the AI PC General Manager (IrisGo), while Samuel is in physical asset tokenization RWA (Kula). Kula's Kula Token opened for vesting for early investors and contributors tonight. Samuel has really had a tough journey over the past four years. Look forward to it & thanks for the treat, senior. :) Cheers! By Morgan @2025.10.15 evening #insieme
Location: Taipei, Marriott Hotel 5F, Cherubic Ventures 10-Year Anniversary Summit Travel Note Summary: Taipei, Marriott Hotel 5F, Cherubic Ventures 10-Year Anniversary Summit. In the afternoon, thanks to an invitation from Snow, one of the partners at Cherubic Ventures, I attended their 10-year anniversary summit. The large venue was packed with GPs, LPs, and founders, with no empty seats. After Matt's speech, founders from various global companies in Cherubic's portfolio took turns on stage to introduce: Photomath (photo AI problem-solving), Titan Dynamics (drones), Tonic Music (music practice), Windfall Data (high-net-worth individual data analysis), Hillbot (robotics). The final panel included: HF0 (accelerator), InfrasAI (Workflow + AI), Magic Labs (blockchain protocol/crypto wallet), Max AI (medical billing + AI Agent). It basically covered many current hot technologies and applications, so listening to the whole event was quite inspiring and helped me better understand Cherubic's investment preferences. After ten years of accumulation, Cherubic's AUM has now grown to $462 million. Looking forward to Cherubic's development in the next decade. :) By Morgan @2025.10.8 #CherubicVentures #Cherubic
Location: Taipei, East District XXXXX Travel Notes: Had a meeting at the Taipei World Trade Center in the morning, then went back to my place for a nap. Suddenly got a call from Brother P, inviting me to hang out in the evening. So at 4 PM, I headed to our usual spot in the East District. Taiwan is small—right before going upstairs, I unexpectedly ran into Brother Leon. Chatted with him and his friend, an older brother in the chip industry. Later, went upstairs with Brother P for karaoke and drinks, and also said hi to Sister Huihui, whom I hadn't seen in a while. From Hangzhou, we kept drinking all the way back to Taiwan. Thanks to Brother P for treating us to drinks. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.10.7 evening
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: Returned to Taipei in the afternoon. After replying to some emails, Miss T said she wanted to have a drink with me to wind down before the holiday ends. So I opened a bottle of Syrah from southern France and chatted with her about her recent relationship situation. The second bottle was a Rhône white wine brought by T. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.10.6 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao East Road, Guji Chicken · Private Kitchen · Izakaya Travel note summary: Taipei, Zhongxiao East Road, Guji Chicken · Private Kitchen · Izakaya, Sing!Go KTV Zhongxiao Store (2nd visit). Steven is heading back to the US and wanted to treat me before leaving. So in the evening, William, Steven, Ms. T, and I had dinner together. After William left, the three of us continued to a KTV session. Dinner started with three large pots of sake (600cc), followed by three bottles of wine at KTV. Singing, drinking, and playing dice games really are the easiest ways to bond. Thanks to William and Steven for hosting! Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.9.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Dream Plaza 4F, Spicy Friends Xinchao Mala Hot Pot Travel note summary: Taipei, Dream Plaza 4F, Spicy Friends Xinchao Mala Hot Pot. Had dinner with Steven, Co-Founder of UZX (currently ranked 30th globally among Crypto exchanges), and Ms. T. Steven, who usually lives in Los Angeles, has been flying around a lot this year—Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Dubai, Singapore... He happened to be in Taiwan recently and will soon head back to the US. Spicy Friends is a new brand under the Ma La group, featuring a nightclub vibe, a wall with over ten types of alcohol, and premium all-you-can-eat ice cream. The hot pot almost feels like a side dish. Considering the unlimited cocktails, it's actually quite good value! Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.9.15 evening #SpicyFriends
Location: Taipei, Dunhua South Road, Bluerider ART - Thierry Feuz Solo Exhibition Travel note summary: Taipei, Dunhua South Road, Bluerider ART - Thierry Feuz Solo Exhibition. In the afternoon, Yishan invited me to the opening of a solo exhibition by her favorite Swiss painter, Thierry Feuz. The painter himself flew to Taiwan to explain his works at the gallery. One large painting themed on Yushan (Jade Mountain) was particularly eye-catching. Taiwan is small—I also ran into Jessica, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Yishan also invited her good friend from her luxury industry days, Ashley, and we all got introduced. When leaving, Becky, a gallery staff member, suddenly said I looked familiar and asked if she'd seen me at an art fair. Indeed, over the past two or three years, I've been attending more exhibitions like these, though mostly just browsing casually. If you really saw and remembered me, that's pretty amazing! Afterward, had a simple dinner with Yishan and Ashley, then strolled through Tonghua Street Night Market before parting ways. Although I met all the female friends there today through drinking, tonight was a rare alcohol-free evening—no Cheers! @@ By Morgan @2025.9.13 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Tiens le vin, WINEVER Natural Wine Bar Travel note summary: Taipei, Xinyi District, Tiens le vin, WINEVER Natural Wine Bar. Yesterday, I went to Insieme, an Italian red wine bar recommended by Leticia, only to find it was booked for a private event last night. So I had to end my visit early and head back home. To make up for yesterday's disappointment, after a meeting at the World Trade Center this afternoon, I visited two new spots in one go. First, Tiens le vin, which just opened in June. The owner, Cristal, worked in the wine industry for 15 years before opening her own shop. Wanting to build a temperature-controlled wine cellar in-store, she signed a ten-year lease directly with the landlord. The focus here is on French Burgundy wines, but not exclusively. I ordered 3 glasses of wine by the glass, and while chatting with the owner, she treated me to 4 more tastings from Southern France, South Africa, Gamay blends, and other varieties. From 5 to 7 PM, I immersed myself in 7 different reds and whites. Afterward, around 8 PM, I headed to another nearby spot—a natural wine bar that opened just three weeks ago. The owners, Ernie and another lovely owner, Debra, are both around 30 years old. Sharing an interest in natural wine, they opened this place together: Whenever, Whatever, WINEVER, promoting a relaxed, casual vibe. I ordered a set: a German white, a Portuguese orange wine, and an Italian red. All were quite distinctive natural wines. A quiet evening nourished by wine, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.9.11 evening #Tienslevin #Winever
Location: Taipei - Brick Kiln Traditional Cuisine Nangang Flagship Store Travel Notes: Had lunch with senior Lman and Samuel at Brick Kiln Traditional Cuisine in Nangang, celebrating the successful fundraising for senior's IrisGo AI project. After the meal, the three of us went to a friend's private venue nearby, which currently only takes reservations from regulars—it's a private room with a golf simulator. Midway through practice, Zixuan suddenly messaged saying he just finished a meeting nearby and had a gap before his next one at 4:30 PM, so he joined us too. The 'Ming Xiong Hui' members' attendance rate suddenly exceeded 60%! XD Afterward, everyone went their separate ways, and I accompanied Samuel to Syntrend to buy some electronics for his new home. Ended the day with a simple dinner near Dadaocheng—a fulfilling day indeed. @@ By Morgan @Evening, Sep 10, 2025
Location: Taipei - Victoria Hotel Travel Notes: Taipei Victoria Hotel (4th visit) - Taiwan-Poland Chamber of Commerce Dinner. Attended the Taiwan-Poland Chamber dinner tonight, which happened to be on the 3rd floor of Richard's family's hotel. There were three banquet tables in total—small but elegant. Officials from the Polish Development Agency attended from the Polish side, while Taiwan had representatives from the Overseas Community Affairs Council. Also met former Tainan Mayor Xu Tiancai. After the meal, I took my glass and moved between tables, exchanging business cards with other Taiwanese entrepreneurs and manufacturers, discussing our respective Poland projects or industry developments: satellite antennas, auto parts, automotive electronics, biotech, renewable energy, family offices, European banking, lawyers (Lee and Li), media... When meeting friends from Poland, I chatted with them about my previous visit to Warsaw and the impressive 800-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine. Finally, I raised my glass and said to them: "Na zdrowie!" (Polish for 'Cheers!'). Everyone laughed happily, quickly bridging the distance between us. :) By Morgan @Evening, Sep 9, 2025
Location: Taipei - Zhujian Hot Pot Travel Notes: Taipei Zhujian Hot Pot. Hans came up to Taipei today to record a live F1 racing program as a commentator, and after the recording ended, he asked me out for a late-night snack. It had been almost half a year since we last met. We chatted casually about recent happenings over hot pot. From the first day we met at Weidao Middle School until now, in the blink of an eye, 32 years have passed—we've gone from teenagers to middle-aged. Being able to get together occasionally like this is truly a rare bond. Thanks to my old classmate for picking up the tab! :P By Morgan @Evening, Sep 6, 2025
Location: New Taipei - Banqiao 435 Art Zone - Toy Museum Travel Notes: New Taipei, Banqiao 435 Art Zone - Toy Museum, Dahan River Wetland. The books you read as a child may be forgotten, but the toys you played with remain in your memory... By Morgan @2025.9.6 #ToyMuseum #435ArtZone
Location: Taipei - Taifeng Chatroom (2nd visit) Travel Notes: Taipei Songshan Cultural and Creative Park - 2025 Taipei Blockchain Week (TBW). Came in the morning to listen to some talks on the second day of this year's TBW and also met some friends in the circle. One session was on RWA, where my good friend Samuel also took the stage (Kula). Afterward, had lunch with Samuel to catch up. Then went to Cama Cafe, where Samuel chatted with a friend from a Japanese incubator and ETHStorage. After that, I took him to the nearby Taifeng Chatroom (2nd visit), where David opened a bottle of sparkling wine, and we drank until closing time. David had to go practice Muay Thai near Daan Station in the evening, and since I'd never seen it, I went with him to watch. Then, suddenly, there was an online meeting with a US e-commerce company at 9 PM, so after David finished training, I had a shot of his stored tequila with him before rushing back to my place to prepare for the meeting. A day of running around @@ Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, Sep 5, 2025 #tbw #TaipeiBlockchainWeek
Location: PS Sake Bar, a Japanese sake and food spot in an alley off Anhe Road, Taipei Travel note snippet: After finishing a meeting in the evening, I switched to sake tonight and came to this hidden gem of a Japanese sake and food spot in the alley. Unlike a typical izakaya, besides some dishes, they offer many interesting Japanese sakes, with sake making up about half the menu. I chose three junmai sakes from Yamagata, Hiroshima, and Nara, sipping while catching up on the remaining episodes of the rumored drama 'Chen Qianqian.' The owner, Jack, is a fun and chatty guy, and we ended with a Japanese whisky shot. It's a place worth revisiting. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.9.4 evening #PSSakeBar
Location: JYS French Wine, Ji'nan Road, Taipei Travel note snippet: I ducked into this shop to avoid the rain at night and told the female shop owner if they had wine by the glass, or I could open a bottle. Unexpectedly, she said they just held a wine tasting on Saturday and had a lot of leftover wine. She didn't charge me and invited me to sit down and finish them. I was really surprised, but since I was already there, I shamelessly and naturally took a seat. Facing a dazzling array of 13 Bordeaux reds and 3 whites from France, I slowly went from left to right, tasting all 16 wines with 25-50ml per glass. Then, I started second and third rounds for the ones I liked. I met new wine friends: Kevin, who used to be a translator and is now retaking medical school exams; Maggie, a third-year Ph.D. student at NTU; and Brother Luolin, who treated me to Serbian brandy. I drank until closing time and bought three French wines to take home. Life goes with the flow, born from fate. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.9.2 evening #酒友社 #酒友社濟南店 #JYS
Location: 10th Annual Conference of the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association, NCCU Public and Business Administration Center, Taipei Travel note snippet: The Blockchain Enthusiasts Association, founded by my old friend Taka, has already reached its 10th anniversary in a blink. It's really hard to persist this long without great passion and interest! This year's conference gathered speakers from various related fields, not only from the Web3 world but also extensively crossing into traditional finance. Attendees included KPMG, MasterCard, BlackRock Investment Trust, VASP operators, JKO/AllPay, Tether issuer, former FSC officials, Taiwan/Hua Nan Bank, Financial Research and Training Institute, stablecoin service providers, NCCU professors, III, cryptocurrency custody providers, overseas fintech startups, and blockchain technology listed companies... The event also featured an interesting debate between KOL Dr. J and financial influencer Jeff. Ideas and insights from various angles constantly collided and were shared. It was a rich and diverse afternoon, which explains why the venue was packed to capacity, with standing room only at the back, and the audience remained full until nearly 6 p.m. when it ended. The tide of the times continues to move forward without waiting. I wonder how the world will change in the next decade? By Morgan @2025.9.2 #台灣區塊鏈愛好者協會
Location: ZIP Art Space, Neihu, Taipei; Ichirosi Yakitori Izakaya Travel note snippet: In the afternoon, I visited Maxim's former 333 Gallery venue in Neihu (second visit), now transformed into a space available for rent, suitable for art exhibitions, wine tastings, brand promotion events, etc.! There's also a lounge-like space on the second floor for singing, chatting, and drinking. Meishen's mom also came up, and I greeted her. Afterwards, we went to Dazhi for dinner with a group of nine. Thanks to Maxim for the treat. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.8.31 evening #ZipArtSpace
Location: Gathering at a friend's house, West District, Taichung Travel note snippet: After dinner in the evening, I came to Qibin's house with senior lawyer Dade. It's been a while since we all got together. We drank junmai ginjo sake that Qibin specially brought back from Japan while listening to him share videos from the many countries he visited this year, as well as his originally planned but canceled trip to Turkey. We also chatted about his 'Youzhai Wang' and recent collaborations with securities firms. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.8.30 evening
Location: Taichung, True Love Hotel - Centurion Group 10th Anniversary Travel Notes: Attended the Centurion Group's 10th-anniversary dinner banquet (100 tables) in Taichung at the True Love Hotel. Thanks to Yen for the invitation to join the Ming Xiong brothers. Met some familiar friends there. Afterwards, continued with Maxim to Golden Cellar Wine Vault for another round, toasting with his friends and Chairman Gong. Cheers with Simon the lawyer, designer Xi Yao, Eddie from Twin Oaks, Charles from TSMC, Amy, Jerry, Kevin & Xiang Yu, wine merchant Brother Liu, Young in agriculture... Cheers! By Morgan @2025.8.29 evening #Centurion #GoldenCellarWineVault
Location: Kaohsiung Travel Notes: Had lunch in Zuoying, Kaohsiung at PASTAIO Kaohsiung branch with Yen, junior, Minnie, and Sam. Thanks to the junior for the treat. Returned to Taichung in the evening for a small gathering with the Ming Xiong brothers. Started with congee at First Moon Claypot Congee, then enjoyed two fruit wines. The whole night was filled with laughter. Thanks to Zixuan and junior Maxim for hosting. Cheers! XD By Morgan @2025.8.28 evening #Pastaio #FirstMoonClaypotCongee #GoldenCellarWineVault
Location: Taipei, Chengdu Road, Thai Cat ไทยเมา Travel Notes: Visited friend Sam's newly invested Thai restaurant and bar in Ximending, Taipei. Sam is from Future City Tech (electrochromic glass). Invited several independent directors from listed companies, including Brother Sheng, and Brother Freeza from a US-listed company (GPN), to introduce everyone. Afterward, Brother Sheng took me to a place he frequents on Chang'an East Road for singing and drinks. Thanks to Brother Sheng for the hospitality! Cheers! By Morgan @2025.8.25 evening
Location: Taichung South District, PSYCHO CYCLE Natural Wine; North District, Wowcao Skewers/Natural Wine (2nd visit) Travel Notes: After dinner at home with mom, spent a rare evening exploring new spots in Taichung. Visited natural wine bars—previously been to Wine Not and Tao. First stop was a new natural wine bar opened late last year. Second was a place not far from home, which I vaguely remember visiting three or four years ago, but now it's completely revamped with a natural wine selection. Had 3 glasses of natural wine at each spot, plus 1 tree wine mixed with sake, totaling 7 glasses. At Wowcao, had a great chat with the owner, Long, who kindly offered snacks and a shot of shochu. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2025.8.23 evening #PsychoCycle #Wowcao #NaturalWine
Location: Taichung Travel Notes: Went to Sky Castle in Miaoli at noon for a member event of the Ruini Social Care Association. Thanks to senior Guozhi and Ruqi for giving me a ride there, and senior Dade for driving me back home to Taichung. The view of Liyu Lake Reservoir from the castle was quite beautiful! :) The association's founder, Ruqi, and many dedicated volunteers are truly working hard to spread goodwill to more places in need. Respect! By Morgan @2025.8.23 #RuiniSocialCareAssociation
Location: Taichung, Yizhong Shopping District Travel Notes: Yizhong Shopping District in Taichung, and Yizhong Fengren Ice (visited many times). In the evening, went to the Dianjiaoshi bookstore on Sanmin Road to buy a new stamp album. Took a look at the still densely packed cram schools at the Shuili Building. After eating some stinky tofu, finished with a nostalgic bowl of Fengren Ice to cool off. Whew~~~ By Morgan @Night of 2025.8.22
Location: Taipei, Alley off Yixian Road, Justin's Wine & Bistro Xiaojiu Guan Travel Notes: Justin's Wine & Bistro Xiaojiu Guan in an alley off Yixian Road, Taipei, and Fubon Art Museum (2nd visit). Morning and noon were taken up by a conference call and a phone chat. In the afternoon, went to Pat's company to pick up the new Hong Kong Visa crypto card and chatted with him about several current projects. Afterwards, walked to the nearby Fubon Art Museum, bought a combo ticket and browsed. There were two new exhibitions (Impressionist Paintings, Meeting You in the Light). Among the many Impressionist paintings, there was also Monet's Water Lilies. The other exhibition featured Anthony McCALL, focusing on light. After it closed at 6 PM, came here to Yixian Road. Justin's Wine & Bistro Xiaojiu Guan is a new shop opened late last year by the owner of 'Ma Cave 21 Wine Cellar', which I had visited once before and left a deep impression. Besides hundreds of champagnes, white wines, and red wines, it also offers many high-quality, exquisite dishes to pair with wine. Wine options include by the glass, three-glass sets, and by the bottle, with a rich selection. Ordered a pesto-grilled squid and Burgundy-style snails. Then, paired with the food, sequentially chose three glasses of French wine: a Brut Champagne, a Rosé Wine, and a rare red wine from Côte de Beaune. A Graceful Marriage of Food & Wine~ :) By Morgan @Night of 2025.8.21 #JustinWineBistro #macave21 #FubonArtMuseum
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Xiang Ding Fang, Fish Head Casserole Travel Notes: Xiang Ding Fang Fish Head Casserole in Da'an District, Taipei. In the evening, had a conference call with senior Jerry in Norway, discussing e-commerce business. After finishing, suddenly received a message from Jimmy inviting me. He and Brother Vincent were having an impromptu meal here and asked if I wanted to join. So I took a taxi over. The boss's hometown is Hunan, and he's 78 years old. This restaurant has been open for 20 years. Brother Vincent brought some expensive agarwood extract, adding it to 58-proof Gaoliang liquor, which fully brought out the aroma of the wine. Thanks for the treat, Jimmy. After eating, continued to the next spot in Yonghe, meeting an elder brother from Northeast China - Brother Bao. Cheers~ By Morgan @Night of 2025.8.17
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Shiama Dining Bar Travel Notes: Shiama Dining Bar in Da'an District, Taipei. In the evening, two of Pat's friends from Hong Kong's capital circle came to Taiwan. Pat invited everyone to smoke some shisha and get to know each other. During the gathering, we talked about stablecoins, DAT (Digital Asset Treasury), Crypto payments... After it ended, Pat went home, and I accompanied the two Hong Kong friends to sit down again at the 101 Club on Jilong Road. Met Sunny, the third staff member I've met here. Thanks for the treat, Brian. Cheers~ By Morgan @Night of 2025.8.16
Location: Taipei, Yan Bar, Sheep Bar Travel Notes: Xinyi District, Taipei - UBS, Yan Bar, Sheep Bar. In the evening, arranged for Jingfang and Yi-Fen, the CEO of Auroxat, to visit Pat's brother at UBS here, to discuss Auroxat's advanced technology in low-orbit satellite positioning chips. Then in the evening, found a female friend nearby and visited two bars, chatting about relationship topics~ Cheers~ By Morgan @Night of 2025.8.15
Location: Taipei, Anhe Road, Green House Travel Notes: Second visit to Green House on Anhe Road in Taipei. Met up with Tim, whom I hadn't seen in half a year, along with senior Lman, Yujia, and CC—a Cheng Kung University EE alumnus I met for the first time, who previously worked in venture capital under China Steel. As the one often tasked with picking spots, I chose this hidden bar that only takes regulars and requires a password to enter, which Jimmy had brought me to before. We were seated in a private room inside. Besides me, the group included angel investors, venture capitalists, AI entrepreneurs, and senior executives from foreign companies... With Tim, a Harvard and Yale graduate and genius elite, we chatted about all sorts of new tech topics. We opened three bottles of wine in a row and talked until almost midnight before calling it a night. Cheers! — Morgan @2025.8.12 evening
Location: Taipei, National Palace Museum Travel Notes: Third visit to the National Palace Museum in Taipei for the Masterpieces Exhibition from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the morning, I took Samuel to Miyahara Ophthalmology in Taichung to buy souvenirs, then we returned to Taipei together at noon. Samuel went off to take care of his business, and I headed to the Palace Museum for a stroll. It had been a while since my last visit, and there were new exhibitions to enjoy. After browsing until closing time, I went to Shilin Night Market in the evening to eat at a Bib Gourmand restaurant. Today was all about following a tourist itinerary! — Morgan @2025.8.11 evening
Location: Taichung, Jin Hanshi; SANTÉ Jiudong Golf Bistro (2nd visit) Travel Notes: Everyone in the Mingxiong Brotherhood is always flying around and busy, so it's rare for us all to gather, especially in Taichung. Zixuan just flew back from Hong Kong and Kumamoto, Yen is flying to Tokyo tomorrow, Samuel just arrived in Taiwan from London and Africa and is flying to Dubai next week, and I just got back from Hangzhou. Meanwhile, President Maxim has recently hired three coaches and is seriously practicing golf. I picked Jin Hanshi, a Korean cuisine brand under the Wuma group, for our gathering. Afterwards, we moved on to Jiudong, where you can drink while playing golf. Finally, we bought two bottles of champagne and Italian Moscato at Jinzun and headed to Maxim's place to drink. Cheers! — Morgan @2025.8.10 evening
Location: Taichung, Tiger City B1, Feihua Chongqing Hot Pot; Qizhi District, Jinzun Wine Cellar (11th visit) Travel Notes: In the evening, I introduced Sam, who has worked in banking on both sides of the strait, to junior Yen at Feihua, a Chongqing hot pot brand under the Fengjian group. Then we moved on to Jinzun again, joined by junior Maxim, making four of us. We asked Kevin, a junior at Jinzun, to recommend two lighter white wines. Here, we greeted Maxim's friend, designer Zhu, who has over fifty employees, and Eddie, the second generation of the Taichung luxury residential brand Shuangxiangyuan. Afterwards, I went with junior Yen to visit Maxim's soon-to-be-completed new home, where we drank Ice Break while watching shows on a 200-inch projection screen. Cheers! — Morgan @2025.8.9 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Igosu Japanese Whisky & Cigar Lounge (2nd visit) Travel Notes: After a meeting in the afternoon, I went to pick up my repaired laptop in the evening, then browsed nearby at Pop Mart to check out Labubu blind boxes. After dinner, I went to Igosu and ordered a glass of Chichibu whisky and a glass of Fuji (Kirin Fujisan) single grain whisky, sipping slowly for a little break. I also met Shaolin Ge, one of the owners here whom I'd heard other customers talking about last time—he has 35 years of experience running bars. — Morgan @2025.8.5 evening
Location: Taipei, Peiying Wine Cellar (2nd visit) Travel notes summary: I watched the documentary 'Mountain Makers' at the Eslite Cinema in Taipei, a film sponsored by BSOS about Taiwan's semiconductor industry. It was heartwarming to see an interview with my senior Liu Ying-da, whom I'd briefly chatted with before at an alumni event. Thanks to Daniel, founder of BSOS, for the invitation. Afterwards, I met up with lawyer Jingfang at Peiying Wine Cellar. We started with a Burgundy from Côte de Nuit, then I added a Bordeaux from the Left Bank. Two bottles between us led to an open, heartfelt conversation. I had no idea Jingfang even has a WSET certification—impressive! Thanks to Jingfang, an introvert with extrovert tendencies, for hosting. The rest of the exhibitions were just casual visits today. Cheers! By Morgan @evening of Aug 2, 2025
Location: JLK SAKE STUDIO Sake Specialty Store, Taipei City Hall Station Travel Notes: JLK SAKE STUDIO Sake Specialty Store (4th visit). These past two fast-paced, busy days included five meetings. Besides various online meetings involving the crypto circle, VC, US-listed companies..., there was also an in-person meeting at the Kaigi Futures headquarters on Chongqing South Road. I met Brother Zhenghong, whom I hadn't seen in over ten years, and also went to the 6th floor to say hello to Shinong. This evening, I finally found time to practice golf for an hour, then went to Ren'ai Road to buy a whole box of Cuban cigars for a friend. After dinner, I came to JLK and exchanged my previous points for a cup of ginjo sake. Sitting down to slowly savor it, I finally welcomed the most peaceful moment of these past two days... By Morgan @Night of 2025.7.23
Location: Taipei Bar Qvevri Natural Wine Tamsui Headquarters Travel note summary: Taipei Bar Qvevri Natural Wine Tamsui Headquarters (2nd visit) Cookie's shop is celebrating its 10th anniversary. It's truly not easy to persist in following one's dreams all the way! So tonight, I spent nearly two hours traveling from Songshan to Tamsui to join the celebration. I met Sihao here and asked if he closed his shop just to come. He laughed and said many people in Taipei who drink wine/natural wine came tonight, so there was no need to keep his shop open either~ XD After the anniversary event ended past 10 PM, dozens of us moved in a grand procession towards the seaside. There was an after-party bonfire here. Listening to the sound of the rising and falling tides, drinking wine while watching brilliant fireworks streak across the quiet night sky was indeed a rare life experience~ On these peaceful days, feeling the gentle gifts of nature. Cheers! :) By Morgan @Night of 2025.7.20 #qvevri #barqvevri
Location: Taipei Baoqing Street Dark Horse Kitchen Travel note summary: Taipei Baoqing Street Dark Horse Kitchen (3rd visit) After finishing the anime "Solo Leveling" today, I came to an event hosted by David in the evening. Their wine merchant, Taifeng, recently imported several wines from the Southern Rhône region of France. So David organized a small, relaxed wine tasting dinner (6 people) here at Dark Horse for everyone to try. Taiwan is small; when I went out, I even ran into Sheng Ge at the restaurant downstairs. Tonight, besides Leticia and Xiao Yu whom I've met before, I also newly met James Ge, who works in computer (laptop, server...) cables and has a high market share, and his girlfriend Sonia. In the end, the six of us drank over seven bottles of wine. After everyone left, I stayed behind to listen to David and Dark Horse, the owner of Dark Horse Kitchen, talk about their experiences learning Muay Thai. Then the three of us finished the remaining wine—can't let it go to waste~ XD Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Night of 2025.7.19 #DarkHorseKitchen
Location: Taichung Shan Yu Chinese Cuisine Restaurant Travel note summary: Taichung Shan Yu Chinese Cuisine Restaurant (Michelin Guide), Oncor (Taichung branch), ALTA Nightclub (3rd visit) Came down to Taichung from Taipei this afternoon. First, with good friends from the Ming Xiong Brotherhood, came to listen to a presentation by Jin, the CEO of the card company newly invested in by Maxim. Dragon Ball, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Hunter x Hunter... so many nostalgic memories. When I arrived, I said hello to Maxim and Boheng's classmate's dad. Then everyone came to SANTÉ Jiudong in Xitun District to practice some golf. For dinner, we came to Shan Yu Chinese Cuisine Restaurant, which Maxim has been frequenting lately. Opened by the Hoshino Group at the end of last year, it costs NT$3980 +10% per person for dinner excluding drinks. Private room, dedicated service, definitely worth visiting again. In the end, 4 guys and 3 girls drank 6 bottles of red wine—Burgundy, Bordeaux, Napa, Italy... Later, continued the night at the newly opened Oncor in Taichung, and finally ALTA Nightclub. Cheers! By Morgan @Late night of 2025.1.16
Location: Taipei Chengda Finance Club 88th Regular Meeting of the Startup Entrepreneurship Family & Travel note summary: Taipei Chengda Finance Club 88th Regular Meeting of the Startup Entrepreneurship Family & Phoenix Startup Platform Exchange Meeting After finishing a crypto meeting about Zomma Protocol in the morning, made two phone calls at noon, communicating with a certain VC and a listed company respectively. Then went out in the afternoon, came to the B2 level of the Regent Hotel, Regent Galleria, to introduce artist Shihong to Brenda, the founder of the INLUXE CASA brand which has had a store in the Regent for many years, to chat and see if they could spark some ideas. Then in the evening, came to the Cha for Tea branch on Xinyi Road to attend an event for the Chengda alumni club. Besides meeting Dehang学长 whom I haven't seen in a long time, I also newly met Jordan Yen学长, who used to work in the underwriting department of a securities firm, handled IPOs for listed companies, and later founded his own venture capital company (Hanxin); Jim Weng学长, who previously worked at Motech and has been running his own business (Mao Wei) for over a decade, specializing in solar power plant EPC; and also Walt学弟, co-founder of ARTOGO (online exhibitions) which was recently featured in Startup Group and just finished this round of funding, as well as LJ学弟 whom I think I've met before. (学弟 previously studied under Professor Han Chuanxiang from Tsinghua University) LJ学弟 is now involved in a Crypto AI-related project (TrueNorth). Dehang学长 moved from the gaming industry and is now also at a company jointly invested with the Taiwan Creative Content Agency (文策院), producing Taiwanese IP into animation for the international market (Xiang Ying Rong Chuang). Today's main topic was Cindy coming to share with Chengda alumni her recent experience with Richwell's Polish green energy power plant/energy storage project即将上架 on the Macau Exchange - Drip Irrigation Platform. Returned to my place after it ended, and in the blink of an eye, it was past 10 PM again. Truly a diverse and fulfilling day, even without drinking. @@ By Morgan @Night of 2025.7.15
Location: Taipei Nadhaji Indian Cuisine, a residence in Dazhi, Bar Salud Travel note summary: Taipei Nadhaji Indian Cuisine, a residence in Dazhi, Bar Salud My younger cousin Iris is going to study in Germany, so at noon, I had a meal with other relatives to wish her a smooth journey. Then in the afternoon, went to the home of Rosa and Howard, whom I was meeting for the second time, drank champagne/white wine with oysters while looking at Jiantan Mountain. Thanks for the hospitality~ Finally, in the evening, went to a wine bar with a Spanish focus located downstairs from the Hotel Indigo Dazhi, which is officially opening tomorrow, to continue drinking. Cheers~ By Morgan @Night of 2025.7.13
Location: Taipei, Hejiang Street alley, Nittai Art, Tsai Shih-Hung Solo Exhibition Travel Notes: I rushed back from Busan last night. This afternoon, I attended the opening reception for my friend Shih-Hung's solo exhibition at Nittai Art. I listened to him and Assistant Professor Liu Chen-Xiu from Yangming Chiao Tung University chat over sparkling wine in a casual Q&A session, where Shih-Hung also explained the concept behind his exhibition works. Taiwan is small—chatting with the owners, Brother Li and Zoe, I learned Zoe used to be a senior employee at Jingxun Lou, so she knows Maxim's mom well and watched Hans and Maxim grow up. I also met Henry, a retiree from the tech industry who now collects many paintings, and Wen-Jie, born in 2001, who studied art in France. Plus, I ran into old friends: Otto from the wine forum, second-generation Xiao Lai, Xiao Bai, Si Jiu, and Zeen from the Pernod Ricard Le Cercle private club. Afterward, the after-party was at Xiang Er Lian restaurant on Hejiang Street, where we filled a big round table, enjoyed Taiwanese dishes, and finished off the whisky everyone gifted Shih-Hung. Sitting next to me was Joanne, the beautiful owner of high-end menswear FARFA, which represents 15 Italian brands—clients include Jay Chou and Jam Hsiao. Thanks to Brother Li and Sister Zoe at Nittai Art for the hospitality, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.7.12 evening #NittaiArt #TsaiShihHungSoloExhibition
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Subarashiiya Travel Notes: Two meetings today, paired with two drinking spots. With Wic, first to Hua Nan Futures in the morning, then to Capital Futures in the afternoon. Chatted with senior execs about possibilities for AI + financial products. After Hua Nan, I remembered I hadn't seen General Manager Xiang-Huan for two years, so I dropped by to say hi to President Zeng and had tea. After finishing meetings with some VPs at Capital Futures and Capital Futures Consulting in the afternoon, I habitually searched for places to drink in the afternoon. First found an Italian and French wine merchant: Tappo Fine Wine, and chatted with owner Hannah. Bar Way Home mainly sources from them too. Then visited Winebay, SAKEMARU... but they either didn't offer dine-in or it was too early. Luckily, finally found a small shop near Da'an Forest Park—Subarashiiya. Owner Yunyun is tall and beautiful. The shop focuses on Kagoshima's Kojika Shuzo, with plum wine and shochu. Also many Japanese whiskies. Ordered the first cup, fully ripe century plum wine, which was stunning. Then added rose plum wine and lemon tea liquor. After dinner, returned to SAKEMARU at 19:00, finally catching its evening dine-in hours. At this Japanese sake shop, ordered a few cups of sake. First, Yamagata's Junmai Daiginjo nama genshu, Eiko Fuji. Sweet with fruity aroma, smooth and refreshing. Second, Nagano's Sakunohana (Junmai Daiginjo, Takane Nishiki rice). Sweet, sour, with rice astringency, crisp and clean. The selections were quite interesting and unique, worth revisiting～ By Morgan @2025.7.4 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng East Road alley, kaï bistro à vin Travel Notes: Recommended by Brother Si-Hao from 'Fermented by Zeng House.' The shop focuses on European cuisine + natural wine. Tonight, after leaving a Spanish tapas bar, I came here alone to continue drinking with a glass of wine. The place was super busy, not a seat to spare. Originally came for dinner, but no seats then. Luckily, when I returned after 9 PM, finally got a seat. Chatted briefly with two of the owners, Kai and Ivy, then ended the night with a glass of natural wine～ By Morgan @2025.7.2 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Spanish Bistro Travel notes: Second visit to a Spanish bistro in Taipei's Songshan District. A few days ago, Pat introduced me to Snow, one of the partners at Cherubic Ventures. After our chat, I arranged a conference call with Andrew at noon today. Cherubic has invested in over 200 companies over the years, including several unicorns. Snow currently lives mostly in Singapore. We discussed some potential collaboration opportunities. In the evening, I went to the Sunrise Hotel to practice golf with Zixuan. We met the Japanese coach Moto again. After practice, feeling hungry, we went to a nearby restaurant, opened a bottle of Spanish red wine, and had some tapas. A fulfilling day indeed. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.7.2 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road - Tiaotong, Zhixin Liao Travel notes: Zhixin Liao and Yaoya, Japanese bars in Taipei's Linsen North Road Tiaotong area. Evening drinks with my sister who just started summer vacation. Maxim and his wife happened to be in Taipei too, so we all went together. Tried a special chili plum wine and some cocktails made with shochu. Thanks to my junior for picking up the tab. Second round, went bar-hopping nearby with my sister. Surprised to find sake still on happy hour so late! Cheers! By Morgan @2025.7.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, NOMOU SAKEBAR Travel notes: NOMOU SAKEBAR and Shinpaku, Japanese sake bars in Taipei's Zhongshan District. After an afternoon meeting, tried a golf lesson at Golf Monsters. Met a Japanese coach named Moto. After exercising and having dinner, went to two sake bars recommended by Ziling. First, chatted with Venera, a staff member at Nomou, while drinking. Then went to Shinpaku and asked the young owner to recommend a few sakes to finish with. The last one, Koshimizu from Niigata Prefecture, was amazing. Continuing my recent habit of visiting Taipei sake bars every Thursday. The 8th and 9th bars in the past month or so. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.6.26 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Wutiao Tong, 1496 Bar Travel notes: 1496 Bar in Wutiao Tong, Linsen North Road, Taipei (20th visit). Just returned to Taiwan. In the evening, Brother Li spontaneously invited me to hang out at Brother Xiaohei's bar. Brother Li is still recuperating recently. Played dice and Big Two with Xiao Gao, just drinking water instead of alcohol. Met Brother Jason, who has lived in Beijing for 19 years and coaches tennis. Thanks to Brother Li for the treat. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.6.25 evening
Location: Taichung, Diageo at 5F, InterContinental Taichung (Chinmei) Travel Notes: First stop: Diageo tasting event (Rare & Exceptional) at InterContinental Taichung. Yen invited me and Maxim to this VIP tasting. We tried four 25–40 year old whiskies, two with peat. Met Diageo's account manager Robby and many interesting new friends, including quite a few second-generation acquaintances. (Wish I could write more, but short on time XD) Second stop: Tao Natural Wine. Third: Golden Cellar Wine Shop (10th visit). Fourth: FRANK Taichung (4th visit). Fifth: SOAK Taichung. After five rounds, too tipsy to write properly tonight. @@ Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.6.20 evening
Location: Taipei, azie restaurant, 1F, Regent Taipei Travel Notes: Had lunch with Brenda, an alum from the same elementary school. Her boutique store (INLUXE CASA) is in the B2 of Regent, so meeting at a restaurant inside was most convenient. We chatted about business ideas over the meal. After eating, I took the Red Line MRT directly to the World Trade Center for a meeting. Thanks for the treat, Brenda! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.6.19
Location: Taichung, CV Lounge, CBD Times Square, 7th District Travel Notes: Came to celebrate brother Zayn's birthday tonight; it was quite lively. I searched many places and finally found a Japanese single cask whisky from a famous distillery, bottled in his birth year, from a liquor merchant in Taoyuan, as a birthday gift. Life is short, every encounter is fate. Thanks for the invitation, Happy Birthday, Zayn! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.6.17 evening, crossing into 6.18
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, She'll Oyster bar, HIKOUSHI Whisky Cigars Travel Notes: After resting well over the weekend, went out tonight. First, had oysters + white wine and an extravagant oyster-scallop-clam chicken broth ramen at She'll. Then randomly walked into a nearby Japanese whisky bar, which turned out to be cigar-focused. Asked the owner Alvin (A-Mao) to recommend a Cuban Montecristo with chocolate notes, smoked while drinking whisky. I ordered Nikka's Yoichi, Coffey Malt, and Taketsuru. The owner treated me to Hibiki (airport limited), Yamazaki, and Chichibu MWR Gold Leaf Ichiro's Malt. Met new friends: David, who used to do business in Beijing and wears an LV cap; Abe, a freelancer who worked in the US and London; Steven, a neurosurgeon; and Charmaine, studying tech law at NCTU. David is a regular, coming almost every day of the month. A unique spot—Japanese whisky + cigars is indeed rare in Taiwan. They seriously age cigars in cedar boxes and wine cellar conditions. Life goes with the flow, Sunday night with cigars + whisky, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.6.15 evening
Location: Taichung, Taichung Meatball, Imperial Sugar Factory (2nd visit), Taichung Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Association - Poland Seminar, Torikawa Chiyo Izakaya, neighborhood.winebar (2nd visit) Travel Notes: Came down to Taichung from Taipei with my American friend Samuel for an event. To play host, first took Samuel on a TRA train, then ate Taichung meatballs, followed by afternoon tea at the Imperial Sugar Factory. Later, went to the Taichung Industrial Development and Investment Promotion Association on Sanmin Road for a seminar on investing in Poland. In the evening, had dinner with Samuel at an izakaya opened by a friend of Zixuan. Zixuan has great face—the owner treated us to three dishes. Thanks for the treat, Samuel. After dinner, took Samuel for a walk along Greenway, had a drink at Eslite Wine Cellar. Then went to have wine at Adam's place, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Zixuan joined us after his dinner. Yen, just landed at the airport, also rushed over. With Steven, five of us in total. Samuel opened a great Burgundy Grand Cru from 1999, then Zixuan reciprocated with two Burgundy - Côte de Nuits wines. Thanks to both good friends for the treats! Second overnight train back to Taipei within a week, but worth it! XD Cheers! By Morgan @2025.6.13 evening
Location: Da'an District, Taipei - Xiao Ming Sake Bar (2nd visit). Several drinking buddies mentioned that the owner here is a beautiful and interesting lady, so I came back tonight (missed her last time). Finally met owner Doris and another staff member Vian. After finishing a glass of junmai nama-sake, we opened a whole bottle of summer sake. Doris holds a Japanese International Sake Sommelier certificate and is very professional. Later, a female friend joined, plus another female customer in the shop. Rainy night, currently four women and only me, the lone guy @@ Cheers~
Location: Taichung - Wufeng Lin Family Yipu Garden, Gongbao Di (2nd visit), Nantun District Zhaori Hall BBQ, 7th District Golden Cellar Wine Shop (9th visit). Brother Paul wanted to chat with Maxim, so I arranged to visit Taichung today to see my Weidao High School junior, Maxim. Unexpectedly, it was my companion Tina and Meishen's mom who hit it off talking about art at Jingxunlou—not just getting along, but being unable to stop. Thanks to Mrs. Lin and Maxim for arranging a visit to their ancestral home and a meal inside. Last time was a quick tour; this time, with Mrs. Lin and Maxim's explanations, I gained a deeper understanding of Taiwan's 300-year historical缩影. Also saw many artifacts preserved from the Qing Dynasty, Japanese occupation, to the Republic of China era. Thanks to Mrs. Lin for hosting. In the evening, Brenda, who has a counter at Regent Hotel, happened to be back in her Taichung hometown and met me for dinner, so I introduced her to Meishen. Taiwan is small; they have mutual friends and could chat easily. Dinner thanks to Maxim. Later, we went to Golden Cellar for an after-party and opened two bottles of Burgundy red wine. Nana happened to come over and chatted with Brenda about makeup and fashion. Cheers~
Location: Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Hotel 3F - Ya Ge Cantonese Cuisine (Michelin One Star). A person's life is connected by countless threads of fate. Every memory is also born from such connections. Tonight's dinner with four friends originated because Andy previously introduced his CMU classmate Jeffery to me, and I then introduced Jeffery to Senior Lman. Pat introduced his Cornell classmate Samuel to me, and I also introduced Samuel to Senior Lman. Unexpectedly, Jeffery and Senior Lman later became business partners, and Samuel became one of their investors. Today, Jeffery and Samuel, who are mostly based in the US, happened to be in Taiwan, hence the chance for the four of us—Jeffery, Samuel, Senior Lman, and me—to dine together. Thinking they're usually in Western countries flying around, I chose Ya Ge Chinese restaurant for tonight's gathering. With Cantonese cuisine, we tried pairing it with an Argentine Malbec red wine—medium to full body, enhancing the flavors of different meats. After the meal, we chose an Italian Moscato sweet wine instead of dessert, and added another dish, Crispy Shredded Vegetarian 'Eel' with Preserved Fruit, to pair with the sweet wine. Near the end, Samuel ordered everyone a glass of Royal Salute 21 Year Old Whisky as a finale. The whole meal was perfectly concluded, about 150 USD per person. Thanks to Jeffery for treating. It takes fate to meet, gather, and share this meal. :) Cheers~
Location: Da'an District, Taipei - Vitalità Italian Kitchen (3rd visit). Invited by the beautiful Ziling tonight for a sake gathering. Besides meeting Sake Meow (a Japanese sake instructor level) and Brother Zhaoxiang again from last time, there were also Wawa, Sherry, Hana, Xiao Zhao, Maureen, and composer Junda whom I also met last time. Was busier today, and still wanted to find interesting sake, so I asked a sake merchant to deliver a bottle of 'Attack on Titan' collaboration sake to my place, and I brought it along to continue learning about sake and understanding top-tier brands like Sake Hundred, Hawk's Eye, Zero Resonance (rice polishing ratio below 1%)... Xiao Zhao also brought a 2010 koshu (aged sake), which tasted very unique. Finally, near midnight, Tim showed up and opened a sake from Hokkaido. Cheers~
Location: Taipei - Mizuiro Sake Bar, NIHONSHU Sake Bar. Recently, after regular Thursday meetings in Xinyi District, I've gotten into the habit of trying different sake bars. Over the last 3 weeks, I've visited 7 sake bars. Today, I'm near Liuzhangli. The first one is run by a young, beautiful owner named Abby. Since I was the only customer in the early evening, I chatted with her while drinking. The second one had a handsome manager, and the place was quite busy. Five glasses total today, time to head back. @@
Location: Green House in an alley off Anhe Road, Taipei. Jimmy invited me for drinks at this low-key, mysterious spot owned by his friend Eden. There's no sign, and it's all regulars—you even need a password to enter. Turns out it's a spin-off from JS Wine on Xinyi Road, so the manager Xiao Wen and the owners are all familiar faces from before. Jimmy shared fun stories about moving from Taipei to Kenting over the past three years, and I clinked glasses with fellow drinkers like Brother Cai, Eric, Patrick, Dongdong, A-Jiu... and Benny, a shareholder of the soon-to-be-listed Chuyu, and reporter Xiao Ge, who knows all nine L'Hotel properties well. Thanks for the treat, Jimmy! Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.6.3 evening
Location: Jiodou Yakiniku, Breeze Nanshan Store, Taipei. My good friend Samuel flew from the US to Japan and then to Taiwan, and we met for lunch—it had been over half a year since we last saw each other. I picked a yakiniku place with dedicated grill service so we could chat properly. Japanese Wagyu beef and junmai sake—good food, good friends, and good drinks all together! After the meal, I took Samuel and his wife Monica to the Taipei 101 gallery to see Chen Wei's paintings. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.6.3
Location: Dawan Wharf - Songlong Store, Taipei. In the evening, I first went to Sam's friend, Brother Lu's place, to sit and chat. I met Jeff, who started his own modeling agency twenty years ago—he had just finished arranging showgirls for a car show at Syntrend and came over. After a bottle of white wine and a bottle of sake, we all got more familiar, then went for some stir-fry dishes. Thanks for the treat, Jeff! Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.6.1 evening
Location: Chun Weilai Sake Bar & Kirisake Sake Cellar on Anhe Road, Taipei. On Monday in Taichung, I had an intense but satisfying drinking session with good friends. So I took a three-day break without a drop of alcohol. After a meeting this evening, I continued my exploration with two sake bars. Afterwards, I went to a female friend's place for a drink and a heart-to-heart talk. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.5.29 evening
Location: Jingxunlou International Auction House & a private club on Wenxin Road, Taichung. In the afternoon, I first visited Zayn and Yen at my junior Maxim's place. We all had a great chat with Maxim, his brother, and the mother of his Weidao classmate, Boheng. Afterwards, we went to the private club on Wenxin Road owned by Shisan and his brother A-B. Thanks for the treat, A-B! Later, we continued with two more stops: Kingsman Bistro and finally X-Cube nightclub. Thanks to all my good friends in Taichung for the hospitality! Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.5.26 evening
Location: Taoyuan, Zhongli, Kuva Whisky Travel note summary: I made a special trip to Taoyuan to find a certain vintage of Japanese whisky that's relatively rare in Taiwan. This 150-ping space holds a considerable collection of various whiskies—it's almost like a whisky museum. @@ Luckily, after finding it, I grabbed a simple dinner at a nearby night market. By Morgan @2025.5.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Royal Hotel - Ming Palace Cantonese Restaurant Travel note summary: Taipei, Royal Hotel - Ming Palace Cantonese Restaurant (3rd visit) - National Chengchi University: Shinzo Abe Research Center Consensus Dinner. Thanks to Zixuan for the invitation tonight to attend a dinner gathering related to Japan, involving industry, government, and academia. Besides exchanging business cards, everyone also shared various potential resources. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.5.24 evening
Location: Taipei, Cangjiu Forum Travel note summary: Taipei, Cangjiu Forum; Neihu, Bukchon Tofu House (Citylink store). In the afternoon, I visited Otto, a Taiwanese liquor expert and founder of the Cangjiu Forum (https://www.tw-tw.com.tw), with artist Teacher Cai and his wealthy second-generation friend, Xiao Lai. Otto treated us to 12 different drinks: 1 wine, 1 sake, 3 sherries, and 7 whiskies. Afterwards, the three of them headed to Tamsui for the opening reception of a whisky museum. I went alone to Neihu; tonight, Lily introduced me to her friend, Simon, the CIO of Taipei Fubon Bank. Taiwan is small—Simon also has deep connections with Bincentive. Over drinks, we quickly hit it off. Cheers & thanks to Lily for the hospitality~ By Morgan @2025.5.23 evening
Location: Bitcoin Pizza Day Travel note summary: Bitcoin Pizza Day. Thanks to Tom, an OG big shot in the crypto circle, for treating everyone to pizza at noon. It's truly a romantic activity unique to the crypto world~ In the evening, it switched to a friend's business drinks gathering. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! :) By Morgan @2025.5.22
Location: Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Center, Computex Taipei International Computer Show Travel note summary: Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Center, Computex Taipei International Computer Show. Back at Nangang Exhibition Center after ten days—last time it was the Taipei Contemporary Art Exhibition, this time it's the Taipei International Computer Show. Before touring the exhibition, I first went to the Glenlivet booth to find Zeen. Their Pernod Ricard group also collaborated with GQ Bar to set up a venue outside the hall this year. Thanks to Zeen for arranging an 18-year-old Glenlivet whisky for me. While browsing inside, I also ran into Ramen Senior and Jeffery, whom I hadn't seen for a while and who just got off the plane today. I chatted with them about their new AI PC project: IrisGo. Finally, when leaving at 5:30, I happened to see Jensen leaving as well. First time seeing Jensen up close—he really is quite approachable~ XD By Morgan @2025.5.20 #Computex #Glenlivet #NVIDIA
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, San Nong Clay Pot Travel note: Taipei, Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, San Nong Clay Pot (2nd visit). In the evening, with Brother Leon, Brother Paul, Fred, Sister Jennie, Brother Jeff, Chairman Wu, and his son Vic (who owns this shop), plus Chairman Wu's wife — eight of us in total. We chatted about Chairman Wu's K-pop group IP and the concert they're planning to hold in Taiwan around June. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.5.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Feather Sake Travel note: Taipei, Da'an District, Feather Sake, Jiu Tao Sake, Xiao Ming Sake Bar. Monday night was a chamber dinner with American red wine. Tuesday night, I drank whisky with Brother Paul and played nine-square games. After finishing a Crypto circle meeting at the World Trade Center this evening, I thought, why not switch to sake tonight? So first, I went to Feather Sake, which opened six months ago, and chatted with the owner, Sam, over drinks. After a few glasses, I taught Sam how to use Sora AI to make videos, and he treated me to a few more cups of sake and shochu. Afterwards, I went to the second nearby spot; it was so busy I almost didn't get a seat. Had a glass of mandarin liqueur + a glass of Satsuma Onsen Beniimo Shochu. Finally, the third place is famous lately for its all-you-can-drink sake events. The owner wasn't in, so I chatted with Chengen, who works at a listed IC/electronics distributor during the day and helps out here at night out of interest. We talked about his business trips to Vietnam and Shenzhen, and the many tech industry clients he's dealt with: Foxconn, Delta Electronics, Qisda... The atmosphere warmed up quickly. Three sake bars in one night—truly a Japanese sake night. @@ Cheers! By Morgan @2025.5.15 evening #FeatherSake #JiuTaoSake #XiaoMingSake
Location: Taipei, Hai Zhen Home-style Cuisine, Minsheng Branch Travel note: Taipei, Hai Zhen Home-style Cuisine, Minsheng Branch. Tonight, I attended a dinner gathering with the Taiwan-Poland Chamber of Commerce. There were the chamber president, companies in green energy, agriculture, AI, ESG, the chairman of the Carbon Rights Digital Economy Development Association, family offices, the China Productivity Center, fund companies... 16 people in total at a big table. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.5.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Bar igloo Travel note: Taipei, Songshan District, Bar igloo. Quite a few friends from the art circle invited me out this week. Brother Hong from Dahe Art introduced me to his daughter Ella, several Korean collectors, and artists from Hong Kong and Canada. We all drank soju and sang karaoke together—thanks for the invite, Brother Hong. (Dahe Art's booth at Taipei Dangdai this year is C10; friends interested are welcome to visit over the weekend~) Also tonight, Brother Shihong, an artist I met earlier at a Pernod Ricard tasting, invited me to this newly opened bar he helped design. Along with Brother Otto and a few friends from the drinks circle, plus shareholders of this bar, we all had a few drinks together. Listening to Brother Otto (founder of the Cangjiu Forum) share a lot of whisky knowledge was very rewarding. After we parted ways, passing by Raohe Street Night Market, I suddenly saw a girl I know at a stall run by a German boss. Meeting by chance is fate, so I sat down and continued drinking German and Austrian beer with her. Cheers everyday ~ @@ By Morgan @2025.5.9 evening
Location: Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei Dangdai Art Fair Travel note: Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei Dangdai Art Fair. After finishing my meeting, I came here to have a few drinks. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.5.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Fermented by Zeng House (3rd visit) Travel note summary: Gallery101 at Taipei 101, and Fermented by Zeng House (3rd visit). Maxim's junior's 333 Gallery, located near Taipei 101, has arranged for their artist, Chen Wei, to exhibit works until the end of June. So I found time in the afternoon to attend the opening reception. I also invited the young Zi Xuan and Teddy to join. This excellent generation of 25-35 year olds certainly has a lot to talk about. Afterwards, I brought Zi Xuan to Si Hao's place to experience the various distinctive wines recommended by the champion French sommelier. Stole a half-day of leisure from a busy life. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of 2025.5.2
Location: AW Cafe Wine Bistro, Madison Taipei Hotel URBAN331 BAR Travel note summary: AW Cafe Wine Bistro in Da'an District, Taipei, and URBAN331 BAR at Madison Taipei Hotel. Had an online meeting in the morning, and a physical meeting at City Hall Station around noon, ending around 2 PM. Next meeting was at 4:30 PM at Madison Taipei Hotel, but there was a gap in between. Adhering to the principle of not wasting time, I first had a cup of sake at JLK Sake Specialty Store near City Hall Station, then came to Anderson's shop, AW, near Xinyi Road close to the hotel, for a few glasses of red wine. Coincidentally, I ran into Anderson whom I hadn't seen in a long time, so we chatted briefly. Then headed to Madison Taipei to discuss Crypto Custody and potential collaboration opportunities with Ramen senior and Ivan from BitGo. Thanks to Ivan for hosting. The final stop was with Lman senior to a company near Madison Taipei founded by NCKU class of '89 senior Aryan: Huan Hong Zhi Lian. Senior Aryan mainly works on business video conferencing systems. Thanks to the senior for treating me to a simple dinner. That's how the day went—four meetings and five drinks. @@ By Morgan @Evening of 2025.4.28
Location: Taipei, Nanjing West Road, Drinkweaver Wine Shop Travel note summary: Drinkweaver Wine Shop on Nanjing West Road, Taipei. After finishing a meeting at the World Trade Center in the afternoon, I came to Ningxia Night Market to use a voucher I got from a previous event. Then looked for a shop nearby and unexpectedly found a small place with good value for money. The cheapest single glass is only 150, and the pour is quite generous. Came here to have a few glasses, cherishing this occasional peaceful evening time~ By Morgan @Evening of 2025.4.24
Location: Silks House (Cantonese Cuisine), Taipei Travel note summary: Lunch with the Zomma Protocol team at Silks House, followed by an afternoon meeting. In the evening, I went to Huashan. My junior, Meishen from Gallery 333, was exhibiting, so I brought along an elder who collects and invests in art to meet and chat. Taiwan is small—while chatting at the outdoor café outside the exhibition, we ran into Brother Sheng, the owner of Ma Shen Spicy Hot Pot. Turns out all four of us at the table knew or had met Brother Sheng. Finally, in the evening, I went with Brother Leon, Brother Stone, and first-time acquaintances Brother Xiao Wu and his wife to eat authentic spicy hot pot at a place called Red Chili Pepper in Ximending. Thanks, Brother Stone, for hosting! By Morgan @2025.4.17
Location: Yakitori & Sashimi Night Eats, Wineswee Breeze Store, Taipei Travel note summary: In the evening, Joey arranged a dinner with Consultant Gu from Hong Kong Pioneer Mining. Afterward, Joey and I continued to an all-you-can-drink spot. We met two young ladies, one of whom coincidentally shares my birthday. We opened a bottle of champagne and a fortified wine for Betty & Eva. Thanks, Joey, for hosting. Cheers ~ By Morgan @2025.4.13 evening
Location: Xiao Zhao Private Kitchen, Liuzhangli, Taipei Travel note summary: After a busy day, we had a wine gathering at this hard-to-find private kitchen in the evening. Besides previously met Kelvin, David, and Lucas, I also newly met Leticia, Xiao AA, Florence, Vivi, as well as Brother Sam and Andy—exactly 10 people at the table. In addition to several red and white wines and one whiskey, Andy also brought 3 expensive Belgian beers to share. The owner, Chef Zhao, is from Shanghai and is already 60 this year—he can cook all kinds of cuisines. There were many exquisite dishes, and his skills were truly impressive. After the meal, we listened to Chef Zhao talk about the methods of various elaborate dishes—just hearing the names made our mouths water. We went from 6:30 PM until almost midnight. A truly unforgettable night. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.4.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Wutiao Alley, 1496 Bar Travel Notes: 1496 Bar in Wutiao Alley, Linsen North Road, Taipei (visited many times). Joey just got back from Shanghai a few days ago and asked me to meet up at Brother Xiaohei's place tonight. I also reached out to Brother Li last minute, only to find out he's been needing rest lately. Thanks to Brother Li for still coming over to chat and hang out. And Jimmy, who hit me up last minute, came up from the south—he drinks every day anyway, so might as well all get together. We finished off Joey and Fred's stored VSOP and whiskey. Played Big Two with Brother Xiaohei to practice—honestly, I haven't won since we started playing over a decade ago. Well, losing less is winning. XD Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.4.10 night
Location: Taipei Notes Travel Notes: Today was probably the busiest day of the week. Started around 8 AM with five meetings back-to-back. Besides online meetings, I also took two elders to UBS to meet with Brother Pat. Topics ranged from Polish renewable energy plants, crypto trading, art funds, immersive experiences, to music production... Back at my place in the evening, I had an hour-long call with Wic, discussing another meeting with Fubon Securities that got bumped due to too many meetings today. Just talked about all sorts of things from morning till almost midnight. @@ Thanks to Kyle for lunch and Sister Jennie for dinner! By Morgan @2025.4.8 night
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, ONCOR Xiangyan (3rd visit) Travel Notes: Le Cercle Club and ONCOR Xiangyan in Taipei's Xinyi District (3rd visit). Yesterday afternoon, I introduced Zayn, who just returned from Singapore, to Zeen from Le Cercle and Rosita from Hong Kong, and we tasted their premium whiskeys together. Besides Royal Salute 30-year and 38-year aged whiskeys, we also tried the Royal Salute 62 Gun Salute - Red Edition, which costs around 100,000 NTD. Then, thanks to Zayn for thoughtfully arranging a belated birthday celebration for me in the evening—it lasted almost 8 hours. Rarely do I drink so much that I can't finish my diary that day. Thanks to Zayn for the treat, an unforgettable and joyful night. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.4.6
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, Unnatural Single Glass Bar, Wineswee (Zhongshan Elementary Store) Travel Notes: Nangang Mitsui LaLaport, Taipei Zhongshan District Unnatural Single Glass Bar, Wineswee (Zhongshan Elementary Store). Went out for a walk and tried some new spots for a drink.
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard, Fermented by Zeng House (2nd visit) Travel Notes: Fermented by Zeng House on Civic Boulevard, Taipei (2nd visit). In the evening, Ben, whom I haven't seen in a while, suddenly messaged me on Line, saying he wanted advice on some financial matters. After chatting on Line for half an hour, we figured why not just meet up for a drink—no time like the present. Ben is a big player in the rental property management industry across Taipei and New Taipei, managing hundreds of units. So while helping him with his questions, I also learned from Ben about their rental housing association. Back and forth, we had a great time chatting, paired with good food and drinks—four hours flew by in an instant. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.3.28 night
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, Bibber Dessert Bar · A Dessert Shop for Drinkers Travel note summary: It was quite late in the evening when Jade suddenly said she wanted to celebrate my birthday, so we met at her favorite spot. Besides cocktails, they also serve desserts and soft-serve ice cream, giving this bar its own unique character. For example, my second drink was the '1910' (named after the Mexican Revolution), made with Mexican Mezcal as the base, and the truffle-infused soft-serve ice cream was quite interesting. It had been a long time since I last saw Jade, so we had a great time catching up. We stayed until closing, and the owner even treated us to a shot. Afterwards, Jade had her driver drop me off at home first. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers~ By Morgan @Late night, March 21, 2025
Location: Taipei, Lishui Street, Lao Guo Sichuan Cuisine Travel note summary: Thank you Brother Wendong for the lunch treat and for bringing Chilean red wine. In the afternoon, I met Brother Wright, the president of the Taipei South France Rotary Club, for the first time. Cheers～ By Morgan @Evening, March 19, 2025
Location: Pernod Ricard Le Cercle Royal Salute Private Art Appreciation Event Travel note summary: (Royal Salute Art Collection by Pernod Ricard) Thank you Brother Otto for the invitation. After a meeting today, I came to attend this event. Inside the isart gallery, I viewed the globally limited editions of Royal Salute ART I & II, only 21 sets each. Their unique bottles contain high-aged Royal Salute 53-year-old whisky. The ingenuity of blending art and fine liquor opens up infinite imagination~ I also had the chance to taste Royal Salute 30-year-old and 38-year-old whiskies. As someone who doesn't drink whisky often, I could clearly feel the smooth, multi-layered flavors upon tasting. I had casual chats with Brother Otto, the manager of the Le Cercle club, and V, the beautiful gallery owner. It was a relaxed, slightly tipsy evening. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Evening, March 27, 2025
Location: Taipei W Hotel 10F Seasons by olivier e. French Cuisine Travel note summary: An elder unexpectedly invited me for lunch. Thank you for the treat, Cheers~ By Morgan @March 17, 2025
Location: Taichung Evergreen Hotel 16F Member Club Private Room Travel note summary: At noon, I introduced my old classmate Hans and Raysky's junior. Unexpectedly, they hit it off right away and talked from lunch all the way through dinner. We spent almost 9 hours in the member's private room on the top floor of the Evergreen Hotel. We chatted about everything from F1 racing, sailing, US stocks, international political and economic situations, AI robots... all the way to cultivation novels, the Heavenly Dao, and 'One Qi Transforming into Three Pure Ones'. Thanks to my classmate for the treat today. Hans happened to be going to Taipei tomorrow to broadcast a race, so he gave me a ride back to Taipei. Thanks! Listening to him talk about his experiences in professional racing competitions on the way was really thrilling~ :) By Morgan @Evening, March 14, 2025
Location: Taipei, Boji Private Residence Hot Pot Travel Notes: In the evening, I went to Banqiao to pay respects to my old friend Tony from the finance industry. Tony and I had known each other for over a decade, reminiscing about the times we shared drinks and laughter in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Taipei... so many memories. It's hard to believe Tony left us suddenly at the age of 51. Our last meeting over a year ago was truly our final farewell. Life is unpredictable... I ran into Brother Xing and Vice President Jin from Cathay here, and we all came to see Tony off one last time. After heading home for a quick shower, I met up with other friends in the evening. It really makes you realize the importance of living in the moment. Thanks to Joey for hosting. For the last stop, we went to Little Black Brother's place on Linsen North Road, finishing the VSOP from Brother Li last time, and Joey opened another new bottle. Thanks again to Joey for the hospitality. By Morgan @Evening of March 11, 2025
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard, Fermented by Zeng House Wine Bar Travel Notes: This is the 10th Taipei wine bar I've visited in 16 days. I feel like I'm trying really hard to explore these places, but there's always more to discover. This spot used to be Glassmate, which I'd been to before. The owner here, Zeng Sihao, takes on the role of floor sommelier. He's won the title of 'Taiwan's Best French Wine Sommelier' and was formerly the head sommelier at Park 90. His wife, Italian chef Marta, handles the food. The dishes are delicious and the wine is great, so there are quite a few foreigners here. Sihao recommended many interesting wines: besides an Austrian blended white and a red from Corsica, France, we also tried an ancient Greek retsina wine, which had a strong pine resin flavor upon tasting—very unique. A memorable spot worth revisiting. :) Taiwan is small; as I was leaving, I even met Yen, the sommelier from 85th Sky. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of March 9, 2025 #FermentedbyZengHouse #ZengHouse
Location: Taipei, Lane off Bade Road, LANDED Wine Bar Travel Notes: In the afternoon, an elderly couple sponsored a private screening of this film—thanks for the invitation. The film, 'Searching for 1920,' is a documentary about that era, produced by Li Gang, CEO of the Film Culture and Arts Foundation, and directed by Xu Mingchun. I thought it might be a rather heavy topic, but I was completely engrossed for the full two hours. It mainly tells the story of Xie Wenda, Taiwan's first pilot. After reading the introduction, I was surprised to discover that Xie Wenda was actually a first-generation alumnus of Taichung First Senior High School and also from Fengyuan, so watching it felt very personal. After the film, we heard from director Xu Mingchun and foundation CEO Li Gang about their journey in deciding to make this documentary. Even though they knew it wasn't a commercially viable topic, they still hoped to use the documentary format to shed light on that little-known history. Without genuine passion, this film wouldn't have come to be. Afterwards, I had some wagyu skewers at the nearby DON DON DONKI, then continued exploring wine bars in the evening. Cookie哥 recommended four wine bars I hadn't been to last Sunday, and over the past six days, I've visited the third one. LANDED is a shop opened by three women. Each season, they select a book and design a menu of 10 wines based on its content. The wine selection is very thoughtful—an impressive spot worth returning to. By Morgan @Evening of March 8, 2025 #Searchingfor1920 #LANDED
Location: Taipei, WinesWee Breeze Store Travel Notes: A friend reached out last minute in the evening. I met some new people: Big Head from Dali Construction, Liwei from an American IC testing company, Leo who works in a family office focusing on tech and biotech investments, and the second-generation rich kid Ah Xiang, along with a few ladies. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of March 7, 2025
Location: Taipei, Heping East Road, Saku Natural Wine Bar Travel Notes: Had a morning meeting in Neihu and an afternoon meeting at the World Trade Center. In the evening, a junior from the finance industry who returned from Hong Kong came to meet up, so we went to this natural wine bar that Cookie哥 recommended to me last week. Met the owner here, Lori. It's a quite unique little space, with tatami seating available. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of March 6, 2025
Location: Taipei, Wineswee - Whiskey & Food, Breeze Center Branch Travel note: Had a midday conference call with my good friend Samuel from the US. In the afternoon, chatted with Brother Leon outside. In the evening, a female friend who just went through a breakup invited me for drinks. "What can dispel sorrow? Only Dukang (fine wine)." By Morgan @Evening, March 5, 2025
Location: Taipei East District, Costumice Café & J's Place Casual Bar Travel note: Joey returned to Taiwan from Shanghai for a few days and invited me to catch up, also to discuss a renewable energy power plant project in Poland. For the second round, we went to J's Place, which we had planned to visit last month but didn't make it. This place focuses on Italian wines, and I met the shopkeeper, Sister San, for the first time. Thanks to Joey for treating me this round! Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, March 4, 2025
Location: Taipei, Beian Road, American Club (3rd visit) Travel note: Came here in the evening for a few drinks with Ramen Senior and elder Tim. Later, Tim's wife Fina also joined; she's also from Tainan. So we could chat a lot about Tainan. Small world—the US AI fund that elder Tim is an LP of is actually the VC that Ramen Senior's company is currently negotiating a term sheet with. Elder Tim is going to Singapore next week to chat with a co-founder of META (Facebook). We discussed AI, digital assets... had a great conversation. Cheers~ Thanks for the hospitality! Went home to continue binge-watching dramas—Liu Shishi's 'Palm of the Hand' and Zhao Lusi's 'Brilliant Stars'... By Morgan @Evening, March 2, 2025
Location: New Taipei, Tamsui <=> Bali, Shihsanhang Museum Travel note: Shihsanhang Museum (2nd visit after 14 years), Fisherman's Wharf, Bar Qvevri Natural Wine Tamsui Headquarters. Seems like I've visited most museums in Greater Taipei, so I started revisiting ones I haven't been to in a long time. My last visit to Shihsanhang was really a distant memory. @@ But today was the first time I took the ferry from Tamsui Old Street to Bali. Afterwards, I strolled around Fisherman's Wharf, also for the first time. Then I took the Danhai Light Rail and explored along the line. I remembered meeting the owner of a natural wine bar, Brother Cookie (Bar Qvevri), last year at Celebrity Champagne House in Dadaocheng. His bar is in the Danhai New Town area. Since I was already here, I decided to drop by. It was open on a Sunday night, and it's been operating for ten years already. So I came here to try natural wines from around the world: Georgian qvevri orange wine, Beaujolais, Italy, French old vines, Spanish sherry, Alsace Grand Cru white, French Loire Valley white... a total of seven glasses. Thanks to Brother Cookie for also recommending three newly opened natural wine bars in Taipei. Taiwan is small—Brother Cookie is also familiar with Eva, my junior from Taichung First Senior High School, and Adam from neighborhood.winebar in Taichung. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Evening, March 1, 2025
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Central Park by Saru Travel note: Central Park by Saru | WINE Bar (2nd visit). Had two meetings this morning and afternoon. At noon, had lunch at Sun Wah (opened by a Hong Kong boss) with three elder brothers, paired with HB whiskey. Thanks for the treat! In the evening, I randomly walked into a wine bar and had two glasses by the glass. Suddenly realized I had been here before—it just changed its name (previously: pm wine to chill). Still a place with a great atmosphere~ By Morgan @Evening, February 27, 2025
Location: Taipei Wineswee - Whiskey & Wine Dining Travel Notes: Taipei Wineswee - Whiskey & Wine Dining (visited many times). After having hot pot for dinner, I remembered Wineswee had a new event, so I headed to their Yongchun branch. For NT$290 per hour, it's all-you-can-drink—and not just basic beer or simple cocktails. They offer dozens of options including wine, spirits, whiskey, sake, and beer, all for you to enjoy freely. As an Aries who loves trying new things, I couldn't resist. In 1 hour and 37 minutes, I tried 11 red wines, 2 white wines, 3 Japanese sakes, and, since the staff recommended pairing oysters with peaty whiskey, I finished with a whiskey alongside Hyogo oysters from Japan. The bill came to NT$709—an unbelievable price. It really makes you ponder and admire the business model of the owner, Zoey. No wonder they've expanded to several branches in such a short time. Cheers with acting manager Xiao Lin! By Morgan @2025.2.26 evening
Location: Hsinchu Gongdao 5 Jingyan Banquet Hall Travel Notes: Hsinchu Gongdao 5 Jingyan Banquet Hall, Guangfu Road Dazai Lala Hot Pot. Came to Hsinchu at noon for a Taichung First High School alumni gathering; most of the seniors are in the tech industry. Caught up with junior classmates I hadn't seen in a while—Bowen and Youjun from MediaTek—and we chatted over red wine sponsored by a senior. Cheers! Afterward, I spontaneously met up with an old friend who's lived in Hsinchu for over 20 years. He first took me to see his tenant to check on some things needed for the house. Taiwan is so small—his tenant is also a junior from National Cheng Kung University class of 102, now working at TSMC. For dinner, he brought me to a unique clam hot pot cooked over charcoal, with a sweet and fresh broth. After the meal, we went to Bamboo Town in Zhubei for my second foot massage of the week. Thanks to my old friend for the hospitality! :) By Morgan @2025.2.23 evening
Location: Taipei Da'an District Liuxia Wine Bar Travel Notes: Taipei Da'an District Tsukiji Sushi, Liuxia Wine Bar. This week, I attended six different themed conferences: green energy, Edge AI, aquaponics, mining machines, digital assets. The last one this week was with a well-known senior figure in finance to discuss how traditional finance and blockchain finance can connect. Thanks for the dinner treat. Afterward, came to a wine bar near Lishui Street run by the beautiful owner Kay, who opens only on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays out of interest. Burgundy Premier Cru (top 2% globally on Vivino), Bordeaux, South African reds—prices aren't cheap, but we really drank to our heart's content. Taiwan is so small; I ran into Yunfu from Rock Records here, so I messaged Teddy, and sure enough, they knew each other. XD Also met Xiao An, a neighbor living nearby who already has many girlfriends at just ten years old. Chatted randomly with him about all sorts of things. Thanks to Kay for treating us to Islay whiskey. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.2.21 evening
Location: Taichung Nantun JinXX KTV Travel Notes: Taichung Nantun JinXX KTV (visited many times). Today, Chairman Gong celebrated Brother Wenpei's birthday, along with Chairman Lin and Chairman Su whom I hadn't seen in a while. So I made a quick trip down from Taipei. Happy Birthday, Brother Wenpei! Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat! Drank with the girl from Kinmen next door—killed 1000 enemies, lost 900 ourselves—then took the high-speed rail back and forth to Taipei. Cheers! @@ By Morgan @2025.2.19 evening
Location: Taipei Penghuai Traveler - Qingcheng Branch Travel Notes: Taipei Penghuai Traveler - Qingcheng Branch, Nong'an Street Some Private Club. In the evening, Richard arranged for his brother A-B, along with Kyle from Hong Kong Baichuan Trust, as well as Longxia and Ian, to meet me. Kyle even changed his flight to tomorrow to free up tonight. Thought about it and decided to invite Sam to join the chat. The table full of seafood was indeed quite lavish. Later, we moved on to a private club on Nong'an Street, where I met Sonia, the owner of the large Southeast Asian food delivery service Wukong, Michael who works in the auto industry, and agent Zhuanzhuan. Thanks to Shisan for hosting all night. Cheers! Finally, the third stop in Taoyuan, thanks to Sam for the treat. By Morgan @2025.2.16 evening
Location: HALF CUP Wine Bar, Songshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: HALF CUP Wine Bar in Taipei's Songshan District. It's been a hectic week—every day has had a different theme @@
台北 圓山旁 美僑協會 (American Club) ACC (2訪)、 龍江路 炭炙郎TANJIROU 串燒X啜飲 傍晚快兩年沒見， 哈佛+耶魯雙名校畢業的Tim長輩約來這Happy Hour…
Location: K.H.Wufu Wonton, Taipei (Neihu Gangqian branch) Travel note summary: K.H.Wufu Wonton in Taipei (Neihu Gangqian branch). Morning meeting with Wic at Taiwan Intelligent Technology Research (台智研) in Neihu about financial AI-GPT. Thanks to Peter and Davis for the thoughtful gift of 4U4U Italian truffle gift box. After the meeting, had lunch at Tai Ge's nearby shop—busy place, the fresh shrimp wonton was quite tasty! Then an afternoon meeting on digital asset management at the World Trade Center, with a quick overlook of the International Book Fair. A day of running around. My personal YouTube channel (https://m.youtube.com/@morganpoetry), started a month ago, just hit its one-month mark today, and subscriptions just passed 1,000. A day full of coincidences. XD By Morgan @2025.2.6
Location: Dalian Flavor Restaurant, Fuxing South Road, Taipei (2nd visit) Travel note summary: Dalian Flavor Restaurant on Fuxing South Road, Taipei (2nd visit). Afternoon chat with Leon, Jennie, and Jeff at TGI Fridays near City Hall Station. Thanks to Jennie for hosting. Evening, Jimmy was heading back to Kenting and wanted to meet, so I moved here to drink with him, his friends, and Junsheng. Dinner introduced me to Vincent from Beijing, Xiaohui, Jinqiu, and Jiaqing. Thanks to all the seniors for the treat. After eating, continued with friends from Malaysia, Alex and his wife Tina, at their friend George's club near Taipei 101. Met MiSTakE, the Taiwanese world champion of League of Legends Season 2. George, in underwriting, has helped over 30 companies with IPOs. Also said hi to Gu, a cadre I hadn't seen in ages. Remembered Cory hadn't been to 101, so invited him over. Today, from cocktails, beer, whisky, sparkling wine, to brandy... drinking so many types in a row, I've definitely had enough alcohol. @@ Thanks for the hospitality. Cheers~ By Morgan @2025.2.4 night
Location: ALTA Nightclub, Taichung (2nd visit); Senior's home Travel note summary: ALTA Nightclub in Taichung (2nd visit); Senior's home. Yesterday noon, warm family gathering at Zhujian Hot Pot, thanks to my sister for treating. Evening, met up with Maxim, a junior from Weidao 10 years younger. Today noon, Don, a senior from Weidao over 20 years older, invited me. Spanning over 30 grades—now I'm really at an age connecting generations. XD Every year, I come to the senior's place to hear multiple seniors over 70 from Taichung First share their valuable life experiences. Today drank Luzhou baijiu and Bordeaux red wine. Thanks to the senior for hosting. New year, new beginnings, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2025.2.1
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, Liyun SAKE LA VIE Travel Note: My 6th visit to Liyun SAKE LA VIE in Qizhi, Taichung. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, I came to Brother Xuanyi's shop with Brother Gong to enjoy Japanese sake. Today's bottle was a sake brewed by a French person, with a particularly unique background story and bottle design. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat, Cheers! By Morgan @2025.1.30 evening
Location: Taoyuan Travel Note: It's been a while since I last visited Taoyuan. I was spontaneously invited out today—thanks to my friend for the treat. I also met Brother Lü, who has been doing trade in mainland China for a long time. Cheers!
Location: New Taipei City, Xindian District, Erbazi Botanical Garden Travel Note: Erbazi Botanical Garden, National Human Rights Museum, Wenshan, Shih Hsin University, Jingmei Night Market in Xindian, New Taipei. Around 7 a.m., I first met my graduate school classmate KT at the Courtyard by Marriott for a hearty breakfast and catch-up—thanks, old classmate! Afterward, I went for a walk in the less-frequented Xindian area, experiencing the Ankeng Light Rail (departing from Shisizhang Station), which opened less than two years ago. Then, I spent over an hour hiking the mountain trails at Erbazi Botanical Garden. After that, I spent most of the afternoon seriously exploring the National Human Rights Museum (former Jingmei Detention Center of the Taiwan Garrison Command), which contains a vast amount of historical materials. I also saw the courtroom where the Kaohsiung Incident trials were held. Later, I visited Shih Hsin University and Jingmei Night Market, both places I hadn't been to before. A day with plenty of steps—over 23,000! @@ By Morgan @2025.1.25
Location: Taipei, Lane off Heping East Road, Vitalità Italian Kitchen Travel Note: Vitalità Italian Kitchen (2nd visit) in a lane off Heping East Road, Taipei. Came in the evening for a sake tasting event organized by Ziling. Attendees included Brother Otto, Brother Zhaoxiang, Jiumiao, Junda, and Julie. People from the Wine Collection Forum, a sake lecturer, a sake blogger, a composer, and even someone from Want Want China Times Media Group. Listened to Brother Otto share his travel experiences in the Amazon River, chatted with Jiumiao about the Nishidaira Shuzo - Brown Sugar Shochu NFT she bought last year, and talked with Julie about her colleague previously being approached by OKx exchange for advertising. Learned a lot about Japanese sake from Brother Zhaoxiang. Heard Junda's story about switching from studying at National Taiwan University to pursuing music. Taiwan is a small place—Tim, who arrived later, loves champagne and also knows Chris from Ming Ren Champagne Shop. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.1.23 evening
Location: Taipei, Chuan Chuan Er Spicy Hot Pot Travel Note: Chuan Chuan Er Spicy Hot Pot (2nd visit), Vitalità Italian Kitchen in Taipei. Invited by Brother Tai, owner of Wufu Wonton in Kaohsiung, for an evening gathering. Since Chuan Chuan Er is about to close, we held a final tasting event here—15 people, 15 bottles of wine, Cheers! Chatted with Brother Tai about his recent interview on Wu Ruoquan's show. Later, went with Ziling to her friend's shop for a second round, switching to sake, along with David and Xiao Yu. Eventually, everyone left drunk, leaving just me and Ziling to chat about her outlook on life. Cheers again! By Morgan @2025.1.21 evening
Location: Han Lai Celebrity House, 34F, Taipei World Trade Center International Trade Building. Travel notes: This morning, I introduced Kyle, the CEO of WhaleChip, to Steven, who's visiting from California and heading back today. He happens to have needs for IC chip design and manufacturing. Listened to them discuss products using TSMC's 4–6nm process. Steven also introduced his friend, Bill, who has over 30 years of combined experience in China and the US, helping many companies go public in the US via SPAC. For lunch, Steven hosted at Han Lai Celebrity House on the 34th floor. Besides William, Taka and Dingyuan also joined, and I met Brain Ge, a well-known KOL in Taiwan's blockchain and crypto circle. Also met Steven's friend Jonason, who works in high-end agriculture and is a chairman of a US-listed company. Thanks for the treat, Steven—have a smooth trip back to the US! In the afternoon, I headed to Zhongxiao Xinsheng. Senior Lman introduced their on-premise server product for privacy AI knowledge management, Tallgeese. Met Niki, who recently left Donyang. In the evening, had a simple stir-fry meal with Ramen Senior, Leon, and Jeff, chatting about Web3, AI PC, and more. Thanks for hosting, Leon—cheers! By Morgan @2025.1.15
Location: Fish Rhyme Japanese Cuisine, Da'an District, Taipei. Travel notes: This afternoon, I first visited Authme, a company doing AI identity verification, and met with CEO Andy. Listened to Andy introduce their new AI-related products launching this year. In the evening, thanks to Sister Jennie for treating us to Japanese cuisine—cheers with sake! :) By Morgan @2025.1.14 evening
Location: 1496 Bar, Linsen North Road, Taipei (multiple visits). Travel notes: This afternoon, I met a retired professor friend of Brother Leon and listened to them discuss semiconductor materials. Thanks to Sister Jennie for buying a large pizza for dinner. After 9 PM, it was the anniversary of Brother Xiao Hei's bar. Came here with A-Li to drink his stored VSOP. Also chatted with Pin, a university student who recently appeared on a TV program. Thanks to A-Li for the treat and Brother Xiao Hei for treating everyone to shots—cheers! By Morgan @2025.1.10 evening
Location: Da San Yuan Restaurant, Hengyang Road, Taipei. Travel notes: Good friend Samuel is heading back to the US again tomorrow, so he invited me and Ramen Senior for dinner tonight. He said he wanted Chinese food, so I booked Da San Yuan, which once had a Michelin star, to try it. Some dishes were quite unique, like the 'Bai Hua Nian Gui Ma,' which combines shrimp paste with the aroma of fried youtiao. Other dishes were also pretty good; per person cost tonight was around 1,500. Thanks for the treat, Samuel—have a smooth journey! Taiwan is still so small. Samuel doesn't know many people here, but he happened to run into a friend at the very next table. XD By Morgan @2025.1.7 evening
Location: Le Sentir Cigar Club, Da'an District, Taipei (2nd visit). Travel notes: Last night, I went for drinks with Miss T at Toku-san's place, which has been in the news recently. At noon today, I had a simple meal near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall with CLKao, a talented high school classmate from Taichung First Senior High who's briefly back from Silicon Valley/San Francisco for an early New Year celebration, and IPA. Afterward, we went to a nearby café to discuss his new startup topic: Recce. It mainly solves the issue of data-driven intelligent systems—when new data or logic changes (including GenAI data), it can quickly check and ensure system reliability. Similar to using EDA software when designing chips, primarily to improve design efficiency and reduce error rates. Also introduced Brother Leon and my classmate briefly. Then went to Findle near Brother Leon and Sister Jennie's place to further explore various possibilities of AI in the entertainment industry with Sister Jennie. Finally, in the evening, Pat happened to be meeting near Da'an Forest Park, so I didn't have to move far. Along with Pat's Cornell university classmate Samuel and Pat's former colleague from Merrill Lynch, Jerry, who has a Ph.D. from Princeton—four of us in total. It's been almost two years since I last saw Jerry. He has moved to New York to focus on his startup in sleep management and monitoring (with Naver from Korea as one of the investors). Listening to these three friends share their past and current life experiences across the US really broadened my horizons. We also discussed some developments in RWA. Thanks for the treat, Brother Pat. Cheers! By Morgan @2025.1.4 evening
Location: Taipei, Unwined Bar & Vintner opposite Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (2nd visit). Took Wic to the ITRI office in Neihu in the morning, chatted with Peter and Davis about the P1 Financial GPT. In the afternoon, introduced by Leon, I met Patrick, one of the partners at their fund. Taiwan is a small place—Patrick not only knows my junior from 333 Gallery and David Zeng from Blue Pool Asia, but also shares the same birthday as Old Mr. Bai from Polaris, and they used to celebrate together. Asked this senior finance veteran many questions about integrating digital assets with traditional finance. Thanks to Patrick for treating us to two bottles of Burgundy red wine. Afterward, Leon had a dinner gathering, so I briefly said hello to Winston, the CFO of a major group. Another fulfilling day. Cheers~ By Morgan @evening of Jan 3, 2025.
Location: Taichung. Another year has passed. During the New Year holiday, besides returning to Taichung for the reunion dinner, I also revisited some articles I wrote that were previously covered by TVBS and Liberty Times. I combined them with current AIGC technology to try some new experiments and variations. Alongside the old articles, I also created some new ones: Tainan Snacks Compilation Morgan Edition (82 shops) - Limerick + RAP song version (AI music, AI image generation - beginner) https://youtu.be/ZaIXYbsuM30?si=UM-QSz4AGio3MYmd; Tainan Snacks Compilation Morgan Edition (Taiwanese pronunciation) (AI Taiwanese voiceover) https://youtu.be/Nt3y9qqSEfI?si=2WY7-avuil_va2kh; Complete Taiwan Michelin Bib Gourmand 126 Shops Compilation - Limerick + music version (AI text organization) https://youtu.be/eyVtpuKA2jc?si=rSHij-2DJewUyUql. Time always moves forward without stopping. While living in the present, I remain full of curiosity about new things. Hope the new year brings more interesting collisions. Wishing all friends a Happy New Year! :) By Morgan @New Year's Eve, Jan 28, 2025.
Location: Taipei, Grand Hyatt Taipei 1F Cheers Lounge. Yesterday, through Jojo, I met senior Fuxin from the NCKU class of '90. He invests in biotech, supply chain finance, and other industries. On New Year's Day afternoon, I went to Jeff's place near Dongmen Station and spent time with Leon & Jennie, Leon's friend of over 30 years, Lai, and Roy's whole family. Taiwan is a small place—Roy is my senior from Weidao High School, twenty years my senior. They manufacture motors for power steering systems, currently among the top three globally and also part of Tesla's supply chain. Then in the evening, came to the Grand Hyatt to catch up with William, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Also met his friend Steven, who just arrived from the US. Discussed Steven's exchange's idea of looking for a base in Taiwan to set up a VC and invest in projects. Suggested they visit Taipei Ark and Tempo House tomorrow. Thanks to William for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @evening of Jan 1, 2025.
Location: Taipei, Tianxiang Road, Xiagangye Mutton Speciality Store (2nd visit). Afternoon schedule today: Hooters on Qingcheng Street, then to Minquan West Road Station, where I newly met Leon, the boss of Haosheng Technology, which makes cooling fans and low-temperature epoxy products. Finally, in the evening, went to a nearby mutton hot pot restaurant I hadn't been to in over ten years. Cheers~ By Morgan @evening of Dec 30, 2024.
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Huofang Grilled Fish. Wic, whom I've known for over ten years, asked me out for dinner tonight. Besides giving me the Burgundy red wine he and Min sent me, it's also been half a year since we last caught up. Listened to him talk about how he's been rapidly implementing systems for Tony across multiple securities and futures firms in recent years, while having a few glasses of plum wine + whisky to warm up. Also discussed potential areas for future collaboration. Thanks to Wic for the treat. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @evening of Dec 28, 2024.
Location: Taipei ONE RULE Taipei Travel Notes: My fourth visit to ONE RULE Taipei. In the afternoon, Brother Leon invited me for coffee at the Starbucks near Zara. In the evening, Brother Paul invited me for drinks, where I met Brother Thompson, another Brother Cory, and Xiao Zhao, along with Junior Xiao Du, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Thanks to Xiao Zhao for picking up the tab. For late-night snacks, we headed to the ATT 4Fun area and had drinks with various entrepreneurs. Besides Junior Marcus, there were Andy from AuthMe, Fash from GoSky, and Kevin, one of the founders of the game streaming platform Twitch, whom I'd met once before. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.27 evening
Location: Taipei Xindian Bawei Ginger Duck (Zhongxing Branch) Travel Notes: Today was a good day—I had dinner invitations from three different friends in the evening. Unfortunately, I couldn't be in multiple places at once, so I chose one and ended up in Xindian. Yujia, a comrade from our national defense service 20 years ago, came all the way from Hsinchu to host a gathering. The attendees were all his friends from the tech industry in Taipei or Hsinchu—Philips, HP, ASUS, HTC, Realtek, Crystal Optech, Macronix... For the food, HTC's seafood master Spirit took charge of arranging various seafood dishes. Along with Senior Don, Tianhao, and another national defense service friend, Hongqi, there were 13 of us in total. Red crab, mullet roe, fish balls... paired with German white wine and whiskey—it was a very satisfying meal. Thanks to John for hosting! Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.26 evening
Location: Taichung Evergreen Laurel Hotel 1F Lobby Bar Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I first visited Sister Jojo's e-commerce sales platform, AmaShop. They currently work with over a hundred brand partners. Later, Brother Zeng joined us after his meeting to network and discuss topics related to supply chain finance. Both of them usually work in Shanghai and Shenzhen, so it was a fortunate coincidence to meet them in Taichung today. Afterward, I spontaneously met up with Junior Marcus to chat about AI applications. Then, I headed back to Taipei. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.25 evening
Location: Taipei Neihu Samwon Garden Korean Restaurant (Ruiguang Branch) Travel Notes: My second visit to Samwon Garden Korean Restaurant in Neihu, Ruiguang Branch. Today, Brother Gong and his two full-time investor friends came up from Taichung because they're interested in financial trading + AI. So, I arranged for them to visit the office of Taiwan Intelligent Research & Development (ITRD) in Neihu to exchange ideas with the CEO, Peter, about their in-development P1-GPT. Thanks to Peter and Davis for hosting. Taiwan is so small—it turns out one of Brother Gong's friends, LinR, had actually had a meal with Peter before. Afterward, I went with Brother Gong and his friends (LinR and A-De) to a nearby high-end Korean restaurant for dinner. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating! Merry Christmas! :) — Morgan @2024.12.24
Location: Taipei City Hall Station JLK SAKE STUDIO Sake Specialty Store Travel Notes: A busy day—I had a Zomma meeting in the morning. In the afternoon, I had coffee with Brother Leon, discussing AI applications and digital assets. In the evening, I had eel rice with my ramen senior at Sogo in Zhongxiao Fuxing. I was so focused on chatting with my senior across from me that I didn't even notice the beautiful lawyer Jingfang sitting at the table opposite us—until she messaged me on Line saying she had just been sitting across from me. What a coincidence! It's a pity Jingfang had to go back to work on her law firm matters; otherwise, we should have seized the day and had a drink together! Finally, I ended up at City Hall Station alone. Without an umbrella to escape the rain, I had no choice but to come here again for a few glasses of Japanese sake. @@ — Morgan @2024.12.23 evening
Location: Tianmu, Taipei – Night Gathering Travel Notes: I brought Jennie up from Kaohsiung in the morning. Miao, a senior figure in the entertainment industry, came to Gene’s company. We chatted with Rod, their entertainment director who has worked in music, film, and advertising, exploring how AI could be applied in their fields. In the afternoon, I attended the Zomma Protocol meeting at the World Trade Center, discussing last week’s news about Tom giving away Wagyu beef at TBW. Afterward, we went to the second floor of Woolloomooloo nearby, where Miao introduced her friend Heidi and Heidi’s sophomore son, Jacob, who creates and sells his own paintings, composes music, and was even approached by Angie Chai for filming—a very talented young man. In the evening, we headed to Tianmu, where through Jennie and Miao, I met director Renfeng, producer Ajiu, and planner Zhongyong. I listened to them discuss a new film they’ve been planning for two years, which is about to start shooting with a team of Golden Horse Award winners. Renfeng is also a junior of renowned directors like Hou Hsiao-hsien and Ang Lee, having shot over 100 commercials and many music videos, and participated in productions like 'Eternal Love of Dream' (starring Dilraba). Listening to these entertainment industry experts was a real learning experience for me. On a whim, I suggested to Ajiu, 'Why not find a crypto project or exchange as one of your sponsors for product placement?' She said, 'Sure! XD' Thanks to Renfeng for specially buying red wine nearby for me, and to Jennie for driving me home and even buying Liu Family Cold Noodles for me. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.19 night
Location: Brother Hotel Rooftop – Osmanthus Hall (Sichuan Cuisine) Travel Notes: In the morning, I visited the office of Don, a major shareholder of several listed companies. He introduced me to a vice president from his company and the VP’s female friend. This friend has 36 Bitcoins in a chain wallet that needs handling, so I explained cold wallets, TRON chain, crypto debit cards, and analyzed Taiwanese exchanges like BITO, MaiCoin, and XREX. Afterward, I went to a nearby restaurant with Don and the VP, accompanied by California red wine. Over drinks, Don shared his unforgettable experience from his Wall Street days, spending over a million dollars in legal fees on a $65 million lawsuit. Thanks for the treat, Don! Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.18 afternoon
Location: Sanong Claypot, Taipei Travel Notes: At noon, I had lunch with Pat, Samuel, and Wego (co-founder of BlockTempo and TonX) at a restaurant atop 101, discussing DeSci, Hyperliquid, Pump.fun, and projects incubated by TonX like BTCFi. Thanks for the treat, Pat! Afterward, Pat went to a meeting, and Wego went to Eric at Shangyan Accounting. I stayed with Samuel at Jean-Paul Hevin in 101, enjoying macaron afternoon tea and chatting. Thanks for the treat, Samuel! In the evening, I had dinner with Chairman Wu, a friend of Leon’s who was once listed on the emerging stock market, along with his wife, son Vic, and core employee Ouyang. Vic co-opened a restaurant near Zhongxiao Xinsheng with a unique flavor—only four months old but doing quite well. Chairman Wu and I hit it off over drinks; I was called 'Morgan' at least 20 times throughout the night. @@ With a bunch of beers and two bottles of whiskey, we drank until we dropped. Thanks for the treat, Chairman Wu and Vic! Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.17 night
Location: Tipsy Garden Bistro, Dadaocheng, Taipei Travel Notes: I had two meetings from morning to afternoon today. In the evening, my good friend Samuel, who just returned to Taiwan from the US yesterday, invited me to dinner. We found a unique bistro in Dadaocheng. Over the meal, Samuel and I discussed KulaDAO’s RWA Token launching in Q1 next year—a token backed by or invested in real-world assets (RWA = Real World Asset). Before coming to Taiwan, Sam also stopped by a forest area in Malaysia to conduct due diligence on land with underlying mineral resources. After months apart, we toasted and chatted about many things. The bar served a spicy cocktail made with garlic and chili foam, paired with mildly spicy dishes—quite unique. Cheers! :) — Morgan @2024.12.16 night
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: Taipei Blockchain Week & Tom Soong’s Wagyu Treat. The 2024 TBW Taipei Blockchain Week event was held at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. At the same time, Tom Soong, who previously bet in the community that if SOL (Solana Token) reached 230, he’d treat the entire community to Wagyu beef, kept his promise and prepared hundreds of Wagyu bento boxes to give away today. Thanks, Tom! ^^ Besides picking up the Wagyu bento, I also attended several panels at TBW. One female entrepreneur, Sharon, made a great point: life is constantly about negotiation—with investors, employees, partners, and even with oneself. Thus, negotiation skills are especially important throughout life. After listening, I went to The Gateway exhibition at the adjacent Taiwan Design Week to explore the potential of AI... — Morgan @2024.12.14
Location: Taipei, Baoqing Street, Black Horse Kitchen (2nd visit) Travel notes: My mom and her friend came up to Taipei, so I accompanied them to see the chrysanthemum exhibition at Shilin Residence. Then we went to Jian Tan Station to visit the Chinese medicine clinic run by Aunt Wu's daughter. After seeing my mom off at Taipei Main Station, I joined David's investment club gathering in the evening. I met new friends: Xiao Jun, an editor from the Commercial Times; Josh from STARLUX Airlines; Yi Ping from KGI Life Insurance; Xiao Hong, who studied chemical engineering and works with resins; Ji Ming, who works with bank vaults; and Tai Ge, the owner of Wufu Wonton in Kaohsiung. I heard Tai Ge's stories about impulsively going to Italy for Michelin-starred meals and his dozens of trips to the US and New Zealand. We also bonded over shared experiences like traveling in Eastern Europe, exploring China, taking cruises, and enjoying Turkish baths. It was a joyful night—I even went back home to grab two more bottles of Spanish and Bordeaux wine to keep the celebration going. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.13 evening
Location: Taipei, Qiaotou Spicy Hot Pot Travel notes: Originally planned to attend BitGo's crypto event at Flare tonight, but got invited last minute by Brother Leon for dinner. Met new friends: Sister Diana, Brother Wendong, and Sister Lulu. I explained Bitcoin and cold wallets to these financial and tech industry seniors, who are about a decade older than me, and we had a great conversation. Dinner started at 6 PM and lasted until almost midnight. Thanks to Sister Jennie for hosting. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinsheng South Road, Yidaijiaren Seafood Grill Travel notes: Learned valuable life lessons from Brother Leon and gained new perspectives on analyzing things from different angles—truly eye-opening. Thanks for the treat! — Morgan @2024.12.9 evening
Location: Taipei, Sunrise Hotel 15F Opera Cocktail Bar Travel notes: Weekend evening, invited by Sam to meet new friends. Thomas, Brother Tony, and Charlie are all regulars at KOR. Louis works in tech, with TSMC as a client. Howard used to work at an international corporation, traveling to over 40 countries, and now handles family land development back in Taiwan. Also met his Korean friend Ken, and Brother Andy—who I met once before, owns mines in Yunnan, flew in from Hong Kong today to attend Jay Chou's concert... Cheers! — Morgan @2024.12.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, 1496 Bar Travel notes: Evening drinks with Brother Cory and Brother Weide. Taiwan is small—also met Ken (Kegang) working in supply chain finance, Daniel and Brother Ethan from BSOS, Vic in media (their IP includes crypto influencer Shui Feng Dao), and A-Kai, who runs a global phone case factory in Shenzhen. They're all founders of the Jouer private club. Also met the multitalented Even, who works across music and art, and one of the bar owners, James. Cheers and thanks for hosting! Later continued the night with Brother Cory at Brother Xiao Hei's place. Cheers. — Morgan @2024.12.6 evening
Location: Taipei, Fā Ròu Yakiniku & Bar Dunbei Branch 1 Travel note: Joey, who just returned to Taiwan from Shanghai today, asked me out for a meal. So we came for yakiniku near Brother Hotel. Thanks for the treat, Joey! Later, we continued to Changchun Road for some red wine. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.12.5 evening
Location: Taipei, Jianguo North Road, Tempo House Travel note: Brought my elders to meet my juniors Mars and Edison. Unexpectedly, we chatted from 1:30 PM until 11:30 PM before parting ways—a full, rich ten hours. Thanks for the hospitality, Mars! ~ By Morgan @2024.12.2 evening
Location: Taipei, Chengdu Road, Jiangjinjiu 'Dream Back to the Western Regions' Dinner & Wine Tasting Travel note: Sundays don't seem any less busy—another day with three stops. First, went to Banqiao in the afternoon to meet an old colleague from the investment trust, Wenxiao, to pass along a souvenir from his NCCU junior, Ziying. Then headed to Far Eastern Plaza 4F, DeerFriend Cafe, to chat with Daniel from BSOS about the development of RWA in Taiwan. Thanks for the treat, Daniel! In the evening, went to Ximending at the invitation of David from Taifeng Wine Merchant for a tasting event. Brother Li from Ürümqi recently opened a super unique private kitchen-style venue upstairs in a building, specializing in Xinjiang and Western Regions dishes like big plate chicken, roasted lamb, Turpan raisins, and desserts made with 52-degree Tianshan sorghum liquor... bringing back memories of various delicacies from the northwestern provinces. While drinking, also met Ken, who runs an electronic parts business and the French premium egg brand Dach Golden, and Kelvin from Hong Kong, a former PM at Google. Coincidentally, Ken had just been discussing with his friend at XREX about tokenizing the egg industry, and Kelvin turned out to be a high school alumni with another Hong Kong friend on Facebook, Ben Crox. So, with these two new friends, we chatted about different topics. In the end, four of us drank six bottles of wine plus another 68.8-degree coriander liquor. Thanks for the invitation, David! Cheers! :) ~ By Morgan @2024.12.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Jinzhou Street, No. 21 Goose Meat Travel note: After returning to Taipei, had dinner in the evening with Sam and several elder brothers who are pretty much financially free—Brother Big Bear, Brother Guang, Brother Xing, Brother Yu, Brother Victor, and Principal Chen. Thanks for the treat, Brother Big Bear and Sam! Continued the gathering afterward. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.11.29 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Unwined Bar & Vintner Travel note: Had lunch with the Zomma team and friends from Taka Taipei Ark to celebrate Tom's birthday. Brother Tianren, whom I hadn't seen in a while, also came. We chatted about FTX claims, BTC, ETH, SOL... various crypto changes, and the tragic NFT stories from the last bull market. Thanks for the treat, Tom, and happy birthday! ^^ Afterward, came alone to a wine shop near Technology Building Station that I hadn't visited before. Ordered a glass of red wine and handled some remote work on my phone while drinking. ~ By Morgan @2024.11.26
Location: Taipei - Toasteria Cafe (DunNan branch, 2nd visit), Qiaotou Spicy Hot Pot (2nd visit) Travel notes: In the afternoon, I met up with Leon and Fred here to listen to their respective entrepreneurial stories. For dinner, we were joined by Fred's Hong Kong couple friends, Denny and Sue, as well as Paul. We all went to a spicy hot pot restaurant opened by Leon's Hong Kong friend. The owner, Brother Liang, also came by specially to greet Leon. Thanks to Leon for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.25 evening
Location: Taipei Arena - Nickthereal (Zhou Tanghao) Concert Travel notes: Thanks to Fred for the invitation & tickets. Came to the concert on Sunday afternoon (& saw lots of young girls? lol). The final surprise was Nickthereal's mom, Billie姐, a total nostalgia trip!
Location: Taipei - Episode Daan Taipei - JDV by Hyatt Travel notes: Met up for dinner in Taipei with a junior high school classmate, Boheng, whom I hadn't seen in a while. He occasionally comes to Taipei to work as a Formula 1 racing commentator for ELTA Sports, so we seized the chance to catch up. It's been almost 30 years since we graduated from Weidao Middle School—time really flies. After eating at a tasty and affordable yakiniku place near Breeze, seeing my packed nightlife schedule, my classmate took me to a nearby bone-setting place for some body maintenance. Thanks, old classmate, for the treat and my first bone-setting experience! Afterward, we chatted at his place, covering everything from politics, economics, US stocks, real estate, taxes, all the way to Bitcoin... we really talked about everything under the sun. After leaving my classmate's place, Sam and Junsheng哥 invited me to join them at the bar upstairs in this newly opened hotel. A very lively spot on a Saturday night. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.23 evening
Location: Taipei Xinyi District - Taifeng CHATROOM Wine Merchant Travel notes: After a meeting in the afternoon, came here for a drink. Ended up ordering a glass of Chablis white wine, and then several more appeared. Hit it off with David, a staff member I met for the first time. We chatted about several natural wine shops in Taipei: Dancing Elephant, Ken Nature, Xiao Quan, Jiemu Wine & Food, RVLT, Cafe Society, Vin Nature 45 Natural Yard, A Glass or Two, Clos & Cru Wine Bar... all the way to David having passed exams for Japanese Sake Sommelier and American ISG International Sommelier certifications. He also offered me tastings of a California white and a French Burgundy red. Coincidentally, the A-Pon Steakhouse I went to yesterday also sources their wine from here. A great wine merchant, so I added David's contact. He also invited me to a wine tasting event he's hosting at Black Horse Kitchen in December. After leaving, Andrew and Sam both reached out to hang out tonight, so Friday Night, we'll all get to know each other soon. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.11.22 evening
Location: Taipei City Hall Station - A-Pon Steak Bistro Travel notes: Had dinner with Lman, my senior, and chatted about the Tallgeese company he runs with Jeffrey. They recently launched a local AI workstation solution product that focuses on high privacy and addresses issues like difficult knowledge management and insufficient internal experts within enterprises. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.21 evening
Location: Taipei, NCCU Center for Public and Business Administration Education, 9th Blockchain Enthusiasts Annual Conference Travel note summary: The 9th Taiwan Blockchain Summit, organized by the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association founded by Taka, is in its ninth year. This morning, I came to listen to friends share insights on the RWA topic (Real World Assets, real-world asset tokenization). Speakers included Associate Professor Han from NTHU's Department of Quantitative Finance, Ethan from Matrixport, Daniel from BSOS, and the beautiful host Charlotte. It was fascinating to hear everyone discuss how to promote the development of these innovative technologies within regulatory frameworks. By Morgan @2024.11.19
Location: Taipei, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Vinyl Cafe Travel note summary: In the evening, I went with Brother Jeff to visit his classmate's company, whose clients include Far Eastern Bank and Chung Tai Chan Monastery. Afterwards, we had soup dumplings at Jinan Fresh and then came to a shop opened by Brother Cory's friend to quietly spend some time alone. It's a very special secret base filled with vinyl records. Listening to the melodious live band music while sipping a few glasses of wine created a very relaxing atmosphere, especially on this drizzly night. Enjoy the moment~ :) By Morgan @2024.11.18 evening
Location: Taipei, Xiaoxiao Mai Yongji Branch, Japanese Izakaya Travel note summary: At noon, I walked to Jixiang Road to try the pork cutlet that Brother Ethan often checks in at but I never had time to eat. I ordered a small bowl of Kā mǎ lán black pork tonkatsu donburi. The pork cutlet had a great chew and was full of aroma, paired with refreshing shredded cabbage and dipping sauce. For someone with a small appetite like me, I regretted not ordering the large portion. :P In the afternoon, after shopping at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, I found T in the evening to go to an izakaya together and open a bottle of sake. Later, Andrew, who just returned from Hangzhou today, also joined. As soon as he arrived, he ordered 6 raw oysters, followed by more sake. Thanks to Andrew for treating most of it. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Le Sentir Cigar Club Travel note summary: After dinner, my good brother Pat suddenly arranged a gathering. His former subordinate Heng from his time at Credit Suisse came to Taiwan with his wife these few days to handle some matters and also to meet up with Pat. Pat then invited me to join and get to know them. Heng now works in the investment team (Family Office) at Chow Tai Fook in Hong Kong, helping to evaluate various investable projects or funds. His wife works at a fund platform invested by Temasek in Singapore, using a FOF method to allow retail investors to participate in top-tier VC fund investments that are usually only accessible to large institutions. Heng has also looked into some crypto projects in recent years; two years ago during the crypto downturn, they also invested in Hashkey's fund. Coincidentally, I was wearing an Aptos T-shirt today, and Heng actually recognized at a glance which public chain it was. That's quite rare. So later, we also chatted about how Pat, a long time ago when helping Canaan go public in the US, bought their mining machines and mined a bit of Bitcoin at the time. From traditional finance to digital assets, everyone had a very enjoyable conversation all night. Thanks to Pat for treating us to this whiskey. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.11.16 evening
Location: Taipei, C-Lab Future Media Arts Festival - Singularity Travel note summary: "When artificial intelligence surpasses human intelligence, triggering explosive changes in technology and society, making future events difficult to predict and understand. The singularity may appear in various ways." - Vernor Vinge, 1993 (the same year NVIDIA was founded)
Location: Taipei, Chinatown Sky Bar on the 15th floor of Sunrise Hotel. Travel note: First went to Neihu in the evening for a wine tasting event with Cory and Lele's Italian wine supplier. Met Scott from the US and Aman from Abu Dhabi. Then headed to Chinatown to attend the opening party of a high-rise piano bar lounge where Duan Yu serves as a consultant. Taiwan is small—Sam's friend also knows the owner here, Andy. Tonight also ran into the boss of Puyuan Construction and the ex-husband of Hu Gua's daughter, both surnamed Li. Through Sam, also met David, chairman of Chongwei Construction; Taylor from Hongyu Electric; Arthur in medical aesthetics; Andy from Hong Kong; Bruce from Plum Deer Films; Harley in FA; Warren in water tech; Fenfen who runs a gallery; and also met Maxim, a junior from 333. Jun-sheng came later—he's known Duan Yu since his entertainment days over 30 years ago. Later continued with Sam for another round in Ximending. Another sleepless night. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.15 evening
Location: Taipei, Tianyuan Seafood Restaurant in an alley on Bade Road. Travel note: (2nd visit) Evening, Brother Chen Jun-sheng wanted to treat Sam to dinner, and Zixuan and I had the chance to join. With their friend Fred, exactly five of us at a table. Everyone chatted happily—only when frequencies match can people gather like this. Thanks to Jun-sheng for the treat! By Morgan @2024.11.14 evening
Location: Taipei. Travel note: Another fulfilling day. 1. Visited Sam's office in Neihu (Future City Tech). Besides electrochromic glass and waterproof mirror TVs that have entered many five-star hotels, Sam is also involved in real estate in Kumamoto, Japan. So I introduced Zixuan, whose family has been deeply rooted in Kumamoto for over 20 years with strong local resources, to Sam. Turns out they're both Geminis—talked for over two hours. Let's see what collaboration opportunities arise later. 2. Went to TGI Fridays above Uni-President Department Store to discuss matters with Brother Leon. Two good friends happened to be looking for me, so they joined. With investment banking buddy Pat and ramen senior, chatted a bit with Leon. Later talked about concerts and artist IP. Thanks to Sister Jennie for the treat. 3. Sam invited for a drink on Chang'an East Road. With a few of his friends and a Japanese company president. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.13 evening
Location: Taipei, Lao Sichuan Spicy Hot Pot on Chang'an East Road. Travel note: Brother Wei-de from Changqing Pharmacy, who has amazing connections, really can celebrate his birthday for a full month—today I was lucky to join one of those gatherings. At the table tonight were General Manager Zhu from Business Weekly, President Zhu from Wanbao Investment, Hai-ge from Huawei's distributor, Yu-shan from SET TV, Brother Yan from ERA TV's general manager, General Manager Jiang from Jiutiaotong, the pretty Rei In from Changqing, and Xiao-hui from Besins. Heard many interesting stories from everyone & enjoyed drinks together. Thanks to Brother Wei-de for the invitation and treat. Looking forward to your killer new weight-loss product launching soon—hope it's a huge hit! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.11.12 evening
Location: Taipei, 1496 Bar on Linsen North Road. Travel note: (15th visit) A few days ago, Brother Li came to Xiao Hei's bar, opened a new bottle of whiskey and stored it under my name. So tonight I invited Brother Li to come and finish that bottle together. Also, while playing Big Two with Xiao Hei, listened to him share many valuable life insights and experiences. After finishing the whiskey, Brother Li later opened another bottle of VSOP, again under my name~ Thanks to Brother Li for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Yongji Road, FortuneCellar Travel note: After dinner, I passed by this shop while taking a stroll. It was drizzling lightly, so I went in and opened a bottle of Italian sparkling wine to relax with a drink. The shop owner treated me to a small glass of Macallan Classic Cut whisky that had been aged in a sherry cask. Suddenly remembering that T also lives nearby, I invited her out for a drink. The two of us then opened another bottle of South African Shiraz red wine. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.7 evening
Location: Taipei, National Central Library Travel note: National Central Library, Jinhua Street, Caffè Libero (2nd visit). Came here in the afternoon to browse some books, then Brother Leon invited me to a café near Dongmen. The last time I was at this café was with Sister Sharon, who was still in the investment department at Crypto.com at the time. Time flies—Bitcoin hit another all-time high today. @@ By Morgan @2024.11.6
Location: Taipei, Taipei Dome Baseball Stadium, 2024 Taiwan-Czech International Exchange Game Travel note: It's been years since I last watched a baseball game at a stadium. Thanks to Brother Paul's invitation today, I joined their private box upstairs to watch this international exchange game. The view was fantastic—hearing the roaring cheers really got my blood pumping! :) By Morgan @2024.11.2
Location: Yilan, iFrance Restaurant Travel note: Thanks to my friend Sam and Chairman David from Chong Wei Construction for inviting me to lunch at this French restaurant they invested in, in Yilan. The head chef here used to be the sous chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant, Taïrroir. Today's gathering included David, Brother Bao Ming, Brother Andy, Hao Yang, Ivan, Brother Xiao Qiang, Brother Cory, Arthur, Sam, Taylor, and me—11 people in total. Taiwan is such a small place—turns out Brother Bao Ming is the owner of that standalone private club on Tayou Road I used to visit often a while back. We hadn't met before, but fate brought us together here today. Everyone at the table was an entrepreneur from various industries—cosmetic medicine, real estate, design, electrochromic glass, long-term care, electrical engineering... and Brother Andy, whom I met last time at the piano bar on the 15th floor of the Sunrise Hotel. Chatting further, I also found out that Brother Cory is Sam's primary and middle school senior, 12 years his senior. It was a very enjoyable meal, and everyone had a great time chatting. This place is indeed a French restaurant with great value for money. Thanks for the treat, David. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.11.29
Location: Taipei, Neihu, Vin37 Travel note: Vin37 in Neihu (5th visit), Alleycat's Pizza in Huashan (2nd visit). In the afternoon, I came to Neihu with Brother Cory to attend a wine tasting event organized by a wine merchant. Bordeaux, Burgundy, Spain, Italy, plus a white wine—everyone brought something different, covering quite a few regions. Today, I met Ade, who works in investment consulting. Afterward, Brother Cory and I went to a shop opened by his friend. I haven't been to this place in about twelve or thirteen years, but the memories are still vivid. Later, Brother Sheng finished work and rushed over from Zhonghe to meet Brother Cory. Thanks for the treat, Brother Cory. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.10.29 evening
Location: Taipei City Travel Notes: Another Busy Day. 1. Started the morning with a remote meeting for Zomma Protocol, which recently launched BTC/ETH one-day options on Arbitrum. 2. At noon, went to Louisa Coffee on Ruiguang Road in Neihu, introduced Sam and Mars to my junior Edison, and chatted about H200. 3. Visited the new office of Taiwan Intelligent Research (NeuroWatt) in Neihu, thanks to Peter for the tour. 4. Headed to Daan Station to bring Joey to visit my junior Gene's new digital company for a contract signing. 5. Went to a nearby Cama Coffee to chat with Brother Leon, Brother Jeff, Brother Henry (back from California, USA), VC Brother Kevin from San Francisco, and Ramen Senior. 6. Had stir-fry near Technology Building with five people for dinner. Met Brother Eddy, who loves audio equipment; he's bought properties in many places, spending nearly twice the property price on decor and audio gear. Thanks for the treat. 7. Continued to Linsen North at Brother Xiao Hei's place (1496 Bar), invited Brother Sheng to join. Surprisingly, Brother Sheng and Brother Leon are the same age, both serving as independent directors or former major shareholders of multiple listed companies, with lots to talk about. Thanks to Brother Xiao Hei for treating us to a bottle of red wine, Cheers! By Morgan @2024.10.28 evening
Location: Taipei, Dazhi, Victoria Hotel 4F N°168 Steakhouse Travel Notes: Taipei, Dazhi, Victoria Hotel 4F N°168 Steakhouse (2nd visit). Last time I came was over twelve years ago, feels like a lifetime. Joey just returned from Shanghai today and asked me to dinner, so I invited my junior Gene along to discuss potential collaborations. Thought, why not have steak at 168? Originally no seats available, but thanks to my friend Richard, the young master of Victoria, who directly helped me secure a table at their restaurant on a Saturday night, and even treated us to pizza and an Italian red wine. Thanks to Richard for the thoughtful arrangement. Later we ordered an extra bottle of 'Kami no Shizuku,' the final apostle's winery wine, a Bordeaux red, paired with a 28-day dry-aged American ribeye steak—truly satisfying. Later, we'll grab a taxi and head to Linsen North to hang out at Brother Xiao Hei's place~ Cheers! By Morgan @2024.10.26 evening
Location: Taipei OMNI Nightclub Travel Notes: Taipei OMNI Nightclub (2nd visit). Thanks to my junior for the invitation, met a new friend Sixteen who works in construction, and Johny, the owner of Beta Bistro in Taichung's Qizhi area, whom I've visited a few times. Taiwan is small—Johny also knows my classmate Boheng~ Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.10.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng Community Fu Pairing INN. Chuang Chao Fujin Store, Changan East Road Tree Fire Memorial Paper Museum Travel Notes: In the morning, went to a securities firm on Ren'ai Road to handle U.S. stock transfer business. After a simple eel rice meal nearby, visited a few museums I hadn't been to yet. Then came to a small wine shop in Minsheng Community, sat quietly alone, handling some things on my phone. Overheard two gentlemen at the next table chatting about travel, food, motorcycles—quite interesting. Around 5 PM, as they were leaving, one of them caught my eye at the door, saying I looked familiar. We started chatting, exchanged Facebook contacts. Brother Wu Jiefan (Ami) turned out to be an artist, spending a considerable annual budget on red wine. Adding him on Facebook also showed mutual friends like Brother Boliang and Lawyer Ye. The other, Brother Chen Heyi, runs a hotel in Hualien. Briefly chatted with Brother Ami about food and wine, left wanting more, agreed to meet next time for a proper drink. Life, everything follows fate! Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.10.25
Location: Taipei World Trade Center ART Taipei Taipei International Art Fair Travel Notes: Taipei World Trade Center ART Taipei Taipei International Art Fair. After a meeting at the World Trade Center in the afternoon, today happened to be the ART Taipei preview, so I went down to the first floor to find my junior Maxim from 333 Gallery. Taiwan is small—Xia Xia had heard of Rongyue before, and she recognized Rongyue at the venue, so I introduced them to each other. Then also stopped by Dahe Art to say hello to Brother Hong~ By Morgan @2024.10.24
Location: TGI Fridays near Taipei City Hall. (Multiple visits) Had a brainstorming session with Brother Leon in the afternoon. Later, Teddy, who recently returned from the US, Leo from the co-working space Kexi Space, and Tiannong, whom I haven't seen in a while, joined us. Chatting with these talented young people was very insightful. Teddy is now working on a token exchange for verifying AIGC (ERC-7007), and Tiannong has built a service connecting Telegram with exchange order placement. Thanks to Brother Leon for hosting! Cheers! :)
Location: Bar Senka on Linsen North Road, Taipei. Had five consecutive calls today, connecting with various friends. I fully realize that specializing deeply is difficult for me; I can only keep broadening my horizons. From Joey & Gene, Brother Zeng & Ian, to Brother Jun & Ringo—spanning Web3, AR+alternative medicine, and international trade. Then Sam, just back from Shenzhen, urgently updated me on the mainland banking resources he reconnected. After the fifth call discussing future plans with Brother Leon, I headed out. In the evening, Marcus and Fash introduced their AAMA 13th-term junior Daniel to me. Daniel is the founder of the Fandora platform (similar to Pinkoi); they've acquired the IP of Lao Gao & Xiao Mo and can release merchandise. Taiwan is small—Daniel is also from Taichung, attended Hongwen Junior High (same year as my brother), studied Physics at NCKU for undergrad and Industrial Design for grad school, so he's also my junior. Since we hit it off, we continued at a bar Daniel knows well. Thanks for hosting, junior! Cheers!
Location: Lunlun 1976 Washoku Sake Station, Taipei. Today's several gatherings: 1. Junhong came up from Hsinchu for his TSMC department team-building. Had lunch with this old university classmate and took him to Miramar for a simple bowl of beef noodles. 2. In the evening, besides Junhong, another university classmate, Afu, joined to try this new izakaya venture by an old Ximending establishment. Also heard about Afu's current situation in Foxconn's AI department. Thanks to Junhong for treating! 3. Then Sam introduced two friends who returned from the US/Canada years ago, Jimmy and Howard (traditional manufacturing and IT). I also invited Freeza, who brought his high school doctor friend Greg. Everyone drank and chatted. Cheers! 4. Sam continued the invites to meet Brother Jian, who works with BMW/Mercedes parts, whom he met yesterday. Thanks to Brother Jian for hosting!
Location: Jiujiaozi in Taipei's East District. (Multiple visits) Went out in the evening with Sam and Brother Jeff. Sam suggested this place I haven't been to in a while. Talking, I discovered Brother Jeff, 17 years my senior, shares the exact same birthday (month and day)—both Aries on the first day! What a coincidence. Later, everyone continued hopping to a few more spots and ran into Tina again. For the last stop, thanks to Sam's friend, the newly met and super-generous Brother Jian for hosting. Cheers!
Location: Amadeus Cafe, 10F, Sogo Fuxing, Taipei. After a meeting at the World Trade Center in the afternoon, had dinner in the evening with Sister Jojo (back from Shanghai for a few days), Brother Leon, and Sister Jennie. Chose this Austrian restaurant. Chatting over Austrian red wine made for a very rewarding night. Thanks to Sister Jennie for treating. On the way back after parting, listened to the AMA for Zomma Option Protocol hosted by Shasha at 22:00. Another day passed quickly. @@
Location: Yanping North Road, Taipei – Star KTV (President Suite) Travel note: Thanks to Sam from Future City Technology (smart glass) for inviting me to tonight's Fengyunhui gathering at Star KTV on Yanping North Road. Nearly 40 people attended, including bosses from various industries. The evening started with a talk by Chairman Chen Jingteng of the Taiwan Generative AI Association, followed by networking. Then, the daughter of Star KTV's owner showed us the club venue upstairs—it looked pretty nice. Afterward, Sam and I went to a skewer shop called Roadside BBQ in the East District, run by his friend. The first after-party was at a mysterious drinking spot, and at the second, I ran into Tina from Ukraine, whom I met a year ago. She actually remembered me—Cheers! By Morgan @2024.10.16 night
Location: Anhe Road, Taipei – THE TASTING room (wine) Travel note: Had dinner with ramen senior, JOVI who just returned from Japan, and Mars at Lane Kou Canteen on Anhe Road. Listened to them talk about development plans for their Japanese subsidiary. Taiwan is so small—I got a message from Vic asking if I was at the restaurant, and when I looked up, he was at the next table! It's only been over two weeks since we drank together in Taichung, and we ran into each other again in Taipei—what a coincidence. Plus, a stock he mentioned last time hit the limit up today. After dinner, we strolled down Anhe Road, passed by Coco's shop (JEEVES TAIPEI, a high-end laundry), and saw the lights on but weren't sure if she was inside. We sat down at a nearby wine bar, and I messaged Coco. Turns out she was in the shop, but she had an early flight to Thailand tomorrow, so she couldn't join for a drink. She still came over to say hi quickly, which was really touching. Next time we'll catch up properly! :) By Morgan @2024.10.15 night
Location: Ren'ai Road, Taipei – WINE MORE TIME Travel note: This afternoon, an elder introduced me to Professor Lin from the AI Research Institute of Shanghai Fudan University. After we parted, I remembered seeing a wine bar downstairs when I visited Eric's accounting firm last time—it happened to be near where we met. So I walked over and tried three glasses of wine for NT$1,000. Watching the endless stream of cars outside the window, I quietly settled into some alone time. By Morgan @2024.10.14 night
Location: Technology Building Station, Taipei – Dalian Flavor Restaurant Travel note: Jimmy, who usually lives in Kenting and rarely comes up, invited me out tonight. Met a few of his friends: Jeff, who's in land development; Chen Junsheng, a top Taiwanese male star from the '90s; and his friend Sam from Future City Technology, who does smart glass. Listened to Junsheng talk about the five standalone B&Bs he's opened in Kenting over the years, Sam's recent 8-day trip to Hong Kong and Macau where friends treated him to 4 days of Michelin-starred restaurants, and Jeff's memories of living in Vietnam for years during a development project. A really interesting night. Brought a Bordeaux wine I got from Cory earlier and shared a drink with everyone—thanks to Junsheng for hosting. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.10.13 night
Location: Taoyuan Travel note: A friend invited me to Taoyuan, and we ended up having five rounds. Thanks for the treat!
Location: Taipei, Yan's Wine Travel note summary: Second visit to Yan's Wine in Taipei, then Highlander Inn Taipei (Whisky Bar) in the evening. Drank with two beauties, Yishan and Luna. First stop at Yan's, had Austrian orange wine and red wine from Jura, France. Second stop near Shida, a very distinctive whisky bar, tried many special whiskies. Listening to Yishan share her many memories from Italy, France, and Cambodia was fascinating and engaging. Cheers! :) P.S. Taiwan is small. Before heading out, ran into Brother Sheng at the seafood restaurant downstairs, whom I hadn't seen in a while. He's an independent director for several listed companies and was about to go play cards with his friends after eating. Had a brief chat with him to see what collaborations might be possible lately. By Morgan @2024.10.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Gordon Biersch Travel note summary: Gordon Biersch in Taipei, then Vin37 wine cellar (4th visit) in the evening. Had a beer with three big shots, Brother Leon, Brother Jeff, and Brother William. Later, Senior Lman also joined. After that, I moved to Neihu to have a glass of Italian white wine with Lele. Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.10.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Chang'an East Road Section 33 Stir-fry & Fresh Seafood Travel note summary: Chang'an East Road Section 33 Stir-fry & Fresh Seafood in Taipei, then 1496 Bar (11th visit). Had dinner with Sam and YA in the evening, then continued to Brother Xiao Hei's nearby bar. The part-time worker Pin here is a senior in college and quite pretty~ After finishing the stored liquor from last time, we opened a new bottle. Thanks to YA for treating. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.10.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Qiaotou Spicy Hot Pot Travel note summary: Seoul Trading Company, Toasteria Cafe, Qiaotou Spicy Hot Pot in Taipei. In the afternoon, went with Brother Leon, Xiao Zhan, and Suntan to sit and chat at the shop owned by Xiao Zhan's wife. Then went to a branch of Toasteria for a beer. In the evening, went to Qiaotou Spicy Hot Pot, opened by a friend of Brother Leon. After that, found a place for a massage. A busy Saturday~ By Morgan @2024.10.5 evening
Location: Taipei, 1496 Bar Travel note summary: 1496 Bar (10th visit) in Taipei, then Triangle bar at Yuanshan Flower Expo. Junior Marcus came up to Taipei from Taichung. In the evening, met him and Fash at Brother Xiao Hei's bar, plus Andrew, four at a table. Seeing if sparks could fly between two outstanding young entrepreneurs and the person in charge of a Nasdaq-listed US company. Thanks to my junior for treating~ Then moved to Yuanshan Flower Expo, at the bar here, greeted Kevin Lin, one of the founders of Twitch, the world's largest game streaming platform, who is a friend of Fash and Marcus. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.10.4 evening
Location: Taipei, Cellar Lounge Bar Travel Notes: My friend came up from Taichung tonight, so I introduced them to a Taipei friend. First stop was the famous Sichuan restaurant known because of Jensen Huang. Second stop was this basement bar with great vibes for a follow-up drink. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.10.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, 1496 Bar Travel Notes: 1496 Bar in Linsen North Road (12th visit). Met up with Brother Li, who's in land development and construction, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Thanks to Brother Li for agreeing to come out right away. Met Brother Co, who works in software at Ericsson. He studied Business Management at Chinese Culture University and got his EMBA at National Sun Yat-sen University, but like me, he loves gaming. We chatted from Little Professor and Apple II all the way to PC games—great conversation. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.10.10 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, 1496 Bar Travel Notes: 1496 Bar in Linsen North Road (8th visit). Andrew just got back from Hangzhou and messaged me, so I brought him to Brother Xiaohei's place tonight. The bar was supposed to be closed today, but I messaged Xiaohei, and he was so kind—he actually came to open on a Sunday night. I also invited my junior Fred, who works in the CVC department at Delta Electronics. Taiwan is small—Andrew and Xiaohei know so many people in common. Andrew attended a wedding banquet tonight for the son of Brother Zhuang, a former deputy director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau and also his senior from Taichung First Senior High School. Turns out Xiaohei also knows Brother Zhuang. And Andrew knows Jeff, the founder of a Nasdaq-listed company in the US—Xiaohei has eaten with him at least seven or eight times. Plus, they both easily know many other bosses from various listed companies. They also both know and are close with the famous Chairman Yuan from Taichung, who was at Xiaohei's bar just a few days ago. Later, we played Big Two to decide who pays. Xiaohei took on three of us alone—I lost the most, so I'll pay. XD Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.9.29 evening
Location: Taipei, Neihu, WilsonPark Bistro Travel Notes: WilsonPark Bistro in Neihu, Disaster Prevention Science Education Hall. Luna invited me to lunch and chose this restaurant. Chef Wilson is Taiwanese but grew up in the US—the food was pretty good. Afterward, we visited the nearby Disaster Prevention Science Education Hall. Searching for an exit in a simulated smoke-filled space was quite impactful. By Morgan @2024.9.29
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Meizi Taiwanese Cuisine Restaurant Travel Notes: Meizi Taiwanese Cuisine Restaurant on Linsen North Road, H Club. Dinner with Brother Leon, Sister Jennie, Brother Liu whom they've known for decades, Brother Henry who's back briefly from the US, Brother Stone, and his Thai CFO, Brother Azhi. Brother Liu is a major liquor distributor and brought 86-proof Gaoliang from Tengda Winery. Second time meeting Brother Stone, who builds solar power plants in Thailand. Afterward, with Brother Stone and Azhi, we went to a mysterious basement on Linsen North Road—Stone's secret spot. Two rounds in a row, thanks to Brother Stone for treating us. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.9.27 evening
Location: Taichung, Xiaochun - Dali Flagship Store Travel notes summary: Xiaochun - Dali Flagship Store in Taichung (2nd visit). 1. Started the morning with a remote meeting with Tommy in Hong Kong, my good friend Samuel in the US, and Micah, another co-founder of KulaDAO, discussing a financing case using RWA. 2. Then attended the opening cocktail party for the Taipei office of Fred's Hong Kong friend Patrick's company, Yinyuan, which has landed in Taiwan. Their business includes Hong Kong insurance policies, overseas M&A, US listings... 3. Came to the World Trade Center for a crypto meeting about Zomma Protocol. 4. After the meeting, took the high-speed rail directly to Taichung to meet Chairman Lai, whom I haven't seen in ages, along with Chairman Fan, Andy, Sister Honey, Vic, and Brother Paul whom I often see. Also newly met General Manager Luo of Cheng Shin Tire and Chairman Guo, a major shareholder of Ying Hui Technology. Thanks to Chairman Guo for the probiotics and to Brother Paul for the hospitality. 5. Continued the night with karaoke. Thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! 6. Took the night train back from Taichung to Taipei. By Morgan @2024.9.27 evening
Location: Zhongxiao Cashbox Travel notes summary: A day's note. In the afternoon, first met with Brother Leon and Brother Nick, who is very familiar with Sharp, at Fridays near City Hall. Later, went to the counter opened by Leon's wife, Jennie, in the nearby Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, said hello to Sister Jennie, thanks to Brother Leon for the hospitality. Then went to sit in Brother Paul's office at Cathay Landmark. In the evening, continued drinking with Brother Paul at Zhongxiao Cashbox. Thanks to Brother Paul for the hospitality. Cheers～ By Morgan @2024.9.25 evening
Location: Taipei Travel notes summary: Two-day note. 1. Went to Beitou to chat with Brother Nian, introduced by a Hong Kong friend; he's in African gold trade, learned some things. 2. Went to Xinyi Anhe to chat at the company of my junior Gene from NCKU Industrial Management. In less than nine months, he helped the boss build a team of over 70 people from scratch, full of top talents. Spanning gaming, ESG, AI, music, Web3... various fields. Really impressive! XD 3. Hu Keming Memorial Hall - Dunhuang Murals. 4. Tried the escape room game (Phantom Light Spirit) at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park. 5. Went to Taoyuan to find SAM and handle some matters, Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.9.24 evening
Location: Taipei, Neihu Vin37 wine cellar Travel notes summary: Taipei, Neihu Vin37 wine cellar (3rd visit). As soon as I turned on my phone after landing, I saw two messages. One was from Sister Duanyu about two new shops, the other was from Lele wanting to meet me in the evening, saying she'd treat me to dinner. Thinking I probably had nothing else on, after resting at my Taipei place, braving the pouring rain, I took an Uber to Neihu. Ordered food from the Wilson Park bistro across the street; the US Prime ribeye steak (NT$1,880) was okay. In the wine cellar, returning the favor, I also opened three Italian orange wines and red wines to pair with the meal. Then, listening to the rain outside, we ate and chatted casually, only then learning that tomorrow is Lele's birthday. First day of Libra, happy birthday, Cheers! By Morgan @2024.9.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Yanzi Loves Wine (Tingzhou Road) Travel note: Xinzhuang visiting friends, Fu Jen University stroll, Taipei Yanzi Loves Wine on Tingzhou Road. 8 days in mainland China with 10 gatherings, and nearly 7 days back in Taiwan also with 10 gatherings. Total of 20 gatherings in 15 days, covering multiple cities or regions: Hangzhou, Wuxi, Shanghai, Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Xinzhuang, Beitou. Today’s afternoon appointment was with Xiao Cheng, whom I once supervised in an office above Taipei 101. Xiao Cheng recently bought a house in Xinzhuang and invited me over on Saturday. I think this is my first time in Xinzhuang. At Xiao Cheng’s place, we drank cocktails and chatted about algorithmic trading. Coincidentally, Brother Gong called, so I let him and Xiao Cheng chat too. Afterward, I took a walk nearby at Fu Jen University—also my first time here. After leaving Xinzhuang, I remembered a friend had mentioned a wine bar before, so I took the same MRT line directly to Guting Station to enjoy some rare alone time with a drink. Only the owner and chef were in the shop. In less than 20 minutes, I was already on my fourth glass by the glass. The third was an apple cider aged in brandy barrels, and the fourth was an Austrian Sauvignon Blanc—both quite unique~ Finally, the fifth glass: a French fortified sweet apple wine, Pommeau. This is also a rare type of wine, so I’ll give it a try. By Morgan @2024.9.28 evening
Location: Taipei, TUGA Portuguese Restaurant Travel note: Taipei, TUGA Portuguese Restaurant, Linsen North 1496 Bar (7th visit). Joey just returned to Taiwan from Shanghai last night and wanted to meet up tonight. I chose a Portuguese restaurant and opened a Portuguese wine to pair with the meal. Afterward, I brought Joey to Xiao Hei’s bar. Coincidentally, I also invited Lele over, and she brought an Italian red and white wine from her shop. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.9.13 evening
台北 TGI Fridays(N訪)、 BADASS CREW 壞蛋俱樂部、 Zentopia餐酒館(2訪) 一天三場。 1. 下午先和 Leon哥 還有 Paul 哥，碰面聊下事情。…
Location: Taipei Neihu Vin37 wine cellar Travel notes summary: Taipei Neihu Vin37 wine cellar (2nd visit). Lele asked me out for a drink in the evening, so after finishing work, I came here again. Opened an Italian red wine with volcanic terroir notes to share. Later, Sam asked me to go to Taoyuan, so I took a taxi and moved on to the next spot. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.9.9 evening
Location: Taipei JLK SAKE STUDIO sake specialty shop meeting Travel notes summary: Taipei World Trade Center Taiwan Art Expo, Fubon Art Museum - Van Gogh Special Exhibition, Zhongxiao East Road GYUU NIKU Steak Specialty Restaurant, JLK SAKE STUDIO sake specialty shop. In the afternoon, had an online meeting with two friends in Hong Kong and China to discuss some matters, then headed out. Tonight, switched to sake and also had a white wine from Hokkaido. By Morgan @2024.9.8 evening
Location: Taipei Evergreen Laurel Wine Shop (Yijiang flagship store) Travel notes summary: Taipei Beian Road Ching-kuo Chi-hai Cultural Park (former Qihai Residence official residence), Martyrs' Shrine, Grand Hotel Taipei Yuanyuan Restaurant, Western Secret Tunnel, Expo Dome Taiwan International Travel Fair - Autumn Exhibition, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Evergreen Laurel Wine Shop (Yijiang flagship store), Linsen North Road 1496 Bar (6th visit). Another day of learning everywhere. The Qihai Residence official residence is definitely worth a visit; it only opened to the public a little over two years ago. Came to Grand Hotel Taipei for lunch to try their somewhat famous beef noodles. Couldn't eat too much alone, so just added some soup dumplings and a glass of red wine – just over a thousand NTD. Then continued running around all day. As an Aries, it's hard to specialize; I'm interested in too many things. @@ In the evening, it rained, so I took shelter in a wine cellar. Opened a bottle of Burgundy Chardonnay, sipping while quietly watching the rainy scene outside the window. From extreme activity back to utmost stillness... P.S. Alone, I really couldn't finish a whole bottle in 45 minutes before the shop closed, so I had to move to Brother Xiaohei's place on Linsen North Road to continue drinking later XD. Brother Cory came by later, and also met accountant Brother Nian. Cheers! Thanks to Brother Cory for driving me home. By Morgan @2024.9.7 evening
Location: Taipei Xinyi District Yasu Yasu Yasu Izakaya Travel notes summary: Taipei Xinyi District Yasu Yasu Yasu Izakaya, G20 Wine Base. After a meeting at the World Trade Center in the afternoon, moved towards Xiangshan and Yongchun. Casually walked into a Japanese izakaya, ordered a pot of sake, and had dinner. With slightly tipsy steps, then went to a nearby wine specialty shop where for NTD 799, you can try 10 types of red and white wines with unlimited refills for two hours. Compared to a single glass, of course, I chose this option to drink to my heart's content. The shop mainly focuses on Australian wines. Let's drink in the order recommended by the friendly female shop owner, Xiaomi. The first glass started with a purple moscato from Western Australia with butterfly pea flowers added. The second glass switched to a Riesling white wine from South Australia. The third glass directly gave me a hidden version of South Australian Sauvignon Blanc white wine, with a slightly sour taste and stronger tropical fruit flavors. Not sure how many glasses I'll end up drinking. Afraid of getting drunk, so I'll write this stream-of-consciousness diary while drinking. :P P.S. I think I drank 7 glasses in the end? By Morgan @2024.9.5
Location: Taipei, Vin37 Wine Cellar Travel Notes: A day of wandering and learning in Taipei. Visited the Shunyi Indigenous Museum, Soka Art Museum, the National Palace Museum's Zhishan Garden, the Atlantis Empire Huayuan Museum in Neihu, and Dahu Park. Tried the famous Niu Baba Beef Noodles (CNN-certified as the world's most expensive beef noodles at 10,000 TWD per bowl), but only ordered the 500 TWD version to save some money for drinks. Got a tarot reading with the message: 'The future determines the present, the present liberates the past!' After dinner, the owner kindly treated us to almond jelly. The final stop was this wine cellar on Minquan Road Section 6, where I had a great chat with the 25-year-old staff member Lele, who was surprisingly mature for her age. We ended up sharing several glasses of Italian white and red wine on a Sunday night. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.9.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Tayou Road, Jiyue Wine Cellar Travel Notes: Third visit to Jiyue Wine Cellar on Tayou Road. Cory invited me last minute to try a 1994 Bordeaux red wine he bought. So at 4 PM, I joined him and TV shopping host Yiwen. I picked the spot and booked an evening visit with KC at Jiyue. Yiwen brought her self-developed starch-free toast bread. We drank bottle after bottle; the last one in the shop was an Alsace Pinot Noir, which was stunning. Cory recently needed a lot of space to store his red wine, so I introduced him to Jiyue's large basement cellar. After drinking, we went to a nearby yakiniku place in Minsheng Community for dinner and finished off with an Italian Moscato. Three people, four bottles. Thanks for the treat, Cory! After dinner, we took a stroll along the riverside. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.8.27 evening
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: I'm not necessarily busy when others are, nor free when others aren't. Returned to Taipei after noon and was busy until dinner. Taking advantage of a gap before a 10 PM online meeting with Hong Kong, I ordered a whole German pork knuckle and found time to try a red wine I got from Cory. Looked it up—it's also recommended by teacher Liu Jutang and has good ratings on Vivino. It's from Chateau Franc-Cardinal on Bordeaux's Right Bank. After testing, it really doesn't need decanting; you can drink it right after opening. It has a bit of leather and smoky flavor, so it's on the drier side. Overall, it's a wine with good value for money, letting me head into the meeting with a perfect slight buzz. XD By Morgan @2024.8.25 evening
Location: Taichung, Gathering Travel Notes: Taichung gathering. A super busy day, drinking at night. First time playing and losing every round—MoMo is too good @@ Thanks to good friends for the treat, hope everything goes smoother and smoother! By Morgan @2024.8.23 evening
Location: Taipei, Qingcheng Street, Hooters Travel Notes: Fourth visit to Hooters on Qingcheng Street, fifth visit to Fenglu 12=>1496. Came in the evening for a gathering organized by Don. Attendees included Alan, a GM at a foreign tech company; Eric, whose company is valued at 50M; GEO from a German AI company; retired Taiwanese businessman Stanley Chen, who used to make zippers in Dongguan; John Lin, who sold his company to an American firm in 1996, achieved financial freedom, retired, and now lectures at a university; Rock from Garmin; plus me—eight people total. Afterward, went to Xiao Hei Ge's shop on Linsen North Road, met Xiao Yu, whom I got to know last week, and her recently graduated National Chengchi University senior Arche. Opened a few bottles of wine and invited them to play some dice games. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.8.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard, Sōshi · Donburi Sushi Sake Bar Travel note: After finishing my third conference call of the day in the afternoon, I headed out. First, I went to the UBS in Xinyi District to catch up with my buddy Pat. Then, in the evening, I went near Taipei Tech to introduce a friend to Tianhao, who teaches there, and we chatted about A.I. Afterwards, I suddenly craved some Japanese food, so I wandered over to Civic Boulevard and randomly walked into a restaurant. I had a simple dinner paired with a pot of mountain grape wine. Back at my place, Cory had directly ordered 100 cases of premium Bordeaux wine from a French winery, and I got one case of 12 bottles from him to try. Thanks, Cory, for making a special trip to deliver it so late! :) By Morgan @2024.8.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, MDV Taipei Travel note: Weekend night—once you start the first round of drinks, a second one easily follows. Came to this new spot that just opened a few months ago and opened a small bottle of French champagne to drink. Took the rare chance to quietly think about some things on my own. By Morgan @2024.8.17 evening #mdvcellar
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Fuxing, Yuppy Bookstore Travel note: Back in Taipei from Taichung, came to this interesting spot with great vibes for a drink. Surrounded by melodious tango music, they have different performances or talks here every day. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.17 evening #yuppybookstore
Location: Taipei, Bertha Irish Bar Travel note: A busy day with four meetings and two gatherings. Woke up at 8 am to a friend's call asking about the Cambodian Huione Pay platform. Then the day's schedule kicked off. At 9:30, Tommy introduced a mid-to-large-sized Jiangsu construction company; they have two new overseas real estate projects in West Africa (Ivory Coast) and South America (Jamaica) needing financing, so I introduced my good friend Sam, who also has projects in Africa, to chat with their chairman. It was a cross-border online meeting spanning the US, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. Immediately after, at 10:30, switched gears to discuss Pendle, which brings the zero-coupon bond concept to the DeFi world (Underlying Asset = Principal Token + Yield Token). Had a rushed lunch, then updated Tommy on the post-meeting situation. At 2 pm, Duke, whom I hadn't seen in a while, called from Hong Kong; their fund recently started looking into some crypto strategies or funds to invest in as part of their portfolio, and he asked for my advice. Then at 4 pm, the fourth meeting: went to the Garage+ co-working space at Shuanglian Station by the Times Foundation. Andy's friend Josh, founder of Heiso.io, demoed their fintech system for asset management, and I shared some initial thoughts. Afterwards, headed from Shuanglian to near NTU to join Paul and Fred for dinner. Met Ruby, who's lived in Hawaii and many other places, and Fred's employee Sabrina. Then went next door to Bertha Irish Bar for a drink. Thanks to Paul for treating! Final stop: moved to Linsen North to Brother Xiaohei's bar, which recently hired two new female part-timers, so I asked Miss T to come say hello. Ended the day with a cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.15 evening
Location: Taipei, Linsen North, Xingyao Chicken Soup Travel note: Taipei, Linsen North, Xingyao Chicken Soup, Fenglu 12 (3rd visit). Evening started with hot pot with Lman senior and Mars, catching up on recent developments (computing power leasing, DID, offline AI services...). Thanks for the treat. Afterwards, went to Brother Xiaohei's nearby shop to hang out and learn Big Two from the super pro-level Xiaohei. Also met Xiao Zhen, this month's birthday girl. Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.8.12 evening
Location: Chang Gung University, Guishan, Taoyuan Travel note: On the way back, I stopped by Chang Gung University in Guishan, Taoyuan, and the Formosa Plastics Museum for a stroll~ By Morgan @2024.8.11
Location: XX Hall, Pingzhen, Taoyuan Travel note: A friend called me last minute, so I took a taxi to Taoyuan. It reminded me of the nightlife memories with Brother Mu and Boss Loco over a decade ago—feels like a lifetime ago. Thanks to my friend for hosting the first half~ Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.10 evening
Location: Pink.B Bistro & Bar, 7F, Tiger City, Taichung Travel note: After a busy day, had dinner with Brother Gong. Thanks for the treat, Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.9 evening
Location: TGI Fridays, 2F, Uni-President Times Square, Taipei City Hall Station Travel note: Came here in the afternoon to explain the essence of blockchain to Brother Leon. Later, Xiao Zhan from the crypto circle, Jerry who makes music for Mr. 486, plus Brother Paul, friend Ryan from Korea, and Pocky from the entertainment industry joined to chat about various things. Thanks to Brother Leon and his wife for hosting. Taiwan is so small—turns out Brother Leon also knows Chairman Lai from Changhua~ XD Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.6 evening
Location: Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2, Asia Blockchain Summit Travel note: Came to the Asia Blockchain Summit (ABS) at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2 to listen to the 'Indian prodigy'—Anand—talk about the connection between astrology and Web3 ~ XD #ABS #AsiaBlockchainSummit
Location: Casual notes Travel note: The benefit of sticking to writing daily Facebook diary entries is that memory notifications keep popping up regularly~ It's been five years since my visit to North Korea, time really flies... The world is changing faster and faster, and I feel like there's never enough time~ @@
Location: Taichung Xitun, HIBIKI Sushi (Omakase Japanese cuisine) Travel note: Taichung Xitun, HIBIKI Sushi omakase Japanese cuisine. Thanks for the treat～ By Morgan @2024.8.2 evening
Location: Taipei East District, Some Fun Bar Travel note: Second stop of the night, at a bar in Taipei's East District. Taiwan is small—while four of us (including T) were drinking, Leon suddenly ran into his old friend of decades, Brother Liang, owner of the famous spicy hotpot restaurant 'Qiaotou' in Taipei. Brother Liang's wife is also one of the owners of this bar, so we were treated to many more shots. Thanks to Brother Terry (whose birthday it is) for hosting today. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.8.1 evening
Location: Taipei Zhongxiao Cashbox KTV Travel note: First day of August, after two meetings, started the party at 5 PM. Later, Brother Leon brought over two retired tech industry big shots to meet. Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.8.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Howard Plaza Hotel, Seven Sages Bar Travel Notes: Had brunch at Taipei's Weibuhaus with two ladies, including Anne whom I met for the first time. In the afternoon, introduced Sam from the bank to a friend in need—thanks for the treat! In the evening, joined Brother Paul, Brother Leon, and Fred at Sheng Yan, a new brand by Brother Sheng, owner of Ma Shen Hot Pot. Sheng Yan specializes in Chaozhou-style raw marinated seafood like fish, shrimp, and crab, cured with wine, ginger, garlic, and then chilled or frozen. Since it's raw, they use ozone for sterilization, which also preserves the original flavor of the seafood. The texture is smooth and tender, with a delightful taste. Paired with sake or beer, it's a flavor worth coming back for. Tonight, I also bumped into Duoduo, founder of Future Lab, a friend of Brother Paul and Brother Sheng. I've bought their products before—pretty good stuff. Duoduo is very young, not even 30 yet, and we exchanged Line contacts. Thanks to Brother Paul for hosting. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.7.31 evening #ShengYan #ChaozhouRawMarinated
Location: Taipei, East District Travel Notes: 10 guys and N girls, 11th gathering in 9 days, the youngest is 18 years old @@ Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.7.27 evening
Location: Taipei, Yuanshan Flower Expo, Digital Times AI Future Commerce Expo Travel Notes: It's been two years since I last hosted here. Because my ramen senior was stuck on a cruise ship, I came to help out last minute, hosting an afternoon Web3 panel. Earlier, I visited a few booths: met Ted at Manyuan Technology and Peter at Neurowatt to see their financial P1-GPT product, and also checked out James and Dingheng's MAYOHR HR system. Then, I returned to the main venue to prepare for the stage. Luckily, most attendees were familiar faces—Denny from Red Building Capital and Comma3 VC, Jason founder of RE:Dreamer, and I also got to know CH, the tech VP at Cacafly. Didn't need much preparation before going on stage. Afterward, my junior Marcus sent photos—turns out he was in the audience. He said it's rare to see me so sober. Actually, it's a misunderstanding; I'm probably more clear-headed when I drink. To prove it, I had to have a drink with him afterward. Fash from GoSky showed up later. Taiwan is small—even later, CH came over, and he's also familiar with Marcus and Fash. Then, I met their AAMA classmate, Aaron founder of Baihan Intelligent Education. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.7.27
Location: Taichung, Nantun, Super Star (former site of Chinatrust Leopard South 7th Store) Travel Notes: Thanks to a friend's invitation, joined Vice President Gangge's gathering at night. Besides a few top-performing beauties, had drinks with three Chairmen Chen from different industries. In less than two hours, two bottles of Dalmore were empty. Cheers ~ Thanks for the treat ~ By Morgan @2024.7.26 evening
Location: Taipei, Hotel Travel Notes: 8th gathering in 6 days, alcohol thrives in wind and rain! Cheers～ By Morgan @2024.7.24 evening
Location: In Moon Restaurant, Gongyi Road, Taichung Travel note: Dinner with friends from central Taiwan at In Moon Restaurant on Gongyi Road. There were 15 of us. Cheers! It was the third gathering in a row—thanks for the hospitality, Hai X and Jin XX! Ended up having a drink with Vice Chairman Liu of Jin XX. Thanks, Xinhui, for coming by. By Morgan @2024.7.22 evening
Location: Shikisai Japanese Cuisine, Qizhi District, Taichung Travel note: Busy day, but thanks for the hospitality! Third visit to Shikisai Japanese Cuisine in Qizhi, and eighth to Jinzun Wine Cellar. For the second gathering of the day, my junior Yen happened to be drinking nearby at Jinzun, so after dinner, I headed over. Met Mr. Wu, founder of a restaurant chain with 18 branches in Malaysia, and the owner of Yen's investment, the Kaohsiung restaurant 'Xi - Sunlight Island Co-op.' Also reunited with Lafite and everyone's companions. Thanks for the treat, junior! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.7.21 evening
Location: Millennium Hotel Taichung - Art Taichung, Neighborhood.WineBar (new location, 1st visit) on Dadun 20th Street, Taichung Travel note: Coded all afternoon and needed a change of scenery, so I headed to Art Taichung. Thanks to Jin from 333 Gallery for having an assistant let me in. Ran into Rongyue again here, and she introduced her exhibited works. (Neo also met her yesterday—borrowing Neo's photo!) After browsing exhibits from the 8th to 12th floors in each hotel room, I went to this wine venue I'd wanted to visit but never had the chance. It used to be Tiandiren Wine Cellar's club, but they were understaffed and rarely open for reservations. Now, the shopfront is run by Neighborhood, so I could finally walk in during business hours without booking. Realized I hadn't had wine all week, so I came to enjoy a tipsy vibe and unwind alone. Ended up chatting with owner Adam, who was a professional sommelier at MeatGQ for eight years (WSET3). He now runs his own place, using all handmade glasses, and often hosts Taichung's elite in the afternoons. He knows many wine merchants and enthusiasts—Taiwan is small (like Xuanyi, Guozhi senior, ICEBONE junior, etc.). Had a great chat and finished with a 6,000+ NTD Burgundy white. Thanks, Adam, for treating me to two glasses of natural wine from Southern France at the end. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.7.20 evening #arttaichung #NeighborhoodWineBar
Location: Beta bistro, Qizhi District, Taichung Travel note: Second visit to Beta bistro in Qizhi for dinner with Brother Gong. Taiwan is small—while eating, I got up to use the restroom and saw a familiar figure at the next table, but it was too dim to be sure. Called Maxim on Line, and yep, it was really my junior! Earlier, Brother Gong said it looked like him, but I didn't think so. The second glance made it clearer, and it actually was him. XD While eating with Brother Gong, I'd been messaging the junior asking if he'd be at Art Taichung tomorrow, and then we met here. He brought employees from their 333 Gallery and painter Rongyue for dinner. Taichung is also small—we still managed to run into each other! :P Turns out the paintings hanging in the restaurant were also sold from their gallery. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.7.19 evening
Location: la FESTA, 2F Victoria Hotel, Dazhi, Taipei Travel note: Had three online meetings yesterday across finance, tech, and blockchain—finished the last one at 11 PM, too tired to go out. This afternoon, a student from my Udemy course wanted to chat, so I came to Victoria Hotel, which I hadn't visited in a while. Turns out Richard is the hotel owner's son—no wonder he suggested meeting here! :P Chatted with Richard over their draft beer about alpha, beta, quantitative analysis, etc. It's fascinating how connections work; Taiwan is still small, and we still found mutual acquaintances. Let's meet again next time! Thanks for the hospitality, cheers! By Morgan @2024.7.16
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, Liyun SAKE LA VIE Travel Notes: My fifth visit to Liyun SAKE LA VIE in Taichung's Qizhi District. In the evening, my junior Marcus invited me out, saying we should go to Liyun, so I messaged the owner—Essen, a fellow alumnus from Weidao—to see if he was in the shop and catch up. Thanks to Essen for having the staff reserve the large private room on the second floor and treating us to Phoenix Mita Junmai Ginjo and collagen drinks. The first round started with Marcus, Fash, and Candase—Candase, like Marcus, is a member of the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Later, Yen from the crypto circle and Le Si Ji, along with Tony and Rafi, joined us to try a small bottle of Juyondai, and I introduced everyone. Afterward, we moved to PARK2 and had drinks with young CEOs from various companies: Marcus, founder of Moment Tech; Candase, founder of Mao Xiao Ai; Hawkins, CEO of Satire Entertainment; Fash, founder of GoSky; Joey, CEO of Toastoria; and Jim, who works in semiconductor parts. Thanks to Joey for hosting. We continued with two more rounds after that—One Night in Taichung~ I Want It That Way! By Morgan @2024.7.13 night
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Fenglu 12 Travel Notes: My second visit to Fenglu 12 on Linsen North Road in Taipei. Tonight, I introduced Sam and Kevin to each other at Brother Xiaohei's place. Thanks to Kevin for hosting. Later, Sam and I went to Changchun Road for singing and drinks—thanks to Sam for treating. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.7.11 night
Location: Taipei, Nanjing Fuxing, Drinking Gathering Travel Notes: Yesterday, I went to Miaoli with Roy—a junior nine years below me from Zhongyi High School, now working at a Hong Kong securities firm—to chat with friends. Today, I had drinks with friends who came up from Taichung and others in Taipei I hadn't seen in a while. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.7.10 night
Location: Changhua Hemei, Taipei ATT 4 Fun 7F Ai Nightclub Travel Notes: In the afternoon, Sam and I visited local big shot Chairman Xie in Hemei, Changhua, and introduced K, who came down from the north for business connections. Then, we drove back to Taipei in Sam's car. At 8 PM, I had a video conference with overseas friends for over an hour. After writing some code, I headed out for the final stop of the day at AI Club. Pat's former investment banking colleague Claire wanted to learn about art auction operations and is interested in collecting paintings, so I introduced her to my junior Maxim. Cheers～ The age range I interacted with went from sixties back to twenties and thirties.@@ By Morgan @2024.7.6 night
Location: Taichung, Birthday Banquet Travel Notes: Taichung Birthday Banquet. Happy Birthday to Chairman Lin!～ By Morgan @2024.7.5 night
Location: Taipei East District, KOR Taipei Travel Notes: First stop of the night in Taipei's East District at KOR Taipei, catching up with good friends over drinks, back on the 11th floor of XX. Taiwan is such a small world—turns out Duan Yu (Sister Duan) and my good friend have known each other for years. Allan, who works in investment banking and flew in from Hong Kong, and LC, who arrived later—we'd actually met before in Shanghai. Thanks for hosting, Allan! Then, second stop: met up with Rex, whom I got to know last week at Omni. He and some friends who studied in the U.S. have a regular Wednesday night cigar gathering in a private room at KOR. So, we continued here, smoking cigars, drinking wine, and making new friends. Cheers! — Morgan, evening of July 3, 2024
Location: Alley off Minsheng East Road, Taipei, Taichao Yuan (Chaozhou Cuisine) Travel Notes: Taichao Yuan in an alley off Minsheng East Road, Taipei, serving Chaozhou cuisine and satay hot pot. Met up with Wic, whom I hadn't seen in a while, and another friend, Fong—both happened to invite me for a meal, so we all got together. Enjoyed hot pot while catching up on each other's lives. Thanks for treating, Wic! Today's drink pairing was Korean soju. Cheers! — Morgan, evening of July 2, 2024
Location: 2F, Taipei Marriott Hotel, Qiyan No. 1 (Sichuan Cuisine) Travel Notes: Lunch at Qiyan No. 1 on the 2nd floor of Taipei Marriott Hotel, serving Sichuan cuisine. Thanks for the treat! — Morgan, July 1, 2024
Location: Songshan, Taipei, a private club Travel Notes: A private club in Songshan, Taipei (4th visit). Friends from Taichung came up to Taipei; first, we met up with Village Chief Lin in Zhonghe, whom I hadn't seen in a year, and drank with his whole table of friends. Then, next stop at the club to hang out with a few good friends from Taipei. The world is so small—ended up running into Soda again, who's amazing at opening bottles. Cheers! — Morgan, evening of June 30, 2024
Location: B2, BELLAVITA, Taipei, Meimen Shijiantang Travel Notes: Dinner tonight was vegetarian at Meimen Shijiantang in B2 of BELLAVITA, Taipei. Thanks for treating, Fred! After eating, back to learning from ChatGPT and Claude on how to solve website Node.js configuration issues. — Morgan, evening of June 27, 2024
Location: OMNI Nightclub, East District, Taipei Travel note: Had a long day, and a junior invited me out, so I took a break. Met some new friends—one of them really loves cigars and even gave me one on the spot! XD Thanks & Cheers ~ Thanks to my junior for treating! By Morgan @2024.6.26 evening
Location: TigerLily Taipei, Da'an District, Taipei Travel note: Started with a cozy gathering of two guys and two girls in the evening, then moved to a nearby bar for the second round. Thanks to my junior for picking up the tab later. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.6.25 evening
Location: Senior's house (Wei Dao alumnus), Taichung Travel note: This afternoon, my friend John from the same military service batch and I attended a gathering of Don senior's classmates. Everyone there was successful Wei Dao alumni, all native Taichung folks from around the old Taichung Train Station area. The seniors are around 70–76 years old on average, plus their wives, making me the youngest in the room today. Listened to everyone talk about travel plans abroad and health topics. Sipping the Bordeaux red wine I brought for the senior, the afternoon flew by~ By Morgan @2024.6.22 evening
Location: Frank, Taichung Travel note: Frank (3rd visit). Second stop of the night, came to Frank with my juniors Maxim and Marcus. Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.6.21 evening
Location: A KTV, Taichung Travel note: Back in Taichung today, singing and drinking with Chairman Gong, Chairman Su, and a Wei Dao junior. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.6.21
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: This afternoon, I met up with my younger brother who was briefly stopping in Taipei. We discussed some developments and applications of AI, and then had hot pot on Bade Road. In the evening, I met with Ms. T to reminisce and review the details of that night on May 20th, when we drank at KTV with Brother Mao, Andrew, and a few other girls. Tonight, we had four consecutive glasses of white wine, one of which was made with Japanese sake yeast and appeared in the manga 'Kami no Shizuku.' Cheers! By Morgan @2024.6.23 evening
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Dongguan Huangjiang Yubao Hotel Zuiyunxuan Restaurant. This trip to Shenzhen was originally just to handle some matters at China Merchants Bank, but unexpectedly, I had the chance to meet many Taiwanese friends. In the afternoon, near Shenzhen North Station, I met with Brother Zeng Yaotian, whom I hadn't seen in a while, and his partner, Calvin, Managing Director of Lantao (Singapore). Who would have thought that after many failed attempts to meet Brother Zeng in Taichung or Taipei, we finally met in Shenzhen~XD Taiwan is small; just chatting with Calvin, we found we had some mutual friends, and some business matters were also related. Afterward, I took the high-speed train directly from Shenzhen North Station to Dongguan and then took a taxi to Huangjiang. Brother Howard was having dinner with his friends tonight, and I happened to join them by chance. Chairman Qiu of the Taiwanese Business Association, Chairman Chen, Mrs. Chen, another Chairman Chen, Chairman Yang, Chairman Peng, Mother Zheng... almost all were well-known Taiwanese business owners who have been working here for years. Tonight, we switched between gaoliang and red wine, and the whole night was spent listening to everyone chatting in Taiwanese, which felt very familiar. After disbanding, I went with Brother Howard and Chairman Yang to an outdoor seat on the street nearby and smoked cigars that Brother Howard recently brought back from the U.S. This was my first time in Huangjiang, and it was much livelier than I imagined. The entire Xingguangcheng street where I stayed was developed by Brother Howard back in the day. The hotel I stayed in tonight was also built by him and was very comfortable. Thank you, Brother Howard, for your hospitality. The connections in life are indeed magical, and it turns out Brother Zeng and Brother Howard also know each other~ The world is so small~ ^^ By Morgan @2024.6.17 evening
Location: Taichung Wufeng 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan (2nd visit), Nantou Zhongxing New Village, Taichung Dali Xiaochun Japanese Cuisine, Taichung City Huamei West Street Nomou (飲もう) Japanese Bar. A day of running back and forth. I took the first direct high-speed train from Taipei to Taichung a little after 6 a.m., and now I'm rushing to catch the last high-speed train from Taichung back to Taipei. I arrived at the platform with 7 minutes to spare—luckily, I made it. :P During the day, because my younger brother returned to the country, the whole family rarely got together to go out for a walk. After having dinner with my family in the evening, I went with Brother Gong and my younger brother to this sake specialty store in Taichung to drink Japanese sake. We chatted happily with the staff, and he opened an 8,000-yen Junmai Daiginjo for us to try. Thank you, Brother Gong, for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.6.15 evening
Location: Songshan District, Taipei – Lao Lao Spicy Hot Pot Travel note: It's been over a year since I last saw Jeffery, who flew back from the US. We met up for lunch today with good friends Sam, senior Lman, and junior Jserv. As usual, I was in charge of picking the restaurant, so I hopped on the trend and booked one of Jensen Huang's favorite spots: Lao Lao. Jeffery, a CMU grad, spent many years at Apple leading the development of Siri's Chinese version. This weekend, he's leaving Apple to start his second act as an entrepreneur. With his background, he's naturally chosen a product related to AI. Over a numbing-but-not-too-spicy hot pot, we exchanged lots of insights on new tech trends and business models. Junior Jserv also shared how he keeps up with the times while teaching computer science at NCKU, engaging in a battle of wits with students over AI tools, both offensively and defensively. The whole era is evolving at a staggering pace, and being in the thick of it is truly a lot of fun. Thanks to Jeffery for treating us! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.6.12 #老撈 #老撈麻辣鴛鴦火鍋
Location: Zhongshan District, Taipei – PURE WINE Atelier Travel note: My older sister and brother-in-law came up to Taipei to check out a project this afternoon. I put aside what I was working on and went out to accompany them. After a simple meal at Shuiyunpu and parting ways, since I was already out, I looked for a place nearby to linger a bit longer. PURE WINE Atelier is another branch of PURE WINE Cave. They also offer a set of three glasses of wine at different price points. Sitting by the window, listening to jazz, quietly savoring the wine. In this bustling, hectic city, enjoying a secluded moment of tranquility... By Morgan @2024.6.11 #PUREWINEAtelier
Location: Xinyi District, Taipei – Placebo Taipei Travel note: After resting up for a few days, I went out today. My high school friend of nearly 30 years, also the founder of InfuseAI and g0v, CLKao (Jialiang), is about to move to the US for a while to develop his business, so he arranged this gathering before his departure. CL's friends—McKinsey folks, IT company owners, tech industry CVCs, Mensa members, listed company independent directors... alumni of NTU, NCCU, NYCU, NCKU, and various overseas prestigious schools—all interesting souls. Taiwan is still a small place. Chatting with YuWen across the table, she mentioned they invested in a digital identity verification company. I blurted out, 'Authme?' She immediately said yes! What a coincidence, that's Andy's company. XD Later, Yen from Hive Ventures (a VC) joined. It's been a while since I last saw him and John when Pat and I visited their office, and I didn't expect to run into him again today. Even later, Cathy from Palm Drive Capital (also a VC), whom I met for the first time, came over. I messaged her colleague, junior Fisher, telling him I met Cathy. He replied: '[Everyone knows Cathy!]' XD Later still, ipa also showed up. The last time I saw her was over a year ago at the g0v 10th Anniversary After Party. Time really keeps moving forward. Thanks to CL for the treat, and have a smooth journey! :) By Morgan @2024.6.7 evening
Location: North District, Taichung – Bǎidù Vegetarian Cuisine Travel note: My younger brother, who usually works in the Netherlands, landed today after two years and will be staying in Taiwan for a while. He brought me a deck of Amsterdam playing cards as a gift. At noon today, the whole family also got together for a rare meal. The vegetarian dishes at this place were pretty good. Thanks to Mom for treating us! By Morgan @2024.6.2
Location: Gongyi Road, Taichung – Zuì Yuānyāng Beer Garden Plaza Travel note: In the evening, I came with Director Lin to attend the employee dinner of Director Gong's company. The dishes were incredibly lavish! Thanks to Director Gong for the treat & thanks to Director Lin for the huge box of honeydew melons. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.5.31 evening
Location: Taipei, Lane off Linsen North Road, Maple Dew 12 Travel note: It's been almost ten years since I last heard from Brother Xiao Hei, but he suddenly messaged me tonight. He said he saw me on LINE and wasn't sure which Morgan I was. After confirming I'm a friend of Xiao Ci Ge, we started chatting. The last time I met Brother Xiao Hei was ten years ago in Hong Kong. Catching up, I found out he recently started a new venture. He took over this bar on Linsen North Road about five months ago, so I dropped by to show support. The part-timer here, Pin, is quite young, only a junior in college. I played a few rounds of Liar's Dice with her but couldn't get the upper hand. Then, reminiscing about playing Big Two with Brother Xiao Hei a decade ago, I got completely crushed~ XD Cheers ~ By. Morgan @2024.5.30 night
Location: Taipei, Guangfu South Road, Corkscrew Wine Shop Travel note: In the afternoon, I first visited the CEO, Arthur, at inFlux FinTech with Senior Lman and Joseph from MyPay. After finishing up and leaving, I had dinner in the evening, then walked into a small bar nearby. The owner and staff were quite pretty. I finished my first drink in just over ten minutes. @@ Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.5.29 night
Location: Taipei, Xiao Zui Hao Travel note: Three stops tonight. First stop with Miss T. Second stop at Kara Kara, where junior Marcus has invested, along with junior Maxim who came up from Taichung. And various friends of each junior. In the VIP room at Kara Kara, there was Goddess Rongyue, Lawyer Billy, venture capitalist Austin back from Silicon Valley... Third stop, ONCOR, Andrew joined. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.5.27 night
Location: Taipei, WineS'wee Yongchun Store Travel note: Feeling the weather gradually getting hotter, I ordered six new white wines from five different countries at WineS'wee in the afternoon, delivered by Lalamove, to chill and drink later. Then, I happened to see their recent ad for an experience price: two Japanese raw oysters + one glass of white wine for $188. So, with nothing to do in the evening, I went out to the Yongchun store to redeem it, and had dinner at the popular Guang Hot Pot nearby~ By Morgan @2024.5.26 night #wineswee
Location: Taipei East District - Vavin Wine Box - Wine Cellar & Shop Travel note summary: My junior Maxim came up from Taichung today to discuss some matters, so in the evening, I had drinks with Brother Paul and him. Along with a few foreign friends, we all practiced English conversation. Thanks to Brother Paul for treating us to the table. After we parted ways, I went alone to Vavin Wine Box, which Sister Denise had liked, and ordered a few glasses of French wine. Tonight started with beer, then Dita lychee liqueur, and finally back to wine. One glass after another, let's end with Italian Moscato wine. Enjoy the Friday Night! :) By Morgan @2024.5.24 evening
Location: Taipei Baoqing Street - Dark Horse Kitchen Travel note summary: To avoid the rain, I ducked into this small shop with a Google rating of 4.6. There weren't many seats inside, but business was good; all the square tables were taken, so I chose one of the few remaining bar seats. Looking up, I saw one of the dishes written on the blackboard: 'Jump into the Roman's Mouth' (saltimbocca alla Romana). I was very curious and asked about it—turns out it's an Italian dish made by wrapping and pan-frying meat cutlets with sage and ham. Of course, I had to try a dish I'd never had before, so I ordered it. When it arrived, it smelled quite fragrant and had a rich flavor. I also ordered a glass of Australian red wine to pair with the meal and cut through the richness. A simple dinner on a rainy night. By Morgan @2024.5.23 evening
Location: Taipei Jinhua Street (former Taipei Prison site) - Kyomachi Yamamoto-ya, Taipei Ark Travel note summary: Had lunch with Sam and the ramen senior at a very Japanese-style place Sam picked. Listened to the senior demo the AI application product he and Jeffrey in the U.S. are preparing to launch. Thanks to Sam for the treat! Then moved to Taipei Ark. Today is the historic Pizza Day anniversary, marking the successful exchange of 10,000 bitcoins for pizza. It's also Taiwan's Bitcoin 10th Anniversary gathering from 2014 to 2024. Almost all the attendees from 10 years ago gathered together again today—truly rare. Recalling my first Bitcoin purchase in 2015, trading with a Russian, almost 10 years have flown by. The LocalBitcoins website used back then has since shut down. But Bitcoin's price has also soared beyond return. This afternoon started with a performance by the talented crypto circle beauty Li Tingting. The speakers included many well-known OGs in Taiwan's crypto scene: Alex from MaiCoin, Titan from Bito, Michael from CoolbitX, Wayne and Winston from XREX, Professor Liao Shiwei from NTU CS, Dr. Bao (legislator-at-large), Bo Wei from the Bitcoin Chinese community, and Jacob from DTCO. The three panel hosts were: Lawyer Henry from Guoke, Tom Soong from Zomma Protocol, and Chairman Taka from the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association. Listening to everyone share their experiences was super exciting! Their contributions to this field/industry are indeed very important. Afterwards, as per tradition every year on this day, Tom Soong treated everyone to pizza. 5/22, It is Bitcoin Pizza Day! By Morgan @2024.5.22 evening #Bitcoin10thAnniversary #TaipeiArk #pizzaday #Bitcoin
Location: Taipei Yongchun Station - Di Yi Xian Fresh Live Seafood Stir-fry Travel note summary: Andrew, who just returned from mainland China tonight, asked me out for dinner. So I contacted Brother Mao, whom I met last time in the private room next to ours at Cashbox, and Miss T. With Andrew and Brother Mao, we chatted about their past experiences drinking with friends/party secretaries from various provinces in mainland China. Thanks to Brother Mao for the treat! Then we moved on to Songjiang Cashbox to continue the night singing with the beautiful Alice and her friends Patty and Linda. Thanks to Andrew for the treat! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.5.20 evening
Location: Taipei Songshan - Fo Guang Yuan Art Museum Travel note summary: After seeing the dentist in the afternoon, I took a walk around the nearby Taipei Vihara of Fo Guang Shan. Then back at my place, I opened a bottle of red wine I bought just two weeks ago to try. Vintage 2019, North Coast California, ALC 14.7%, Vivino rating 4.1, and ranked in the top 3% of wines globally on the platform. Paired it with a very local-style plate of freshly sliced goose meat. The show I'm catching up on is the serialized novel from Qidian Chinese Web, 'Rebirth of the Strongest Sword God.' A peaceful and quiet Sunday night. By Morgan @2024.5.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Xiao Ban Korean Grilled Intestine - Dunhua Branch Travel note: My cousin Yiting invited a friend of hers to meet me tonight. This friend is quite impressive, having traveled to 34 countries and just returned from a solo trip through 8 countries in Africa. We chatted about our experiences around the world over Korean sparkling soju and rice wine. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.5.15 evening
Location: Taipei, East District, Casanova Italian Restaurant Travel note: Worked until past 3 AM yesterday and skipped dinner. Ordered takeout for lunch today, paired with a 14.5% Napa red wine. Due to recent climate warming, the alcohol percentage in red wines keeps getting higher. @@ After a sauna in the afternoon, Jimmy came up from the south for dinner. We went to his friend's restaurant and met Micky, a former Ogilvy executive who has lived in 7 countries, and his female friend. The owner came by later; the chef and her husband are French. With Jimmy around, he quickly befriended the Japanese group at the next table, switching between Japanese, English, and Chinese. Later, Jimmy's friend, Brother Jiang, a retired gold-record producer who is financially free, brought over a bottle of Rémy Martin VSOP cognac. A joyful night at Casanova. Thanks to the owner for treating us to a round of shots later. We then moved on to Yanji Street - Chuan Chuan Er for spicy hot pot. Thanks, Brother Jiang, for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.5.14 evening
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, Gao Lin Teppanyaki Travel note: In the afternoon, my brother-in-law and I went to check out a new housing project by Hui Yu near the G0 station in Beitun. For Mother's Day dinner, everywhere was fully booked, so we had a simple teppanyaki meal nearby in the North District with my mom, my sister's family, and my two little nephews. Thanks to my brother-in-law for the treat. Afterwards, I met Brother Gong to pick up a premium Japanese fruit gift box from Chairman Lin, which was supposed to be given to me last Friday. Thanks, Chairman Lin. Later, Brother Gong and I went to a salon restaurant on Wenxin Road, which has a private room on the second floor. We also invited my junior Maxim to join later. Taiwan is so small—it turns out Maxim also attended the contemporary art fair a few days ago, but he was in the UBS sponsor's VIP area, so we didn't run into each other. Thanks, Brother Gong, for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.5.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Nangang Exhibition Center, Contemporary Art Fair - Opening Night Travel note: Thanks to Yu Xin, whom I met while drinking the day before yesterday, for the invitation and complimentary ticket to tonight's opening night of the contemporary art fair. Upon entering, I first went to their booth F02, the French gallery DUMONTEIL, to say hello to Yu Xin. Then, I headed to booth DG18 to greet Brother Hong, the owner of River Art. Taiwan is so small—inside, I also ran into Neo, Jessica, Zibin, and his friend NU. Since Neo is a collector/art advisor, I introduced him to Yu Xin and Liane, the emerging talented female painter exhibiting with them this time. Time flew by while browsing the exhibition and chatting, and it was already 8 PM before I knew it. :P By Morgan @2024.5.9 evening #TaipeiContemporary #ContemporaryArtFair
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, BeApe French Restaurant Travel note: Met my good friend Sam for lunch. Remembered that KC mentioned a French restaurant while we were drinking at Ji Yue Wine Cellar, whose chef had previously worked at a Michelin one-star restaurant. Seized the opportunity to try it today. Upon entering, the renovated old house environment was eye-catching. My main course was grilled beef bone marrow with amber sauce filet mignon, while Sam ordered finger-licking fried quail. For appetizers, we had 'Sapper's Apron' (honeycomb tripe), pan-fried calf's liver, and flame-grilled fresh squid... Paired with a white wine with a hint of peach flavor. Overall, the dining experience was quite good. Over the meal, Sam updated me on the recent status of their RWA project: KulaDAO. After parting ways, I visited the National History Museum near the Presidential Office and a few museums around the Botanical Garden. Just like I enjoyed visiting museums when living in Hong Kong, it seems I've almost visited all the various museums in Taipei. @@ By Morgan @2024.5.8 #BeApe
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, 223 Oden Private Room Travel note: I met some wine friends at the Weightstone tasting event last time, and we decided to get together for a drink. So I booked the venue at Annie's place. In the end, there were 2 guys and 7 girls: Iris, Eva, Denise, Sunny, Yuxin from Shanghai, Denise's sister, and Samantha's sister. Almost all the girls had studied abroad in the US, UK, France, Japan, etc. We had a great time chatting, and the 8 bottles of wine prepared by my junior Eva were just enough to finish. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.5.7 evening
Location: Taichung, Qizhi, Beta Bistro Beta (1F, NTC National Trade Center) Travel note: I spent the whole afternoon writing some code at Starbucks, and came to this bistro on Civic North 2nd Road for dinner in the evening. The Spanish white wine I ordered tonight was quite good value for money—sweet and smooth. One bottle wasn't enough, so I ordered another glass of the same later. The food was also up to standard; it's a place worth revisiting. The three young ladies next to us took photos all night, making it hard not to glance over. Before leaving, I had a nice chat with the manager Ezra, who not only showed us the private rooms upstairs but also added me on Line for future reservations. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.5.4 evening
Location: Taichung, Civic North 1st Road, Jiuba Bistro Travel note: Senior Vincent came to visit Brother Gong's company this afternoon. Senior used to lead a group of overseas-trained traders at Yuanta Polaris. Taiwan is small, so Senior and Brother Gong know many people in common, including the general manager of Hua Nan Futures, Mr. Zeng, etc. We were busy until 11 PM, then came to the bistro for dinner + late-night snacks. We talked about many things—thanks to Brother Gong for treating. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.5.3 evening
Location: Taipei, Lane off Bade Road, Zoey Wine & Spirit Travel note: In the morning, I went to the Shangyan Qunjia accounting firm on Ren'ai Road. Founder Eric introduced me to a young friend, Daniel, a senior OG in the crypto circle. Daniel previously managed a platform with over 100,000 users during the ICO era, and now the total AUM of digital assets he manages is also quite impressive. Daniel is very low-key but knows many Taiwanese crypto OGs. Later, Pat also joined. Afterward, I went nearby to have yogurt ice cream with Pat's brother and catch up. In the afternoon, after a meeting at Taipei Ark, I went home. After dinner in the evening, I walked to this Zoey place, right next to Dancing Elephant, which focuses on natural wine. I went in and ordered a glass of red wine—today's offering was Italian. I had a great chat with the manager about wine. For the second glass of white, she opened a new bottle of French GRAVES white for me to try—guava with a hint of passionfruit flavor, quite refreshing. I drank until almost closing time, and also bought a bottle of red from California's North Coast, plus two rare Chilean 'Silver Drop' wines made with sake yeast, which the author of 'Kami no Shizuku,' Agi Tadashi, also praised. It was a quiet evening. Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2024.5.2 evening
Location: Taipei, Jixiang Road, Jue Haodiao Japanese Seafood Izakaya Travel note: In the years since returning to Taiwan from Mainland China/Hong Kong due to the pandemic, my routine has constantly switched between abnormally busy and abnormally free. Yesterday after going out for dinner, I didn't want to go home and visited a museum instead. Today is a holiday for others, but I was mentally busy all day, and only after 9 PM could I find time to eat. After finishing work, I came to the izakaya to order a sea urchin crab rice bowl, a few skewers, and a bottle of sake, enjoying this moment of peace alone. Life passes in a flash, and time is always becoming scarcer. The years can be quiet and good, but at this age, it still seems too early. There are always some things to exert effort on and strive for. Keep Going~ By Morgan @2024.5.1 evening
Yesterday, Senior Lman suddenly suggested having steak. I thought about it—among Taipei's steak restaurants with a per-person price over 2,000 NTD, PRIME ONE is one of the few I haven't tried yet. So, I came here for lunch today to give it a try. I ordered the U.S. Prime 45-day wet-aged ribeye steak, paired with a 2-Glasses Wine Pairing. Dining in the beautiful glasshouse setting made for a pretty good meal. After parting ways, I took a stroll to the nearby National Museum of History, which reopened this February after years of renovation, and the not-too-far 228 Memorial Museum. "Using the past as a mirror, one can understand the rise and fall."
After finishing work in the evening, I went out for a walk nearby and stumbled upon an interesting shop in the Minsheng Community area—a Beef Noodle BAR, which, as the name suggests, sells both beef noodles and alcohol. The shop offers craft beers from various countries and has the characteristic of a bar, staying open until 1 a.m., making it suitable for late-night snacks. Eating steaming hot beef noodles while drinking an 8% Taihu craft ice beer—a fusion of ice and fire, a Taiwanese-style marriage of food and drink romance. Not bad~ :)
Dinner with Family.
In the afternoon, I went to Taipei Ark. After a meeting about Zomma Protocol's new options financial product, I had a pretty good Japanese charcoal-grilled hamburger steak (Rice and Demi-glace) for dinner. Then, for the night session, Junior Fred recently went through a breakup, so T and I came to drink with him, and we ended up doing another Bar Surfing all night. First stop: as expected from Fred, who's been frequenting bars for years, we coincidentally met his acquaintance bartender Wayne here, who treated us to shots. Second stop: Fred's middle school friend, Zilin, joined us. Third stop: not sure if we'll continue moving toward Civic Boulevard, Cheers!
In the evening, thanks to the invitation from Alex and Ellie of Gaia Information, a Taiwanese cloud service integrator, I attended a cryptocurrency exchange dinner in Taiwan hosted by the U.S. listed company, CDN/cloud service provider: Akamai (Nasdaq: AKAM). I met familiar faces like Chad from Crypto.com, whom I saw at Gaia's previous cocktail party, Jason, founder of Re:Dreamer, who's about to launch a token, and Titan, Yvonne, and Jeff from Bito Exchange, whom I haven't seen in a while. Thanks to Brother Titan for additionally ordering the gaoliang beef noodles here for me. Unexpectedly tonight, I had a great conversation with Xiu Ge, Gaia's CBO, and later found out that our birthdays are only one day apart, and his English name is directly Aries (the zodiac sign). Cheers～ #GaiaInformation #Akamai
Location: Taichung, Shang Niu Er Guan on Shanxi Road Travel notes: My junior Maxim suddenly invited me to dinner in Beitun, so I also asked Steven, who is also his Weidao senior and knows his brother Boheng well, to join us. Shang Niu Er Guan, a Michelin Bib Gourmand spot, serves really tasty fresh beef. Thanks for the treat, Steven! Then we headed to Jin Zun Wine Cellar. Brother Gong wanted to discuss something with me, so I took the chance to introduce Maxim to him. Thanks for the hospitality, Brother Gong! Cheers! — Morgan, evening of April 19, 2024
Location: Taichung, Yi Lu Chuan Shao Travel notes: Had dinner with my junior Maxim. Thanks for the treat! Later, we celebrated Brother Paul's birthday early at a nightclub where my junior has over a hundred bottles of Moët champagne stored. My junior has serious clout—the manager even put us on the marquee! Cheers! — Morgan, evening of April 18, 2024
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Cinunan Indigenous Restaurant & Bar Travel notes: April Taiwan index settlement day—a busy one. This was my first meal of the day. With Lman senior and Telder. — Morgan, evening of April 17, 2024
Location: Taipei, Wenchang Street, Luana Wine Cafe Travel notes: After a sweat session, I needed to recharge. Luana Wine Cafe is run by a Japanese owner who's been in Taiwan for six years—he wanted to learn Chinese and loves Taiwan, so he opened this cozy wine bar in Xinyi. We chatted about cultural differences and wine, and I had a white from Southern France and two Napa reds. Later, I met up with my university club junior, Jinting (ct). We hadn't seen each other in 13 years—time flies! She's now an EVA Air pilot, just back from Alaska. She's crossed fields like architecture, CS, and management—a real genius! For the second stop, we had whisky cocktails at Xiao Hou Yuan near her place. The final stop was a small bar opened by her friend, Brother Fa, in Dazhi. Thanks for the treat, junior—we talked till dawn! Cheers! :) — Morgan, evening of April 16, 2024
Location: Taipei, Salon Flowers - WeightStone Taiwanese Wine on a lane off Songjiang Road Travel notes: Spent the last couple days researching Claude-3 and ChatGPT-4, both paid memberships, to compare how they help with coding. Claude-3 seems to have less built-in data breadth, but you can feed it learning materials and it quickly provides usable feedback. It also adapts well to refined code. Using both together should enable more in the future. After that, on Sunday afternoon, I saw my junior Eva from Taichung First Senior High School Art Class check in on her story, so I headed to Songjiang Road. WeightStone, Taiwan's top winery, was holding a tasting at this flower shop. Wine brings people together—I met Iris from Cathay United Bank's private banking, Sunny from green energy investment firm Vatec, and Denise (Whale Sustainability), who used to sell luxury goods in China and now works in green building materials and carbon credits. We chatted over drinks and hit it off, planning to meet again in two weeks. I also met WeightStone's founder, Vivian—learned today she's the daughter of the Sinon chairman. Building a premium Taiwanese wine brand from scratch is no small feat! Cheers! — Morgan, evening of April 14, 2024 #WeightStone #WeightStoneWine
Location: Taipei Xinyi District - Afternoon Delight, Zhongshan District - THE FLOW Travel notes: In Taipei's Xinyi District, Afternoon Delight, and Zhongshan District's THE FLOW (soft opening). In the evening, Miss T spontaneously invited me for drinks at a bar near her place on Roosevelt Road. After each of us had five drinks, we moved to THE FLOW in Zhongshan District, a new bar opened by T's cousin and her husband from Draft Land. Rosa used to be an executive at Uber Taiwan and now works at a startup called Surprise Lab, which creates unique sensory experiences like Dining in the Dark and the Venice Film Festival VR Paris Ball. Howard is an English-teaching YouTuber with 150k subscribers (How's World). Taiwan is small—they also know Benson from the local crypto circle and Sean from Binance. After the second round, we went to their friend Jeremy's place for an after-party. Three guys and three girls chatted; thanks Jeremy for the cocktails and red wine! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.4.12 night
Location: Taipei Zhongxiao Cashbox KTV Travel notes: Taipei Zhongxiao Cashbox KTV. In the evening, introduced Freeza from a US-listed payment company (NYSE: GPN) to Brother Paul. Ended up accidentally meeting friends from the next room too. Continued partying until early morning. Brother Xiaomao from the next room had lived in Shanghai for 18 years. We agreed to continue tomorrow night. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.4.29 night
Location: Taichung Qizhi, Fucaixuan Private Cantonese Cuisine Travel Notes: Taichung Qizhi, Fucaixuan Private Cantonese Cuisine, Liyun Sake Specialty Store (4th visit). At noon, Sam and Olen came down from Taipei. Sam arranged a gathering with Caroline, an investor from the UK from their KulaDAO, to chat and catch up, and invited me to join. Fucaixuan is a Michelin Plate restaurant, and the food was not bad~ Thanks to Sam for lunch. Afterward, we went next door to Liyun for a second round of daiginjo. The second bottle we opened today was a rare natural sake (made with organic rice), with a complex and diverse flavor profile. Thanks to the owner of Liyun, Xuan Yi, who is also my classmate from Weidao High School, for having the staff treat us to a rare Japanese shochu with a cilantro flavor. I also spontaneously invited Jie Zhi, another Weidao classmate who lives nearby, to join. The world is small—Caroline also owns property here in Qizhi, and it turns out she lives right next door to Jie Zhi in the adjacent building. Jie Zhi also studied in the UK before, so he had plenty to talk about with Caroline. We chatted about many things and spent a laughter-filled afternoon like that. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.3.30 evening
Location: Taichung XXX Travel Notes: Taichung XXX. Started drinking at 3 PM and it's been 6 hours now. Haven't seen Chairman Lin and Chairman Xie in a long time, thanks for the hospitality! Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.3.29
Location: Taipei, Hengyang Road, Meicun Japanese Cuisine Travel Notes: Thanks to Brother Weide, founder of Evergreen Pharmacy chain, for the invitation. Tonight, I attended a dinner gathering hosted by Chairman Shi of Huali Steel. It was 5 men and 9 women—my first time at such a large gathering with such a gender imbalance. Many of the attendees were female CEOs or high-level white-collar professionals. There were the owners of Xinpuyuan chain restaurant, the deputy general manager of Zeng Noodles, the general manager of Wego Motel, Sister Billie from Hong Kong, the Taiwan representative of Hong Kong Carbon Rights Exchange, the founder of the Lori brand, the deputy general manager of Apple Daily, and executives from MRP manufacturing systems... As the drinks flowed, I reminisced with Jeffery about our shared memories of Dongguan's Houjie, Changping, and Zhangmutou, and chatted with Paul from Hong Kong about the changes in Hong Kong over the past few years. Everyone had a great conversation—thanks for the hospitality! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.3.28 evening
Location: Taipei, Hotel MV8 8F Lounge Vino Travel Notes: Last night, while singing and drinking, I met lawyer David Yonghan and Morlise, the manager of several Taipei branches of Jipin Seafood Restaurant. Tonight, I had dinner with Brother Weilun, an old colleague from the investment trust company I've known for 13 years, who was also a good wine buddy when I lived in Hong Kong. It's been over ten years since I last visited Liyuan Soup Dumplings. After leaving J.P. Morgan, William is now the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at CCB International Asset Management in Hong Kong. It's rare for him to return to Taiwan, so we made plans to meet. Time flies, and the pandemic has indeed changed many life trajectories. It's been over four years since I last saw William, so we had a lot to catch up on, including Bitcoin ETFs. We agreed to meet again in Hong Kong soon to continue our conversation. After parting ways, I walked alone to the rooftop open-air bar at the nearby Hotel MV8, ordered a glass of wine, and spent some quiet time alone—currently the only customer in the bar—handling things on my phone and reflecting. By Morgan @2024.3.27 evening
Location: Taichung, Chaofu Road, The Lin Hotel - Senfu United Family Office Opening Reception Travel Notes: Senfu is a united family office platform jointly established by Hong Kong's Richwell Asset Management and Taiwan's Yousi International Consulting, integrating resources such as capital operations, asset management, corporate transformation, and trust inheritance. Today, I specially returned to Taichung to serve as the host. Attendees included various financial talents from across the strait (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan)—such as fund managers, investment advisors, securities professionals, venture capitalists, and angel investors—as well as many quality business owners from central Taiwan. We look forward to building a platform for two-way exchange. The subsequent themed salon featured Senior Guozhi's outlook on wine investment, renowned foreign semiconductor analyst Eric Chen's outlook on AI technology, and Brother Paul from Xinyue Investment previewing the Fortuna Club platform for integrating high-end network resources. It was a fulfilling and rich afternoon. After hosting, I returned to my seat and met Chairman Zhou of Carpenter Siblings, sharing a glass of red wine and chatting about his role as chairman of the Industrial Story Museum Association. I also chatted with Director Chen Ziang of Hua Nan Financial Venture Capital. Thanks to Senior Guozhi for the French champagne and premium Burgundy red wine. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.3.26 #SenfuUnitedFamilyOffice
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Jixian Hot Pot Travel Notes: In the evening, I first went to the Nanjing Fuxing area for a detox session with a sweat steam and energy stones. After finishing, I thought I'd eat some clam hot pot to replenish my energy. Just as I sat down to eat, I got a sudden call from Andrew, who had just returned from Hangzhou today. He said he wanted to introduce me to many seniors in the financial industry. So after eating, I took a taxi and headed to the familiar Songjiang Cashbox KTV. Thanks, Brother Alan, for the hospitality. Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.3.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Fuxing, Restaurant A French Restaurant Travel Notes: At noon, my good friend Sam, who returned from the U.S., invited me to lunch, along with Olen, one of the speakers at ETH Taipei. The chef of Restaurant A, Huang Yilun, previously worked at RAW. Sam got to know the owner's son while in the U.S., so he booked us a meal here today. Throughout this fine dining experience, it was clear that this restaurant is striving for a Michelin star. Several dishes were quite creative. With wine pairing, the per-person cost at lunch was around NT$7,000. Thanks, Sam, for the treat. Hope the KulaDAO Token gets listed smoothly on major exchanges recently! Afterward, the three of us took a car to the ETH Taipei venue in Nangang. Zomma Protocol and the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association also have booths here these days—welcome, everyone! P.S. Thanks to all my good friends for the birthday wishes! ^^ By Morgan @2024.3.21 #RestaurantA
Location: Taipei, Songshan, a certain guesthouse Travel note: Taipei, Songshan, a certain guesthouse (3rd visit). Brother Paul called me last minute in the evening, saying he wanted to celebrate my birthday. So, less than 24 hours later, I was back here again. Brother Pat and junior Marcus also joined later. Thank you all, my good friends, for the company. Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening of 2024.3.21
Location: Taipei, Nanchang Road, General Sun Li-jen's Official Residence Dinner Travel note: Taipei, Nanchang Road, General Sun Li-jen's Official Residence Dinner. In the evening, Fred hosted several old classmates and friends visiting from Hong Kong, and invited a few good friends from Taiwan to join the reception. The gathering mainly consisted of friends from Hong Kong brokerages, investment banks, funds, and listed companies. Thanks to Fred for the hospitality. For the after-party, we needed a large private room to fit everyone~ Cheers! By Morgan @Evening of 2024.3.18
Location: Hsinchu, Denkawa Japanese Cuisine - Zhubei Store Travel note: Hsinchu, Denkawa Japanese Cuisine - Zhubei Store. Came here for lunch today to attend the Taichung First Senior High School Hsinchu Alumni Association, the second general meeting of the first term. The first to give a speech was senior Liu Ying-da, former Vice Chairman of UMC, followed by senior Lin Long-yan, the current principal of Taichung First Senior High School. Then everyone sang the school song together. The three juniors sitting at my table all work at MediaTek. Taiwan is a small place. You-Jun also knows Aby Zhi-Hao; they were in neighboring departments before. And when he was at Quanta, he also knew Cathy. Ming-Hua also knows senior Jerry, who is now teaching in Norway. Bo-Wen spent a fortune building a private bar area at home; he's quite a character too. The red wine today was different from the ordinary table wine commonly seen at banquets. A senior who loves wine specially selected a wine from the Napa Valley region in the US. I checked Vivino, and it's close to 4.0 points, which is quite good. Very happy to have met a few more outstanding juniors today. Cheers! By Morgan @Afternoon of 2024.3.17 #TaichungFirstSeniorHighSchool #TaichungFirstSeniorHighSchoolAlumniAssociation #TaichungFirstSeniorHighSchoolHsinchuAlumniAssociation
Location: Taichung, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, 301 Boulevard Restaurant Travel note: Taichung, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, 301 Boulevard Restaurant, Golden Cellar Wine Shop (6th visit). In the afternoon, first introduced Cindy to Maxim, the owner of 333 Gallery and a junior from Weidao High School. We chatted about art topics on the rooftop of Maxim's community for the whole afternoon. Let's see what resources can be integrated between the new family office and Maxim's side. In the evening, had dinner with two juniors from NCKU, class of '97 and '04. One is Austin, founder and black card member of Di Mei Man Travel Luxury Club, providing high-end travel services (global customs clearance, hotel upgrades...). The other is Thunder Si Ji, an influential KOL in the crypto circle. Taiwan is a small place. Chatting, we found out that Austin is also a junior from Weidao High School. So after dinner, we continued to a nearby spot for red wine, and I called Maxim out so a few alumni could get to know each other. Kevin, the manager of Golden Cellar, is also a junior from Weidao High School. Tonight, I asked him to recommend two red wines from the US and Bordeaux's Right Bank. They tasted pretty good. Cheers ~:) By Morgan @Evening of 2024.3.16
Location: Taipei, Tayou Road, Little Tokyo Cuisine - Small Hot Pot Specialty Shop Travel note: Taipei, Tayou Road, Little Tokyo Cuisine - Small Hot Pot Specialty Shop. In the afternoon, went to the Lenovo website and custom-configured a new laptop. i7 CPU + 64GB RAM + 1TB SSD. Hope it lasts for many more years. In the evening, had dinner again with the ramen senior. Went to this nearby shabu-shabu place with a per-person cost of around a thousand NT dollars; the beef quality was pretty good. Continued exchanging and communicating with the senior about our current businesses. On a cool day like today, having 2-3 pots of warm sake was just right. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of 2024.3.12
Location: Taipei, Songjiang Road, Dagebi Mongolian Barbecue Travel note summary: Dagebi Mongolian Barbecue (all-you-can-eat) on Songjiang Road in Taipei. Senior Lman suddenly invited me for dinner tonight, so I thought I'd revisit the Mongolian barbecue that always felt so novel and fun when I was a kid. I've forgotten how many years it's been since I last had it; these kinds of places are getting rarer nowadays. After the meal, you could grab Weichuan egg pudding, Chinese-style tofu pudding, and aiyu jelly. Definitely eating for nostalgia's sake :P. Changfeng also came by later, and I listened to him talk about the current situation of a chain restaurant he invested in. I ate way too much today—absolutely no room left for any alcohol. @@ By Morgan @Evening, March 11, 2024
Location: Taipei, Minquan East Road, 223 Oden Travel note summary: 223 Oden on Minquan East Road in Taipei. This afternoon, I went out for a walk and exercise around the nearby Minsheng Community. As I was strolling, I suddenly remembered that Annie, the beautiful owner of Andy's Sake Shop, later opened a new shop near Songshan Airport. So I walked all the way here. It's the first time I've seen an oden shop with such an extensive drink menu—cocktails, whisky, red/white wine, sake, plum wine, soju... they have it all. So I tried having oden with a little drink, and it really had a unique flavor. Besides oden, the shop also has some main dishes. The Chongqing noodles were a bit spicy but quite fragrant, and paired well with the mild, hot oden soup. The shop also has a private room for 8–10 people where you can sing karaoke, and they offer a premium Wagyu and seafood hotpot for 2,000 per person. Saw Annie bustling around happily, very busy~ XD. Time for me to head back too~ Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Evening, March 10, 2024 #223Oden
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: During yesterday's meeting for the Zomma Option Protocol, it was very interesting watching Tom unbox the Apple Vision Pro. Tonight, after being busy all day, I suddenly missed the past memories from when I lived in Hong Kong, where William (Weilun) and I would take turns visiting each other's places, often having roast meat with red wine and chatting. So on a whim tonight, I ordered a plate of roast duck leg and sugarcane chicken, and pulled out a bottle of Georgian red wine from home to pair with it. I recall the first time I tried Georgian wine was in 2017, on my first night in Kyiv, Ukraine. Back then, I had dinner with Mr. Liang and the beautiful Daria at a basement restaurant, and the accompanying wine was Georgian red. It left quite an impression. Time flies. After moving around and eventually returning to Taiwan these past years, I've bought a few bottles of Georgian red from a certain wine merchant to keep on hand. Actually, Georgia is an ancient winemaking country with an 8,000-year history. So even though it's not as well-known as famous wine regions, the wines from this Caucasus area have a truly distinctive flavor~ What can dispel sorrow? Only Du Kang (wine). By Morgan @Evening, March 15, 2024
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road, Mashen Spicy Hot Pot Travel note summary: Mashen Spicy Hot Pot on Nanjing East Road in Taipei. Came to a shop opened by Paul's friend tonight; we had a private room. Met several executives from Dell, Chicony Electronics, and NewRiver Capital: Jeffery, Layro, Jeff... Taiwan is small. Chatting with Austin, who's currently at Dell, and mentioning blockchain—turns out he also knows Marx, so we called Marx on the spot and arranged to meet for food and drinks sometime~ XD. He also knows my Weidao alumni, Qiche, who is his NTU senior. Then there's Ryan from Chicony Electronics, from Tainan. His dad also graduated from NCKU, so we chatted about shared Tainan memories. Plus old acquaintances Leon and Yinbo—another happy evening! Thanks to Brother Leon and Brother Paul for the treat, Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, March 8, 2024
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, MonBar Premium Wine Bar Travel note summary: MonBar Premium Wine Bar in Da'an District, Taipei. After a meeting this afternoon, since Xiao Gao is heading back to Kenting soon with only a few gatherings left, I came to see him off. The location chosen was Mon at the intersection of Guangfu South Road and Xinyi Road—a prime spot. Their imported Australian and New Zealand reds and whites have a unique flavor. Met Micky, who previously worked at Ogilvy and has lived in 7 countries; he now runs an ad agency with a few friends. Also met Kuikui, who spent six years in Australia and then opened a B&B in Kenting. Plus Coco who stopped by briefly, Micky's cousin, and Jimmy, who is in charge of the entire wine business department for a wine merchant opened by the owner of a passive component agency, which is the parent company of this bar's bar operations. The private room was full all night. Had a great conversation with Jimmy. Thanks to Jimmy for giving me a VIP card. Around 22:00, I even had a remote meeting with Cindy and Ruqi. Later, met the Thai girl PhingPhing again exactly one week later—different paths, same destination, Cheers! By Morgan @Evening, March 7, 2024 #Monbar
Location: Taipei, Songjiang Cashbox KTV Travel note: Today, Brother Paul introduced me to Andy, the CFO of Ying Hui (3523), a listed optoelectronics company. Thanks to Brother Paul for covering the table. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.3.6 evening
Location: Taipei, Chang'an East Road, Drunken Fisherman's Port Seafood Travel note: Went to OSIM on Chang'an East Road to repair an eye massager in the afternoon and tried their latest AI massage chair—it adjusts music and massage modes based on stress levels, breathing, and heart rate. Technology keeps advancing! Then visited the nearby Land Reform Memorial Hall, revisiting the history of rent reduction, public land release, and land-to-the-tiller. In the evening, had stir-fry with Senior Lman, Joey, Andrew, and retired banker Brother Howard. Howard's son does business in Myanmar with many connections—added him on Line for future cover. Senior Lman left early for errands; thanks to Joey for hosting. The world is small—chatting with Joey, I found out he also attended the opening of Jiangnan Club in Shanghai back in 2010, run by Longheng executives. Maybe we crossed paths back then! Final round of singing and drinks arranged by Sister Duan Yu. Thanks to Andrew for hosting. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.3.5 evening
Location: Taipei, Datong District, USE Sake Garden Travel note: Afternoon chat with Joey and Andrew at USE Sake Garden. Andrew's Hangzhou media company streamers recently went to Thailand to help sell products, so he just flew back today. Joey's friend's Shanghai media company has 200,000+ MCN bloggers, with annual net profit around 50 million RMB—seeing if they can connect. While they talked, I picked the sake: a gold award-winning Daiginjo made from Yamada Nishiki rice, smooth and sweet. Also tried drinking from ceramic and tin cups—different experiences! Thanks to Joey for hosting. Evening beef hot pot with Andrew near Linsen North (Niu Zong Shuan Beef). Thanks to Andrew for hosting. Finished with a revisit to a fun spot using wristbands for drinks. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.3.3 evening
Location: Taipei, Daan District, enowine food & wine Travel note: Joey returned from Shanghai and asked me to pick a dinner spot. It's been months since we last met at Lou Wai Lou by West Lake in Hangzhou. We had an Italian white wine with jasmine notes, a red from Saint-Émilion on Bordeaux's right bank, and later a glass of Napa red—paired with a luxury seafood platter, Italian dumplings, and a cold cuts and cheese board. Total came to exactly 10,000 TWD. Discussed resources and projects among friends for potential connections. This one's on me—returning the favor for Joey's warm hospitality with a dedicated car in Hangzhou! Later, called Senior Jerry in Norway—he's launched an AI + retail tech system and is seeking Asian investors. Seeing how I can assist or advise. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.3.2 evening
Location: Taipei Travel note: Afternoon meeting at Taipei Ark to check out Zomma's new Paymaster feature on zkSync (allows paying gas fees with various tokens). Evening, Fred introduced his friend Ben, founder of a German pharmaceutical company, here on a business trip. We started with singing and drinks at Cashbox KTV—thanks to Brother Paul for covering the table. Afterward, I took Ben around the Xingtian Temple area to experience various massage shops, showcasing Taiwan's nightlife. Cheers! — Morgan @2024.2.29 evening
Location: Taipei, TOKU Izakaya. Evening at TOKU Izakaya and Sing!Go KTV Zhongxiao Branch. Jessica, an interior designer I met last time at Chris's place (Celebrity Champagne), invited me to dinner at her favorite spot, an izakaya in an alley off Keelung Road. Taiwan is a small world—Neo, who was also there, had just been at 333 Gallery last Saturday and knows the beautiful painter Rongyue. Tonight at the izakaya, I met Chairman Wang of the listed company Jinzhan (6432). Then I had a sake drinking contest with the owner, Toku-san. Afterward, we moved on to Sing!Go for karaoke. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.28 evening #TOKU
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Anhe, LEO CLUB. Evening at LEO CLUB in Xinyi Anhe. Shao invited me to support his Rotary Club friend Carol's newly opened bar. Jimmy joined later and even brought Coco, who, like him, retired at 27 and doesn't work. Coco started as a fashion designer in Dongguan and Guangzhou, later invested in real estate, and now finds staying home too boring, wanting to open a restaurant or bistro. Taiwan is small—the next table was a group of people around 30 celebrating a birthday. After Jimmy barged in, we all got acquainted; turns out they're from Baishang Digital, the team that developed the app for the financial wizard Alumi. It reminded me of visiting Alumi's Banqiao office with Tony a year and a half ago—time flies. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.27 evening #李奧俱樂部
Location: Taipei, Dadaocheng, Salon et Tutu Bistro. Morning visit to my Weidao schoolmate Chengwei, who works at Hedding Asset Management assisting with his family's funds—hadn't seen him in a while. We exchanged various information we'd each come across recently. In the afternoon, I strolled around the area, visiting the Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Hall and the Peace and Women's Human Rights Museum, learning more about the 1923 Zhi Jing Incident involving Jiang Weishui. Wandering around, I ended up in Dadaocheng, sitting at Salon et Tutu and ordering a glass of Italian orange wine from old vines, enjoying some alone time—stealing a half-day of leisure. By Morgan @2024.2.27
Location: Taipei, Qingcheng Street, Hooters (2nd visit). Busy Monday with four consecutive meetings starting at 9 AM. The last one was with Peter from Goldman Investment Consulting—we had a great conversation. Then in the evening, I headed to the nearby Hooters with three like-minded older brothers—Paul, Leon, and Dr. Yin—for Happy Hour drinks. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.26 evening
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Tianyuan Seafood Restaurant. Afternoon at 333 GALLERY (Breeze Nanshan Store, 3F) and evening at Tianyuan Seafood Restaurant on Bade Road. My junior Maxim Meishen has a new exhibition starting at their Breeze Nanshan branch, so I dropped by to visit and say hello, also inviting Teddy along. I remembered that Maxim and Teddy are senior and junior from the Beijing Central Academy of Fine Arts, so I introduced Teddy to Maxim. Wondering if these two future successors of Taiwan's art auction and music record industries might spark some collaboration in the future. Today I also met a female editor from We People celebrity magazine and the super beautiful painter Rongyue, who also writes poetry. After leaving the gallery, since Teddy is flying to San Francisco tomorrow to pitch his new AI + Crypto + finance project, bon voyage! :) Then in the evening, two Hong Kong accountants who audit Andrew's US-listed company flew to Taiwan, so they invited me to dinner. We chose a distinctive Taiwanese restaurant to host these Hong Kong friends, chatting over 18-day Taiwan Beer about life experiences in Hong Kong—great conversation. Next, taking these Hong Kong friends to experience Taipei nightlife—first stop, Fish's bar 'Go to Swan's Home' on Jinhua Street, starting with a few tea cocktails. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.24 evening #333GALLERY
Location: Taichung, Qizhi, Shikisai Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Second visit to Shikisai Japanese Cuisine in Qizhi, Taichung. Had dinner with Brother Gong in the evening. Brother Gong, who is both a mentor and a friend, always gives me valuable life advice. Tonight, we drank a sweet Daiginjo sake, which uses one of the same rice varieties as Juyondai: 'Sake Mirai'. It was very smooth. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.23 evening
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Had a meeting at Taipei Ark in the afternoon. In the evening, had drinks and discussed matters with Brother Paul, Fred, Brother Cory, and Andrew. After consecutive days of engagements and needing to wake up early tomorrow, I couldn't handle the whiskey and couldn't last until the end, so I had to head home halfway. Let's talk in detail next week when everyone is free. Thanks for the treat, Brother Paul! Cheers ~ By Morgan @2024.2.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, a certain guesthouse Travel note summary: A guesthouse in Songshan District, Taipei. Started the morning with a remote meeting with Eugene, founder of Blue Rabbit .AI. Eugene grew up in the US, is an overseas Taiwanese, and now lives in Hong Kong. He was very interested in my experience, and we talked a lot. After the meeting, Giga messaged me because I had previously invested a small amount in their project, which uses AI for a new coin rating system (ARBOT), and the coin price has recently more than tripled. Then, in the afternoon, after the Taiwan index futures February settlement and regularly preparing reports, I went out to Dingheng for another meeting. In the evening, transferred USDC from the ARBITRUM chain to the zkSync chain via Zomma Protocol's new LayerZero bridge. Finally, at 22:30, went out to meet with two good friends. One of them works for NVIDIA, which coincidentally announced earnings that night. It's rare to see a guesthouse in Taipei converted from a whole standalone house. The fourth floor is used as a private kitchen, run by a teacher of Chef André Chiang. Taiwan is small. While chatting with the owner, Jimmy, I suddenly remembered—isn't this the same owner Jimmy I met almost two years ago at Tipsy Gallery in Taichung? I had previously tried to book his Taichung guesthouse and even communicated on Line. Never thought we'd meet again in Taipei. Fate isn't over yet. After chatting, we moved to the fifth floor to sing and enjoy the night view. Suddenly realized, the Thai girl Phing is the same person who sat next to me last Saturday. Only 4 days apart, we met again. It is really destiny! Tonight, newly met Chairman Ye, who is an agent for Italian racing accessories (Alpinestars) and also in seafood import/export with many businesses in Thailand, and Fish, who owns several bars in Taipei. While chatting, lit up a Dominican cigar. Thanks to Jimmy for treating us to red wine, cigars, and all the expenses. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.2.21 evening
Location: Taipei VINDEX Yacui Wine Shop Travel note summary: Taipei BRUN brunch, Petroleum Exploration Museum, VINDEX Yacui Wine Shop, TGI Fridays. This morning, first had a meeting upstairs at Taipei 101 in Xinyi District. After lunch,顺便 visited the Petroleum Exploration Museum at the CPC building and had a glass of red wine at Shin Kong A4. In the evening, Brother Paul introduced the impressive Dr. Yin, who came from AMD, and met again with Brother Leon, who has invested in all kinds of industries from food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, to entertainment. Along with Senior Lman and later joined by John. Taiwan is small. John had previously collaborated with Junior Gene from Demi Human on BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club) stuff. From different fields, everyone discussed resources and things they could collaborate on. Thanks to Brother Leon and his wife for the treat in the evening. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.20 evening
Location: Taipei, Fuxing South Road, Really Good Seafood Restaurant, Technology Building Tiancang Dijiu Travel note summary: Taipei, Fuxing South Road, Really Good Seafood Restaurant, Technology Building Tiancang Dijiu. Came for the American company Nocera's spring banquet at noon (Nasdaq:NCRA). Taiwan is small. At the banquet, former Deputy Director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, Brother Zhuang, turned out to be a senior from Taichung First Senior High School. The boss, knowing the senior was coming, specially treated us to king crab. In the afternoon, met with the Cai family, century-old aquaculture magnates from Yunlin, two cousins Tiger and Steven, and came to a nearby wine cellar. They both studied abroad in the US. Steven also used to live near Zhongshan Park Station in Changning District, Shanghai, so we had a lot to talk about. Drank several bottles of Burgundy red wine. Thanks to Andrew for the treat. Newly met the boss, Brother Jordan, and Sister Kelly, who imports high-end mineral water, olive oil, and champagne. Taiwan is still small. Sister Kelly also knows Chris, the owner of Celebrity Champagne. Later, Jimmy and Andy came over, and we continued the party singing! Andy also has an art auction house, Wah Fai Auctioneers, in Hong Kong. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.17 evening #NCRA #TiancangDijiu
Location: Ombre Restaurant & Bar, Fuxing South Road, Taipei Travel Notes: Ombre Restaurant & Bar on Fuxing South Road in Taipei (Baodao Taiwan Spring Banquet). The 'Huijin Taiwan' and TIC (Wandering to Central) groups are professional networks for Taiwanese finance professionals working in China and Hong Kong. Today's event was mainly attended by members of these groups, celebrating the newly established Baodao Taiwan spring banquet, initiated by Teacher Li Jigang. On this day when the Taiwan stock index hit a historic high, nearly 50 financial talents from across the strait gathered. Upon arrival, I first ran into Zhaotang, former head of Yuanta Securities Investment Trust, and greeted him. We had crossed paths at the company before but never had a proper chat. Zhaotang, who grew alongside the Taiwan 50 ETF (0050), is truly a key driver in Taiwan's ETF development. He's now chairman at Hua Nan Securities Investment Trust, and we started by listening to his insightful views. After seating, besides meeting new friends, I also saw old colleagues Sam and Leon, and James, a well-known bond expert in Hong Kong whom I hadn't seen in years. During the meal, hosted by Annie, we listened to Yongge and experts from various fields share their views on this year's Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland stocks, as well as U.S. bonds. Steven from Huasheng Group also shared investment opportunities in Saudi Arabia, all while enjoying glass after glass of red and white wine. Today's reds were carefully selected by Teacher Li, with some sponsored by Bryan, who runs a high-end restaurant in Shanghai—truly a delightful drink! It was also great to connect with old and new friends in finance. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.2.15 evening #BaodaoTaiwan
Location: Beno Wine, Chaogui Road, Taichung Travel Notes: Beno Wine on Chaogui Road, Taichung, and Liyun Sake Specialty Store in Qizhi (3rd visit). Before returning to Taipei, I arranged a gathering. Senior Dade, Minyan, and Zixuan all came. David, the owner of Beno, is also an alumnus of Weidao and was classmates with Qibin in high school, so he's also classmates with Haoting. Coincidentally, with a lawyer, doctor, Japanese international trader, and wine merchant present, we listened to everyone chat about various topics from different fields. Finally, we opened a few bottles of Spanish red wine—thanks to David for hosting! Afterward, we moved to Liyun. The owner Xuanyi (Class 3) is also a Weidao alumnus from the same year, and as a lawyer, he joined too. Maxim, a junior from Weidao, came after returning from Wufeng, along with Marcus, a junior from Yizhong. Thanks to Xuanyi for treating us to a variety of Japanese sake! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.13 evening #BenoWine #Liyun
Location: Kanpai Yakiniku, Taichung Travel Notes: Kanpai Yakiniku (Zhonggang Store), Taichung, and CRU Wine Cellar in Qizhi (2nd visit). The third day of Lunar New Year. This was a rare reunion reconnecting after 30 years. Minyan is an old alumnus (Class 2) from my junior high school days at Weidao, commuting daily from Fengyuan. After that, we lost touch and hadn't met or reunited for 30 years. By chance, Qibin recently had eye surgery and met Minyan, a graduate of National Taiwan University College of Medicine, now an ophthalmology authority at Veterans General Hospital and Chung Shan Medical University. When Qibin mentioned me, Minyan actually remembered me, leading to this magical gathering of three today. With Minyan, we reminisced about DOS systems, Prince of Persia 2, Times Eagles baseball... all those shared junior high memories, truly joyful~ Then we continued at nearby CRU, which I hadn't visited in two years. Brother Gong, who also lives near Qizhi, joined later, and the beautiful Manman, whom I hadn't seen in a while, also came. We chatted happily, opening five bottles of wine in a row, from French Burgundy to New World reds. Counting it up, Minyan treated us to over 20,000 TWD for the whole night—really thankful~ Let's meet again soon~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.2.12 evening
Location: Zhujian Happy Hot Pot, Taichung Travel Notes: Zhujian Happy Hot Pot (Songzhu Store). Had a meal with two adorable nephews. Thanks to my older sister for treating us~ By Morgan @2024.2.12
Location: Lailai Seafood Restaurant, Wuqi, Taichung Travel Notes: Lailai Seafood Restaurant, Wuqi, Taichung (Nth visit). Came to grandma's house on the first day of Lunar New Year. As we slowly grow up, the elders grow older year by year. Let's gather more when we have the chance~ Wishing everyone peace and happiness in the New Year! By Morgan @2024.2.10
Location: Taipei, Xiangshan, Hidden Abode Bistro Travel Notes: Today I listened to Brother Paul and Andrew talk about the topic of aquaculture-photovoltaics integration. We had dinner together at Paradise Dynasty in the evening. Thanks to Brother Paul for the treat. After we parted ways, Andrew and I went to his friend's newly opened bistro, which even has a karaoke room in the basement. The group of guys were all straightforward people; we sat in a circle drinking and playing games. I chatted with Leo next to me about politics, children's education, and Taiwan's future development... It was a special night. Thanks to Brother Wu for hosting! Finally, for the third round of the night, since many places were fully booked before the Lunar New Year, we had a hard time finding a spot. @@ Later, I switched to chatting with A-Ru from FXC about topics like the BingX exchange and ACDC in the crypto world. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.8 evening
Location: Taipei City Travel Notes: In the morning, Eric and I visited one of the many companies invested in by Brother Paul and Chairman Peng—Mayo, an HR SaaS service. We greeted the founder, James. Mayo currently has nearly 200 employees, with the goal of transitioning from the emerging stock market to a full listing this year. Peter from Goldman Capital also joined the meeting. In the evening, I sang and drank with Brother Paul. I met Kelly from KGI Securities, Siyu from Yuanta Securities, the beautiful Paris, and Hanhan, a 20-year-old university student. Also joining were Thomas, a pilot from Tigerair who graduated from Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School; Bruce, an RD from Topco Technologies; Xiaodu, a fund manager junior from Capital Investment Trust; and finally, Andrew, the head of a US-listed company who just returned to Taiwan yesterday—I invited him to join too. It was quite a gathering in the finance industry. Thanks to Brother Paul for the treat! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.2.6 evening
Location: Taipei, East District, Bar Mood Taipei Travel Notes: A beauty suddenly invited me out for drinks tonight, along with her best friend who returned to Taiwan from Australia for the Lunar New Year. We came to Bar Mood, which has previously been honored as one of Asia's 50 Best Bars. The cocktails here are indeed quite distinctive. We had a great time chatting and drinking! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.2.5 evening #BarMood #Asia50BestBars
Location: Taipei, Liuzhangli, A Glass or Two Travel Notes: Over the weekend, I continued reading a few of the books that had piled up and caught up on some K-dramas. In the evening, I met Shao for the first time for some wine. Shao is a dance teacher who now combines Middle Eastern dance with Taiwanese songs, performing in Egypt and Iran. They also live in those countries for a few months each year. Shao, a Leo, is a new friend with an interesting soul~ Later, Jimmy and Brother Zuo also joined. After closing at 12:00, we moved to a bar on Xinsheng North Road opened by Brother Zuo's friend for another round. Finally, for the third round, we went to another mysterious spot with Brother Zuo's friend Ricky. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2024.2.4 evening
Location: Keelung, Kanziding Fish Market Travel Notes: It's really been many years since I last came to Keelung. Today I came to see the Kanziding Fish Market, which gets livelier starting from midnight, and visited the packed Zhutian Fresh Fish Shop, which is open until 4 a.m., to eat their sashimi and seafood~ Finally, after walking through the Keelung Miaokou Night Market, we ended tonight's itinerary. By Morgan @2024.2.3 evening
Location: Graft Wine & Dine, Zhongshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: Last night after leaving Celebrity's Champagne, I got a massage in Ximending, then was spontaneously invited by Jimmy and Brother Zuo to join them at East District 209 to host a friend from Denmark. We had a great time singing! :) Tonight, Sister Julie invited me for dinner, so I picked this wine bistro opened by a Hong Kong owner to try. Taiwan is small—the staff recognized me from visiting the Hong Kong owners of Cafe Society wine bar just a few days ago. We ordered a French white wine tonight. Thanks for the treat, Sister Julie! After drinking, we headed to Cashbox KTV again. Thanks again, Sister Julie! Cheers~ By Morgan @2024.2.1 evening #Graft接木酒食
Location: CELEBRITY'S Champagne (Celebrity Taste Champagne International), Dadaocheng, Taipei Travel note summary: After finishing the 30-episode drama 'Blossoms' starring Hu Ge over the weekend, which features many scenes about the Shanghai Stock Exchange, I felt inspired and booked a visit in the afternoon to the Stock Museum, one of the few museums in Taipei I hadn't seen yet. After the tour and seeing the physical TSMC stock certificate, in the evening, I thought, why not drop by Christophe's shop in Dadaocheng? I came on a whim, and Christophe happened to be there. We opened a pink champagne that costs 8,000 at Star City to taste. Taiwan is tiny—I ran into Xiaochun, the owner of Pro Wine Cellar from Taichung, here. At first, I didn't recognize him until he kept talking about some Southeast Asian girl... and I realized he was talking about me! Then we caught up. @@ Another wine merchant owner, Eva, turned out to be my junior from the art class at Chung Yi High School, 13 years below me. Christophe's two female staff are also impressive: Luna is a beauty graduated from NTNU, and Carol has WSET Level 3. I chatted a lot with each of them. Thanks to Christophe for treating us to other champagnes, red wine, and caviar later. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.1.30 evening #CELEBRITYSChampagne #名人品味香檳國際 #Champagne
Location: Business Weekly Study, Business Weekly X NCCU X Drip Capital Travel note summary: 'Small and Micro New Forces - FinTech Innovation Future' Forum. In the afternoon, I came with Brother Paul to attend a forum organized by Business Weekly. The guest was the founder of the Hong Kong unicorn enterprise Drip Capital. (Founded 3 years ago, valued at $1.7 billion, raised $458 million in Series C last year.) The founder, Li Xiaojia, was previously the CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges. It mainly addresses the pain point of financing for small and micro enterprises. The moderator was personally hosted by General Manager Zhu of Business Weekly. The world is small—at the venue, I also saw some familiar faces from when I lived in Shenzhen in 2015-2016, with whom I had meals and drinks, including Brother Mark and Ray from Rui Feng Capital. Ray was also one of the panelists today. I also newly met and briefly greeted Dr. Peter, Chairman of Goldman Capital/Investment Advisory. The speech content was rich and exciting, and the afternoon passed quickly~ By Morgan @2024.1.29 #BusinessWeekly #BusinessWeeklyStudy #DripCapital
Location: Cafe Society Wine Bar, Zhongshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: Tonight, Sister Julie, whom I met for the first time, came all the way from Taoyuan to have a drink with me. So I chose this red wine bar opened by a Hong Kong lady owner. Sister Julie just returned to Taiwan from the US a while ago; she was previously the general manager of a chain buffet restaurant in Texas. After finishing, we had a great chat, so Sister Julie invited me to sing at the nearby Cashbox Linsen branch. Later, Xiao Gao, whom I met at the KaraKara opening last time, happened to be nearby and also joined us. Listening to Sister Julie talk about how Jonathan Lee pursued her in the past, we decided to sing some of Jonathan Lee's songs~ Cheers! By Morgan @2024.1.27 evening
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Last night, I drank until past 2 a.m. with three girls born in 1990, 1992, and 1998 at a bar in Sabah, Malaysia. This afternoon, I returned to Taipei Ark for a meeting and barbecue. Physical distance is never too big a problem. But the temperature difference between the two places is almost 20 degrees—so thrilling~ @@ Before the meeting, I updated my current travel progress map. This time, I mainly newly visited Brunei. Apart from having already traveled to most of China (except Tibet and Qinghai), my exploration of the world, though slow, has advanced to the 28th country. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Keep Going~ :P By Morgan @2024.1.25
The Sabah Museum has a huge Bryde's whale skeleton and some local collections.
I randomly picked a massage place that sounded nice, BELLA SUNSET SPA, and tried a Scrub Massage. It reminded me of the body scrubbing experiences I had before at a bathhouse in Northeast China and in Istanbul, Turkey.
Location: Taipei, Caramel Maple Skewers (Yongji Branch) Travel note: Today was the monthly settlement day for Taiwan stock index futures—another month gone by. After finishing the post-market reports in the afternoon and replying to various requests from friends, I headed out in the evening. I walked to Ms. T's place nearby and had some Korean soju & beer with her while sharing our thoughts. The soju-beer combo really gets you in the mood quickly; it was quite a pleasant time～ Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2024.1.18 evening
Location: Taipei, Qsquare, Crystal Spoon Thai Restaurant Travel note: Over the weekend, I spent some time studying the newly released LayerZero V2 whitepaper, which is touted as the TCP/IP protocol for blockchain. This morning, after two remote routine meetings, I got a message from my junior Rebecca about a seminar they're holding near the Far Eastern Plaza next week. Although I can't attend, I helped her connect with a few potential clients after understanding her needs. In the evening, thanks to an invitation from my junior Fisher at Palm Drive Capital, I went to Qsquare. It was a gathering of interesting and valuable friends: Patrick, the new CEO of the long-standing American Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (AmCham Taiwan); Peter, who specializes in Southeast Asian industry investments; Chris, a cybersecurity expert from Singapore whose family is behind the famous Tiger Balm; and Mao, who works at Mantis, a company under his family's investments—his family is also fascinating, being a prominent clan in Taipei with an extensive art collection. Life is all about serendipity: Patrick was very interested in the clothes I bought and wore from Inluxe Casa at Regent B2, so I introduced him to Brenda's shop; and since Mao's family collects art, I shared some references from my junior Maxim's gallery, 333 Gallery. Thanks to Fisher for hosting dinner—have a smooth trip to the U.S. tomorrow! Taiwan is small; Patrick also knows Yan and John from Hive Ventures. For the second round, we went to INDULGE Bistro, one of Asia's 50 Best Bars, thanks to Patrick's treat. The final stop was at a shop recommended by Mao's dad, again courtesy of Patrick. Enjoy the night! Cheers～ By Morgan @2024.1.15 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan Road, Xihu Seafood Travel note: This morning, I called Duke, who couldn't make it last night. The world is small—I didn't expect both he and Pat to know Christine from Huasheng Securities. Through Christine next week, he might also meet Cindy in Hong Kong. Duke recently moved to a Swiss private bank managing FOF funds; we agreed to catch up later. At noon, I met with Pat and Eric, the CEO of Shangyan Qunjia Accounting Firm, whom I hadn't seen in a while, for a highly cost-effective seafood donburi near Yongchun Station. We chatted about healthcare resources, tax savings, and family legacy—thanks to Eric for hosting. After eating, I visited Pat's UBS office in Taipei's Xinyi District, which focuses on wealth management and investment banking. After leaving, I returned home to work on some things. In the evening, I hesitated about going out, and another day of mundane diary entries just passed by. @@ By Morgan @2024.1.12
Location: Taipei, Ximending Gathering Travel note: In the afternoon, I first had a meeting at Taipei Ark to discuss potential trends after the Bitcoin ETF approval. Then, Pat spontaneously arranged a gathering in the evening. Although Duke, who returned from Hong Kong, couldn't make it in the end, I got to see LC Longji from the well-known U.S. PE firm TPG Capital, whom I hadn't met in a while, and Jack, who sold his company to NVIDIA. A local friend from Wanhua also dropped by to say hello. We drank some beer, chatted, and shared our thoughts. Finally, I took a taxi and dropped Jack off near his place at Xinyi Anhe, chatting with him in the car about his plans for the next two years after retirement. Thanks to Pat for hosting tonight—bro, everything will get better and better, Cheers! ～ By Morgan @2024.1.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Lane off Zhongshan North Road, Sushi Gun Japanese Cuisine (2nd visit) Travel note: It's Mars's birthday today, and we had a small gathering of six for a lunch celebration. We chose this high-end sushi restaurant opened by the former head chef of旬採. Just like last time with Mars, we went all out today, eating a total of 23 courses (nigiri)—super satisfying. In the end, Chef Huang prepared a creative sea urchin sushi cake, and I brought a health supplement set from Dayan Biomedicine as a birthday gift for Mars, hoping everyone stays healthy～ Thanks for hosting, and happy birthday! ^^ By Morgan @2024.1.10 afternoon
Location: Taipei Pairing Wine Peiying Wine Cellar, Deesse in Tonghua Street alley Travel note summary: Taipei 106 Cantonese-style pork stomach and chicken hotpot, Pairing Wine Peiying Wine Cellar, Deesse in Tonghua Street alley. In the evening, senior Lman invited me to dinner, so I called Gene, a junior from the same department at National Cheng Kung University who is 15 years younger than me and had contacted me last Monday at New Bar, to join us for a chat. Gene previously left his high-paying job at Cisco and also led the operations of the well-known Taiwanese NFT project: Demi-Human. The many Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) NFTs he invested in once reached a peak market value of around 7 to 8 million USD. He is now taking over as the Asia-Pacific head of a Singaporean software company, which is recently recruiting heavily in Taiwan, planning to hire around a hundred engineers. After dinner, the junior and I went to Peiying, which I hadn't had a chance to visit before, opened a red wine with great value for money, and discussed areas where I could assist. After understanding the background and situation, I thought for a moment and spontaneously asked a friend with resources in the BC industry if he'd be interested in joining the conversation. My friend said, 'There's no time like the present,' so the third gathering was held at a certain place on Tonghua Street, where we booked the venue for a good chat. Thanks to my friend for hosting! Cheers! By Morgan @2024.1.9 evening
Location: Taichung One Day An'an Travel note summary: Taichung One Day An'an, Liyun Sake (2nd visit), Jinzun Red Wine (4th visit). Today is the Weidao Alumni gathering day. In the morning, I had brunch with my old middle school classmate Steven and his wife from Weidao, along with high school alumnus Qibin, and also taught Steven's wife how to convert Bitcoin on Binance back to New Taiwan Dollars. In the evening, we first gathered at Qibin's residence near the Green Parkway. Attendees included Qibin's high school classmate, also a same-year alumnus from three other middle school classes at Weidao—Qiche, who now works at Delta Electronics and is also an alumnus of National Cheng Kung University's Mechanical Engineering department. Also present were Qiche's former roommate couple, who are elementary school teachers. Together with Steven and his wife, we enjoyed freshly grilled steak and lamb hotpot. I also brought a bottle of red wine gifted by Chairman Gong. Thanks to Qibin for hosting! Next Monday, Qibin will also go to Chung Shan Medical University to visit Minyan from Weidao Class 2, who is also an authority in ophthalmology, for laser surgery. Then, for the second half, since senior Vincent from Taichung First Senior High School left a comment on Facebook saying we should meet up, I arranged this gathering. After leaving his role leading a futures proprietary trading team, the senior has been cultivating the field of art investment for the past decade. Since it's in this realm, I scrolled through my phone contacts and invited Maxim, the younger brother of my Weidao middle school classmate Boheng, to get to know each other. Maxim is also a Weidao junior. Besides currently being the owner of 333 Gallery, he is expected to gradually take over the well-known Taiwanese international art auction platform: Jingxunlou. Later, we split into three gatherings: the first at the rooftop of Maxim's community building for drinks and night views (my second time here), the second moved to Liyun for sweet daiginjo sake, and the third was next door at Jinzun for German white wine and French Burgundy red wine. Thanks to Maxim for hosting the first gathering, and thanks to the senior for hosting the third! Listening to the two experts talk about various types of artworks, painters, collectors... and much knowledge about investing in paintings, my horizons were broadened, and I benefited greatly! It also inspired me to consider whether Richwell's future and Yousi's potential family office services could incorporate this area and connect with the two from tonight. Cheers! By Morgan @2024.1.6 evening
Location: Taichung Xitun Road New Bar Music Restaurant Travel note summary: Taichung Xitun Road New Bar Music Restaurant (5th visit). After finishing the year-end party at Brother Gong's company, I walked here alone to drink. If life were always like the first meeting, tonight when feeling lonely, I also went on stage to sing a few songs. Fortunately, I always run into acquaintances inside, so it gradually became less boring. Director Bai, whom I've met a few times, is a senior from Weidao who is 12 years ahead of me. Chatting with the senior, he also knows our discipline director from back then—Cai Qiu, as well as the principal and vice principal, Brother Shi... Among the senior's friends, Brother Xiaoming's younger brother also attended Weidao Middle School. Another, Brother Gu, is in the real estate development industry, and the Xinmin High School he attended happens to be near my home. Also, Patty, whom I met through Brother Xuchu in Taipei before—we said we'd meet but never did, finally clinked glasses tonight. I greeted Angel, the wife of New Bar's owner, Uncle Niu Da, and later also greeted another Angel. After paying the bill, I walked all the way from Xitun Road back home along Jianxing Road. While walking, I sent out a few messages. The huge sense of contrast and chaos I've felt inside lately, I really wanted to ignore it but once again experienced it firsthand... By Morgan @2024.1.5 evening
Location: Taichung Wenxin South Road Daughter's Red Wedding Banquet Hall Travel note summary: Taichung Wenxin South Road Daughter's Red Wedding Banquet Hall. Came to attend Brother Gong's company year-end party in the evening. Wishing everyone better luck in the new year! Cheers~ ^^ By Morgan @2024.1.5 evening
Location: Taipei Anhe Road Vana Taipei Travel note summary: Taipei Nangang Magic Ball Golf, Anhe Road Vana Taipei. In the afternoon, first went to the blockchain startup base, N24 Taipei Ark for a meeting. On the 2nd floor here, a new indoor golf simulator driving range (Venom Golf) opened in collaboration with ITRI technology. It also combines a bar, has private rooms, and operates as a composite space. In the evening, with senior Lman, Mars, Pat, junior Edison, and Brother Paul, several good friends and brothers introduced everyone to drink and get to know each other at Vana, recommended by Xiaxia. Talked about AI computing power machines and many interesting things, to see what we can create together in 2024. 'The past and the future are only 'what has been' and 'what may be.' The only existence is the present.' Live in the moment, Cheers! Thanks to Mars for hosting! By Morgan @2024.1.3 evening
Location: Taipei TempoX Web3 Startup Accelerator Travel note summary: TempoX, a Web3 startup accelerator and co-working space brand in Taipei, is led by BlockTempo, a well-known Taiwanese blockchain media outlet. I dropped by this afternoon for a walk and chat. In the evening, I went with Brother Jun to help handle some matters. Taiwan is a small place—Brother Jun used to be a senior executive at Sinbon Electronics. They have a share swap relationship with another listed company, Youqun, so Brother Jun also knows and has met Uncle Jason, who is still at Youqun managing the Kunshan factory. It was another busy day; after wrapping up tasks for now, it's time to head back to my place. @@ By Morgan @Evening, Jan 2, 2024
Location: Taipei Raohe Street Night Market, Teacher Wu Ming's Bird Fortune Telling Travel note summary: After waking up today, I first researched some Crypto options strategies, then continued reading and digesting the large number of books I bought at the end of last year. In the evening, feeling some inner conflict these past few days, I went out to the nearby Raohe Street Night Market to find Teacher Wu Ming and try his reportedly quite accurate bird fortune telling, as an aid to help with decision-making. After the reading, I returned to continue enjoying my books, and later there should be a meeting. Life is constantly about making a series of decisions; only by continuously broadening diverse thinking can we increase the probability of making correct judgments. @@ By Morgan @Evening, Jan 1, 2024
Location: 2023 Total Number of Morgan's Gatherings (401 gatherings) Travel note summary: If eating and drinking could count as KPI, I'd probably have overachieved. @@ This marks the 4th year since I passively returned to Taiwan due to COVID, going with the flow. Counting it up, I had a total of 401 meals and gatherings this year. In 2023, thanks to invitations from all sorts of old friends, I also met many interesting new friends. Every night of clinking glasses left behind numerous beautiful memories~ On the last night of the year, I drank and celebrated New Year's Eve with important good friends at AW, then went to Xinyi Road to watch the 101 fireworks. Wishing everyone a smooth and healthy 2024! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Evening, Dec 31, 2023
Location: Taipei Humble House Taipei 6F La Farfalla Travel note summary: Taipei Humble House Taipei 6F La Farfalla, Shida 'Fanguan'er' Korean Restaurant, ATT 4Fun 10F KaraKara. In the evening, I had dinner with junior Marcus, Amy, and Andrew at a restaurant in the Xinyi area, paired with a Bordeaux red wine—thanks to Andrew for treating. Second stop: at a Korean restaurant near Shida, with Professor Li from the Shida Music Department, Brother Zeng from semiconductor equipment distribution, and Korean boss Brother Zhao, drinking whiskey and Korean soju. Cheers~ Final stop: at Marcus's newly invested bar, the newly opened KaraKara next to One Rule~ Met Marcus's younger brother, also a junior from Weidao~ and Andy, founder of AuthMe whom I'd met before. Taiwan is so small; coincidentally ran into Jeff from BitoEX, who came to the private room to drink champagne, met the bar owner Steve, George the brother of the Oursong founder, Malaysian coffee tycoon Aize, and Brother Jimmy who owns over 1,000 ping of land in Kenting... Cheers! Happy Night! Somehow, there was one more stop, ending up singing at Zhongxiao Cashbox KTV. Thanks for the hospitality! By Morgan @Evening, Dec 30, 2023
Location: Taipei 'Zhou' Clos & Cru Wine Bar Travel note summary: Taipei 'Zhou' Clos & Cru Wine Bar, AW Wine (5th visit). In the evening, met up with Wayne. After such long Zomma meetings, it was the first time we had a drink alone together. Taiwan is so small; chatting, I found out he and my younger brother were actually same-year club mates in the Tsinghua Hot Dance Club back in the day, so we made a remote video call to let him chat with my brother in the Netherlands. Thanks to Wayne for treating. Afterwards, moved to AW again, with Brother Paul, Daniel who hosts art fairs, and Chairman Lin who does audio equipment. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, Dec 29, 2023
Location: Taipei, Yangmingshan Travel notes: In the morning, I went with Tiffany to Yangmingshan to meet Master Hong and have my fortune told for the coming year. In the afternoon, I headed to Taipei Ark for a Zomma Option meeting. In the evening, I met up with senior Telder for some red wine and to give him a book. We chose a hidden basement wine cellar on B1—very quiet and relaxing. We chatted about his recent studies on Zi Wei Dou Shu (Chinese astrology) and DALL-E: AI-generated art, as well as agricultural tech... Today, we drank an Italian wine recommended by the owner, with strong tannins. I was about to head home in the car but ended up making a last-minute stop at AW Wine. Met a new friend, Brother Zhang, who's really skilled in stocks. Cheers! — Morgan @2023.12.26 evening
Location: Taipei, PIEMONTE CELLAR Travel notes: PIEMONTE CELLAR is a place I stumbled upon last time. In the afternoon, I had the chance to meet up with Andrew and Tiger from Nocera, and Teddy from Rock Records for a casual drink here. Taiwan is so small—as soon as I entered, I saw the wines Clark had asked the shop to prepare for a dinner party. We picked an Italian red wine and asked the staff to open it; the body was solid and robust. We chatted about live streaming platforms and newly opened nightclubs in Taipei while drinking. Thanks to Andrew for treating us. In the evening, senior Lman invited me to dinner. He had just finished a meeting with Joseph at Oases, so I suggested a Japanese hamburg steak restaurant near Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. It's the trendy teppanyaki-style charcoal-grilled hamburg steak from Tokyo. After dinner, we went to check out BN Inn Wine Shop on Dunhua South Road and ordered a New Zealand white wine. Cheers! After senior left, the final stop of the day was still a wine cellar—this time to try their mulled wine. Unexpectedly, we added another stop at Wu Xiang on Anhe Road. — Morgan @2023.12.26 evening
Location: Taipei, Schumann's Bistro No. 6 Nanjing Store Travel notes: In the morning, I met up with classmate Naiwen for brunch—thanks to Naiwen for treating me. Since Christmas was approaching, we decided to visit the Museum of World Religions, which is definitely worth a visit. In the evening, since we were already in the Yonghe area, I invited another university classmate, Afu, to join me for dinner. This tonkatsu restaurant only has a few counter seats, so there was a queue. But the pork cutlet was pretty good. Afu recently moved to Foxconn to contribute his skills to their newly established AI data analysis department. Thanks again to my old classmate for the treat! :) After dinner, we strolled around the National Taiwan Library in No. 4 Park before heading back to the city. — Morgan @2023.12.24 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, Chu Zang Jiu Izakaya Travel notes: In the evening, I went with junior Fred and Ms. T, whom I hadn't seen in a while, to an izakaya near Zhongshan Elementary School Station for skewers and sake. Then we headed to a nearby wine bistro that Fred often visits. This place offers over twenty types of red and white wines by the glass (10–100ml), including second-label wines from the five First Growths (Margaux, Mouton). You can taste wines worth NT$15,000–20,000 at a minimal cost. Later, Freeza also joined us. Cheers! The third stop was likely the newly opened bar next to Yu Hsi Hotel: Zentopia. Let's go! — Morgan @2023.12.23 evening
Location: Taipei, Daan Road, William Wine Cellar Travel notes: At noon, I met with Brother Paul, Eric, and Tiffany, who had just returned from Hong Kong. We discussed matters over pizza—thanks to Brother Paul for treating us. In the evening, I returned to William Wine Cellar and picked two red wines from the US and Burgundy. Cheers! — Morgan @2023.12.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Peter Green Wine Cellar Travel Notes: In Taipei's Zhongshan District, at a stall in Songjiang Market and Peter Green Wine Cellar. An evening with Lao Zeng, a Hsinchu seafood king delayed by the tech industry, with millions of views on Google Photos and multiple high-level roles at HTC. The chosen spot was quite unique—inside Songjiang Market. Don, a senior alumnus managing several sizable U.S. hedge and pension funds with an astonishing net worth, surprisingly enjoys such down-to-earth local settings. Joined by Masaru-san, a Japanese friend of Lao Zeng's from Waseda University, the four of us enjoyed fresh seafood shipped directly from Kaohsiung by Lao Zeng: shark fin soup, crab roe paste, swordfish balls, oyster omelet, hairtail fish rolls, squid, beer shrimp... Lao Zeng isn't just a food lover; he genuinely enjoys cooking, borrowing utensils from the stall owner to prepare the meal himself. What's a feast without wine? I quickly popped over to a nearby wine cellar and picked two bottles of French and Italian white wine to pair with the food. A meal isn't complete without drinks. We toasted with Masaru-san in Japanese, chatted about nearby Linsen North Road, and Don mentioned he'll be traveling again next week. Luckily, we managed to catch up this week—see you in Taichung for the New Year! Afterward, since I'd lived on Jinzhou Street for a year before, I wandered around familiar spots nearby. A happy night—thanks for the hospitality! :) P.S. Was about to head home when suddenly invited to a gathering at Paul's in East District Tongling—today's crowd was all logistics industry big shots. Thanks, Cory, for hosting! Seize the day & Cheers! :P By Morgan @2023.12.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Brother Hotel - Orchid Hall Travel Notes: Taipei, Brother Hotel - Orchid Hall (2nd visit), Xiao Zui Hao (2nd visit), AW Wine (3rd visit). After a morning meeting on Zomma Protocol, Pat invited a few good friends for lunch, including IP, who I hadn't seen in a while and works with Taiwan's investment banking godfather, and Bryan, newly met today, who manages the global market trading department at Yuanta Securities (Hong Kong). Just chatted with Bryan about the possibility of listing funds with them. Thanks, Pat, for hosting! Later moved to Hive Venture to meet Pat's classmate John and another founder friend, Yan, listening to them discuss their newly launching dual-GP fund. Afterward, went to Palais de Chine Hotel to meet Sam, who just finished a FUNWOO study abroad seminar, and together we went to Taipei City Hall Station to meet up with Olen. First, at a shop-within-a-shop that's both a dumpling restaurant and a cafe, on the cafe owner's whimsical suggestion, tried using coffee as a dipping sauce for dumplings. Also listened to the two Cornell alumni discuss Token Economy topics. After eating, went next door to Xiao Zui Hao and ordered various cocktails. Since the conversation was all about the crypto circle, we fittingly paid with a TPay card that accepts crypto. Cheers! :) The last event of the day was at AW Wine, having a few glasses of red wine with a group of lovely ladies. Cheers again! By Morgan @2023.12.18 evening
台北 公館 自來水博物館、小觀音山蓄水池、 台大 動物博物館、植物標本館、農業陳列館、 北師美術館 展覽 - 蔡明亮的日子、 松山區 芳朵麻辣鍋、大安區 拉薇酒坊(2訪) 今天沒在家裡看書…
Location: Taipei, Dunhua South Road - D'N Dunhua Wine Cellar Travel Notes: Taipei, Dunhua South Road - D'N Dunhua Wine Cellar (2nd visit). Had to urgently handle some important matters yesterday, so couldn't attend three invitations—sorry about that. @@ Today, first went to Madison Taipei to listen to a good singer perform, then headed to D'N Dunhua Wine Cellar, which Wei-De from Changqing Pharmacy visited yesterday. Realized it's been over three years since I last came here; his mention yesterday suddenly made me want to sit here again. Thanks to Wei-De's regular customer status, shop manager Cindy treated us to a plate of cheese. The Italian red wine and American red wine we ordered were both good. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.12.16 evening #DNDunhuaWineCellar
Location: Taipei, ENOTECA Travel Notes: Taipei, ENOTECA (2nd visit), AW Wine (2nd visit), Qiu Xiang Sake Bar. In the afternoon, met with Kevin from Asia-Pacific Investment Consulting to chat. Listened to him share insights from a recent visit to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Thanks, Kevin, for hosting! In the evening, Paul reserved AW's venue and invited some good friends over. Taiwan is small—among them was Xiao Du from Capital Securities Investment Trust, familiar to both Leyu and Shuting, my former colleagues. He's also a junior from Chung Yi Junior High, seven years below me. Keigo, from a chain hotel family, has also lived in China. Others included Lily, Cori, senior Seymour, Denise, Cash, Kim... and the handsome boss, Anderson. Still an interesting evening—thanks for the hospitality, Cheers! By Morgan @2023.12.14 evening
Location: Taipei, Sheraton Hotel, Digital Times Taiwan-Hong Kong Web3 Networking Dinner. Thanks to senior Lman for the invitation to this dinner hosted by Digital Times. Also thanks to Emily for all the hard work organizing the event. Tonight's refined dinner was held with four tables in the B2 floor of the Sheraton Hotel. Coincidentally, Google was holding their year-end appreciation party right across the way. The main attendees were friends from Hong Kong, including VCs and project teams, and friends from Taiwan's Web3 world, all here to network. It was a mix of catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Old friends and familiar faces included Andy, an old friend I see once a year who's now at EVG VC in Hong Kong; Yvonne and Jeff from BitoEX; Avril from Ace Exchange; Kaede, CTO of Quantrend; Sam, a good friend from KulaDAO; lawyer Henry from GwoKaw; lawyer Sherman-Shang Lun; the beautiful Charlotte from Zomma... New acquaintances or people I'd seen before but hadn't greeted included: From Taiwan: Kordan, CEO of KryptoGO; Ashley, partner management; Jason, one of the founders of Re:Dreamer; Wen, PR from Quantrend... From Hong Kong: Ryan from the ICP public chain; Wing from ERM Labs; Regen and Ling from Genmax; Larry from Hashkey Exchange... It was a very rewarding dinner. Finally, I also met Brother Zhiren, the editor-in-chief of Digital Times. I fully felt the vibrant energy of both the Taiwan Digital Times and the Hong Kong 852Web3 communities. After the event ended, I went to William Wine Cellar on Da'an Road, a place I hadn't visited in a while. Two people, two bottles of red wine, replenishing today's daily necessities. Cheers! By Morgan @ Late night, Dec 13, 2023.
Location: Taipei, One Rule (3rd visit). Gaia Information - Aloha Party. In the afternoon, I made a last-minute arrangement with Kae-Yi, CEO of OTSO Fintech (Black Forest Tech), to visit their company. Kae-Yi is also a junior from my alma mater, National Cheng Kung University, nine years my junior, who recently secured a $3 million Pre-A investment. Their main product is SoFinX, an AI-powered social trading platform. Then Edison also introduced me to his partner, Giga. Taiwan is still a small place; Giga is also Taka's senior from NTU Mechanical Engineering. Besides OTSO, Giga has also created a crypto DeFi side project called Alpha Radar Bot (https://alpharadarbot.xyz), a project listed on Uniswap that analyzes various aspects for investability. I hit it off with Giga right away and had a great conversation~ XD. Then in the evening, thanks to the invitation from Alex and Ellie from Gaia (a cloud service agent), I attended their year-end party. Besides seeing Blues and Eefy from Google GCP again, I also newly met Chad and Daniel from Crypto.com, Ricky from Rybit, as well as the founder and market maker from A&R. Taiwan is small; of course, Ricky also knows Lunik and their CEO, Emily. Then another person I met, Craig, works on a supply chain finance lending protocol (RWA) on Polygon, so they have a cooperative relationship with Daniel from BSOS. Anyway, as long as you add someone on Facebook, you can always find mutual friends~ Later, moving to the private room, isn't that Jeff from BitoEX? Long time no see! Also at the same table was Parocov, who was previously at CoinW, also a long time no see. Another chill evening, Cheers! By Morgan @ Evening, Dec 12, 2023.
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern Shangri-La - 6F Li Bai Ju. Tonight, FUNWOO (Deutsche International Real Estate) held a Christmas dinner, pretty much taking over the entire Li Bai Ju~ Besides many familiar friends from Taipei, Taichung, and Yunlin, I also newly met Sister Fang-Yan from Global Views Monthly / CommonWealth Magazine, the great lawyer Ye Mao-Lin, Deputy Director Xu from National Taiwan University Hospital Yunlin Branch, General Manager Steve from MiTAC Digital, Deputy General Manager Bao-Hui Jie from Citibank, CFO Cathy from Taiwan Kang Biotechnology, and also the young, handsome boss Anderson of AW Wine/Bistro, whom Sister Denise knows... At the same time, we also celebrated Chairman Fan's birthday in the evening~ Happy Birthday! Tonight there was a Christmas gift exchange activity. I didn't know what to buy at first, so in the end, I simply went to Peter's family's Pinkoi to pick a gift, which was faster. After the event ended, I went to Mucrown to catch a midnight movie. Wonderful Friday Night, Cheers! :) By Morgan @ Evening, Dec 8, 2023.
Location: Taipei, 8th Blockchain Enthusiasts Annual Conference (Blockchain Summit). In the morning, I met with Freeza, whom I met last time at the Tsing Hua Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) After Party, and visited their company: Global Payments (an S&P500 component - NYSE:GPN). They specialize in solving global payment collection and cash flow issues. In Taiwan, clients like Uber Eats and Food Panda use their services. Freeza previously served as CMO at Mr.6 and Accupass and is now an angel investor for some startups. I had a great conversation with Freeza; he's also familiar with Jeff from Whoscall. We agreed to meet up for drinks another evening~ XD. Then in the afternoon, I went back to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park for the Taiwan Blockchain Enthusiasts Annual Conference, hosted by my old friend Taka, whom I've known for almost 20 years since we served our alternative military service together in Hsinchu. This year marks its 8th anniversary. Taiwan is small; one of today's speakers, Tom from Zomma Protocol, is also Freeza's junior from Tsing Hua University. I also said hello to Olen, the host and speaker of another session whom I hadn't seen in a while, and who is now at Sora Ventures, a Web3 VC. After learning many insights from everyone, as I was about to leave the venue, I ran into Ariel from Quantrend. She was chatting with TY, the CBO of the Singapore company MetaTrust (Web3 security services), so I also got to know Brother TY. After returning to my place, I continued discussing fund matters online with Tiffany. Still a fulfilling day. @@ By Morgan @ Dec 7, 2023.
Location: Taipei, Menya Itto, Nanmen Market, Songshan No.5 Warehouse. 0. Last night, I participated online in the monthly AMA (Ask Me Anything) live event for the international RWA + impact investment project KulaDAO (which tokenizes African water resources, minerals, etc.) by my good friend Samuel. 1. At noon, I had lunch with Sam, introduced by Wayne's junior. He let me choose the place, so I chose a restaurant invested in by Brother Paul. Sam worked in the corporate banking department of Sinopac Bank for many years and is very knowledgeable about corporate forex operations. I learned a lot about TRF (Target Redemption Forward) risks, very beneficial~ After the meal, we went to the nearby Milk King for a drink. Thanks for the treat. Sam will also be developing his career in Shenzhen soon, so let's keep in touch~ 2. Then in the afternoon, I went to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station. Tony introduced his friend Wayne to me. Wayne previously worked at Jih Sun, Uni-President, and Fubon, later serving as head of the proprietary trading department. He has now founded his own information company, Zhifu. After listening to Wayne's introduction, I also gave some feedback and suggestions. Then we went to a nearby drink shop at Nanmen Market. Thanks for the treat. 3. In the evening, I came to the Songshan area. Starting tomorrow for two days is the 8th Taiwan Blockchain Enthusiasts Association Annual Conference. Tonight was the kick-off for the ZK Hackathon, with many blockchain technical teams on-site contributing together. The beautiful Shrimp Shrimp served as a programmer motivator today, and there was champagne sponsored by Howshi Exchange to drink~ Cheers~ By Morgan @ Evening, Dec 6, 2023.
Location: Xiaoshanxiang Chengdu Spicy Hot Pot, alley off Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Xiaoshanxiang Chengdu Spicy Hot Pot in an alley off Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei (2nd visit). A busy Monday. Four meetings and two meals today. From morning to afternoon, discussions ranged from strategies with a US hedge fund, cryptocurrency exchanges... all the way to AI, electric vehicles, and semiconductor investments. Lunch was at TSUKUMI on the 4th floor of Breeze Xinyi—thanks for the treat, Paul! Dinner was spicy hot pot, thanks! Rarely didn't drink any alcohol today, so no 'Cheers' to write. @@ By Morgan @2023.12.4 evening
Location: Furemaisi German Wine Collection counter, B2, Eslite Xinyi, Taipei Travel note summary: Furemaisi German Wine Collection counter, B2, Eslite Xinyi, Taipei. After wrapping up November—four cities and an insane 40 gatherings—I've been resting and recharging these past few days. The day before yesterday, I coded intently all day until late at night. Yesterday, I finished reading the 12 military texts by Guiguzi, the originator of the Strategists school, and skimmed a few more chapters of Huang Shigong's 'Su Shu.' I also played around with Google's AI bot, Bard. In the evening, I went for a walk to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park to check out the trendy art exhibition 'OneOffs,' held alongside the NFT Taipei International Forum, feeling the youthful, vibrant artistic style. After browsing Songyan, I headed to Eslite Xinyi, had some simple nigiri sushi for dinner, then ordered two glasses of Riesling at the German wine shop here. After leaving, I moved to the East District and, with a few beauties, Andrew, and Sheng-ge, drank four bottles of Spanish and Napa red wines, kicking off December's gatherings! Cheers! By Morgan @2023.12.3
Location: INLUXE CASA Christmas Gratitude Event, B2, Regent Taipei Travel note summary: INLUXE CASA Christmas Gratitude Event, B2, Regent Taipei. In the afternoon, at the invitation of Sister Denise, I came to attend the year-end event at her friend Brenda's store. INLUXE CASA's selections mainly come from Italy, London, and India—three countries related to Brenda's life experiences. Today's event also included the new product launch of the high-end New York brand they collaborate with: John Varvatos. Taiwan is small; chatting with Brenda, I found out she's also from Fengyuan, and we were even same-year graduates from the same elementary school, different classes. Plus, Brenda also attended another private school in Taichung, Mingdao High School. Impressed by these amazing connections, I supported by buying a John Varvatos top. The brand's founder is of Italian descent, and the clothes are very distinctive. Then, with Sister Denise, I met and greeted friends from various fields like interior design, biotech, high heels, high-end building materials... while having a few glasses of red wine. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.25 #INLUXECASA #JohnVarvatos
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, a private club. Travel notes: This is my fifth visit to a private club in Taichung's Qizhi District. We had high-end teppanyaki at 'Shi Ting Jian Liu Yuan'. In the afternoon, I sang with another group of good friends in Taichung until past 7 PM, then enjoyed Taichung teppanyaki in the evening. Thanks for the hospitality! Afterward, we continued the night on Taiwan Boulevard. It's been over a month since my last visit. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.11.24 evening
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi, Paradise Dynasty. Travel notes: Paradise Dynasty at Breeze Xinyi in Taipei, and my third visit to the 'Longguan' private club in Taichung. In the morning, I discussed business with Brother Paul upstairs at Cathay Landmark. Thanks for lunch, Brother Paul. After a Zomma meeting at the World Trade Center in the afternoon, I took the HSR back to Taichung. In the evening, friends from Taipei came down, friends from Yunlin came up, plus local Taichung friends. Unexpectedly, just five days later, we gathered again at the same private club. Eleven of us spent six happy hours together. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.23 evening
Location: Taipei, Lane off Dunhua South Road, Plan B European Street Market Bistro. Travel notes: Plan B European Street Market Bistro in a lane off Dunhua South Road, Taipei. Christine, who just returned from Hong Kong in the evening, invited me for a drink. We chatted about her involvement with Huasheng Securities, Pionex, the US-listed company JYD... It's a small world; Christine also knows Big Brother Brian and Sam. She was quite interested in paying with cryptocurrency, so I let her experience it by swiping with TPay. Afterward, I met up with two other beauties at our usual spot. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.11.21 evening
Location: Taichung, Longguan Private Club Venue. Travel notes: My second visit to the Longguan Private Club Venue in Taichung. Today, my junior Marcus had the Tsinghua Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) annual conference. Afterward, they wanted to continue the party and asked if I knew a suitable venue. So, I asked CC to reserve a large private room at the club. This place has a pool table, dart machine, KTV... should satisfy a large group's various needs, plus you can enjoy the Taichung night view from the 25th floor. Tonight, I also met many outstanding Tsinghua entrepreneurs of various ages, including alumni based in Beijing. Their fields are diverse: lawyers, blockchain (Izumi, AI public chain), AI startups, CRM, magicians, international payment flows, virtual tech, venture capital, PhD candidates, pet startups, and even a senior who ran his own securities firm early on... Taiwan is small; Johnson also knows CL Kao from InfuseAI. Amy truly lives up to being a Tsinghua top student; she learned pool once and played amazingly well. Thanks to CC for treating me to a separate bottle of red wine. XD Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.18 evening
Location: Taichung, Huizhong Road, Shuan Wu Ma. Travel notes: Shuan Wu Ma on Huizhong Road in Taichung is the new hot pot brand of the famous Taichung yakiniku restaurant 'Wu Ma'. Set meals are positioned around one to two or three thousand NT, featuring A5 Wagyu. Drank too hard last night, so tonight, just a small bottle of white wine for two to accompany the meal. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong. Took three days off without gatherings last time, but this week, I made up for it with nine gatherings over five workdays. Also thanks to these nine gatherings and the hospitality of all kinds of good friends. I'll remember it all. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Le Blé d'Or (Golden Three Wheat). Travel notes: Lunch gathering with six people at Le Blé d'Or and Jiajia Snack Shop in Taipei. Met Larry for the first time—he's worked in proprietary trading at major brokerages, often appears on TV, and now helps mainland companies expand overseas at Boda. First dinner of the evening with Andrew, Sheng, and Nick. Jiajia is a nearly 50-year-old shop, and the food is really good. Thanks to Sheng for hosting. Nick, whom I met for the first time, is a dual-licensed accountant in Taiwan and the US. A graduate of NTU's accounting department and UIUC master's program—truly outstanding. After parting ways, second stop of the night around Zhongxiao Dunhua. A friend introduced me to meet Sister Duan, who single-handedly accounted for over 70% of Longheng's performance back in the day. Long heard of her reputation! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.16 night
Location: Kohaku (Kappou), in a lane off Yixian Road, Taipei. Travel notes: Kohaku is a high-end Japanese restaurant hidden in a private residence in Taipei. The head chef is Shinji Tsuhara, a Japanese chef with two Michelin stars. It's only been open for a little over a month, but counter seats are often hard to come by. Thanks to Brother Paul's invitation, we dined here tonight. Since this is one of the restaurant series invested in by Paul and his partners, they specially reserved a private room for us. Before the meal, they present and introduce today's ingredients—about 90% are imported from Japan. Besides common items like A5 Wagyu beef, sea urchin, and saikyo-yaki, some dishes tonight were unique, like grilled sesame tofu. The meal ended with two fragrant kamameshi (traditional Japanese pot rice). Paired with two different daiginjo sake and a 13-degree yuzu wine. The ladies I met during the dinner were all very interesting—one is chartering a private plane next month to see penguins in Antarctica, another has already tried many Michelin-starred restaurants in Taiwan and Japan... We kept toasting and chatting with laughter—a wonderful gathering. Thanks to Sister Samantha for hosting tonight! Cheers! ^^ By Morgan @2023.11.15 night
Location: Taipei, Le vin CAFE (6th visit). Travel notes: Afternoon online meeting with Xiaxia and Peter, Co-Founder of TPay, discussing the 8th Taiwan Blockchain Enthusiasts Annual Conference event from Dec 6-8. Evening dinner with Senior Lman and Joseph, CEO of Oasis Perception. Haven't seen Joseph in a while~ XD Haven't been to京星港式飲茶 (Jingxing Hong Kong-style Dim Sum) in over a decade either~ Oasis recently launched the Qubby AI product, which can learn the voice, expressions, knowledge, and movements of a target person to serve as a customer service role for enterprises—very distinctive and competitive. They already have some clients in medical aesthetics, schools, and political figures. To test the AI's response, I asked Joseph's virtual character, 'How many girlfriends do you have now?' The answer was that he only has his wife as his one true love. Even when I rephrased it to 'What about abroad?' I got an equally irrefutable answer. So it seems the training model has a strong survival instinct~ XD Thanks to Joseph for hosting this meal. Afterwards, moved on to Frank's place, which I haven't been to in three weeks. Same crew as yesterday, plus Joey who's back in Taiwan from Shanghai for a short while. We chatted about various investment projects, enjoyed four bottles of red wine, and had a great conversation. Thanks to Joey for picking up the tab. Let's meet again soon. :) By Morgan @2023.11.14 night #QubbyAI
台北 一品蔬菜羊肉專賣店、信義路 Twilight 酒吧 彥超從北京回來台灣一小陣子， 天氣轉涼，想想不然來吃羊肉爐好了。 於是有了晚餐這場5人的聚餐， 出門時，拿了兩支喬治亞的紅酒給大家佐餐。…
Location: Taipei, DoubleTree by Hilton Taipei Zhongshan, 1F Mori Bar. Travel notes: Spent the whole weekend taking a not-so-cheap course. Excluding meal times, it was a solid 17 hours of learning. After the course ended, remembered my mom texted me in the morning saying she hadn't seen me post any drinking posts lately and felt unaccustomed to it. So, to be filial, right after class, I immediately went to find a place nearby for a drink. Well, one glass of white wine might not be enough. Better add another glass of Bordeaux to be safer and ensure mom's satisfaction. Still have to rush back for an online meeting at 23:00. Life is really quite busy. @@ By Morgan @2023.11.12 night #DoubleTreeByHiltonTaipeiZhongshan
Location: Taipei - Grand Hyatt Taipei's Yun Jin Chinese Restaurant, Hana Sushi Japanese Cuisine, Xiao Shan Canteen, One Rule (2nd visit) Travel Notes Summary: 1. Had lunch with Eric, Huiming, and Nancy at Yun Jin. Taiwan is so small—right at the entrance, I bumped into Wayne Yaowen, founder of XREX exchange. Over lunch, Eric shared about his recent visit to Vietnam, where they were hosted by the Vice Premier and Hanoi's Deputy Mayor, and discussed new investment opportunities there. Thanks for the meal! :) 2. Evening dinner with JJ Zhijian, an old comrade from Shenzhen and former investment chief at several cross-strait fund/insurance companies, who invited me and Mr. Liang to Hana Sushi. The first bottle of red wine was empty in under half an hour as we chatted about insider stories in the cross-strait public fund/trust industry. Soon, the second bottle was gone too. Thanks, JJ! Cheers! 3. As that wrapped up, Lman suddenly called to introduce a new friend, so I took a taxi to a Japanese restaurant in Datong District. Met Vicky from GA technologies - RENOSY platform, a Japan-listed real estate service company. After chatting with Vicky, who lived in Japan for 20 years, I gave her some fresh perspectives, and she kept happily toasting with me. XD 4. Final stop at 22:30: One Rule atop ATT. Andrew just flew back to Taiwan, and Marcus and Amy came up from Taichung. Also reunited with Fash, founder of GoSky AI marketing tech, his fiancée, and friends, plus Jack, partner at Hei Jiajia Go Classroom online education platform. Gathered and met some young new friends—finally tried the sea urchin cocktail. Thanks, junior! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.8 night
Location: Taipei Travel Notes Summary: Yunlin, Huwei, Linsen Road, World Restaurant. Right after landing, rested a bit and headed straight to Yunlin. Had dinner and drinks with friends from Taipei and local Yunlin gentry. Tonight, we drank Royal Salute, then continued to the usual spot for karaoke. Thanks for the warm hospitality, Yunlin friends! Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.11.29 night
Location: Taichung Travel Notes Summary: Changhua Railway Roundhouse, Beimenkou Meatballs. Came to Changhua in the morning to pay respects to Xiao Ci's mother. Brother, please accept my condolences and take care! On the way back, stopped by the roundhouse and queued for meatballs. Changhua's weather is hotter than Taichung—November feels just like summer. Heading back to Taipei now~ @@ By Morgan @2023.11.5
Location: Taichung - "Let Love Be Infinite" Charity Fundraising Concert Travel Notes Summary: Taichung "Let Love Be Infinite" Charity Fundraising Concert, Greater Taichung SME Association Chairman Handover Ceremony (Star Era Hall). In the afternoon, attended a charity event hosted by the Ruini Social Care Association, with all donations going to 10 social welfare organizations in central Taiwan. Teacher Ye Shuhan's brass quintet was incredibly fun and brilliant~ Singer Huang Meizhen's voice was also very clear and resonant. News report: [link]. In the evening, thanks to Ruini Association Chairman Ruqi's invitation, joined Cindy and Helen from Richwell for the Taichung SME Association banquet. Over 30 tables, very lively—some Taichung legislators and Mrs. Ko Wen-je also gave speeches. The new chairman is CPA Lin Hongming, whom I've met a few times—congratulations! Cheers~ ^^ By Morgan @2023.11.4 night #RuiniSocialCareAssociation #GreaterTaichungSMEAssociation
Location: Taichung - Zhongmei Street, La Cuisine Kitchen Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Zhongmei Street, La Cuisine Kitchen (French omakase). Thanks, Chairman Su, for treating me to this lunch. Continued to karaoke in the afternoon (2nd visit)~ Cheers! By Morgan @2023.11.3 night
Location: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Chun Shen Shi Fu (Shanghai cuisine), ATT 4FUN 10F ONE RULE Taipei Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Chun Shen Shi Fu (Shanghai cuisine), ATT 4FUN 10F ONE RULE Taipei. 1. Started the morning with a meeting for the QT cryptocurrency fund. 2. At noon, through Dr. Jiao from Dingbang Family Office, I was introduced to his friend, Chairman Yang, who works in green energy, long-term care, carbon credits, and invests in many companies and restaurants. We had a remote meeting to discuss the possibility of integrating blockchain into his main business. 3. In the afternoon, I went to Zomma to discuss dynamic hedging (Delta Neutral) for options exchanges. 4. In the evening, thanks to an invitation from Sister Honey, I met new people including vice presidents from Concord and Yuanta, the former general manager of Chunghwa Probe, a former shareholder of Onion Restaurant, a senior from Foxconn Group, a neighborhood chief from Xindian District in Taipei, a Chinese-Canadian elder brother, and another senior executive from a biotech company listed on the emerging stock market. Their other product, which has been getting a lot of attention recently (Wubei Duice), is from a biotech company that will also have an IPO this month. Thanks to General Manager Zhu from Yuanta Securities for hosting the dinner. 5. After dinner, I headed to the newly opened One Rule nightclub in Xinyi District. Marcus's junior introduced his friend, James Zhou, who is one of the shareholders here. James is also an agent for Zendesk and runs his own Crypto VC Fund... truly bridging from Web2 to Web3. Along with Andy, the founder of AuthMe, this gathering was with many outstanding young talents in Taiwan. Thanks to James for hosting and to my junior for the introduction! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.11.2 night
Location: Taipei, East District, Jiujiaozi (6th visit) Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, East District, Jiujiaozi (6th visit). Had dinner at Raohe Street Night Market, and after a hot pot meal, came here again to chat and enjoy a light drink in the evening breeze. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.11.1 night
Location: Taipei, Wanhua, Tiantianlai Seafood Stir-fry Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, Wanhua, Tiantianlai Seafood Stir-fry. Came to Wanhua in the evening to have dinner and drinks with Brother Zhu, who lives nearby, and a few friends. Later, Brother Xiao He, who used to spend 3 million a month at Landis, said he'd take everyone to sing karaoke. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.10.30 night
Location: Taipei, Nangang, Academia Sinica Museum of Institute of History and Philology Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, Nangang, Academia Sinica Museum of Institute of History and Philology. Among the many subjects I've encountered since childhood, I've always had a special fondness for history. Whenever I travel to a new city, I often visit museums first. In the afternoon, I came to the Academia Sinica, where there is a history museum with many artifacts. Different dynasties, different regions, different presentation styles—from major figures like kings and generals to ordinary people in the streets—each collection tells me its own story, making me stop and listen, immersed in the echoes from millennia ago to the present... By Morgan @2023.10.29 #MuseumOfInstituteOfHistoryAndPhilology
Location: Taipei, Fuxing North Road, Tenren Tea House Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, Fuxing North Road, Tenren Tea House. At noon, Brother Yujia from Hong Kong-Macquarie Group introduced me to his friend who previously worked at Optiver Futures. Optiver is the largest market maker for Taiwan Index Options (TXO). So, I chatted a lot with Michael about options and futures exchanges. The bi-weekly options were also launched with Michael's help. I also explained and exchanged ideas with Michael about the AMM model in the DeFi world. Michael is familiar with companies like Weixu and Kronos. We had a great chat, and two hours flew by. After the meal, we parted ways, and I went to Xing'an Street. I remembered my direct senior from university, Shiwei (Class of '80), whom I hadn't seen for almost three years, so I invited him to meet at a nearby Starbucks for a chat. Thanks to my senior for hosting. In the evening, there was another drinking gathering where I met many outstanding entrepreneurs. Taiwan is small—some new friends already had 30 mutual friends on Facebook as soon as we connected! :P Cheers! By Morgan @2023.10.27 night
Location: Taipei, Dadaocheng, Vin Nature 45 Natural Yard Travel Note: "Last night's stars, last night's breeze, by the painted tower west, cassia hall east." But tonight is just beginning. After dinner, I strolled through Taipei's old streets, moonlight spilling over the Dihua Street Ten-Link Buildings. Walking to Liangzhou Street, this shop was also one I missed a few days ago. Luckily, it wasn't open today either, but the owner Christophe happened to be next door. Seeing me standing outside, he opened the door and let me in to sit down, first offering me a glass of Slovenian white wine. He even sat down and chatted with me for a bit. Christophe, who studied in the UK, later founded his own champagne brand in the Champagne region of France: "CELEBRITY'S Champagne - MyGirl." Next to Natural Yard, he also opened a high-end champagne club with a membership wine storage system. As we chatted, since we both love life and are on a similar wavelength, we quickly hit it off, talking about natural wine and values. Christophe opened a bottle of Italian 'Meow Meow Captain' natural orange wine, which left a deep impression—wild and unrestrained. I offered to pay, but Christophe insisted on treating me. I didn't mind, so I added Christophe on Facebook, making a good friend. Cheers! :) Seize the day! By Morgan @2023.10.26 evening #NaturalYard
Location: Taipei, Yuanshan Station, Le Wine Bar by Burgundy Cave Travel Note: After finishing a meeting in Xinyi District in the evening, I remembered a shop near Yuanshan Station that was closed last time I came. So I took the MRT Red Line directly and came here again. This Burgundy Cave is a wine merchant that expanded from Hong Kong. The interior space is quite spacious, and the young staff ladies they hire are all very youthful. Here, I ordered a serving of Burgundy-style braised beef cheek to pair with a Burgundy red wine. Both taste good ~ By Morgan @2023.10.26 evening #lewinebar #BurgundyCave
Location: Taipei, JR East Japan Hotel 3F The Bar Travel Note: In the evening, Mark, the founder of AINiffler. Last week when we had dinner, we talked about some things, so he suddenly said he wanted to meet Mr. Liang. Since I was treated by Mark and William last time, I helped arrange tonight's gathering. It's been a long time since I came here; last time, this place was still the Churchill Bar of The Westin Taipei. Here, we drank Kavalan whisky while listening to Mr. Liang share his experience managing nearly $20 billion (130 billion RMB) at Invesco. Later, a few outstanding young people happened to come to drink with me, so I introduced them to Mr. Liang. Kaiti, Teddy, Jack, and Zibin, from Tencent, Rock Records, Sophia Research, and ASEAN real estate development—different industries, and they are 40–50 years younger than Mr. Liang. It was truly a rare cross-generational, cross-field exchange! Cheers! Thanks for the treat, Mr. Liang! :) By Morgan @2023.10.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan Station, Mutian No.2-1 Shabu Factory; Chongqing North Road, Mingtian Wine Shop TomorrowWineShop Travel Note: 1. In the morning, I first had a remote meeting with Mr. Jiang, the founder of the Canadian GIA loose diamond asset brand LoveOnly, and learned some diamond industry knowledge. 2. Then I came to the office of Bincentive on the upper floors of Taipei 101. Dr. Zhuo, the founder whom I haven't seen for a while, invited me for a small chat. 3. In the afternoon, I did some operations on several DeFi Option platforms. 4. In the evening, former colleagues Wenxiao and Mingzhi, along with a junior from their National Chengchi University Finance Institute who works in banking, invited me to dinner. The two of us chatted happily about convertible bonds (CB), warrants, and structured products while eating. 5. After dinner, I looked for a place in Datong District where I could drink wine by the glass. I sipped while answering CC's questions online about the problems she's encountering with her current startup. This shop is quite quiet at night, suitable for being alone and thinking. Later, I'll wander around familiar Ximending for today's ending. By Morgan @2023.10.24 evening
台北 為福樓(信義店)、鈞太酒藏(5訪) 中午難得Pat兄弟 有空約吃飯， 所以今天又要飛美國的Sam，也趕了過來， 加上Andrew ，四個人來信義區這邊吃飯。 酸菜白肉鍋 + 烤鴨兩吃，Not…
Location: Taipei ABV Bar & Kitchen (American-style bar & restaurant) Travel notes: After returning from Taichung in the afternoon, I visited Le vin CAFE again to see the French owner. Then in the evening, we had a gathering of NCKU Industrial Management alumni. Funky came from Macau to Taiwan for a marathon event, so a total of 11 university classmates got together. We've known each other for over 25 years—time flies! From tech to finance, from listed companies to civil servants... After it ended, I returned to Le vin CAFE. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.10.21 night
Location: Taipei, Da'an Road, Le vin CAFE Travel notes: Le vin CAFE on Da'an Road, Taipei (5th visit). Saturday night, introducing good friends to each other. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.10.28 night
Location: Taipei, Aging Room cigar & spirits (Cigar Coffee Bar, 2nd visit) Travel notes: ART TAIPEI 2023 Taipei International Art Fair. After running a few places in the morning, I came to the World Trade Center in the afternoon to see the exhibition. Upon entering, I first saw 333 Gallery and greeted Meishen, the younger brother of gallery owner Boheng. Turns out Meishen is also an alumnus of Weidao High School. Then I went to the Dahe Art booth and also said hello to Brother Hong Ruiyi. We took a photo together with Li Chen's "Heavenly Landscape" work. Brother Hong welcomes everyone to come by today or tomorrow if you have time. :) P.S. Tomorrow is the last day of the exhibition. By Morgan @2023.10.22 afternoon #ArtTaipei #台北國際藝術博覽會 #大河美術 #333畫廊
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, MOMO Paradise (shabu-shabu house), Le vin CAFE Travel notes: A crazy busy Monday. Two online meetings + two phone calls + survey data during the day. In the evening, I finally went to MOMO Paradise, which I've wanted to book for ten years but could never get a reservation. James, the Chief Innovation Officer of Digital Times Media and my junior, wanted me to meet their beauty Emily, so we met here tonight. After that, I went to the wine shop on Da'an Road to drink with a friend who does large-scale land development in New Taipei and recently wants to invest in a reception venue in Taichung, asking for my opinion. Le vin CAFE owner Frank is French, his wife is Taiwanese. Later, two beauties who run an advertising marketing consulting company came in, and we chatted a bit. Meeting is fate, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.10.16 night #levincafe #橘色涮涮屋
Location: Chiayi, National Palace Museum Southern Branch Travel notes: Last night in Yunlin, we continued partying and singing too late, finally staying overnight in Huwei. Thanks to Chairman Zhou of Huwei Chunqiu for arranging an upgraded room with a hot spring. Also grateful for the warm hospitality of many Yunlin friends last night. After a very hearty breakfast at Huwei Chunqiu this morning, I came to Yunlin HSR Station. Thinking I've never been to the National Palace Museum Southern Branch, I continued south to come here and see various historical exhibits. Time is like a long river; in every passing stretch of leisurely years, it leaves behind brilliant artistic crystals, making one linger and immerse in them... I wandered for several hours, and it's time to return to Taipei. By Morgan @2023.10.15
Location: Taichung, 7th District, a private club Travel note: Taichung, 7th District, a private club (4th visit). Came to the usual spot in the afternoon to meet up with good friends from Taichung. C.C. recently wants to combine his main business with AIGC, so he took the chance to ask for my thoughts and consult the team. After drinks, we moved on to Jin Qian Bao, going from the 2nd floor to the 4th floor. Haven't seen Sister Xinhui in a long time! Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.10.13
Location: Taipei, Madison Taipei Hotel Travel note: Taipei, Madison Taipei Hotel (5th visit), Cosecha 22 Cigar Lounge (2nd visit). Before the long holiday, I bought some books online to read, but didn't notice and ended up buying duplicates of some. @@ This morning, I flipped through them after receiving the package, then headed out for the day's schedule. Just had drinks at Madison last night, didn't expect friends to invite me there again for lunch today. Senior Lman introduced Xiaolin, a good friend of the BingX exchange owner. Also at the table was his assistant, Ben. Talked a lot with Xiaolin about various physical and Web3 projects I'm involved with, and potential fund collaborations. After the meal, went to the World Trade Center area for a Zomma Option meeting. During the meeting, checked out the differences with GMX V2. After the meeting, Boyou, a friend recently met in finance, said he was going to smoke a cigar near his office and asked if I wanted to join. So we went to an alley near Zhongxiao Dunhua. Today, I chose a Cuban H. Upmann cigar to pair with red wine. Boyou also spent ten years in mainland China, so we chatted a lot about local customs and shared memories of our generation, like Shanghai's Golden Sunshine. Also talked about the supply chain finance business he's currently helping with. On the way back to Taichung, I had an online live course to listen to. It's already evening again~ :P By Morgan @2023.10.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Mountain and Sea House Travel note: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Mountain and Sea House (Michelin one star). Dinner plans with Sam, Andrew, and Senior Lman tonight, so this time I booked Mountain and Sea House to try. Ordered some nostalgic yet innovative Taiwanese dishes, paired with a French Chardonnay. When three people walk together, there is always a teacher among them. Today there were four, so even more to exchange! XD Thanks to good friend Sam for treating us this meal. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.10.11 evening #MountainandSeaHouse
台北 JR東日本大飯店、郵政博物館臺北館、 撫臺街洋樓 、順益台灣美術館、 大直 50/45 WINEHAUS 伴瓶酒葡萄酒吧、 誠品酒窖(信義店) 中午在JR 和梁總吃飯，…
Location: Taichung, Dadun 12th Street, Pule Wine Cellar Travel notes summary: In Taichung, at Dadun 12th Street's Pule Wine Cellar. First, had lunch with Brother Gong at the newly opened Starbucks in Fengyuan. In the afternoon, returned to downtown Taichung and came to Pule Wine Cellar in Nantun. Started with a 2010 red wine from Spain's famous Rioja region. In the evening, Senior Dade joined us. He really knows the owners of every shop in Taichung—from yesterday's Ran Ran Tea House and Thirsty Scholar to today's owner Xiao Liao at Pule. As soon as Xiao Liao heard Senior Dade was coming, he warmly treated us to a Spanish brandy and later a post-meal Grappa (42% ABV). After Senior Dade arrived, he first selected a 2015 Bordeaux Left Bank wine, and then I added another Spanish Giro origin wine. Paired with many dishes from their private kitchen (dinner set $1,500 or $1,800+10%, or à la carte). Three people, three red wines, had a great time. Through wine tasting, Senior Dade also knows many second-generation developers, and coincidentally, he and Brother Gong share many mutual friends. So we chatted and drank until almost 10 p.m. before parting. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat~ Even though it's a holiday, it's not really a break—tomorrow, two online meetings with Hong Kong, and then it seems time to return to Taipei. @@ Cheers! By Morgan @2023.10.8 evening #PuleWineCellar
Location: Taichung, Cunzhong Street, Thirsty Scholar Wine Shop Travel notes summary: In Taichung, at Cunzhong Street's Thirsty Scholar Wine Shop. After having some snacks at night, walked to the West District and went into this wine shop when I saw it. As soon as I entered, I was surrounded by three women: the owner Rachel, regular customer Emily, and manager Ray. I asked if they sold red wine by the glass, but the owner said no—instead, she offered to treat me to a few glasses. XD Unable to refuse such hospitality, I ended up having two glasses here: an Italian white wine and a Southern French red wine. Ray, who has a WSET Level 3 certification, also took me to visit their second-floor wine cellar and chatted with me about various wines. Rachel's husband Douglas is a foreigner, so they have many foreign friends who often gather here, including tonight. After chatting, I learned this shop has been open for over five years, with 70% of their wines focusing on Italian regions, and a rich selection of other countries' wines at reasonable prices. Many restaurants and other wine merchants source from them. After exchanging Line contacts and thanking them for the hospitality, I continued to Meigan Linjiu on Xiangshang Road—another wine merchant, though they don't offer on-site drinking, but have a second-floor space for about 30 people for lectures. After browsing around, it was time to head home~ @@ By Morgan @2023.10.7 evening #ThirstyScholar
Location: Taichung, Dadun Road, Ran Ran Tea House Travel notes summary: In Taichung, at Dadun Road's Ran Ran Tea House. Came here in the afternoon, recommended by Senior Dade. This place is quite unique—it serves various teas as a set menu for over a thousand dollars, where you sit at a counter seat similar to a sushi bar, and course by course, guests taste the tea aromas from light to strong. Additionally, you can pair it with sake ($980+10%) for a tea + alcohol combination. Not many people in the shop today; sitting next to me were two young ladies. First time trying the marriage of Junmai Daiginjo sake + Darjeeling/Sun Moon Lake black tea—didn't expect this combination to pair so well unexpectedly. The floral and fruity notes of the black tea and the rice-brewed flavor of the sake, when blended together, created an expansive and complementary harmony. Senior Dade really has connections throughout Taichung's drinking scene; when chatting with the staff and mentioning his name, I was immediately treated to an extra glass of Junmai Daiginjo. The finale was a 42% ABV distilled rice spirit, served in a German Höchst porcelain cup worth over NT$8,000. It enhances the sweetness of the alcohol, and today it was paired with milk tea—overall, it provided a distinctly different experience. Today: 5 cups of tea, 4 glasses of alcohol, 1 dessert—quite a fresh and interesting afternoon~ :) By Morgan @2023.10.7 evening #RanRanTeaHouse
Location: Taichung, Henan Road, Guangshi Cuisine Izakaya Travel notes summary: In Taichung, at Henan Road's Guangshi Cuisine Izakaya. Today was a day of research and discussion on Options. Started in the morning with automated trading programs for Taiwan index options, moved to cryptocurrency options (Zomma Protocol) in the afternoon, and finally ended the evening with some sake at an izakaya. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.10.6 night
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan North Road, Ming Fu Taiwanese Seafood (Michelin One Star) Travel notes summary: In Taipei, at Zhongshan North Road's Ming Fu Taiwanese Seafood (Michelin One Star). Last night, listened online to Sam's AMA about their KulaDAO. Today at noon, met up with Sam for a meal. I booked a table at Ming Fu and also invited Andrew and junior Edison to join. Everyone has expertise in their respective fields—there's the head of a US-listed company, the founder of an African RWA project, and junior Edison has many connections in family offices and AI computing power. Over the meal, we exchanged ideas on whether there were resources we could integrate and connect. After eating, had coffee with Sam and Senior Lman in the afternoon, discussing which public chain and exchange to list KulaDAO's token on. Later, went to Asia Pacific International Securities Investment Consulting on Zhongxiao East Road, shifting from blockchain finance back to traditional finance. Visited Brother Boyou, whom I met at last week's Huijin Taiwan gathering, and General Manager William. The three of us opened an Italian white wine in their VIP room and chatted while drinking. William comes from Citibank Taiwan and J.P. Morgan Beijing, while Boyou previously worked at Ping An Group and led the issuance of hundreds of billions of RMB in RQDII products. Both are outstanding financial talents. Taiwan is still small—chatting further, William is friends with Paul from Circle; when he went to Singapore, he also met Ethan from Matrixport. A bit later, Boyou's friend Tommy also came over; Tommy has worked at ACE and Bitget and knows people at DeFITs. After going home to do some computer work, went out again. The final stop was back at the familiar wine cellar, having drinks with two lovely ladies. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.10.4 night
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Ken Natural Wine Travel note summary: In Taipei's Da'an District, at Ken Natural Wine. It was late afternoon after finishing up at the Muzik Hotel, and it unexpectedly started raining outside. Since I didn't have an umbrella, I found a nearby wine shop—Ken Natural, recommended by my ICEBONE junior but I hadn't had a chance to try it yet—to take shelter and enjoy some wine. So tonight, let's kick things off with a French rosé! :P By Morgan @2023.10.3 evening #KenNatural
Location: Taipei, Zhongzheng District, Tong'an Street, Kishu An Literary Forest Travel note summary: At Kishu An Literary Forest on Tong'an Street in Taipei's Zhongzheng District. Hui Jin Tai and TIC are organizations for Taiwanese finance professionals working overseas in places like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. Since many returned to Taiwan for Mid-Autumn Festival, we held a long-awaited gathering today with about 60 attendees: from J.P. Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, Anxin, Noah, Invesco, Allianz, Jianxin, Fosun... covering foreign to domestic firms, spanning primary to secondary markets, investment trusts, investment banking, securities, banks, from directors, CIOs, fund managers, CEOs, CTOs, COOs... across ages 30s, 40s, 50s, up to 60s. What we all share is experience working in overseas finance. Met many old colleagues and friends I hadn't seen in a while—Leon, Sam, Brother David, Sister Aiping, Xiaofeng, Rebecca... and made many new friends, including Darren, who has been deeply involved in Cambodia for years across real estate, insurance, and securities; Kevin from Asia-Pacific Investment Advisory, recently delving into Web3; Brother Keynes, who helps many A.I. teams with M&A; Joseph, with Hong Kong licenses 4 and 9, doing primary private equity... And Brother Leon, whom I hadn't seen in about ten years, is now the honorary chairman of the Taiwan Artificial Intelligence Association. With old and new friends, we enjoyed writer's private dishes at Kishu An while exchanging various finance industry topics and information. Thanks to Brother Younger from SinoPac Securities Asset Management (Asia) for organizing this event! :) Just finished my 30th dinner gathering in September, and the 135th over the past four months. There's one more invitation tonight, we'll see if I have the energy to attend~ @@ By Morgan @2023.9.30
Location: Taipei, Songshan Eslite - Eslite Wine Cellar, BaganHood Vegetarian Bistro, Xiaoquan Natural Wine, Tipsy Dragon Bar Travel note summary: Taipei Railway Museum (preparatory office), Songshan Eslite - Eslite Wine Cellar, BaganHood Vegetarian Bistro, Xiaoquan Natural Wine, Tipsy Dragon Bar. Started the morning by visiting the Railway Museum branch near Civic Boulevard, then headed to Songshan Eslite for a bite. After the meal, had a glass of champagne at the Eslite Wine Cellar. In the afternoon, Ms. T, whom I hadn't seen in a while, came to meet me. So the two of us went to a bistro, then a natural wine + sake spot. After she finished her evening tutoring, she came back to continue chatting. So we added a late-night bar session in the end, Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.9.29 evening #XiaoquanNaturalWine
Location: Taipei 101 - 85th Floor, 85TD Cantonese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei 101 - 85th Floor, 85TD Cantonese Cuisine. A day of 5+1 sessions. 1. Started the morning with a meeting with QuanTrend, a professional crypto market maker. 2. Good friend Sam just returned from Africa; on this trip, several founders of their KulaDAO met with ministers and officials in Zambia and were featured in the country's newspapers. Had lunch with him at 85TD on the 85th floor of Taipei 101. (Michelin-starred chef, Cantonese cuisine, good taste.) Then went to Simple Kaffa on the 88th floor for a coffee cocktail. Thanks for the treat, Sam! 3. In the evening, went to Ximending to meet Xiao Yao and Xiao He, and had a call with Andrew in Beijing to discuss Nocera's seafood farming business. 4. At night, went to the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall area to meet with Brother Howard, who is very busy traveling between mainland China and the US and is hard to schedule. We went to Uncle Sam at Wine Butler. It's amazing how fate works—they've known each other for years, and I happened to meet both of these passionate individuals separately, so the three of us had to drink together tonight. XD Thanks to Brother Howard for the two Trinidad cigars. Also took a moment to call Ernie in the US to wish him a happy birthday! :) & Thanks to Brother Howard and Uncle Sam for the treat! 5. The final session: went to Haidilao Hot Pot on Qingcheng Street. Friends from Yunlin came up specially, so we had to get together, Cheers! Thanks to Brother Boliang for the treat! By Morgan @2023.9.27 evening
Location: Taipei, Dazhi, Miramar Garden Hotel 4F Park90 Travel note summary: Taipei, Dazhi, Miramar Garden Hotel 4F Park90. The destiny of an Aries is to experience and feel this world as much as possible. This is especially strong for those born on the first day of Aries. So when I was young and studying in Tainan, I would find a different restaurant to eat at every day. After many years of this, I compiled all these Tainan snacks into a humorous food poem, which was reported by TVBS and Liberty Times: https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3443019. In the blink of an eye, over 20 years have passed, and this personality still hasn't changed. It's just that now, the pursuit of Michelin stars and various gourmet foods doesn't seem to hold the same high passion as before. Instead, researching who to drink with, how to drink, and where to drink feels more interesting, and time is indeed becoming scarcer. So finding a different place to drink every day has become one of today's pleasures~ Tonight, I came to Dazhi to check out Park90 from Singapore, named because most of the wines here have RP (Robert Parker) ratings of 90 points or above. The total number of bottles and glasses of red and white wines is quite large for Taipei. Especially since it's located in Dazhi, it's very quiet and has few people on weekdays. The whole night, I was practically the only one in the venue, almost like having the place to myself. Listening to music, enjoying this slightly tipsy, carefree, empty-minded time. From French Gamay, Spanish Tempranillo, to a 2021 Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast, USA. (Vivino 4.3/5.0, single glass NTD 700). The tannins went from light to deep, gradually building layers on the tip of the tongue. After drinking, I paid with cryptocurrency on my TPay card~ Ending this fleeting glimpse of life. Back to Songshan District, a rainy night~ @@ By Morgan @2023.9.26 evening #Park90
Location: Bottless, Qingcheng Street, Taipei Travel Notes: Another busy Monday—two meetings, three phone calls, and an afternoon of research, plus catching a bit of Sam Altman's live stream. Wrapped up by 8 PM and headed out for a stroll. Bottless was bustling, packed as soon as I walked in. They serve wine on tap, which is eco-friendly and cuts costs. The menu, designed by a Michelin Plate chef, is prepared in an open kitchen and quite impressive. Paired with two glasses of white and one red, I chatted happily with the server. Nice restaurant! :) By Morgan @2023.9.25 evening #Bottless
Location: Huangpin Sichuan Restaurant & Huwei Chunqiu, Huwei, Yunlin Travel Notes: Friends from Taichung and Yunlin—a connection that broke off 15 years ago was unexpectedly rekindled through me and _____. Tonight, thanks to the hospitality of our Yunlin friends! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.9.21 evening
Location: Takao 1972 Hot Pot, De Li Zhuang Hotel, Ximen, Taipei Travel Notes: Woke up at 7 AM for a conference call with the US with my ramen senior, then had dinner with him and Changfeng, whom I hadn't seen in a year. Changfeng has been traveling to China more often lately; he recently dined with Peking University's president in Beijing. The three of us exchanged news about the startup and crypto scenes, covering not just Taiwan but also Singapore and Hong Kong. Having stayed in Taiwan for over three years without much travel, it's rare for me to be so stationary. Seeing friends actively engaging abroad lately, I feel it's time to gradually resume days of exploring the wider world and broadening my horizons. @@ By Morgan @2023.9.19 evening
Location: RVLT Taipei, Civic Boulevard, Taipei Travel Notes: After three consecutive meetings today, I came here tonight with friends in Taipei who work in land development and property management. This is a branch of a famous Singaporean bar. We ended up opening natural wines from Austria, Slovenia, and New Zealand. Thanks to my friends and the manager for hosting! Cheers! By Morgan @2023.9.18 evening #RVLT
Location: The House Taipei, Baoqing Street, Taipei Travel Notes: In the evening, I first studied a US team (ML Tech) managing $70M in digital assets AUM that Lman senior encountered at Token 2049, reviewed their deck and gave some feedback—we'll chat more in a group later. Then I headed out with my handmade ZEISS red wine glass—it's been too long since I drank at home, such a nice glass deserves more use. Originally planned to visit the two lovely owners of Andy's Wine Cellar in nearby Minsheng Community for drinks and chat, but they weren't home on Sunday! XD So I went to another bar nearby, opened a Portuguese red, and spontaneously called Telder, a senior from Taichung First Senior High School and Cheng Kung University who lives in Minsheng Community, to join me for a catch-up. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.9.17 evening
Location: Taichung, Municipal North 3rd Road, Liyun SAKE LA VIE Travel note summary: At Liyun SAKE LA VIE, a sake specialty shop in Taichung's 7th Redevelopment Zone, I enjoyed sake with senior Dade from Taichung First Senior High School, Qibin, Steven, and Brother Gong. We tried two types: one from Watanabe Brewery made with Yamada Nishiki rice (polishing ratio 35%), and a Junmai Daiginjo from Hinode Tsuru (polishing ratio 50%), both starting dry and finishing sweet. Senior Dade's knowledge of alcohol is as impressive as his expertise in law—I learned so much from him. He had just attended a wine tasting at FReNCHIE Hotel with 20 Burgundy wines, taking detailed notes, which shows his genuine passion for tasting. XD The shop owner even treated us to 1–2 glasses of Kyoto's Nishijin Ori Red Belt whisky, which even Brother Gong, who drinks whisky like water, praised. Thanks to Senior Dade for hosting! After he left, we moved next door to Golden Cellar for another round, opening a slightly sweet Spanish red wine. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @evening of 2023.9.16 #GoldenCellar #Liyun
Location: Taichung, Wenxin Road, Jiangxin Bistro Travel note summary: Had drinks and a heart-to-heart with my good Taichung friend, Brother Gong, at Jiangxin Bistro. Thanks to him for his advice and guidance on many matters! Later, his Mingdao University junior, Marcus, and his wife Amy joined us after dinner nearby. Brother Gong shared his experiences in real estate/land investment, while I advised Marcus on listing arrangements for his company, Moment Tech. Thanks to Brother Gong for the big box of pomelos, and back home in Taichung, I also received a Mid-Autumn gift box from FineDayClub CEO, Jenny. Grateful for all my friends' warm care~ :) By Morgan @evening of 2023.9.15
Location: Taipei, Sheraton Hotel, Qing Ke Lou Travel note summary: Made a last-minute trip to Qing Ke Lou at Sheraton Hotel to celebrate senior Zhang Xuchu's birthday. After he returned to Yunlin, a few friends continued the night at Oncor in Xinyi District. Haven't cried in over 10 years, but tonight, while singing, I unexpectedly got emotional and shed tears @@ Cheers! By Morgan @evening of 2023.9.14
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, Opium Champagne Bar Travel note summary: Jack from Sophia Research, whom I hadn't seen in a while, invited me out, so we went to this champagne bar opposite Taipei 101. Along with another Jack, Chris, and Lance, these young friends, all aged 29–34, are exceptional in their respective fields. Their work involves global demands from various channels, covering not only common regions like China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia... but also Bangladesh, Iran, and Turkmenistan. The financial flows in some countries are truly mind-boggling. The five of us formed a group to exchange resources later. Tonight, we had a Burgundy white wine and a Japanese red wine—thanks to Jack for hosting, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @evening of 2023.9.13
Location: Taipei, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11, Kyoto Katsugyu Travel note summary: In the afternoon, Nicole from Biwin Tech said she'd give me Mid-Autumn mooncakes, so I visited their office where William made tea and we chatted. Nicole invited me to have red wine at their office next time. In the evening, Xiaoyao, Xiaohe, and Andrew met up—Andrew is attending the Hangzhou Asian Games event tomorrow due to his company's artist, Gao Shengmei. Thanks to Xiaoyao for hosting. Then, on short notice due to Yingzhang's call, I took the high-speed rail back to Taichung from Taipei. Went to the new branch of A-Chiu Big Fat Goose. Later, moved to Golden Cellar in the 7th Redevelopment Zone. Taiwan is small, and Brother Gong and Yingzhang hadn't seen each other for years, so we gathered at Golden Cellar, drinking a few Moscato sparkling wines and French noble rot wine. It was a deeply moving night. Thanks to Yingzhang for hosting both rounds. Cheers~ P.S. Have to return to Taipei for a meeting early tomorrow, and at 2:30 AM, it's a bit awkward—decided to kill time outside in Taichung, take a walk, and sort out some thoughts. I'll take the earliest high-speed rail back tomorrow @@ Life is short, live in the moment~ By Morgan @2023.9.13
Location: Taichung, Jinlidu Travel note: It's been a while since I had a drink with Brother Su from Yizhuan. Cheers!
Location: Taichung, Xitun Road, Nan Zhong Bei Seafood Travel note: Last night, Brother Gong and Xiao Bing went to Anhe Road to eat fresh seafood from Fisherman's Boat Fishing. After an online product meeting from 10:00 to 13:00 on Saturday morning, I went to Brother Gong's company in the afternoon with Steven. We drank red wine, smoked cigars, chatted, and worked on computers. In the evening, we went to Xitun Road to eat what Brother Gong considers the best Shaoxing wine chicken soup in Taichung—sweet with a rich wine flavor, truly delicious. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating me two days in a row! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.9.9 evening
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, Madison Taipei Hotel Bar Travel note: Yesterday morning, Andrew introduced Brother Sheng, former chairman of an investment trust, to Nancy, founder of FUNWOO. At noon, Jerry, VP of cacaFly, also visited Nancy. Taiwan is small—Jerry also knows Ramen Senior and Blues from GCP. Later, Brother Pat joined. In the afternoon, Pat and I went to the nearby DeFITs office, where Beichen introduced TonLend and other Ton project updates, and I briefed Pat on the TPay project led by Vins. This Mastercard, in collaboration with Hong Kong's PaymentAsia, is like Crypto.com's infinite card with promising future applications. In the evening, back at Madison, three of us shared two bottles of red wine—thanks to Jenny for treating us. Taiwan is still small—Jenny also knows Pat and once attended a KKday meeting together. Later, Brother Seymour joined after work. First stop was AW Wine, second was Lawei Wine Shop. He had to fly to Japan early the next morning—perfect timing to sleep on the plane! :P By Morgan @2023.9.8
Location: Taipei, Lane off Xinyi Road, JS Wine Jisheng Wine Shop Travel note: Yesterday afternoon, Tiffany and I visited the core team at Bito Exchange to introduce corporate bond and compliant fund investments. In the evening, with Andrew and Brother Zeng introduced by Xiao Yao, we discussed potential business cooperation in fishery farming. Later, I had a meeting with Richwell and Vins until 12:30 AM. This morning, I called Duke, a fund manager friend in Hong Kong, to chat about Hong Kong's Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license and traditional license uplift for types 1, 4, and 9. In the afternoon, at Zomma Protocol, we discussed the crypto options platform. When leaving the office, it started raining, so I went to the nearby wine cellar, opened a Portuguese red wine, drank while sheltering from the rain, and chatted with the shop manager, Xiao Wen, exchanging insights. By Morgan @2023.9.6
Location: Taipei, William Wine Cellar - Minsheng Store Travel note: Two gatherings in one day, drinking with several startup CEOs. Thanks to Jenny from FineDayClub for the first round! Thanks to Andrew for the second round! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.9.4 evening #WilliamWineCellar #MadisonTaipei
Location: Ma Bar, Wenxin Road, Taichung Travel notes: Had a two-hour remote meeting about setting up a Cayman fund in the afternoon. After dinner, met up with my junior Marcus for drinks. First had some wine at Ma Bar, which is still in soft opening, then moved to Aman Kingdom for a second round with two of Marcus's friends, switching to Macallan whisky. Thanks to Marcus and Yvonne for hosting! The last stop was FRANK. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.9.2 evening
Location: Shin Yeh Shabu Shabu, Shuangcheng Street, Taipei Travel notes: Had lunch with Wenxiao, an old comrade from Yuanta Funds whom I hadn't seen in over two years. Wenxiao is still in the public fund industry as a fund manager, managing a sizable AUM steadily. We exchanged views on various financial products and caught up—so nice to see an old friend! ^^ Then in the evening, came to Qsquare to head back to Taichung. Sat at the single-glass wine shop on the 4th floor to rest and do month-end accounting. The number of meals/gatherings in June, July, and August reached an unbelievable 105. I really have to treat Facebook as a running diary, otherwise I can't remember them all! @@ Life, just go with the flow~ By Morgan @2023.8.31
Location: Fan Wagyu Yakiniku, Dunhua South Road, Taipei Travel notes: Fan is a high-end yakiniku restaurant opened in Taiwan in collaboration with Yoroniku, Tokyo's No.1 ranked yakiniku place. Good friend Sam just returned from the US last night, and we gathered here for dinner tonight. Besides being a lab director at UIUC, Sam is also a co-founder of KulaDAO, which tokenizes real-world assets (RWA) in Africa. We ordered a double set menu ($6,500+10%), some extra meats, and a bottle of Fan's exclusive Junmai Daiginjo sake 'En' ($2,680*1.1). The staff grill for you, so we could chat easily. The Wagyu from different parts had evenly distributed marbling, tender texture with a lovely aroma. The impression from this meal was really good, and we were very full. Thanks to Sam for treating! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.30 evening
Location: Vie Show Cinemas MUCROWN, Far Eastern A13, Xinyi, Taipei Travel notes: Went to an office building in Xizhi in the morning. Andrew recently took over managing a company listed on Nasdaq (NQ: NCRA) and invited me to their Taiwan office to chat and catch up. After being busy in the afternoon, went to Cashbox in the evening for a FUNWOO staff gathering. Thanks for the thoughtful gift—the famously hard-to-buy Le Ruban egg yolk pastry, known as the Chanel of egg yolk pastries, just like Chen Yaoxun's. After that, rushed to Far Eastern A13. Thanks to Binance for the tickets and my juniors from Raysky for the invitation to this rather upscale cinema. Besides business-class-like seats, you can order food to eat at your seat. Best of all, there's Draft Land cocktails to drink. First time drinking while watching a movie in a cinema—pretty nice! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.29 evening #Binance #币安中文
Location: Ji Yue Wine Cellar, Tayou Road, Taipei Travel notes: When drinking at Lan Qing's place in Taichung the day before yesterday, we talked about her family's long-established Ji Yue Wine Cellar in Taipei. Thought it had been a while since I last visited, so after finishing work today, walked over. Greeted Sister KC and sat down. Today drank a red wine from France's Jura region, made from the rare ancient grape variety Trousseau. Listened to foodie Sister KC share about many high-end restaurants across Taiwan and in Tainan (e.g., Tao Nong Bei, MO. Lab, Gan Zhi Tang...). While visiting the huge 500+坪 basement cellar, also ran into Lan Qing's dad, Brother Jerry, and exchanged greetings. The price for renting a wine locker here is indeed very affordable. After leaving Ji Yue, felt a bit hungry, so went to the nearby Raohe Street Night Market and brought back a pepper bun that always has a long queue, ending this ordinary day~ By Morgan @2023.8.28 evening
Location: Taichung Cave de W Yanhuan Wine Cellar Travel Note Summary: My second visit to Cave de W Yanhuan Wine Cellar in Taichung. After drinking and having dinner on Liming Road yesterday, I was about to head home when I got a call from the staff at Cave de W. I thought, why not, and went to show some support with a drink. Inside, I chatted with the owner JR and his wife Lan Qing, and the more we talked, the more fun it became—the world of wine is truly fascinating. They, along with Attorney Dade, are all members of the same wine club. Plus, Qibin came to find me after rushing back to Taichung from a convertible bond investment lecture in Kaohsiung, asking about moving my blog. So, from around 8 PM to past midnight, we stayed at the shop. Thanks to Jacky, who came down from Taipei with South African red and white wines, I got to try a glass of white wine. JR also treated me to a French red. With his four high school classmates there last night too, it was such a joyful atmosphere—when you meet a kindred spirit, a thousand cups are too few! Cheers~ Afterward, with Qibin and Steven, who came out from home again, we went to this over-20-year-old spicy hotpot spot on Jingcheng Road for a late-night snack. Thanks to Qibin for treating! :) By Morgan @2023.8.27
Location: Taichung Liming Road Hongchuan Wine Pavilion Travel Note Summary: Taichung Liming Road Hongchuan Wine Pavilion. On a Saturday afternoon, I came here for a casual drink and chat with my old junior high school classmate Steven from Weidao. We opened two single vineyard wines from Chile and New Zealand. Taiwan is so small—the manager Eva used to be a counter staff at a department store, and as we chatted, we found out she and Steven actually have mutual friends. So, we invited Eva to have a few drinks with us too. Everything is fate, just live in the moment~ :) Cheers! By Morgan @2023.8.26 evening #HongchuanWinePavilion
Location: Taichung A Private Club Travel Note Summary: Taichung A Private Club (3rd visit). Cheers!
Location: Taipei Breeze Xinyi 4F Anzu Tonkatsu Travel Note Summary: Taipei Breeze Xinyi 4F Anzu Tonkatsu. Another day moving around Xinyi District. In the morning, first with Joey, Vins, Tiffany, and Helen, we visited AINiffler's Taiwan company near the World Trade Center, chatted with founder William and their team, and saw their handsome French colleague Iwan again. At noon, we had lunch here at Breeze Xinyi, joined by Brother Jun, thanks to Tiffany for treating. In the afternoon, we went to the nearby Cathay Landmark building upstairs and chatted with QuanTrend's founders Popo and Clark, along with their team. Then in the evening, Christine introduced Eugene, the new BD Head from Pionex in Hong Kong, and we all got to know each other and chatted. It was a day of non-stop talking. @@ By Morgan @2023.8.24 evening
Location: Taichung Nancy’s Birthday Party Travel Note Summary: Taichung Nancy’s Birthday Party. Leo Nancy celebrated her birthday in Taichung last night, with a star-studded gathering. The stock market tycoons from the Huwei gang, Tang Dong from Taijingdian, Niki, Chairman Zhuang from the alumni association, Zhou Dong from Huwei Chunqiu, Zou Dong from China Lubricants, Manager Zheng from Helong Yuzang, Bella from Yuquan Construction, Benson from Deloitte, Yan'an from Dawei Construction... plus Zhang Xuchu brother, Jenny, Carolyn, Hu ge, Niu Dake brother & Angel, Fan Dong, Xiancao ge, Kuma jie, Stacy, Jason, Jeffrey, Leon, whom I've met many times before... along with senior Guozhi and junior Marcus, in total nearly 40 of Nancy's good friends gathered to celebrate her birthday~ a very lively night~ Happy Birthday! :) By Morgan @2023.8.22
Location: Shanxi Road, Taichung – Goose House Palace, Spring Banquet, Cantonese Wedding Feast Travel note: This is another brand of Taichung's famous Japanese restaurant, Goose House Palace, focusing on Cantonese cuisine but also incorporating their original Japanese dishes. I had lunch here with my good friend Pat and his family. Pat is usually too busy, so it's hard to meet up in Taipei, but today we managed to gather since everyone was back in Taichung. Taiwan is small—besides being a doctor, Pat's dad is also an alumnus of Taichung First Senior High School, the same graduating class as my father. And Pat's mom is very close to Yujia's mom, having watched Yujia grow up. Over the meal, Pat and I caught up on his recent situation at UBS (Swiss Bank) and briefly discussed a few projects in traditional finance or the crypto space. Thanks to Pat's dad for treating us! :) By Morgan @2023.8.20 afternoon
Location: Taiwan Boulevard, Taichung – Cave de W (Yan Huan Wine Cellar) Travel note: The owner is quite young, having spent some time in France and fallen in love with red wine. The owner's wife is the daughter of the owner of Taipei's Ji Yue Wine Cellar, which I've visited before. Senior Dade is also very familiar with them. They aim to create a relaxed, café-like environment for wine tasting. So, they offer over 40 types of single-glass red and white wines from various countries. I came here in the afternoon and chatted with the staff sister. Besides the items on the wine list, she also brought a few glasses and we played a blind tasting game. We went from France and Italy to finally taste a rare Hungarian red wine. After leaving, I went to Wenhin Twilight Market in the evening for some sashimi. I originally planned to meet Pat tonight but it didn't work out—maybe tomorrow! By Morgan @2023.8.19 evening #CavedeW #YanHuanWineCellar
Location: Taichung – Dingyuan Roast Goose Danzai Kitchen, Anhe Branch (3rd visit) Travel note: In the afternoon, Yen, a junior from Le Si Ji, came to Brother Gong's company to chat. In the evening, I attended a birthday dinner for Brother Gong's basketball team friends. There were Chairman Chen from Tiffany Wedding, Chairman Xie from Mitier Nougat, Chairman Yang in the wire and cable business, the owner of Warner Wedding, and also Xiao Ye, QQ, A Sheng... After the dinner, some continued to the next spot nearby for singing and drinking. I really haven't been here in years! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.18 evening
Location: Taipei City Hall Station – Yin He Teppanyaki Travel note: In the morning, I wrote some code. At noon, I met Mars here for teppanyaki and chatted about some interesting things, also calling out to junior Edison. Thanks to Mars for treating! :) In the afternoon, with Tiffany and Helen from Richwell, plus Vins, we hosted Christine from Hong Kong (Managing Director of HKAM Asset Management Company) to discuss fund cooperation and investment strategies. Later, I talked separately with Vins about DeFITs' new product TPay (which solves the pain point of connecting crypto with real-world cash flow). In between, I sent out two legal contracts, had calls with Brother Li, Pat's brother, and Mark from Biying in France, and also sorted out and replied to Sister Coco's questions. In the evening, I returned to Taichung again, meeting new friends at Niu Bar—Brother Hong from Dahe Art Gallery and his younger brother. Interesting souls are one in a million, and Brother Hong is definitely one! We then moved to an old spot in Taichung for drinking and singing. Brother Hong is also a regular here and very familiar with Sister Zhu~ They even called in a nakashi band for support. Later, the owners of The Lin Hotel and Shikisai also joined. Thanks to Brother Hong for treating! Cheers! :) Still a busy day~ @@ By Morgan @2023.8.17 evening
Location: Taipei Xinyi Road – Shen Pu Shang Yan Shanghai Cuisine (2nd visit) Travel note: Evening team dinner for Zomma Protocol. (Zomma, an on-chain cryptocurrency options exchange: https://app.zomma.pro/en/main/trade) Everyone sat at one table in a private room. With Big Tom and Tianren Ge there, the whole night was never dull! Accompanied by two bottles of French red wine, Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.8.16 evening
Location: Taipei East District, Wine Cellar Travel note: I randomly dropped by Wine Cellar in Taipei's East District at night and ended up joining an alumni gathering from Chiayi Synergy High School. There was Josepe from Light Grain Perception, Nancy from FUNWOO, Yawen from PCHome's senior management, and senior Seymour who's in the arms parts business. Being sandwiched between four Leos was quite amusing. We had three Burgundy Premier Cru wines, a special French bottle, and a German Riesling. Life is short, let's sing over wine! :) Cheers! By Morgan @2023.8.15 evening
Location: Taipei Neihu, Old Vine Wine Cellar Travel note: Through an OGG introduction, Ramen senior and I visited Game Orange's building in Neihu this afternoon. Their new Web3 venture—Gash—is about to launch a new chain game on ZKSync, so we met with Yoyo and Nelson from their blockchain application development department, plus a Discord community manager, to discuss potential resource integration. Taiwan is so small—while chatting at a café downstairs, someone suddenly called my name. If I'm not mistaken, it was RH, founder of Red Pill Lab (an AI motion capture company), who attended my hosted session at last year's Meet Taipei - DigiAsia. We exchanged quick greetings~~XD After wrapping up, since it was too hot, I stopped by a nearby wine cellar for a glass of red while handling requests from three different friends. The ambiance here is pretty nice~ By Morgan @2023.8.15 afternoon
Location: Taipei Dazhi, Marriott Hotel 20F INGE'S Bar & Grill Travel note: In the afternoon, juniors from Le Si Ji introduced me to a major Taiwan stock market player whose trading positions can swing around 40 million NT dollars in just 30 minutes. Since it's Sunday afternoon and few places are both quiet and allow drinking, I thought of it and asked WINESWEE, a wine merchant I know in Neihu, to reserve a VIP room upstairs for us. After arriving, we opened two red wines from Georgia and Chile. The four of us chatted freely while drinking in the private room. Afterward, we headed to the top floor of the nearby Marriott Hotel for dinner. The per-person cost here isn't cheap, almost on par with Michelin-starred restaurants, but the night view and ambiance are truly excellent. Considering the dishes—lobster seafood platter, U.S. Prime steak... I paired them with Weightstone white wine, which has a refreshing lychee-like sweetness that went well with the meal. Thanks to my good friend for treating! Cheers! By Morgan @2023.8.13 evening
Location: Taipei Yanji Street, Pan House Wine & Bistro Travel note: I hadn't seen senior captain Lin Yan for a long time—every time we tried to meet, he was either flying a plane in the air or not in Taipei. Tonight was perfect: it's the birthday of Ian, the younger brother of Pan House's owner, so Lin Yan invited everyone here for a gathering. It started with 3 guys and 6 girls, but eventually grew to 11 guys and 13 girls. I initially tried to remember all the girls' names (I did remember the first few), but there were just too many later on, so I gave up and went with the flow. As expected, at Lin Yan's gatherings, the number of girls always exceeds the guys. Back in the day, people in the circle used to say, 'When I grow up, I want to be like Lin Yan!'—and it's true! Taiwan is also small; Ian is also the owner of the 'Go Yobu Re' bar in Taichung's 7th District. I think I met and chatted with him when they first opened. Pan House has a basement KTV for singing~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.12 evening
Location: Taipei Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A9, WILDWOOD Travel note: In the evening, Pat introduced his accountant friend Eric to me. Eric started his own accounting firm (Shang Yan Qun Jia), which now has over forty employees. Eric's professional agility left a deep impression. Then at night, a beautiful woman invited me to dinner at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi here. WILDWOOD is helmed by a Michelin-starred chef. The steak we ordered was perfectly controlled in terms of cooking, reflected in the beautifully colored meat on the plate. The tender texture paired with an Italian red wine made it a restaurant worth revisiting~ :) By Morgan @2023.8.11 evening
Location: Bar Way Home, Lane off Anhe Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Today was packed with four meetings in Taipei, covering finance law, asset management, carbon credit trading, and a crypto options exchange... It ended with a visit to Coco at the international high-end laundry brand, Jeeves. Afterward, I grabbed a simple Shandong-style roasted chicken nearby on Anhe Road. While walking, I stumbled upon Bar Way Home, a spot I’d just looked up earlier. Since fate brought me here, I stepped in, ordered two glasses of white wine, and took a moment to rest and reflect. A place with great service. By Morgan @2023.8.9 evening
Location: Meal Room, Yanji Street, Taipei Travel note summary: Had dinner with Lman senior and Joey on Yanji Street in Taipei. Joey has lived in Shanghai for 15 years and is back in Taiwan with his wife and kids this trip. He’s been in commercial and residential real estate, but in recent years, his focus has shifted to industrial real estate. Over a yin-yang hot pot paired with Japanese chocolate wine, the three of us discussed potential business collaborations in the future. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.8.8 evening
Location: William Wine Cellar, Daan Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Busy from around 6 a.m. to past 7 p.m., including sealing a deal with a Malaysian fund company. After work, headed out with Nancy and Teddy to enjoy Italian Masi, Burgundy Premier Cru, and Bordeaux classified growths, chatting about real estate and music. We even bumped into Tianyu, a friend of Jack’s who also knows Teddy. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.7 evening #WilliamWineCellar
Location: Sushi Yu, Lane off Xueshi Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Dinner with Mother ~ By Morgan @2023.8.5 evening
Location: Neighborhood.WineBar, Qizhi District, Taichung Travel note summary: Started the afternoon at Brother Gong’s company with Dassai Daiginjo and Spanish red wine. In the evening, moved to the more casual setting downstairs of KR Steakhouse in Qizhi. Ordered some snacks paired with a French Premier Cru red and another Pinot Noir. Later, joined by Yen junior from Lesiji for drinks. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.8.4 evening
Location: Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi B2 Da Zhai Wine Cellar Travel note: After finishing an online meeting and dinner in the evening, I went out to find a quiet spot to sit alone. I sipped two glasses of Spanish red wine and one glass of fortified sweet red wine while continuing calls, replying to messages, and handling various tasks. As usual, it's a day off, but not really a day off. P.S. When I was about to leave, it started raining outside, so I moved to the 8th floor to another wine cellar focused on Italian wines, had another glass of white wine, chatted with the staff, and stayed until Shin Kong Mitsukoshi closed and the rain stopped before heading home. By Morgan @2023.8.3 evening #DaZhaiWineCellar #LianYiWineCellar
Location: Taipei Da'an District VG The Seafood Bar Travel note: Had dinner with the great designer Coco-jie, whom I hadn't seen in a while, at this wine bar near her company. The seafood and steak inside were quite good. Besides the white wine earlier, the Argentine red wine paired with the meal today was also satisfying. Thanks to Coco-jie for treating me tonight, & also for arranging a chauffeur to take me home first in the Maserati~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.8.2 evening
Location: Taipei PURE WINE Cave Travel note: A Mr. Lin, who has lived in Guangzhou for over twenty years and works in solar energy, found me online and invited me for coffee in Ximending this afternoon. He opened his laptop and was about to explain the principles of a trading system to me. After he said the first two keywords, I said, 'This is Chan Theory, right?' He immediately happily said yes! How did you know! I just smiled, but it made the following communication much easier~ XD Before and after ending, we visited the Taiwan Museum Railway Department, then went to the long-unvisited Huaxi Street Night Market to eat something. After taking a shower at a certain shop, the final stop was near Yijiang Park, by the rainy window of a small shop, drinking a glass of French Loire red wine, a glass of Southern French red wine, and a very special natural wine from Spain, Envinate winery, made from grapes grown in the soil of Tenerife volcano, full of terroir and carrying a volcanic smoky flavor. Gazing at the light rain outside while feeling the intense impact in my mouth, it was a truly unforgettable experience~ @@ By Morgan @2023.8.1 evening #PureWine
Location: Taipei Yijiang Street Wine O'Clock Wine Shop Travel note: Another busy Monday, from around 8 AM to past 8 PM. After finishing work, I went out to find a place to sit down and had 4 glasses of Australian Pinot Noir red wine and French white wine. With nothing much to do, I calculated that there were 38 dinner gatherings/meetings in July, surpassing June's 33. My talent really seems to lie here @@ It's rare to be alone today, quietly thinking about some issues. Unexpectedly, I received another invitation. I'll take a taxi to the usual spot later, so let's just settle the final count for July at 39 then~ Cheers! By Morgan @2023.7.31 evening #WineOclock
Location: Taichung Zhongxing Street Hero Ramen Travel note: With nothing much to do in the evening, I made a rainy appointment to have some red wine with my lawyer senior from Taichung First Senior High School - Dade, and an alumnus from Weidao - Qibin. First, we ate delicious ramen next door as a simple dinner, then walked to the currently trial-operating Yi Xiao Kou Wine Cellar, a shop mainly offering various wines. The senior also knows the owner, Xiao Guo, so we were treated to many hams and cheeses, plus additionally ordered Dutch truffle cheese, Italy Parmigiano-Reggiano... paired with red wine from Clarendon Hills, one of Australia's top three wineries, a 2012 Syrah, and a 2010 red wine from France's Burgundy region, a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. While tasting the wine, we listened to the senior and Qibin chat about their professional insights in legal practice and convertible bond investment, having a cross-disciplinary discussion. Thanks to Qibin for treating~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.7.29 evening
Location: Le Blé d'Or, Civic Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Yesterday in Taipei, I met the founder of the single-investment platform SoFinX, Kai-Yi (OTSO Fintech Heisen Tech). Taiwan is small—Kai-Yi is also an alumnus from the National Cheng Kung University graduate institute. His platform now handles over $2 billion in monthly transactions, growing rapidly. Tonight back in Taichung for a company dinner with Brother Gong, we ate and drank beer until we were stuffed. Afterward, with badminton coach Sheng-Xuan (who started his own equipment brand), Xiao Ye, and A-Tian, the four of us went singing, drinking, and playing games. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Evening, July 28, 2023
Location: BNBiz Center, Nanjing Fuxing, Taipei Travel note summary: Yesterday morning, I visited AINiffler. At noon, thanks to Mark for the treat—he’s heading to France again soon. In the afternoon, I suddenly got a message from Ben, whom I once mentored at the Taipei 101 office, inviting me for coffee at his new company. He’s been facing some issues and wanted my advice. Ben has moved to Zhao Yi, a Hong Kong Type 4,9 licensed asset management firm; its founder Victor is also Taiwanese and previously served ultra-high-net-worth clients at Morgan Stanley. At a café downstairs with Nancy, the four of us chatted. Good ideas often spark from cross-border exchanges. Thanks for the hospitality～:) By Morgan @2023.7.27
Location: Yu Le European Creative Cuisine, Nanjing East Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Dinner tonight with Sam and senior Lman, discussing the future development of Sam’s international project KulaDAO (https://kuladao.io), which combines RWA + Web3. Also heard Sam share his thoughts on the newly opened buffet Xiang A Joy. Another dinner thanks to Sam’s treat～ Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, July 25, 2023
Location: Niu Bar, Xitun Road, Taichung Travel note summary: After drinking red wine, I was about to head home when I got a last-minute invite from junior Marcus to join his birthday celebration at Niu Bar. Along with his classmate from AAMA (Taipei Cradle Program), Fash, founder of the AI CRM solution GoSky, and their wives Amy and fiancée Sherry, the five of us gave Marcus an unforgettable birthday experience at Niu Bar. Happy Birthday, Marcus! :) By Morgan @Evening, July 22, 2023
Location: Le Blé d'Or (Civic Branch), Yi Pin Live Shrimp, Golden Cellar Wine Shop, Taichung Travel note summary: Afternoon at Le Blé d'Or with Brother Gong, Steven, and Feng-Xing, having beer and afternoon tea—thanks to Feng-Xing for the treat. Then dinner at Hankou Road for some delicious live shrimp—thanks to Steven. Finally, alone at Golden Cellar Wine Shop on Civic North Third Road, slowly savoring a few glasses of Italian and Bordeaux red wine by the glass, as a peaceful end to the day~ By Morgan @Evening, July 22, 2023
Location: Taichung, Singing & Drinking Travel Notes: A small gathering of three started at 3:45 PM in Taichung, drinking until past 10 PM, then moved to Chairman Su's spot. After a massage, we kept singing. Thanks to Chairman Su for hosting the second round—Cheers! By Morgan @Night of 2023.7.21
Location: Taipei, Da'an District, The Key Company + The Traders Club Travel Notes: Two evening events nearby in Taipei's Da'an District. First, met with Nancy from FUNWOO—a speaker at CommonWealth Magazine's Summer Economic Forum—along with Stacy and Jenny for red wine at The Key. The forum also featured Jeff from the hot recent IPO Gogolook and Steven from 91 APP, whom I'd visited thanks to Pat. At 7:30 PM, moved next door to The Traders Club for a crypto traders' night co-hosted by Matrixport and Gate.io. Met talented young Taiwanese from Awesome Capital, Anti Capital, and even students of Prof. Liao Shiwei from NTU CS. Also connected with Ryan from Wenjian Tech (fellow Taichung native) on Taiwan's blockchain influencers list, Payne from Gate.io global business, and Daniel, Xiaxia's brother working at UBS Singapore. Rare traders' gathering—checked my Binance grid trading strategy, still ranking #1 and #2 globally after over two years. Followers have grown to 40K+. Thanks to Ethan from Matrixport for the invite and Gate.io for gifts. Drank enough, caught one of the last trains back to Taichung. @@ By Morgan @Night of 2023.7.20
Location: Taipei, Songren Road, 5oz Taipei Oyster Bar & Bistro Travel Notes: Busy all day—good friend Sam invited me to dinner, and senior Lman also wanted to meet, so we all went together. Also explored potential links between KulaDAO and Digital Times. Thought about the location and decided on 5oz above Oncor. Besides oysters, they have live band performances after 8:30 PM. Today had Miyagi Prefecture oysters from Japan—sweet and juicy. Paired with a few glasses of red and white wine, it was quite relaxing and satisfying. Thanks to Sam for treating. :) By Morgan @Night of 2023.7.19
Location: Taipei, Minsheng Community, Andy's Wine Cellar (2nd visit) Travel Notes: 1. Morning: Took junior Marcus to visit DeFITs, introducing him to Richwell-DeFITs—a Bloomberg-listed hedge fund ranking in the global top 1%. 2. Noon: Had burgers with junior Edison near City Hall Station. 3. Afternoon: Remote meeting with the Zomma Protocol team (largest crypto options platform on zkSync). 4. Evening: Remote meeting with Ray from Solv Protocol (on-chain fund platform with $50M TVL), introducing two excellent Taiwan-based crypto teams, DeFITs & QuanTrend, with different attributes. 5. Night: Walked to nearby Andy's Wine Cellar, drinking and chatting with the two lovely owners, Nancy & Annie. Thanks for the imported US cherries and a small glass of white wine from the world-class Leroy winery. Cheers! By Morgan @Night of 2023.7.18
Location: Taichung, Visiting Senior Don Travel Notes: Visited senior Don in Taichung, along with WINESWEE Taichung store, National Hotel FUNWOO club, and Niu Bar on Xitun Road. Senior Don is an alumnus from Weidao Middle School and Taichung First Senior High, investing globally in companies and real estate, and a major shareholder in some Taiwan-listed firms. He also manages multiple hedge funds and government pension funds in the US. Since he'll soon be traveling worldwide again, I caught him at his Taichung hometown at noon for a chat. He cooked some delicious food himself, paired with Hennessy VSOP, bourbon aged over 40 years, and an Argentine red wine. Over food and drinks, I sought his insightful views on world affairs, exchange rates, real estate investment, fund development, and more. Grateful to always have good mentors and seniors around, generously offering guidance, advice, and help. After leaving his place, went to the Green Belt area. As a member of WINESWEE's Neihu warehouse in Taipei, checked out their Taichung store and VIP drinking space. Then walked across to the National Hotel's FUNWOO Taichung venue, which offers Duckhorn red wine from Obama's inauguration dinner. Called junior Lawrence from Weidao and Marcus (Mingdao Middle School, Taichung First Senior High) to join and listen to Stacy's presentation on Seattle real estate investment. Later, went to Niu Bar with Nancy and Marcus, greeting the owner—composer Niu Dake of 'Leng Jing Qing Shen' fame—and several media seniors from CTV, CTi, and Weidao alumni. Marcus's company is nearby—Time Technology, part of 500 Global and AAMA accelerators, with app downloads exceeding 40 million. A rich and fulfilling day. By Morgan @Night of 2023.7.15
Location: Drinking Travel note: Busy from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM, so I had to meet up with two lovely ladies later for some red wine to recharge. If one glass isn't enough, then make it two! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.7.17 evening
Location: Taipei, NTU Medical Humanities Museum Travel note: Visited Clark from QuanTrend with lawyer Jingfang in the morning, then had drinks downstairs at Cathay Landmark. Thanks for the treat, Jingfang! We first met online, and this was our first in-person meeting. Jingfang, a slash-career lawyer, runs or partners in law firms in Taiwan and China, and is also core to the Web3 project Mask Network (token listed on Binance and major exchanges, bridging Web2 social platforms to Web3), while also managing a VC fund with $50 million AUM. Though brief, we had a delightful chat! XD In the afternoon, visited a few museums to broaden horizons and seek inspiration, then headed back to Taichung. By Morgan @2023.7.13
Location: Taipei, Jiaxing Street, Vin Jolie co. Ltd (Wan Jiu Li Private Wine Cellar) Travel note: After a meeting in the afternoon, went to find a place for wine in the alley behind the company in the evening. Though hidden in an alley, Vin Jolie offers a wide variety of wines by the glass. Today, I had 6 glasses: a mineral white from Burgundy, France; a slightly sweet late-harvest German Riesling; a Gewürztraminer white with lychee notes; last year's Beaujolais Nouveau from France; a red blend from Southern Rhône, France; and finished with a full-bodied Australian Cabernet-Shiraz. Drinking and making friends, I chatted with another customer, Yunzhu, who works at III, and he brought cheese to share with the wine. Just as we were finishing, Nancy coincidentally messaged to meet up, so we moved to the long-unvisited Wine Cellar Zi. Tonight, we drank Napa American red wine. Thanks for the treat! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.7.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Fuxing, JAPOLI Italian Restaurant & Bar Travel note: Three gatherings in one day. In the afternoon, had tea near the World Trade Center with Brother Guojun (semi-retired from listed company Sinbon) and Joe from Biying. In the evening, came to Zhongxiao Fuxing to dine with Iman senior and OGG (whom I hadn't seen in a while), hearing about OGG's recent AIGC-related projects. Afterwards, moved to Chang Chun Goose Meat in a lane on Liaoning Street, where Yujia came up from Hsinchu, and with Don senior, seafood expert Brother Zeng (whom I hadn't seen in a while, from HTC), and four of the senior's friends aged 60-70, we celebrated one of their birthdays. By the time I arrived, everyone had almost finished eating and were just chatting, but I managed to down a few beers. After dispersing, the last three of us first went to see the meeting room at Don senior's office at Genius Education - Hengyi Taipei Center (as a senior from Taichung First Senior High School recently needed to borrow the meeting room from Don senior to host Japanese clients). Then Don senior later had to continue busy with remote meetings with US fund management teams for presentations. I left with this First High senior via MRT. The senior usually works in Taoyuan in the field of IoT smart mirrors. However, the senior was busy with a call, so we didn't get to chat deeply by the next stop, and I didn't even ask his name! Just another diary of daily events~ :P By Morgan @2023.7.11 evening
Location: Taichung, Top City Mall, bb.q Chicken Travel note: Had lunch with Jerry senior (graduated from NCKU CSIE) and his family. Time flies—last time we met was over five years ago when he was teaching at Harbin Institute of Technology, Shenzhen. He later moved to teach at a university in Norway, still deeply involved in AI. This time, he brought his family back to Taiwan for a month during summer break. We chatted about his ongoing AI-related projects and explored commercialization possibilities in certain fields. Thanks for the treat and the gift from Norway! ^^ Then, before dinner, had some free time, so I went alone to a high-altitude wine cellar in the 7th redevelopment zone. On the 27th floor, enjoying the view, I ordered 3 glasses of red and yellow wine: reds from Corsica and Rhône, and yellow wine (Vin Jaune) from Jura, France. The yellow wine, nearly NT$1,000 for an 80ml glass, tasted somewhat like Shaoxing or Huadiao but with accompanying fruitiness, and its aroma and impact on the palate were incredibly strong! In the evening, went to Anhe Road for the membership meeting and dinner of the Ruini Social Care Association, founded by NCKU's Ruqi and Guozhi senior. Nearly 10 representatives from social welfare groups in central Taiwan attended. No feast is complete without wine—toasted with everyone at the table: Lawyer Yang Dade (First High senior), accountant Lin Hongming (advisor to Taichung First High Alumni Association), Mingyu senior from NCKU Earth Sciences, Principal Shen from Nantou, and Lingzhu sister. Taiwan is small—Lawyer Yang had bought Qibin's book on convertible bond investment (https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010899965) and actually recognized Qibin (who attended on behalf of Steven today), discussing many convertible bond investment issues with him. After the board meeting, took the HSR back to Taipei and met up with good drinking buddy Nancy (who just finished a leadership course at Global Views & Commonwealth Leadership Academy) to continue drinking red wine. We opened a rare Greek red with a hint of tomato aroma. The night is still young~ Another fulfilling day of a round trip between Taipei and Taichung. @@ Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.7.8 evening
Location: The Key Company, Da'an District, Taipei Travel Note: The Key Company in Da'an District, Taipei (3rd visit). I've been busy since 9 AM and didn't even have much lunch. In the evening, I wanted to relax, and Nancy happened to invite me for drinks at our usual spot, so I took a taxi here. Later, Jenny, the CEO of FineDay, who focuses on high-end travel experiences, joined us. We sipped Italian and Bordeaux red wines while listening to these two outstanding female entrepreneurs share their startup stories and insights. For the three of us, drinking red wine wasn't tiring at all—it was a great way to unwind and relax. Thanks for the treat, Nancy! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.7.6 evening
Location: Hooters, Nanjing Fuxing, Taipei Travel Note: Lane 93 Cultural Space, Songjiang Nanjing, and Hooters at Nanjing Fuxing, Taipei. At noon, Ramen Senior introduced Arthur, the chairman of the Taiwan AI Fintech Association and founder of inFlux Fintech. We had a meal together—thanks for the treat, Arthur! In the evening, I ran into Jeff, Teddy, Dingyuan + girlfriend at Taipei Arena... After it ended, I met up with Steven, a junior from Le Si Ji, and Senior Telder. The three of us went for a late-night snack. Coincidentally, we all graduated from Taichung First Senior High School and National Cheng Kung University. Since fate brought us together, we ordered half a dozen Japanese oysters and Chardonnay, slowly eating while listening to the junior, who just returned to Taiwan, share his amazing experiences from the past month—cruising from Japan to the US and surfing along the way. Thanks for the treat, Senior Telder. Life is very very short, seize the day! By Morgan @2023.7.5 evening
Location: The Clash of Titans 2023, Taipei Arena Travel Note: The Clash of Titans 2023 at Taipei Arena. Thanks to Bito for the PR tickets—my first time watching a boxing match at Taipei Arena! By Morgan @2023.7.5 evening
Location: Ji Yue Wine Cellar, Songshan District, Taipei Travel Note: Ji Yue Wine Cellar (La Grande Vinotheque) in Songshan District, Taipei. I spent the whole day communicating with ChatGPT, collaborating to write code more efficiently. In the evening, I walked from my place to nearby to relax. Ji Yue near Minsheng Community used to serve French cuisine, but not anymore. Still, the high-ceilinged environment here is very comfortable. I arrived at 7:15 PM, and the staff kindly said they close at 8:00 PM—no problem, don't worry. In the end, I ordered 3 glasses of red and white wine by the glass, plus 1 complimentary glass from chatting happily with Sister KC, totaling 4 glasses. Today, I mainly drank blended wines from the Loire Valley, from sweet and sour flavors to tannin-rich, impactful ones. The spacious indoor setting and affordable by-the-glass wines here are great, but it's a shame they don't stay open late! @@ By Morgan @2023.7.4 evening
Location: La Vie Wine, Xinyi Road, Taipei Travel Note: La Vie Wine on Xinyi Road, Taipei. A bit too hectic for a Monday! 1. Placed orders + set up Line notifications. 2. Analyzed Delta and Gamma of DeFi option pools. 3. Wrote XQ stock selection strategy radar. 4. Internal meeting for Hong Kong fund. 5. Visited Bi Ying company. 6. Had a shared dinner with Mark and Brother Jun—thanks for the treat. 7. Met with Lawyer Jingfang to discuss legal issues. 8. Meeting with a platform applying for VASP (Virtual Asset Service) license in Hong Kong. 9. Went to La Vie Wine to drink Burgundy red wine with five beauties: Carolyn, Nancy, Stacy, Jenny, and Cora—thanks for the treat! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.7.3
Location: Taichung 89 King Crab Travel Note Summary: Taichung 89 King Crab (3rd visit), Taipei Okura Prestige Pearl Bar (2nd visit), Royal Hotel Ming Palace Cantonese Restaurant (2nd visit). Came to 89 on Taiwan Boulevard at noon to eat king crab, Japanese wagyu beef, abalone, and the most premium and expensive type of grouper, the mouse grouper... Thanks to Chairman Lin for the treat. Then, the same group went singing in the afternoon and drank Dalmore. We didn't battle for almost 9 hours like yesterday, so I could only stay for a bit before leaving early to catch the high-speed rail back to Taipei. In the evening, Sam & Monica and Nancy had arranged to discuss matters at the Okura. Rushed back to have a glass of white wine and join them briefly. In the evening, everyone went to eat at the Ming Palace in the nearby Royal Hotel. Coincidentally, I sat in the exact same seat as last time. Tonight's dishes—shrimp lettuce wrap, fried bean curd roll, mapo tofu, fried milk tofu... were all quite tasty. It also included a dish found in many famous Chinese restaurants: the '先知鴨' (Prophet Duck), which uses young duck as the ingredient. As the saying goes: 'Outside the bamboo, a few peach blossoms; in the spring river's warmth, the duck knows first.' Since we were having Chinese food tonight, we paired it with a Chilean red wine of the Merlot variety, which has a milder, more moderate taste. Thanks to Sam's family for the hospitality. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.7.1 evening
Location: Taichung End of June Wrap-up Travel Note Summary: Taichung End of June Wrap-up, Dingyuan Roast Goose. Came to Brother Gong's place for lunch and had drunken chicken. In the afternoon, I went singing and drinking with many Taichung business owner friends—a long-awaited gathering. Met a Brother Cat, who has a wine collection worth several million NTD. And so, the 33rd dinner gathering of June came to an end. Life—go with the flow. By Morgan @2023.6.30
Location: Taipei RAYCA Coffee Travel Note Summary: Taipei RAYCA Coffee, Yunlin Starbucks, Taichung National Hotel. Moved through three cities in one day. In the afternoon, first met up with Carol, a former EVA Air flight attendant I met at the OKx Party, and Michael from BiSheng to chat. Michael had been interviewed by EBC News during the previous GameFi boom. In the evening, headed to Yunlin, sat for a bit at a Starbucks converted from a historic building, then returned to Taichung with the FUNWOO overseas real estate team. After arriving at their base at the National Hotel, I greeted two Chairmen Fan, Chairman Liu, and my American friend Alan, whom I had just seen in Taipei this week. Had a few glasses of red wine and then disbanded, heading home. :P By Morgan @2023.6.29 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng Community, Andy Castle Wine Cellar Travel Note: After finishing a meeting with Zomma in Xinyi District this afternoon (feel free to follow Zomma on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZommaProtocol?t=BqMCYsqWmkYXfdKSO6lPbw&s=09), I thought I'd head to Minsheng Community for dinner and check out ACE Exchange's physical store. After eating, I was about to head home when I suddenly craved some red wine. I googled nearby wine cellars, first stopping by Yongxing Wine Cellar on Fujin Street, then swinging over to Andy Wine Cellar on Jiankang Road. I ordered two glasses of red and white wine by the glass, and hit it off with the shop owner Annie (a Libra) and Nancy (a Virgo). Being from the same generation, they proactively added me as a friend on Facebook. So, we opened two bottles of red wine, including a 1998 Bordeaux, and invited the two lovely ladies to sit and drink with me. Later, regular customer Brother F, who lives in Minsheng Community, joined us. He had also lived in Shanghai's Changning District before, so we chatted a bit. Life—everything happens as fate intends, every encounter is meant to be. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.28 evening
Location: Taipei, Nanjing Fuxing, JR East Hotel Travel Note: Met up with CEO Liang at noon, whom I hadn't seen in a while, and caught up on recent happenings. After the ownership change of The Westin Taipei, I can no longer enjoy their premium beef noodles, but the wagyu curry offered here at JR is also quite delicious. Paired with a glass of red and white wine, it made for a tasty, simple lunch. After an online meeting in the afternoon, I had dinner with Senior Lman in the evening, returning to the Nanjing Fuxing area. The food at Shuo Chang Izakaya was quite tasty; both the sashimi and beef short ribs left a good impression. For 399 TWD, you get 1.5 hours of unlimited drinks—I ended up having about 4–5 glasses myself. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.6.27 evening
Location: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Juntai Wine Cellar Travel note summary: Juntai Wine Cellar on Ren'ai Road in Taipei (4th visit). In the evening, Nancy, Stacy, Jeffery, Jason, Leon, Fan Qiande (Chairman Fan), Alen and Seymour from the US, Carolyn, Bella, Jenny, Xiancao Ge, and Erin all gathered at Juntai. We first drank 7 Burgundy reds + 1 white. Then we went to Cashbox near Zhongxiao Fuxing to sing karaoke. Thanks to Carolyn for hosting the first half with the red wine! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.27 evening
Location: Taipei, Yanji Street, Tonight Bistro Travel note summary: Tonight Bistro on Yanji Street, Taipei & Juntai Wine Cellar on Ren'ai Road. In the afternoon, I started from Tayou Road, walked to Guanshan Riverside Park and Yingfeng Riverside Park for some exercise. In the evening, two cousins invited me to Guangfu South Road for South African rooibos tea at Bramley German Afternoon Tea. Then I moved to the bar Tonight on Yanji Street. Nancy rushed back from Taichung, and we met up with her high school senior Seymour and classmate Joseph for a drink. Joseph's company, O'Prueba, recently helped FTV News launch an AI anchor, which officially goes live tomorrow—wishing them success! (https://ent.ltn.com.tw/amp/news/breakingnews/4343925) Finally, Nancy, Seymour, and I moved to Juntai Wine Cellar on nearby Ren'ai Road, joining Carolyn, Stacy, Xiancao Ge, and Bella for red wine. I was here last Sunday, and now again a week later. Taiwan is small—Xiancao Ge also knows 'Oily Chicken Brother' from Xuanjie Biotech. Bella lived in Shanghai for nearly 10 years, so we chatted about shared experiences there. Thanks again to Carolyn for hosting and sharing her cellar wines! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Neihu, Ruiguang Road, Samwon Garden Korean Restaurant Travel note summary: Samwon Garden Korean Restaurant on Ruiguang Road in Neihu, Taipei. Yesterday, I visited the Evergreen Maritime Museum. This afternoon, I met up with MFT senior Zongxian, whom I hadn't seen in over two years. He's back working at Advantech in industrial computers. His girlfriend works at the Taiwan Creative Content Agency and is super busy, meeting daily with film/TV industry folks, investors, and big shots. In the evening, I took a taxi to Neihu. Sam's family invited me to dinner and asked me to pick a restaurant. After asking what they'd like, I booked this upscale Korean BBQ place in Taipei to try. Since they've lived in the US, I thought they'd be more interested in Asian cuisine. Besides common Korean dishes, the grilled beef short ribs here are pretty good, especially wrapped in lettuce. Tonight, we paired it with a Bordeaux red, which was unexpectedly delightful—round aroma, straightforward fruitiness. The whole meal was filled with laughter, and everyone had a great time. Thanks to Sam for hosting! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.6.24 evening
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Yunlin, Huwei & Xiluo day trip #YunlinStoryHouse #PuppetryMuseum #HuweiRegistrationOffice #HuweiStation #HuweiSugarFactory #HuweiIronBridge #QingpuTaxodiumSecretSpot #NationalFormosaUniversity #XinglongTowelTourFactory #GrandmaBearTowelStoryHouse #WuanChuangSoySauceTourFactory #XiluoYanpingOldStreet #XiluoTaipingMazuFuxingTemple #XiluoBridge #RuichunSoySauceTourFactory. Every time I go to Yunlin, it's always rushed. This time, I finally got to explore slowly. In between, I even handled a conference call on the high-speed train back to Taipei. @@ By Morgan @2023.6.22
Location: Taipei, Guangfu South Road, Xiaolin Seafood Travel note summary: Xiaolin Seafood on Guangfu South Road, Taipei & Tongling KTV in Huwei, Yunlin. In the morning, Xiaxia and YJ from Hong Kong's Amber Group happened to visit Biying, so I dropped by to chat. Coincidentally, Tony was also there. Thanks to Mark & William for hosting a simple lunch. After finishing the Zomma meeting in the afternoon, we had dinner at nearby Xiaolin Seafood. Afterwards, I went home to drop off some things, then headed to Nangang HSR Station, heading south again to Yunlin-Huwei. FUNWOO De Zai International Real Estate held an overseas US/Canada property seminar at Huwei Chunqiu Hotel today. There was an evening event + after-party, so I rushed down to join the latter half. Thanks to Nancy for the invitation. Although I arrived a bit late and missed meeting the famous 'Battalion Commander' of the Huwei crew, I still got to see Brother Zhang Xuchu and Brother Hu, whom I've drunk with several times before, as well as FUNWOO's already well-known high-value team: Stacy, Jeffery, Jason, and many local bosses, landowners, police officers in Yunlin... First time experiencing a Yunlin-style garden cabin KTV—quite interesting indeed. Happy Dragon Boat Festival~ Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.6.21 evening
Location: Taipei, Songren Road - Flare Taipei (OKX Exchange VIP Cocktail Party) Travel note: This afternoon, I had a meeting at Biying near the World Trade Center. They brought in an Iris to join the meeting. What a small world—as we chatted, I suddenly remembered: isn't this the same Iris that Weiren introduced me to in Hong Kong? Iris runs her own fund in Hong Kong and previously participated in Luckin Coffee's IPO. I never expected to run into her again in Taiwan years later. Afterward, in the evening, I attended an event hosted by OKX Exchange. This is my third time at Flare Taipei in Xinyi District this month. Besides catching up with familiar crypto friends like Pei, Sunsun, Panda, Peter, Ray, Lunik, Ariel, Marx, Yvonne, Tiannong, and others, I also met new connections from DeFITs like Zayn, and Professor Liao Shiwei from NTU CS (our second meeting). Also there were Jeff (the host from the Future Commerce Forum panel), Jingyi (a crypto trader I met at Teddy's housewarming), Dr. Gan (who manages a tech fund in Singapore), Brother Ji and Datou from ACDC (who hosted us at ByBit's major shareholder's Taichung venue last time), Harry and Enya from OKX, Leo from MEXC, Paco (who just left CoinW), Brother Water (retired from Chunghwa Telecom, interested in crypto), Carol and Minghuang from Bisheng, Jesi from Bixiu Academy... Today was another great night of deepening old friendships and making new ones. Brother Ji, with his wide-ranging business and seven holding companies, spent six million NTD on his birthday mansion party this month. I also met OKX's influencer, Jiumei. Another fun, slightly tipsy evening. By the way, happy birthday to my brother far away in the Netherlands! :) By Morgan @2023.6.20 night
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao East Road - W Hotel 10F Woo Bar Travel note: After a typical Monday with three back-to-back meetings, I met up with my good friend Sam for a late afternoon happy hour. Sam just returned from Dubai and Abu Dhabi last week, discussing compliance licenses, and brought back a souvenir gift for me. Coincidentally, Sam also visited the world's highest restaurant, At.mosphere, on the 122nd floor (422 meters) of the Burj Khalifa—a place General Liang and I had been to before. So we chatted about that shared life experience. The bar snacks at Woo Bar were surprisingly good. We ordered two signature cocktails and stayed until sunset. Thanks to Sam for the treat and the gift! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.19 night
Location: Taipei, Sheraton Hotel 2F Momoyama Japanese Cuisine; Ren'ai Road, QuanTrend Wine Cellar Travel note: Tonight, I introduced Sam's family to Nancy and her daughter. Besides managing a global web3 project, KulaDAO, Sam is also the Director of a UIUC (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign) lab. Sam's daughter and Nancy's daughter happen to be the same age and both currently attend American schools in Taiwan. Additionally, Sam's daughter Alexandra is a gifted member of the international Mensa society. So tonight, I arranged for her to meet Nancy's outstanding daughter for mutual exchange and growth. Also at the table were Nancy's FUNWOO colleagues Stacy and Leon, Sam's wife Monica—six adults and two kids in total. While everyone chatted, I took charge of ordering wine. Looking at tonight's $3,580+10% per person Omakase course menu—featuring sea urchin tofu, sashimi, abalone chawanmushi, etc.—I thought for a moment and started with Moët champagne and Rock Angel rosé. When the Wagyu sukiyaki arrived, I switched to a French Burgundy red, and finished with a Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine, hoping to pair the meal as beautifully as possible. Today, I also completed trying all three restaurants on the second floor of Taipei Sheraton: Antoine Room (French), SUKHOTHAI (Thai), and Momoyama. Thanks to Nancy for hosting! Cheers~~ :) Afterward, Nancy and Stacy moved to QuanTrend Wine Cellar on Ren'ai Road, where they met a client and friend, Carolyn, for a drink. Thanks for inviting me along. The last time I was here was with Jeff, the founder of Gogolook (parent company of Whoscall, stock code: 6902), which is about to list on the Innovation Board soon, along with Pat and senior Lman. Time flies, and congratulations to Gogolook on their successful listing! The red wine here still maintains a high standard. Taiwan is still very small—Carolyn is from NTU EMBA class 111, and Clark, one of the founders of QuanTrend, happens to be her junior by one year. She had heard of Clark's name too. Indeed, in Taiwan, you often don't need six degrees of separation; mutual connections are usually found within two layers. XD Thanks to Carolyn for the treat! ^^ By Morgan @2023.6.18 night
Location: Taichung, Wuquan West 3rd Street - Luxy Vogue Bistro Travel note: A bistro near the art museum with magical decor and good food. The cocktails are very artistic—Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Qiu Ying's Spring Morning in the Han Palace... From West to East, blending colors and aromas to create a hint of tipsiness. Elizabeth's tea-infused cocktail, Raphael's Madonna and Child evoking a rustic rice fragrance—these moments tonight couldn't help but stir up deep childhood memories. Along with Steven, the three of us gathered. Thanks to Brother Gong for hosting! By Morgan @2023.6.16 night
Location: Taipei, Yuanshan Flower Expo - Digital Times Future Commerce Exhibition; Draft Land Travel note: One of the annual major events. This year, I wasn't on stage as a host; I simply came to watch my friends' brilliant talks on stage (Ethan from Matrixport, Cindy from Richwell, Lawyer Hongyu from Guoke, Financial Star Jeff, and David, the founder of ACE Exchange, whom I didn't know before but managed to say hello to at the end). Then I greeted many familiar friends in the audience. At noon, I had a simple lunch with Cindy, Helen, senior Lman, and Marx. Afterward, I headed to Taipei 101, visiting Bincentive on the 43rd floor with Vins and junior Edison, then going further up to chat with MAX from Ascent on the 57th floor. Later, I went with MAX to nearby Draft Land for two drinks (literally just two, no more, no less). Sharing a drink together does make it easier to get on the same wavelength. As Alex Yu-Ting Hong would be happy to read, thanks to MAX for the treat! Cheers! :) After that, I rushed home to grab something before heading back to Taichung. :P By Morgan @2023.6.15 #FutureCommerceExhibition
Location: Oma's Deli Deli on Ren'ai Road, Taipei Travel note summary: This morning, I first took Cindy to the area near the Taipei World Trade Center to meet William, one of the founders of Biwin Technology, along with their COO Nicole and one of their investors, Brother Liao. Taiwan is small—Brother Liao used to be based in Kunshan, Suzhou, working for Shinbond, a listed company specializing in electronic components and connectors. Shinbond is also related to another listed company, Youqun. So I asked about Jason, my uncle who manages the Kunshan factory for Youqun, and sure enough, they have many mutual friends spanning over 30 years, from the chairman and general manager to various executives. Afterward, we headed to Ren'ai Road for lunch with Fred, whom I was introduced to by Senior Lman and later found out Shasha also knows. Fred, born in Hong Kong, has invested in many companies in Taiwan. Extremely sharp, Fred has a wide range of expertise and friends. He shared insights on Hong Kong family offices, securities firms, investment banking, green energy, software industry, exchange rate fluctuations, human resources, and even Crypto and Web3—which he doesn't invest in but still studies. He often cuts right to the essence and logic of things, and I really learned a lot! The three of us chatted from noon until past 3 PM, even causing Fred to miss a conference call. Thanks for Fred's time and thanks to Cindy for treating! By Morgan @2023.6.13
Location: WOWffizi Uffizi Bistro near Zhongshan Station, Taipei Travel note summary: WOWffizi Uffizi Bistro near Zhongshan Station, Taipei; Tianmu, Taipei University Tianmu Campus Shixin Badminton Hall; Xiaojugong Station Tipsy Bistro. Looking back to when I just graduated from graduate school and was serving my national defense service in Hsinchu Science Park, almost every weekend, I would play badminton with Zhiqian, along with Xiao Cai, Weng Liang, Yan Lü, Zong Wei, Brother Liren... at the NCTU badminton hall, often playing the whole afternoon. After playing, I'd usually find a restaurant in Hsinchu for us to eat together. In the blink of an eye, almost twenty years have passed. I never thought I'd have the chance to play badminton on the same court with Zhiqian again today. After lunch with Zhiqian, I came to the badminton hall in Tianmu. Next to it is the Tianmu Baseball Stadium. Later, Senior Telder also joined. Haven't sweated this much in a long time—the wine we drank at lunch probably all evaporated. So in the evening, I came to the bistro near Xiaojugong with Senior Telder, ordered a bottle of Korean Jinro soju and Cass beer to mix soju-beer, paired with fried soft-shell crab to replenish energy. Thanks for Senior Telder's treat! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.11 evening
Location: Ju Hot Pot in Zhongli, Taoyuan Travel note summary: Ju Hot Pot in Zhongli, Taoyuan; Yongxu Cafe & Bar in Dadaocheng, Taipei. Over 20 years ago, my good friend TS Zhiqian from the NCKU Computer Network Enthusiasts Club came back from Singapore for a rare visit. At noon, the club members gathered at Zhongli Sogo. Besides Senior Champ, Junming, and Voto whom we met last month, there were also Senior Telder and Aby Zhihao, whom I hadn't seen in over ten years—seven people in total. The last time I met Zhiqian was in 2016 when I went to Singapore to watch the F1 race, almost seven years ago. Zhiqian was originally sent to Singapore by UMC, and now 15 years later, his wife and kids are already there, and he has bought property, settled down, and become a Singaporean citizen. As for Aby, it's been 12 years since he switched to MediaTek. At this age, calculating time in years is really scary. @@ Thanks to Senior Champ, who now works at Google, for treating everyone at lunch! Many club members, due to their interest in computers and networks back then, have indeed gone into various tech/software fields after graduation. XD After the afternoon gathering, thanks to Voto for driving Senior Telder and me in his new car to the airport MRT, rushing back from Zhongli to Taipei to meet Junhong, a university classmate who rarely comes up from Hsinchu. First, I took Junhong to walk around Dihua Street and Dadaocheng Wharf. At a charming little shop called Yongxu in an alley, we ordered Chardonnay white wine, catching up while discussing TSMC's role in the recent AI wave and where the next trend might be. Quite a few classmates and friends have chosen to work and live in Hsinchu. After leaving, I finally took Junhong to my familiar and nostalgic Ximending to walk around and have dinner. Thanks to Junhong for treating! It was a busy but fulfilling Saturday seeing many friends. :) By Morgan @2023.6.10 evening
Location: Huashan 1914 Creative Park Web3 Decentralized Social Lecture, Taipei Travel note summary: During the day, I did research and wrote code at home. In the evening, invited by the beautiful Ellie from cloud service agent Gaia, I attended a Web3 lecture event co-organized by Gaia Information, Gen3, and Google Cloud. The speakers included Kurt from XRSpace, Jim from Gen3, Paul from the social app Rooit with millions of users, and Eefy, a Google Cloud GCP cloud architect. The topic discussed was social issues in a decentralized world. They also invited the beautiful host Snow Bao to moderate. After the lecture, I greeted Taka, Jim, Alex from Gaia, and Ellie. Taiwan is small—one of today's speakers, Eefy from Google, actually crossed paths at the BTSE & Fireblocks party two nights ago, though we didn't chat. Today we met again by chance and had a small talk. After leaving Huashan, I walked to Nanjing East Road for a massage before heading back home. By Morgan @2023.6.9 evening
Location: Private Club on Songqin Street, Taipei BTSE & Fireblocks Party Travel note summary: Another day moving around Xinyi District. In the morning, I first went to QuanTrend in the Cathay Landmark Building at Breeze Xinyi for a meeting with Cindy, Popo, Clark, and Kaede. Had Italian pasta nearby for lunch, thanks to Cindy for treating. In the afternoon, near the Taipei World Trade Center, had a meeting for Zomma Crypto Option Exchange. In the evening, thanks to Jude and Amy from Fireblocks for inviting me to BTSE exchange's private club for their co-hosted party. Upon arrival, I first met my Italian friend Andrea, who also used to be at the Hong Kong Science Park incubator, even in the same building 19W. We started chatting about zkSync, DeFi, and life in Hong Kong. Also saw familiar faces I've met before or had online meetings with, like lawyer Lin Hongyu from Guoke, or Denny from Red Building Capital, and newly met Paco from CoinW (Japanese), Aki from BTSE, Kenneth from Chainlink, Neo and Joyce from Guoke, Josh from WOO Network, Larry from OKX, Joey from Fireblocks... Many other often-seen friends: Max from Ascent, Ariel from QuanTrend, Blues from Google GCP, Sam from KulaDAO, and of course Tom and Charlotte... Still a fulfilling evening! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.6.7 evening
Location: New Taipei, Wugu, Biyao Villa Garden Restaurant Travel notes: In the morning at home, I studied Ethereum EIP-4337, the proposal about Account Abstraction (AA). In the afternoon, I went with Cindy to Bito near Xiaojudan Station to visit Yvonne and Jeff. In the evening, I met up with my junior Edison and visited Dr. Zhuo at Bincentive in Taipei 101. At night, I had dinner with Kai, whom I met in Vietnam, and everyone else. Kai has been in Vietnam for several years and came back to Taiwan for a few days this time. I heard many stories from Kai about the local customs and culture in Vietnam. Thanks to Yao for hosting. By Morgan @2023.6.6 night
Location: Taipei, Da'an, Danshuku Honjin Night Food & Izakaya Travel notes: An extremely busy Monday with meetings in the morning. At noon, my classmates/alumni from Weidao, Steven, Nengjia, and Qibin, came to Taipei to handle some matters and had a meal with me. After eating, I continued with meetings and then worked on some tasks. In the evening, Ariel invited Jude and Amy from Fireblocks for dinner. Fireblocks, founded by several Israeli entrepreneurs, is like the SWIFT of the crypto world. Through their leading MPC (Secure Multi-Party Computation) technology, they provide core functions for secure custody and fast transactions of digital assets. They currently have 1,800 clients globally, with a valuation of $8 billion in the last round. Jude and his supervisor Amy are usually based in Singapore and came to Taiwan for a four-day business trip. Ariel mentioned they wanted to get to know more friends in Taiwan's crypto circle, and I'm grateful she thought of me first. XD So we all met at an izakaya in the evening for a relaxed chat. Coincidentally, Jude had just had coffee with Tom at noon, meaning after our morning meeting with Tom, Jude and Tom also met. Then in the evening, I met with Jude. We had a great chat from 6 PM to 10 PM, with drinks flowing one after another. Thanks to Jude for hosting and Ariel for the invitation! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.6.5 night
Location: Taichung, Museum of Illusions Travel notes: Visited the museum at noon. In the afternoon, Brother Gong and I hosted two friends from Taipei at our junior Sky's place in Taichung First Senior High School. We spent the afternoon until evening in a private space. On a Sunday afternoon, it's not easy to find a place in Taichung with a private room, food, drinks, and entertainment equipment, so we came to our junior's place again. Dalmore whiskey, white wine, red wine, various dishes and drinks—excluding other expenses, it cost over NT$20,000 in the end. I also met Marcus, a friend of Jack's. Marcus is the founder of the productivity tool app 'Forest: Stay Focused' (with over 4 million paying users globally) and was also named one of Forbes' 30 Under 30 outstanding youths and entrepreneurs. Taiwan is small—Marcus is Brother Gong's junior from Mingdao High School and also my junior from Taichung First Senior High School. Drank until I was a bit tipsy again, heading back to Taipei~ @@ Cheers! By Morgan @2023.6.4 night
Location: Taichung, National Hotel 1F Travel notes: Thanks to Nancy for lending the FUNWOO club venue in Taichung. This afternoon in my hometown, we held a small boutique seminar trial organized by Richwell, an asset management company holding Hong Kong Type 4 and 9 licenses. We invited partners from DeFITs to share some professional market insights. Thanks to Vins and Peter, who just returned from Hong Kong, Dubai, and Japan, and rushed from Taipei to Taichung to share their views on the current situation and future prospects of the Crypto field. Also thanks to Sean from Binance, Lunik from Rybit, and Eric from Bincentive for specially coming down from Taipei to show support. Good friend Sam also came from the US => Taipei => visiting Taichung for the first time. On the way back, he asked me where he could buy sun cakes to bring back to his friends in the US. XD Anyway, thanks to everyone for participating today. I hope everyone gained something~ :) By Morgan @2023.6.1
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Enoteca Travel notes: Today, I moved almost entirely within a one-kilometer radius of Xinyi District. At noon, I had a simple lunch with Pat and Sam, who just returned from the US a while ago, at the basement of Breeze Songgao. Then Pat left for another meeting, while Sam and I went to the third floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A9 nearby, ordered some champagne, red wine, and cheese, and chatted about recent updates while drinking. Sam and his American friends are working on the African gold mine Kula DAO, which recently received funding from several major investors. This round has already raised 4.5 million USD, and things are going well. Sam will also fly to Dubai soon to obtain a license and then visit Zambia in Africa. And I only found out today that Sam, like Fred, also holds a Taiwan Employment Gold Card. Sam paid for both gatherings in a row, thanks~ In the afternoon, I went to visit QuanTrend upstairs in the nearby Cathay Landmark. In the evening, I came near Taipei City Hall Station—Chainsight's office moved here from Zhongxiao Dunhua. I visited Ernie at their new office. I also brought Nancy and her excellent son Tim to chat with Ernie. At night, I had dinner with Nancy and Ernie at a yakiniku restaurant invested by Yan'an from Dawei Construction, whom I had met once before. Listening to the two entrepreneurs discuss the ups and downs of entrepreneurship and future trends was insightful. Later, Aaron also joined. Japanese A5 Wagyu + Junmai Ginjo Genshu—a fantastic dinner! Thanks to Nancy for hosting. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.5.30 night
Location: Taipei, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi - Station Front Store, Thai Town Cuisine Travel note summary: After a morning meeting, I had lunch with Pat at Thai Town Cuisine near Taipei Main Station. We chatted about his hectic schedule flying between China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan every week for his job at a foreign investment bank, and also handled some pending matters he'd been too busy to address. Thanks for the treat, bro Pat! Afterwards, we went downstairs to B1 to sit and have drinks, stealing a half-day of leisure together. @@ By Morgan @2023.5.29
Location: Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, International Wine Exhibition Travel note summary: Among the various alcoholic drinks I consume, wine is still relatively frequent for me. The day before yesterday, I brought a bottle of red wine from Chateau Palmer in the Margaux region of Bordeaux's Left Bank, France—one of the 12 apostles (the 2nd apostle: Mother) featured in the manga "Kami no Shizuku"—to Teddy to celebrate his housewarming. Today, I happened to see there was a wine exhibition at the World Trade Center. After visiting the Taipei Discovery Center in the afternoon, I came here to learn and see if there were any wines worth buying. Unexpectedly, besides red and white wines, they had everything: sparkling wine, rice wine, yuzu wine, plum wine, tea wine, lychee wine, whisky, gin, beer, ice wine... As an Aries, I tried them all, and drinking here got me even drunker than the day before yesterday! @@ By Morgan @2023.5.28
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Housewarming Party Travel note summary: Teddy moved to a new place, ordered catering, and hosted a dinner and wine party. Thanks for the invitation! I also invited Charlotte and another beauty to join. Even though Teddy didn't invite any singers from his own label, Rolling Stone Records, the whole night was still packed with guests, with over 40-50 people coming and going. Besides seeing many familiar faces—Ben Huang, Ben Ko, Ray, Max from Ascent, Jacky who was previously at C-Cubed, Alvin from Space Crocodile NFT, Jack from Sophia Research—I also met/made many new friends: Bowen and Mike from BlockTempo, Henry from a Web3 VC, Eric (second-generation from a Taichung construction family), David from Zombie NFT, Steven (CTO of dLBS), Harris from Capstone Capital (MK2), Sean (Max's friend going to Vietnam for a birthday party next week), veteran crypto trader Jingyi, Sushi and his wife who had to catch a flight to Thailand in the early morning, Stan (formerly at HSBC, DBS, Sequoia Capital, now founded JaioZi Capital) and his Hong Kong partner Ruby, Ivan from Linglie Capital (related to real estate and Sotheby's), Sean from Binance (responsible for Asia-Pacific VIP and institutional clients), Zen (second-generation dental equipment), professional mountain guide Enjia... Taiwan is small. Ivan and Aaron are partners, so naturally they know Nancy from FUNWOO. Stan also comes from traditional finance, previously working on structured products, and knows Ethan from Matrixport. Stan's partner Ruby is from Hong Kong and coincidentally had heard of the Serenity Cove community in Pak Shek Kok where I used to live. I chatted with her about the Lam Tsuen Wishing Tree, which I've visited and was featured on TVB. Sean at Binance specializes in VIP and institutional clients, so of course he knows Clark from QuanTrend. Harris runs his own fund, so he also knows Vins from DeFITs and Peter from TCDAO. Shasha has an amazing memory—it turns out she had met Teddy before at Token 2049 in Singapore. Eric is also from Taichung and, being from a construction family background, naturally knows Brother Gong's company. Bowen has been focusing on the development of Ton Token (Telegram), so of course he knows Pat and Sam who invested in their Ton Studio. When I ran into Joey with Mars before, Mike was added to a Line group including Ale and Lige, so once we chatted, I immediately realized he was that Mike in the group... Although I drank quite a bit of red wine yesterday, luckily I didn't mix drinks, so I managed to stay relatively sober. Taking advantage of waking up in the morning to jot this down. Thanks to our host Teddy for bustling around and warmly entertaining us—a truly unforgettable night, Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.5.27
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Qu You Dining Bar & Flare Taipei Travel note summary: 1. The day before yesterday, Marx invited Tracy (head of liquidity partner management at OKX exchange), as well as Aaron and Jackson who also came from Singapore, to visit Ark Taipei. Taka introduced Zomma to them. The world is small—they had just met with Vins from DeFITs and Peter recently and are discussing some collaborations. 2. Yesterday afternoon, the Zomma options exchange team had a meeting. 3. Yesterday evening, I met up with my old high school classmate CL Kao (Gao Jialiang) from Taichung First Senior High School at Taipei 101. Besides being the founder of g0v (Taiwan's civic tech community), he is also the founder of the AI startup InfuseAI. I chatted with CL about his plans for the company and new products (solving the problem of data impact on reliability in the AI field). Hope things go smoothly for my classmate! 4. Last night, I had dinner with Ernie, founder of Chainsight, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Besides their existing product—a Web3 background checks API for examining Web3 cash flow and preventing fraud (https://www.chainsight.com/)—because they are also backed by the well-known Silicon Valley venture accelerator Y-Combinator, they have abundant AI resources from YC alumni and are now planning new AI-related products, possibly applied in MarTech (marketing tech) or multiple fields. 5. Last night, second round—just two days later, I was back at Flare. Marx invited many friends, including Aaron and Jackson from OKX, Daniel from BSOS, WaiWai from Whale Academy, Stark (a partner in one of his projects), the beautiful Yvonne from BitoEX, and old friend Taka. Marx is also familiar with the floor manager Abby here, so we were treated to some shots. Thanks for the invitation and hospitality, Marx! Cheers~ :) Later, I'll continue to help Cindy with a meeting for Digital Times, preparing for the Future Commerce Exhibition starting June 15th. Just continuously jotting down life as it goes. :P By Morgan @2023.5.25
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Flare Taipei MEXC Matcha Pizza Day Travel note summary: Taipei, Ark Taipei N24 Bitcoin Pizza Day & Xinyi District, Flare Taipei MEXC Matcha Pizza Day. Thanks to the great Tom Soong for hosting the Bitcoin Pizza Day every year and treating everyone to pizza. Tonight, I also met many online friends/followed entrepreneurs & KOLs, or made new friends, greeting and exchanging ideas with: 1. YJ from Amber Group. 2. Tempo, founder of Perpetual Protocol. 3. Fox (Fox the Great), a KOL with tens of thousands of followers & from Inside media. Also Ellie from Gaia Information, an engineer from Term Structure, Kowei who just got a Ph.D. from Singapore... Then moved to the event hosted by MEXC Matcha exchange. And continued to meet some more online friends: 4. Walt Chang, BD at Matcha exchange. Thanks Walt, you even gave me two Matcha T-shirts. 5. Leo Tiannong (Sky Farmer). Taiwan is small—Leo is also a classmate of Vins from National Taiwan University. His partner Austin is also a friend I knew when Austin was working on the iPlanet Web3 project. Then I met Ariel from QuanTrend, Shen from Bishuo Talk, Qiu Jun from Gen3, Danny from Red Building, and old friend Lawrence Chiang. Also took a group photo with the Zomma Option Protocol team and Professor Liao Shih-wei from the Department of Computer Science, National Taiwan University. It was a fulfilling evening. By Morgan @2023.5.22 evening
Location: Luca Italian Restaurant, Linkou, New Taipei City Travel Notes: Had lunch with a few friends from the NCKU Computer Network Club (CCNS) at Luca Italian Restaurant in Linkou, New Taipei City, and later visited the Xpark Aquarium in Taoyuan. Even after all these years since graduation, we still call each other by our BBS Dreamland IDs—Kurama and Reading, whom I hadn't seen in a decade. Also caught up with Champ, lontea, and voto. Kurama has been at Advantech for nearly 20 years, while Reading still works at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou. Champ, whom I met recently in Hsinchu, is still at Google. Junming just left Foxconn after many years and is taking a break, and voto returned to Taiwan with him. The lamb chops here were quite tasty, and you can order wine by the glass. Afterward, I headed to Taoyuan HSR Station alone and visited the nearby Xpark Aquarium. It was almost closing time, so it was quiet and peaceful, perfect for watching the fish swim leisurely. Then, I went to the nearby Hengshan Calligraphy Art Park—the vast lake at dusk was especially moving. I couldn't help but sit down and slowly enjoy the view. No rush; I'll head back to Taipei later for a small drinks gathering. Fleeting moments of life. By Morgan @2023.5.21
Location: Bar FEST, Tingzhou Road, Taipei Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I caught up with two CCNS university club friends currently in Hsinchu—NONO, now a scientist at a biotech company, and Aby Zhihao at MediaTek—via FB call and text. In the evening, I met up with my senior Meijiao, whom I hadn't seen in almost ten years; she's six years my senior from our university 'family.' We met at a bar in Gongguan. I hadn't updated myself on her life in years—she left the foreign tech industry a while ago and now works at a foundation under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, doing work she's passionate about. We talked about travel, marriage, work, kids' education... from around 8 PM until the bar closed at 1 AM, over four hours straight. Taiwan is so small—when leaving, I chatted with the owner Dennis and found out he and Meijiao both used to work at ASUS, so they shared some work stories. Time flies—memories of university family gatherings and trips feel so vivid, yet over 20 years have passed. It was truly special to reunite with my senior like this. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.5.20 evening
Location: DOMANI Italian Restaurant, Da'an District, Taipei Travel Notes: Another busy day. 1. In the morning, listened to Jack, Pan, and Vincent explain their AI strategies for stocks, futures, and options, along with their impressive real trading performance over the past two years. Taiwan is so small—they happened to visit HeDing Venture Capital and Chengwei yesterday. 2. Had lunch with Brother Gong at this upscale Italian restaurant; the lobster pasta was good, paired with Italian sparkling wine. 3. In the afternoon, visited the Jut Art Museum and the Changliu Art Museum in the basement of the Ren'ai Hongxi Building to see the latest art exhibitions, including works by Zhang Daqian and Xu Beihong, seeking inner peace and balance. 4. In the evening, went to National Taipei University of Technology to meet Tianhao, who's teaching several courses in the EE department this semester. Sat in his lab for a bit, then had dinner together nearby at the Seventy-Two Beef Noodle shop on Jinan Road, where I used to live for a while. Thanks to Tianhao for treating! By Morgan @2023.5.19 evening
Location: Morton's The Steakhouse, 45F, Breeze Xinyi, Taipei (4th visit) Travel Notes: A busy day. 1. In the morning, Tony introduced me to William and Mark from Morgan Information. Taiwan is so small—they had previously heard about Richwell Asset Management from Matrixport's Ethan and Ascent's Max, respectively. Since Tony and I have known each other for over a decade and also know them, Tony introduced us today. 2. At noon, junior Edison invited Mars and me to lunch to discuss some investment opportunities in Vietnam. We met at Morton's Steakhouse, which is practically Mars's turf. Thanks to Mars and his connections, this was my fourth visit, and we got a private room each time. 3. In the afternoon, I went to the Marriott Hotel in Dazhi for a Google Cloud GCP Web3 seminar. Since Blues from Google was one of the speakers and had invited me, I made time to show support and learn. Many familiar companies and people were there: Wayne from Xrex, Xuan Li from Blocto, Changwu Chen from Iamtoken, Ming-en Xu from BlockTrend, Bitfinex, Maicoin, BTSE... Taiwan is so small—I ran into Ellie from Gaia Information right after, and downstairs, I coincidentally met Wayne and Jason from Circle, so I said hello. 4. Afterward, I rushed to another gathering in Yonghe to have a drink with the local borough chief, councilor, and many new friends from various industries. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.5.18 evening
Location: Le Petit Charme French Bistro, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei Travel Notes: In the evening, senior Lman introduced me to a Hong Kong friend, Ferd. Fred is quite a character—a British Hong Konger who loves Taiwan so much that he not only obtained a rare Taiwan Employment Gold Card for foreigners but also invests in various companies in software, building materials, water purification, etc., here. He's also a member of the Ketagalan School, where his classmates include next-term presidential candidates for Taiwan. Fred shared many insider stories about Hong Kong's major families, and we had a great chat. Since I just returned from Vietnam and Fred also has a branch there, we exchanged some observations. Cheers! :) P.S. Taiwan is so small—after getting home, Xiao Can said he thought he saw me at Le Petit Charme. Yes, you weren't mistaken—especially at a place with drinks, you're even less likely to be wrong. XD By Morgan @2023.5.17 evening
Location: Woolloomooloo Restaurant, Xinyi Road, Taipei. Evening gathering with Jack, Pan, Vincent, Ray, and Romo. Came here to chat with Jack's team and hear their experiences applying A.I. to U.S. and Taiwan stock trading. Also introduced my student Romo to see if there's a chance for an internship with Jack's team. :P
Location: ABRAZO Bistro, Taipei. Evening team dinner with Zomma at Shanghai Village on Xinyi Road. Recently, Zomma Option Protocol launched on the zkSync mainnet for small-scale real-money testing. The recent Community Call on Discord had enthusiastic response, with over 500 simultaneous participants. The zkSync official Twitter post introducing Zomma has nearly 60,000 views—visibility is gradually growing. Afterward, I was about to head home, but just past Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, I got a message from senior Lman saying they were continuing the gathering, and Joseph, CEO of Oasis (whom I hadn't seen in a while), also joined. So I turned back and went to the bistro near Zhongxiao Dunhua. Over a cocktail mixing Moët champagne and vodka, I also met Weili, founder of Join It (sustainability tech). We discussed integrated solutions for DID, metaverse, membership cards, etc. During the chat, Joseph suddenly showed me Aaron's Line and asked if I knew him—just ten days ago, I had wine with Nancy from FUNWOO and Aaron from Lin Capital at The Key! Nancy is Joseph's high school classmate from Xiehe, and Aaron recently got to know Joseph through some business. Aaron even called Joseph on the spot. Taiwan really is small! Thanks for the treat, Brother Weili! Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Siwei Road, Night Owl Izakaya Travel Notes: Tonight, I joined Lman-senpai for an event at Solana Taipei Hacker House - Side Event. I ran into Ben, whom I hadn't seen in over three years due to the pandemic. Ben was one of the speakers at this Solana event and brought several friends from Hong Kong to Taiwan. The event was hosted by the NCCU Blockchain Club as a warm-up. I also bumped into Ariel and Shen, whom I met just last week. Plus, the host was Chiu Chun from Taiwan's Solana community Gen3. It was surprising to meet so many familiar faces in one night! :P Afterwards, Lman-senpai and I moved to the izakaya next door. I introduced Teddy to senpai, only to find out that senpai had already heard Teddy's pitch during an online meeting at Cacafly—Taiwan really is a small place. Teddy is working on a Web3 location-based game (dLBS), while Alvin next to him is focused on Space Crocodile NFTs. Thanks to the emergence and development of Web3, senpai and I had the chance to gather and share insights with a new generation, almost 20 years apart. It reminds me of the days of dial-up modems; the historical currents of Web1, Web2, and Web3 keep pushing us forward. The Kurumazaki Junmai Daiginjo tonight was quite smooth~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.5.9 evening
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, Municipal North 7th Road, a private club (2nd visit) Travel Notes: Back in Taichung, two gatherings in three days. Besides catching up over drinks with Chairman Zeng whom I haven't seen in a while, today I met and drank with Chairmen Liu, You, Huang, and Xiao Lai from the building materials and stone industry. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.5.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard Section 7, N24 Taipei Ark Web3 Meetup Travel Notes: Had a chat with Helen from Richwell at noon. In the afternoon, attended a Meetup lecture at Taipei Ark, co-hosted by the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association, the decentralized stablecoin unit Unitas, and the all-in-one Web3 integrated development tool SELENE. Speakers included Dr. Andrew from XREX exchange and Lucian, project lead of SELENE. Ran into many familiar faces in the afternoon: Ariel from QuanTrend, Ted from Manyuan Tech, and Shen, a netizen I met at the last event. Also newly met Dana, who sat right in front of me; she previously worked at WOO Network. Taiwan is small—Dana studied Computational Finance at Tsing Hua University and happened to be a student of Professor Han Chuanxiang, so she's also Charles's junior. After the event, I embarked on the journey back to Taichung again～ @@ By Morgan @2023.5.4
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan 7F UMAMI Le Blé d'Or Travel Notes: In the morning, first took Edison, my junior, to visit Dr. Zhuo from Bincentive at Taipei 101. After the meeting, had a drink with my junior at the 35F Sky Park café—the view here is quite nice, thanks for the treat! In the afternoon, moved to Taipei Arena area to catch up with Lman-senpai, Pat, and Brother Titan from BitoEX. Then rushed back to the World Trade Center area for a meeting on Zomma Option Protocol. After that, went to Daan Forest Park Station to chat a bit more with Pat's brother who lives nearby. Finally, the 5th meeting of the day: with Angelo from DWS Taiwan, who's also a group friend from the Hong Kong Hui Jin Tai group. We met at UMAMI on the top floor of Breeze Nanshan for a small drink. We talked a lot, had a great conversation, even called Tony, and didn't disperse until Breeze Nanshan closed. Thanks for the treat, Angelo～ Cheers! Another day of shuttling back and forth in Xinyi District. @@ By Morgan @2023.5.3 evening
Location: Taipei, Maple Tree Korean BBQ Travel Notes: In the morning, through an introduction from Lman-senpai, had a remote meeting to get to know AP Capital, which currently manages about $80 million in digital asset AUM and has been operating in the Korean Crypto market for quite some time. Then three consecutive gatherings in the evening: First gathering: Jack, Jack's girlfriend, Pan, Pan's wife, Teddy, Vincent, Ray, Romo. Second gathering: Lman-senpai, Mike, Andrew, A-Zhe. Third gathering: Jack, Jack's girlfriend, Pan, Pan's wife, Teddy, Jacky, Ray, Mike, Andrew, A-Zhe. Taiwan is small. Lman-senpai originally wanted to introduce me to Mike, an advisor for the public chain Nervos (CKB) who lived in Hong Kong for 14 years. Turns out, after chatting, we found out he already knew Ray from Hong Kong. Coincidentally, I had just had dinner with Ray at the first gathering. So after the second gathering ended, I brought everyone to the third gathering to meet and exchange ideas. Thanks for the treat, Jack～ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.5.2 evening
Location: Taipei East District, THE KEY COMPANY Key Shop Bar Travel Notes: Another day with no free time. In the morning, I kept chatting with ChatGPT to think about trading strategies. In the afternoon, Cindy forced me to go take some professional photos. In the evening, I had a drink with Nancy and Aaron. Later, Nancy's senior Seymour Rongzhou also joined. Among the friends I know, only Seymour and Mars treat the private room at Morton's The Steakhouse in Breeze Xinyi like their own backyard. Later, Shan from E.SUN Bank's Guangzhou branch and Ms. T also joined. We ended up opening 4+1 bottles of red wine, along with a medium-rare ribeye steak. Thanks for the treat, Nancy! Cheers! By Morgan @Evening, May 1, 2023
Location: Taichung Tielu Avenue Travel Notes: Before heading back to Taipei, I stopped by Mitsui LaLaport near Taichung Station. The South and North buildings, though not very tall, have quite a large footprint, so you can really spend a lot of time browsing. The restaurants are dazzling and packed with people—the big ones all had queues, and the food court was almost completely full. So, I found a wine merchant, Dr. Orinigs, that offered seating, brought in congee from Moon 12, and ordered a glass of Italian sparkling white wine (Bosca Asti, Moscato, Muscat grape) to pair with it. This wine had an exuberant aroma—a lunch of quiet amidst the bustle. By Morgan @2023.4.30
Location: Taichung Henan Road, Wine Cellar Cafe Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I specially came back from Taipei to attend senior Guozhi's wine tasting lecture, an event also organized by the Ruini Social Care Association. I said hello to a few seniors from Taichung First Senior High School or National Cheng Kung University. After it ended, I came to the Shuangxiangyuan community in the 7th Redevelopment Zone to meet a friend. Taiwan is so small—I actually ran into Lier here again, whom I had met two weeks ago. At my friend's place, we ended up opening seven more bottles of red wine. Thanks for the treat! By Morgan @Evening, 2023.4.29
Location: Taipei, Ombré Italian Restaurant & Bar, Anhe Branch Travel Notes: Today's schedule involved moving between several high-rise office buildings in Taipei, including the Cathay Landmark Building (21F) next to Breeze Xinyi and the Taipei 101 office tower (43F). I visited Taiwan's crypto circle companies QuanTrend and Bincentive, chatting briefly with both founders. In the evening, Cindy and I came to DWS Taiwan (formerly Deutsche Bank Far Eastern Securities Investment Trust) near the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel. Its parent, Deutsche Asset Management (DWS), appointed Eva as the general manager of this joint-venture investment trust company last month. Eva and Cindy have known each other for ten years. Recently, through an introduction by Dennis, Cindy connected with their business head Angelo, and through these layers of connections, they reconnected. The world is small—when I used to live in Hong Kong, I often heard my friend Tony, who was the RO at SinoPac Securities (Hong Kong), mention Angelo (Yanquan). We hadn't met back then, but after going around in circles, we all eventually got the chance to meet. XD For dinner, Eva took us to a nearby alleyway restaurant/bar for Happy Hour. Also from central Taiwan, Eva is straightforward and quick-tempered. We first talked about public funds we've all been involved with, then discussed the future of digital assets, exploring what energy from the native crypto world we could bring in to integrate with the traditional financial world as a bridging role, to do some innovative and interesting things together. Thanks for the treat, Eva! Because of this sudden dinner gathering, I couldn't attend lawyer Chen Jingfang's Fintech small gathering speech in the evening. Luckily, another friend, Shen, happened to have no ticket, so it wasn't wasted—I asked him to say hello to Lawyer Chen on my behalf. Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, 2023.4.27
Location: Taipei, Neihu, Heimeilin Taiwanese Restaurant Travel Notes: In the morning, Vins visited Yansheng Private Fund in Shenzhen (currently AUM 5 billion RMB), while Cindy, Tiffany, and I attended the meeting remotely. In the afternoon, I attended the Zomma DEFI Option Protocol meeting. A few days ago, Zomma participated in one of the topics at ETH Taipei and received some positive feedback. In the evening, Alexandre and the beautiful Ellie from cloud service agent Gaia Information invited Andrew and me to dinner. Taiwan is so small—turns out Alexandre also knows Taka. We first ate at a very popular Taiwanese restaurant in Neihu, then continued the party at a bar in an alley on Neihu Road. All night, we played a fun truth-guessing game while finishing bottles of beer. For both rounds, thanks to Alexandre for picking up the tab. Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, 2023.4.26
Location: Taipei, Dunhua South Road, Le Chamber French Bistro Travel Notes: Met up with an old friend Ali in the morning, who's recently gotten into Crypto. After understanding his specific interests, I introduced him to Mars. Ali's company deals in land trading, development, and construction, with projects all over Taiwan, but mainly focused in New Taipei City—quite a substantial operation. After chatting, we had a simple stir-fry lunch nearby, thanks to Ale for treating. Taiwan is so small; as we stood chatting next to the United Daily News building after the meal, Joey, the founder of BlockTempo (the largest traditional Chinese blockchain media), happened to stroll by and greeted Mars and me. In the evening, I gathered with a new friend from Hong Kong, Eddie, and Alice, whom I hadn't seen in a while, for dinner. After some thought, I booked this bistro near the Far Eastern Plaza to try. Eddie, born in 1994, runs a Web3 startup incubator (Ika Block) in Hong Kong with friends, covering everything from a CeFi exchange targeting the Malaysian market to a DeFi contract exchange on Arbitrum. He's also an active member of the Hong Kong 852 Web3 community. Additionally, they've invested in three bars in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay. Since Eddie's girlfriend is in Taiwan, he visits monthly. Coincidentally, one of the owners of this restaurant is also from Hong Kong, so it felt like fate bringing us together here. Overall, the dinner was quite good—no wonder it has a 4.9 on Google reviews. Paired with two glasses of Malbec red wine, it was another fulfilling day. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.4.25 evening
Location: Taipei, Nangang Bottle Cap Factory, ETH Taipei Hackathon Travel Notes: From the 21st to the 25th were the international event days for ETH Taipei. In the afternoon, I first went to the main venue to listen to the Demo Day of the hackathon. Watching many passionate young teams take the stage one by one to explain their various solutions—from cryptocurrency payments and event NFT proofs to work resume verification, Gnosis sidechain applications, reducing gas fees for virtual land... using smart contracts and algorithms, everyone is working hard to build various Web3 infrastructure and application layers. After it ended, I returned to the side event at Taipei Ark. Greeted Dingyuan and Ted. Taiwan is so small; I met Olen at the main venue and Ariel at the Ark. Then I also met Lawrence, and through him, I newly got to know Sun, the Chief Security Officer of Xrex exchange. Sun is also the founder of DeFiHackLabs, which has a Web3 security community of over a thousand people. Additionally, I newly met members of the Taipei Ethereum Meetup and Bing, a former officer of the NCCU Blockchain Research Club. After exchanging Telegrams, I also took the opportunity to promote the Zomma Option Protocol to Bing. Tomorrow at the main ETH Taipei venue, after Vitalik, Charlotte will also take the stage to introduce Zomma. In the evening at Taipei Ark, another side event was hosted by the Fu Jen University Financial Investment Lab and the NCCU Blockchain Research Club. The Taiwan Blockchain Alliance (TBA) and the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association were also co-organizers. Seeing that there was still time, I stayed for a bit, watching hundreds of energetic young college students participate in the event. I also met a guy named Marx, who knows both Taka and Professor Han. Added Marx on Facebook—sure enough, we have 32 mutual friends! XD Since I had something else later, after listening to speeches by Chairman Peng of TBA, the two club presidents from Fu Jen Financial Lab & NCCU Blockchain Club, Alvin from Daily Coin Research, and Zoe, founder of Hoya exchange, and also meeting an online friend at the venue: Shen Po Chun, I had to leave. Still, it was another fulfilling day. @@ By Morgan @2023.4.23 evening
Location: Taipei, East District, Xiaoshanxiang Chengdu Spicy Hot Pot Travel Notes: My junior from university, Wenqi, recently moved from Taichung to Taipei for work, so we arranged to meet for a meal. Along with another female friend, the three of us came to this quite authentic Sichuan spicy hot pot place. Besides frog legs and brain, we also had pork aorta (huanghou), which I hadn't eaten in a long time. Paired with the oil-based dipping sauce, the spicy aroma added even more flavor. Wenqi has now switched to GCP, working at CloudMile, one of Taiwan's top cloud service agents. She's also recently preparing for the Google Cloud Architect certification. Afterward, I went home and continued drinking whiskey cocktails with my neighbor Tim, an assistant professor, and T. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.4.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Hanchuanguan Korean Cuisine Travel Notes: In the morning, Dr. Zhuo, founder of Bincentive digital asset management, Eric whom I met earlier at OffChain, and Ann came to visit DeFITs & Richwell. We had a meeting with Vins, Cindy, Tiffany, and everyone. Afterward, my buddy Pat, who just returned from a busy trip to Hong Kong, came to meet up. Together, we listened to Vins give a brief pitch about a new ecosystem project related to the Ton Foundation (Telegram): TONLEND. Then Pat and I grabbed a casual bite nearby, chatting about the situations he's encountered lately at the foreign investment bank. After eating, we returned, and the afternoon session continued. First, through Vins' introduction, we all got to know Peter (p1trader), who achieved a world-first consecutive win rate ranking in a Binance trading competition. Peter is also the founder of TCDAO (Trader's Club DAO), which currently has over a thousand traders or participants. Since Peter himself is a professional US stock options trader, he's also optimistic about the potential of the Crypto options market. So I told Peter that later we could invite him to participate in trading after the Zomma DeFi Option test goes live (app.zomma.pro/en/main/trade, ZKSync mainnet). Then Mars also came over, and I happened to introduce him to Richard, a major shareholder of Contibit exchange, and Brother Xiao He, who also runs a travel agency business in Vietnam. In the evening, I had dinner with Brother Xiao He and Yao, and also got to drink the Korean rice wine I had before in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture. Thanks to Yao for treating. I didn't rest long at home; at 8 PM, I continued with a conference call with Duke in Hong Kong, and Andy and Tony in Australia. They wanted to consult Mars for professional advice on investing in a private club in Australia, so I just listened in. After the call, I went out again. The last meeting at 10:30 PM was with Lunik and Emily, the beautiful founder of their Rybit exchange, for a casual drink, while also introducing Andrew to everyone. Emily came from HP (Hewlett-Packard), also transitioning from the traditional tech industry into the Crypto world. The venue Lunik chose happened to be invested in by CIC from the crypto circle, and another shareholder happened to be known by Jack. Lunik's wife Ruby also happened to drop by to say hello in the evening. Ruby now also happens to be responsible for UI/UX at DeFITs & FDC. Taiwan is always so small. Thanks to Lunik & Emily for the hospitality~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.4.21 evening
Location: Taipei, Taipei City Hall Station, Sinchon Standing BBQ Travel Notes: Had two consecutive meetings in the afternoon, from Zomma Option Protocol to QuanTrend, from DeFi to CeFi, from around the World Trade Center area to the Breeze Xinyi area. Then in the evening, I had standing BBQ with Cindy and senior Lman. The BBQ here is pretty good; besides having staff grill for you, the meat quality is also quite excellent. Seeing me take a bottle of Jinro soju and drinking alone, the staff invited me to join a game: finish 3 cups of soju-beer mix (large, medium, small) within 11 seconds, and you get a free plate of BBQ. So for someone like me who practices drinking every day, I could only silently thank them for the treat~ @@ & Thanks to Cindy for treating! By Morgan @2023.4.19 evening
Location: WINESWEE Wine Merchant, Taipei Travel Notes: After returning to Taipei in the afternoon, Ms. T, who has a great capacity for alcohol, came to have drinks with me. Worried that we might not have enough, I contacted WINESWEE in Neihu. Compared to other wine merchants, this one is truly worth recommending. After contacting them, they directly arranged a Lalamove delivery, and the wine arrived at my place in about an hour. Along with Andrew, CEO of Contibit Exchange, and our neighbor Tim, an assistant professor at National Taipei University of Technology, the four of us finished the six newly delivered bottles. Tonight, we drank mostly niche wines, mainly from the Caucasus region. This included two red wines from Armenia, one semi-sweet red from Georgia, two amber-colored orange wines, and one Spanish rosé sparkling wine. We chatted about the possibilities of real estate tokenization, Andrew's amusing stories from his hometown Medan in Indonesia, and discussions on how Ms. T could transition into live streaming to utilize her talents. Finally, everyone took turns singing old songs, reciting classical poetry, and quoting from classics like Dream of the Red Chamber. 'Singing while drinking, how much of life is there?' Six bottles seemed insufficient, so we had to open another one from the stock—a French Burgundy. Thanks to Andrew for gifting the Balvenie 18-year-old whisky, worth about ten thousand. That's all for now, not sure if we'll order more~ @@ Cheers! By Morgan @2023.4.16 evening
Location: Haizhongbao Restaurant, Huwei, Yunlin Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I went to Yunlin with two juniors from Le Si Ji to look at some land and construction projects. By chance, we ended up at the home of Yunlin legislator Brother Lin Wenrui, chatting over tea and coffee. Also present were Nancy, Aaron, Angela, Yan'an, and Chairman Zhang from Good Family Towels. We listened to Chairman Yang, who owns a vast amount of land near the Yunlin HSR station, share insights on the current situation and future prospects of Yunlin's real estate industry. For dinner, we were joined by Sister Kuma, Lawyer Cai (whose father is Vice Minister of Justice Cai Bizhong), and senior architect Su Jieming from the NCKU Class of '91 and his wife. The senior brought a bottle of Dom Pérignon champagne worth about ten thousand. As glasses clinked, we chatted more. Yan'an is the second-generation successor of Dawei Construction in Taipei, and Angela returned to Taiwan from Silicon Valley. Taiwan is small—Aaron, whom I've met several times, also knows Jack from Sophia Research. Thanks to Nancy for the invitation and hospitality. After dinner, we returned to Taichung. The Le Si Ji juniors had an appointment with Max, founder of the well-known crypto signal community ACDC, and Brother Ji. They held a party at a private clubhouse in the BHW building in Qizhi District. This clubhouse was opened by Dr. Yeh, one of the founders and shareholders of the Bybit exchange. The world is small—I know Dr. Yeh too, having previously chatted with their former CTO Enzo. While the juniors and Brother Ji discussed business matters, I ended up playing games, drinking red wine, and chatting with four beauties (Yaoyao, Niannian, Kimi, Lier) one against four. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.4.15 evening
Location: 89 King Crab, Taichung Avenue, Taichung Travel Notes: In the afternoon, the newly appointed general manager of Huafutures, Mr. Zeng Xianghuan, specially came down from Taipei to visit Brother Gong's company. In the evening, we had dinner together with Chairman Lin, Chairman Xie, and Professor Zhang. Taiwan is still small—Mr. Zeng also knows my former colleague Brother Ke Zhenghong and Shinong, who is now a manager at KGI and was his former colleague. After dinner, as usual, we went singing. Thanks to Chairman Lin for treating us twice~ Today we drank Johnnie Walker Blue Label and Kavalan whisky. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.4.14 evening
Location: Buffalo Tea Shop, Taichung Travel Notes: Changed cities, but still four meetings in one day. At noon, I first met with siblings Ruiyi and Ruiying at this bubble tea shop. Taiwan is small—the new Taiwan general manager of DBS Bank, Brother Sihan, whom I previously met at Sam's birthday party, will visit the DBS Zhonggang branch managed by Ruiyi next month. We exchanged updates, thanks to Ruiying for treating us~ Then, with Cindy, Helen, and Dennis, we went to a CBD office building to visit NCKU junior Ruqi and senior Guozhi. Their company, Yousiz Cultural Creativity (listed on the GreTai Securities Market, 7589), has been深耕 the central market for years, assisting hundreds of SMEs in technological transformation, industrial upgrading, and brand planning with fruitful results. Taiwan is still small—Senior Guozhi recently met Brother Fan Fangming, whom I had wanted to introduce them to, but they ended up meeting at some leader gatherings in Taichung. And the senior's 'Liao Mama's Shop'—drip chicken essence—will open a counter at Taipei's Xinyi Far Eastern A13 this weekend. For dinner, I arranged for Cindy and Helen to meet two juniors from Le Si Ji, a platform with considerable influence in Taiwan's crypto circle: founder Yen and COO Steven. Thanks to the juniors for treating us. After that, I was about to go home, but I suggested to the juniors that we go to the National Hotel area since I missed the opening party for FUNWOO (international real estate), so we dropped by their Taichung branch. Unexpectedly, Nancy was inside. Nancy enthusiastically opened four bottles of red wine, including one gifted by her friend: TORO ALBALÁ Don PX Convento Selección 1955, a fortified sweet sherry. Later, Steven, a classmate from Weidao, joined us. And so, from 11:00 AM until after 1:00 AM, I finally returned home in Taichung~@@ Thanks to Nancy for treating us! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.4.13 evening
Location: Kobe Sweets Cafe, Breeze Nanshan, Taipei Travel Notes: In the morning, I went with Cindy to the 43rd floor of Taipei 101 to visit Dr. Zhuo, founder of the cryptocurrency wealth management platform Bincentive. It's been a while since I last visited 101. Thanks to Dr. Zhuo for treating us to a simple lunch. In the afternoon, Cindy and I went to the nearby Breeze Nanshan to chat a bit more. Thanks to Cindy for the drinks~ By Morgan @2023.4.12
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: I was coding all day today. In the evening, two female friends said they wanted to come over for drinks, so we ordered Thai food delivery. We finished two bottles of red wine—one from Georgia and one from France. Opening a third felt like a bit much, so we switched to Dassai Daiginjo sake for a change of pace. Later, my neighbor Tianhao came back after finishing up at Taipei Tech. He's been back in Taiwan for a while now, working as an assistant professor and teaching. He continues to share his experience from working at a NASA lab in the U.S. With new energy joining us, we opened the third and fourth bottles of red wine—a Georgian red and an Italian rosé. My place might not have much, but there's definitely no shortage of wine! XD We kept chatting until the early hours. Cheers! By Morgan @2023.4.9 evening
Location: Taipei (Taihu Taproom, Tickle my fantasy bar, Wenchang St. No. 53 bar, Breeze Nan Shan Ce La Vi) Travel Notes: Taipei GonnaEAT, Taihu Taproom, Tickle my fantasy bar, Wenchang St. No. 53 bar, Breeze Nan Shan Ce La Vi. Had dinner with Jack and Teddy in the evening, which led to many follow-up gatherings. Jack from a quantitative fund, Teddy from the second generation of Rock Records, and Alvin, founder of Space Crocodile NFT, we drank all the way through. Taiwan is small—Jack also knows Aaron, whom Nancy introduced, and is FB friends with Lizzy, whom I met last time in Huwei, Yunlin. He's also familiar with Ray and even traveled to Thailand together. Also, classmate Vins and Jeff from CID Warwick Ventures, he knows them too. Meanwhile, Alvin also knows Chen Pin from Hakka Finance... In between, we visited Teddy's new home in Xinyi District and said hi to their husky, Mengmeng. At Ce La Vi, we also met Pei Tuo, whom Alvin knows and who debuted under HIM International Music. Thanks to Jack for dinner and the 53 bar, and Teddy for Ce La Vi. Finally, we moved on to the sixth stop, back to Teddy's other place, and continued chatting. Life is short, just go with the flow~ :) Cheers! By Morgan @2023.4.8 evening
Location: Taipei Xinyi District Kiki Sichuan Restaurant Travel Notes: Taipei Xinyi District Kiki Sichuan Restaurant. After a long time, two days with 9 meetings, meeting or having online calls with over 40 people: 1. Visited Hongyun Family Office 2. Richwell Asset Management 3. Zomma Option Protocol (DeFi) 4. Helped Brother Gong remotely set up his computer 5. Matrixport, DeFITs, FDC 6. Kiki Restaurant, Claire returned from the U.S., dinner with 17 adults and 2 kids 7. Richwell, DeFITs, QuanTrend, ContiBit 8. Bito Exchange 9. Xiao Yao, taught how to use ChatGPT, thanks for the treat for one session~ By Morgan @2023.4.7 evening
Location: Taipei Neihu WINESWEE World's Oldest Wine Lecture Travel Notes: Taipei Neihu WINESWEE World's Oldest Wine Lecture. Recalling 2017, when Manager Liang and I were mostly in Eastern Europe, I've always been deeply impressed and nostalgic for the Georgian red wine we drank there. So this afternoon, I came to Neihu for WinesWee wine merchant's lecture on Georgia's ancient amphora wine, held twice daily until mid-April. Due to the holiday, I was the only one attending this session, so with teacher Zhenkai and staff Wayne, we started discussing various wine knowledge. Chatting and drinking, we easily hit it off. Zhenkai was even worried I might not like the older stored wine, so he specially opened two new bottles of Georgian red and orange wine for me to try. Such warm hospitality made me directly sign up for their lifetime membership. The wine prices here are transparent and indeed cheap. I bought three bottles of Georgian red wine to take home. The Neihu location has a VIP space on the third floor and a meeting room on the second floor, quite suitable for hanging out with friends or hosting some events~ :P By Morgan @2023.4.5
Location: Taipei Regent Hotel 2F Gallery Lounge Travel Notes: Taipei Regent Hotel 2F Gallery Lounge. In the afternoon, discussed matters here with Richard, the largest shareholder of ContiBit exchange, and Cindy. A truffle omelet costs NT$880+10%, including a vitality drink. Thanks to Richard for the treat~ By Morgan @2023.4.4
Location: Taichung, Wuqi, Lailai Seafood Restaurant Travel note summary: Went to Lailai Seafood Restaurant (takeout) in Wuqi, Taichung with my mom, sister, and two little nephews on our way back to grandma's house. My third uncle and aunt joined us, and we ordered a whole table full of dishes for takeout—fish, shrimp, cold platters, pig trotters, squid, fried items, pork stomach soup... They even included jelly for dessert, all for just NT$3,000. With my aunt and cousin also there, our big group still couldn't finish it all. Such a crazy good deal! @@ By Morgan @2023.4.2
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Had tea at Brother Gong's company with Xiao Ye at noon. Then, Chairman Lin, back from the US after over three months, gathered all the good friends in Taichung for singing and drinks. Met a Chairman Zhang today, who's been working in Zhongshan, Guangdong for over twenty years and is known as the 'King of Zhongshan.' He invited everyone to visit Hengqin sometime, offering to arrange transportation. Thanks to Chairman Xie and Chairman Lin for treating! Cheers! By Morgan @2023.3.31 evening
Location: Taipei, W Hotel, Yi Yen Chinese Restaurant Travel note summary: Yi Yen Chinese Restaurant at W Hotel Taipei & Falan Qi Ying Duo English Tea Restaurant. Yesterday, visited Yansheng Fintech with Cindy, who just returned from Hong Kong. They have a quantitative fund of about 5 billion RMB in mainland China and hold a Type 9 license in Hong Kong with some running hedge funds. Discussed potential cooperation opportunities like FOF (fund allocation to Crypto Fund) or crypto-denominated dedicated account management. This morning, went with Cindy and Eric to Cathay Landmark Building to visit the QuanTrend team. Taiwan is small—Clark knows both me and his NTU EMBA senior Eric, so this meeting came about. Besides Popo and Clark, core members like CTO Kaede and BD Ariel were also there. Their AI prediction models and market maker technology are truly excellent, ranking 7th globally on Binance with over $1 billion in daily trading volume. For lunch, everyone went to Yi Yen across the street. I haven't been here in over ten years—time flies. Thanks to Clark for the treat! In the afternoon, visited the DeFITs office at the United Daily News building near Taipei City Hall Station. A Dr. Jiao from a Taichung family office visited, and while chatting, we found out his boss is interested in cryptocurrency, so we explored potential investment opportunities in DeFITs' compliant fund. In the evening, Apollo, a senior from Taichung First Senior High School/National Cheng Kung University, visited. Had dinner with him, Cindy, Miya, and other NCKU alumni. Besides working at UMC and TSMC to support the semiconductor industry, he's now the secretary-general of the Hsinchu Science Park Management Association. Discussed topics like CVC, ESG, and philanthropy with him. Another fulfilling day! By Morgan @2023.3.30 evening
Location: Yunlin, Huwei, Haizhongbao Seafood Restaurant Travel note summary: Haizhongbao Seafood Restaurant in Huwei, Yunlin. Thanks to Nancy's invitation, attended her friends' gathering in the Yunlin and Chiayi area last night. Guests included Chairman Ke of Jinshi Construction (a developer with 10% market share in Chiayi), Yanyu, the heiress of Yuquan Construction (the largest developer in Yunlin), Chairman Zhang of Good Family Towels (chairman of the Towel Association), Sister Kuma of FUNWOO Real Estate (an AI tech real estate agent), General Manager Xing of Jiutai Foundation (Jiutai is the largest public broadcast cable TV operator in Taiwan), Lizzy, daughter of a major landowner in Tainan, Vice President Zhong of Xiluo Ruichun Soy Sauce (member of the Yi Yun Association), Chairman Fan of five companies including Laminating Industry and Fude Paper, and Jianliang, Chairman Ke's assistant who also manages Jinshi's table tennis hall. Also present was Aaron from Linlie Capital, who also came down from Taipei. Taiwan is small—General Manager Xing is a golf buddy of Steve (Chen Shijun), and Sister Kuma used to work in finance and knows many senior colleagues from Yuanta Funds. With beer, red wine, and whisky flowing, it was a very lively dinner. Really felt the solidarity among Xie Tong alumni! XD Afterwards, thanks to Jianliang for dropping me off at Huwei Chunqiu Hotel—probably my first time staying overnight in Huwei. Huwei Chunqiu is a cultural and creative hotel commemorating the puppetry master Huang Junxiong. Thanks to Nancy and her friends for their hospitality on this Yunlin trip! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.3.29
Location: Taipei, Taipei Arena Station, Schumann's Bistro No. 6 Nanjing Store Travel note summary: Schumann's Bistro No. 6 Nanjing Store near Taipei Arena Station. Senior Lman and his German friend Robin invited me to join them for dinner. Robin previously studied at NTU's Industrial Engineering Graduate Institute and worked at Mercedes-Benz. Now he has founded two companies related to cloud computing and AI. He's back in Taiwan for a visit and will stay for three weeks. Chatted with Robin about facility planning, operations research (OR), and queue series problems. Senior Lman explored whether Robin could help connect the Ministry of Digital Affairs with Germany. The German pork knuckle here is pretty good—crispy skin with mustard. Besides a large dark beer, the weather was a bit cold, so I also ordered a mulled wine. Thanks to senior for the treat! :) By Morgan @2023.3.27 evening
Location: Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel, Zhubei Travel notes: Today I attended the founding ceremony of the Taichung First Senior High School Alumni Association in Hsinchu, thanks to an invitation from senior Apollo Daolin. Most alumni here work in the tech industry at Hsinchu Science Park—TSMC, UMC, MediaTek, MStar, Innolux, ITRI... The initiator is senior Liu Yingda (27th class), former vice chairman of UMC. The current principal of Taichung First Senior High School, senior Lin Longyan (53rd class), was also present. There are probably over 20,000 alumni in the Hsinchu area, and this chapter marks a new beginning. Taiwan is so small—I ran into senior Zheng Renjie from ITRI, met Taka, and sat next to senior Su Junmin (55th class), who also studied aerospace at NCKU. Another 55th-class senior, Lin Jianxing, works in the same Silicon IP industry as Zongmiao, and his company is right next door... Every encounter is fate. "We Taiwanese originally had no high school; if there is one, it started from our school." Time really flies~ @@ By Morgan @2023.3.26
Location: Made Taipei Bar, Taipei Travel notes: I grabbed a bottle of French Rock Angel rosé and headed to FUNWOO's office on Zhongxiao East Road to have a drink with Nancy. In the evening, my two cousins invited me to dinner. Taiwan is so small—Yiting and Steven, who runs the financial blog '雷司紀,' were classmates at Fengyuan Junior High School. They hadn't kept in touch much after graduation, so I invited Steven to join us for a casual reunion. Life—everything happens by fate. Afterward, I had another drink with Steven, a fellow alumnus from Taichung First Senior High School and NCKU. He studied computer science, so we chatted about the recent surge in AI development. Steven is quite visionary—he dropped out of grad school to start his own business. We exchanged ideas and observed our surroundings. On a weekend night, the bars in East District definitely have more women than men; at Made Taipei alone, I'd estimate around 70% are women, with several tables having one guy with three girls. XD Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.3.25 evening
Location: Cosecha 22 Cigar Lounge, Taipei Travel notes: Another day with five meetings. Started with a morning meeting on the Zomma Crypto Option platform. In the afternoon, I went to Cosecha Cigar Lounge, where Clark (Jingteng), general manager of crypto quantitative trading firm QuanTrend, and Ariel invited me for a chat. Thanks to Clark for treating me to a premium Trinidad cigar paired with a peaty whisky—quite aromatic indeed. Taiwan is so small—later I found out that Clark's senior from NTU EMBA, Eric (Chen Huiming), happens to be the chief advisor at Richwell Hong Kong Fund. Then in the evening, I moved near Taipei Arena to visit Bito, one of Taiwan's top three crypto exchanges. Their new office is finally completed—nearly 500 ping, very spacious. I brought Andrew to chat with founder Titan and explore potential collaboration with DeFITs funds. Congrats to Bito on their 9th anniversary—it hasn't been an easy journey. :) Afterward, I went to Bar Pine with ContiBit CEO Andrew, Ms. T, and her photographer friend Evan. The four of us ordered nearly 20 cocktails, and with food, the bill exceeded ten thousand—thanks to Evan for treating us. Evan currently shoots promotional photos for esports players (like League of Legends) under SEA (Garena), Shopee's parent group, and also takes on commercial or anniversary photography projects—very talented. Finally, Andrew and I went singing near Linsen North Road. Thanks to Andrew for thoughtfully arranging a staff member to sing 'Happy Birthday'~ XD His other partner Richard also called to wish me a happy birthday. Thanks to Andrew for the hospitality—celebrating my 43rd birthday in such a lively way. Grateful for all the blessings from good friends. Life—everything happens by fate. Truly thankful to have met such a diverse and wonderful group of friends! ^^ By Morgan @2023.3.21
Location: Xi'an Street Xishi Shantou Restaurant (70-year-old Shacha Hotpot), Hsinchu Travel notes: After leaving Zongmiao's place, my university classmate Junhong came to pick me up. Coincidentally, Junhong also graduated from Taichung First Senior High School and NCTU's Institute of Electronics. Besides previously working in IC design, he's now at TSMC, so his background overlaps quite a bit with Zongmiao's. I introduced them at the door, and they chatted briefly. Then Junhong and I headed to Hsinchu's City God Temple area—it's been so long since I last had Xishi's shacha beef hotpot. The last time was almost 16 years ago, one night when I came here with my junior Shengzhi ICEBONE. After waiting in line, we finally got a seat. We ordered a ton of food and ate until we were stuffed. Thanks to Junhong for treating me~ :) By Morgan @2023.3.19 afternoon
Location: Richi Coffee, Hsinchu Travel notes: It's been a while since I last visited Hsinchu. In the afternoon, I came to this网红 coffee shop with my military service comrades John and Wenshen, as well as Miya, a junior from NCKU's accounting department. I hadn't seen Wenshen in almost 20 years—after completing his postdoc military service at NCTU, he's been at Novatek, now leading a team in computer vision. Thanks to John for making the trip and treating us to afternoon tea. In the evening, because NCKU's new president, President Shen Mengru, gave a speech at NTHU, Apollo Daolin, a senior from the Hsinchu Science Park Management Association, organized a NCKU alumni dinner at NTHU's Shuiyang Restaurant. Miya and I attended and also met Ruqi and Guozhi seniors. After dinner, I met up with my Taichung First Senior High School classmate Zongmiao, whom I hadn't seen in 25 years. After graduating from NCTU's electronics department and NTU's electronics institute (master's and PhD), Zongmiao has been in the tech industry and now works at M31, one of Taiwan's top listed Silicon IP companies. For a late-night snack, Zongmiao, his wife Moony, and I went to a pretty good izakaya, drinking some plum wine and yuzu sake. Coincidentally, Zongmiao recently had an empty house not rented out, so after eating, we continued chatting there. We talked about high school memories, teachers, classmates, Eastern and Western history, finance, psychology, and experiences around the world... as if making up for 25 years at once, chatting until 4 a.m. Thanks to Zongmiao for the hospitality~ Having the chance to reunite, drink, and chat with an old classmate is truly one of life's great pleasures! :) By Morgan @2023.3.18 evening
台北 林森北 和幸安里沖繩料理、Kurumi 日式酒吧 晚上和蓋亞資訊的Alex ， 還有Andrew 、Mars ，一起約吃飯、佐餐清酒。 Alex 之前在巴西和巴拉圭長大，…
Location: Taipei, Dazhi - Hotel Indigo Xiaohouyuan Travel Notes: A bunch of people gathered to meet Nancy in the evening, and nearly ten showed up for dinner. Taiwan is such a small place—Brother Fan, whom I met in Taichung a few days ago, also knows Boheng's dad and is classmates with Grace. Jenny, former CFO of KKDay, now works at FineDay. Aaron Chengbin, a Tsinghua University graduate, generously covered the entire bill—thank you! His girlfriend Monica is also in the art scene, so she's familiar with 333 Gallery. We then moved the party to Coco's luxury apartment in Xinyi District, currently valued at over 200 million TWD and listed for sale by Nancy. Coco, who is a landlord for an Eslite Wine Cellar branch, had the butler bring three bottles of Italian red wine from there. After finishing all the wine, we continued the night at Brother Fan Tommy's place across the street, where he opened new red wine and whiskey—a red wine + whiskey night! Cheers! By Morgan @2023.3.14 evening
Location: Zhubei, 6+Plaza - Liu Zhenchuan Korean Cuisine & Miscellaneous Notes Travel Notes: After finishing alumni association events, I met up with Champ, a senior from the NCKU Computer Science department, for coffee in the afternoon—it had been about three years since we last met. Champ is now a Director in Google's mobile phone division. We discussed the potential changes brought by ChatGPT, and he also shared about the Haskell language (a functional programming language) he was studying before heading out. Thanks to senior for the treat! In the evening, I had dinner with Huiyun, a junior from the NCKU Industrial Management department—it had been over two years since we last met. We chatted about topics like making good use of one's talents. Thanks to junior for the treat! :) By Morgan @2023.3.26 evening
Location: Taichung, Xitun Road - Niu Bar Bistro Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I sang and drank with friends in Taichung. For dinner, I continued the gathering with Nancy. Taiwan is such a small place—here, I met a Chairman Fan, who also knows Boss Brian. Qibin joined later, and we had a great conversation with two seniors who graduated 12 years ahead of us from Weidao High School. Together, we reminisced about Brother Shi: https://youtu.be/rt-nihvTn1A Thanks for the treat! By Morgan @2023.3.10 evening
Location: Taipei, Nangang - Aheshi Ginger Duck Hotpot Travel Notes: Yesterday, I was busy from 9 AM until 2 AM before resting. This afternoon, I came to Nangang's N24 Taipei Ark to discuss the crypto options exchange platform Zomma with Taka, Xiaocan, and Fanshuo. In the evening, I switched gears and had a simple, relaxed dinner nearby with Lman senior, Telder, and Andrew, enjoying ginger duck hotpot paired with two bottles of sake. :) By Morgan @2023.3.7 evening
Location: THE KEY COMPANY Key Shop, East District, Taipei Travel Notes: I was about to head home after the last event, but Nancy, who had just returned from Taichung, ran into her senior from Chiayi Concord Middle School, Brother Seymour Wu, on the high-speed rail—he was also returning to Taipei from Tainan. What a coincidence! They decided to grab a drink and called me, so I pulled Andrew along for another round. Nancy is a regular here, so with just one call, a private room was reserved. With drinks come stories, and since we're all fire signs—either Leos or Aries—we went from the first bottle of red wine all the way to the third, still wanting more. Turns out, when drinking frequencies match, the wine tastes even better. The four of us chatted about everything from real estate to cryptocurrency, and even the vast resources in Chiayi or Yunlin. Thanks for treating, Nancy! Hope FUNWOO's opening cocktail party in Taichung on March 8th goes smoothly. After that, I was ready to head home, but Andrew's friend Louis was singing and drinking on Minsheng East Road, so we swung by—three stops in one night, and it was dawn already @@ Thanks for treating, Andrew! By Morgan @evening of March 3, 2023
Location: Glassmate Bistro, Civic Boulevard, Taipei Travel Notes: In the afternoon, at Ariel's invitation, I visited Quantrend upstairs at the Cathay Landmark, a place I hadn't been to in a while. They've now made it onto Binance as one of the world's top ten market makers (Level MM5), which is truly impressive. I also said hello to Brother Zhiyang, a speaker from when I hosted the Future Commerce Summit and a junior from my ramen senior days. In the evening, I introduced Ray and Andrew. Taiwan is small—they both happen to know the same group of celebrity friends who often play Texas Hold'em. Thanks for treating tonight, Andrew! This bistro is quite unique, focusing on Chinese dishes, and you can order sets of sparkling wine, white wine, and red wine in groups, perfect for trying a variety. Cheers! By Morgan @evening of March 3, 2023
Location: Nihonbashi Tamai Eel Rice, Guangfu South Road Lane, Wine Butler, Taipei Travel Notes: In the morning, with Cindy and Tiffany from Richwell, along with Pat and Sam, we had a conference call with Mike, a director of an IoT company planning an IPO on the New York Stock Exchange in April. Everyone shared perspectives from North America, Asia, investment banking, FA, Crypto... to see how we could help. During a break, I chatted briefly with my student Ramo. Then, at noon near Pat's company, I gathered with Sam, who had just returned from the U.S., and Pat's brother. Thanks for treating, Pat! In the afternoon, Mars and Andrew from Contibit, back from Vietnam, had a meeting at the DeFITs office on Zhongxiao East Road to discuss market development in Vietnam. I brought Sam along to introduce everyone. Finally, in the evening, I met with Brother Sam from Wine Butler, whom I hadn't seen in a while, at his company & private lounge. Vivian, who organized the musical event at Taipei Ark N24 last time, was also there. Brother Sam opened two bottles of Chilcas assassin red wine from Chile that they represent, and we tasted them while playing national anthems or songs from different countries. Listening to different types and frequencies of music, even the same red wine tasted noticeably different—sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, sometimes bitter, sometimes bittersweet turning sweet... truly amazing! Taiwan is small; Brother Sam also knows Brother Howard, Senior Guozhi, and FUNWOO's Nancy... Thanks for treating, Brother Sam. Cheers! By Morgan @evening of March 2, 2023
Location: Shoubo Piano Bar, Minsheng East Road, Taipei Travel Notes: A pretty interesting place—there's a pianist playing, and it feels like an open KTV where everyone can take turns singing on stage. After a casual dinner near Xingtian Temple, later in the evening, I came here with Senior Lman, Mars, and a friend of the senior named Bruce. Bruce founded INSTO, which allows you to use your phone as a POS machine for card payments—basically a fintech company handling payment flows. We came here for drinks and casual chat. By Morgan @evening of March 1, 2023
Location: Pearl Bar, 1F, The Okura Prestige Taipei, Zhongshan District, Taipei Travel Notes: Jack, whom I met at an OffChain event in the afternoon, asked to meet up. We didn't get to talk properly last time, so today we slowly opened a bottle of red wine, ate some cheese, and had a good chat. Turns out Jack graduated from National Chiao Tung University, majoring in applied mathematics and also in the Department of Information Management and Financial Engineering under Professor Chen Anbin. He had spent many years at internet companies in Beijing before. Although Jack is only 32, he has strong opinions and ideas of his own and doesn't just follow the crowd. On a similar wavelength, we really enjoyed our conversation. After that, in the evening, I came to Nanjing Fuxing area with a female friend to check out this chain bistro—Scumbag Taiwan Bistro Dunbei San Zha. Ray also made a special trip to have a drink with us before going to play cards. Cheers! By Morgan @evening of February 28, 2023
Location: Taipei, Banqiao Lin Family Garden Travel Notes: Last night, two ladies came over for drinks, so I opened a Vivino 4.1-rated French red wine to treat them, along with the German ice wine and French Tavel rosé they brought. We had quite a merry time. Realizing I've been seriously lacking exercise lately, I went out for a walk today. Besides visiting the Lin Family Garden in Banqiao, I also caught the 'Thinking of You to the Moon' Zhang Yusheng special exhibition at the Taipei Music Center before it ends the day after tomorrow. The long queue meant waiting over an hour to get in, but it was worth it—while exploring, I reminisced over many of Zhang Yusheng's songs like 'Thinking of You Every Day,' 'I Expect,' 'Ocean,' 'Duplicity,' 'Take Me to the Moon'... By Morgan @2022.2.26
Location: Taipei, Kanpai, Bar clique Travel Notes: Attended the FinTech Association's 'International Regulatory Trends in Virtual Assets' forum at Grand Hyatt Taipei in the afternoon. Taiwan is small—I met Michael while drinking last night, and coincidentally ran into him again as soon as I entered the venue today, so we took a photo to commemorate it. As a VC, Michael also knows Outliers Venture, so I introduced Poseidon from Outliers at the 1st-floor café. Also met Lawrence Chiang after ten years. Besides Audrey Tang and some officials, the CEOs of Taiwan's three major cryptocurrency exchanges attended as speakers. Saw Titan from Bito speak, and Sihan, whom I met and drank with at Sam's birthday party last time, represented DBS Bank as a speaker. Outside, greeted Bo from Bincentive, Ethan from Matrixport, Ariel from Quanttrend, and exchanged business cards with Mei Hua, chairman of JKO Pay. Also chatted with the chairman of the FinTech Association, former Executive Yuan minister Tsai Yu-ling. Afterward, had dinner with Jack, whom I once mentored at the Taipei 101 office, and his girlfriend Ariel. Jack recently got a new job and wanted my advice. Ariel used to work in HR at the Kanpai group, so we met at Kanpai. Thanks to Jack for treating. Then walked to Bar clique, a bar opened by CIC (Ethan) from EVG in the East District. The ambiance was surprisingly minimalist and classy. For a Thursday night, there were quite a few customers, including many beauties. With Ms. T, our group ordered about 13–14 cocktails, doing our part to support CIC. Jack, born in Kinmen, has an impressive alcohol tolerance—didn't seem drunk at all. Another fulfilling day, Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.2.23 evening
Location: Taipei, Miacucina Xinyi Store, Hansum Shisha Bar Travel Notes: After a morning meeting, introduced Mars and Andrew at noon—they both have potential collaboration opportunities in the Vietnamese market. After an afternoon meeting, Jack from Sophia Research, whom I met earlier at Offchain, invited some friends for dinner and asked me to join. First, we had Italian food with white wine at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A11, then went to a shisha bar afterward. Met many new friends throughout the night: Teddy, who left Rock Records to work on NFTs; Ken, from Peking University EMBA, whose classmates are all core second-generation figures from Zhongnanhai; Michael from the US, now with a Crypto Fund; Adrian from Singapore, in real estate and finance; Ken, formerly at Cobinhood, now at FunNow... Taiwan is still small—Jacky, whom I knew from C-Cubed, said he also knows Olen, one of the founders of DeFITs & FDC. Jack trades Taiwanese stocks, US stocks, and Crypto. We chatted while smoking shisha and finished a bottle of gin. Thanks to Jack for the invitation & treat (the second round was probably on Teddy, thanks too). Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.2.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Hankou Street Last Order Bistro Travel Notes: Yesterday morning had a Zomma meeting, afternoon went to the DeFITs office to chat with SunSun, whom I hadn't had a chance to meet. Taiwan is small—SunSun, who worked at Appier and TutorABC, also knows Ben and Arthur, whom I've met before, and is aware that Sam is now the chairman of TutorABC. He's even elementary school classmates with William, the boss of Li Pu Electronics... Though brief, the conversation with SunSun was pleasant; we'll collaborate on related resources later. :) This morning, while listening to the live stream of the 7th Family Management Leaders Top50 Forum held in Beijing by the Huayu Global Family Office (FOTT) (Eric Chen, chief investment advisor at Richwell, gave a speech in the afternoon on 'The Global Explosion of AI and Electric Vehicle Assets'), I also used ChatGPT to research the GMX platform, which currently has over $600 million in TVL. GMX's interesting mechanism not only references index fund weight design but also considers the human aspect of token economy. In the afternoon, Xiao Yao said he wanted to introduce Brother Zeng to me, so we met in Ximending. Brother Zeng is quite a character—his main business is Japanese trade, but he loves playing baccarat and once lost over 50 million. We chatted about baccarat and even opened Excel to discuss. Later, Xiao Yao's wife, Yiwen, returned. Yiwen is a top performer at Kang He Securities, and it had been a while since we last met. I chatted with her about the recent Taiwanese stock market's new king, ASMedia. Finally, in the evening, because Andrew, CEO of ContiBit exchange, is going to Vietnam to expand the market the day after tomorrow, I invited Brother Xiao He, who also invests in travel agencies and runs some businesses in Hanoi, Vietnam, to meet up. We had dinner and red wine together in Ximending to get acquainted. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.2.21 evening
Location: Taichung, Minquan Road Chunshan Omakase Travel Notes: At noon, attended the second board of supervisors meeting and spring banquet of the Ruini Social Care Association, founded by Chengda alumni Ruqi & Guozhi. Dennis couldn't make it last minute, so I invited classmate Steven to join. The table included people from various industries: deputy general manager of Far Eastern Bank, Japanese sake merchant, Hong Yuan Securities, AIDC, lawyer... Also met Songbao, a Chengda industrial management class of '73 senior. Another attendee, Arthur from Tiger Coatings, has business relevance with Steven's forged wheels. While doing charity, everyone also had the chance to explore potential collaborations. Thanks to Guozhi for bringing several bottles of red wine and noble rot wine—they tasted great! ^^ Afterward, visited Qibin's home with Steven and his wife. Coincidentally, Qibin is an expert in convertible bonds (CBAS), so I invited Yen, a Chengda junior who runs the 'Le Si Ji' financial blog and is also in Taichung, to come meet him. Quite a coincidence—Yen just returned from attending a wedding in India, and Qibin happens to be leaving for a two-week trip to India tomorrow. Life is about serendipitous gatherings. :) By Morgan @2023.2.19
Location: Taichung, Taiwan Boulevard, Coffee Mission Travel note: Coffee Mission on Taiwan Boulevard in Taichung, and IN BAR, a café with a view on the 27th floor. Met up with Dilys here in the afternoon; it had been a while. Dilys has recovered quite well after giving birth and looked in good spirits. We chatted from 3:30 PM until 7:30 PM, covering everything from explaining blockchain MEV strategies and Ethereum's transition from PoW to PoS, to Dilys's husband's Nine-Day Temple Performance Troupe, the NFTs they previously issued, and managing their Discord community... Afterwards, I took Dilys to visit IN BAR nearby, opened by my junior Sky. Since Dilys and her brother, Ruiyi, who is a branch manager at DBS, sometimes need venues to entertain high-net-worth clients, IN BAR happens to be a great solution. Thanks to Dilys for treating me to afternoon tea, and to my junior for the coffee! — Morgan @ Evening, Feb 18, 2023
Location: Taichung, Wenxin Road, Ishiiya Japanese Cuisine Travel note: Ishiiya Japanese Cuisine on Wenxin Road in Taichung. Had a remote meeting with Huashe Asset Management (Shanghai) in the afternoon. In the evening, had dinner with old classmates from Weidao Junior High: Boheng, Shengyan, and Brother Gong, also introducing Boheng and Brother Gong. Boheng was once one of Taiwan's top international racing drivers, so he still does TV commentary for F1 events. It's been exactly a year since we last met—time flies. We should get together more often when we can. In the private room, we chatted about everything from Canadian real estate to catamarans, from DC/AC electricity to cryptocurrency, even the origins of Earth... We talked until the restaurant closed. Thanks again to Brother Gong for the treat! — Morgan @ Evening, Feb 17, 2023
Location: Taipei, Vorpal Bunny Gastropub - OffChain Taipei Travel note: Another day from traditional finance to blockchain finance. In the morning, discussed a recent U.S. stock IPO listing case with Cindy and Dennis from Richwell, hoping everything goes smoothly for the Nasdaq bell-ringing. In the afternoon, visited KGI Futures to see Shinong, a manager there. He introduced several friends in the circle, including Minghui, who has worked in proprietary trading, futures management, and sales at major futures firms and is very familiar with groups like Freemen, Xiaolian Gang, and Alumi—a true veteran in the futures industry; Bin, a salesperson working with the tall and mighty Shen; and Xiao Tan from the Options Gang, who has also been on the Freemen财经下酒菜 show. We chatted all afternoon at Howdy Coffee. Xiao Tan's own options fan page has several thousand users. Thanks to Shinong for the bottle of whisky! In the evening, thanks to Ethan from the crypto unicorn Matrixport for inviting me to the offline Offchain event hosted by Ivan and Denny from Red Building Capital. The circle is small as usual; when chatting with everyone, it's easy to find mutual friends—Quanttrend, ACE, Ascent, Gamania, Red Building Capital... Also ran into Eric from Bincentive and asked him to schedule a time with Zhuobo to exchange ideas with the DeFITs trading team. Today also learned about the newly launched U.S. short-term treasury bond stablecoin STBT by Matrixport, which tokenizes traditional financial products as underlying assets for general investors—very unique. Buying the coin equals buying U.S. bonds. Also met Eugene, who's briefly back from Singapore/Hong Kong, and Ray, who's about to head to Hong Kong. And of course, the beautiful Charlotte from Zomma... A very fulfilling day, Cheers! :) — Morgan @ Evening, Feb 16, 2023
Location: Taipei, Jiankang Road, Twelve Grill Izakaya Travel note: Introduced Senior Lman and Andrew tonight. One is a social affairs consultant at Digital Times, the other is the CEO of ContiBit cryptocurrency exchange. Let's see if any sparks fly! Cheers! — Morgan @ Evening, Feb 14, 2023
Location: Taipei Travel note: National Taiwan Science Education Center, Taipei Astronomical Museum, Beitou Hot Spring Museum. Finally had time to go out for a walk since the New Year. In the morning, visited the Science Center and Astronomical Museum in Shilin. Watched the Cosmic Theater and 3D Theater, and rode the Cosmic Train. Also observed sunspots through the astronomical telescope. In the afternoon, after strolling through Shuangxi Wetland Park on the way, ended the evening with a walk in the long-unvisited Xinbeitou. The Longnai Hot Spring I visited several times during my student days is still there! :P — Morgan @ Feb 12, 2023
Location: Totsuzen Steak, a dry-aged steak restaurant and wine bar in Taipei's East District. Travel note summary: Had dinner with senior Lman and Mars at Totsuzen Steak in Taipei's East District. The wet-aged steak set offers great value for money—over a thousand dollars gets you not only steak but also oysters, scallops, and abalone. Whether it's the Miyazaki Japanese A5 Wagyu with its marbling melting in your mouth or the sweet-tasting U.S. CAB-grade Angus beef, both left us thoroughly satisfied. Afterward, we headed to the bar next door to have drinks and chat with Ke-Wei, whom we met for the first time. Ke-Wei is also a genius—a National Taiwan University physics graduate who went straight to the National University of Singapore for a Ph.D. in quantum computing and is about to graduate. Through Olen, whom he met during club activities at NTU, he also knows the founders of Hakka Finance and DeFITs, including Tom Soong. Ke-Wei is also very active in the crypto space, holding key positions in the Solana Chinese community and the IOTA Foundation, and previously served as a promotion ambassador for Matrixport in Singapore. With a research background, he has thoroughly studied the whitepapers of various public chains and has top-notch technical skills. Time flew by as we chatted, and we almost missed the last MRT. Keep in Touch! :) By Morgan @2023.2.7 evening
Location: Miscellaneous notes. Travel note summary: It's an honor to see the Richwell-DeFITs DEFI Fund launch on the Bloomberg Database. I'm delighted to see the cryptocurrency-DEFI arbitrage fund jointly issued by Richwell and DeFITs—likely Asia's first—now listed in Bloomberg's database after recently obtaining an ISIN Code (International Securities Identification Number). The Bloomberg Ticker is 'RWDEFIB KY Equity,' allowing global investors to publicly access fund information and performance. Since the fund officially launched in November last year, the actual performance over three months is +7.45%. Despite market fluctuations, it has not only achieved steady monthly profits but also maintained minimal drawdowns (MDD), which is remarkable. Besides outperforming peer funds' +0.79% during the same period, it ranks in the top 3% (>97 PCTL) among similar funds worldwide. This outstanding performance is thanks to the excellent trading team managed by Vins, the dedication of crypto OGs like Pei and Olen, combined with Richwell's traditional financial asset management license and extensive experience in fund compliance, risk control, and back-office operations. It also includes elements like Matrixport's custody solution designed for crypto funds (Cactus). Indeed, many factors had to come together to achieve these goals. Anyway, it's an honor to witness everyone moving forward and making new history together! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.2.28
Location: Singing and meeting a Ukrainian girl in Taipei. Travel note summary: Went out singing with friends on Friday night and met Tina, a friend from Kharkiv, Ukraine. We talked a lot about Ukrainian attractions and food. Using the few Ukrainian phrases I remembered, like 'Budmo' (cheers) or 'Nastoyka' (vodka cocktail), I happily chatted with Tina. Life, everything is about fate, isn't it? Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.2.3 evening
Location: Brother Hotel 2F Plum Blossom Hall, Hong Kong-style dim sum in Taipei. Travel note summary: Had lunch at Brother Hotel 2F Plum Blossom Hall for Hong Kong-style dim sum with Xiao Yao, Brother Xiao He who runs Vietnam tour groups, and Brother Yan Chao who temporarily returned from Beijing and works in biomedical pharmaceuticals. We got to know each other and exchanged resources. Thanks again to Xiao Yao for the treat~ By Morgan @2023.2.3
Location: Xian Xian Bistro (permanently closed) in an alley on Bade Road, Taipei. Travel note summary: Last night, Tim, Yu Jia's cousin, moved downstairs to become a neighbor, so after returning home in the evening, I went out with him to find a place to chat. Tim is also a top student—NTU math, NCTU communications, and a postdoc at the University of Michigan. He previously worked at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. Now he's back in Taiwan to contribute his knowledge, so starting this year, he's teaching three courses in the electrical engineering department at National Taipei University of Technology. Time flew by as we drank and chatted. When we finished a bottle of Chilean red wine, it seemed my talent for meeting people kicked in again—a stranger at the next table brought over a bottle of red wine, saying he wanted to treat us because he overheard us talking about blockchain and previous lectures at National Chengchi University, so he wanted to get to know us. We chatted and found out that Ben, who is a decade younger than us, now works at Amazon. His father is a professor at NCCU, and he himself is an NTU graduate, so he also paid respects to his NTU senior Tim. XD Then he introduced his friends—Steve, who is studying EMBA at NTU and lives on Songjiang Road, and Sky. Finally, the owner also joined the conversation because they are all regulars here. Owner Brother Ali is from Hong Kong and lives in Happy Valley. Because he likes Taiwan, he opened this bistro here. The shop has all kinds of alcohol, plus private rooms with a KTV system, so you can sing while eating—really an interesting place! I'll probably visit again. XD A magical night; everyone chatted happily until 2 a.m. before disbanding and heading home. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.2.2
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road, King Car Kavalan Whisky Bar Travel notes: After the Lunar New Year, things have been unusually busy. After working late for several consecutive days, I finally found time to have dinner with senior Lman last night. Besides discussing Zomma's Liquidity Provider Pool, Lman, the founder of Dreamland BBS, suddenly came up with an idea to celebrate the platform's upcoming 30th anniversary by engaging the vast BBS user community to discuss NFT issuance. Then this morning, I had a remote meeting with Sam in the US and Austin, who previously designed the Token Economy for iPlanet and runs his own Crypto Fund in Singapore. Sam and his Swiss friend have created an interesting KulaDAO, which connects a parent DAO with regional mining companies and individuals, forming an economic model based on gold mining profits in Africa. They're now starting seed round fundraising and wanted to hear opinions from more friends. After ordering UberEats for a quick lunch, I headed to Zomma Option Protocol for another meeting in the afternoon, discussing preparations for the upcoming launch on the Arbitrum mainnet for this crypto options exchange. Finally, in the evening, I met up with my graduate school classmate Pamda. Pamda, who oversees several important projects at Foxconn Group, rarely returns to Taiwan, so of course we had to seize the chance to catch up. We each had a set of 3 glasses of Kavalan's original cask whisky ($1,100), along with some snacks, enjoying the pleasure of getting slightly tipsy together. It's hard to believe we've known each other for almost twenty years and still have the chance to clink glasses like we did in our student days—truly a rare blessing in life. Thanks for treating, Pamda! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.2.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan 46F, Xin Pu Yuan 46 Chinese Restaurant Travel notes: Evening gathering with several old university classmates from NCKU Industrial Management Class of '91, including Junhong, Zhihong, and Changyu whom I hadn't seen in over eight years. Remembering it had been a while since I last enjoyed the Taipei 101 night view, we chose Xin Pu Yuan on the 46th floor of Breeze Nanshan for this meetup. The restaurant specializes in Shanghai and Cantonese cuisine, so we pre-ordered a Peking duck served two ways—sliced skin and minced duck meat. We also ordered other dishes like salted pork and bamboo shoot soup, xiaolongbao, braised beef, and truffle egg white fried rice. Work hasn't changed much for my classmates—they're still at TSMC, the Ministry of Science and Technology, etc., while Changyu is planning further studies to continue his slash career. Chatting with Changyu brought back memories of nearly 20 years ago when we, along with Taka and Kaixiang, were all doing our alternative military service in Hsinchu and hanging out together. Time flies—who would have thought I'd end up working with Taka again on Zomma. Our long-awaited gathering passed quickly as we chatted leisurely by the window, watching the changing lights of Taipei 101. Three hours flew by in no time. Looking forward to the next reunion! :) By Morgan @2023.1.28 evening
Location: Taipei, Shin Yeh Japanese Cuisine Buffet (Guanqian Branch) Travel notes: Last night, I went on a bar-hopping adventure with friends in Sanchong and Wanhua districts—520, 187, 33... Taipei really has many fascinating spots. At noon today, Xiao Yao said he wanted to treat me to a meal, so we came to Shin Yeh on Guanqian Road. The place was bustling, completely packed. Afterward, we headed to Xiao Yao's place in Ximending to hang out and chat over chrysanthemum tea he bought from Taobao, stealing a half-day of leisure from our busy lives. By Morgan @2023.1.27
Location: Taoyuan, Zhongli, Yanping Road, Mr. Postman Bistro Travel notes: It's been over three years since I last saw NCKU senior Masa (Ethan). Our last meeting remains a memory of drinking red wine at his place in Shenzhen. Since he rarely returns to Taiwan, I took the train to Zhongli at noon today to have lunch and drinks with him and his wife, Jinzhen. We started with seafood dishes followed by US Prime steak, so naturally, we paired them with a glass of Blanc white wine and a Pinot Noir red. Chatting with senior about the state of China's tech industry in recent years and with his wife about her recent amusing experiences learning golf, time flew by until the restaurant was about to close at 3:30 PM. Thanks for the treat, senior—let's meet again in Taipei before you return to Shenzhen! :) Cheers! By Morgan @2023.1.26
Location: Visiting Senior Don's Home in Taichung Travel notes: On the fourth day of Lunar New Year, I visited the home of Senior Don from Weidao + Taichung First Senior High School. Senior Don manages over six hedge and pension funds in the US and invests in various companies worldwide. Since we rarely get to meet in Taichung during the New Year, I stayed from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM—a full eight hours. Several retired seniors and their wives from Taichung First Senior High School also gathered at Don's home. The seniors came from all walks of life—AT&T, bank presidents, factory managers overseeing 100,000 employees... At my age in the 40s, I became the 'young fresh meat' at the table today. XD I tried to explain blockchain, decentralized finance, Ethereum POS, and various concepts in simple terms to the table of seniors around 70 years old. I also sought advice and perspectives from Senior Don, who has incredibly rich life experience—from Bell Labs to finance. While enjoying the sorghum wine sesame oil chicken and various dishes prepared by the senior, we drank coffee + Italian hazelnut liqueur, Spanish red wine, whisky... Every encounter in life is a blessing. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.1.25
Location: Taichung, Mingyi Street, IN BAR Travel Notes: Second visit to IN BAR on Mingyi Street in Taichung. On the third day of the Lunar New Year, I gathered with a few good friends in Taichung. White wine, red wine, cigars, dice cups, Pu-erh tea... plus the delicious dishes carefully prepared by the owner and junior Sky. The per-person cost was under 2,000, which is really great value compared to Taipei. The ladies in the group could both hold their liquor and weren't afraid to drink. After a few games, four bottles of red and white wine were quickly finished off~ XD Cheers! By Morgan @ late night, Jan 24, 2023
Location: Taichung Travel Notes: Another year ends, and a new one begins. New Year's Eve was still a busy day. At noon, I first met up with Brother Ting-Yong in Beitun for a meal—we hadn't seen each other in a long time. Ting, who independently manages a leather sales team in Dongguan, rarely comes back to Taichung for the New Year; our last meeting was over two years ago. We chatted about US stocks, covered calls, and children's education... before we knew it, more than three hours had passed. Thanks for the treat, Ting! Also today, ContiBit, an exchange platform licensed in Canada, listed products from Hong Kong's Richwell - DeFITs fund (https://www.contibit.com/zh-TW/). Since the FTX incident, the legitimacy and compliance of traditionally regulated, licensed asset management companies, along with advantages like secure and transparent third-party custody, are now being brought into the cryptocurrency world. So, I transferred some digital dollars from Binance and participated in a small subscription. Then, in the evening, I helped Brother Gong with some software and Excel, and suddenly it was time for the New Year's Eve dinner. Hope all the efforts my good friends put into their various fields bear fruit smoothly in the new year! :) By Morgan @ evening, Jan 21, 2023
Location: Taichung, Mingyi Street, IN BAR Aesthetic Selection/Bar Travel Notes: IN BAR on Mingyi Street in Taichung—an aesthetic selection/bar. Met up with junior Cello in Taichung on short notice in the evening. Came to this interesting shop hidden in an alley. The interior is very tastefully and stylishly decorated, but from the outside, it's hard to tell what kind of place it is. However, upon entering, I realized it's more like a high-end private club. Not only do they offer fine teas, wines, and coffee, but they also collaborate with many external experts, including a private chef who worked at RAW, a Level 4 top sommelier, as well as cigar merchants, wine merchants, Japanese Wagyu beef suppliers... almost能满足 any gathering needs. They only accept pre-booked guests, and many big bosses in Taichung are regulars. IN BAR's founder Sky is also a junior from Taichung First High School, and junior Cello is planning to bring IN BAR to Lingya District in Kaohsiung. Tonight, three high school alumni gathered here and enjoyed a wonderful evening together. New Zealand Pinot Noir red wine, Italian grappa, a sweet Italian red wine with higher alcohol content than usual, aged chrysanthemum Pu-erh tea, rare ecological tea, and a delicious Italian red wine lees cheese that pairs perfectly with wine... Thanks to my junior, I learned a lot. Taiwan is small—Sky also knows senior Guo-Zhi. Indeed, when people share common interests, they naturally connect. A倒数 gathering before the New Year, a very pleasant evening. :) Cheers! By Morgan @ evening, Jan 21, 2023
Location: Taichung, Hankou Road, Daxiang Seafood Roast Goose Restaurant Travel Notes: Daxiang Seafood Roast Goose Restaurant on Hankou Road in Taichung. Xiao Yao drove me back to Taichung today. Had a meal with Brother Gong and his badminton team friends first, then we all went to a famous KTV on Zhonggang Road to sing some songs and drink whiskey, welcoming the arrival of the New Year~ Cheers! By Morgan @ evening, Jan 19, 2023
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road, Pasta & Co. Travel Notes: Pasta & Co. on Nanjing East Road in Taipei. Had dinner with Ben and senior Lman in the evening. I had only seen and chatted with Ben in online meetings before; today I finally met him in person. :P Ben recently joined Kdan Mobile Technology, which has 200 million app downloads (DottedSign, Document 365...). Taiwan is small—Ben's friend Sun from his time at Appier is now also helping to promote the Richwell - DeFITs fund. And junior Nick from Cheng Kung University, who knows tons of people, recently moved to Kdan as well and has crossed paths with Ben. Although we didn't chat for long, we found quite a few common points~ XD Thanks to Ben for dinner~ Keep in touch! :) Went home to help a friend transfer some Bitcoin to buy software. By Morgan @ evening, Jan 17, 2023
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road, Lao Song Tian Izakaya Travel note summary: After a busy day, I had dinner with Lman-senpai nearby in the evening. Over plum wine + shochu and skewers, we discussed his recent visit to the Hong Kong Science Park. Also talked about the Future Commerce Expo next year in the digital age, and which speakers could be invited for the seminar he's in charge of. Finally, chatted a bit about Binance's contract grid trading... A simple dinner. ~ By Morgan @2023.1.16 evening
Location: Taipei, Qunxi Business Center, Kami no Shizuku Pilgrimage Tasting Event Travel note summary: Sunday afternoon, attended a tasting event hosted by Jiajia Wine merchant. Kami no Shizuku is a Japanese manga I read ten years ago during a low point in my life. The author's elegant descriptions of the意境 of tasting wine truly broadened my horizons and imagination, giving me a new understanding of life's brevity. Having the chance to see the author-siblings, Aki and Shin, up close today was really quite delightful~ But trying to finish all 52 red and white wines in over three hours was too much, so I went with the flow and tasted slowly. Finishing about 30 of them was probably enough. :P Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.1.15
Location: Taipei, Neihu, DE LOIN Delon - French Premium Hot Pot Travel note summary: In the afternoon, first went to Taipei Ark to attend a mining machine investment lecture hosted by Ted, founder of Miner Source, and learned a lot about mining machines. In the evening, had dinner with veteran miner Cello and his family, along with Ted and Taka. Taiwan is small—Cello is also a junior from Taichung First Senior High School, and his wife is from Fengyuan; her family home is on Shuiyuan Road where I grew up. We talked about the current state of the mining circle and suddenly realized that Cello had previously appeared in a YouTube video about mining farms filmed by Joeman, no wonder he looked familiar~ XD Delon's hot pot broth uses a golden chicken soup simmered for 13 hours, quite special~ Saturday night, it was fully packed in no time. By Morgan @2023.1.14 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao East Road, Shiraku Sushi Specialty Store; Neihu, Cigar Shengshi Hall Travel note summary: In the morning, first took Tiffany, who returned from Hong Kong for the New Year, to visit Andrew at Contibit in Shilin. Then at noon, took Tiffany to have lunch with Pat and Sam so they could get to know each other. After the meal, we all had afternoon tea and chatted at Chun Shui Tang in the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Tianmu. Then back in the city, taking a short break, went to Jut Art Museum where the current exhibition is 'Perceptual Field,' combining architecture and art. It was closed last time I came, so this time I bought a ticket to view the exhibition. Finally, in the evening, went to a sushi restaurant in the East District to celebrate Sam's birthday. Another gathering where I tried hard to listen to English—Joe teaches CS at Princeton, previously at Binance; Peter now does Compliance at Bitfinex; both are American. Sihan and his wife are Singaporean; DBS is merging with Citibank Taiwan, so they were dispatched to Taiwan. They brought two 1800cc bottles of Daiginjo. Shiraku's sushi is omakase style, dinner NT$1,600+10%. The German chef from the nearby 1789 dessert shop also sent over a birthday cake. Happy Birthday! Thanks Sam for treating, have a safe trip back to the US on Sunday~ But the most amazing thing was after the party ended. At the door, I was suddenly approached by two guys~ XD They said they heard us talking about DYDX earlier, so came over to ask if we were involved with Crypto. Chatting revealed it was Blues from GCP and Alex from Gaia Information. Blues also knows Taka—Taiwan is so small~ They said they were going to smoke cigars later, so I said why not go chat together? So I followed them to this Cigar & Wine place in Neihu. Later, Ellie, a beauty from Gaia, also joined. This time tried a non-Cuban V-cut, and the four of us had two bottles of red wine. Taiwan is still small, or maybe Taka knows too many people—Ellie also knows Taka~ XD Anyway, a magical night, thanks Alex for the hospitality. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2023.1.13
Location: Taipei, Songshan District, Khao San Road - Life is Bitter Thai Izakaya Travel note summary: In the afternoon, Lman-senpai introduced a friend Jx to me, and I also invited Pat and Sam to chat together. Jx is Singaporean, his wife is from Tainan, and he's definitely a genuine genius—studied at Ivy League schools like the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford for university and grad school, then worked at many large companies in China and the US, like Dropbox, Lyft, ByteDance... In recent years, he returned to Singapore and co-founded the robo-advisor platform Endowus with friends. Riding the pandemic wave, the assets under management exceeded $2 billion AUM in a very short time. Jx recently has new ideas and projects he wants to work on, so we all exchanged thoughts. After the afternoon schedule, in the evening, I went with two girls who each have different relationship troubles to the 40-year-old shop near my place—Little Red Berry—to eat hot pot. After the three of us finished eating, we went to the nearby Thai-style izakaya, brought the two bottles of wine gifted by Xiao Guai, and continued drinking and heart-to-heart talking. Cheers~ By Morgan @2023.1.11 evening
Location: Taipei Songshan International Airport Travel note snippet: Not going abroad~ :P Just happened to be out running some errands and took a detour to see my long-lost airplane friends. Recalling the days when I used to fly frequently, it's been completely quiet for the past three years. The number of countries I've visited has also been stuck at 27 for a long time. @@ By Morgan @2023.1.9
Location: Taichung - A Guesthouse Travel note snippet: Last week in Taipei, this week in Taichung, Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of 2023.1.6
Location: Taipei Chang'an East Road - Hai Jiu Penghu Seafood Restaurant Travel note snippet: Started the morning at the office in the United Daily News building near City Hall Station, meeting with Brother Benson who just returned from Shanghai (he previously managed the joint venture between Pou Chen and Vipshop, with lots of experience in operations and sales), along with Mingzhi senior from the NCKU alumni association, Dennis, and online participants Cindy, Joey, and General Manager Meng, discussing how to promote the compliant fund for Richwell-DeFITs. At noon, hurriedly changed venues—not to Hai Qi or Hai Ba, but to Hai Jiu, a high-end seafood restaurant with all private rooms, where the Zomma Option team held their year-end party. Besides transparent lobster blood, we ate a huge king crab until quite full, paired with three bottles of red and white wine brought by Tom and Professor Han. Hoping to sweep away last year's gloom, and wishing for a smooth official launch on Arbitrum after the Lunar New Year! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2023.1.4
Location: Taipei Songshan District - No.1 Granary Bistro Travel note snippet: This is the first granary built in Taiwan during the Japanese occupation era. After being abandoned for a while, it's now renovated into a bistro. The ingredients have also received Bib Gourmand recognition from Michelin. Ordered the more signature roasted Guiding chicken (requires pre-order), along with wagyu cheek beef noodles, plus a few other main dishes, paired with a bottle of red wine. Per person cost was around a thousand Taiwan dollars. Tonight's dinner was mainly with Yen, founder of the 'Le Si Ji's Small Path Investment' blog, team members Steven and Louis, plus fellow NCKU senior Lman. Yen and Steven are both juniors from the NCKU Computer Science department, so we quickly started talking from AutumnLi (Qiu Wan) senior. The juniors are quite outstanding; they were also just selected for BlockTempo's '2023 Taiwan Blockchain Industry Annual Influence Top 40 List' (https://www.blocktempo.com/taiwanese-blockchain-influencers-predictions-for-2023/). We chatted about various things; Yen is from Kaohsiung but now lives in Taichung because he likes the living environment there, and it's also very close to my home. We had a great conversation, starting a little after 6 PM and lasting until I got back home after 11 PM. Nice Dinner meeting~ :) P.S. Thanks to Xiao Guai Tuo Ramen senior for bringing another bottle of red wine from the south for me~ By Morgan @Evening of 2023.1.3
Location: Taipei, Xindian, Bitan, Mark's Kitchen Travel note summary: In the afternoon, I set off from Gongguan with my good buddy Pat, his eldest son and daughter, Sam, and Sam's daughter. We rode our bikes all the way to Bitan in Xindian. Then we had a casual dinner there. 2023, a new year begins again! :) Great gathering with good friends on the first day. By Morgan @2023.1.1
Location: Taipei, Shilin Shabu Travel note summary: Duke came back from Hong Kong, so we arranged this gathering. The number of people grew from three initially to ten later. We simply asked Mars for a recommendation and booked a private club run by a Hong Kong boss for the whole venue, from 3:00 PM to 11:00 PM. The whole event included a Hong Kong fund manager, a friend doing forex trading in Australia, a foreign friend in financial services in Australia, a friend who sold his company and is now at NVIDIA, plus friends in construction and building materials, and Accountant Wang... Friends from all walks of life got to know each other over drinks. The next day at noon, I arranged for Brother Gong and the great God Gao to meet and get to know each other. We chose this high-end shabu-shabu restaurant upstairs in the Taipei 101 mall. Shilin is also a branch of the previously eaten He Shabu. God Gao made nearly 100 million NTD in investment profits this year. We all chatted about trading insights. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us. Unknowingly, we chatted from noon until past 4:00 PM, still not wanting to stop. The December gathering count also concluded with the 28th one. @@ By Morgan @2022.12.30
Location: Taipei, Taipei Arena Station, Kikukawa Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: In the morning, I first had breakfast with Pat, Sam, and David from PlugAndPlay to get acquainted. Although P&P isn't very well-known in Taiwan, their headquarters are also in Silicon Valley. They are a company with multiple roles combining incubator, accelerator, VC... with a larger connection ecosystem than YC (50,000 startups, 500 world-class companies). Originally, Pat had arranged to have lunch with Barrett, the founder of MOHO (Animation Software), but he canceled last minute due to an emergency. So for lunch, it was me, Pat, Sam, Sam's wife Monica, and their daughter Alexandra. Alexandra was born and raised in the US and entered Mensa, an association for the world's top geniuses, in her teens. Her parents' genes are just too outstanding. :P Thanks to Pat for lunch! After the Zomma meeting in the afternoon, in the evening, I had dinner with Ramen Senior, the IT guru junior Jserv, Lee Yanming senior from the NCKU Computer Network Enthusiasts Club, plus junior James. Senior Leeym was previously at Robinhood and is now at Coinbase, back from the US for a month's vacation. Thanks to Sister Xiaoguai for sending me a bottle of wine specially brought from the south by Ramen Senior through him. It's been a long time since I drank with you! XD Another busy day ends. By Morgan @2022.12.28 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng West Road, Taichun Xiaoguan Travel note summary: Alex's perennial favorite restaurant; he really never gets tired of it even after N times. However, considering the high cost-performance Japanese cuisine + no corkage fee, it's indeed not easy to find other substitute restaurants. Tonight, 2 men and 3 women, thanks to Alex for bringing sake, shochu, and treating us again~ By Morgan @2022.12.25 evening
Location: Taichung, Municipal North 2nd Road, Quanya Fang Travel note summary: Came with Steven to attend Brother Gong's company year-end party, including his employees and building materials, construction-related suppliers, totaling six tables. It turned out I was the first one drawn for the lottery. Excitedly opening the red envelope to look, "Have a drink with the big brother from Sanyang Ceramics!"... Huh, how nice, there's even a prize like this for drinking~ XD So I picked up a full cup of Dassai and toasted first. The table next to us was from Zongtai Construction (3056.TW), everyone was drinking whiskey or red wine like water, bottoms up, even someone like me who often drinks was amazed. Until the end of the party, that table remained as steady as Mount Tai~ The whole night was quite a high-energy year-end party, hope Brother Gong's company's performance soars in the coming year! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.12.23 evening
Location: Taichung, Tiger City 7F, Kazama Yakiniku. It's well known that Ethan Yang has invested in many restaurants—besides Macau Ying Dao Zu, there's Le Xue Wagyu, Kazama Yakiniku, FOND Korean Tofu Stew, Riben Korean BBQ... too many to list. Today he came to Taichung for a shareholders' meeting and took the chance to invite Alex Yu-Ting Hong (had to use his full name since Alex is so common, haha) along with the team from the investment blog 'Le Si Ji,' Steven and Louis, to get to know each other at one of his restaurants. Thanks to Yang for including me, a local Taichung person! Taiwan really is small—turns out Steven is also from Fengyuan, and he's a double junior alumnus from Taichung First Senior High School and NCKU Computer Science Class of 105. Later we found out he was even middle school classmates with my cousin, and Louis knows my old Wretch Blog friend, Mao Ma. So we all hit it off quickly. Chatted with Steven and Louis about their platform, which has quite decent traffic. Turns out the big shot behind 'Le Si Ji' is also an NCKU CS Class of 104 junior, now living in Taichung too—we'll have to meet up again sometime. After that, my new insurance advisor Scott (formerly from Prudential, now Taishin), who handles my policies, arranged to meet me in Taichung to sign some documents. Scott is also from Taichung, so while we couldn't meet up in Taipei, Taichung worked out perfectly. So I headed over to Hanlin Teahouse on the 11th floor of Top City Mall. Coincidentally, Scott also lives on Yongxing Street, just a 5-minute walk from my place. Discussed some financial products with Scott—thanks for the treat, Scott! By Morgan @ late 2022.12.22
Location: Taipei, Songshan Wild Turtle Restaurant. A magical day. First went to my good friend Taka's N24 Taipei Ark in the afternoon for their 2nd anniversary event, and had some homemade cocktails from Ding Yuan. Met Jerry from Term Structure, whom Ethan has been mentioning lately—he's Ethan's old colleague from Deutsche Bank—and finally met in person J.J., founder of the AVA Angel Investment Club, whom I'd only chatted with on Line before. Also met Travis, formerly at Huawei Capital, now at MiiCs under Foxconn and also an AVA member, along with Tiffany from Red Building Capital, Lucas from Kernel Venture... Stayed at Ark until 6 PM, just as Vivian from He Ren International was hosting a musical 'Xie Zheqing's Museum of Loneliness' there that evening. Lured by unlimited red wine and the musical, I decided to stay. The performance featured some models from Yilin's agency, which was eye-catching. After the show, the organizer invited Uncle Sam, an international blind wine tasting champion (his fan page 'Wine Butler' has nearly 10k followers), to explain the innovative theory that the taste of red wine feels different when listening to different music. I suddenly remembered that Howard, the former chairman of the Huangjiang Taiwanese Business Association, had mentioned the same theory to me before, so I messaged him. Unexpectedly, he and Uncle Sam turned out to be old friends for over twenty years who could drink together till dawn. So I called Howard, who was still in the US, and video-called him to chat with Sam. We agreed to meet up when Howard returns next month. Then continued chatting with Sam, and it turned out he also knows my senior Guozhi from Taichung—they had just texted earlier. After adding Sam on FB, I found out he had also met Nancy from Funwoo before. Taiwan really is tiny! The event ended around 9 PM, but an even more interesting plot unfolded afterward. Originally planned to take a taxi home, but it's hard to get one near Ark, so Sam and I walked along Civic Boulevard back to Songshan. Passing by Raohe Street Night Market, we stopped for some mudfish soup. When we got near my place, Sam suddenly spotted the sign for Songshan Wild Turtle Restaurant and suggested we try it. So I went home to grab two decent bottles of wine. Then Sam invited his good friend Cale, the chef from Smith & Wollensky steakhouse. Cale is Finnish-American, has been in Taiwan for thirty years, and married a Taiwanese wife. He's also a consultant for McDonald's, having designed many new products. Along with T, the four of us chatted in a mix of Chinese and English while eating turtle at this roadside shop. Added Cale on Line, joking that next time I can't get a reservation at Smith & Wollensky or Sea to Sky, I can ask him to help snag a table. Seeing we were running low on wine, I walked home again to bring back some Spanish beer and another Italian red. We kept drinking until almost 4 AM before reluctantly calling it a night. Seems my talent really is constantly meeting all sorts of new friends! By Morgan @2022.12.22
Location: Taipei, Songjiang Road, Broccoli Beer Korean Pub & Restaurant. Senior Lman asked me out for dinner. We usually go for Japanese, so this time we switched to a Korean-style izakaya. Didn't expect there'd be people lining up right at 5:30 when it opened. By a little past 6, it was completely packed. And about 80% of the customers were women—astonishing. But the food there is indeed affordable and pretty tasty. By Morgan @ late 2022.12.20
Location: Taipei, National Chengchi University Department of MIS - Blockchain Course Lecture. In the morning, had coffee with Pat and his former colleague Stephen. Stephen is also one of the co-founders of Bu Zhi DAO, which successfully organized Taipei Blockchain Week last week, and he's a member of the Silicon Valley venture capital fund TransLink Capital. Stephen is usually based in New York; we exchanged Line contacts. Then at noon, had lunch with Pat and Sam, the current chairman of TutorABC. Last time we met was months ago. Discussed how to expand TutorABC's business. After a simple Sichuan meal at Liu Chu, rushed to NCCU by car. In the afternoon, invited by Professor Chen Gong of NCCU, along with the Zomma team, we went to the NCCU College of Commerce building to share some insights with MIS graduate students in class. Zomma = DeFi Option Exchange, so the content consisted of two parts. I gave a brief introduction to derivative financial products (futures, options), while Tom delved deeper into the DeFi aspect. Both are not easy fields to understand, and combining them is even trickier. But hopefully, through a simplified explanation, we could offer the students a little something to take away. By Morgan @2022.12.20
Location: Taipei, Da'an Road, C'elet115 Bistro. Meeting at 4:30 PM, so I looked for one of the few restaurants that serve alcohol in the afternoon. This time it was Andy, a friend I hadn't seen in over three years, returning from Hong Kong, so we managed to meet up. Took the chance to introduce him to Sam, a veteran broker from the US (crypto custodian, AUM 200m USD), and Ethan from MatrixPort. Andy previously worked at Tencent, responsible for mergers and acquisitions, investing in global gaming companies. Now he's joined Hong Kong's EVG Group as their Global Partner in gaming and GameFi. Before returning to Taiwan this time, Andy was even invited to Saudi Arabia, riding on the sheikh's private jet to explore the local investment environment. With a friend coming from afar, I ordered a less commonly seen Orange Wine. Orange wine is a white wine but made using red wine production methods, retaining more skin flavors, hence the deeper color and a bolder taste. Sam, on his trip back from the US, specially bought me the 2023 New Year limited edition of Remy Martin X.O from France, along with a new suitcase and Swiss vitamin powder packets. Such thoughtful gifts, truly touching. Life's connections weave together; we should enjoy the moment and raise our glasses! Cheers! By Morgan @ late 2022.12.19
Location: Taipei, 1789 French Patisserie Travel notes: In the afternoon, I went to MTSK to order a new pair of leather shoes. In the evening, Sam, who just returned from the US, invited me to his favorite dessert spot in Taiwan—1789 Cafe. The chef here is French, and his wife is German. Even though the shop is tucked away in a lane near Zhongxiao Fuxing, business is booming. I enjoyed a yuzu éclair paired with a cup of Oriental Beauty tea—the sweetness slowly spread in my mouth with each sip, leaving a lingering aroma. Thanks for the treat, Sam! For dinner, I joined Pat and his whole family, including his three kids. Taiwan is such a small world—Pat's wife Ivy and Ethan Yang (Chairman Yang) have known each other since high school debate club (Taipei First Girls' High School & Cheng Kung High School). Tomorrow, she happens to be planning to visit Ying Dao Zu, a restaurant invested in by Chairman Yang. Sam, who was born in Shanghai and holds US citizenship, was thoroughly impressed by the full table of Taiwanese dishes. Thanks for hosting, Pat! After a long day, it's time to work on the slides for next week's class. @@ By Morgan @2022.12.18 evening
Location: Taichung, Taiwan Boulevard, 89 King Crab Specialty Restaurant Travel notes: Lunch was a company gathering for Brother Gong's employees. Since it's not far from my home, I joined as well. Two king crabs were more than enough for over ten people. Other dishes, like the ice plant from Penghu, were also a first for me. It was an incredibly satisfying meal—thanks for the invitation and treat, Brother Gong! By Morgan @2022.12.17
Location: Taichung Travel notes: This should be the 8th consecutive week in Taichung, singing and drinking at the same spot—from autumn into winter. This time, I met Chairman Su, who works in tiles. Thanks to Senior Peter for bringing over wine for Brother Gong and me at noon! And thanks to Brother Gong for hosting! Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.12.16
Location: Taipei, Neihu, Lao Zi Hot Pot Travel notes: In the morning, Dennis arranged for Kevin and me to visit David, the CFO of the listed company TopBI (2929-TW) in Neihu. TopBI is on Xinhu 1st Road, close to the former Polaris headquarters on Xinhu 2nd Road. It brings back memories of my old life in Neihu. @@ During the meeting, Kevin shared insights on spread trading between long-term and short-term government bonds. For lunch, Kevin—my old colleague from Yuanta Securities Investment Trust—and I casually ate and chatted nearby. Time really flies. Thanks for the treat, Kevin! By Morgan @2022.12.15
Location: Taipei, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A9, Little Back Yard Travel notes: In the morning, I visited the 43rd floor of Taipei 101 to meet Dr. Zhuo and Ben, founders of Bincentive, to chat about recent trends in crypto asset management. In the evening, I visited Little Back Yard for the third time. My younger friend Jessie chose this spot for dinner tonight. It's been over three years since we last met at Donghai Garden in Shenzhen. While eating, we tried some of the diverse whiskies available here. This Macallan, a collaboration with a barista, simulates coffee bean aromas during its sherry cask aging—though it's not cheap at NT$800 per glass. Let's clink glasses first, then start chatting~ XD Jessie just returned from a trip to Israel and Jordan. Over the past year or two, she gathered like-minded partners to create a remote psychological counseling platform called 'Chat Heart Tea Room.' After listening, I gave her some advice and direction—from seed investors on the 3rd floor all the way to VC and accelerator concepts—hoping it helps. When the bill came, Jessie said our conversation was very enlightening and insisted on treating me. I went with the flow—thanks for the treat, Jessie! :) By Morgan @2022.12.14 evening P.S. Taiwan is small—my good friend Hongqi from the national defense service and Jessie happen to be former colleagues. :P
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard, OMG Japanese Seafood Skewer Izakaya Travel note: Yesterday, I had a conference call with Pat and Enzo, the former CTO of ByBit who's now in Singapore. Enzo came from Baidu and has a strong technical background. We chatted about GoLang, C++, Java... He recently pulled together a new team of about 30 people for a new project. I'll see how I can help once his deck is ready. Tonight, instead of going to a TBW party, I met up with senior Lman for dinner at this restaurant opened by the chairman of the former OTC-listed company OMG. We talked about OpenAI's ChatGPT and Digital Times' new Web3 plans for next year. The menu here is quite varied. After spending over 1,000 per person, you can add 99 NTD for all-you-can-drink alcohol or non-alcoholic beverages. But by the fifth round, I was pretty much done—too full! @@ By Morgan @2022.12.13 evening
Location: Taichung, Dongshan Road, Dongshan Zhan Clay Pot Chicken Travel note: Known as the first clay pot chicken restaurant to make it onto the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. Today, I came with my sister's family to celebrate my two nephews' belated birthdays. The chicken was quite tender, and the skin was fragrant. Thanks to my brother-in-law for treating us! :) By Morgan @2022.12.10
Location: Taichung, Chongde Road, Diao Min Pickled Fish Travel note: This noon, Joe, an old colleague and fund manager from my days at Yuanta Securities and Axiom, asked me out for a meal. So we came to this very popular restaurant. It's been a year or two since I last saw Joe. He's basically living a semi-retired life now and recently went on a passionate motorcycle trip around the island with friends. We caught up on the recent news of some colleagues we still keep in touch with. Surprisingly, Joe's place in Taipei is actually very close to where I live now. We agreed to meet up again next time he's in Taipei. By Morgan @2022.12.9
Location: Taichung Happy Hours Travel note: Chairman Lin is returning to the US next week, so we held a farewell dinner for him today. Brother Gong brought Glenlivet 15-year-old whisky—it was so smooth I might have had a bit too much. I almost fell asleep on the sofa while getting a massage. Thanks to Chairman Lin for picking up the tab. After waking up, I chatted with Professor Zhang. He knows Xiao Ye, the founder of 'Bao Liao Gong She' (a爆料公社), who's interested in learning about cryptocurrency. We added each other on Line and agreed to chat more when there's a chance. Cheers! By Morgan @2022.12.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan Eslite 3F, Gather Gathering Travel note: Another busy week begins with 7 meetings in two days: 1. Chainsight (Web3 Anti-Scam, AML), 2. Zomma (DeFi Option Exchange), 3. Richwell (Asset Management), 4. Ascent (Fund Administration Service), 5. Timeless (Family Office), 6. ContiBit (Crypto Exchange), 7. DeFITs (Digital Asset Management). Besides remote meetings, I also visited Taipei 101 and Hong Tai Financial Building, which I hadn't been to in a while. This week, I met Max from Singapore-based Ascent and Martin (Malaysian Chinese) from Hong Kong-based Timeless. In the evening, I met up with Mars and senior Lman, whom I hadn't seen in some time. Last Sunday, while having drinks with Ray from Matrixport, we thought it'd be good to introduce him to a senior mining veteran. So we booked this Chinese restaurant, part of Eslite's venture into the F&B industry, to have dinner, drink red wine, and get to know each other. Their signature dishes are honey-glazed crispy beef short ribs and whiskey chrysanthemum chicken soup. At night, you can enjoy the view of Songshan through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Although we talked about the saddening FTX incident, life is about living in the moment—every gathering is a blessing. Let's all keep moving forward! :) Thanks to Ray for hosting. By Morgan @2022.12.6 evening
Location: The Traders Club bar in an alley off Guangfu South Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Last weekend I attended someone else's class, and this weekend I'm back to teaching others. From 8:30–11:30 AM, I taught Ramo, then from 1:30–6:30 PM, I taught Gail. Finally got a rare chance to relax in the evening with Ray, who's been back from Hong Kong for a while, and T. The bar owner loves trading, so the counter is decorated with stock and cryptocurrency quotes—fitting for Ray's and my line of work. In the first half, Ray kept guessing T's zodiac sign and failed until the 12th try, so he picked up the tab for the first round—thanks, Ray! After Ray left for another appointment, bartender Max treated us to three more shots, plus a tequila 'dental rinse' from the bottle's pourer. In the second half, we tried the bar's two strongest signature cocktails and finally got a bit tipsy. Cheers! — Morgan @2022.12.4 night
Location: Wagyu Shabu Shabu all-you-can-eat on Wenxin Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Brother Gong invited me for lunch, so we decided to try this place. Plate after plate of meat—definitely got very full. After eating, we went to the nearby Starbucks to keep chatting. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was past 7 PM! — Morgan @2022.12.2
Location: Taichung City Travel note summary: Last night, Fed Chair Powell's speech caused overnight markets to accelerate around 3 AM, leading to some option program orders not being filled. So I had to get up and manually adjust positions, and didn't get back to sleep until nearly 5 AM. Today was the farewell gathering before Chairman Lin returns to the US—thanks to Brother Wenpei for treating us. Cheers! — Morgan @2022.12.1 night
Location: Xin Sushi omakase on Guilin Road, Taipei Travel note summary: It's hard to find an omakase dinner in Taipei for NT$1,280 with no service charge. So tonight I invited Senior Lman and Pat to try it. Though the price is low, the portions aren't skimpy—16–17 courses left us quite full. Even with extra sake and Dassai daiginjo, the whole meal came to under NT$2,000 per person. Really great value for money. — Morgan @2022.11.29 night
Location: Taiwan Cultural & Creative Training Center on Chang'an East Road, Taipei Travel note summary: It's been a while since I spent two full weekend days in classes. This time, Brother Gong recommended and sponsored a paid course by Dr. Gao from NTU. Over 30 people online and over a dozen in person—quite a turnout. It was interesting meeting classmates: a大哥 making pineapple cakes in Ximending, a grandma nearly 70, and Edward who does algorithmic trading... After my brief intro, several people came to ask for my Line—seemed even more enthusiastic than after some speeches I've hosted! Taiwan is small—Dr. Gao also knows Shih-Nung, who previously helped organize lectures for him at KGI. Anyway, finally finished two days of intensive 14-hour classes. Time to head home and rest. @@ — Morgan @2022.11.27 night
Location: Taipei, Da'an, NiHao Cafe Hotel Travel note summary: In Taipei's Da'an district at NiHao Cafe Hotel. First went to Zomma in the afternoon to celebrate Tom Soong's birthday together, then headed to Da'an where Pat introduced me to his friend Arthur. Arthur previously worked at PCHome, managing the entire tech, big data, and AI teams. Even earlier, he was COO at TutorABC and often traveled to Shanghai. When we wrapped up, it was drizzling outside, so we stood at the entrance and chatted a bit more. He mentioned many of his classmates became doctors, and I said it was the same at my high school in Taichung—most chose the science-bio track, while few stayed in science-engineering. Surprisingly, Arthur said he also graduated from Taichung First Senior High School and grew up in the North District, even attending Sheng San Elementary as a kid. So I ended up reconnecting with a senior 12 years ahead of me! XD We agreed to meet up for drinks next time. :) By Morgan @2022.11.25
Location: Taipei, alley off Zhongxiao East Road, 18 Izakaya Travel note summary: In an alley off Zhongxiao East Road in Taipei at 18 Izakaya. Had a Zomma meeting in the afternoon, then a con-call in the evening with senior Lman and his friend Ben. Ben previously worked at Appier's CVC (Corporate VC) and has been looking into Web3 projects and investment opportunities lately. We briefly exchanged ideas. Afterward, I went to East District for dinner with senior Lman. The passion fruit shochu paired with raw beef with egg yolk was pretty good. Over the meal, we chatted about MarTech (marketing tech) and his recent dealings with Invest Hong Kong as an advisor for the IOTA Foundation in Asia. By Morgan @2022.11.23 evening
Location: Taichung, Malongtan Road, Ricö Padre Bar Travel note summary: At Ricö Padre Bar on Malongtan Road in Taichung. Started with a gift exchange party in the afternoon and ended up drawing a golden pixiu bracelet. Afterward, continued here for some red wine. Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.11.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Yuanshan Flower Expo, Meet Taipei - DigiAsia Conference Travel note summary: At Meet Taipei - DigiAsia Conference in Yuanshan Flower Expo, Taipei. Got pulled in last minute to host in the morning. Among the four speakers, I already knew Joseph from Oasis. The others—Gene from DemiHumam and Ben from NoPFP Lab—are both my juniors from the Industrial Management Department at National Cheng Kung University, class of 2017 and 2014 respectively. Only RH from Red Pill Lab (Chengjing Tech, focusing on AI and motion capture) was unfamiliar, but as a fellow old-school crypto miner, we quickly found common ground and hit it off. The Flower Expo Park and venue were bustling today, with various friends and companies hosting events and booths—Blockchain Enthusiast Association, FDC, Manyuan Tech, Cybavo... For lunch, I ate with Chainsight from the YC专场, Ernie, Amber, and Alan, founder of Heptabase (another Y-Combinator-funded company). Thanks to Ernie for treating us. The three-day expo ends today, attracting tens of thousands of participants—truly an annual grand gathering! By Morgan @2022.11.19
Location: Taipei, Yanji Street, Qin Wei Guan (Shaanxi Cuisine) Travel note summary: At Qin Wei Guan on Yanji Street in Taipei, a Shaanxi restaurant. The place is doing great business, with almost all seats filled. It's Shaanxi food I haven't had in ages, reminding me of Huimin Street, the Bell Tower, Drum Tower, and the Xi'an city wall. Had a team lunch here with Zomma—everyone chatted about life and FTX. By Morgan @2022.11.17
Location: Taipei, Nanjing Fuxing, Journey Kaffe Travel note: Had lunch with Pat at Blocktempo to meet Joey. This place really is a hub for crypto news. The FTX incident has had quite an impact. Rushed back home at 1:30 PM—today was Taiwan index futures monthly settlement day, so I helped Brother Gong remotely roll over his positions. In the afternoon, I went to the travel agency to pick up my new Mainland Travel Permit for Taiwan Residents. This is already my fourth one—can’t believe 15 years have passed. Then I headed to the familiar Qingcheng Street area. What a coincidence: I recorded ten programming courses on Udemy out of interest, and over the past three years, several hundred students worldwide have purchased them. Last week, I suddenly received a message from one of them, Yanjun. He said that while chatting recently with Wenliang from Capital Securities Hong Kong and my former colleague Matsumura from Concord Futures, he unexpectedly discovered they both know me, so he wrote to me. With such a serendipitous connection, of course I had to make time to meet Yanjun. He treated me to a drink, and I also explained some array usage to him. Taiwan really is a small place! @@ By Morgan @2022.11.16
Location: Taipei, Wenzhou Street, AGCT apartment Travel note: Had a remote meeting with Zomma in the morning. The recent FTX incident has been a big blow to the entire crypto space. Some CeFi deposits might flow back to DeFi later. Anyway, I think empathy is still very important. Even if you weren't involved or were lucky enough not to suffer losses this time, don't gloat over this matter. After all, everything carries risks, and everyone faces various setbacks in life—put yourself in others' shoes. In the afternoon, Richard from Zhuoyi arranged an introduction to ITM (which has investments from MediaTek and Wistron), and one of its founders, Julian, for Pat and me. ITM (International Trust Machine) mainly uses blockchain technology to solve data security and authentication issues. Currently, the Ministry of Justice uses their technology to address potential contamination of digital evidence. Taipower also uses them to certify green energy sources. Recently, with Foxconn's MIH electric vehicle alliance, they're exploring ideas to convert actual mileage driven by car owners into tokens, forming some token economy concepts. Next, I went to Shilin to visit a new crypto exchange, Contibit. One of its founders, Richard, previously invested in many entertainment companies and knows quite a few artists. Andrew is an Indonesian Chinese who previously worked in Singapore's finance industry, so their plan from the start has been compliance. Besides already holding a Canadian license, they're applying for licenses in Australia, Singapore, Southeast Asia, etc. They're also undergoing AML compliance requirements in Taiwan. Although the FTX incident has significantly impacted the industry, I believe many companies will continue moving forward. Future requirements and needs for risk control will likely increase substantially. No pain, no gain. By Morgan @2022.11.14
Location: Taichung Travel note: On Saturday afternoon, Brother Gong, Brother Wenpei, and Chairman Lin got a private room again to sing and drink—still Johnnie Walker Blue Label. This is the fourth week in a row we've met at the same spot. It's really a crazy gathering before Chairman Lin returns to the US next month. Thanks to Chairman Lin for treating us! Cheers ~ By Morgan @2022.11.12 evening
Location: Taichung, Friday routine Travel note: Went to Brother Gong's company to have drunken chicken, goose meat, and red wine. He recently bought a portable karaoke machine for his employees. Brother Yuebo, who hasn't sung in a long time, also grabbed the mic and belted out a few songs. Wenjue, Shaoming, and Apeng joined later. In these troubled times, let's all try to live in the moment～ @@ By Morgan @2022.11.11
Location: Taipei, Royal Hotel, Ming Palace Cantonese Restaurant Travel note: Had lunch with my junior high school junior Chengwei from Heding Venture Capital and my university junior Fisher from Palm Drive VC. The three of us met up for a meal—business here is really good. Peng Huainan happened to be sitting at the next table. We chatted about various projects we've seen recently. Thanks to Chengwei for treating us. :) By Morgan @2022.11.10 noon
Location: Xian Ding Wei Seafood Restaurant, Chang'an East Road, Taipei Travel note: This morning, Ethan from Matrixport and Samuel met up, and since I know both of them, we all went to the Starbucks near Shida. Ethan shared his recent SOL Put trading strategy, almost buying up all the liquidity on Deribit. XD Thanks to Ethan for also giving some advice on the Zomma Option Protocol. After a quick lunch with Samuel, I had a conference call in the afternoon with Richard and Andrey, founders of ContiBit, a new crypto exchange that has obtained a Canadian MSB license. In the evening, I joined Titan (founder of Bito, one of Taiwan's top three crypto exchanges), senior Lman, Pat, and Titan's assistant for hot pot on Chang'an East Road. We were in the A01 private room in the basement—the same room where Binance's CZ recently dined with Titan. We brainstormed some new ideas. Thanks to Titan for hosting! Cheers! By Morgan @2022.11.9 evening
Location: Wang Guo Wu Kyoto Sauerkraut Hot Pot Specialty Store, Yixian Road, Taipei Travel note: This morning, Pat and I visited Richard of Zhuoyi Capital in Liuzhangli. It's been months since we last had a meal together. Richard set up a small studio near his home—quiet amidst the bustle. Thanks to Richard for specially mixing a High Ball for me. We had some local snacks for lunch nearby, thanks to Richard for treating us. In the afternoon, Pat and I went to Block 2 in Dongmen to meet Ethan (CIC) of EVG. CIC's bar in East District is finally having a soft opening this Friday. I took a moment to send Bitcoin to an international seller for a purchase. Then, in the evening, I brought Samuel to DeFITs to meet Vins. Finally, on a rainy night, Samuel and I had a high-end shabu-shabu nearby, paired with Bordeaux red wine, chatting casually. Thanks to Samuel for hosting! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.11.8 evening
Location: He Japanese Izakaya, Minsheng Community, Taipei Travel note: Had a meeting in the morning. In the afternoon, went to the travel agency to reapply for my expired Taiwan Compatriot Permit. In the evening, discussed Samuel's Crypto FOF deck with Pat and Samuel. For dinner, met up with Haoting, a junior high school classmate from Weidao whom I hadn't seen in a while. Time flies—we've known each other for thirty years now, so we try to meet up whenever possible. Haoting is still working as a CFO at a Taiwanese company, recently back from a business trip to Guangdong Province. He shared some updates on current controls in China and their factory setup in Thailand. At a certain age, after talking about work, we move on to health topics. Haoting now walks 6,000–10,000 steps daily and has specific requirements for vegetable intake. After dinner, he even took me to Xikou Wharf and Rainbow Bridge—today's exercise quota was fully met in one go! XD By Morgan @2022.11.7 evening
Location: Cashbox KTV Zhonghua New Branch, Ximending, Taipei Travel note: Third day of singing this week—my voice is almost hoarse! XD At night, Alex celebrated a friend's birthday with over ten people. Senior Loco, whom I hadn't seen in a while, also came. With rows of drinks, we had a great time! Cheers! By Morgan @2022.11.6 evening
Location: Taichung Travel note: Third consecutive week gathering in Taichung with Brother Gong, Chairman Lin, and Brother Wenpei. We drank, sang, and discussed options trading strategies. Thanks to Brother Wenpei for hosting today! Also thanks to Wenzi for preparing the pepper shrimp and drunken chicken. Cheers! By Morgan @2022.11.4 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Dunhua, Dazhen DZ Omakase Teppanyaki & Wine Bar Travel note: Samuel invited me to dinner, so I started another gathering tonight. I invited Fisher, a Cheng Kung University junior who works at Palm Drive Capital (a global VC fund based in New York), and my good friend Pat from a foreign investment bank. Along with Samuel & Pat's Cornell University junior, also Co-Founder of DeFITs, Olen, the five of us got together to meet. Fisher also studied abroad and graduated from NYU, and Olen is now involved in VC investments with the Avalanche (AVAX) Foundation. So tonight's conversation took a more global perspective, discussing current VC views on various projects. Samuel and his friends also have a plan underway to turn a South African gold mine into a DAO. Taiwan is small—turns out Fisher is also very familiar with Cheng-Wei from He Ding Venture Capital. Enjoying delicious teppanyaki dishes paired with two bottles of Portuguese and American red wine, glasses clinking, everyone enthusiastically exchanged ideas. The restaurant also has a small private room for karaoke. It was another interesting night～ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.11.2 night
Location: Taipei, Songjiang Road, Shuguo Mala Yuanyang Hot Pot Travel note: Senior Lman suddenly asked to have dinner tonight, so I invited Wen-Zheng, a friend from the CCNS club I haven't seen in a long time, and Edison, another Cheng Kung University junior. Ranging from the class of '86 to '98, spanning chemistry, computer science, industrial management, and accounting—four completely different majors. In this cooling weather, while eating spicy hot pot, we chatted and exchanged perspectives from our different angles, which was quite interesting. Taiwan is small—Wen-Zheng said Ethan Yang was probably his elementary school classmate for a year when he attended Changchun Elementary School. Time flies. We reminisced about running clubs together in university, and who would have thought over twenty years have passed already. @@ By Morgan @2022.11.1 night
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, Yamato Japanese Cuisine, 63 Piano Bar Travel note: Tonight I met a new friend, big brother Michael, who works in cross-border logistics. He was mostly in Xiamen before and returned to Taiwan due to the pandemic. The whole night, we went to the impressive 101 Club on Jilong Road and then to 63 Piano Bar on Linsen North Road, which has a public stage where you can go up and sing. I left a little after 2 a.m. While drinking, I met Shun-ge, who is basically financially free and drinks every day, and Yi-ge, who bought thousands of graphics cards last year to build mining rigs. We enthusiastically exchanged some information. Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.10.31 night
Location: Taichung, Municipal North 2nd Road, Quyou Bulei Bar Travel note: This afternoon, Chairman Lin took the lead to organize, and with Brother Gong and Brother Wen-Pei, we gathered at the usual spot from last week. Thanks to Chairman Lin for bringing two bottles of the top-tier Blue Label whiskey from Johnnie Walker and treating us. In the evening, Nancy came down from Taipei and introduced Brother Gong, Steven, Qi-Bin, and Steven's friend Lao Gao for everyone to get to know. It's also been almost two years since I last came here. Thanks to Brother Gong for the hospitality. Cheers～ By Morgan @2022.10.28 night
Location: Taipei, Alley off Zhongxiao East Road, Range Teppan Seiniku Restaurant & Bar Travel note: Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning, I first attended Zomma's meeting remotely. After a simple instant noodle lunch, at noon, I continued with Cindy, Miya, and Claire (in the US) in another remote meeting. After that, during a break, I called Wic to discuss the features of the Portfolio Trader software. Then I went out, arriving at Nu Cafe near City Hall Station around 3 p.m. to have coffee with Dennis, the owner of a media company. Dennis and his partner, ACE Group, besides traditional media, are also involved in Web3 media (Potato Media). I had a pleasant chat with Dennis and agreed to have a drink together another time. Then at 5 p.m., I went up to the nearby United Daily News building. Tom came to visit Bei-Chen and Olen from DeFITs to discuss DEFI's Option Exchange. Later, Pat and Sam also happened to come by, making the conference room very lively. In the evening, the main purpose was to introduce Samuel, also from Cornell University, to Olen. Olen has a PhD in Computer Science from Cornell (after NTU CS). It was fun watching the two geniuses chat happily from game theory to smart contracts. We also kept drinking, from red wine to white wine to cocktails, one glass after another. Olen's alcohol tolerance was surprisingly good. I almost forgot how I got home; after it ended, he even went back to the company. The connections between people are truly wonderful. :P Thanks to Samuel for the hospitality～ Cheers! By Morgan @2022.10.25
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Xinsheng, Tugou Beer House Just got back to Taipei and my evening plans got canceled. Saw IPA's post about the g0v (Taiwan's g0v) 10th anniversary party at the Social Experiment Center on Ren'ai Road, with an after-party later. So I decided to drop by. Met up with my old high school classmate from Taichung First High, CLKao—haven't seen him in eight years, since we had a barbecue at his place in Pinglin back in 2014. CL later founded InfuseAI, which helps companies use AI to solve daily operational issues (MLOps). Last year, they secured $4.3 million in Series A funding. Thinking back to when he started g0v, time really flies. When we were younger and I lived in Neihu, I'd sometimes crash at his mountain place. Now we're all middle-aged. Those memories are truly unforgettable fragments of life. It's rare that we still get to bump into each other occasionally. Besides catching up with CLKao and IPA (who's working on a new book), I met many others tonight—a Google engineer, a cybersecurity engineer from Toronto, a well-known figure in Taiwan's Web3 scene (also a junior from Taichung First High, Huang Dou Ni), a lawyer at Academia Sinica, an NGO worker (another junior from TFH, 86.), and even a junior from Fengyuan Nanyang Elementary who just returned from New York... What a fun night! Cheers! :)
Location: Taichung, Xitun Road, Weng Donggang Live Seafood Spent the afternoon singing and drinking with some of Gong's friends from the construction industry—Chairman Huang, Chairman Ye, Chairman Cai, Chairman Zeng. Evening was Gong's company dinner. Originally called an Uber to take Gong home, but suddenly got a call from Chairman Lin, so we ended up back at the afternoon spot, just moving from room 602 to room 803. Whisky, whisky, back to whisky. This time it was with Chairman Lin, Brother Wenpei, and Professor Zhang. Thanks for the treat, Chairman Lin! Wishing you a safe trip to the US next month! Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Siwei Road, pm wine to chill Lunch with Pat, who introduced his Cornell classmate Samuel. Samuel is from Shanghai, his wife is Taiwanese, but they mostly live between Chicago and Switzerland. Recently staying in Taiwan for a while due to their child's education. Samuel is also the director of a blockchain research lab at UIUC, managing over a hundred students. He recently launched a DAO project related to African gold mines. Thanks for lunch, Pat! Since we didn't chat enough at noon, after my evening meeting, I met up with Samuel again. Originally planned for an izakaya but they weren't open yet, so we came to this quiet spot for red wine. The Italian red we opened tonight was quite impressive—moderate tannins with a hint of chocolate aroma. Could relax and exchange many ideas with Sam; since he's a good friend of Pat, we naturally clicked. Shared some project and fundraising needs I have, and Samuel quickly passed them on to his partners in the US and Europe. Looking forward to potential collaboration opportunities in the future! :) Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Dunhua, Macau Ying Dao Zu Hot Pot Private Kitchen The weather's turned slightly cool again, suddenly missing the lavish and memorable clam hot pot (卜卜貝鍋) I had while living in the Greater Bay Area (Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Macau). Plus, wanted to support Ethan's place, so I invited Telder (who recently moved to Minsheng Community) and my senior to dine here. Besides the visual appeal of the bubbling pot, the broth cooked with a large amount of clams is usually sweet and savory. But here, they also offer adding Japanese Daishichi Sake Brewery's 'nama-chozo' junmai sake into the pot, enhancing the broth's rich aroma. With the generous portions of ingredients, not sure if you'll 'win enough,' but you'll definitely be 'full enough'! XD
Location: Taipei, Lane off Linsen North Road, Zhuo Shao Izakaya Morning: remote meeting with Tianren's team at Zomma. Evening: arranged for Eric and Vins to visit Chengwei's family office (He Ding). Besides Chengwei, Assistant Manager Xia and Mina also joined. First listened to Eric share his views on semiconductors and IC design. Vins, who just returned from Hong Kong, made it to the meeting later. On his trip to Singapore, thanks to Ray from Matrixport for arranging a visit to their headquarters with Chengwei. After the meeting, went to a nearby izakaya with Vins for some soju and snacks, also caught up on his new plans with Beichen. Vins' trip to Singapore, Bangkok, Vietnam, and Hong Kong indeed brought many new insights! Go for it! :) Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Songshan – 1001 Nights Middle Eastern Restaurant & Hookah Lounge Travel notes: Spin, whom I hadn't seen in a while, asked to meet for dinner. Knowing she loves trying new things, I picked this Middle Eastern restaurant run by an Iranian owner. Over the meal, we chatted about her recent work at Hakka Finance, a well-known DeFi team in Taiwan, and their IRS interest rate swap product. After dinner, we walked to 1001 Nights, a hookah lounge on Nanjing East Road, for Spin's first shisha experience. Later, T and his friend Jerry joined us—first time meeting Jerry, who runs an engineering company. Even later, Spin's cousin dropped by for a chat. A fun night, and I also wore my Zomma Protocol T-shirt for a bit of promotion. Cheers! :) – Morgan, evening of Oct 17, 2022
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road – Bistro88 Travel notes: In the afternoon, I had coffee at Caffaina on Dadun Road with Gong and Steven. Gong left early for a dinner with friends from Xingfufa, so I asked Nancy. Her team had just held a U.S. real estate seminar at Millennium Hotel Taichung, and the whole FUNWOO team was gathering for dinner on Gongyi Road. I checked the location—it happened to be right next to Caffaina—so I brought Steven along to crash the party. FUNWOO's tech team comes from major Silicon Valley companies, using A.I. to disrupt the real estate brokerage industry, matching buyers and sellers with maximum efficiency. Nancy herself owns properties in Seattle, Beijing, and Taipei, has deep real estate insight, and has started collaborating with developers and landowners across Taiwan. Her carefully selected team is good-looking, emotionally intelligent, and highly capable. Bonding over drinks, thanks to Nancy for hosting. After dinner, we moved to the previously visited Tipsy Gallery for a second round, where I played host. Cheers! :) – Morgan, evening of Oct 14, 2022
Location: Taipei, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall – Yamamoto Hamburg Steak Travel notes: In the morning, I accompanied Bao-ge from Compal and Mars to visit Oasis. Oasis's product features a powerful naked-eye 3D web engine—no app installation needed, just a browser—quickly meeting various online scenarios like advertising, webinars, fan meetings, live streams, virtual showrooms, and factory tours. They're also about to start collaborations with well-known groups. After the meeting, Mars and I went to a nearby place for delicious hamburg steak. Mars just returned from Vietnam and is heading to Japan next week. With restrictions lifting, many friends are finally using up their accumulated mileage. XD Thanks to Mars for treating. In the afternoon, back to Zomma for meetings. Our product is already on Arbitrum testnet with a giveaway (200 USDC *5). Friends with DeFi wallets, feel free to try it out. Another fulfilling day, heading back to Taichung now. – Morgan, evening of Oct 13, 2022
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District – WeWork Shared Office Travel notes: In the afternoon, I met up with junior Edison, who once invested in over a hundred mining rigs and still holds plenty of ETH, to visit Ray at Matrixport and learn about their structured financial products, also touring Matrixport's WeWork office. WeWork has a spacious café on the first floor with many sofa seats, and after evening, happy hour with beer—exclusive for tenants, quite comfortable. Coincidentally, the family office Edison founded is one of the channels for the Richwell & DeFITs arbitrage fund, and Matrixport's Cactus is the custody platform for this fund. So we quickly connected. Taiwan is small; Tony and Ray, whom I've known for years, also knew each other from Hong Kong. Ray, just back from Token 2049 in Singapore, had met many friends there. So we chatted happily, time flew. The three of us also exchanged recent demands we've each received. Though online meetings are convenient, this kind of in-person meeting and communication feels more亲切 and irreplaceable. :P – Morgan, Oct 12, 2022
Location: Taipei, Bade Road – Li Ji Spicy Hot Pot Travel notes: Senior Lman asked to meet for dinner. Since the weather's getting cooler, I chose this nearby Taiwanese-style spicy hot pot place. Over the hot pot, he shared thoughts from his recent trip to Singapore. Like Tom said, Singapore has become the center of the crypto circle in Asia—policy attitudes really influence how things develop. Listened to senior talk about new Web3 plans—Digital Times, Bahamut, DID... and maybe someday, we'll issue a commemorative NFT for the Dream Land BBS too. :P – Morgan, evening of Oct 11, 2022
Location: Taipei, Minsheng West Road, Taichun Xiaoguan Travel note summary: In Taipei at Taichun Xiaoguan on Minsheng West Road, Alex lured me out in the evening with a bottle of ginjo and a bottle of daiginjo sake. Along with Jingyun, English teacher Winnie, Alex's real estate friend Zihao, and Zihao's older brother, Chairman Cai, who owns several moving companies in Taipei, we gathered here to drink and chat. Thanks to Alex for hosting. After drinking, Chairman Cai suggested we continue to Linsen North Road for a second round of karaoke, which felt like a fitting end to the long holiday. ~ By Morgan @2022.10.10
Location: Taipei, Uni-President Era Square 7F, Nara Thai Cuisine Travel note summary: At Nara Thai Cuisine on the 7th floor of Uni-President Era Square in Taipei. Cindy is temporarily returning to mainland China and Hong Kong this week, and Nancy wanted to introduce her two friends—Xiao Xu from Far Eastern Bank in Tainan, and Lizzy from a large e-commerce system—for everyone to meet, so we had this dinner gathering tonight. Along with Senior Mingzhi, Eric, Kevin, Rebecca, Edison, and me, there were 10 people in total. It's not easy for people from all walks of life to gather together. Thanks to Cindy for hosting~ Have a safe trip~ ~ By Morgan @2022.10.4 evening
Location: Taipei, Wanhua, Guangzhou Street Night Market Travel note summary: At Guangzhou Street Night Market in Wanhua, Taipei. In the evening, Matsumura, whom I hadn't seen in a while, asked to meet up, so I came to his neighborhood. We ate some street food and chatted casually. Time flies—recalling the days when I lived near Ximending, I can't believe almost ten years have passed in the blink of an eye. @@ Thanks to Matsumura for hosting~ ~ By Morgan @2022.10.3 evening
Location: Taichung, Huiwen Road, Pin Hong Qiao Hu Chuan Mei Zhuan Flagship Store Travel note summary: At Pin Hong Qiao Hu Chuan Mei Zhuan Flagship Store on Huiwen Road in Taichung. In the evening, I had dinner with Cindy, founder of the Richwell Financial Group; Nancy, founder of the Silicon Valley tech real estate agency Funwoo; Senior Guozhi from the NCKU Aeronautics class of '82; and Junior Ruqi from the NCKU Accounting class of '92. Ruqi founded her own companies, Yousi Consulting & Ziwen Creative Design, and has already assisted over 600 SMEs in applying for government subsidies or transformation/upgrading. Besides NCKU, Senior Guozhi is also my double senior from Taichung First Senior High School. The senior is very knowledgeable about fine food, wine, and tea. Besides teaching at school, he also holds an international sommelier license and previously won a wine blind tasting championship. Tonight, he demonstrated his strong professional skills. While eating, I thought maybe we should pair it with red wine after all. I initially thought we could just order something casually at the restaurant, but the senior immediately contacted a familiar wine merchant nearby, who delivered a bottle of Burgundy—ranked in the top 4% globally on Vivino—along with a whole set of professional Burgundy glasses. This made the whole evening gathering even more harmonious and perfect. Nancy has also recently started connecting with second-generation heirs of major Taichung construction companies, gradually building various collaborations, so she's been frequently in Taichung lately. Last night, she also invited semiconductor foreign analyst Eric and some major bosses from central and southern Taiwan, with a combined net worth of over ten billion, to a networking dinner at Yu Yue Lou in Taichung. Tonight was another very interesting dinner, where I met many interesting alumni and friends~ No wonder Cindy says my destiny seems to be constantly eating and drinking. XD Thanks for hosting. Cheers! :) ~ By Morgan @2022.9.29 evening
Location: Taipei, Banqiao, Alumi's Office Visit Travel Notes Summary: Visited Alumi's office in Banqiao, Taipei. Alumi is one of the well-known experts in Taiwan's trading circle, and the 'Financial Mavericks' Facebook group he founded has tens of thousands of members. This afternoon, Tony, Wic, and I went to visit him. I had seen Alumi on a show before, and in person, he's just as down-to-earth and friendly as he appears on screen. We exchanged many trading ideas and concepts. CMoney's office happened to be right next door. In the evening, also through Tony's introduction, I had an online video call with Jerry, who is in Melbourne, Australia. Jerry is also a professional trader, currently managing funds in the tens of millions of USD range, with a small portion allocated to cryptocurrency strategies, and plans to increase that allocation in the future. So Tony arranged for me to chat with him to see what resources I could help with. After that, I helped a friend by sending Bitcoin to an address to purchase some online services. The day always flies by so fast! @@ By Morgan @Night of 2022.9.28
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan 48F Ce La Vi Bar Travel Notes Summary: Taipei Breeze Nanshan 48F Ce La Vi Bar & Nanjing Fuxing 'Seven Days' Izakaya. In the afternoon, Pat and I went to the Chainsight office near Zhongxiao Dunhua, then with the Co-Founder & CTO, Junhan, we went to the tea street behind to chat about the company being selected for this batch of Silicon Valley Y-Combinator's investment list, the recent situation after graduation, securing investments from top international VCs, and how Trend Micro recently started using their Background Check API for anti-fraud services in Web3. Also discussed what resources we could help connect. Today also happened to be Ernie's birthday, time flies! :) Then from 3:00 PM to 6:00 AM the next day, it was truly a journey of hopping from place to place, drinking & completing various tasks~ Whisky, shochu, ginjo, fruit wine, cocktails, red wine. Cheers! By Morgan @Night of 2022.9.27
Location: Taipei Travel Notes Summary: Still maintaining a pace of four meetings a day. In the morning, had a remote meeting with the Zomma team, and Tom and Charlotte who are in Singapore for Token 2049. At noon, with Cindy and a potential investor from the media industry, went to the Guozhong Memorial Hall Station to visit the tech company 'OOSGA' (光禾感知), which also received investment from the National Development Fund. Founder Joseph demonstrated their core product: a 3D version of Zoom for the metaverse, which can quickly model different application scenarios, making it much more vivid and interesting compared to traditional online meetings. Afterwards, had a simple meal with Cindy nearby, discussing Richwell's development. In the afternoon, returned to my place, remotely helped Wic set up the two major trading platforms, Multicharts and Ninjatrader. Also discussed the application of Order Flow systems. After finishing, went out and walked to 'Taipei Ark' at the end of Civic Boulevard, tested products with Taka, while Wayne joined remotely. Time flew by, and it was already past 10 PM. Several blockchain-related companies in the Ark were still brightly lit, feeling the vitality and drive of many startups. Finally, thanks to Taka for driving me back to my place. By Morgan @Night of 2022.9.26
Location: Taichung, Zhongming Road, alley, Nobody Knows Bar Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Zhongming Road alley Nobody Knows Bar & Taipei Zhonghe Zhengyihu Mutton Hot Pot. Last night, with Qibin and the couple Steven, came to this newly opened bar, which is a renovated old house in an alley. It's really just opened, even the menu and drink list haven't been printed yet. However, the female staff's looks are clearly selected, plus there are quite a few pretty customers, the liveliness and full-house atmosphere of the whole place make it hard to believe it's a newly opened shop hidden in an alley. The next day, a former student of mine, Ramo, contacted me, so I returned to Taipei early. Ramo used to work at J.P. Morgan in Australia for a while, more on the Sell Side. A few years ago, due to family reasons, he returned to Taiwan. Now he has also self-learned some programming languages and just started getting into trading. At the Starbucks in Breeze Nanshan, I chatted with him all afternoon, exchanging some ideas. Also helped him think about any suitable new jobs I could introduce. In the evening, Alex suddenly invited me to eat mutton hot pot in Zhonghe. Thinking it was drizzling and the weather was a bit cool, I agreed. Also found Jim (Guanting), whom I hadn't seen for a while, to chat about their team's recent cryptocurrency trading situation. Alex himself also trades Taiwan index futures, so we ate, drank 'earth dragon' wine, and all chatted about trading together~ $4,650, thanks to Alex for covering most of it! By Morgan @Night of 2022.9.25
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, Huilai Road, Civic Wine Cellar Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Qizhi District Huilai Road Civic Wine Cellar. Today, I researched the MLP model (Multilayer Perceptron) related to neural networks in Tensorflow all day. In the evening, with Brother Gong and Steven, came to the Civic Wine Cellar, which is diagonally across from the CRU wine cellar we visited last Friday. The style of this shop is completely different from CRU, with minimal decoration and emphasis on the wine itself. The shop is very quiet, and non-regulars probably wouldn't easily walk in. Plus, the second-floor balcony allows you to enjoy the breeze and view the Qizhi District nightscape, giving it a private wine cellar vibe. Sarah, who serves as a consultant in the shop, grew up abroad. As the Asian regional general agent for many major European wineries, she has the power to allocate quotas for many special wines. Well-traveled Sarah can chat with Steven about various cigars, with me about our experiences visiting North Korea, with Brother Gong about many construction company bosses they both know, or about one of her clients, the boss of Largan Precision and his circle of friends. Having returned to Taiwan for a few years, she's also very down-to-earth and can chat about all sorts of things. Having a great time, we couldn't help but open many bottles of champagne and white wine, mostly top Italian brands. (La Montina, which collaborates with A.C. Milan, its champagne aged for 40+ months, and Chardonnay white wine, as well as white wine from Barolo, the 'King of Wines' region in Northern Italy.) Paired with three different types of Japanese natural rock oysters and various Italian-style foods, the silky, smooth, and soft white wine with sweet and sour notes enhanced the aroma of the oysters with a milky flavor. Finally, same as last week, the three of us spent around sixteen thousand something in total. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating! Cheers! :) By Morgan @Night of 2022.9.23
Location: Taichung Travel notes summary: Eight meetings in two days. At 9:00 AM, I first arranged to meet with Ethan from Matrixport, and together we visited Adam, the founder of Taiwan's largest high-frequency trading company, Weixu. Through Ethan's detailed introduction, I gained more understanding of Matrixport's asset management, brokerage, and custody services in the crypto world. Then, we moved to Xindian, right by Bitan Lake. At 11:00, through a pre-arrangement by Joseph, CEO of Oases, I met with Cindy from Richwell, Beichen and Vins from DeFITs, and we visited Titan, the founder of Bito, one of Taiwan's top three cryptocurrency exchanges. We chatted about the O2Meta project, and Titan gave us a tour of Bito's headquarters, though they're moving soon. In the afternoon at 14:30, I returned to Zomma Option Protocol, where Tianren brought two senior engineers, and we discussed the status of various DeFi and CeFi options platforms. In the evening back at my place, I contacted Chairman Huang, who has been in machinery export in Taichung for years. Last week, he asked me to help set up a simple system to automatically capture stock bid-ask data during trading hours. I quickly put it together using Excel + DDE and sent it to him. After finishing up, I suddenly got a message from my buddy Pat, who just landed back in Taiwan from the U.S. He ran into an unexpected situation during his trip, but thankfully he bought insurance before leaving, or that $30,000 would've been a headache. Right after, Tony called to ask about the feasibility of his Hong Kong client using Interactive Brokers (IB) to receive quotes for Hong Kong stock bull/bear certificates. After giving a quick answer, I ended this another busy day with a glass of French Sauvignon Blanc (Blanc) wine. @@ By Morgan @2022.9.21 night
Location: Taipei, Longjiang Road, Torichiku·Shuushoku Travel notes summary: Four meetings in one day in Taipei, Longjiang Road, Torichiku·Shuushoku. In the morning, I first went to Zomma, where Tianren came over to discuss the relationship between options pricing and arbitrage with everyone. In the afternoon, I went to Wood Color Art Cafe on Hangzhou South Road and finally met Jeffrey, introduced by Andy. He had pitched Linked3 at the AVA Angel Investment Club in the morning (thanks to old friend Taka for the referral). Afterward, he met up with me and Ethan from Asia Blockchain Group EVG, stationed in Taiwan. Although Jeffrey was born in Hong Kong and lived in Silicon Valley after graduation, his mother is Taiwanese, and his wife is also Taiwanese. He used to work in the same team as Audrey Tang in the U.S., so he's quite familiar with Taiwan. His fluent Chinese really doesn't sound like a Hong Kong accent. XD While chatting with Jeffrey, it suddenly occurred to me that his current topic might connect with the DID project my senior Lman mentioned last week. So, taking advantage of a gap between 16:00 and 17:15 when my senior was going to Red Building Capital, I introduced them at Guanghe Box near Zhongshan Junior High School Station to see if any sparks would fly. Finally, in the evening, as usual, my senior Lman and I found an izakaya nearby, opened a small bottle of daiginjo sake, and relaxed with a chat. My senior recently also took on an advisory role for the IOTA Foundation in Asia and will go to Singapore at the end of the month to attend the launch of their 2.0 mainnet. Singapore will be super lively then. @@ By Morgan @2022.9.20 night
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Cha Liu Yakiniku Travel notes summary: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Cha Liu Yakiniku. Last night, I first dropped by my junior high school classmate from Weidao, Nengjia. Weekends here always gather a large crowd, very lively. Then, with a friend who specially came down from Taipei, plus Steven and his wife, and Qibin, the five of us went to Cha Liu, a very popular yakiniku restaurant in Taichung. Thanks to Qibin for treating us. Finally, we went back to Qibin's place for a second round, drinking some plum wine, red wine, and chatting. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.9.18
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, Huilai Road, CRU Wine Cellar Travel notes summary: Taichung, Qizhi District, Huilai Road, CRU Wine Cellar. In the afternoon, several Weidao classmates/friends who are full-time traders or bosses—Jiezhi, Qibin, plus Steven—came over to Brother Gong's company to gather and discuss trading and investment performance so far this year. Qibin, who specializes in convertible bonds (CB) and convertible bond options (CBAS), also shared some targets he's currently bullish on using a large screen. In the evening, with Brother Gong and Steven, we came to this high-end wine cellar hidden in Qizhi. Taiwan is small; somehow, I ended up knowing an elementary school junior many years younger than me. Finally, we opened five bottles of red wine, each priced around 3,000 TWD, mostly from France's Burgundy region. So, we paired them with Austrian Riedel Burgundy crystal glasses. Handcrafted with a wider bowl, they also help the wine breathe faster. As for the wines, the tannins progressed from light to deep, with layers gradually increasing. It was like starting from a fragrant berry garden in the human world and step by step, finally walking into the vast, deep sea of stars. Thanks to classmate Steven for treating us. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.9.16 night
Location: Taipei, Leli Road, Red Queen Sichuan Wine Travel notes summary: Taipei, Leli Road, Red Queen Sichuan Wine. In the morning, I first went to the headquarters of Whoscall (Gogolook) near Guting Station with my senior Lman to visit CEO Jeff, also an alumnus of National Cheng Kung University. Gogolook now has over 150 employees, but almost all work remotely, almost matching the model of many Silicon Valley companies. XD With Jeff, we discussed the new Web3 project my senior Lman is planning with Sega, the founder of Bahamut, Taiwan's largest gaming community website with a stable daily active user (DAU) count of over 2 million. (A Web3 Steam). Then, at noon, I continued with Senior Lman to a cafe on the 11th floor of Syntrend, chatting with Dr. Lan Zixiang, currently in the Chairman's Office of Foxconn, responsible for research and investment in the metaverse theme, continuing the discussion on Web3 DID issues. In the afternoon, I returned to Zomma Option Protocol for a meeting, witnessing the historic moment of Ethereum's merge completion with everyone. In the evening, we gathered at a nearby restaurant for dinner. Taiwan is small; coincidentally, while chatting with Tianren on my right about Tony, whom I had dinner with yesterday, they both know General Manager Zeng from the high-frequency trading company Weixu. Professor Han Chuanxiang from National Tsing Hua University's Finance Department, sitting across, chimed in that Weixu had some industry-academia collaboration with them before. And Professor Han and Tianren both have connections with junior Charles, who just held his wedding banquet two weeks ago, through teaching or interviewing. Also, Tianren and Tony had met before at some big investor's place. Then, Tom brought a bottle of red wine he bought from Star Cellar, coincidentally the 'God's Drop' third apostle's Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine from Domaine du Pegau that I missed out on ordering last week. Tom is classmates with the second-generation son of Star Cellar, and General Manager Liang has known the owner of Star Cellar for decades, so I also really like Star Cellar and am impressed by their private kitchen dishes and wine collection. During the meal, we happened to mention Whoscall from the morning visit. Unexpectedly, Wayne, who graduated from National Tsing Hua University's Computer Science and sat on my left, said he also knows Jeff and was approached by him when Jeff started his business. A very interesting day, feeling like everyone can be connected. Hope all the interesting topics can bear fruit soon! Let's work hard together. :) Cheers!!! By Morgan @2022.9.15 night
Location: Taipei, Baoqing Street, Youjian Xiaoguan Sichuan Restaurant Travel note summary: Dinner with Tony, Zhewei, Xiaomin & their 4-year-old daughter at this Sichuan restaurant opened by a former Kiki chef. We've known each other for almost ten years now. Back then, Tony was the head of the legal department at Uni-President where Zhewei and Xiaomin worked; we met when I opened an account there, and that connection has lasted to this day. Tony later moved to Hong Kong's SinoPac as a supervisor/RO, so before the pandemic, he'd often come to my Hong Kong place for red wine, sea views, and life chats. We'd also drive across the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge on weekends, rent a sea-view Airbnb in Zhuhai, sit on the balcony zoning out, or have dim sum before evening adventures. Time flies; every moment we can gather is a precious bond. During dinner, I also passed along a Hetian jade gift from Wenpei, whom Tony had helped before. Connections and goodwill between people always keep flowing. Thanks for the treat, Tony and Zhewei! :) By Morgan @2022.9.14 night
Location: Taipei, Songqin Street, Paint Sip Travel note summary: Taipei, Songqin Street Paint Sip & Guangfu South Road Greedy Bistronomy. First, attended an offline VIP event for crypto unicorn Matrixport at this fun venue where you can paint while drinking. Since this event targeted intellectual women, I invited Mina, Chengwei's wife, who also brought her friend Jill. Some familiar faces like Xiaxia and Vins also came. Also met Alex from Unabiz and Yuxuan from Matters Lab, who I'd met before at Digital Times' Future Commerce Expo and Taipei Startup Base Festival where I was host and speaker respectively, and we'd exchanged questions and business cards. Eugene from Matrixport—I'd previously had a conference call with him, Lman senior, and Mars through William's introduction. Eugene is also the brother of a top Asian superstar singer, very low-key, and used to work at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong, so we chatted about Hong Kong and mutual friends. Also met Anson from Nomura Securities, Crystal from the multinational family office Wisdom who manages assets for many second-generation heirs, Ethan who used to be at Deutsche Bank and is now at Matrixport, Stephanie formerly at Max and Coolbit, and Winnie from Chain News... met many friends from crypto or traditional finance. Thanks for the invite, Ray. Afterward, had my usual dinner with Lman senior at a bistropub in East District, discussing Decentralized Identity (DID), soulbound tokens, zero-knowledge proofs, etc. Got home after 10 PM and continued preparing for a conference call with mainland friends and partners. By Morgan @2022.9.13 night
台北 光復南路 臥虎藏龍 酒吧、 忠孝東路 Mirror Lounge 連假第二天， 寫程式 / 泰式按摩 / Bar Surfing 繼續考察台北眾酒吧～ 又是生命之水的特調， 凌晨五點解散…
Location: Taipei, New Ton Dong Hai Seafood Restaurant Songshan Branch Travel note summary: Taipei, New Ton Dong Hai Seafood Restaurant Songshan Branch. Last time I ate at New Ton Dong Hai was 14 years ago, at the wedding banquet of Maoba and Maoma, blogger friends I met back in the Wretch blog days. Today, Steven brought his wife up to Taipei for a visit, and since I didn't go back to Taichung this week, we all had dinner together in Taipei. Steven said to eat near where I live, so I picked this branch I hadn't been to in ages to play host and reminisce a bit. The seafood at New Ton Dong Hai is still very fresh, and the chef's skills are top-notch. The whole meal was quite satisfying. After eating, I took the Zous to nearby Raohe Street Night Market for a stroll. A perfect end to the first day of the long holiday. By Morgan @2022.9.9 night
Location: Taipei, Dongxing Road, Komeda's Coffee & Linked3 Platform Travel note summary: Taipei, Dongxing Road Komeda's Coffee & Linked3 Platform. In the morning, had a conference call with Jeffrey, his partner Johnson, and Pat. Jeffrey and Pat are alumni of CMU, so I introduced them. Coincidentally, Johnson's previous startup just graduated from Hong Kong Science Park's incubation program, so we chatted about buildings like 5W and 19W where I used to work. Jeffrey and Johnson's new project, Linked3, is like an NFT version of Linktree—a single landing page to display all your cross-chain wallet NFT collections: https://linked3.xyz. This makes it easy to promote and spread to Web2 social platforms. NFT holders, feel free to register and try it out! At noon, Zhewei took me to lunch. We caught up and discussed the development of Tony's new fintech info company, and I also learned about some well-known high-frequency trading firms in Taiwan. Thanks for the treat, Zhewei. After lunch, we went to the Uni-President Futures headquarters next door to chat with Xiaomin, whom I hadn't seen in a while. Another fulfilling day. By Morgan @2022.9.7 night
Location: Shiyu, an omakase Japanese sushi restaurant in a lane off Ren'ai Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Dinner at Shiyu, an omakase Japanese sushi spot in a lane off Ren'ai Road, Taipei. Ray from Matrixport invited me, and I also brought Pat along. Ray spent ten years in Hong Kong, including working at the Hong Kong Exchange. Like me, he's part of 'Huijin Taiwan,' a group of Taiwanese finance professionals in Hong Kong. Pat also lived in Hong Kong for twelve years and even owns property there. So we started chatting about shared memories of Hong Kong and Macau. This place doesn't charge a corkage fee, and Ray brought a bottle of Dassai. Unlike regular Dassai, this one uses centrifugal separation technology to extract a purer, more aromatic sake from the already refined 23% polished daiginjo. A fantastic omakase sushi restaurant paired with great sake made for a brilliant dinner! Thanks for treating, Ray! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.9.6 evening
Location: Yuyue Lou premium Cantonese restaurant on Gongyi Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Yuyue Lou premium Cantonese restaurant on Gongyi Road, Taichung. Charles, a junior from Taichung First Senior High School, had a wedding banquet that faced many delays—postponed twice due to the pandemic and today encountering a typhoon. Thankfully, it concluded smoothly and perfectly. Besides Mr. Liang making a special trip from Taipei, at our table was Mr. Zeng Yongquan, founder of Vici Holdings, Taiwan's top high-frequency trading company: https://www.bnext.com.tw/article/67031/vici-holdings_2021. Having previously read Digital Times' interview with Vici and Mr. Zeng, and because Tianren from KGI also knows Mr. Zeng and mentioned him to me, we easily found topics to chat about. Another guest was Ralph, Charles' former supervisor at Dah Hua, now at Capital Futures managing the proprietary trading department and forex margin department. I also chatted with him about how the proprietary side is faring in this year's market conditions. Among Taichung's major Cantonese restaurants—Dingyue Jipin, Yuyue Lou, and Jinyue Xuan—Yuyue Lou is built by the Hoshino Group with an investment of 300 million TWD. The food quality is still quite good, and my junior choosing this venue for his wedding banquet left a generally positive impression on all the guests. Congratulations, Charles! ^^ By Morgan @2022.9.3 afternoon
Location: Juntai Wine Cellar on Ren'ai Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Juntai Wine Cellar on Ren'ai Road, Taipei. Three meetings in one day. In the afternoon, I first took Cindy and Vins to visit Chengwei, a junior from Weidao High School. His family office includes Hedding Venture Capital, which primarily invests in biotech and IC design but has recently started investing in blockchain-related companies, including Cybavo, which was recently acquired by Circle. After leaving Hedding, I returned to the Richwell & Defits office with Cindy and Vins, where we continued chatting with Nancy, one of the founders of FUNWOO, a startup team from Silicon Valley. FUNWOO, as a tech company disrupting the real estate industry, has been frequently covered by major media lately. Finally, in the evening, I organized another dinner gathering for NCKU alumni or people from Taichung. There were four of us: Jeff, Lman, Pat, and me. I later discovered that Jeff, the CEO of Whoscall—a fraud prevention app with over 100 million downloads worldwide—and I share many memories. Besides being fellow NCKU Class of '91 alumni, although he studied industrial design, he also took many double-degree courses in industrial management and even took classes from my graduate advisor, Professor Wang Taiyu. So we actually attended the same classroom back then. We've both also invested in Chainsight (Unblock), which was recently invested in by Y Combinator, the world's largest startup accelerator, making it one of the very few Taiwanese teams selected by YC: https://money.udn.com/money/story/5635/6566689?from=edn_hotestlist_storybottom. Plus, Jeff is also longtime friends with Calvin, founder of iPart (Love Apartment). Jeff is also from Taichung and attended Mingdao High School's art class in junior high. So the four of us—Weidao, Mingdao, Daoming—all attended private schools, giving us tons of common ground. We've all experienced the shift from Web1 to Web2, so we can't miss the wave from Web2 to Web3 this time. Whoscall (Gogolook) is also aiming for an IPO in the next year or two. Pat is very familiar and experienced with IPO business. We had a great conversation, opening one bottle of red wine after another. The last bottle was around $3,600, and with food, the total for four was just over ten thousand TWD, cheaper than expected. Thanks for treating, bro Pat! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.8.30 evening
Location: GBA Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant on Dunhua North Road, Taipei Travel note summary: GBA Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant on Dunhua North Road, Taipei. Among NCKU graduates, the proportion entering finance is relatively low. So tonight, I introduced Cindy, an NCKU MBA graduate who founded the Richwell Financial Group (with a Hong Kong asset management license) with offices in both Hong Kong and Taiwan, to Naiwen, my NCKU industrial management university classmate who has spent many years at Goldman Sachs in the US, Beijing, and Taiwan. They chatted from traditional finance all the way to DeFi (decentralized finance), and the two ladies seemed to hit it off quite well. I happily sipped my red wine on the side. Thanks for treating, classmate Naiwen! :P By Morgan @2022.8.28 evening
Location: Aqi Fuzhou-style Yi Noodles at Taichung Second Market Travel note summary: Aqi Fuzhou-style Yi Noodles and fish ball soup at Taichung Second Market; Taichung night view. I was originally planning to rush back to Taipei in the afternoon with nothing to do, but Steven suddenly invited me to eat snacks at the traditional market. Aqi is a century-old shop, and their Yi noodles are incredibly smooth and delicious. Paired with Dongquan sweet chili sauce and special chili, it adds even more flavor. In the evening, I went to Qibin's place next to the Green Belt, where we watched a documentary video he shot last month during a business trip to Japan at the Hilton Fukuoka, using an 85-inch screen. Then we went to the 28th-floor resident's private club on the rooftop, and along with Steven's wife, the four of us had dinner together. The view here is still beautiful, especially as the sunset was about to end. Thanks for treating, Qibin! :) By Morgan @2022.8.27 evening
Location: Dingyuan Roast Goose Danzai Kitchen, Anhe Road, Taichung Travel note: Yesterday evening, despite the heavy rain, Pat and I went to Blocktempo's Taipei office to visit Joey and catch up on crypto trends. Today, back in Taichung, I had lunch with Brother Gong, Uncle Yue, and Wenjue, joined by Brother Gong's friend, Brother Wang, a factory manager at Sanyang Tiles, who came all the way from Taipei. After the meal, we returned to Brother Gong's company for tea and red wine. Later, Steven joined us for cigars, and a friend, Jiajia, also dropped by. Coincidentally, Brother Gong had another dinner reservation at Dingyuan in the evening, so we ended up opening another table there, adding another bottle of red wine. Two meals in a row at this roast goose spot under the A-Guan group—thanks to Brother Gong and Steven for treating! Cheers! By Morgan @2022.8.26 evening
Location: Sanshihui Bistro, Dunhua North Road, Taipei Travel note: Evening meetup with Cheng Kung University Business Management '89 alumni, Dehang and Iman. Last time I saw Dehang was in 2015, right after he left Soft-World and started his own gaming consultancy. He now works at a startup accelerator, but seems to be getting younger—looks even younger than me! XD Taiwan is small; Dehang recently attended an event at Ark N24 in Taipei and met Taka. He's also known Miya, a junior from the Langlang Yacht Club, for a while. Dehang's eldest daughter recently represented the Chinese Taipei team at the Asian Youth Taekwondo Championships in Vietnam, winning the individual women's gold—bringing glory to the country! As for Iman, he had a few rounds of whiskey with Joseph, CEO of Oases, before rushing over. We added a few more glasses of red wine here and dispersed just before closing. Life, everything goes with the flow~ Cheers! By Morgan @2022.8.24 evening
Location: Yongxiang Badminton Hall, Xitun, Taichung Travel note: Had some expensive deer antler medicinal wine at Brother Gong's place at noon. In the evening, played badminton with Brother Gong and Steven to burn off energy—haven't exercised in a while, worked up a serious sweat! @@ By Morgan @2022.8.19 evening
Location: Taichung Travel note: Richwell Financial Group Taiwan Office Opening Tea Party. I recall late last year, on my way from Taichung to Taipei, Cindy, a junior who had just obtained her Hong Kong Type 4 & 9 licenses (asset management), suddenly messaged me on WeChat asking what themes she could consider for a new fund. I told her then: have you thought about launching a compliant fund using Crypto? Even as I said it, I knew there were too many hurdles—far from simple—and didn't have high hopes. Yet in less than a year, Cindy and the Richwell team scoured resources across the US and Europe, actually finding compliant fund auditors, custodian banks, legal counsel from Ogier, and tax advisors from PwC. With strong technical support from the DeFITs team, they've launched what's likely Asia's first DeFi decentralized finance arbitrage fund. Today's opening tea party was held at the joint office in Taipei where they've partnered strategically with DeFITs. Earlier news preview: https://tw.news.yahoo.com/richwell%E9%87%91%E8%9E%8D%E9%9B%86%E5%9C%98-%E5%89%B5%E6%96%B0%E8%B3%87%E7%94%A2%E7%AE%A1%E7%90%86%E6%A8%A1%E5%BC%8F-%E6%8F%AE%E8%BB%8D%E6%95%B8%E4%BD%8D%E7%B6%93%E6%BF%9F-%E5%A4%A7%E6%90%B6%E8%90%AC%E5%84%84%E5%95%86%E6%A9%9F-045017610.html Originally targeting an initial fund size of $15 million, it's now oversubscribed. Thanks to several good friends who made the trip for the tea party today. If something doesn't exist, find a way to create it by pooling everyone's strength—life always holds infinite possibilities. :P By Morgan @2022.8.18
Location: Cosmoship, Daan Forest Park Station, Taipei Travel note: Long-time buddy Pat is back from the US, just out of quarantine today, and met up near his place in the evening. Besides catching up, we exchanged updates on various projects from his side in foreign investment banking and my side in the crypto world. Hot weather, so we ordered a can of Austrian Royal sparkling wine. Thanks for the treat, Pat! By Morgan @2022.8.15
Location: Taipei, Zhongxiao Dunhua, Chainsight Office Travel Notes: This morning, I brought Ethan and his father, Chairman Howard, to visit Unblock here. Unblock will later merge into Chainsight. Their main products include a blockchain transaction monitoring platform for AML (anti-money laundering) purposes. Bito, Taiwan's largest crypto exchange, currently uses their product. Their new product is a Background Check API, essentially a 'Whoscall' for the blockchain, using AI pattern recognition learning to identify and display high-risk or suspicious on-chain addresses. It's also applicable to various social platforms. Ernie and Amber joined the meeting remotely from the US. Towards the end, Chairman Howard mentioned that former NCCU President Mr. Zheng Dingwang is his father-in-law, so there's a special connection with the Chainsight team, which is mainly composed of NCCU alumni. Let's see if we can leverage his extensive business resources to bring some collaboration opportunities for Chainsight. Afterwards, I had a simple meal with Junhan nearby. Thanks for the treat, Junhan! Off to the next meeting with options exchange Zomma~ By Morgan @2022.8.11
Location: Taipei, Lane off Dunhua South Road, Xindiantang Hot Pot Travel Notes: Had dinner tonight with senior Lman, Scott, and Changfeng, whom I met for the first time but who has known senior Ramen for many years. Changfeng previously worked with accelerators in Nanjing, Beijing, and Chengdu, and founded https://skyline.tw/, which mainly provides young people with opportunities to participate in various domestic and international related activities. It's an information integration platform for international exchange and talent development. While enjoying the fragrant Southeast Asian laksa broth hot pot and plenty of various beef and seafood, we also chatted about the potential development of digital marketing in Web3. Tonight's drink pairing was Izumo Junmai Ginjo from Tsukiyama. Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.8.9 evening
Location: Taipei, Jilong Road, Nadarrach.Official Bar Travel Notes: Another night out. Tonight, it was two guys and two girls. The entrance to this place is mysterious—it looks like a beverage shop from the outside, and you have to pull a water gate to open the door and enter. Inside, the bar area has literally brought an ecological pond indoors. There's water mist, fish, and vegetation—the overall ambiance is incredibly beautiful. The various cocktails also match the shop's atmosphere: Forest Path, Red Fuji, Tribe, Green Grassland, Gobi... The bartender maximized creativity; some taste like taro, some have a smoky wood flavor, some have molecular gastronomy foam on top, and some have rich layers... Including meditative-inspired cocktails, elevating the overall experience to a spiritual level of satisfaction. A very impressive bar, well worth a visit~ By Morgan @2022.8.8 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, The Public House Bar Travel Notes: After teaching Gail programming for 4.5 hours this afternoon, a girl who loves drinking asked me out for drinks. So I invited Ethan, who is currently accelerating preparations for a new bar investment in the East District, to come and let them exchange ideas. Later, Vins also rushed over from the company. Ethan*7, Morgan*7, Vins*4, T*6—four people drank over twenty cocktails. Sunday night, Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.8.7 evening
Location: Taipei Startup Base Festival ExpoFest - Blockchain Decentralized Application Forum Travel Notes: Thanks to my friend of almost 20 years, Taka, who is also the chairman of the Taiwan Blockchain Enthusiasts Association, for inviting me. This afternoon at the Taipei Digital Industry Park, I gave a talk on DeFi. In the morning, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and Deputy Mayor Huang Shan-shan also came to open the event and hold a press conference. My topic was a bit difficult to understand, so I tried my best to explain what decentralized finance (DeFi) is in simple terms. I also used Zomma Protocol as an example to help everyone learn more about decentralized options exchange platforms. The circle is small; I even ran into Joseph from Oases on my way across the street at noon—he was standing next to Mayor Ko during an interview this morning. XD My junior Cindy also made a special trip from Taoyuan to show her support. After the event, there was a fashion show by Elite Models outside, so naturally, I stayed to watch for a while before leaving. Another fulfilling and interesting day has passed! By Morgan @2022.8.6 Afternoon
Location: Taichung, Dadun 18th Street, Fei Fei Garden Italian Restaurant Travel Notes: Had lunch with Brother Gong, Steven, and a friend of Brother Gong at a well-reviewed Italian restaurant. The wine paired with the meal was a white wine featured in 'Sex and the City,' with a guava-like fruit flavor and a smooth finish. The aged steak was also quite good. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat. After the meal, we went to a nearby cigar lounge for cigars and white wine, and were joined by another friend of Steven's. Taiwan is so small; inside the shop, Brother Gong coincidentally ran into his friend from Hungful Development. This friend is usually in Kaohsiung or Taipei, but happened to be in Taichung today—what a coincidence! He generously gave each of us an expensive cigar, known as the 'Rolls-Royce of cigars'—Trinidad. It had a relatively elegant taste with a hint of sweet aroma. Thanks again to Brother Gong and Steven for the hospitality! By Morgan @2022.8.5 Evening
Location: Taipei, Taipei City Hall Station, Curista Coffee Travel Notes: After a meeting at Zomma in the afternoon, Ruiyi happened to be in Taipei to receive an award at DBS Bank. Ruiying's husband's Jiutian Art Troupe was also performing in Taipei. So, wearing a Jiutian T-shirt, I brought these two good friends from Taichung to visit DeFITs, to experience the completely different crypto atmosphere compared to Taichung. Thanks to Vins for the detailed introduction. Afterwards, the three of us took the high-speed rail back to Taichung together. Thanks to both of them for enthusiastically helping me buy a ticket and even making a special trip to drop me off at home in Taichung. :) By Morgan @2022.8.4 Evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Cigar Gallery Branch 2 Travel Notes: In the afternoon, Yujia arranged to meet Howard and his son, Ethan (who is also Yujia's junior from high school in the US), to visit Owen's company in Xinyi District (Dahan Global Business Center). Flexiv is a unicorn company in the US. Seeing their latest robotic arm combined with A.I., capable of performing many delicate actions like pouring red wine, trimming plants, sorting food... was truly astonishing. Tesla is also one of their clients. Afterwards, we went to the cigar lounge next door. Howard is a super real estate tycoon with investments in many hotels in China and has enjoyed cigars for over 20 years. So, we came here to drink peaty whisky, smoke Cuban cigars, and chat. Thanks to Brother Howard for the treat! Later in the evening, I met with Senior Lman at an izakaya in the East District to catch up and exchange information. The food at this place was pretty good. By Morgan @2022.8.3 Evening
Location: Yilan, Guishan Island, Lelang Yacht Club - Sea Carnival Travel Notes: Lelang, established eight years ago, is a club that boasts various land, sea, and air activities. It also has investors like Jamie Lin. Today's Sea Carnival had 11 yachts and over 200 participants,号称是台湾最大的海上派對 (claimed to be Taiwan's largest sea party). Because my junior Miya from Cheng Kung University is also one of the founders of Lelang, today, my junior Cindy from Richwell chartered the largest yacht among them and invited various partners and friends to join. Attendees included Joseph, founder of Oases; Danny, formerly at Microsoft; CS, former CIO of Cathay Financial; Lawyer Yang from Xiehe Law Firm; Eric, a foreign semiconductor analyst; Dave, author of dozens of books on MT4/MT5; Chris, who has worked at Yuanta and Samsung; Janet, who teaches at our alma mater Cheng Kung University; and Kaiwei, Rebecca, Vins, Tiffany, Gordon, Mingxuan... a total of 18 people. Later, Ryan, another founder of Lelang, also came by to say hello. This summer is really so hot! By Morgan @2022.7.30
Location: Taipei, Nantun District, Cantonese Kung Fu Chicken Travel note: Had coconut chicken with Brother Gong, Uncle Yue, Brother Xiao Ci, and Xiao Ping at Cantonese Kung Fu Chicken in Nantun, Taipei, then went back to Brother Gong's company to enjoy some Italian red wine. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong! Later, Steven joined us after finishing work. Coincidentally, Ernie, who had just arrived in San Francisco, called me after meeting Paul Graham, the founder of Y Combinator (YC), the most famous startup accelerator in the U.S. I put it on speaker so Ernie could say hi to Chairman Gong and Steven too. Hope everything goes well for Ernie in the U.S. In the evening, Brother Gong and Steven came to an izakaya near my place for a little drink. Cheers! :)
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi 3F, Yong Xin Feng Tea Travel note: Had lunch today with Charles, a junior I hadn't seen in a while. Charles still works at Taiwan's largest high-frequency trading company, whose boss was once featured in Business Next magazine, emphasizing building systems from the FPGA level up. Taiwan is such a small place—Charles knows both Tianren Ge, who comes to Zomma Protocol meetings every week, and Associate Professor Han Chuanxiang. One was his former supervisor/colleague at KGI, the other his teacher from when he studied Quantitative Finance at Tsing Hua University. Coincidentally, Charles's high-frequency trading company has recently been researching cryptocurrency options trading, so he's somewhat familiar with platforms like Deribit. Once Zomma's DeFi options trading platform Alpha Test version is live, I'll invite Charles to try it out. Life keeps moving forward, doesn't it?
Location: Hsinchu Travel note: This morning, I had a Zoom call with Jeffrey, introduced by Andy. Jeffrey is Andy's senior from CMU and has lived in Silicon Valley long-term. He worked at Apple for over a decade and was deeply involved in the Chinese localization development of Siri. The world is so small—turns out Jeffrey, who is from Hong Kong, grew up in Sha Tin, very close to University Station where I used to live. So our conversation started with New Town Plaza and YATA Department Store. We chatted about various topics like Crypto, Web3, AI... I also learned that training Siri's AI model is somewhat like an assembly line, completed by a relay of algorithms. As we talked, we mentioned Ethan from EVG, also introduced by Andy to Jeffrey, who had spoken with him on the phone and has a great drinking capacity. Then Jeffrey, who is currently at a postpartum care center in Hsinchu with his wife, magically produced a bottle of red wine on camera. Not to be outdone, I casually picked up a bottle of white wine from beside me. We agreed to meet up in Taipei soon for a proper chat. For today, we'll just toast virtually. Virtual Cheers! XD
Location: Taipei, Anhe Road, Aplus Hanasakura Dining Bar Travel note: A fulfilling day. Last night, I helped Brother Gong with an API program to fetch inventory until 2 a.m. This morning, I went with Zhewei to the headquarters of Grand Cathay Futures to help a supervisor there with some Multicharts programming. In the afternoon, Cindy introduced many outstanding alumni and seniors from NCKU, including Mingzhi Senior from the NCKU Taipei Alumni Association and Rotary Club, James Ko Senior (Class of '68, Industrial Management, now with a Japanese startup accelerator), Jacky Senior (an accountant in Tainan), Guozhi Senior from Uthink Consulting in Taichung, and recently met Gordon from Vins—we all chatted together. In the evening, I came to this very meaningful restaurant with Ernie and Junhan, founders of Unblock, and Amber, their beautiful NTU alumna: https://morgan0321.org/a-plus%e6%97%a5%e6%9c%ac%e6%96%99%e7%90%86%e2%80%a7%e7%89%9b%e6%8e%92%e2%80%a7%e6%b8%85%e9%85%92-taipei/ Thinking back almost twenty years ago, when I was studying at NCKU's Institute of Information Management, my classmate Zhihong Fisher and I wrote a touch-screen dining system for the Tainan Chef Restaurant Network, run by EGG Jidan Senior, an NCKU Business Management alum. The first restaurant to go live was this APlus (followed by Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine, Curry House, Sweet Dynasty...). Who would have thought that after so many years, this place still exists and is still Jidan Senior's client? The manager and staff are still here after twenty years. Time flies. Although different friends gather here now, staying true to our初心, we still strive to live in the present. I'm grateful to have met so many people along the way. We opened a limited-edition Daiginjo specially customized for APlus by Jōzen Mizunogotoshi. A very happy evening! Congratulations to Junhan on his recent marriage! Cheers! :)
Location: Taichung, Sichuan Road, Dianmen Coffee Travel note: Finished remote meetings in the morning. In the afternoon, met up with Ruiyi and Ruiying, siblings I hadn't seen in a while. Brother Ruiyi was promoted starting July 1st and is now the branch manager at DBS Bank's largest branch in Taichung due to his outstanding performance. Ruiying is helping her husband operate the Nine Heaven Folk Arts Troupe, and the NFT they're issuing in collaboration with ACE Exchange, ABA, and other organizations is set to launch in August. Also, congratulations to Ruiying—her baby is due before the end of the year! We chatted about various topics, and time flew by. We agreed to try to meet up in Taipei next week. Thanks for the treat, Ruiying!
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Oriental Dragon, takeaway roast goose Travel note snippet: Friday night in Taichung, hanging out with a bunch of good friends—eating, drinking, singing. Thanks to Brother Wenpei for bringing over the Michelin Bib Gourmand roast goose, and thanks to Brother Gong for hosting. Cheers! By Morgan @2022.7.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Guangfu South Road alley, 'What Do You Think' bistro Travel note snippet: Evening, Junhan's friend Sam introduced his friend Jade, and we met up for dinner to potentially discuss some GameFi projects. I invited Senior Lman along. Jade graduated from Computer Science and NCTU Finance Institute, previously worked at some Taiwanese securities firms, and is now essentially an entrepreneur—investing in crypto and involved in some blockchain projects. We chatted casually, exchanged ideas. While talking, I ordered a second cocktail, supposedly one of the strongest in the house (besides the bartender's private stash) called 'A Little Deadly'—a mix of Rémy Martin, vodka, gin, rum, tequila, Cointreau, Pimm's, and red wine. It didn't taste too strong, and the aftereffect seems okay so far. Thanks Sam and Jade for hosting! :) By Morgan @2022.7.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhonghe, Fresh Seafood Flavor, stir-fry joint Travel note snippet: Afternoon, taught Gail a programming lesson, talked a long time about candlestick inclusion in Chan theory. Later, Alex asked me to dinner, so I invited Ethan along. Andy had said before that Ethan loves to drink, so why not find some time to drink together? Even if not StepN running buddies, we can still be drinking buddies. Started off a bit reserved, but when we talked about Ethan's recent investment in a bar opening soon in the East District, everyone quickly warmed up. Two bottles of 'Kokushi Muso' Japanese sake, a bunch of 18-day Taiwan beers. EVG's Hong Kong-based Kikitrade wants to promote in Taiwan, so immediately introduced Ethan on Telegram to AML's Unblock and also to Tianren-ge from KGI Securities for account opening resources. Drank so much I have to think about how to get home later. Thanks Alex for treating! By Morgan @2022.7.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng West Road, Taichun Xiaoguan, Japanese cuisine Travel note snippet: Alex, whom I haven't seen in a while, asked me to dinner in the evening, along with Jingyun, Xiaopei, and Jingyun's kid. Taichun is still a cost-effective old shop. Tonight's accompaniment was Yamada Nishiki junmai ginjo sake. Thanks Alex for treating! By Morgan @2022.7.16 evening
Location: Taipei, Hidden Temple Bistro Travel note snippet: Hidden Temple Bistro (Jiaxing branch), Aging Room cigar bar. Steven came up to Taipei from Taichung to see clients, then asked me to eat and drink. Ordered four cocktails in a row, then went to the cigar bar. Qiao-ge, the neighborhood chief, and Abbie, whose birthday it is today, joined us. Opened two bottles of red wine. Cheers! By Morgan @2022.7.16
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, Hong Yuan Securities/Investment Advisory Building Travel note summary: Got an urgent call from Cindy in the afternoon. She said she had a last-minute meeting with the chairman of Hong Yuan Investment Advisory and rushed out from Taoyuan, forgetting her wallet. Now she was in a taxi with no money to pay the fare. So I headed to Hong Yuan's headquarters, paid the NT$200 fare to the chairman who had helped her out, and sat down for a chat with Chairman Chen Hongda. Chairman Chen was recently elected as one of the 23 directors of the Investment Trust and Investment Advisory Association. He shared some insights about their overseas fund agency business and their upcoming PE Fund, which will incorporate a senior-subordinated structure linked to a gold arbitrage fund. Chairman Chen was warm and interesting—a delightful afternoon exchange. On the way back, I picked up some grilled oysters at Raohe Street Night Market. Paired with a South African apricot white wine for dinner. By Morgan @2022.7.14
Location: Taipei, Keelung Road, Hiroshima-ya Sushi Travel note summary: Started the morning with a paid online course, squeezing in some Python+AI learning. In the afternoon, Ray from Matrixport introduced Jimmy, co-founder of Singapore's OrBit. Jimmy previously worked at Deutsche Bank, and almost the entire team came from there too. They currently specialize in OTC exotic options. Along with Rena, who also spent time in Singapore, we introduced the Zomma Option Protocol to Jimmy and learned about OrBit's products and strengths. Afterward, headed to the DeFITs office near City Hall Station. Eros from Yuanta Hong Kong introduced his elementary school classmate and fellow NCKU Accounting '98 alumnus, Jianjun, as well as junior Cindy from Richwell, Miya (known as the 'Cyndi Wang of accounting'), Vins, and Scotie—everyone got to know each other. Besides both being NCKU Accounting grads, Jianjun and Miya also previously worked at Deloitte, so they hit it off quickly. Jianjun mainly helps family offices source investment products, currently managing around $50 million in related assets. Playing my usual role as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain finance, I explained MEV and on-chain arbitrage concepts to Jianjun, giving him more insight into the features of the Cayman SPC structure that DeFITs and Richwell are launching in September—a DeFi arbitrage fund. After wrapping up, ended the fulfilling day with a 12-piece sushi set and a pot of rice wine. By Morgan @2022.7.13 evening
Location: Taipei, Qsquare 4F, Le Blé d'Or Travel note summary: Dinner with six people. Besides senior Lman and Alice, it had been almost 8 years since I last saw senior Jianjiang from our graduate school circle. He still teaches marketing courses at Shih Hsin University. Junior James, who serves as the Chief Innovation Officer at Business Next, hadn't been seen in a few months either. Tonight, I also met elder brother Steve for the first time. Steve is semi-retired but still works as a strategic transformation consultant for many large companies and is currently the dean of AAMA Academy. It's somewhat similar to the AVA Angel Investment Club but places more emphasis on post-investment management and accelerator functions. The industries he focuses on are more centered around ESG. Listening to James, with his astonishing memory, talk about various industry, government, and academic figures and sharp topics, time flew by until Qsquare's closing time. @@ By Morgan @2022.7.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center 4F, Movie Collector Museum Travel note summary: Took advantage of a quiet Monday afternoon to soak up some culture. Alone in the spacious movie museum, I watched the evolution of recording media—from film reels to videotapes, then to digital discs. Seeing the costumes from dramas like 'The Empress' and 'Justice Bao' brought back many childhood memories. Pausing before the complete set of recording equipment from the Kuangchi Program Service, I reflected on the constant changes of history and era, then moved on. After having an iced drink at the Eslite bookstore downstairs in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, I bought a ticket and spent 45 minutes sitting on the floor in the exhibition hall, surrounded by elegant classical music and 360-degree projections, quietly appreciating the life works of Viennese artist Gustav Klimt. Settling my mind, I hoped to gain more insight into the meaning of life. By Morgan @2022.7.11 afternoon
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern International Hotel 5F, Liuhe Hall Travel note summary: After a meeting at Zomma DEFI Option in the afternoon, I rushed over here. Cindy, my junior from National Cheng Kung University, founded the Richwell Financial Group in Hong Kong, and today they held their first investment outlook event in Taiwan. The venue was chosen at the Far Eastern Plaza, with invitations extended only to qualified investors. They also invited Vins from DeFITs, who just returned from the US, to share investment opportunities in blockchain amid the interest rate hike cycle. Since I know and introduced both parties, I definitely had to show my support. Although I arrived a bit late, I still managed to catch Cindy's analysis of the macroeconomic market and Vins' excellent alternative investment insights as the finale. In a bull market, go long; in a bear market, adopt neutral (arbitrage) strategies or explore derivatives like options for shorting opportunities. ~ By Morgan @Evening, July 7, 2022
Location: Taipei, Gongguan, Cellar Father Bar Travel note summary: In the afternoon, Austin & Sharon visited Zomma Protocol. Last time I saw Austin was at an iPlanet meeting in April, and with Sharon, it was before she went to the US for Consensus. Time flies, and Taiwan still feels just as small. Sharon has been working at crypto.com's VC for a while, and Austin has his own Crypto Fund investing in projects. We had a great chat with Tom, Taka, and Rena, and later discussed the year-end event for the Blockchain Enthusiasts Association. Time just flew by. After leaving the office, I had a quick ramen dinner. The ramen here comes with sashimi on top, which you can dip in wasabi. The broth also has a citrusy flavor, which is quite unique. After eating, I moved on to Gongguan Station. Alice, the CFO of senior Lman's family, her cousin Niu Niu runs a bar here, so I followed senior Lman and Alice to show support. Later, Mars also came for a drink. Listening to Mars share his inspiring story of how he paid off 170 million NTD in debt within three years, we chatted until almost midnight before calling it a night. After settling the bill, we ended with a shot as usual. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @Night, July 5, 2022
Location: Taichung, Tanzi, Guoxian Diamond Chicken Travel note summary: Today, I came to Brother Gong's place for barrel-roasted chicken, along with Steven and his two friends. We paired it with medicinal deer antler wine and an Italian red wine. While smoking the famous Cuban Romeo y Julieta cigar, paired with a slightly sweet wine, the two indeed complemented each other well. Thanks to Steven for bringing the cigars. Later in the evening, we continued the gathering at Super Star on Henan Road for karaoke. Brother Xiao Ci came all the way from Changhua because Brother Gong helped him process custom-made tiles yesterday, so he came specially to thank Brother Gong for his great help. Being able to gather, chat, sing, and drink with long-time friends is truly a fate arranged by heaven. Life is short, live in the moment! Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us～ By Morgan @Night, July 1, 2022
Location: Taipei, Dongxing Road, Healer Bar Travel note summary: My direct junior from university, Youming, suddenly invited me for drinks. Their company, Delta Electronics, is on a week-long annual holiday. So I took a taxi over here. This bar has a Google rating of 4.9, which is pretty good. With another girl who's also a fellow drinking enthusiast, the three of us drank heartily. I ordered a special cocktail based on Spirytus (96%), and then another drink made with hazelnuts and red wine, named 'Winery.' Along with two other cocktails I had earlier, I felt pleasantly tipsy. Thanks to my junior for treating me～ The drinking vibe and frequency are indeed quite important. ：P Cheers! By Morgan @Night, June 28, 2022
Location: Taipei, Nangang, Courtyard by Marriott Taipei (Six Fuxing) Hotel Bar Travel note summary: In the afternoon, I met with Kevin, a former colleague from Yuanta Securities Investment Trust, at DeFITs to visit and learn about this cryptocurrency fund company's arbitrage products. Kevin previously worked as the fixed income investment director at a mainland public fund and returned to Taiwan in the past two years due to the pandemic. Recently, he has been responsible for fund listing reviews at a bank. And Taiwan is still small—Cindy, my junior, and Kevin were also former colleagues at Taishin. I originally wanted to introduce them, but later found out they actually knew each other 17 years ago. Then today, through Cindy, I also met Rebecca, a junior from the class of '96 in Economics at NCKU. The elegant junior also previously worked in Hong Kong, at SinoPac, and later started her own offshore insurance sales business, also providing wealth management for some high-net-worth clients. Along with foreign analyst Eric, Mars, senior Lman, and Scotie who stayed at DeFITs, it was an interesting exchange between traditional finance and crypto finance. The whole afternoon was quite lively, and time passed quickly. In the evening, I continued to Nangang. Today is my cousin Mingxiu's birthday, so I came to celebrate with his family, kids, and cousin Yiting. Here, if it's your birthday, they give you as many chicken wings as your age. Happy Birthday!!! :) Thanks to Mingxiu for treating us～ After the meal, we went to the lounge at the adjacent Courtyard by Marriott Taipei for a drink. The atmosphere here is quite nice～ By Morgan @Night, June 28, 2022
Location: Random Thoughts Travel Note Summary: Seeing the news about the Jumbo Floating Restaurant really makes me feel like we should strive to live in the moment. There are always places we think we'll visit someday when we have time, but more often than not, we might never get the chance to visit them in this lifetime. @@
Location: Taipei Dongmen Station, Chiang Mai City Thai Cuisine Travel Note Summary: In the morning, Pat and I first went to Block2 to meet with the Everest Ventures Group from Hong Kong. Introduced by Andy, we met Ethan, who is based in Taiwan, and Brian, a friend of Pat's from Tai Shan Investment. We all got to know each other and chatted. For lunch, I had a meal with Pat, Brian, Cindy, and another NCKU junior, Ying-An, to introduce everyone. Thanks to Cindy for treating us! The rain was pouring down like crazy. @@ By Morgan @2022.6.24
Location: Taipei Roosevelt Road, Masala House Spice Restaurant Travel Note Summary: At noon, Pat invited his friend Elton, who is in charge of the investment department at Amtran, and William, who has been back from Singapore for a while, to have lunch together. Taiwan is still a small place; Elton is also a high school classmate of Tom and Ding Yuan. Thanks to William for the treat! In the afternoon, I had a meeting at Zomma Protocol. The whole company ordered drinks from Heyeah, a new beverage shop recently opened by our crypto circle friend, Chen Pin, as afternoon tea. I ordered a Green Taro Golden Ratio + Shrimp with Milk Foam. There was actually a dried shrimp in the drink. Pretty interesting! XD By Morgan @2022.6.23
Location: Taipei Bade Road, Qing Lou Chinese Bistro Travel Note Summary: In the afternoon, junior Cindy introduced me to Eric (Chen Hui-Ming), a well-known former foreign semiconductor analyst, to get to know each other. I had a brief exchange with Eric. In the evening, senior Lman suddenly asked to have dinner, so I also spontaneously invited two old friends from the NCKU CCNS club, Telder and A-Fu. They happened to be free, so the four club old-timers got together for a rare gathering. This Chinese bistro serves dishes that are delightfully spicy, paired with various cocktails made with ingredients like plum juice and vodka, which actually went quite well together. We chatted about some interesting topics combining blockchain and BBS. Senior Lman, the founder of Dream BBS, had a lot of feelings about it. So we reminisced about the memories of playing on Dream BBS back in the day while continuing to strive to live in the moment, look forward, and move ahead! Cheers! By Morgan @2022.6.22 evening
Location: Taichung Anhe Road, Fisherman Sea Fishing Restaurant; Caffaina Weilai Store Travel Note Summary: In the afternoon, Steven came to Brother Gong's company to smoke cigars together, paired with two bottles of sweet Hungarian wine. For dinner, the table was full of various dishes, and Qi-Bin also joined. His second financial book on convertible bonds has been published for a while, and he's been busy lately with software cooperation with CMoney. Thanks to Steven for the treat! Later, I met up with Brother Zeng, whom I hadn't seen for almost two years, for coffee, along with Brother Gong and Qi-Bin, making four of us. Taiwan is small; Brother Zeng, who is in Rotary Club, has an extensive network. Just chatting briefly with Brother Gong, he could find mutual friends in the building materials and stone industry. Brother Zeng's son and Brother Gong are both alumni of Mingdao. Brother Zeng also spent over nine years in China and has been staying in Taiwan for the past six months due to the pandemic. We talked about the current state of various industries in China, the several companies Brother Gong previously opened there, and Brother Zeng's current investments in China's consumer sectors, including bars and medical aesthetics. We didn't disperse until the shop closed, making it another fulfilling day. By Morgan @2022.6.20 evening
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Another busy day. Started the morning with a Line call to Brother Zeng, whom I met in Shenzhen and who's now in Taichung, to see if we could connect some resources from China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. In the afternoon, I helped Brother Gong with a stock-watching program. In the evening, I helped my junior Cindy buy some Ethereum using Bito and transferred it to her Metamask wallet—she's going to buy O2 Meta's NFT land blind box tonight. Just showing some support for OSense. In between, I remembered last night's dinner conversation with Brother Gong and Steven about health maintenance. So, taking advantage of today's 618 shopping festival, I bought some more products from Calvin's brand, Dayan Biomedicine, which they rigorously vet, to help with my health regimen. Haven't had much time to exercise lately, but health is still the most important thing, after all. @@ By Morgan @2022.6.18 evening
Location: Taichung, Minzu Road, Mariposa Butterfly European Bistro Travel note summary: Today, I went to Brother Gong's company to discuss automated options trading programs with Brother Wenpei and General Manager Lin. Also had the chance to hear General Manager Lin's legendary story of starting a business at 18 while still in school and then spending 40 years traveling across the US, China, and Southeast Asia. Thanks to General Manager Lin for the air-shipped California peaches. Also thanks to Brother Gong for the high-end steak takeout from MeatGQ at lunch. Later, Steven and his wife joined us to chat. In the evening, Brother Gong, Steven and his wife, and I came to this restaurant with a nice atmosphere and refined dishes. We paired the meal with a German Pinot Noir red wine, which had a rare strawberry flavor and a refreshing taste. Still maintaining my usual habit of drinking red wine to boost immunity. Thanks to Steven and his wife for hosting. Fourth gathering in five days, Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.6.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District, Texas Roadhouse Songgao Store Travel note summary: My junior Cindy from Cheng Kung University just returned from Hong Kong after quarantine. We had dinner tonight with Mars, Vins, and Beichen, five of us in total. The financial group Richwell, which my junior founded, finally got its Hong Kong Type 4 and 9 licenses (investment advisory, asset management) approved, and its office in Sheung Wan is now open. Their Taiwan office will also be established soon. As for serving as the FA (financial advisor) for the Taiwanese metaverse concept company OSense, that role is almost complete. They're about to start raising their first capital-preservation fund soon. Over South African red wine, I chatted with my junior about her future plans and vision. Thanks to my junior for hosting. :) Cheers! By Morgan @2022.6.16 evening
Location: Taipei, alley in the East District, 'Awkward Chat Couple' Bistro Travel note summary: Evening dinner with senior Lman. I invited my direct junior from university, Youming, to join. Senior is Class of '86 in Chemistry from Cheng Kung University, junior is Class of '10 in Industrial Engineering and Management—exactly 15 years apart. I'm Class of '91, always playing the role of bridging generations. :p My junior, who was stationed in Vietnam for years at Pou Chen and recently returned to Taiwan, now works at Delta Electronics doing industry analysis. Senior just came back from meeting with the founder of Bahamut, a gaming website where he's one of the shareholders. Coincidentally, my junior is also a Bahamut user, so we started talking about games and later moved on to energy storage and carbon neutrality. Later, Lman's sister Sophia joined. Sophia and I met once in 2010 when I lived in Shanghai. We ate at a Shanghai restaurant that had a dish called 'Soft Heart' (dates stuffed with glutinous rice filling)—I still remember it even now, thanks to having posted on Facebook. Sophia has been working as a designer in Hong Kong for 12 years, so we chatted about spots near Sheung Wan and Central where she lives: Tai Kwun, the Mid-Levels Escalator, PMQ, Man Mo Temple... We quickly connected over shared memories of living in Hong Kong. Tonight: one Highball, one plum wine, and finished with red wine. Another nice night. :) By Morgan @2022.6.14 evening
Location: Taipei, Yixian Road, 30 Thirty Old Tavern Travel note summary: Started the morning with a remote meeting on the Zomma Option Protocol. In the afternoon, arranged for Senior Don to visit DeFITs to learn about their high-performing blockchain arbitrage products. Taiwan is small—Senior Don is not only Senior Vins's senior from National Taiwan University, but also a classmate of Vins's NTU calculus professor. Afterward, Senior Don and I came to this small tavern near the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall for a drink. Senior currently manages six funds in the US, ranging from smaller hedge funds around a billion dollars to larger long-term investment funds, including pension funds, with sizes up to tens of billions of dollars. Chatted with Senior about red wine, marriage, and life philosophy. Learned a lot, thanks to Senior for hosting! :) Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.6.13 evening
Location: Taipei Songshan, Taipei Puppetry Museum Travel notes: I finally had a free afternoon after moving to Songshan District, so I explored the area. First, I visited the Taipei Puppetry Museum, then headed to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (Songyan). There was a special graduation exhibition for the 110th class of the Department of Architecture at National Cheng Kung University, along with exhibitions from other universities like Ming Chuan, NTUST, and YunTech. It was inspiring to see the creativity in designs for hospitals, sports centers, and markets. Finally, I bought a ticket for the Tadao Ando special exhibition. Experiencing his geometric designs integrated with landscapes, like the Water Temple and the Church of the Light, was truly soothing. ~ Morgan @2022.6.11
Location: Taipei, Lane off Linsen North Road, Japanese-style bar Travel notes: I came here for drinks with a new friend, Ah No, from the traditional chemical industry. Due to the pandemic, there were almost no Japanese customers, so it felt like we had the place to ourselves. We kept ordering whiskies to support the mama-san. Mama-san Ji once visited Ishigaki Island and even went to the home of the 'soul songstress' Rimi Natsukawa. Her Japanese songs were deeply moving. Thanks to my friends for the treat—great conversation and cheers! ~ Morgan @2022.6.8 evening
Location: Taipei Neihu, Zhouzi Street, Lazy Point restaurant & bar Travel notes: At noon, Yu-Jia invited Don, our senior from Weidao who just returned from the U.S., and our military service classmate Hong-Qi to gather. Don currently manages retirement and hedge funds in the U.S., with over $1 billion AUM, and has made good profits from oil investments in recent years. He's also starting to get interested in NFTs and blockchain, so I explained some recent trends like StepN and the Move-to-Earn model. We had a California Pinot Noir with lunch, which was quite nice. Thanks to Yu-Jia for the treat—cheers! ~ Morgan @2022.6.8 noon
Location: Taipei Zhongxiao Dunhua, A Bo Lang Thin-skinned Dumplings, Taiwanese-style restaurant & bar Travel notes: After returning to Taipei from Taoyuan in the evening, I first visited the office of Unblock Analysis, a blockchain anti-money laundering monitoring company near Zhongxiao Dunhua Station. They recently received strategic investment from Whoscall (Gogolook). Ernie had to rush back to the U.S. for the Consensus blockchain conference, so I chatted briefly with co-founder John about their product progress. Then, in the evening, I had dinner with Chengda senior Lman and our graduate school classmate Meng-Sheng. Meng-Sheng has been investing in cryptocurrencies lately, and since we're all alumni, I introduced him to Lman. We listened to Lman talk about visiting the founder of Bahamut game forum and Meng-Sheng share about teaching at universities for a government program. A relaxing evening with plum wine! ~ Morgan @2022.6.7 evening
Location: Taoyuan, Shuan Shen Me Hot Pot Travel notes: Came to help my older sister take care of the kids for a day and check out the house she bought over a year ago. Experienced the patience challenge of WFH while looking after twin toddlers. Thank goodness for Uber Eats—it really saves a lot of time. @@ ~ Morgan @2022.6.7
Location: Taipei Syntrend, Jin Da Chu Sukiyaki All-You-Can-Eat, Lisao, Chunhua, B Line, Bridge bar hopping. Travel note summary: Celebrated my cousin Yi-Ting's birthday at Jin Da Chu Sukiyaki All-You-Can-Eat in Taipei Syntrend. Zhongxiao Xinsheng area, then bar hopping at Lisao, Chunhua, B Line, and Bridge. Happy Birthday~ By Morgan @2022.6.5 evening
Location: Taipei Jinhua Street, Caffè Libero. Travel note summary: Took a rare break during the holiday, stayed in for almost 48 hours without leaving, focused on writing a C# order flow analysis trading system. Just stepped out and came to Dongmen Station. Sharon, who's about to join Crypto.com's VC investment department, invited me for coffee. Ordered a whiskey coffee, explained concepts like Layer 2, DeFi, Web3, and shared thoughts on Taiwan's blockchain and crypto project development. Ended when she had an online meeting. We'll meet again after she attends the Consensus blockchain summit in the US. Had a great chat, thanks for the treat, Sharon! :) By Morgan @2022.6.14
Location: Taipei Linsen North Road, Shin Shin Showtime Cinemas. Travel note summary: Taipei Linsen North Road, Shin Shin Showtime Cinemas, Gao Family Rice Noodles. Rare evening when my buddy Pat could get out, so we went to support his classmate Willy's family-owned cinema to watch Top Gun: Maverick, the sequel after 36 years. It's truly a great movie with no dull moments, worth watching. Hard to imagine Tom Cruise is already sixty. @@ After the movie, had a late-night snack nearby and chatted before heading home. A small note on life. By Morgan @2022.5.28 evening
Location: Taipei Dongmen Station, Xiao Mei Hao Colorful Shrimp Scallop Dumplings. Travel note summary: Taipei Dongmen Station, Xiao Mei Hao Colorful Shrimp Scallop Dumplings. In the afternoon, Pat and I visited Chris, founder of the Thundercore TT public chain. Both Chris and Pat are CMU alumni. Chris sold his company Playdom to Disney at a very young age and returned to Taiwan in 2019 to found Thundercore. Currently, NFTs on Oursong also use their public chain. Listened to Chris share his views on transitioning from Web2.0 to 3.0. Afterward, said goodbye to Pat. It was drizzling outside, so I came to a small shop and ended this busy weekday with a plate of colorful dumplings. By Morgan @2022.5.27 evening
Location: Taipei Lishui Street alley, You Sushi. Travel note summary: Taipei Lishui Street alley, You Sushi. Haven't seen Pat in a long time, plus Ramen Senior, the three of us had lunch here and chatted about hash rate topics. The lunch set is quite cheap, just over five hundred. Thanks for the treat, Pat! By Morgan @2022.5.26
Location: Sushi Gun, alley off Zhongshan North Road, Taipei Travel note: Sushi Gun in an alley off Zhongshan North Road in Taipei. Chef Huang, the former head chef of Mars's familiar restaurant, has opened his own place, which just launched this month. So Mars gathered a few friends tonight to show support. Since the ingredients were all very fresh, we kept eating dish after dish without feeling overwhelmed. By the end, we had over twenty courses. Even without ordering drinks, it came to nearly 6,000 TWD per person. Sea bream, salmon, botan shrimp, uni, whitebait, red throat fish... many dishes were refreshingly sweet, with lingering aromas—a truly memorable Japanese restaurant. Thanks to Mars for the invitation and treat. :) By Morgan @2022.5.24 evening
Location: That Izakaya, Suiyuan Road, Taichung Travel note: That Izakaya on Suiyuan Road in Taichung. In the afternoon, I taught Gail programming and briefly explained the difference between call by value and call by reference. After class, Steven suddenly contacted me to ask about options, so we met halfway for dinner. Over the meal, I tried to explain the principles and workings of options in simple terms. The pandemic still hits many restaurants hard—we practically had the place to ourselves all night. Thanks again to Steven for the treat~ After getting home, I also bought some Bitcoin on 5/22 Pizza Day as a backup. And so ended a fulfilling day~ @@ By Morgan @2022.5.22 evening
Location: Takumiya Yakiniku, Chaofu 2nd Street, Taichung Travel note: Takumiya Yakiniku on Chaofu 2nd Street in Taichung. Had dinner tonight with a girl from my old badminton team, plus another pretty girl I recently played with after leaving the team. Takumiya's ingredients are quite good—very fresh and tasty~ Paired with Kubota Senju junmai sake tonight. Living in the moment. By Morgan @2022.5.20 evening
Location: Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen, Chaofu Road, Taichung Travel note: Ichiran Tonkotsu Ramen on Chaofu Road in Taichung. Drifted back to Taichung after a meeting in Taipei. Got off at Chaoma and thought, with the pandemic and it being a weekday, Ichiran might be less crowded, so I queued up to try it. Ended up still waiting over half an hour to get in. Orz While in line, I checked my preferred richness and noodle firmness on the menu. After paying, I got a solo seat—perfect for focusing on the ramen. XD When the ramen arrived, naturally I first tried a spoonful of broth. The rich tonkotsu aroma, paired with a bit of red spicy sauce, really whetted the appetite. I chose medium-firm noodles and took a bite with a slice of chashu. Overall, a bowl costing around 300 TWD was pretty okay~ :) By Morgan @2022.5.19 evening
Location: Akishiki Japanese Izakaya, East District, Taipei Travel note: Akishiki Japanese Izakaya in Taipei's East District. Senior Lman suddenly asked me to dinner after a meeting, so I invited Ruihong, a junior from the same club, to join—he hadn't seen the ramen senior who founded the club in a long time. Over twenty years after graduating university, getting together again is all thanks to fate. We chatted about blockchain storage issues, and it was another gathering that lasted nearly three hours. Had the place to ourselves all night. @@ By Morgan @2022.5.18 evening
Location: Hyakukawa Japanese Izakaya, Dadun 18th Street, Taichung Travel note summary: This afternoon, my friend Gong and I polished off an entire bottle of red wine. For dinner, we were joined by my junior high classmates from Weidao, Jiezhi and Steven, along with Gong. It was Friday night, and two friends, Pat and Matsumura, called in. We then video-called two more Weidao classmates, Boheng and Zhongxuan. Life is short; being able to gather with old classmates and friends is truly fate. Four people, 14 pots of sake—we were really disinfecting at maximum capacity. Thanks to Jiezhi for the treat! Cheers! By Morgan @Night of May 13, 2022
Location: Ejowu Izakaya, Zhongxiao Fuxing, Taipei Travel note summary: In the evening, Senior Lman suddenly messaged me asking if I had plans. While eating meatballs, I told him maybe we could arrange something later. I asked a few friends last minute, and surprisingly, we managed to pull together a gathering. So, a bit later, this five-person meetup happened. It included OGG who works in games, Sam who trades cryptocurrency, and Galvin, whom Lman recently met and who has worked on many blockchain-related projects in China. Since Galvin has been deeply involved in this field from very early on, he has even met Binance's CZ and Tron's Justin Sun, and has participated in projects like GXChain and Huobi's Heco chain. When we met, the first topic of discussion was still Luna and the UST stablecoin. Galvin tried to buy the dip yesterday and today cut his losses, losing several hundred thousand RMB. But as a seasoned player, he also knows that's just how the crypto world is—risk and opportunity coexist equally. Two bottles of red wine, plus a row of shots from the house... Let's not overthink it. 'Call the boy to bring more fine wine, and together we'll drown our endless sorrows!' Cheers! By Morgan @Night of May 11, 2022 P.S. The fries at this place are really delicious; we ordered two servings!
Location: Residence, Songshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: Thanks to Ale's great help, I found a place in Taipei to stay when I'm up here. Looking at the vast space, I wanted to fill it up a bit, so last week I went on a shopping spree on Shopee and bought over a dozen packages, including the office chair I just received and a 4K portable monitor. Plus a bunch of reserve instant noodles and a water heater. This way, if I suddenly get quarantined someday, I'll have a proper environment to hole up in. XD By Morgan @2022.5.11
Location: FReNCHIE FReNCHIE French Bistro, Wenxin Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Weekend night, gathering with all the good friends in Taichung. While drinking Burgundy red wine, we chatted leisurely. Thanks to Yujia for treating! Cheers! By Morgan @Night of May 7, 2022
Location: Chuanlang Live Crab King Crab Specialty Store, Jilin Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Yujia treated us to dinner tonight. Besides Stephen and me, who are friends from the alternative military service, there were also Richard and Lucas. Richard previously worked in MediaTek's investment department and now manages a $200 million PE fund for Zhuoyi Capital. Lucas is a true connoisseur of the wine world in the tech industry—either on his way to drink or already drinking. Besides having worked in China, Vietnam, and Myanmar, he surprisingly always carries a red and white wine opener with him. After this gathering, Lucas continued on to Linsen North for another round. The king crab feast tonight was incredibly satisfying. Thanks to Yujia for the treat! Also, thanks to Lucas and Stephen for bringing the whiskey and white wine :) Cheers! By Morgan @Night of May 3, 2022
Location: Taipei Ma Cave 21 Wine Cellar Travel notes: Today was William's birthday celebration at Taipei's Ma Cave 21 Wine Cellar and Yakiniku Ishimatsu. We had two rounds of gatherings with friends from various backgrounds: Sherry (formerly at Capital Group Hong Kong, now at FTSE), Sunny (at an Australian asset management firm), Eric (at Red Capital), Anthony (who used to be in Shanghai), Nick (President of the Yale Alumni Association), Ray (formerly at HKEX, now at Matrixport), Kaiying (met last time), and Fengyang (at an agricultural insurance fund). Met many lovely ladies, but the highlight was definitely all the great red wine we enjoyed! XD Happy birthday, William! By Morgan @2022.4.30 evening
Location: Taipei Expo Park Floral Pavilion - Digital Times/Future Commerce Expo Travel notes: Digital Times/Future Commerce Expo at Taipei Expo Park Floral Pavilion - Web3 International Trends Forum. Thanks to Ramen Senior/Digital Times for the invitation to host one of the panel discussions over the three-day event with a total of 100 speakers. The topic was exploring the prospects of cryptocurrency in the asset management industry. Guests included: Vins from DeFITs, William from Matrixport, and Zhiyang from Quanttrend. Almost all were good friends or companies I've visited before, so the hosting felt relaxed and harmonious. Thanks everyone for sharing and attending! :) By Morgan @2022.4.29 afternoon #DigitalTimes #FutureCommerceExpo
Location: Taipei Yanji Street KoKoni Kushidon Izakaya Travel notes: Taipei Yanji Street KoKoni Kushidon Izakaya. Met up with Lman Senior and Telder Senior for an impromptu gathering in the evening. We reminisced about our days in CCNS (Cheng Kung University Computer Network Society) running the club together. At this age, besides work, we ended up talking more about health and wellness topics. @@ By Morgan @2022.4.28 evening
Location: Taipei Nanhai Road Postal Museum Travel notes: Taipei Nanhai Road Postal Museum. I've been collecting stamps for over thirty years, but this was my first time visiting the Postal Museum. Took advantage of a rare morning without meetings, so I grabbed my suit, backpack, and came here. Wandered among stamps from hundreds of countries around the world. Stamps may be small, but they contain vast worlds within. Couldn't help but reminisce about my junior high days at Weidao, when during every break, I'd take my pocket money and excitedly go buy various country stamps from Brother Shi's collection. Time really flies～ @@ By Morgan @2022.4.28
Location: Taipei Songshan Creative Pasta Travel notes: Taipei Songshan Creative Pasta. First session in the afternoon: had a remote chat with a friend from mainland China. He recently discussed cooperation with a Beijing futures company and needs someone who knows C# to help modify some indicators and interfaces. (Any friends can recommend? Many thanks!) Second session in the afternoon: had a simple remote meeting with Everest Venture Group (EVG) in Hong Kong. EVG has invested in many well-known projects in the crypto space. Since friends inside, Andy and Pat, are CMU alumni—Andy is also classmates with my Weidao classmate Haoting's younger brother in the US, and Pat and I are also Weidao senior-junior—such intricate connections are perfect for introductions. Andy also invited Jerome, one of their co-founders, to join. After the meeting, Andy created a Telegram group and added Ethan, who handles their investment business in Taiwan. Ethan knows Tom and Dingyuan and has recently been obsessed with running with Stepn shoes. Evening session: went to Songshan Station. Qibin introduced me to his university senior OGG. OGG previously worked at gaming companies in China and spent many years in Shenzhen. Recently started working on a GameFI project. Talked with him a lot until dinner ended. Thanks for the treat, Brother OGG. Night session: near Raohe Street Night Market, Ale helped me find a quite large studio apartment to check out. Thanks, Brother Ale! :) Truly, at home you rely on parents; outside, you rely on friends～ By Morgan @2022.4.26 evening
Location: Perini Coffee inside Chung Tai University of Science and Technology, Taichung Travel note summary: Afternoon with Brother Gong, Steven, Qibin, Steven's employees, and some of their family members. This is a no-menu coffee experience—the shop owner decides what coffee to serve. All beans are from Italy, with various Italian brewing methods. Owner Mr. Hong has his own principles and dedication; it's not about making money but promoting coffee culture. In order, we were served four distinct styles of coffee. The last one even included Italian brandy Segnana—a coffee with a lingering sweet aftertaste. It made me realize that tasting coffee can be as multi-layered and stimulating to the palate as tasting wine. Thanks to Steven for the invitation and hospitality! By Morgan @2022.4.25
Location: 18 Soul Izakaya, Xitun Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Friday night, the regular dinner and drinks gathering with Taichung friends. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us! :) Cheers! By Morgan @2022.4.22 evening
Location: Ootoya, Taipei City Hall Station Travel note summary: Four meetings in one day. Lunch with senior Lman to discuss his potential new project ideas. Thanks for the treat, senior. Afternoon meeting at Zomma—thanks to Pat for providing many valuable deck suggestions from an investment banking perspective. Evening visit to Unblock's new office near Zhongxiao Dunhua Station to chat about their recent BD developments. At night, with John (one of the co-founders & CTO), attended a quantitative trading friends' sharing session hosted by his friend Sam. Sam recently left Fubon and is now a full-time investor, with positions spread across Taiwanese stocks, futures, options, and recently started adding cryptocurrency. Seeing how he used Google Apps Script to connect with FTX API in less than two months for MOVE contract arbitrage and basket coin trend trading, I felt his immense passion for trading. His performance has been quite steady. We chatted so happily we lost track of time—had to catch the last train back to Taichung again. @@ By Morgan @2022.4.21 evening
Location: Meeting Travel note summary: Because of Sharon, whom I met last week, who happened to visit Love Apartment (Shangfan Technology) this afternoon to hear about their Web3 SocialFi new project progress, Calvin asked if I wanted to join to catch up with each other. Afterward, Pat arranged for Joey, the founder of Taiwan's largest blockchain media BlockTempo, to come over for a second meeting. After restructuring, BlockTempo is currently fundraising. After hearing the pitch, it was indeed quite attractive. Everyone is active in their familiar tracks—feels great! :) By Morgan @2022.4.19
Location: Yitouniu Japanese BBQ, Chongde Road, Taichung Travel note summary: A good friend suddenly asked to meet for dinner tonight. Even though I was already very full from the afternoon, I still went for the chance to drink Dassai Junmai Daiginjo and Hakkaiyama Honjozo sake. Came over for drinks and chat, talked about cryptocurrency—life goes with the flow. Thanks for the treat! :) By Morgan @2022.4.18 evening
Location: Taichung, Hanshin Arena SOGO 16F, Harbor Restaurant. Travel note: Celebrating mom's birthday at Harbor Restaurant on the 16th floor of Hanshin Arena SOGO in Taichung. Happy birthday, Mom! By Morgan @2022.4.18
Location: Taichung, Wunxin Road, Rong Shao Izakaya - Beitun Branch 2. Travel note: Pat happened to be back in his hometown Taichung this week, so we met up for a late-night snack. I also invited Steven along. A small gathering of three Wei Dao alumni. Taichung still offers great value for food—this izakaya's dishes were all quite good, and for about 1,000 TWD per person, we were completely stuffed! We also tried passion fruit-flavored Swedish fruit wine and a set of cream liqueur. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.4.16 evening
Location: Taichung. Travel note: Visited Brother Gong's company in Taichung to work on some coding. Besides enjoying freshly ground coffee beans and pour-over coffee (Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Panama roast), we opened a French red wine that Steven brought earlier, followed by a pink sparkling wine from Alex. Learned many life lessons from Brother Gong and got some insider stories about Taichung's鄉林建設. Later, Steven joined after finishing work, and we all drank and chatted. Life is like a dream—how many joys are there? Cheers~ By Morgan @2022.4.15
Location: Taipei, Qsquare 4F, Ichi鷺Express Japanese Grill Speciality Store. Travel note: First meal of the day... After heading out in the morning, had a meeting with Pat, his former Credit Suisse colleagues Sharon, Lman, Mars, and Shannon joining remotely from Shanghai. Sharon now works at a US PE fund, Siguler Guff, which manages $15 billion in assets. Shannon is a well-known director who has filmed weddings for Foxconn's Terry Gou, documentaries for Ferrari, and collaborated with stars like Jay Chou. We all gathered to explore potential NFT applications. After the noon meeting, no time to eat, immediately took a taxi to Zomma Option Protocol to discuss practical operations of DeFi options exchanges. After the meeting, really hungry, so before heading back to Taichung in the evening, stopped at Qsquare and ordered a bunch of food~ @@ By Morgan @2022.4.14
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Tea堀出轨 Bubble Tea Shop. Travel note: In the afternoon, introduced Cheng Kung University junior Xiaofeng to Pat. Xiaofeng's asset management company in Hong Kong, Richwell, recently started fundraising for their first fund, focusing on metaverse-related companies, managed by star foreign semiconductor analyst Chen Huiming. In the evening, Tony and Zhewei met up with me in Ximending, where I lived for two years and still miss. Tony mentioned he recently chatted with Ye Meili, one of the 'Four Golden Hairpins' in the securities industry, spending the whole afternoon listening to this veteran broker talk about Crypto and NFTs. She even recommended Tony buy two listed stocks, Pili and DaYu. Seeing Tony looked puzzled, I explained it's because both companies have issued NFTs. XD He then realized why Sister Ye recommended those stocks. From this topic, I explained a lot more about the crypto world to Tony. Thanks for the treat, Tony~ By Morgan @2022.4.13 evening
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi 45F, Morton's The Steakhouse Travel Note: My Nth visit to Morton's The Steakhouse on the 45th floor of Breeze Xinyi in Taipei. Supper with Mars, Lman, and William. Thanks to our VVIP friend Mars, we often get to enjoy delicious steaks here, always in reserved private rooms. Tonight, we ordered a 24 oz Porterhouse steak and a 32 oz Tomahawk steak, along with truffle butter, crab cakes, lobster bisque, spinach salad, and two bottles of fine California Pinot Noir. Senior Lman joked that Mars, who comes here at least twice a week, really treats Morton's like a casual stir-fry joint. :P Thanks for the treat, Mars! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.4.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Nanyang Street, Katsujiken AI Machine-made Ramen Travel Note: Katsujiken AI Machine-made Ramen on Nanyang Street in Taipei. Fully self-service ordering, with machines cooking the noodles. After operating the screen, the machine internally handles the frozen ingredients packaging, then you take it to the side to scan a code as instructed, and a dedicated machine heats it up. In a few minutes, a steaming bowl of ramen is ready. With acceptable taste, a bowl costing over a hundred TWD (better than instant noodles, worse than chef-cooked), it significantly reduces staffing costs. Quite an interesting model. By Morgan @2022.4.12
Location: Taipei, Nanyang Street, York Design Hotel Travel Note: York Design Hotel on Nanyang Street in Taipei. Lately, I've revived the spirit of backpacking abroad, staying at different hotels each time I come to Taipei, personally checking them out one by one to add some fun of movement. Taipei Main Station, Shuanglian Station, and Ximending Station are the main hubs. This week's hotel is quite special—located in the basement, it feels a bit like being in an air-raid shelter, but it's also very quiet and interesting. Heading out for a meeting now! :P By Morgan @2022.4.12
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi, Hooters American Restaurant Travel Note: Hooters American Restaurant at Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi in Taipei. Another day of three meetings. Visited the mining chip IC design company Whalechip in the morning, then had a meeting with the Option DeFi protocol Zomma in the afternoon. In the evening, had dinner at Hooters with William from Matrixport, Vins from DeFITs, and William's Yale alum Kaiying, who also graduated from the world's top art school, Juilliard. Chatted about music, art, and NFTs. Thanks for the treat, William! Time to head back to Taichung. :P Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.4.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Neihu, Xinhu 2nd Road, 333 Gallery (Jing Xun Lou) Travel Note: 333 Gallery (Jing Xun Lou) on Xinhu 2nd Road in Neihu, Taipei. Met up with Pat at Daan Forest Park Station in the afternoon for tea, clarifying the different resources needed for recent projects and trying to coordinate and connect them as much as possible. Afterward, remembered that Boheng's younger brother opened a new gallery in Neihu. Didn't have time to visit during its opening earlier this year, but had a small free slot in the evening, so came to the familiar Xinhu 2nd Road and stepped into this bright gallery. Currently exhibiting works by Spanish artist Jorge Rivera. Looking at different paintings, trying to understand the meanings behind them—life has so many things to learn. @@ By Morgan @2022.4.6 evening
Location: Taipei, Chope Chope Eatery (Singaporean cuisine) Travel note summary: In the afternoon, I visited the Taipei Contemporary Art Museum, bought a ticket, joined a guided tour, and soaked up some art. In the evening, I met my two cousins for dinner in the Xinyi District. Chope Chope Eatery is a Singaporean restaurant opened by Jimmy, the chef from the two-Michelin-starred JL Studio in Taichung. It has also earned a Michelin Plate award. After dinner, we stopped by Xiao Hou Yuan, a bar we'd been to before, for another drink. We chatted about their work lives in hospitals and schools, wrapping up this short holiday break.
Location: Taichung, Qinghai Road, Sawada Japanese Izakaya Travel note summary: Dinner with Brother Gong, Steven, and Fengxing. The food here was pretty good—thanks to Steven for treating us!
Location: Taipei 101, The Shanghai Restaurant Travel note summary: Another routine three-day, nine-meeting marathon. 1. Tuesday lunch with Brother Kang at Mr. Brown Coffee on Songjiang Road. Thanks for the treat! 2. Tuesday afternoon, introduced Naiwen and Vins. 3. Tuesday dinner at Muse Bistro in Shilin with Tim, Yuchia, Lman, and Tammy. Tim flew to Miami for a conference the next day—safe travels! 4. Wednesday morning meeting upstairs at 101. 5. Wednesday afternoon with Mars, Tianren, and Lman, listening to a pitch call about a US mine arranged by Pat. 6. Later Wednesday, Beichen rushed back to chat about MEV with Tianren. 7. Thursday morning, William introduced Ben and Lman at a Seattle Coffee near Yanji Street. 8. Thursday lunch, William treated Lman and me to La Piola Italian restaurant in an alley off Guangfu South Road. 9. Thursday afternoon meeting with the Zomma Protocol team, then everyone walked to Taipei 101 for dinner. Already on the way back to Taichung. Just a quick memo~ Time flies—the first quarter is over. @@
Location: Taichung, Beixing Street, Wu Cao Charcoal Grill Travel note summary: Steven called me last minute for a late-night snack, so we went with him, Qibin, and their wives/partners to a skewer and oden spot near my place. Later, Qibin remembered a tea house he used to frequent, so we drove to Tianxin Road in Fengyuan for tea. On the way back, we passed the Shuinan Economic and Trade Park, where property prices have also surged recently, so we took a few extra laps to check it out. Thanks to Qibin and Steven for the treat!
Location: Taipei, Jian Tan, Taipei American Club (ACC) Bar Travel note summary: In the evening, I met up with Senior Tim, William, and Senior Lman here. Senior Tim is a member, so we gathered at the club's bar. Tim is an early investor in projects like Indonesia's GoJek and Animoca (Sand, OpenSea), so over red wine, we chatted about the two public blockchains he recently invested in (Mina & Agoric). Listening to Tim talk is almost entirely in English—I just tried my best to keep up. We agreed to meet again somewhere next week before Tim flies to Miami for a conference. Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard, Haru Izakaya Travel note: In the evening, I introduced William from Matrixport to the DeFITs team. Later, William, Lman, and I visited this izakaya, which was on William's list of favorites. The grilled and fried dishes were quite impressive. Thanks for the treat, William! Looking forward to your Yangmingshan mansion party~ XD By Morgan @2022.3.22 night
Location: Taipei, Songjiang Road, Biantianzhuang Restaurant Travel note: Had lunch with Brother Kang, whom I hadn't seen in a while, and also invited Senior Lman so the two old classmates could catch up. We also asked Vins from DeFITs to join. Brother Kang is still at a foreign investment trust company, while Vins's Swedish licensed cryptocurrency fund is expected to be approved soon. It was a great chance to exchange views from both traditional and crypto fund perspectives. Besides that, Lman, Brother Kang, and I reminisced about our youthful travels together. Times keep moving forward, and interesting things keep happening~ By Morgan @2022.3.17
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Ki-dori, WIDE AWAKE Shisha Lounge, Kurumi Japanese Bar KTV Travel note: Spent the morning around Taipei 101. In the evening, introduced Matrixport's William to Senior Lman—both are from Pingtung and alumni of Daoming High School. First, we had a delicious meal at an izakaya on Linsen North Road, then went to a nearby shisha lounge. The last time I smoked shisha was back in Romania. William also invited his senior Tim, a fellow Yale alum. Like Senior Don, Tim invests globally and can easily mobilize hundreds of millions of dollars. Keeping up with Tim's Harvard+Yale genius mindset really pushed our brains to the limit. William's beautiful friend Rebecca also joined—her looks were absolutely stunning. Thanks again to William for treating us twice in a row. After that, William, Rebecca, and I continued to a third spot: a Japanese bar KTV with a nostalgic ambiance. We sang Japanese songs, drank soju, and even left a bottle of liquor there. What a fulfilling night on Linsen North Road—living in the moment, Cheers! :) By Morgan @2022.3.16 late night
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi, Morton's The Steakhouse Travel note: Four meetings in one day. In the morning, visited a graphics card OEM company in Zhonghe with Mars, A-Le, Ben, and Pat. At noon, Mars suggested a quick meal, but he just made a call to Morton's on the 45th floor of Breeze Xinyi and secured a private room with his face and name—truly a high-end 'fast food' XD. A-Le and Ben own five to six hundred rental suites and some commercial properties in the Greater Taipei area. Hoping to explore some cross-industry collaborations. Thanks again to Mars for the treat! In the afternoon, visited Blocto with Pat and chatted with Co-founder Edwin and their team—they're about to start a new round of funding. In the evening, met Senior Lman and James, the Chief Innovation Officer at Digital Times and a junior from the NCKU Civil Engineering Class of '92, near Nanjing Fuxing Station. Thanks to my junior for the two glasses of red wine. Later, near the Far Eastern Plaza, had Thai food with my cousin Yi-Ting, who came to Taipei for an interview, and another cousin Ming-Zhen. What an incredibly packed day~ By Morgan @2022.3.15 night
Location: Taichung, Yongxiang Badminton Hall Travel note: Had seafood for lunch with Brother Gong, Steven, and his employee Xiao Jie—thanks to Brother Gong for the treat. In the afternoon, Brother Gong's good friend Wen-Pei, who has held management positions at Yuanta,康和, and群益 Futures, came over for tea, and we all discussed options trading strategies. In the evening, went to play badminton for some exercise. Haven't played in a while, so running around was quite exhausting~ @@ By Morgan @2022.3.11 night
Location: Aka Izakaya, alley off Zhongshan North Road, Taipei Travel note: My research institute classmate Kunda rarely comes back to Taiwan from Guangzhou, so we arranged to have dinner together in the evening. Coincidentally, Yujia came up to Taipei from Hsinchu for a meeting and to pick up his custom-made suit, and Lman senior also happened to contact me in the afternoon to visit Yoxi under Hotai Motor to discuss NFTs. So, I simply gathered everyone for dinner to get to know each other. There was a senior entrepreneur from a blockchain company, a venture capitalist from the Foxconn Group assisting with metaverse-related projects, and the Asia regional head of a Finnish software company. We chatted about various topics from 6G and digital twins to autonomous driving. Using perspectives from different fields, we explored whether we could spark some different ideas. Afterwards, Yujia also gave me a ride back to my place near Linsen North Road in his new Tesla. Thanks to all my good friends for gathering and continuously creating wonderful memories! Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, March 9, 2022
Location: Lobby Court, 1F, Far Eastern Shangri-La Hotel, Taipei Travel note: In the afternoon, Tony introduced his friend, Mike, who was previously in the Beijing venture capital circle. Mike is now also staying in Taiwan due to the pandemic and is quite familiar with connections in Taiwan's financial circle, including the Financial Supervisory Commission. We chatted casually. Mike is also a wine lover; he used to invite friends to his home on Hong Kong's Mid-Levels for parties and drinks. It turns out Tony also knows Tianren. Last week, they both happened to have tea at a financier's place who deals in private lending. It seems it's also because of the pandemic that everyone has the chance to gather like this. :p By Morgan @Evening, March 7, 2022
Location: Plum Blossom Hall (Hong Kong-style dim sum), Brother Hotel, Taipei Travel note: Another day of shuttling between Taichung and Taipei. In the morning, I first went to Brother Gong's company in Taichung to do some programming. At noon, we had seafood fried noodles and delicious goose meat on Anhe Road. In the afternoon, I took the high-speed rail back to Taipei in a hurry. Because Don senior (from Weidao + Taichung First Senior High School) is returning to the US again, Yujia and I gathered with Don senior here in the evening. Before dinner, we first visited the Heng Yi training center on the 16th floor of a building near Nanjing Fuxing Station in the evening. It's one of the BUs of Syscom Group, specializing in various professional certification training and exams. Since Don senior is one of the major shareholders, after returning from the board meeting of the listed company Syscom in Neihu, he showed us around. Don senior, in his seventies, is probably the most talented and multi-faceted person among all the elders I know. Early in his career, he worked at Bell Labs and AT&T, and also founded a chip company that was sold to Foxconn Group. From technology to finance, his understanding and application of business are profound. Besides selling two other listed companies in the US, several funds managed by his team there now include hedge funds as small as over $100 million, while long-term investment funds with pension fund investments are far larger. Listening to him share his investments and experiences worldwide, along with his predictions and incisive commentary on the international political and economic situation, is enlightening. Regarding creating wealth value unimaginable to ordinary people, he always humbly says it's just luck. For life, he seems to pursue how to make it fun. Every time I meet Don senior, I can learn different perspectives, concepts, and humility from him. I'm truly grateful for his selfless sharing! Thanks also to Yujia for treating tonight! By Morgan @Evening, March 4, 2022
Location: Old Rattan Coffee, Nanjing Fuxing, Taipei Travel note: In the morning, my good friend Yujia came up specially from Hsinchu and arranged for me to meet his junior from his US study days, William. Pat, who also studied in the US, joined as well, so the four of us chatted casually. William previously worked at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong and Singapore, managing funds for high-net-worth clients (minimum investment $25 million). Recently, he joined Matrixport, a centralized cryptocurrency exchange founded by Wu Jihan, former co-founder of Bitmain. Matrixport's valuation in its latest funding round has also reached unicorn status ($1 billion). William will later be responsible for business development in Taiwan. We casually exchanged some information and contact details. The other two had meetings to attend and left first, while Yujia and I continued to a nearby place for some simple meatball soup. Thanks to Yujia for the treat! Now it's my turn to go to a meeting. :P By Morgan @March 3, 2022
Location: 1779 Japanese Izakaya, Jilin Road, Taipei Travel note: In the evening, I got together with Xiaofeng, a junior from the NCKU MBA class of '94, and Lman senior from NCKU. The junior previously worked at Citibank, Barclays Hong Kong, and a private equity fund in Shanghai, so he is familiar with both primary and secondary markets and can currently reach some sovereign wealth funds or family offices. He recently joined the Richwell Financial Group founded by our NCKU junior Cindy. Richwell recently also obtained Hong Kong's Type 4 and 9 licenses (asset management), and its joint venture asset management company in Shanghai is now operational. I chatted with the junior about Crypto, regarding accounting and mark-to-market issues after creating a fund. With the senior, we discussed mining machine revenue and methods for packaging products. A few small dishes, several pots of sake—life, let everything follow fate. Thanks to the junior for the treat! By Morgan @Evening, March 2, 2022
Location: Taipei Wired Tokyo Tsutaya Xinyi Store Travel note summary: Had afternoon tea here with Tony and Alvin at Taipei Wired Tokyo Tsutaya Xinyi Store. It's been a while since I last saw Tony too. Thanks for the treat, Alvin! :) By Morgan @2022.3.2
Location: Taipei Zhongshan N. Rd ABV Japanese Izakaya Travel note summary: After lunch at amba Taipei Songshan, I took Alvin to visit the nearby Taipei Ark. In the evening, Taka, the founder of Ark, happened to come in, and he introduced us to Feifei, co-founder of NFT Board, one of the companies based there. Later that night, I went to an izakaya in a lane off Zhongshan N. Rd. My friend Andy, whom I met in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, introduced his friend Josh, who then introduced his partner Jim. I also invited Senior Lman to join. When I first met Andy in 2016, he had just left a Hong Kong investment bank to join Tencent, later representing them in acquiring game companies worldwide. He recently decided to join a blockchain gaming company as a Co-founder. He called me from Hong Kong last week for a chat and then introduced Josh, whom he knew from the B2C lending platform Cashalo. Josh now works at an alternative investment firm that secures private placements like SpaceX from VCs and resells them; Headline also collaborates with them. Both he and Jim have experience running around Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines, so they're familiar with the Southeast Asian market and business. Recently getting into Crypto, they made some trading gains last year. After talking all night, my final advice to them was: 'Create Southeast Asia's Crypto Yu'ebao.' Hope it helps guide their direction. The four of us ended up opening three bottles of whisky plum wine. Thanks for the treat, Jim! By Morgan @2022.3.1 evening
Location: Taipei amba Taipei Songshan 17F QUE Restaurant Travel note summary: After a morning DEFI meeting at Joyso, Pat had lunch with Steven (He Yingqi), founder of 91 APP—a company that went public in Taiwan last year with a market cap of around 20+ billion NTD—and invited Alvin and me to join. Steven first gave us a personal tour of the entire 91 APP company, which has about 500 employees. He introduced their current products and services, focusing on OMO (Online-Merge-Offline) development. Then he treated us to a meal at QUE restaurant upstairs in the adjacent amba Taipei Songshan; the steak was pretty good. Steven is considered a godfather of Taiwan's e-commerce, so over the meal we chatted about the layouts of e-commerce players like Shopee, MOMO, and PChome. He also knows figures in Taiwan's crypto circle like Wayne from Xrex and Alex from Maicoin, and recently has been researching how to reach a '2.5' stage between Web 2.0 and 3.0. Thanks for the lunch treat, Steven! By Morgan @2022.3.1
Location: Taichung Wenxin Rd Tipsy Corridor WS Bistro Travel note summary: Had a small gathering here in the evening with Brother Gong and Steven. The manager Jimmy came over to toast, and after chatting, I found Jimmy to be very socially adept—he can talk about anything. The Techno Bistro we visited before was also opened by him. Besides being familiar with real estate like Brother Gong (they both bought apartments in Civic Ai Yue), Jimmy, who recently stepped down from the Lions Club, also knows the Lions Club president, which gave him something to talk about with Steven. He's also recently gotten into cigars, so he had common ground with Steven too. Originally in interior decoration and knowing many political and business celebrities, Jimmy is opening a private club in Taichung in March. Jimmy is also very business-savvy; for this Tipsy Corridor, he gathered 150 shareholders, each investing 50,000, but they bring their own connections and resources, contributing to the place's火爆 (火爆) popularity. After chatting, Jimmy treated us to some items—thanks! It was an interesting and serendipitous evening. By Morgan @2022.2.26 evening
Location: Taichung Wenxin Rd Zhujian Hot Pot Travel note summary: Family Gathering~ Happy birthday to brother-in-law!!! Thanks for the treat, sis! :p By Morgan @2022.2.26
Location: Da'an District, Taipei – Dinner at a Residence Travel Notes: Alvin invited me to a gathering at his NCTU junior Joseph's home in Da'an District. Joseph and his wife spent hours preparing a high-end handmade steak dinner for everyone. After selling his brokerage firm to King's Town Bank (Capital Securities), Joseph now focuses on investments including A-shares, managing both personal and fund portfolios. During our chat, they mentioned their recent interest in cryptocurrency, so I explained various crypto principles and developments. Surprisingly, they started considering opening a centralized exchange. Anyway, thanks to Joseph and his wife for their hospitality tonight—they even drove me to catch my train back to Taichung. Hope to see you again! :) By Morgan @2022.2.24 evening
Location: Bade Road, Taipei – Hong Cuo Hakka Restaurant Travel Notes: Che-wei invited me to dinner tonight on Bade Road in Taipei. Xiao-min, whom I hadn't seen in a while, also came with his wife. I invited Lman senior to join us for a chat. Che-wei's friend used to work on structured products at Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong and now manages his own fund with about $20 million AUM. He has some crypto-related ideas and market-making capabilities, so before returning to Taiwan in mid-March, he asked Che-wei to discuss with me to spark some thoughts. Lman senior also gave some advice. Che-wei even bought a nice bottle of red wine to enjoy while chatting. Thanks to Xiao-min for hosting tonight! :) Cheers! By Morgan @2022.2.23 evening
Location: Linsen North Road, Taipei – Show Café on 5F, Shin Shin Showtime Cinemas Travel Notes: Showtime Cinemas Group has 16 cinemas and 6 malls across Taiwan, with 2 more planned this year, and over a million members. The second-generation successors, Willy and Pat, who are Cornell University classmates, invited us to meet at one of their cinemas for lunch. Willy also brought his brother Clark, and I invited Lman senior. The five of us discussed some new Web3 ideas. Willy jokingly mentioned that the hard-to-book Uma Yakiniku is about to open at their Taichung Wenxin branch, and we could ask him for reservations if needed. XD Being around the same age, it was easy to communicate and share ideas. :) Thanks to Willy for lunch. By Morgan @2022.2.23
Location: Guanziling Hot Springs, Tainan – Dongshi Port, Chiayi Travel Notes: Spencer is returning to Shanghai next week, so we squeezed in some time to travel around Taiwan today and invited Xiao-ping, whom we hadn't traveled with in a while. We visited Guanziling to soak in the mud hot springs for the first time in twenty years, then headed to Dongshi Port for fresh oyster omelets and squid soup. We even held a remote meeting while on the move. Finally, we strolled through Chiayi's Cultural Road Night Market for dinner, ending a fulfilling day. By Morgan @2022.2.22 evening
Location: Beiping Road, Taichung – Zaka Bistro Travel Notes: Unblock's Co-Founder, Spencer, came down to Taichung tonight, so I invited Qi-bin, Steven, Rui-yi, and Rui-ying to meet him. Unblock focuses on anti-money laundering tracking on the blockchain. Among the founders, Ernie is currently expanding business in the U.S., while Spencer will return to Shanghai next week to continue his efforts. Taking advantage of his break in Taiwan, we arranged this gathering in Taichung. We enjoyed dinner, red wine, and chatted about various topics—a fun evening. After returning home at 22:40, I continued with a conference call with Hong Kong junior Cindy and her colleagues from Richwell Fund Company. Life keeps spinning in diverse ways. :P By Morgan @2022.2.21 evening
Location: Taichung, Wunxin Road, Gange Indian Cuisine Travel note summary: In the afternoon, I accompanied my mom and her classmate to stroll through the lantern festival at Wunxin Forest Park. Then for dinner, we randomly picked an Indian restaurant on Wunxin Road with decent online ratings. Even though it was just past 5 PM, the place was already quite busy. It had been a while since I last had Indian food, and I ended up feeling pretty full. :p By Morgan @2022.2.19 evening
Location: Taichung, Xinshe, Feihua Luoyuan Travel note summary: A decade in the making, this courtyard was built with an investment of 200 million by CEO Wei of the Maye餐饮 Group, which also runs brands like One Cow and Badou Shifu in Taichung. Ms. Wei is also a student of the renowned chef André Chiang. Tonight, thanks to Steven's close relationship with Ms. Wei's brother, Steven and his wife invited Brother Gong and me for dinner here. We started by admiring the mountain mist and sunset in the evening, then enjoyed a variety of creative and fresh delicacies after being seated. Paired with the Gishu Junmai Ginjo sake wrapped in Japanese newspaper, and ending upstairs in the tea lounge with the lingering aroma of white tea from Pinglin. Over five hours, we savored not just the atmosphere and experience, but also found the presentation and cooking of the ingredients to be the perfect finishing touch. Ms. Wei also came by to greet us warmly during the meal. Overall satisfaction made it feel on par with some Michelin-starred restaurants. Tonight's per-person cost was about $5,000. Thanks again to Steven and his wife for the treat! A Friday night, happily creating beautiful memories with good friends. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.2.18 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, Shenpu Shangyan Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant Travel note summary: At noon, senior Lman introduced me to Brian Yang, one of the founders of FunP / cacafly, for a meal to get acquainted. cacafly is also a well-known online advertising and marketing company, recently starting to enter the Crypto marketing market. Taiwan is still very small; Brian also knows Calvin, the founder of Love Apartment, whom I just met yesterday, as well as my high school classmate CLKao, now founder of Infuse A.I., or crypto celebrities like Tempo from Perpetual, Wayne from Xrex... he even knows Alvin, whom I just met yesterday. Moreover, Brian previously spent many years in Beijing, so when we chatted about related topics, it felt particularly relatable. Thanks to Brian for the lunch treat today, hope to meet again soon~ After the meal, I followed Mars to the headquarters of Pelith - Hakka Finance, another famous crypto team in Taiwan, and met the very young but highly creative founder Pin Chen, as well as the CEO, Luxun, Pin's senior from NTU's Department of Information Management. We talked about a lot of things. Met many people, quite an interesting day~ :) By Morgan @2022.2.15
Location: Taipei, Roosevelt Road, Hyaku Hachi Fishery Travel note summary: Three meetings in one day. After a remote meeting at noon, I came up to Taipei from Taichung. In the evening, I arrived at the headquarters of Love Apartment (Shangfan Technology). Pat brought the founders Calvin and Aaron, along with Alvin, a Taiwanese friend they knew from China, to visit. We chatted a lot about health-related topics, and Calvin also gave everyone trial products of their Dayan Biomedicine's new product for diabetes. From 5 PM to 7 PM, after it ended, Alvin and I continued to find a place for dinner and chat. Alvin previously held executive positions and was CMO at Alibaba and Renren, now starting his own business. The core technology is A.I., using A.I. to help artists issue NFTs, or using A.I. to dynamically change virtual avatars for live streaming... Met an interesting new friend~ XD By Morgan @2022.2.14 evening
Location: Taichung, a high-end community, rooftop executive lounge Travel note summary: Another year without seeing my junior high school classmate from Weidao, Boheng. Tonight, Boheng and I made plans to meet up and catch up. So we came to his brother's community here to have some food and chat. Boheng's brother didn't go into racing like his older brother but is pursuing art instead. However, he's not directly taking over the family business, Jingxunlou, but has chosen to start his own venture. His new gallery is also opening this weekend in Taipei's Neihu. Recently, he also helped some artists sell NFTs of their paintings. As for Boheng, we chatted a bit about the new business he's about to dive into, as well as the many high-end connections he intensively met with in Taipei last week. Time flies; in the blink of an eye, it's been almost 30 years since we were classmates. Being able to gather together safely and healthily is truly a blessing and fate~ Thanks to Boheng for the treat, let's meet again next time~ :) By Morgan @2022.2.13 evening
Location: Deer Antler Medicinal Wine Travel note: Visited Brother Gong's company and tried some deer antler medicinal wine to boost my health. Also checked out the results of the 8 AVYC NFT blind boxes I helped him buy earlier. The wine's effect was amazing—I felt warmth all over after just the second sip! @@ By Morgan @2022.2.11
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Le Ye Shi Travel note: Another busy day in Taipei's Ximending at Le Ye Shi. Taught a total of 2+3=5 hours of classes during the day, and squeezed in some reading on a 66-page Goldman Sachs research report on digital assets and blockchain that Pat sent over. In the evening, Junming, who rarely returns from Shenzhen, gathered a few college classmates including Naiwen, Bomin, Yanren, and Peijun. It had been anywhere from almost a year to over eight years since I last saw some of them. Everyone is still spread across various industries—from tech and software to finance and non-profits (Foxconn, MediaTek, Trend Micro, Goldman Sachs, Association for the Visually Impaired). After a certain age, every gathering truly feels precious. Life just keeps passing by, year after year. :p By Morgan @2022.2.6 evening
Location: Taichung, Splendor Hotel 12F Bar Travel note: Today, I visited my grandma's place in Wuqi and spent a lively day with several uncles, aunts, and cousins I hadn't seen in a long time, plus a bunch of kids. In the evening, back in Taichung, Pat arranged a gathering with IP and me. IP, who handles investment projects at Song Xueren's office, lives really close to my place in Taichung—quite a coincidence. The three of us exchanged updates and resources on recent projects, including a company in AI + surveillance that recently approached IP's team for PIPE investment. Also, Singapore-based broker Long Bridge wants to enter the Taiwan market, and Pat has been helping them arrange talks with brokers like Cathay and Fubon before the New Year. Or, Japanese game company KOEI, famous for Romance of the Three Kingdoms, is currently looking for channels and resources to issue NFTs... We usually meet in Taipei, so gathering in Taichung today was a nice change and a different memory. Also tried mulled wine for the first time—the spiced flavor was quite unique. Thanks for the treat, Pat! Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2022.2.2 evening
Location: Taichung, Chongde 10th Road, Ba Dou Shi Fu Wagyu Hot Pot Travel note: Evening pre-New Year dinner with Brother Gong, Manager Liang, Pat, and Steven. Five people, four bottles of red wine, Wagyu + seafood hot pot—great fun eating and drinking with good friends. Qibin joined us later after coming down from the mountains. Cheers!!! By Morgan @2022.1.29 evening
Location: Taichung Travel note: First experience with a TutorABC trial lesson. To better understand how TutorABC works and to reactivate my Chinese brain that hasn't spoken English in a while, I signed up for a trial lesson during a free slot this afternoon. The teacher, Sarah, is American and currently lives in India. We chatted simply about some vocabulary and grammar. After the lesson, my assessment score was around level 7–8 (out of 1–12), still stuck in that awkward middle ground—not the best, but not the worst either. Instead, I ended up chatting more with the consultant Stone after class. He's also from Taichung and works at TutorABC's Taichung branch. The pre-class guidance and post-class follow-up were quite impressive. Education is indeed an indispensable part of the future. Maybe one day, 'Learn to Earn' won't be a surprise. :P By Morgan @2022.1.29
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan North Road, SoShow Bar & Restaurant Travel note summary: Last gathering in Taipei before the New Year at SoShow Bar & Restaurant on Zhongshan North Road. Thanks to Manager Liang for the treat. Heading back to Taichung now. By Morgan @Evening of 2022.1.27
Location: Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Hotel 5F M.O. Bar Travel note summary: Evening gathering with Manager Liang and Ruihong at M.O. Bar on the 5th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. They have Happy Hour from 17:00-21:00, NT$1,200+10% for 2 hours of unlimited specific drinks. I usually lose out on all-you-can-eat, but all-you-can-drink (alcohol) is okay. Within two hours, I ordered three cocktails, one white wine, and one red wine: Passion Martini, Beauty Spritz, M.O. Sparkle. The atmosphere at the Mandarin Oriental is still nice. I've been to Bencotto Italian Restaurant and Tajimaya Shabu-Shabu before, and this time at M.O. Bar—all good experiences. Thanks in advance to Manager Liang for the treat. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of 2022.1.25
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan North Road, Ne Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei, Zhongshan North Road, Ne Japanese Cuisine (second visit). At noon, Pat arranged a meeting with Sam, the current owner of TutorABC in Taiwan. We ate at Hangzhou Xiaolongbao on Minsheng East Road and got to know each other. The three of us chatted over lunch, learning about TutorABC's current and future development plans, the potential explosive growth of the online education market, and exploring how I might help in the future. Thanks to Sam for the treat. In the evening, my friend Hongqi from alternative military service invited me to dinner, along with Yujia, making three of us. We chose the same restaurant I visited last time with Manager Liang. The owner is Hongqi's Rotary Club president, so they often dine here. The white wine we drank tonight was also stored here earlier by Hongqi. All three of us ordered the same Willow Set Menu (NT$1,980+10%). We chatted while eating. I explained to Hongqi the connection points between the crypto world and the traditional world, as well as various concept and strategy shifts. We also listened to Hongqi share about his company's previous listing in Canada and many interesting stories from the Rotary Club. Taiwan is still small—Hongqi and Daofang's younger sister previously worked at the same company. As for Yujia and me, we've known each other since the army, almost 20 years now. It's truly rare that we still have the chance to gather for a meal. Thanks to Brother Hongqi for this dinner treat. :) By Morgan @Evening of 2022.1.21
Location: Taipei, Chang'an East Road, Linyanggang Stir-fry Travel note summary: Taipei, Chang'an East Road, Linyanggang Stir-fry. Evening gathering arranged by Alex and Shinong. In the afternoon, I chatted with Spencer who returned from Shanghai. In the evening, with Brother Zhan who set up a fund in the Cayman Islands, and Brother Lin who serves major clients at KGI Securities, six people plus Manager Liang, we talked about experiences in mainland China and various options trading. Lots of beer, sake, and red wine. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening of 2022.1.18
Location: Taipei, Taichun Xiaoguan Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei, Taichun Xiaoguan Japanese Cuisine. Evening, Alex invited me and Manager Liang for drinks. After handling requests from eight different friends over the weekend, we came here for dinner. Thanks to Alex for the treat. After the meal, we moved to near Taipei City Hall Station to visit Teacher Chen and hear about investments in micro-hydro power generation equipment. Didn't expect to come back to the Cathay Landmark (Breeze Xinyi) building just a few days later. A few days ago, I was on the 21st floor at Liangqu, the company next to Tencent. Today, I came to the 29th floor, Teacher Chen's office. Thanks to Teacher Chen for the time and explanation. :) By Morgan @Evening of 2022.1.16
Location: Venice Italian Restaurant, Songjiang Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Wednesday at the Venice Italian Restaurant on Songjiang Road in Taipei is for the crypto crowd, while Friday switches to the tech industry. In the afternoon, Yu-Jia came up to Taipei from Hsinchu. First, we met with Ken, the CTO of Inline (an online reservation company), and his friend Curtis, who previously served as CFO in the media industry, to get acquainted and chat. Ken recently started playing with an Olympus DAO clone, and its market cap has already reached $4 million in just two months. Lately, I've been having some new ideas for projects. In the evening, Yu-Jia invited friends from companies like HTC, ASUS, SiFive (semiconductors), and Owen, whom we met last time from a U.S. robotics company, to gather for dinner. Among them, Tommy holds a professional sake sommelier license from Japan and shared a lot of knowledge about Japanese sake with everyone. He also brought a sake with gold flakes and another with complex, layered flavors—Shinshu Kirei Junmai Ginjo. By the second half of the meal, Hong-Qi, a comrade from our same class during military training at the Guanxi camp over a decade ago (like Yu-Jia, we were both in the national defense service), rushed over after finishing a Rotary Club meeting. Hong-Qi now works at NetScout, a U.S.-listed cybersecurity company. After not seeing each other for years, we continued chatting at a nearby Starbucks after dinner, finishing off the leftover sake. Thanks to Yu-Jia for the invitation and hospitality, and for reuniting with an old friend—a truly delightful meal! XD By Morgan @2022.1.14 evening
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Yilan, Two Hundred Million B&B in Sanxing. Invited by Brian and Grace's company to join the employee trip and year-end party of Hansheng International (venture capital). We gathered downstairs of the Taipei 101 office in the morning and took a bus to Yilan. First, we rode bikes for an hour and a half near Fulong, then competed in shrimp fishing at a shrimp fishing pond in the afternoon. In the evening, we booked the entire B&B, feeling like we were back to department trips from ten years ago at Yuanta Securities Investment Trust. Only this time, instead of drinking with old comrades, it was with another group of lovely young people. Everyone drank, sang, played cards, mahjong, and dice—a warm and lively evening! :) By Morgan @2022.1.24 evening
Location: 4mano cafe, B2 of Regent Hotel, Taipei Travel note summary: 4mano cafe, B2 of Regent Hotel, Taipei. In the afternoon, I introduced Yu-Jia and Pat, both fellow Weidao alumni, to Cheng-Wei, a Weidao junior I recently met. Starting with conversations about teachers, military instructors, and the girls' class, the distance between us quickly narrowed. Everyone has similar yet different identities (venture capital, investment banking, angel investors, consultants), so it was a good opportunity to share resources and information. This also helped establish a small Weidao alumni mutual support group! XD By Morgan @2022.1.11 evening
Location: Chun Shui Tang (Xiutai Store), Taichung Travel note summary: Chun Shui Tang (Xiutai Store), Taichung. At noon, Brother Rui-Yi, who serves as a branch manager at DBS Bank, invited me for a meal. We chatted about cryptocurrency topics, and I congratulated him on his branch team ranking first in Taiwan this month in terms of performance. Over the meal, we explored the possibilities and challenges of traditional high-net-worth clients investing in Crypto, as well as how to solve and overcome these issues. Thanks to Brother Rui-Yi for the treat! :) By Morgan @2022.1.10
Location: 298 Nikuya Yakiniku, in the alley of Jianxing Road, Taichung Travel note summary: 298 Nikuya Yakiniku, in the alley of Jianxing Road, Taichung. Three meetings in one day. At 9:00 AM, I first taught a program trading class for Udemy students. At noon, I squeezed in a meal near my home with Steven and Qi-Bin, chatting about Qi-Bin's recent experimental activity at his B&B in Taitung (backpacker bed + electric bike = thousand-dollar package). The food at this yakiniku place was pretty good, and there was dedicated staff to help with the grilling, so guests just needed to focus on chatting. Thanks to Brother Steven for the treat. Then at 1:30 PM, I rushed back home to continue teaching, this time a programming class for kids on small games. Sometimes, I get different inspirations from them. When displaying amounts using Arabic numerals, a kid suddenly suggested that using encoded characters might be more interesting, so she turned 0-9 into different character sets. Some things we take for granted seem changeable from a child's perspective. It's a good reminder to always keep an open and flexible mindset! By Morgan @2022.1.9
Location: Taichung, Xintiandi Seafood Restaurant Travel note summary: My younger brother is heading back to the Netherlands today. My in-laws came all the way from Tainan to Taichung, and both families had a simple home-style meal together. Yingci's family and relatives are all quite accomplished—some work at TSMC or Google, while others are still studying at the Institute of Life Sciences at National Tsing Hua University. Taiwan is still such a small place; during the chat, we discovered that Yingci's sister's husband, Zhijun, was actually a classmate of our cousin Jiaxin in the Civil Engineering Department at National Chiao Tung University. After this simple and heartwarming family feast, I wish my brother a safe journey. Take care! :P By Morgan @2022.1.8
Location: Taichung, Zhonggong 3rd Road, Old Brother Family-Style Izakaya Travel note summary: Xiaoping, Ziyu, and Jiajun came to visit Brother Gong today. We first had lunch at Haoyuan Seafood Restaurant on Anhe Road, then dinner at this small izakaya in Xitun. Today's conversations mainly revolved around spiritual topics. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us to two meals in a row! By Morgan @2022.1.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi 47F, Sea to Sky High-Rise Seafood Restaurant Travel note summary: Another three days, ten meetings. 1. Tuesday morning, remote meeting with DeFITs to discuss their funding and progress on launching a crypto fund in Sweden. 2. Tuesday lunch with Pat and his friend Jack from NVIDIA, plus LC from New Quest Capital (recently merged into TPG, a top U.S. PE firm), getting to know each other near Xinyi Anhe Station. 3. Afternoon coffee with Ryan, Pat's former boss at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, who retired early with impressive assets. 4. Meeting at Joyso to discuss DeFi. 5. Wednesday morning, at the office atop Taipei 101, chatting with Grace about her upcoming venture capital firm. 6. Wednesday lunch with Kevin, a former colleague from Yuanta Securities Investment Trust, who spent the last eight years managing fixed income at mainland mutual funds (China Resources Yuanta, Anxin) and is now back in Taiwan, handling fund approvals at Cathay United Bank's wealth management department. Kevin is getting interested in crypto, so we chatted, and I invited Pat to join. 7. Wednesday afternoon, at Chun Shui Tang with seniors Lman and Jserv, and Scott, discussing arbitrage bots and GameFi. 8. Evening, since my brother is returning to the Netherlands, CEO Liang treated him and his wife Yingci to dinner at Sea to Sky on the 47th floor of Breeze Xinyi. Sea to Sky is another brand by the same group as Smith & Wollensky, focusing on seafood. After dinner, we continued at a bar across the street, joined by Pat. Thanks to CEO Liang for the treat! 9. Thursday morning, meeting at Joyso in Xinyi District. 10. Afternoon, at the headquarters of Love Apartment/Dayan Biomedicine, Ernie pitched an NFT lending project to Calvin and Aaron, and with Pat, we discussed SocialFi. Three days, 28 people, various topics—as an Aries, I really enjoy this. It's fun to do things that align with your talents! Heading back to Taichung now :P By Morgan @2022.1.6
Location: Taichung, Alley off Zhongxiao Road, Halal Restaurant Travel note summary: On the last day of 2021, my family and I came to this frequented little shop for sour cabbage lamb hot pot. This year really got better as it went on. Sincerely thankful for the help and care from many good friends. Wishing everyone an even better 2022! :) By Morgan @2021.12.31 evening
Location: Tainan, Anping District, Sea Flavor Omakase Restaurant, Yuguang Island (Qiumao Garden) Travel note summary: Counting it up, it's really been over eight years since I last visited Tainan. Unfortunately, time is limited, so it's just a quick day trip there and back. :p By Morgan @2021.12.30
Location: Taipei, Regent Taipei Travel Notes: Two days in Taipei with five meetings as usual, jotting down notes in the car. On Tuesday morning, through my younger brother's introduction, I met with Cheng-Wei, the third son of former Taiwan Life Insurance Chairman Mr. Zhu, and his wife Mina at Regent Taipei for a chat. Cheng-Wei is mainly responsible for venture capital in the family office, previously focusing on biotech, but recently becoming interested in blockchain, cryptocurrency, and NFTs. Like Joyso, he also invested in Cybavo, and like Calvin and Aaron, founders of Love Apartment, he attended last Tuesday's IVS (Infinity Venture Summit). He's also neighbors with the well-known crypto figure Machi Big Brother, Jeffrey Huang, and is close with Joseph Huang from IVP. Coincidentally, Cheng-Wei is also my junior from Weidao Junior High, though he went abroad to study in eighth grade. We shared some insights and ideas, had a great conversation, and agreed to catch up after the New Year. Thanks to Cheng-Wei and his wife for the hospitality! In the afternoon, I went to Joyso for a remote meeting with Professor Han from Tsinghua University, inviting Tianren-ge, former head of KGI's derivatives department, and Xiao Zhu, core engineer at Perpetual, to join. Senior Pat, who works in investment banking at Credit Suisse, happened to reach out, so I invited him too. Everyone from different backgrounds sparked many ideas in the discussion. In the evening, I had dinner with Dwight, Telder, and A-Fu from the NCKU Computer Network Enthusiasts Club (CCNS) at Diner Le Zi in Xinyi District. Telder now works at a foreign network equipment company, while A-Fu is preparing to leave Chunghwa Telecom to pursue goals for the second half of his life. Taiwan is always small—casual chat revealed that Senior Dwight, who has worked at Ubuntu for 10 years, actually knows Xiao Zhu (Yuren Ju) from the afternoon meeting. Indeed, the circle of tech experts is quite small. :p On Wednesday morning, I first went to the office atop Taipei 101 to chat with long-time-no-see Boss Brian, Sister Grace, and Eric. Then, we had a simple lunch at the 85th-floor restaurant, Din Tai Fung 101. If connection is a talent, maybe my greatest talent lies here—it seems easy to connect with anyone I talk to. While chatting with Eric, former finance and investment head at Taiwan Life Insurance, he indeed knew Cheng-Wei from yesterday, though he's closer to his two older brothers. Thanks to Boss Brian for the treat! In the afternoon, I visited Whale Chain Technology, founded by NCKU junior Kyle (designing/producing chips with AI and 3D stacking tech), joining Pat, Senior Lman, IP (CIO of the family office of investment banking godfather Song Xueren, whom I'd met once before), and Chris, a partner at Hong Kong asset management firm Singularity (backed by Chinese internet giants, with $1.5 billion AUM), for a potential investor meeting. Afterward, I rushed back to Taichung, as I need to go to Tainan tomorrow to accompany my younger brother for a marriage proposal. Life flies by—still living in the moment! :P By Morgan @2021.12.29
Location: Taichung, Rong Shao Izakaya on Wenxin Road Travel Notes: Brother Gong treated my younger brother and me to dinner in the evening. We drank Tengumai Daiginjo sake while chatting about my brother's studies and work in Amsterdam over the past few years. Thanks to Brother Gong for the hospitality! Cheers! By Morgan @2021.12.23 evening
Location: Taipei 101 & Ajex Bistro in Tonghua Street alley Travel Notes: Last week was four meetings in one day; this week is seven meetings over three days. Time remains a scarce resource. This afternoon, I first visited Sister Grace's office on the 24th floor of Taipei 101, who just came out of quarantine in Hong Kong, chatting about the recent status of their asset management company with a team of over thirty in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Japan. In the evening, I had dinner and drinks with Manager Liang and Youming, my direct junior from the NCKU Industrial Engineering class of 101, who returned from Vietnam and Huizhou, Guangdong after over two years and now works at Delta Electronics. Three people, three bottles of red wine, including South African wine. Time flies—the days we spent in Shenzhen have quickly turned into days in Taiwan. After drinking, it's time to head back to Taichung. Thanks to Manager Liang for the treat, Cheers! By Morgan @2021.12.22 evening
Location: Shiyuan Fried Chicken Travel Notes: It's been raining outside, so I just ordered UberEats to try Shiyuan Fried Chicken, which has gotten a bit popular recently for issuing NFTs on Oursong. The garlic flavor is quite strong! :P By Morgan @2021.12.21 evening
Location: Taichung, Yamatoya on Chongde 12th Road Travel Notes: In the evening, I attended a year-end party for a project Pat invested in. Pat was busy in Taipei, so he asked me to fill in. The venue had over 400 people, very lively. Our table was quite lucky—almost everyone won cash or prizes, and I even got $20 USD. Among the attendees were Brother Gu, who invests in various ventures (TV shopping, hospitals...), including a resort opening tomorrow in Taichung's Xinshe; an elderly gentleman who served five terms as a legislator in Hong Kong and invests in real estate development in Tamsui, Taiwan; Jack, who runs chain ganbanyoku spa stores in Taipei and Taichung; and Sister Wang, whose son is an executive in Shanghai... Here, as the little brother, I didn't know how to introduce myself, so I just filled my glass and toasted everyone with red wine. :P By Morgan @2021.12.18 evening
Location: Lailai Mutton Hot Pot in the alley off Chongde Road, Taichung Travel note: Had dinner at this little mutton hot pot place in the alley with Steven and his wife, plus Brother Gong. Even though the cold snap hasn't arrived yet, it felt like an early reunion feast. We spent a warm and relaxed evening together—thanks to classmate Steven for treating us and bringing the red wine! XD By Morgan @2021.12.16 evening
Location: Yongxiang Badminton Court, Hanxiang North Street, Taichung Travel note: Came to get some exercise with Brother Gong and John at Yongxiang Badminton Court. Haven't played in ten months. From 8 PM to 11 PM, I was exhausted after just a few games～ Whew～ @@ By Morgan @2021.12.10 evening
Location: Yami Vietnamese Eatery, Xitun District, Taichung Travel note: In the morning, my friend John, who also works as an angel investor, came over to Brother Gong's place to handle the SAFE agreement for a US-based cloud kitchen company he recently invested in. (Current valuation: $6–7.5 million). Then, classmate Xiaoping brought over a bottle of Japanese white wine. At noon, Brother Gong arranged a meal with a few of his friends, including Boss Zeng from Jichuang Construction, expert Fu Ge from a real estate marketing company, and landscaping master Abula. So, the seven of us gathered together to eat, drink, and get to know each other. White wine, red wine, whiskey, beer. Coincidentally, some of John's retired friends from the Hsinchu Science Park are looking for stable investment properties, and Boss Zeng happens to have a fully rented apartment building in Tanzi. Many connections and opportunities always emerge over drinks. Afterward, back at Brother Gong's company, his brother-in-law and a classmate dropped by. After exchanging greetings—this elder brother had been based in Dongguan before—we chatted a lot about our shared, fond memories of '258.' Later, Steven might also come by to chat and have a cigar. Life is always about continuously learning and broadening one's horizons among friends from various fields. :P Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.12.9
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Eagle House Bistro Travel Notes: Had dinner with CEO Liang, Ernie, and Ernie's friend Jimson at Eagle House Bistro on Bade Road in Taipei. The whole table was filled with top graduates from MIT, CMU, and Stanford in the U.S., and CEO Liang also holds a PhD from City University of Hong Kong. My qualifications were definitely the lowest here. XD Jimson previously worked at ASML and studied Engineering and System Science at Tsinghua University, later pursuing space-related studies at Stanford. He's now working on drone and autonomous driving projects. We chatted about secrets of Chinese public funds, on-chain crypto analysis... including various Web 3.0 topics. It was an interesting night, with two bottles of American red wine. Cheers! Thanks to CEO Liang for treating us. By Morgan @2021.12.7 evening
Location: Taipei, Minsheng West Road, Taichun Japanese Cuisine Travel Notes: The 19th gathering in 7 days. Came here for drinks and casual chat with CEO Liang and Alex. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.12.5 evening
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, A Cow BBQ Travel Notes: A Cow BBQ on Gongyi Road in Taichung, with sake. Wu Wei Cao Tang. Steven invited me for lunch, and Yujia happened to return to Taichung from Hsinchu and also wanted to meet in the afternoon, so we combined the two gatherings. First had BBQ and plum wine; Steven also knows the owner of A Cow, so we got some off-menu dishes. After eating, went next door to Wu Wei Cao Tang, which I hadn't visited in over seven years, for tea and chat. Spent a fulfilling yet leisurely Saturday afternoon with good friends. Thanks Yujia for treating at Wu Wei. By Morgan @2021.11.27
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Yuki Japanese Izakaya Travel Notes: Yuki Japanese Izakaya on Gongyi Road in Taichung. Dinner with Brother Gong, discussing metaverse concept coins like MANA and SAND. When paying the bill, demonstrated to Brother Gong how to use a crypto VISA card (CRO) to pay, which amazed the restaurant owner too. The evolution of times really keeps changing many things. @@ By Morgan @2021.11.25 evening
Location: Taipei – Quick Notes on 8 Gatherings Travel Notes Summary: Quick Notes on 8 Gatherings in Taipei. After meeting six groups of friends in Taichung last week, this week in Taipei, I had eight gatherings in just two days: 1. Tuesday morning, had breakfast with Calvin and Aaron from Love Apartment, and senior Pat at Lightbox in Guting. Thanks to Calvin for treating. 2. Tuesday noon, met with Matsumura who rushed back from a construction site in Taoyuan, and had Thai food at Thai Food No.2 with a glass of white wine. Thanks to Matsumura for treating. 3. Tuesday afternoon, visited Joyso's office in Xinyi District for a remote meeting with Associate Professor Han from the Department of Quantitative Finance at Tsinghua University. 4. Tuesday evening, had dinner with Ernie at WEDO Restaurant in Dongmen. Thanks to Ernie for treating. 5. Later Tuesday night, went on an adventure in Ximending with friends. 6. Wednesday morning, visited a crypto trading team founded by talents from NTU and NCCU, located in the United Daily News Building in East District, introduced by Mars. 7. Noon, chatted about mining machine companies with senior Lman and senior Pat at Ootoya in the basement of Uni-President Era Building. Thanks to senior Pat for treating. 8. Evening, had dinner with Ernie and John, both top students who studied at MIT in the US, at Yong Xin Feng Cha on the 3rd floor of Breeze Xinyi. Thanks again to all my Taipei friends for the hospitality. Meeting people in life is all about fate. Now on the road back to Taichung :P By Morgan @2021.11.24 night
Location: Taichung Qizhi – The Wang Dry-Aged Steakhouse Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Qizhi – The Wang Dry-Aged Steakhouse. Today, six different groups of friends came to see me. After visiting Brother Gong's company in the morning: 1. Classmate Xiaoping came to help Brother Gong with BARS. 2. Qibin arrived at 2:30 PM. 3. Steven came at 3 PM with a friend in land development. 4. Steven's friends, a couple in breakfast and biotech investment, came over. 5. Siblings Ruiyi and Ruiying came. 6. General Manager Liang came from Taipei. Finally, with General Manager Liang and Brother Gong, we went to the high-end steakhouse under the Wangpin group. Currently, it's the only one in Taiwan, recognized by the Michelin Guide. Coincidentally, today is the third Thursday of November, so we opened a few bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau – the taste was surprisingly fresh and delightful. Thanks to General Manager Liang for the treat, Cheers! By Morgan @2021.11.18 night
Location: Taipei Xinsheng North Road – Jiang Bistro & Thai Cuisine Travel Notes Summary: Taipei Xinsheng North Road – Jiang Bistro & Thai Cuisine. After having traveled to many places around the world and met a certain number of people, it seems easy to quickly find common ground with new friends. Last night, Calvin and Jamy, founders of Love Apartment, along with their classmate and CFO Aaron, invited me and senior Pat for dinner. I also invited senior Lman, Mars, and Ernie to join. Seeing many Thai dishes served at first, but feeling something was missing, I suggested Aaron order some white wine. Sure enough, after a few glasses, the atmosphere warmed up. Jamy happened to have an NTU EMBA classmate who also loves red and white wine, so we started the conversation from there – from food and wine, we chatted all the way to our shared experience of horseback riding in the Mongolian desert. With Calvin, we talked about Love Apartment's expansion into mainland China; turns out we overlapped, sharing memories of living in Shanghai. They lived in Xuhui District, close to my place near Zhongshan Park Station. Talking about many private clubs we both had been to quickly brought us closer ~XD Then, I found out Aaron and Ernie are senior and junior from NCCU, so after a brief introduction, they chatted happily together. Plus, my university junior Changyou and their other founder Dongqing are classmates from Taipei Medical University – it seems everyone can be connected somehow. :P Thanks again to Calvin for the treat. After last night's gathering, this morning I was also invited to visit the Love Apartment (Shangfan Technology) office on Roosevelt Road. Calvin and Aaron kindly gave me many health supplements from their subsidiary, Dayan Biomedicine, like lutein, fish oil, and maca. Life is always interesting; you never know who you'll meet. Staying true to oneself, everything is just fate~ Busy life continues, now on the road back to Taichung. By Morgan @2021.11.17
Location: Taichung Tiger City 7F – FRANK Taichung Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Tiger City 7F – FRANK Taichung. With Brother Gong, his wife, John, Steven, Qibin, and Qibin's elementary school classmate – Dr. Kang, we spontaneously gathered for a Sunday night dinner. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.11.14 night
Location: Taichung Zhujian Hotpot – Zhanqian Showtime Store Travel Notes Summary: Taichung Zhujian Hotpot – Zhanqian Showtime Store. At noon, long-time-no-see siblings Ruiyi and Ruiying invited me for a meal, so we met at Zhujian near the train station. After sharing some interesting stories about the crypto world with Ruiyi, who is a branch manager at DBS Bank, it sparked his interest. He started seriously considering whether there's a way to better connect the needs of their high-net-worth clients between the traditional banking circle and the cryptocurrency circle. We chatted so much that we weren't satisfied yet, so we continued at a café downstairs. Meeting with different friends always sparks new ideas. Thanks again to Brother Ruiyi for the treat~ :) By Morgan @2021.11.12
Location: Menjiang, Nantun District, Taichung – Omakase Japanese Cuisine Travel notes: Two friends from Taipei came to visit me today—Ernie and my grad school classmate Mengsheng. I invited them both to meet at Brother Gong's company. I briefly explained how to use chips to pick stocks, backtest historical data, and then set up fully automated trading. After that, we all headed to Menjiang for dinner. Steven later joined us with a bottle of plum wine. Everyone at the table had some exposure to cryptocurrency, so we chatted freely about the future of the metaverse over drinks. Taiwan is always such a small place—turns out Mengsheng actually knows Brother Gong's second sister. What a coincidence! Thanks again to Brother Gong for treating us. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.11.11 evening
Location: Taichung Travel notes: Six days with 11 events is indeed a bit intense. By the fourth day, I needed to return to Taichung to recharge. On Sunday, I first taught my Udemy student Ramo, explaining the features and key points of Chinese platforms like Tonghuashun, iYango MC, Hexun, Qihuo, as well as Chinese stock index futures and commodity futures. Then on Monday morning, I went to the T-Hub Innovation Incubation Center in Neihu to visit Ernie's co-working space, discussing AML business development and U.S. listing plans. After that, I headed to the Hong Kong-style tea restaurant Island Paradise in Dazhi, where John treated his friends from the tech industry, including Kate from Dell and a friend in IC design, to talk about their connections at TSMC and in the tech sector. In the evening, I had dinner at Chamonix Teppanyaki with Tony and Zhewei, who had some questions about trading software. I ate to my heart's content, and thanks to Min for sponsoring the meal voucher. On Tuesday noon, I introduced Ernie, senior Pat, and Joyso's Tom, Taka, and Kevin to each other. Turns out some of them had already met—the crypto circle really is small too. Then, I discussed DeFi derivative pricing models with students from NTU Math and NTHU Finance. On Wednesday morning, I visited Pat's Credit Suisse office in Taiwan, chatting about blockchain and cryptocurrency with Calvin, one of the co-founders of Love Apartment, and Aaron, the CFO of their listed company, Shangfan Technology. We had a great conversation, and I listened to them talk about i-Pair's live streaming business and their current investment in Dayan Biomedicine. We also added each other on Line for future questions. At noon, I met with my NCKU junior Xingdi, who returned from Hong Kong, discussing the asset management company they set up in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, including their first private equity fund for the Thai market (USD 20–60 million AUM) and their group's future direction. Thanks to senior Pat for treating me at the Red House Steakhouse, which I hadn't visited in a long time, and to my junior for bringing a highly-rated Italian red wine. This wraps up eight consecutive events over these few days. I still have three more gatherings with different friends in Taichung over the next two days. Really grateful for all the hospitality from friends these past few days. Time is indeed becoming increasingly scarce @@ Just quickly memo the life~ By Morgan @2021.11.10
Location: Kei Syou Japanese Izakaya, Jingcheng Road, Taichung Travel notes: Kei Syou Japanese Izakaya on Jingcheng Road, Taichung (second visit). In the afternoon, after Steven finished installing high-end rims on a customer's car, we went to Brother Gong's company together, drinking red wine, white wine, smoking cigars, and chatting about life. In the evening, we came to this izakaya where I had been with John before and had a good impression. The per-person cost was about 2,000, similar to last time, and we were just as full. Thanks to Steven for treating me. After a fulfilling yet leisurely Saturday, starting tomorrow, I'll begin five consecutive days of 10 gatherings/meetings/classes with friends of almost different backgrounds. Hope my brain can switch gears smoothly~ @@ By Morgan @2021.11.6 evening
Location: Yin Guo, Gongyi Road, Taichung; K.C. Casey Cigar Lounge in the alley of Zhongmei Street Travel notes: My old classmate Steven from Weidao asked me out for dinner, so we first had hot pot on Gongyi Road, then went to one of the few cigar lounges in Taichung nearby. I ordered one of Cuba's top famous brands: MONTECRISTO. I learned some cigar basics from Steven and the staff. After lighting the cigar, I took a deep puff, avoiding inhaling into the lungs, then slowly exhaled. As someone who doesn't usually smoke, it felt a bit unfamiliar at first, but gradually, I could sense the lingering roasted chocolate and nutty aroma in my mouth. Paired with slightly sweet alcohol, I slowly began to understand why some friends enjoy this hobby. Thanks to my old classmate Steven for treating me all night and letting me learn and experience knowledge from a different field. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.10.30 evening
Location: Shikisai High-End Japanese Cuisine, Qizhi, Taichung Travel notes: Another busy day. In the morning, my classmate Xiaoping and Jiajun visited Brother Gong's company, chatting about Buddhism and spiritual practice. At noon, I helped Qibin find some historical data on convertible bonds. In the afternoon, I had a video call with Ernie to discuss extended applications of anti-money laundering technology on the blockchain. Later, Alex also called to ask about program trading. In the evening, I had dinner with Brother Gong, and during the meal, I received a call from senior Pat asking about Ethereum and digital currency on the Binance chain. He, John, and Zeng Da held a feast of Hokkaido king crab congee in Taipei tonight and had invited me, but unfortunately, I had things in Taichung and couldn't go north. However, Brother Gong and I still enjoyed a splendid feast in Taichung. The value for money at high-end restaurants in Taichung remains slightly better than in Taipei. Dinner at Taipei's famous Japanese restaurants usually starts at NT$2,500–3,000, but tonight, even with two large pots of sake, the per-person cost was kept just over NT$2,000. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating me. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2021.10.27 evening
Location: Taichung, Liuquan East Road, Asiino Er Lü Bistro Travel note: Brother Gong invited us for lunch today on short notice, so a few friends with flexible schedules—Steven and Xiaoping—joined me here. We had two bottles of white wine with our meal, and the food was pretty good. We chatted about crypto investments, like the trending Shiba Inu coin (Shib), and Steven shared some life insights and reflections. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.25 noon
Location: Taichung, Jingcheng Road, Kei Syou Izakaya Travel note: John came back to Taichung from Hsinchu to see me in the evening. We first went to Zusong on Dongxing Road for a foot massage. To thank John for treating me to the massage, I took him to a nearby izakaya for food. Surprisingly, this randomly chosen place turned out to be incredibly delicious. We had sashimi, grilled pork liver, grilled beef tongue, sea urchin hand roll, yam with mentaiko, steamed clams with sake, beef cheese roll, fried durian, Yebisu beer... Even the picky John ate until he was stuffed, and we left feeling completely satisfied. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.24 evening
Location: Taichung, Bu Er Pastry, Egg Yolk Pastry Travel note: Thanks to Brother Gong for the egg yolk pastries and lemon moon pastries. Even after Mid-Autumn Festival, it still took him nearly half an hour to buy these on a weekday. Compared to Bu Er Fang in Changhua, both use the same recipe passed down from their grandfather. However, they’ve developed independently. I haven’t tried the Changhua version, but the Taichung shop’s egg yolk pastry has a fragrant, crispy crust, sweet but not cloying red bean filling, and a slightly salty yolk—truly unforgettable overall. Thanks, Brother Gong! :) By Morgan @2021.10.21 evening
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan 47F, Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse Travel note: This is Warren Buffett’s favorite steakhouse in the US—his charity lunches were held at the American branch. So even at the Taiwan location, reservations are very hard to get. Today is Tuesday, so we arrived early at 5:30 PM. After visiting Saffron Indian cuisine on the 46F and Ce La Vi bar on the 48F of the Star Tower in Xinyi District’s Breeze Nanshan, I’ve now completed the 47F restaurant too. After being seated by the window, I ordered Buffett’s preferred New York strip steak, paired with an Australian and an Argentine red wine. The per-person cost was around 5,000 TWD. The dry-aged beef indeed offers richer flavor and texture compared to wet-aged. Thanks to all my Taipei friends for their warm hospitality these past few days—I really need to head back to Taichung for a bit. Let’s meet again next time! :) Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Alley on Hejiang Street, Garage Mutton Hot Pot Travel note: I’d seen many friends write about this place years ago—it’s said to be hard to book. Taking advantage of the slightly cooler weather and it being Monday, I came here to try the bone-in, skin-on mutton hot pot. Paired with a few glasses of red wine, my body warmed up quickly. This was the seventh gathering in nine days. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.18 evening
Location: Taipei, Jilin Road, Red Hot Stir-Fry Restaurant Travel note summary: After teaching Gail's kid programming in the afternoon, Gail told me the kid is more interested in my class than others. I think interest is the foundation of many things, and how to motivate students' interest is one of my own interests too~ XD While teaching, I listened to the kid talk about the Zootopia animation she recently watched—it's also a learning experience for me to better understand what kids like. In the evening, I came to this restaurant with Boss Liang, Alex, David, and Brother Zeng, whom I just met a few days ago but have already had three meals with. He's been coming here for over 20 years. He even brought his own homemade anchovies—yesterday it was wild mullet roe, the day before homemade squid balls and fried tuna... truly a seafood king delayed by the tech industry. And he just taught an EMBA class at his alma mater, National Chengchi University, today, showing us the couplets he wrote—so multi-talented it's impressive. Tonight, Alex brought over three bottles of red wine to pair with the meal. Red Hot Stir-Fry is really red hot—on Sunday night, it was almost hard to get a seat. During the meal, a promotion girl came over and said I looked familiar. I said it's unlikely, but it turned out she lived on Meiting Street behind my Taichung home for six years. What a coincidence~ :P Thanks to Boss Liang for treating us. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.10.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Taoran Ting, Roast Duck Travel note summary: Tonight, Alex organized a 'one-bottle party' (where everyone brings one bottle of wine) at Taoran Ting, a place I haven't been to in exactly ten years. Six men, three women, plus two kids, with seven bottles of red wine and two bottles of white. After that, I went with one friend to his friend's shop for a second round—a Korean restaurant called Han Jin Guan on Linsen North Road. Then we had soju mixed with beer, 'so-maek.' This was also the fifth gathering in the past seven days. Plum wine, whiskey, white wine, red wine, ginjo sake, beer, soju—all tried within a week. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.16 evening
Location: Taipei, Xindian, Ba Wei Ginger Duck Hotpot Travel note summary: Tonight, my friend John from the alternative military service days invited me to dinner. He also invited Brother Zeng from HTC and a colleague, Winnie from Acer, Stanley from the Japanese company Morpho who works on camera algorithms, Vincent from HMD who works on Nokia phones, and Owen from the American robotics company Flexiv (which just raised $100 million in Series A funding), who is responsible for Asia operations. Plus, senior Pat from Credit Suisse. Old and new friends from various industries gathered, chatting about all sorts of topics. I also taught senior Pat next to me how to use MetaMask for token swaps. Brother Zeng is a top foodie who often brings his own seafood ingredients to restaurants to cook. Tonight was no exception—the squid, squid balls, fish cakes... every dish was fresh and delicious. He just shares photos on Google, and over the past few years, he's gotten over two million views. Along with the Gekkeikan Daiginjo sake John specially brought from Hsinchu, it was a very fun dinner~ Thanks to John for the invitation and treat. Cheers again! By Morgan @2021.10.15 evening
Location: Taichung, Zhongming South Road, Techno Bistro Travel note summary: Tonight, I gathered here with Brother Gong, my junior high classmate Steven, my university classmate Xiaoping, and a new friend who came all the way from Taipei. We had some red wine together—the dishes here are pretty good. Tonight's conversation focused mostly on aliens and life path numbers. Thanks to Xiaoping for treating everyone~ Cheers! By Morgan @2021.10.14 evening
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, Chen Ji Chaoshan Claypot Porridge Travel note summary: Tonight, I came here with Brother Gong and several of his good friends he's known and worked with in the construction industry for over 20 years—Notary Wu, Brother Fu, Chairman Lin, and Chairman Lin's son, Bo Ting. We had porridge together while chatting casually. Chairman Lin brought a bottle of good Macallan whiskey, and everyone chatted very happily. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us~ Cheers! :) By Morgan @2021.10.13 evening
Location: Taichung, Xiangshang North Road, Akita Kasa Izakaya Travel note: Taichung, Xiangshang North Road, Akita Kasa Izakaya. After a full day of classes, I was feeling a bit thirsty. John happened to be back in Taichung from Hsinchu, so he invited me and Qibin out for a drink. We came to Xiangshang North Road, a hub for izakayas in Taichung. The food quality and value for money here are pretty good. Qibin brought some whiskey his Japanese friend recently sent to Taiwan. We ordered dishes like Japanese sea urchin and Kumamoto oysters, along with various drinks like sake, plum wine, and junmai ginjo. The three of us spent over 7,000 NTD in total. Thanks to John for treating us! Cheers! :) By Morgan @2021.10.10 evening
Location: Taichung, Dalong Road, Cheers Bistro Travel note: Taichung, Dalong Road, Cheers Bistro. In the evening, I first went to Anhe Road for a full-body massage. Then, I came here for dinner and drinks with a few friends, and also to support Xin Hui, a former manager from a local club who's working here temporarily. They're having a tough time these days. @@ Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.10.7 evening
Location: Finance + Software Travel note: Spent the whole morning switching between various software, websites, and APIs. The content covered different financial products like stocks, futures, options, convertible bonds, cryptocurrencies, etc. Some involved managing actual program trading positions, while others were for new research and testing analysis. Later, I'll have an online meeting. I guess only enough passion and interest can support this kind of multi-threaded approach, right? @@ By Morgan @2021.10.22
Location: Taichung, Longjing, Na Liang Ke Night View Restaurant Travel note: Taichung, Longjing, Na Liang Ke Night View Restaurant. Alex and David came down from Taipei and gathered some friends from Taichung, including Brother Wang who once invested over 200 million in the wine business in China, Brother Gao who works in decoration and construction, and Dolly from Sichuan who has lived in Taichung for over ten years. We first had some Japanese cuisine at Yu Er Shi on Jianxing Road. Then, Brother Gao drove us in his spacious BMW X5 to Longjing to enjoy the night view. Thanks to Alex and David for treating us! A night that started with Japanese daiginjo, sparkling wine, Italian red wine, and ended with beer. By Morgan @2021.9.23 evening
Location: Binance Travel note: Just got back from drinking and saw an email from Binance. They're celebrating the 2nd anniversary of launching their futures products. I've been trading with real money on there for the past seven months, contributing over 2 million USD (notional principal) in trading volume to Binance. It seems my performance ranks within the top 13% of global users. Indeed, there aren't that many competitors in this field yet. Hope it continues like this~ XD By Morgan @2021.9.16 evening
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, December Claypot Porridge Travel note: December Claypot Porridge on Jianxing Road in Taichung. Gathering with good friends~
Location: Taipei, East District, ABV Caribbean Bar & Kitchen Travel note: After finishing work at noon in Taipei's East District at ABV Caribbean Bar & Kitchen, I was about to head back to Taichung. Then I suddenly saw my junior Annie, whom I hadn't met in a long time, and she happened to be free, so we arranged a small get-together. The Brazilian unicorn company she works for specializes in providing cross-border payment solutions for Latin America and is currently applying for a US listing. Their latest pre-IPO funding round raised over $400 million. I learned a bit from her about Brazil's national payment system Pix, Argentina's cash-settlement dollar exchange rate (CCL), and their cross-border collection solutions for Asian e-commerce, gaming, and live-streaming businesses dealing with Latin American clients. Congrats to her on her recent marriage! I've also ended my 6 dinners in 6 days in Taipei and am drifting back to Taichung. :P By Morgan @Night of 2021.9.8
Location: Taipei, Shangri-La Far Eastern Hotel, Lobby Cafe Travel note: In the evening at the Lobby Cafe of Taipei's Shangri-La Far Eastern Hotel, through an introduction from senior Pat at Credit Suisse, I met IP, who previously worked at Goldman Sachs, UBS Hong Kong, and other foreign firms. IP now works at a family office under a well-known Taiwanese investment circle tycoon. IP also brought his friend Clement, who previously served as head of trading at institutions like CTBC and Cathay, with extensive experience trading forex, bonds, and commodities. I invited Tom, founder of Joyso, one of Taiwan's digital currency exchanges, so everyone could get acquainted. We explored whether new sparks could fly between the traditional and virtual finance worlds. We discussed various financial products like futures, options, warrants, forex margin, swaps, IRS, ELN (Equity Linked Notes)... Taiwan is still very small—it turned out Tom and IP had met years ago at a meeting about implementing blockchain and smart contracts for business contracts at a listed company. Also, IP's wife is from Taichung and lives just a few hundred meters from my place, so he knows the street near my home well and often eats there. Senior Pat is also recently helping a crypto company plan an IPO (Taiwan's version of Coinbase). Many things seem to converge in principle. Nice to meet you all. :) By Morgan @Night of 2021.9.7
Location: Taipei, Lane off Linsen North Road, PapiPapi Spanish Restaurant Travel note: At PapiPapi Spanish Restaurant in a lane off Linsen North Road in Taipei, Zhewei, whom I haven't seen in years, invited me and Tony for dinner. He recently had an idea for a project using blockchain smart contracts and wanted to consult me. Zhewei now works at a data provider similar to a newswire or CMoney, offering stock price and financial data for Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. I hadn't seen Tony in several months either; he's still listed as the Responsible Officer at Sinopac Hong Kong but spends most of his time in Taiwan. We talked all night—from the online brokerage Hao Hao Securities, which recently exited the financial sandbox, to Tony saying his kid keeps playing games, and me suggesting they try Play-to-Earn games like Axie Infinity. From Zhewei mining PI coins on his phone for a year, to the Star Atlas coin that recently IEO'd on FTX and surged nearly a hundredfold. I also explained AMM (Automated Market Maker) in the DeFi world to Tony. Living in an ever-changing era with constant new developments, I hope to keep a curious heart and learn more interesting things! Thanks for the treat, Tony! :) By Morgan @Night of 2021.9.6
Location: Taipei, Michelin One-Star Molino de Urdániz Spanish Restaurant Travel note: This is my 13th Michelin-starred restaurant across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore combined. Molino de Urdániz is located inside the Hotel Mvsa. The hotel's biggest feature is its partnership with 7 wineries worldwide, so whether staying or dining, you're accompanied by fine wines from around the world. This Spanish restaurant has actually held Michelin stars in its home country for 14 consecutive years, and its Taipei branch earned a Michelin star in a very short time. The dinner set is NT$3,980+10%, and you can pair it with wines from various wineries, with different wines for different dishes. For the basic five-wine pairing, it's NT$1,980+10% per person, so per capita spending is around NT$7,000. Unlike typical Spanish cuisine, it focuses on molecular gastronomy, more common in French cuisine. One dish, "The Backyard," uses French Gillardeau oysters, turned into molecular gastronomy, flash-frozen to form solid shapes, appearing as little stones. Paired with thinly sliced pickled cucumbers standing like trees, it creates a peaceful backyard scene made of delicious food. Or the award-winning "Rolling Stone" from Spain, using simply cut potatoes as giant rock shapes, with cheese powder as rolling stone dust, drizzled with smoked olive oil. Each themed dish is like watching a movie scene. Enjoying the food is also appreciating the chef's creativity and art. As for today's wine pairings: from pre-dinner sparkling wine, the rare Japanese Kimandai Daiginjo, German Riesling white wine, Southern French Syrah blend red wine, to the finishing Spanish Sherry, and the sommelier even gave an extra glass of New World red wine from the US. The restaurant's biggest feature is indeed the diversity of wine pairings. Coming here and not ordering wine is a bit of a pity and misses the full experience. The chef is the director, the dishes are the movies, the diners are the audience, and the wines are the touch that flows deep in the soul, connecting everything and bringing the whole evening to life. Life is fleeting; live in the moment, Enjoy your life~ :) By Morgan @Night of 2021.9.5
Location: ULV Restaurant & Bar, East District, Taipei Travel Notes: This afternoon, I had a WeChat voice call with Yujia, who currently works at Macquarie Securities (Hong Kong), introduced by Tony. I asked him about his experience with financial product issuance, hedging, and market making. As we chatted, I discovered that Yujia also attended Weidao High School. He was in his first year of high school when I was in my third year of junior high—Taiwan really is small; our paths overlapped in that time and space. Right after, I continued the call with another Weidao classmate, Haoting, and asked him about handling cross-strait capital flows. In the evening, Mr. Liang invited me to dinner in the East District, so I conveniently invited Sandia, who lives nearby, to join. The three of us ended up drinking three bottles of red wine. I also had video or voice calls with William, whom I hadn't seen in a long time and who previously worked at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong, and with Ethan and Jinzhen in Shenzhen, letting them say hello to Mr. Liang and Sandia. Due to the pandemic, it's been ages since I've seen many friends, so we had to rely on phones to hear each other's voices and share recent updates via video. The food at this restaurant is genuinely good; although the prices are a bit high, it's overall worth the value. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, Sep 4, 2021
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: This morning, I received a call from Grace, a former colleague from when we both worked at Yuanta Securities Investment Trust, checking in from Hong Kong. She and boss Brian recently flew over and are in quarantine. Currently, both the Hong Kong and Taipei 101 new offices are thriving with business and staff, so they're extremely busy. Tonight, I met a new friend, Ernie. Ernie is also an interesting person—he studied robotics in the CS department at the prestigious American university CMU, turned down a high-paying offer from Uber for autonomous driving R&D, and chose to drop out to start his own company as CEO. The company he founded in the U.S., with Taiwanese investors joining, has now set up an office back in Taiwan. Their current products focus on anti-money laundering monitoring on the blockchain and using A.I. to analyze various on-chain data to develop trading strategies. Currently, a well-known digital currency exchange in Taiwan uses their anti-money laundering product, but most clients are in Singapore. They're also in the midst of a Pre-A round of funding, with a valuation potentially reaching around ten million USD. I hit it off with Ernie right away, chatting about finance, technology, blockchain, all the way to topics like talent, interests, and life choices. Ernie, who is a decade younger than me, happened to have his birthday today. I initially offered to pay the bill, but he insisted that he learned more from me tonight, so he had to treat me. I didn't mind, so thank you for the treat, Ernie~ Happy birthday, Cheers! :) By Morgan @Evening, Sep 27, 2021
Location: BRASS HANA Copper Flower Wagyu Shabu Shabu Hot Pot, Gongyi Road, Taichung Travel Notes: Due to the pandemic and time flying by, Mr. Liang came down from Taipei to Taichung to have dinner and catch up with me after several months. Along with Mr. Gong, the three of us came to this mid-to-high-end hot pot restaurant, which is entirely private rooms. With full dedicated service and independent, private spaces, the overall dining experience was quite good. We chatted about possible future developments in China's political and economic situation, as well as various topics like artificial intelligence and investment trading... time just flew by. In the end, with two bottles of French red wine and the meal costing around over seven thousand, Mr. Gong politely treated Mr. Liang in return for the previous meal at Top Cantonese Cuisine, so thank you for the treat tonight, Mr. Gong. Cheers~ By Morgan @Evening, Sep 2, 2021
Location: Chun Shui Tang, Taichung Travel Notes: Chun Shui Tang (Chaofu Store), Taichung. In the morning, I first helped a student from my Udemy course with a remote lesson. In the afternoon, I casually wrote a trading strategy program. In the evening, I went out and had a simple chat with Ziyu, Lingwei, and Bofei. Then, because Steven's wife recently wanted to invest in Bitcoin, we moved to Chun Shui Tang in the evening to give them a simple explanation and instructions. This included how to buy coins via c2c or credit card on Binance, how to trade different currency pairs, and how to withdraw to a Taiwanese exchange before finally converting to fiat for withdrawal. On the spot, I watched them directly operate and complete the purchase and holding of their first unit of Bitcoin in their lives. Thank you for the treat, Steven and your wife~ By Morgan @2021.8.29
Location: Hsinchu Travel Notes: Still maintaining a fulfilling life. Last night, I went with friends to the 7th District to listen to an investment briefing on new energy. After waking up this morning, I continued researching some old and new DeFi projects on the blockchain, then looked at an Investor Deck about NFTs that a friend sent over. In the afternoon, Yujia returned to Taichung from Hsinchu and arranged to meet up with me and Qibin, so we came to the large luxury apartment Qibin rents near the Green Parkway. Its rooftop has something like an executive lounge in a five-star hotel, where you can eat, have afternoon tea, or overlook the Taichung cityscape. We chatted while enjoying the Taichung view. Qibin's new book is already on the market: https://www.books.com.tw/products/0010899965. It's currently ranked third in the business and finance category on Books.com.tw. Friends interested in learning about using convertible bond options (CBAS) for stock savings can buy it to study and understand. He also signed a new book for Yujia to keep. Afterward, we went next door to the Eslite Bookstore at Park Lane by CMP to have some beer from Le Blé d'Or, ending this small afternoon gathering. Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.8.28
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, Hao Tai Tai Thai Cuisine Travel Notes: Another fulfilling day in Taichung. In the morning, I sipped some deer antler medicinal wine while coding (seems to speed things up?). In the afternoon, I went to Karuizawa on Municipal Road for a two-hour full-body massage—hot compress, essential oil back treatment, and stretching—which really restored some energy. In the evening, we had a long-awaited wine tasting with six guys and two girls, including a friend who specially came from Changhua. We tried five bottles in total, from white to red. I also asked Steven how he felt about the DRC we drank last week, a red wine worth over 200,000 NT$. From 6 PM until the shop closed at 10:30 PM, it was another beautiful night with friends to remember. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.8.26 evening
Location: Taichung, Millennium Hotel Taichung 1F, The Lounge Travel Notes: Taka brought his wife Stella from the north to Taichung for a high-end health check-up. He invited me for lunch at noon. Taka also invited Paul, the CEO of Cybavo—a company focused on blockchain security that just secured $4 million in Pre-A funding—to join us and get acquainted. Although Paul is from Taipei, he owns property in the 7th Redevelopment Zone and happened to be in Taichung today, so it was a fortunate coincidence. Paul previously worked at Trend Micro and Beijing's Qihoo 360 antivirus software for many years, specializing in information security. They are currently looking for front-end and back-end engineers. After Paul left with his daughter, Brother Gong returned from Nantou to Taichung and joined us to chat. We talked about the latest updates on Taka's collaboration with Taipei City Government on the ARK Base, and Brother Gong's experience with large-scale mining rigs and mining pools. Time flew by, and it was already evening. After Taka's family headed back north, we went to the Italian restaurant inside Tsutaya Books near Brother Gong's place for a simple dinner, discussing recent political, economic situations, and stock markets in Taiwan, the US, and China. Thanks to Brother Gong for the hospitality. A truly fulfilling day! By Morgan @2021.8.21 evening
Location: Taichung Travel Notes: In the afternoon, I went with my Weidao classmates and friends, Jiezhi and Qibin, to Brother Gong's company for afternoon tea (and drinks). Both Jiezhi and Qibin are experienced full-time investors of many years—one familiar with stocks, the other with convertible bonds and options. Listening to them share some winning experiences, like talking about a low-key expert in Taichung that Qibin knows who manages 5 billion in funds, or discussing various investment and trading philosophies, made for a fulfilling afternoon. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.8.12
Location: Taichung, Civic North 2nd Road, KR Prime Steak House Travel notes: Had a long-awaited small gathering with Brother Gong and my junior high schoolmate Jiezhi from Weidao in the evening. We went to this highly-rated upscale steakhouse in the 7th District. It's close to both of them, each within walking distance from home. Including service charge, the dinner set ranges from about NT$2,000 to NT$4,000. We also chose a California Cabernet red wine to pair with the meal. The Angus ribeye steak we ordered was cooked perfectly, tender and sweet, not inferior to many high-end steak restaurants in Taipei at all. We chatted about all sorts of topics, from stock trading and tech development to human immunity and Ethereum mining rigs. From 6 PM until the restaurant closed at 10 PM, it was a very enjoyable evening. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating us. :) By Morgan @2021.8.11 night
Location: Taipei Travel notes: The busy June and July are about to end. Although I temporarily returned to Taichung from Taipei due to the pandemic and stayed at home, thanks to the boundless reach of the internet, I still received various inquiries from friends or they sent me resources and materials for reference and learning: 1. Steven's question on how to open an account on Binance, 2. Sister Duoduo's question about Bitcoin money pool schemes, 3. Yuanhong's decentralized e-commerce payment platform project (essence: similar to rebuilding Green World ECPay using blockchain decentralization), 4. Senior Lman/Mars's A.I.+DeFi project (essence: adding an A.I. layer on top of yield aggregation protocols like Yearn), 5. John's project from a former blockchain company employee's startup (essence: applying A.I. to email information collection to extract useful data), 6. Richard's questions about leveraged tokens (similar to stock margin) and Bitcoin futures, 7. Senior Pat's questions about grid trading/Heaven-Earth orders for digital currencies (Pionex), 8. Scott's questions about Crypto futures/short grid hedging, 9. Matsumura's questions about automated options trading, 10. Brother Gong's purchased 'Warrant小哥' stock futures online course/proposed capital management model, 11. Zhisheng's questions about multi-strategy program trading, 12. Customer Shinong's question about using XQ to scan stocks and send timed messages, 13. Macau friend Raymond's questions about U.S./A-share stock portfolio program trading, 14. Beijing friend's question about futures spread trading, 15. Shanghai friend's question about VWAP volume indicator, 16. Another Shanghai friend's question about program trading syntax, 17. Manager Liang's question about connecting overseas brokers to the Multicharts platform, 18. Qibin gave me the latest issue of Money magazine yesterday, featuring an interview on how he trades convertible bond options (CBAS), 19. Ruiyi's British data vendor friend looking for broker clients in Taiwan (U.S. stocks/bonds/FX), 20. Guangxi friend's questions about Chinese software copyright registration and Chinese futures data interfaces, 21. Junior Xingdi's questions about BVI company applying for a private fund in Qianhai, Shenzhen/Hong Kong Type 4,9 licenses, investing in Thai stock companies, 22. My own leisure-time hands-on implementation and launch of a cryptocurrency portfolio Scalping/hedging strategy (automated trading system, MC+Binance API) ...... Thanks to all kinds of friends, I can still constantly review/learn about various new and old technological changes. I also hope to continue delving into many things, helping others understand or solve problems in a more accessible way. By Morgan @2021.7.31
Location: Taichung, Zhangmen Beer, Qinmei Store Travel notes: After having lunch at a seafood restaurant in Xitun, I went to a clubhouse in Taichung in the afternoon to drink red and white wine and try cigars with friends. In the evening, another good friend John, who went abroad to study after graduating from Weidao, came back to Taichung from Hsinchu to meet me. So I invited Qibin, also a Weidao graduate, to come over and introduce them. Qibin's new book on convertible bonds is about to be published, and he recently has some collaborations with CMoney. Coincidentally, he's been interested in real estate investment lately, so he chatted with John, who has some experience. Also talked with John about several U.S. private companies he invested in this year. A fulfilling day. Thanks to all friends for the hospitality, a very happy gathering. By Morgan @2021.7.29 night
Location: Taichung, Wenxin Road, Hou Chi Guo Travel notes: First day of slight easing of restrictions for Taichung restaurants. Had lunch, only 3 customers in the entire restaurant. It still takes more time for everything to return to normal.
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Shuihuo Chongqing Grilled Fish (takeout) Travel notes: The slight easing of restrictions doesn't feel much different. So, with one beer, one white wine, and one 38% Shaonaijiu, I'm writing code while getting slightly tipsy~ By Morgan @ 2021.7.15
Location: Taichung, Guang San Sogo 16F, Han Lai Harbor Buffet (takeout). In March, I exchanged Asia Miles for a buffet voucher, but never used it. It was about to expire at the end of July, so I ended up swapping it for seven takeout dishes instead. Actually, that worked out better—what was originally a single-person voucher turned into a meal the whole family could enjoy! :p By Morgan @2021.7.10
Location: Egypt. Seize the day~ I'm a bit glad that over the years, I've always held a 'live in the moment' outlook on life and worked hard to visit many corners of the Earth. Since it's so hard to predict how the future will unfold, I just try to grasp each day's time and opportunities, living fully in the here and now...... By Morgan @2021.6.19
Location: Taichung, Hen Niu Charcoal-grilled Steak (takeout). During the pandemic, we couldn't gather for meals, but when the craving for a drink hit, I went to have a glass with my Taichung friend, Brother Gong. He opened a bottle of daiginjo that a friend gave him, and knowing I love beef, he even had his staff go out at noon to buy 16 oz wet-aged steak from this nationwide chain steakhouse for lunch. We chatted about his past when he'd sometimes win or lose a house's worth in the stock market in a day, and his memories of going to Inner Mongolia and Yunnan to buy stone materials to sell to Sheraton hotels. Thanks, Brother Gong, for the drinks and lunch! Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.6.10
Location: Taipei. Today, I coincidentally received care and concern about the pandemic and myself from many relatives and friends in Taipei, Shanghai, Chongqing, and Macau. Human connections, even just through the internet, are still so warm~ :) In the afternoon, I opened an app to practice some English and realized my listening and speaking skills have declined a lot recently—need to start brushing up. In the evening, Brother Gong had some questions about Multicharts program trading and tick-level backtesting, so I helped him out. Later at night, I had almost an hour-long LINE call with Senior Pat at Credit Suisse. He had some Crypto questions for me, so I explained grid trading, heaven-earth orders, futures-spot arbitrage, lending, the impact of ETH2.0 on BSC Binance Chain... analyzing the profits and risks of various operations. Even at home, another super fulfilling day has come to an end~ @@ By Morgan @2021.6.7 evening
Location: Taichung, Nantun - MeatGQ Oak Wood Grilled Steak Travel note summary: Went to my friend Gong's company for tea and chat. For lunch, he ordered takeout from MeatGQ, a high-end steakhouse collaboration between the Hoshino Group and the 'Steak Godfather' Deng Youkui. I had dined in at MeatGQ a few years ago and remembered it being quite good. Time flies, and this time it was takeout. Paired with an Islay whisky, it was a cheerful lunch to lift our spirits during the pandemic. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong! By Morgan @2021.6.2
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District - Long Time No See, Visiting a Friend Travel note summary: First time going out in two weeks since returning to Taichung—talk about being a homebody! Went to Brother Gong's place for drinks, just the two of us catching up. He ordered delivery from a newly opened Spanish restaurant nearby (DNA), costing over 4,000 NTD after discount. We drank his collection of 10-20 year old South African and French red wines, moved on to Japanese Dassai Daiginjo sake, then to an Argentine red wine someone gave him, and finally finished off two bottles of Canadian ice wine. We probably killed off all the viruses with that! Chatted with Brother Gong about the volatile market lately, covering stocks, futures, options, and cryptocurrencies. He's a veteran Bitcoin player who bought a bunch of mining rigs years ago. So I asked his opinion on Ramen Senior's recent idea for a crypto product. Thanks for the treat, Brother Gong! ^^ By Morgan @2021.5.26 evening
Location: Taipei, Siping Street - Ippuku Yakitori Bar Travel note summary: Matsumura came to find me for dinner in the evening, and Boss Liang also came to eat with me. So we干脆 called Loco老大 and Matsumura's wife, Yiwen, and the five of us went to an izakaya together. Two bottles of French red wine brought by Boss Liang, two beers, plus a bottle of Japanese Yomeishu (gin), and we had a pretty good time. Yiwen, a top salesperson at康和, mentioned today's big swing in the Taiwan stock market and the painful process where 98% of her clients lost money. And then there's Loco老大's regretful experience of almost making 70 million but ending up with only 700,000. About life, I guess heaven always has its own plans. @@ Thanks for the treat, Boss Liang! By Morgan @2021.5.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Jinshan North Road - Rich Daddy Restaurant Travel note summary: Visited Ramen Senior's company in the afternoon. He introduced me to Mars, a shareholder of their company and also a big holder of 18 million Hakka tokens. We chatted about BSC (Binance Smart Chain) and Chia hard drive mining. In the evening, I asked their company's Spin to join for dinner. After finishing two bottles of Chilean red wine, Spin said she was only 30% drunk. So the three of us had to open a third bottle. Spin is indeed not easy to keep up with, but she managed. :p Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.5.11 evening
Location: Taipei, Jilin Road - Tsukushi Japanese Yakitori Travel note summary: After running around all day, back near my place in the evening. Came to this place with a 4.9 Google rating to have some yakitori and a small drink. Drank three cups in a row: Okinawan pineapple wine, yuzu wine, and plum wine, totaling about 600 NTD worth of alcohol. Seems like I still don't feel even slightly tipsy. @@ By Morgan @2021.5.10 evening
Location: Kaifun Sichuan Restaurant, Qsquare, Taipei Travel note summary: My good friend John came up to Taipei from Hsinchu for a meeting. At noon, he found his classmate from their US study days, who is also my senior from Weidao High School, two years ahead—Pat. Along with a friend of Senior Pat, a big brother who is the CFO at Silicon Motion (Nasdaq: SIMO), the four of us just fit at one table, getting to know each other over a meal. Senior Pat was previously at Credit Suisse in Hong Kong, having reached the position of Managing Director (MD), and recently transferred back to the Taiwan branch, essentially the second-in-command. He mainly handles investment banking, IPOs, and has helped many Chinese and Taiwanese companies go public. Today's conversation revolved around others' investments in unlisted US companies or tech-related topics like NAND Flash. Coincidentally, Senior Pat has been interested in Yield Farming lately, so I briefly explained the principles of AMM automated market makers and directly taught him how to operate it on his phone. Thanks to Senior Pat for the lunch treat—a very enjoyable meal. :) By Morgan @ noon, May 10, 2021
Location: Spanish Tapas Bar in an alley on Minsheng East Road, Songshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: Alex said he hadn't treated me since coming to Taipei, so we made a last-minute lunch appointment here today. Excluding the cost of the two bottles of Australian and Spanish red wine I brought, we ordered Spanish seafood paella, a US Prime 16oz steak set, fried soft-shell crab, squid, red shrimp, salad, scallops, truffle cream soup... Just the meal cost for three adults and one child, plus corkage fee, came to around 10,000 TWD. Thanks to Alex for the treat. By Morgan @ noon, May 9, 2021
Location: A-He Master Ginger Duck Hot Pot, Xinsheng North Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Thanks to A-Le, who kept saying he wanted to make up for my birthday celebration. Tonight, he specially came to find me and treated me and Boss Loco to ginger duck hot pot. A-Le's business is also thriving; he should now be considered one of the top ten property management companies for rental and leasing in Taipei. We chatted about topics like house renovations and smart tech management for rentals. Thanks to A-Le for the treat—let's meet up again next time! By Morgan @ evening, May 8, 2021
Location: Raccoon Lord Izakaya, Qitiao Tong, Zhongshan District, Taipei Travel note summary: Just drinking at Xingchen Wine Cellar, I still got hungry. So, taking advantage of Friday night, I came to Qitiao Tong to soak up the lively atmosphere. This izakaya has pretty good online reviews, just slightly lower scores than another place, Mura, I visited last time. Overall, the dining experience was quite good; with a budget under 2,000 per person, you can eat quite heartily. I also tried their rose plum wine. Just a memo~ By Morgan @ evening, May 7, 2021
Location: Xingchen Wine Cellar, Xinhai Road, Taipei Travel note summary: Haven't been here for many years. The owner, Lin Fusheng, and Manager Liang are old friends I've known for years. Passionate about wine collecting for over thirty years, the hundred-ping cellar houses over 60,000 bottles of high-end premium wines. He now also writes a weekly wine column for Apple Daily. I've been here a few times before and was amazed by their Wagyu beef, but now it's switched to a private kitchen model, so no meals available on short notice. I had to ask the owner to recommend a cost-effective French red wine (Vivino rating 4.1). Chatted and drank here, listening to Brother Lin talk about his most expensive collection—a 1945 Romanee-Conti—and an upcoming Xingchen wine gathering he's organizing, featuring several red wines from 1945 to 1970 vintages, with a participation fee of 65,000 per person. Then we chatted all the way to the good red wine he once drank in Istanbul, Turkey; coincidentally, we've also dined and drunk red wine nearby, around the Bosphorus Strait. Life really is about going with the flow and constantly broadening one's horizons~ By Morgan @ evening, May 7, 2021
Location: Taipei, Syntrend, Mövenpick Cafe Restaurant Travel note summary: This afternoon, I visited my senior Lman's company, Biilabs, at National Cheng Kung University. He recently has a new product related to blockchain/crypto and wanted to consult my opinions and ideas. We sparked some discussions and chatted about topics like Dogecoin and NFTs. In the evening, I had dinner downstairs with Ramen senior, their company, and Spin, a very smart junior who just graduated from National Chengchi University and is also a student of Jserv at NCKU. We also tried Mövenpick's chocolate ice cream. Thanks for the treat, senior! By Morgan @ evening of 2021.5.5
Location: Taipei, East District, La Facette Wine Bar Travel note summary: La Facette is a wine bar jointly opened by the Taiwan agent of Lafite, actor James Wen, and a sommelier from Robuchon France. It's located on the second floor of a building next to Zhongxiao Fuxing. Tonight, I ordered some Belgian beers and three French red wines. During the meal, I received a shocking phone call. Life is unpredictable; when a thought can't be overcome, it truly can't be overcome. I don't know what to say, but I wish there really is a heaven, free from illness and worries after this earthly life... By Morgan @ evening of 2021.5.4
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan 48F, Ce la vie Taipei Travel note summary: Ce la vie Taipei is under the LV group's餐饮集团, with a branch at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. Coincidentally, my cousin Mingxiu wanted to introduce me to a friend he knew from Hong Kong's Fubon, so we continued the gathering here in a private room for drinks. This Jack is also a member of the Tainan帮 family, having stayed in Hong Kong for over six years working in wealth management, where he met many high-end clients. It was fate to gather and drink together, Cheers! By Morgan @ evening of 2021.4.29
Location: Taipei, Breeze Nanshan Star Tower 46F, Saffron 46 Indian Restaurant Travel note summary: After two days of rain, I could finally go out tonight. I came to one of the famous high-rise restaurants at Breeze Nanshan, dining while enjoying the night view of 101. Coincidentally, I've been discussing some matters with a white-hat hacker from India these days, so visiting this Indian restaurant tonight felt quite fitting and satisfying my cravings. Having been to India a few times, I still quite like its spices. Paired with Australian red wine and gazing at the stunning night view outside the window, It is life ~ By Morgan @ evening of 2021.4.29
Location: Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Hotel 5F, Tajimaya Premium Shabu Shabu Travel note summary: Only upon visiting today did I learn that this place operates independently from Tajimaya. Tajimaya is a century-old Japanese meat supplier with many specialized restaurants in Taiwan, while Tajimaya is its importer in Taiwan, mainly with this restaurant at Mandarin Oriental and a second branch. Regardless, Tajimaya remains one of Taipei's top shabu shabu spots. On Monday night, only seats after 7:30 PM were available. Including drinks, the per-person cost starts around over three thousand NTD. The American red wine Skyside paired with the meal tonight was okay. Each table offers an independent dining environment with dedicated table-side service, allowing for a very relaxed meal. The beef and seafood ingredients, with the final essence broth cooked into porridge, made for a quite enjoyable overall dining experience. Coincidentally, there was Jolin Tsai's concert tonight, so passing by the nearby Taipei Arena, it was truly crowded. Taiwan really doesn't seem much affected by the pandemic. @@ By Morgan @ evening of 2021.4.26
Location: Taipei, Wuchang Street, Astoria Cafe Travel Notes: Astoria Cafe on Wuchang Street in Taipei (a Russian restaurant) has been around since 1949—a nostalgic historic spot with over 70 years of history. They even serve a commemorative red wine from Moldova, a country I’d honestly never heard of before. I looked it up and found out it’s just south of Ukraine, near Odessa by the Black Sea, which I’ve visited before, and right next to Romania, which I’ve also been to. Turns out it’s quite an ancient wine-producing region. Paired with beef short ribs and roasted pork knuckle, this Moldovan red really packs a punch. A tipsy weekend night—suddenly I’m feeling nostalgic for those days wandering around Eastern Europe. Life’s about going with the flow! Cheers~ By Morgan @2021.4.24 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan District, The Riviera Hotel - Mediterranean Steak House Travel Notes: The Mediterranean Steak House at The Riviera Hotel in Zhongshan District is another famous high-end steakhouse in Taipei. I’d tried the now-closed Empire Steak House at the nearby Hua Kuo Hotel before, and tonight I came here for the first time. I ordered the most expensive set: a 45-day wet-aged U.S. Kurobuta ribeye steak. ($6,000+10% for two) It was paired with an Israeli red wine rated 4.2/5 on Vivino. The beautifully seared pink beef was visually satisfying alone, and with fleur de sel and rose salt, it really didn’t fall short compared to places like Ambassador Hotel’s A Cut, Regent’s Robin’s, or famous spots like Danny & Company, Ruth’s Chris, or Lawry’s. A truly likable and impressive restaurant! By Morgan @2021.4.22 evening
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, WAT Cocktail Bar Travel Notes: WAT Cocktail Bar on Xinyi Road in Taipei was recommended by my friend John last time. Tonight, I gathered a few old classmates from the NCKU Institute of Information Management here for a reunion. Chaohong switched to a British startup this year; Mengsheng, whom I’ve been seeing more often lately, is still living a slashie life; and my former roommate Zhihong—I probably haven’t seen him in over ten years—is still at the Ministry of Science and Technology, newly married last year and just bought a new house. We chatted about all sorts of topics—tech, spirituality, relationships—at this fun bar that offers cocktail cart table service and collaborates with Tainan’s A Sha Restaurant for food. Three hours flew by in a blink. Life passes just as quickly; it’s been nearly 17 years since graduation. Really gotta cherish every rare chance to get together. @@ By Morgan @2021.4.21 evening
Location: Taipei, Lane off Zhongshan North Road, Ne – Japanese Cuisine Travel Notes: Ne – Japanese Cuisine in a lane off Zhongshan North Road in Taipei (kaiseki). On Monday night, several restaurants I wanted to try were still fully booked, so I came here near the Regent Hotel and chose a counter seat to try this well-reviewed Japanese place. Like most high-end restaurants in Taipei, dinner per person starts at around NT$2,000. For that price, the ambiance and dishes here are decent overall. Paired with a large pot of warm sake, it wasn’t particularly outstanding or memorable, but it was satisfying enough. By Morgan @2021.4.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Jilin Road, Wuhe Wagyu Hot Pot Travel Notes: Wuhe Wagyu Hot Pot on Jilin Road in Taipei. Junhong came up to Taipei from Hsinchu on short notice this afternoon, so tonight I had dinner with him and Afu—a rare get-together with a few college classmates. As we dipped the melt-in-your-mouth, beautifully marbled Kobe wagyu into the pot, we chatted about the applications of A.I. and big data analytics at their companies, TSMC and Chunghwa Telecom. Then we moved on to the Taiwanese-Japanese collaborative puppet show, Thunderbolt Fantasy. Even years after graduation, it’s still nice to have the chance to gather and chat like this occasionally. :) By Morgan @2021.4.17 evening
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Cashbox KTV Travel note: Friday night at Cashbox KTV in Ximending, Taipei~ Jägermeister mixed with Red Bull~
Location: Taipei, Shilin, National Palace Museum Travel note: It's been exactly nine years since my last visit. Taking advantage of a weekday afternoon and the current lack of foreign tourists, I quietly and undisturbed explored every exhibition hall on each floor. Many exquisite cultural relics and artworks were truly moving and awe-inspiring. The second exhibition hall now also features displays combining AI and VR technologies with these ancient artifacts, offering a refreshing new perspective! By Morgan @2021.4.16
Location: Taipei, Linsen North Road, Qitiao Tong, MURA Izakaya Travel note: As the neon lights come on, Linsen North Road gets livelier as the night deepens. A fantastic izakaya! The menu is varied and exciting, leading me from shochu and white peach fruit wine all the way back to warm sake. By Morgan @2021.4.15 evening
Location: Taipei, Huaining Street, Dian Shui Lou (Jiangzhe cuisine) Travel note: Dian Shui Lou is one of Taipei's famous restaurants, with several branches. It's been several years since I last ate here. Today for lunch, I casually ordered their beef noodle soup ($680), along with stir-fried eel paste, crab roe xiaolongbao, colorful xiaolongbao, and other dim sum. It was a simple and refreshing midday meal. By Morgan @2021.4.15
Location: Taipei, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 6F Bencotto Italian Restaurant Travel note: I still remember when this place first opened a few years ago; I couldn't get a reservation back then. Today, I made a last-minute booking and managed to snag one of the last few tables. The four-course dinner set was over two thousand dollars, offering decent value for money with dishes like beef tartare, pappardelle, and wagyu. The overall ambiance and service were also good. The only slight disappointment was the 2016 Italian red wine we opened tonight, priced over four thousand dollars—it didn't feel quite worth the price. I checked it on Vivino, and it only had a 4.0/5 rating. A bit of a pity, I guess. @@ By Morgan @2021.4.14 evening
Location: Taipei, Sheraton Hotel SUKHOTHAI Thai Cuisine Travel Note: I originally wanted to book a table at the two-Michelin-starred restaurant 'Qing Ke Lou' upstairs in the same building, but even on a weekday lunch, it was fully booked. So, I ended up trying this Thai restaurant downstairs instead. The ambiance, service, and dishes were all quite decent. Today, I had a meal with my long-time-no-see junior, Charles. He has moved back to Taiwan from Shanghai for work, bought a house in Taipei, and just got married not long ago—seems like he's caught up on all fronts at once XD. Congrats to my junior, keep in touch~ :) By Morgan @2021.4.14
Location: Taipei, Zhongyuan Street Secret Bistro Travel Note: Dinner & late-night snack with red wine~
Location: Taipei, Visiting Taipei 101 & 5F Benihana Teppanyaki Travel Note: A former colleague just opened a new office in Taipei 101, so I dropped by to say hello. At noon, I had lunch with a group of journalists from the news industry at Benihana downstairs. Looking at the old photos displayed in the conference room, time really flies—ten years have passed in the blink of an eye @@. By Morgan @2021.4.13
Location: Taichung, National Chung Hsing University Hui-Sun Hall Harmonica Orchestra Charity Concert Travel Note: Thanks to Mengsheng for mailing me three tickets from Taipei. In the evening, I went with my classmate Xiaoping and a new friend, SaSa, to Hui-Sun Hall at National Chung Hsing University, which has over 4,000 seats, to attend this charity concert sponsored by 138 companies. The opening was a bit plain, but as classic tunes from around the world and the Chinese community were performed one by one, combined with elements like Chinese drums, bel canto vocals, Latin dance, and Tai Chi integrated into the musical performance, it kept me engaged for 2.5 hours without feeling tired. After the concert, my old classmate and I continued to this unique bar in Taichung. The cocktails here are paired with various Chinese herbs, and the names are interesting, like 'Meng Po Soup' and 'Qianlong Cooking Snow.' They also serve dishes rarely seen in bars, such as pork stomach and heart soup. It really has its own distinctive style. A perfect end to a Sunday night. By Morgan @2021.4.11 evening
Location: Taichung, Shizheng Road, Xi Le French Cuisine Travel Note: On a Friday night in Taichung, all the major Michelin restaurants were fully booked, so I found this highly-rated French restaurant located in the 7th Redevelopment Zone. Including red wine, the per-person cost was around five thousand. The space is spacious, featuring Japanese A5 Wagyu beef and molecular gastronomy. I chatted with my senior Peter from Cheng Kung University about his recent smart healthcare projects—it was a quite comfortable and relaxed dinner. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.4.9 evening
Location: Taichung, Taiyuan Road, Wumi Omakase Japanese Restaurant Travel note summary: At Wumi Omakase Japanese Restaurant on Taiyuan Road in Taichung, they offer two lunch options: NT$580 and NT$1,280. Though the shop is small, the ingredient quality is quite decent. Each dish is briefly explained when served. In terms of value for money, it's a very satisfying and refreshing meal—no wonder it has a 4.7-star Google rating! By Morgan @2021.4.9 noon
Location: Taichung, Beitun Folk Park Travel note summary: Beitun Folk Park, Military Dependents' Village Cultural Museum in Beitun, and Lifu Chinese Medicine Museum at China Medical University in North District. I had arranged to meet a Shopee seller in Beitun in the afternoon, so I went out and took the chance to visit some Beitun attractions. Finally, back near home, I visited this Chinese Medicine Museum at China Medical University. It's so close to home, yet this was my first time going! After the visit, I found it really worth seeing—the specimens, medicinal herbs, and history of herbal medicine are all very comprehensive and rich. By Morgan @2021.3.31
Location: Yilan, Dongshan Mr. Brown Avenue, Dong'ao Pink Bird Forest Secret Spot, Jiaoxi Natural Wind Hot Spring Resort Travel note summary: Mr. Brown Avenue in Dongshan, Pink Bird Forest secret spot in Dong'ao, Nanfang'ao lookout, old Suhua Highway, National Center for Traditional Arts in Wujie, Weizhen Seafood Restaurant in Su'ao, city area's Chenghuang Temple sliced noodles, Wenchang Temple rice noodle soup. Today visited some new spots in Yilan and revisited some old ones I've been to many times. Like life, the new and old intertwine. At this moment, standing here gazing at these scenes—they're all part of future memories... By Morgan @2021.3.28
Location: Taipei Xingtian Temple Travel note summary: After praying at Taipei Xingtian Temple, Rongxing Garden, and Binjiang Market, I finally visited the famous Addiction Aquatic Development. I grabbed a quick standing sushi meal for brunch—Saturday was really crowded! @@ By Morgan @2021.3.26
Location: Taipei, Dunhua North Road alley, Twelve Blue Crab Seafood Congee Travel note summary: Nearly seven years ago, Manager Liang, Naiwen, and I met at a bar under the Millennium Hotel in Beijing. Back then, Naiwen was still at Goldman Sachs' Beijing office. Time flies—now she's a mother of three! Tonight, the same group reunited in Taipei to chat about the future of traditional and emerging finance. Thanks to Naiwen for rushing over after work. Next time, let's meet again! After arriving in Taipei on my island tour, I seem stuck here—silly Xiao Mi thinks I've moved to Taipei. Really grateful for all the warm hospitality from Taipei friends. Tonight marks the end of my 13th gathering in Taipei over the past six days. @@ By Morgan @2021.3.26 evening
Location: Taipei Ximen, Hotel Midtown Richardson Buffet Travel note summary: Matsumura invited me to lunch today at this hotel buffet in Ximending. We chatted about his past work at the Presidential Office and his current landscape engineering projects. I also helped him buy something online using WeChat Pay. Before we knew it, the whole noon had passed. Thanks for the treat, Matsumura! By Morgan @2021.3.26
Location: Taipei Neihu, Chen San Bar Travel note summary: In the evening, Alex brought three bottles of red wine for a small gathering. Afterward, we headed to a little bar in a Neihu alley to continue drinking. Cheers! By Morgan @2021.3.25 evening
Location: Taipei Zhongshan North Road, This Pot Royal Secret Hot Pot Travel note summary: At noon, I met another former colleague from the investment trust company—Wenxiao. Time flies; it's been over six years since we last met. Wenxiao has been at this top-ten local investment trust for five years now, managing two funds, including a large North American REITs fund, with consistently stable performance. We caught up on recent life, work, and old memories. Time really passes quickly, whether in life or during this short, satisfying lunch. Thanks for the treat, Wenxiao. Hope everyone stays well! :) By Morgan @2021.3.25
Location: Taipei, hidden izakaya in an alley off Linsen North Road Travel notes: After visiting the Miniatures Museum near Songjiang Nanjing Station in the afternoon, I headed to Syntrend to meet my senior who works at Biilabs. After his English meeting with the new Spanish board member, we caught up at a café on the 11th floor. Later, I also dropped by to see the legendary junior, jserv. My senior's company, Biilabs, is a pioneer among Taiwan's blockchain startups. It was after visiting him before the Lunar New Year and chatting with my Goldman Sachs classmate Naiwen that I started diving deeper into blockchain and crypto over the past couple of months. Around 6:30 PM, I arrived at this hidden but fantastic izakaya in an alley off Linsen North Road. Besides the familiar face, Brother J.J., I also met David (Pang Dawen) today. I'd only known of him from the financial WeChat group 'Huijintai,' exclusive to Taiwanese, Hong Kong, and mainland Chinese folks. It was great to finally meet him in person. David has spent many years in both public and private funds in mainland China, from Shenzhen and Shanghai to Qingdao, and has met countless people. The world is truly small—his son is currently pursuing a master's in information management at National Cheng Kung University, making him my junior. Plus, David lived in Taichung for over a decade, attending Wuquan Junior High, Taichung Second Senior High, and Tunghai University. What's even more surprising is that David's brother-in-law runs a family office wealth management company in Shenzhen and Taiwan, serving top-tier families. One of their biggest clients is a coal tycoon from Shaanxi, whose company, Taifaxiang, happens to be the same one I visited with General Manager Liang in Xi'an. And back when David lived in Shanghai, he used to visit Jiangnan Club (opened by former Taiwanese gang members), which I also went to with Brother Mu when it first opened. Anyway, everything seems connected somehow. Thanks to Brother David for treating us tonight—great food and we really enjoyed the red wine! Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road, Taiheya Grilled Meat Bowl Travel notes: Had lunch with Zhenliang, whom I hadn't seen in two or three years. Zhenliang started at J.P. Morgan, then moved to Prudential Insurance, and now works at a vibrant insurance brokerage called Bei'an. He's been in the insurance industry for over eight years since switching from investment. He's also a director of the Taiwan CFP (Certified Financial Planner) Association—there are only about 2,000 people in Taiwan with a CFP license. We chatted about hot topics like 5G, AI, AR/VR, and how insurance is about defense while investment is about offense, and they complement each other. You can tell Zhenliang genuinely enjoys what he does now. Thanks for the treat, Brother Zhenliang. Every encounter is fate—time, place, good friends... Let's catch up again soon! :)
Location: Taipei, City Hall Station, Shabu Shabu Leaf All-You-Can-Eat Hot Pot Travel notes: Had dinner tonight with Yihua, a junior high classmate from Weidao whom I hadn't seen in 26 years. Yihua now works under the Yulon Group, handling electric vehicle and connected car projects, and often works late into the night—today was a rare chance to catch up. We chatted about his past research trip to Vietnam, business trips to Hangzhou, and testing car performance around Taiwan. Time flew by as we talked about everything, from around 7 PM until the restaurant closed after 10 PM. Thanks for the treat, old classmate—a happy reunion night. Looking forward to grabbing a drink together next time! ^^
Location: Taipei, Yitong Street, Louisa Coffee Travel notes: My phone suddenly broke, so I had to go to Guanghua Digital Plaza to buy a new one. After spending a lot of time reinstalling apps at noon, I went to Songjiang Nanjing Station to meet my old colleague Bruce from the investment trust company. Bruce used to cover global and U.S. stocks in our department. After working at another foreign investment trust, he's now at a new investment trust company, preparing to take over as fund manager for a specific fund. Besides daily conference calls with many foreign companies, Bruce is also very interested in researching new technologies and companies, including blockchain. So I explained the principles and applications of blockchain to him in simple terms, as well as the essence of mining that he couldn't quite grasp. We had such a great chat that we even discussed the possibility of launching a public blockchain and cryptocurrency fund in Taiwan. Anyway, thanks for the treat, Bruce—so happy to catch up after over six years! Keep in touch!!! :)
Location: Taipei, alley off Da'an Road, Xiaoman Hot Pot Travel notes: Had dinner tonight with old friends and Ruihong, a junior from the club whom I hadn't seen in a while. We casually bought two bottles of red wine from the nearby Sogo department store to go with the meal. Ruihong recently bought a property near a Taoyuan Airport MRT station, so the next step is just finding a good lady of the house! Cheers! :P
Location: Taipei, Zhonghe, Qiaohezhen Beef Noodles Travel note: Met up with my college friend Jiajun in Zhonghe after not seeing him for over seven years. We had beef noodles and a big plate of braised snacks near his office. Jiajun has been working at WPG Holdings, Taiwan's second-largest semiconductor distributor, since graduation and is now a department head. We chatted about his passion for sports and running—he recently placed 4th in Taiwan in a 24-hour ultramarathon, running 207 km from 2 PM to 2 PM the next day. Truly impressive! Thanks for lunch and drinks, Jiajun—hope you achieve your dream of running around Taiwan in 11 days! ^^ By Morgan @2021.3.22
Location: Taipei, Lane off Ren'ai Road, Rakuken Wagyu Travel note: A top-tier wagyu restaurant that used to be only in Taichung, now also in Taipei. Tonight, I had the most expensive set menu (NT$4,400+10% per person) plus two bottles of Italian and French red wine. From Australian 9+ wagyu to Japanese A5 wagyu and Matsusaka A5 beef—every dish was packed with wagyu flavor. For example, a hand roll with raw wagyu and premium red sea urchin that melts in your mouth, or Inaniwa udon (one of Japan's top three udon) with beef shank, and wagyu with freshly grated truffle melting into egg yolk. They also gave me a wagyu gua bao for my birthday. All wagyu was grilled tableside by dedicated staff. Each dish was satisfying and memorable—the crispiness of Australian wagyu, the tenderness of Japanese wagyu, the aroma of Matsusaka beef—making my 41st birthday perfect. Grateful to have so many good friends in this life! Cheers! By Morgan @2021.3.21 evening
Location: Hualien, Yanliao Travel note: Yanliao, Niushan Huting, Xinshe Terraces, Baqi, Jici Beach, Qinbuzhizi Cliff, Shimen March Cave, Shitiping, Changhong Bridge at the mouth of the Xiuguluan River, Tropic of Cancer Monument. A good friend is thinking of buying a seaside plot in Hualien/Taitung to build a house for retirement and a private guesthouse in a few years, so today's trip was half land-viewing, half sea-viewing. Some coastal spots in Hualien that I used to just pass by, I visited properly today. On the way back, I went to the direct branch of Yuli Qiaotou Stinky Tofu opposite the container Starbucks. Stinky tofu is still my favorite among all Taiwanese snacks! Thanks to all friends for the birthday wishes today! :) By Morgan @2021.3.21
Location: Hualien Travel note: Hualien, Jieyue Street, Zhuchuan Japanese Izakaya. Searched near my accommodation and found this place with extremely high Google ratings, so I came here for dinner tonight. After trying a few dishes, I initially wondered if the owner had trained at a famous Japanese restaurant. But after chatting with him, I found out he's genuinely passionate about food and developed various Japanese dishes on his own, leading to this izakaya. One dish—crispy fried squid with Kola Nuts snack—was a perfect match in the mouth. Plus fresh sashimi from Hualien/Taitung, grilled flounder... each dish was amazingly impressive. Even John, who goes to Japan eight times a year and is super picky about food, was very satisfied. We ordered three pots of sake, plus a small bottle of quite expensive Hakkaisan sake (NT$650), along with plenty of beef skewers, fried items, stir-fried water spinach with sakura shrimp... In the end, it was under NT$3,000 for two people. Compared to big cities, it's really a great deal. A happy night in Hualien! Cheers! By Morgan @2021.3.20 evening
Location: Hualien, Qixingtan Travel note: Qixingtan, Qingshui Cliff, Taroko National Park. Often, we think 'next time' will come soon, but in reality, that 'next time' often turns out to be many years later—or perhaps we never get the chance to visit again in this lifetime. Like revisiting Taroko this time, looking back, it's already been 13 years. The scenery of many places has become a bit blurry, only vaguely remembering some names: Swallow Grotto, Tianxiang, Cimu Bridge, Nine Turns Tunnel, Eternal Spring Shrine... This time, I also walked the Shakadang Trail, creating new memories and thoughts again. I wonder when I'll come here next? So, many places should be visited when you want to see them, and many things should be done when you want to do them—don't pin hopes on an elusive 'next time.' Just like the lyrics in Zhang Yusheng's song 'I Expect,' may life be lived striding forward, leaving no regrets. By Morgan @2021.3.20
Location: Taitung, Green Island, Blue Cave Secret Spot Travel note: Taitung, Green Island, Blue Cave Secret Spot – a serene and magical underwater world. ~ By Morgan @2021.3.19
Location: Taitung, Green Island, Zhaori Hot Springs (Undersea Hot Springs) Travel note: Taitung, Green Island, Zhaori Hot Springs – revisiting after ten long years. Life passes in the blink of an eye... ~ By Morgan @2021.3.18
Location: Taitung Travel note: Taitung, Tiehua Village Music Hub, Kaodaye Izakaya. Celebrating a birthday with my dear friend. Happy Birthday, John! ~ By Morgan @2021.3.17 night
Location: Kaohsiung, Sanmin District, A Bowl of Simplicity Seafood Soup Rice Travel note: Kaohsiung, Sanmin District, A Bowl of Simplicity Seafood Soup Rice. Added shredded bamboo shoots and minced pork, blending mountain and sea flavors in the broth. As for the blanched squid and clams, they bring a sweet freshness. ~ By Morgan @2021.3.17
Location: Taichung, Shizheng South 1st Road, Top Yue Ji Pin High-end Cantonese Restaurant Travel note: Taichung, Shizheng South 1st Road, Top Yue Ji Pin High-end Cantonese Restaurant. This top-tier Taichung restaurant was built last year with an investment of 500 million TWD, and its culinary team includes key members from part of Taipei's World Trade Center Club. Although the most expensive menu starts at 32,000 TWD per person, tonight with three bottles of red wine, shark fin soup, and various Cantonese dishes, we enjoyed a fantastic meal for just over 5,000 TWD per person. The three red wines were from France, Northern Italy, and Spain. When we tried the Spanish one, its flavor felt quite unique—besides the fruity and floral notes of the others, it had a free-spirited soul. I scanned the label with the Vivino app to check: a 4.3/5.0 rating, truly a fine wine. Sharing a smile with the sommelier, your recommendation was spot on! Life is but a dream, live in the moment! Cheers! ~ By Morgan @2021.3.12 evening
Location: Taichung, Taiyuan Road, Wēn Dāo Traditional Taste Restaurant Travel note: Had lunch at Wēn Dāo Traditional Taste Restaurant on Taiyuan Road in Taichung with Sheng-Yan and his wife, Neng-Jia and his wife, Brother Gong, plus Qi-Bin's parents—just enough for a full table to celebrate Qi-Bin's birthday. Wishing Brother Qi-Bin all the best in the new year! By Morgan @2021.3.12
Location: Taichung, Xitun District, You Yang Multi-Sports Center Travel note: Been busy lately and haven't exercised in a while. Brother Gong invited me on short notice today, so I came to play. Haven't touched a racket in too long—made quite a few mistakes @@
Location: Taichung Travel note: Went to Nantou's Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village and Sun Moon Lake today with Xiao-Ping, a long-time classmate, plus Zi-Yu. We had an empty seat in the car, so last night I posted online looking for a travel companion—and actually found someone! Duo-Duo is from Hsinchu and moved to Taichung over two years ago for spiritual practice. He used to run several shops in Hsinchu. Believing everything is fate, I'm glad to have met a new friend and learned about a different way of life. In the evening, we went to the casual dining restaurant opened by Zi-Yu's aunt in Puli, called Bouchard Garden—good value for money. After returning to downtown Taichung, we disbanded, wrapping up today's trip. By Morgan @2021.3.10 evening
Location: Taichung, Siwei Street, Chun Shui Tang Travel note: Chun Shui Tang on Siwei Street (the original flagship store) on Saturday night. University classmate Xing-Jian came down from Taipei to Taichung to see his girlfriend, arranged to meet Xiao-Ping for a chat, and called me out too. Haven't seen Xing-Jian in over four years—he's still a manager at Texas Instruments. Catching up on life and reminiscing about old times is a simple joy in this fleeting life. By Morgan @2021.3.6 evening
Location: Taichung, Meiting Street, Meiting Yokochō Donburi Travel note: Every time I pass by Meiting Yokochō Donburi on Meiting Street at night, it's packed with no seats available. Today I came for lunch to try it—still a very popular place! By Morgan @2021.3.5
Location: Shin Izakaya, Dalian Road, Taichung Travel Notes: Shin Izakaya on Dalian Road, Taichung (second visit). In the afternoon, I met up with Brother Gong, whom I hadn't seen in a while, for coffee at the Starbucks on Wenxin Road. We chatted from around 3 PM until past 8 PM, covering topics from Bitcoin, TSMC/ASML, and the current state of the construction industry, all the way to aliens, religion, and past lives. We just couldn't stop, so we moved to the small shop we visited together last time. We ordered some skewers and sake for a light drink. Brother Gong shared with me about the seven different health-beneficial oils he's been taking recently, including black seed oil, which have shown significant health effects. I shared with him my recent research and practical ventures into areas like digital currency spot-futures arbitrage, grid trading, liquidity mining, and NFTs. From blockchain DeFi to virtual game land auctions in The Sandbox, we talked until nearly midnight before parting ways. Thanks to Brother Gong for treating me to this meal. Let's catch up again sometime! :) By Morgan @2021.3.4 evening
Location: Wu Liu Shou Skewer Izakaya, Taichung Travel Notes: Wu Liu Shou Skewer Izakaya (Chongde Branch), Taichung. I've tried their Taipei branch before and thought it was pretty good, so I decided to check out the Taichung location today. While overall it was okay, considering Taichung's average price level, the value for money isn't particularly outstanding~ @@ By Morgan @2021.3.2 evening
Location: Bolero Western Restaurant, near Dadaocheng, Taipei Travel Notes: Bolero Western Restaurant (Since 1934), near Dadaocheng, Taipei. In the morning, I visited my junior high school classmate Wei-Jia at his company, Starting Point Design, near Dihua Street. Wei-Jia and his brother co-founded the company, which mainly focuses on 3D scanning and printing. They're quite a competitive startup in this field in Taiwan, and even had a Japanese company interested in acquiring them before. Their cultural and creative products include figurines sold at the National Palace Museum, and they recently collaborated with Taiwanese miniature master Hong-Zhan Zheng. Practical products range from bicycle and car parts to shoe lasts (foot-shaped molds for shoemaking)... They even have one of only two 360-degree full-body scanners in Taiwan, capable of producing special effects like those in Hollywood movies. They've also recently received some government grants. For lunch, Wei-Jia and I went to the famous nostalgic Taipei Western restaurant next door, Bolero, which has over 80 years of history. I ordered the sizzling steak with A1 steak sauce, bringing back a flood of childhood memories of dining in Western restaurants. Wei-Jia also worked in mainland China for ten years, so we chatted a lot about the local customs and cultures of various places, including Mongolia, Northeast China, Dunhuang... and various travel memories. I also listened to Wei-Jia share his experience attending an alumni fundraising dinner at the London School of Economics, where he chatted with President Tsai Ing-wen for quite a while. Thanks to Wei-Jia for treating me to this meal, and it gave me a deeper understanding and sparked ideas about the interesting field of 3D printing~ Keep in touch~ :) By Morgan @2021.2.22
Location: Taipei Wine Cafe Travel Notes: Taipei Wine Cafe, visiting friends in Wenshan District, Wanyouquan Lamb Hot Pot. I came up to Taipei on short notice yesterday. After buying over two thousand NT dollars worth of books at Tenlong Bookstore first, I met up with my university club friend Wen-Zheng in the evening to catch up. We went to a mysterious bar near Daan Station with no sign at all, truly relying on word of mouth. I hadn't seen Wen-Zheng in over two years either; he's still a full-time investor, going on almost ten years now. We opened a bottle of Chilean red wine, paired with some ham and cheese, chatting about each other's views on relationships, updates on other old club friends, and our shared impressions from previous trips, like visiting Seoul. Time flew by, and we didn't part ways until the shop closed at midnight. Afterwards, Loco老大 (old-timer) contacted me, and we went to Jike, which is open very late, for hot pot. We chatted until 3 AM. The next noon, I met up with my junior high school classmates from Weidao, including Yong-Jia who came up from Linkou, to visit Hao-Ting's newly bought house in Wenshan District last year. We hadn't seen each other in so long that we ended up chatting from 11 AM until 5 PM, from all the silly and funny things in junior high to perspectives from two of them, now a CFO of a large company and a chief physician, on how future A.I. and technology might replace humans in various ways. After parting ways, in the evening, I met up with Liang-Zong, Loco老大, and Alex at Wanyouquan, which I hadn't been to in a long time. We drank two bottles of Spanish red wine brought by Alex, discussing topics like stocks, futures, options, and digital currencies. This pretty much wrapped up my flash trip to Taipei. By Morgan @2021.2.21 evening
Location: Le Blé d'Or, Municipal Road, Taichung Travel Notes: Le Blé d'Or on Municipal Road, Taichung. Following our plan before the Lunar New Year to have a spring gathering with my Weidao junior high school classmates, we finally managed to get together today before work resumes. Out of 25 classmates invited, 11 showed up: Bo-Heng, Xin-Ming, Sheng-Yan, Cheng-Yuan, Jun-Fu, Zheng-Yi, Neng-Jia, Cheng-Lin, Huai-Yi, Dun-Tai. Besides the classmates who came last time at Dingyuan, a few long-lost classmates also updated us on their recent situations. Cheng-Yuan now runs a professional headphone shop on Meicun Road. Zheng-Yi has taken over the family business at Zhongbu Electric Machinery, one of Taiwan's top baking equipment manufacturers. And the most famous, Bo-Heng, besides being a well-known figure in Taiwan's racing scene, often makes the news due to topics related to the Wufeng Lin Family. Even though many of us hadn't seen each other in a long time, it felt like we were back in our twenties, reminiscing about boarding school memories, being hit by teachers, and of course, memories of the girls' class next door. After graduating for so many years, having the chance to gather again, have a few drinks, and talk about the old days is truly a rare缘分 (fate). May everyone stay safe and well until we meet again! :) By Morgan @2021.2.16 evening
Location: Yidingzhuan Hot Pot (Mala/Sour Cabbage), Fengyuan, Taichung Travel notes: Two younger cousins I hadn't seen in a while invited me for a meal, so we came to Fengyuan Zhongzheng Park, a place I often visited as a child. Inside, there's a hot pot restaurant converted from the former mayor's residence. Like Ding Wang, the soup base is refillable. After eating, we went up to Gonglaoping to have drinks and enjoy the night view of Fengyuan. I chatted with Yiting about her work at the hospital and her upcoming new job at a pharmacy. I also talked with Mingzhen about her studies in the UK and her working holiday in France. Time really flies—everyone has grown up in the blink of an eye. Facing various social experiences and challenges is all part of life. Keep it up! :) By Morgan @Evening of 2021.2.15
Location: Dingyuan Quanyafang (Whole Duck Restaurant), Municipal North 2nd Road, Taichung Travel notes: After waking up in the morning, I spontaneously arranged dinner with one or two junior high school classmates from Weidao. Then, on a whim, I asked other classmates too, and like a snowball effect, it turned into a small reunion around a large round table. Many classmates hadn't seen each other for over 25 years since graduation. Chenglin now researches rockets and engines at the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology. Junfu works at AUO in the Central Taiwan Science Park, his wife is from Hong Kong, and he's contemplating his next step in life. Huaiyi works at a Chunghwa Telecom subsidiary (Chunghwa Yellow Pages), doing website and SEO-related content. Because he has a group of foodie friends in Taipei, he's already tried all the top restaurants in Taichung, including Michelin-starred ones. Duntai mainly deals in marble stone and some engineering contracting. Yongjia is a chief physician at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (recently transferred to Tucheng). Zhongxuan works in corporate lending at Chailease Finance, familiar with various industries from finance, tech, construction, to live-streaming platforms like SWAG. Xinming maintains the large family business of caring for Taiwan's food plastic containers and his wife's family's saxophone export business. Jiezhi remains a professional investor, playing golf weekly with Xinming. Although due to the last-minute invitation, many classmates couldn't make it (Shengyan, Chengxun, Kuncheng, Mincheng, Zhengyi, Nengjia, Yifan, Yanbo, Tianyou...), (Weicen, who is still in mainland China working hard on the family business and couldn't return), (and Boheng, who was originally coming but missed out due to a sudden allergy). But this gathering was quite lively; everyone chatted from 7 PM until the restaurant closed at 10 PM, and we even stood at the door chatting for a while before dispersing. Various awkward memories from junior high kept the laughter going. In the blink of an eye, we've gone from clueless teenagers to middle-aged uncles. After returning home, I chatted with Boheng. Although he couldn't attend today's year-end party, we can organize a spring gathering after the fourth day of the Lunar New Year. Welcome any available classmates to join us then. It would be even more interesting with Hanss talking about racing! Life is all about connections. Being able to reminisce about the past, share recent updates, and look to the future are all precious memories! :) By Morgan @Evening of 2021.2.8 P.S. Almost forgot to write about the restaurant again. Dingyuan Quanyafang is part of the Aguan Restaurant Group, known for its flame-grilled cherry duck. It's also a Michelin Plate-recommended restaurant, pretty good.
Location: Miscellaneous Notes Travel notes: Thank you to Liberty Times reporter, Ruiqin, for the simple interview and report! ^^ Morgan
Location: Canaan Garden Hot Pot (All-You-Can-Eat), Taichung Travel notes: A long-established all-you-can-eat restaurant in Taichung, but today was my first chance to try it. There are two price options: 399 and 599 (+10%). Thank you to ATTILA senior for the invitation and treat. Today is also the senior's birthday. I hope everything goes smoothly when the senior returns to work in the tech industry! :) By [email protected]
Location: Ichochodo Hot Pot, Breeze Taipei Station, Taipei Travel notes: Came to Chongqing South Road at noon to meet Shinong, a manager at KGI, and Xiao Ni for lunch nearby. Later, Manager Liang and Alex joined us. Thank you, Brother Shinong, for the treat. Time to head back to Taichung after eating. ~ By Morgan @2021.2.2
Location: Taipei, Breeze Xinyi, Thai & Thai Restaurant Travel notes: Had lunch with General Liang, Boss Loco, and Alex at Thai & Thai in Breeze Xinyi. Started with a glass of white wine before the meal, followed by red wine with the food. In the afternoon, I went to Syntrend Creative Park to meet a senior from my NCKU club who runs a ramen shop. He founded a blockchain company called Biilabs, and their office is here. There were quite a few juniors from NCKU, including one from the Industrial Management class of '08—that's 17 years apart; she was just born when I was in college! Later, my college classmate Naiwen, who's a manager at Goldman Sachs, happened to be off today, so I invited her to Syntrend to catch up and share ideas. In the evening, near Ningxia Night Market, we went to Tai Chun Xiao Guan, a spot I hadn't visited in ages. With General Liang, Alex, my long-lost college senior Zongxian MFT, A-Le, and his business partner, we enjoyed red wine with Japanese cuisine and chatted. Zongxian recently moved to Axiomtek, a listed industrial computer company, while A-Le is still in property management and chain beverage shops. Thanks to Alex for the wine and A-Le for treating. This impromptu trip to Taipei was made special by friends who rushed over despite the last-minute calls. Life—everything happens as it's meant to. :) By Morgan @2021.2.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Elephant Dancing Wine Bar Travel notes: In the evening, with my NCKU Industrial Management junior ICEBONE, plus NCKU Information Management graduate school classmate Mengsheng and General Liang, we came to Songshan District for some red wine. Bongbong recently switched from Qualcomm to Amazon—in terms of foreign company salaries, that's top-tier in Taiwan. The four of us drank four bottles of natural red wine, and typing is indeed getting a bit sluggish~ @@ Thanks to General Liang for treating! By Morgan @2021.2.1 evening
Location: Taipei, Songshan, ARK Ark – Taipei Blockchain Innovation Incubation Base Travel notes: My old friend Taka, now the chairman of the Taiwan Blockchain Enthusiasts Association, leased a new incubation base from the Taipei City Government, which just opened late last year. So after leaving Tianlong Bookstore in the afternoon, I dropped by for a visit. Taka showed me a BTM machine, similar to an ATM, where you can buy digital currency directly with fiat, and a vending machine that accepts cryptocurrency for drinks. We also chatted with Ted, the boss of Manyuan Technology, which makes GPU mining rigs, about all sorts of fun crypto topics—exchanges, tax avoidance, trading, mining, hash rate... and the recent轮流井喷 (rotating surge)行情 of various cryptocurrencies, plus their upcoming blockchain café in Kaohsiung. A really fun afternoon~ By Morgan @2021.1.31
Location: Taipei, Xinyi District – Zhuangjing Road, Ka Burger Travel notes: Came to Taipei on short notice to catch up with old classmates and meet new friends. In the morning, first met with Xiao Ni from KGI and Chris, who used to work at Compal and is now running his own startup, at a Starbucks near Linsen North Road to chat and network. At noon, met up with my long-unseen college classmate A-Fu for a meal in Xinyi District. Listened to A-Fu talk about the National Tax Agency big data analysis project they recently took on at Chunghwa Telecom, and his newfound passion for rock climbing. After eating, strolled around the nearby 44 South Village. Thanks to A-Fu for the treat. Life really flies by—in a blink, it's been almost twenty years since graduation. Any chance to gather is truly a缘分 (fateful connection)~ ^^ By Morgan 2021.1.31
Location: Taichung, Dakeng, Qilinfeng Hot Springs Travel notes: Took advantage of the time before Senior ATTILA went back to work after his break to come here for a soak and catch-up~ After soaking, went to Jianxing Road to eat at the Army Veterans Village Beef Noodles place that's always full every time I pass by at night~ By Morgan @2021.1.29
Location: Morgan's Taiwan Travel Memoirs (in doggerel style) Travel note summary: Since I've set up a fan page, I might as well jot down some travel memories when I have time. It should be more detailed than the random posts on Facebook before. @@ On a holiday, I visited North Korea, passing through layers of checkpoints to reach Rason. My heart was uneasy with unknowns, and there was no internet connection along the way. It felt like traveling back in time, with simple residents from long ago, and kimchi was a must at every meal—adding to the experience of this mysterious country. @[100063881323110:2048: Doggerel Traveler Morgan]
Location: Taichung, Dongxing Road, opposite side wine bar Travel note summary: The weather is just too cold—I have to drink some wine to warm up! By Morgan @evening, Jan 17, 2021
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Jack Brothers Steakhouse Travel note summary: On a weekday noon in Taichung, it's really hard to find a place with red wine to accompany the meal. This is one of them, and their steak is pretty good too. @@ By Morgan @2021.1.12
Location: Taichung, Ronghua Street, 8-Inch Pot Travel note summary: Long time no see—my old colleague Joe came back to Taichung from Taipei and invited me to dinner. After leaving his fund manager position, Joe sold his property in Shenzhen worth billions of NTD last year and moved the money back to Taiwan. He's also currently selling his Hong Kong asset management license (Type 9). In Taiwan, he's starting to plan for a more distant future and retirement. Joe and I chatted about our past travel memories to Tai O in Hong Kong, updates on many old colleagues, and his upcoming PhD from Xiamen University. Time flew by, and it was already closing time. Thanks to Joe for treating me—later, I found out our homes in Taichung are actually close, one at the start of Yongxing Street and the other at the end. Keep in touch~ :) By Morgan @evening, Jan 11, 2021
Location: Taichung, Fuxing Road, Bawei Ginger Duck Hotpot Travel note summary: Came here with my brother-in-law and his police academy classmates Xiao Mao and junior Yao Yuan to warm up. Listened to everyone chat about the joys and hardships of duty at their respective squads in Taipei, Chiayi, and Taichung, as well as all sorts of strange situations they've encountered before. A Friday night that broadened my horizons. By Morgan @evening, Jan 8, 2021
Location: Taichung, Dadu Mountain, Freshfields Hotel & Resort Travel notes: Enjoyed hot springs and buffet with senior Zhihao and Xiaoping at Freshfields Hotel & Resort on Dadu Mountain in Taichung. A moment of leisure, living in the present. By Morgan @2021.1.8
Location: Taichung, Millennium Hotel Taichung Bar Travel notes: Morning at DBS Bank's Taiping branch with Xiaoping, helped by manager Ruiyi. After lunch, chatted over Australian red wine with Manager Liang, Xiaoping, and Xiao Luo at Millennium Hotel Taichung, enjoying the view. Evening at a nice izakaya on Jianxing Road with Xiaoping, ending the day. By Morgan @2021.1.7
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Hu She Yu Wei Shanghai Dim Sum Travel notes: First time celebrating New Year in Taiwan in a while—2015 hotpot in Shenzhen, 2016 tea fields in Wuyishan, 2017 floating market in Bangkok, 2018 high-end Japanese cuisine in Shenzhen, 2019 night view in Sanya, 2020 solo white wine in Hong Kong office. Started 2021 with this Michelin Bib Gourmand Shanghai dim sum. May the new year bring fresh beginnings beyond 2020's ups and downs! By Morgan @2021.1.1
Location: Taichung, Dakeng, Sun Hot Spring Resort Travel notes: Weather's getting colder, maintaining a weekly hot spring routine at Sun Hot Spring Resort in Dakeng, Taichung. @@ By Morgan @2020.12.29
Location: Nantou, Dongpu Hot Spring (Chan Shuo Ya Zhu) Travel notes: Soaking in hot springs, chatting about life, and gazing at distant mountains in the light rain at Dongpu Hot Spring (Chan Shuo Ya Zhu) in Nantou. With Xiaoping, Ziyu, and new friend Xiao Luo. By Morgan @2020.12.21
Location: Taoyuan, MetroWalk Shopping Mall, Yakiniku Don Shokai Travel Notes: The saying goes, 'At home, rely on parents; outside, rely on friends.' Last night around 10:50 PM, I was planning to find a Qtime to stay overnight, but after checking several branches, all private rooms were full—no surprise for a Saturday night. I had to call a friend, Matsumura, for help, and he immediately invited me to stay at his place in Ximending. I took the MRT to his home there, where he and his wife, Yiwen, set me up in their guest room and let me freshen up and rest. I chatted with Yiwen, who's still at Kanghe, about the hot topic of algorithmic trading online lately, and reminisced with Matsumura about our shared memories. Fast-forward to this afternoon: Matsumura had to go to his company in Longtan to handle payroll—he mainly works on landscape engineering projects, mostly for government contracts. I rode with him and his wife from Taipei to Longtan, a very suburban area where they even grow some vegetables outside the office. Matsumura mentioned that sometimes he thinks about retiring in the countryside, growing veggies and living a leisurely life—seems like another way to live. Afterward, he took me to MetroWalk Shopping Mall, where we had yakiniku donburi. Thanks to the Matsumura couple for their hospitality! Finally, Matsumura dropped me off at Taoyuan HSR Station to take the high-speed rail back to Taichung, wrapping up this Taipei trip. Honestly, I've been too lazy—this is only my third time coming up to Taipei since moving back to Taichung this year. But each time, I'm grateful for the warm hospitality from many Taipei friends. Thank you all! :) By Morgan @2020.12.20
Location: Taipei, Ximending, somebody Brunch Travel Notes: Met up with an old colleague, Shinong, from my self-managed investment department days this morning. It's been almost ten years since we last saw each other—he's now moved to KGI Securities as a manager. We chatted about this year's market trends and his NTU classmate from Shanghai, whom we both met before: Brother Gao Zijian, who's gained some fame in China's quantitative investment field. Time flew by as we talked about this and that. Thanks to Brother Shinong for treating me to this brunch! Coincidentally, General Manager Liang invited me for lunch at noon, so we all headed to a nostalgic Korean copper plate BBQ place in a lane off Zhonghua Road. Enjoying BBQ with red wine made for a relaxed weekend afternoon. By Morgan @2020.12.20 noon
Location: Taipei, Lane off Dunhua South Road, Mr. Meat Butcher Hot Pot Travel Notes: Introduced Teacher Mingfeng to General Manager Liang tonight, along with Jessica whom I met once before—four of us in total. We chose Mr. Meat because it offers natural red wine to pair with the meal, and it serves various beef from the U.S., Japan, and Kinmen, freshly sliced to order. This place has been open for about five years and is quite decent. Since Teacher Mingfeng's partner is a skilled magician, after a few glasses of red wine, Teacher Mingfeng also performed some magic tricks. It was a delightful dinner—thanks to General Manager Liang for treating everyone! :) By Morgan @2020.12.19 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan Junior High School Station, Ikari Coffee Travel Notes: Visited my senior from NCKU, Shiwei, who's 11 years ahead of me, this afternoon. It's been over eight years since we last met. We went to a café near his home, where I listened to all the big and small experiences he's had since leaving Yuanta and Kanghe back in the day. I mentioned to him about meeting his university classmate, Senior Du Jinlai, who's now at Taishin Hong Kong, when I was in Hong Kong, and about running into his former good colleague Lin Ruiyuan in Shenzhen. It's truly rare to have the chance to sit and chat over drinks more than twenty years after first meeting him, all thanks to fate. Also, thanks to Senior for the drinks. Take Care! By Morgan @2020.12.19 afternoon
Location: Taipei, Daan District, Three Absolute Beef Noodles Travel Notes: This is also a Bib Gourmand-listed restaurant on the Michelin guide, located in a lane in the East District, next to high-end spots like Da-an No. 9 and Orange Shabu Shabu. Beef noodles start at around four to five hundred NT dollars, and there's also a beef noodle set with a glass of red wine for $600. Given the tender beef tendon and beef, this price isn't too expensive actually. Just memo it~ By Morgan @2020.12.19 noon
Location: Taipei QTime Gongguan Branch Travel note: I've always wanted to experience staying overnight in a manga cafe private room. Finally got the chance to try it today~ :P By Morgan @2020.12.19 evening
Location: Taipei Zhongshan Station Galerie Bistro Travel note: Had lunch with Director Liang and Tony. Tony is still a manager at SinoPac Hong Kong. Last time we met was over a year ago at my old place by the Hong Kong waterfront, drinking red wine and watching the night view. Time flies, things have changed. Due to the pandemic, I haven't seen many Hong Kong friends for a long time. Tony is back in Taiwan for now, visiting some overseas banking clients, and will decide after the new year whether to return. We met at a wine bistro near Zhongshan Station, had lunch and some red wine. Chatted with Tony about his recent client visits, covering topics from warrant high-frequency trading to Fubon's upcoming Vietnam fund... Before we knew it, it was almost 3 PM. A delightful lunch, thanks Tony for treating! :) By Morgan @2020.12.18
Location: Taipei Strait Club Restaurant (2nd visit) Travel note: 'Stock Accumulation Never Leaves Convertible Bonds' Lecture & Strait Club Restaurant. Steven invited me last minute to come up to Taipei for Brother Qibin's lecture. So Steven & his wife, Xing Nengjia and his friend Achang, plus me—five people in one car, driven by Steven—made a same-day round trip from Taichung to Taipei. We arrived at the Chang Yung-fa Foundation on Zhongshan South Road. Only at the venue did I learn it was a joint event by my former employer, Yuanta Funds, and Brother Qibin. The nearly 200 seats were packed full. Thanks to Qibin's clear and easy-to-understand explanation, I finally got a clearer concept of CBAS. After the lecture, Qibin treated his elementary school classmate, his high school classmates from Weidao, and some staff to a meal at one of Taipei's high-end restaurants: Strait Club. Counting, it's been exactly seven years since I last visited this club restaurant, though I still occasionally receive texts from them. Time really flies. Taiwan is small. Sitting next to me at the table was Brother Guozhong, who moved from Allianz Global Investors to Yuanta Funds, and he happened to have heard of my former colleague Bruce who moved from Yuanta to Allianz. Next to him was Sister Xiaohui, who worked at the financial trading department of Polaris Group in Neihu back when I worked at the Polaris headquarters. She was on the third floor, I was on the fifth—no wonder she said I looked familiar. And Qibin's high school classmate (nicknamed 'Shorty') naturally also knew our Weidao middle school classmate Haoting. After the dinner ended, thanks to Brother Qibin for hosting everyone, and thanks to Steven for driving me back to Taichung. It was a fulfilling Sunday~ :) By Morgan @2020.12.13 evening
Location: Taichung Wankeshi Pot Chongde Branch Travel note: My mom loves the black-bone chicken wine hot pot here, it's so fragrant. So we came again for lunch~ By Morgan @2020.12.10
Location: Taichung Yingcai Road Qiyuan Creative Travel note: Taichung Yingcai Road Qiyuan Creative (Taichung New Classroom). My graduate school classmate Mengsheng introduced his friend to me. Qiyuan Creative was founded by a magician and Mengsheng's friend Mingfeng. The headquarters is in Taipei, and they recently rented a new classroom in Taichung, which started operating today. I came by in the afternoon to show support. Qiyuan's courses include tarot, I Ching divination, dance, cash flow, forex investment... etc. Besides chatting with Teacher Mingfeng about forex and MT4, I also talked with some of his students. Xiao Luo left his job at a foreign company in the Central Taiwan Science Park this year and is exploring other possibilities in life. He loves traveling and lived in France for a year before. One Brother Chen is a businessman from Fuzhou, currently living in a luxury mansion built by in-laws' construction company in the 7th District due to the pandemic. Also, Jessica and Xiao Jing are also easy to get along with. Afterwards, everyone was going to eat ginger duck nearby, but I couldn't join because I had to rush off to play badminton. But I believe we'll have chances to meet again in the future. :) By Morgan @2020.12.9
Location: Shuangcheng American Restaurant, Zhongmei Street, Taichung Travel note summary: My friend Liang suddenly came down to Taichung to check on his house and asked me to lunch. We came to this American restaurant near Sogo. The owner is a foreigner, and there's outdoor seating. A bottle of red wine, two burgers—a simple lunch. Cheers~ By Morgan @2020.12.8
Location: Hao Tai Tai Thai Bistro, Jianxing Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Alex brought his two kids from Taipei to Houli. After a whole day at Lihpao Land, they met me for dinner in the evening. So we arranged to meet at this bistro near my place. We ended up drinking four bottles in total—two white wines, one ginjo sake, and one sake. Later, we also called my college friend Waku and Justin, who lives nearby, to join us. I chatted with Alex's kids about "The Rap of China" and various mobile games. Over three thousand spent, but it was a Sunday night worth remembering～ Cheers~ By Morgan @2020.12.7 evening
Location: Karuizawa Hot Pot, Wenxin South 2nd Road Branch, Taichung Travel note summary: Had dinner in the evening with Mengsheng and his colleagues. We came to this famous hot pot restaurant in Taichung—it was my first time at the Wenxin branch. Mengsheng was amazed by the extravagance of Taichung restaurants; for just over three hundred per person, the decor was absolutely stunning. Besides chatting about his jewelry and forex trading, I also talked with him about his long-time study of Zi Wei Dou Shu (Chinese astrology). Then, when it came to gemstones, Mengsheng happened to mention Ruili on the China-Myanmar border, which reminded me of my visit there last October. I recalled seeing many roadside jade gambling scenes... Meeting Mengsheng again after over six years—the connections between people are always so奇妙. After eating, I rushed to the East District to play basketball—another fulfilling day. By Morgan @2020.12.2 evening
Location: Taichung Love Home Garden X Zhu Yuan Jewelry Charity Lecture Travel note summary: My long-unseen NCKU graduate school classmate Mengsheng and his company partners came down from Taipei to Taichung to hold a charity lecture. So in the afternoon, I came to Love Home Garden on Dongxing Road to learn some basic knowledge about jewelry—ruby, sapphire, jadeite, emerald, glass种, ice种, waxy种, pigeon's blood red, black jade, Mozambique, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Zambia... After the lecture, a small percentage of the proceeds from the jewelry auction will be donated to Taichung's Maria Social Welfare Foundation and Guangyin Orphanage. Besides catching up with my old classmate, I also managed to learn some jewelry-related knowledge～ By Morgan @2020.12.2
Location: Taichung National Museum of Natural Science Travel note summary: National Museum of Natural Science, CMP Block Museum of Arts, Chuan Feng Izakaya on Xiangshang North Road. Alex brought his younger son down from Taipei to Taichung for a stroll, so I played host and accompanied them to the museum to watch the 3D theater. Then we walked along the Green Belt to CMP Block Museum of Arts and had Cold Stone ice cream inside. In the evening, we went to a nearby alley to an izakaya called Chuan Feng, newly opened by a friend Shengyan has known for years. Then, Brother Xiao Ci came all the way from Changhua. After Shengyan and his wife returned from seeing the New Taipei Christmasland, they hurried over, covered in dust. Next, Brother Gong, after taking his family to pick strawberries in Dahu, Miaoli, also rushed over. Finally, Senior Peter, who lives near the art museum, came too. Everyone gathered with wine as the bond, drinking a red wine and a white wine that Alex brought from Taipei. Friends from various fields sparked all sorts of conversations—from construction, building, materials, wheel rims, trading, all the way to integrated smart home solutions. We chatted until the shop closed, still not wanting to stop. Friends who are upright, forgiving, and knowledgeable. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2020.11.29 evening
Location: Ding Gua Gua Fried Chicken, Xueshi Road, Taichung Travel note summary: My senior from university, Zhihao, wanted to use up the remaining stimulus vouchers, so we met here for lunch at noon. I also invited our university classmate Xiaoping to join us. On a weekday noon, on the nearly empty second floor of Ding Gua Gua, we ate at this nostalgic fried chicken shop while reminiscing about our university days—playing StarCraft (SC) or Age of Empires (AOE) with the seniors in the dorm. Time flies so fast; twenty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The afternoon sunlight evenly bathed us sitting by the window. Having the chance to gather and chat like this is a rare and precious bond. Thanks to my senior for treating us! :) By Morgan @ Afternoon, 2020.11.27
Location: Tonchin Ramen, B1 of Eslite Spectrum Taichung Park Lane by CMP Travel note summary: A ramen shop that originated from Tokyo, Japan. Today at noon, I came here to eat with senior Zhihao. The broth was quite rich, and I could smell the aroma as soon as it was served. Eating ramen in Taiwan really costs half the price compared to Hong Kong. :p We casually chatted about this year's market conditions. Thanks again to my senior for treating me! :) By Morgan @ 2020.11.24
Location: McDonald's, Chongde Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Justin, whom I met on a previous trip, actually lives very close to my home. So after dinner tonight, we met up at the McDonald's near his place for a drink and a chat. We talked about the several apartments he used to manage for rent, his investments in real estate, Taiwanese stocks, U.S. stocks... Since he's recently become interested in Bitcoin, I discussed with him some major exchanges in Taiwan (BitoPro, MAX, ACE) and some overseas platforms that offer OTC trading (Binance, LocalBitcoins...). Thanks to Justin for the drinks—another fulfilling night! By Morgan @ Evening, 2020.11.23
Location: Frog Mexican Cuisine, Yude Road, Taichung & Wine Not Natural Wine Bar, Daying Street, Nantun, Taichung Travel note summary: Senior Qingquan's old classmate from Taichung First Senior High School (also nearly 70 years old) and a few friends formed an amateur band, performing on weekends. Tonight, they had a trial performance at this restaurant near China Medical University. The senior gathered a large group of old classmates from Weidao Junior High and Taichung First Senior High to support the band. Since I live near China Medical University, the senior also invited me to join in. In front of a group of seniors over twenty years my senior, I became a genuine 'little fresh meat,' and the senior wives were quite happy to see me too~ The seniors are all leaders in various fields—doctors, Tsinghua University professors, general managers of large companies, financial executives... One senior even has a dental clinic right next to my home on Jinhua North Road. After leaving early, I went with General Manager Liang to a newly opened bar in Nantun. This is Taichung's only wine bar specializing in natural wines (natural wine is fermented without added flavor-enhancing yeast). Business was very good on Saturday night~ There were also many foreign friends. Both servers were young women in their twenties, graduates of Overseas Chinese University. Tonight's range was really quite broad. We ended up opening four bottles of red wine in one go @@ Impressed Saturday night~ Cheers! By Morgan @ Evening, 2020.11.21
Location: Lost & Elk Bistro, Jinhua North Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Dinner & Drink with General Manager Liang on Friday night. 3 kinds of impressed beers from Belgium. Cheers~ By Morgan @ Evening, 2020.11.20
Location: Taichung, Wenxin South 2nd Road, Daiyo Conveyor Belt Sushi Travel note summary: Had lunch here with senior Zhihao at Daiyo Conveyor Belt Sushi on Wenxin South 2nd Road in Taichung. The last time I ate at the Daiyo Gongyi branch was already 12 years ago. On weekday afternoons, there are no sushi plates running on the conveyor belt, so you have to order everything individually. If you order generously, the per-person cost is around 800-something NTD, which isn't too different from regular Japanese restaurants. The freshness of the raw fish isn't bad though. Thanks to my senior for treating me. After the meal, we went to that same generous unnamed tofu pudding shop from last time and queued up for takeout. That wraps up today's little lunch gathering~ :) By Morgan @2020.11.19
Location: Taichung, Taroko Mall New Era 10F, Bravo Beer Belgian Beer Bar Travel note summary: Manager Liang came to Taichung to handle some matters and invited me, Kevin, and Xiao Wan to hang out, so we came to this department store near the back of Taichung Railway Station. Bravo Beer is a chain with six stores across Taiwan, known for its Belgian beers, which are quite distinctive, but the food isn't bad either. After drinking for over two hours, I headed to a nearby sports center for my regular badminton session. After all that alcohol, the shuttlecock seemed to be floating in the air~ @@ By Morgan @2020.11.18 evening
Location: Taichung, Qizhi District, KOI Plus Restaurant Travel note summary: In the evening, I went to Brother Gong's house to copy some data, and then had a casual dinner nearby with his family. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat~ :) By Morgan @2020.11.17 evening
Location: Taichung, WIRED TOKYO Italian Cuisine Travel note summary: In the afternoon, I went to Brother Gong's factory in the Taichung suburbs for tea and chat. In the evening, we were joined by his military friend, Brother Su, who works in real estate. The three of us had dinner near Brother Gong's house at the TSUTAYA Bookstore in Qizhi District, at this Italian restaurant from Shibuya. We ordered some pasta and a bottle of Spanish red wine. We casually drank and chatted, spending a quiet evening. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat. Cheers~ :) By Morgan @2020.11.16 evening
Location: Taichung, alley off Zhonggang Road, Mumuyuan Premium Hot Pot Travel note summary: This used to be the private club of the heir to Bomi Fruit & Vegetable Juice, so the hot pot is positioned in the higher-end market. Manager Liang needed Kevin's help with something, so he asked me to organize this dinner tonight. With Xiao Wan and later Brother Gong, who rushed over after celebrating his child's birthday, there were five of us. Taiwan is small—Kevin and Xiao Wan coincidentally went to Hehuanshan and Wuling to see the sea of clouds just yesterday. We were in the same time and space, looking at the same scenery. And tonight, with three bottles of red wine and countless beers, it was another 'carpe diem' kind of night. Angus beef, premium seafood platter, secret-recipe pork large intestine... The hot pot per person probably costs around $600–1200 NTD, but with the alcohol added, it was another meal easily exceeding ten thousand. Thanks again to Manager Liang for the treat. We also celebrated his birthday in advance. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2020.11.12 evening
Location: Taichung COSTCO North Taichung Store Opening Day Travel note: Went for a walk with my parents at the second COSTCO in Taichung on its opening day, just to get a feel for Taichung's spending power. I heard they've already sold several yachts costing over a million NT dollars! :P
Location: Taichung Sun Cake Museum Travel note: In the afternoon, I picked up the umbrella I left at Central Bookstore yesterday, then had some big noodle soup and stinky tofu on Jiguang Street. With nothing else to do, I decided to visit some historical buildings in Taichung. Starting from the birthplace of sun cakes on Freedom Road, I went to the very atmospheric Martial Arts Hall from the Japanese era, then moved on to the historically renovated Imperial Sugar Factory, and finally the Taichung Literature Museum on Lequn Street. I even circled back to Freedom Road for the Ruisui Stinky Tofu that only opens in the afternoon. After finishing all the sightseeing, I took a short walk along Green Park Way. Finally, back near home, I ended the day with a tonkotsu ramen from Menya Rokka. By Morgan @2020.11.8 evening
Location: Taichung Central District, Visiting a Senior Night Travel note: Today, I visited a senior from our alma mater, Weidao, with my military friend from the alternative service, Yujia, who also attended Weidao. The senior's family home near Taichung Railway Station is 55 years old, but he recently spent millions renovating it with a retro-innovative industrial style. Senior Qingquan is 26 years ahead of me and a true eccentric. He studied mathematics and computer engineering, left Bell Labs in the US, founded and successfully sold two companies, then switched from wireless communications to work at a US brokerage and asset management firm. He now also manages a fund under J.P. Morgan. He has collaborated with many Taiwanese entrepreneurs, including Terry Gou, and currently invests in many companies in Taiwan, including Syscom and Hengyi. Holding a green card, he usually lives on the US East Coast but is stuck in Taiwan due to the pandemic this year, which is why we had the chance to gather in Taichung tonight. After chatting, I found out Senior Qingquan is not only my senior from Weidao Junior High but also a senior from Taichung First Senior High School. It really is fate! ^^ Thanks to Yujia for bringing a pot from home to cook beef soup for us. We also finished the whiskey and kaoliang at the senior's place. A weekend night, drinking and chatting with a remarkable senior and an old friend, I truly learned a lot of life wisdom. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2020.11.7 evening
Location: Taichung Calligraphy Greenway, Fuya Winery & Restaurant Travel note: Manager Liang suddenly came down to Taichung and asked me out for dinner, so we came to this restaurant next to the Calligraphy Greenway. Next door is a wine merchant run by the same owner, so we bought wine there first and then settled the bill together at the restaurant. Manager Liang originally picked four bottles of red wine (one from Chile, three from Bordeaux, France), and I doubted we could finish them. But after Manager Liang and I finished the first two, Kevin, Xiaowan, and my old Weidao junior high classmate Jiezhi joined us. With five people in total, we still managed to finish all four bottles of NT$1500–2000 red wine. Thanks to Manager Liang for the treat; the food at this restaurant was pretty good. It was another night full of memories. After we parted ways, Jiezhi and I stood at the intersection chatting about investments for quite a while before finally saying goodbye. Cheers! :) By Morgan @2020.11.5 evening
Location: Taichung Fifth Market, Zheng Laopai Squid Thick Soup & Minsheng Road Tofu Pudding Travel note: At noon, Senior ATTILA spontaneously asked me out for a meal, so we came to this old shop on Lequn Street. The two of us ordered two large plates of braised dishes with blanched vegetables, plus a mixed thick soup (squid, shrimp, meatball), and we were absolutely stuffed. Thanks to the senior for the treat. After eating, the senior led the way to an unnamed tofu pudding stall on Minsheng Road. It opens at 1:30 PM and quickly gets a long line. For NT$40, you can add all the toppings you want freely, and after adding toppings, you can add ice. The老板娘 even fills all the gaps with beans, as if afraid you won't be full. I added so much that I couldn't finish it and had to take it away. Just like how Ding Wang's staff fills up your spicy duck blood when packing, the老板娘 even asked if I wanted the ice topped up when packing, and she scooped a few spoons of syrup on top. I have to say, selling things like this is incredibly kind and rare. @@ By Morgan @2020.11.3
Location: Xintiandi Western Museum, Hanxi East Road, Taichung Travel note summary: The Xintiandi Western Museum on Hanxi East Road in Taichung charges an admission fee of 150 NTD and is open until 6:00 PM. Inside, it displays the antique collection of the Xintiandi Group's owner, including many artworks purchased from Sotheby's auctions. From Roman-era coins, crystal glass, European porcelain, mechanical calculators, phonographs, slide projectors, to enamel clocks... Although the space isn't large, it houses a collection of thousands of artifacts. It's a great place to broaden your horizons and cultivate your temperament. By Morgan @2020.11.2
Location: Izumo Hot Pot, Chongde Road, Taichung Travel note summary: On the last day of October, I had dinner with my family at Izumo Hot Pot on Chongde Road in Taichung, which also marked the 23rd gathering of the month. Combined with the past two months, that's a total of 48 gatherings—I've really become a professional diner! @@ By Morgan @2020.10.31 evening
Location: Yile House Handmade Sushi, in the alley of Wuquan West Sixth Street, Taichung Travel note summary: My elementary school classmate Wenzheng has been back working in Taichung for half a year after transferring from Taipei. We met for lunch today—the last time we saw each other was six years ago at his wedding. Now Wenzheng is a father of two, commuting daily from Fengyuan to Taichung for work. He still works at a company that makes industrial connectors, with the Taichung branch near the art museum, so we decided to meet around this area for a meal. Surprisingly, this Japanese restaurant tucked away in an alley was bustling at noon, completely full by 11:30 AM, and we almost didn't get a seat. We ordered a table full of dishes: nigiri sushi, grilled squid, fried oysters, onion salad, chawanmushi... It was a long-awaited reunion, and it felt special to catch up in Taichung again. We chatted for two hours, reminiscing about our families and sharing my travel stories from Ukraine, North Korea, Kosovo, and other places around the world. We promised to have a drink together next time when Wenzheng is free. Thanks to Wenzheng for insisting on treating me—after over thirty years of friendship, it's truly not easy to still share a meal like this today! By Morgan @2020.10.30 afternoon
Location: Ali Seafood at Landis Taichung & Steakhouse Bar on 12F of Splendor Hotel, Taichung Travel note summary: Two gatherings in one day. General Liang came down from Taipei to handle some matters and invited Ruiyi and me for lunch. We went to Ali Seafood, which is famous in Pingtung and was later acquired. We had a table full of delicious dishes paired with a French red wine: garlic beef short ribs, Hokkaido scallops, sashimi, steamed fish, and three-cup squid... The per-person cost was over 2500 NTD—a fantastic lunch. Afterward, Ruiyi left first, and General Liang and I headed to the steakhouse and bar on the top floor of Splendor Hotel. We spontaneously invited Kevin and his girlfriend Xiaowan, as well as Qibin, to join us. Even on a weekday afternoon, everyone kindly rushed over. As a result, the number of red wines we drank today skyrocketed from one French, two Portuguese, one Argentine, and one Chilean to a total of five bottles. After disbanding, as usual, I went to the hospital for left shoulder rehabilitation—another fulfilling day! @@ Thanks to General Liang for the treat! Cheers! By Morgan @2020.10.29 evening
Location: Chili's Indian Cuisine, Cunzhong Street, Taichung (second visit) Travel note summary: At noon, I originally planned to go with classmates Shengyan and Qibin to eat the 900 NTD beef noodles at Gubami. But when we tried to book last minute, it was fully occupied, so we changed plans and ate at this Indian restaurant on Cunzhong Street that I'd tried before and is also on the Michelin Bib Gourmand list. I also wanted to invite another long-unseen classmate from Weidao: Weicen, whose family runs the Xiao Lin Pancake shop. However, Weicen said he's heading to Jiangsu this Friday to oversee the factory, and today he had to get a nucleic acid test and organize a bunch of things—he was just too busy. In the end, we could only have a brief video call. Weicen looks pretty much the same, just like he did in junior high. Wishing you all the best over there! After the meal, we went next door to Le Moût, which is in a trial operation phase before reopening in November, and bought some bread and toast. That wrapped up today's impromptu little gathering. Thanks to Shengyan for treating us! By Morgan @2020.10.28
Location: Taichung Wenshin Forest Park Travel note: An afternoon at Taichung's Wenshin Forest Park, followed by a full-body finger massage at Zusong on Dongxing Road. A peaceful, slow-paced afternoon back in my hometown.
Location: A mysterious bar on Xiangshang Road, Taichung Travel note: I was watching a Korean drama about time travel when Kevin texted, asking if I wanted to check out a mysterious bar. So I headed out and met Kevin, Xiao Wan, and Sandia (who happened to be nearby). The spot is on the second floor of a liquor merchant's place, with no sign—you'd never find it unless you knew. The four of us finished a bottle of Remy Martin VSOP. Later, Xiao Wan's friend James joined us. James works for a German machinery company, and like everyone else, he's grounded due to the pandemic. We chatted about his past business trips to the US and Southeast Asia. Cheers to fate bringing us together for a drink in Taichung! Thanks to Kevin and Xiao Wan for treating. Cheers! — Morgan, evening of Oct 25, 2020
Location: Bangkok Town Thai Cuisine, Jinhua North Road, Taichung Travel note: Went out for lunch with my mom and little nephew. We ordered spring rolls, pad kra pao, spicy chicken, and shrimp cakes, plus soup, dessert, and drinks—a whole table of food for 370 NTD after a 12% discount. That's less than 200 NTD per person, and we even had leftovers to take home. It reminded me of living in Hong Kong, where 200 NTD would only get you a roast meat rice with a single leaf of vegetable. Prices in Taiwan are indeed much cheaper. As I was reminiscing about Hong Kong, the shop started playing Beyond's '喜歡你' ('I Like You')—'I like your moving eyes, your laughter is even more charming...'—how fitting! — Morgan, Oct 23, 2020
Location: Jiabao Shifu Ginger Duck Hotpot, Daya, Taichung Travel note: Kevin invited me for ginger duck hotpot, so I took the bus along Zhongqing Road all the way to Daya. Besides the famous Diyi, this place Kevin brought me to is also one of the well-known spots. A huge metal shed packed with people—apparently ginger duck is a local specialty here. Besides the standard broth, Kevin, who knows a thing or two about cooking, kept adding rice wine while it simmered. After a while, the broth indeed became sweeter. We ended up with three empty rice wine bottles and four beer bottles on the table. Later, Kevin's girlfriend Xiao Wan joined. Another happy dinner that lasted from 6 PM till almost midnight. Afterwards, I opened the long-unused Uber app to get a ride home and realized it was my first time using Uber in Taiwan—the last time was in Turkey back in 2017. Time flies, life really is about going with the flow. Thanks to Kevin for the treat! — Morgan, evening of Oct 18, 2020
Location: Faya Mediterranean Restaurant, Wuchang Street, Taichung Travel note: In the afternoon, I accompanied my mom to the temporary farmers' market near the art museum, then to the Sixth Market at Park Lane by Splendor, where we used 600 NTD in art vouchers to buy some things. For dinner, we went to a restaurant near China Medical University and casually had a Moroccan lamb hotpot. There are quite a few cozy little shops with good atmosphere around this area. Just memo it~ — Morgan, evening of Oct 17, 2020
Location: Taichung National Theater 5F VVG Restaurant After two nights of badminton, Friday night returned to wine night. Liang came down from Taipei to Taichung for some business and asked me to arrange a dinner. Besides the usual crew—Gong and Peter—we also invited Ruiyi, now a branch manager at DBS Bank, and his sister Ruiying. It's been over three years since the Ruiyi siblings visited our office on the 25th floor of Kingkey 100 in Shenzhen. Time really flies. Six of us, four bottles of Italian red wine, and a table full of delicious food at the Taichung National Theater's 5th floor with its huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Qizhi District night view. Thanks to Liang for treating us. Taiwan is small—afterwards, at the theater entrance, Ruiying's husband came to pick her up. We said hello and found out he's part of the Jiutian Traditional Arts Troupe. Then Gong realized his mom and Ruiying's husband's mom were classmates back at Mingdao High School, so he'd actually attended their wedding banquet at the Intercontinental Baseball Stadium. We thought it was our first meeting, but we'd crossed paths before—fate is indeed mysterious. After parting ways, Gong and I went to Hankou Road for a massage, then had some live shrimp and beer while chatting, wrapping up the Friday night relaxed. Thanks to Gong for the shrimp treat. Seems we ended a bit earlier than last week's 3 a.m. XD Lastly, thanks to Ruiying for the sunrise mung bean pastry and honey cake! :P
Location: Taipei Ximending Yesterday, I had to go to Ximending for a friend's errand. Afterwards, I found out Boss Loco and some of his students from various fields were having a barbecue, so I joined them at the intersection of Jinzhou Street and Zhongyuan Street. Both places I visited in Taipei this time were where I used to live. Especially around Zhongyuan Street, it brought back memories of 2009 when Ali, Ale, and I were learning technical analysis from Boss Loco in our younger days. I called Ale, and he came over later. Besides running two Maruka drink shops in Raohe Street and Huashan, and a hair salon, Ale now focuses more on property management, currently handling around 60 studio and suite rentals. We chatted until past 1 a.m.—others had beer, while another elder and I finished some sake. Thanks to Boss Loco for letting me stay in one of the suites overnight. The next day, to avoid crowds, I headed south early, first taking the airport MRT to Linkou Station to meet Yongjia, a classmate from Weidao Junior High. It's been over ten years since we last met—he's now an attending physician in internal medicine and oncology at Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Though it had been a long time, we reminisced about our days at Weidao and Taichung First Senior High School, then spent the afternoon shopping at Mitsui Outlet Park. Time flew by. Yongjia is quite a character—he's traveled to many countries for conferences, has super broad interests, used to go skiing in Japan six or seven times a year, got a diving license, Japanese proficiency certification, loves novels and manga, and even has a motorcycle license. He was planning to get a skiing certification this year but had to postpone due to travel restrictions. When talking about school memories, he even remembered every junior high teacher's name and the layout of every school building—his 25-year recall is what I admire most. Thanks to Yongjia for treating me to Thai food at Very Thai Restaurant for lunch. Afterwards, he drove me to Taoyuan HSR Station. I took the HSR to Hsinchu, where I lived for four years. In the evening, I met up with Junhong (a college classmate from Cheng Kung University), Junying (a grad school classmate from Industrial Management), and Xiaolan (a grad school classmate from Information Management) at an extravagant hot pot restaurant in Zhubei called Shangguan. The meat platters were overwhelming. Xiaolan was busy with a website project but still made time to join. Coincidentally, Junhong and Junying work at two hot semiconductor companies this year—TSMC and UMC—so we talked about order transfers, semiconductor equipment, and differences in company culture. Afterwards, Junying drove me to Zhubei HSR Station. Thanks to Huiyun, who came back from another county and specially brought me a popular Italian white wine from their recent stock, rushing to the HSR station to give it to me. Plus, Junhong gave me a One Piece figurine he caught himself. Carrying bags of gifts, I boarded the HSR back to Taichung. This quick trip let me meet many long-unseen classmates and friends. Thanks, everyone, for being willing to meet up on such short notice. Wishing everyone safety and well-being in this post-pandemic era~ :)
Location: Taichung Jianxing Road Yu Er Shi Japanese Izakaya Alex came from Taipei to Tainan to look at a piece of land, and on his way back through Taichung, he suddenly arranged a late-night wine tasting. So at 10 p.m., we gathered again at the same spot as last week. In Taichung, finding a restaurant open until 3 a.m. that doesn't charge a corkage fee—this place is truly one of the very few top choices. Seven people came today: besides Alex and me, there were Kevin and his girlfriend Xiaowan, Shengyan and Qibin, and Sandia, whom I met in Shenzhen. Alex brought red wines LV & Devil from a small American independent winery he'd searched for a long time—especially Devil, with an annual production of only about 10,000 bottles. He couldn't find it in Taipei, but unexpectedly found two bottles on this trip to Tainan. After buying out the store's stock, he brought them to Taichung to share with friends. Besides the red wine and a white wine with floral, citrus, and lime notes, Kevin also brought good whiskey—'Kura'—and a VSOP brandy, plus beer we drank like water. Five types of alcohol on the table—quite a spectacle. Wishing Alex a smooth surgery next week. We'll have another wine gathering after you recover~ Cheers!
Location: Taichung Jiancheng Road Donggang Live Seafood Tonight, Shengyan invited us for a meal. Along with Qibin and me, the three of us came to this seafood spot, one of Shengyan's favorite places. We had grilled shrimp (one male, one female), lobster, clams, beef shank, and two bottles of beer for a light drink. Though the place has a roadside stall vibe, the food is really good. Thanks to Qibin for treating us. And thanks to Shengyan for driving me home~ :)
Location: Taichung Science Museum + Zhongqing Road Visiting Friends In the afternoon, I accompanied my mom to the Science Museum to watch the Space Theater—the new season's film 'Legend of Angkor' is showing. It's been years since I last visited the Space Theater. Watching the introduction of Angkor Wat on the giant screen brought back many memories from my visit to Cambodia ten years ago. Afterwards, I went to Zhongqing Road for some rehab, then got a message from Kevin saying we could meet at his office in the evening. So I continued along Zhongqing Road to Section 3. Hearing about my shoulder discomfort, Kevin took out three precious medicinal wines given to him by some big boss for me to drink. Also at the office were Brother Lin and Brother Lü, who came to see Kevin. Brother Lin is also a legendary figure in the business world—decades ago, he was already driving a Porsche to school. He's currently in real estate investment and is almost retired. We chatted at Kevin's company from around 6 p.m. until midnight, covering topics from his collaboration with Yin Yanliang on lithium iron phosphate battery business in Qingdao, to how besides the Wufeng Lin family's Lin Zhiming, there are five other groups in Taichung each renting out hundreds of suites. Then we talked about his past as a classmate with Yan Qingbiao's son... Chatting freely about everything, time really flew by. Another fulfilling day came to an end...@@ Thanks to Kevin for the hospitality~
Location: Taichung Travel Notes Summary: National Taichung Theater, Jiutian Folk Arts Troupe, 'Shu-Ha-Ri'. Ruiying's husband was directing and performing at the theater tonight and got me a VIP ticket. It's a bit embarrassing—I've visited theaters all over the world, from Broadway in New York to Seoul's Jongno District, Russian dance shows, Macau's House of Dancing Water, Northeast Chinese Errenzhuan, Thai ladyboy shows... Impression West Lake, Impression Yangshuo, Impression Lijiang, Impression Wulong... from opera houses and concert halls to outdoor immersive shows and experiential theaters, I've seen countless performances. Yet, in my hometown Taichung, I'd never been to the National Taichung Theater for a show. So, thank you, Ruiying, for this opportunity. Tonight's performance was a cultural collision between traditional temple parade arts and DJ electronic remixes. Drums, dance, electronic music, parade formations, DJ... each art form seemed independent but was cleverly integrated through design. After the show, I bought a NT$699 Jiutian T-shirt outside. The troupe has had a tough year due to the pandemic, so this is a small gesture of support. After saying hello to Ruiyi's family, Peter senior and his girlfriend, I left the theater, wrapping up this Friday night perfectly. :) By Morgan @2020.10.30 evening
Location: Taichung, Liming Road, Tea Fragrance Water House Humanities Teahouse Travel Notes Summary: Tea Fragrance Water House Humanities Teahouse on Liming Road, Taichung. A friend came to Taichung from another county today. Knowing I'm interested in and exposed to many things, they arranged for me to meet a cryptocurrency trader. After arriving, we chatted about stablecoins like Tether (USDT), Bitcoin (BTC), various trading platforms... This trader is no ordinary person and keeps a very low profile. Besides already owning and renting out a unit in Taipei's DiBao, they recently bought another new house in Taichung's 7th Redevelopment Zone with full cash payment, currently under renovation. The world is vast, and there are so many capable people—truly admirable. On the last night of September, my 25th gathering of the month concluded. Thinking about it, my strength seems to be that no matter which city I live in, I'm always having meals with people, right? Orz By Morgan @2020.9.30
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, Hao Tai Tai Bistro Travel Notes Summary: Hao Tai Tai Bistro on Jianxing Road, Taichung (Thai, Yunnan cuisine). Had lunch with Alex at this bistro next to my home. The closer a place is to home, the easier it is to overlook. Turns out it's a pretty good spot. The owner said they operated on Taiyuan Road for eight years and have been at this Yongxing Street intersection for over three years. We ordered some dishes: cold mixed seafood, spicy and sour chicken, grilled beef, paired with another bottle of white wine Alex brought from Taipei—a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. The overall combination was quite pleasant. A good meal and wine memory indeed~ By Morgan @2020.9.27
Location: Taichung, Taiwan Boulevard, Hyatt Yes KTV; Zhongqing Road, Nashou Chuan Izakaya Travel Notes Summary: Hyatt Yes KTV on Taiwan Boulevard, Taichung; Nashou Chuan Izakaya on Zhongqing Road. Today was quite an interesting day too—I blended in with a group of seniors for hiking in the morning, then blended in with a group of young people for singing at night. Speaking of which, Alex came down from Taipei to see me again on short notice. This time we tried something new: we found a singing gathering on Eatgether, hosted by a hostess in her twenties. Nine people showed up; the other seven were strangers to us. Many were young people in their twenties or thirties. I also learned some new songs. After leaving, the two of us went to a nearby izakaya and opened one of the five bottles of wine Alex specially brought from Taipei—a Cabernet Sauvignon from a small American winery. It had rich layers and was indeed a pretty good wine. Chatting about red wine, life, eating oysters, pairing with skewers—another fulfilling Saturday, I guess. Cheers! By Morgan @2020.9.27
Location: Hsinchu (Starting point), Nantou Travel Notes Summary: Hongxiang Tribe + Hot Spring, Tiebilun Waterfall, Zhongliao Pao Ge Ginger Duck Hot Pot. Today, Elsa came down from Hsinchu, plus university classmate Xiaoping, three of us on a long-awaited short trip. Hongxiang Tribe is in Ren'ai Township, much deeper than Cingjing Farm. Starting from the Taichung interchange, it takes at least two to three hours to get there. And most of the road conditions along the way aren't perfect; many sections are more like farm roads. However, because of this, there are relatively few tourists, giving a somewhat isolated, rustic feel. Hongxiang Tribe belongs to the Atayal tribe. Here, we casually bought lemons from an indigenous elder harvesting mountain lemons by the roadside. He warmly invited us into his home to sit and chat. After a simple meal in the tribe, we first moved to Hongxiang Hot Spring to soak our feet, then went to Tiebilun Waterfall. With ropes, ladders, using both hands and feet, it required some physical and mental effort to reach this Grade A secret spot. The deep blue water, plus orange-yellow rock walls, with the continuous flow of water, composed a stunning landscape painting. Although this trip took a lot of time, seeing this view made it worth it. After descending, we came to Zhongliao Township, Nantou. There's a ginger duck hot pot place recommended by a friend, by the roadside in the countryside. Walking in, I was startled—it was packed, with only one or two empty tables. One can imagine in winter, it must be impossible to get a seat. The soup here tasted quite sweet, and the value for money was high—less than NT$300 per person to eat very full. No wonder business is so good. After returning to downtown Taichung, the day's itinerary ended. Counting, this was my 16th gathering (meeting) in the last 15 days. No matter which city I live in, it seems the same—trying hard to live in the moment, right? @@ By Morgan @2020.9.24 evening
Location: Dazhi Badminton Court, East District, Taichung Travel note summary: The team I'm currently playing with at Dazhi Badminton Court in Taichung's East District holds a tournament at the end of each season to add some fun. Last season was a doubles knockout tournament, and thanks to a skilled partner and good luck in the draw, we won the championship. This season, we switched things up: three women served as captains, dividing us into three teams for a team competition. Today, with the help of great teammates, I contributed two wins with scores of 21:9 and 21:13. Combined with the efforts of other teammate pairs, we once again won the team championship with an undefeated record. But winning or losing isn't the main point—it's really about sweating, exercising, and staying fit! :p By Morgan @2020.9.23 evening
Location: Bear Drink Coffee, Taiyuan Road, Taichung Travel note summary: After finishing my shockwave therapy on Zhongqing Road in the afternoon, I happened to get a call from Brother Xiao Ci. He came to Taichung from Changhua to handle some construction site matters and wanted to grab coffee with me, so we came to this nearby coffee shop. The shop mainly focuses on pour-over coffee. Besides ordering a cup made with Costa Rican beans, the owner specially treated us to a cup of what he said is a recently popular new variety: Ethiopian WushWush coffee. Spending an afternoon chatting with a good friend here made for a nice time at this little shop. By Morgan @2020.9.22
Location: Caffaina Huilai Store, Huizhong Road, Taichung Travel note summary: My junior high school classmate from Weidao, Xinming, recently bought a new car and went to see another classmate, Shengyan, to upgrade to better rims. While waiting, he spontaneously made time to meet other classmates for coffee. Besides me, he also invited Jiezhi to come along. Jiezhi rushed over after finishing up with his new house renovations. I really hadn't seen Xinming since graduation—it's been over 25 years. He recently bought a new house near Qiuhong Valley, so meeting in the 7th Redevelopment Zone was more convenient for everyone. Besides handling his family's plastic container business, Xinming also helps with his wife's family's musical instrument export trade. He used to travel or be stationed abroad frequently, seeing the world. Although the pandemic has kept everyone from moving around this year, it反而 provided a chance to reunite in Taiwan, especially in Taichung. This was an unexpected缘分 (fate/connection). Although it was just a brief gathering today, we agreed to have a proper meal or drinks next time we get the chance—to properly toast this classmate缘分 from over twenty years ago! :) By Morgan @2020.9.22
Location: Heart Japanese Izakaya, Dalian Road, Taichung Travel note summary: After having coffee with Brother Gong at the Starbucks on Wenxin Road in the afternoon, we randomly found an izakaya nearby with good Google reviews for dinner. It turned out to be surprisingly impressive. The owner is Japanese and doesn't speak much Chinese, but the owner's wife is Taiwanese, so communication wasn't a problem. It's a small shop, very cozy. The owner believes cooking should come from the heart, hence the name 'Heart.' Coincidentally, Brother Gong and I were just talking in the afternoon about seeing the essence of things—not with the brain but with the heart. So there was indeed a缘分 (fate/connection) with this place. Food made with heart is truly delicious, paired with Sapporo draft beer, it was a satisfying dinner! By Morgan @2020.9.21 evening
Location: Italian Hot Pot, Lane 235, Gongyi Road, Taichung Travel note summary: I got a call from my good friend John from our national defense service days this morning. He came back to Taichung from Hsinchu this weekend. Originally, he wanted to introduce me to a senior from Weidao who works at a hedge fund in the US, but in the end, the senior's schedule was too busy and couldn't be arranged, so we'll try another time. But since I hadn't seen John in months, I still went to his house in the West District to hang out, chatting over coffee he brewed. After that, I was supposed to meet Alex for dinner at E Fang Gong (Goose House), at their newer flagship store on Gongyi Road, but when we went spontaneously, it was packed—no seats at all. So we had to change plans and casually ate at a chain Italian restaurant next door that has branches all over Taiwan. Listened to Brother Alex talk about the business he ran while studying in Australia. Another fulfilling weekend has come to an end like this. @@ By Morgan @2020.9.20
Location: Taichung, Dadun 14th Street, Mu'an Japanese Yakitori Izakaya Travel Notes: Last night, Alex came down from Taipei to see me. He brought two bottles of white wine, one red, and a bottle of daiginjo sake, thoughtfully packed with ice to keep them cool. I also invited a few friends who enjoy drinking—Gong, Qibin, and Shengyan—to join us. We gathered over drinks. Our first stop was this izakaya tucked away in the alleys of the 7th Redevelopment Zone. For the second round, we headed to a newly opened bar in the upscale 7th Zone: Chill Play. A few middle-aged guys, hoping to keep a youthful spirit, found ourselves surrounded by a crowd of twenty-somethings in the bar. We casually chatted over Swedish beer. Life is unpredictable, so live in the moment. Being able to get together is a blessing. Cheers! By Morgan @2020.9.20
Location: Nantou, Xitou Scenic Area Travel Notes: Woke up a little after 5 a.m. today to accompany my parents for a walk in Xitou. In Taichung City, people over 65 get a monthly NT$1,000 subsidy for free public transportation, so we went to Gancheng Station and took the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus from Taichung to Xitou. Thanks to this benefit, the entire bus was filled with seniors over 65—except for me. It's been exactly ten years since I last visited Xitou: https://morgan0321.org/105-南投鹿谷‧溪頭三天兩夜遊/ We walked around University Pond, University Pit, the Sacred Tree, and the Sky Corridor, breathing in the phytoncides and getting some exercise too. :) By Morgan @2020.9.26
Location: Taichung, Taiyuan Road, Wondao Sanheyuan Restaurant Travel Notes: Last night while playing badminton with Shengyan, he suggested we have lunch together today. But he said he was quite busy and could only confirm with me in the morning, so this gathering was finalized just after 12 p.m. Although some friends couldn't make it on such short notice, five of us ended up coming—just right for ordering shared dishes. Wondao is a Michelin Bib Gourmand-listed restaurant, but it's only been open for a little over three years. No wonder none of us, all Taichung locals, had heard of it. Its biggest feature is that it's a converted traditional Sanheyuan (courtyard house) serving shared dishes. The traditional dining room has become private rooms, and the courtyard is used for banquet setups. The menu mostly features traditional Taiwanese cuisine. Besides Shengyan and me, Qibin, Senior Zhihao, and Liu Naixin from the former Weidao Class 2 were also there. (Hope I got the name right XD) Brother Naixin is now mainly involved in land investment and management. Like what was reported in the news before—managing hundreds of rental suites—he also seems to assist Lin Zhiming, one of the descendants of the Wufeng Lin Family in Taichung. On an ordinary Thursday noon, though we work in different fields, being able to gather is a kind of fate. Afterward, Senior Zhihao and I went next door to buy the green bean smoothie from Youzhen, recommended by Shengyan and Qibin, then chatted while drinking it at Yide Yanglou, continuing on with a fulfilling day. By Morgan @2020.9.17
Location: Taichung, Meicun Road, Liang Popo Stinky Tofu Travel Notes: Came to try the shop recommended by Senior ATTILA. It opens at 3 p.m., so I waited at the door for a bit and became their first customers of the day. The mild spicy level was quite flavorful. They also have stinky tofu dumplings, with stinky tofu wrapped inside the filling—very unique! By Morgan @2020.9.16
Location: Taipei Travel Notes: I needed to update some information for an insurance policy. I originally said I could just sign and mail it back, but my friend Roger from Prudential still made a trip down from Taipei to Taichung today, coming to my house to get my signature in person. He said it had been years since we last met, so it was good to catch up. However, Roger had other appointments to rush to, so we couldn't talk deeply. Still, seeing many friends healthy and safe is enough. :) By Morgan @2020.9.15
Location: Taichung, Xiangshang Road, Riso Riso Mediterranean Restaurant Travel note summary: My friend Liang came down from Taipei to Taichung for business and took the chance to have a meal with me. I picked this bistro. After settling in, I spontaneously invited two more good friends, Brother Gong and Senior Peter, who were kind enough to rush over from different places. Everyone at the table, except me, has invested or ventured hundreds of millions in business. We opened two bottles of Argentine red wine, plus the white wine Senior Peter brought. That completed the set after a week of tasting brandy, whisky, beer, white wine, and sake—finally adding the missing red wine. A truly enjoyable evening, Cheers! By Morgan @2020.9.14 evening
Location: Taichung, Jianxing Road, Chuange Clam Hot Pot
Location: Taichung, Guang San Sogo, Kura Sushi Travel note summary: Since returning to Taichung, I've been quite lazy and haven't traveled to other counties, so I've had to trouble various friends to come visit me in Taichung. Today, Brother Jiajie from the construction industry came all the way from Taipei to see me, asking for advice on algorithmic trading. He treated me to this recently popular spot that's about to go public. Since Brother Jiajie rarely visits Taichung, I invited Brother Kevin, also in construction, for a second round. So we headed to Wanban Bar on Zhongqing Road. Taiwan is so small—Brother Jiajie and Xiao Wan, who came with Kevin, turned out to be colleagues from a sales agency over a decade ago. He was also quite close with the late Bai Wenzheng from Polaris and with Qiu Fucheng's son. After the second round, we continued to a third at Kevin's company in Shuinan. Thanks to Alex for bringing two bottles of white wine and a bottle of Dassai Daiginjo from Taipei. When you meet a true friend, a thousand cups are not enough—Cheers! By Morgan @2020.9.13 evening
Location: Taichung, Tang Zhan Hot Pot (Zhongqing Branch) Travel note summary: Tang Zhan is a new brand by Taichung's famous hot pot chain, Karuizawa. Today at noon, my Weidao Junior High classmate, Brother Shengyan, invited me for a meal. His friend Qibin also graduated from Weidao High School. Another classmate, Jiezhi, joined us after playing golf in Taiping in the morning, making it a small Weidao alumni gathering. Brother Qibin is one of Taiwan's top amateur experts in convertible bonds (CB) and derivatives, with profits exceeding 5 million NT dollars so far this year. He runs a professional convertible bond website: Yobond (http://www.yobond.com.tw/Index/index/) and has a column on Pressplay. Taiwan is always small—like Loco Da, he has published books on Gather Wealth Website, was in the same high school class as Haoting, and was an elementary school classmate with Xing Nengjia. So we always easily find connections when chatting. Thanks to Brother Shengyan for the invitation and treat. Near the end, we even video-called Xinming to see if more junior high classmates can gather next time. :P By Morgan @2020.9.11
Location: Taichung, Chongde 5th Road, New World Flagship Store Buffet Travel note summary: Haven't been here in a long time. Had lunch with my dear mother today. By Morgan @2020.9.10
Location: Taiping Barbecue Travel Notes: Even though Mid-Autumn Festival hasn't arrived yet, pre-festival barbecue parties are already in full swing. Today I attended two barbecue parties in a row. Thanks to my classmate Shengyan for driving over to pick me up. The first one was in Toubian, up in the mountains of Taiping. One of our badminton teammates has about 4 hectares of land here, and built a vacation villa on a small plot, complete with a hot spring pool as big as a bathhouse overlooking the mountain scenery. However, the road up the mountain is very hard to find; without someone leading the way, relying on navigation alone might not get you there. We stayed from around 4 PM to just past 6 PM, eating a ton of food. There was also an interesting episode: Yonghan from the team suddenly came over and asked if I had been in Nantou on Thursday. I was surprised because we don't usually interact much. It turned out that when we walked out of Brother Pao's Ginger Duck Soup restaurant that day, he happened to be driving in and saw me. You could only say Taiwan is really too small! After that, Shengyan and I rushed to the next venue, arriving at the home of another Weidao classmate, Xing Nengjia. Here we continued barbecuing, eating angel red shrimp, and Qibin, who is also close with Nengjia, joined us as well. Four old Weidao classmates and alumni chatted here until past 10 PM before calling it a night. I calculated with Nengjia that it's been over 14 years since we last met—the previous time was in 2006 at a gathering at Shui Wu Zhuan on Zhonggang Road. We talked about everything from UberEats and VR games to traveling abroad. After experiencing a life-and-death crisis a few years ago, Nengjia now has a completely open-minded attitude towards life. As I've said before, although the pandemic has affected many things, it has also given me many opportunities to meet old classmates and friends in Taiwan!
Location: Taichung, Cunzhong Street, Chili's Indian Restaurant Travel Notes: Lunch with a department senior at a Bib Gourmand spot, dinner with a department junior at a Bib Gourmand spot. (A bit of a tongue twister.) This Indian restaurant also just made it onto Taichung's Michelin Bib Gourmand list. I hadn't seen my junior Huiyun since university graduation—eighteen years. (Literally 18 years, not an exaggeration.) She's been coming to Taichung from Hsinchu every Friday recently to take Italian classes, so we arranged to meet for dinner in Taichung tonight. Her life journey is interesting too: after ten years in the tech industry, she finally left a major IC design company to pursue her own path. She first went to a B&B in Taitung for a working holiday, making pottery and pizza, then studied at language schools in multiple places in the US, and traveled to many countries around the world. After returning to Taiwan, she got a food service license, worked and learned in many restaurants, and then opened her own hot pot restaurant in Zhubei: Yixin Hot Pot. Besides the food industry, she also does group buying and developed her own dedicated app, which already has over a thousand users. I enjoy chatting with friends from different fields; not only can you learn a lot, but it also broadens your horizons. Friday night was well spent. Let's meet again next time!
Location: Taichung, A-Kun Noodles Travel Notes: Last night, Senior Zhihao happened to have some questions about financial products to ask me. While chatting, we said why not go check out some Bib Gourmand spots together today, since we haven't met for a while anyway. A-Kun Noodles is on Pingdeng Street, not far from the train station. The shop's specialty is dry noodles; we also ordered the mixed soup. The dry noodles with its unique sauce were pretty good and quite appetizing. After that, we moved to the Fifth Market, which the senior knows well. Here we ate at Chen's Vermicelli, a thirty-year-old shop, plus the shaved ice we had last time, and finally bought an iced black tea. After eating, seeing there was still time, we went to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts at the end of the Greenway to see the exhibitions—prints, oil paintings, photography, installations... to feel the moods and artistic conceptions of various creators. Thanks to the senior for treating! Let's meet again next week if there's a chance.
Location: Taichung, Wuqi, Lailai Seafood Restaurant Travel Notes: Because I've been overseas for many years, I really rarely drive in Taiwan. Today, driving carefully and cautiously, I took my parents back to my maternal grandmother's house. Coincidentally, my cousin Mingxiu also brought his young daughters back from Taipei, so with Grandma, Third Uncle, Aunt, and Mingxiu's family, we came to this famous local seafood restaurant in Wuqi for a meal. At lunchtime, the huge venue quickly filled with a crowd. Eating seafood by the coast is really cost-effective. With a budget of just over 400 NTD per person, we got a table full of delicious dishes: sashimi, boiled white shrimp, steamed red snapper, chicken salad, stir-fried squid with basil, asparagus with scallops, sesame oil chicken, grouper soup... In the end, we couldn't finish it all and had to pack leftovers to take home.
Location: Shijiujin Izakaya, Xitun Road, Taichung Travel note: The world changes too fast, catching us off guard. Last year around this time, I went to Guangzhou to meet Kunda, and we had Chaozhou beef hotpot together. This year, it's become difficult for Kunda to return to Taiwan. Taking advantage of the long holiday after my 14-day quarantine back in Taiwan, Kunda brought his family out for a trip, passing through Taichung, and invited me to dinner along with his college classmate, an accountant. The three of us came to this izakaya near the Central Taiwan Science Park. We clinked glasses and chatted happily. After a certain age in life, every gathering becomes precious. Over a decade has passed since graduate school. Everyone walks different paths, exploring different horizons. Listening to Kunda talk about meeting many high-level officials during his business trips to the US, and attending video conferences with Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos alongside his boss... These were things we couldn't have imagined back in our student days. We've all been traveling far and wide over the years, and having the chance to gather in Taichung now feels like a magical fate. Finally, thanks to Brother Kunda for treating us. Take care after returning to Guangzhou, and have a safe journey! ~ By Morgan @2020.8.27 evening
Location: Fuguiting Angelica Goose/Duck Meat, Sanmin Road, Taichung Travel note: (Bib Gourmand recommendation) Taichung now has a few Michelin-starred restaurants as well. To join in the mood, dinner tonight is a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommended snack~ Angelica duck, angelica pork knuckle, smoked duck meat, goose blood, rice blood, glutinous rice cake. The angelica soup is quite fragrant~ By Morgan @2020.8.24
Location: Hanlai Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Chungyo Department Store, Taichung Travel note: In the evening, I went out for a walk with my mom. After strolling around for a while, we ended up at this Hanlai group restaurant on the 15th floor of Chungyo Department Store. We ordered xiaolongbao, dandan noodles, pan-fried scallion pancake, and shengjianbao, which I occasionally ate when living in Shanghai. For dessert, we had taro paste xiaolongbao, honey osmanthus cake, pumpkin glutinous rice balls, red bean sugar cake... etc., paired with a pot of pu'er tea. Quite a satisfying dinner~ By Morgan @2020.8.23 evening
Location: Xinchuanwu Tonkotsu Ramen, Taichung Travel note: In the evening, Brother Tingyong brought his son out for dinner and invited me along. We came to a ramen shop in the alley near the CMP Block Museum of Arts. Business is good; without a reservation, you'd have to wait quite a while. After the meal, we took a walk along the nearby Greenway, browsed the market, listened to live music, and had some ice cream, fully soaking in the weekend night's lively atmosphere. Thanks to Brother Tingyong for the invitation and treat~ :) By Morgan @2020.8.22 evening
Location: Caffaina Coffee Shop, Dadun Branch, Taichung Travel note: In the afternoon, I met with Brother Gong and Brother Jiang for afternoon tea. We chatted about algorithmic trading all afternoon, ending this fulfilling afternoon. By Morgan @2020.8.21
Location: Hsinchu Travel note summary: Changhua - Wanggong Fishing Port, Lukang Old Town, Heku Barbecue. Today, I drove down from Hsinchu with Xiaoping and met up with A-jie from Faraday at Changhua. At Wanggong, we visited Hong Weishen Seafood Restaurant, which I hadn't been to in years. After enjoying a fresh and delicious oyster feast, we took a stroll by the seaside. Then, we visited Longshan Temple in Lukang to pray and draw fortune sticks, followed by trying the famous local snack, Hefaji's rice cake ice. In the evening, Xiao Ci called to ask about a stock and found out I was in Changhua, so he treated me to what he considers the best barbecue restaurant in Changhua. We opened two bottles of Korean soju and several beers—finally got to try the soju-beer mix often seen in K-dramas. Thanks, Xiao Ci! Cheers! By Morgan @ Evening, Aug 20, 2020
Location: Taichung - Wankeshi Hot Pot Chongde Branch Travel note summary: Taichung - Wankeshi Hot Pot Chongde Branch. Treated my parents to a simple meal for Father's Day~ This hot pot chain with four branches in Taichung is quite popular. We arrived around 5 PM and waited almost an hour in line. Besides the stone hot pot and the wine-infused clam and black-bone chicken hot pot, the more unique item is the sesame oil fried egg~ The aroma of cooking wine filled the air, and it smelled really fragrant~ By Morgan @ Aug 8, 2020
Location: Taichung - Dacheng Street, Huang Family Goose Meat Vermicelli Travel note summary: Taichung - Dacheng Street, Huang Family Goose Meat Vermicelli (40-year-old shop). Songcun's mom had surgery at China Medical University Hospital. During the break when switching shifts with his sister, he found me, who lives nearby, for a simple meal. He took me to this old shop near Zhonghua Road Night Market for goose meat, and we caught up on recent happenings. Thanks for the treat, Songcun! Wishing your mom a smooth and successful surgery! ~ By Morgan @ Jul 30, 2020
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Came to my older sister's community for afternoon tea and to see my bouncing nephew. My sister said I should write 'Thanks for the treat, sis!' at the end like my other food notes, so I'm checking in here. Thanks for the treat, dear sis~ :p By Morgan @ Jul 25, 2020
Location: Taichung - Bóguǎn 2nd Street, プロ燒鳥專門店 Puro 2.0 Travel note summary: Taichung - Bóguǎn 2nd Street, プロ燒鳥專門店 Puro 2.0. Lunch @ a small shop near the National Museum of Natural Science. The food was pretty good~
Location: Taichung, Oggi Complex Restaurant (Chongde Branch) Travel note summary: Had lunch yesterday with Brother Jiang, who lives in Beitun District. Brother Jiang used to work in Dongguan, leading a team in synthetic leather trade and sales, achieving 100 million RMB in revenue last year. Due to the pandemic, he's temporarily back in Taichung. As fellow Taichung locals, we share many common points. Brother Jiang's relative also owns the Fengyuan Theater, so he's familiar with Fengyuan, giving us plenty to talk about. We chatted from noon until 5 PM. Thanks for the treat, Brother Jiang—life is about going with the flow, and every meeting is a blessing! By Morgan @2020.7.22
Location: Taichung, Starbucks Daying Store & Qizhi, Dining Table with Wine Restaurant Travel note summary: Brother Gong invited me and Brother Chen for coffee in the afternoon. Brother Chen has quite a story—in his youth, he was in debt of over 90 million NTD and spent over six years paying it off. We chatted from around 1 PM to 6 PM, and it wasn't enough. In the evening, Brother Chen (Kevin) brought along another elder, Brother Zheng, who has attended a presidential state banquet, and we moved to continue near Qizhi's Purple Noble area. The four of us opened two bottles of Dalmore whisky. Carpe diem, cheers! By Morgan @2020.7.9
Location: Taichung, Windsor Hall Buffet at Yu Yuan Garden Hotel Travel note summary: Uncle Jason came down from Hsinchu to Taichung to have a meal with me, so we had lunch here. It had been over two years since I last saw Uncle Jason. Lately, it feels like I've almost made a round of all the buffet restaurants in Taichung. Uncle Jason, already financially free, has returned to work at a listed connector company, managing and supervising their entire factory in Kunshan, China, and planning their new factory setup in Thailand. Uncle Jason is someone who's been all over the world, so chatting with him is always rewarding. Thanks for the treat, Uncle Jason—see you next time! :) By Morgan @2020.7.4
Location: Taichung, Meiting Street, Mingnan's Kitchen Japanese Restaurant Travel note summary: Sister-in-law Jinzhen came down from the north to Taichung for shopping again, so I took her to a restaurant near my home. Eating out in Taiwan is much cheaper compared to Shenzhen—just over 300 NTD per person can leave you fully satisfied! :p Thanks for the souvenir, Sister-in-law! By Morgan @2020.6.28
Location: Nantou, Xinyi Township, Shuanglong Waterfall Rainbow Bridge, Sun Moon Lake Travel note summary: The Rainbow Bridge, which just opened on June 20 this year, requires a bit of mountain hiking to reach. After that, we detoured to Sun Moon Lake—much more serene after the holiday weekend! By Morgan @2020.6.29
Location: Uncategorized Travel note summary: About professional baseball. This is an article I wrote a few years ago. My cousin just invited me to watch a baseball game next Wednesday night (Brothers vs. Uni-President), which reminded me of those days when I was crazy about baseball. A few years ago, when professional baseball was in a slump, it really made me reflect. Actually, it's still the same now; aside from the Chinese Taipei national team, I just can't get excited about watching games. Even going to the stadium feels the same. I really miss those old days. Maybe I'll transfer the articles I wrote on the Cheng Kung University Times Eagles board when I get a chance. I was the moderator of the Times Eagles national connection board for several years. Thinking about it, time really flies. Over there, I could see many fellow fans who loved the Times Eagles just like me. But as time passed, the posts gradually decreased. I wonder how many people are still like me, unable to forget the Eagles even now. Sigh... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I went to watch the first game of the professional baseball championship series the other day... jotted down some thoughts here... With so many excellent local players constantly moving abroad... like Chien-Ming Wang, Hong-Chih Kuo, Chin-Feng Chen, etc... Looking at the current local players... the veterans are either fading or retired... And to be honest, some of the newcomers really aren't suited for professional baseball... Plus, the foreign players aren't as strong as they used to be... so honestly, the whole professional baseball environment doesn't seem that far from amateur baseball... I bought an infield ticket hoping to recapture that old feeling... but watching the performance on the field... It's really hard for me to pick up the cheering sticks and shout like I used to...... I think the reason I still can't forget the Times Eagles... is that I can't forget the 'hope' those old players gave me... Even when it was the ninth batter, Kuang-Hsi Wang's turn to bat...
Location: Taichung, Dadun 15th Street, Sigma Xige Bistro Travel Notes: Even though I've been back in Taichung for a few months, it seems I still haven't met up with many friends. Tonight, I had dinner and drinks with my junior, Ying-An, whom I haven't seen in over two years. We met at a bistro on Dadun Road. She's currently working in Brazil for a unicorn company handling cross-border payments, responsible for the Asia-Pacific region. I heard many stories about her time in Brazil, and after my first cocktail of whiskey with shiso plum, I ordered another drink made with Brazil's base spirit, Cachaca. The cocktail had a hint of sugarcane flavor—rich and strong. It was a very enjoyable evening chatting; let's meet again next time! :) By Morgan @2020.6.20 evening
Location: Taichung, Fuxing North Road, Starway Buffet Travel Notes: Treated my parents to lunch today. Starway Buffet is one of Taichung's well-known seafood buffet restaurants. Until the end of June, lunch and dinner on weekdays are NT$499, and booking in advance waives the 10% service charge. Given the variety of food and decent quality, it's a great deal. Plus, with unlimited red wine, even someone with a small appetite like me probably won't lose out! By Morgan @2020.6.19
Location: Changhua Travel Notes: Huatan, Guangdong Shantou Satay Beef Hot Pot. Songcun returned to Changhua from Taipei this week and invited me and Brother Gong for a meal, and we also asked Brother Xiao Ci to join. So the four of us went to Huatan for hot pot, sipping Chilean red wine brought by Brother Xiao Ci. Since leaving Kanghe, Songcun has been mainly taking on public engineering projects. Thanks to Songcun for treating us to dinner. Afterward, we went to Brother Xiao Ci's home in Changhua for tea and chat, talking about everything from construction and building to Bitcoin mining power, chatting randomly until we disbanded after midnight. Another fulfilling Sunday night came to an end. By Morgan @2020.6.14 late night
Location: Taichung, Yizhong Street, Erkou Teppan Noodles Travel Notes: I went out to Taiyuan Road for a massage due to a hand strain. Afterward, I suddenly craved teppan noodles, so I detoured to Yizhong Street. Back in high school, I'd take the bus from Fengyuan on weekends to study here. What I looked forward to most was ordering a NT$50 plate of teppan noodles, happily finishing it, and then browsing baseball magazines and books at nearby bookstores before class. Time flies, youth fades away—now, eating this is really about nostalgia and memories. @@ By Morgan @2020.6.7
Location: Captain Joker Bar, Taichung Travel note summary: Today, Sister Liu and Jinzhen (Ethan's wife) came down from Taipei to Taichung to have dinner and drinks with me. After some research, we decided to meet at this bar in the alley next to Guang San Sogo. The interior has a One Piece pirate theme. What's unique is that the first floor is a café during the day, and when the second-floor bar opens at night, the entire first floor becomes purely decorative. Walking into the first floor at night, it was completely empty. You have to ring a bell, and someone comes out from behind a door to lead you up to the mysterious second-floor space. The bar offers many creative cocktails. The one I ordered, called 'Magic Lamp,' is made with Oriental Beauty tea, vodka, and roselle, served in a magic lamp-shaped glass with a smoking effect—quite a visual impact. Taiwan is still such a small place. Chatting tonight, I discovered that Sister Liu and Jinzhen already know my former colleague Zhiyang from my Shanghai days and his wife, Becky. They even got drunk with Becky in Taipei just a few days ago. Zhiyang is also Ethan's senior from National Taiwan University. After going around in circles, it turns out everyone is connected! In the end, finishing the cocktail didn't leave me feeling very drunk, but I still spent an interesting evening at a unique bar. Sister Liu is also originally from Taichung, so after we parted ways, she took Jinzhen, who has a lower alcohol tolerance, home. Thank you for the peaches from Jianshi Township, Hsinchu, and the handmade soap from Xili Soap Workshop. Let's meet up again sometime! :) By Morgan @2020.6.5 evening
Location: Taipei, Ningbo West Street, Jinghua Lou – Sauerkraut and Pork Hot Pot Travel note snippet: This week's notes: Last week until this Monday, I had a bad cold and rested for a whole week. This week, I finally got back to my normal dining-out life. 1. Tuesday: Pinxuan came back from Shanghai and treated me and Afu to dinner at Tonkatsu Shinjuku in the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi near Taipei Main Station. 2. Wednesday: Had lunch with Fox at a very popular bento place on Wenhu Street. The chicken leg rice was NT$160. Fox now works at a foreign game company. 3. Thursday: Played badminton with Wenqi at Wanhua Sports Center, then went for a late-night hot pot treat at the all-you-can-eat Guoba on Changchun Road, thanks to Dafu making money on puts. Loco, his brother, Bo, Nan, Ayou, and Ziqiang were there. 4. Friday: Met with senior Zihan at IS Coffee near TWTC for food and chat. Congrats to senior Zihan on his company getting on track! ^^ 5. Saturday: Went with Loco, Ziqiang, Wenqi, and her friend Biantou to Jinghua Lou on Ningbo West Street for sauerkraut and pork hot pot. After eating, we walked to Insomnia Cafe near NTNU. Plus, tomorrow (Sunday) ClKao invited us for mutton hot pot. Counting it up, that's three hot pots this week (all-you-can-eat hot pot, sauerkraut hot pot, mutton hot pot). Being able to enjoy a good hot pot in winter is truly a happy thing~
Location: Taiwan Travel note: Morgan's casual note 002—A playful poem about Tainan snacks (old post). TV report record: [link]. Originally from Taichung, I came to Tainan for studies—six years total for university and grad school. Between studying, basketball, and clubs, I never forgot to visit many shops; Tainan's snacks live up to their fame, with every place offering something different. Starting on Guohua Street, packed with小吃: famous Fucheng碗粿, Jinde for spring rolls. On the left, Yade's angelica duck, further ahead oyster omelette; on the right, Asong's割包, and Ajuan's rice dumplings. At the intersection, Yangtao soup, Xujia taro cake by the street; peeking into Minzu Road, Yongle sells braised pork rice. Street hopping not enough? More stalls inside Dacai Market: Zheng's mullet fish羹, at the end Arui sells意面. Must-try Jiangshuihao: taro smooth and sweet; cross to the other side, try Shajialiba anew: Rongsheng rice cake leads, then Acai dim sum shop; Liao's boss stir-fries eel, Chikan specializes in coffin bread. A short break, then rush to Anping for shrimp rolls; if Zhou's feels tired, try Chen's oyster rolls. Anping Old Street has three treasures, plus tofu pudding and preserved fruits: Maoji and Tongji scoop tofu pudding—black and white, order both. Zhenghexing sells preserved plums, Yongtaixing for dried guava; Tiancongbo sells fish ball soup, oyster omelette in front of the fort. Eating while playing is savvy: climb Anping Fort for a view, Eternal Golden Fortress has cannons, Deji Yanghang wax museum. Back in the city, not stopping: Tainan snacks are countless; just for rice dumplings, several places to count: Liujia, Hailong, Yuanhuanding, add Yangge Yangsao; century-old shop Zaifahao, eight-treasure rice dumpling for 100 NT. Or碗粿 also many: Xiaonan and Senmao for two days; personally prefer Xiaoxijiao, with bean soup on the side. If ending here, readers might not be satisfied, so here's a comma, continuing below: On Minzu Road right side, braised mullet fish羹面; only sells at night, eight-treasure ice opposite Far Eastern Dept. Store. Besides Songcun smoked flavors, shrimp rolls in Yamuliao; and you-me-him duck wings, by Shin Kong Mitsukoshi alley. Jicheng and Aizaicheng,虾仁饭 from same master; like split duck meat羹, Qingzhen and Dongqiao become two shops. Tainan's famous beef soup: Shijingjiu for breakfast, or wake up early—Ahui opens at 3 a.m. Almost forgot肉圆: first推荐武庙前 stall; Fuqi on Fuqian Road, next to Lily fruit ice shop. Shrimp肉圆 also famous: casually list names starting Youcheng, Maoxiong, then Yongqi, Jianguo—that's four. Eel意面 can't forget: Atie Zhenwei recommends Ayuan; Xiaodu and Along often heard, both also sell意面. Drink water, catch breath, bathroom break then continue; don't mind structure, just freely type on. Lao Zheng and Lao Deng different shops, but both sell beef noodles; A Ming sells till he runs a college, and Lao Tang never moved. Friend's family runs Nianji, I'll recommend without bias; up to 60 shops here, ponder a moment and walk through. Yaoji烧鸟 for late-night snack, Ahan porridge for breakfast;包子禄 on Kaishan Road,肉包辉 in front of the market. Shangfu etc. buy pork chop rice, Futai饭桌随意选;度小月 and Hong Yatou, old-fashioned minced pork担仔面. Squid rice noodles far跑, Zhuojia Shantou sells fish noodles; rice cake首府下大道, A Guo goose肉夜未眠. Shanghai Weixiang and Huadu, all listed on Minquan Road; same street has Taiyangcheng, red bean milk霜超赞. Zonggan Temple前松仔脚, Shuangquan red tea nearby; pudding Jinfang and伊蕾特, Shuntian ice棒躲巷间. Finally Yifeng winter melon tea,一气呵成终有限; regrets for omissions, will补全 when有空. #TainanSnacks#
Location: Good Days Complex Restaurant, Chaofu Road, Taichung Travel note summary: Ramen senior came down from Taipei to Taichung to meet a client and arranged to have lunch with me first. Good Days is a restaurant brand under Lavender Cottage. The last time I saw him was over a year ago in Hong Kong. As the founder of the well-known domestic blockchain startup BiiLabs, he's as busy as a spinning top every day, yet he manages to balance family life and enjoys his work—truly not easy. Chatting over lunch, he mentioned his recent project with the space center to launch satellites. It's amazing how many of his childhood dreams he's been able to realize through entrepreneurship. We talked from noon until 2 p.m., then he left for his client meeting. I took a walk at nearby Qiuhong Valley, then caught the bus home. It's great to have the chance to meet so many friends visiting Taichung! :) By Morgan @2020.6.4
Location: Yang Mama Tachigui Japanese Cuisine, Second Market, Taichung Travel note summary: Today at noon, ATTILA senior Zhihao invited me for a meal, so we came to the Second Market on Sanmin Road to find food. Like E Fang Gong, Yang Mama is a famous Japanese restaurant located inside a traditional Taichung market. It used to be standing-only (tachigui), but now there are seats available. We ordered two set meals for two people, plus some sashimi of bluefin tuna and summer yellowtail. The per-person cost was around a thousand NTD, and the fish soup was refillable. The freshness of the ingredients and the cooking methods were pretty good. Thanks for the treat, senior! :) After eating, we made our way to the Fifth Market on Daming Street, where there's an old-fashioned shaved ice place that the senior likes. We chatted about the dishes he's been cooking at home recently and the joys and challenges of raising his twin children. Time flew by, and before we knew it, it was almost dusk! @@ By Morgan @2020.6.2
Location: Guishan Island, Yilan Travel note summary: Guishan Island is one of the very few outlying islands in Taiwan I haven't visited yet. (I've already been to Penghu, Kinmen, Xiao Liuqiu, Green Island, Orchid Island, and Keelung Islet—counted them all!) This time, it was an invitation from Brother Xiao Ci. Our group of 17, including children, gathered here from various places in Changhua and Taipei. There were Ricky's family, whom I hadn't seen in a long time and who work in the travel industry; Brother Xiao Hei and Brother Xiao Ci's friend Kevin, a lawyer; Brother Xiao Ci's high school classmate's family; and his former supervisor at Xerox, Brother Hong, and his family. Also, there was Sheng Rui, who started as Brother Xiao Ci's client, became a good friend, and now runs his own photography studio in Changhua. Setting out from Wushi Harbor, it takes about half an hour to reach Guishan Island. You can walk around the island in roughly 70 minutes. Guishan Island also has a rare underwater hot spring in the world, but ordinary tourists can't go soak in it—they can only view it from afar by boat. Returning to Wushi Harbor, we went to the Tianwaitian B&B nearby in Wai'ao. With so many people, we practically booked out the entire B&B. Tonight, everyone barbecued, drank red wine, and played Big Two here. It feels like it's been a while since I experienced the fun of a large group outing. Time flies, and what remains in life are only precious memories. Writing diaries with time, spending moments with family and friends... By Morgan @2020.5.30
Location: Sommelier Soul Bistro, Jingcheng Road, Taichung Travel note summary: General Manager Liang came down from Taipei to see me last minute, so we came to this small bistro opened by Italian and French owners. I also invited Brother Gong to join. Everyone has their own story; tonight, we listened to stories and drank red wine. Three people, two French red wines, and one Australian red wine in progress~ And as it turns out, Taiwan is still such a small place—both of them know Ke Jianwei, who has already fled! Just the right topic for a lively chat~XD After General Manager Liang left, Senior Peter came to take over. We still found common ground: both Brother Gong and Senior Peter have had companies in Xiamen~ Taiwan is always a small place~ Fourth bottle of red wine, Cheers~ Finally, thanks to Senior Peter for the Maserati watch he gave me. Sometimes showing off should still be quite useful~XD By Morgan @2020.5.28
Location: Taichung Evergreen Laurel Hotel Buffet Travel note: Had a meal with my mom at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel buffet in Taichung on a rainy day~
Location: Taichung Taroko Mall New Era, KATZ Korean Restaurant Travel note: Last week after having dinner with Ruiying, she mentioned me to her brother Ruiyi when she got back. Knowing that I'm rarely still in Taiwan, they invited me to hang out with them tonight. The last time I saw Ruiyi was back in early 2017 in Shenzhen. Over three years have passed in a flash, and Ruiyi is now a branch manager at DBS Bank. We shared fun travel stories and talked about Angong Niuhuang Wan... Time flew by, and almost three hours passed quickly. Thanks to Ruiying for treating us. Ruiyi is someone who lives in the moment too—he said since we have this chance to meet in Taiwan, we should make the most of it. So we immediately booked Thursday night to find a place to drink and continue catching up. :P By Morgan @2020.5.18 evening
Location: Taichung Yizhong Fengren Ice & Hongji Stinky Tofu Travel note: I went out to get my badminton racket restrung and took a detour to the diagonal opposite of Taichung First Senior High School. Taking advantage of the end-of-May discount, I bought a cup of memories from my high school days to enjoy. The combination of mung beans, ice cream, and shaved ice has been sold for seventy years. It was an indispensable companion when I used to watch baseball at the nearby baseball field. On the way back, a sudden heavy rain poured down, so I had to stop by the nearby Hongji Stinky Tofu, eat a plate of stinky tofu, and slowly wait for the rain to stop while watching it fall. @@ #FleetingGlimpses By Morgan @2020.5.16
Location: Taichung Yizhong Fengren Ice Travel note: Went out to restring my badminton racket and swung by the diagonal across from Taichung First Senior High School. Took advantage of the end-of-May discount to buy a cup of high school memories. A combination of red beans, ice cream, and shaved ice that's been sold for seventy years. An essential companion back when watching baseball at the nearby baseball field. On the way back, a heavy rain suddenly poured down, so I had to go to the nearby Hongji Stinky Tofu, eat a plate of stinky tofu, watch the rain, and slowly wait for it to stop~ @@ #FleetingGlimpsesOfLife By Morgan @2020.5.16
Location: Taichung Dasyueshan Forest Recreation Area Travel notes summary: My weekly Taiwan nostalgia trip with classmate Xiao Ping continues. The last time I came to Dasyueshan was 16 years ago when I rode up the mountain with my younger brother: https://morgan0321.org/51豐原懷舊‧大雪山山腰一日遊/ I still remember that after returning to downtown Taichung that day, I had a meal with two other university classmates, Junying and Yalan, and visited Junying's new home. Time really flies. Fast forward to today, sixteen years later, Dasyueshan is known for hosting many wild birds, so you can see many bird-loving photographers coming here to shoot. After leaving Dasyueshan, we returned to Dongshi to eat fresh shrimp wontons, then circled back to downtown Taichung via Xinshe and Taiping. Seeing there's still enough time, I'll quickly jot this down; I should make it in time for the badminton game at 8 PM tonight. :P By Morgan @2020.5.15
Location: Taichung Dasyueshan National Forest Recreation Area Travel note: The weekly Taiwan nostalgia trip with classmate Xiaoping continues. The last time I came to Dasyueshan was 16 years ago when I rode up the mountain with my younger brother: https://morgan0321.org/51豐原懷舊‧大雪山山腰一日遊/ I still remember that after returning to downtown Taichung that day, I had a meal with two other college classmates, Junying and Yalan, and visited Junying's new home. Time really flies. Fast forward to today, sixteen years later, Dasyueshan is known for hosting many wild birds, so you can see many bird-loving photographers coming here to shoot. After leaving Dasyueshan, we went back to Dongshi to eat fresh shrimp wontons, then looped back to downtown Taichung via Xinshe and Taiping. Looking at the time, it should be enough to quickly jot this down and still make it to play badminton at 8 tonight. :P By Morgan @2020.5.15
Location: Taichung Tiger City, Liudui Huofang Hakka Restaurant Travel note: "No matter which city I'm in, I seem to be born for gatherings." After bidding farewell to yesterday and the day before's gatherings, today at noon, I met up with Cheng Kung University Aerospace senior Peter, along with Xiao Wu and Ruiying, for a meal. Several months have passed since I last saw senior at a Shantou beef hotpot in Shenzhen. Ruiying is now self-employed too, working on financial innovation services related to forex investment. Chatted about idle topics, cracked some jokes, time passed quickly. Thanks to senior for treating us, let's find another chance to drink together~ XD By Morgan @2020.5.14
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Taiwan is so small, N+14. Today, Loco (the boss) came to Taichung from Taipei to ask for my advice because he's working on his EMBA thesis. In the evening, I invited Brother Gong and Brother Xiao Ci to have dinner together at Golden Three Wheat on Municipal Road. Since both Brother Gong and Brother Xiao Ci are in the building materials and construction industry, when Brother Gong gave his business card to Brother Xiao Ci, he immediately connected with a mutual friend—a former employee of Brother Gong who is also a friend of Brother Xiao Ci. And it turns out Brother Xiao Ci had met Brother Gong over a decade ago. Also, today, my good friend Yujia from the National Defense Service came down from Hsinchu to Taichung to see me, so I invited him to play badminton in the evening. That's why I had to rush from the West District to the East District in the middle of dinner to play. After the game, I hurried back to Golden Three Wheat. Tonight, Yujia brought a neighbor couple along to play. I glanced at them and thought they looked familiar, so I asked—sure enough, they also play at Youyang Badminton Court on Thursdays and know Brother Gong. They are the Wang couple, who work in advertising. They've known each other for over a decade and are part of the same team. Coincidentally, Yujia is also a senior from Weidao High School, two years above me, so I introduced him to my Weidao junior high classmate, Shengyan. Taichung seems pretty small too—you can connect people left and right just like that! :P By Morgan @ 2020.5.14
Location: Taichung Qizhi District, Tsukigura Hot Pot Travel note summary: Taichung Qizhi District, Tsukigura Hot Pot. Had lunch with my university senior, Zhihao, and also invited classmate Xiaoping to join. The last time I saw my senior was back in 2014: https://morgan0321.org/台中-麻葉茶館/ Years have passed, and my senior is still at AUO in the Central Taiwan Science Park, but now he's upgraded to being a dad. Because of the pandemic, I've been able to reunite with many people in Taichung. Life passes in the blink of an eye—everything is fate. :) By Morgan @ 2020.5.12
Location: Taichung Golden Three Wheat, Qizhi Municipal Store Travel note summary: Taichung Golden Three Wheat, Qizhi Municipal Store. Had lunch with my Weidao classmate Jiezhi and Brother Gong. Brother Jiezhi has been specializing in investment trading in Taichung for many years and has been doing quite well. We chatted about recent crude oil fluctuations and other old classmates. Time flew by quickly—one beer after another, and before we knew it, we had talked from noon until evening. Thanks to Brother Jiezhi for the treat—let's meet up more often in Taichung! :) By Morgan @ 2020.5.9
Location: Taichung Fuxing Road Cultural and Creative Park, Red Yeast Rice Wine Travel notes summary: Afternoon tea time, first time trying red yeast rice wine~ It's pretty good~ By Morgan @2020.5.6
Location: Taichung Fuxing Road, Cultural and Creative Park Travel note summary: Taichung Fuxing Road, Cultural and Creative Park. Afternoon tea time, first time trying red yeast rice wine—not bad at all!
Location: Nantou, Caotun - Jiujiufeng Peak, Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Glutinous Rice Bridge Travel notes summary: Nantou, Caotun - Jiujiufeng Peak, Chung Tai Chan Monastery, Glutinous Rice Bridge
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road - Jinyue Xuan Hong Kong-style Dim Sum Travel notes summary: When I was working in Hsinchu from 2004 to 2008, I was passionate about blogging on Wretch and met a group of like-minded blogger friends. We often enjoyed food and traveled together. After all these years, everyone has gone their separate ways, and it's rare to have a chance to meet again. Last week, one of them, Mao's Dad, contacted me because he needed to submit an assignment on using AI to predict stock prices for his AI school. I gave some basic advice, and we chatted about how long it had been. Since we're both in Taichung now, why not meet up? That's how we ended up having this morning tea today. Mao's Dad moved to Feng Chia University as an associate professor from Taipei and has settled in Taichung for many years, just like Mao's Mom, both loving this city. It's been over 9 years since we last met. Life brings reunions after years apart, and it's truly nostalgic and precious. Thanks to the Mao family for treating me to this delicious dim sum. Let's meet again sometime! :) By Morgan @2020.4.26
Location: Taichung, National Hotel 3F - Quanshou Buffet Travel notes summary: It's been about eight years since I last came to this hotel. Tonight, I had dinner at the buffet on the third floor with my parents. The buffet now features made-to-order dishes at your seat, with tables spaced far apart. The menu focuses on Hong Kong-style dim sum, along with various other dishes including sashimi, plus unlimited red and white wine, and Häagen-Dazs ice cream. With the recent discount (one free for seniors over 65, and 20% off for accompanying guests), it came to just over NT$600 per person, which is quite a good deal. Even for someone with a small appetite like me, it's hard to lose out, right? XD By Morgan @2020.4.25 evening
Location: Taichung 7-11, visited by Brother Xiao Ci Travel notes summary: Brother Xiao Ci came up to Taichung from Changhua to check on a construction site this afternoon. After finishing, he dropped by my place to see me, so we had drinks and chatted together at a nearby convenience store. Brother Xiao Ci is also one of the few friends I have who smokes, so I gave him a pack of cigarettes I brought back from North Korea to try. Life is all about going with the flow; having the chance to gather and chat with friends more often in Taiwan is always a good memory. By Morgan @2020.4.20
Location: Taichung Travel notes summary: This afternoon, Brother Xiao Ci came up to Taichung from Changhua to check on a construction site. After finishing, he dropped by my place, so we had drinks and chatted at a nearby convenience store. Brother Xiao Ci is one of the few friends I have who smokes, so I gave him a pack of cigarettes I brought back from North Korea to try. Life is all about going with the flow. Having the chance to meet and chat with friends more often in Taiwan is always a good memory. By Morgan @2020.4.20
Location: Chiayi, Meishan - Taiping Suspension Bridge Travel notes summary: Chiayi, Meishan - Taiping Suspension Bridge, Ruili, Fenqihu. Today, I came to Chiayi again with my college classmates, Xiao Ping and Jia Jun. First, we visited the Taiping Suspension Bridge, which was completed and opened in 2017. Then, we walked through the green tunnel in Ruili and had a bowl of high-mountain ai-yu jelly. The last time I came to Ruili was back in 2001. Later, we went to Fenqihu and had railway lunch boxes. The last time I was in Fenqihu was in 2003, with Jin Li and my graduate school classmate Yi Jun. Finally, we returned to Chiayi City and had Liu Lizhang's turkey rice, ending today's trip. Time flies like an arrow, never turning back—in a blink, seventeen, eighteen, even twenty years have passed. This journey of life has had its calm and turbulent times, but all memories are a precious part of it. By Morgan @2020.4.17 evening
Location: Yuyang Badminton Hall, Fuke Road, West District, Taichung Travel note: Ever since I bought a new racket, I've been playing badminton three times a week now. I really want to make up for the three years I missed playing in Hong Kong. On Tuesday afternoon, I played with senior Ancheng in the South District; last night, I played at the East District court where my junior high classmate Shengyan regularly plays; and tonight, I came to the West District to play with Brother Gong. It's also a chance to tour Taichung's various badminton halls while playing. In these turbulent times, being able to exercise healthily and sweat freely might just be happiness. :) By Morgan @2020.4.16
Location: Shinichi Sushi Don, Park Lane by CMP, Taichung Travel note: Yujia, a military friend from my alternative service, returned to Taichung from Hsinchu yesterday and invited me to lunch today. Life really flies by—it's been over three years since we last parted in Shenzhen. I casually brought a postcard I bought from North Korea for John, and he immediately took a photo to show his South Korean friend. The friend said, 'Really?' so I had to dig up my blog article to show him as proof: https://morgan0321.org/morgan随笔042-北韩朝鲜-罗先市/. Luckily, even though I can't travel abroad lately, I've been organizing photos from trips around the world. :p Thanks to John for treating me to lunch. The bond from being in the same batch over a decade ago, continuing to this day, is truly rare. :) By Morgan @2020.4.16
Location: Caoling One-Day Trip, Yunlin Travel note: Apple Sister, a friend of Xiaoping's, whom I haven't seen since we parted in Keelung 16 years ago: https://morgan0321.org/48魚路古道‧金山‧基隆嶼‧基隆廟口一日遊/. Apple Sister now works at Taichung's Ching Chuan Kang Airport. The three of us arranged to go out for a walk today, so we came to the Caoling Scenic Area, which I visited with my university family, seniors, and juniors 15 years ago: https://morgan0321.org/62草嶺兩天一夜遊/. (Time really flies—now any memory jumps back over a decade :~) We also passed by the Tongtou Suspension Bridge in Zhushan on the way, saw attractions like Cliff Hero and Stone Wall Fairy Valley in Caoling, and had lunch at a mountain restaurant with tea oil chicken. Thanks to Apple Sister for treating us. Life never stops moving forward; only when we have a chance to pause and look back properly can we recall many little details. By Morgan on 2020.4.10
Location: Tongxiao, Houlong, Sanyi One-Day Trip, Miaoli Travel note: Avoiding last week's holiday crowds, we resumed and continued our weekly Taiwan tours with university classmate Xiaoping after returning to weekdays. This week, we came to Miaoli again to visit another classmate, Brother Xiong. Today, we visited Tongxiao Shrine, Hutoushan Park Battery, Houlong Haowangjiao Wind Turbine Group, Japanese-era tunnel, Hakka Round House, Sanyi Longteng Broken Bridge... and ate delicacies like Sanyi Jinbang Noodle Shop, Taiyen Biotechnology Park ice pops, Houlong Ciyun Temple Oden Uncle, and Jinfeng Yujiang Taro Balls. Finally, in the evening, we came to Sanyi's firefly sanctuary—Shenshui Bridge. With almost no light pollution, we looked up at the sky full of shining stars and down at the ground flickering with firefly lights. The radiant glow in the darkness was truly unforgettable!!! Today, while chatting in Brother Xiong's car, we talked about the university graduation trip nearly 20 years ago, taking the Taihua Ferry to Penghu. In that era without digital cameras or smartphones, I'm glad I recorded it in writing back then: https://morgan0321.org/5澎湖三日遊/. Otherwise, many details would have been forgotten, and memories would be vague. Just like the moments I'm recording today, I wonder if 20 years from now, I'll still have a chance to look back and read this again? What will my feelings be then? Life is still going on~ By Morgan @2020.4.9
Location: Mountain Cabin, Wufeng, Taichung Travel note: Yesterday afternoon, I played badminton with senior Ancheng in the South District. This afternoon, I came with Brother Gong to visit the senior's private vacation cabin in the mountains. It's very quiet up here, with only the sounds of insects and birds. Walking along the trail to the top, you can even see the Jiujiufeng peaks in the distance, giving a sense of secluded tranquility. No wonder time flies in the mountains—the afternoon passed quickly. Back in the city, ready to play badminton again tonight. :p By Morgan @ 2020.4.8
Location: Taichung, Dadun Road, Caffaina Coffee & Ikki Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Last night while playing badminton with my long-time-no-see friend Gong, he said if I was free, he'd treat me to afternoon tea and dinner today to catch up. So this afternoon I came to Dadun Road, and we chatted all afternoon and evening until just now. I also brought him a book written by Loco as a thank-you for the treats. Connections between people are truly unpredictable—staying in Taichung by chance has given me more opportunities to meet up with friends here. :p By Morgan @2020.4.4 evening
Location: Taichung, Nantun District, Chuan Yu Badminton Hall Travel note summary: Since my old racket is in Hong Kong, I've been borrowing one every Wednesday night when playing badminton in the East District. Yesterday, I finally bought a new racket from a Taichung seller on Shopee and went to their physical store. Coincidentally, my long-uncontacted friend Gong suddenly messaged me, and after chatting, he mentioned he regularly plays badminton on Friday nights and asked if I wanted to join. So today I came to the hall in Nantun to try out my new racket. Chuan Yu is one of Taichung's newer and better-equipped halls, but the skill level here is high. From 8 to 11 PM, I played with many different pairs, but I was mostly outmatched all night, only narrowly winning against two girls in the last match. Sob :~ By Morgan @2020.4.3 evening
Location: Taichung, Wufeng, Earthquake Museum Travel note summary: Today, I took a bus tour around Taichung with my classmate Xiaoping. First, we visited the Earthquake Museum, which was rebuilt by the National Museum of Natural Science from the completely destroyed Guangfu Junior High School due to the 921 earthquake. At noon, we ate the famous and delicious old-brand mutton in Wufeng. In the afternoon, we visited the Lin Family Mansion. (Currently open to the public are Gongbao Di, and Yipu is in trial opening.) Inside Yipu, I also saw racing photos of my Weidao junior high classmate Lin Boheng. Even after being in Taichung for so long, this is my first time properly exploring Wufeng. Another fulfilling day! :p By Morgan @2020.3.26
Location: Taichung, Wenxin Road, Zhujian Happy Hot Pot Travel note summary: This afternoon, I went to the Beitun District, near the site of the new Costco, to see the latest project by Huiyu Construction, which sold out in 7 days. After that, I had a meal with my parents. Since graduating high school and leaving my hometown, this is probably the first time I've stayed in Taichung for so long. :P By Morgan @2020.3.23
Location: Taichung, Thai J Thai Cuisine Forest-themed Restaurant Travel note summary: Located on Dadun Road, the restaurant's decor is very distinctive. The food was pretty good, but unfortunately, there wasn't much selection for red wine, so I just ordered a glass to make do. By Morgan on 2020.3.13
Location: Hsinchu Travel Notes: Nantou's Wangyou Forest, Shanlinxi, Zhushan Township. Keeping a regular routine, same as last week. Played badminton with junior high classmate Shengyan on Wednesday night, then went out with college classmate Xiaoping on Thursday as usual. This time I visited Shanlinxi for the first time in 15 years—last time was 2005, with Hsinchu colleagues Apeng and Shengsun. I also detoured to see the recently popular Wangyou Forest nearby. After descending, we ate Beigang mushroom pork thick soup in Zhushan Old Street. Back in Taichung, I had Xiao Yu'er's rice wine chicken on Duxing Road, wrapping up the day. By Morgan @2020.3.12 evening
Location: Taiwan, Nantou, Wangyou Forest, Shanlinxi, Zhushan Town Snacks Travel note summary: Taiwan, Nantou, Wangyou Forest, Shanlinxi, Zhushan Town Snacks. Maintaining a regular routine, exactly the same as last week. On Wednesday evening, I first played badminton with my junior high school classmate Shengyan. On Thursday, I went on a fixed outing with my university classmate Xiaoping. This time, we came to Shanlinxi, which I haven't visited in 15 years. The last time was in 2005, when I came with colleagues from Hsinchu at the time, Apeng and Shengsun: https://morgan0321.org/65鹿谷‧溪頭‧杉林溪兩天一夜遊/ This time, we also detoured to see the recently popular Wangyou Forest nearby. Afterward, we went down the mountain and ate Beigang Mushroom Meat Soup in Zhushan Old Street. After returning to Taichung, we ate Xiaoyuer's Drunken Chicken on Duxing Road, thus ending today's trip. By Morgan @2020.3.12 evening
Location: Taipei, Zhongyuan Street BBQ gathering with friends. After golf practice, Loco老大 called me to a BBQ on Zhongyuan Street. So I didn't even get off the MRT, just switched from the Bannan Line to the Luzhou Line. By the time I walked there, it was already past 10 PM. They'd been grilling since around 6, so it had been a really long session. Apparently, many people came and went throughout the night, but when I arrived, only Bo哥, Long哥, A-You, Zi-Qiang, A-Kun, and the motorcycle shop owner downstairs with his friend were left. After the BBQ, everyone said they wanted to go to Oriental Thai for a massage, but two branches we called were fully booked. In the end, we had to go to another familiar place, Lehuo, for a massage. With all that, it was past 3 AM by the time I got home again. Orz
Location: Taiwan, New Central Cross-Island Highway, Shuili, Tatajia, Alishan, Chiayi Night Market Snacks Travel note summary: Taiwan, New Central Cross-Island Highway, Shuili, Tatajia, Alishan, Chiayi Night Market Snacks. Last week I went to Sun Moon Lake. This week, for the gathering with classmate Xiaoping for the "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle" trip, we started from Shuili, took the New Central Cross-Island Highway, passed Tatajia, and arrived at Alishan. It's been almost 15 years since the first time I came to Shuili with friends from the Industrial Management Institute and junior Hailan. Yesterday at noon, I ate at that same Xie's Meatball shop from back then: (The soup is still the same price, but the meatball has gone up by 10 NT dollars :p) https://morgan0321.org/66水裡蛇窯‧東埔溫泉‧日月潭兩天一夜遊/ Then we entered the New Central Cross-Island Highway, passed the Husband and Wife Trees and Tatajia, and came to Alishan, which I haven't visited since watching the sunrise here with 14 friends including Lman, Tony, Afu, Wenzheng, Brother Kang... and welcoming the year 2008: https://morgan0321.org/88日月潭‧水裡蛇窯‧阿里山三天兩夜跨年遊完/ Yesterday, in the low temperature of 10 degrees Celsius, I took the small train, saw the sacred tree forest, watched the sea of clouds and sunset, and once again marveled at the intoxicating scenery of Alishan. Then in the evening, we went down the mountain and arrived at Chiayi's Cultural Road Night Market. The first time I came here with my university roommate Jianhe was almost 20 years ago, and I also wrote my very first travelogue then: https://morgan0321.org/1達邦、特富野一日遊/ Last night, Xiaoping and I ate famous snacks like Guo's Turkey Rice, the stir-fried snails next to the post office, and Ahe's Tofu Pudding before returning to Taichung. Time flows like water, clouds resemble fleeting dogs. Lately, I've really been reminiscing about all sorts of memories. @@ By Morgan @2020.3.6, recording yesterday's trip
Location: Chiayi, New Central Cross-Island Highway, Shueili, Tatajia, Alishan, Chiayi Night Market Travel Notes: New Central Cross-Island Highway, Shueili, Tatajia, Alishan, Chiayi Night Market. Last week went to Sun Moon Lake. This week, with Xiaoping and Taiwan Tourist Shuttle friends, we traveled from Shueili via the New Central Cross-Island Highway, passing Tatajia to Alishan. Almost 15 years since first coming to Shueili with Industrial Management friends and Hailan junior. Yesterday noon, ate at that same Xie's meatball shop (soup still same price, meatballs up 10 NT :p). Then entered the New Central Cross-Island Highway, passed Couple Trees and Tatajia, arriving at Alishan—haven't been back since watching sunrise with 14 friends like Lman, Tony, Afu, Wenzheng, Kangge... and welcoming 2008 New Year. Yesterday, in 10°C low temps, rode the small train, saw sacred tree groves, watched sea of clouds at sunset, marveling again at Alishan's intoxicating scenery. Evening descent to Chiayi's Cultural Road Night Market. First came here with college roommate Jianhe almost 20 years ago, writing my first travelogue then. Last night with Xiaoping ate Guo's turkey rice, stir-fried snails near post office, A'e tofu pudding, then returned to Taichung. Time flows like water, clouds drift like dogs. Lately really reminiscing about all sorts of memories. @@ By Morgan @2020.3.6 recalling yesterday
Location: Taichung East District, Dazhi Badminton Hall Travel Notes: Taichung East District, Dazhi Badminton Hall. Thanks to Weidao Junior High classmate Shengyan, whom I haven't seen in 25 years, for inviting me to play badminton here tonight. Haven't touched a racket in over three years—finally enjoyed running around and sweating profusely again. Shengyan has been running his own business for ten years, mainly dealing in parts for high-end cars like Ferrari. Time really flies, whether tonight or these 25 years since junior high graduation. Having the chance to meet again is truly not easy～ @@ Cherish every moment! By Morgan @2020.3.4 evening
Last week I went to Taipei and tried two restaurants near the station recommended by a senior from the Chef website. One is 'Curry House' on the basement floor of the Fnac bookstore opposite Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. The curry aroma was rich, and the set meal was around NT$200 plus 10% service charge. They also served sorbet after the meal, which was new to me—it's used to cleanse the palate between courses and tasted like ice cream. The curry was a bit spicy but good overall. The other place, BELLINI Pasta Pasta, is a chain from Japan serving Italian dishes. They have large pasta bowls for 2–3 people; my friend and I shared a scallop and shrimp pasta, which was tasty but a bit pricey as it doesn't include sides. Both add 10% service fee, but they're worth trying if budget isn't a concern. Taipei has some differences from Tainan, but good food knows no bounds—hope this helps!
Location: Taichung, National Museum of Natural Science Botanical Garden Travel Notes: Taichung, National Museum of Natural Science Botanical Garden. Haven't been here in many, many years. Evening walk with dad from home along the Greenway for some exercise. In these turbulent times, boosting immunity a bit seems more practical～ :p
Location: Wen Zheng's Wedding Banquet, Jan Hua Garden Banquet Hall, Taichung Travel note: How long is 28 years? It seems long, yet it passed unknowingly. I've known Wen Zheng for exactly 28 years, since the first day of elementary school. Even after going separate ways for university and careers, our friendship never faded. Seeing him so happy today truly warms my heart. Congratulations, Wen Zheng and Fang Xian! May you continue writing your beautiful life story together! @2014.9.6
Location: Taichung, Yu Yuan Garden Hotel, Yuanshan Japanese Cuisine/Teppanyaki Travel Notes: Taichung, Yu Yuan Garden Hotel, Yuanshan Japanese Cuisine/Teppanyaki. Lunch set $980＋10%. Food was quite refined and tasty. Thanks to brother-in-law for sponsoring the meal voucher～ By Morgan @2020.2.29 noon
Location: Taichung - Fengjia Night Market, Cheese Potato Travel notes: It's been so many years since I last came here. Tonight, I accompanied my mother to use up the night market vouchers. Although the crowds have probably decreased recently, it's still quite impressive! By Morgan @2020.2.22
Location: Miaoli - Taian Hot Springs, Dahu Winery, Houli - Lihpao Outlet Travel notes: Almost 19 years ago, during the summer break of my junior year, Xiaoping and I visited our friend Zhengyong in Sanyi, Miaoli. Back then, with plenty of free time, I even wrote a rhyming essay to record the trip: https://morgan0321.org/9苗栗三天兩夜遊韻文/ Time slips through our fingers slowly, and before we knew it, we've all stepped into middle age. The world changes, and today, the original crew reunited in the old place. Xiaoping and I came to Sanyi again to meet up with Brother Xiong, which is truly a rare缘分 (fate). After having lunch at the decades-old noodle shop, Lai Xinkui, in Sanyi, the three of us went to the long-unvisited Taian Jingguang Mountain Villa for a nude hot spring bath. While gazing at the mountain views, we drove away the cold of the day in the 43°C hot spring water. After the bath, we strolled through the nearby Tofu Street, then headed to Dahu Winery to buy some strawberry wine. After a quick look at Liyu Tan Reservoir, we finally arrived at Lihpao Outlet in Houli, where we had Korean cuisine at Juandoufu for dinner. 'Nineteen years in a blink, time flies in a wink; Three friends traveled miles, reunited with smiles.' To lasting friendship. By Morgan @2020.2.17
Location: Taichung Travel notes: Taichung Port Mitsui Outlet & Endeyuan Beef Hot Pot. Today, with my mom and sister, we went to my grandmother's house in Wuqi to visit her. After having lunch with my third uncle and aunt, I accompanied my little nephew to the Outlet that opened over a year ago next door. Although the weather turned chilly and the sea breeze was strong, there were still quite a few people. In the evening, after leaving Wuqi and returning to Taichung City, we went to Endeyuan Halal Restaurant on Wenxin Road, which often has long queues, and took away a beef hot pot to eat at home. It was a fulfilling Sunday spent with family. :p By Morgan @2020.2.16
Location: Taichung - Guguan Hot Springs Travel notes: Guguan Hot Springs, Fengyuan - Miaodong Night Market. Yesterday, I attended the funeral of my cousin Changren at church. Changren was also my middle school classmate at Weidao, and we studied together for three years. 'The weather is unpredictable, and fortune is fleeting.' Seeing my uncle, who once served as a legislator, trembling and shedding tears, I deeply felt the sorrow of an elder sending off a younger one. In the face of life and death, all worldly affairs become insignificant. Every person you encounter in this life—family, relatives, friends, classmates, colleagues, comrades—influences your entire life. 'Every encounter is fate.' 'Cherish every moment you can gather together.' 'Life is always shorter than you think...' Today, my college classmate from Cheng Kung University, Xiaoping, invited me to take a walk in Guguan. Of course, I couldn't miss the chance to meet up with a good friend. So, along with Jiajun, Xiaoping's former colleague at Siliconware, the three of us set off in one car. While chatting on the way, I discovered that Jiajun is my junior from Fengyuan Nanyang Elementary School—Taiwan is really small. After soaking in the hot springs at Meiji Hotel in Guguan, we went to Miaodong Night Market in Fengyuan in the evening. We ate the beef noodles at Mantingfang, which I often had as a child, as well as oyster omelets and water chestnut pastries inside the night market, and wonton soup at Yongfangting, reliving many flavors and memories from over 30 years ago. As mentioned earlier, the people you meet in this lifetime influence your entire life. Life is really short, so cherish every precious fleeting moment... By Morgan on the evening of 2020.2.12
Location: Fang Jiufang, Wuquan 5th Street, Taichung Travel note summary: Sunday afternoon at Fang Jiufang on Wuquan 5th Street in Taichung, enjoying Australian red wine—a little Taichung-style drink!
Location: Taichung, Zhongshan Road, Miyahara Ophthalmology Travel note summary: My university classmate Junhong, who was taking the high-speed rail back home, stopped by to catch up with me at Miyahara Ophthalmology (Branch 2) on Zhongshan Road in Taichung. Junhong left his job in Singapore at the end of last year and recently switched back to working in Hsinchu Science Park. It's been another year since we last met; we chatted about everything under the sun, and thanks to Junhong for the bottle of champagne he gave me! Happy New Year! :)
Location: Uma Yakiniku, Taichung Travel note summary: Uma Yakiniku (Zhongyou Branch) is arguably the hardest yakiniku restaurant to book in Taichung. The Zhongyou branch just started its soft opening yesterday, and reservation numbers are already impossible to get—only walk-ins are available. Angus beef, beef short ribs, snowflake pork, herb chicken, chef's salad, Hokkaido scallops, baked shrimp, seafood porridge... Per person spending is around NT$1,000+. Life is unpredictable, so let's strive to live in the moment... By Morgan on 2020.2.7
Location: Xiangfu Seafood Hot Pot, Zhongyou Department Store, Taichung Travel note summary: Xiangfu Seafood Hot Pot at Zhongyou Department Store in Taichung. Went out in the evening to accompany my mom for some shopping, a stroll, and dinner. It's self-service here—you grab the ingredients yourself, pay, and then cook them yourself~
Location: Chun Shui Tang, CMP Block Museum of Arts, Taichung Travel note summary: Chun Shui Tang at CMP Block Museum of Arts in Taichung. Had dinner in the evening with Champ, a senior from my university club CCNS, and his family, as well as Jingqun (jserv), a junior from high school and university. The last time I met Senior Champ was over two years ago in Nangang. He's now switched to working at Qualcomm. As for Jingqun, it's been almost twenty years since graduation before we met again. My junior is now married to a wife from Taichung, so he's practically half a Taichung local~ :p Listening to Jingqun talk about many amusing stories from his current teaching at National Cheng Kung University, time flew by. Thanks to Senior for treating us, and thanks to Junior for the gift box. Having the chance to reunite in Taichung after so many years is truly a rare bond and memory :) By Morgan on the evening of 2020.1.31
Location: Taichung, Shuangshi Road, Banana New Paradise Travel note summary: I invited General Liang and Brother Zeng, whom I met in Shenzhen, to dine here at Banana New Paradise on Shuangshi Road in Taichung, to show some local hospitality. It must have been almost twenty years since I last visited this place, so it was also a nice trip down memory lane :P
Location: E Fang Gong Japanese Cuisine, Yidianli Twilight Market, Taichung Travel note summary: E Fang Gong Japanese Cuisine at Yidianli Twilight Market in Taichung. Had lunch here today with university classmates Junhong and Wenqi. E Fang Gong is quite a unique shop—located inside the twilight market in Beitun, the surrounding environment is peculiar, but business is incredibly good. They've even opened a large branch on Gongyi Road now. Per person spending is around NT$1,000. The food is okay, but the main draw is that novel experience. After eating, went with Junhong to stroll around the Taichung First Senior High School commercial district, chatting about his life at TSMC while looking at the huge changes our alma mater has undergone over the years, and that nostalgic, enduring Shuili Building filled with numerous cram schools. Over twenty years have passed—time really flies in the blink of an eye~ @@ By Morgan on 2020.1.28
Location: Taichung, Wunxin Road, Zhujian Happy Hot Pot Travel notes: Had dinner here with my parents, sister, brother-in-law, and two energetic nephews. Zhujian has over 50 branches in Taiwan and Shanghai—good value for money. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law for treating us! With the Wuhan outbreak worsening and uncertainty ahead, I had to pay to reschedule my flight to Macau tomorrow. I'll stay in Taichung with my laptop for a month. Friends in Taichung I haven't seen in a while, feel free to reach out if you want to catch up! :) By Morgan, evening of Jan 27, 2020
Location: Taichung, Shuangshi Road, Banana New Paradise Travel notes: Treated General Manager Liang and Brother Zeng, whom I met in Shenzhen, to a meal here to show some local hospitality. Haven't been to this place in probably over 20 years—came partly for the nostalgia trip :P
Location: Taipei, D'N Dunan Wine Cellar Travel notes: Went to Nangang Exhibition Hall at noon but couldn't find my college classmate Peijun. Instead, ran into Junming and Voto, who had just attended a Foxconn year-end party. The three of us had Song Fa bak kut teh and Starbucks afternoon tea at Sogo Fuxing—thanks to Junming and his wife for treating! In the evening, had two bottles of red wine at D'N Wine Cellar opposite Far Eastern Plaza. This place has been open for over two years—nice ambiance, good value. A great spot for drinks in Taipei. By Morgan, evening of Jan 22, 2020
Location: Taipei, Tiancai Japanese Cuisine Travel notes: Three gatherings in a row since returning to Taipei. Last night, had familiar stone hotpot with Songcun opposite his place. At noon, met with Haoting, a junior high classmate from Weidao, near Neihu's Gangqian Station—thanks for the treat, Brother Haoting! ^^ In the evening, went to Tiancai again with General Manager Liang, JJ, and Loco. Japanese food plus a few glasses of whiskey left me buzzed again. Nearly ten thousand NTD for food and drinks—thanks, Brother Loco, for picking up the tab! : ) Back in Taiwan, it seems like it's always eating and drinking @@ But it's rare to have a chance to catch up with many friends. Cheers! By Morgan, Jan 21, 2020
Location: A Few Things About This Site (About This Site) Travel Note Summary: Morgan is a pen name I've used for over twenty years, from the earliest BBS days to the blog era, writing about everything from food and travel to investing and random thoughts. I've loved Chinese poetry since childhood and later combined it with many of my interests, using amateurish techniques to write many humorous 'doggerel' poems to entertain myself and others. I love traveling and have visited 27 countries so far. Apart from Qinghai and Tibet, I've also traveled to almost every province in China. The world is vast, and I hope to experience it firsthand with my own eyes and feet. Because I love good food, I eat wherever I go. Unfortunately, my blog closed a few years ago, and the accumulated popularity vanished. At this age, while I've become more accepting of many things, I still want to leave something behind in this world. So, at the end of 2019, I started writing again. I spent some effort figuring out how to build a site and moved over thousands of old posts. Sadly, many photo links are lost, so please bear with me if there are broken images in old articles. I don't know how far I'll go or what else I can leave behind. If you happen to read this and find my writing to your taste, I'd appreciate a little encouragement, thank you! I hope to slowly share my experiences and observations from around the world with everyone~ :) Hi, I am Morgan, love traveling and gourmet and has visited 27 countries. Hope I can record something here! I love to use Chinese poem to write down what I see. If you like my photos and articles, appreciate your donation. :) My another commercial website regarding trading software: https://multicharts-package.com/ Welcome, too~ By [email protected]
Location: Morgan's Notes 007 - Taiwan: Taipei, Xi Ju Fine Hot Pot Travel notes summary: One evening we met up in the East District, where a top-tier hot pot spot hides in an alley. Wagyu sashimi paired with red wine—just hoping for a perfect, long-lasting gathering. By [email protected] #Taipei #XiJuFineHotPot
Location: Shantou City, Guangdong Travel note summary: Shantou City, Guangdong. Took advantage of the weekend—just over two hours by high-speed rail to get here. Staying tonight near the small park where Shantou first opened as a port. Like in Quanzhou, this area has many of those old-style arcade buildings. Unfortunately, alone, I couldn't order the most authentic Chaoshan beef hotpot, so I switched to the also famous braised goose—so full! @@ By Morgan @2019.7.5
Location: Small Gathering in Taichung With Senior An-Cheng Travel Note: Small gathering in Taichung with Senior An-Cheng. After having hot pot at Yong Feng Zhan Hotel with my mom tonight, I dropped by Senior An-Cheng's townhouse in South District, Taichung. He's my senior from both Taichung First Senior High School and National Cheng Kung University's Industrial Management Department (Class of '85), 17 years ahead of me. Over a decade ago when I worked in Hsinchu Science Park, I often had lunch daily with him and the late Sheng-Shun. I really miss those youthful days. It's been 7 years since I last saw him, so I had to make time to meet and chat during this trip back to Taichung. From around 8 PM, we opened a bottle of champagne and a bottle of red wine with him and his wife, chatting until nearly midnight before reluctantly saying goodbye. Time always slips through our fingers so quickly. Every moment we get to gather and talk is truly precious. Thanks for the hospitality, Senior! Wishing everyone health and safety! By Morgan on the evening of April 9, 2019
Location: Taichung. After having hot pot at Yong Feng Zhan Hotel with my mom tonight, I dropped by senior An Cheng's townhouse in South Taichung. It's in a lane off Wenxin Road, spacious and very quiet. Senior An Cheng is my senior from both Taichung First High School and National Cheng Kung University's Industrial Management (Class of '85), 17 years my senior. Over a decade ago when we both worked in Hsinchu Science Park, we used to have lunch together every day with Sheng Shun, who has since passed away—I really miss those youthful days. It had been seven years since I last saw him, so I had to make time to catch up during this trip back to Taichung. From around 8 PM, we opened a bottle of champagne and a red wine with him and his wife, chatting until nearly midnight before reluctantly saying goodbye. Time always slips through our fingers so quickly. Every moment we get to gather and talk is precious. Thanks for the hospitality, senior, and I wish everyone health and safety! By Morgan, evening of April 9, 2019.
Location: Shaanxi, Qianling Mausoleum Travel Notes: This is my third time in Shaanxi Province. I've climbed Mount Hua and Mount Li, seen the Terracotta Army, walked around Huaqing Hot Springs, visited the Famen Temple's Buddhist relics, and entered the Tang Paradise. This time, I wanted to head further west, so after arriving at the airport last night, I stayed in Xianyang instead of Xi'an. I found a cheap hotel near the bus station. The owner kept looking at my Taiwan Compatriot Permit and, with a Guanzhong accent I could barely understand, said I was the first Taiwanese person to stay there (laughs). Xianyang feels more like a county town, quite quiet at night. Nothing eventful happened overnight. Early in the morning, I went to Xianyang Bus Station, bought a 16-yuan ticket, and headed to Qianling. Qianling is the joint tomb of Empress Wu Zetian and Emperor Gaozong of Tang, Li Zhi. Nearby are also the tombs of Princess Yongtai (Wu Zetian's granddaughter) and Prince Zhanghuai (Wu Zetian's second son). In the cultural relics museum hall, I saw white, yellow, and green Tang tri-color pottery. At the main tomb, I passed the Wordless Stele and climbed the steep Qianling hillside. Gazing at the impeccably sealed main tomb of Qianling, with no entrance even visible, I finally understood why, for thousands of years, tomb robbers have never successfully looted this place. @@ By Morgan @2019.3.9
Location: Kinmen Travel note summary: Taiwan, Kinmen. Taiwu Mountain—"Do Not Forget Jinyi," Qionglin Tunnel, Zhai Shan Tunnel, Deyue Tower, Guningtou Battlefield, Beishan Western-Style Building, Cihu Embankment, Chastity Archway, Kinmen Commander's Office, Wind Lion Gods, Wuzhou Academy (Zhu Xi Lecture Hall), 16 Arts District, City God Temple... Return flight tickets for Chinese New Year were too few and too expensive, so I simply took the mini-three-links route back slowly. From Taichung Ching Chuan Kang Airport to Kinmen, it's only about an hour. Could also take the opportunity to visit my Cheng Kung University classmate—Jiaju, who is from Kinmen and whom I haven't seen in over ten years. Thanks to Brother Jiaju for driving me around Kinmen's streets and alleys, explaining Kinmen's historical details along the way. In the evening, I even attended Jiaju's family New Year's banquet at Tsuki no Hana Japanese Restaurant, opened by Jiaju's elementary school classmate. He also apprenticed at Mitsui Japanese Restaurant. Jiaju's dad can drink over half a bottle of Kinmen Kaoliang liquor, so tonight's opened French red wine was basically half drunk by Jiaju's dad and me. Luckily, my alcohol tolerance is okay, so it should have been a pleasant gathering for both host and guest. After returning to Jiaju's home, I played with Jiaju's kids, building Lego bricks together, spending a fulfilling fourth day of the Lunar New Year～ ：P By Morgan, evening of 2019.2.8
Location: Taichung, The Lin Hotel, Kisen Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taichung, The Lin Hotel, Kisen Japanese Cuisine. Haven't driven in Taiwan for a long time, so I'm a bit unaccustomed. After driving my parents back from Wuqi to Taichung, I received an invitation from friend Chairman Gong. After getting home, I rushed out again for another gathering. This time, I asked friend Matsumura to drive, picking me up directly downstairs at my home. We came to Taichung's new five-star hotel—The Lin Hotel. The Japanese cuisine dinner here costs nearly three thousand Taiwan dollars per person. Thanks to Brother Gong for the treat. Afterwards, found my Weidao Junior High classmate—Jiezhi, who also lives near the 7th Redevelopment Zone, and we went out together to a shop on Zhonggang Road to drink whiskey, having a small drink. Truly, "one encounter, one opportunity," one gathering a year @@ Cheers! Happy New Year～～ Hope everyone has a smooth year! By Morgan, evening of 2019.2.6
Location: Taichung, Yizhong Street, Takumi-ya Ramen Travel note summary: Had a simple lunch gathering with my university classmate Ah-Fu and our junior Wanqi at Takumi-ya Ramen on Yizhong Street in Taichung. Meeting once a year seems like a pretty high frequency these days :P After all these years, Wanqi is finally about to get her PhD in computer science. We chatted about this and that, and time just flew by~ After heading home and tidying up a bit, I'm getting ready to rush off to accompany my two little nephews back to their grandma's house in Wuqi.
Location: Taichung, Houli, World Flora Exposition Travel note summary: Went out for a walk with my parents on the first day of the Lunar New Year at the World Flora Exposition in Houli, Taichung. Free admission for Taichung citizens~
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Miyahara Ophthalmology (Second Store) on Zhongshan Road, Taichung City. My university classmate Junhong, who was taking the high-speed rail back to his hometown, dropped by to catch up with me. Junhong left his job in Singapore at the end of last year and recently switched back to working in Hsinchu Science Park. It's been another year since we last met. We chatted about all sorts of things, and thanks to Junhong for the bottle of champagne he gave me~ Happy New Year! :)
Location: Taipei, Bade Road, Huashan Small Bar Travel note summary: Taipei, Bade Road, Huashan Small Bar. Still having a little drink before the New Year...
Location: Taipei, Wanyouquan Sauerkraut Hot Pot Travel note summary: Taipei, Wanyouquan Sauerkraut Hot Pot. A gathering one evening. Tonight, I had hot pot with Manager Liang and Boss Loco, chatting about the interesting stories of Boss Loco recently publishing a book and being interviewed on TV. We also finished off the Drunken God whiskey that Yanjie gave us. Later, we went to the 'Angel's Appointment' bubble tea shop on Xing'an Street, recalling memories from a few years ago when a group of good friends often played cards here until midnight. Later, friends Matsumura and Boyuan, who now work at Kanghe Futures and were originally at Taipei Main Station heading back to Taichung, specially dragged their suitcases over to join us. Finally, Brother Mu also drove his cool sports car from Guishan to meet up. It's really been so long!!! Very happy to meet up in Taiwan~ One night, in Taipei~
Location: Taipei, Musashi Japanese Cuisine Travel note: I met up with my elementary school classmate Yanjie from Fengyuan for lunch at Musashi Japanese Cuisine in Taipei. It's quite amazing—we had lost touch for nearly 30 years. He recently searched for our old school, Nanyang Elementary, and our teacher Wang Pengying online, stumbled upon an old blog post of mine, found my Facebook, and reconnected. Since I often work overseas, it's hard to meet up, but we finally managed to catch up today. Yanjie now runs his wife's family business, managing several well-known Taiwanese bedding brands, and is also involved in the Rotary Club in Sanchong. Time flies—decades have passed in a blink. It's a true joy to reunite with an old friend, reminisce about the past, and toast with whiskey he custom-ordered from Japan, bearing his own label. Cheers! :) By Morgan, afternoon of Jan 31, 2019.
Location: Taipei, Chongqing South Road, Tipsy Taipei Bar Travel note: A small bar on Chongqing South Road in Taipei.
Location: Taipei, Chenghuang Temple, Tiancai Japanese Cuisine Travel note: At Tiancai Japanese Cuisine near Chenghuang Temple in Taipei, the three of us finished a bottle of whiskey we saved from last time. Thanks to Brother JJ for covering the meal! Cheers!
Location: Taipei. Sometimes looking at Facebook's 'On This Day' really brings back a lot of memories. One year ago today, I was in Lviv, Ukraine, then flew to London. Two years ago today, I had just returned from Singapore and was preparing to go to Jiuzhaigou. Three years ago today, I was eating seafood barbecue in Shenzhen, heading to Shanxi the next day. Four years ago today, I met up with Brother Xiao Ci and Brother Xiao Hei in Taipei... And eight years ago today, I was riding a horse in Xinjiang, experiencing the scenery beyond the Great Wall—the memory is still vivid. Life is really made up of a series of fragments. I hope to continue living it to the fullest, with no regrets. :p By Morgan,有感而發 on 2018.9.30
Location: A cafe inside Dell Taiwan Headquarters, Dunhua South Road, Taipei Travel note: Met up with my college classmates here. Minling works at Dell, Boming at Trend Micro, and Naiwen at Goldman Sachs—all near the Far Eastern Plaza, so the four of us gathered here. After all these years since graduation, we've gone our separate ways, and every chance to reunite is truly precious. — Morgan, May 15, 2018
Location: A small bar at Huashan, Bade Road, Taipei Travel note: After dinner, it was still too early, so I called up old friends Wenzheng and Ruihong from the CCNS club to hang out.
Location: Orchid Hall, Brother Hotel, Taipei Travel note: In the afternoon, I first visited my old friend Taka near Taipei 101—we hadn't seen each other in over seven years. After leaving ITRI, Taka is now the COO at a tech startup; with funding from an ICO, they launched their first product, Joyso, a cryptocurrency exchange built on Ethereum. After saying goodbye, I had dinner with the chairman of a Taiwanese commercial bank, a media industry veteran, and the son of Xuan Mingzhi. We chatted freely, and time just flew by.
Location: Sanniu Japanese Cuisine, Taipei Travel note: Considered one of Taipei's top 10 high-end Japanese restaurants, this decades-old spot. Haven't been here in years, but Chef Wenzheng is as impressive as ever. Sat at the counter again with a budget of two to three thousand for omakase, plus two bottles of Argentine red. They just got a large wild red snapper today—red snapper, toro, scallops, mullet roe, grilled collar... all ingredients were super fresh. Ended with a nourishing soup. An elderly couple in their eighties comes every night, and I saw them again today. Time really flies, recalling bits from 2013 and 2014—life is always unpredictable. — Morgan, evening of May 13, 2018
Location: TGI Friday's, Miramar, Dazhi, Taipei Travel note: Brother Kang is getting married next month, and I probably can't make it back, so we arranged to meet today. It's been almost four years since we last saw each other. Kang later joined PineBridge Investments and now has a stable job. Also met his fiancée, Yining—the couple seems really well-matched. Thanks to Brother Kang for treating me to this meal, and wishing you both happiness and smooth sailing! :) — Morgan, May 13, 2018
Location: Taipei, Ren'ai Road, Winona Wine Restaurant Travel note: I finally got a reservation on my third try at Winona Wine Restaurant on Ren'ai Road in Taipei. This restaurant is run by a wine merchant, so the wines are relatively affordable. We opened two French reds that would cost 5,000–6,000 TWD at a regular restaurant, but here they were only 2,000–3,000. The food portion was just over 1,000 TWD, and there was even a sommelier from France. The three of us spent just over 9,000 TWD, under 10,000—a very happy evening! Cheers! By Morgan, evening of May 12, 2018.
Location: Leputing, Da'an District, Taipei Travel note: Leputing in Da'an District, Taipei. French cuisine hidden in a Japanese-style old house. Paired with a French red wine: cuttlefish crisps, grilled beef tongue, sea bass eel broth, quail with roselle sauce, seared beef short ribs, claypot rice, burdock tea. Nice supper on the weekend~ Gotta wake up early at 3 a.m. tomorrow to catch a flight again @@
Location: Taipei, Muchiu Cordyceps Restaurant Travel note: It feels like it's been almost two years since I last visited Muchiu Cordyceps Restaurant in Taipei. Tonight, I'm having dinner with Brother JJ. The 58-degree cordyceps-infused gaoliang liquor—I can't tell if it's too nourishing or too strong. By the time we opened the second bottle, I really had no idea what I was typing anymore. Cheers!
Location: Taipei, Jipinxuan Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant Travel note: Had lunch today at Jipinxuan Shanghai Cuisine Restaurant in Taipei with my university classmate, Ayong. Ayong is still working as the CFO at TKB Taiwan Knowledge Bank. The last time we met was probably four years ago. After graduation, everyone went their separate ways and got busy with their own lives—it's really becoming rarer to have chances to gather like this. Hope we can meet again next time! :) By Morgan on 2018.2.23
Location: Taipei, Shuangcheng Street, Tutto Bello Italian Restaurant Travel note: Tutto Bello Italian Restaurant on Shuangcheng Street in Taipei—a place hidden in an alley for over 20 years, right next to the Huaguo Hotel Steakhouse I visited before. I heard it might be awarded two Michelin stars this year. The bill for two exceeded NT$10,000. It's usually packed on regular days, but today, because of the rain and the post-Lunar New Year period, it was very quiet. The Prime-grade beef was also excellent, so before we knew it, we ended up opening two bottles of Argentine red wine! Cheers! By Morgan on the evening of 2018.2.22
Location: Taipei, Tasty Steak Travel note: It feels like it's been almost ten years since I last ate at Tasty Steak in Taipei. I ordered a small bottle of South African red wine, thinking I'd drink less, but in the end, we opened three bottles—that's more than one large bottle! @@
Location: Taipei, Tiancai Japanese Cuisine Travel note: Tiancai Japanese Cuisine in Taipei—a 60-year-old establishment. This is my second visit in the last eight days. Today, I'm having a meal with Xiaomin, whom I haven't seen in a long time.
Location: Taichung, The Landis Taichung 24F, Gekko Steakhouse Travel note: The 28-day dry-aged beef at Gekko Steakhouse on the 24th floor of The Landis Taichung really delivered on flavor and texture. Overlooking the night view of Taichung's 7th Redevelopment Zone added an extra touch of ambiance. Tonight's conversation shifted to AR and VR—Cheers!
Location: Taichung, Green Park Way Starbucks Travel note: After saying goodbye to my senior and classmates at noon, I remembered Dreambox and my junior An, whose home is nearby, so I invited her to hang out. She shared stories about running an imported wine business on Siwei Road in Taipei, including fun anecdotes about being invited to visit Argentina by a winery owner. We also chatted about and admired Captain Lin Yan, who seems to be known by everyone on Facebook. A fulfilling afternoon just flew by—hope to see you again next time! :) By Morgan on 2018.2.19
Location: Taichung, Hongpin Steakhouse Travel note: Met up with my junior high school classmate Jiezhi from Weidao and senior Vincent from Taichung First Senior High School for lunch. It's been two years since the three of us last met. Hongpin has a 50-year history and is known as Taiwan's first high-end traditional steakhouse. Senior shared anecdotes about recently acquiring many paintings by a Jewish artist and auctioning them at Sotheby's, while my classmate talked about his trading profits and system planning projects. Exchanging ideas across different fields, yet rooted in financial supply and demand, sparked new thoughts. Thanks to Jiezhi for treating us—rare to gather, let's meet again next year if possible!!! :) By Morgan on 2018.2.19
Location: Taichung – This Pot Royal Secret Hot Pot & Yizhong Fengren Ice. Travel note: Had lunch with my university classmate Junhong in Taichung. He’s going back to work in Singapore in a few days, so we made time to meet up in Taichung to eat, chat, and catch up. Another classmate, Xiaomi, joined us after finishing her work. They now work in different departments at MediaTek, so they could also chat about the company’s recent situation. We talked all the way until past 4 pm. After Xiaomi’s husband Jack came to pick her up, Junhong and I continued to Yizhong Street to see our alma mater and have some Fengren ice, ending today’s old classmates itinerary. Thanks to Brother Junhong for treating and for the many Malaysian specialties! :) By Morgan, Feb 18, 2018.
Location: Taichung, This Pot Royal Secret Hot Pot Travel note: Had lunch with my university classmate Junhong, who's heading back to Singapore for work in a few days, so we made time to meet up in Taichung to eat and chat. Another classmate, Xiaomi, joined us after finishing work. They're now in different departments at MediaTek, so we also caught up on company news. We chatted all the way until after 4 PM, until Xiaomi's husband Jack came to pick her up. After that, Junhong and I went to Yizhong Street to visit our alma mater and have some Fengren Ice, wrapping up today's old classmates gathering. Thanks to Junhong for treating us and bringing so many Malaysian specialties! :) By Morgan on 2018.2.18
Location: Taichung, Chun Shui Tang at Park Lane by CMP Travel note: In the afternoon, spontaneously met up with my university classmate Afu and junior Wenqi, finding a casual spot to sit by Green Park Way. Chatted with Afu about his work in Chunghwa Telecom's new big data department, handling 6PB (=6,000TB =6 million GB) of data入库, processing over 2,000 databases and 20,000 tables. Also talked with my junior, who's about to graduate from National Chung Hsing University's CS PhD program, about her project at a foreign company applying AI to predict failure times in storage devices. We reminisced about old times and chatted about many things—the afternoon just flew by. Thanks to Afu for treating us! :P
Location: Taipei East District Wine Bar Travel note: Got together with Rui-Hong and Kimi at a wine bar in Taipei's East District. The four of us opened three bottles of red wine, and later added a fourth. It's a pretty quiet spot. One bottle was from Italy, two from Spain, and the last one from Chile. Cheers!
Location: Taipei Blue Elephant Thai Hot Pot Travel note: Met up with my junior high school classmate Hao-Ting for lunch at Blue Elephant Thai Hot Pot in Taipei. Time flies—it's been over three years since we last saw each other. After helping a company successfully IPO, Hao-Ting moved on to become CFO at two different companies. It's a rare chance to have a relaxed meal and chat with an old friend I've known for over twenty years. See you next time! :) By Morgan on Feb 13, 2018
Location: Taipei High-End Restaurant Business Card Sorting Notes Travel note summary: Taipei High-End Restaurant Business Card Sorting Notes. While tidying up, I found some business cards from years ago: Jimmy's Kitchen, Le Moût, Andong Hall, San Hua, STAY, Ruth's Chris, Yang Shi Shan Fang, Robuchon, Ben Teppanyaki, Sasa Sushi, Takatama, Danny & Company, Star Cellar, Strait Club, Hana Teppanyaki, Sam's Steakhouse, Hana Bi, Din Tai Fung... Counting them up, I really visited so many restaurants back then. So many memories—time really flies! @@ By Morgan @2018.2.12
Location: Yilan Yuanshan Lu Family Fish Ball Rice Noodles Travel note: Yilan Yuanshan Lu Family Fish Ball Rice Noodles. I've already forgotten when I last came to Yilan... @@
Location: Taipei Nanjing Fuxing Wanyouquan Pickled Cabbage Lamb Hot Pot Travel note: Taipei Nanjing Fuxing Wanyouquan Pickled Cabbage Lamb Hot Pot. Another day of rapid movement from Shenzhen to Hong Kong and then to Taiwan~
Location: Taipei, Wine Derful Wine Cellar Restaurant Travel note: Wine Derful Wine Cellar Restaurant in Taipei. Didn't expect to come back just two days later. In the afternoon, I first caught up with Wan Cai, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, and Loco at Ximending. Taiwan is small—Wan Cai, being a big client, now simply registers as a broker at Concord because his orders are too large. Talking with him, I found out he also knows Jack from the institutional department or Matsumura, whom I knew before. In the evening, Peter, a senior from Cheng Kung University in aerospace, happened to be in Taipei, so we gathered together. Chatted with the senior about some AR projects. The senior originally wanted to introduce a female friend from PwC, but she happened to be dining with a founder from Amazon and couldn't make it. So, it was just the three of us—me, Peter, and General Manager Liang—having a few drinks here, ending the small gathering early. @@ Cheers & heading back to Hong Kong tomorrow morning~
Location: Taipei, Wanyouquan Lamb Hot Pot Travel Notes: Taipei Ze Coffee & Wanyouquan Lamb Hot Pot. In the afternoon, I went to the headquarters of the CTBC Group in Nangang to give a presentation. Then, I suddenly received a message from my old high school classmate from Taichung First Senior High School, ClKao Jialiang, asking if I was in Nangang. So we arranged to meet at Ze Coffee to catch up. Taiwan is so small—the senior I visited in the morning, Zhang Jinzheng, and Jialiang were actually the former and current presidents of the Taichung First Senior High School Computer Research Club. A few days ago, my university senior Lman (Ramen senior) also happened to be in Nangang discussing blockchain applications. In the evening, I went to the usual spot, Wanyouquan, for dinner with my junior from the NCKU club, Ruihong, and one of his friends. Another busy and fulfilling day has passed! By Morgan, evening of Dec 25, 2017.
Location: Nangang Software Park, Nagasaki Ramen Travel note: This morning, I first visited the headquarters of Cathay Securities Investment Trust and met with senior Zhang Xi, a graduate of NCKU's Industrial Management, who is now the chairman of Cathay SIT. Coincidentally, I found that another attendee, General Manager Zhang Yongchuan, is also a senior from my Taichung First Senior High School, many years ahead of me. Even more coincidentally, I also met senior Zhang Jinzheng from the Taichung First High School Computer Club. In the end, all three attendees were seniors—it really shows how small Taiwan is! Later at noon, I came to Nangang Software Park and had lunch with another NCKU CCNS club senior, Champ, catching up on his recent situation after leaving MediaTek. It's been several years since we last met, so it was a rare chance to gather. Thanks to senior for the lunch treat! Today was truly Senior Day~~ :) By Morgan @2017.12.25
Location: Taichung Travel Notes: Nangang Software Park, Nagasaki Ramen. In the morning, I first went to the headquarters of Cathay Securities Investment Trust to visit senior Zhang Xi, a graduate of NCKU's Industrial Management. Senior Zhang is now the chairman of Cathay Securities Investment Trust. Coincidentally, I discovered that another attendee, General Manager Zhang Yongchuan, is also a senior from my alma mater, Taichung First Senior High School, many years ahead of me. Even more coincidentally, I also ran into senior Zhang Jinzheng from the Taichung First Senior High School Computer Research Club. In the end, all three attendees were seniors—it really shows how small Taiwan is! Afterward, at noon, I went to Nangang Software Park to have lunch with another senior from the NCKU CCNS club, Champ, and caught up on his life after leaving MediaTek. It had been several years since we last met, so it was a rare chance to gather. Thanks for the treat, senior! Today was truly a day of seniors~~ :) By Morgan, Dec 25, 2017.
Location: Taipei, MinSheng East Road, Wine Derful Wine Restaurant Travel Notes: Taipei, MinSheng East Road, Wine Derful Wine Restaurant. A restaurant with good value-for-money wines, and its wine cellar is probably one of the best in Taipei. Ordered the Wagyu beef cheek—it was an okay dish. Had a Spanish red wine and an Italian red wine. Merry Christmas Eve~ :) P.S. Later, I invited Minyang, an intern I previously mentored at Yuanta, to join and chat, so we opened a third bottle of French red wine～ Cheers!
Location: Taichung, Ching Chuan Kang Airport Travel note summary: After living in Taichung for so long, this is my first time departing from Ching Chuan Kang Airport. It's a bit small, but quite clean and bright. Thanks to Senior Peter for specially coming to my home to give me a ride to the airport. Ready back to Hong Kong.
Location: Taichung, Two-Day Miscellaneous Notes Travel note summary: Yesterday noon, after getting off the Zhongqing Interchange, Brother Xiao Ci picked me up, and we went to eat together at the secret kitchen on Dadun 10th Street. Here's an early congratulations to Brother Xiao Ci on his wedding! After returning home, I visited my parents and my one-year-old nephew, then had a video call with my younger brother studying in the Netherlands. Today noon, I visited my university friend Guo Xiaoping's home to see his over-one-year-old baby boy. Thanks for treating me to a sour cabbage and pork hot pot. After more than three years apart, Xiaoping, now a dad, hasn't changed a bit—still as crazy playing with kids, XD. After leaving Xiaoping's place, I suddenly felt like visiting Taichung First High School. Memories from my high school years on Zunxian Street, Yizhong Street, and Yucai Street kept flooding back. A new One Piece flagship store (Taichung flagship) just opened here. After buying two decks of gold and colored playing cards, I went next door to buy a cup of Fengren Ice, which I always got when watching baseball, plus a plate of Hongji's stinky tofu. It satisfied my cravings and let me slowly savor the feeling of home... By Morgan on 2017.11.19
Location: Taipei, A Busy Day Travel note summary: In the morning, I went to Nangang to visit former SEF Chairman Jiang Bingkun, to see if there's a chance to integrate some Taiwanese resources. After lunch, I went to the Prudential office on Fuxing North Road to sign an authorization document. In the afternoon, I went to Ximending to find Boss Loco and also see old dog A-King. In the evening, I found Rui Hong and his girlfriend to eat lamb hot pot at Wan You Quan behind the Datong Building. Rui Hong seemed to drink too much again :P. Finally, I went to the Churchill Bar atop The Westin Taipei, opened a new 12-year Scotch whisky, and chatted with Jia Hong and Ali, a graduate school classmate from Tsinghua. Ali now works in Foxconn's AI department, responsible for IoT model development. After a busy day, it was another fulfilling day.
Location: Taipei, The Westin Taipei (formerly The Palace), Churchill Bar Travel note: After a busy day, I came to the bar upstairs at The Westin Taipei (formerly The Palace) and opened a new 12-year-old Scotch whisky. I chatted with Jiahong and Ali, a graduate school classmate from Tsinghua University. Ali now works in Foxconn's AI department, responsible for developing some IoT models. Another fulfilling day~ By Morgan @2017.11.17
Location: Taipei, Chiao Deng Western Restaurant Travel note: Yesterday, I experienced Hong Kong's dai pai dong; today, I'm reminiscing about Taiwan's 40-year-old Western restaurant. Crispy puff pastry soup, sizzling iron plate steak, French red wine—the owner and his wife have witnessed the rise and fall of the Chongqing South Road area over all these years. A restaurant full of stories... By Morgan @2017.11.16
Location: Cheam Dean Steak Travel note summary: Yesterday I experienced Hong Kong's dai pai dong, today I'm reminiscing at a 40-year-old Western restaurant in Taipei. The puff pastry soup, sizzling steak, and French red wine... The owners have witnessed the rise and fall of the Chongqing South Road area over the years. A restaurant full of stories...
Location: Ten Years Travel Notes: After dinner, I didn't head back to the Sheraton where I was staying. On a sudden whim, I took the subway and walked alone to the area around Jingyuan Hotel in the north of Xiangmi Lake. Back in 2007, when I was 27 and on my first business trip to Shenzhen, I stayed at Jingyuan Hotel. I was naive then, full of curiosity and unfamiliarity with the surroundings. I still remember Jinli, who worked in Guangzhou at the time, came to see me. We got foot massages at the Qinghai Building next door—that was actually my first foot massage ever. Back then, just a few dozen RMB (over 200 TWD) could kill a whole evening, so I often went alone for a massage after work. Haircuts, taxis, massages, foot baths... everything was incredibly cheap at that stage. After returning to Taiwan, time flew by. I moved around between cities across the strait and regions. Shenzhen has grown from just opening its first subway line to now having 11 extensive lines. For this city, unlike Shanghai, I have an indescribable feeling and sentiment. And tonight, suddenly, I wanted to revisit this old place where it all began. Ten years later, Jingyuan Hotel still stands, but the Hong Kong-style dim sum restaurant in Qinghai Building where Jinli and I once ate has completely changed. Memories of chance encounters at that street corner flash before my eyes. The foot massage hall that could accommodate nearly a hundred people back then is gone, replaced by the now-common Hong Kong-style massage parlors in Shenzhen. Finally, at the same spot, I casually chatted with a Qiang ethnic girl from Sichuan about my old memories—but really, this is also a new memory, isn't it? Ten years feel like a dream in Shenzhen. Tonight, I'm particularly reflective. Looking back at the past decade and forward to the next, time seems to pass quickly, yet also very slowly. A decade can hold so many experiences, people, and things, but in the blink of an eye, it feels like just a moment. Better not overthink it. Wandering the world with a drink in hand, let's keep striving to live life freely and unrestrained! ~ By Morgan, late night on 2017.11.11, Double Eleven
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, First Visit to Mucho Cordyceps Club Restaurant Travel Note Summary: After dinner last night, Lman came to see me, and we chatted until midnight. He originally wanted to introduce a friend from Digital Times, but our schedules didn't align, so it didn't happen. Today at noon, I came to this unique restaurant for a meal. They use their own cultivated cordyceps for cooking, tea, and health products. The restaurant operates on a membership reservation system. Zhang Xi, the chairman of Cathay Securities Investment Trust and also a senior from NCKU's Industrial Management department, often dines here too. A very healthy meal!~ :) By Morgan on 2017.2.24
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Woke up early this Saturday morning. Brother Zeng, whom I hadn't contacted in a long time, suddenly messaged me on Skype. I met Brother Zeng in 2009 when I helped him write some programs for Jih Sun HTS, and I even visited his home in Xindian, Taipei. He's a kind elder with great passion for trading. After retiring, he moved to the US to live. He's almost 70 this year. Today, he shared with me his insights from watching US stocks in recent years, especially gold-related stocks. He built his own set of trading rules and logic, and asked for my opinions. After listening for over an hour, I offered some suggestions. Recalling the time I first met Brother Zeng, it was also a major ups-and-downs phase in my life. Eight years have passed just like that. Many memories suddenly flooded my mind, and I couldn't help but get lost in them. The connections between people are truly unpredictable. May every friend I've ever known be safe and happy... By Morgan, February 18, 2017
Location: Taipei, Nanjing East Road Lane, Wanyouquan Shabu Lamb. I'm heading back to Shenzhen early tomorrow morning. Tonight, I was honored to have dinner with Manager Liang and two lovely ladies. One is Jade, whom I've been trying to meet since my days in Shenzhen, but my schedule in Taiwan was just too packed until tonight. The other is my junior from Cheng Kung University in Taichung, Dreambox Ying-An. She now runs a wine cellar called Rock Cellar on Siwei Road in Taipei, representing many fine wines and offering space for gatherings. She even brought an Australian wine, Pirra, to share tonight. It's been over a year since I last saw one, and over seven years for the other—so glad to catch up with both in one evening! Feel free to visit me in Hong Kong or Shenzhen anytime! :) By Morgan, evening of Feb 3, 2017.
Location: Taipei, Lane 27, Ren'ai Road, Da'an No. 9 Hot Pot & Japanese Cuisine. This place targets competitors like the high-end shabu-shabu restaurant 'Orange' next door. It's indeed not cheap—after opening three bottles of French red wine, the bill for three people came to 18,000 TWD, 6,000 each. But some ingredients or cooking methods are quite unique: Hokkaido-sourced decade-old conch (4,380 TWD), deep-fried sea urchin wrapped in seaweed, lucky gold leaf sushi, U.S. Prime black beef, ice cream topped with sautéed sea urchin salt... Manager Liang, true to form, was humorous and charming, eventually attracting the owner Lisa and her sister Stella to join us in the private room. They chatted with us until closing and treated us to a bunch of dishes, including giant grouper, Penghu squid, and abalone. It was an incredibly fun night—Cheers!!! By Morgan, evening of Feb 2, 2017.
Location: Taichung, Nanfun Yifeng Road, MeatGQ Premium Steakhouse. This is a collaboration between the 'Steak Godfather' Deng Youkui and the Hoshino Group. The lunch set is around 2,000-something TWD. The 'Old Gourmet' steak was excellent, not inferior to other restaurants masterminded by Chef Deng, like Danny & Company, Ambassador Hotel's A-CUT, or Victoria 168 Prime—even slightly impressive in some ways. A fantastic lunch! :) By Morgan, afternoon of Feb 2, 2017.
Location: Taichung, Gongyi Road, Pinxin Hong Kong-Style Tea Restaurant. After handling some overseas company matters via Skype in the afternoon, I went out for dinner with Senior Peter. He introduced me to two new friends in Taichung: older brother Ruiyi, who works as a financial advisor at DBS Bank, involved in ETFs and forex; younger sister Ruiying, who previously studied as an exchange student at Fudan University in Shanghai, focusing on business management and brand promotion, and is about to start working in Shanghai soon. We hit it off well, exchanged WeChat, and the food here was quite affordable and tasty. Thanks to Senior Peter for treating us to this meal! :) By Morgan, evening of Feb 1, 2017.
Location: Taichung, Putien Singaporean Cuisine (Michelin One Star). Had lunch with my university classmate Junhong. He usually works at MediaTek's Singapore branch, so over the past year, we've met in Shenzhen, Hong Kong, or Singapore—otherwise, only during the New Year in Taichung like this could we catch up. Junhong is already very familiar and accustomed to Singaporean food, so he chose this new popular restaurant to compare. Hainanese chicken, golden lotus leaf buns, cereal squid, chilled durian... along with my brother, the bill for three came to less than 2,000 TWD. For a Michelin one-star branch, that's very affordable. Junhong shared about their recent factory setup in India for back-end IC design and lots of things about Singapore. Hope to see you next time! Thanks for the gift! :) By Morgan, afternoon of Jan 31, 2017.
Location: Taichung, Tianle Beef Burger & Sanshimaru Ujikintoki Travel note summary: Our annual university reunion in Taichung. Today I met Minghong, Afu, Lingwen, and silly Xiaomi. Afterwards, we went to the area near CMP Block Museum of Arts and queued up for Sanshimaru, a 500-year-old shop that came from Japan. Long time no see & time flies—another year has passed! @@ By Morgan on 2017.1.30
Location: Taichung, Civic Road, Le Blé d'Or Travel note summary: Had dinner with Brother Gong and Xiao Yao at Le Blé d'Or on Civic Road in Taichung. Since Brother Gong recently moved into a house in the 7th Redevelopment Zone, we arranged to eat nearby. I also invited our junior high school classmate Jiezhi from Weidao to join—he and Brother Gong are practically neighbors, as they both bought houses here. Fate brought us together, so we gathered to have a good chat! By Morgan on the evening of 2017.2.26
Location: Taipei, Xinyi Road, Mucho Cordyceps Club Restaurant Travel note summary: After dinner last night, Lman (Ramen) senior came to find me, and we chatted until midnight. He originally wanted to introduce a friend from Digital Times for us to meet, but our schedules didn't align, so it didn't happen. At noon today, I came to this unique restaurant for a meal. They use their own cultivated cordyceps in dishes, tea, and sell them as health supplements. The restaurant operates on a membership reservation system. Zhang Xi, the chairman of Cathay Securities Investment Trust and also a senior from NCKU's Industrial Management department, often dines here. A very healthy meal! :) By Morgan on 2017.2.24
Location: Taipei, Bulgaria.Wang Restaurant Travel note summary: Had dinner with General Manager Liang and Xiao Min. It's our annual gathering for the three of us, and this is the third time we've been to this restaurant. Tonight, the Bulgarian owner recommended two imported Bulgarian red wines. One of them, after being aired for twenty minutes, truly developed a richer flavor. Compared to wines from other countries, the taste is more intense. We didn't look at the menu; the chef/owner prepared everything freely. Among the dishes served, a few really caught the eye of even a picky eater like me. The owner said his secret to staying young is drinking red wine every day, so while cooking, he'd take breaks to come out, have a drink, and chat with us. Besides being an excellent chef, he previously worked in investment banking, so he shared many of his unique views on the economic situations in the US, China, and Taiwan. A wonderful dinner! By Morgan on the evening of 2017.2.24
Location: Taipei, Lunch at Tiancai Japanese Cuisine next to City God Temple Travel Note Summary: This morning, thank you AK for specially bringing four bottles of red wine from his company's agency to wish me a happy new year. After saying goodbye to AK, I came to Tiancai for lunch at noon. It must have been over three years since I last came here. This over-60-year-old establishment has stood the test of time, and it still has its unique flavor. A very large bowl of wild clam soup, tender oden radish—a simple and refreshing lunch.~ By Morgan @2017.1.24
Location: Taipei, Tiancai Japanese Cuisine next to City God Temple Travel note summary: This morning, thank you AK for specially bringing four bottles of red wine that his company represents to wish me a Happy New Year. After saying goodbye to AK, I came to Tiancai for lunch at noon. I think it's been over three years since I last came here. This over-60-year-old establishment has stood the test of time because it still has its unique flavor. A very large bowl of wild clam soup, tender oden radish—a simple and refreshing lunch. By Morgan on 2017.2.24
Location: Taipei, Dunhua South Road alley, Yuhua Premium Wagyu BBQ Travel note: Yuhua Premium Wagyu BBQ in a Dunhua alley, Taipei. This is my 9th gathering with different groups of friends in three days. We had Australian 9+ Wagyu, Hokkaido scallops, and imported Australian prawns. Five people, five bottles of red wine, another NT$16,000 spent. Cheers again! By Morgan, evening of Jan 23, 2017.
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan Junior High School Station, Starbucks Travel note: Starbucks near Zhongshan Junior High School Station, Taipei. After a lunch gathering, I got a sudden call from Brother Xiao Ci. So I took the MRT to the Starbucks near the station and met him, his girlfriend Wan Xuan, and long-time-no-see Brother Xiao Hei. We caught up on recent happenings and old times before Brother Xiao Ci headed back to Changhua. Then I moved on to Nanjing Fuxing Station, where Swdo, whom I hadn't seen in ages, met me to ride the MRT, chat, and enjoy the view. We rode from Nanjing Fuxing all the way to Nangang Station, sharing casual conversation before saying goodbye again. I then took the train back from Nangang to Technology Building Station. 7:30 PM, next gathering, go~ By Morgan, Feb 23, 2017.
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan, Somenoi Japanese Teppanyaki Kaiseki Cuisine Travel note: Somenoi Japanese Teppanyaki Kaiseki Cuisine, hidden in a Zhongshan district alley, Taipei. Uncle JASON took the high-speed rail from Taichung to see us at noon, so we came to this Japanese restaurant. The lunch kaiseki set was NT$1,500 +10%, and the content was decent—the sashimi included fugu. The four of us also opened a Chilean red wine and an Australian red. We listened to Uncle talk about his recent meal with Acer's former general manager, his managed company taking Amazon orders, and his Stanford professor friend integrating the liberal arts and CS departments... Long time no see, Uncle is still as talkative as ever. A very happy lunch :) Cheers! By Morgan, Jan 23, 2017.
Location: Taipei, Dunhua South Road, Old Café Travel note: Old Café on Dunhua South Road, Taipei. After wandering around Syntrend with old classmates and disbanding, I was heading alone to a comic book store when I suddenly got a message from Brother Zheng Liang saying it's been a long time and asking if we could meet for tea and a chat. Since an impromptu invitation is better than a planned one, and he lives nearby anyway, I hailed a cab and moved to the Dunhua Sogo area. Brother Zheng Liang is still at Prudential and recently obtained his international financial planner certification. We chatted about recent happenings—it really has been a long time, huh~
Location: Taipei, Huashan Creative Park, Piccola Botega Bistro Travel note: Piccola Botega Bistro in Huashan Creative Park, Taipei. Had a small lunch gathering with university classmates Bo Min, A Fu, Xing Jian, and junior ICEBONE. We opened a reasonably priced Italian red wine and chatted about Taiwan's tech industry, software industry, and everyone's recent updates. It's been so long since we all met! :)
Location: Taipei, Xiju Fine Hot Pot Travel note: Xiju Fine Hot Pot in Taipei is a rather upscale hot pot restaurant tucked away in an alley on Guangfu South Road. The seafood is served with live shrimp and dry ice, which is quite impressive. Paired with 9+ grade Wagyu beef, it made for a very lavish dinner. Our server Qianhui is an indigenous Taiwanese from Taichung and can really hold her liquor. The five of us ended up opening four bottles of red wine, and the bill came to around 16,000 TWD. Cheers! By Morgan, evening of Jan 21, 2017
Location: Taipei, Love at first bite Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Travel note: Love at first bite Chicago Deep Dish Pizza in Taipei. It's been exactly a year since I last returned to Taiwan. My friend Xiaoyao knew I was coming back and kindly came to pick me up at Taoyuan Airport. He then introduced me to a new friend, Brother Guohua. Brother Guohua previously worked at the European Exchange, having lived in several of its branches—Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo. After the new year, he'll be reporting to Huatai Futures' new Hong Kong office. Taiwan is still a small place. While chatting with Brother Guohua, I realized that Chen Wenliang, whom I met at a dinner in Shenzhen once, was actually the one who recruited Brother Guohua. A great afternoon; hope to see you again in Shenzhen or Hong Kong next time! :) By Morgan, Jan 21, 2017
Location: Changhua, 99 NTD Stir-fry Travel note: Changhua, 99 NTD Stir-fry. It's been a long time since I had beer and Taiwanese stir-fry. While drinking, listened to Brother Xiao Hei talk about his past collaboration with Tencent's Ma Huateng and anecdotes about some people he knows. After the meal, went back to Brother Xiao Ci's place to play cards. Haven't played Big Two in ages, a little reminiscence of the old days. Then stayed overnight at Xiao Yao's place. A pre-New Year trip to visit friends in Changhua. Hope everyone gets smoother and smoother~
Location: Miscellaneous notes Travel note: Qingyuan, Lianzhou, Guangdong Province—Yao ethnic group evening party. With no New Year's Eve plans arranged in advance, I spontaneously took a bus to the mountainous area of northern Guangdong. In the cold, watching the enthusiastic Yao sisters singing and dancing warmed my heart. Finally, amidst the fireworks, we prepared to bid farewell to the old year. While walking back to my room in the dark, I accidentally looked up and saw stars I hadn't seen in a long time. It's been a while since I quietly admired a sky full of stars like this. On the last night of the year, I let my heart settle down... Wishing all family and friends peace and happiness~ :) By Morgan, evening of 2016.12.31
Location: Nanning, Guangxi - Xing'an Horse Mackerel Hotpot Travel note: A Taiwanese friend, Xiao Yao, came to visit me in Nanning, the capital of Guangxi. He brought along Mr. Gong, who supplies upstream materials and processing for tiles in Taiwan and is currently the industry leader. Since Xiao Yao is familiar with Nanning, we arranged to meet there. Last night after work, I rushed to Shenzhen Airport and arrived at Nanning Airport in just over an hour—my 11th airport visit this year. I had a pleasant chat with Mr. Gong, whom I met for the first time; he now lives in Taichung and recently welcomed a newborn son. For lunch, we shared a hotpot with about 5 jin (2.5 kg) of sliced horse mackerel, totaling over ten plates. Over food and drinks, we spent a quiet afternoon in Nanning...
Hubei, Wudang Mountain. As a fan of Jin Yong's martial arts novels, Wudang Mountain was a must-visit on this trip. Even though it meant an extra detour to buy a plane ticket from Wuhan to Shiyan (Wudangshan Airport), I had to come see it. Arrived in Wudangshan city yesterday evening. This morning at 7:30, headed up the mountain. First took a bus to Qiongzhongguan, transferred to the cable car up, then walked to the highest point of Wudang Mountain, the Golden Summit. Then walked all the way down to Crow Ridge and took a bus back down. Walked for over six hours in total. Along the way, saw some Wudang Mountain sights like Prince Slope, South Cliff, Chaotian Gate, Purple Cloud Palace, etc. Plus the Jade Void Palace visited yesterday afternoon, the 'Dream of Wudang' performance at the Tai Chi Theater last night (featuring dozens of Wudang masters and martial arts champions), and after descending today: Tai Chi Lake, Happy Valley slide, the mountain entrance gate from over 600 years ago—Xuanyue Gate, and the Shixing Kung Fu Hall run by the 14th generation successor of Zhang Sanfeng. This Wudang trip ended with a very fulfilling itinerary, also fulfilling a childhood dream of mine. Getting ready to board the flight back to Shenzhen~ But it seems there's heavy rain in Shenzhen affecting flights landing... Could it be I can't go back again!!! (Just after posting this, got kicked off the plane back to the terminal~ Orz)
Location: Taichung Pisces² Giant Burger Travel note summary: Had lunch with university friends Afu, Junhong, Minghong, and Minyi at Pisces². We ordered a super giant burger, much bigger than Xiao Mi's face, and chatted casually while eating. Afterward, we took a walk outside Taichung First Senior High School, strolled to the Hydraulic Building to reminisce about our student days, then had Fengren Ice and took some stinky tofu from Yizhong Street before heading home satisfied.
Location: Taichung, Qingshui, Tube Rice Cake & Aofeng Mountain, Gaomei Wetland Travel Notes: Went around with family~ By Morgan @2016.2.9
Location: Taichung Qingshui Travel note summary: In Qingshui, Taichung, we visited Aofeng Mountain and Gaomei Wetland, and tried tube rice cake. Went around with family~
Location: Taichung, Zhongzheng Park Playing Catch. In the evening, after visiting my grandma, my younger brother and I went to the nearby Zhongzheng Park to play catch. Besides getting a little exercise, it also brought back childhood memories. Time really flies, passing year after year. Wishing everyone a safe and healthy new year about to begin! Time to go eat New Year's Eve dinner~ By Morgan @2016.2.7
Location: Taipei Alexander's Steak House Travel note summary: Originally wanted to book MORTON'S Steakhouse on the 45F of Breeze Xinyi or André Chiang's RAW, but last-minute booking meant no seats. After some hassle, finally managed to book Alexander's Steak House opposite Eslite DunNan, a Michelin one-star in the US. The focus here is dry-aged beef, with dedicated equipment visible upon entry. The three of us ordered two Australian red wines, DB and BIN, plus a T-Bone and a Filet, totaling over NT$17,000. The dry-aged beef was full of flavor. Both chefs were transferred from the US, and the service staff were trained by Robert, the front manager also from the US—service was excellent. Side dishes were distinctive, including a transparent watermelon jelly made by high-speed pigment separation, quite unique. Hokkaido scallops were also delicious. Overall, a satisfying restaurant! — Morgan, evening of Feb 5, 2016
Location: Taipei, The Westin Taipei (Six Fortune Palace), 3F Churchill Bar Travel note: Back in Taiwan, cheers at Churchill Bar!
Location: Note on the 2015 Double 11 shopping spree. The 60+ packages bought on Taobao/Tmall during Double 11 have been filling up both home and office these past few days. A dazzling array of items covering food, clothing, housing, transportation, education, and entertainment: Australian M8 grade Wagyu beef, sea urchin and crab roe dumplings for hot pot, four-color raisins from Xinjiang, air chocolate, almond loquat powder, Golf leather wallet and belt, Playboy down jacket and pants, lithium battery-heated clothing, Columbia outdoor冲锋裤, remote-controlled light switch-off device, water purifier filter cartridges, waterproof and anti-slip hiking shoes, Schwyzcross backpack, full set of Oxford Reading Tree English storybooks and reading pen, cervical and lumbar heating massage equipment, carbon fiber badminton racket, plus French perfume, Baodao Glasses O2O blue light blocking glasses voucher... Bought over NT$40,000 worth of stuff in one go. This has greatly increased the difficulty of moving in the future @@.
Location: C# investment trading strategy integration platform implementation. Haven't used Visual Studio's C# to write programs for a long time. Recently, because I wanted to integrate Multicharts.Net trading strategy signals, I spent the past week or two restudying some materials. I integrated MC's real-time and historical various quote data and calculation results into SQL Server database and MS Chart objects, and added features like sound alerts, screen capture, email, scroll zoom, switching time periods/different products, table presentation... Finally completed a preliminary usable real-time system. Although the programming process is tedious and time-consuming, the moment when you can focus on coding, debugging, and finally finishing, there really is a lot of fun~ Done! Taking a break this weekend~ :D
Location: Taipei, Ximending, 201 Cafe Travel note snippet: Interviewed a candidate and had dinner at 201 Cafe in Taipei's Ximending. By Morgan @2015.8.3
Location: Taichung, Qinghai Road, Jingcai Restaurant Travel note snippet: Thanks to senior Peter for driving over to pick me up and treating me to this delicious Chinese lunch at Jingcai Restaurant on Qinghai Road in Taichung! See you next time in Shenzhen~~ ^^ By Morgan @2015.8.3
Location: Taipei, Daan Forest Park, Lido Hotel Travel note snippet: Old classmate Panda brought his whole family up from Tainan to the north for a trip. We happened to have a chance this morning, so we met up for breakfast at Lido Hotel near Daan Forest Park in Taipei. Panda also visited his aunt and cousin on this trip—they're the owners of the Angel's Date Tea Shop on Xing'an Street. Reminiscing about the old days when a group of us would play cards and drink at Angel's in the evenings... time flies. Panda is still at Innolux (formerly Chi Mei). After not seeing each other for years, we had so much to talk about. Really miss those good old days studying and hunting for food together in Tainan @@ Just take care, my friends! By Morgan on 2015.8.2
Location: Taichung, Wang Group's i-Ta Creative Italian Cuisine Travel note: Dinner with my parents at i-Ta Creative Italian Cuisine, part of the Wang Group in Taichung~
Location: Taipei, Dongxing Road, EZ Corner Travel note snippet: Listening to music and drinking at EZ Corner on Dongxing Road in Taipei. By Morgan @2015.8.1
Location: Taoyuan Travel note: At Taoyuan Airport, TransAsia Airways lounge. Cathay Pacific's lounge is still under renovation, so I came here for beef noodles instead~
Location: Taipei, The Westin Taipei, Liu Yuan Shanghai Cuisine Travel note: Boss Liang treated everyone to dinner at Liu Yuan Shanghai Cuisine in The Westin Taipei tonight~
Location: Taipei, iJoing Travel note: Thanks to Ramen Senior for introducing us to Dehang Senior, a Class of '89 graduate from NCKU's Business Administration department. Dehang Senior previously worked at Soft-World International and has now started his own venture, with backing from NCTU Angel Club and Soft-World. Thanks for the insightful sharing this afternoon—learned a lot! :) By Morgan @2015.7.27
Location: Taipei, Dian Shui Lou Travel note: Had lunch at Dian Shui Lou in Taipei with the boss of Qian Long and a few of his employees~
Location: Woo Cafe, East District, Taipei Travel note: After reading two manga at night, Jade asked me about some MT4 questions, so we came to the tea street area for drinks and a chat. We talked about all sorts of things, and I gave some advice along the way. This place is really lively—even on a Sunday night past midnight, it's packed! @@ Thanks for the treat, Jade! :) By Morgan, evening of July 26, 2015
Location: Yonglin Fresh Beef, Taipei Travel note: This morning, I had breakfast with university friends like Ah Niu, Bo Min, and Ah Fu, plus my younger brother who we ran into by chance. I listened to Bo Min talk about using Hadoop and MapReduce for distributed systems at Trend Micro (scanning 10TB of data in 40 minutes) and Ah Fu's Big Data analysis work at Chunghwa Telecom. I also got to see Ah Niu again after a long time—last time was years ago when he was still at Transcend. Time flies... Later at noon, I came to this famous restaurant that expanded from Tainan with Ah Fu, Nai Wen, and her husband. Back when I studied in Tainan, Chef senior often took me to Yonglin for hot pot and told me about the owner's background and how they handle fresh beef to maintain its temperature... Such a nostalgic place! Nai Wen is still at Goldman Sachs, unchanged. Thinking about it, the Industrial Management department really has diverse career paths—people are in all sorts of industries. @@ Long time no see, everyone! :) By Morgan, July 26, 2015
Location: San Want Hotel - Chengjiang Creative Kaiseki Cuisine, Taipei Travel note: For three nights in a row, I've been traveling around Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Tonight, I had dinner with my long-time-no-see younger brother. First time here—the nigiri sushi set looks pretty good! ($980 + 10%) By Morgan, evening of July 25, 2015
Location: Miscellaneous Notes Travel note: I've had a cold these past few days. Yesterday, I went for gua sha and moxibustion. Today, I'm having some red wine to see if killing more germs will help me recover faster～
Location: 2015 Random Day Travel note: Lately, I've had quite a connection with Australia. Not long ago, I received an email from an Australian girl named Simone asking about a MultiCharts issue. It didn't seem too difficult, so I helped her out and got a 'Thanks Morgan, huge help as always.' Today, suddenly, a Suzhou uncle named Robert, who immigrated to Australia 25 years ago and once worked at the Sydney Exchange, wrote to ask about integrating TradeStation and Interactive Brokers. So tonight, while jotting down notes from this afternoon's seminar, I chatted with him on Skype and gave him a better solution. At the end, he said when he returns to China from Australia at year-end, he'll make a special trip to thank me in person and meet me~ Even though helping others occasionally takes a bit of my rest time, hearing such gratitude in the end makes life feel a bit more meaningful, I guess~ :P By Morgan on the night of 2015.6.13
Lately, I've been having quite a connection with Australia. Not long ago, I received a letter from an Australian girl named Simone asking me a question about MultiCharts. I took a look and it wasn't too difficult, so I helped her out. I got a 'Thanks Morgan, huge help as always.' in return. Today, suddenly, a Suzhou uncle named Robert, who immigrated to Australia 25 years ago and once worked at the Sydney Exchange, wrote to me asking about integrating TradeStation and Interactive Brokers. So tonight, while jotting down key takeaways from the seminar I attended this afternoon, I chatted with him on Skype and gave him a better solution. At the end of our conversation, he said that when he returns to China from Australia at the end of the year, he'll make a special trip to thank me in person and meet me face-to-face. Although occasionally spending a little time helping others takes away some of my own rest time, ultimately, hearing these words of gratitude makes me feel that maybe life is a bit more meaningful this way. :P By Morgan, on the night of June 13, 2015.
[Recruitment] Financial Quantitative Researcher & Financial Software Engineer. Boss Liang asked me to come back to Taiwan to find people. So, if any of my friends have suitable candidates, feel free to recommend them to me. Thank you! ====================================== Company Introduction: We are a private equity fund headquartered in Luohu District, Shenzhen, investing in various financial market products in mainland China and overseas. A new office will be established in Hong Kong, so the primary work location will be Shenzhen, with occasional trips to Hong Kong as needed. Position 1: Quantitative Researcher Job Description: 1. Design and evaluate quantitative trading strategies; 2. Conduct quantitative research (stocks, futures, options, etc.) and modeling, providing suggestions for asset allocation, sector allocation, and individual stock selection. Requirements: 1. Master's degree or above in Mathematics, Physics, Financial Quantitative Engineering, or related fields; 2. Knowledge of securities and futures markets, familiarity with various financial instruments and databases; 3. Proficient in programming languages such as C++, C#, and MatLab; skilled in data processing, with solid mathematical foundation and some modeling ability; 4. 1-3 years of relevant work experience; 5. Language requirements: Mandarin + English. Position 2: Software Engineer Job Description: 1. Development of financial trading systems; 2. System operation and maintenance. Requirements: 1. Graduated from an information-related major, Master's degree preferred; 2. Proficient in Visual C++, C#.Net; 3. Experience with WebService, Remoting Service, or WCF technology; 4. Familiar with SQL Server, MySQL, SQL syntax, etc.; 5. Familiarity with ASP.NET, HTML, JavaScript, XML, and other web technologies is a plus; 6. Proficient in using SVN version control tools; 7. At least 2 years of C# Winform Client/Server development experience; 8. Basic knowledge of financial markets, experience in developing financial trading-related software or systems. To apply for either of the above positions, please send your resume to [email protected]. Please indicate which position you are applying for in the email subject. Thank you! =====================================
Location: Convenient Food Delivery Apps Travel note: Have to say, China's O2O development is really fast these days. For lazy people like me, it saves a lot of time sometimes. The whole weekend, I didn't need to go out at all—just used delivery apps to order steamed dumplings, pizza, sushi, and spicy hot pot for four meals. Although it saved some time, the weekend still felt like it flew by, spent on coding, studying English, watching Korean dramas, and replying to emails. The older I get, the more I feel time is never enough~ @@ By Morgan @2015.4.26
Location: Taichung Travel note: Guangxi, Guilin. 1. Boat tour of One River and Four Lakes. 2. Round trip on Yaoshan Cable Car. 3. Night tour of Elephant Trunk Hill + Elephant Hill Legend show. 4. Guilin Zhengyang Pedestrian Street. 5. Night view of Sun and Moon Pagodas. At Yaoshan, I happened to hear Taiwanese again, so I went up alone to strike up a conversation. This time, I met Taiwanese people living in Los Angeles—mostly a big group of uncles and aunties. One of them, Sister Chen, is also originally from Taichung. She's very concerned about Taiwan's current development. I told her that among my friends around my age, many are using their own strength to try to change and influence Taiwan, so maybe in a few years, things will be different from now. We chatted happily, but eventually had to part ways. However, a chance encounter is still a kind of fate. During travels, you always meet all sorts of people—that's one of the great joys of traveling, I guess. By Morgan on the evening of 2015.4.12
Location: Miscellaneous Notes Travel Note Summary: In two email inboxes at the same time, I have emails from Americans, French, Kuwaitis, Russians, Vietnamese, Chinese, Hong Kongers, and Taiwanese to read and reply to. The most precious thing right now is truly time. The world is so vast—how wonderful it would be to have a bit more time to use~ @@
Location: Taoyuan Travel Note Summary: Taoyuan Airport, Cathay Pacific Lounge. This time I'm flying back in business class, so I can use the lounge. However, Cathay's beef noodles seem to come in a smaller bowl compared to China Airlines' lounge @@. Thanks to my older sister and family for waking up so early to see me off. Friends I didn't get to meet this time, let's catch up next chance~
Location: Taipei, Meiguan Yuan Japanese Cuisine Travel Note Summary: Taipei Meiguan Yuan Japanese Cuisine. In the afternoon, Brother Roger came to see me. We chatted a bit at Starbucks and adjusted some insurance policies. In the evening, my dad and mom took the high-speed rail up to Taipei, and we had dinner together at Meiguan Yuan. After eating, we headed to my older sister's place in Linkou~ By Morgan, evening of February 26, 2015.
Location: Taipei, Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine + Two shops in East District Tea Street Travel Note Summary: Taipei Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine + Two shops in East District Tea Street. In the evening, I had dinner with Jack, the younger brother of my National Defense Service buddy Yujia. Jack has been living in the US for over twenty years. He returned to Taiwan for the New Year and happened to be flying out on the same day as me, so we took the chance to meet up and chat. Jack studied Computer Science before and is now researching AI in New York. Recently, he's considering a job opportunity in Shanghai. He said since he rarely gets back to Taiwan, of course he wanted to eat Taiwanese food. So while we were walking along Zhongxiao East Road looking for a restaurant casually, we saw the old-established Shin Yeh, and I invited him in. After eating, we continued to East District Tea Street. We stayed at the first shop until they closed around midnight, then left. Next, Jack invited a Canadian female netizen he'd never met before to join us for drinks at a second shop. Jack, who has wide-ranging interests, is a very talkative person. He chatted happily in English with this foreign friend. With my poor listening and speaking skills, I could only try my best to keep up. After the second shop also closed, everyone took a short walk together before parting ways. It was quite an interesting night, and thanks to Jack for treating~ Just keep in touch~ :) By Morgan, late night of February 24, 2015.
Location: Taipei, Ruth's Chris Steak House Dazhi Flagship Store Travel note summary: Originally wanted to book at André Chiang's Raw, but it's only open tomorrow night. Called Bencotto at Mandarin Oriental, but it was fully booked. After some thought, I didn't even bother checking Xiang Yun Long Yin. Just went ahead and booked Ruth's Chris in the same Hesmeng Building as Raw—chances of getting a table are definitely highest here. Compared to the Minsheng East Road branch, the Dazhi flagship feels much quieter, but they've put more effort into the decor, with a darker, more沉稳 color scheme. There's even a small bar near the entrance for drinks and chatting. The three of us ordered a few bone-in Prime rib eyes and T-bones, some sides, and lobster soup, plus a bottle of California Beringer red wine. Per person cost was around NT$4,600. Maybe because the portions were too big, leading to some diminishing marginal returns—though the steak was decent, I still feel the Minsheng branch left a stronger impression. Just for reference~ @@ By Morgan, evening of Feb 23, 2015.
Location: Happy Temperature Shabu Shabu, Linkou Travel note summary: Lunch with my older sister and younger brother~ By Morgan @2015.2.23
Location: Very Thai (Thai Cuisine), Zhongyou Store, Taichung Travel note summary: Waited almost two hours to eat, but in the end, the manager treated us to three desserts @@ By Morgan @2015.2.22
Location: Taichung Travel note summary: Wa Cheng Thai Cuisine, Zhongyou Store, Taichung. Waited almost two hours to eat, but the manager treated us to three desserts in the end. @@
Location: Kaohsiung – Cishan, Meinong & Baolai two-day trip Travel notes summary: A two-day trip to Cishan, Meinong & Baolai in Kaohsiung. In Cishan, we visited the old street, Tianhou Temple, Cishan Station, and tried banana egg rolls. In Meinong, we saw Zhongzheng Lake, the flower festival, Dongmen Tower, ate Wu's flat rice noodles, and visited a tobacco barn. In Baolai, we stayed at Corner 26 Villa, enjoyed hot spring baths and Thai cuisine. Although this was a family trip, I revisited many places from my student days—like Zhongzheng Lake, where Guo Xiaoping and I once got lost, and Baolai, which Jinli and I always passed through on our adventures camping along the Southern Cross-Island Highway. Even after all these years, with so much changed and everyone scattered, these memories tucked in my heart remain unchanged. Time moves forward, so let's keep creating new memories. Thanks to my older sister for arranging this trip! By Morgan, evening of Feb 20, 2015.
Location: Kaohsiung one-day trip Travel notes summary: A one-day trip in Kaohsiung. Visited the Kaohsiung Main Public Library, took a solar boat ride on the Love River, saw the Dome of Light at Formosa Boulevard Station, and tried Wu Pao Chun bread. Stayed at Han Hsien Grand Hotel. By Morgan @ Feb 19, 2015.
Location: Kaohsiung Main Public Library Travel note summary: Kaohsiung Main Public Library, solar boat tour on Love River, Formosa Boulevard Station dome, Wu Pao Chun Bakery. Stayed at Han Hsien Grand Hotel.
Location: Kaohsiung, Ah Zhong Seafood Restaurant Travel note summary: Kaohsiung, Ah Zhong Seafood Restaurant.
Location: Taipei, Dongxing Road, EZ Corner Live House Travel note summary: Taipei, Dongxing Road, EZ Corner Live House. This is the shop founded back in the day by Xue Yue and Tong Ange. Manager Liang invited me here tonight to drink and listen to band performances. We opened a bottle of French red wine, ordered two glasses of 15-year-old whiskey, and had some snacks. Total for two was around NT$5,000. Just today, while rereading the manga "Kami no Shizuku," it mentioned that red wine is like the framework of life—it connects many fragments of life, weaving them into stories. Lately, I've been slowly feeling that way too. But what resonated most was: red wine, like life, its flavor is determined by whether it's fulfilling or wasted, thus reflecting different stories and nuances. Just like the final song sung by lead singer Yu Guanhua, "If There Is Still Tomorrow"—living in the present, we can only do our best to treat each day as if it were the last. ~~ By Morgan, evening of Feb 15, 2015.
Location: First visit to EZ Corner Live House, Dongxing Road, Taipei Travel note summary: This is the shop founded by Xue Yue and Tong Ange back in the day. Manager Liang invited me here tonight to drink and listen to band performances. We opened a bottle of French red wine, ordered two glasses of 15-year-old whisky, and had some food—total for two about 5,000. Today, while reading the manga 'The Drops of God' again, it mentioned that red wine is like the framework of life, connecting many fragments and weaving them into stories. I've been slowly feeling that way lately too. But what resonated most with me was: red wine, like life, its flavor determined by whether it's fulfilling or wasted, thus reflecting different stories and nuances. It's also like the final song sung by the lead singer Yu Guanhua: 'If There Is Tomorrow'—living in the present, we must do our best to treat each day as if it were the last~~ By Morgan, evening of February 15, 2015.
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Jin Fu Cafe Travel note summary: This afternoon, I had tea with a student of mine who just graduated from the University of Chicago last year with a master's in financial engineering. He's quite impressive—he earned dual master's degrees from the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago in just two years. We chatted all afternoon, sharing experiences and talking about his recent job search. Time flew by, and it was evening before we knew it. After shaking hands and saying goodbye, I got a sudden phone call and headed off to my next destination. ~ By Morgan on 2015.2.15
Location: Taipei, Yonghe Sihai Doujiang near Longshan Temple Travel note: Yonghe Sihai Doujiang near Longshan Temple in Taipei. Changyu stayed over at our place last night, and we had an early breakfast together this morning. He's off to host an event at Gongguan later. Even on weekends, he's buzzing around. But Changyu and our old dog, A-King, really hit it off. Right after eating, he said he wanted to come back to play with A-King a bit more. Unexpectedly, when he returned and saw the old dog lying on the floor, he changed his tune and said he'd follow A-King's lead and go catch some more sleep instead. They really are kindred spirits... @@
Location: Taipei, Ikari Coffee Travel note summary: My younger brother invited his friend Fumin, who works full-time in trading, along with Boss Loco and me, to have afternoon tea together. We all chatted the whole afternoon and had a great time! ~ By Morgan on 2015.2.14
Location: Helping a friend set up TradeStation Travel notes summary: Helping a friend set up TradeStation. Just got back to Taiwan late at night, which was afternoon in the U.S. (Haven't been back in so long that the community gate lock was changed—almost couldn't get in. Thanks to neighbor Auntie Shen for coming downstairs to open the door for me!). Before I could even rest, I got an email from a new American friend. The issue didn't seem too hard, so I just remotely connected to help him set up TradeStation. This new friend is Jewish, and his wife Debbie is from Hunan. Debbie studied math and has been in the U.S. for over twenty years. Luckily, she speaks Chinese, which saved me a lot of trouble since my spoken English isn't strong. Debbie seemed really happy to have someone to chat with in Chinese after so long—we ended up talking 90% of the time. She said if I ever go to Florida, I should visit them, and she could even introduce me to job opportunities in the U.S., blah blah... In the end, less than 10% of the time was actually spent setting up TS @@ By Morgan @ Feb 14, 2015.
Location: Kaohsiung, Qishan, Meinong, Baolai Travel note: Qishan: Qishan Old Street, Tianhou Temple, Qishan Station, banana egg rolls. Meinong: Zhongzheng Lake, Flower Sea Festival, East Gate Tower, Wu's flat noodles, tobacco houses. Baolai: Stayed at Corner 26 Villa, hot spring bath + Thai cuisine. Although this was a family trip, I revisited many places from my student days. Like Zhongzheng Lake, where Guo Xiaoping and I got hopelessly lost back then, and Baolai, which Jinli and I always passed through on our camping adventures along the Southern Cross-Island Highway. Even after all these years, with things changing and everyone going their separate ways, these memories tucked in my heart never fade. Time moves forward, so let's keep creating new memories. Thanks to my older sister for arranging this trip. ~ By Morgan, evening of Feb 20, 2015
Location: Zhejiang TV's 'Born with Talent' Travel notes summary: Zhejiang TV's 'Born with Talent'. Sometimes, watching some mainland Chinese shows is really interesting. This program is a reality investment show where two celebrities each choose a startup, experience its operations firsthand, then go on the show with the CEO to present, give verbal introductions, and submit the equity they're offering and the funding amount. Then, they face five angel investors who ask all sorts of questions—target market, daily revenue, 'Do you think this market size justifies such a valuation?' Today's two new companies both happened to be food-related. 'I've eaten at your chain restaurant—it's not good...' 'Your semi-prepared dishes are sold in supermarkets—how are you different from them?' ... All kinds of questions, some very sharp, some very practical. You can also look at startups from many angles. Although some parts might be for show, for those in entrepreneurship, you can definitely gain some insights. Interesting~~ :) By Morgan, evening of Feb 8, 2015.
Location: Writing code for someone from Georgia Travel notes summary: Writing code for someone from Georgia. Recently, someone from Georgia (the country in Southwest Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union) contacted me. He wanted me to write a trading program for him. Maybe because we didn't know each other, his initial tone was somewhat half-threatening, saying he used to work at Thinkorswim (a U.S. brokerage) and could code himself, blah blah... Basically, he meant if I couldn't write the program, don't bother fooling him. I guess I can't stand being provoked—seeing that tone, I insisted and told him, 'Let's talk after I finish writing it for you.' So, I spent a few nights and weekends coding, not only completing what he wanted but also adding some elements, giving him more than he originally asked for. Last night, I got his email. He left a comment: 'I am very, very satisfied! You're communicative, responsible and skillful.' and thanked me. Although I sacrificed some rest time, borders don't matter. Maybe I just wanted to hear that final 'Thank you.' :) By Morgan, Feb 6, 2015.
Location: Received a caring letter from a French friend. I was checking my Gmail this morning and saw a message from a friend in Paris, expressing concern about the TransAsia plane crash. Even though I'm not in Taiwan right now, seeing the news still made me a bit sad. After all, there have been an unusually high number of air disasters this year, and Taiwan hasn't been spared either. But getting a caring letter from a friend abroad brought some warmth on this cold day. :) Wishing everyone safety and peace... Best Regards, Morgan @2015.2.5
Location: Tianjin TV "Only You" Travel note: Finally got the TV installed today. Flipping through channels randomly, I happened upon an interesting show. A job seeker goes on stage, facing bosses from twelve major companies—essentially bringing part of the job interview process directly to television. Besides self-introduction and stating desired work, the candidate goes through two rounds of Q&A. Interested bosses review resumes while asking their own questions. If satisfied, they keep their lights on till the end and offer positions their company can provide. When there's good talent, competition naturally arises, with bosses vying for the candidate. Like in "If You Are the One," the job seeker goes up to turn off lights—but here, it's the bosses' lights being turned off. The two remaining bosses then describe more precise salary and benefits, and the candidate can choose to accept or say thanks and goodbye. Regardless of the show's intent or authenticity, it's certainly an interesting idea—bringing the usually unseen interview process to the public, allowing observation of what different bosses focus on when asking questions and how candidates react in response. Both sides offer food for thought. Very interesting~ :p By Morgan on the evening of 2014.10.27
Location: A.M. 4:50 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Travel note: Thinking about it, since leaving Taichung for studies and work, I seem to have been migrating between many cities—Taichung, Tainan, Hsinchu, Shenzhen, Taipei, Shanghai, Taipei. I've stayed in each city for several months to several years. Maybe I'm already used to it; this time leaving Taiwan, my mood didn't fluctuate much. I just feel like I've rested enough and it's time to get up and keep moving... This year's number of gatherings seems to have returned to my student days. Over more than nine months, 155 gatherings—almost one every two days on average. To relatives and friends I've met, please take care. I'm glad to have had the chance to meet everyone and learn about each person's recent situation. To friends I didn't get to meet, I sincerely hope all is well with you! Life is inherently a long journey. Along the way, it's always vast and unknown. Living in the present, we can only move forward step by step, akin to the feeling described in Lin Qiang's song: "The train gradually starts moving, goodbye my hometown and relatives, dear parents goodbye, friends together farewell~" Next stop, back to the old place I stayed in 2007—Shenzhen. Recalling the Movie Mansion I lived in back then (it's been a while, hope I remember correctly). The late President Bai Wenzheng of Polaris once built dormitories and an office there. Time flies; several years have passed in a blink. People and affairs have long changed; only memories remain. This time I'm also going near there, but to the previously unfinished Kingkey 100 (currently temporarily Shenzhen's tallest building). Time always pushes many things forward. Friends already in Shenzhen, let's meet if there's a chance. :) A new journey begins. Let's go. Brush off the dust, perk up the weary spirit. No matter what road lies ahead, we must walk it well. Wishing every relative and friend peace and smooth sailing! Take care!~ By Morgan on the morning of 2014.10.15
Location: Taoyuan Travel note: 4:50 A.M., Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Thinking about it, since leaving Taichung for studies and work, I seem to have been migrating between many cities—Taichung, Tainan, Hsinchu, Shenzhen, Taipei, Shanghai, Taipei. I've stayed in each city for several months to several years. Maybe I'm already used to it; this time leaving Taiwan, my mood didn't fluctuate particularly. I just feel like I've rested enough and should get up and keep moving again... This year's number of gatherings seems to have returned to when I was studying. Over the past nine months, 155 gatherings, averaging less than two days per gathering. To the relatives and friends I met, please take care. I'm glad I had the chance to meet everyone and know how each person is doing~ To friends I didn't have the chance to meet, I sincerely hope everyone is well! Life is originally a long journey. Along the way, it's always vast and unknown. Living in the present, we can only move forward step by step, like the feeling described in Lim Giong's song: 'The train is gradually departing, goodbye my hometown and relatives, dear parents goodbye, friends who accompanied me, farewell~' The next stop is back to the old place I stayed in 2007—Shenzhen. Recalling the Movie Building I lived in back then (it's been a while, hope I remember correctly). The late President Bai Wenzheng of Polaris once built dormitories and offices there. Time flies; several years have passed in a blink. People and things have long changed; only memories remain. This time, I'm also going near there, but it's at the previously unfinished KK100 (currently temporarily the tallest building in Shenzhen). Time always pushes many things forward. To friends already in Shenzhen, let's meet if there's a chance~ :) A new journey begins. Let's go~ Dust off the dust on your body, lift your tired spirit. No matter what road lies ahead, we must walk it well. I also wish every relative and friend peace and smooth sailing! Take care!~ By Morgan on the morning of 2014.10.15
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Niu Dian Man Han Beef Noodles Travel note: Taipei, Ximending, Niu Dian Man Han Beef Noodles. A famous shop that always has a queue every time I pass by. I often see many tourists coming in to eat. Having been in Ximending for almost two years, I've never been inside. Today, I also registered for a number to queue up. The slightly spicy broth, overflowing with aroma, tender beef, paired with elastic ramen noodles, all left a deep impression. In the end, I ate everything clean without leaving a bit. Finally, I can understand why the business is so good~ By Morgan on 2014.10.14
Location: Taichung, Wu Wei Cao Tang Travel note: Today I made a trip back to Taichung. My elementary school classmate Jenny spontaneously invited me for a meal. At noon, we came to this famous restaurant on Gongyi Road. Besides running her own company, Jenny has also ventured into the insurance field. On top of that, she takes care of her two kids and serves as the finance committee member in her community—she's really busy. But today, we just chatted casually about everyday things and enjoyed a leisurely meal. Thanks, Jenny, for treating me! Take care! :) By Morgan on 2014.10.13
Location: Taipei, Man Zhe Die San Dian Travel note: Tonight, my college classmate Naiwen asked me out for dinner, and coincidentally, another college classmate Afu also invited me. What a coincidence—let's eat together! :) We came to this internet-famous spot behind Breeze Center. Naiwen is still a settlement department manager at Goldman Sachs and is preparing for his wedding. Afu finally graduated—he's working at Chunghwa Telecom while also earning his master's degree in computer science from National Taiwan University. After leaving college, everyone really went their separate ways. After chatting for a while, it was about time, so we ended tonight's gathering. Thanks, Naiwen, for treating me and seeing me off, and thanks, Afu, for going out of your way to drive me back to Ximending. Everyone, take care! :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.10.12
Location: Taipei, Daddy's Secret 3rd Shop, Seafood Donburi Travel note: Tonight, my college classmate Naiwen asked me out for dinner, and another college classmate, Afu, also asked me out. What a coincidence, so we all ate together. :) We came to this internet-famous shop behind Breeze Center. Naiwen is still a settlement department manager at Goldman Sachs, preparing for his wedding. Afu finally graduated, working at Chunghwa Telecom while getting his master's in Computer Science from National Taiwan University. After leaving college, everyone really went into different fields. After chatting for a while, it was about time, so we ended tonight's gathering. Thanks to Naiwen for treating me to this farewell meal, and thanks to Afu for going out of his way to drive me back to Ximending. Take care, everyone! :) By Morgan, evening of Oct 12, 2014
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Gen Lai Teppanyaki Travel note: My college classmate and longtime friend Junhong came up from Hsinchu today to see me and also to see me off. Junhong recently transferred internally to a new department at MediaTek established for the Internet of Things, and he might be sent overseas to a subsidiary next year. New challenges, a new beginning—wishing you all the best! After the meal, I took Junhong to Longshan Temple for a massage. Thanks for treating me, Junhong! Take care!!! :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.10.11
Location: Taipei, Façön French Restaurant Travel Notes: Last night, Mr. Liang just returned from his trip to the US. Today, he invited Morgan for a meal, so we came to this French restaurant where we couldn't get a reservation last time. During his US trip, Mr. Liang met a former Iranian finance minister, a self-made billionaire who now has over sixty investment companies. They hit it off immediately and even planned to visit Mr. Liang's company in China next quarter to explore collaboration opportunities. Façön is one of Taipei's well-known French restaurants. Although it hasn't been open for long, the food is quite good. Tonight's set menu included Mediterranean-style green asparagus and fennel salmon, crispy parsley frog legs with pumpkin puree, French mushroom cream soup, and roasted puff pastry with partridge and poached egg in port wine sauce. We had lychee sorbet as a palate cleanser, followed by the main course: French Rossini-style pan-seared duck liver and filet mignon (NT$2,880+10%, about 750 RMB). After dessert and tea, plus two bottles of French red wine totaling over NT$6,000 and water charges, it was another expensive dinner. At the end, Jason, the chef and owner, came over to greet us. As a seasoned foodie, Mr. Liang gave Jason some suggestions. Jason previously worked at Le Palais and Maison de la Truffe, so when I mentioned Chef Ji Dan from Tainan, he recalled meeting him before—Taiwan is always such a small place! Cuisine is both art and life. Everyone pursues different things in life, just like in cooking, but what matters is striving for excellence and living to the fullest. Being able to experience different culinary cultures and share drinks with elders—just enjoy your and my life! Cheers! :) By Morgan, evening of Oct 10, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Solo Pasta Italian Restaurant Travel note: Had lunch with Roger today and talked about a lot of things. We discussed how his team will represent Taiwan in a dragon boat race in Beijing next year, and shared our views on various matters. I also took the opportunity before going abroad to strengthen some insurance coverage. The food at Solo was pretty good—rich cheese, unique orecchiette pasta, refreshing asparagus with onsen egg, and a lemon tart for dessert. A really nice meal. Thanks, Brother Roger, for treating me and seeing me off. Let's stay in touch, take care! :) By Morgan on 2014.10.9
Location: Taipei, Tenkichi Ya Tendon Travel note: Tonight, swdo, a friend I've known for years from the Mengda BBS, asked me out for dinner, mainly to see me off. So after booking my flight and hotel for next Wednesday this evening, I hurried out to meet her near Taipei Station. I listened to swdo share her experiences working at Yuanta Financial, and we chatted about this and that—before we knew it, the restaurant was closing. It's true, life is like the stars Shen and Shang—we meet so rarely. Anyway~ take care! :P By Morgan on the evening of 2014.10.8
Location: Taipei, Second Floor Restaurant (DunNan branch). Tonight I had dinner with Min-Yang, an intern I mentored back in my investment trust days. After finishing his military service this year, Min-Yang joined Cathay as a management associate, starting in the underwriting department before rotating to other units. I thought of another friend, Zheng-Liang, who has worked in various financial sectors—banking, investment advisory, securities proprietary trading, foreign investment trusts, and foreign insurance—so he could probably offer Min-Yang some advice. So the three of us had dinner together, introducing them to each other. Turns out Taiwan is a small place: Min-Yang’s grad school classmate had interned at J.P. Morgan, and as we chatted, we realized Zheng-Liang knew that classmate too. We talked about finance and all sorts of topics—two or three hours flew by. Thanks to Min-Yang for treating me. Youth is your greatest asset—keep pushing forward! :) By Morgan, Oct 6, 2014
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Relax Brunch Travel Notes: This is one of my favorite spots—I come almost every weekend. Today, I had breakfast here with my university classmate Changyu, whom I haven't seen in a while. Changyu has a packed schedule today: from noon to afternoon, he's hosting a singles mixer with over a hundred people, and in the evening, he's volunteering. As for me, I have a meeting with Zihan's team at the World Trade Center around 10 a.m., so we met up for breakfast. We chatted about Changyu's experience as an extra in a TV drama featuring Jacky Wu and G-Pai Mei, his participation in modeling competitions, his work shooting for wedding photography companies, and fun stories from runway shows. Time flew by, and who knows when we'll meet again. Take care, dear classmate—wishing you all the best and more hosting gigs! ^^ By Morgan, Oct 5, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Mita Italian Restaurant & Cicada Tea House. After a morning meeting with senior Zi-Han, Zi-Lin, Zi-Xuan, David, and Yu-Xuan, I went with Zi-Han, Ah-Feng, and Zi-Xuan to eat at Mita on nearby Keelung Road. Mita’s food is quite affordable and solid, and the place was bustling. Thanks to senior Zi-Han for the treat! :) After the meal, I headed to Ah-Feng’s tea shop, Cicada Tea House, across the street on Wuxing Street, to chat with her for a bit. Thanks to Ah-Feng for the lychee honey green tea—it was delicious! ^^ Time to head back to Ximending now. :p By Morgan, Oct 5, 2014
Location: Taipei, Caffe Bene (Korean chain café). After lunch, Wen-Zheng and I came here for afternoon tea. When we entered, it was surprisingly busy—made me wonder if it was really a weekday. Nearly 90% of the customers were women, and there was even a TV crew doing an interview. @@
Location: Taipei, Ma Zhan Tang. At noon, Wen-Zheng invited me to eat near Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Ma Zhan Tang is a fairly well-known spot, and it was packed. Over the meal, we chatted about his recent interviews for finance-related jobs and his recent investment insights. Time flew by. Thanks to brother Wen-Zheng for the treat—wishing you all the best! ^^ By Morgan, Oct 3, 2014
Location: Taipei, Steak Inn. This is another famous steakhouse in Taipei—last time I came was over three years ago. After renovations, the whole place feels fresh and new. Brother Zheng-Liang treated me to lunch here today, partly as a farewell. Since leaving J.P. Morgan for Prudential, Zheng-Liang has been settling in well and developing steadily. Taiwan is so small: when I mentioned recently meeting Roger, he immediately said he knew him because Roger had given a presentation at his unit due to his outstanding performance, so they’d met once. :) We chatted about this and that—time flew by. Steak Inn’s business lunch steak offers great value at 500+10%. Thanks to brother Zheng-Liang for the treat—take care! ^^ P.S.: When I left Steak Inn to meet Sandy and pick up my Taiwan Compatriot Permit, I was waiting at a traffic light on Fuxing South Road when someone suddenly stared at me. Hey—isn’t that Boss Loco? Turns out he was in the area for errands. In this vast sea of people, we ran into each other again. Taiwan really is a small place... By Morgan, Oct 2, 2014
Location: Taipei, N.Y. Bagels Travel Notes: After saying goodbye to Mr. Liang, just as Brother Xiao Ci came up to Taipei to grab a bite with me, we met up with Brother Xiao Ci, Brother Xiao Hei, and his wife, then headed to the Xinyi District to have some food and drinks. Thanks to Brother Xiao Ci for giving me a ride home! That wraps up tonight's plans and also the 23rd dinner gathering of September (I think). By Morgan, evening of Sep 29, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Patrick French Cuisine L'Atelier de Patrick Travel Notes: Mr. Liang just returned from mainland China and is flying to the US tomorrow to check on a startup he recently invested in—Goldman Sachs is also a shareholder. Despite his busy schedule, he made time tonight to have dinner with Morgan and discuss some matters. Our set menu today included beef bone seafood soup, lobster and duck liver terrine, black truffle and champagne mushroom with egg, pan-seared premium US ribeye, dessert, and drinks, plus a bottle of 2006 French red wine. The two of us spent around ten thousand Taiwan dollars. Honestly, Patrick's main course was quite good, especially the medium-rare steak—no blood visible, and the meat was incredibly tender, leaving a deep impression. On a weekday evening, it's a pretty quiet spot for a meal. Not bad! :) By Morgan, evening of Sep 29, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Tea Fate Shabu Shabu Travel Notes: With Brother. By Morgan @2014.9.28
Location: Breeze Taipei Station 2F, Bullfight Steakhouse. Travel note: Had dinner with my older sister and younger brother at Bullfight Steakhouse on the second floor of Breeze Taipei Station. ~ By Morgan @2014.9.28
Location: Taipei Dadaocheng Wharf Travel note: Just Memo~ By Morgan @2014.9.28
Location: Taipei, Chuan He Yakitori Izakaya Travel note: Tonight was the end-of-season dinner with my regular weekly basketball buddies, both old and new. There were 12 of us in total, including Shangli, the boss Qiang Ge, Wang Ge, Uncle Hao, Guoshu, Qiang Ge's companion and cousin, Hao Ge, Menghong, Yaoyao, and me. The food here was pretty good, though the seating was a bit cramped~ @@
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Niugatang Beef Noodles. Travel note: Had lunch with Brother Roger at Niugatang Beef Noodles in Ximending. The broth here is simmered with vegetables and fruits, making it quite sweet and refreshing. ~ By Morgan @2014.9.22
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern Shangri-La Hotel Travel note: Tonight was the wedding banquet of my former investment trust colleague, Eason. Besides catching up with many old colleagues who are now fund managers, I also saw several familiar faces from the IT and trading departments. Over dinner, we exchanged updates while enjoying an elegant and delicious meal accompanied by live music. Of course, the most important thing was seeing the happy couple; I'm genuinely delighted for Eason. Congratulations! Eason! Congratulations~~ :) By Morgan, evening of 2014.9.20
Location: Taipei, Far Eastern Shangri-La Hotel, Eason's Wedding Banquet. Travel note: Tonight was the wedding banquet of my former investment trust colleague, Eason. Besides meeting many old colleagues who are now fund managers, I also saw several familiar faces from the IT and trading departments. At the table, we exchanged some updates while enjoying an elegant and delicious dinner accompanied by live music. Of course, the most important thing was seeing the happy couple, and I genuinely felt happy for Eason. Congratulations! Eason! Congratulations~~ :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.9.20
Location: Taipei, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Xiaoshantang. Travel note: Came here for afternoon tea with silly Xiaomi and Lingwen. ~ By Morgan @2014.9.20
Location: Taipei, Taipower Lidjin Restaurant (Suan Cai Bai Rou Guo) Travel note: Had dinner with my older sister and brother-in-law. Wow, it's truly a famous spot—even in this weather, we had to queue up @@. Thanks to my brother-in-law for treating us to this meal~~
Location: Taipei Nanjing East Road, Jih Sun Financial Holding Headquarters Travel note: In the afternoon, I went to Changchun Road to give my Taiwan Compatriot Permit to Sandy at the travel agency, asking her to help me apply for a two-year multiple-entry visa. With nothing else to do afterward, I went to the nearby Jih Sun Building to chat with my old friend Binghui, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. The last time we met was over three years ago. Binghui has been performing with the Taipei Civic Wind Orchestra, but I don't think I've ever been to listen. ^^a Just chatting about this and that, time passed quickly. Thanks to Binghui for even giving me a Xiaomi power bank. For this long-out-of-stock item, I've lost count of how many webpages I've refreshed. Anyway, Thanks and take care la~~ :) By Morgan on 2014.9.18
Location: Taipei, Arts Yard Cafe Travel note: Senior Lman came up to Taipei from the south and packed his schedule incredibly full—I'm in awe. This gathering at 8:30 PM was his seventh meeting of the day, including a speech at a Jianzhong High School club, and it wasn't even the last one; he had an eighth at 11 PM. Senior is now busy integrating various resources into South Star (https://www.facebook.com/ssxelerator?fref=ts), a startup accelerator he leads, backed by NCKU alumni resources. Besides Qiukang Ge, everyone at this gathering was an NCKU alum: Senior Jianjiang (Industrial Management '87), Xiaowan Jie (Computer Science '90), Jifu (Statistics '89, not sure of the characters), Nick (Business Administration '95), and Steven (Engineering Science '97). Senior Jianjiang, whom I hadn't seen in ages, now teaches marketing at Shih Hsin University, mentoring students. The others are spread across various fields. Thanks to Senior Lman's efforts, South Star's first coached case is Lulu's Hand, a hand-brew coffee dripper created by a team led by NCKU CS Professor Su Wenyu, which has achieved impressive results on the crowdfunding platform FlyingV (https://www.flyingv.cc/project/3615). Many things are hard at the start, but once they get on track, momentum builds quickly. Besides several existing startup teams, South Star has recently been contacted by engineers returning from Silicon Valley and venture capitalists. With team members like the world-renowned OpenSource expert, junior jserv, teaching at NCKU and continuously nurturing Taiwan's next generation of tech talent, plus passionate NCKU professors and students joining through senior's efforts, I believe they will soon become a new force to be reckoned with in Taiwan's startup scene. If change brings progress, more people will naturally join. 'Rooted in Taiwan, eyes on the world'—may Taiwan keep getting better!~~ By Morgan, evening of 2014.9.17
Location: Taipei, Huaxi Street Night Market, Achamo Sweet Soup. Travel note: Uncle Jason came up to Taipei to catch up with his long-unseen Brother Ke, who used to have a stall in Huaxi Street, and also to chat with me about recent happenings. Since Brother Ke had already closed his stall, we sat in front of it and talked. Uncle had just returned from a jewelry exhibition in Inner Mongolia and recently invested in a company that makes robot reducers. I also told Uncle about my future plans. We shared and discussed each other's thoughts until past 11 p.m., then Uncle returned to Hsinchu. Back home, I chatted a bit on Skype with a Vietnamese friend I met on FreeLancer, and it's about time to sleep~~ @@ By Morgan on the evening of 2014.9.16
Location: Taipei, Ximending, UC Table Cafe Travel note: Since Miki left, Roger, who replaced her, came to visit me in Ximending today. Roger is also a very interesting person; he previously worked as a brand manager at Breeze, responsible for packaging and operations of some Breeze brands, including overseas sales of A-Sha Noodles. Over the past year or so, he switched tracks to Prudential. I had a great chat with Roger because we share some common interests and could talk about various things. Thanks again to Brother Roger for the treat~ See you next time~ :) By Morgan, 2014.9.15
Location: Taipei Station Front Stone Hot Pot Travel note summary: Had lunch here today with Xiao Ci, Xiao Yuanyuan, and Xiao Hei and his wife. After wrapping up his collaboration with Tencent's Ma Huateng, Xiao Hei has shifted his focus back to Taiwan. Thanks to Xiao Hei for treating us to this meal! Afterward, we moved to a bubble tea shop in Ximending to continue hanging out. Xiao Hei's card skills are insane—playing double-player Big Two, I barely won a few hands all afternoon. Totally crushed! @@ By Morgan on 2014.9.14
Location: Taipei Charcoal Grill Workshop Travel note summary: Celebrated Xiao Ci's birthday last night with Ricky, Xiao Hei and his wife, Xiao Ci's architect friend Brother Xie, and Xiao Yuanyuan—six adults and one kid. The bill came to over ten thousand. Thanks to Xiao Ci for generously treating us! The charcoal fire brought not only grilled food but, more importantly, warmth among friends!!! Happy Birthday~ Xiao Ci~ :) By Morgan on 2014.9.13
Location: Taipei, Omura Take Yakitori Izakaya Travel note summary: Omura Take Yakitori Izakaya in Taipei. This is a shop tucked away in an alley on Hankou Street. The atmosphere is nostalgic and business is booming. Tonight, I'm having dinner here with my high school classmate from Taichung First Senior High School, Jialiang, and Boss Loco. CL has become incredibly busy since founding g0v (Zero Hour Government) and becoming the 'Village Chief.' It's rare to get a chance to meet him. He just rushed over from a meeting at the Executive Yuan around 6 PM today. Tomorrow he's off to Kaohsiung, and next week he's invited to give a speech in the US. He seems utterly exhausted. Please take care! Who knows when we'll all gather again next time~ But carpe diem~ Let's drink up! Also, a belated happy birthday to my old classmate! Heh~ :P By Morgan, evening of 2014.9.9
Location: Taichung Mayeh Teahouse Travel note summary: Met up with ATTILA, my senior from university club, for tea in the evening. I couldn't attend his wedding banquet before due to other commitments, so we arranged to meet today to catch up. He's been working at AUO in the Central Taiwan Science Park all along, no changes. We chatted about everything—from casual late-night snack runs during our student days to important life perspectives. It was great seeing him again, bringing back many memories. Let's keep pushing forward~ Take care, senior! :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.9.8
Location: Taichung, A-Er Liang Hot Pot Travel note summary: A-Er Liang Hot Pot in Taichung. Having a meal with Dad and Mom for Mid-Autumn Festival~ By Morgan @2014.9.8
Location: Taichung aqua Waterfront Restaurant Travel note summary: Later in the afternoon, continued meeting with Vincent, my senior from First High School, for afternoon tea. He was previously invited by Polaris's Lai Sheng-Tang to mentor turtle traders for a while, then returned to Taichung and resumed his role as a full-time investor. Since both Jiezhi and my senior are full-time traders and live in the 7th Redevelopment Zone—just a street apart on市政北二 and北三—I introduced them. The three of us chatted at aqua until evening. As my senior has long been interested in collecting paintings, he's been spending more time on art transactions lately. Hearing him vividly describe attending auctions at帝圖 and景薰樓 was fascinating. It was great catching up with my senior and old classmate. Thanks to my senior for the treat—hope to see you again next time! :) By Morgan on 2014.9.7
Location: Taichung Heart Soup Curry Travel note summary: Had a meal with my junior high classmate Jiezhi from Weidao in the afternoon. After graduating, we never really had class reunions, so aside from the well-known Boheng, whom I occasionally see on TV interviews or shows about racing, many classmates' updates only come from Facebook, and many have lost touch. Jiezhi and I were the same—we reconnected over three years ago when we coincidentally met during military reserve training. At noon today, as I arrived first and was flipping through the menu inside, I saw someone riding a million-dollar heavy motorcycle, looking cool as he pulled up to the door. When the rider took off his helmet, it was Jiezhi—hard to believe he's almost a father of two, haha~ After eating, Jiezhi invited me to his place in the 7th Redevelopment Zone. From the window, you can see what's said to be Taichung's most expensive development,聯聚信義, with a great view. Jiezhi is currently a full-time investor, managing funds similar to my other friend Wancai. He even has a dedicated server rack at home for market analysis. Catching up with an old classmate is always a joy. Thanks to Jiezhi for the treat—keep in touch~ ^^ By Morgan on 2014.9.7
Location: Taichung, Zhanhua Garden Hall Travel Notes: Taichung, Zhanhua Garden Hall. How long is 28 years? It seems like a very long time, yet it passed by in the blink of an eye. I've known Wenzheng for exactly 28 years, ever since the first day of first grade in elementary school. This bond has continued to this day... After graduating from six years of elementary school, even though Wenzheng and I didn't attend the same middle school, three years later, we both successfully entered Taichung First Senior High School. So sometimes we would run into each other on the Fengyuan Bus. Back then, because Wenzheng's house was close to my old home in Fengyuan—just across the street—on many weekend afternoons, my younger brother, cousin, and I would go to the basketball court in front of Wenzheng's family factory to play basketball with Wenzheng, his brother, and his cousins. Sometimes we'd play until dark. This continued until we graduated high school and left Taichung for universities in the north and south. With Wenzheng later going abroad for graduate school and me working in Hsinchu, Taipei, and Shanghai, it became rare for us to meet. But not seeing each other often doesn't mean our friendship fades. Seeing Wenzheng's happy look today, I'm truly sincerely happy and touched for him. Wenzheng, I wish you and Fangxian continue to create your own beautiful life story~ Congratulations! !! — Changwei
Location: Taipei, King Joy Vegetarian Cuisine (Palatial Vegetarian Cuisine) Travel note summary: King Joy Vegetarian Cuisine (Palatial Vegetarian Cuisine) in Taipei. I still remember several years ago, when my father was still working at the Legislative Yuan, he brought back several boxes of mooncakes someone had given him for Mid-Autumn Festival. One box's name left a deep impression on me: 'King Joy.' However, I didn't know what King Joy sold back then. Coincidentally, many years later, on the eve of this Mid-Autumn Festival while researching vegetarian restaurants, I discovered that after several transformations, the current King Joy primarily offers vegetarian cuisine. Besides set meals for groups, they also have individual set courses. Tonight, I ordered the NT$880+10% set course. It was just okay~ After eating, I came back, replied to an email from a Hong Kong client, and now I'm preparing to return to Taichung early tomorrow morning. Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival in advance~ :) By Morgan, evening of 2014.9.5
Location: Miscellaneous Notes Travel Notes: After afternoon tea, in the evening, Loco, Brother You, and I went to a nearby spot for some snacks. Thanks to Brother You for specially bringing over a Mid-Autumn Festival gift box for me~
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Oyami Cafe Travel Notes: Taipei, Ximending, Oyami Cafe. Jade came to find me for afternoon tea and a chat. The waffles here are pretty good. You came to my side and even treated me—I'm really不好意思~ Anyway, thanks! :)
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Starbucks Travel Notes: Taipei, Ximending, Starbucks. In the evening, I had a small gathering here with Brother Shilu, Senior Youbin, Brother Quanhao, Zhiming, Xiaoxian, Brother Zheguang, Sister Shujuan, and their high school daughter Lala. We chatted until the store closed, ending the day and also my 21st meal gathering in August~@@ By Morgan at 2014.8.31 evening
Location: Taipei, Qsquare, Le Blé d'Or Travel Notes: Taipei, Qsquare, Le Blé d'Or. University classmate Naiwen recently transferred back to Taiwan from Goldman Sachs (Gaohua) in Beijing and gathered everyone for a meal. Time flies—it's been several months since we last met in Beijing. Today, Xiaomier, Lingwen, Xingjian, Ayong's whole family were also there. Naiwen and her boyfriend also brought the good news that they're getting married next February~ Congratulations! Let's meet again :)
Location: Taipei, Joyce East Italian & French Cuisine Travel note summary: Joyce East Italian & French Cuisine in Taipei. This afternoon, I went to the Xinyi District to discuss a case with Senior Zihan. Afterwards, in the evening, I arranged to have dinner with Senior Jianding, who works nearby in the Taipei 101 building. Joyce East is right next to Fa La Qi, very close to Peony Garden where I ate last week. Their evening set courses start at NT$2,000+10%. Tonight, we both chose U.S. dry-aged New York strip steak as our main course. I ordered mine medium-rare, while Senior tried medium. Chatting about all sorts of things with Senior Dwight—one moment about his technical improvements to the company's bug tracking system, the next about his business trip experience to Budapest, Hungary in June, and then even about light novels like Sword Art Online. Over three hours flew by quickly~ Very happy to chat and dine with Senior here~ Also took the opportunity to test the camera function of my newly bought Redmi Note; the results seem pretty good~ But the most surprising thing today was realizing how incredibly small Taiwan is. Tonight, I added Jade, who commissioned Senior Zihan for the case, on Facebook. Chatting with her, I found out she actually knows Junior ct Jinting, even lived in the same building before, and is quite familiar with her recent situation~ And it turns out I had met Jade's colleague Jeff many years ago. After going around in a big circle, everything is connected. Even Senior Jianding, who had dinner with me tonight, of course knows ct. So it's like a game of connect-the-dots, everything can be linked together~ Just have to say, what an interesting day~~ :P By Morgan, evening of 2014.8.29
Location: Taipei, Shang Cheng San Jia (Crocodile Meat Hot Pot) Travel note: My younger brother came to have a meal with me~ This hot pot restaurant originally opened in Yilan, and their new branch in Ximen has a nice atmosphere. They even have crocodile meat to try~ :p
Location: Keelung, Provence Community Travel note: Today, I followed Brother Quanhao and Sister Caijia to visit Brother Shilu in Keelung. The view here is great—you can see Keelung Island directly. Besides our group, many of Brother Shilu's friends also came~ I met some new friends and learned some new things~ It was a fun afternoon~ :)
Location: Taipei, Peony Garden High-End Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Peony Garden High-End Japanese Cuisine in Taipei. Having dinner with President Liang tonight, also discussing my trip to mainland China to help him at the end of the year. Originally, I wanted to book ibuki (by a Michelin two-star chef) upstairs in the Shangri-La Hotel, but President Liang said he's eaten there too many times, so I changed the reservation to this high-end Japanese restaurant under the Hachioji group in the Xinyi District. Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the restaurant, President Liang realized he had actually been here several times before, just never knew it was called Peony Garden :P Luckily, President Liang had only come for lunch before; this evening visit gave him a much better impression and evaluation than previous times. Omakase for two, plus a bottle of red wine, cost over ten thousand NT dollars (2,500+ RMB). President Liang really liked one dish combining Taiwanese soft squid and Hokkaido sea urchin (uni); we ended up ordering six plates of it. Other items like red seabream (horsehead fish), beef tongue, sweet shrimp nigiri, grilled beef, or even deep-fried small black flounder from Hokkaido where you can eat the bones, all left a good impression. The ingredients here mainly come from Taiwan or are imported from Japan (Tokyo Bay). The level of refinement is quite pleasing to the eye, including the restroom :P Also, Chef Ah-Bin is quite interesting, chatting casually with us. Overall, it's a rather capable restaurant, no wonder it can compete in this prime location next to Taipei 101~ By Morgan, evening of 2014.8.23
Location: Taipei, Hongtai World Building Travel note: Senior Youbin invited me here for tea and a chat this afternoon~
Location: Taipei, Ximending, 1861 Cafe Travel note: Brother Kang, who now works as an editor at Money Magazine, was very interested in the story of Brother Wancai that I introduced last time. So, I arranged this dinner tonight for them to meet and become friends. We chatted about all sorts of things—Brother Wancai's experience in professional trading and managing family funds, Brother Kang's idea for commercialization, Brother Wancai's recent trip to Shanghai to open a securities account, Brother Kang's boss's live trading show online... It was another interesting evening, and thanks to Brother Kang for treating!~ Time to go back and finish the finale of the Japanese drama 'Reversal Battle'~ :p
Location: Ximending, Taipei - Hanwoo Village Korean Cuisine Travel note: My good friend Pige, who just sold a house in Yonghe and has some free time, came to have lunch with me today. We originally planned to eat somewhere farther away, but after driving to Banqiao and asking at a random Tonkatsu house only to find they had no seats until almost 2 PM, plus difficulty finding parking, we took a drive and ended up back in Ximending for our meal. I kind of tagged along and got treated by Pige—thanks a lot! ^^ By Morgan on 2014.8.19
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Sunny Cafe Travel note: 'Every encounter in life is an extension of fate.' Today, I met with Senior Minhong from the same research lab in grad school, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. He took time after a meeting at the Taipei headquarters (he came up from Kaohsiung) to specially drop by Ximending to chat with me. Senior Minhong now works in the relatively new cloud computing department at Formosa Plastics. This meeting was about their company's recently introduced CRM system. We chatted casually—about his experience of being stationed in Shanghai for over a year, traveling around to promote automated warehouse systems at many vendors, about Hadoop technology related to Big Data, about his recent preparations for the PMP (Project Management Professional) exam... Listening to the rain outside, a relaxed afternoon just passed by. Thanks again to Senior for the treat~ Hope to see you again next time~ :) By Morgan on 2014.8.18
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Mong Kok Stone Hot Pot Travel note: I was starving, thanks to my little brother for treating me~~
Location: Taipei, Siam Kitchen Thai Cuisine Travel note: Almost ended up eating at three different Cantonese dim sum restaurants in a week again. Luckily, we switched to Thai food instead~~ @@
Location: Taipei, Xi Hu Ren Jian Tea House Travel note: This week, I happened to meet up with friends from elementary, junior high, and university separately. Xi Hu is a branch under the Ding Wang group. Tonight, I had dinner here with my old classmate Hao-Ting from Wei Dao. Hao-Ting is now the finance manager of a listed company and helped with their successful IPO on the stock exchange last year. He's facing some new opportunities and choices recently, so he wanted to meet up and hear my thoughts. We talked about future industry trends, Taiwan's economic situation, and things we've encountered lately... After all, we've been friends for over twenty years, so the conversation was very relaxed and comfortable. We started at six and chatted until past nine before reluctantly ending. Thanks again to Hao-Ting for the treat! Good Luck and Keep in touch! ~ :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.8.15
Location: The Information Explosion Era Travel note summary: The Information Explosion Era. I haven't finished the books I bought from Tenlong before, and new books from Books.com.tw have already arrived. It's truly an era of crazy information explosion—knowledge just keeps piling up endlessly~ Orz By Morgan @2014.8.15
Location: Taipei, Fullon Hotel Taipei Yeong Shin, Yu Zhen Xuan Cantonese Dim Sum Travel note: Had dinner tonight with my university seniors, Jian-Ding, Zong-Xian, and Yu-Zhi. Last time I was here for breakfast; today it's the Cantonese dim sum on the second floor. Senior Dwight now works at the company that developed Ubuntu, on the 40-something floor of Taipei 101. Senior Yu-Zhi, who has an FRM certification, works at EY (formerly Ernst & Young), one of the Big Four accounting firms, in the World Trade Center building in Xinyi District. As for Senior Zong-Xian, he's still at Advantech, commuting between Taipei and Linkou. We chatted about all sorts of things, listening to Senior Dwight share his experience using servers to mine Bitcoin and stories about his boss, Mark Shuttleworth, who became the world's second self-funded space tourist. We also exchanged recommendations for some good restaurants in Xinyi District. After the meal, we went to the Ku Cha Zhi Jia across the street for a little extra snack. Time just flew by~ A very happy and spontaneous evening~ See you next time, seniors! :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.8.12
Location: Ximending, Taipei - Butterfly 1525 Green Tea House Travel note: While reading Money magazine recently, an article discussing actual expense insurance reminded me that my ten-year term policy is about to expire. So I contacted my elementary school classmate Jenny to help draft a new policy. Jenny hasn’t been in this new career path for long, but during our last meal together, I could feel her passion. Even though she might still lack some experience, she’s working hard to make up for it. Plus, we’ve known each other for almost thirty years, so I decided to entrust her with this new policy. And it’s also a chance to catch up with an old friend over a meal—that seems important too. As for the policy... well, better not to need it......@@ By Morgan @2014.8.12
Location: Ximending, Taipei - Taipei Milk King Travel note: I was reading a Tang dynasty novel by Yueguan, 'Drunken Pillow Rivers and Mountains,' when I suddenly got a call from MFT senior. He said he happened to be in Ximending and asked me out for a drink and chat. So we found a place to sit and catch up. It had been a while since I last saw him. Senior recently wants to leave the tech industry and switch to tourism or other fields, so he shared his thoughts with me. Then we chatted about all sorts of things—from Imq senior starting his own business doing data mining with phone survey data, to Ronghua's corporate bonds, and soon to Xianlong senior who’s getting married in Shanghai next year... We talked for three hours until the shop was about to close. Back home, I jotted this down briefly—time to sleep~~ By Morgan @2014.8.10
Location: Taichung, Chungyo Department Store, Jing Yue Cantonese Dim Sum Travel note: Father's Day gathering~~
Location: Taipei - Second Visit to Bulgarian King Restaurant Travel note: Besides the unforgettable swordfish belly, this time we also ordered the lamb we missed last time because we were too full. The shoulder meat of New Zealand lamb, seasoned with spices, was fragrant and delicious—after eating it, Morgan could only describe it as Excellent. Compared to the beef here, the lamb was truly outstanding and left a deep impression on me. Since this was our second visit, the Bulgarian owner Krastyu treated us to Bulgarian brandy (a high-alcohol distilled wine) after the meal. Tonight, four of us opened three bottles of Bulgarian red wine, from light to deep—another night where just the wine bill exceeded ten thousand (2,500+ RMB). Carpe diem, I guess...... By Morgan on the evening of 2014.8.7
Location: Taipei, Eslite Xinyi Store - The Library Travel note: My younger brother wanted to introduce a friend of his to me. Coincidentally, my senior Zihan also asked me to come to his company near the World Trade Center in the afternoon to discuss a project. So, I arranged to meet my brother at Eslite Xinyi. After that, I could just head over to the next spot. His friend studied in Europe and has worked for many large multinational corporations. Recently, he had some new ideas, so we got to know each other and exchanged thoughts. Afterward, I continued on to Senior Zihan's company to keep offering my opinions. What a busy afternoon running around. The number of gatherings this year has quietly surpassed a hundred... Orz
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Bikanen Japanese Restaurant Travel note: After Xingjian got off work, he came to join us for dinner here. It's been a while since I last came, and the place is still as bustling as ever.
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Fun Lego Travel note: Junhong took the afternoon off today and came up from Hsinchu to see me. After taking him to pray at Longshan Temple, we looked for a place to have afternoon tea. This is a composite dining spot with a Lego theme.
Location: Taipei - Sheraton Hotel, Anton's French Cuisine Travel note: Tonight, through Jason, I was introduced to his good friend Brother Guo and met General Manager Liang. Besides being the GM of an IoT company, Brother Guo is currently the Secretary-General of the Taiwan IoT Alliance, often traveling between both sides of the strait. As a National Chiao Tung University alumnus, he recently returned to his alma mater to pursue dual PhDs in Technology Management and Computer Science—a very interesting and talkative person. As for Anton's, it's quite a famous restaurant in Taipei. My set menu included an amuse-bouche, abalone and scallop salad, pan-seared foie gras, beef consommé, Boston lobster, Provence lamb chop, molten chocolate cake, and tea pastries ($3,900+10%) (1,000 RMB). Overall, in terms of plating creativity, it didn’t seem as stunning as the Landis Paris 1930, feeling more conventional, but the quality of the ingredients was quite good. The four of us also opened two different Australian red wines. Over the evening, we exchanged a lot of ideas—quite rewarding. But after returning home, I couldn’t relax; I kept busy handling and setting up some programs while discussing and arranging things via Skype with a Vietnamese tech expert I recently met on FreeLancer. Only now do I have time to sort and upload photos. Time to sleep—next week is another busy start...... By Morgan on the evening of 2014.7.27
Location: Taipei, Zhongshan North Road, Ke Zhan Stir-fry Restaurant Travel note: It's been so long since I had stir-fry~ :p
Location: Taipei, Tenlong Bookstore Travel note: Buying books to learn new technology...
Location: Hsinchu, Gyumachi Japanese Yakiniku Buffet Travel Note: My uncle Jason, who just returned from the US, invited me to hike Feifeng Mountain this afternoon. After watching the third episode of 'Jinyi Night Walk' by Yueguan, I headed from Taipei to Hsinchu. As soon as I arrived, it started raining, so we changed plans and went back to his place for tea. Uncle originally transited through Beijing from the US, but while waiting at the airport, he coincidentally met the general manager of Taiwan's largest red coral jewelry brand, Qili, for the China region. They ended up becoming friends, and he even changed his itinerary to join Qili's group for a jewelry exhibition in Harbin organized by Russians—such a backpacker spirit! From this trip, Uncle gained some new insights, so he shared and discussed them with me today. We chatted from afternoon till evening, moving from his home to Fashion Cafe and then to the yakiniku place. For dinner, I also invited my college friend Junhong to join us. Another fulfilling day—now heading back to Taipei... By Morgan, evening of July 19, 2014.
Location: Taipei Monsieur L Italian-French Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei Monsieur L Italian-French Cuisine. This restaurant was recommended to me by swdo. Tonight, Mr. Liang invited me for dinner, so I chose this place to try. Mr. Liang met with his old friend Vincent, who retired from Morgan Stanley, yesterday for a meal and talked for over four hours, coming up with some new ideas and plans. He shared and discussed them with me during our dinner tonight. Monsieur L's dinner offers three price points: 1380, 1780, and 2180 (+10%). Besides the set menu, I also ordered their famous tomahawk pork chop ($680+10%). The set included seared yellowfin tuna with avocado mousse, beef consommé with oxtail cheese ravioli, grilled 5oz USDA Prime ribeye cap (+380), blackberry ice cream with lemon crisp and orange blossom cream, and chamomile tea with petit fours after the meal. The food was quite decent, but the wine pricing was a bit on the higher side, with basic options starting above 2K. Tonight, we opened an Australian red wine, Wallace, which was smooth. The head chef here was poached from the Marco Polo Restaurant at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel as a sous chef. Overall, it's a restaurant with good value for money, and the service staff were acceptable. This is indirectly reflected in the fact that even though it's hidden in an alley in Minsheng Community and hasn't been open for long, business is not bad~ Not Bad~ :) As I was leaving, I glanced around and noticed they use the Chef Touch餐饮系统 developed by my senior Jidan from Tainan. I last saw it at Truffles House. I didn't expect the owner here to also know Senior Jidan. Taiwan is really small... @@ By Morgan on the evening of 2014.7.18
Location: Taipei, Fu Jun Hai Yue Hotel, BNI Breakfast Meeting Travel note summary: Taipei, Fu Jun Hai Yue Hotel, BNI Breakfast Meeting. This morning, invited by my graduate school classmate Mengsheng, I attended the BNI Changfa chapter breakfast meeting. From around 6 a.m. until almost noon, I met quite a few new friends. BNI is a global organization—I only knew about it because Brother Yicheng mentioned it before, but this was Morgan's first time attending. It mainly works through a referral system where members take turns speaking, introducing each other's businesses and expertise. This way, everyone gets to understand each other's professional fields and can refer business and orders accordingly. Each meeting also allocates a longer time slot for members to give detailed presentations about the products or services they represent. Getting business introductions from people you know is much more efficient than seeking them out yourself! In short, that's the basic idea behind BNI, so each chapter only has one representative per professional field. This morning, over forty members or guests attended the Changfa chapter meeting, meaning I got to meet friends from all walks of life: including LED lighting, offshore wealth management, hairstylists, travel agencies, insurance agents, jewelry design, BMW/Mercedes imports, interior decoration, website/APP development, furniture decor, gift design, florists, restaurants, study abroad services, beauty care, tea industry, souvenir gifts, aromatherapists, accountants, land administration agents, lawyers, planning/photography, bank loans... even a magician! Once everyone gets familiar with each other, it becomes easy to generate cross-industry business referrals or various collaborative partnerships. It's a pretty great business networking model—the only downside is probably having to wake up so early :P Anyway, this time I attended as a guest at the BNI meeting, just a simple record~ Thanks again to Brother Mengsheng for the invitation. By Morgan @2014.7.17
Location: Taipei, Royal Hotel, Zhongshan Japanese Cuisine Travel Note: My older sister and brother-in-law came up from Linkou to have a meal with me and my younger brother. I thought about it and remembered that the Royal Hotel's Japanese afternoon tea is quite famous, so we decided to meet here. It turned out to be pretty good—a nice spot for a light bite rather than a full meal! :)
Location: Badminton Travel Note: A new season has started! Several new players joining this season are from the Lions Club—some work in water purification systems, some produce paper boxes, and one is a practicing lawyer... But no matter where they come from, we're all gathered here because of a shared interest. Let's just play ball together! ^^
Location: Taipei Regent Hotel Robin's Steak House Travel note summary: Taipei Regent Hotel Robin's Steak House. The seventh gathering in five days. Tonight, I ordered the Wood-Fired Grilled Ribeye Steak ($2,500+10%) (650 RMB), paired with a Californian red wine - Robert Mondavi. The steak at Regent Hotel differs from other high-end steakhouses mainly in that it comes with a fresh salad bar + dessert bar gathered from various places, available for unlimited servings. But its steak is no slouch either. The perfect cooking temperature, with a slight hint of wood aroma, fully brings out the flavor of the American beef. Finally, sprinkled with a bit of French fleur de sel, it leaves a delightful aftertaste and can be considered satisfying, leaving a good impression~ :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.7.9
Location: Taipei Travel Note: 2014 Entrepreneurship Gathering & AAMA Taipei Cradle Plan Annual Conference. I haven't attended a lecture in a while, but today's theme of hardware-software integration caught my interest, so I invited Vic, who's also in the midst of starting a business, to join me. The day-long agenda featured speakers from Google, Microsoft, MediaTek, ASUS, Haier... It should be a fulfilling day! :)
Location: Taipei Jintai Canteen Seafood Rice Bowl Travel note summary: Taipei Jintai Canteen Seafood Rice Bowl. Tonight, I had dinner with Brother Wancai, whom I haven't seen in a long time. I met Brother Wancai in Shanghai. At that time, he won the championship in the Greater China Investment Competition and was invited from Taiwan to Shanghai to receive the award. I was working in Shanghai then and got to know him. I still remember Brother Wancai's heartfelt speech at that time, which moved many in the audience. He was also invited by Zhou Xiaoling, the then general manager of Polaris Futures, to work at Polaris. In the blink of an eye, many years have passed. Now, Brother Wancai is a full-time investor, managing their family fund. We chatted about recent updates over dinner. Brother Wancai shared his thoughts on recent investment operations and after reading some books. I learned that he is going to Shanghai this weekend to open an account and invest in A-shares, so I also shared some insights from my previous research on A-shares with him. Although we rarely meet, whenever we do, we always have a lot to talk about. I guess we are quite compatible~ :P Anyway~ Keep in touch, my dear friend! :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.7.8
Location: Taipei Chaba Bubble Tea Shop Travel note summary: Taipei Chaba Bubble Tea Shop. Senior Lman came up from Tainan today to discuss matters. Later, he found Morgan, a friend who graduated from NTU and now works at a network storage equipment company (Thecus? If I heard correctly), and two juniors, Rongzhan and Taishan, from the NCKU Department of Business Administration Class of '95 and Department of Mechanical Engineering Class of '95, to go to the East District Tea Street for some tea and chat~ The last time I came to this shop was for playing cards late at night; this time, it's to meet new friends~ By Morgan @2014.7.7
Location: Taipei Ikki New Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei Ikki New Japanese Cuisine. In the evening, I went to help Mr. Liang with his computer. After that, we just found a random restaurant nearby for dinner. The Wowprime Group果然 wins with its value for money. Two people, plus a bottle of American red wine, cost less than three thousand dollars (700 RMB). The food and service were both quite good~ By Morgan @2014.7.7
Location: Taipei, Sanzhi Qianshui Bay, Le Coq Cafe Travel Note: Today's third stop! After leaving City Hall by MRT, passing through Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station, I remembered my younger brother had asked me to lunch, but I already had plans. So I asked if he wanted dinner instead, and unexpectedly, it ended up with me, my brother, and his friend who just started working in telecom software. The three of us headed to the North Coast. Many cafes here offer sea views, so we randomly picked one and ordered some snacks. When I returned to Ximending and walked in, I coincidentally received a call from my good friend Junhong. We talked for an hour, and he shared updates about his recent work at MediaTek. After encouraging each other, this somewhat fulfilling day came to an end~ @@
Location: Taipei, Le Blé d'Or (Eslite Xinyi Store) Travel note summary: Today I met up with classmates from the NCKU Institute of Information Management at Le Blé d'Or. Some have changed jobs, but most are still in similar roles—TSMC, Winbond, Chunghwa Telecom, foreign packaging and testing firms, foreign e-commerce companies, Franders, those who started their own software firms plus real estate, National Applied Research Laboratories, teaching at Taipei College of Business, or being a homemaker... Taiwan really is small. Yihua’s husband now works at Intel, but he mentioned that when he was at Realtek, he ran into my former colleague Shizhuan, and they were quite close. I took the chance to ask about Shizhuan’s recent situation—it’s been so long since I last saw him. We all graduated in 2004, and this year marks exactly ten years. Seeing a few old classmates I haven’t met in ages was truly heartwarming, but time really flies—ten years feels like just a day. @@
Location: Azabu Sabo (Banqiao Store), Taipei Travel Notes: After our lunch gathering in Taipei, everyone went their separate ways. Chao-Hong asked me to continue with afternoon tea, along with his university classmate who currently works at Chunghwa Telecom Research Institute and his fiancée. So we moved here to continue our hangout. Chao-Hong now works for a foreign company in Canada, earning Canadian dollars, but his job is more like SOHO, giving him a lot of freedom. While chatting, Chao-Hong suddenly mentioned my university senior and Industrial Management graduate school classmate, Yi-Xin. After returning to Tainan from ITRI, he took on many APP projects but struggled to find people to help or develop them. There's also some funding waiting to be utilized, but it hasn't been properly integrated. After hearing this, I thought of some friends or resources in Tainan. Maybe next time I'll introduce them to Brother Yi-Xin to see if they can help each other. Although it was just a casual conversation, sometimes connections and mutual assistance between people happen unexpectedly. We'll never know, right?
Location: Taipei, ChinaPa Bar & Restaurant Travel note summary: After dinner, Manager Liang invited me to continue the night here, as today is also the 70th birthday of one of his good friends, celebrated at this spot. China Pa used to be on Anhe Road but later moved to its current location on the 11th floor of Core Pacific City. The interior has a nightclub vibe, offering food and drinks along with live singing performances in the evening. Tonight featured a singer who usually performs at casinos in Macau. As soon as we sat down, I saw the table already filled with bottles of French wine (Dourthe). Manager Liang’s friends are indeed interesting people—including the second generation of Ta Feng Tire, the son of a former finance minister, Lions Club members, lawyers... but the most surprising was the elder celebrating his 70th birthday. As the music started, he, more energetic than any young person, jumped onto the dance floor, swaying vigorously and dancing with the girls nearby, making everyone completely forget his age—truly astonishing. A wonderful night, listening to rhythmic music and drinking with a group of fascinating elders. Life is like this; all we ask is to live it without waste... By Morgan on the evening of June 28, 2014.
Location: San Hua, High-End Japanese Cuisine, Taipei Travel Notes: This is a restaurant located on Jianguo North Road, Section 2. The previous tenant was an Italian restaurant, but after the owner of San Hua Textile took over, it was converted into a Japanese restaurant. It hasn't been open long, only about eight months. The head chef is Chef Shi, who was poached from Shin Tokyo. He's a bit shy but quite friendly. Dinner Omakase starts at 2500 TWD (600 RMB). Tonight, we also ordered a bottle of Australian red wine. The decor shows the owner's attention to detail: besides chairs made from cow neck leather (each costing 80,000 TWD), the counter is built from a single piece of wood. Combined with Guanyin Mountain stones and North Coast rock salt, it creates a simple yet quality dining atmosphere. Although many ingredients aren't imported, the locally sourced Taiwanese ones offer good quality and value for money. Paired with excellent service, it's a Japanese restaurant that leaves a positive impression. :)
Location: First Visit to King Restaurant (Bulgarian Wine), Taipei Travel Notes: J.W. Teres is the name of the first Bulgarian king fascinated by wine, so Krastyu, the Bulgarian owner who loves wine, named this restaurant 'King.' It's located in an alley on Siwei Road, surrounded by many high-end restaurants. This is a no-menu restaurant; you order based on the server's verbal description of today's dishes. Tonight, we ordered yogurt zucchini, vegetable platter, swordfish belly, New York strip steak, and more. This is also the only restaurant in Taiwan that imports Bulgarian wine, so out of the total bill of over 15,000 TWD (3,500 RMB), more than 12,000 was for wine. We ended up trying three bottles of Bulgarian red wine. Actually, Bulgaria has a winemaking history of thousands of years, making it an ancient wine-producing country. Although its latitude is similar to Bordeaux, its continental climate is warmer, creating different terroir conditions. After swirling the glass a few times, I couldn't wait to let the nectar envelop my tongue. Although it's not as smooth as other red wines, you can still sense a deep fruity aroma. Paired with a bite of the white cheese the owner treated us to, the marriage of the two sparked another wave of flavor... Overall, this is a quite unique restaurant in Taiwan. The food follows a simpler, fresher style, combining Southeast European cuisine with ingredients from various places, including Taiwan (today's fresh swordfish was from Donggang). So when coming here, it's best to order a bottle of wine and ask the owner to prepare some cheese and sausages to go with it, then relax and enjoy an evening with friends. Enjoy your life, Cheers! :)
Location: Empire Steakhouse (SONOMA), The Howard Plaza Hotel Taipei Travel Notes: Previously, while having dinner with Uncle Jason, we happened to chat about another friend of mine, Brother Mu, who, like him, achieved financial freedom in his forties. He was very interested and said we should all meet sometime. So, I invited both of them for dinner tonight. I learned about Empire Steakhouse from Xiang-Qin's comment on my Facebook, as I remembered Brother Mu had commented that he wanted to try it. So, we decided on this place for tonight. Later, I looked it up and found that Chef Deng Yougui had once presided here. The term 'Old Glutton Steak' (the cap of the ribeye) also originated here. So, without hesitation, I ordered their Old Glutton Steak to try (à la carte 1980+10%) (500 RMB). Brother Mu felt that for this price, it was worth it, but not as good a value as the other steakhouse I took him to last time. Personally, I thought tonight's meat quality and cooking were decent, just slightly lacking in sweetness. Of course, compared to later visits to A-Cut at Ambassador Hotel, Prime168 at Victoria, or Danny & Company that Chef Deng opened after going independent, the presentation and service level are also a bit behind (this is only compared to restaurants Chef Deng presided over; others like Ruth's Chris, Lawry's, Red House, Ya Shi, Zhan Mei, Lian Yi... are not considered). I think these differences probably stem from business disparities, as compared to these newcomers, the old-timer Empire seems much lonelier, especially on a weekday night when it seemed like we were the only table. Although quiet, it felt a bit too empty. Anyway, honestly, its steak is still up to standard, but the surrounding accompaniments not keeping up also dims the steak's shine. It's really a pity...@@
Location: Chen, Top-Tier Japanese Cuisine, Taipei Travel Notes: Tonight, Morgan introduced two elders. Since I'm usually in charge of choosing the gathering spot, after some thought, I picked Chen, which was originally a private club. Besides a few counter seats, the rest are all private rooms, making it perfect for chatting and discussing matters. Also, because Chen is located in a basement near Keelung Road and Zhongxiao East Road, it's very quiet and not well-known, so it's easier to get a reservation on weekend nights. But the ingredients inside are not careless either. The evening set menu comes in three options: 1500, 2000, and 2500. The three of us all ordered the 2500 Dingding set (600 RMB). The set menu is omakase style, so the chef decides based on the day's ingredients, making it a kind of omakase. It includes appetizer, salad, sashimi platter, three main courses, nigiri sushi, soup, dessert, and fruit. Overall, while not comparable to some top-tier kaiseki or sushi specialty restaurants, it still maintains a certain level of quality. The meal flowed smoothly and was just right. We also ordered an additional bottle of red wine and five pots of sake (approx. 3000 TWD). Note: Although the alcohol selection here isn't vast, compared to Sasa Sushi, it has daiginjo, red wine, white wine, whiskey, etc., so there are choices. In terms of overall spending, it's moderate—not too much, not too little. Given the private room atmosphere, ingredients like sea urchin, bluefin tuna, grilled crab, red snapper, beef... are all quite refined. Combined with decent service, I didn't see any major issues. But honestly, there weren't any overwhelming surprises either. However, the dining environment created is, in my opinion, worth the price. Just for reference. P.S. It's basically reservation-only, so it's best to call ahead for a reservation. (02) 27657688
Location: Taipei, Ximending Red House & Shibuya Walkway Travel note summary: Tonight, senior Zihan and his friend were meeting in Ximending and asked if I wanted to join to meet new people. Since it was nearby, after watching the movie 'Egg Fried Rice' (starring Huang Bo) on PPS, I grabbed an umbrella and headed out. Bozhang is a junior from the NCTU Institute of Technology Management, a friend of senior Zihan. Since it was our first meeting, we weren’t sure what to talk about. He mentioned he’s recently been interested in forex algorithmic trading and joined a group. I recalled what Vic told me a while ago and casually guessed, 'Is it Forex Youth Army?' He immediately said, 'Yes! How did you know?' Well, I just guessed randomly and actually got it right :P But that opened up the conversation. Bozhang currently works at a real estate consulting firm but has his own ideas and plans, and is very driven. Recently, Morgan has had many opportunities to meet new friends from various fields, gaining a lot from these interactions. Exchanges between people are both casual chats and learning experiences :) By Morgan on the evening of June 10, 2014.
Location: Taipei STAY - Simple Table Alleno Yannick French Cuisine (Michelin 3-Star Chef) Travel Note Summary: On Tuesday, I came to the Taipei 101 area to eat at Din Tai Fung, which has a Michelin star in Hong Kong. Tonight, I'm here to dine at STAY (4th floor), opened by French Michelin 3-star chef Yannick. Among Taipei restaurants, besides the Robuchon I tried last time (Taipei L’ATELIER de Joël Robuchon), another one with three-star credentials is this STAY. Chef Yannick came to Taiwan in late May to adjust the menu, so what I'm having tonight is the new seasonal dishes. My set tonight included Japanese sea urchin mousse, clarified chicken consommé, slow-fried Japanese deep-sea sea bream, US prime ribeye cap, post-meal French petits fours, and a deconstructed tiramisu. Coincidentally, sitting diagonally across from me tonight were Patty Hou and her husband with two friends (if I didn't recognize them wrongly). Like some high-end restaurants, STAY uses tablets for their wine list. Compared to Robuchon, the selection has a slightly higher proportion of premium wines, with fewer red wine options under 4000 TWD. Tonight, I chose a red wine from Chateau Landat in France, which was quite smooth. The server was a lovely young woman who just moved over from A-Cut, very friendly and sweet, which added to the pleasant dining atmosphere :) Overall, because STAY is located in the open-plan 101 building with its entrance directly facing outside, it does lack somewhat in terms of privacy and personal space. But they have arranged plenty of sand...
Location: Taipei, Howard Plaza Hotel, 12th Floor Star River Hall Travel note summary: At noon, an elder came to visit, and we went nearby for some casual Chinese cuisine. Howard Plaza is a somewhat faded hotel, but the view here is actually quite nice, overlooking the Tamsui River. Some dishes, like pumpkin rice noodles and boneless chicken with oil dressing, aren’t bad either.
Location: Taipei Ben Teppanyaki & Japanese Cuisine_Premium Teppanyaki Travel Note Summary: Taipei Ben Teppanyaki & Japanese Cuisine_Premium Teppanyaki. Tonight I was originally going to attend a lecture held by Jih Sun, which featured a well-known blogger Wen who is also an alumni from NCKU. But Director Liang returned from mainland China today and suddenly asked Morgan out for dinner. Life is always about making choices, and in the end, I chose dinner @@. Ben Teppanyaki is a famous old-established teppanyaki restaurant in Taipei (since 1991). In the last year or two, they successively established 'Ben Teppanyaki & Japanese Cuisine' and 'Ben Wagyu House'. The former focuses on a combination of teppanyaki, hot pot, and Japanese cuisine, while the latter mainly promotes steak and afternoon tea. Tonight I had the teppanyaki cuisine at 'Ben Teppanyaki & Japanese Cuisine', but it also incorporates elements of Japanese cuisine, which is a kind of new experience. While eating and chatting with Director Liang, he mentioned that the Ben Teppanyaki next door, when he last went, was with his good friend, former Central Bank Governor Xu Yuandong (who later passed away in the Dayuan air disaster), the then chairman of Hua Nan Financial Holdings, and another friend (I forgot the name, also a well-known figure at the time). The meal cost about over 20,000 TWD back then, but just for the wine, the four of them drank who knows how many bottles of First Growth Bordeaux, spending 150,000 to 160,000 TWD (35,000 RMB). Thinking back to the boldness of the seniors back then, today's meal for two costing over 10,000 TWD seems almost insignificant. For tonight's meal, I ordered two appetizers: truffle steamed egg and Hokkaido scallop. One main course: Prime diamond ribeye steak. And dessert: molten chocolate lava cake, along with floral tea. Additionally, I asked the chef to prepare a sashimi platter and had a bottle of Australian Penfolds red wine. The ingredients throughout the night were quite good, and the service was also quite satisfactory. The combination of teppanyaki and Japanese cuisine was also a new sensory experience~ Overall, Not Bad~ Well, my younger brother just came back from...
Location: Taipei Din Tai Fung Xiaolongbao (Taipei 101 Branch) Travel note summary: Met up with two seniors at Din Tai Fung in Taipei 101. Lman Chu, five years my senior from NCKU CCNS club, runs a composite bookstore called Doodle Space in Tainan, integrating southern entrepreneurial resources. Tzu-han Travor Kao, four years my senior whom I met while working in Hsinchu from NCTU, founded Chengxi Green Information in Taipei, excelling in web data extraction and mobile app development. They didn't know each other, but interestingly, both know Jim Huang, a junior currently teaching at NCKU, and have collaborated with Jingqun. Lman and Jingqun work on an Open Source Hardware project, while Tzu-han and Jingqun collaborate on hackathons for public welfare projects. One of my interests is connecting friends who don't know each other but share commonalities or needs, enabling resource sharing and integration. So, when Lman came north for Computex, I arranged for them to meet. Though our chat was brief due to location and schedules, we achieved the goal of getting acquainted tonight. I hope they can spark more collaborations in the future—then my mission is accomplished :P Anyway, I'm quite impressed with myself for writing a food note without mentioning food at all. Sometimes, writing about people is indeed more interesting than writing about food~ :P By Morgan on 2014.6.3
Location: Hsinchu Travel note summary: Zhubei, Broadmind Garden, Fine Vegetarian Cuisine. After leaving Primo, I went with my uncle to Feng Shang人文咖啡館 for drinks and continued chatting. Time flew by, and soon it was dinner time. Remembering that my graduate school classmate Xiao Lan lives nearby, I called him on a whim to see if he was free for dinner. Xiao Lan was very kind—even though he had already bought dinner, he put it aside and came over with his daughter. Jia Shuang didn’t join because she was feeling unwell after a tooth extraction. Broadmind Garden is a vegetarian restaurant with twelve branches across Taiwan, featuring Chinese Zen-style decor and meals combining various vegetables, fruits, nuts, and mushrooms. All set meals are uniformly priced at NT$580 + 10%. Though not exactly cheap, after several courses, we were quite full, and with low oil and salt, it felt light on the stomach. It’s been a long time since I saw Xiao Lan~ Besides running his own IT company (specializing in building websites, writing mobile apps, developing backend systems...), he has also passed the real estate agent exam and now works part-time as an agent at H&B Business Group. So if any friends are looking to buy or sell houses in the Zhubei area, feel free to contact Jerry Lan :) Thanks to my uncle, Brother Jason, for treating us to this meal! Hope to see you again next time. Afterward, seeing it was getting late, I didn’t want to disturb other friends in Hsinchu, so I headed back to Taipei~ ending this simple one-day trip to Hsinchu and concluding the 15th gathering of May~ By Morgan on the evening of May 31, 2014.
Location: Zhubei Bravo Purabu Italian Restaurant Travel notes summary: My university senior Youbin invited me to Hsinchu for a meal. Bravo Purabu is a restaurant he recently invested in, with seven branches across Taiwan and an eighth opening soon in Linkou. Besides the two of us, he also invited his colleague Li Wei from Innolux, and I brought my uncle Jason who lives in Zhubei. Youbin really knows a lot of people in Hsinchu—throughout the afternoon, three of his friends came by to eat, stopped to say hello, and some even joined us for a chat. One Mr. Chen left ITRI to start his own automation equipment business; another Mr. Huang, a former senior executive at SinoPac, later became an executive VP at Gartner (an IT research and consulting firm similar to McKinsey). When I mentioned some companies I’d worked for, Mr. Huang immediately asked, 'Do you know Lin Xiaoda (former chairman of Polaris Securities)? We’re close friends!' Well, Morgan only once shared a meal with Chairman Lin back in China, so honestly, I know him, but he probably doesn’t remember me, haha. But Mr. Huang is truly impressive—not just knowledgeable in finance, but also covering a wide range of topics like new tech trends, from Alipay’s third-party payments and Amazon AWS to 3D printing and wearables. He and my uncle, who retired from tech in his forties and has traveled the world, would suddenly mention an old friend, and the other would say, 'Oh, I know him too!' A great afternoon meeting new friends and broadening my horizons. Thanks to Senior Youbin for the invitation and hospitality—see you next time! :) By Morgan, evening of May 31, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Long Ji Qiang Guo Mian Travel note: This is a shop recommended by my junior ICEBONE a few days ago. Tonight, when the rain let up a bit, I went to try it. It's a really interesting 30-year-old shop, hidden in an extremely narrow alley (Alley 84) on Hengyang Road. If no one had mentioned it, no matter how many times I passed by, I would never have walked in. 'Qiang Guo' refers to the technique of first stir-frying ingredients over high heat, then simmering over low heat. Finally, topped with meat sauce, it becomes this bowl of Furong Qiang Guo Mian. It's indeed a quite distinctive shop, no wonder even hidden in such an alley, business is still very good~ Jotted this down casually, full and ready to go play ball~~ :p
Location: Taipei, Zhang Ji Guo Tie Travel note: After buying shoes at Taipei's shoe street - Yuanling Street in the evening, I wanted to find something to eat but didn't know what. So I wandered aimlessly. Suddenly looking back, I saw a light in an alley. Following my intuition, I walked in. At the end, on the right appeared a Guo Tie (potstickers) and beef noodle shop, with the name 'Zhang Ji' written above. The shopfront was small and unremarkable, but looking inside, it was packed, almost full. Out of curiosity, I was drawn in and ordered some potstickers to try. After waiting a moment at my seat, a steaming plate of potstickers arrived. Already a bit hungry, I couldn't wait to pick one up and pop it in my mouth. The freshness of the minced meat filling, with a touch of sweetness from the chives, paired with the golden crispy bottom, made me quickly finish the whole plate. It's a good shop in an alley. Next time, I'll try their dumplings or beef noodles~ :) Zhang Ji Guo Tie Address: Inside the alley of Lane 101, Yanping South Road, Taipei (but actually easier to find by entering from the alley next to No. 85 or 87 Hengyang Road) By Morgan on the evening of May 26, 2014.
Location: Taipei L'ATELIER de Joël Robuchon (Michelin three-star chef) Travel notes summary: General Manager Liang returned from China and invited Morgan for dinner tonight. I thought about booking at the recently opened Mandarin Oriental Hotel, where a night’s stay costs nearly 20,000 TWD, but both the Italian restaurant Bencotto and the French restaurant COCO were fully booked until late June. So, I switched to this restaurant opened in Taipei by Robuchon, the youngest chef ever to earn three Michelin stars. Strictly speaking, Taiwan doesn’t have any Michelin-starred restaurants yet, but several boast chefs with Michelin stars, and Robuchon is one of the highest-rated and earliest to arrive (November 2009). It’s located on the fifth floor of Bellavita; last time I was here, I ate at the premium hot pot restaurant “He” on the fourth floor, so I found it easily. The concept is to let guests enjoy French cuisine casually, with a counter-style setup inspired by Japanese cuisine, allowing diners to watch the chefs in action. But since it’s still French dining, after saying goodbye to Xiaoping, I put on a shirt and Ecco dress shoes for a formal meal. A French sommelier helped us choose a 2005 French red wine based on our preferences. The total for two was 8,514 TWD (about 2,000 RMB). Morgan’s set included two appetizers: octopus carpaccio with salmon roe and lemon vinaigrette, and grilled stuffed squid with Spanish chorizo and red pepper sauce. The main was seared beef flank steak, and dessert was passion fruit cream with rum granita and coconut mousse, plus black tea. Overall, it was a satisfying meal—the chic red-and-black decor, creative dishes, and smooth red wine all impressed. I guess Morgan is lucky to have met friends from software/internet, tech hardware, and finance/trading over two days, from entrepreneurs to employees and big bosses, constantly learning and sparking ideas. Really grateful for life’s blessings—just do my best and see what I can create. Just Keep Going! :) By Morgan, evening of May 24, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Guangzhou Street, Zhou Ji Rou Zhou Dian Travel note: My university classmate Yu-ping came all the way from Taichung to see me. So the whole afternoon, besides taking him to eat at this old shop from 1956, we also visited Bopiliao, prayed at Longshan Temple, had A Bo Bo Feng Tao Tang (peach drink), visited the century-old pastry shop Li Ting Xiang on Dihua Street, and had almond dessert next to Yongle Market... It felt like being back in our student days. Xiao Ping'er was one of the travel companions I most often went out with during my studies because we both love going out, love eating, he's easygoing and gets along well with everyone, and loves geography. So we really have been to many places in Taiwan together. After leaving Faraday, Xiao Ping'er returned to SPIL as an IE, so he also settled down and bought a house in Taichung. But because when I go back to Taichung, I usually spend more time with family, so this time he had to trouble himself to come up to Taipei to find me. Sorry about that~ ^_^a But no matter what, I was really happy to see an old friend and chat about anything and everything~ See you next time la~ :P
Location: Taipei, Ximending, 365 Taiwan Snacks, Oyster Omelette Travel note: The benefit of living in Ximending, besides often encountering travelers from all over the world, which keeps me in a traveling state of mind, is that because they cater to travelers, it's also easy to find many Taiwanese snacks here. So when I've eaten too much at lunch, I can easily find something to eat in the evening~ :P
Location: Yunnan Restaurant in Longgang, Taoyuan Travel note summary: Had a meal with my sister and brother-in-law at a Yunnan restaurant in Longgang, Taoyuan. It's located inside the market next to Longgang Junior High School. There are many Yunnan restaurants in this area, and this one is pretty good with great business! ~~ By Morgan @2014.5.18
Location: Taoyuan Travel note: Taoyuan Longgang, Yunnan Small Restaurant. Had a meal with my older sister and brother-in-law. It's inside the market next to Longgang Junior High School. There are many Yunnan cuisine places here. This place's food is pretty good, and business is also very good~~
Location: Taipei, Frame & Shadow Cafe Travel note: Frame & Shadow Cafe in Taipei. My senior Zihan's company just landed a new project, so he invited me over to celebrate. Since I had nothing else going on, I headed to this cafe near the World Trade Center to join the fun. Last time, I didn't get much chance to chat with the two new friends, A-Mao and Bing-Long, but today I made up for it in one go. Like Senior Zihan, both of them have been running their own businesses for quite some time and are very familiar with many startup teams in Taiwan and abroad, whether for websites or mobile apps. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas with friends from different fields—I learned a lot from Morgan! Also, thanks to my senior for treating me to this meal~ ^^ We chatted from around 5 PM until the cafe closed at 10 PM. After that, Bing-Long and I stood at the MRT station entrance and talked for almost two more hours, until we worried about missing the last train. A wonderful evening—thank you, everyone! Let's all keep pushing forward~ :)
Location: Taipei Travel note: Ximending, Taipei – Yes58 Pasta (24H). After playing basketball and taking a shower tonight, Senior Zihan came to find me for a late-night chat and food around 11 PM. Luckily, this is Ximending, so finding a 24-hour restaurant isn't too hard. We just picked a random spot and sat there until just now~~ :P
Location: Taipei, Nanjichang Night Market, Lailai Dumplings Travel note: Nanjichang Night Market, Lailai Dumplings in Taipei. My younger brother is going on a two-week business trip to Shenzhen tomorrow and came to borrow a card from me, so we came here for dinner together. Lailai is a famous shop in the night market with long queues, and their dumplings are made fresh and boiled on the spot.
Location: Taipei, Chengxi Green Information, Brainstorming Activity Travel note summary: Taipei, Chengxi Green Information, Brainstorming Activity. Today, coincidentally, two senior alumni who started their own businesses both contacted me~ In the afternoon, Senior Lman Ramen called me first, and we chatted for a bit. He mentioned he's recently promoting a startup incubator base project in Tainan, collaborating with our alma mater, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), so he'll be working with the university's Research Center. The current deputy director of the center happens to be my graduate school mentor, Professor Wang Taiyu. Hopefully, the professor can offer Senior some help in the future :) In the evening, Senior Zihan, whom I haven't seen in a long time, invited me to dinner. I got to know Senior Zihan back when I was in Hsinchu and used to write articles on the food board of the Wretch BBS. At that time, Senior was still in his Ph.D. program at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), and we'd occasionally meet up for meals. Just like that, over eight years have passed in a blink—the last time I saw Senior was two or three years ago @@ After graduating, Senior Zihan founded Chengxi Green Information and has previously launched some apps that were covered by the media. And Taiwan is always so small—Senior Zihan happened to meet with Jingqun (jserv), whom he's also known for a long time, on Thursday to discuss the NCTU Hackathon. And Jingqun, who's currently teaching and nurturing talent at NCKU, is of course very familiar with Senior Lman too. So it turns out we're all connected in a circle :P After dinner, Senior Zihan also invited me to his office near the World Trade Center to join a brainstorming activity he organized. In the end, nine people participated: some are currently working on a phone dating app startup and are familiar with Taiwan's venture capital scene; some just received startup grants from the Ministry of Economic Affairs; some are doing UI design for games at National Taiwan Normal University; some are sales reps for Häagen-Dazs; and some are still studying at Yuan Ze University or Tainan National University of the Arts. We also brainstormed some wild ideas: taxi-related, patient communities, board games, dental care, air purification, even renovating old buses for parties... It was quite an interesting exchange and updated my brain with a lot of new information, not just confined to my usual thinking patterns. Not only was it a rewarding evening, but more importantly, I was really happy to see Senior Zihan after such a long time~ By Morgan @2014.5.13
Location: Taipei, Random Notes Travel note: Today, by coincidence, two seniors who started their own businesses both contacted me. In the afternoon, Senior Lman Ramen called me first, and we chatted for a bit. He mentioned that he's recently been promoting a startup incubation base project in Tainan, collaborating with our alma mater, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), and will be working with the university's Research and Development Center. The deputy director of the center happens to be my respected professor from graduate school, Professor Wang Tai-Yu. He also hopes that the professor can offer some assistance to him in the future :) In the evening, Senior Zihan, whom I haven't seen in a long time, invited me to dinner. I got to know Senior Zihan back when I was in Hsinchu and used to write articles on the food board of the Wretch BBS. At that time, he was still pursuing his Ph.D. at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU), and we occasionally met up for meals. Just like that, over eight years have passed in the blink of an eye—the last time I saw him was two or three years ago @@ After graduating, Senior Zihan founded Chengxi Green Information and has previously launched some apps that were covered by the media. Taiwan is always a small place: Senior Zihan happened to have a meeting on Thursday with Jingqun (jserv), whom he's known for a long time, to discuss the NCTU Hackathon. Jingqun, who is currently teaching at NCKU, is of course very familiar with Senior Lman as well. So, it turns out everyone is connected in a circle :P After eating, Senior Zihan also invited me to his office near the World Trade Center to participate in a brainstorming activity he organized. In the end, nine people joined—some are currently working on a phone dating app startup and are familiar with some venture capital in Taiwan; some just received startup grants from the Ministry of Economic Affairs; some are doing UI design for games at National Taiwan Normal University; some work in sales at Häagen-Dazs; and some are still studying at Yuan Ze University or Tainan National University of the Arts. We all came up with some wild ideas—related to taxis, patients, board games, dentists, air purification, and even renovating old buses for parties... It was quite an interesting exchange and updated my mind with a lot of new information, not limiting myself to familiar thinking patterns. Not only was it a rewarding evening, but more importantly, I was really happy to see Senior Zihan after such a long time :) With Tzu-han Travor Kao
Location: Zhaoji Vegetable and Meat Wonton on Taoyuan Street, Taipei Travel note summary: Besides the famous beef noodle shop on Taoyuan Street, this Zhaoji place is also very popular. Each wonton costs 15 NTD. I thought six might be too few, but they turned out to be huge—I was pretty full! @@ By Morgan @2014.5.10
Location: Taipei, Ximending Red House, SOL Fashion International Cuisine Travel note: Ximending Red House, SOL Fashion International Cuisine in Taipei. Senior Youbin came up to Taipei from Hsinchu for a business trip today and made a detour to find Morgan for a meal, so we came to dine at the Red House. We exchanged updates on our recent situations, shared some thoughts, and chatted—time flew by quickly. From just after 5 PM, we talked until past 8 PM in no time. During the meal, the senior also invited me to visit a restaurant he recently invested in in Zhubei next time, to meet some new friends. It's been a while since I've been back to Hsinchu, so I'll find some time to make a trip~ :)
Location: Daijiang Dining Hall Japanese Cuisine, Taipei Travel note summary: [Life is the sum of all encounters.] This is a line from the Japanese drama "Flying Public Relations Room" starring Yui Aragaki, spoken by the Air Self-Defense Force director. I find it very meaningful—it's true that everyone's life path depends on who they meet: family, friends, classmates, comrades, colleagues, fellow townspeople... Each encounter weaves a different story. I consider myself lucky to have met so many diverse people in my life. Some may never cross paths again, but there are friends who remember you no matter how long it's been. The other day, my former boss, whom I hadn't seen in ages and who's about to take up a new post in Hong Kong in July, messaged me on WeChat asking how I've been. That simple concern nearly brought tears to my eyes. And tonight, I had dinner with swdo, a friend I met on the food board of the Dreamland BBS almost ten years ago—our last meeting was back in Tainan. Time flies, and we're already middle-aged. I wonder how many more chances I'll have to chat casually with old friends and share updates. I'm truly grateful to many friends who still remember me even if we don't keep in touch regularly. Maybe it's just a meal or a brief chat in life, but isn't life built from these small fragments stacking up? [Life is the sum of all encounters.] By Morgan @2014.5.6
Location: White Wood House Japanese Izakaya in Ximending, Taipei Travel note summary: January: 13 gatherings, February: 13 gatherings, March: 17 gatherings, April: 14 gatherings. The first gathering in May kicks off at this place, which happens to be the 2000th store opened by Japan's Monteroza izakaya group. (Dinner with my sister & brother~) By Morgan @2014.5.1
Location: Panzi Italian Western Restaurant in Ximending, Taipei Travel note summary: For several days in a row, I've had visitors coming to Ximending. The day before yesterday, Brother Nan visited; yesterday, Hanhan came. With Boss Loco, we went to nearby Yaxiang for sour cabbage and pork hot pot. Today, Miki from Prudential came up from Hsinchu to see me because a ten-year term life insurance policy I took out when I was still working in Hsinchu is about to expire. She made a special trip to discuss how to adjust the insurance coverage afterward. Time flies—I can't believe ten years have passed just like that! @@ Miki is a very dedicated and professional life insurance consultant. I got to know her through my junior high school classmate, Jiumeng. Who would have thought we'd stay in touch for so many years and become old friends? When we chat, she often cares about whether my coverage is sufficient. If it's not enough, she doesn't just push her company's products; she also advises me to take out additional policies with other insurance companies to cover the gaps she's concerned about. It's because of her personality that whenever I want to add any insurance later, I think of asking her opinion first. However, she doesn't seem to know Zhengliang, a friend I met playing ball in Taipei who also works at Prudential—what a pity, otherwise it'd be another "small world" moment in Taiwan. Typing away, Sister Min, a salesperson at Uni-President, suddenly dropped by with a bag of Lao Tien Lu braised snacks. These past few days, visitors have really been non-stop! ~~ By Morgan @2014.4.29
Location: Taipei SaSa Sushi (High-end sushi) Travel note summary: SaSa Sushi in Taipei is one of the 101 restaurants worldwide worth eating at, as selected by Newsweek in 2012, and the only one in Taiwan to make the list. Tonight, Mr. Liang, just back from mainland China, invited Morgan for dinner, so we came to this restaurant in a lane off Zhongshan North Road. Dinner here only offers two price points: 2,500 and 3,000 TWD, with omakase starting at 4,000 TWD. We ordered two bottles of sake, bringing the total to over 9,700 TWD (about 2,300 RMB). The ingredients are mostly imported from Japan, and as the name suggests, the focus is on raw dishes, similar to places like MASA Sushi, but slightly pricier. Chatting with the chef at the counter, I learned the restaurant has been open for over four years, with customers mainly from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan. Tonight was no exception—I heard English and Cantonese throughout. Overall, it was quite satisfying, and Mr. Liang preferred it over Gao Yu. The atmosphere and food make it a place worth revisiting. Though I drank a bit too much and got hot, so I’m just jotting this down casually. As always, for reference only~ :P By Morgan, evening of April 26, 2014.
Location: Taipei Ximending Macchiato Italian Kitchen - Baked Pumpkin and Wild Mushroom Risotto Travel note summary: My elementary school classmate Jenny saw that I had dinner with another classmate, Wenzheng, a couple of weeks ago. Taking advantage of her trip to Taipei today to visit clients, she also invited Morgan for a meal. It’s been years since we last met—life really is like the stars Shen and Shang, rarely crossing paths. Jenny now runs her own company specializing in equipment for survival games and recently started a new venture. Time flies; we’ve all grown from carefree school days to各自努力 facing our chosen paths. Catching up with old friends and chatting freely isn’t easy in this busy era, so let’s live in the moment and cherish every gathering. Cheers~ By Morgan @2014.4.22
Location: Taipei Gao Yu (High-end Japanese cuisine) Travel note summary: Thanks to the hospitality of various friends, I’ve enjoyed meals this past week like sukiyaki at Taipei’s Gyu Jin, premium steak at Beijing’s Millennium Hotel, red wine at Show Roof, Hunan cuisine at Shanghai’s Wang Xiang Yuan, Shanghai dishes at Feng Shou Ri, and mutton hot pot at Dong Lai Shun. Tonight, a week later, I’m at Gao Yu Japanese cuisine, invested by entrepreneurs like Cao Xingcheng and Huang Maoxiong, open for over a decade, located in a lane next to Yitong Park—not the easiest to find. Dinner here offers only $3,000 or $4,000 TWD (plus 10%) (about 1,000 RMB) options, essentially omakase by the chef. The dishes were mostly satisfying, though the occasional kitchen smells were a slight drawback. After trying many restaurants big and small, where I eat matters less now; what matters is who I share the meal with and the memories we create. The taste on the tongue is fleeting, but the memories in my mind—every bite, every conversation, every toast, every默契 laugh—last a lifetime, forever cherished in my heart....... By Morgan, evening of April 18, 2014.
Location: Taipei Travel note summary: Fuzhou, Fujian, Changle Airport. I originally thought I'd never spent a night at an airport and was excited to try it, so I booked a two-segment ticket on Xiamen Airlines (price was a factor, of course). One segment from Shanghai to Fuzhou, and another early the next morning back to Taipei. I had no plans or prior research for Fuzhou. Turns out, after arriving at Changle Airport, I found out it only stays open until 1 AM—no overnight stay possible. I was being too naive :P. When you're stuck, you adapt. No problem, luckily there was a seaside hotel next to the airport. Walked over and asked; a standard room was over 300 RMB, probably more expensive than booking online, but it solved the immediate problem. Thinking about it, this is actually Morgan's first time in Fujian, but there really isn't any time to wander around. Should I go out for a night stroll now? Nah, better stay in the hotel and get some work done on the computer first @@.
Location: Taipei Ximending Gyujin Sukiyaki & Shabu Shabu All-You-Can-Eat. Travel note summary: My elementary school classmate Wenzheng suddenly came to find me for a meal, so we came here to eat~ Long time no see! ^^ By Morgan @2014.4.14
Location: Taipei Maison de la Truffe French Cuisine. Travel note summary: Maison de la Truffe is a French establishment with a 200-year heritage, and this Taipei branch is its first in Asia. It was introduced to Taiwan at the end of 2010 by the well-known advertising figure Ye Liangchuan. However, in recent years, Ye Liangchuan's financial troubles have surfaced; it's said that Paul, another century-old French bakery he brought in, has already transferred its operating rights. My senior, Chef Ji Dan from Tainan, is quite familiar with Ye Liangchuan. Once when I visited my senior in Tainan, I happened to have tea and chat with Ye Liangchuan's son. Therefore, it's no surprise that Maison de la Truffe in Taiwan also uses Chef Ji Dan's culinary system. I've heard my senior mention this place many times, but only today did I finally have the chance to step in and try it. Tonight, my main course was the Moulin Rouge Filet ($2,680+10%) (approx. 700 RMB), with wine charged separately. Basically, every dish here is inseparable from truffles. Starting with the French bread drizzled with truffle olive oil, to foie gras, cod roe, green jade crab meat soup, steak, and even the post-meal ice cream and crème brûlée, truffles play a supporting role in flavoring. The Moulin Rouge Filet uses US Prime beef. What's particularly special is the use of red wine to create a truffle-shaped net as a garnish. The steak is topped with truffle mashed potatoes as a side, accompanied by sun-dried tomatoes and Belgian pak choi on the side and underneath. The entire set left quite a visual and gustatory impression on me. However, personally, I wasn't quite accustomed to truffles in the ice cream and pudding; the flavors didn't seem to blend well for me. But aside from that, it was an okay dining experience. It's just that the restaurant's business doesn't seem too ideal. On a Sunday night, besides a large table of foreigners next to us, there were only 2-3 other tables. On the flip side, such an environment added a quiet and serene atmosphere to the meal :P For reference only~~ By Morgan on the evening of 2014.4.6
Location: Taipei Market Place Restaurant. Travel note summary: After leaving Brother Junwei's tea shop on Changchun Road in the afternoon, I came to this restaurant near Taipei Main Station in the evening. Because Funky came from Macau to Taiwan to attend Xiao Wai's wedding banquet, we had this National Cheng Kung University alumni gathering. Counting this, it's probably my fourteenth dinner gathering in March~ Those who finally attended included Junying + boyfriend, Hansheng + kid, Xinru's whole family, Lingwen, Xinrong, Junming + Voto who returned from Shenzhen, and Naiwen + boyfriend who returned from Beijing. Since everyone works and lives in different places, there are a few old classmates I really haven't seen in a very, very long time. Having this chance to meet up and chat about recent happenings made me feel really relaxed and happy~ Suddenly, I really miss those golden years we spent living together in Tainan. By Morgan @2014.3.29
Location: Taipei Wanlin Braised Pork Rice. Travel note summary: Brother Xiao Ci suddenly came up to Taipei from Changhua last night. So after finishing dinner at Tō Tō An and returning home, I went out again to meet him and Brother Junwei in Tianmu. And today at noon, Brother Xiao Ci took me to this restaurant on Minzu East Road. Although it's named a braised pork rice shop, there are many tourists, and business is booming! By Morgan @2014.3.29
Location: Taipei Tō Tō An Japanese Kaiseki Cuisine. Travel note summary: Tō Tō An is a kaiseki restaurant from Tokyo. This branch in a lane off Dunhua South Road in Taipei is also the only overseas branch of the main store. Beyond the deliciousness of the food, Tō Tō An, which combines flower art, pottery art, and tea art, offers an experience of culture and art. The entire evening felt like watching a feast for the eyes and palate. From raw dishes to grilled items, to roasted items, to desserts; from fish to seafood, to beef, to wagashi—a series of plating and garnishes interweave to create different dining experiences. Starting with a graceful prelude, sometimes intensifying, sometimes calming, with many twists and turns, it finally concludes with a warm, fragrant bowl of matcha. Although not every dish was stunning, overall, it indeed composed a memorable evening banquet melody... Today, instead of sake, I paired it with the Japanese-made twelve-year-old whisky Hibiki. But for me, it seemed a bit too strong @@ (Note: Tō Tō An changes its menu every month. Tonight's meal was the Kaiseki course, excluding alcohol, at $3280+10%) (approx. 850 RMB) For reference only~ By Morgan on the evening of 2014.3.28
Location: Taipei Ximending Shaojiang All-You-Can-Eat BBQ Hot Pot My former intern Minyang, who I mentored at the company, is about to be discharged from the military. He came to have dinner with Morgan tonight to catch up (sorry, because I'm too lazy, I often have to trouble friends to come to where I am @@). It's been a long time since we last met, so we came here for a big meal. Shaojiang costs about 700-something per person, and the ice cream is Movenpick. For that price, the food isn't particularly memorable, though. But the important thing is being able to get together to eat and chat—that's what matters more. The connections between people can be really unpredictable sometimes~ :P P.S. Hope you can find a job you like in the finance industry after your discharge~~:)
Location: Taipei Ximending Qianhui Goose Meat After tutoring Brother You in the afternoon, I brought him to this old shop in a Chengdu Road alley to eat smoked goose meat. Even though it's hidden in an alley, business is good—we still had to queue up~~@@
Location: Taipei Nanjichang Night Market On a rare free Saturday night, I came to explore Nanjichang Night Market in the Zhonghua Road alley. The variety of food here is dazzling and overwhelming~~ @@
Location: Taipei, Nanjichang Night Market, Snacks Travel Note: A rare free Saturday night, so I ventured into Nanjichang Night Market in the alley off Zhonghua Road. The variety of food here is dazzling and overwhelming! @@ By Morgan @2014.3.22
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Hongbulang, Hot Pot & BBQ Combo Travel Note: Haven't seen this kind of place in ages, came here for a nostalgic taste~ By Morgan @2014.3.21
Location: Taipei, Corner No.‧Sam's Steak, High-end Restaurant (Closed) Travel Note: Woke up and saw a Facebook article introducing several high-priced steak houses in Taipei. I'd already tried Lawry's before, and the one listed right after it in the article was this restaurant. Coincidentally, Manager Liang called in the afternoon to invite me to dinner. After finishing an online chat with a computer expert friend from China, I made a reservation here and went out to eat with Manager Liang. It's located in an alley on Taishun Street, converted from a residential house, so unless you're specifically looking for it, you'd easily pass by without realizing it's a restaurant. One of the owners is the boss of Corner Music, hence the 'Corner' in the name. Tonight, I ordered the US Angus Black Beef Filet 8Oz set meal ($1880+10%). It came with unlimited refills of Wu Pao Chun's handmade bread. The set included truffle scallop pumpkin soup, French escargot puff pastry, chicken roll fruit vinegar salad, Aveda Comfort Tea, and molten chocolate ice cream. The two of us also each added a Boston lobster. With American red wine, the total came to just under six thousand NTD (about 1,400 RMB). Considering the food quality and portion, it felt quite worth the price. No wonder I'd heard others say its cost-performance ratio was pretty good. The only slight downside was the somewhat cramped space inside; the layout of the aisles and seating felt a bit limiting. It contrasted with Lawry's high-ceilinged luxury vibe. But overall, it's a quiet, hidden alley restaurant. Service was okay too, so my overall impression leans positive. Just for reference~ :) By Morgan, evening of 2014.3.15
Location: Taipei, Ximending, amba Taipei Ximending, eat B Travel Note: Came here for brunch with my older sister and Qingjin sister~ amba is another sub-brand of Ambassador Hotel. The weekend business is really booming! @@ By Morgan @2014.3.14
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Le Shi Hot Pot, Laksa Hot Pot Travel Note: After tutoring Brother You in the afternoon, we came here together for hot pot. After sitting down, my younger brother suddenly called saying he wanted to join. So we all ate together~ :p By Morgan @2014.3.9
Location: Taipei, Beitou, Huangchi Hot Spring Resort, Claypot Porridge Travel note: It was cold and rainy in Taipei, so Brother Mu, Loco, and Brother Xiao Ci came to Huangchi Hot Spring Resort in Beitou to soak in the hot springs and eat their famous claypot porridge. Ricky also joined us later for the meal! By Morgan @2014.3.8
Location: Taipei, Xin Pu Yuan, Shanghai Cuisine & Hong Kong Dim Sum Travel note: Brother Xiao Ci came up from Changhua to the north, so we had this dinner gathering in the evening. It included Brother Jun Wei, who runs a tea shop on Changchun Road, and their friends, plus Loco and me, making seven people in total. One of them, Chairman Shen, who specializes in fishing gear exported to Japan, brought a bottle of Echigo Sakura Daiginjo for everyone to enjoy. Thanks to Brother Xiao Ci and Brother Jun Wei for the treat—it was a great meal! By Morgan @2014.3.7
Location: Taipei He‧Shabu Premium Hot Pot Cuisine Around late morning, I went to Xinhai Road wearing a suit to pay respects at the funeral of Loco's father, whom I had met a few times. Under the gloomy sky, drizzling rain at Taipei Second Funeral Parlor, I felt an indescribable melancholy. The last time I was in such a place was three years ago, when my good friend Shengshun passed away in Hsinchu. Life is unpredictable; no one can foresee the future. All we can do is cherish every present moment and avoid regrets. In the evening, Manager Liang asked me out for dinner, wanting me to help with his laptop. Coincidentally, my younger brother Ryan, who works at a foreign tech company, also wanted to have dinner. Great, let's eat together then. So I made two phone calls: first to try booking another top-tier hot pot place in Taipei—Orange Shabu Shabu—but both branches only had availability after 8:30 PM. So for the second call, I booked this premium hot pot place, He, on the fourth floor of BELLAVITA in Xinyi District, invested by the New World Group from Taichung. Dinner prices range from about $780 to $2,680 (+10%). We ordered New Zealand lamb, Australian 9+ wagyu beef, and premium seafood combo sets. Since there were three of us, we drank a bit more than usual—a bottle of white wine and a bottle of Italian red. Usually, the food cost is higher than the alcohol, but today it was the opposite @@. The service at He is decent, though it seems a bit overly specialized; often when asking a server a question, they need to check with another server for an answer. Basically, all ingredients are cooked for you by dedicated staff and then served, so you can focus on conversation without needing to do much yourself. Overall evaluation: 1. The atmosphere is quite nice, especially with semi-private booth areas, suitable for discussions or dates. 2. Although the price is mid-to-high range, it's reasonable considering the service and overall satisfaction. 3. The ingredients themselves are okay, though perhaps the meat was boiled a bit too long, not bringing out the expected premium flavor. 4. The wine selection isn't extensive, with limited choices. For reference only~ I've gotten lazier now, just using Facebook like a blog to write food notes @@. By Morgan, evening of March 2, 2014.
Location: Taipei, The Landis Taipei, Paris 1930 French Restaurant Travel Note: The Landis Taipei, Paris 1930 French Restaurant - 20oz 28-day dry-aged ribeye steak ($8,200+10%). Boss Liang just returned to Taiwan this afternoon and invited Morgan for dinner tonight, so we came here. The set menu at Paris 1930 includes two appetizers, a seafood dish, and a dessert besides the main course. I ordered Gillardeau oysters, caramel chocolate foie gras, nori-wasabi tuna, and coconut chocolate yogurt snowball. Each dish showcases the chef's creativity, full of delightful surprises—no wonder people say cooking is an art. Boss Liang has a wide network; tonight, we ran into his old friend Mike, CFO at UBS Hong Kong, and his fiancée, also dining here. Boss Liang opened an extra bottle of French Chateau de Sales 2005 red wine and had the waiter send it over to them. Chatting away, Boss Liang mentioned their recent high school reunion, where he discovered that the son of an old classmate living in the U.S. is actually one of the founders of YouTube (if I'm not mistaken, that should be Steve Chen). Taiwan is still such a small place :P. Paris 1930 underwent a NT$30 million renovation at the end of 2012. Overall, it's a restaurant with great ambiance. During dinner, there's live piano and violin music, and the staff详细介绍 each dish's features upon serving, making the service feel attentive and warm. It provided a wonderful and memorable dining experience :) By Morgan, evening of March 1, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Paddington Garden Travel note: After eating frozen yogurt, Sister Mei Jiao and Brother Andy went home early due to prior commitments. However, Senior You Bin and his classmate, Senior Yu Hong (also from NCKU IM Class of '87), continued the plan for afternoon tea. So, I joined in the fun and came here to eat salted caramel banana pancakes while chatting. Senior Yu Hong mentioned that his junior from Class of '90 is Senior Ying Zhe, but he couldn't remember who came after in Class of '91. I thought about it, but honestly, I couldn't recall either. It seems the older we get, the worse our memory becomes! @@ But thanks to Senior You Bin for the treat! Hope to see you again next time! ^^ By Morgan @2014.2.23
Location: Taipei, La Gondola Italian Restaurant Travel note: After saying goodbye to Senior Zong Xian yesterday, I rushed back to Ximending to tutor Brother You and had dinner and a chat with him. After that, the planned fourth late-night gathering seemed to be canceled for some reason, so I suddenly had free time. I casually clicked on the first episode of 'My Love from the Star' and ended up binge-watching until the seventh episode by late night and this morning! @@ Seeing that it was about time, I hurriedly went out because, coincidentally, while yesterday it was Junior Chang Yu (Class of '94) who invited me to eat, today it was Senior You Bin (Class of '87), four years my senior in university, who came up from Hsinchu to Taipei and asked me out for a meal. So, I also invited Sister Mei Jiao (Class of '85) to join us, along with Senior You Bin's wife and Sister Mei Jiao's husband. We all came to this restaurant in the alley near Zhongxiao Dunhua. Senior You Bin is still at Innolux, and Sister Mei Jiao hasn't changed companies either. As we chatted, we got more and more into it, so we talked until the restaurant's two-hour dining limit was up. Afterward, we continued to the nearby Yogurt Art, a frozen yogurt shop that charges by weight, to keep chatting. It was really joyful to see seniors I hadn't met in a long time! By Morgan @2014.2.23
Location: Taipei, Twinkle Cafe & Bar Travel note: After saying goodbye to Junior Chang Yu and his wife, Senior Zong Xian (Class of '90) asked me out for something to eat since the weather had cleared up. So, let's have afternoon tea together in the alley near Shuanglian Station! By Morgan @2014.2.22
Location: Taipei 1010 Xiang Hunan Cuisine Restaurant Travel note summary: My junior from college, Changyu, who is three years below me, recently found my old blog posts while searching online for tips on hiking Huashan in Xi'an with his wife. So he suggested we meet up for a meal. We dined here together with his wife, Hualian. Changyu just left his job at Compal and is figuring out his next career move. Thanks for the treat, junior! Wishing you all the best. Let's catch up again next time! :) By Morgan @2014.2.22
Location: Taipei, Lawry's Travel Note: Taipei, Lawry's The Prime Rib restaurant. Boss Liang returned from mainland China yesterday for a meeting with George, CEO of a Canadian asset management company managing about $30 billion. With a free evening tonight, he arranged dinner with Morgan before flying back to mainland China early tomorrow morning. After thinking for a bit, we came to this restaurant. Lawry's is an old-established steakhouse from the U.S. (Since 1938) that has relocated and is now located on Songren Road in the Xinyi District. Ordering a single 10oz prime rib plus a bottle of red wine from Chile's Caliterra winery costs about NT$3,000 per person. With its super high ceilings, friendly tableside service, and that million-dollar carving cart as a highlight, it's a restaurant that leaves a good impression~ :) After eating, back in Ximen, senior Lman Chu happened to come visit and stay overnight, so I continued to seek advice and discuss some matters with him~~ a very fulfilling night~~ :P
Location: Chamonix Champs-Élysées Teppanyaki - Taichung Wenxin Branch Travel note summary: Family gathering~ By Morgan @2014.2.16
Location: Taoyuan Fuqi Feipian Yuanyang Hot Pot Travel note summary: Dinner with Brother Mu, Teacher Jiang, and Brother Aliang, who's been shuttling between both sides of the strait and whom I haven't seen in a long time~ plus my younger brother~ five of us in total. Thanks for the treat, Brother Mu! :) By Morgan @2014.2.16
Location: Miscellaneous Notes Travel Note: Because I received a call from my good friend John from the alternative military service yesterday, this afternoon I first had a video call via Skype with Jack, John's younger brother who works far away in New York. After quickly understanding his issue, I switched to WeChat and chatted for the whole afternoon until just now with Brother Sean, whom I haven't seen in a long time and who is still working hard in Shanghai. As we talked, it seemed to spark some new ideas. I'm grateful for my luck from heaven, always having all kinds of friends around me who can get to know each other through me or receive help through me~ Also thankful for the advanced modern communication software that allows us to communicate anytime, anywhere~ :P
Location: A Winter Note, at Taipei Ximending Travel note summary: A Winter Note, at Taipei Ximending. The weather is really cold. Looking back, Ah King the dog has already curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly~ :P Speaking of which, during dinner time today, Austin Tsai (Brother You) suddenly dropped by, but he had already eaten, so I didn't have much to offer. I just went to Ximending and bought some Japanese-style karaage fried chicken to share, and we chatted a bit~ Thanks to Brother You for bringing the royal tonic~ I'll try it when I have time~ Grateful! ^^ By Morgan @2014.2.10
Location: Taipei, Cross Straits Club Travel Note: Taipei, Cross Straits Club. Boss Liang is returning to mainland China again tomorrow, so he invited Morgan for dinner tonight. After thinking for a bit, we came here to dine. It's a restaurant and club entirely created by Tsai Chen-nan, located in the B1 of the Hung Kuo Building, covering 1,500 ping (approx. 4,950 sqm). Inside, all 24 rooms are private包厢, quite tranquil, and there's even a Japanese ganbanyoku (hot stone bath) to relax in, which is quite special. It's very suitable for discussing matters or gathering with close friends. Tonight, we had its SHABU SHABU plus two bottles of Chilean red wine, totaling NT$7,900 for two. Taiwan is still very small. When we finished eating and walked out the door, and the staff was helping us hail a taxi, suddenly a woman called out, "Mr. Liang!" Turning around, it turned out to be Leslie, a female vice president at Cross Straits Club. She had met Boss Liang over ten years ago and has such a good memory. Even though they hadn't seen each other for a very long time, she recognized Boss Liang at a glance and remembered his surname. I reflected that I don't have that kind of memory and couldn't help but admire her~ Taiwan may be small, but it's truly a place where tigers hide and dragons lurk :P By Morgan, evening of Feb 8, 2014.
Location: Taipei, Danny & Company Travel Note: Taipei, Danny & Company. Since an elder left some short positions in Taiwan index futures before the market closed and made a small profit after covering them yesterday, they treated Morgan to dinner tonight. We came to this restaurant opened by the "Steak Godfather" Deng You-kui in an alley on Siwei Road. Previously, Morgan had only eaten at A-Cut at The Ambassador Hotel and No. Prime 168 at Victoria Hotel, both under his direction. This time, we came directly to his own independently opened restaurant. Tonight, we ordered the evening set menu ($4,200+10%) plus a bottle of Merlot red wine from California's famous Shafer winery, costing over three thousand. The evening set includes foie gras, seafood soup, wild sea bream, and South African abalone. Of course, the star is the steak. I ordered Australian 7+ Wagyu rib cap steak, while the elder ordered American New York strip steak. Although the 7+ Australian Wagyu was still tender and excellent, compared to the 9+ Wagyu eaten at a previous place, the口感 seemed to lack a little something. Maybe it's really due to the slightly lower fat-to-meat ratio. But paired with chocolate soufflé and friendly service, overall it was a meal that left the elder quite satisfied. It was worth skipping my regular weekly badminton session. It's indeed a restaurant that leaves a deep impression. P.S. Master Deng's new restaurant in Taichung, MeatGQ, in collaboration with the Hoshino Group, also opened before the Lunar New Year. I asked the waiter, who said that although Master Deng has been focusing more there recently, he still comes to check on his Taipei restaurants every day. However, we came late tonight and didn't run into him :P Maybe next time there will be a chance to taste his亲手做的料理 :) By Morgan, evening of Feb 6, 2014.
Location: Taipei Danny & Company Godfather Steakhouse Travel note summary: Since my elder made some profit from closing out short positions in Taiwan index futures before the market closed, he treated me to dinner tonight. We came to this restaurant opened by the 'Godfather of Steak,' Deng Youkui, in an alley on Siwei Road. I had only tried his work at A Cut Steakhouse at Ambassador Hotel and No. Prime 168 Steakhouse at Victoria Hotel before. This time, we visited his own establishment. We ordered the evening set menu ($4200+10%) (about 1,080 RMB), plus a bottle of Merlot from California's famous Shafer Vineyards costing over three thousand. The set included foie gras, seafood soup, wild sea bream, and South African abalone. Of course, the star was the steak—I had Australian 7+ Wagyu 'Old Gourmet' steak, and my elder had U.S. New York strip. Although the 7+ Australian Wagyu was still tender and impressive, compared to the 9+ Wagyu I had at a Michelin-starred restaurant, it seemed to lack a little something—maybe the fat-to-meat ratio was lower. But paired with chocolate soufflé and friendly service, overall it was a quite satisfying meal for my elder. Worth skipping my regular weekly badminton session for. Definitely a memorable restaurant. P.S. Chef Deng recently opened a new collaboration with Hoshino Group in Taichung called MeatGQ, which opened just before the New Year. I asked the server, who said Chef Deng has been focusing more there lately but still checks in on his Taipei restaurants daily. We came too late tonight and missed him :P Maybe next time I'll have a chance to try his personally cooked dishes :) By Morgan on the evening of 2014.2.6
Location: Taichung Qingzhen Guan Sour Cabbage Mutton Hot Pot Travel note summary: Family gathering~ By Morgan @2014.2.2
Location: Wuqi, Taichung. Note: Playing mahjong at grandma's house during Chinese New Year. We played the whole afternoon, took a break to eat, and then continued the battle~
Location: Changhua, Ba Gua Shan (Eight Trigrams Mountain) foot, Shao Rou Yuan (Grilled Meatball). Travel note: A decent old shop at the foot of Ba Gua Shan in Changhua. Just making a memo of it!
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Ah Zong Mian Xian (Vermicelli). Travel note: Had too much for lunch, so not very hungry for dinner. Ended up standing and eating the vermicelli with a crowd of people, just like a tourist.
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Hirata Sushi. Travel note: Boss Liang came to Ximending to meet me for lunch. We just had some nigiri for a simple meal. In the afternoon, besides Brother Ah Shan, 2353 and Brother Nan also came by to visit Boss Loco. Thanks to 2353 for treating everyone to those huge ice cream mochi! This should wrap up all the gatherings in Taipei before the New Year. Heading back to Taichung tomorrow for the holidays.
Location: Taipei, Ya Xiang Shi Tou Guo (Stone Pot). Travel note: It was quite lively today! A lot of people came to see Boss Loco Liu. Hao Jie, whom I haven't seen in a long time, came up from Douliu; 'The Veggie Seller' came from Tainan; Brother Ah Shan came from Malaysia; and Brother Yi Cheng, who just published a book, also dropped by. Although he had to leave early, we still exchanged a lot. :) Finally, thanks to Frank Jeng for treating everyone to dinner! ^^
Location: Taipei, Shuang Lian Yuan Zi Tang (Sweet Soup). Travel note: Hot ingredients~ Packed with people~
Location: Taipei, Siping Xiaoguan - Pickled Cabbage and Pork Hot Pot Travel note: My sister and her fiancé came up from Linkou to see me, so we decided to share a hot pot together~ By Morgan @2014.1.26
Location: Taipei, Nagi - Black King Ramen Travel note: First time trying ramen made with sesame and squid ink—so fragrant, no wonder there's always a long line!~ By Morgan @2014.1.25
Location: Taipei, Ximending - So Free Wood-Fired Pizza Travel note: My university friend Junhong suddenly said he was coming up from Hsinchu to see me, so I quickly rounded up a few available classmates—Bomin, Xiaomi, and junior Icebone—for a meal. We shared updates about working at MediaTek, Trend Micro, Quanta, and ASUS. Time flew by, and we chatted from noon straight past 3 PM!~ By Morgan @2014.1.25
Location: Taipei Hana 錵 Premium Teppanyaki Travel note summary: After binge-reading 18 volumes of the Korean manhwa 'Hot-Blooded Jianghu' this afternoon, I came here for dinner. This nearly 36-year-old establishment is one of Taipei's famous teppanyaki spots. The evening set menu costs around 2,000 to 3,000 NTD (excluding drinks). The surf and turf course is quite varied—appetizer, bread, salad, bacon-wrapped scallop roll, prawn, cod, sirloin steak, dessert, drinks... I was pretty full after the whole set. But it's also a hard-to-book place; for a last-minute weekend reservation, we had to wait until after 8 PM for a table. @@
Location: Silverlight stock quote website trial. Last week, I focused on converting several divergence indicators to Multicharts. With more free time this week, I spent a few days writing a simple conversion program to transfer 8-13 years of Excel historical daily data for Greater China stock markets (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan) and some fund markets into my own database. I also set up a scheduled program to automatically update these post-market daily data into the database in the future. Then, using Microsoft's Silverlight technology, I webified these data and uploaded the main page to Amazon's cloud server. Finally, I temporarily completed a prototype that allows online market data queries. I've been thinking about this for almost a year, but actually starting it took a full year = =a. Fortunately, it didn't take too much time to build in the end. But it's just a beginning. Next, I need to integrate global commodities, including forex data sources, and think about how to add value on this platform to make it more workable. Anyway, keep going~~
Location: Taipei Light House Cafe (afternoon tea) + Hirata Sushi (dinner) Travel note summary: Today, around noon while I was in the middle of coding, just like last Sunday, I suddenly got a phone call. It was my uncle from Hsinchu, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, saying he wanted to come up to Taipei to chat. I like to call him Brother Jason because he's traveled almost all over the world—not only is he well-informed, but he also has friends everywhere. And just like Brother Mu, he achieved financial freedom and retired in his forties. So even though there's an age gap, we get along like good friends. Every chat with Brother Jason is very rewarding, and we always end up talking for hours. This time we talked from 2 PM until past 7 PM, spanning two meals. It was so enjoyable we had to promise to meet up again next time. :)
Location: Taipei, second visit to Star Cellar Travel note summary: After a week, I came back here for a meal because Cristopher is returning to Costa Rica next week after a meeting with Yuan-Tseh Lee in Hsinchu. So today was to introduce my genius hacker classmate from Taichung First Senior High School, also the co-founder of g0v (gov-zero)—ClKao, Brother Chia-liang Kao—to the elders and Cristopher. A very nice night and the food is so delicious. Besides the red wine and extremely mellow whisky as usual, today I ordered Australian abalone plus Australian Wagyu snowflake tender shoulder (Grade 9+). The cooking, tenderness, and sweetness were all quite satisfying—a flawless meal. :)
Location: Taipei, Second Visit - Star Cellar, Australian 9+ Wagyu Chuck Flap Travel note: Came back here for dinner again after just a week, because Cristopher is heading back to Costa Rica after his meeting with Yuan-Tseh Lee in Hsinchu next week. Today, I introduced my genius hacker classmate from Taichung First Senior High School, also the founder of g0v—ClKao (Chia-liang Kao)—to the elders and Cristopher. A very nice night, and the food was so delicious. Besides the usual red wine and smooth whiskey, we tried Australian abalone and Australian 9+ Wagyu chuck flap—the cooking, tenderness, and sweetness were all impeccable. An absolutely flawless meal!~ By Morgan @2014.1.6
Location: Taipei Ruth's Chris Steak House, T-Bone Steak Travel note summary: T-Bone Steak (20 Oz). Last night, Brother Mu made a special trip from Taoyuan to Taipei to see me. After thinking about a place, I took him for a SPA, alternating between an extremely hot sauna and a ten-degree ice pool—quite a thrill. Today, after coding all day, I suddenly got a call from Manager Liang in the evening. He said he just returned from Shenzhen and invited Morgan (me) to dinner. So we came to Ruth's Chris together. Chatting over dinner, we opened an Argentine red wine tonight, which went very smoothly with the steak. Ruth's Chris is still doing great business; even on a Sunday night, it's hard to book. The table we got happened to be the last one available. :P
Location: Taipei, Ximending - Zengde Self-Serve Hot Pot Travel note: Always eat at the stone hot pot place next door, but today I decided to switch it up. (Brunch with my sister, brother, and Qingjin-jie~) By Morgan @2014.1.4
Location: 2014 New Year's Eve reflections on life and technology. Over the past month or so, constantly encountering and using various software, platforms, or programming languages suddenly reminded me of a scene from two years ago when I was walking in India, with crowds swarming around (the picture shows a street scene in Varanasi, the holy city on the Ganges). That feeling of being surrounded by a huge amount of technology, as if you can never learn it all @@. It started because an elder recently spent tens of thousands of dollars on a financial software in the US, asking Morgan to help study it. Since leaving my previous company, I haven't touched more expensive financial software like Axioma (portfolio construction management, index replication), EPFR (Global Fund Flow), or platforms like Bloomberg, Reuters... for a while. But because of this new software, I had to relearn many things. It has some quite interesting features, such as Pattern Recognition using fuzzy theory, Expert System + Consensus Report, or Neural Network, which I often saw before... Since the entire software is composed of several different programming languages and platform combinations, plus other platforms and technologies I usually use for developing various trading strategies, the things I've used or encountered recently include ASP.NET, C#.NET, VB.NET, VC++, Excel VBA, Silverlight, WPF (XAML), MVVM architecture, Web Service, EasyLanguage (for Multicharts - stock and futures program trading), MQL4 (for MT4 - forex program trading), TradeScript (for new platform), IB API (US broker - for Global Market quotes), CMoney (for Greater China financial product post-market quotes), SQL Server + Stored Procedures, AWS + RDS (Amazon cloud server + database) ...... Although some technologies are already very familiar, some haven't been used for a long time, and some are completely new. I'm really grateful to colleagues from my two previous companies in the information and financial fields for teaching me many knowledge, enabling me to integrate these resources now and inspiring some new ideas and goals. I'm also thankful to some good friends who always support and encourage me when I encounter adversity in life, and many benefactors willing to help me! The new year is about to begin. Besides continuing to run the existing steadily developing cross-market automated program trading system, how to make this new platform exert greater power will be one of my tasks this year. Doing things you like, although tiring, always brings more passion to make you forget fatigue, even if you keep investing from waking up to late at night without rest except for eating and reading comics. If there is something I can do, why not to do it? Wishing everyone a safe and smooth new year~ Cheers!
Location: Green Door Bar, Taipei, New Year's Eve Travel note: Counting down the last day of 2013 at Green Door Bar with old university CCNS club friend Wen Zheng. Listening to live music by foreign performers and drinking cocktails to ring in the new year. Happy New Year, everyone! :) By Morgan @2013.12.31
Location: Taipei Star Cellar Wagyu Restaurant Travel note summary: A private location with a wine collection worth over 200 million NTD. Besides being a wine cellar, you can also enjoy very delicious meals in the basement. Truffle foie gras + beautifully colored Australian Wagyu beef—a very special place. The elder treated us to a meal here today and also introduced his niece's husband to Morgan. Cristopher is from Costa Rica, a Ph.D. in chemistry, now teaching at the University of Costa Rica. He has already published many papers in internationally renowned journals. Although our fields of expertise are different, it was still quite interesting chatting and communicating with him in my broken English. Plus a bottle of Balvenie 15-year-old Whisky and a bottle of award-winning premium red wine from New Zealand... A slightly tipsy and happy evening. :)
Location: First visit to Star Cellar Wagyu Restaurant, Taipei Travel note: A private venue with over 200 million NTD worth of wine collection. Besides being a cellar, the basement serves delicious meals—truffle foie gras and beautifully marbled Australian Wagyu beef. A very special place. Had dinner here with elders today and met Cristopher, a Chemistry PhD from Costa Rica who teaches at a university there and has published many papers. Though our fields differ, chatting with him in broken English was quite fun. Plus a bottle of Balvenie 15-year whisky and an award-winning New Zealand red wine... A pleasantly tipsy evening. By Morgan @2013.12.30
Location: Tenlong Computer Books Travel note: After dinner, I thought I'd take a stroll to the bookstore. Ended up staying for hours and lost track of time. They were about to close, so I quickly checked out and left @@
Location: Taoyuan, Shimen, Jinlan Live Fish Restaurant. Travel note: Loco's good friend, Brother Yi-Wu, came to visit him, so we headed down to Taoyuan and casually met up with Brother Mu and Ah-Cai for a meal. ~ By Morgan @2013.12.9
Location: Taipei, Jimmy's Kitchen, American Kobe Steak Travel note: Jimmy's Kitchen in Taipei, an old-school Western restaurant (since 1949). Had dinner here with Brother Mu, A-Cai, and Ramen Senior. The steak we ordered (NT$1550+10%) was slightly better than Red House's, but the value for money was just okay—not particularly impressive. Lots of people come here for birthdays; the waitstaff sing at the table, and there's live piano music~
Location: Taipei, Jan's Western Restaurant, American Kobe Beef. Travel note: An old-school Western restaurant in Taipei (since 1949). Had dinner here with Brother Mu, Ah-Cai, and Ramen Senior. The steak we ordered (NT$1,550 + 10%, about 400 RMB) was slightly better than Red House, but the value was just okay—nothing too impressive. However, many people come here for birthdays; the waitstaff sing around the table, and there's live piano music. ~ By Morgan @2013.11.29
Location: Taipei, Shilin, Green Door Music Restaurant, first visit. Travel note: (Note: This is a place I ended up visiting over five or six times later.) All-you-can-drink cocktails for NT$880, and you can even go on stage to sing—a pretty fun spot. Within five days, I happened to have tried whiskey, sake, beer, and cocktails, completing the circle. ~ By Morgan @2013.11.27
Location: Taipei, Fennel Bistro. Travel note: Tucked away on the second floor of a residential building in an alley off Changchun Road. You can try beers from various countries—Austria, Italy, Belgium—a rather unique corner of the city. ~ By Morgan @2013.11.27
Location: Taipei, Shilin, Green Door Music Restaurant Travel note: Green Door Music Restaurant in Shilin, Taipei. All-you-can-drink cocktails for NT$880, and you can even go on stage to sing—a pretty fun place! In five days, I managed to drink whiskey, sake, beer, and cocktails in a full circle~
Location: Taipei, Fennel Bistro Travel note: Fennel Bistro in Taipei, hidden on the second floor of a residential building in an alley off Changchun Road. You can try beers from all over—Austria, Italy, Belgium—a really unique corner of the city…
Location: Taipei, Ya Yuan, Hong Kong-style Dim Sum. Travel note: Just memo it. ~ By Morgan @2013.11.26
Location: Taipei, Ximen Jing Japanese Izakaya Travel note: Ximen Jing Japanese Izakaya in Taipei, a small shop tucked away in the alleys of Ximending. Every time I came before, it was full, but thanks to Xiao Ci-ge coming up north, I finally got to eat here~ Besides catching up with long-time-no-see Ricky and his wife Qiqi, I also met a new friend, Xiao Hei-ge~ A small shop, plates full of food, warm sake—a very pleasant evening :)
Location: Taipei, Ximen Jing Japanese Izakaya Travel note summary: Ximen Jing Japanese Izakaya, a little shop hidden in the alleys of Ximending. It's always full whenever I come, but thanks to Xiao Ci-ge coming up north, I finally got to try it! Besides catching up with Ricky and his wife Qiqi after so long, I also met a new friend, Xiao Hei-ge. A small place, packed with food, warm sake—a really pleasant evening. By Morgan @2013.11.25
Location: Taipei, Brother Hotel Chrysanthemum Hall Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Brother Hotel Chrysanthemum Hall Japanese Cuisine. Drank too much last night, so I had to cancel the Wanyouquan + red wine plan today. Just having a light drink with friends over some sake~ By Morgan @2013.11.23
Location: Taipei, Vasa Pizzeria Restaurant Travel note summary: Vasa Pizzeria Restaurant. Junming rarely comes back from mainland China, so we gathered some old university classmates for a meal. Tonight, Junming + Voto and his wife, Peijun, Lingwen, Yanren, Bomin, and me, Morgan—seven people in total. Even though we waited a bit long for the food, just being able to see old classmates and friends after so long made it a happy and enjoyable dinner. Everyone's work hasn't changed much lately—Foxconn, TTV, Twinhead, MediaTek, Trend Micro... Everyone keeps working hard on their chosen paths. Thinking about it, it's almost ten years since graduation. Will the next ten years come just as quickly?... Eh, better not overthink it, just live in the moment XD Cheers! By Morgan @2013.11.5
Location: Taipei, The Westin Taipei Beef Noodles Travel note summary: The Westin Taipei Beef Noodles. My second time eating here. Even though a bowl costs nearly 500 NTD, the meat is really quite tasty. Full and ready to go play ball~ :p By Morgan @2013.10.31
Location: Taipei, Ximending Malinyu Stir-fry Travel note summary: Ximending Malinyu Stir-fry. Just memo it~ By Morgan @2013.10.30
Location: Taipei, second visit to Hana Bi Japanese Izakaya. Travel note: Just one day later, I'm back at Hana Bi in Taipei. The dishes were different from yesterday, but each one was still quite distinctive—duck breast, crab meat croquette, salmon roe omelette... The only constant was the two large bottles of sake as our usual foundation!
Location: Taipei, second visit to Hana Bi Japanese izakaya. Travel note: It's only been a day, but I'm back at Hana Bi in Taipei. The dishes were different from yesterday, but each one was still full of character—duck breast, crab meat croquette, salmon roe omelette... The only constant? Starting off with two big bottles of sake, as always. By Morgan @2013.10.22
Location: Taipei, Hana Bi Japanese Izakaya. Travel note: Hana Bi is a small shop tucked away in an alley off Zhongshan North Road in Taipei. The food is very refined, and the atmosphere is nice too, though the prices aren't exactly budget-friendly. For two people with some dishes and two bottles of sake, it came to over six thousand.
Location: Taipei, first visit to Hana Bi Japanese izakaya. Travel note: First time at Hana Bi, a little shop tucked away in a lane off Zhongshan North Road. The food is delicate and the atmosphere is nice, but the prices aren't exactly cheap. Two of us ordered some dishes plus two bottles of sake, totaling over six thousand NTD (about 1,500 RMB). By Morgan @2013.10.21
Location: Taipei, Come On Pasta. Travel note: Just memo it~ By Morgan @2013.10.19
Location: Taoyuan, Sanmin Seafood. Travel note: Just memo it~ By Morgan @2013.10.17
Location: Taichung, Hunan Veteran Stinky Tofu. Travel note: It's rare for me to come back to Taichung. What I miss isn't some fancy delicacy, but the stinky tofu near my home. After visiting my grandma, I couldn't resist buying a portion to satisfy my craving. By Morgan @2013.10.5
Location: Taipei, Red House Steakhouse, Foie Gras Steak Travel note: Tonight I had dinner with an elder and chatted about his company in mainland China. I didn't expect Ruth's Chris to still be fully booked on a Friday night, so we switched to this other famous old-school Western restaurant. They light candles on each table in the evening to set the mood. Too bad the spacing between tables isn't quite enough—when it gets crowded, it inevitably gets a bit noisy. @@ By Morgan @2013.10.5
Location: Taipei, Red House Steakhouse with Foie Gras Steak. Travel note: Had dinner with an elder tonight and chatted about his company in mainland China. Didn't expect Ruth's Chris to still be fully booked on a Friday night, so we switched to this other famous old Western restaurant. Each table had a candle lit for ambiance in the evening, but unfortunately, the spacing between seats wasn't enough, and it got a bit noisy when crowded. @@
Location: Taipei, Angel's Appointment, Bubble Tea Travel note: Brother Mu came up from Taoyuan, so we met at our usual spot to play cards and drink tea. I also invited senior MFT Zongxian, whom I hadn't seen in a long time. By Morgan @2013.10.3
Location: Taipei, Hizenya, Unadon (Eel Rice Bowl) Travel note: Had lunch with my junior high school classmate Haoting and his family. This is the 13th gathering this month—seems like a bit too many. It makes me fondly recall the old days when I had 31 gatherings/meetups in a single month. @@ By Morgan @2013.9.28
Location: Taipei, Hizenya with Unagi Don. Travel note: Had lunch with my junior high school classmate Haoting and his family, marking the 13th gathering this month. Seems like this month's gathering count is a bit high, making me reminisce about the old days when there were 31 gatherings/meetings in a month~ @@
Location: Taipei, Waishuangxi, Wheel Shrimp Fishing Pond Travel note: Haven't been here in so long. @@ By Morgan @2013.9.21
Location: Taipei, Guiyang Street, Sanwei Canteen Travel note: Generous, large portions of sashimi and nigiri sushi. By Morgan @2013.9.21
Location: Taipei, Bawei Ginger Duck Hotpot Travel note: Yesterday was red wine, today with different friends we switched to dark beer~ @@ By Morgan @2013.9.21
Location: Taipei, Ambassador Hotel A Cut Steakhouse. Travel note: U.S. Prime Branda Dry-Aged Ribeye Steak ($6000+10%). Manager Liang happened to be back in Taiwan from mainland China again, so he treated Morgan to a meal and chatted about some matters. Originally planned to go to Ruth's Chris, but had to wait until 20:30 for a table, so we decided to switch to A Cut at the Ambassador Hotel. The 40-day aged steak was indeed very delicious, but as usual, with two bottles of Australian red wine to warm up, I'm not sure if I got full or drunk first. = =
Location: Taipei, Ambassador Hotel A-Cut SteakHouse Travel note: U.S. Prime Branda dry-aged ribeye steak ($6000+10%) (1,500 RMB). Boss Liang happened to be back in Taiwan from China again, so he treated Morgan to a meal and we chatted about some things. Originally planned to go to Ruth's Chris, but had to wait until 20:30 for a table, so we finally decided to change venues and came to A-Cut at the Ambassador. The 40-day aged steak was indeed incredibly delicious. As usual, with two bottles of Australian red wine to warm up, I don't know if I got full or drunk first = = By Morgan @2013.9.20
Location: Taipei, Saboten Handmade Aged Hamburger Steak Travel note: After watching Mayday's 3D movie, came to eat at the newly opened NeoWest in Ximending~ Surprisingly not many people, spending the holiday in Taipei is actually quite relaxing~ :p By Morgan @2013.9.20
Location: Taipei, Bàozǒu Shípù - Donburi & Skewers. It's been a long time since I stopped blogging, and I really haven't received any invitations from vendors/restaurants in ages. Last week, while checking Gmail, I suddenly saw an email from a place called Bàozǒu Shípù. Since it was sent directly to my Morgan inbox, I replied. The owner's polite response made me want to check out the shop. Coincidentally, my younger brother just landed a new job at a foreign tech company with decent pay, so I invited him and Boss Loco for a small celebration. At 7 PM, we arrived at Bàozǒu Shípù on Xing'an Street; the place was already quite busy. We ordered some skewers, grilled vegetables, and seafood. Compared to similar skewer shops, the meal felt quite affordable—budget around 350 TWD per person for a satisfying experience. However, the shop's positioning seems a bit unclear. If aiming for an izakaya/skewer style, the decor, atmosphere, and alcohol selection would need adjustment. Some menu items feel out of place for that genre. I asked the owner about this, and he said some aspects are intentionally designed to create a unique, 'sunny' vibe, differentiating from typical izakayas. He offers less alcohol, focusing instead on affordable donburi and skewers to attract office workers and families. After chatting with him, I understood the direction better. Overall, Bàozǒu Shípù offers good value for money, and since it's newly opened, I believe the owners' dedication will lead to continuous improvements.
Location: Taipei, TGI Fridays American Restaurant Travel note: 10 Oz ribeye steak By Morgan @2013.9.5
Location: Taipei, Huaxi Street, Tainan Danzai Noodles Travel note: My boss Liang, who rarely comes back from mainland China, said I looked too thin and insisted on treating me to some nourishing food. Last week we went to Tian Cai Japanese Cuisine, and today he took me to Tainan Danzai Noodles on Huaxi Street. We had pumpkin foie gras soup, various seafood, and two bottles of Chilean red wine. I ended up getting a bit tipsy before gaining any weight. @@
Location: Miscellaneous Travel note: Taiwan is really small. At this Multicharts gathering, about 80–90 people showed up. Shortly after I sat down, two people happened to sit right in front of me. One of them looked very familiar, but I just couldn't remember who he was. Afraid of mistaking him, I waited until the event ended before boldly asking if I knew him. Turns out he was a former colleague from my previous company—he worked in the index department across the way, so we didn't interact much. I'm embarrassed I couldn't recall him, but after chatting a bit, it came back to me. He remembered me too. What a coincidence that out of all the seats, he chose the one right in front of me, allowing us to catch up in the end. @@
Location: Hsinchu, Liu Family Pickled Cabbage and Pork Hotpot - Zhubei Branch Travel note: Dinner with older sister, younger brother, and Brother Dabin By Morgan @2013.7.12
Location: Tainan, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi - Kimura Coffee Travel note: Met up with Chef Jidan at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi's Kimura Coffee last night. As usual, he brought tea leaves and brewed us some Harrods Christmas edition tea. We chatted until the mall closed, then headed to Traveler on Fuqian Road for oden and skewers before returning to Taipei. That wraps up my Tainan day trip—wish I could've seen more friends, but next time! @@ By Morgan @2013.7.7
Location: Tainan, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi - Kimura Coffee Travel note: Tainan, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi - Kimura Coffee (Harrods Tea - Christmas Limited Edition). Last night, I met up with Chef and senior Jidan here. As usual, the senior brought tea leaves and brewed tea for us here. We chatted until Shin Kong Mitsukoshi closed. Then we went to Traveler on Fuqian Road for oden and skewers as a late-night snack before heading straight back to Taipei, ending this one-day trip to Tainan. Still couldn't meet many friends this time due to lack of time—hopefully next time. @@
Location: Tainan, Graffiti Bookstore Restaurant Travel note: Came to Tainan with Brother Mu to look at houses, and dropped by the Graffiti Bookstore Restaurant opened by our ramen-senior. Business is booming! By Morgan @2013.7.6
Location: Taichung, Han Jia Yuan BBQ Hotpot Travel note: Taichung, Han Jia Yuan BBQ Hotpot. Thanks for the treat, Brother Yongle! :) By Morgan @2013.7.6
Location: Taipei, Xiang Ding Fang Restaurant Travel note: Taipei, Xiang Ding Fang Restaurant. Just memo-ing it~ By Morgan @2013.6.29
Location: Taipei, Petit Coin Steakhouse Travel note: Had dinner here tonight with Brother Mu and his two friends—one is Brother Luo, who was interviewed by Business Today last month, and the other is Alan, who also recently contributed to the magazine. Later, Boss Loco joined us for tea. Great to meet new friends and chat about trading strategies together. What a pleasure! By Morgan @2013.6.22
Location: Taipei, Tiancai Japanese Cuisine - Class Reunion Travel note: Thanks to Funky and his family flying in from Macau, we had a university class reunion tonight. 16 adults + 3 kids fit perfectly around a round table. Coincidentally, Guo Wei and his wife were also in Taiwan, not in Hong Kong. I hadn't seen Guo Wei in over ten years—time flies! Besides welcoming Funky and Guo Wei, we also celebrated Jun Ying's birthday and wished Xiao Mi's stomach well. A truly delightful evening! By Morgan @2013.6.2
Location: Taipei, Rose Mary Italian Cuisine Travel note: A restaurant where you have to queue for over half an hour @@ By Morgan @2013.5.26
This afternoon, with class canceled, I went to Meinong. Unlike last time when I just picked a random restaurant, this time I asked a helpful elderly man in his 70s for the best place. He recommended a nearly four-generation-old ban tiao (flat noodle) shop on Ban Tiao Street near Meinong Elementary. After asking a car-washing man, a woman on the street, and two watermelon stall owners, I finally found Meiguang Ban Tiao Shop—a name that sounded familiar, and I later realized silent0219 had mentioned it. The front looked small and old-school, but there was a larger dining area in the alley. We ordered ban tiao, pork intestines, preserved mustard greens, cabbage stew, and later added water lily, Hakka stir-fry. It came to about NT$130 per person. The ban tiao was okay but quite oily for me—typical of ban tiao. The other dishes were flavorful, cooked with rice wine, ginger, and other seasonings, all cleared quickly. The preserved greens were good but hard to describe. Water lily has been discussed before. Overall, if you're in Meinong, this 45-year-old shop is worth trying. Also, last night I ate at Meinong Hakka Cuisine on Chongxue Road for comparison. The dishes there were heavily seasoned—salty, sour, or spicy—which was a bit much for my lighter palate. We ordered winter melon stew, Hakka stir-fry, iron plate beef, braised pork, ginger stir-fried intestines, water lily, salad, pickled cabbage soup, plum juice, and sweet potato rice (NT$10 per bowl, unlimited refills). The dishes were all quite rice-friendly and decent. The water lily seemed better at Meiguang. The Hakka stir-fry was good but too heavy for me. The pickled cabbage soup was unique and tasty. However, an older waiter had a bad attitude, almost ruining the mood, though the younger server was better. For groups, it's about NT$200 per person to get full, or they have set menus. If you like Hakka food, give it a try; otherwise, it's optional. Just sharing for reference!
Location: Taipei Travel note: Sanyi, Ju Jiu Tang Hakka Garden Restaurant. Taiwan is always so small. Just after returning to Taipei from Miaoli, walking through the crowded sea of people in Ximending, at a crossroad, Ah-Fu suddenly appeared before my eyes again. I went up and happened to greet him and his friend Ariel. Good luck with your thesis defense, Ah-Fu! :P
Location: North Area Travel notes: (#9) Three-day, two-night trip to Miaoli (in verse). The mundane world is vast, people lost in confusion; worries unresolved, often feeling stifled. Just wishing to follow my heart and go wherever I please, to the ends of the earth. In central Taiwan, Miaoli County—beautiful mountains, clear waters, charming scenery. Last weekend, I went with Xiaoping to visit our friend Zhengxiong. Though summer nights are long and lonely, and festive scenes lack a special someone, having close friends by my side, we raised glasses with beer and dried tofu. Over the meal, we chatted about everything under the sun; on the mountain paths, it was just us. Frog croaks and cicada chirps eventually fade, but in that silence, there’s something profound. The night sky is cool as water; lying down, we gaze at the Cowherd and Weaver stars. Sadly, thick clouds blanket the earth, a dark canopy covering the sky. But it doesn’t spoil our cheerful conversation—true friends are rare in this world. The mountain breeze invites the bright moon; no need to make three with just my shadow. The next morning, we welcome the dawn; country life is enviable. West Lake’s beauty in August, swallows fly over misty waves, leaving no trace on the water. Straight up to Liyu Tan Reservoir, surrounded by mountains, the lake’s surface pristine. Strolling leisurely under the bright sun, climbing high by the dam for a panoramic view. Next stop, the Wood Sculpture Museum—Sanyi is famous for this. Marvel at the exquisitely carved Bodhidharma, the lifelike Guanyin. Using nanmu, beech, cypress, fir, pine—countless carvings of all kinds. No wonder there’s a road sign here that reads “Divine Sculpture Village.” Lunch at a small noodle stall by the road, Hakka flat noodles soft and tender. Sanyi’s highest lookout tower—after eating and drinking our fill, we continue on. A river by the road for stream tracing; dragonflies and tadpoles happily meet. Playing in the water to cool off is refreshing—some things are beyond words. True to its name as the land of fog, the roadside grows mistier. Park and walk to the highest point, searching for immortals in the vast white haze. Reaching the tower top and looking down, nothing visible all around. Soaring through clouds in emptiness, as if floating in the highest heavens. Tang Monk sought scriptures at Fire Flame Mountain, but I’m here watching the sunset. Red soil, bare surfaces mixed with forests, tea fields reflecting crimson light. We decide to drive straight to Yuanli; an hour later, the wind picks up. The sun sets in the west, the moon hangs high; on dim, small paths, our hearts flutter with unease. The next day, the broken bridge called Longteng, ruins and weeds by its side. Next to it, a railway a hundred feet high—we walk across it right here. Ahead, a waterfall with shallow streams; sacred mountains where people aren’t crazy. Green hills and clear waters to ease the mind; gentle breezes and colorful butterflies to chat with. The final stop is called Shengxing.
Location: Taichung Zhongzheng Park, playing catch. On the eve of the end of the holiday, my younger brother and I went to the nearby Zhongzheng Park to exercise. It's been a while since I last threw a ball; it felt really refreshing. I hope all my friends can start the new year as clear and bright as the blue sky and white clouds, with everything going smoothly. :) By Morgan @2013.2.16
Location: Tainan, Zhou's Shrimp Rolls Travel note: Visiting with family during the Lunar New Year—long time no see, Zhou's Shrimp Rolls! We queued for almost an hour. By Morgan @2013.2.12
Location: Taipei, Li Bai Skewers & Fried Food Travel note: Had dinner here with my university classmate A-Fu and elementary school classmate Wen Zheng. (Originally planned to go to Dolce, which I visited the day before, but it was closed today. Since both friends didn't mind, I combined the two gatherings into one—go with the flow in life!) Wen Zheng now works at a listed LED lens manufacturer, while A-Fu is still juggling work and his thesis, aiming to graduate from his part-time program next year. Time never stops moving forward, but no matter how things change or what happens, family and good friends are always a warm current in the cold winter. Let's raise our glasses and keep drinking—just buy more wine and share it with you! By Morgan @2012.11.12
Location: Taipei Dolce & Creapes Travel note summary: After watching the Taiwan vs. Cuba game today, I went out for dinner. Right after finishing, I ran into Wenzheng again. Since we’ve bumped into each other two weeks in a row, of course we had to find another spot to sit and chat. We wandered around the nearby alleys, debating whether to just go to McDonald’s, when we suddenly came across a very inconspicuous shop entrance. We were still wondering whether to go in or look elsewhere when an uncle smoking at the door spoke up: “The food inside is pretty good, especially the braised lamb shoulder with figs and apricots.” “Are you the owner?” “No, I’m a customer. I came all the way from Beitou. Others came from places like Linkou too.” After discussing with Wenzheng, we went in. Later, we realized it really was an interesting place. The owner worked at a winery in New Zealand for over a decade before returning to Taiwan and opening this shop out of passion, just so friends could gather here in their free time. While we were inside, the other large group of customers seemed like the owner’s friends, singing, chatting, and laughing heartily. The owner even brought homemade mochi to share with us and invited us to join them, but since Wenzheng and I hadn’t finished catching up, we didn’t join in. Although we only ordered Wuyi Mountain tea and a cup of chocolate, without trying the food, the vibe of the restaurant felt just right—a hidden gem in the alley that makes you want to return. Even though it looks unremarkable from the outside, once you step in, it leaves a deep impression. A rainy weekend night, a pot of tea that slowly settles the heart, an old friend known for many years… life goes with the flow.
Location: Hsinchu Travel notes: After finishing training, I took one trip south and one north—perfect timing. Last Friday afternoon, I took a Guoguang bus alone and arrived in Hsinchu in the evening. I got off in front of the overpass on Guangfu Road and strolled into the Tsinghua University campus. Suddenly, my phone rang—it was Brother Xu, an IT manager at Qian Yue gas station. He said his colleague saw me in Tainan recently and thought I was still in my PhD program, so he wanted to have a meal together. I told him about my current situation and said I’d catch up with him next time I’m in Tainan or Pingtung. Too bad Qian Yue hasn’t expanded north of Taichung yet, or I’d ask him to set me up with a VIP in their database so I wouldn’t have to pay so much for gas :P. After that, I called my younger brother, who’s studying at Tsinghua’s Department of Power Mechanical Engineering. He was skipping class reading manga—what a slacker, even more than me! After giving him some advice, I asked if he wanted to eat together. He said he was too tired from reading manga and wanted to rest. What a guy. Fine, I left him alone. Made a few calls and arranged to meet some friends for dinner. After a long wait and more wandering around campus, everyone finally showed up, and we headed to Kafka, recommended by ct. (I’ll write about the restaurants we tried later—let me finish this travel log first...). My friend Zhiqian (TS), who was in the same training group and club, works at UMC’s R&D center; Zhihao (aby) is at the System-on-Chip Center of ITRI; my college classmate Afu (achieve) is still at Vanguard; and Junhong (lungfish) is still at NCTU’s Institute of Electronics. We caught up on other club friends’ news, their work situations, and life in Hsinchu. Later, we left the restaurant, and Afu and Junhong took me to my future place on Min’er Street in Longshan Community. I said hello to my future roommates, Brother Acan and Sister Liru, and checked out my tiny room. I’ll probably move in this Saturday.
Location: Taipei Lavazza Old Coffee Travel note summary: The night before last, I met Senior Lman here. He had some business ideas and wanted to hear my thoughts. Two days after our chat, just before getting off work today, I got a call from him. He said he finished talking with Li Kunlin, the owner of Booking Bookstore in Kaohsiung, and there’s a good chance they’ll collaborate. Many might not know who Li Kunlin is (you can Google him), but I’ve been reading his blog since over a decade ago. Although opinions about him are polarized, I still deeply admire him. So hearing that Ramen Senior’s talk with him went smoothly made me genuinely happy from the bottom of my heart. Wishing Senior’s plans a smooth and early launch!
First, thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I had to rush back to Taichung a few days ago due to some family matters, then went on a business trip to mainland China, and only returned last night—I’ve been stretched thin. But I’ve received every single one of your blessings. Thanks anyway!!!~ Now for a bit of business: I’m moving, and after the Lunar New Year another tenant moved out, so there’s now one studio and three single rooms available here. It’s right next to Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station (a one-minute walk). The studio is about 7 ping, the single rooms around 4–5 ping. Rent is 9500 for the studio, 6000–6500 for the single rooms, including internet, cable TV, water, shared electricity, and management fees. You only pay for your personal electricity usage. The location is great—just a short walk away, and the famous DiBao is right nearby. If any friends are thinking of moving or looking for a place, feel free to contact me. The studio and one single room are available from late April; the other two single rooms are available anytime.
Location: Taipei J.P. Morgan Office Investment Strategy Meeting Join Travel note summary: I was testing some trading strategy programs until midnight last night. This morning, I headed to the J.P. Morgan office opposite Taipei 101 to attend their 'Investment Ideas for 2012' Taiwan Analyst Day. Several analysts covering the Greater China market took turns presenting. The morning focused on the tech industry, followed by a video meeting on China Strategy at noon. The afternoon covered emerging markets and other sectors like energy, transportation, finance, and consumer goods. The general conclusion aligned with our firm's house view: the economy is likely to bottom out around March–April or the second quarter next year. For Taiwanese stocks, besides global fundamentals, foreign investors are particularly concerned about the election results in January. Overall, their outlook wasn't overly aggressive or conservative—they expect a recession in Europe but not as severe in the U.S., and China, though affected, should still maintain over 8% GDP growth. Mixed news is reflected in the recent volatile market swings. In summary, while stock valuations are low, there isn't enough reason or momentum to drive prices up yet... By Morgan @2011.11.22
Location: Taipei DOZO Creative Japanese Izakaya Travel note summary: This is a place my cousin recommended to me a long time ago. Last night, Cassie, Bomun, and I came here for dinner. The decor style is quite eye-catching, reminding me of Tainan’s Charcoal Mafia. But the key is that DOZO’s dishes are quite distinctive: cod roe stuffed chicken wings, caramel salmon box sushi, various skewers, especially the diced beef, which was truly unforgettable... Paired with a pot of warmed sake, a wonderful dinner—what more could one ask for in life?
Location: Taipei National Theater - U-Theatre: Beyond Time Travel note summary: My friend Grace is performing tonight at the National Theater in U-Theatre's 'Beyond Time.' U-Theatre: at the intersection of fast and slow, seeking balance; between movement and stillness, creating harmony. By Morgan @2011.11.19
Location: Taipei Loco老大 Financial Lecture Travel note summary: Taipei Loco老大 Financial Lecture at Insomnia Cafe Bar (No. 8, Lane 60, Taishun Street) in Shida Night Market. On Sunday afternoon, I went with Cassie to listen to 老大's lecture. There wasn't much promotion, so about twenty people showed up. The venue was at the relocated Insomnia—the food seemed even tastier now. Thanks to 老大 for specially holding this lecture, which helped me build some good financial concepts~ By Morgan @2011.11.15
Location: Taipei Alleycat's Pizza Travel note summary: (Huashan Store) A pretty nice place. Cassie, my brother, his classmate, and I ordered four items: buffalo mozzarella tomato salad, chicken calzone, Margherita pizza, and pizza chips with homemade basil sauce. The food was quite distinctive.
Location: Taipei Shi Er Guo Travel note summary: (Wang Pin series) Just memo it~
Location: Taipei Pierre Marcolini Chocolate Travel note summary: After buying bread at Paul and finishing honey toast at Dazzling tonight, I met up with my senior from the Tainan Chef Network at this soon-to-open shop. Pierre Marcolini is a famous Belgian artisanal chocolate brand, introduced by the same owner who brought in French Paul and Maison de la Truffe, Yeh Liang-chuan, as another international brand, opening in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi's A4 building. My senior has been staying here these days to assist with the launch of the touchscreen POS system for the store, having just finished a press conference this afternoon. Due to limited time, we only chatted briefly with him. The pre-display chocolates on the counter looked incredibly tempting, but they're not on sale yet—guess I'll have to come back another time to try them! @@ By Morgan @2011.10.19
Location: Taipei Feng De Cun Tea Shop Travel note summary: After eating at Family Steakhouse, I came to a tea shop opened by a friend of Xiao Ci's, Li, with Cassie, Xiao Ci, Brother Mu, and Jessica. We chatted while drinking Dong Ding tea and 13-year-old high-mountain tea—it was a really fun place. All sorts of gossip and information can be heard here. By Morgan @2011.10.10
Location: Taipei Feng De Cun Tea Shop Travel note summary: After eating at Family Steakhouse, I came to a tea shop opened by a friend of Xiao Ci's, Li, with Cassie, Xiao Ci, Brother Mu, and Jessica. We chatted while drinking Dong Ding tea and 13-year-old high-mountain tea—it was a really fun place. All sorts of gossip and information can be heard here. By Morgan @2011.10.10
Location: Taichung Yizhong Street Er Kou Teppanyaki Noodles Travel note summary: Taichung Yizhong Street Er Kou Teppanyaki Noodles. I remembered how much I loved eating teppanyaki noodles before weekend cram school at Shuili Building during high school, though Er Kou didn't exist back then. Time will tell...... By Morgan @2011.10.10
Location: Taichung Karuizawa Hot Pot Travel note summary: Taichung Karuizawa Hot Pot is a very popular shop in Taichung~ Every time I go, there's a long queue @@ By Morgan @2011.10.10
Location: Taipei, Capricciosa Pasta. Just memo-ing this place~ By Morgan @2011.10.1
Location: Taipei, Coffee Alley's Strawberry Ice Cream Waffle. Another famous waffle shop often compared to Mélange. Waited almost an hour outside to get in @@, and there's a time limit for dining (1.5 hours). But the waffles were pretty good though~ By Morgan @2011.9.24
Location: Taipei, Civic Boulevard Shabu Shabu. My younger brother came up to Taipei for a wedding banquet and 'casually' dropped by to have me treat him to a meal~ By Morgan @2011.9.24
Location: Kaohsiung Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium Travel note summary: Kaohsiung Chengcing Lake Baseball Stadium. Time will tell... By Morgan @2011.9.13
Thanks to Xiao Guai for cooking up a feast for everyone tonight, along with some delicious Kurumoto plum wine~~ ^^ Also, Ramen Senior’s beard is getting more and more stylish~ But after accidentally deleting the photos from last weekend’s trip to Yilan, I can’t believe I made the same mistake again today, so the pictures are gone again @@
Location: Taipei Huashan 1914 Creative Park One Carat of Dream Exhibition Travel note summary: Taipei Huashan 1914 Creative Park One Carat of Dream Exhibition. Inside the exhibition hall, there's a large poster of Ashin with the words: [I can endure anything, but I cannot endure regret.] It's truly heart-stirring~ Life should be about daring to try and pursue. 2011/9/3, I will remember this day forever...... By Morgan @2011.9.5
Location: Taipei, Sababa Middle Eastern Cuisine. Tonight, after a full-body aromatherapy massage at Oriental Thai (Nanjing branch) recommended by Loco老大 (NT$ 2800 for 2 persons), we came to an alley on Heping East Road for dinner. They mainly sell pita bread and some Middle Eastern foods like falafel. The dishes were quite unique, but the waitstaff's training wasn't quite up to par. By Morgan @2011.9.2
Location: Yilan, Baimu Wooden Clog Village Travel note summary: Yilan Baimu Wooden Clog Village. Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.8.30
Location: Taipei, Laoganbei Charcoal Grill Travel note: At Laoganbei Charcoal Grill in Taipei. "Bring in the wine, don't stop the cups!" When life is good, enjoy it to the fullest—don't let the golden cup sit empty under the moon. By Morgan @2011.8.29
Location: Yilan, Lanyang Museum Travel note summary: Yilan Lanyang Museum. Even though I moved last night, the room is a total mess and I'm exhausted, I still dragged myself out of bed a little past 7 AM. Wrote some code and sorted through photos. Yesterday, invited by Brother Kang, I went to Yilan with Ah-Fu, De-Fang, Jie-Zhi, David, some old friends from the Ningxia Night Market stall, and some new friends. The first stop was here. I really love its exterior—mountains in the background, water beside it, such beautiful scenery. By Morgan @2011.8.28
Tonight, after rushing back to Taipei from Yilan, my landlord suddenly told me the new tenant might need to move in ten days early and asked if I could move out of my current room by tomorrow. Since he asked, of course I had to help out in a pinch. So from around 8 PM to past 11 PM, I spent three hours frantically packing all my clothes, shoes, suitcases, badminton racket, books, bedding, camping sleeping bag, daily necessities... and moved everything to another room. Looking at the new room now piled chaotically with stuff, I just barely cleared a spot to sleep. After showering, my eyes are almost shut from exhaustion. Another day of running around and hard labor—exactly midnight now. Time to sleep, gotta wake up early tomorrow~~:P
Location: Taipei, COCO Ichibanya Curry Travel note: In the past two weeks, a colleague and a part-time student who's leaving each treated me to this chain restaurant for lunch. The omelette curry is pretty good, but the portions are really huge—I always end up a bit too full. Back home, good and bad news came one after another. Good news: Congrats to Brother Wu on starting a new chapter, working between Germany and China. Heaven helps those who help themselves :) As for the bad news... I feel partly responsible, but there's not much I can do. Sigh @@ By Morgan @2011.8.23
Location: Taipei, Taoyuan Street Beef Noodles Travel note: After work today, a colleague treated us to dinner and brought me and the summer intern here. He said it's an old shop he's been eating at since childhood—no signboard, no ads, all word-of-mouth. The place was indeed packed, every seat taken. As soon as I walked in and smelled the beef noodle aroma wafting over, I knew it probably wouldn't disappoint. Large chunks of beef, smooth noodles, and just the right hint of spiciness made even me, with my usually small appetite, finish a big bowl. Afterward, we went to nearby Kingstone on Chongqing South Road to buy two portable English vocabulary books. Gotta slowly patch up my weak spots @@a By Morgan @2011.8.22
Location: Taipei, Flora Expo Hall - Along the River During the Qingming Festival Exhibition Travel note summary: Taipei Flora Expo Hall - Along the River During the Qingming Festival Exhibition. Finally fulfilled the regret from visiting the Shanghai Expo Garden six times last year—saw the treasure of the China Pavilion, the animated version of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival.' Also found the little red pig being chased by kids under the Rainbow Bridge. Sitting in the open area at the back, watching the animation shift from day to night, it felt like traveling through time back to the Northern Song Dynasty. Relaxing under the trees, the painted boats on the river reminded me of the Qinhuai River night scene from my previous trip to Nanjing. Everything was so vivid and immersive, utterly captivating... By Morgan @2011.8.20
Location: Taipei, King Star Hong Kong Style Dim Sum Travel note: King Star is also a famous Hong Kong-style dim sum restaurant in Taipei. There's a sister shop, Tianxing Hong Kong Style Dim Sum, on Nanjing East Road, but every time I go to Tianxing it's with the boss, so I can't take photos. Yesterday I went to King Star on Dunhua South Road, which should be the main store. Comparing them, I think King Star's quality seems slightly better. No wonder the long queue made us wait almost an hour @@ By Morgan @2011.8.15
Location: Taoyuan, Dongyanshan Trail Travel note summary: Taoyuan Dongyanshan Trail. The muffled thunder rumbled for who knows how long this afternoon, the sky was gloomy. But luck was on our side—we hiked the mountain trail for over two hours, and not a single drop of rain actually fell... By Morgan @2011.8.15
Location: Taoyuan, Northern Cross-Island Highway - Dongyanshan Triangulation Point Travel note summary: Taoyuan Northern Cross-Island Highway - Dongyanshan Triangulation Point (1212M). Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.8.15
Location: Taoyuan, Beihuan - Xiaowulai Scenic Area, Skywalk Travel notes: After packing my bags yesterday, I headed out without any plan. I took the train to Zhongli first, met up with Ah Fu and my younger brother, and wandered around the area. Eventually, we went to a car rental place and rented a new Tiida 1.8. With three of us in the car, we randomly picked a destination and drove off. We ended up on Beihuan, at the Skywalk that just opened on July 3rd. There were a lot of people here, so we had to get a number ticket first (with batches every half hour). When our turn came, we bought tickets (50 NT) to enter. The main feature of the Skywalk is that it's built over the Xiaowulai Waterfall, designed as an aerial glass corridor. Looking down through the transparent tempered glass, the sound of the rushing waterfall was constant... By Morgan @2011.8.14
Location: Taipei, Beiping-Taoranting Restaurant, Peking Duck Travel note: Tonight was a joint dinner for three departments, with up to 23 people. The location was Taoranting, another famous Peking duck restaurant in Taipei besides Songchu and Longdu. The table was full of lavish dishes, but the main attraction was still the duck carving on the spot. Compared to Beijing's Quanjude, it's less oily, but the taste wasn't as memorable. After leaving a table full of beer (we took almost all the beer from the fridge, leaving only three bottles), as usual after the meal, we moved to Star KTV to sing and drink, also celebrating a colleague's birthday. Whiskey with Coke, poker with drinking games—we kept playing games and penalizing drinks until just now when we disbanded and I got home. Luck was on my side today—only penalized a few glasses of whiskey. Even though we already toasted a round of beer earlier, overall I'm not really drunk. "Drink while you can, if not drunk, just sleep." Well, good night~ By Morgan @2011.8.11
Location: Taipei, Ya Xiang Stone Hot Pot Travel note: Yesterday noon, I got my bonus and went with colleagues for Japanese food. Sometimes the amount isn't the most important thing—it's the comforting feeling of being recognized. After returning home in the evening, I quickly updated a statistical report from June 16. Then, I received a call from Zi Qiang and headed out again, to Lao Da's empty house in Ximending. It reminded me of when I first came back from mainland China late last year and stayed here for a month and a half. Time flies—it's almost been a year already, which is kind of scary. I thought we were meeting up to play cards, but it turned out we were just here to eat. So, in the evening, I had stone hot pot with Lao Da, Zi Qiang, and A Kui at this nearby place that's been open for over 30 years—it's older than me! Their stone hot pot starts by stir-frying scallions, garlic, and meat slices for aroma before adding the broth, which really enhances the flavor. The four of us ordered quite a bit but spent less than NT$1,000, so it's pretty affordable. Afterward, we went to 85°C for a second round, where Bo Ge (after martial arts practice) and Rag (just off work from Guanghua Digital Plaza) joined us. The six of us chatted in a nearby park until past midnight. Time just flew by as we talked about everything. Life is really fascinating when you think about it—the people you meet and the things you experience, past, present, and future, all weave together into a line or a web.
Location: Taipei, Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant Travel note: At Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant (31F of W Hotel), we ordered honey plum spare ribs, mixed grain pumpkin soup, crispy fried crab claws, shrimp dumplings with bamboo shoots, stir-fried turnip cake with sakura shrimp and cured meat, fried mushroom rolls, and fermented rice ball soup, plus a pot of chamomile tea. Some dishes were quite unique, and the service wasn't bad either. But I think the restaurant's biggest feature is probably its atmosphere and night view.
Location: Taipei, Yokohama Omurice Travel note: After work today, I went to the Kinmen Specialty Center on Roosevelt Road to buy some 'Yitiao Gen' (a topical analgesic). Someone asked yesterday why the packaging says 'Made in Taiwan Island,' so I asked the shop owner about it. She said it's because there's no factory in Kinmen, so the ingredients are shipped to Taiwan for production. After buying it, I wandered around nearby for food. Walking down an alley, I saw a shop sign and went in on a whim. Surprisingly, the place was packed. Even though I had a filling lunch of goose meat and danzai noodles from a colleague's treat, by 7 PM I was a bit hungry. I quickly ordered an omurice to try. The rice part was just okay, but the egg skin was really good—smooth and just right. Topped with mushroom sauce, I finished the whole plate in a few minutes, even though I usually eat slowly. Just for the egg skin, it's a place I'd want to visit again.
Location: Taipei, Loving Hut Vegetarian Restaurant Travel note: After paragliding on Saturday and returning to Taipei, that evening I went with Loco Lao Da, Nan Ge, Zi Qiang, A Kui, Kenny, and Acer to this vegetarian restaurant. This was the fifth gathering in the last five days (last week, different groups of colleagues treated me to Chun Shui Tang, Lao Jie Xiao Shi Tang (shared dishes), and some pork cutlet rice bowl place). Unlike the Guanqian branch, the Zhongxiao Loving Hut has a more international style, with Western dishes like risotto, hot pot, (imitation) steak, pasta, etc. It's a pretty good choice for people who like vegetarian food.
Location: Taipei, Wanli, Yannick Cake Travel note: Today, I went to the famous Yannick in Wanli. Since the shop was too crowded, we just took out cakes and drinks and ate outside. At that moment, an unassuming-looking uncle in shorts, wearing a Yannick work badge, stood next to me. With nothing else to do, I chatted with him outside the shop. He explained Yannick's history in detail—how it grew from a small cake factory in 2000 to a famous shop with monthly revenue over NT$30 million. He said after the owner finished military service, he first apprenticed in Taiwan for several years, then went to Japan to learn packaging, then to France to learn about ingredients, and finally returned to Taiwan. Originally just a cake industry lecturer, he later started his own business, promoting his cakes from one or two cafes, eventually supplying dozens of cafes, before establishing the Wanli flagship store and later the Neihu branch... The process was tough. In the early days, due to lack of staff, his girlfriend quit her job at a big company to help him. She told her dad she was betting on this man, and the young guy didn't disappoint his girlfriend (now the chairwoman), making Yannick famous across Taiwan. The number of employees and annual revenue even rival some listed companies. As we chatted, we got more and more into it. The uncle offered me a cigarette, but since I don't smoke, I politely declined. To change the topic, I asked how long he'd worked at Yannick. He said just a few years. I thought he must be a senior employee and asked what his role was. The uncle smiled shyly and said he just helps out at the shop. 'Helping out—so you're the manager?' Then he said, actually, he's the chairman's father-in-law. No wonder he knew Yannick's history so well. When traveling, you always meet many strangers and hear interesting stories. Just by stopping to listen and share, you can absorb different experiences and insights from everyone. That's one reason I love traveling.
Location: Keelung, Mingshangyuan Restaurant Travel note summary: Mingshangyuan Restaurant in Keelung is not bad~ The food is reasonably priced and fresh. By Morgan @2011.7.23
Location: Taichung, Zhongzheng Park Travel notes: I went home this week and, thinking about some friends, took a walk alone near my house in the afternoon to clear my mind. I hoped to figure out what would be the best way to handle things. As I walked, I passed China Medical University and arrived at Zhongzheng Park. On the grass, I saw many dogs running freely, people strolling, and teenagers practicing dance or skateboarding. Everyone has their own life and path. In a lifespan that's neither too long nor too short, we encounter many things, but every decision ultimately rests in our own hands. Looking at the blue sky and green grass, I realized that nothing is insurmountable. Letting go and accepting—all we can do is keep moving forward... Go for it! By Morgan @2011.7.17
Location: Southern Taiwan Travel Notes: (#6) One-day trip to Ruili. It takes a playful dad to raise a playful son. I just got back to Taichung yesterday, and this morning while chatting with my dad... he mentioned wanting to hike the Ruili–Taihe trail (an ancient century-old path between Ruili and Taihe). I said, why don't we just go to Ruili instead... So we went for it. Even though it was already past 10 a.m., except for my busy brother who was at guitar club summer training, the four of us hopped in the car and set off... The highway was smooth until we hit some traffic around Yuanlin. About an hour and a half later, we arrived in Chiayi City—my fourth time here. Once to visit little Milin's place, once to Ah Niu's, and once passing through on the way to Dabang and Tefuye. Honestly, I think Chiayi is a nice place. A bit remote, but the scenery is quite beautiful, and the locals are pretty down-to-earth... :) From Chiayi City, we took County Road 159 to Zhuqi, then connected to County Road 122 up to Ruili. On the mountain road to Ruili, I mainly saw three types of signs: first, 'Beware of Falling Rocks'; second, 'Steep 8% Incline'; and the last one, 'Cliff Ahead'... This shows the uphill drive isn't easy, and you can see huge fallen rocks along the roadside, which is pretty startling... Ruili is in Meishan Township, Chiayi County, and it's Chiayi's second most famous scenic area after Alishan. I've wanted to visit since my junior year of college... First, we went to Yuntan Waterfall, known as Ruili's top attraction. After parking, we had to walk down 547 steps, passing by a papermaking pool (ancient paper was made from bamboo, so it was built near bamboo groves for convenience) and the 'Parent-Child Tree' (a banyan tree with something resembling wild boar meat on it)... Yuntan Waterfall is about 200 meters high with three tiers. Listening to the water crashing down, the flying torrents churning up a thousand piles of snow, its force like ten thousand horses—truly spectacular... Going down was easy, but coming back up was the hard part.
Location: Taipei, Ximending, Tricycle Tea House Travel note summary: Today, the company welfare committee gave everyone four movie tickets to see Transformers 3, almost like booking an entire theater at Vieshow. At least we used some of the monthly welfare fund. But wearing 3D glasses and watching non-stop action scenes for the whole movie was really tiring @@. After the movie, we continued to a nearby tea house. There was Bo-min, who just returned from studying in the US and, like many seniors and friends, started working at Trend Micro, along with colleague Carol and her boyfriend Marbury, plus Wen-zheng's classmate Sandy studying abroad and her colleague from CTBC Bank. Anyway, we all gathered randomly and chatted casually. Midway, we got a call from Jun-ming, whom Bo-min, Marbury, and I all know, calling from mainland China asking how to bypass the firewall :P. It was a pretty fulfilling afternoon—just watching a movie without pressure, eating and drinking, recharging, and ready to work hard again next week. Work this week was still very busy, but in the online world, someone wrote an article attacking a person I deeply respect. I can only say, pitiable people indeed have their sorrows. Knowing one's shortcomings leads to growth and progress, but some always think their views are right, believing everything must be as they imagine, and scoff at or even attack things they don't believe or know. I used to want to write back, like when I was a BBS moderator, but now I feel talking to such people is a waste of time. In our brief lives, focusing too much on negative people is unnecessary. Living with a clear conscience, standing firm, doing your best, and living without regrets is more important than anything! You can't change others' views, but you can strive to be your best self... By Morgan @2011.7.9
Location: Taipei, Yongfulou Restaurant Travel note summary: This is a long-established restaurant in the bustling Zhongxiao Fuxing area, focusing on Jiangzhe cuisine with some Hong Kong-style dim sum. Tonight, Morgan's former company's investment department had a gathering here. Besides the vice chairman, there were the general manager, secretary, and former colleagues. I thought the appetizers, drunken chicken, Zhenjiang braised pork knuckle, asparagus with scallops, chives with eel paste, stir-fried dried tofu, and steamed stinky tofu were already plenty, but then sea cucumber, giant crab, roasted duck, grouper, stir-fried lily bulbs with lotus seeds, chicken soup, stir-fried rice cakes, BBQ pork pastry... kept coming. We also drank two bottles of red wine, so I was almost stuffed by the end. But more than the food, what made me happiest was that even though I've left the former company, the vice chairman still remembers to invite me back for meals every time. Last time it was Ju's Hokkaido hot pot, this time Yongfulou. It made me feel at least I haven't been forgotten. Life goes with the flow; every step has its meaning. The people you meet and the things you do all influence and weave into the future... By Morgan @2011.7.5
Location: Kaohsiung, Dashu, Old Iron Bridge Travel notes: Every time I see an old, abandoned iron bridge like this, I remember the time Lman学长 took us on a CCNS club outing to walk across the Pingtung Iron Bridge in the middle of the night. Though it probably wasn't the same one—it was completely dark with no lights around, so I'm not sure which bridge it was. Looking back, we were all naive freshmen who didn't know the dangers of the world, dragged out by Ramen for a memorable test of courage. Some even had to crawl back in the end. All I can say is, thank goodness everyone returned safely. Amitabha~ By Morgan @2011.7.5
Location: Taipei, Spring Vegetarian (Da'an Branch) Travel note summary: Brother Nan's birthday, he treated everyone to a meal. Attendees included Brother Lo~ Wei-ting, Zi-qiang, A-you, A-kun. Here's to wishing and thanking Brother Nan ^^. By Morgan @2011.7.4
Location: Kaohsiung, Pinyuan Sweet Mouth Ice Shop Travel note summary: Pinyuan Sweet Mouth Ice Shop in Kaohsiung - a famous ice shop with long queues, huge crowds, and hard-to-find seats. By Moagn @2011.7.4
Location: Kaohsiung The BAYOU New Orleans Restaurant Travel note summary: Just had dinner with my senior Jian-Ding, whom I haven't seen in seven years, at The BAYOU New Orleans Restaurant in Kaohsiung, followed by mango ice at Pin Yuan Tang Kou. Then, taking the high-speed rail, I was back in bustling Taipei in no time. Thanks to Senior Dwight for treating me and my friend. Feel free to visit Taipei when you have time! By Morgan @2011.7.4
Location: Kaohsiung, On the Southern Cross-Island Highway, Bulao Hot Spring - From Meilun Mountain, overlooking the Laonong River Travel notes: Just Memo~ By Morgan @2011.7.4
Location: Kaohsiung, Meinong, Yellow Butterfly Valley Travel notes: Seeing it in person, there really were a lot of butterflies flying around, reminding me of the Butterfly Valley from Jin Yong's novels. But capturing that lively scene with a camera is quite challenging @@ By Morgan @2011.7.4
Location: Taipei Coffee Tree Restaurant Travel note summary: Yi-De came up to Taipei from Tainan for training these days. Tonight, he invited me and Jie-Bo for dinner. We wandered into a lane behind Dunhua South Road and randomly picked a restaurant to sit in. Yi-De has moved to Fubon now, while Jie-Bo is still at Yuan Fu. Later, Yi-De's girlfriend also came up by high-speed rail. Life's meetings are fleeting, like stars apart—many old classmates are rarely seen after graduation, especially when living in different cities, and everyone is busy with their own lives. Thanks to Brother Jie-Bo for generously treating everyone this meal. The mountains remain, the rivers flow on~~~:P By Morgan @2011.7.1
Location: Pingtung, Saijia - Ultralight Aircraft Travel Notes: Pingtung, Saijia - Ultralight Aircraft. Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.7.1
Location: Pingtung, Sandimen Travel note snippet: Pingtung Sandimen – Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.6.30
Location: Kaohsiung, E-DA World Travel note snippet: Kaohsiung E-DA World – Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.6.30
Location: Pingtung, Saijia - Paragliding Travel note summary: Pingtung, Saijia - Paragliding. Life always requires the courage to challenge the things we fear, in order to see different scenery. Thanks to the person who jumped with me... By Morgan @2011.6.30
Taiwan is so small. N+8 days ago, I wrote a casual little note about a department gathering, mentioning that we had a new colleague, so there was a welcome dinner. I was just habitually jotting it down, but who would have thought... this new female colleague Carol actually... is... is... is... the girlfriend of my old friend Marbury from the CCNS club at Cheng Kung University!!! Carol was browsing through Marbury’s account on Facebook, saw my status update, and suddenly realized I’m Marbury’s friend. Actually, when Carol first joined the company and mentioned her previous workplace XXX, it briefly crossed my mind that years ago, during a meal with Marbury, he’d mentioned his girlfriend worked at XXX. But I never would’ve imagined that fleeting thought would turn out to be true. Taiwan really is that small = =a So small I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Good thing I didn’t say anything bad about Carol......:P By Morgan on 2011.6.27
Last weekend, I worked a small side job for a day and earned ten thousand dollars. But this weekend, including repairs for my scooter ‘Little Black’ (engine replacement), red envelopes, entertainment expenses, and other miscellaneous stuff... I spent about ten thousand too. Money really flows fast @@ But yesterday I calculated last year’s taxes—that expense is more troublesome, and it’s all outflow with no inflow Orz
Location: Taipei W Hotel, gathering with friends Travel note summary: This is an international chain hotel located above the Uni-President Hankyu building, which just opened in February this year. The style is very fashionable and modern. The 31st floor has the Zi Yan restaurant and bar. Tonight, I came here to meet my long-unseen military service comrade John. He brought Kellie and their adorable child from Hsinchu to Taipei for a vacation, staying here at night. Thinking about it, time flies so fast—memories from Guanxi or Hsinchu feel like just yesterday. Now, everyone walks on their chosen life paths, and years have passed in a blink. Especially friends who have become parents—it's not easy. Watching John and Kellie's smiles while accompanying their child, the phrase 'sweet burden' suddenly surfaced in my heart... Happiness comes from every moment spent with family and the irreplaceable shared memories between each other. By Morgan @2011.5.1
Location: Taipei Cafe' TRICO (Tricolor Flag Restaurant) Travel note summary: After exercising, along with two other classmates of Wen-Zheng from their time studying in Texas, six of us came to the upper floor of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Ximen Store for afternoon tea. But I was already a bit hungry, so I ordered a steak to fill up. Chatting, I realized that no matter the industry (tech, finance, others...), everyone's usual working hours are very long (including lunch breaks, almost 12-13 hours or more). It seems overtime in Taiwan is really not ordinary serious @@ By Morgan @2011.5.1
Location: Taipei 6th Space Laser Tag Travel note summary: Today, I went with Wen-Zheng and Karen to participate in Sandy's CTBC English lecture club activity. I really didn't know before that Taipei has such an interesting place. As long as there are enough people, you can book a time slot for a group of friends to play a real-life shooting game in an indoor venue, divided into teams. It lasts about over an hour, with competitions based on different gameplay modes, each small round about 5-10 minutes. Although the time isn't too long, you still end up sweating all over after playing @@ By Morgan @2011.5.1
Location: Taipei, Angel's Appointment Bubble Tea Shop. Travel note summary: Taipei Angel's Appointment Bubble Tea Shop. Counting the places Loco boss and I often go to together, besides the fishing pond in Waishuangxi, Mr. Brown Cafe, and Thai massage shops, recently this bubble tea shop called Angel's Appointment has become the most frequented. Because we come often, I've almost tried everything on the menu. There are several similar shops on Xing'an Street. Since it's an open space, smoking is allowed, so you can see many people smoking and playing cards here. I've lost count of how many times I've been here—just that it's very frequent. The group members are different each time. Besides the boss and me, there are Zi Qiang, Da Fu, Bo Ge, Da Ting, FC... Plus, we once celebrated the boss's birthday here, and HB brought everyone the baby's full-month glutinous rice. Also, Brother Mu and A Cai have come a few times. Counting roughly, about twenty people I know have been here. Our total spending in the shop has definitely exceeded twenty to thirty thousand NT dollars. Actually, our main purpose in playing cards is to train our mindset for trading. There are many similarities between playing cards and trading. When you get bad cards, you need to know how to defend and fold. When you get very good cards, you need to know how to attack and be patient. Observing opponents' expressions, remembering played cards, minimizing losses when you're bound to lose, and never missing a chance to win big when you can—I think under the guidance of a master like the boss, we've probably improved somewhat. Back to Angel's, they provide Wi-Fi, so it's also convenient for discussing serious matters. As for the food, it's passable (rice dishes, noodles, dumplings, Western fast food, braised platters...). Various drinks are quite comprehensive (all kinds of hot and cold teas available). Plus, it's open until 2 or 3 a.m., so it's a good gathering spot when you have specific needs. Recorded here for reference. Angel's Appointment Bubble Tea Shop. Address: No. 116, Xing'an Street, Taipei City. Phone: (02)25...
Location: Taipei, Bali, Shihsanhang Museum – Sunshine Square Travel note snippet: Taipei Bali Shihsanhang Museum – Sunshine Square – Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.4.30
Location: Taipei, Wu Hua Ma Dumplings Travel note summary: Wu Hua Ma Dumplings (Longjiang Branch) in Taipei – Octopus dumplings (9 NTD each). I left work after 8 PM, unsure what to eat. I remembered a shop I often pass on my way home that always seems busy, so I decided to try it. They offer some unique dumplings like sweet potato leaf, green bean, and yam dumplings. I’ve also had scallop dumplings here before, which were quite tasty. It’s definitely a distinctive spot, no wonder it’s so popular. By Morgan @2011.4.26
Location: Taipei, Ally's Steakhouse – Wang Steak Travel note summary: Ally's Steakhouse in Taipei – Wang Steak. After I got off work, Brother Mu came up from Taoyuan to have dinner with me. I quickly called Neil, a foodie friend, to recommend a steakhouse in Taipei. So, Brother Mu and I ended up at Ally's. Ally's was opened by the former manager of Formosa Plastics Group's guesthouse, and it has been around since 1988, making it quite an old establishment. It's fair to say it's the birthplace of Wang Steak. A steak set isn't cheap – Brother Mu and I ordered the bone-in Wang Steak and the original steak, priced at 1100 and 1200 NTD respectively, plus 10% service charge (about 300 RMB). But the steak was truly delicious, with a tender pink hue, and just a sprinkle of sea salt made it perfect. Thanks to Brother Mu for making the trip and treating me to this meal! @@ By Morgan @2011.4.21
Location: Taipei, Li Yuan Soup Dumpling Restaurant Travel note summary: Li Yuan Soup Dumpling Restaurant in Taipei. A basket of loofah and shrimp soup dumplings costs 150 NTD, not much different from Ding Tai Fung or Ji Nan Xian. On Monday night, I had dinner with my old classmate Ah Niu, who just left Transcend and is facing life's next crossroads. We ordered scallion pancake, three-delicacy potstickers, ginseng and goji chicken soup, and more. Between reality and ideals, between north and south, between opportunities and risks, between family and work – life always requires many decisions, where one small move affects everything. But I believe Brother Ah Niu will eventually find his path, after all, you're Ah Niu~ Heh~ Keep it up! By Morgan @2011.4.21
Location: Taipei, Hana Cafe – Strawberry Waffle Travel note summary: Hana Cafe in Taipei – Strawberry Waffle, a famous spot for afternoon tea. On Sunday afternoon, I went to Hana's Momo branch with my elementary school classmate Wen Zheng and his two friends, Sandy & Karen. The waffle portion looked really generous @@. I was also glad to meet new friends~ After everyone parted ways, Wen Zheng and I went to Guanghua Digital Plaza to wander around. For dinner, he treated me to a newly opened hot pot place on Ji Nan Road called Yu Ding Xiang. Before my stomach had even digested that, we then devoured a pot of pickled cabbage and pork hot pot. Brother Wen Zheng, your appetite is truly impressive = =a By Morgan @2011.4.20
Location: Hsinchu, Ya Rou Xu – Stir-Fried Duck Blood Travel note summary: Ya Rou Xu in Hsinchu – Stir-Fried Duck Blood. After saying goodbye to Sheng Shun, I came here to eat with Guo Xiao Ping. Xiao Ping is quite a loyal friend; even though he had only met Sheng Shun twice, he still came to see him off. We also invited Zhi Qian, who had just finished playing badminton and was nearby. The three of us ate at Ya Rou Xu, then had Ye Ji Big Tapioca Balls on Beimen Street. It's been almost three years since I left Hsinchu, and I can hardly remember the roads around the City God Temple anymore @@a P.S. Congrats to Zhi Qian on buying a house in Hsinchu! By Morgan @2011.4.20
Location: Taipei, Four Townships Five Islands – Matsu Noodle Shop (Liaoning Street). It's a 24-hour shop, perfect for late-night snacks. Business is quite good, and the food inside is pretty decent. The Black Sesame Noodles are very distinctive. Next time, I'll try the Matsu Fish Noodles when I have the chance. Ordering some side dishes and soup can make for a very filling meal. P.S. Thanks, Bro Bo, for treating us! :P By Morgan @2011.4.9
Location: Taipei, Four Townships Five Islands – Matsu Noodle Shop (Liaoning Street). It's a 24-hour shop, perfect for late-night snacks. Business is quite good, and the food inside is pretty decent. The Black Sesame Noodles are very distinctive. Next time, I'll try the Matsu Fish Noodles when I have the chance. Ordering some side dishes and soup can make for a very filling meal. P.S. Thanks, Bro Bo, for treating us! :P By Morgan @2011.4.9
This year's family trip was a two-day tour of Puli, Lushan, and Cingjing Farm. We started from Taichung Station, had lunch in Puli, then visited Puli Winery—tried a Shaoxing wine and sticky rice ice pop, which blended well. The winery's bridge was covered in wine labels, most unfamiliar to me. After photos at the giant wine bottle, we went to Guangxing Paper Mill to see handmade papermaking and made paper fans. Next, we passed through Wushe to pay respects at the Mona Rudao statue before entering Lushan. I visited Lushan as a child; we crossed a suspension bridge and stayed at Tianlu Hotel, enjoying the hot spring spa—though less natural than Taian. Dinner was buffet-style, and we boiled eggs in the natural hot spring area, a nostalgic memory from childhood. Back in the room, we played cards and drank Ailan white wine. Waking up to mountain views and stream sounds was refreshing, like being in Tianxiang. After breakfast, we headed to Cingjing Farm—missed the sheep show but walked Qingqing Grassland and tried goat milk ice pops. Lunch was at Jianqing Garden Villa with views of the Central Mountain Range peaks like Hehuan and Qilai—feeling at Taiwan's heart. On the way back, we stopped at Hilltop Huisun Coffee, a treehouse-like cafe with Huisun coffee beans, a unique experience. Back at Taichung Station, we said goodbyes. It was a great trip, catching up with seniors and hearing about their Hsinchu Science Park experiences. Traveling broadens the mind more than reading ever could.
Location: Taipei, Ju Hokkaido Kelp Hot Pot. Travel note summary: Ju Hokkaido Kelp Hot Pot in Taipei. It was another Sunday noon, gathering with classmates from the NCKU Institute of Information Management. The venue was this "Ju" under the Wang Group. Attendees included Xiao Lan and Jia Shuang & their unborn baby, A Mao & Guan Yu, Quan Hui & Xiao Bu Dian, Guo Quan & Shi Qi, Yi Hua, Yuan Zhang, Jia Bin, Xiao Zhong, plus Morgan, totaling 13 people. Even though it's been over four years since graduation, with most scattered around, working in tech or software in Hsinchu Science Park or Taipei, everyone still keeps in touch well, with several similar gatherings or outings each year. "Ju" features Hokkaido kelp hot pot as its main offering, and the ordering style follows the Wang Group's typical multiple-choice format: choose the broth, then the ingredients, then the side dishes. Compared to places like Tao Ban Wu or Tasty, which often cost four to five hundred NT, Ju offers cheaper hot pot options (330+10% service charge), though pricier ones are also available. Sharing a divided pot with the person across allows two people to choose different broths to share. Good service + decent ingredients—overall, this meal was quite satisfying. However, those with big appetites might find the portions a bit small. Personally, I still think it's a good place to "gather," just like its name suggests :P. After the meal, everyone moved next door to Dante Coffee, where we spent the afternoon playing a board game—"Zhan Di" (Land Grab). This is a card game that Guo Quan and Shi Qi have recently gotten into. It involves constant brainstorming to form alliances, encircle land, and occupy castles to score the highest points—a great way to pass the time. We all enjoyed a leisurely afternoon together, a very comfortable day......:) Ju Hokkaido Kelp Hot Pot.
Location: Taipei, Xiong Ba BBQ – Birthday Celebration. Thank you, everyone!!! Because my new company blocks MSN, Skype, and of course Facebook, I just saw all the messages and blessings from classmates and friends. Please forgive me for being too tired to reply to each one individually, but I truly received everyone's kindness, including those who sent texts and called today. I don't know what to say except to thank you all again! The pressure from the new job is real, so today I stayed until almost everyone in the department had left. I thought my birthday would just pass by on an ordinary overtime day, but just before leaving work, a friend rushed over from Zhonghe specifically to celebrate with me. We ended up eating at Xiong Ba BBQ near the company. After getting home and showering, I finally have time to respond now. I feel like a lucky and blessed person—on this short journey of life, I've met many people and received help from many friends. I hope everyone can live with a clear conscience and strive to achieve their life goals in this new year! Anyway, I really thank you all! By Morgan @2011.3.21
Location: Taipei, Akiyoshi Yakitori (Zhongxiao Store: No. 247-1, Section 3, Zhongxiao East Road). Weekends always pass so quickly. Today, Sunday, I had classes all day. After class, I ate a small hot pot near the train station with Boss Loco, Bro Bo, Sister Mi, Brother Nan, Ziqiang, and A Kui, and we just dispersed. On Saturday, Xiao Yu came up from Kaohsiung and invited me to eat, and we also called A Fu. The three of us came to this quite famous yakitori place. We ordered chicken skewers, pork skewers, mushroom skewers, mentaiko cold dish, shiso rice balls, etc. Its fillet skewers are quite tender and flavorful (NT$200/5 skewers). The fried shrimp rolls are also good (NT$130), almost the same texture as Tainan's Zhou's Shrimp Rolls. Overall, it's a place worth trying. By Morgan @2011.3.20
Location: Taipei, Ningxia Night Market Banquet Restaurant (2F, No. 58, Ningxia Road). This is a venue set up by the Ningxia Night Market Tourism Association, where you can try multiple snacks from the night market at once, including stinky tofu, oyster omelette, steamed dumplings, taro egg yolk cake, etc. It's NT$2,500 per table. This time, PAN and Brother Kang's side, along with Boss Loco's side, gathered people together, and about 30 of us came tonight to share a table and taste the snacks. By Morgan @2011.3.13
Taipei, Watami Izakaya: One noon, I had lunch with Haoting and Xinyi in the Xinyi shopping district. There's a Watami branch on the upper floor of Neo19, so I suggested trying it. Actually, it's because Chef senior mentioned that Watami's dining system also uses the touch-screen POS system I previously helped him develop. But later I found out this Xinyi branch doesn't use that system. When I asked the senior, he said not all Watami stores have adopted it. Anyway, no big deal—I've long heard of Watami, so this was a chance to try it. The three of us ordered grilled salmon belly sushi, soy sauce grilled squid, fried chicken cartilage, and seafood scallop fried rice—we were relatively modest, so it came to just over NT$700. For Japanese cuisine, the taste was decent but not top-tier. However, the overall decor and atmosphere were quite nice; it must feel even better at night. Anyway, overall, it's a place worth trying. Thanks again to Haoting for treating us—good deeds bring good rewards, congrats on your recent promotion and raise! Watami Izakaya (Xinyi Store) Address: 2F, No. 22, Songshou Road, Neo19, Taipei. Phone: (02)27232623.
Location: Taipei, Enoteca Italian French Cuisine Travel notes summary: Two quick dinner notes in Taipei. 1. Enoteca Italian French Cuisine (No. 33, Lane 259, Songjiang Road) – Met up with Loco boss after meeting at PAN's Smart Wealth Magazine building on Tuesday night, then walked to this place recommended by Kang. Great value for money. Kang, who works with PAN, dropped by later to say hi – long time no see! ^^ 2. Zhulinlou Restaurant (No. 25, Lane 296, Section 6, Minquan East Road, Neihu) – Had dinner on Wednesday with my former boss who moved to Yuanta Securities, plus two colleagues from the investment department. This restaurant boasts origins from Chiayi, serving Alishan-style dishes that were quite tasty. Both spots were good, so just a quick memo. Off to play ball now! By Morgan @2011.3.3
Location: Taipei, Taiwan Beer 346 Music Warehouse Travel notes summary: Taiwan Beer 346 Music Warehouse (No. 85, Section 2, Bade Road). My old classmate Jinli from Innolux was going to their client TPV's spring banquet and asked if I wanted to join. Since it was near my place and I hadn't eaten dinner yet, I dragged Loco boss along to crash the party. 346 is tucked away inside the Taiwan Beer factory – a pretty lively venue with performances and lots of foreigners. The food was decent too. Afterwards, we moved on to Star KTV to sing. Chatted casually with a buyer sitting next to us; Taiwan is still such a small place. Because he handles the AUO account, he knows our other classmate Beixiaoka. It was a really wild spring banquet; many people looked pretty drunk. But the boss and I weren't there for long, so we didn't drink much – just soaked up the lively atmosphere. By Morgan @2011.2.26
Location: Taipei, Yipin Vegetable Lamb Hot Pot - Caixin Yang Travel notes summary: Yipin Vegetable Lamb Hot Pot - Caixin Yang (No. 25, Lane 131, Yanji Street). Thanks to brother Jialiang for treating us to this meal last night. The cabbage at this place is quite sweet and you can get unlimited refills. The lamb hot pot base comes in several flavors; a pot for two is NT$700. With extra orders of stir-fried lamb heart, sliced lamb for hot pot, noodles, and beer, four of us spent about NT$2000. Afterwards, we continued to the nearby Tianzhongyuan for tea... By Morgan @2011.2.21
Location: Taipei, Insomnia Composite Restaurant Travel notes summary: Insomnia Composite Restaurant (No. 13, Lane 93, Shida Road). Thanks to Ziyong (Legends) coming back from the UK for the New Year, we had this CCNS club gathering. Those who could make it that night included: lman senior & Xiaoguai, nodo senior & nurse senior & their little daughter, MFT senior, Robin senior, NONO senior & Dashu, achieve, voto & lontea, Kurama & reading, vinchenso, and yours truly Morgan – 16 adults and 1 child. We bothered this shop opened by Wenqi. Thanks to Wenqi for reserving a separate area for us; it really is a great place for gatherings. By Morgan @2011.2.9
Location: Taichung – Taichung Park Night View Travel note snippet: Taichung – Taichung Park Night View – Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.2.8
Location: Eastern Area / Outlying Islands Travel Notes Summary: (#5) Three-Day Trip to Penghu. Just finished the exhausting itinerary and returned to the dorm, had to set up my new computer, so only now have time to write. After dinner, I wanted to just sleep and recharge (many classmates must be sleeping now... :p), but I’d better write down these three days’ memories while they’re still fresh... Heading south from Kaohsiung out to sea, the ferry is called Taihua Ferry. Sailing across for four hours, we see the fishing villages of Penghu (Jyu Island). Gathering at Guangkou at 6:30 AM, we took the bus straight to Kaohsiung Port and set sail after a short wait. Sitting on the ship was fine, but standing up and moving around made me feel a bit dizzy, so I spent half the time sleeping. It was my first time on a cruise ship, different from the medium-sized yacht on Sun Moon Lake before, let alone the small boats in Taichung Park. Looking out from the deck, the sea was blue, white waves danced with the ship, and the sea breeze blowing in my face gave a feeling different from mountain sightseeing. The wise find joy in water, the benevolent in mountains—both have their pleasures. The vast sea makes one feel isolated and small... Disembarking at Magong and transferring to a bus, heading north from the port to Chikan, then taking a speedboat straight to an uninhabited island for water activities like banana boating. Arriving at Magong, Penghu’s largest city, around 2 PM. Magong was originally called Magong (Mazu’s Palace), named after Mazu’s temporary palace, later changed to its current name. As soon as we got off the ship, we felt Penghu’s scorching sun and quickly put on hats to avoid the heat. Then we transferred to a tour bus to Chikan to head out to the North Sea. First time on a speedboat—I’d only imagined it with Lego bricks before. Sitting at the bow, I could finally experience the thrill of riding the waves. The sea spray occasionally hit us, cool and refreshing, with a slightly salty taste. Disembarking on the uninhabited island, we first took a glass-bottom boat to see the underwater scenery, nothing particularly special, then changed into gear for snorkeling. But near the shore, there wasn’t much to see, so after swimming a short distance with Waku and Xingjian, we went ashore. The sea is indeed not like a swimming pool—it takes much more effort and progress is slow. Vaguely remember Xiao Wai...
Location: Taitung, Luye Highland - Paragliding Launch Site Travel note summary: Taitung, Luye Highland - Paragliding Launch Site. Paragliding was actually the main activity I was looking forward to on this trip. I even confirmed with the company two or three times before departure. But unexpectedly, when I arrived at the highland, they told me that due to the front arriving today and the wind being too strong, for safety reasons, we couldn't fly, couldn't fly, couldn't fly, couldn't fly... sob sob~~~ Based on the personal belief that life is about continuous experiences, not being able to try paragliding on this trip to faraway Taitung did leave me with some regret. But on second thought, I can still go walk around other places. Anyway, I can just organize another trip next time :P P.S. But honestly, when I really stood on the highland and looked down, I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. What if I didn't charge down in one go and lost my nerve? XD By Morgan @2011.1.17
Location: Taipei, Xiagangye Lamb Hot Pot Travel note summary: One noon, I went with Loco, CLKao, and Ziqiang to this pretty good restaurant on Tianxiang Road for a mixed pot (lamb bones, ribs, and skin-on meat). Eating lamb hot pot on a chilly day is truly a blissful thing. Especially since when I was in mainland China before, it wasn't easy to find pots like sesame oil chicken, ginger duck, or lamb hot pot (there, it's mostly spicy hot pot, dual-flavor hot pot, and such). Back in Taiwan, naturally, whenever there's a chance to eat it, I make sure to have more. By Morgan @2011.1.14
Location: Taoyuan, Bolan Cottage - Scottish Alice Coffee Travel note summary: On a rainy day, Brother Mu specially came to Taipei to pick me up and took me to Bade, Taoyuan, to eat at this truly hidden gem of a shop. Because the owner is passionate about coffee, the coffee here comes with unlimited refills. Scottish Alice Coffee is served with a cube of sugar placed on a silver spoon over hot coffee, then Scotch whisky is poured over it and lit on fire before serving. It's really a shop run out of passion. The floor in the restroom even has a view of a large fish pond below, which is very interesting and impressive. By Morgan @2011.1.14
Location: Taipei, Tianwaitian Spicy Hot Pot Travel notes summary: Tianwaitian Spicy Hot Pot (Minquan Flagship Store). The 6th dinner gathering this week: After the year-end party, came here to celebrate Bo Ge's birthday in advance. Besides Loco boss, there were also Nan Ge, Ziqiang, You Ge, and Rag. Thanks to Bo Ge for treating everyone. Hope your little one is doing okay. See you next time~ By Morgan @2011.1.13
Location: Taipei, Chiduo Jia Fried Pork Loin Cutlet Travel note summary: Tonight after returning to Taipei, I met up with CLKao's friend Yutian and Brother Mu's friend Dr. Chen for dinner. Speaking of Dr. Chen, he's quite a character too. He currently lives in Zhubei, and his new dental clinic is in the process of preparing to open, so he has needs for information system integration and network configuration. So I asked some friends to recommend suitable people to help (whether recommendations came through or not, thanks to all friends who offered assistance!!!). Meanwhile, during this trip to Zhubei, I took some time to visit him. Why is Dr. Chen so unique? Last night was our first meeting, and after chatting, it was too late, so I felt bad disturbing other friends. Unexpectedly, seeing me stranded on the street, Dr. Chen offered to let me stay overnight. Thinking back, he was quite bold, and I was quite shameless—I ended up sleeping at his place last night = =a. Coincidentally, Dr. Chen had some home network setup issues, so I volunteered to study the manual and helped him set up the SSID on his new mobile hotspot, so his iPhone and iPad could have password-protected internet access. It always feels good to be able to repay someone's kindness when you've received help. Tonight, with Yutian and Dr. Chen, we ate at this chain restaurant near Taipei Main Station. Both are new friends to me, but we hit it off surprisingly well and couldn't stop talking (I guess it's because we're all otaku? (joke)). Anyway, this trip to Hsinchu allowed me to meet many old friends and make some new ones—life always has new surprises. By Morgan @2011.1.9
Location: Hsinchu Christian Church Travel note summary: Early Sunday morning, after having breakfast with long-unseen Zhiqian and Yanlu, I went with Zhiqian to Hsinchu Christian Church to attend a class (introducing the life of Jesus). I also saw Xiaozhu, whom I hadn't seen for even longer. Zhiqian had been stationed in Singapore for two extra years, so his national defense service only ended this year, but he'll probably stay at UMC for now. The last time we met was when he had just returned to Taiwan, and in the blink of an eye, seven or eight months have passed. With Yanlu and Xiaozhu, it's been even longer. Time truly flows like water, fleeting in an instant... By Morgan @2011.1.9
Location: Taipei Kiki Thai Cafe Travel note summary: This is a Thai restaurant opened by Taozi using the mark of Lan Xinmei's Kiki. It's a pretty tasty restaurant; three of us spent around 2,000 NTD. Last night, I met long-unseen Senior Shiwei and Senior Meijiao here for dinner. After leaving Yuanta's finance department, Senior Shiwei is still at Concord, and Senior Meijiao left the foreign company Phoenix and is now at a startup that distributes Android software. I consulted the seniors about some things and casually chatted about each other's recent situations. Time flies—from when the seniors were under thirty, we've known each other for over ten years until now. On life's path, everyone has experienced many things. Having the chance to gather and eat together is truly something to cherish and be happy about. By Morgan @2011.1.5
Location: Taipei Rainbow Bridge Riverside Park (next to Raohe Night Market) - Watching the New Year's Eve fireworks from 101. Just a memo~ By Morgan @2011.1.1
Location: Taipei, Curry Master, Two-Tone Curry Travel note: Yesterday evening, while setting up the EeeBox barebones PC, Boss Loco called me saying he was done with class and asked me to join him for dinner. So I shut down the computer, headed out to take the MRT, and arrived at Curry Master in front of the station. I had dinner with over twenty people. I recalled that I first visited this place seven or eight years ago when it had just opened, because Zhi-Hong and I helped our Chef senior from Tainan develop their touchscreen ordering system. Over the years, I've been back a few times. Seeing the shop still standing strong in front of the station through all the ups and downs, I couldn't help but feel sentimental—the scenery remains the same, but people have changed. Suddenly, I missed the freshness and excitement of occasionally coming up to Taipei from Tainan during my student days. So many years have passed, from the south to the north, from Taiwan to mainland China. The more scenery I see and the more experiences I have, the easier it is to lose some motivation. So I need to constantly remind myself to stay curious about everything, and I can always find something to learn and grow from in every big or small thing... Well, so after dinner, we continued to play Landlord. I haven't played cards in mainland China for a long time. Back in Taiwan, I've returned to the days of playing until midnight. Surprisingly, my routine in mainland China was more regular and normal. = =a
Location: Taipei, Gorgeous Hotel, Japanese-style Hot Pot Travel note: At noon today, Jason, a big brother who retired from the tech industry a few years ago, took the high-speed rail from Zhubei to have lunch with me. The weather was a bit chilly, so of course, we had hot pot :P. So we casually had a meal at the restaurant above the hotel where he was staying. Due to work and his love for travel, he has been to many countries (Europe, Japan, North America, mainland China, Southeast Asia, Australia, etc.) and has a very rich and exciting life. Listening to him tell stories—like encountering a warlord in the mountains of Myanmar who said he could mine gold if he paid, riding a minivan on a dangerous road in Yunnan with boulders blocking the front, cliffs on the side, and a big river below, or sleeping alone in a Citibank in the Netherlands on a winter night because of language barriers, or drinking too late in Japan and forgetting about a client visit the next day, thinking the deal was off, but then things took a turn, and it turned out the Japanese company president happened to know the same friend as him... "To be all you can be." That's how I described his life, and I also hope to follow in his footsteps.
Location: Taipei, Huaxi Street Night Market Travel note: After work today, I went alone from Neihu to Longshan Temple to pray, then wandered to the nearby Huaxi Street Night Market. I didn't expect that some places really only get revisited after a long time apart. The last time I came to Huaxi Street was over eight years ago. Back then, I came with university classmates like Bo-Min, Guo Xiao-Ping, Xing-Jian, and Ming-Hong after soaking in hot springs in Wulai. In the evening, we found Xin-Ru and came here to wander around. Compared to my memory from back then, Huaxi Street is much cleaner now. The snake meat shops are still there. But revisiting an old place inevitably brings up emotions—time slips through our fingers. Where will we be in the next eight years?
Location: Taipei, First Beauty Charcoal Grilled Seafood Restaurant - Three-Cup Pufferfish Travel note: Just Memo it~
Location: Taipei Wanhua, next to Bopiliao, the movie set for "Monga." Just a memo~ By Morgan @2010.12.23
Location: Taipei, Tianmu, Mr.Onion Travel note: Mr.Onion (formerly Onion Restaurant) in Tianmu - U.S. Choice Sirloin Steak 9oz (set 850+10%). Last night, when I was about to head back to my place from the company, Brother Mu called and said he was coming from Taoyuan to have dinner with me. So after picking me up, he treated me to this restaurant... Compared to Sweet Orange (also a branch opened by Onion) that I had before, American beef is indeed much tastier than Australian beef. The pink, tender color of the medium-rare steak adds sweetness in the mouth, paired with the aroma of searing, making it impossible to find anything to criticize after eating...
Location: Taichung, Ma Zongcai Seafood Restaurant Travel note: Ma Zongcai Seafood Restaurant in Taichung. With a hangover, I moved things back to Taichung early the next morning. On the way back, I visited my uncle and aunt's new home in Zhongshan District, and my mom's cousin and her husband's new home in Xindian... At noon, everyone ate at a Thai restaurant called Xiangcheng in Xindian. Back in Taichung, I had a Father's Day meal with my family at the very popular Ma Zongcai... The next day, Sunday, stuck in traffic on the highway, I decided to get off at the interchange and go to Zhubei to take the HSR instead, rushing to have a meal with my long-unseen juniors Zhengda and Jiankai (near the World Trade Center, at the Japanese restaurant 'Crane'). Both are now civil servants, one at the Keelung City Government, the other at the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Jiankai is about to be sent to the US for ten months of training, so it was really rare for us to have a meal together~ By Morgan @2010.8.10
Location: Taipei, Grass Mountain Night Sleepless Restaurant Travel note: Grass Mountain Night Sleepless Restaurant in Taipei (Yangmingshan night view). The night view is incredibly vast and beautiful. After celebrating someone's birthday here, we continued the party at Cashbox KTV for drinks. This was also the fourth singing session within a week of getting off the plane @@ By Morgan @2010.8.10
Location: Taoyuan, Taiwan Xian Seafood Restaurant Travel note: Taiwan Xian Seafood Restaurant in Taoyuan. Brother Mu and Loco老大 welcomed me back in Taoyuan at Taiwan Xian. It's been so long since I've eaten at a Taiwanese seafood restaurant like this, I really missed it!!! By Morgan @2010.8.1
Location: Taipei, Artco Cafe. I'm meeting up with my friend Yu-Cheng, who's about to get married, for a meal (since I won't be in Taiwan for his wedding banquet, I have to congratulate him in advance ^^). Later, Brother Mu and Boss Loco need my help with some things, as it'll be less convenient once I'm abroad. Taking advantage of this rare break, I'm jotting down a quick note about the restaurant (my business trip is confirmed, so I'll be away from Taiwan for about three months. If any friends come to Shanghai during that time, remember to look me up :P). This visit was actually an invitation from Susan, a friend who recently returned from studying in the UK. One weekend evening, I joined her and her friend, a middle school teacher, at this chain cafe. The food wasn't particularly memorable, but the Chang'an branch has weekend evening performances. That night, two young guys (A-San & Eric) played guitar, making for a relaxing evening. Just for reference... I seem to be getting lazier with my writing, but please forgive me as my schedule is packed right now @@.
Location: Taipei Su Hang Dim Sum Shop Travel note summary: One weekend evening, I met up with my senior Zi-Han, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, for dinner. Since his office is near Guting MRT Station, we met there. We walked into this old shop nearby (established in 1967) and ordered a few things casually. The food was decent, with flavors that most people would find acceptable. While eating, I chatted with Senior Zi-Han; his career is gradually taking shape now, and he's gaining support from some companies. Recalling when he first graduated from his Ph.D. at NCTU's Institute of Computer Science and was starting Ubi-Sunrise years ago, I had heard him talk about his many plans and ideals. Now, seeing him slowly realize them step by step, I'm really happy for him :) After the meal, we continued to the nearby McDonald's for drinks and chatted a bit more before the busy senior rushed off to his next appointment.
Location: Taipei Su Hang Dim Sum Shop Travel note summary: One weekend evening, I met up with my senior Zi-Han, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, for dinner. Since his office is near Guting MRT Station, we met there. We walked into this old shop nearby (established in 1967) and ordered a few things casually. The food was decent, with flavors that most people would find acceptable. While eating, I chatted with Senior Zi-Han; his career is gradually taking shape now, and he's gaining support from some companies. Recalling when he first graduated from his Ph.D. at NCTU's Institute of Computer Science and was starting Ubi-Sunrise years ago, I had heard him talk about his many plans and ideals. Now, seeing him slowly realize them step by step, I'm really happy for him :) After the meal, we continued to the nearby McDonald's for drinks and chatted a bit more before the busy senior rushed off to his next appointment.
Location: Taoyuan, Yakitori Skewers Travel Notes: Yesterday afternoon, the general manager asked me if I’d go to Shanghai to help develop and modify the company’s trading software (since the launch of stock index futures in China has been much more active than expected—trading volume in just three days has surpassed what Taiwan achieved in ten years). There are new requirements that need handling, and after completion, someone with trading experience is needed for live testing. Being able to both code and trade, he thought of me. = = Although going to Shanghai is a good opportunity, based on past experience there, it might take at least 2–3 months. That means I’d have to put many things in Taiwan on hold. So I told him I’d think about it. I asked friends on Plurk and MSN for opinions, and as expected, most supported me going. = = So I’ll talk to the GM again in the next few days. If nothing changes, I might be out of Taiwan by early or mid-next month. It feels like my life is an endless journey, drifting everywhere. But honestly, I seem quite adapted to this lifestyle—it’s similar in Taiwan, where I’m used to running around. One weekend night, Loco and I drove his vintage Lancia from Taipei to Taoyuan to visit Mu. Mu had invited us many times, so we took the chance when free. He first showed us his new office, then back at his law firm, we took a taxi to one of his new investments—a small shop originally in Zhongyuan Night Market. The owner’s skills are good, and they plan to expand through franchising. Mu helped draft a business plan. The main items are skewered grilled meats, priced similarly to street stalls (mostly 20–50 NTD each), but having a small shop where you can drink and eat adds value. I found the cheese onion lollipop and mentaiko chicken wings particularly special; other grilled items were also good. A beer and a skewer—what a joy in life! If the production process is standardized (SOP) with lower decoration and franchise fees, I think such a skewer chain could really succeed. :) Yakitori Skewers Address: No. 14, Sanhe 2nd Street, Zhongli City, Taoyuan. Phone: 0981027661. After the meal, Loco suddenly felt like playing pool, so we went to a nearby billiard hall. Loco and I teamed up against Mu and Acai for a PK match. Loco and Mu are experts, about equal in skill, while I, not a frequent player, could only tag along and hold Loco back. :~~ We ate, drank, and played until midnight, then, unable to decline Mu’s hospitality, experienced more of Taoyuan’s nightlife. Thanks to Mu for the treat—carpe diem, cheers! :) Less than a week later, I was back in Taoyuan for my club friend Zhihao’s wedding banquet. Zhihao and Yanmei—I often saw them walking together in Qingda Night Market when I was in Hsinchu. Now they’re finally married—congratulations! :) After the banquet, I went with club friends Ronghong, Jiaqi, and Jiaping to a Holiday KTV in Taoyuan. We hadn’t sung together in ages; to relive student days, we sang for five hours straight until our throats were hoarse. = = But spending rare happy times with old friends was truly joyful. ^^ P.S. I really wanted to continue in one post and finish all the diary, but that would be too messy, so I’ll pause here and write the rest later. From possibly going on a business trip to China, I can ramble on about many things—I really write quite randomly. = =a By Morgan on 2010.4.27
Location: Taichung, Outer Mongolia Restaurant Travel note summary: My uncle Shi-Huan started as a manager at this restaurant late last year. It's quite historic in Taichung, open for many years (originally near Chaoma, where many locals remember the Mongolian yurts). After a change in ownership, the management has been revitalized. This Lunar New Year, our whole family, my uncle's family, and grandma had lunch there on New Year's Day. While most dishes in the photo were special holiday items, signature dishes like roasted lamb leg and Gobi skewered lamb are on the regular menu. The lamb dishes are distinctive and tasty, based on my experience dining at various restaurants, including ones in mainland China. The other Taiwanese dishes are also up to standard, satisfying everyone at the table. You can tell the new chef's skills from the details. Seeing my uncle enthusiastically share his management insights and future plans, I could feel his dedication. I understand the joy of having a clear goal to pursue. Besides the Mongolian-style cuisine, there are yurt-themed private rooms and a petting zoo with lambs, which kids love. Overall, it's a themed restaurant with character. I recommend friends in Taichung or visitors to try this revamped old restaurant for a unique dining experience and to support my uncle. (P.S. If you see my uncle, say hi—though he might not know who Morgan is.) Address: No. 369, Chongde 12th Road, Beitun District, Taichung City (near Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium). Phone: (04)24229920. Website: http://www.mogul.com.tw. By Morgan on 2010.4.14.
Location: Taichung, Akashi Steak Travel note summary: I'll go play badminton as usual later, but when I have some free time, I'll write these notes slowly. Even though I'm from Taichung, my blog has far fewer Taichung restaurant reviews compared to Taipei, Hsinchu, or Tainan. Partly because I've been living away, and partly because when I'm back in Taichung, I usually eat at home. But that doesn't mean Taichung lacks restaurants—on the contrary, there are many unique ones. Besides the Outer Mongolia Restaurant mentioned earlier, Akashi Steak is another great example, with long queues during meal times, sometimes dozens of numbers waiting just for a ticket. The shop promotes high-quality meat at affordable prices, a successful model that has led to several branches in Taichung. Prices range from 150-430 NTD (+10%), with sirloin steak, chicken steak, and pork steak generally between 150-250 NTD, not much different from chains like My Home Steak or Noble Family. But the professional open grill, combined with unlimited soup, drinks, and side dishes, gives it a competitive edge, making it famous in Taichung. To succeed in any industry, you need differentiation, niche markets, or high volume with low margins—at least one of these. This is a good example. Akashi Steak (Gongyi Branch) Address: No. 632, Dadun Road, Nantun District, Taichung City. Phone: (04)23205157. By Morgan on 2010.4.14.
Location: Tainan - Dad's Valentine Dream Garden Handmade Workshop Travel notes: After the Lunar New Year, things got unusually busy, so it took me a while to finally write this post. During the holiday, I received a delivery box from a friend of my senior Chenghui in Tainan, asking me to try some snacks. Inside was a box of five-color pineapple coconut jelly pastries, with original, chocolate, golden cheese, matcha, and red yeast rice flavors. While pineapple cakes are common, ones with coconut jelly filling are quite unique. The vibrant colors really catch the eye and make you keep looking at them. According to the business card and website, besides these, the shop also offers handmade cookies, nougat, cakes, and other food souvenirs, plus a mix of art and clothing. If you're curious or need gifts someday, check their site or call—it's worth a try! :) Dad's Valentine Dream Garden Handmade Workshop Address: No. 105, Fuzhong Street, Tainan (across from Confucius Temple) Phone: (06)2203801/0930776379 Website: http://store.pchome.com.tw/valentine Hours: (Closed Monday) Tue-Fri 12:00am-6:00pm, Sat-Sun 12:00ap-9:00pm By Morgan on 2010.3.9
Location: Taipei, Back Garden View Restaurant Travel note summary: One night, Boss Loco, his good friend Brother Yi-Wu, Ziqiang, Brother Bo, and I drove to a view restaurant at the foot of the mountain behind Culture University to play cards and chat. Since we left in a hurry, I didn't bring my camera, so I had to grab some photos from the restaurant's website (http://www.backgarden.com.tw/). Basically, the photos taken by the restaurant are prettier, so it's fine :P. The prices at the restaurant aren't exactly cheap. If you want to use the semi-private sofa booth seating, I remember the minimum spend per person was around 300 NTD. That night, we ordered a pot of 'Ten Complete Great Tonic Chicken' hotpot, stir-fried some dishes, and brewed a pot or two of tea. The five of us easily reached the quota without much effort. As for the view, since it was drizzling that day, the night view was inevitably somewhat diminished. However, the sofa seats on the second floor (available on both first and second floors) were quite atmospheric. You could see couples there enjoying candlelit dinners. It basically has its own unique charm, so I'll just note down this restaurant. Next one~ (Image source: http://www.backgarden.com.tw) Back Garden View Restaurant Address: No. 5-1, Lane 59, Huagang Rd., Shilin Dist., Taipei City Phone: (02)28615567 By Morgan on 2010.2.11
Location: Taipei, Revisiting Curry Champ Travel note summary: A university classmate of Morgan's, also from Macau, Funky, was visiting Taiwan and wanted to get everyone together for a meal. So, I helped contact some classmates working in Taipei, and with everyone reaching out to each other, finally, that night's gathering included Funky, Funky's wife, two of Funky's Macau friends, Jiaju, Jiajun, Minling, Xinru & husband & unborn baby, Minghong & wife, Afu, Zhihong, Hansheng & girlfriend, Rongjin, plus Morgan—17 people in total. Curry Champ is part of the Shin Yeh restaurant group. For me, it's also a nostalgic place. Because seven years ago, when I was still studying for my master's at National Cheng Kung University, Zhihong and I helped Egg, the senior from Tainan's biggest food website—Da Chushi (http://www.chef.com.tw)—develop a touch-screen dining system. And this restaurant was the third one to use that system back then (please refer to the old post on the Mengda BBS food board: Curry Champ (Taipei)). It's really a bit shocking because so many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Thinking back to that time compared to now, indeed many things have happened. Times have changed, the world has transformed. The system currently used in Curry Champ is no longer the one we had at the opening. Returning to this restaurant after so long felt somewhat unfamiliar, yet somewhat familiar. Flipping through the menu, there were some new items, but basically not too different. Prices were still around two hundred something NTD. As for the food, it might be better to refer to old food reviews for details @@a, because now when I eat, the focus seems to be on catching up with old friends. So while eating, of course, we also updated each other on many classmates' recent situations: Funky is still a civil servant in Macau; Jiaju left the Kinmen County Government, retook the senior/junior civil service exam, and now works at Tucheng Detention Center; Jiajun is still at Wintek; Minling is still at HP; Xinru is still at the Taipei City Government Department of Education; Minghong is still at Compal Communications; Rongjin is still at AUO; Afu is still at Chunghwa Telecom; Zhihong moved around and now works at Youfu (an IT company); Hansheng left Asus and is now at Win Semiconductors... Recording food is not as good as recording events; recording events is not as good as recording people. Life is wonderful precisely because many friends appear on your life's journey. We meet by fate and create many memories together because of shared interests. Bit by bit, minute by minute, accumulating a profound and indelible history...... Curry Champ (Guanqian Branch) Address: B1, No. 12, Guanqian Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)23891333 By Morgan on 2010.2.11
Location: Taipei, Pinton Farm Japanese Pork Cutlet & Curry Travel note summary: Pinton Farm is another chain under the Wowprime Group, specializing in Japanese pork cutlets. An old student of Loco, Brother A-Cheng, is now the store manager there. So one evening, Loco, A-Li, Da-Ting, Zi-Qiang, and I went to the Nanjing East Road branch for dinner. The set meal costs around NT$290 + 10%, including appetizer, main course, sides, dessert, and drink. Brother A-Cheng even asked the kitchen to serve us some extra special dishes, so we left feeling very full. Having tried several famous Japanese pork cutlet shops in Taipei, the common points are the shredded cabbage and hand-ground sesame sauce—Pinton Farm is no different, and it tastes quite sweet. As for the fried items, honestly, while they're fragrant, the tenderness falls short compared to some renowned shops; they're a bit too dry. Eating too much can get a bit tiresome. But considering the whole set meal and price (including pickles, chawanmushi, miso soup, etc.), it maintains the rich and worthwhile feel typical of Wowprime's chains, making it a good spot for gatherings. For reference only~ Pinton Farm Japanese Pork Cutlet & Curry (Nanjing East Branch) Address: 2F, No. 146, Section 2, Nanjing East Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)25077279 By Morgan on 2010.2.11
Location: Taipei, Ginza Wako Ramen & Pork Cutlet Travel note summary: One day, I met up with a junior I knew online, BrookLu, for a meal (see 'Taiwan is So Small 43'). Since I had just returned from a wedding banquet in Fengyuan that day, I wasn't very hungry. After walking around Qsquare, we ended up at the Uni-Ustyle Mall in front of the station and randomly picked a restaurant to enter. Taiwan really is small—chatting with my junior, I found out that besides visiting our old home in Fengyuan as a child, his grandparents also knew my grandparents because my grandfather used to do accounting for their family's factory back then. Moreover, besides being my junior from Weidao High School, he was also my junior from Nanyang Elementary School. Talking more, it turned out to be quite a coincidence: his homeroom teacher in fifth and sixth grade was exactly my homeroom teacher in third and fourth grade, Teacher Zhang Baorong. My junior still keeps in touch with the retired Teacher Zhang, so I asked for the teacher's number—I thought I'd call during the New Year. After graduating from NTU's International Business Department, my junior is currently working as an assistant at NTU and plans to go abroad in the future. The connections between people are truly amazing. If I hadn't written a blog, if I hadn't written that article about Weidao High School, if my junior hadn't randomly searched for 'Weidao High School' on a whim, then that meal wouldn't have happened. As for Ginza Wako, the price is actually okay—you can get a set meal for around two hundred-something NT dollars. But in terms of portion and taste, it feels a bit ordinary, not leaving a strong impression. For reference only~ Ginza Wako Ramen & Pork Cutlet Address: 5F, No. 50, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Taipei City (Uni-Ustyle Mall) Phone: (02)23115626 By Morgan on 2010.2.11
Location: Taipei, Les Sens French Cuisine Travel note summary: This is probably my last food review before the Lunar New Year. I'm taking tomorrow off to go back to Taichung for the holidays—it's been a while since I last went home. @@ Anyway, my grad school classmate Zhengda came up to Taipei from Kaohsiung for an exam, and we met up for dinner afterward. We hadn't seen each other since Panda's wedding! That evening, we went to the new Sogo building near Zhongxiao Fuxing. Even though it was only around 5 or 6 p.m., the Din Tai Fung branch upstairs already had a long line. Not wanting to wait, we headed to a higher floor and ended up choosing the well-known French restaurant Les Sens. I'd heard recommendations from friends about its Tianmu flagship, and I figured the branch wouldn't be too different. But honestly, the main courses that night were a bit disappointing. The dining style here is a minimum charge per person for the salad bar (I think around NT$400+), with main courses as add-ons (prices vary, starting around NT$200–300). So, per person, it averaged about NT$700–800. I ordered roasted pork knuckle, and Zhengda got steak. The salad bar selection wasn't huge, but many of the greens were imported, which you don't often see. There was also unique cheese powder to try, plus smoked salmon, fruit, and desserts. The salad bar also includes soup and a post-meal drink. Overall, the salad bar offerings weren't super abundant. As for the mains, the price isn't high for a French restaurant, but maybe because of that, both the pork knuckle and steak weren't particularly impressive in terms of flavor.
Location: Taipei, Hao Yi Zhao Charcoal Mutton Hotpot Travel note summary: Taking advantage of a break before going to play badminton, I'll casually write about another small shop. One weekend night, my good friend Changyu was feeling really down because of some things that happened. Coincidentally, Brother Mu and his friend Acai drove up to Taipei to see me for some business. An impromptu meeting is better than a planned one; it's okay if they don't know each other, they'll get to know each other over a meal :P. So, we all went to eat mutton hotpot and chat. As for the location, of course, it fell to me to decide. Because when I have free time, I often walk around my neighborhood to see if there are any new shops. I stumbled upon this place by chance. After passing by a few times, it seemed pretty good. Although the storefront is super inconspicuous, doesn't even have a proper sign, just a few flags, I actually really like trying out these kind of no-name small shops. So, I led everyone inside. After sitting down, we ordered a pot of mutton hotpot, then some side dishes and alcohol. I really love the feeling of gathering around a hotpot in winter, all warm and cozy—not just the body, but the heart too :). The broth of their mutton hotpot is pretty good, quite sweet. And the prices are very affordable; the four of us only spent about a thousand NTD. It's perfect for getting a few friends together to feast in winter. Even though they were guests from afar, in the struggle to pay the bill, I failed, and Brother Mu ended up treating us. Thanks a lot!~ :) Hao Yi Zhao Taipei Charcoal Mutton Hotpot (He Ji Hotpot Frozen Prepared Foods) Address: No. 138, Sec. 3, Chenggong Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City Phone: (02)27926888 By Morgan on 2010.2.10
Location: Taipei, Palace Tao Restaurant Travel note summary: Currently using the free Wi-Fi at a bubble tea shop outside. Just finished up some work and about to pack up, shut down, and head home. In this short time, I should be able to clear one more set of photos. This is a restaurant in a lane near Zhongxiao Fuxing in the East District. The price for a main course à la carte is around 200-300 NTD. The interior decor has a nice atmosphere, which feels good. However, for that price point, the food wasn't particularly impressive. So, I'll just note it down here for reference. Palace Tao Restaurant Address: No. 19, Alley 19, Lane 216, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao East Rd. Phone: (02)27783200 By Morgan on 2010.2.9
Location: Taipei Mr.J Italian French Kitchen Travel note summary: For a friend's birthday celebration, I chose this restaurant opened by Jay Chou. The pasta dishes range from NT$200-350, and you can upgrade to Set 1 or Set 2 (+NT$129/+NT$79), which includes salad, soup, drinks, cake, and other sides. Of course, there are also rice dishes, steaks, and pizza to choose from—the menu is quite extensive. Jay Chou's portrait hangs on the wall, and the overall decor is simple and elegant. The food isn't bad, though the seasoning is a bit heavy; it's great at first but can get a bit cloying by the end. Still, overall, it's a decent spot for gatherings or trying something new. Note: Birthday celebrants can choose a free cake after the meal. I don't know if my friend will see this, but happy birthday again! :) Mr.J Italian French Kitchen (Guangfu Branch) Address: No. 43, Lane 308, Guangfu South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)27312245 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Location: Taipei Le Fei Niu Charcoal Grill & Jiang Tai Lang Japanese BBQ Travel note summary: Even though I know eating too much BBQ isn't good for health, doing it occasionally to satisfy a craving should be fine, right? The first place, Le Fei Niu, was where Boss Loco treated Ali, Ale, and me to dinner after his first lecture in late August last year. Le Fei Niu is near Taipei Main Station, with weekday dinners and holidays priced at NT$359+10%. The second place was treated by Ale, as we used to take turns treating each other during our regular Friday night gatherings—often going to fishing ponds in Waishuangxi or charcoal grill seafood shops on Jilin Road. That time, we went to this BBQ spot for a late-night meal since it's open until 3 a.m. Jiang Tai Lang is slightly more expensive, at NT$439+10% for weekday dinners and holidays, but it has Häagen-Dazs and Meiji ice cream, making it feel much more appealing than the previous place :P. Both are all-you-can-eat BBQ and also include a hot pot, though BBQ joint hot pots usually don't get much attention @@a. While the meat quality at all-you-can-eat BBQ spots can't compare to à la carte places, they definitely let you eat to your heart's content. 1. Le Fei Niu Charcoal Grill Address: 2F, No. 22-2, Gongyuan Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)23757187 2. Jiang Tai Lang Japanese BBQ (Nanjing Branch) Address: 2F, No. 7, Section 2, Nanjing East Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)25361101 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Location: Taipei àlohas Wild Grass Restaurant Travel note summary: After writing about BBQ last time, this entry balances things out by switching back to a healthy restaurant—àlohas Wild Grass. From the shop's blog description, you can learn about their commitments: 1. Broth, condiments, bread, desserts, etc., are all made in-house, as traditional handmade methods taste best. 2. They advocate for natural ingredients and seasonings (sea salt, black pepper, fresh herbs, etc.). 3. Their dishes are cooked without a drop of oil, and they avoid overcooking to save energy and respect the environment. So, no need for much introduction—it's clear the restaurant's定位 is very distinct: cooking ingredients naturally. Main courses are around NT$200+, and like many places, they offer套餐 upgrades, so a full combo usually costs around NT$300-400. Actually, that night, due to some events, I wasn't in a good mood. Honestly, I don't really remember how the food tasted; instead, there was a lingering sense of melancholy slowly spreading... Wild Grass Restaurant (aLohas) Address: No. 3, Lane 138, Yanji Street, Da'an District, Taipei City Phone: (02)87715430 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Location: Taipei Victoria Garden European Afternoon/Evening Tea Travel note summary: Because of the melancholy mentioned at the end of the last entry, I'm grateful that not long after, during a gathering with blog friends, Rita, Afu, Mao Dad, and Mao Mom gave me lots of warm advice and care. It was a wonderful evening in a dreamy place... Isn't it delightful to catch up with long-unseen good friends over afternoon or evening tea while chatting relaxedly? :) As lights lit up Taipei, half awake and half drunk with感慨; chatting freely about anything under the sun, seated by Victoria's wall. A pot of evening tea flowing in porcelain cups, layered cakes beautifully arranged on plates; not knowing when we'll meet again, but hoping to make the most of it without regret! Victoria Garden European Afternoon/Evening Tea Address: 2F, No. 49, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)27710998 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Location: Taipei Makoto-ya Ramen Travel note summary: Speaking of friends unseen for years, this reminds me of that meal with Brother Zhequan. Weaster is an old friend from the CCNS computer network enthusiast club at National Cheng Kung University; he studied chemical engineering and works at CTCI Corp. Since he's always been in Kaohsiung, I don't think we've met since graduation. Even when I visited Kaohsiung a few times, our schedules didn't align, so we missed each other. But recently, he was transferred to the Taipei headquarters for a six-month business trip, so we had a chance to meet up. That noon, besides Morgan and Weaster, there was also Achieve (Afu). Taiwan is always so small—Weaster and my National Defense Service comrade Yoshimura were college classmates and roommates, and he's also long been acquainted with Xiaoyu (Shan), a friend I met through a food forum, often dining together in Kaohsiung. Human connections are really奇妙, always intertwining somehow :P. Makoto-ya Ramen was chosen by Afu. With multiple branches in Japan, Makoto-ya is also a famous spot in Taipei. The branch on Civic Boulevard is very busy during meal times; I recently saw another branch operating at Qsquare while strolling there. Besides à la carte, you can opt for combo套餐 to try more main dishes—besides ramen, you can pair it with fried rice, pan-fried dumplings, fried chicken, or rice bowls. Personally, I think this is a quite successful strategy (typical ramen shops might only sell ramen for around NT$100+, but through combos, people might order an extra main dish regardless of whether they can finish it; even if the price becomes NT$200+, it doesn't feel expensive,反而 feeling like a good deal since you get more variety for a little extra money, easily triggering overconsumption impulses psychologically). But that's not the main point—I think their ramen is pretty good overall, with a rich broth that leaves a deep impression, and the fried chicken is also quite tasty. It's a place worth trying. Makoto-ya Ramen Address: 1F, No. 17, Section 4, Civic Boulevard, Taipei City Phone: (02)27529393 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Location: Taipei, Sakura Kyoto Handmade Izakaya Travel note summary: Okay, even though I still have about a third of the photos left to edit, I should wrap up writing for today. I'm getting a bit hungry, time to go find some food... This is a restaurant located on the top floor of the Rihu Department Store in Neihu (the old Dean Department Store). One time, after tutoring Brother Mu at my place, he treated me to a meal here. Since he came all the way from Taoyuan, he asked if there were any good spots nearby. I hadn't done any research on the spot, so I suggested we just walk over to Rihu Department Store and pick a place. Out of a few restaurants, we randomly chose Sakura Kyoto and went in. The prices inside aren't exactly cheap, but compared to many high-end Japanese restaurants, they're not that high either. However, since it was quite cold and drizzling that night, we just ordered a crab hotpot to share, along with a chicken salad, grilled fish, and some drinks (the two of us spent a little over a thousand NTD). I initially thought food at a department store restaurant wouldn't be particularly impressive, but honestly, aside from the seriously inadequate waiter training, the dishes were actually quite decent. While not exactly a steal, at least everything we ordered that night was pretty much fine. The deliciousness of the crab roe still comes to mind when I look at the photos. So, I'll just jot this down here. Alright, time to pack up. I'll continue editing next week. Better late than never!~~ Sakura Kyoto Handmade Izakaya Address: 8F, No. 180, Sec. 4, Chenggong Rd., Neihu Dist., Taipei City (Rihu Department Store) Phone: (02)27931119 By Morgan on 2010.2.7
Taipei, Pepper Lunch: Since Morgan doesn't live in Taipei, I hadn't heard of this place before. But thanks to serine's recommendation, I tried it during this Taipei trip. Apparently, it's quite a big deal—Japan's largest steakhouse chain. Its biggest feature is letting customers enjoy grilling their own food. Currently, there are three branches in Taipei (addresses listed at the end). My friend and I visited the one above K-Mall on a busy Saturday night. Even though it was raining outside, we still waited almost an hour for a table—business is that good. I ordered a combo plate (hamburger steak + chicken steak) (à la carte: NT$260) and also sneakily tried my friend's premium sirloin steak (à la carte: NT$240) and pepper beef rice (à la carte: NT$170). Drinks or soup are extra (around NT$40), plus a 10% service charge. I thought the steak wasn't particularly special, but the hamburger steak and chicken steak were pretty good. The iron plate arrives with the ingredients not fully cooked, so you have to flip and cook them yourself—probably why service is surprisingly fast. After grilling, I put a juicy piece of hamburger steak into the bun that came with the meal and took a bite—the pepper aroma really enhanced the meat's flavor. My friend Marbury was here for the second time because his girlfriend works nearby, so he often dines at restaurants around the station area. He said many people recommend the pepper beef rice, so he tried it and agreed it's good. Overall, Pepper Lunch's prices are reasonable for Taipei, and the food quality isn't bad—no wonder it's so popular. However, I noticed at the K-Mall branch that servers refill water quickly before the meal, making service seem good, but after you finish eating and want to chat longer, they don't come around as much. With such good business, you can tell they want to increase turnover—understandable in such a prime location. Well, in summary, it's a quite unique and worth-trying place. Addresses: 1) 4F, No. 98, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei (02)27819933; 2) B2, No. 122, Section 3, Zhongshan Road, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City (02)22266165; 3) 2F, No. 50, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Taipei (02)23121881. P.S. Since I didn't have a camera while dining, please visit their website for pictures: http://www.pepperlunch.com.tw/.
Location: Taipei, Wu Jiao Chuan Ban Restaurant Travel note summary: I'm just going to keep writing about the Taipei Wu Jiao Chuan Ban restaurant and see how much I can get done before the New Year. This is a restaurant where one of my students treated me after class. Actually, calling him a student isn't quite right—this Mr. Mu is 17 years older than me. He currently runs his own law firm in Taoyuan and has quite an impressive net worth. But expertise varies by field; he's interested in my area, which is why he spends time learning. I, on the other hand, believe in making good connections. Since I currently have the ability to share my experiences and knowledge, it's a great opportunity to meet professionals from various industries. Back to Wu Jiao Chuan Ban: I've only eaten at the Tainan branch a few times, but that was a long time ago. It's a chain restaurant known for its unique decor, and all its branches across the province are like that. This time, I visited the Dazhi branch, which is diagonally across from Miramar and has a very eye-catching exterior. A set meal costing 600 NTD + 10% includes salad, minced shrimp, scallops and oysters, sakura shrimp fried rice, a whole fish, tofu, red date soup, and other dishes. The food is decent and somewhat refined, but what's even more special is the overall dining environment and decor—it's truly dazzling. Anyway, from the perspective of appreciating art while dining, it certainly creates a nice atmosphere and environment. :P Wu Jiao Chuan Ban Address: No. 8, Lane 32, Section 1, Neihu Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)85011472 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao & Demin Beef Noodles Travel note summary: One weekend, after swimming at the Chunghwa Telecom Club with Ah Fu and Xing Jian, we went to this nearby Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao for a meal. This place is similar in nature to another restaurant nearby (Taipei, Revisited: Shengyuan, Luffa Xiaolong Tangbao, Northern and Southern Dim Sum). Both shops are probably quite well-known near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Every time I pass by, there are always many customers dining inside. So that time, taking advantage of the early hour, we hurried to be the first table when the shop opened to avoid queuing. However, since there were only three of us, we couldn't order almost everything on the menu like we did before at Shengyuan. But we still ordered some key items like soup dumplings and shaomai to try. We found that their food is really quite good—it's a place that makes you want to go back and try more. Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao Address: No. 17, Section 2, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)23935875 And another time after swimming, with the same group, Ah Fu took us to a somewhat famous noodle shop nearby—Demin. However, the taste wasn't particularly memorable. So I'll just note it here as well. Demin Beef Noodles Address: 1F, No. 97, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)23935994 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Boots Italian Restaurant Travel note summary: Boots Italian Restaurant in Taipei. One evening, I went with my second uncle, aunt, and teacher Huiwen who live in Taipei. It's an Italian pasta place named 'Boots' because Italy is shaped like a boot on the map. The main branch is in Xinzhuang, but we visited the Banqiao branch that night, just a short walk from Jiangzicui MRT station. Their pasta is cheap, mostly around NT$100, and even with a NT$69 upgrade to a set meal, it's still affordable. So, during peak hours, the place was quite busy, with most seats filled. They also have some steak options, priced around NT$200. Overall, it's a budget-friendly restaurant with good value. Thanks to my uncle and aunt for treating us! :) Boots Italian Restaurant (Banqiao branch) Address: No. 241, Section 2, Wenhua Road, Banqiao City, Taipei County Phone: (02)22553040 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Tainan, Ah Hui Stir-Fried Eel Travel note summary: Ah Hui Stir-Fried Eel (Taipei branch). On a food-hunting trip one night, I was strolling along Zhongyuan Street in Taipei and saw a bright sign at the corner that read 'Tainan Stir-Fried Eel'. Having left Tainan for years, I always crave a taste of home when I see Tainan food, so I went in. A plate of stir-fried eel noodles cost NT$160, quite pricey—maybe adjusted for Taipei's cost of living, it felt much more expensive than in Tainan. Ah Hui's original shop in Tainan should be on Gongyuan Road, but my memory is fuzzy. Still, eel noodles are a classic Tainan dish: the sweet thickened sauce, crispy eel, and chewy noodles make you finish a plate quickly. This Taipei branch also sells other Tainan specialties like Songcun smoked braised foods, Zhou's shrimp rolls, and Anping preserved fruits. It's a decent spot for a quick fix of Tainan snacks. Ah Hui Stir-Fried Eel (Taipei branch) Address: 1F, No. 89-5, Changchun Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)25318053 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Yorokobi Japanese Kaiseki Cuisine Travel note summary: Yorokobi Japanese Kaiseki Cuisine in Taipei. After watching a movie at Miramar with friend H, we decided to eat at a restaurant there. We hesitated at the entrance because, despite it being mealtime, there were few customers—something felt off. Other places were either buffet-style or required more people to order, so we ended up choosing this one. We ordered a set meal for two: Japanese salad, sushi platter, chawanmushi + miso soup, and fruit for dessert. That's it? Yep, that's it. The bill was over NT$700, which felt a bit pricey for what we got, and the quality didn't seem to match. No wonder the place was so quiet. The decor and atmosphere were quite elegant and comfortable, though, and service was okay. But if the food doesn't feel worth it, running the place must be tough. Just for reference~ Yorokobi Japanese Kaiseki Cuisine Address: No. 22, Jingye 3rd Road, Taipei City (Miramar 5F) Phone: (02)21753807 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Seoul City Korean Copper Plate BBQ Travel note summary: Seoul City Korean Copper Plate BBQ in Taipei. This was a long-overdue gathering. My university junior Changyu started working at Transcend months ago, and my classmate Hengru called to say they bumped into each other at the company (they both played on the department baseball team, so they remembered each other despite the gap). I wanted to invite them for a meal, but busy schedules delayed it for months. Since we all work in Neihu, we met up after work one day at this Korean BBQ place inside RT-Mart. We ordered a set meal, added some à la carte items, and with service charge, it came to around NT$1,000 for three. Spending a certain amount gave us unlimited access to the salad bar, so we ate our fill. The food was decent. Thanks to Brother Ah Niu for generously treating us! Honestly, by the end, what we ate didn't matter as much—seeing old classmates and friends was the real joy. Catching up on each other's lives, sharing funny stories, reminiscing about playing ball together in school... Now Ah Niu is already a manager, making me感慨 how time flies. We're all on our own paths in life; what will the next ten years bring? Seoul City Korean BBQ Address: No. 188, Section 1, Jiuzong Road, Neihu District, Taipei City Phone: (02)27966334 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao & Demin Beef Noodles Travel note summary: One weekend, after swimming at the Chunghwa Telecom Club with Ah Fu and Xing Jian, we went to this nearby Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao for a meal. This place is similar in nature to another restaurant nearby (Taipei, Revisited: Shengyuan, Luffa Xiaolong Tangbao, Northern and Southern Dim Sum). Both shops are probably quite well-known near Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Every time I pass by, there are always many customers dining inside. So that time, taking advantage of the early hour, we hurried to be the first table when the shop opened to avoid queuing. However, since there were only three of us, we couldn't order almost everything on the menu like we did before at Shengyuan. But we still ordered some key items like soup dumplings and shaomai to try. We found that their food is really quite good—it's a place that makes you want to go back and try more. Hangzhou Xiaolong Tangbao Address: No. 17, Section 2, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)23935875 And another time after swimming, with the same group, Ah Fu took us to a somewhat famous noodle shop nearby—Demin. However, the taste wasn't particularly memorable. So I'll just note it here as well. Demin Beef Noodles Address: 1F, No. 97, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei City Phone: (02)23935994 By Morgan on 2010.2.5
Location: Taipei, Yongkang Beef Noodles Travel note snippet: The previous travel note mentioned beef noodles in Tonglu ((#106) Miaoli Tonglu‧Half-Day Strawberry Picking at Dahu), so I'll顺势 continue by recording this famous shop—Yongkang Beef Noodles. One night after discussing some things at Mr. Brown Coffee, I came here for dinner with my high school classmate ClKao, who lives reclusively in the mountains of Pinglin, and his girlfriend ipa. A bowl of half-tendon half-beef noodles costing nearly NT$200 isn't cheap. But in Taipei, many beef noodle places are around this price, especially famous ones, often starting at NT$150. So, even though I love beef noodles, since moving to Taipei, I haven't eaten them as often as before. @@ While it tastes good, the cost-performance ratio isn't as outstanding compared to many other places.
Location: Taipei, Niu Lao Da Beef Hot Pot & Meng Da Ye Mongolian Health Hot Pot Travel note snippet: Speaking of beef, I remembered a long time ago, one night after class, Boss Loco, Ah-Li, Ah-Le, and I went to a nearby restaurant. Judging by the sign, it's a chain that expanded from Kaohsiung. We ordered beef hot pot and some dishes. Since it was so long ago, my memory isn't very clear. I just remember it wasn't cheap, but the food was decent. Kaohsiung Niu Lao Da (Taipei Branch) Address: No. 159, Jinzhou Street, Taipei Tel: (02)25215789. And speaking of hot pot, I recalled another time after Boss Loco finished a lecture at the New Frontier Education Center near Taipei Main Station, we went to nearby Meng Da Ye for their health hot pot. All-you-can-eat, dinner NT$399 +10%. This type of pot is similar to Little Sheep or Tian Xiang Hui Wei Hot Pot, boasting no need for dipping sauce as its特色. So no need for much introduction. It was okay. Meng Da Ye Mongolian/Health/Spicy Hot Pot Address: B1, No. 42, Guanqian Road, Taipei Tel: (02)23891696. Suddenly realizing I've eaten at quite a few places with Boss Loco this year. Hurrying to wrap up, I'll mention two more places he took me to. One is a small restaurant in an alley on Jinan Road, serving shared dishes, called Fu Quan. It's quite home-style cooking. The other is an angelica mutton soup place next to Songjiang Market. It's pretty good, especially great to have in winter.
Location: Taipei, MASA Sushi Travel note snippet: I wonder if I can clear all the photos before the New Year. I really don't like having tons of food review photos piling up on my hard drive. I'll try my best to write. As for why Morgan rarely writes food reviews anymore, aside from being busy with work, another reason is the tragedy of my laptop hard drive failing last June. I had already finished writing this MASA Sushi article and even composed a lengthy humorous poem. But just an hour after finishing, the entire hard drive crashed. I rushed to several data recovery companies, even saying price wasn't an issue—I'd pay tens of thousands if they could recover it. But none could save it. In the end, it was declared hopeless. Since then, I've been too lazy to write food reviews. The thought of rewriting an article I spent time on is exhausting, and it affected my motivation to write. Even rewriting this MASA article now, I don't think I can recreate that poem. I'll have to skim through this piece, or I'll never finish the backlog. MASA is a famous sushi restaurant in Taipei. While not cheap, it offers a wide variety of sashimi. From what I recall, the omakase course that day was around NT$1,700 +10%. It was to celebrate Latte and Ah-Fo's 9th wedding anniversary, so they booked MASA for lunch and asked our "Lohas group" if anyone wanted to join. I thought more people would go, so I happily signed up. In the end, somehow everyone else was busy, leaving only me and the Latte couple. Thinking back, it was a bit awkward to attend. Although I asked Latte if they minded, of course they'd politely say it's fine. = = But in the end, I thought I hadn't seen Mrs. Latte in a long time and never had the chance to meet Mr. Ah-Fo, so I brought a bottle of red wine. To thank the couple for not minding me being a third wheel, and as a small gesture.
Location: Taipei, Ippantei Ramen & Akasaka Ramen & Rose House Kumamoto Ramen Travel note snippet: Lately, I've been under quite a bit of pressure. As 2009 is about to end, I've been reviewing the past year and planning new goals for next year. Despite being busy, I hope to clear out all the food photos on my hard drive before the New Year. I randomly looked and saw a ramen place called Ippantei that I went to with Ah-Fu after karaoke. We discussed our Taiping Mountain trip while eating. Another one is the famous Akasaka Ramen, which I had with Boss Loco after discussing some things at Mr. Brown Coffee and walking around the Qitiao Tong area. Then there's Rose House, which I went to with CCNS club friends after karaoke. That gathering included lontea, voto, Kurama, reading, guava, achieve, and Senior JASON. They went after visiting Senior Mingyuan and Senior Qiaoling's baby. I first went to see my army friend Yu-Jia's baby at the Grand Hyatt Taipei before joining them. Among my karaoke friends and classmates, Brother Jun-Ming is the one I see the least. I can't even remember when we last met—it must have been years ago. He still works at Foxconn's factory in mainland China, so there aren't many chances to meet him in Taiwan. :P
Location: Taipei, Mantanghong Premium Spicy Hot Pot Travel note snippet: I wasn't feeling well yesterday, probably because I went out to play ball and cards in the rain last week. I had to skip two dinner invitations and went to see a doctor instead. After taking medicine and resting, I felt better today. In the afternoon, I worked on some trading pattern programming until I got hungry and went out alone to a nearby small hot pot place that opened not long ago. The last time I visited shortly after it opened, it was quite crowded. But this time, as soon as I walked in, something felt off. On such a cold day, hot pot places should be packed, but this one was only about half full. After a while, watching the impatient looks of other customers, I realized the problem: the wait time for the pot was way too long. It took 15–20 minutes from sitting down to having something to eat. No wonder business wasn't as good as expected on a day like this.
Location: Taipei, CalaCala Italian Kitchen restaurant Travel note summary: Just finished a meeting and reached a pause in coding. Heading to play badminton later, so I have some time to kill—might as well pull out another article to write. One day, our trading department head treated a few from our team, plus a trader from Yuanta mainly doing spread trades, to a meal at this CalaCala Italian restaurant on Yangguang Street in Neihu. Checking the business card, it has three branches—two in Xindian and one in Neihu. So, one evening after work, we pushed open the door and dined here. The ambiance inside is quite nice, elegant and stylish. On a weekday night, it was pretty quiet, good for discussing things, though I hear it gets busy on weekends. A set meal runs around NT$300 or more. Like most Italian places, the menu has baked dishes, pasta, and steaks to choose from. Having the full set, I thought it was decent overall. In summary, it's a restaurant with no major issues, worth a try. Just for reference~ :) CalaCala Italian Kitchen (Neihu branch). Address: No. 240, Yangguang Street, Neihu District, Taipei City. Phone: (02)87523208. By Morgan, 2009.12.9
Location: Taipei, Highway 7, North American-style restaurant Travel note summary: It's nearing the end of the year, so I'll write as much as I can, though compared to my old food reviews, these days I can only keep it brief (laughs). Anyway~ This is a place near my rented apartment in Neihu. Those who know Morgan know I love trying every spot—either every shop on a street or every dish at a restaurant (like Life House in Tainan). So, I've pretty much eaten at every place near home. Honestly, even though it's just a small, low-key shop nearby, I think their American-style food is quite good—good enough to keep me coming back. The original Howie burger, tartar chicken breast burger, cheese hot dog, onion rings, fries... Their burgers are really tasty, made fresh to order, with a memorable aroma and texture. Definitely worth a try, so I'm taking a moment to jot this down. P.S. It's not exactly cheap—a burger with a simple drink or soup usually runs around NT$200—so the market positioning is clear. A place like this might struggle a bit in this area (even with nearby schools like Wende Girls' High School, Fangji High School, and Neihu Junior High, students' spending power is limited; maybe better suited for areas with more office workers? @@a). Address: No. 19, Xingyun Street, Neihu District, Taipei City. Phone: (02)87921870. By Morgan, 2009.12.2
Location: Taipei, Wu Wu Wu Izakaya Travel note summary: Time flies—it's already the last month of the year. Every day, I face immense pressure, constantly honing my mind, wavering between humanity and code, comparing myself to others and to my past self... This path is really tough, but since I chose it, I'll do my best to walk it well. During a break, I closed my eyes and randomly picked a folder of unwritten photos from my hard drive. Okay, to celebrate my younger brother going to Kansai for military training—wait, no, to commemorate? Hmm, that doesn't sound right either. Or to congratulate? Ah, it's to bid farewell with tears~~ Younger brother, when you come back on leave and see this article, remember how reluctant your older brother was to see you go~~ You must repay this kindness well!!! Alright, joking aside. Since you're serving in R&D alternative service, you'll be out in less than a month, so how could I possibly shed tears for you~:P But look, even in such a busy time, I made time to write about our meal together—consider it a token of my affection~ Speaking of which, one weekend evening, my younger brother, his special friend, and I came to an izakaya near Zhongxiao Fuxing for dinner. Actually, given the foot traffic in this area, the business inside was quite sparse. I recall donburi and teishoku sets were around two hundred-something NT dollars, which is okay price-wise. The sashimi didn't leave a strong impression, but the desserts seemed to get more attention. Later, I looked it up and found it's a chain with branches in Neihu and Kaohsiung. The decor is actually quite nice, but some processes weren't well-managed, which is a pity (that night, our tamagoyaki order was missed and only made when we asked the waiter as we were about to leave; maybe because business was slow, the service felt a bit...).
Location: Taipei, Tohkan-Ya Japanese Creative Cuisine Travel note summary: A lot has happened lately, and I'm feeling a bit worn out, mentally drained. But I have to push myself to keep going because time never stops. Maybe writing something is a good way to distract myself. There's so much unwritten stuff on my hard drive; I'll just take the chance to write them down bit by bit. I recall one weekend when I rode my scooter along the Beiyi Highway to Pinglin to visit my classmate ClKao, who's living a secluded life there. Thanks to Chef Kao for cooking us a special dinner—even the vegetables were freshly picked from outside. Eating exotic dishes on a quiet mountain evening was really nice, allowing me to pause and reflect on many things. The next day, after hiking with ClKao and buying tea from his landlord, I hurried back to Taipei alone. That evening, Xiao Yu, who came all the way from Kaohsiung, met me for dinner. I remembered my long-unseen junior, Oceanblue, who's now working in Taipei, so I called him to join us. His girlfriend had vouchers from Tohkan-Ya's Teacher's Day promotion (where teachers could exchange certificates for meals), so they were planning to eat there. After some thought, I decided to join them at Tohkan-Ya. This handsome Yao junior, whom I met through the Dreamland BBS food board, now works at Wei Chuan, responsible for nutritional food planning—somewhat combining his interests with work :P. Xiao Yu recently left her trading company and now sells Nu Skin products. Chatting with them while enjoying tonight's meal, I realized that among the restaurants under the Wang Group, I've eaten at quite a few. Actually, going back every so often, you can always find new dishes being updated. Many industries need to constantly innovate to keep up with market changes. Tohkan-Ya's set meal...
Location: Hsinchu OutBack Steakhouse & Leshefang Cafe Travel note summary: The pressure I've been under lately is really not small. But choosing this path, this is something foreseeable and unavoidable. Man proposes, God disposes. Since I've already planned and executed within the scope of what I can do with my own efforts, for the parts beyond my control, I can only hope for more help from heaven. Just now, the vice president of Touchance (Iyang) came to our company, and my colleagues and I discussed some things with him. If it can solve a few of our needs, that would be really great. I feel like the string has been pulled a bit too tight lately. After the meeting, I had to stop and take a break, write something to record some events, and let myself catch my breath a little. Last Saturday, taking advantage of a rare free moment, I made a trip to Hsinchu to attend a gathering of graduate school classmates. The location was OutBack in Zhubei (old post: Zhubei OutBack SteakHouse chain). This time, I ordered the promotional filet mignon ($499+10%), but I felt the control of the cooking wasn't ideal; the medium-rare steak was a bit overdone @@a. But anyway, the focus was on the gathering of old classmates, so it didn't matter much. Returning to the familiar city of Hsinchu after a year and four months, I really felt quite nostalgic. Among everyone, some haven't changed jobs, some have changed, some just changed—a bit of everything :P. Quanhui is still at TSMC, while Jiabin also left Taipei and joined TSMC. Xiaolan is still running a studio taking on projects. Guoquan changed to D-Link's Alpha Networks. Shiqi is about to move to Winbond in Central Taiwan Science Park. This time, I also saw Xiaolan and Jiashuang's six-month-old daughter—chubby and so cute ^^. During the meal, Jiashuang told me that Zongwei had left UMC. Last time when Zhiqian returned to Taiwan from Singapore, I think I heard him mention it too. Truly, life is like the stars Shen and Shang, rarely meeting. Sometimes...
Location: Taipei Hair Genic Hair Salon Travel Notes Summary: Taipei Hair Genic Hair Salon. My friend Ah-Le's shop reopened last Saturday morning, and I made time to go support him. His shop has actually been open for four or five years, but due to the lease expiring, he moved to this new storefront across the street. Since I had something to do in the afternoon, I originally planned to leave after the firecrackers, but at Ah-Le's enthusiastic invitation, I ended up putting down my backpack and sitting down. I also spent some money at the shop. Currently, during the reopening period, there's a promotion: wash and cut for only 380 NTD. I paid out of pocket to get a trim, hoping to help Ah-Le boost his opening sales a bit~ :P I took some photos casually in the shop and decided to post them, along with writing a post to promote it. Friends who need a haircut are welcome to try it out when you have time—it's right across from Linjiang Street Night Market, not hard to find. There are currently five stylists to choose from, and the overall decor and atmosphere feel pretty good. Plus, with the reopening, some promotional offers are quite cost-effective. I think we can expect his business to be as good as before the move :) Hair Genic Hair Salon Address: 1F, No. 131-1, Section 2, Keelung Road, Taipei. Phone: (02)27324649. Business hours: 9:30 AM – 9:00 PM. By Morgan on 2009.8.18
Location: Taipei Neihu MRT Line – First Full-Line Experience Travel Notes Summary: Taipei Neihu MRT Line – First Full-Line Experience. Today, I made plans with Ah-Fu, Xing-Jian, and Xiao-P to go swimming, so I took the opportunity to try the newly opened Neihu MRT line, which officially started operations yesterday. My current place is only a 6-minute walk from Neihu Station, which is a bit more convenient compared to before when I had to ride my scooter for nearly 15 minutes to Kunyang Station and then transfer to the MRT. Starting from Neihu Station and heading toward Taipei Main Station, the line passes through Wende, Gangqian, Xihu, Jiannan Road, Dazhi, Songshan Airport, Zhongshan Junior High School, Nanjing East Road, and finally connects to the Bannan Line at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. So, it requires one transfer to reach Taipei Main Station. Today, I was heading to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station, which meant transferring again at Taipei Main Station to the Tamsui Line. In total, it took about 50 minutes for 15 stations plus transfer time. Just getting to Taipei Main Station takes around 35–40 minutes, which is slightly less time than riding my scooter, but much more relaxing—especially convenient on rainy days. As usual, after swimming and doing SPA at the Chunghwa Telecom Club, Ah-Fu took us to a nearby Lao Zhang Beef Noodle Soup for lunch (not the one on Yongkang Street; the sign says it's the original 30-year-old shop from Jinhua Street). Address: No. 93, Section 1, Hangzhou South Road, Taipei. Phone: (02)23972121. After lunch, it suddenly started pouring rain, so we rushed back to the club to rest and wait for the rain to stop before leaving. After disbanding, I took the MRT from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station back to Neihu. Staying true to my spirit of seeking truth and exploring new paths, I didn't take the same route back. After transferring back to the Bannan Line, I rode straight to the line's terminal station—Nangang Station. Exiting from Exit 2 of Nangang Station, there's a free shuttle bus that transfers to Nangang Exhibition Center Station, which is the other starting point of the Neihu MRT line. The line then connects to Nangang Software Park, Donghu, and Hu...
Location: Taipei – German Town German Cuisine & Blue Note Jazz Pub Travel note: Chronologically, I should have posted about Masa Sushi, which I ate with Latte and Foye. But that article, including two limericks, the content, and all the photos, vanished into thin air half an hour before my hard drive crashed last week. Such is life—you never know what will happen, and anything is possible. I just have to accept it. However, rewriting something already written feels draining, so I'll write about something different first and revisit Masa when I'm more motivated. A few days ago, Zhiqian, who's on assignment at UMC-Singapore, had a ten-day holiday back in Taiwan. Through me, he invited some old friends from the CCNS club for dinner last night. Though it was short notice, since Zhiqian rarely returns, I checked my MSN and phone contacts and invited 18 club friends in Taipei. In the end, 11 could make it: TS Zhiqian, NONO Yaling-senior, AutumnLi Xiaowan-senior, Telder Minjun-senior, MFT Zongxian-senior, vinchenso Wenzheng, achieve Afu, jeremiah Bomin, Kurama Ronghong, reading Jiaqi, and me, Morgan. The venue was German Town, recommended by Wenzheng, located on Yunhe Street in the Shida Night Market area. It specializes in German cuisine, offering options like German pork knuckle, sausage meals, and steak dishes. Price-wise, the pork knuckle is the most expensive at NT$490 for a set meal, sausages at NT$310, and steaks ranging from NT$290 to NT$380. Sausage meals come in two types: A is all German sausages, while B includes other European sausages.
Location: Taipei – Dream of Mediterranean Cuisine Travel note: After my health check-up, I was in a good mood, so I decided to clear out the remaining photos. Dream of Mediterranean Cuisine is a place I visited with my family for lunch after attending my younger brother's graduation ceremony (National Taiwan University, Class of '97 graduation notes). When I first saw the restaurant's name, it felt familiar. Later, upon seeing the business card, I realized that over four years ago, I had been to its original location near Shida University (#56) (One Day and Night in Taipei). Back then, I had just moved from Tainan to Hsinchu for work. The previous week, I had visited the sacred trees in Smangus (#55) (Two-Day Trip to Neiwan and Smangus), and the following week, I came to Taipei for a company-wide event. Over that weekend, I packed in several meetups with friends—from Dream of Mediterranean Cuisine in Shida to Brass Monkey Pub on Fuxing North Road, then from Ikari Coffee near Songjiang Road to K-Mall in front of Taipei Main Station and Senki on Nanyang Street, ending with tea at Maokong until night before taking the late bus back to Hsinchu. Thankfully, my diary-keeping habit helps me quickly recall these memories. I used to visit Taipei only occasionally, always scheduling multiple meals within limited time—breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, late-night snacks—often meeting four or five different groups of friends in a single day. Or traveling to nine counties in Taiwan within a month, with six trips (March Fun and Feasting). Looking back at my own writing, I'm amazed by how active I used to be. But because of that, I've built many memories with friends and met like-minded people. I think this is partly why I can now focus on work and career—because during university, I vowed to explore and taste all of Taiwan.
Location: Taipei, Revisiting Shengyuan for their Loofah Soup Dumplings and Northern/Southern Snacks Travel Notes: Although life has been incredibly busy lately, I still make sure to exercise whenever possible for the sake of my health. So one weekend morning, I met up with Ah-Fu to swim at the Chunghwa Telecom clubhouse on Ren'ai Road, and we also invited Xingjian along. Sometimes you really need a buddy to stay motivated for workouts, right? :P After swimming and enjoying the SPA, we were absolutely starving, so we headed to Yonghe. Ah-Fu took us to a place called A-Cheng Beef Noodles on Yongping Road—it was pretty affordable, just over 100 NTD per person for a filling meal. We split the costs for the day: Ah-Fu covered the swimming tickets, I paid for lunch, and Xingjian treated us to movie tickets from his company TI. Teamwork makes the dream work! :p In the afternoon, we went to Ximending, browsed at Eslite, and watched Angels & Demons, which was quite an intense film. After the movie, it was time to eat again—food is king! Even though we had to detour due to a parade that day, we eventually made it back near Ah-Fu's office to try Shengyuan, a soup dumpling place he recommended. The three of us ordered a bunch of dishes casually: soup dumplings, beef steamed dumplings, scallion pancakes, red bean pan-fried cakes... I think it was only about 150 NTD per person. Many items are made fresh to order, so the texture was perfect. Just writing about it now makes me crave that red bean pan-fried cake again—its warm, sweet flavor whetted our appetites, followed by the savory fillings of the dumplings, leaving a lasting impression. That dinner was truly enjoyable and satisfying~~ definitely a place worth revisiting! Stealing a half-day of leisure—exercise, movies, good food, and indispensable friends—allowed me, who hadn't taken a break in ages, to finally relax properly on this day. :) Shengyuan Loofah Soup Dumplings Address
Location: Taipei, Baihuatai Cafe‧Restaurant Travel Notes: Thursday was the annual company health check-up again. Before every check-up, I always feel inexplicably gloomy because I've had a history of fainting from needles—every time I get a shot or blood drawn, I feel unwell for a while and can't focus on anything serious. So I'm writing this article, hoping to distract myself a bit. Maybe after Thursday passes, my mind will return to normal. Speaking of which, on a previous weekend, because my friend Xiao-Yu, who lives far away in Kaohsiung, came up to Taipei for a rare visit and arranged to meet Ah-Fu and Morgan for a meal, Xingjian and I went to the Chunghwa Telecom clubhouse to swim that day, then headed to this Baihuatai near Zhongshan MRT Station to meet up with Xiao-Yu. The dining style here is: order a main course, then you can freely take side dishes from the small buffet bar on the first floor—but only once. The main courses aren't expensive, mostly around 200 NTD. The pure white decor and layout on the second floor give off an elegant vibe. Xiao-Yu is an old friend I met back in the Dream University and Yingyue food boards. When I was in Tainan, I'd often visit her family's Nianji Beef Noodles shop. Now she works at a trading company in Kaohsiung. During the meal, she shared many interesting stories, and it made me reflect on how fast time flies—months, years, decades. I'm changing, my friends are changing too; the only constant is our shared memories. Back then, because Morgan was so wildly enthusiastic on the Dream University BBS food board, we met many fellow food lovers. Now everyone has their own path. According to Xiao-Yu, junior jx now runs a restaurant near National Cheng Kung University—next time I'm back in Tainan, I must make time to check it out. Hang in there, jx~ I know it's tough! Occasionally writing articles and reminiscing about the past seems like a pretty nice thing to do.
Location: Taipei Mango Tango Thai Cuisine & Bar Travel Notes Summary: Taipei Mango Tango Thai Cuisine & Bar. Last night, I troubled junior Jinting and Jeff to come over and explain the model of their FXCM agency to me, A-Li, and A-Le. Boss Loco listened on the side and later talked to us about some things. It gave us a more basic understanding of the vast foreign exchange market. At the same time, I learned that there are many strategies that can be used in this market, no wonder most people lose money in it. After waking up today, it seems my cold is still lingering. Listening to the heavy rain outside, I originally planned to take the afternoon off, but after submitting the leave request, I ended up canceling it. I felt there were still some things unfinished, so I'd better finish a section first. I had to push through and handle some matters, then use the last bit of free time to write a blog post that doesn't require too much energy :p This is a gathering from the end of last month. Because my graduate school classmate Xiaozhong and his girlfriend came up to Taipei, we had this dinner. Others present included Shaorui, Guanyu, Chaohong, and yours truly, Morgan. The location was Mango Tango in an alley off Zhongxiao East Road. The decor and atmosphere give off a bit of a bar vibe, but what they sell inside is Thai food—a quite interesting combination. We ordered dishes like green papaya salad, Yunnan thinly sliced pork, shrimp paste stir-fried string beans, spicy seafood trio, Thai golden brick (cuttlefish paste + chocolate sauce), steamed lemon sea bass, and Thai tofu clay pot. Since the weekend minimum spend is 500 NTD per person (plus 10% service charge), we later added some cocktails and drinks (Person, Mango Passion, Mango Love White, Thai milk tea). In the end, six people spent 3,839 NTD, about 600-something per person. Since it leans towards a nightclub style, the atmosphere inside is not bad. As for the Thai dishes, personally, I think...
Location: Taipei, Ishiya Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei, Ishiya Japanese Cuisine. Good. Taking advantage of the eve of the long holiday, I'm putting off coding for now and trying to see how many photos I can clear out. This restaurant was a treat from an elder after I helped them with some matters—it's just a random Japanese restaurant we found on Jianguo North Road. There are many high-end Japanese restaurants in this area, but not wanting the elder to spend too much, I picked a cheaper place to walk into. Price-wise, a set meal is around two hundred-something NT dollars, but the taste didn't leave much of an impression. Just for reference~ Address: No. 60, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Taipei City. Phone: (02)25183606. By Morgan, on 2009.5.27
Location: Taipei, Taichun Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Taipei, Taichun Japanese Cuisine. One Friday night, instead of going to the fishing pond with Boss Loco, A-Le, and A-Li as usual, we changed plans and wandered around the Red House in Ximending. Ximending on a weekend night is really lively! Then we went to eat at a Japanese restaurant that stays open quite late. The charm of this place is its roadside stall-like vibe—it's next to Shuanglian Market, with no fixed dining space; customers eat in an open or semi-open environment, which feels very relaxing. This atmosphere reminded me of the famous Yamane Sushi on Minzu Road in Tainan. We ordered fried burdock, sashimi, fish soup, vinegared squid, hand rolls, dragon balls, udon, and a plate of cabbage. The food was pretty good, even the cabbage tasted sweet and fresh, and the prices were reasonable. For four people, it came to around a thousand-something NT dollars. Overall, it's a place worth bringing friends back to—no wonder the business has been thriving, even opening a new branch nearby :P. Main store address: No. 198-4, Minsheng West Road, Taipei City. Phone: (02)25553584. By Morgan, on 2009.5.27
Location: Taipei 72-Hour Beef Hot Pot & Beef Noodles Travel Notes Summary: Taipei 72-Hour Beef Hot Pot & Beef Noodles. There are still several articles left, looks like I won't finish them all. I'm about to shut down and head to a gathering. The long weekend was already planned earlier to go to Yilan for a trip. So, I'll write one more piece and call it a day. The rest can wait until I'm back and have time. Speaking of which, one evening, I had an appointment with a senior who works as an analyst at Jih Sun and has published a book to discuss some matters. So, we met at Mr. Brown Coffee on Zhongxiao East Road. After chatting all evening and saying goodbye, I then went with Boss Loco, A-Le, and A-Li to a nearby beef noodle shop. But coming here so late, of course, wasn't for beef noodles. They sell beef hot pot here. The so-called 72-hour beef broth refers to a process that takes three days and three nights to complete: cold water and ingredients on the first day, medium heat to remove fat on the second day, and simmering over low heat to extract the broth on the third day. It relies purely on heat control, using 1.5 catties of beef leg bones to brew a bowl of rich, milky-white broth. This reminded me of Ruo Liu Yi Jin in Taichung. However, the broth at this shop felt different from my last visit to Ruo Liu Yi Jin. You can really taste that it's made with genuine ingredients—sweet, rich, and quite refreshing. Moreover, the shop was very polite; seeing that we were delayed due to many customers, they even gave us a complimentary taste of porridge cooked with their broth. The business model involves a membership card system with significant discounts and perks. A card costs 50 NTD, but meals come with small side dishes, and menu prices vary greatly. Additionally, birthday celebrants of the month get three plates of meat per table. So, from what I remember, this meal cost us less than 1,000 NTD, and we were quite full. The food was really pretty good. For such value for money, it's quite nice in Taipei. We'll probably come back again when we have the chance :) Address: No. 188, Section 1, Jianguo South Road, Taipei City. Phone: (
Location: Taichung, The Howard Prince Hotel Taichung - $99 Stir-fry Dishes Travel note summary: The night before Mother's Day, it was hard to book any restaurant last minute. My mom suggested trying the stir-fry set meals at The Howard Prince Hotel. Hotels usually offer buffets or Chinese/Western dining, but The Howard has stir-fry dishes for 99 NTD, similar to beer houses or quick-fry joints. While dining, promo girls even came by to ask if we wanted beer. There weren't many indoor seats, so we sat outside. We ordered a few dishes—honestly, it's not expensive. Four of us spent around a thousand NTD for the meal, with everything from sashimi to beef short ribs. The food quality was just okay, but being able to dine with family is what matters most. By Morgan on 2009.5.25. The Howard Prince Hotel Taichung Address: No. 431, Daya Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22956789.
Location: Taichung, Dakeng Trail No. 9 - A Brief Note Travel Notes: From the posting frequency on the blog, it’s not hard to sense that Morgan has been quite busy lately. Some things have hit a bottleneck, not as smooth as in March and April, so I have to invest more energy and time into research. Until things stabilize completely, the focus must remain here. @@ So regarding the blog, I’ll write when I have time; if I can’t spare any, it’ll have to wait. Briefly recording a morning on Mother’s Day weekend when I went hiking at Dakeng with family. Previously, I walked Trails 6 and 7; that day, we took Trail No. 9, which goes around the other side and also leads to Guanyin Pavilion, where you can queue for free breakfast. After eating, you can wander around the nearby earthquake park on the way down. A leisurely morning pace, in Taichung... :) By Morgan on 2009.5.25
Location: Taipei, Little Kaiyue (Nan Village Snack Shop) & Shiji Beef Noodles Travel note summary: Phew, these past two weeks I've returned to the days of coding like crazy. But after coding for over ten years, there's a real difference—writing applications gets smoother and smoother. After domestic futures products (HTS), I'm now almost able to automate the entire process for trading foreign products. I can also integrate multiple trading strategies to have them trade into a single account. TradeStation => Easy Language => RealTimeData => TSCatcher.exe => StrategySignal(s).txt => SignalHandler.exe => AutoTrader.exe => Broker Server. Finally, managed by the automation software MacroExpress, I can preliminarily achieve automated trading (provided the internet doesn't drop). Basically, whatever part is missing, I write the program and system for that part. If there are resources online, I use them; if not, I write them myself. Just climb mountains when you see them, wade through rivers when you encounter them. Once I've prepared all the necessary things in one go, I can move to the live testing phase. Taking a break, stealing a little leisure from being busy, let me record two small eateries I tried last week. One night after leaving Taipei 101, following a recommendation from a new friend Joyce who works at a headhunter company, I went to a small snack shop called Nan Village Snack Shop in a nearby alley. Although it's tucked away in an alley, it had quite a few customers, and there were some news clippings posted at the entrance. I ordered a small bowl of sesame sauce noodles (50 TWD) and, following Joyce's recommendation, casually picked some braised dishes to try. Since I only...
Location: Taipei, Mi Family Village Teochew Claypot Porridge & A Brief Discussion on Trading Travel note summary: This probably won't be a typical food review again, but my old friends know I tend to ramble when writing about food—just get used to it! Sometimes I just use food reviews to update my scattered friends on my recent life, since many friends I rarely get to see in person. One late night after class, Loco, Ale, Ali, and I went for a midnight snack at a nearby Teochew claypot porridge place called Mi Family Village. We ordered a pot of mushroom and chicken porridge and a pot of shrimp porridge. The prices for large pots are around 500-600 TWD, and small pots are about 300-350 TWD. I first tried Teochew claypot porridge during a business trip to mainland China. After working overtime with a colleague, we randomly walked into a Teochew porridge shop. That's when I learned Teochew porridge is served in such large pots. We regretted it as soon as the server brought out a huge pot full of porridge and ingredients—we left feeling stuffed to the brim. But tonight, we just wanted a light snack, so two small pots were enough. The taste was decent, though some might think porridge isn't worth the price. To each their own, but Teochew claypot porridge does have its unique characteristics. Mi Family Village Address: No. 226, Jilin Road, Taipei City. Phone: (02)25417366. A few days later on March 16th, we met again to celebrate Loco's anniversary—his 22nd year since entering the market and making a living from trading. At Mo...
Location: Taipei, Asuka Izakaya Travel note snippet: Speaking of last Sunday night, while surfing the internet at home in Taichung, out of curiosity I clicked on a few visitors to my blog from Wretch's 'Who Visited Me' page. Unexpectedly, one of them linked to a guest I had seen on a TV program two weeks ago—pretty amazing. But interesting things didn't stop there. Let me write about what happened on my birthday~ Actually, Morgan is someone who is super bad at remembering friends' birthdays. Although I remember many things in my head, I just find it hard to remember every single friend's birthday. Therefore, for my own birthday, I don't really expect any friends to remember either. So I'm really grateful to those friends who call, text, or leave messages every March 21st. Thank you all so much!!! Your blessings and concern always move me deeply. And this year, a call from my good friend Changyu turned into this birthday celebration dinner. Other attending friends were Yujun, Peixuan, and Yuping, plus Morgan, making five people in total. The location was this Asuka Cafe Izakaya in an alley off Dunhua North Road. We ordered a clay pot chicken teishoku, sashimi teishoku, eel rice teishoku, and a 899 NTD combination set (with sashimi, beef short ribs, salt-grilled fish, etc.). If it's your birthday, you can print a discount coupon online (http://u-where.1111.com.tw/specialOffer.asp?sNo=1 --- this site has many birthday优惠店家) to get an extra pot of miso sumo hot pot and a sour cocktail. Including service charge, the five of us spent a total of 2138 NTD in the end. Basically, the dishes in the restaurant tasted okay. It's a nice place suitable for group gatherings. If you don't order too expensive dishes, the average per person...
Location: Taipei, Kazi Japanese Curry Pork Cutlet Specialty Shop Travel note snippet: The other day on MSN, I ran into Zhiqian, who is still far away at UMC's Singapore plant. We chatted about this and that, and he told me how much he misses the old days when we both worked in Hsinchu. We used to have long holiday afternoons where we'd regularly play badminton at the NCTU gym, and after the game, we'd go find a new restaurant we hadn't tried before for a big, satisfying meal—those were happy adventure memories. This reminded me that many of the footprints Morgan has left in each city were actually created while sharing meals with friends. Even earlier, the year after I left Tainan, Yijun, who still worked at Chi Mei in Tainan, told me exactly the same thing. He said he really missed those times when we used to go food hunting together. Since I left, he hasn't really explored any new places. That's why I always remind myself to try and make time to record these little moments, because each article is a life fragment that can be savored again when looked back on later... I still remember it was a heavy rainy night. Brother Qiukang, whom I hadn't seen in a long time, invited me for dinner. So even though going out was quite inconvenient, rain or shine, wearing a raincoat and looking a bit disheveled, I still arrived on time at the agreed-upon restaurant—Kazi. Among Taipei's many pork cutlet specialty shops, this should be considered a famous one. And because it was raining outside, it wasn't the usual packed, hard-to-get-a-seat situation. No queue. After going in, I first chose an empty seat in the corner. The set meals inside were mostly around 300 NTD. I ordered a combo set meal, which had pork cutlet, fried shrimp, and a beef patty as the main dishes. Brother Kang and his girlfriend Candy ordered other different dishes. The frying standard, compared to the Anzu I had tried before (Taipei, Anzu Japanese Pork Cutlet), wasn't too far off.
Location: Taipei, Indian Style Curry Travel note summary: After work lately, I still lead a routine life every day. If I have time, I go for a run or read manga. After getting home, I watch Japanese dramas while looking at candlestick charts. These past few days, I've been reading a manga about red wine—"Kami no Shizuku" (Drops of God). Besides learning a lot about wine knowledge from it, it also mentions a concept of "Ten, Chi, Jin" (Heaven, Earth, Man). (Heaven: climate conditions; Earth: terroir; Man: winemaker and vineyard manager). If these three can be perfectly combined, a miraculous top-quality wine will be produced. If any part is missing, it won't be possible to create that transcendent wonderful flavor. This resonates with what Boss Loco told me about the Ten, Chi, Jin concept in market trading (Heaven: bull/bear direction; Earth: trading techniques; Man: mindset and experience). Therefore, the principles of all things in the natural world revolve around the harmony—or lack thereof—of these three elements: right timing, geographical advantage, and human harmony. Missing any one prevents the generation of miraculous, exceptional power. In many aspects, I think I still have a lot to learn, especially in improving my psychological resilience. Learning is endless; it's a long road... Phew, enough rambling. Let me casually record a small dinner gathering from the other night. So one evening, Senior Zihan invited me to the second floor of Taipei Main Station. It was my first time knowing there are so many restaurants to choose from up there, divided into several different zones by food type (Beef Noodle Arena, Taiwan Night Market, Dessert Lane, Curry Palace, etc.). Now I know I can come here if meeting someone near the train station in the future. Drawn by the rich curry aroma, I chose a stall labeled "Indian Style" and casually ordered a Yogurt Curry Chicken Rice (NT$129) to satisfy my craving. While eating the dinner fragrant with cardamom and cloves, I chatted with my senior. Senior Zihan, who graduated with a Ph.D. in Computer Science from NCTU, is still...
Location: Taipei, "Long Time No Drink" Open-Air Beer Bar Travel note summary: I've been so busy with research lately that I even paused my weekly Tuesday badminton for two months. My stamina seems to have dropped quickly. When I went for a run at the elementary school near my place last Sunday afternoon, it took me a long time just to catch my breath. I realized I really need to get back into my regular exercise routine. I hope I can stick with it. As usual, just a simple record of last Friday night's gathering. Coincidentally, three different friends wanted to meet up that night. Stretched thin, I could only attend in order of appointment time. First up was an old friend from my university CCNS club, Ziyong, whom I hadn't seen in ages. He's still pursuing his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering in Boston and only comes back to Taiwan occasionally, so of course I had to see him. So at 7:30 PM, five of us—Ronghong, Jiaqi, Afu, Morgan, and I—gathered in an alley on Tingzhou Road at a place called "Long Time No Drink," an open-air beer house. We casually ordered sauerkraut and pork hot pot, pineapple shrimp balls, grilled beef short ribs, salt and pepper chicken, stir-fried vegetables, and dark beer. The total for five people was over NT$1,700. Although the food was just okay, the atmosphere was quite peaceful amidst the bustle, making for a very relaxed and comfortable meal. "Long Time No Drink" Garden Restaurant Open-Air Beer Bar. Address: End of Lane 160, Sec. 3, Tingzhou Rd., Taipei. Tel: (02)23681470. After that gathering ended around 9 PM, I rushed over to Jinzhou Street to meet up with Boss Loco, Brother Ali, and Brother Ale to continue discussing trading techniques. They had just left the prawn fishing place in Dazhi that we went to together last Friday. Although I missed the prawn fishing this time, the follow-up chat lasted until late at night. Checking the time, it was already past 1 AM. I called back the person I missed earlier...
Location: Taichung - Kitaro Japanese Set Meal Restaurant Travel note summary: It's been two weeks since the Lunar New Year. On my journey of learning a skill, I thought I had grasped some key points after success in January, but failing again in February made me realize it's all for nothing if my mindset doesn't keep up. Often, our biggest enemy is ourselves. Numbers can be calculated precisely, but human nature can't be quantified or fixed. Even the strongest technique requires solid mental fortitude to be used effectively. Because of this, I've been spending almost every night and all day on weekends practicing at home, observing, hypothesizing, simulating, and verifying, trying to find useful rules and establish a long-term SOP for myself. That's why I've rarely eaten out lately. However, I did meet up with friends during the New Year, so I'll jot that down. On the fourth night of the Lunar New Year, my army friends Yujia and Hongqi arranged to meet Morgan at the Eslite Spectrum Taichung store. That evening, I strolled along the beautiful Greenway, lost in thought, and eventually made my way to this flagship Eslite store near Gongyi Road. The basement has many restaurants, and we ate at Kitaro, a Japanese set meal restaurant that originated in Taichung with over ten branches across Taiwan. The food is quite affordable, mostly under NT$200. I ordered a fried pork cutlet set meal; the rice, side dishes, shredded cabbage, and miso soup in the set can all be refilled. Overall, it's an okay~acceptable place for gatherings. Eating is one thing, but seeing long-unseen friends is the main point. John has now changed...
Location: Taichung, Ririfa Mutton Hot Pot Travel note summary: On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, I got a call from senior Zhihao inviting me to dinner. That evening, I headed to Anhe Road, not far from Central Taiwan Science Park. We ate at a place called Ririfa Mutton Hot Pot. Our university friend group has stayed in touch even after graduation—I think we're a model example. I'm from the class of '02, but we keep in touch with seniors from as early as '91 and freshmen from '12, spanning 22 years. It's hard to meet up since everyone's scattered. That night, it was just three of us: Zhihao ('00), Xianlong ('01), and me ('02). Senior ATTILA still works at AUO in the science park and is studying for an EMBA at Tunghai University, while Alan is at ASUS (now Pegatron) but mostly stationed in Shanghai, so we rarely see him. Ririfa's mutton hot pot is similar to the style in Xihu, Changhua—not with skin or bones, and less heavy on the wine flavor. The three of us spent just over a thousand NTD, which is quite affordable. It's a great spot for a winter night snack. Thanks to ATTILA for treating us! It was wonderful catching up with seniors I hadn't seen in ages. It's been over ten years since we met—really miss university days. Hope everyone stays safe and healthy, and I look forward to the next gathering with more people! I need to keep working hard too. Ririfa Mutton Hot Pot Address: No. 127-7, Anhe Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)24656688. By Morgan on 2009.2.16
Location: Taipei Longmen Inn Travel note snippet: Taipei Longmen Inn (Maokong tea drinking & dining) Continuing from the previous post... That afternoon when I was having a meal with my graduate school classmates at "Ju" (Ju Hokkaido Kelp Hot Pot), unfortunately, Morgan received three phone calls at the same time, asking if I was free in the evening. One was from Xingjian wanting to eat hot pot, another from Boss Loco wanting to meet up, and the third was from Latte Lady saying the Hsinchu gang was currently having afternoon tea on Yangmingshan, asking if I wanted to join or have dinner later. Life is always so interesting. Sometimes on holidays, you have nothing to do at home; other times, too many activities suddenly pop up. But since you can only do so much at once, I had to choose one out of three. As the old saying goes: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their heart and will, exhausts their muscles and bones." From this, we know that one should choose the most challenging task, as it is most beneficial for self-improvement. So, in the end, I decided not to fear the exhaustion and made the trip to let Rita, Latte Lady, and Mao Ma's beloved wife—the three ladies—give me a good scolding. Only then could I grow mentally. As they say, "Disturb their minds, toughen their nature, and enhance their abilities." Therefore, after finishing afternoon tea with my classmates at Dante, I traveled across half of Taipei—from Neihu to Dunhua North Road, then rode to Minquan West Road Station on the Tamsui Line, transferred to the MRT to Qizhang Station in Xindian, waited in the cold wind for another hour after exiting the station, and finally got into Brother Afu and Rita's car—all just to go get scolded~~~ (Such self-torture = =). Okay, all that above is just a joke~ It's rare for so many members of the Hsinchu gang to come all the way up to Taipei, so of course, I had to let down my other friends living in Taipei and choose to gather with the Hsinchu gang. The dinner location was at Longmen Inn on Maokong in Muzha, where I had been once before (after Mao Ma's wedding banquet). Since the Maokong Gondola stopped operating, the number of tourists at Maokong has...
Location: Taipei Farfalle Creative Kitchen Travel note snippet: Taipei Farfalle Creative Kitchen (Farfalle) The last weekend before the New Year was still spent running around everywhere. On Sunday evening, after leaving a certain house near Jinzhou Street where my boss was, carrying my laptop, I immediately rushed to Farfalle Creative Kitchen on Fuxing South Road. Tonight, I had a dinner gathering here with six people: my university classmates Yuanhong & his wife, Hansheng, Afu, Xingjian, and Morgan. While dining, of course, we took the opportunity to catch up on everyone's recent situations. Yuanhong, who works as CFO at Taiwan Knowledge Bank, might be considered the least affected industry—cram schools really aren't much impacted by the economic climate. Next should be Afu at Chunghwa Telecom. Other classmates at Asus, Texas Instruments, or Ayong's wife at Merrill Lynch (now merged with Bank of America)—whether in tech or finance—all can clearly feel the severe winter of the economy (starting this year, my company also announced a 5% salary cut for all employees = =a). But life must go on, meals must be eaten, and friends must definitely be met. So, let's not overthink it; live in the moment and make each day wonderful and regret-free. Therefore, returning to the restaurant: the dining style here is similar to some hotels—you order a single main course and then can enjoy the buffet on the side. This place offers quite a few choices for main courses, but after trying different ones, my classmates seemed to suggest that ordering chicken dishes is better than beef or fish. The original price for a main course dinner should start from $499, plus service charge. Different time slots have different pricing; some slots seem to start at 249 or 399, which is cheaper. The prime evening on weekends should theoretically be the most expensive, but recently the restaurant has some promotions, so in the end, each person only spent about 440 NT$. The overall feeling after the meal is roughly that it's okay to go during promotional or less expensive time slots, but if...
Place: Taipei, Ippeian Japanese Restaurant Travel note snippet: With the stock market closing today, the hectic January finally ended. Although I'm still in a state of half-understanding, with some hurdles yet to overcome, compared to past years, I clearly feel I've changed a lot and gained more confidence. Now I can live each day very solidly, and I hope 2009 will be completely different from 2008. Seizing the time, I'll continue the unfinished food notes from last time and keep recording quickly. One evening, because Zaizai Bear came from Hsinchu to Taipei, the northern members of the Hsinchu gang arranged a small gathering on short notice. Attendees included Zaizai Bear, Maoma, Xiaomu & Aqin, Kamei, latecomer Maoba, and me, Morgan. The location was this Ippeian Japanese Restaurant near Taipower Building. Flipping over the business card, you can see it's one of the branches directly opened from Tokyo, Japan, with a branch in Hong Kong too. The owner and waitstaff were clearly Japanese. We ordered hamburger steak, Japanese fried rice, miso fish hotpot, tempura, seafood fried noodles, etc., to share. After the meal, we added some quite tasty plum wine to try. Each person spent around 300+ NTD. Though the seating isn't plentiful, the food and atmosphere are up to a certain standard; it should be a restaurant that doesn't disappoint. P.S. I remember it was raining heavily outside that day, but Hsinchu gang gatherings are never stopped by wind or rain. So even though I spent three hours round-trip riding my scooter in the rain that night, I had no regrets and was quite happy. (Why did it take so long? Because I, as someone with no sense of direction, got lost again and almost rode to Muzha.)
Place: Taipei, Hong Kan Cantonese Dim Sum & Banquet Restaurant Travel note snippet: Also within the last few days of 2008, one evening I suddenly received an invitation from Senior Zongxian (MFT), asking if I wanted to have dinner together. Having nothing else to do, I took the MRT from Kunyang Station to Ximen Station, where one of Hong Kan Cantonese Dim Sum's three Taipei branches is located. Attendees were mostly university department seniors working at Asus or Pegatron, including Senior Zongxian, Senior Xiangyao, Senior Chuanhuang, Senior Ade, Senior Qingwen who recently moved from Pegatron to Trend Micro, plus Afu, Xiangqin who is now studying piano in Paris, and me, Morgan—eight people in total. Since I had been to Guangzhou on business and for travel before, I had eaten at Cantonese restaurants or dim sum quite often, so I still miss the varied dishes and small bites. We ordered a whole table of items, including fried rice, crispy noodles, cheung fun, char siu bao, shumai, har gow, beef balls, etc. After the meal, using Senior Zongxian's discount coupon, each person spent less than 400 NTD. For typical Cantonese dim sum prices, that's acceptable. However, my impression after eating at Hong Kan's Ximen branch was generally okay, but it felt like something was missing. After eating, I didn't have that strong craving to eat it again and again. Maybe next time I'll try other branches with higher online ratings. Just for reference.
Place: Taipei, Tang Gong Mongolian Barbecue Travel note snippet: With the Lunar New Year approaching, I was looking through the countless food photos on my computer and decided to follow the model of writing 30 quick notes before leaving Hsinchu—just a stream-of-consciousness cleanup, writing as much as I can. Starting with Tang Gong: it was a gathering to celebrate a few grad school classmates completing their mandatory military service. Attendees included Chao-Hung, A-Mao, Guan-Yu, Jia-Bin, Zi-Chun, Yuan-Zhang, and Morgan. Though their service ended, only Chao-Hung changed jobs, moving to a foreign company, CorelDraw. Tang Gong is quite famous online, offering all-you-can-eat Mongolian barbecue and pickled cabbage pork hotpot. From what I recall, it was about 450 NTD +10% per person. Compared to other places, they had venison as an option, and the seasoning bar had plenty of choices. Eating two or three bowls of Mongolian barbecue fills you up quickly, and it can get greasy, but the hotpot broth helps cut through that. Overall, it's a place I'd revisit, especially in winter. Thanks to Carson, who had just returned to IBM, for treating us!
Place: Taipei, Swensen's Western Restaurant Travel note snippet: One noon, invited by good friend X, I came to this Swensen's branch in Tianmu to have a meal with two lovely ladies: unachen and ping. Swensen's seems to have existed for a long time in my memory; it's probably a childhood memory for many people too. Inside, it mainly serves American-style food (burgers, fried chicken, pasta) along with tempting ice cream, which has kept it standing strong for over twenty years, accompanying many through the years. The cost per person is similar to T.G.I. Fridays, around 400 NTD to get full.
Location: Taipei, Sweet Orange Steak Restaurant Travel note summary: One evening, Morgan invited his junior Shengzhi (ICEBONE) to dinner to celebrate his few months at ASUS. The junior chose Sweet Orange, a sister restaurant of the famous Onion restaurant in Tianmu. The prices aren't cheap; steaks generally range around (600-750)+10%. We each ordered a premium steak to try. While examining the unreleased ASUS phone his junior was testing, we also started with our knives and forks. The steak was cooked okay; even medium-rare didn't show blood, and the aroma was decent. But it always felt like something was missing in flavor—maybe because they use New Zealand beef, lacking the sweetness of American beef. This meal was thanks to the freshly paid 'Bong Bong' junior! ^^ Sweet Orange Steak Restaurant, Nanjing Main Store: No. 112, Section 3, Nanjing East Road, Taipei. Tel: (02)25073136 By Morgan on 2009.1.15
Location: Taipei, Blue Mark Fine Vegetarian Cuisine Travel note summary: One evening, I remembered a shop mentioned by senior Xiaosha—Blue Mark. So I arranged to dine here with Yucheng, a friend I met in the military. We hadn't seen each other for a long time. After his alternative military service ended and he left his original company, he now works at Huachuang, developing Yulon's own brand car, Luxgen. The shop is small, focusing on fruit and vegetable-based vegetarian dishes, with pizza and pasta options. The prices are very affordable; one can get full for around a hundred NT dollars. I always felt the shop name was familiar. After chatting with the owner after the meal, I realized I was right—this shop used to be on Xinzhuang Street in Hsinchu. Later, the owner moved back to Taipei and reopened the shop here in Neihu. No wonder I had the impression of seeing this shop in Hsinchu before. It's quite a nice little shop :) Address: No. 45, Lane 65, Jiangnan Street, Neihu District, Taipei. Tel: (02)26572333 By Morgan on 2009.1.15
Location: Taipei, Hai Sushi (Conveyor Belt Sushi) Travel note summary: Another evening, I arranged to eat with Lien, a netizen I met before. Taiwan is really small; friends mentioned in the above random notes can all be connected to friends I know elsewhere. Yucheng is a high school classmate of senior Qingwen from my university department. Shengzhi and junior Ruihong from the club are also high school classmates. And Lien is a university classmate of Xinyi, the wife of my junior high classmate Haoting. It had been a long time since we last met. Lien now works at PwC Accounting Firm. That evening, Morgan dined with her and one of her colleagues. We met at Hai Sushi downstairs in Taipei 101. The dining style is conveyor belt sushi, plus à la carte options, with prices calculated by plate color (starting from 40 NT dollars). Perhaps we ordered modestly, and there happened to be a promotion in the shop, so each person only spent about 300 NT dollars, which isn't too expensive. Nigiri sushi, gunkan maki, or slightly seared ingredients were basically not bad, leaving an okay impression. Not long after, I happened to go food hunting downstairs in 101 with Changyu. We casually ate some grilled chicken at 360 Grill, so I'll just post the photos together~~ Hai Sushi, Xinyi Store 1: Address: No. 45, Shifu Road, Taipei (B1, Taipei 101 Shopping Mall). Tel: (02)81018358 By Morgan on 2009.1.15
Location: Taipei, Long Xian Ju Chicken Cuisine Restaurant Travel note summary: Another evening followed by yet another evening, Morgan and his low-key friend X and his dear girlfriend U came here to eat after U finished hosting an event for Chunghwa Telecom. The main store of Long Xian Ju in the Shida Night Market is always packed and noisy every time I go or pass by. But this branch in the Tonghua Night Market is much quieter. It mainly focuses on chicken hot pot dishes (mountain grape chicken, nine-tailed chicken, ginseng chicken, sesame oil chicken...). The menu is dazzling; besides the soup base, there are various chicken types like mountain chicken, free-range chicken, and black-bone chicken to choose from. The prices aren't expensive either, just over a hundred NT dollars. As I mentioned before when writing articles, in restaurant management, it's best to have your own distinctive feature so that when people think of something, they think of your shop first (e.g., soup dumplings => Din Tai Fung, shrimp rolls => Zhou's). And Long Xian Ju is another great example. The shop is very focused on chicken cuisine, combined with the advantage of being quite affordable, so business naturally won't be bad. Long Xian Ju Chicken Cuisine Restaurant, Tonghua Branch Address: No. 69, Linjiang Street, Taipei. Tel: (02)27003155 By Morgan on 2009.1.15
Location: Taipei, Orange Bistro (All-You-Can-Eat Set Meals) & Dongqu Fen Yuan Travel note summary: Please forgive me for rushing to write; many details cannot be described in detail, only quick notes. This way, I can finish quickly and move on to the next one. Once again, one evening, I came to this alley shop—Orange Bistro—with Changyu, Yujun, and Aunt Dolphin, right across from Miyagawa Japanese Cuisine. Orange's feature is all-you-can-eat set meals for just over two hundred NT dollars per person. However, the dishes in the shop taste just a bit richer than home-cooked meals; of course, you can't expect too much in terms of refinement. But considering the price, it's quite cost-effective and attractive. There are about forty dishes on the menu to order. I remember you can order two rounds in total, but usually after boldly ordering many dishes in the first round, you won't have the stamina to continue fighting. Overall, it's also a shop worth trying again (especially when there are many people or you're very hungry :P). But after the all-you-can-eat, we actually continued to the nearby famous Dongqu Fen Yuan for ice and sweet soup. Looking back now, I can still feel the wonderful memory of going home with a full stomach~~ 1. Orange Bistro: Address: No. 4, Alley 4, Lane 345, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Taipei. Tel: (02)27736388 2. Dongqu Fen Yuan: No. 38, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Taipei. Tel: (02)27772057 By Morgan on 2009.1.15
Place: Taipei, White Sugarcane Healthy Shabu Shabu Travel note snippet: After finishing this one, I'll take a break. I'll write about the remaining restaurants when I have time later. So, one afternoon, after discussing some matters with Brother Loco at Mr. Brown Coffee opposite NTUT, I remembered my younger brother was nearby, so I asked him out for a meal. We wandered around Fuxing South Road, unsure what to eat, and ended up choosing this chain hotpot restaurant. The hotpot costs around 300 NTD per person, with a lighter, health-oriented broth. There's also a salad bar to grab some sides. It's a pretty common hotpot place; I didn't leave with a strong impression. A few weeks later, I met my brother again. Due to heavy rain, we quickly found a place to sit and ducked into a Sushi Express conveyor belt sushi restaurant. My brother should graduate from NTU's Graduate Institute of Electronics this year and, if all goes well, will serve his R&D alternative military service (a type of defense service) at Richtek. He's much more outstanding than his useless older brother—I seem to spend a bit too much time eating, drinking, and having fun. Sushi Express is probably a place I eat at quite often lately. Actually, my taste leans toward lighter flavors, so when I lived near Qingda Night Market in Hsinchu, I often ate at Subway since it was right downstairs. Now living in Neihu, there happens to be a Sushi Express nearby, so I often walk there to eat. Sometimes I even go two or three times a week. After all, buying a bento in Taipei often costs 80–90 NTD anyway, so why not make a cup of hot tea and have a few nigiri or hand rolls for a meal? (Most of the food in the photo above was eaten by my brother—I don't eat much, I'm not that big of an eater.) Just writing randomly, I finished the eighth entry in about three hours haphazardly. I'll continue when I have time.
Location: Tainan Takatama Dining Hall Travel notes: On my third day in Tainan, after breakfast, I went with Egg to Takatama Dining Hall. It was the first day their new restaurant management system went live, so he invited me along. Takatama isn't related to the famous Tokyo restaurant of the same name, but it's been open for over five years in a suburban area, which speaks to its unique appeal. The touchscreen system is actually how Egg and I first connected—six years ago, I helped develop it during my master's studies. It covers everything from table management to billing and is now used in dozens of upscale restaurants across Taiwan. Seeing it in action here felt rewarding. For lunch, I met two juniors, jx and oceanblue, whom I'd befriended through food forums. I ordered the herb-sliced steak set (NT$320+10%), which included salad, curry soup, garlic bread, dessert, and drink. The salad and soup were standout, though the main course was less memorable. Overall, the ambiance was elegant, and the set offered good value. After the meal, I treated my juniors to thank them for hosting me. This three-day Tainan trip was expensive but heartwarming—worth every penny, even if I took the budget bus back to Taipei. Address: No. 38, Guomin Road, Tainan. By Morgan on 2008.11.20
Location: Tainan Wanfang Soy Milk Breakfast Shop Travel notes: After four consecutive meals in Tainan, I was too exhausted for the late-night snack I had planned with friends. So I called my junior Oceanblue to pick me up—thanks for letting me crash at your place! The next morning, refreshed, I met up with my senior Egg, founder of the Chef.com.tw website, for breakfast. Chef.com.tw is arguably Tainan's earliest and largest food website. When I wrote a summary of Tainan snacks in a playful poem two years ago, I relied on that site to recall many places I'd visited. I even helped manage it for a while, so it feels very familiar. Egg, a well-known figure in Taiwan's food scene, has introduced me to countless eateries over the years. That morning, he and his wife took me to Wanfang Breakfast Shop. As a directionally challenged person, I only realized we were on Beiyuan Street when I saw the sign. The owner greeted Egg warmly—clearly a regular. We ordered leek pockets, scallion pancakes, fried dough sticks, and rice milk, leaving me stuffed. The fried dough sticks weren't overly greasy, and the leek pockets were packed with filling, far better than those near my alma mater. But the real star was the scallion pancake—unbelievably soft, thanks to fresh dough and skilled frying. A solid breakfast spot worth recommending! Address: No. 76, Beiyuan Street, Tainan. By Morgan on 2008.11.19
Location: Tainan, Meilusha Indian Restaurant Travel notes summary: After a hearty lunch at Meilusha Indian Restaurant in Tainan, I said goodbye to my senior and junior family members. After leaving Life Home, I headed to Green House, a long-standing spot in Tainan for afternoon tea (famous for its all-you-can-eat cake buffet). Since I rarely return to Tainan, every trip is packed with meetups. With Yayun-jie, her cousin who also studied at NCKU, Changyou, Adan, and little brother Morgan—five of us in total—we chatted over cake at Green House, gently stirring our hot tea. We laughed and talked freely, whiling away the rest of the leisurely afternoon. While rushing from one gathering to another is the norm, savoring the moment with friends over food is what makes it fun... Later in the evening, I moved on to the fourth stop of the day. After bidding farewell to my afternoon tea companions, I met up with grad school friends Yixin, Chaohong & his girlfriend Peiwen, and their junior Zongxian at this hidden alley Indian restaurant—Meilusha. Indian restaurants seem rare in Tainan; at least, I hardly found any when I was still studying. When we arrived at the address, we discovered it’s not just an Indian restaurant but also a garden-style one. Since the weather wasn’t bad, we chose to dine outside. Apologies for the poor photo quality—I didn’t use flash, and outdoor night shots turned out grainy. The restaurant offers set meals for convenience, but with five of us, we opted for à la carte sharing. Tandoori generally refers to North Indian grilled dishes, and many main courses here start with that name, like Tandoori lamb chops. Beyond that, we also...
Location: Tainan, Life House (Various Food & Manga) Travel note snippet: On the second morning in Tainan, I first met my mentor, Teacher Wang Taiyu, for breakfast at McDonald's on Zhonghua East Road. It had been a long time since I'd seen him, and I had a good chat about my recent confusions with this teacher who treats me like his own son. He also gave some advice on my choice to pursue a career as a Trader instead of entering the tech or IT industry. Later at noon, I met up with university family seniors and juniors at this Life House. It's a place I really liked during my time in Tainan; sometimes I'd go two or three times a week, so I've tried almost everything on the menu. Years ago, I even wrote about this place on the Dream University BBS food board, which caused a bit of a stir at the time—so much so that I couldn't get a seat when I went myself! (Reference: 'A Shop Morgan Loves Most—Life House') I never thought it would still be around years after graduation, allowing me to relive many memories on this return trip to Tainan. Seeing the Class of 101 juniors at the table, a full ten years behind me, really made me感慨 the swift passage of time... Back to the shop: one of its features is the basement, which holds over 20,000 manga volumes. Although they're mostly old books and stacked quite chaotically, for a manga lover like me, it was like a treasure trove back then. Sometimes, after finishing up alone in the lab late at night when everyone else was gone, I'd ride my bike here, order some food, sit quietly, eat, and flip through manga like 'The Silent Service'. I've lost count of how many nights I spent like that, but I really enjoyed those undisturbed, peaceful moments. However, if it were just manga, I don't think it would have drawn me back again and again. Life House's other...
Location: Tainan, Qingping Seafood Restaurant Travel note snippet: Last week, I made a serious mistake at work due to rushing. After enduring the general manager's reprimand in a Friday afternoon meeting and spending the entire weekend holed up at home writing a reflection report, I'm taking a break to write something different—maybe it'll lift my spirits. I recall a few weeks ago, when Morgan took the high-speed rail to Tainan for the NCKU Industrial Management Department softball team's OB tournament (Old Horse Cup). After a full day of intense play, that night, the juniors chose to have a gathering at Qingping Seafood in Anping. My last visit here was years ago for a graduation family dinner. In Tainan, an ancient city filled with long-established shops, although Qingping has only been open for over a decade—not very long—it's fair to say it's a somewhat famous spot. Stepping inside, the place was as bustling as ever, packed to the brim. With our large group, we were seated in a big private room nearby: the juniors took two tables, while we alumni who graduated years ago had our own table. Since everyone loves baseball and softball, we enjoyed the dishes as they kept coming—boiled shrimp, fried yee mee, squid, eel, dragon balls, seafood rolls, three-cup chicken—all while watching the championship game between the Uni-President Lions and Brother Elephants. The highlight was Qingping's signature dish: milkfish rice noodles. The table was laden with food, leaving us thoroughly satisfied. Being near the Anping Fishing Market, the seafood here emphasizes freshness. So, while the presentation and cooking might not be as refined as in more formal restaurants, the quality ingredients ensure the flavors are consistently good. (Actually, Qingping already has a decent storefront; I've visited many Tainan grilled seafood spots that set up tables right by the roadside or in front of temples—a unique local charm rarely seen elsewhere.)
Location: Taipei - Mary's Hamburger Travel Notes Summary: Taipei - Mary's Hamburger. Looking at the restaurant photos piling up on my computer, but I really can't find the time to write them all up. So, I'll just casually write one when I have a moment (seems a bit half-hearted, huh? @@a). Anyway, this Mary's Hamburger was recommended to me by senior Zongxian after we finished a party at Yangmingshan last weekend. So after everyone dispersed, I brought Shengsheng along to try it out. On Zhongshan North Road in Tianmu, the sign says 'Since 1979,' so it must be an old establishment. Even though it was already 1 or 2 PM, customers were still lining up non-stop. Dining inside requires following the queue from the front grill area, so it's first-come, first-served. The line doesn't move until the person in front has received all their food, so we had to split tasks: I queued, and Shengsheng went upstairs to find seats. Shengsheng ordered a sandwich ($45), while I got a small cheeseburger ($55). I didn't try the sandwich, so I can't compare, but the burger was quite simple and traditional—bread, cheese, patty, onion, lettuce. No fancy toppings or ingredients, just layered up and bitten into heartily, yet it brought back memories and the joy of my first taste of a hamburger as a kid. The dining environment didn't feel super clean, but the burger was pretty good. Just for reference :) Address: No. 752, Section 6, Zhongshan North Road, Shilin District, Taipei City. Phone: (02)28714997. By Morgan, on 2008.10.22
Location: Taipei - Nomadic Frontier Xinjiang Cuisine & BBQ Buffet & Mainland China - Yidi Goode Xinjiang Restaurant Travel Notes Summary: Last Thursday night was the birthday of our club senior, Nono. She gathered many old club friends for a celebratory dinner. Among them were seniors Mingyuan from Taiwan Mobile, Qiaoling from Wanfang Hospital, and Yuanlong from Trend Micro, whom I hadn't seen in years. Also joining were Minjun, Yuxian senior, Afu, and myself, Morgan—eight people in total. We chose Nomadic Frontier near Gongguan as our dining spot. This restaurant not only offers Xinjiang dishes but mainly promotes its Xinjiang BBQ buffet. From Monday to Thursday, you can choose from different price tiers like 399, 499, and 699 NT$, while Friday to Sunday only offers 499 and 699 NT$ options. The difference lies in the variety of dishes available. The 399 NT$ tier includes basics like beef skewers, beef belly, lamb skewers, bone-in lamb ribs, pork tongue, chicken thigh, squid slices, fish jaw, mushrooms, and onions for an all-you-can-eat BBQ experience. You can also order hot pots like lamb milk pot, lamb offal pot, or mixed mushroom pot. The 499 NT$ tier adds items like grilled lamb chops, grilled pork intestines, cod slices, king scallops, and snow lotus pot. Finally, the 699 NT$ tier includes Xinjiang dishes such as big plate chicken, lychee lamb, and savory lamb stew. However, the actual cost is higher than the menu prices because, unless you choose the 699 NT$ option, using the soda machine (with Coke, Sprite, lemon tea, etc.) adds 59 NT$ per person, plus a 10% service charge. So, even with the cheapest 399 NT$ plan, the total per person exceeded 500 NT$. We started with some appetizers, including chilled onion salad and mixed pickles.
Location: Taipei, BiBi Western Restaurant (Hamburg Steak) Travel Notes: On a typhoon day with heavy wind and rain, I hope everyone stays safe. Stuck at home with nothing to do, I sorted through food photos and remembered this hamburg steak place. I went with Zheyii after work one day to chat and eat, wandering the alleys near SOGO in East District. I ordered the signature hamburg steak cooked with red wine—around NT$300 including service charge for just the main. Honestly, the flavor wasn't bad; the meat aroma spread with each bite, and the sauce kept it from being too heavy. But the price is a bit high since it's similar to set meals at casual restaurants, so budget-conscious folks might find it less worthwhile. Just my two cents! Address: 1F, No. 45-2, Lane 187, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Taipei. Phone: (02)27752968. By Morgan, 2008.9.28
Location: Taipei - Japan Fuji Ramen & Youjin Lanzhou Ramen Travel note snippet: One evening, I wandered to Minsheng West Road to discuss some matters. By the time I finished, it was already past 8 PM. Looking around, it's sometimes a hassle to find a place to eat alone—many types of restaurants are off the table. Finally, I spotted a ramen shop, which was perfect, so I went in. I ordered a Tokyo Tonkotsu Ramen (NT$90). After it arrived, I took a sip of the broth with a spoon—the milky-white soup was surprisingly light in flavor. One bite of noodles, one sip of soup, and I quickly finished the meal. For this price range (ramen in the shop ranges from NT$90–120), it's quite affordable, and the ramen was appealing enough. Not bad~ After the meal, I picked up a business card. I initially thought the name "Fuji" was too common, just a random little shop I'd stumbled upon. But then I noticed a line printed on the card: [Fuji Japanese Ramen (Tainan Dongning Branch), No. 504, Dongning Road, Tainan City]. Turns out, I'd actually eaten at this shop years ago when I was studying in Tainan @@a. My memory of it was fuzzy, but I recalled it being a decent, cheap place. Years later, after moving to Taipei for work, without intentionally seeking it out, I'd accidentally walked into its Taipei flagship store—quite a coincidence. Speaking of ramen, another day at noon, after dropping off a train ticket for my sister at Miramar, I wandered around alone and saw a big ad outside the Carrefour. I went in and ended up at this Youjin Lanzhou Ramen, which also has a branch at Taipei Main Station. The shop mainly offers two broth types: Western Region and Original. I chose a clear-broth beef ramen (NT$130). Since I prefer wider noodles, I selected the wide noodle option. The feature here...
Location: Taipei - Jia Qi Wan, Nagasaki Honey Cake & BLACK as CHOCOLATE Chocolate Cake Travel note snippet: With heavy rain from the typhoon, almost no shops outside were open, so I had two consecutive meals of Master Kong instant noodles. I had to console myself by organizing more food photos at home, treating them as dessert to hypnotize myself a bit. Speaking of which, before leaving work on Friday, I received a package from my college classmate Pei-jun, delivered to the office. Inside was her thank-you gift for the baby's full-month celebration. Seeing the box cover labeled "Jia Qi Wan Nagasaki Honey Cake," I looked it up online and found it's a shop mainly known for full-month glutinous rice dishes, headquartered in Zhonghe City. Besides glutinous rice and rice cakes, they also offer products like full-month cakes. The Nagasaki cake I received today was red bean flavor—soft, sweet, and paired with a cool temperature, it tasted quite delightful. Pei-jun's return gift choice was pretty nice ^^. In response to the recent toxic milk powder scandal, the shop included a statement in a plastic bag inside the box, emphasizing their ingredient sources and assuring consumers, etc. This shows how much the incident has affected many related businesses lately. Mentioning cakes reminds me of two weeks ago when I visited Aunt Dolphin's Cathay Life Insurance office. She enthusiastically pulled out a bunch of treats from her desk and drawers for me to eat. Indeed, Rome wasn't built in a day... eh, never mind. Back on topic, besides finishing a spicy chicken rice box, taking two pomelos, a cheesecake, and packing three Zhang Jun Ya snacks, I also got to try the chocolate cake from this shop I'd been wanting to try—BLACK as CHOCOLATE. Many people are familiar with this shop, founded by Huang Xiangyi.
Location: Karuizawa Nabe Mono, Taichung Travel notes: As Typhoon Jangmi approaches fiercely, it reminds me of the previous strong typhoon, Sinlaku. That time coincided with Mid-Autumn Festival, and at Taipei Main Station, just buying a high-speed rail ticket took 40 minutes in line. By the time I arrived at Wuri and took the shuttle bus back home in Taichung City, it was already late at night. The next day was still windy and rainy, but because of that, I finally got to try this popular hot pot restaurant—Karuizawa—where it's always hard to get a reservation at normal dining times on short notice. Whether it's the Dadun branch or the Chongde branch, every time Morgan returns to Taichung and wants to try this place, if it's a last-minute decision to book, it's extremely difficult to get a seat. So that day, braving the wind and rain to go out gave me the chance to finally taste it and see what its charm is. Holding an umbrella, I walked into the shop, and the simple yet elegant decor caught my eye. The deliberately created private spaces, under lighting that isn't too dazzling, create a very relaxing dining environment. The tabletop has an embedded induction cooker, so the space feels more streamlined. Looking at the menu, I checked off a premium lamb shabu-shabu hot pot, while family members who had visited many times ordered different pots like tomato health hot pot and Korean kimchi hot pot. Daring to write 'Japan's No. 1 hot pot brand, spanning 300 years of history' on their business card shows Karuizawa's exceptional confidence in hot pots. Counting the types of hot pots you can order, there are a whopping twenty to thirty options. Most regular hot pots are priced around $200-300, while those using higher-end ingredients range from $350-500. Actually, the prices aren't expensive, as the shop doesn't charge an additional 10% service fee. After the hot pots were served, I tasted both my own and my family's various broths. Not a very strong flavor, hmm... or should I say, a light but unremarkable broth.
Location: Tainan, Tainan Travel note summary: Ten dumpling shops off the top of my head. Can that food guide section add a subcategory for dumplings, steamed dumplings, wontons, yuntun, soup dumplings, etc.? Actually, since I, Morgan, eat all over the place, this is a category I quite like. Since it's been suggested, I'll write about some shops I've tried for everyone's reference. I also hope we can exchange recommendations for any good shops in this category :) Excluding those on Yule Street (like Olivia, the pharmacy, Banmutian, etc.), the ones further away that I remember are below: 1. Dumpling House: During my university years, I ate at the one on Qianfeng Road dozens of times. The dumplings are okay, but the specialty is the cheap and delicious braised dishes. I heard the owner got cancer, and recently the shop doesn't feel the same as before. Sigh, I really miss it. 2. 258 Dumplings on Yidong Road: Their dumplings, shrimp steamed dumplings, and soup dumplings are all pretty good. Good for a few people to order and share. 3. Shanghai Huadu Snack City - Pine Needle Soup Dumplings: They have some stir-fried dishes, but they're famous for their soup dumplings. I've tried them and they're good, but maybe not as amazing as some people say. Oh right, this one is on Minquan Road, Section 2. 4. Several soup dumpling places on Dong'an Road: I remember Tongxinyuan, Shanghai Good Taste, and another one I forgot. They're all pretty good. Tongxinyuan sometimes has specials, like recently soup dumplings were 30 per basket. 5. Wanfulou: Has branches on Dongning Road and some other road (my memory is bad, Morgan :P). It's usually very crowded. Their shrimp steamed dumplings seem great, but a bit pricey. Again, best to go with a few people to split the cost. 6. Yannan Dumplings: In my freshman year, I walked past it on Linsen Road several times looking for this shop. The storefront was super hard to find back then, and the service attitude was terrible. It's gotten a bit better recently. The specialty is the quite large dumplings. Very famous. 7. Rongya Snack: In a small alley on Nanyuan Street, also extremely hard to find. I asked people twice before...
Location: Keelung, Sanshawan Mee Tai Bak & A-Tsai Dumplings Travel notes: On a whim, I dashed to Keelung and unintentionally got lost, only to stumble upon this spot. It's at the entrance of the Zhongchuan vendor area, an old shop hidden in the alley for years. The sign reads 'Sanshawan,' and it's quite bustling with customers. I sat down and ordered a bowl of mee tai bak; with a rumbling stomach and heavy steps, I devoured the snow-white rice noodles. A simple snack with rich flavor, chewy yet tender—in no time, the bowl was empty. Re-energized, I wandered around, visiting Xiandong Fort to enjoy the beautiful seascape, sky and sea blending like a painting, clouds drifting against the blue sky as trees swayed in the wind. For lunch, I randomly searched for food again, strolling through Ren'ai Market. A-Tsai Dumplings had good business, so I joined the crowd and dined in. The wrappers were thick and the taste not bad. After eating my fill, I moved on, driving toward the Northeast Coast for an impromptu journey to unwind. By evening, I arrived at Aodi, visiting friends but not forgetting to find a restaurant. The place is called 'Black & White Hair,' known for affordable seafood. We casually enjoyed ginger-braised squid and sashimi, chatting nonstop. At night, I returned along the coastal road and jotted down this trip.
Location: Taichung Travel Notes Summary: Taichung City/County – Wuqi Seafood Restaurant (New Tien Di Restaurant). This is a quite famous restaurant in Taichung, and also a very business-savvy company. I’m a bit forgetful if it was the first restaurant in Taiwan to be listed on the stock exchange, but in recent years it has maintained an EPS over 2. Its stock price in the over-the-counter market is still over twenty-something dollars, more profitable than many high-tech companies :P. The original store is in Wuqi, a small town near Taichung Port. Maybe many people not from Taichung haven’t heard of this place name, but since my maternal grandmother’s home is in Wuqi, our family goes back there every Chinese New Year. Plus, sometimes I practice driving to take my mom back to see my grandparents, so I go to Wuqi quite often. This New Tien Di also has two branches in Taichung, one in the East District and one in the North District. Since my paternal grandparents also like eating at New Tien Di, I’ve eaten at both sides (Taichung: paternal grandparents; Wuqi: maternal grandparents). The New Tien Di in Taichung looks like a five-star hotel, with very high-end decor. The old Wuqi New Tien Di didn’t look that special, but after moving to a new building, it became just as luxurious. New Tien Di’s food is indeed of good quality, but usually on holidays like Chinese New Year, the quality drops slightly. Besides the traditional Chinese round-table shared dishes, it also has a European-style buffet. In recent years, it has expanded into related businesses like curry or Japanese cuisine. Its business model feels quite similar to Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine in Taipei, and its management approach is admirable. Friends, if you have a chance to visit Taichung and have enough people, you can try this famous restaurant. If the budget isn’t that high, my uncle once took me to a seafood restaurant that’s also good. There are many such shops in Wuqi, and I’ve probably tried quite a few. This one is quite affordable and the food is above average. It’s at No. 363, Section 1, Wenhua Road, Wuqi, called Small Yet Big Affordable Live Seafood. You can give it a try.
Location: Taipei, Dingwang Spicy Hot Pot Travel Notes: My university classmate Funky from Macau visited Taiwan and met up with friends, including at Dingwang in Taipei. I'm not sure if Dingwang is related to the famous Dingwang in Taichung, but catching up with old friends was more important. Funky, now a civil servant in Macau, shared stories about his life. Located on Da'an Road, Dingwang serves spicy and dual-flavor hot pots. Even in summer, business was good. Personally, I still prefer Dingwang for its broth, and Dingwang isn't cheap either—six of us spent over NT$3,000 without ordering much. For the same price, there might be better options. Just for reference.
Location: Taipei, Arcade Italian Pasta Shop (Cello Pasta) One day, I thought of my friend Qi-Jun from ITRI, whom I hadn't met for a long time, so I invited him for a meal. Chang-Yu couldn't make it, so it was just the two of us. We went to this Italian pasta shop recommended by Vanessa, a friend of A-Fu—Arcade. It offers à la carte pasta, with an option to add soup and drinks for an extra fee. The prices are quite affordable; around 250 NTD per person is enough for a meal. The key point is that the pasta is pretty good. While chatting with Qi-Jun, I quickly finished the food on my plate. It's a place worth trying. :) After saying goodbye to Qi-Jun, it happened to be Polaris's employee family day in the afternoon, with free movies. Since I had always felt bad about letting Xing-Jian use his TI tickets to treat me to movies, I took this chance to invite him to see The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor at Vieshow Cinemas Xinyi. After the movie, we had dinner at the food court of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. After parting ways, I walked alone through the Xinyi shopping district. Looking up at the bustling Taipei 101 building at night, an indescribable feeling welled up in my heart, and I found myself lost in thought... Arcade Italian Pasta Shop (Guangfu Branch) MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station Exit 2 Address: No. 25, Lane 260, Guangfu S. Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)27711887 By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taipei, Rice Cafe & Cha for Tea One morning, after swimming with A-Fu at their Chunghwa Telecom health club, we went to Yongkang Street to find food. He took me to this small shop he had been to before—Rice Cafe. Just looking at the name, it seems interesting. Only after seeing the menu did I realize the name has meaning, as it mainly serves Japanese donburi (rice bowls). So I ordered a miso pork cutlet donburi, and A-Fu ordered a sauce pork cutlet donburi. Both were 180 NTD + 10%, around 200 NTD. The food is affordable and not bad, and the portion is okay. Overall, it's an acceptable place. After the meal, to pass the afternoon, we moved near Taipei Main Station. First, we browsed the row of bookstores on Chongqing S. Road for an hour or two. Although I didn't find the book I was looking for, I still gleaned some useful knowledge from the books. Later, we went to Hengyang Road, where there's a Cha for Tea opened by Ten Ren Tea. The second floor provides a space for dining and tea. We ordered a cup of green tea and chatted casually. The space inside is quite spacious, making it a good place to sit and rest near the station. The cheapest drinks are around 100 NTD. Stealing a little leisure time in a busy life也算让自己好好休息一下罢... 1. Rice Cafe Address: No. 7, Lane 10, Yongkang St., Taipei City Phone: (02)23948236 2. Cha for Tea (Hengyang Branch) Address: 2F, No. 62, Hengyang Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)23122828 By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taipei, Tian Wai Tian All-You-Can-Eat Hot Pot (Mala Hot Pot) In early August, my university classmate Pei-Jun's baby was born, so a group of classmates arranged to visit her and the baby in Nanshijiao. Looking at the newborn baby, it was so cute that words can't describe it well. It's been six years since university graduation, and everyone is gradually walking their own life paths. I wonder how things will change in a few more years. After saying goodbye to Pei-Jun, since everyone hadn't met for a while and some came specially from Taoyuan or Hsinchu, we continued the gathering and went to Gongguan to eat mala hot pot at Tian Wai Tian. Besides Morgan, there were Xin-Ru & her future husband, Ling-Wen, A-Fu, Funky, Min-Yi, Yun-Ying, Pei-Yi, and Jun-Jie—ten people in total. Therefore, on a weekend night without a reservation, we waited over an hour for a table (but this was already the fastest among the nearby mala hot pot places). Tian Wai Tian's price during dinner and holidays is 439 NTD + 10%. There are multiple soup bases to choose from (lemon lemongrass, satay, mala, tomato, kimchi, curry), and you can have a divided pot or a three-section pot. It's all-you-can-eat, so business is always good. Unlike during university when we liked all-you-can-eat places, actually, everyone's capacity is quite weak now. Although the自助区 had a decent selection of ingredients, our table only took one or two rounds before stopping to chat. Just in terms of mala hot pot all-you-can-eat soup base, personally, I seem to prefer Heng Ji's soup base a bit more. The quality of the meat also didn't feel particularly outstanding, but the duck blood was quite tender. As for the post-meal Haagen-Dazs ice cream, that's probably another selling point. Overall, the score that flashed in my mind is around 75-80 points. It's a place I wouldn't mind going to again, but also wouldn't make a special trip for. Just for reference. Tian Wai Tian Mala Hot Pot (Gongguan Flagship Store) Address: No. 198, Sec. 3, Tingzhou Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)23686887 By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taipei, Yunnan Small Town Thai Cuisine & Tai Yi Milk King One Sunday evening, because my older sister happened to come to Taipei from Hsinchu for a class, she invited Morgan and my younger brother for dinner. She chose this restaurant, Yunnan Small Town, located in Gongguan. My younger brother had been eagerly waiting and finally got another chance to eat for free, so of course he didn't hold back—checking off dishes on the menu: papaya salad, shrimp cake, spicy chicken, coconut beef, Thai-style fried shrimp, Thai seafood soup, plus a pot of white rice. Still not satisfied, after shooting an innocent, pitiful look at my sister and seeing her slight nod, he quickly reached out and added another plate of stir-fried空心菜 with shrimp paste. Initially looking at the menu, I thought this place was quite affordable (each dish starting around over a hundred NTD), but in the end, the three of us spent about 1200 NTD total—doesn't seem like we saved much. Besides my brother and I ordering without restraint, the portion sizes of the dishes were indeed on the smaller side. Since we ordered common basic Thai dishes, the seasoning naturally focused on sour and spicy flavors. Overall, the dishes were standard, not particularly refined in cooking, but acceptable in taste. However, considering portion size and price together, it's not as cheap as imagined; one person probably still needs over 300 NTD to feel初步的饱食罢. After the meal, we also walked to this old-fashioned ice shop near my brother's school—Tai Yi Milk King. Time flies; I hadn't been back to this shop since visiting friends here years ago. Taking a few bites of shaved ice to refresh my mouth也算为这顿晚餐划下个简单的句点罢. 1. Yunnan Small Town (Gongguan Branch) Address: No. 2-2, Lane 90, Sec. 4, Roosevelt Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)23675625 2. Tai Yi Milk King Address: No. 82, Sec. 3, Xinsheng S. Rd., Taipei City Phone: (02)23623172 By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taipei, Ba Zi Steak · Western Restaurant Last Saturday noon, while I was writing code at my Taipei residence, my high school classmate from Taichung First Senior High School, Yu-Fu, called me and said he wanted to meet for a meal. We hadn't seen each other for a long time, so of course I said OK. So we arranged to meet at a Ba Zi steak Western restaurant near Neihu. At noon, Yu-Fu appeared with his beautiful wife Ya-Ping, whom he had married not long ago. Since attending their wedding, almost three months had passed in the blink of an eye. Yu-Fu is still working as a doctor at Tri-Service General Hospital, still very busy. Ya-Ping quit her previous job at a jewelry company and now focuses on designing jewelry and accessories to sell on consignment. Yu-Fu and Ya-Ping are both very nice people, so chatting with them as a couple was quite relaxed and pleasant. According to Yu-Fu, Ba Zi has been around since his days studying at National Defense Medical Center, so it's been open for quite a while. I ordered an 8-ounce medium-rare filet mignon ($260 + 10%). Other set meals in the restaurant (including salad,酥皮浓汤, and drinks) are priced around 350 NTD and above. However, personally, the steak itself didn't seem as outstanding as I imagined. But anyway, being able to dine with friends is more important than whether the food itself is delicious, right? Chatting with Yu-Fu until past 1 PM, he had to go back on duty. It seems a doctor's life is no less busy and tough than the tech industry @@a. Thank you, Yu-Fu, for treating Morgan to this meal. Sincerely wishing you both eternal happiness and joy ^^. Ba Zi Steak Western Restaurant Address: No. 179, Sec. 3, Chenggong Rd., Neihu District, Taipei City Phone: (02)27904486 By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taichung, Dayu Conveyor Belt Sushi Travel Notes: The annual Father's Day, although Dad didn't really want to go out, Morgan, who rarely comes home, insisted on taking him and Mom out for a meal. Originally wanted to try Chigui Grilled Steak on Dadun Road, but with a number ticket, we'd have to wait over sixty numbers, so we gave up. Wandering around nearby, on a Saturday night in Taichung City, it seemed hard to find a restaurant without a reservation. Finally, around 8 PM, we found a restaurant with parking—Dayu. Looking at the business card, the entire餐饮集团 seems to have several other stores in Taichung. Remembering I went to eat at Sushi Express alone just a few days ago, because sometimes when I crave nigiri sushi and don't have much money, only Sushi Express is an easy solution. No wonder besides Sushi Express, conveyor belt sushi places are less common now. And today at Dayu, of course, each plate isn't just 30 NTD; depending on the plate color, they range from 40 to 200 NTD. Besides grabbing sushi from the conveyor belt train, you can also order directly from the server. The three of us casually ordered some nigiri sushi, hand rolls, tuna scallion rolls, Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, then added almond tofu after the meal and Ujikintoki ice dessert. This meal cost over a thousand NTD in total, not too expensive price-wise, but we weren't extremely full either—maybe about 70-80% full. Overall, Dayu's food is okay; at least there's nothing that feels too bad. After coming back and checking online, I found Dayu seems quite well-known among the few existing conveyor belt sushi places in Taichung. After dining with family, I happened to receive a call from my college classmate Jiajun, who came to Taichung for something and needed to stay at my place for a night. After getting family consent, I went to pick him up near Zhongzheng Park. Jiajun just graduated from NCTU's graduate institute and now works at Wintek in IC distribution. Chatted with him about work stuff until midnight. Being able to accompany family and meet an old friend at the same time made it a pretty good night... Dayu Conveyor Belt Sushi (Gongyi Store) Address: No. 270, Gongyi Road, West District, Taichung City. Phone: (04)23198889. By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taichung, NuNu Café Travel Notes: Well, this is a small shop near our home. But because the food is affordable and tasty, my family has come here to eat many times. The price of pasta here is around a hundred-something NTD, but with generous portions and solid quality, worth a try. So even though it might not be famous, I'll just casually record it in my blog. Just for reference :) NuNu Café Address: No. 416, Jianxing Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22387431. By Morgan on 2008.9.6
Location: Taipei, Grand Hyatt Pork Chop & Tainan, Xiaonan Laosu Chicken Leg Pork Chop Travel Notes: After work one night, I met up with former colleague Zheyi (Fox), who now works at Gonglong Chemical. We ended up at Grand Hyatt Pork Chop in a lane near Zhongxiao Dunhua. The pork chop with pickled vegetables rice wasn't cheap at NT$145, but the large fried pork chop was fragrant and tasty. It reminded me of the famous old shop in Tainan, Xiaonan Laosu. I tried it years ago when I first visited Tainan, and later revisited their Taipei branch. Life is short, and though we always say "next time," sometimes that next time never comes. We just have to keep moving forward and go with the flow...
One night after work, I was wandering the streets alone looking for food when I saw a red banner outside a shop that read '2007 Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival, Stewed Category, 2nd Place.' I went in. A small bowl of stewed beef noodles cost about NT$140 from what I recall. I'm still not quite used to the prices of beef noodles in Taipei @@a. The stewed broth had a hint of rice wine aroma, and the few pieces of beef were fairly tender. However, overall, it didn't quite live up to my high expectations, so it wasn't surprising that there weren't many customers inside. Just jotting down some casual thoughts for reference. As for noodles, another night, to buy an OSIM product, Ah-Fu and I went to the SOGO in the East District. Before shopping, we needed dinner, so we randomly walked into a lane and found a Southeast Asian tea restaurant called Xiao Bin Cheng. The decor felt a bit basic and plain, but considering the price range of restaurants in this area, the prices weren't expensive; one or two hundred NT dollars could cover a meal. Ah-Fu ordered Indonesian fried rice (NT$150), and I ordered a slightly spicy noodle dish. Overall, the food didn't suit my taste—too oily, and the flavors weren't quite to my liking. So, I probably won't be trying other items here again, I think @@.
After moving to Taipei, I sometimes go out to eat with my roommate Steven, occasionally chatting about recent trades and exchanging ideas on trading. One night, we went to a newly opened restaurant near our place called Sen Ga Ya. They offer quite a variety of food—clay pot dishes, rice bowls, fried items, gratin, soba noodles, even steak meals. The prices are very reasonable, averaging around a hundred-something NT dollars per meal. It's a good choice when you don't want to eat too fancy or too poorly. Although it's a chain, it seems only the Neihu branch exists for now. In contrast, another place I tried called Gosen Den, a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant, is much more famous. I ordered the pork loin tonkatsu set meal (NT$160), and Steven had the hamburger steak set (NT$170). A 10% service charge is added. Cabbage salad is unlimited, like many similar restaurants. The whole set wasn't bad, but having just tried the famous Anzu the night before, the comparison made the differences quite obvious (though Anzu is much pricier). So, my impression of Gosen Den wasn't particularly memorable. Just for reference.
On a Sunday before a typhoon hit, I didn't stay home quietly. I was out wandering almost all day. In the morning, I first took Ah-Dan, a university club member who came up from Tainan the previous night and stayed at our place, to Neihu's Lai Lai Soy Milk for breakfast. I also chatted with her about her one-year experience working at Prudential. (Originally, I wanted to go to N.Y. Bagels' Neihu branch, but following the address I found—No. 306, Sec. 1, Neihu Rd.—I discovered the building was under construction and couldn't find the shop, so I had to give up.) After seeing my junior off, at noon, I met up with two long-unseen university classmates near Shida for lunch. Heng-Ru is still at Transcend, and Jie-Bo left Powerchip and now works at Yuanta Securities. Strolling around Shida, we randomly picked a shop and went in—Bei Yi Ji Pin. The meals inside are quite affordable; I ordered Korean kimchi beef rice, around NT$200. My two classmates ordered rib and chicken chop set meals, similarly priced. The food felt like typical set meal places, nothing particularly impressive. But the sofa-style seats gave a relaxed, unhurried vibe. Actually, this place is quite suitable for a small afternoon tea. So, we stayed from noon until 3 or 4 PM before leaving. After leaving Shida, I hurried to the area near Taipei Main Station. Xing-Jian and Ah-Fu had just watched a movie and asked me to join them for dinner. But by the time I reached the CoCo Ichibanya (Curry House) where they were, they were almost finished eating @@. Xing-Jian seemed to have a decent opinion of the food. Seeing the worsening weather with the approaching typhoon outside, I finally thought, forget it, I won't eat together. After everyone browsed the nearby computer market, we quickly disbanded and headed home. Finally rushing back to Neihu, ending this hectic day of running around before the storm...
Recalling when I first started blogging online, I didn't think too much about it—just wanted to continue recording my life like I did on BBS, so I could look back later. Unexpectedly, through the blog, I met many new friends. Among them, the Hsinchu-based blogger group rallied by leader Jing Ling Mao, with our shared interests in eating, drinking, and having fun, created many wonderful memories for everyone. It made the virtual online world no longer virtual but a real, tangible part of life. Like this time, for Mao Ba and Mao Ma's wedding banquet of three tables, besides two tables for relatives and friends, the remaining table was actually us netizens who met through blogging. Besides the newlywed hosts Mao Ba and Mao Ma, participants included: Yu Ba, Yu Ma, Xiao Yu Er; Xiao Mu & A Qin; Xiao Xue Hua & Xiao Sha Xue Zhang; Latte; and Morgan. The venue was Xin Dong Nan, a seafood restaurant I'd long heard about. Since I had just moved to Taipei a few days prior, I thought I'd ride my scooter there. Unexpectedly, starting from Neihu, after over an hour, I finally arrived at Xin Dong Nan on Tingzhou Road. Seeing my little 50cc scooter smoking from the back, almost catching fire, really made me feel bad. It's all because the owner loves eating so much that I had to come all this way, poor my little black scooter ><. But I didn't feel guilty for long. After entering Xin Dong Nan, with dish after dish being served, my mind was completely on the food. Starting from the first sashimi platter, everyone's chopsticks and cameras didn't stop. Snow crab, baked prawns, fried white pomfret, abalone scallops, eel rice cake sushi boat, miso fish soup... until the final dessert and fruit. The entire meal was not only very satisfying, but some dishes' cooking methods also showed me creativity and techniques different from ordinary seafood restaurants. Overall, in terms of freshness and deliciousness, it was quite satisfactory and worth a try. After the meal, everyone continued to Maokong to take the cable car, then had tea and dinner at Longmen Inn. I couldn't help but think of two F's: Friends & Food. Just as Mao Ma said: 'Life should be like this~~~' It was a truly wonderful day. Thank you all!!! Let's meet up again when we have time :)
After moving to Taipei, I sometimes go out to eat with my roommate Steven, occasionally chatting about recent trades and exchanging ideas on trading. One night, we went to a newly opened restaurant near our place called Sen Ga Ya. They offer quite a variety of food—clay pot dishes, rice bowls, fried items, gratin, soba noodles, even steak meals. The prices are very reasonable, averaging around a hundred-something NT dollars per meal. It's a good choice when you don't want to eat too fancy or too poorly. Although it's a chain, it seems only the Neihu branch exists for now. In contrast, another place I tried called Gosen Den, a Japanese tonkatsu restaurant, is much more famous. I ordered the pork loin tonkatsu set meal (NT$160), and Steven had the hamburger steak set (NT$170). A 10% service charge is added. Cabbage salad is unlimited, like many similar restaurants. The whole set wasn't bad, but having just tried the famous Anzu the night before, the comparison made the differences quite obvious (though Anzu is much pricier). So, my impression of Gosen Den wasn't particularly memorable. Just for reference.
Location: Taipei, Rose Lady Coffee&Tea Salon Travel Notes: On a regular Saturday, after playing baseball at Daluoge with Haoting and others, I met up with friends for afternoon tea at Rose Lady on Nanjing East Road. The elegant decor caught my eye immediately. Though dinner can cost up to NT$6,000, we opted for the afternoon tea set around NT$400. We shared cakes, sandwiches, waffles, and more. I ordered Himalayan Darjeeling tea (around NT$290 solo). The steak sandwich and tuna waffle were delicious. Afu even brought Norwegian royal handmade egg rolls to share. Using Versace tableware worth over NT$16,000, we enjoyed a leisurely afternoon sipping tea and forgetting our worries. Though all good things must end, it was a refreshing break with friends.
Location: Taipei, Anzu Japanese Pork Cutlet Restaurant Travel Notes: On a rare free Sunday, I wrote nine food diaries in a row. Last Friday, after a lecture at NTU, I met up with my younger brother at Anzu near his school. We ordered the signature set (NT$330 + 10%) and black pork loin set. Like specialized pork cutlet places, they give you sesame to grind and add to the sauce. The pork was incredibly tender, almost like high-quality steak. I couldn't figure out how they made it so delicious. The fried shrimp roll and burdock roll were also great. After the meal, the handmade almond tofu was a perfect finish. Definitely a place worth revisiting! :)
Location: Taipei, Momo Paradise (Sukiyaki & Shabu Shabu All-You-Can-Eat) Travel note snippet: As I approach my first month in Taipei, I'm catching up on old restaurant photos. Momo Paradise is well-known for all-you-can-eat sukiyaki, shabu shabu, and miso hot pot. I went with two juniors from the club and their friend. Dinner is NT$399+10% per person. After the main pot arrives, servers push carts with vegetables and ingredients for you to choose from. Dip the meat in egg wash and cook it in the pot. The meat quality isn't outstanding, but for sukiyaki all-you-can-eat at this price, it's decent in terms of quantity and value.
Location: Taipei, Hakata Ramen Travel Notes: It's been over four years since a BBS user named silent0219 recommended Hakata Ramen to me on the Dream University forum. Time flies, and I finally got the chance to visit. That evening, after watching "Red Cliff" with Xingjian and Afu using movie tickets from Texas Instruments, Afu brought along friends—Michelle, Holly, piano teacher Xiangqin, and their senior—to Hakata Ramen across from Breeze Center. After waiting in line, we finally got seats. What's unique here is that the ramen is served on a small stove to keep it warm. The milky-white broth looked rich, and sure enough, after a few spoonfuls, I finished the whole bowl. Back then, a small bowl was around NT$100, but with prices rising, that's probably a thing of the past... :P
This week has been tough due to some personal financial setbacks, so I'm keeping this brief. Last Thursday, our Hsinchu group met at C&D Selected Coffee to hear friends' Tokyo cherry blossom trip stories—it brought back childhood memories. On Saturday, after sports, we tried Cassare Italian Restaurant near the moat. My NT$350 steak was okay for the price, but the cake wasn't as good as expected from the bakery downstairs. I need some time to rest and regroup, but life goes on with dinners and a friend's wedding this weekend.
Life's been busy lately, but here's a quick recap of a few recent eats. Last Wednesday, I went to Taste Workshop with a friend. For around NT$250, the set meal was quite good—I tried their beef curry spaghetti, an interesting combo. On Saturday, I stumbled upon ENAK in Jinshan Street. The pasta and baked rice were decent, and the cozy atmosphere was relaxing. Then earlier this week, I revisited Thai Taste for their sour-spicy noodle soup. Prices have gone up a bit, but the flavor is still great. We ended up grabbing some buns later because the portions are on the smaller side!
Last Sunday, I met up with friends from my alternative military service at Eight Parts Full restaurant—a budget-friendly spot recommended by a friend. For about NT$260 per person, we had hot pot and several dishes. The food was simple but satisfying. Later that day, after playing badminton, we went to Yu Shen Yuan Shanghai Cuisine to bid farewell to a friend moving to Singapore. The set menu was around NT$400 per person, and each dish was expertly seasoned and delicious. Though not cheap, it's worth it for a special occasion or business dinner.
Last Saturday after playing sports, we ended up at Laura Do Café in Jinshan Street for a casual meal. I hadn't been there in two years, but the pasta was still decent. Then last night, a friend treated us to Little Shepherd Lamb Hot Pot in Zhubei for an all-you-can-eat lamb feast. At NT$219 per person, it's really affordable, but maybe because the weather is warming up, the place wasn't very busy, and the food felt just average. Still, my friend surprised us with a delicious sugar.com.tw cake for a birthday celebration—so sweet!
Last night, our Hsinchu foodie group had an impromptu gathering at Mingyuan Charcoal Grill. Hidden in a residential alley with no sign, you really have to know the address to find it. Once inside, the place was buzzing—packed even on a weekday. We ordered a feast: fried shrimp salad, charcoal-grilled beef ribs, kimchi chicken wings, grilled squid, and more. Everything was fantastic, especially the grilled items. The total came to just NT$455 per person, which was way below our budget. After the meal, our leader TAMACAT brought out a pudding cake from Qionglin to celebrate two March birthdays. A perfect ending to a great night with friends.
Location: Hsinchu Li Jin Guan Dining Hall & Donburi Shop Travel note summary: It feels like it's been a long time since I wrote a food review for Hsinchu @@a. But before the food review, let me first promote a charity activity that my junior, Zhongwei (acdis), is helping his friend with: the public welfare group—China Art and Life Development Association's 'Walk the Accessible Road' book donation campaign: http://www.wretch.cc/blog/acdis&article_id=22445488. Friends who are interested and enthusiastic are welcome to check it out :). Now, back to last Thursday afternoon. I took leave from work and went out for a solo ride. After wandering around Neiwan, I headed back to the city. To make it to the 18:30 gathering—a last-minute dinner organized by the Hsinchu gang's big boss, Jinglingmao—the venue was Li Jin Guan on Xinguang Road. Even though it was a last-minute plan, Jinglingmao, Xiaoxuehua, Latte, Fish Dad, Fish Mom, Xiaoyuer, Judy, Haying, Rita, and Brother Afu still showed up, plus me, making it ten adults and one child. The restaurant offers à la carte with an option to upgrade to a set meal for an extra 50 NTD (includes drink and dessert). The prices are quite reasonable, with a set usually around 200 NTD. The menu has a wide variety of options, including Taiwanese and Japanese dishes. That night, I had the eel donburi set (130+50), which was pretty good. Overall, I'd give it a positive review. Two days later at noon, after the usual intense badminton matches with friends (I felt especially tired that day because Brother Liren, who's super strong, was there Orz), I went out to eat again with Zhiqian, Xiaozhu, Billy, and Vincent. We went to this newly opened donburi shop. Seeing their dining model, my first instinct was that it's probably targeting Teishoku 8 @@.
Location: Tainan Nian Ji Beef Noodles Travel notes: In my humble work 'Tainan Snacks Collection (Morgan Edition)', I wrote this line describing some beef noodle shops in Tainan: 'A friend's family runs Nian Ji, I recommend it without bias, visited this shop sixty times, pondered a moment and walked through again.' Among Tainan's beef noodle shops, Nian Ji is fairly well-known. This time, Morgan had a chance to return to Tainan, and coincidentally my friend Xiao Yu was at home, so I went to visit her. It's always nice to see an old friend :) Since I used to eat here often, I've tried almost everything on the menu—dumplings, soup dumplings, pork noodles, braised dishes, black tea, etc. But tonight, time was limited as I had to catch the high-speed rail back to Hsinchu, so I couldn't eat too much. I just ordered a small bowl of beef noodles (NT$90) to reminisce. If I had to describe Nian Ji in one phrase, it'd be 'genuine ingredients.' They insist on using Choice-grade beef and maintain high standards for hygiene and environment, so many customers have been coming for over ten years. 'Business is actually best during events like mad cow disease or SARS, because customers trust the quality and safety of the food here even more and come more often,' Xiao Yu told me with a laugh. I nodded in agreement. Given Tainan's cost of living, their prices are a bit higher than what students typically accept, so you often see whole families or office workers dining here. A bite of noodles, a piece of brisket, followed by a sip of soup flowing down my throat. The broth here is different from typical beef soup—it's made with a special fermented bean paste.
Location: Taipei, Dongmen Dumpling House (Suan Cai Bai Rou Guo) Travel note snippet: Before the Lunar New Year, I gathered nine university classmates for dinner at Dongmen Dumpling House, recommended long ago by ptt food board moderator bluefish. We ordered a large pot of suan cai bai rou (pickled cabbage and pork hot pot), along with beef dumplings, steamed dumplings, pan-fried dumplings, scallion pancakes, and extra meat and hot pot ingredients. It came to about NT$300 per person. The pickled cabbage was flavorful, and the broth was comforting on a cold, rainy night. Huddled around the tall chimney pot, eating and chatting, felt especially warm. After the meal, some of us continued next door at the Classical Rose Garden for flower tea and more conversation.
Location: Yunnan Wind Dian Restaurant, Hsinchu Travel notes: In winter, the kind of shop you most want to walk into is probably one that sells hot pot. In cold weather, a bowl of steaming hot soup not only warms your stomach but also seems to provide more heat to resist the freezing low temperatures outside. So these past few days, Morgan has also had hot pot twice. A few days ago, after playing badminton with a group of friends, eight of us—Zhiqian, Xiao Zhu, Yan Lü, Junhong, Xiao Cai, Weng Liang, and Billy—went to Bawei Charcoal Ginger Duck on Zhongxiao Road for a fun dinner together. And last night, because Pang Da's brother Jiawen recently started working at Standard Chartered Bank in Hsinchu—since he's Pang Da's brother, of course we should take good care of him—so I invited him, plus Xiao Zhu who also works at Standard Chartered now, and Zhiqian, the four of us came to this Yunnan Wind restaurant, which originally was in a tin house but later moved to the alley opposite, i.e., the alley next to My Home Steak and Teishoku 8 on Guangfu Road near Mackay Memorial Hospital. Hearing that their spicy hot pot is quite good, when I called to reserve a table, I asked them to prepare a pot of dual-flavor hot pot (300+300=NT$600). During the actual meal, we also ordered two more dishes and some barbecue: Fermented Tofu Chicken Nuggets (NT$200) and Grilled Lamb Skewers—five sticks (NT$150). Halfway through eating, Shengshun happened to get off work and called me for a late-night snack, so I told him to come join us directly. Since the staff kept refilling the broth, the five of us drinking soup and eating ingredients were quite satisfied. As soon as the pot started boiling, I couldn't wait to scoop a bowl of the red soup to try. Its spicy broth isn't overly hot, but the numbing sensation is quite strong. The Fermented Tofu Chicken Nuggets didn't feel much different from regular fried chicken, but the dipping powder seemed to use sesame and a kind of red powder—it looks spicy but doesn't taste spicy. The grilled lamb skewers...
Location: Hefeng Canteen, Hsinchu Travel notes: Last Saturday, after playing badminton with friends including Zhiqian, I suddenly realized that Xiao Zhu's birthday was just a few days away. After the game, Xiao Zhu invited us all to eat at this Hefeng Canteen. Hefeng Canteen is on the third floor of the Hefeng Hall, which is just off Gongdao 5th Road, right next to the Standard Chartered Bank where Xiao Zhu works. She said she had eaten here before and it was quite good, so she wanted to come again. I had eaten at the Western restaurant on the second floor before, but this third-floor Hefeng Canteen specializing in Shanghai cuisine was my first visit. Since there were only four of us, we couldn't order too many dishes. In the end, we each chose one: Chives with Eel Paste, Ningbo Spicy Three Shreds, Shanghai Old Bones, and Clay Pot Yanduxian, plus Shanghai Soup Dumplings and four bowls of rice. The Clay Pot Yanduxian uses Jinhua ham and pork bones for the broth; the Shanghai Old Bones are made from pork hind leg meat; and the Ningbo Spicy Three Shreds, stir-fried with dried tofu, shredded pork, etc., was quite appetizing with rice. It was Saturday noon, but there were no other customers in the restaurant, just our table. When we entered, I noticed that the fourth and fifth floors offer wedding banquet venues, so I guess that might be their main source of income. However, their dishes are quite refined. Compared to another famous Shanghai restaurant in Hsinchu, 'Cai Yuan,' I actually prefer this Hefeng Canteen, and it's much quieter too :) After the meal, the bill after deducting the service fee (many companies have special agreements here) was over NT$1,200. It's not exactly cheap, but not outrageously expensive either (unless you order more expensive dishes). With more people, you could try more variety. Overall, it's a pretty good restaurant. Thanks to Xiao Zhu for treating us all—happy belated birthday, and best wishes to you and Zhiqian for a long and happy relationship ^^ Hefeng Canteen Address: 3F, No. 2, Lane 91, Dongmei Road, Hsinchu City.
Location: Hsinchu Duck Meat Xu & Yuanming Cake Shop (Steamed Cake) Travel notes summary: Hsinchu Duck Meat Xu & Yuanming Cake Shop (Steamed Cake). This Monday, Zihan, a senior who graduated from NCTU, invited me to eat at the second-floor cafeteria at NCTU. At the table were also several of his outstanding juniors from NTHU and NCTU graduate schools, and a junior currently serving in the military. I was very happy to meet new friends. :) On Tuesday, I made plans to eat with my own graduate school senior, Ziyi. Because Senior Ziyi's alternative military service is ending, he will also be leaving ITRI and Hsinchu, heading to the south. Taking this opportunity, I took him on a simple Hsinchu street food tour. First stop: Xiao's Steamed Buns. Second stop: Beimen Fried Rice Cakes. These two places can be referenced in old posts: Hsinchu Beimen Fried Rice Cakes & Xiao's Steamed Buns. Taiwan is still very small; recently some really coincidental things happened. First, because I wrote these articles before: One-Star Gas Station, Tainan Two Kinds of Soulmates Restaurant, which mentioned a big brother Xu Yiyue. Coincidentally, a friend of his named Robert, who had lost contact with him, found my blog through a search engine, contacted me, and then re-found Big Brother Xu's contact information :P. And yesterday at Xiao's, not long after we sat down, Yishun and his colleague walked in. I haven't been to Xiao's for a while, and Yishun came because of its reputation, visiting for the first time. Just by chance, at the same time last night, we met at Xiao's. P.S. Xiao's new address has moved to No. 98, Guoguang Street. Phone: (03)5350338. After bidding farewell to Yishun, I took my senior to eat Beimen Fried Rice Cakes. Then, while walking nearby, we saw Duck Meat Xu and I took him inside. I haven't been to Duck Meat Xu for a long time either, but it's still a famous shop, so I originally included it in the following post: Hsinchu Street Food Summary (Morgan's Version) -- Final Blog Version. This time, adding a picture of duck blood cake. Personally, I think its duck meat noodles are just okay, but some of the side dishes are...
Location: Hsinchu Thai Way Thai Restaurant Travel notes summary: Hsinchu Thai Way Thai Restaurant. Out of the past nine days, I spent seven traveling. Another day was my friend Changyu's birthday. After work that day, I went with him to celebrate at Kaixiang's home in Zhubei. I actually really like going to the hypermarket in winter to buy hotpot soup base and ingredients, then gathering with friends at home to have hotpot. :) We then played PS3, drank Asahi, and watched a fantasy movie (Stardust). As it approached midnight, I congratulated Changyu on getting another year older :P. Here's also wishing my dear friend that you find the person you're looking for. Happy birthday! :P. The remaining day, as usual, I went to play badminton with Zhiqian, Yanlu, and Billy. Since Yanlu left Sinyi Realty and returned to the tech industry, he has free time on weekends again. After exercising, I came with him, Zhiqian, and Xiaozhu to this Thai Way restaurant I've wanted to try for a long time. Its original location was a bit far away on Niupu North Road, so I never got around to trying it. Later, I learned from Xiaoxuehua that it recently opened a branch on Gongdao 5th Road. So, taking advantage of having a group of four or more for a meal, we came here. The location is quite easy to find, right next to the area with several beer houses clustered together. We ordered spicy and sour chicken, fried preserved eggs, stir-fried beef, Thai shrimp cakes, Thai coconut milk soup, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables, plus 4+1 bowls of rice. The sweet, sour, and spicy Thai flavors made the dishes quite varied. The taste was pretty good, and the prices were indeed very affordable as mentioned online. The four of us ate until we were very full, and it was only NT$960. Since I haven't tried the original location, of course I can't compare, but the branch already feels like a place worth visiting again. For your reference :) Thai Way: Gongdao Branch: No. 2, Section 2, Gongdao 5th Road, Hsinchu City.
Location: Taipei, Mykonos Restaurant & Fu Hang Soy Milk Travel note snippet: After returning from Hualien on Christmas night, I met up with four friends in Taipei. We went to Mykonos in the Shida Night Market, recommended by A-Fu. Since it was Christmas Eve, we all ordered the Christmas set menu (around NT$350 per person). The meal included salad, soup, bread, smoked salmon, pasta, dessert, drink, and a sweet wine. The pasta could be paired with various sauces like XO, fennel, or curry. The food was fine, and we spent a quiet evening listening to Christmas songs. Later, Clkao took us to a peanut soup shop he likes in the night market. The next morning, ICEBONE took me to the famous Fu Hang Soy Milk near Huashan Market. The thick pancake with egg was delicious! Though there was a queue, it was worth it. I'd definitely come back for breakfast with friends.
Location: Hsinchu Chulu Ranch & Zhubei Pasta House & Crosstalk Tile House Comedy Show Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu Chulu Ranch & Zhubei Pasta House & Crosstalk Tile House Comedy Show. Since returning to Taiwan, aside from Changyu coming to drink with me once, I haven't had dinner with friends for a long time. These past two days, I finally managed to meet up with friends. Honestly, lately, Morgan hasn't been doing well. Besides encountering many major events I've never faced before—my grandmother's hospitalization and surgery, breaking up with N, my uncle withdrawing from the legislative election, my grandfather possibly passing away at any time, family matters, going to mainland China, things in mainland China, trivial work issues, making others upset, and my health declining due to lack of exercise... Two days ago, I even made serious mistakes in personal investing. In the volatile market, the over 83% investment return accumulated since the beginning of the year was almost wiped out in just two days before year-end, nearly turning profit into loss. Immersed in the continuously growing capital, I forgot past lessons due to overconfidence. With everything going wrong, even last night when I was writing this article, my computer got infected with a severe virus and almost couldn't boot up. So, I spent energy trying to disinfect it—booting up, shutting down, booting up, shutting down... It took six hours until past 4 a.m. to finally lie down, but the virus still isn't completely gone. A continuous stream of events has left me utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. I can't help but ask myself why I've let so many things become so chaotic. The night before last, Junhong invited me to dinner. I didn't have the energy to go far, so we ate at this Chulu Ranch near Tsinghua University. Although Junhong said he'd treat me, with almost no appetite, I randomly ordered the cheapest three-cup frog rice (90). Junhong got the hotpot upgrade set (310). And last night, two long-unseen...
Location: Hsinchu - Midu Japanese Set Meal & Hejia Pinzhuan & Lao Yunji Dumplings & Zhongda Dumplings Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu - Midu Japanese Set Meal & Hejia Pinzhuan & Lao Yunji Dumplings & Zhongda Dumplings. Looking at the photos piling up on my computer, I feel helpless—I just don't have the energy or time to organize every single one. I'll have to digest them slowly, bit by bit. 1. Midu: This is a Japanese-style set meal restaurant, right at the entrance of Longshan Community. Or, I should say, next to the famous Kaiyuanshe Fried Chicken Cutlet—that should help many locate it. Last weekend, after playing badminton with Zhiqian and Zongwei all afternoon, we came here for dinner. The prices aren't too high; Zongwei and I ordered the curry pork cutlet set ($180), while Zhiqian got the oyakodon ($160?). The set meal was unique, including konjac jelly and a serving of spaghetti. Service was decent, and the main dishes weren't bad either. Overall, it's an okay place. Address: No. 1, Science Park Road. Phone: (03)6686887. 2. Hejia Pinzhuan: Actually, it's a branch of Hejia Restaurant on Guangfu Road. I've eaten at Hejia once or twice before, and my impression was just average—Hsinchu Hejia Noodle Shop's trotter rice. That day, I was originally heading to A.mart for McDonald's, but Changyu dragged me into this branch halfway. Hejia has a distinctive feature: it doesn't look like a typical noodle shop or rice stall at all. Its decor is on par with or even better than set meal restaurants, yet the prices aren't high. Trotters rice is $70, like at any ordinary bento shop. This new branch is even more striking—when I first walked in, I thought I'd entered the wrong place. The entrance looks like the reception desk of a high-end dental clinic. We both ordered the grill and hotpot combo ($100), which includes a small aluminum foil-wrapped grill plate and a mini hotpot. Another characteristic is the wide variety of items. I initially thought I probably wouldn't...
Location: Tainan, Anping, Zhou's Shrimp Rolls & Zhenghxing Preserved Fruits Travel notes summary: In Anping, Tainan, three famous foods are shrimp rolls, tofu pudding, and preserved fruits. Zhou's Shrimp Rolls is the most well-known for shrimp rolls—two rolls wrapped in pork peritoneum, fried, and served with mustard or soy sauce. For preserved fruits, while Yongtaixing is popular, I prefer Zhenghxing for its better service and 'huahemei' (pitted plum), which comes with a buy-ten-get-one-free deal. Though the portions seem smaller now, it's still great for gifts or personal enjoyment. [Shopkeeper, check out, please!]
Location: Tainan, Sanguozhuan Yuanyang Spicy Hot Pot Travel notes summary: In the evening, I went to Sanguozhuan Yuanyang Spicy Hot Pot on Fuqian Road with my friend Panda. We chose a spicy broth and a bone broth base (NT$80 per person, plus NT$150 for the dual pot). The broth, including tofu and spicy duck blood, is refillable, while other ingredients are à la carte. We added beef slices and handmade cuttlefish paste, totaling NT$610. The food was decent, and the atmosphere was great—open 24 hours, perfect for late-night gatherings with friends. Plus, each person gets a scoop of Haagen-Dazs ice cream after the meal!
Location: Tainan, Revisiting Calorie Breakfast (Lunch) Shop Travel notes summary: Calorie is a brunch chain from Taichung, and my senior from university runs a branch in Tainan. The menu is extensive—salads, grilled thick toast, puff pastries, omelet wraps, sandwiches, burgers, and more—all made to order with a focus on health (calorie counts are listed). The food is delicious, but running the shop is tough: my senior starts prepping at 3 AM and works until afternoon. If you're in Tainan, stop by to show some support! Address: No. 2-1, Lane 10, Zhonghua Road, Tainan. Phone: (06)3128667.
Location: Tainan, Ruby Ice Cream & Jiangshuihao Taro Ice Travel notes summary: In the morning, I had a Shandong scallion pancake at Victory Breakfast, a nostalgic spot for Chengda students. Later, with Brother Xu, I stumbled upon Ruby Ice Cream on Minquan Road—a shop run by a Chengda alumna with 20 unique flavors (3 scoops for NT$35). The owner remembered me from years ago! I tried rum, kiwi, and chocolate. Then, at Jiangshuihao in Guohua Street's market, I had taro ice (NT$30). The taro was slightly less fluffy than before but still tasty. Note: In winter, you can order rice cake porridge with taro here!
Location: Tainan Fu Ji Meatballs, Du Hsiao Yueh Danzai Noodles & Lily Fruit Shop Travel notes: Time flies, and the holiday is almost over. On my last day in Tainan, I had lunch with Egg, a senior from the Chef website (www.chef.com.tw). Morgan and Egg became friends back when I helped develop the touch-screen restaurant system he now uses in dozens of restaurants across Taiwan. The Chef dining website he founded has become one of Tainan's top food sites. Back when I followed him around eating and drinking, I learned a lot about Tainan's food culture. That noon, he drove me around Tainan city. Our first stop was Fu Ji Meatballs on Fuqian Road. Anyone who's spent time in Tainan is probably familiar with this place. Tainan meatballs are different from those in central Taiwan—they're often steamed instead of fried, with soft skins wrapped around fillings and drizzled with sauce. Another feature is the free unlimited bone broth. Personally, though, I prefer the meatball stall in front of the Martial Temple. Next, we went to the famous Du Hsiao Yueh Danzai Noodles. I've never been sure whether this old shop on Zhongzheng Road or the Hong Yutou Danzai Noodles on Ximen Road is the true originator of danzai noodles. After checking online, I found the founder was Mr. Hong Yutou, but the family split after the fourth generation. The second son continued using the Du Hsiao Yueh name on Zhongzheng Road, while the eldest inherited the Hong Yutou shop on Ximen Road. Despite being century-old establishments, both successors are actively transforming. The Zhongzheng Road Du Hsiao Yueh is elegantly decorated, making it feel nothing like an old shop, while Hong Yutou has aggressively expanded northward with many branches, even in Hsinchu where I often see them.
Location: Tainan Yamane Sushi Travel note summary: Tainan Yamane Sushi. I'm a bit embarrassed to say this was my first time here, even today. The crowd at the entrance was fierce; we only sat down when the one empty table opened up. My three roommates and I pooled our money to order sushi, salad, and a few bowls of miso soup. Sadly, our funds were limited and our order was meager. The food was okay and reasonably priced, but to get full would have required splurging. Japanese cuisine is like that by nature—a poor student like me couldn't bear to spend much. I don't eat at this type of place often, so it's hard to compare with others. But in terms of value for money, it was just so-so, maybe a 78 out of 100. By Morgan, evening of January 16, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Two Kinds of Confidants Restaurant Travel notes summary: In Tainan, I had lunch with Brother Xu Yiyue at Two Kinds of Confidants Restaurant on Wencheng Road. The chef seems to be a former master from Tainan Grand Hotel. The menu offers a variety of dishes, including rice meals, steaks, and hot pots. I ordered a lamb clay pot (NT$310), while Brother Xu had a plum chicken cutlet rice (NT$290). The food was filling, but I found the prices a bit high for Tainan. However, the small courtyard outside would be lovely for evening dining, reminiscent of places like Chiantella on Dingmei First Street. Address: No. 192, Wencheng Road, Tainan. Phone: (06)2522528. P.S. Thanks to Brother Xu for treating me—if you're ever in Hsinchu, let me return the favor!
Location: Hsinchu Kinai Coffee Travel notes summary: Kinai Coffee (tarot card fortune-telling) in Hsinchu. The day before yesterday, before getting off work, Morgan received a call from Junjie, a university classmate I hadn't seen in a long time. He said he was in Hsinchu and asked if I was free to eat together later. So, soon after, I brought him and Jiajun to this shop in a Dongda Road alley. This was also my third meal with different groups of university classmates within a week. Kinai Coffee is in an alley next to Dongda Road Bridge, right across from the famous Africa Garden. The three of us walked in. Maybe due to the poor location, from entry to exit, there were very few customers all night. Main courses cost around 230-250, but they offer daily specials for only $180. No service charge. All three of us ordered the daily special: white sauce cheese seafood pasta (or rice). Although cheaper, the set meal was quite complete, including bread, soup, a drink, and a jelly. While waiting for the food, we chatted. I was initially tricked by Junjie—he said he came to interview for a Ph.D. at Jiaotong University, which was why he was in Jiajun's lab earlier. Later, he admitted he's still working at Unimicron as a training instructor and was in Hsinchu on a business trip today. As we talked, the food arrived. At first glance, the main course didn't look impressive, but after starting, I found the sauce to be very rich. With its阵阵 aroma, paired with the noodles, I thought the pasta was quite good—worth trying. Another feature of the shop is that the owner and other resident teachers offer tarot card fortune-telling services. Besides paying extra for a session to ask questions, sometimes, as long as you make a purchase, you can tell the staff you want a fortune-telling, and the teacher will come over to let each person ask one question with tarot cards and help解惑. Since Morgan had never tried tarot fortune-telling, I invited the teacher and asked him to do a reading for us. Not being someone who often gets fortunes told, I couldn't think of what to ask—so let's ask about love :P. I drew three cards in sequence, and the teacher explained based on the cards. After the three of us took turns asking questions and drawing cards, looking at the time, it was about time to end tonight's gathering. Overall, this is quite a unique shop, and the food was quite satisfying. Affordable prices with decent performance make you want to come back again... :) Address: 1F, No. 10, Lane 21, Section 1, Dongda Road. Phone: (03)5278813. By Morgan on 2007.8.31.
Location: Yilan, Yishunxuan Bakery Travel Notes: Yilan has a famous bakery called Yishunxuan, which sells Yilan cakes, mochi, nougat, zhuangyuan cakes, and pineapple cakes. A long time ago, I once joined a group order with colleagues for their handmade mochi (10 pieces for 100 NTD). Recently, during a trip to Yilan, I had the chance to visit the main store. What I appreciated most is that, unlike many popular shops that neglect customer service once business booms—like that braised pork restaurant in Sanshing—Yishunxuan has many friendly staff who greet you warmly. Besides excellent service, they even offer you drinks occasionally. Even when the store is crowded, it doesn’t feel overwhelming. In terms of service alone, they do an outstanding job. This time, I bought mochi and Yilan cakes; both were quite good—the mochi is chewy, and the Yilan cake is light and crispy. Yishunxuan also offers delivery, so you don’t have to visit in person to enjoy their treats. :) Address: No. 160, Minquan Road, Luodong Town. Phone: (03)9550216-7. Website: http://www.pon.com.tw By Morgan on 2007.8.13
Location: Hsinchu Island Cafe Travel notes summary: Island Cafe in Hsinchu. A newly met online friend, DreamingMN, invited me to Island Cafe. I've been here a few times before, but either there were no seats or it was too late for food service. The entire shop is decorated in blue and white to create a Greek ambiance, including the images at the top of the menu. Like typical set-meal cafes, the menu offers pasta, gratin, etc., with prices starting around $240, including bread, soup, a small dessert, and a drink. From what I recall, I ordered a spicy shrimp penne pasta ($260). Since I hadn't been here before, I'm not sure if the chef changed, but compared to the high ratings I saw online, tonight's meal was quite disappointing. Honestly, I felt the food wasn't particularly outstanding @@a. Just for reference... Address: No. 37, Dongshan Street, Hsinchu City. Phone: (03)5711708. By Morgan on 2007.8.6.
Location: Hsinchu JR Cafe Fashion Hall Travel notes summary: JR Cafe Fashion Hall in Hsinchu. Another long-time reader of my blog, celine, invited me to eat at this JR Cafe Fashion Hall one day. It's located right across from the Lakeshore Hotel. It shares the same name as the JR in Jinshan Street, so when paying, I casually asked the staff and found out this is actually a branch of JR Gia Western Restaurant. Even though the location is quite remote, business seems decent. The interior is nicely decorated, and the menu is similar to JR's, offering gratin, pasta, etc., below steak options. I ordered a seafood gratin pasta (280 + 10% service charge), which came with soup, bread, salad, and a drink. I've tried JR's steak before and thought it was pretty good: Hsinchu JR (Gia Western Restaurant). This time, the gratin was okay, but maybe because the appetizers were already quite filling, I felt pretty full later on. Plus, gratin can get heavy, so I struggled to finish it, but I slowly managed to eat the whole plate—though the marginal satisfaction dropped a lot. Anyway~ overall, the prices here are slightly higher, but the decor and atmosphere are nice. Address: No. 28, Lane 775, Minghu Road. Phone: (03)5293456. By Morgan on 2007.8.6. P.S. Taiwan really isn't just small—it's incredibly small! That night, during our chat, I discovered that my elementary school classmate, Zhang Jiawei, is actually celine's university senior, and they know each other too. Orz......
Location: Hsinchu Java Hut Coffee & Set Meals Travel notes summary: Java Hut Coffee & Set Meals in Hsinchu. On Saturday morning, I met with Zhiqian to swim at Lianyuan, which is outsourced by UMC. Last year, I spent most weekends playing badminton, so I rarely came here to swim. After swimming, going through hydrotherapy, sauna, steam room, etc., and finishing a relaxing SPA, it was almost noon. After exercising, let's go find food in Jinshan Street! I also called Boren, who had just finished a night shift at Powerchip. So, the three of us came to this newly opened small shop, Java Hut. The shop isn't big, with limited seating—at most, the four-person table we sat at. Currently, they only offer four set meal options (all $250) and two cold noodle dishes ($160-180). I ordered red wine braised beef rice, while the others got rosemary pork chop rice and seafood cold noodles. It came with bread and a drink. The food was decent, nothing particularly amazing. However, the shop doesn't charge a service fee, and the staff's attitude was good. Seeing us chatting happily later, the店员 even brought us a plate of fruit. It's an okay place. Just for reference~ Address: No. 173, Jinshan Street. Phone: (03)6686672. By Morgan on 2007.8.6.
Location: Taichung, Misacun World Food Village (All-You-Can-Eat) Travel Notes: Last weekend back in Taichung, my mom happened to have a discount coupon for Misacun, so Morgan drove my dad and mom to this somewhat famous restaurant in Taichung. The dining style is all-you-can-eat, and there's an outdoor garden for a stroll. Besides the salad bar in the middle of the hall, other dishes are served tableside, somewhat similar to Hong Kong-style dim sum. Servants bring cooked dishes on plates to your side and ask if you want them; if yes, they leave them. The variety of dishes is quite good: fried pork intestine, Five-Spice Pork Intestine with Blood Cake, German pork knuckle, stir-fried shrimp, grilled icefish, Peking duck, Kung Pao chicken, stewed chicken soup, etc., plus cold and hot dishes at the bar, cocktails, cakes, drinks, ice cream, fruit... The selection is relatively rich. However, in terms of food quality, only less than half of the dishes could be considered satisfactory. Finally, the discount coupon gives 20% off on holidays; per person seems to be 485+10%. After paying, they give you new discount coupons. Personally, I think at the discounted price, it's reasonable. But at over 500 NTD per person, there should be other better options. As for the original price without a coupon, it might be hard to make people want to walk in. Just for reference! Address: No. 151, Section 1, Wuquan West Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)23762233. By Morgan on 2007.8.6
Location: Hsinchu Xishi Shantou Restaurant Travel notes summary: Xishi Shantou Restaurant (satay hotpot) in Hsinchu. I had a meal with my junior Shengzhi two weeks ago. I didn't even know he was in Hsinchu until I ran into him on the street—Taiwan really is small! He took me to this place tucked away in an alley near the City God Temple, right next to a bunch of meatball shop signs (like Hairui, Lin Family, and Shangge). We walked into a path that felt like a traditional market. My junior, Bongbong, is also a food enthusiast, so he's been exploring eateries in Hsinchu tirelessly. That's how he brought me to this spot—a place I'd passed by many times but never noticed or entered. We ordered two plates of beef fried noodles ($60 each, total $120), a bowl of fish dumpling soup ($40), and asked the owner to stir-fry a mixed platter (beef, beef liver, etc.) for $210. The two of us ate nearly $400 worth. My junior said the satay sauce here rivals the famous Xiaohaozhou satay hotpot in Tainan. It's been years since I last ate at Xiaohaozhou in a Tainan alley, so my memory of its satay flavor is a bit fuzzy. Honestly, I prefer not to add too many condiments when I eat. Satay is fragrant, but its strong taste can easily overpower the food itself. So, I admit I can't really distinguish good satay from bad, but Bongbong highly recommends it. If you're interested, give it a try! When paying the bill, I saw the sign outside that read 'Xishi Shantou Restaurant' and suddenly realized—this is one of Hsinchu's famous old shops! They've opened fancier branches elsewhere, but the unassuming original location is hidden in this alley... Main store address: No. 70, Xi'an Street, Hsinchu City. Phone: (03)5244430. By Morgan on 2007.7.31. P.S. Speaking of satay and beef, I recently tried a new delicious satay beef noodle shop on Nanda Road (corrected by a forum friend—it's not new but an over-20-year-old establishment :)). Their satay noodles are served in soup, different from the usual stir-fried version. However, the beef felt overly tenderized, maybe with tenderizer or papaya powder. Just adding this for reference.
Location: Hsinchu Chenlan Cafe (Free Style Cafe) Travel notes: It had been a while since dining with friends from ITRI. One night, we planned to try the relocated Yunnan Feng, but found the owner out buying ingredients. Disappointed, I took them to nearby Chenlan Cafe. I'd been here two or three times, the first almost three years ago: Hsinchu City---Free Style Cafe. The exterior hasn't changed much, still blue and white, creating a relaxed vibe. Back then, the German pork knuckle was 220 NT; now it's 250. Yixin, Qijun, and I all ordered the pork knuckle, while Changyu got grilled chicken cutlet. The German pork knuckle here is, in my opinion, a great value-for-money main dish. Usually in Western restaurants, it's hard to find under 350-380 NT. Here, though the portion is slightly smaller, the main course is just over 200 NT, and it comes with a full set: salad, soup, dessert, and drink—really a good deal. Cutting a slice of freshly roasted pork knuckle, dipping it in mustard and sauerkraut, the slight sourness brings out more flavor in the meat. If you suddenly crave German pork knuckle in Hsinchu and don't want to spend too much, this is a place to consider.
Location: Hsinchu Beimen Fried Rice Cakes & Xiao's Dumplings Travel notes: A grad school junior, Jiankai, recently finished diplomatic alternative service in Africa and traveled solo in South America for months. After returning to Taiwan, he came to Hsinchu to eat with me. Since he'd barely been to Hsinchu, I wanted to show him some local specialties. First, we went to Beimen Fried Rice Cakes, a century-old shop in Hsinchu I wrote about before: Jinmen Gaokeng Beef Jerky & Hsinchu Beimen Fried Rice Cakes. I really like their fried items, especially the oyster pancake and fried garlic—delicious and not greasy. Later, I took him to another place I frequent more: Hsinchu Xiao's Dumplings. I come here so often the owner recognizes me and always greets me. I've tried almost everything on the menu (noodles, dumplings, etc.). I prefer their red bean bun over the famous soup dumplings. The smooth red bean filling is fragrant when freshly steamed. The soup dumplings come with a special spicy sauce that's very appetizing. No wonder customers keep coming despite the inconspicuous storefront.
Location: Hsinchu Yonghe Soy Milk King Travel note summary: It was almost 8 PM on Friday two weeks ago when I got a call from Champ, my senior. He had just finished work and, thinking it had been a while since we last met, asked me out for a meal. Since I hadn't eaten much that evening, we decided to meet at the Tsinghua University Night Market. While many places in the night market don’t leave a lasting impression, spots like Tenya Donburi, Rokaku Workshop Ramen, and this Yonghe Soy Milk King are among my personal favorites—I’ve been to each multiple times. However, this Yonghe branch tends to open late or sometimes not at all, making timing tricky. My senior, fresh off work at Sunplus Media, looked exhausted, mentioning he’d left early today due to a product deadline. As we chatted, we enjoyed their xiaolongbao, pan-fried dumplings, and egg pancakes. The dumplings are always plump and flavorful—a must-order for me—and the xiaolongbao pairs perfectly with a bowl of hot soy milk. A satisfying meal that doesn’t break the bank. Address: Near the Wenjiao Xincheng side of Tsinghua University Night Market. By Morgan, July 11, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Maedaya Japanese Charcoal Yakiniku All-You-Can-Eat Travel note summary: I’d heard about this Japanese yakiniku place almost three years ago when I first came to Hsinchu, but back then, rumors of poor service kept me away. One weekend evening after playing badminton with friends from UMC, we suddenly remembered this spot and decided to give it a try. Perhaps management had changed—the owner’s attitude seemed quite friendly. This meal was also to bid farewell to Yanlu, who’s leaving UMC for a career shift to Sinyi Realty, meaning he won’t be joining our weekend games anymore. I wanted us to eat and drink our fill, leaving with no regrets. Weekday lunch is NT$229+10%, while all other times including weekend dinners are NT$299+10%. The menu isn’t huge, but excluding veggies, there are about 15 meat and seafood options—all the basics like chicken thigh, shrimp, beef slices, and intestines are decent, with varied marinades. The chicken even uses curry, so for the price, it’s quite satisfying. Afterward, we headed to Zongwei’s place nearby for several glasses of red and white wine, toasting to our friend’s big life decision and wishing him all the best! Address: No. 15, Jinshan Street. Phone: (03)6662666. By Morgan, July 11, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Er Fen Ju (Bisque) Exotic Food House Travel note summary: One day before leaving work, my high school friend Junguo messaged me on MSN to grab a meal. Remembering he’s now in a PhD program at Tsinghua University, we later met at this spot that offers a 10% discount for Tsinghua students. Heading upstairs and pushing open the door, we chose a seat by the wall. Looking at the menu, I ordered a baked German pork knuckle (NT$250), while my friend got a crispy plum chicken leg rice set (NT$200+50). The difference between à la carte and set is that à la carte includes soup and drink, while adding NT$50 gets you salad and dessert. My pork knuckle had an extra baked cheese layer, which looked unique. The main dish tasted fine, but with the soup and drink being quite ordinary, overall it felt just okay—nothing particularly memorable. Just my personal take for reference :P. Address: 2F, No. 64, Jiangang 1st Road. Phone: (03)5728331. By Morgan, July 11, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Yapi Sichuan Restaurant Travel note summary: To gather everyone before Little Snowflake heads to Germany, our leader Big Boss once again rallied the Hsinchu gang of bloggers last Friday night at this Yapi Sichuan Restaurant on Zhongxiao Road. This place has been around in Hsinchu for quite a while. Due to various reasons, turnout was smaller this time—only Fish Family, Rita, Little Snowflake, Coffee Latte, Zai Zai Bear, and Morgan. Those who didn’t dine but stopped by to pick up Hei Shi Fu roll cookies included Haying’s family and Judy. Even Big Boss Elfin Cat rushed over, packed a takeout box, and caught a train to Yilan for a trip. Being a Sichuan restaurant, the dishes on the table were vividly colored—mostly red and other hues. We ordered seven dishes and a soup, including mapo tofu, spicy chicken, five-spice pork intestines, and stir-fried beef with chili. As someone not big on spice, I only tried a bit of each, finding that dishes with more visible chilies weren’t necessarily the spiciest—the real heat hid in subtler ones. At this gathering, Haying’s little Apple made her debut—absolutely adorable. Rita, just back from a business trip to Japan, also brought Uji tea handmade sweets for everyone to try. Non-spicy photos: ; Spicy photos: ; Thanks to Haying and Rita for these photos: . Though this gathering wasn’t as large or long as before, we upheld the Hsinchu gang tradition of never missing out on food and drink. However, even with Zai Zai Bear’s VIP card giving an 85% discount, each person still paid NT$345. Considering all the dishes (some weren’t standout), and perhaps because I’m not a huge spice fan, I personally found it a bit pricey. Just for reference :P. Address: No. 13, Zhongxiao Road. Phone: (03)5721146. By Morgan, July 11, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Vivaldi Coffee Salon Travel note summary: I’ve passed by this cafe tucked in a remote corner of Jinshan Street many times, but hearing from friends that prices inside aren’t cheap kept me from trying it. However, last time at Sheng Tie Restaurant, I heard from Old Man that Vivaldi was changing management. So last Sunday evening, after playing ball with friends like Zhiqian and Wensheng, on a whim we decided to give it a try. I also called Junhong, who lives nearby and is always busy at Creative Electronics, to join us for a rare dinner out. From the outside, the interior design isn’t clear, and the vibe feels pricey, making it easy to hesitate. After we entered, the whole evening, aside from another table with one customer in a cap, there were only our six people. Could this be considered a VIP private booking? But from the shop’s perspective, it’s a real issue. The menu is similar to nearby JR Gia Western Restaurant, even feeling slightly pricier than JR. Steak dishes are high-end, with a few pasta options, though not many. Even though the Taiwan stock market hit 9,000, I didn’t make much, so I ordered the cheapest seafood squid ink pasta (NT$280+10%). Some friends got 8oz sirloin steak and grilled lamb chops (both NT$480+10%) or other pastas. Actually, a set including salad, soup, garlic bread, drink, and dessert at the cheapest NT$280+10% isn’t outrageously expensive. The steak was reportedly fine by those who ordered it, and sides were okay. But my squid ink pasta, though loaded with squid, didn’t taste great, and I couldn’t tell it was made with squid ink. The mashed potatoes beside a friend’s steak were even undercooked, sent back to the kitchen. Another friend’s lamb chops were just okay, not worth the price. So aside from the steak being fine, the other dishes that night didn’t win much favor. The door advertises a 10% customer reward discount, which just offsets the service charge. At this price minus service fee, I personally think if the shop targets high-end customers, it needs more effort and care to refine the food and service, making guests feel it’s worth it. If they aim to increase foot traffic first, they should widen the price gap between high and low tiers, as the cheapest set still costs over NT$300, facing stiff competition in Jinshan Street. If the food isn’t outstanding, it’s hard to attract repeat customers. Service was acceptable, decor and atmosphere quite nice, but without nailing the basics like food and pricing, I can’t help but worry about this cafe’s future. Address: No. 15, Jinshan 18th Street. Phone: (03)5774258. By Morgan, July 11, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Suginoya Japanese Cuisine (closed) Travel notes: It's been a while since I went out alone to hunt for food. Since the baseball season started, I often buy a Subway sandwich and watch games all night. But one day last week, with no game of my team on, I rode my scooter to Linsen Road to wander. I saw the old place stinky tofu near Banyan Tree, but it was full. So I parked near a bank and strolled around looking for a place to eat. I came across a shop I'd read about long ago but never tried because its exterior was so peculiar—you couldn't see inside at all. I always passed by. This time, I mustered courage, pushed the door open, and went in. To my surprise, from inside you also couldn't see outside—not sure if that's good or bad. The owner seemed surprised by my sudden entry (understandable, as customers here are probably regulars; it takes resolve to push that door open!). Inside was completely different from what I imagined—no fancy decor, just a homely space with a revolving counter seating only a few. Being the only customer, I took my time ordering. It felt like a family-run Japanese restaurant; the owner was minding the shop while督促ing her kid with homework. From the owner's Japanese accent and conversation with his wife, he seemed Japanese; the wife was hard to tell (her Mandarin and Japanese were both fluent). The menu had quite a range: sashimi, grilled items, to rice hot pots. Alone, I ordered an eel rice hot pot ($150). Besides the main, it came with a plate of potato stew and miso soup. Simple but freshly made. The grilled eel tasted good, and I finished off the rice crust. Price-wise, not super cheap, but everything was decent, even the rich miso soup. Grilled items seemed their specialty, but the setting was simple and seats limited. For the shop, focusing on Japanese bento like Senju原 in Xinzhuang Street might be easier to run, just my thought.
Since starting this blog, I've really made many new friends. One of them, Rex, contacted me after reading it and invited me to a meal. So this Monday, we met at this yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) place. (Originally, we planned to eat at Yunnan Wind, but after Rex called, we found out they were moving to a new location across the street and were renovating.) Jineixiong Station is in the same alley as Taizhiwei, formerly a famous beef noodle area in Hsinchu. The interior decor has some character, and there seems to be a large private room upstairs for gatherings. Besides à la carte, there are two set meal options with different prices based on group size. For two people, the cheaper set (Vitality Meal) is NT$690, and the more expensive one I think was NT$880. Adding NT$130 to the set lets you include a Japanese hot pot originally priced around NT$250-300. Not knowing the portion size, we just ordered the NT$690 set. While waiting, Rex and I started chatting. He graduated from NCTU, studied industrial engineering abroad, and now works at Winbond. Though 15 years older than me, since I also studied industrial engineering/management and we share some common ground, plus his cheerful personality, we really hit it off—the age gap was completely unnoticeable, and we talked all night without running out of topics. As we chatted, the set meal arrived: a starter salad, four plates of meat, a mixed seafood plate, a mixed vegetable plate, and a pot of broth. The service was decent. Personally, I feel the meat quality isn't quite as good as places like Shinbashi or Daiwayen in Hsinchu, but it's still better than Shinkansen or Hongyuan—somewhere in the upper-middle range. The seafood was just okay, but the sweet potatoes in the mixed vegetables were quite good. Overall, while the ingredients weren't entirely satisfying, the meal was filling—we were both quite stuffed. When paying, I thought my Changyi Life Card would give a 10% discount, but the server said only 5%. In my surprise, I forgot to ask if Rex's Winbond card had any special offer. Still, NT$690 with no service fee and a discount came to about NT$330 per person. For a Japanese BBQ meal, that's quite reasonable.
Location: Taichung, Xu Family Village Noodle Restaurant Travel Notes: One Saturday afternoon, after having afternoon tea at Starbucks with friends (I put the Starbucks photo at the top just for the latte's sake, totally unrelated) and discussing some matters, I went home without resting and drove my family out. In the evening, we arrived at bustling Beiping Road, which has many shops gathered. Last time we ate at Lao Xiang's place; this time, we came to another popular spot, Xu Family Village. My family had been here several times, but it was my first visit. However, I'd seen it introduced on a food show before, so it wasn't unfamiliar. We ordered Tomato Beef Noodles (80), Pickled Cabbage with Pork Noodles (80), Miso Vegetable Sea Bream Noodles (90), Italian Tomato Seafood Fried Noodles (80), plus a stir-fried vegetable plate, some side dishes, and a very cost-effective Hot and Sour Soup (35). From the TV show, this place boasts the best hand-pulled noodles in Taichung. After they were served, I couldn't wait to pick up my chopsticks, grab a noodle from the black pot, and put it in my mouth. The noodles are similar to udon but have high stickiness, and due to different preparation methods, they carry a wok-fired aroma, making me chew a few more times before swallowing. Unlike Lao Xiang's variety (which also has dumplings, dough drop soup, etc.), here the focus is on their hand-pulled noodles. The left side of the menu is almost all noodle dishes, the right side is simple meals—clear and straightforward. After the meal, I took the bill to the counter; four people only ate 445 NTD, quite affordable. Compared to my last experience at Ruo Liu Yi Jin, I think I prefer this place. Just for reference~~ Address: No. 133, Section 3, Beiping Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22301838. By Morgan on 2007.5.25
One noon after playing badminton with friends, we looked for a place to eat. First, we went to Island Coffee, but it was full with a wait. Then I remembered Azure Sky, which I'd been to before and had a nice atmosphere. Carrying our gear, the three of us went to Xuefu Road. We chose a seat by the window. What I really appreciate here is how they use partitions to create separate spaces for different customers. After exercising, sitting here felt very comfortable on a weekend afternoon. The menu includes rice sets and hot pots, generally priced between NT$200-300. I ordered a cheese chicken cutlet set (NT$250), and my friends got tomato-based and cheese pork cutlet sets. The tomato sauce had a tangy flavor that paired well with the meat. The set came with a starter soup (meatball soup), dessert, fruit, and a drink. For the price, it's quite reasonable. But for me, I like the atmosphere here more than the food. The owner clearly prioritizes keeping the place clean. When only our table was left chatting past 2 PM, the staff took the chance to mop, wipe tables, and clean the restroom. The spacious interior, thoughtful partitions, and soft lighting create a cozy vibe. This place is quite suitable for afternoon tea.
One day after work last week, I got a call from Little Snowflake saying the 'Hsinchu Gang' suddenly wanted to have a meal together, so I went to Meishi Restaurant. This was the second time the group chose this place for a gathering. Meishi has a small space but wins everyone over with its excellent shared dishes, affordable prices, and the warm, familial attitude of the owner couple. With a budget of around NT$300 per person, you can get a full table of delicious food. Just a few days later, my company dinner was at Chuanjia Life Bistro, which I've been to several times. It focuses on Hakka cuisine and is also very reasonably priced. A NT$3,000 budget for a table can feed everyone quite satisfactorily, and the food quality is consistently good. Both are great options for group meals.
Location: Hsinchu, Jiang Zhi Hu Japanese Cuisine Travel notes: May 1st, Labor Day, is also Morgan's parents' wedding anniversary. So of course I didn't go home—I let them celebrate alone. I stayed in Hsinchu to rest for the day. After reading manga all afternoon, I returned home. In the evening, I got a call from John and went to his place to chat about some things. Thanks to his family's hospitality, I had dinner there. After leaving John's, I called Changyu, who had invited me to eat, but I told him I was already full. He said, "No problem, just come hang out!" (Hmm, sounds like I'm a host or something = =). Soon after, I ended up at Jiang Zhi Hu Japanese Cuisine in Qingye. I've been here a few times before—it's listed as the 79th restaurant in "90 Restaurants Morgan Ate in Hsinchu." Its main feature is affordability. Upstairs, I saw Changyu, Aunt Dolphin, and KuaKua's brother. Besides their own teishoku and donburi, they'd also ordered soba noodles. So I picked up my chopsticks and started my second dinner of the evening @@a. Aunt Dolphin had come down from Taipei to visit Changyu today. She's a friend I met through some college classmates at a cram school years ago. I'd heard about her often, but today was our first meeting—nice to meet you! As for KuaKua's brother, he got into Feng Chia University's Aerospace Department this year, so Changyu brought him here to celebrate. An odd group, but Changyu gathered us all at one table despite none of us having met before = =. After the meal, thanks to Changyu for picking up the tab. The prices here are indeed cheap—two pork cutlet teishoku, one donburi, and soba noodles came to around 500 NTD.
Last Friday night, the newlywed couple Shih-chuan and Chu-chen invited me to play badminton, but the court was fully booked, so we disbanded. Back home, just as I turned on the TV to watch a baseball game, my phone rang—it was Wen-cheng asking if I'd eaten and inviting me to join a group of friends for dinner. Even though I'd already eaten a bit, meeting friends for a chat sounded nice, so I soon headed to Gudu Restaurant on Jinshan Street. I'd been here before with club friends. Though they no longer offer unlimited drinks, I still think it's decent for the price and ambiance. Strangely, for a Friday night, there were hardly any customers—maybe because it was already past 7 PM. Our group of eight chatted about work in tech companies and IT topics while enjoying dishes like fried pork intestine, stir-fried mountain vegetables, three-cup chicken, and more. The bill came to just NT$110 per person. I really can't figure out why it was so empty that night. Last Saturday evening, I played badminton with Zhi-qian, Zong-wei, and the incredibly strong Li-ren大哥 (he won 15 straight games, even 1 vs. 2 in the last two!). We played until almost 9 PM, then went looking for dinner/supper with Zhi-qian and Zong-wei. It was too late—Yunnan Wind, Island Coffee, and Azure Sky were either closed or not serving food. Tangren Street Restaurant next door gave the same answer, so we ended up at Xiao Hei's Shop on Gongdao 5th Road. We ordered stir-fried sweet potato leaves, ginger-scallion pork intestines, fried pork chops, and preserved vegetable soup. Not realizing rice was free-refill, we also got a plate of fried noodles. The bill was NT$170 per person. Personally, I'd rate the food around 70/100—slightly below other beer houses on the same road.
Location: Taipei, Dosanko Sanroku Sanuki Udon Travel note snippet: Met up with an old friend, Xiao Yu, who's also the moderator of the 'Full Moon and Stars' BBS food board. The three of us went to Dosanko Sanroku Sanuki Udon on Fuxing South Road. We arrived early at 11:10 AM, so the place was still empty. The tempura and side dishes are self-service. After grabbing some inari sushi and tempura, we ordered udon at the counter. The udon was soft yet chewy, and the broth was light and refreshing. Though the toppings weren't particularly impressive, the noodles and soup were quite appealing. The place is small and gets crowded, so we couldn't linger. After the meal, we moved to a nearby Seattle Coffee and chatted until 5:30 PM. Time flies when catching up with old friends!
Location: Taipei, Fukusuke Japanese Pork Cutlet Restaurant Travel note snippet: For dinner, I met up with my junior, Jiayang, from UrMap near Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. We stumbled upon Fukusuke, a tonkatsu specialty shop. It's part of the Mercuries Group, so ordering is similar to their beef noodle chain. We ordered two sets of crispy pork loin katsu for NT$140 each. The set came with rice, miso soup, side dishes, and dessert. The pork cutlet had a crispy coating reminiscent of KFC, and the meat was tender. With unlimited cabbage refills at this price, it's quite competitive. The SOGO branch filled up quickly after 6 PM, so we didn't linger after eating.
Last Saturday, the Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli meetup from the backpacker forum was held at the Ganzai Dian branch near the Hsinchu Performing Arts Center. Ganzai Dian is a famous organic supermarket in Hsinchu that also serves healthy meals. Before 10:30 AM, ordering a drink comes with a complimentary breakfast set. I ordered a 'Magic Adam' drink, which arrived with a small timer—the server said to open the lid after three minutes when it beeps. The breakfast plate was generous, with a hot dog, ham, a fried egg, three multigrain bread slices, and two servings of fruit. Eating here with sunlight streaming through the window felt satisfyingly leisurely. During the meetup, the organizer Joyce mentioned a good noodle shop nearby for out-of-town friends. My friend Sheng-shun asked about it and came back with just 'Linsen Road' and 'no signboard' as clues. I immediately knew—it had to be the 'Banyan Tree Noodle Shop' I wrote about earlier. Sure enough, that was it. Since Sheng-shun hadn't tried it, we went there later. I specifically asked if they had pork bone soup; the auntie said it's only available at certain times, like 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM. Since it was just past 2 PM, we pre-ordered two bowls. Along with dry noodles, flat rice noodles, and a large plate of braised dishes, we ate heartily for only NT$220. I think their soy paste and chili bean sauce are standout features—they really enhance the flavor. Since I visited again so soon, I took some extra photos.
Location: Hsinchu Moji Lamb Stir-fried Noodles, Lamb Soup Travel notes: One night after playing badminton with friends, it was past 10 PM when we left the gym. The night was calm, no wind or rain—perfect for a late-night snack. Xiao Zhu suggested, 'How about I take you to a place for lamb stir-fried noodles? It's similar to the one on Jingguo Road.' The rest of us, hungry after exercise, were all for it. We walked along Nanda Road toward Minghu Road, and shortly after passing Zhenxing Road, we saw a shop with a yellow signboard on the left that read 'Moji.' We went in and each ordered the standard set: lamb stir-fried noodles (70 NT) + lamb soup (50 NT), plus an extra plate of stir-fried lamb with kale (100 NT). The noodles weren't as oily as the ones from Lamb Zheng near Jingguo Park (on Guanghua Street), and tasted fine. If you don't like spicy, better tell the owner in advance. The lamb soup, only 50 NT, seemed brewed with some herbs and had plenty of lamb slices—great value for money. Unlike Lamb Zheng where you might eat in the park exposed to the elements, here we had a proper shop to sit comfortably. It's a great spot for dinner or a late-night meal, and they also have lamb hotpot for winter. I'll bring friends back to try it next time, I thought as we stepped out, full.
Location: Hsinchu Luoji Beef Cat Ear Noodles & Banyan Tree Noodle Shop Travel notes: Another night of aimless wandering in Hsinchu. Passing by Shuiyuan Street, I saw the old location of the relocated Dumpling King. On a whim, I turned in and soon spotted Luoji Cat Ear Noodles. I'd seen it featured on a food show before, which suddenly made me crave cat ear noodles—probably why I ended up here unconsciously. Though tucked in a narrow alley, the shop is surprisingly spacious inside. It was busy, but I managed to snag an empty table. I ordered the beef cat ear noodles (forgot if it was 70 or 80 NT). The bowl arrived with generous beef chunks, a fragrant aroma, and chewy, cat-ear-shaped dough pieces. I really enjoyed it and would come back to try other items. The other shop, Banyan Tree Noodles, I first heard about from Rita's blog, then saw Latte also tried it. It's truly a hidden gem. Simplest directions: from Xida Road toward the station, turn left onto Linsen Road, then right into a steep alley opposite Tianxiang Huiwei Hotpot (likely Nanwai Street). It's on the left at the first alley—easy to miss without a tip. Approaching, I saw a few aunts busily cooking and serving. No menu, but from Rita's review, I asked for pork bone soup, only to hear, 'Sorry, sold out!' So I settled for dry noodles and a meatball soup to fill up. Like Luoji, the shop is narrow in front but expands inside with many round tables, also bustling. I barely found a seat by the wall. Observing, I noticed an interesting contrast: Luoji's affordable prices attract mostly students, while Banyan Tree's regulars are older, loyal customers in their 40s–50s who know the place. The dry noodles mixed with bean paste were refreshing, quickly finished with the meatball soup. A simple, satisfying meal for just 55 NT. It'd be better with a group, ordering braised dishes and veggies—a unique spot hidden in an unassuming alley.
Location: Hsinchu, Yuan Teishoku Travel Notes Summary: After playing badminton with friends on Saturday, we wandered around Jinshan Street and randomly chose Yuan Teishoku. I'd heard of this chain, and from the coaster, learned it's under the same group as Mabu Tea House and Egg Egg House. The place was packed during dinner. The menu lives up to its name, with 24 teishoku options covering sashimi, fried items, grilled dishes, stews, and rice bowls, priced from NT$200 to over NT$400. There are also family combos. We took a while to decide. I ordered the Den-Gaku Chicken Leg Teishoku (NT$210), while friends had pork cutlet and oyakodon teishoku. Adding NT$80 gets dessert and drink, including matcha parfait. The set comes with two side dishes, miso soup, and mountain vegetable rice (rice options available). The main dishes were well-cooked—the sesame oil chicken leg and pork cutlet were fine. Though portions looked small, we were full after finishing the rice. Overall, it's similar in price to Mabu Tea House but focused on Japanese meals. With the 10% service charge, it can exceed NT$400 if you add dessert. But since it's near the science park, there are corporate discounts (5% off before service charge).
Location: Hsinchu, Shinbashi Shokudo New Japanese Cuisine Travel Notes Summary: On Sunday noon, while watching an anime, my friend Junhong called to ask if I wanted lunch. We went to Wenhua Street near the Hsinchu Moat and entered a house that looked like a regular residence—but inside was a different world. Shinbashi Shokudo is a branch of the famous Shinbashi Yakiniku. Since I like the yakiniku place, I had decent expectations. The restaurant was full, so we shared a large table with others. We took off our shoes and got a wooden key for the shoe cabinet. The interior has wooden floors, with two seating areas: one with floor cushions, the other with large wooden tables for 12 split in half. It's designed for groups of 4–8. The menu blends Japanese dishes with creativity. We ordered Italian Crispy Chicken Leg Salad (NT$180), Pork Neck Stone Pot Rice (NT$180), Soft Shell Crab Sushi (NT$180), and Grilled Eel (NT$140). The stone pot rice was mixed by the staff—okay for filling up. The crispy chicken with onion and vinegar sauce was tasty. The grilled eel portion was small. The soft shell crab sushi, with deep-fried crab inside, was decent—reminiscent of a dish I had long ago at A-Plus in Taipei. Overall, the food is above average, but with a 10% service charge, our meal totaled NT$748—not cheap. The dim lighting and wooden floors create a nice atmosphere, though the fast-paced music might be to speed up turnover. Afterward, I read manga near NTHU, ending a quiet afternoon.
Location: Hsinchu, Free Traveler Coffee & Sanzhi, Sanzhi Little Pig Travel Notes Summary: One afternoon, I brought friends from Tainan to Free Traveler Coffee to use the Wi-Fi for a discussion. I'd heard about this place from Hsinchu foodie gatherings, though I wasn't part of them initially. I read through everyone's blog posts about it. Today, we just had drinks (fruit tea, hot chocolate, coffee, around NT$150 each), so I can't comment on the food, but the cozy decor, cute menu, and nice tableware made it relaxing. Interestingly, the shop is very close to my old place in Longshan Community, but sometimes you hesitate to visit nearby spots. From a blog, I learned the owner is a senior's high school classmate—small world! Speaking of afternoon tea and Hsinchu foodies, after visiting the Lee Tian-lu Puppet Museum, we went to Sanzhi Little Pig to pick up pre-ordered toast. I don't often visit the north coast, so this was my first time. The toast is famous, and the backyard has a lawn—a nice spot for snacks or tea, though it's popular and often crowded.
Location: Taichung, Qiao Family Courtyard, Jingzhuan Cuisine Travel Notes: My brother was lucky enough to get into NTU's Graduate Institute of Electronics, so one noon, our whole family and grandma came to this Qiao Family Courtyard to celebrate. When I first heard the name, which is the same as that famous historical drama, I instinctively thought it must serve big, banquet-style dishes. But after going in, I didn't see any round tables—mostly square tables for four. Like many simple meal restaurants, you mark your order on a sheet and pay at the counter. Looking at the menu, I realized it was completely different from what I imagined. Besides some side dishes, there are no shared platters; almost everything is individual meals, more like a combination of a noodle shop and a simple meal restaurant. There are soup noodles, dry noodles, rice dishes, small hot pots—probably over forty items in total, all at mid-to-low prices targeting that market. We ordered Qiao Family Tomato Beef Noodle Soup, Authentic Hebei Zhajiang Noodles, Northeastern Pickled Cabbage Hot Pot, Qiao Family Hometown Hot Pot, Korean Kimchi Pork Intestine Tofu Stew, Honey-glazed Grilled Eel Rice, plus two plates of Qiao Family Mixed Braised Dishes and Tainan Shrimp Rolls. You can see the name is quite misleading—it's not just Shanxi cuisine but a mix of everything from all over. Personally, I found some dishes a bit heavy on flavor, like the beef noodles, tofu stew, and mixed braised dishes. But overall, the restaurant seems to aim for a cheap-and-hearty image, as this meal for six only cost 900 NTD. Each meal comes with a large 60 NTD drink (like typical simple meal places, pay extra for upgrades). Even if you're not full from the food, finishing that drink will do it. So, unlike regular noodle shops or simple meal restaurants that often cost 200-300 NTD, this place has a competitive edge with decent food. No wonder it's bustling during meal times. There are four branches in Taichung; today we tried the newly opened Jianxing branch. Address: No. 464, Jianxing Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22029685. By Morgan on 2007.4.10
Location: Hsinchu, Jipinyuan Small Hot Pot & Guguji Small Hot Pot Travel Notes Summary: Looking at my recent 20 posts, 16 are about food—I haven't had time to write about anything else! I need to clear out my photo backlog first. Jipinyuan is on Ciyun Road, in the former location of Yachu (all-you-can-eat curry hot pot). The spot isn't great, so business seems tough. After Yachu closed, I brought friends here after playing badminton. The shop offers affordable small hot pots ranging from NT$100 to NT$120, with options like beef, lamb, seafood, sesame oil chicken, and stinky tofu hot pot. Similar in price to Sanma, but the portions feel slightly bigger. My take: decent value for money, though I worry about the business (only one table at 6 PM). As for Guguji, I tried it after a blog reader, chensj, invited me for drinks. Though not a big drinker, I enjoy socializing, so we met at this new branch in Longshan Community. It's likely a chain, with a standout feature: NT$50 small hot pots. Other pots are cheap too (NT$90 or NT$120). The broth is light, and portions aren't huge, but the place is clean and less crowded than Sanma. Turns out chensj went to college with a senior from my grad school—small world! As a Kaohsiung native, he spoke Taiwanese all night (forgive my broken Taiwanese!). We hit it off, sharing Gaoliang liquor and trying Wii. Coincidentally, his roommate's birthday was a day after mine, so I joined their celebration. A fun night, and glad to make a new friend! Oh, and I should mention Chenji in Huayuan Street Night Market—another cheap spot for duck blood hot pot (around NT$60). Perfect for cold weather, though the long waits are a downside.
Location: Hsinchu, Shanhu Zhilian Restaurant Travel Notes Summary: After returning from Neiwan yesterday evening, I passed through Zhudong on the way back and called two friends from ITRI to have dinner. We met at the main gate and drove to Baoshan Reservoir. Originally planning to eat at the nearby Shahu Art Village, but it seemed closed at night, so we went to Shanhu Zhilian across the street. The restaurant stood out with its warm lights in the dark surroundings. Inside, the decor was charming, likely the owner's own home. With few customers, we took our time choosing seats—first checking the second floor with sofa seating and outdoor patio, but since it was too dark to see the reservoir view, we decided to dine on the first floor and relax upstairs later. The menu ranged from NT$280 to NT$580, featuring Western dishes like gratin, lasagna, and steaks. All three of us ordered grilled lamb chops (NT$350). While waiting, my friend tried the free Wi-Fi, and though slow, we managed to view my blog. The meal started with red wine, followed by soup and yogurt salad. The main lamb chop was decently grilled, though the side dishes (stir-fried cabbage, pickled vegetables, and burdock) were too salty and spicy for my taste. After dinner, we moved upstairs to the sofas, chatting while enjoying the owner's live piano performance. The cozy atmosphere made for a relaxing evening with friends, even if the food wasn't perfect. Address: No. 412, Xinhu Rd, Baoshan Township, Hsinchu County. Tel: (03)5769089. No service charge; ITRI staff get a 10% discount.
Location: Taipei, Zhi Wei Fang - All-You-Can-Eat Mala Hot Pot Travel Notes: After watching 'Protege' with Xingjian and Afu at Ambassador Theater, we wandered the alleys of Dunhua South Road. The rain suddenly poured down, so we ducked into an all-you-can-eat mala hot pot place to escape and grab dinner. The owner said since there were three of us, we could pick three soup bases, so we chose spicy duck blood, herbal, and northeastern pickled cabbage. Once the pot with the Mercedes logo arrived, we eagerly tossed in ingredients. Later, I found out online that the coconut milk soup base is more popular—too bad we missed it, but oh well! The mala was numbing and spicy (I prefer just numbing), the herbal was mild, and the pickled cabbage was okay. Ingredients were decent with basic meats, seafood, and hot pot items. Dinner was NT$329 per person, plus NT$100 for plum juice, totaling NT$1,087—no service charge. For all-you-can-eat, the price is fair, but I still prefer Hengji on the same street for mala. Overall, it was just average. Address: 1F, No. 13 & 15, Lane 160, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Taipei. Phone: (02)87714495. By Morgan, 2007.3.28
Location: Taichung, Dadongwu Live Eel Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Dadongwu Live Eel Japanese Cuisine in Taichung is located on Chaofu Road near Chaoma. It's not a very eye-catching shop, but business inside is booming, and the story behind its opening is quite interesting. The owner, a former track and field coach, teamed up with a group of his students to open this restaurant after retiring from coaching. Since his family originally raised eels, the biggest feature here is the freshly grilled eel rice. Listening to my friend's story, I was really looking forward to the eel rice that was about to be served. Because my friend's father is acquainted with the owner, besides enjoying the meal, I was happy to learn more about the story behind the restaurant. Unfortunately, the premium eel rice was sold out, so I had to order the large eel rice ($250) plus a bowl of eel liver soup ($80). The open counter has the grill right in the middle where you can see it. The eel liver soup came first—this was probably Morgan's first time trying something like this. Scooping the ingredients from the soup into my mouth, there was only a slight bitterness; it actually tasted quite refreshing. After warming my stomach, the main dish arrived. A whole piece of eel lay on top of white rice, with a light aroma wafting over. Taking a bite, there was a slight charcoal fragrance and rich sauce; the texture was quite good. So it's not hard to understand why there were so many customers waiting in this not-so-refined-looking shop. Address: No. 236, Chaofu Road, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22513447. By Morgan on 2007.3.28
Location: Taichung, Zhuan Japanese Pork Cutlet Specialty Store Travel note summary: On a weekday noon, I, along with my junior peacesea and his cute GF, came to Yizhong Street for a meal. When Morgan studied here before, this section of Yizhong Street near the campus was quite desolate compared to the other side near the Water Conservancy Building, much quieter. But after so many years, it has long become a stretch with many restaurants, bustling and lively. And because it's near the school, the prices at almost every shop are quite affordable and not expensive. We randomly chose one and walked in. The shop specializes in pork cutlet rice. Maybe we happened to run into exam period today, so many juniors were scattered in the shop and around Yizhong Street. The three of us ordered Japanese pork cutlet rice, shiso plum pork cutlet rice, and spicy chicken rice bowl. Taking the bill to the counter to pay, it was only 321 yuan in total—really quite cheap. The Japanese pork cutlet and shiso plum pork cutlet actually only differ in the sauce. I originally thought the shiso plum pork cutlet would be like what I had before at Tainan's Renga-tei, where the sour shiso flavor was added into the thick pork cutlet, eaten with some lettuce—the taste was quite special and nice. Unfortunately, here it's just pork cutlet dipped in shiso sauce. Although the pork cutlet here was a bit too dry, at this price, with soup, drink, and side dishes included, there's really nothing to complain about. Walking out of the shop, even though it was a weekday, you could still see people coming and going, snack stalls thriving—this place truly lives up to being one of Taichung's bustling commercial districts :) Address: No. 91, Yizhong Street, Taichung City. Phone: (04)22216787. By Morgan on 2007.3.28
Location: ZINO Café, Taichung Travel notes: On a holiday afternoon, Morgan, Jidan senior, and a couple of friends went to the Jingming Commercial District for afternoon tea. We walked into a very quiet shop, as it's away from the main Jingming 1st Street thoroughfare, so it's rather deserted. Besides the counter, there are only four tables inside. Senior said his favorite kind of shop is one that's quiet with few people, and I feel the same way (laughs). Because he comes often, senior is already acquainted with the shop's hostess. After greeting her and sitting down, I ordered a hot chocolate ($150). I heard the shop's signature is a very large latte, but as a chocolate lover, I still chose this richly aromatic hot drink. Pouring the brown liquid from the pot, I took a gentle sip—it was mellow and sweet. Although I kept worrying about how such a quiet shop could stay in business, at that moment, the peaceful table quietly revealed the leisurely atmosphere among friends. A shop with few people can sometimes, unintentionally, make one feel content and serene. After finishing our drinks, senior asked the staff to brew the Godiva tea he brought. Senior said with a laugh that this was the last can, and he'd have to explore new brands to drink next. This time I remembered to ask my friends what type of tea it uses, but unfortunately, senior said he didn't know either. Many high-end foreign teas might be blends of several types. We looked over the can several times but couldn't find an answer, so we had to give up—sorry, friends @@a. While sipping the sweet tea and chatting, time flew by, and we spent a holiday afternoon in this tranquil shop. Address: No. 63, Jingming 2nd Street, Taichung City Phone: (04)23108530 By Morgan on 2007.3.2
Location: Tainan - Calorie Brunch Shop Travel notes: Family connections have never been broken. An NCKU senior from the class of '81 left his job to start a new business, opening a shop called Calorie. Ride straight down Zhonghua East Road, using Living Plaza as a landmark. A purple sign with white letters is right at the alley entrance, no need to go to the end. Different from typical breakfast shops, it's more refined with a wide variety. Besides afternoon tea snacks, it's suitable for both breakfast and lunch. Made to order, requires effort, standard procedures can't be rushed. If not in a hurry, sit inside, read the newspaper, and relax. Meat floss fruit pastry, chef's salad with pineapple, double-layer ham sandwich, Thai-style baked lemon chicken. French bread with pork cutlet, thick toast slices all together, also burgers and egg pancakes, pair with barley tea to cut the grease. Many varied choices, why not visit and order one yourself? For large orders or delivery, call 3128-667. Haven't rambled in verse for a long time, wrote diligently for my senior, composed a playful poem, hope everyone doesn't mind. ================================================================== Morgan's NCKU family is quite amazing. We've kept in touch from the class of '80 all the way down to the current freshmen class of '99. We even have family trips every year. My direct senior from the class of '81 quit his original job and invested in the current breakfast shop business. Calorie is a chain from Taichung, but it doesn't seem very common in the north or south yet. The origin of the shop name is because it notes the corresponding calorie count next to each food item. Quite different from traditional breakfast shops, the variety of items sold inside is extensive, starting from the basics...
Location: Hsinchu Beiping Congyuan Shop Travel note summary: Beiping Congyuan Shop. In my previous personal writing, 'Morgan's Hsinchu Random Notes 1 - Several Affordable and Delicious Shops,' the first place I wrote about was here. Since I myself think it's a good shop, of course I wouldn't go only once. Occasionally, I still come here to see the boss lady and eat. Since they moved, I haven't seen the boss, and I didn't want to ask, so in the new shop, I only see the boss lady. Recently, they seem to have hired some part-time workers. The new shop is located on the road you turn left onto when you keep going on Science Park Road and see a hardware store. It's not exactly hard to find, but for those unfamiliar with the Longshan Community area, it might take a little time. Having been here many times, I've almost tried everything in the shop, even giving the curry fried rice a try @@a. The scallion pancake, scallion grab pancake, scallion vegetable pancake, crispy pastry, and noodle dishes are all okay, suitable for filling your stomach first. As for the pan-fried buns, though small (30 yuan for five), they burst with juice when you bite into them, which is quite good. The beef (pork) roll, while not particularly unforgettable in flavor, has the advantage of being very cheap—only $60 per serving, yet the portion is quite substantial. However, what I like most here are the shrimp shumai, shark fin dumplings, and snowflake cake. A serving of shumai or shark fin dumplings (5 pieces for 50 yuan), when you take a bite, the light, fragrant flavor gradually spreads in your mouth. The snowflake cake, cold, soft, and chewy, is even better in the summer. But what's even more memorable is the boss lady's kindness. Sometimes when she sees me eating alone and not ordering any soup, she thoughtfully brings me a bowl of clear soup to cut the greasiness. We often go to certain shops not just for the delicious food; the shopkeeper's warmth and smile often deepen the desire to visit again, just like the boss lady at Xiao's Xiaolongbao. Even though I sometimes go a long time without visiting, she...
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 left about a third uneaten. Another friend, Rafter, mentioned he tried the German pork knuckle last time and was also quite disappointed. Based on this dining experience, I think there's room for improvement in their main dishes. Thanks to Boren for treating me this time—next round's on me! :) Address: No. 73, Jinshan 23rd Street. Phone: (03)5632686. By Morgan on 2007.3.19
Location: Hsinchu, Bellini Italian Restaurant Travel Notes: Last Wednesday evening, Morgan's insurance consultant Miki in Hsinchu invited me to dinner to review my insurance policy. We met at this restaurant on Jiangang 1st Road. The storefront isn't very noticeable, but I'd heard good things about it. After work, I opened the door to find Miki already seated, working on her laptop—they have Wi-Fi here, which is convenient. She had ordered a pasta set meal and recommended I try their pizza. I glanced at the menu and ordered a small Supreme Pizza (NT$250), about 9 inches. We chatted while munching on her garlic bread, which was pretty good. Soon, my pizza arrived on a white plate: crispy thin crust with generous toppings—definitely delicious. The restaurant offers many other Italian dishes, making it a place I'd revisit. I wanted to treat Miki, but she sneakily paid the bill while I was on a phone call. I promised to return the favor, and she joked that I should treat her to Awfully Chocolate cake in Taipei. Next time I'm in Taipei, I'll have to check out this highly praised spot on Bade Road (laughs). Address: 1F, No. 97, Jiangang 1st Road, (03)5748000. By Morgan, March 19, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu, Chuankuzi Mama Hot Pot, All-You-Can-Eat Travel Notes: My younger brother luckily got into NCTU's Electrical Control Institute, so my older sister treated him to an all-you-can-eat meal. She seemed in a good mood, so she invited me too. That Saturday noon, after Morgan returned from Shimen Reservoir and Daxi Old Street, I headed straight to Chuankuzi Mama Hot Pot in Longshan Community. I'd been here with friends when it first opened, but every time I passed by, it never seemed very busy. Soon after, it switched to an all-you-can-eat model. Lunch on weekdays and holidays is NT$228+10%, while evenings are more expensive. The lunch options are quite extensive, filling a whole page: beef belly, pork shoulder, chicken, fried spare ribs, tripe, goose intestine, clams, basic hot pot ingredients... For the soup base, you can choose two out of five options; we picked the Mama Spicy Pot and Northeastern Pickled Cabbage Pot. Honestly, when it was à la carte, I thought it was a bit pricey, so I hadn't been back in a while. But with the all-you-can-eat model, it feels like great value, especially for lunch—around NT$250 for two soup bases and about 50 ingredients. While the broth isn't as premium as places like Huachuanyan or Ding Wang, at such a low price, it's really attractive! Address: No. 54, Science Park Road, Phone: (03)5770297. By Morgan, March 19, 2007.
Location: Hsinchu Wehouse Cafe & Light Meal Shop Travel note summary: On a Saturday evening, as usual after exercising with friends all afternoon, Morgan checked the time—it was already past six. So, as usual, we looked for a place to eat :P. With Zhichian, Xiao Zhu, Zongwei, and a new friend met through basketball, Wensheng from Taiwan Xiaosong, the five of us headed to Wehouse in the alley behind the Far Eastern Department Store. This shop was recommended by my colleague Mimi. From the entrance, I was worried there might not be seats if we went without a reservation, but luckily, after walking in, I found there were quite a few seats, including some sofa seating. The menu offered a wide variety to choose from: light meals, steak dishes, baked rice/pasta, pasta, and even small hot pots. I ordered the Spicy Chicken Stone Pot Rice ($260). Since my friend's company had a special agreement with the place, we didn't have to pay a service fee. My friends ordered red wine pan-fried steak, salmon steak, and cheese ham pork chop, among other dishes. Before the meal, you could choose between corn chowder or vegetable clear soup; after the meal, you could choose drinks like black tea or lemon juice. Having eaten too much rich food lately, I thought I'd make up for it by ordering vegetable clear soup to comfort myself. Unexpectedly, the clear soup, served like a small hot pot, was quite good—light and fragrant. The spicy chicken I ordered wasn't spicy on its own, but after dipping it in the chili sauce on the side, the sweet yet intensely spicy sauce made it quite satisfying. The owner, worried we might not be full, thoughtfully brought us an extra plate of spaghetti with meat sauce. Though simple and basic, it turned out to be surprisingly tasty. Overall, the dishes were above average, and the quality reflected the price, making it a quite satisfying place. :) Address: No. 239, Shengli Road. Phone: (03)5283454. By Morgan, on March 19, 2007.
Location: Tainan - Southernmost & Toffee Apartment Travel notes: On Tainan University Road, there's an 18th Lane where many simple meal restaurants gather. This place also holds many memories of my freshman orientation at NCKU. Years after leaving school, I stepped into this lane again, and countless memories flooded my heart uncontrollably. Looking at the shops on both sides—18th Lane Garden, Muse Garden, Green Olive, O'Gallery... old acquaintances are still there, but some new shops have appeared, like Noah's Ark. With friends, we randomly chose one and went in. [Southernmost] is also a long-established shop. I've long forgotten if I've ever visited before, and I don't know if the owner has changed, but the shop name remains the same. We went upstairs to sit down, opened the menu, and I casually ordered a Red Date Milk Tomato Vegetable Hot Pot ($250). Honestly, the hot pot I ordered and the simple meals my friends ordered were just average. But chatting over dinner with long-unseen friends, talking about work and our memories of studying at NCKU back in the day—unrelated to the food—was still quite enjoyable. It also made me look forward to meeting again at another restaurant next time. After saying goodbye to my friends, I walked back to the NCKU main gate to meet another friend, sakaya. We looked around for a place to sit, have a drink, and chat, so we entered Toffee Apartment across from the school gate. From my past impression, this place was a 21st Century Fried Chicken, opening and closing repeatedly, changing shops several times. Now, on the second floor, a purple sign with white letters reads 'Toffee's Apartment.' We went up the stairs, pushed open the door, found a seat by the window, and each ordered a pot of different flavored flower tea ($110*2). Each pot came with a plate of snacks. Looking around, there were sofa seats, and in the middle, there was even a full set of drums.
Location: Hsinchu Typhoon Shelter Stir-fry & Beer House Travel notes: Last weekend, after playing badminton for four and a half hours straight with friends from UMC like Zhiqian and Zongwei, I realized it had been a while since I had a shared meal. So we headed to Typhoon Shelter near Gongdao 5th Road. This street has quite a few beer houses and stir-fry joints clustered together—I've tried some but haven't hit them all yet. We walked into Typhoon Shelter; around 6 p.m., there was only one table occupied, but it quickly filled up and got lively. This area really comes alive at night! The five of us ordered five dishes, one soup, a plate of fried rice, a plate of fried noodles, four bowls of white rice, plus a can of cranberry juice and free unlimited ice cream (Du Laoye's brand, pretty good). Looking back at the photos, we had: sizzling beef plate, pork with garlic sauce, Thai-style lamb, stir-fried cabbage with fermented tofu, clams with loofah, and a pot of milkfish belly soup. Besides the decent fried rice and noodles, the dishes were okay—the beef was standard, veggies fine, the soup had plenty of ingredients, and the garlic pork was flavorful. The Thai lamb tasted more Indian due to the curry seasoning. Overall, the flavors were decent and went well with rice. With all the competition here, prices are always reasonable; it came to under NT$200 per person, and we were stuffed. So next time I'm in the area, this place might be worth considering. Address: No. 5, Lane 312, Section 2, Gongdao 5th Road. Phone: (03)5753233. By Morgan on 2007.3.8
Location: Yashiqi Italian Cuisine after moving, Hsinchu. Travel note summary: Yashiqi Italian Cuisine after moving, Hsinchu. Not long after Morgan started blogging, I once wrote an article about a new shop on Jinshan Street: Yashiqi Italian Cuisine, Hsinchu. Unexpectedly, a few months later, the owner-chef Calvin saw my article online and came to leave a comment. Coincidentally, my friend Jill, who went with me last time, called me to arrange a meal. So, one day after work, with Jill and Meganfollow junior, we went again to Yashiqi, which had moved nearby. Time flies—flipping through that previous article, half a year has passed in a blink. Jill later really went to UMC, and Meganfollow junior is still at TSMC. The new Yashiqi is much more spacious, and the lighting has changed to a dimmer yellow. After greeting Calvin, the three of us opened the menu. It seems they now mostly use an à la carte system, with other side dishes needing to be ordered separately. As for the original S.PELLEGRINO sparkling mineral water, they no longer have a contract, replaced by Calvin's own brewed hot tea, which can be refilled. The price for à la carte pasta is around NT$180-250. Finally, we ordered three types of pasta plus a plate of tomato bread (NT$60): pine nut pesto spaghetti, traditional meat sauce wide noodles, sausage cream wide noodles. Except for the first being spaghetti, the latter two used wide noodles. The hot tea had a bit of lemongrass and herbal flavor, but drinking it, there was a slight sweetness. The tomato bread that came first had chilled diced tomatoes on top of toasted hot bread, quite unique. In the open kitchen, while watching Calvin's focused expression as he flipped the pan, we chatted. I ordered the sausage cream...
Location: Taichung, Ruoliuyijin (Sanuki Handmade Udon) Travel Notes: Before returning to Hsinchu, my family and I tried Ruoliuyijin, a famous udon spot recommended by a friend. Located on Dazhong South Street, the menu only offers udon—we ordered all five types: Five Ingredients, Hot Pot Style, Beef, Seafood, and Kimchi Tripe Udon, plus some side dishes. The udon had a nice chew, and the broth was pure white, supposedly simmered for three days. However, I didn't find the broth as flavorful as expected, even after trying different bowls. My family wasn't overly impressed either. While it's a well-known place, our experience fell a bit short of the hype, but I'll share my honest thoughts for reference.
Location: Taichung, Love Landscape Painting (National Art Museum Branch) Travel Notes: On the fourth day of Lunar New Year, I planned to eat at Xiangyan Bistro near my home, but it was closed. So, I met friends at Love Landscape Painting near the art museum, where my sister was also dining. The restaurant is a branch of a scenic garden spot from Xinshe, opened last September. The menu leans vegetarian—I had a rose milk hot pot for NT$200, while others ordered vegetarian pork cutlet rice. No service charge, and prices are reasonable for the area. The decor is elegant, making it a good spot for casual chats. After eating, we strolled along the green parkway, noting how competitive the dining scene is here, with new shops constantly popping up.
Location: A stinky tofu shop on Beida Road, Hsinchu. Travel note summary: A stinky tofu shop on Beida Road, Hsinchu. I had large intestine vermicelli and stinky tofu for two meals in a row—if my dad saw this, he'd probably scold me. @@ On Sunday night, since I hadn't had stinky tofu in a while, I was craving it. So, from the five stinky tofu shops currently at Qingda Night Market, I randomly walked into one. I ordered alone, sat down, and the food came quickly. Just after finishing the first piece of tofu, I suddenly heard someone calling my name. I turned around—ah, it's Zhihao! Since we last met at ITRI, over two months have passed. Taiwan really is small; I often run into acquaintances while eating. :P So, better an accidental meeting than an invitation. Zhihao, his girlfriend who's doing a PhD in Chinese at Qingda, and I sat together and chatted until after 8 PM before saying goodbye. Yesterday after work, I wandered around and passed Beida Road. I suddenly remembered seeing a recommendation for a stinky tofu place somewhere, right across from Fushan Japanese Cuisine. So, for the second dinner in a row, it was large intestine vermicelli and stinky tofu again. @@a A small stall in front of the arcade, not very eye-catching, but from when I sat down to when I finished, people kept coming and going non-stop—business is really good. Besides vermicelli and stinky tofu, they also sell rice dumplings and four-herb soup. Things are cheap: a serving of stinky tofu with 5 pieces is only NT$30. Their stinky tofu is fried a bit larger; eaten plain, the flavor is quite mild. But with sufficiently sour pickled cabbage and a spicy-sweet chili sauce, the three flavors combine to make it not bad at all. The boss was busy in and out, hands almost never stopping, and the boss lady would kindly ask if you want it spicy first. Even though it's a small stall, you can tell they're really dedicated to it, no wonder so many customers stop by. By Morgan on the 20th.
Location: Hsinchu, Bula Da Indian Exotic Snacks & Subway Travel Notes: Last week, I had a cold that lasted until a few days ago. To avoid spreading it, I had to cancel all gatherings and didn't feel like going out much, so I ended up eating at Qingda Night Market for almost every meal. This Bula Da place has moved around within the night market. What's unique is they sell Indian-style snacks, like Indian griddle cakes—where the dough is cooked on a hot spherical griddle, then filled with lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, and curry meat before being wrapped up. One serving is 40 NTD and quite large, but I was still a bit hungry, so I also got a small order of special sauce fried chicken nuggets (40 NTD). They also have Indian milk tea (25 NTD) and special chicken cutlets (40 NTD). The griddle cake is quite chewy, and while not incredibly delicious, it's definitely unique. Even without added spice, the chicken nuggets' seasoning was a bit too strong for me. That's about it. Currently, the shop is on Jianxin Road, next to Jifeng Steamed Dumplings. It's a very small storefront with no seating—takeout only. Easy to miss if you're not paying attention. But after trying over thirty different meal spots around Qingda Night Market, I realized my favorite is still Subway. Or maybe I just really love submarine sandwiches. @@a Halved bread in five different types, loaded with veggies like lettuce, pickles, and onions, then drizzled with mayo, vinegar, and other sauces—the tangy, crunchy texture has won my heart. Lately, with the promo on grilled chicken, even though there are three flavors (grilled, smoked, spicy), I've been having one each day and quickly finished them all. The same goes for the stamp card—it feels like no time before I've filled another eight slots. = = Looks like I can redeem a new 6-inch sub before the New Year. :P By Mor
Location: Hsinchu, Xi Han Er Bakery Restaurant Travel Notes: At Xi Han Er Bakery Restaurant in Hsinchu, I was reminded of a scene from Jin Yong's 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' where Zhou Botong is poisoned by the colorful snow spider, and Little Dragon Girl uses jade bee venom to counteract it. It's like one thing overcoming another. Right now, I feel the same way—taking the doctor's medicine while my immune system fights the virus. Even though my eyes are blurry, I can sense my body battling hard, with virus remnants slowly being expelled. Hopefully, this bad cold will gradually improve. :P Anyway, rambling like this means my spirits must be a bit better. So, let's get back to the story. Last Sunday night, I was discussing with my friend Zhihao from Academia Sinica about finding a place to sit and chat. I suddenly remembered this spot I'd been meaning to visit but always forgot. So, I took Zhihao to this Xi Han Er restaurant on Jianzhong Road in Hsinchu. Upon entering, a young man greeted us with a shy smile and a slightly unclear 'Welcome.' I smiled back and sat at an empty table. Checking the menu, they have main courses like baked pasta and spaghetti for 268+10%, and pricier steak options. My friend skipped a meal and just ordered a 75 NTD drink, while I got the Hungarian red wine braised beef baked pasta. I also helped myself to the salad bar—the items were decent. The baked pasta was a bit oily, but honestly, the food wasn't the main point today. Being able to dine here and contribute a little to this bakery and restaurant meant more to me than any taste sensation. The restaurant has quite a few seats, so if you're planning a gathering with friends, consider stopping by. While it might not be as direct as donating, it's still a meaningful way to support.
Location: Hsinchu - Xiao's Steamed Buns Travel Note Summary: Hsinchu - Xiao's Steamed Buns. After taking the fever reducer and cold medicine prescribed by the doctor, I spent all of yesterday resting at home. Today, I forced myself to go to work, but I'm still coughing, have a runny nose, and feel weak all over—pretty frail. But at least I'm a tiny bit better than yesterday. Maybe I'm in the recovery phase. Thanks to the friends who left messages on my blog and those who sent caring greetings on MSN. This Xiao's place is where I took my cousin and his two friends last week when he came to Hsinchu for an interview for a fire safety job at Powerchip. I've mentioned this shop before in one of my articles: 'Morgan's Hsinchu Notes 1 - A Few Affordable and Delicious Eateries.' Later, their new branch in the alley off Minsheng Road closed down. The owner and his wife returned to their original location near the intersection of Datong Road and Beida Road. They also seemed interested in moving to their residence on Guoguang Street. Last time, I specifically went to check it out, but it wasn't ready then. I'm not sure about the current situation. However, you can still eat at the original Datong Road location. Given Morgan's personality of liking to try new things, I usually don't visit the same place too often. But Xiao's is one shop in Hsinchu that I've been to many, many times. I still highly recommend the red bean buns. Although their steamed dumplings and soup dumplings are also good, the smooth red bean filling inside the bun, paired with the soft, freshly steamed wrapper, still captures my heart. This time, I also tried their noodle dishes and found their freshly made noodles to be very pleasant to eat. You can choose between wide or thin noodles. The biggest drawback is probably that, due to the owner and his wife's insistence on quality, almost everything is made to order. If you buy on-site, you often have to wait a little while. For large orders, it's best to call ahead and reserve. I'll add some photos here~ Xiao's Steamed Buns Address: No. 215, Datong Rd. Phone: (03)5260875 2008/1/16 Update: Xiao's has moved to a new address...
Location: Hsinchu - Hao Chi Mian & SkyLark Travel Note Summary: Last Sunday in Hsinchu, two meals in one day. For lunch, we went to another famous local eatery, Hao Chi Mian. My friend and I ordered dry noodles, bone broth noodle soup, meatball soup, and a side dish (a kind of jelly that looks a bit like 'mercury'—I can't even type the character with Zhuyin @@). It reminded me of meat jelly. The noodles were fairly thin, but the side dishes seemed even more delicious. As for Hsinchu's meatballs, they're always pretty good :P. In the evening, I met up with a few friends for dinner at SkyLark in the A.mart mall. I've always admired Champ, a senior of mine, who decided to change paths for now—leaving his Ph.D. studies in Computer Science at NCTU to venture out and showcase his talents at Sunplus Spin-off, Sunplus mTek. Meanwhile, Qinxi firmly declined his supervisor's attempt to retain him and left his job at AUO, deciding to start a new life plan in southern Taiwan. Junhong is still at Global Unichip, which seems like a very solid company @@a. Since SkyLark is quite suitable for gatherings, I've been there many times. Being a chain restaurant, it doesn't need too much detailed introduction, so allow me to be a bit lazy and breeze through this :P. However, flipping through the menu, it felt like prices had gone up compared to last time. I snapped a few photos. I vaguely remember ordering something like Indian-style spicy chicken cutlet that day. 1. Hao Chi Mian: No. 182, Datong Rd., Hsinchu City (03)5240289 2. SkyLark (Hsinchu A.mart store): 1F, No. 469, Sec. 2, Gongdao 5th Rd., Hsinchu City (03)5752421 By Morgan on 2007.1.26
Location: Hsinchu - Ryutaro Affordable Japanese Cuisine Travel notes: Hsinchu - Ryutaro Affordable Japanese Cuisine. So last Monday, after just finishing seven consecutive gatherings over three days, a friend happened to wander up from the south and, when in Hsinchu, stopped by to have a meal with me. So that night, I added one more to the gathering count and went to another famous affordable Japanese cuisine place in Hsinchu, Ryutaro. It also has a branch on Xida Road, but we went to the Far Eastern Department Store main store. The shop is quite small, so there aren't many seats, but there were quite a few customers, so we had to share a table with others. The dining environment can be said to be not that comfortable. The two of us ordered the tempura shrimp set meal (240) plus a plate of assorted sushi and a donburi, totaling $470. Honestly, personally, I feel its set meal is not as abundant as Fushan's. Although the price is a bit cheaper, besides the main dish of tempura shrimp, it only has side dishes, chawanmushi, a bowl of white rice, and a bowl of miso soup, making it feel a bit monotonous. Also, the tempura shrimp was fried a bit too soft. The whole set meal really had nothing special. As for the sushi and donburi, the standard was okay. The dessert was a bit too sweet. Overall, although the price is still considered affordable, based on the level of what we ordered that day, personally, I think places like Fushan or Shiliuqu are better than it. This of course also includes the comfort of the seating. Maybe I didn't order raw food to try other ingredients. But just based on the overall dining experience that day, I was quite disappointed. Also felt a bit sorry for my friend who came from afar. Sorry @@. For reference only~ Far Eastern Store address: No. 565, Xida Road. Phone: (03)5278076. By Moragn on 2007.1.24
Location: Taipei, Magic Curry Travel Notes: Even excluding the Friday night Hsinchu gang dinner, over the course of a weekend, Morgan ate, drank, and ran around, still managing to attend six different gatherings. Although a bit tired, dining with good friends is always my interest, so I enjoyed it thoroughly. At noon on Sunday, I arrived at the entrance of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in front of Taipei Main Station to meet up with a few junior high school classmates. It had been a long time since we last saw each other, each of us working hard in fields like landscape design, pharmacy, and accounting. After discussing, we decided to go to Magic Curry downstairs from Caesar Park Hotel. This restaurant was actually already quite popular before, so two of the classmates had already tried it, while I was eager to give it a go. Even if we had to take a number and wait in line, it was fine. We were lucky and got a seat after waiting about 20 minutes, unlike last time at Pepper Lunch where we waited an hour. After the server seated us and we looked at the menu, a friend said it's best to choose the recommended, popular dishes on the menu. Like last time, he curiously ordered the black curry made with squid ink and really regretted it. So, the four of us ordered three servings of Fruit-flavored Beef Curry and one serving of Garlic Pork Curry. For about NT$240 plus 10% service charge, it also came with salad, soup, dessert, and a drink—no wonder its business is so good. Each side dish offered 2-3 options to choose from. I asked the server what Magic Iced Tea was; she said it's made with yerba mate. Tilting my head and thinking for a moment, I decided: for sides, I'll have fruit salad, vegetable soup, yogurt, plus this South American health drink. The long-awaited curry arrived. Here, white rice is unlimited refills, so you can definitely eat your fill. Picking up a spoon, I scooped up the curry sauce from the pot—this is the Fruit-flavored Beef Curry made with ingredients like apples, mangoes, and chuck roast, with a slight fruity flavor, mixed with beef chunks, savory...
Location: Taipei, Yamaki-ya Japanese Charcoal Grill & Izakaya Travel notes: Yamaki-ya, a Japanese yakitori and izakaya in Taipei. We gathered with friends tonight, heading straight up to the small private room on the second floor. After sitting down and being served tea, we waited to order. Service is summoned by tapping the fish-shaped board above the table. While waiting for the food, we dipped fresh vegetables in sauce. We started with nori cheese crisp rolls and octopus salad as cold dishes, followed by crispy fried shrimp and beef flame-toasted rice. Then came grilled chicken skin, pork, fatty intestines, and various charcoal-grilled skewers—green peppers, tofu, smoked mushrooms—until the skewer holder was full. After the cooked dishes, we switched to raw fare: beef sashimi and assorted sashimi, horse meat and fresh oysters sliding down the throat, along with a deliciously smooth onsen tamago. Amidst the feast and laughter, we didn't notice the empty plates piling up on the table. 'Eat, drink, and be merry'—we raised our glasses and enjoyed ourselves to the fullest!
Location: Taichung, National Museum of Natural Science - A Half-Day Intellectual Trip Travel Notes: I previously wrote an article about the Science Museum and Botanical Garden—'Taichung Notes---An Evening Stroll at the Science Museum and Botanical Garden'—which included a few photos of the museum’s exterior. Since I visited the museum this time, I took some interior photos as well. Because I’m busier today, I’ll be lazy and mainly share some photos. :P By Morgan on 2007.1.10
Location: Hsinchu - Vietnam Village Restaurant & Zheng Lao Lin Mutton Hot Pot Travel notes: Two meals in one day in Hsinchu. Yesterday for lunch, I went back to Jinshan Street to find food. Since Junhong lives around here anyway, I killed two birds with one stone by meeting a friend and eating :P. Tried this Vietnam Village place that also looks like it hasn't been open long. Ordered Vietnamese beef noodles ($80) plus a plate of fried spring rolls ($50). The left side of the menu is Vietnamese dishes, the right side is Taiwanese dishes, with quite a variety. The overall prices in the shop are pretty affordable. You can observe that actually many small Vietnamese shops are opened by Vietnamese brides after marrying into Taiwan, and this place is no exception. So the food should at least have a taste of their hometown. The fried spring rolls were okay, the noodle portions were quite large, and the beef slices with onions were still good. The food in the shop is generally not expensive, especially for being on Jinshan Street, a high-cost area. So personally, I think it has some distinctive features and competitiveness in the Jinshan Street area. Samson, I know you read my articles, remember to go check it out, haha~~ In the evening, after playing badminton all afternoon as usual, I was exhausted. Of course, I needed to find a place for a big meal. After playing, Brother Liren, who has amazing skills, suddenly told me he also knows Brother Chen Tingguo from Winbond (see (#73) Hehuanshan, Chunyang Hot Spring, Sun Moon Lake two-day trip). Taiwan is really so small :P. After chatting and laughing, I said goodbye to everyone and wandered around with Zhiqian. I've tried Yaowu Yangwei in Zhubei and Yangyang Ruyi on Zhonghua Road before. Today, I came to another all-you-can-eat mutton hot pot place in Hsinchu—Zheng Lao Lin. The location isn't too easy to find; you have to go down Nanya Street, cross Tiedao Road, and soon after, turn left on Jinzhu Road. The price in the shop is very cheap, 198 for all-you-can-eat, but when paying, they charge a 2-yuan cleaning fee to make it 200, which is amusing. Besides having a few types of greens...
Location: Taichung, National Museum of Natural Science—Terracotta Warriors Special Exhibition Travel notes: This Saturday, a friend came down from Taipei and invited me to see the Terracotta Warriors exhibition at the museum. So I went back to my home in Taichung but didn't stay long before heading out again. First, I grabbed a quick meal at a casual restaurant called Xinyuan near the museum, then went to the ticket booth. The Terracotta Warriors, flown in from mainland China, cost 200 NTD for a full ticket, with discounts at 150 NTD. Inside, photography was prohibited, so I could only take pictures of some commemorative images outside. The exhibition hall wasn't large—it took about 20–30 minutes to walk through. There were several warrior figures excavated from various pits, not just those holding weapons but also musicians, cranes, and other statues. Reading the wall descriptions while admiring these millennia-old artifacts, I saw standing and kneeling poses, some wearing armor or holding weapons, recreating the burial scenes of the past. During the Warring States period, Qi, Chu, Yan, Qin, Han, Zhao, and Wei rose as powers, with constant warfare and alliances, and the Hundred Schools of Thought each had their moment. Eventually, the Qin state, strengthened by Shang Yang's reforms, saw Ying Zheng ascend as king. He commanded generals like Bai Qi and Wang Jian, leading hundreds of thousands of troops to conquer other states and unify China. Sometimes novels or TV dramas are more fun than history books, so as a fan of "A Step into the Past," I've revisited Qin history through the protagonist Xiang Shaolong's adventures. Looking at the warrior figures, I imagined Emperor Qin Shi Huang in his prime. But the greater one's power, the more one fears death—hence the quest for immortality elixirs. Yet death comes for all equally. Under the yellow earth, even with grand tombs, countless terracotta figures, or rare treasures buried alongside, what does it matter? In the end, we return to our origins, coming from and going to the same place, unable to take anything with us. Leaving the exhibition, back in 2007, it's best to live in the present.
Location: Hsinchu - Yuanshangyuan Tea House Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu - Yuanshangyuan Tea House (already under new ownership again). When I was young, I loved wandering around at night with friends. Besides beer houses and pubs, another favorite spot was tea houses, especially those with private rooms, wooden floors or tatami mats where you had to take off your shoes—they really won me over. After entering, grabbing a cushion to sit on, and just huddling together chatting and eating, the fun was endless. In Tainan, I also visited places like Hanlin, Jiji, Jinge, Wuti, Fengcha, and Old Street Tea House. Tainan has quite a few tea houses or similar spots, like the chain Gengduyuan, but the most famous is still Hanlin Tea House. Since my sophomore year, I've been to several of its branches. But as the food didn't improve and prices kept rising, its rating in my mind kept dropping. Still, I really miss that cozy feeling of a group huddled in a private room. After coming to Hsinchu, I've been constantly searching for tea houses to relive those memories. Hanlin has two branches in Hsinchu too—one in Far Eastern Department Store and one in Lianyuan—both with nice decor, but the space is smaller, so they lack that complex flavor of private rooms, tatami, privacy, and retro charm. As for the Big Teapot, which also has a branch in Zhubei, it does have that vibe, but the main store is a bit crowded, seats are tight, and there's some noisy interference. I wonder if the spacious Zhubei branch is better? Tea houses in Hsinchu don't seem very plentiful, maybe related to the city's generally dim night lights. Unlike Taipei's bustling sleepless city or Tainan where you can still find places to eat at 3 a.m., Hsinchu's nights are always quieter. I've digressed a bit—back to the topic. Since Morgan (that's me) likes to wander around aimlessly, sometimes after a meal, if I see an unfamiliar road, I'll detour and weave through the streets and alleys.
Location: Hsinchu - A Bowl of Noodles & Pot Rolling Shabu Shabu Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu - A Bowl of Noodles & Pot Rolling Shabu Shabu (Jinshan Street). The Jinshan Street area in Hsinchu has always had many shops, and they're endless because competition is so fierce. Shops close at the original location, then new ones open, and if the new ones lack a niche, they close too—it's a real cycle. So every once in a while, I have to go patrol the area to see if there are any new spots. I previously compiled a piece called 'Morgan's Hsinchu Notes 5 - Around Jinshan Street.' Last week, I tried two new shops: 1. A Bowl of Noodles. I went with Junhong, who recently switched jobs to Creative Electronics. The shop name is creative too—simple and clear. They also launched a 'trial price' promotion, thinking many people might not want to spend too much on a new shop's signature dishes, and some girls might not want to eat so much. So they offer trial prices for each noodle type, like the original braised beef noodle ($110) for $49, and other noodles $70 => $39. Honestly, it's just a disguised small-bowl price, but cheaper than usual small bowls with a bigger gap. The braised dishes were okay, the beef was decent, but the handmade noodles were pretty good. Address: No. 15, Jinshan 11th Street. Phone: (03)5631718. 2. Pot Rolling Shabu Shabu. I went with Boren, who just started working at Powerchip. The seats are all for four or more people, so pairs probably have to share. Prices start around $200+, but they have a daily special pot. I ordered the Premium Plum Pork Pot ($190). The plating and decor both look quite refined, with no service charge. The meat quality wasn't bad either, and there are seven or eight soup bases to choose from, though the flavor was a bit light. For this price range, it's quite reasonable in the Jinshan Street area, but the shop...
Location: Hsinchu Xie Nong Bistro Travel note summary: Xie Nong Bistro in Hsinchu. Yesterday, after playing badminton all afternoon with a few friends from UMC, the others went back first. Zhiqian and I, who played until the end, went to find food together. I remembered a place that's been open in Hsinchu for quite a while. I hadn't looked for it before because I heard it was hard to find. Now with just two of us and both on scooters, it was easier—if we missed it, turning around was convenient. Trying hard to recall the map I saw in the Wretch food board's精华区, we arrived on Shipin Road only to find many store location landmarks had completely changed. Couldn't find Fuke Duo, couldn't find Chunri Wu. In the end, we had to rely entirely on intuition to find the way. Cruising back and forth on Shipin Road, finally near the second-to-last traffic light before Nanda Road, I thought it might be the intersection mentioned on the original map, so we turned left. Saw Minghu Road Lane 24X, knew we'd gone too far, had to turn back. Then saw Minghu Road Lane 175—ah, we'd gone too far the other way too, Orz. But using the approximation method, we finally saw Lane 198. However, walking along the dimly lit Lane 198, looking left and right, we couldn't see any shops. In the end, we actually walked out of the lane and came to Nanda Road. At this point, I'd given up on finding it myself. Luckily, before going out, I'd noted down the store's phone number. Called, and a voice message told me to call the manager's mobile instead. Following the manager's instructions, it turned out that after entering Lane 198, you need to turn right at the second alley. Even if it looks dark, you have to bravely go down. When you see a 'Zheng Daishu' office, look carefully for a fork on the right side to discover this very hidden Xie Nong Bistro. Once inside, joking with the manager about how hard their store was to find, he told us actually coming from the Zhushi side gate would be easier. But I'm not really sure where the Zhushi side gate is either. Later, when we slipped out, we realized it was on Shipin Road.
Location: Hsinchu Tenchikuen Japanese Cuisine Travel notes summary: Hsinchu Tenchikuen Japanese Cuisine (Japanese Cuisine) Long heard of its fame in Hsinchu, the Japanese restaurant Tenchikuen, at year's end I seized the chance to visit, treating a friend tonight. Asked the chef to arrange freely, beyond the set menu we set a budget, the final bill slightly exceeded, two of us spent three thousand three hundred in total. Abalone salad with snow crab, special assorted sashimi, seafood steamed with mountain yam, beef pan-fried with sesame fragrance. On a hot stone placed fish meat, grilled squid set beside; prawn with almonds crispy and fragrant, tuna scallion sushi with sweet sea urchin. Soup course of milk seafood hot pot, up to here twelve hundred for the set. Hot tea to rest and catch a breath. The following dishes were ordered separately: Pricey red and black throat fish, plump with fat sliced on both sides; aroma wafting from clay plate grill, onion and beef tenderloin teasing the tongue. Topped with mentaiko, shiso fish slice tempura roll; Matsusaka beef delightful flavor, juicy and tasty truly nostalgic. Toasting with tea instead of wine, in life one must seek joy, white clouds and gray dogs pass in a blink, better to lose oneself in this moment. Because a friend recently helped me a great deal, I made a plan with him: after I returned from Hehuan Mountain this week, I'd treat him to a meal. So on Thursday night, we came to one of Hsinchu's famous Japanese restaurants, Tenchikuen. First, we ordered a NT$1,200 set menu for two as follows: 1. Snow crab and abalone salad, 2. Special assorted sashimi, 3. Seafood steamed with mountain yam, 4. Seasonal fish stone grill and squid miso grill, 5. Pan-fried beef with sesame miso sauce, 6. Prawn almond tempura, 7. Sea urchin and tuna scallion sushi, 8. Milk seafood hot pot. Then we told the server we'd like to add about NT$1,000 more for the chef to prepare some additional dishes to complement the above. However, because the red and black throat fish was a bit over portion, the final bill with 10% service charge came to about NT$3,300. The additional dishes were: 9. Grilled red and black throat fish $860 (market price), 10. Shiso mentaiko fish slice tempura roll $180, 11. Beef clay plate grill.
Location: Hsinchu Hua Chuan Yan Spicy Hot Pot Travel note summary: Hua Chuan Yan Spicy Hot Pot in Hsinchu (take-out soup base). I've heard about 'Hua Chuan Yan' for a long time. After checking, I found out its main store is in Taoyuan, and there are currently two branches in Hsinchu—one on Beida Road and one in Zhubei. I've wanted to try it for ages but kept forgetting and putting it off. Unexpectedly, during a hot pot gathering at Xiao Lan's place on Sunday noon, he said today's soup base was from Hua Chuan Yan! Wow, great—I finally got to taste this famous spicy soup base. Like Ding Wang in Taichung, it turns out you can also take the soup base home. Buying a 300 NTD soup base requires purchasing at least 500 NTD worth of ingredients, so a minimum of 800 NTD lets you take it out. A big advantage of eating at home is that besides the soup base, everything else is much cheaper than dining in. We bought loads of meat slices, meatballs, hot pot ingredients, enoki mushrooms, cabbage, and other toppings at the supermarket. In the end, splitting the cost, it was only 299 NTD per person to eat until stuffed! :P Looking at the beautiful red soup surface, I couldn't wait to scoop a bowl and try it. It's not pungent or overly spicy, with a hint of mild Sichuan peppercorn flavor. Indeed, its spicy hot pot can be rated as numbing but not too spicy. Since Xiao Lan was worried the soup base wasn't enough, he also got take-out soup from Ning Ji. Comparing the two, there's a big difference. Ning Ji's soup, like most spicy hot pots, feels like it uses a lot of chili oil to boost the spiciness. I couldn't drink more than a few sips of Ning Ji's soup—it was just too spicy. Compared to the famous Ding Wang in Taichung, I personally even slightly prefer Hua Chuan Yan's spicy soup base a bit more (though Ding Wang's duck blood and other ingredients are much tastier :P). So if you don't have the budget to dine at Hua Chuan Yan, taking it home to savor slowly on a cold winter day is a pretty good choice! Beida Store, Beida Road, Hsinchu City.
Location: Kaohsiung, Lin Mama Wax Apple Orchard Travel Note Summary: Kaohsiung, Lin Mama Wax Apple Orchard (Promoting for a Junior) Morgan has a university junior, sjsj, whose family home in Kaohsiung runs a wax apple (Java apple) orchard. In the past, their family mainly sold to wholesalers, but now they want to try direct sales from the production area. So, they asked me to help by posting the flyer they wrote for promotion. I took a quick look. The wax apples from my junior's family generally follow a higher quality, more expensive route, making them more suitable as gifts. However, if your financial situation is good, buying them for personal use is also quite nice. The prices listed below are the set prices when the appearance is at its most beautiful and perfect. My junior said that a while ago, when the skin had some slight frost damage, the price immediately dropped a lot. So, the actual price fluctuates at any time based on yield and product appearance. The prices below are just for reference. If you're interested, you can directly call or email my junior to inquire about the current situation (because it seems the harvest season is almost over now). =========================================================================================== Lin Mama's Wax Apple Orchard Contact: Lin Shijie E-mail: [email protected] Contact Phone: 0968190804 ~To cultivate high-quality wax apples, regardless of cost, insisting on organic farming, unwavering for 26 years. Come to Lin Mama's Wax Apple Orchard in Kaohsiung County, with a 26-year history. From the early days of primitive variety giant wax apple trees to the cultivation of new varieties now, Lin Mama went from knowing nothing about farming 26 years ago to becoming a wax apple expert today, caring for them more meticulously than her own children. Investing in the orchard's hardware facilities regardless of cost, from sprinkler systems to wax apple supports, all the way to...
Location: Hsinchu S.Paul Steakhouse. Last Sunday night, I went to this newly opened steakhouse with Wenzheng and Junhong. There was a greeter at the door who would ask a server to take you in. Entering the store, seeing the relatively spacious area and seating, you could roughly tell the restaurant's market positioning targets a level slightly above My Home Steak and Noble Family. After sitting down, we ordered directly from the menu pasted on the table, saving the trouble of a server handing it over. The cheapest beef, pork, and chicken steaks are 190 NTD +10%, and there are seafood options plus combo meals. The variety of dishes is extensive and quite impressive. Wenzheng and I ordered the special steak + crispy cod (270 NTD +10%), while Junhong got the special steak + seafood skewer (260 NTD +10%). The salad bar in the center is self-service, with a decent variety—a few items of each. Besides basic salad, fruit, drinks, soup, ice cream, and toast, there's popcorn, some side dishes, a few hot dishes, and even things like noodle soup and flat rice noodles. If we're just talking about the salad bar items, they're not refined but numerous enough. However, you can't expect too much from the main course quality. The steak portion was quite large, but I didn't finish it—the meat texture really didn't suit my taste. The cod was okay. Overall, portions are sufficient, but you can't ask for refinement. This meal cost about 300 NTD per person; a single steak would be around 210 NTD. But in terms of quality, it feels roughly on par with My Home or Noble Family. So it's just another option for budget steak (slightly pricier, with more salad bar items). Walking out the door, it was uneventful and didn't leave a strong impression. Address: No. 51, Zhongxiao Road. Phone: (03)573...
Location: Hsinchu Chenji Noodle House & Jifeng Steamed Dumplings (now changed to Riquan Steamed Dumplings). Honestly, I still can't figure out if there's any connection between Chenji and Lao Chenji. It seems like there is, but I haven't heard the details. If any forum friends know, maybe they can share! But they're both quite famous old shops in Hsinchu. At least, I'd eaten there before I even came to Hsinchu for work. After moving here, I've eaten at both a few times. Whether it's Chenji or Lao Chenji, their prices feel a bit higher than average. Like the other day, a friend from Taipei came down, and we ate at Chenji. We ordered beef roll cake, fresh meat steamed dumplings, 15 boiled dumplings, and a small bowl of meatball soup. Maybe because we ordered the roll cake, we spent 255 NTD without feeling very full. But thinking about it later, it seems about right, maybe just a little pricey. The roll cake was pretty good, with minced beef giving a nice texture. Other items were okay. Chenji seems busier than Lao Chenji, so I've eaten there more often. My personal take: if you haven't tried it, you can give it a shot at least once. Whether you'll like it probably varies—some might find it expensive (it's right in the competitive Qingda Night Market), others might like some items. It's hard to give a definitive rating. For me, it's acceptable, and I've been more than once. And on Jianxin Road, not far diagonally across from Chenji, a new steamed dumpling shop recently opened, apparently a chain from Taichung. I was curious every time I passed during its preparation. Finally, it opened on Dec 3, and I became one of its first customers at noon that day. The店内定价定...
Location: Hsinchu Fuyama Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Not long after getting up on Saturday, I received a call from my older sister saying she wanted to eat out. So at noon, I went with my older sister who works in the science park and my younger brother who claims to be diligently preparing for graduate school to this well-known, affordable Japanese restaurant in Hsinchu. The three of us ordered one Chicken Teishoku ($290) and then ordered some à la carte items, as shown in the picture in order: 1. Chawanmushi (teishoku) 2. Vegetable Tempura (teishoku) 3. Grilled Mackerel (teishoku) 4. Grilled Chicken (teishoku) 5. White Rice (teishoku), Crab Meat Salad (teishoku), Taro Salad ($60) 6. Hand Rolls ($45*2), Hand Roll (teishoku) 7. Assorted Futomaki ($85) 8. Assorted Nigiri Sushi ($190) 9. Prawn Tempura ($130) 10. Miso Soup ($15*2) 11. Fruit. With this, we managed to get quite full. One characteristic of this restaurant is that its teishoku sets are quite generous in portion. The cheapest is the Fried Pork Cutlet or Grilled Chicken Teishoku ($290), with the price increasing based on the main dish. All the basic items you'd expect in a teishoku are included (chawanmushi, tempura, hand roll, etc.), so it's quite a good deal. If you go with more people, you could order one or two teishoku sets and then order other items à la carte. This way, not only can you get full, but you can also try more of the restaurant's offerings. As for the quality of the food, I personally think it's all up to a certain standard, at least not bad. Especially considering that for such a meal, the restaurant doesn't charge a service fee. For three people, it was under 900 NT dollars, which is really quite affordable. Just for your reference~ Address: 1F, No. 286, Beida Road. Phone: (03)5231286 By Morgan on 2006.12.4
Location: Hsinchu Kiwi Appetizer Italian Kitchen Travel note summary: A few weeks ago, a user named figo recommended this restaurant in the comments section of my blog. I didn't have a chance to try it until yesterday evening, after playing badminton with a group of friends. I invited Zhichian and his UMC colleague Peizhen to go together. It's located quite far down Hsinchu's Beida Road, heading towards the suburbs, on the right-hand side. The sign has a black background with blue lighting, and an old, mottled pendant lamp hangs at the entrance. Looking inside at night, the dim yellow lighting gives it a feel similar to a small bar. Upon entering, you're easily drawn to the walls covered with black-and-white photos, which seem to be from 70s movies, music, or jazz. You can clearly see the overall decor isn't minimalist or clean, but rather replaced with an array of ornaments. We found a seat by the wall with a sofa and cushions and opened the menu handed to us by the beautiful waitress. The restaurant offers everything from steak dishes priced around five hundred NT dollars to regular pasta, baked dishes, or rice dishes. I ordered the Sicilian Braised Beef Cheese Baked Potato ($260), while my two friends ordered the Indian Curry Chicken Cheese Baked Potato and the Neapolitan Seafood Cheese Baked Potato, priced at $240 and $260 respectively. These are set meal prices, so they all include salad, soup, dessert, and drinks. Listening to old English songs playing one after another, the dishes were served gradually. Dipping cucumber sticks, carrot sticks, and guava in salad dressing, and after finishing the rich soup, the main course arrived. Besides my own, I also tried some of my friends' dishes. Their baked dishes are indeed good; no matter the flavor, they really excite the taste buds, and the ingredients are quite generous. As for portion size, it's about average. Last time at Pumpkin House in Taichung, I also ate...
Location: Hsinchu Uncle Zhang Orchard - Pitaya Veggie Bun & Shi Family Fish Ball Travel notes summary: At our company, at the end of each month, there's a day for a province-wide employee meeting via video conference. On that day, the welfare committee usually has a budget to prepare afternoon tea snacks for everyone, typically distributed after the meeting, close to下班 time. I often use that as dinner to solve a meal. In the employee meeting two months ago, the afternoon snacks were two items: one is a shop on Baoshan Road, on the right-hand side heading toward Xida Road, with a small storefront called Uncle Zhang Orchard. They sell pitaya veggie buns and pitaya meatballs. Yes, you heard right—pitaya veggie buns and pitaya meatballs. They even have pitaya套餐 packages. Since we could only choose one, I only had the veggie bun. The bun wrapper has the bright red color of pitaya, filled with savory ingredients. However, eating it felt more novel than delicious (because the pitaya aroma wasn't very noticeable). Maybe the pitaya ice cream or pitaya smoothie sold in the store would have more flavor @@a (I accidentally used flash for the photo, so it seems too bright >). 1. Uncle Zhang Orchard, No. 43 Baoshan Road. 2. Shi Family Fish Ball, No. 27-29 Xingxue Street. By Morgan on 2006.11.22
Location: Hsinchu Jiang Ji Spicy Duck Blood & A Tang Beef & Lamb Flavor Restaurant Travel notes summary: In Hsinchu's Garden Street Night Market, there are plenty of affordable things to eat and wander around. Whenever the weather turns cold and I'm dining alone, I occasionally come here for a duck blood hot pot. At first, I used to go to the end of the right aisle for a place called Chen Ji, but after writing one of my Hsinchu随笔 series, a netizen told me that the neighboring Jiang Ji is also delicious. After comparing the two in person, I felt Jiang Ji was slightly better, so I've been going there ever since. It's very cheap—a beef and duck blood rice noodle hot pot is only about 55 or 65 NTD. Eating it in cold weather feels like a warm kind of happiness~ Actually, both places have good duck blood, especially if you like spicy food, it's very flavorful. In the bustling night market, I didn't dare to blatantly use flash for photos while eating alone, so I had to post a blurry picture~ = = As for last Friday after work, I met Junhong for dinner. Out of habit, I scanned Jinshan Street for any new shops, and this place, A Tang Beef & Lamb Flavor Restaurant, which didn't seem to have been open long, was chosen. Originally, I just wanted to eat beef or beef offal noodles (around 100 NTD), but later I saw they also sell hot pot. On impulse, without considering there were only two of us, I ordered a yin-yang hot pot = =. The decor is quite clean, with small private rooms. The hot pot base is cheap—a small yin-yang pot is only 100 NTD. There's plenty of soup, but the ingredients are at regular prices. It's not expensive per se, but splitting it between two people isn't exactly cheap. We ordered a plate of lamb (100 NTD), meatballs and taro (60 NTD each), plus two bowls of rice (20 NTD each). It didn't seem like much, but in the end, each person still spent 180 NTD.
Location: Hsinchu Chongxuan Cantonese Teahouse & Aunt Stella's Afternoon Tea Travel note summary: Hsinchu Chongxuan Cantonese Teahouse & Aunt Stella's Afternoon Tea. At noon on Sunday, my good friend John from the army invited me out for a meal to catch up and discuss some things. So around 11:40, I arrived at the Sogo near Hsinchu Railway Station, on the second floor. Originally, we were going to eat at Sazaby Afternoon Tea on the second floor, which is funded by Japanese investors (I've tried it once at Sogo Zhongxiao in Taipei; personally, I think their curry is better than their pasta, but what's more worth mentioning is their English afternoon tea and desserts. The British have a golden rule for brewing tea: never steep it for more than three minutes, because beyond that, tannins and caffeine will be released. Another point is never to reuse the leaves. The black tea at this shop, adhering to this rule, tastes just right). But while waiting, I wandered off and saw Chongxuan in the food court on the 13th floor. Remembering that it had been a while since I had dim sum, after consulting with John and his beautiful wife Kellie, and thanks to the lovely couple indulging my whim, we changed our plan and decided to eat at Chongxuan instead. Chongxuan Cantonese Teahouse seems to have three branches in Sogo stores across Taiwan (Shuanghe, Zhongli, Hsinchu). After sitting down, we first asked the server to brew a pot of chrysanthemum pu-erh tea. They were quick and also brought a plate of pickled vegetables. The main dishes, stir-fries, and soups here are ordered directly from the menu with the server, while other dim sum and desserts are provided via carts. When the carts pass by, you can just take what you like onto your table. The three of us first ordered a small Chongxuan Supreme Pot Soup ($360), which mainly contains ingredients like tendon and seafood. For other things, we kept taking various dim sum from the different carts constantly shuttling past our table. I vaguely remember we kept taking all sorts of dim sum from the various carts, almost covering the entire table: roast duck, shumai, shark fin dumplings, chicken feet...
Location: Hsinchu Wallace Institute Travel note summary: Wallace Institute in Hsinchu is probably the hottest spot on the anonymous food board lately. From reading posts by board friends, I learned that this shop is run by Steve, a foreign teacher at NCTU. It boasts an all-English environment—from entering, ordering, to paying, the waitresses speak English to you. But even if your English isn't great like mine, don't worry, because the waitresses also speak Chinese, so Chinese works too. So yesterday, after playing badminton all day from morning to evening with two different groups of friends, on a whim, I called my younger brother Ryanpig Morgan, who studies at NTHU: [Wanna grab a meal?] Ryan: [Where?] Morgan: [Wallace!] Ryan: [Oh? Our family's foreign language department junior is working there part-time~] What a coincidence. I checked later, and it should be jujuyellow~ :P But on Saturday night, I didn't see juju, so my brother missed his chance to show off as the 'senior.' Coincidentally, a group of his classmates from the Department of Power Mechanical Engineering happened to be celebrating a birthday at Wallace. So my brother and I sat at one table, but he kept running over to the long table they had combined with to chat—so busy~ Located on Jinshan 7th Street, Wallace's original site used to be Meiwei Zhuyi Korean BBQ buffet. I'd been there once before; business wasn't great, and it closed down. Now, the white exterior of Wallace gives off a completely different vibe. Steve, who really takes care of students, offers them great discounts on meals. So there are two set meal options (Set Meal A & B): original prices $230 & $280, student prices $200 & $250. The difference between the two set meals lies in the dessert...
Location: Taichung, Lao Xiang's Noodle Restaurant Travel Notes: After shopping at RT-Mart on Zhongming Road with my family on Saturday morning, we headed to Lao Xiang's on Beiping Road for lunch. Despite arriving just after 11:30 AM, the place was already packed. The menu offers a wide variety: noodles like steamed duck breast noodles, clam noodles, and even French-style fried noodles, plus rice dishes, soups, and appetizers. We ordered sour cabbage lamb noodles, beef dough slice stir-fry, shrimp fried rice, chive dumplings, and more. The portions were huge and affordable—our meal for four cost less than NT$500. The food was above average for a noodle shop, with unique flavors. No wonder it's always crowded!
Location: Taichung, Gangshan Mutton Hot Pot Travel Notes: On a Saturday evening, my family and I had mutton hot pot at home, ordered from Gangshan Mutton Hot Pot near Gongyi Road and Zhongming South Road. We often take out from here, buying two portions for NT$250 each, enough for four people with some extra ingredients. The broth is simmered with Chinese herbs, giving it a sweet aroma without needing much rice wine. The skin-on mutton is tender, and dipping cooked noodles into the rich soup makes for a satisfying meal. We paired it with plum wine from Yushan Winery, enjoying the game while cheering for La New Bears' victory over Samsung Lions—a perfect cozy night.
Location: Hsinchu Fanglin Beef Noodle's Dumplings & Ye Ji Dumplings Travel note summary: Hsinchu Fanglin Beef Noodle's Dumplings & Ye Ji Dumplings. I previously saw a recommendation on the Wretch board from a user praising the dumplings inside Fanglin Beef Noodle on Nanda Road. So last week, I found some time to swing by and try them. The boss lady was quite enthusiastic. The cabbage and chive dumplings were 4 NTD each. I ordered some of each kind and also got a bowl of wonton soup (30 NTD). The shape, pressed out by a dumpling mold, is quite eye-catching. They taste pretty substantial. The wontons are flat and small. The soup is seasoned with fried shallots and tastes okay. But in Hsinchu, the dumplings I prefer eating are from Ye Ji. I didn't know about this place originally. Once, my colleague Xiao Li came over and asked if I wanted to do a group order for this shop's dumplings. If the quantity was enough, they could deliver. I thought, sure, let's try it. So I bought a box. Unexpectedly, I became a regular customer after one try. I've tried all their dumpling flavors at least once (except the vegetarian ones). The cabbage and chive flavors are 65 NTD for 30 pieces. Beef and shrimp are 100 NTD for 30 pieces. Very cheap. They also have curry dumplings (wrapping curry inside a dumpling, which is quite unique to eat @@a). Besides the various dumplings, they also have quite cute small wontons you can buy together to make soup, which are also pretty good. If you don't have enough people for a group order, you might need to make a trip to buy them in person. Thanks to my colleague Lydia for showing me the way, I found out it has a stall at the Hegong Huanghun Market. That market is at the intersection of Jincheng 1st Road and Jincheng 2nd Road, right on the road in front of Tsannkuen. Walking up to the stall, you can see three middle-aged women there whose hands almost never stop, quickly scooping filling and skillfully stuffing it into dumpling wrappers, pressing them out with a mold. They don't use machines but hand-wrap them. No wonder they taste different. Since my home fridge was already out of...
Location: Hsinchu Zhuyuan Lamb Soup & Zhubei Monet Garden Cafe Travel note summary: Hsinchu Zhuyuan Lamb Soup & Zhubei Monet Garden Cafe. The night before last, I went to Zhuyuan Lamb Soup for dinner. I've been here over seven or eight times already. Given how often I eat out, for a place to get this many visits from me, it must be pretty delicious, right? Actually, it's not that exaggerated. The main reason I explore it is that I occasionally crave stinky tofu. When I used to live near the Longshan Community area, whenever I thought of a decent stinky tofu place nearby that could also solve a meal, I'd always end up walking here. So, from its earliest days as a roadside stall on Science Park Road, I've been eating here all the way until it moved to a storefront diagonally across the street. When I come alone, I most often order a plate of dry flat noodles (30 NTD) paired with a serving of stinky tofu (40 NTD). For me, enjoyment isn't limited to Western food, shared dishes, or Japanese cuisine. A dinner like this, while nothing special, is already more than enough to satisfy me and curb my cravings. 2007/5/3 addendum: On my last two recent visits, it seems the owner has changed. The flavor of the stinky tofu itself and the control over the cooking heat are quite different from before. @@ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And last night, I first went to Zhudong to meet my friend Taka from ITRI. We had dinner at a nearby noodle shop called Lao Dian. The food was quite cheap; a bowl of wonton noodles with minced pork was only 40 NTD, and adding some side dishes didn't cost much either. Then, I rushed from Zhudong to Zhubei because a friend from Tainan came up to Taoyuan and stopped by to have tea with me. Around 8 PM, we wandered around the Guangming 1st Road area in Zhubei. Walking along, we ended up on Wenxin Road, which runs parallel to Guangming 1st Road. There are quite a few places here too...
Location: Hsinchu, Toronto Cafe Travel note snippet: Yesterday, I stole some leisure time and read comics all afternoon. Besides catching up on various series, I finally saw the endings of two long-running comics: 'Karakuri Circus' by Kazuhiro Fujita (later renamed when it changed publishers) and 'Fastball' by Saburo Hatsumi, illustrated by Kawasanbanchi. What a long journey! @@ In the evening, I went with my old classmate Jiajun to find food in the Qingda Night Market area. This time, we tried Toronto Cafe, which has been open for a while near the Wenjiao New City area. Perhaps because its location is on the edge of Qingda Night Market and not very prominent, or maybe due to the preconception that set-meal cafes might be pricey, business seemed average. But that's fine—it allowed us to find some quiet amidst the crowded area. The food was actually pretty good and quite affordable. I ordered baked beef ramen ($150), and Jiajun got beef rice bowl ($120), which came with simple soup, dessert, and a drink. With a 10% discount for NCTU students and thanks to Jiajun, it didn't cost much per person. It's a nice consideration for a quiet meal and chat in this area. The biggest drawback might be the serving speed. With only the owner and his wife managing the place, and one person handling all the cooking, it easily exceeded the usual tolerable wait time. Even though there weren't many customers (just two or three tables besides us), we waited about 40–50 minutes after entering before we could gratefully take our first bite of hot food. I'm not sure if that's why the food tasted good (I was pretty hungry by then, almost 8 PM), making it hard for me to evaluate properly.
Location: Tainan - Tsu-jia-ma-li Yakiniku Workshop Travel note summary: Four years ago, on Fuqian Road in Tainan, the Mercedes KTV group opened a yakiniku restaurant called Charcoal Fire Workshop. With its postmodern decor and fresh barbecue ingredients, it quickly sparked a yakiniku trend on this street, with one yakiniku shop after another opening. So it's no exaggeration to say it ignited the war in Tainan's yakiniku market. I really liked Charcoal Fire Workshop and went there many times. Later, it closed due to lease issues, but two larger, more luxurious branches still stand on Fuqian Road and Zhonghua Road, named Tsu-jia-ma-li. Hence, the T2 and T3 written outside the two buildings. A TV station once reported on this restaurant, describing it as a nightclub-style yakiniku place. Entering the Zhonghua branch, the black-dominated building materials paired with dim, hazy colored lights create a psychedelic texture. The seats are almost all private booths, dividing into separate spaces. In the center of the first floor, there's a Japanese-style bar counter. That night, I came here for a gathering with a few friends working at Chi Mei Optoelectronics and fellow users from my personal board on the Dream BBS. Eight of us ordered the Pork/Beef Full Course (dinner price NT$860) and the Seafood Set (dinner price NT$740), plus some à la carte items. Including a 10% service charge, each person spent only about NT$300. The fullness level was around 65%. There are many Japanese dishes available in the restaurant, but we mainly focused on yakiniku items plus some filling foods. The dishes served included Japanese-style salad, sirloin beef, beef ribs, pork collar, pork ribs, oilfish, shrimp, miso chicken, kimchi stone pot bibimbap, vegetables, etc., plus a miso fish hot pot and dessert. When Charcoal Fire Workshop first opened, the boss personally came to teach us yakiniku techniques. He said when grilling thin slices of meat like sirloin beef or pork collar, don't...
Location: Hsinchu, Zhuchang Sesame Oil Chicken Travel note snippet: Zhuchang Sesame Oil Chicken is a fairly well-known spot in Hsinchu. The owner had previously moved to Xinfeng to open a shop, but I recently heard they've returned to Hsinchu. After work today, I invited a friend to check out this new location near the Far Eastern Department Store on Xida Road, with its red signboard. At first glance, it looks like a roadside stall, but inside there's actually quite a bit of seating in the back. I ordered a bowl of sesame oil chicken. I initially thought it would come as a hotpot, but it arrived in a large bowl—aromatic chicken soup with a strong rice wine scent, containing about five pieces of chicken, for 80 NTD. We also got a plate of noodles (30 NTD) to fill up, mixed with sesame oil broth, ginger slices, and cabbage. The shop also offers dishes like pork liver, pork heart, chicken gizzard, and blanched vegetables, making it a good spot for sharing with a group. The chicken in the sesame oil chicken varied in texture—some pieces were a bit tough, while others were just right, tender and smooth. The broth wasn't overly rich, perhaps diluted with too much water. The pot out front is huge, and as the weather gets colder, it's a nice place to warm up. They're open from 5 PM to 1 AM, so it works for a late-night snack too. Just for reference! :) Address: No. 332, Xida Road. Phone: 0936091724 (Owner Ah-Chang's mobile). By Morgan, evening of 2006.10.25
Location: Hsinchu Guoting Vegetarian Restaurant Travel note summary: Last Saturday's dinner was quite a coincidence. A few days ago, after work, I was riding my scooter back home past the Guangfu Road interchange when I spotted a familiar figure—ah, it was Zihan senior! Turns out he was returning to Hsinchu after attending an event in Taipei, so I gave him a ride back to NCTU to sit in on a management science class. Since we bumped into each other, we decided to grab a meal together ^^a. Senior only gave me two conditions: 'vegetarian and simple.' So I did some online research, and the result was us coming to this unassuming shop on Dongnan Street on Saturday night. I've passed Dongnan Street many times but never noticed this little vegetarian place. Surprisingly, business was booming—good thing we arrived around 5 PM; after 6, the place was packed! @@ Prices here are quite low, with the most expensive item being the Qiankun Hotpot at just $250, and there are also baked dishes. Senior Zihan ordered the Guoting Rice Bowl ($100), while I got the Guoting Set Meal ($130), each adding $10 to switch white rice for multigrain rice. The rice bowl came with a bowl of thick soup, while the set meal was more lavish: thick soup, jelly, fruit, and a small cup of tea. After eating, it's not hard to see why it's so popular. The vegetarian dishes shaped like meat were almost indistinguishable in texture, and despite the low prices, the offerings were quite generous. Honestly, if I have vegetarian friends visiting in the future, I'd probably bring them here. Although slightly pricier than typical buffet-style vegetarian places, the variety is much greater, and the decor has some charm. The biggest issue, though, is that during peak dining hours or on weekends, you might feel pressured by the queue outside—seeing others waiting for tables makes it hard to chat leisurely for too long.
Location: Hsinchu AMIGO Latin Cuisine Travel note summary: After an intense badminton session with Zhiqian and friends from TSMC and Nan Ya, post-exercise food hunting is both a habit and a pleasure—sports and food, two of life's greatest joys! With Zhiqian and Junhong, we visited AMIGO, which boasts Latin cuisine. I've been wanting to check it out for a while; having been in Hsinchu for years, South American-style restaurants like this are quite rare. As the server seated us, I noticed the walls adorned with numerous paintings and exotic decorations, which were quite unique and easily caught my eye. Sitting down, listening to passionate Latin dance music, I flipped through the elegant menu brought by the waitress. I recommend coming here with at least three people, as there are three special dishes—each person can order one and share, so everyone gets to try everything. We ordered the Mexican Fajita Set ($420), Brazilian BBQ Skewer Set ($420), and a single Chilean Empanada ($250), splitting it to $363 per person, which was filling enough. For starters, the corn soup was nothing special, but the Caesar salad dressing was quite good. After warming up our stomachs, the anticipated mains arrived: the fajita used tenderloin stir-fried with bell peppers and onions, wrapped in grilled tortillas—similar to Indian cuisine but with a beefy flavor instead of spices. The Brazilian BBQ skewer, served on a small sword-like skewer with various ingredients, offered a choice of beef or pork; the beef was tenderloin lightly salted and grilled, finished with South American spices. The Chilean empanada looked like a large baked dumpling, with fillings like beef, seafood, or cheese, paired with onions and black olives.
Location: Hsinchu Left Bank 16 Western Restaurant. Travel note summary: Yesterday afternoon, after playing badminton with two friends and Steven, a colleague and trader from the company, as usual, we went looking for a hearty dinner after exercise. So, Zhiqian, Yanlu, and I went to Left Bank 16 in the alley on Fuxing Road. Unexpectedly, as soon as we arrived at the entrance, Yanlu said, 'Ah, this is where I used to work @@a.' But it wasn't Left Bank 16; it was another restaurant that was the predecessor of Left Bank. So as soon as we sat down, he immediately went to check out the bathroom to see if anything had changed = =. The three of us ordered Pumpkin Chicken Baked Rice, Saffron Seafood Risotto, and a Cheese Seafood Baked Rice. The main courses also include pasta or steak dishes. All meal prices start at NT$260 and above, and a 10% service charge is added to all prices. I had long heard that Left Bank 16 is famous for its cakes—the owner painstakingly collects cakes from various well-known bakeries. So of course, we added NT$70 to upgrade to a set meal, which allowed us to upgrade our drink to a higher-priced level and choose either Haagen-Dazs ice cream or any piece of cake. The appetizers included a thick soup with small salmon pieces and pumpkin seeds, and breadsticks with cheese powder and olive oil. Driven by our hunger, we finished our main courses in no time. Sharing among ourselves, for the three rice dishes, I personally thought: Baked Rice > Risotto > Baked Rice (the pumpkin chicken one). After the meal, the highlight—the cakes—were brought out on a tray by a waitress in a maid outfit. There were about ten pieces of cake and desserts on the tray for customers to choose their favorite. Indeed, each piece looked very tempting, making it impossible to decide quickly. But such is life—you must give up something to gain something. So the three of us finally chose Pistachio Chocolate, Wild Berry Forest, and Lemon Mousse. As a chocolate lover, although I ordered...
Location: Hsinchu Onion Curry Western Restaurant. Travel note summary: After work today, I went to eat with Wenzheng and his friend who works at Qile Da. We returned to Guanghua Street Lane 18, which is full of restaurants, and also checked out the lamb soup mentioned by netizen RT. Wenzheng is even more hardcore than me—he just got back yesterday from a seven-day, six-night solo motorcycle trip around the island, and came straight to dinner :P. Onion Curry, as the name suggests, specializes in curry. Sure enough, the menu featured many curry-based main courses like curry hotpot and curry steak. With such a dazzling array of options, it was hard to decide what to order. Fortunately, the restaurant had a sign on the table listing the top five most-ordered dishes. The three of us each ordered one of those three. Photos in order: 1. Signature Cheese Pork Cutlet Curry Rice, 2. Pan-Fried Tender Chicken Leg Curry Rice, 3. Baked Omelette Beef Curry Rice. The à la carte prices for these are around NT$200–250, but upgrading to a set meal costs an extra NT$100 (choose one from [salad/yogurt/bagel]/soup/drink/dessert). Actually, after adding NT$100, the price isn't very attractive, especially for a curry main course. If they could learn from Querida and offer more set meal price tiers (NT$60, NT$150...), it might be better. The curry itself was okay—mildly spicy. I'd rate it slightly above average. The main courses felt similar. What stood out more was the overall decor. At night, with the small lights turned on, the entrance already had a bit of ambiance. Going up to the second floor, the dim yellow lighting and soft decorations created a quite atmospheric setting, suitable for couples or small gatherings. Service was acceptable, with no 10% service charge. Also, the restaurant's blog offers a printable NT$100 discount coupon (one coupon per table for purchases over NT$500).
Location: Hsinchu Shanghai Meat Bun & Guanxi Qingxiang Hakka Cuisine Travel notes: Three days ago, on a whim, a friend and I set off from Hsinchu for a nearly 200km motorcycle trip along the Northern Cross-Island Highway. Before heading out that morning, we grabbed breakfast at the Xinyuan Market next to Mackay Memorial Hospital. Since I usually work weekday mornings, I rarely get to explore here. I’d seen a blogger named DadoDaren recommend some good eats here, but we decided spontaneously, so I had no internet and couldn’t recall which spots he suggested. No worries—we just wandered around and picked a place by instinct. Walking along, we turned into an alley by a pharmacy on Xinyuan Street and spotted a small shop on the right with a sign saying 'Shanghai Meat Bun.' Seeing the stacked steamers at the entrance felt right, so we decided: breakfast here! :P We got a red bean bun and a meat bun, both NT$12. The red bean filling was smooth and rich, really flavorful. The meat bun had minced pork with scallions, with a hint of savory juice that made my mouth water. Trying both buns left me quite satisfied—next time, I’ll definitely go back to try the other three varieties! ------------------------------------------------------------------ At noon, we reached Xiaobaling and randomly picked a Tayal eatery for lunch. Around evening, on the way back via the provincial highway, we passed through Guanxi Town and looked for dinner there. We saw Qingxiang Hakka Cuisine, labeled as a 70-year-old establishment, and went in. Wow, the place was packed—from the first floor to the second, it was full of people. Luckily, we snagged a small...
Location: Hsinchu Querida & Lamb Zheng Travel notes: After returning to Hsinchu from Taichung on Sunday evening, I met up with Jiajun, who just got into the NCTU Industrial Engineering graduate program this year. Since I arrived at the train station, we met near the moat by Hsinchu Station. I remembered Querida, a pretty famous spot online, so we headed there. While waiting for our food, we chatted and suddenly mentioned someone who also works in Hsinchu. As I said the name, Jiajun picked up his phone and called our classmate Rongjin. Wow, what a coincidence—he hadn’t eaten yet, was near the Eslite nearby, and was about to go on a business trip to AUO’s Suzhou plant in a few days. So our duo became a trio! I ordered sour and spicy shrimp fried noodles, while they got Mexican baked rice. The fried noodles had penne stuffed with mashed potatoes and deep-fried—pretty unique. But I didn’t ask beforehand, so the spicy level was a bit too much for me. I spent most of the meal battling the heat, so I couldn’t fully appreciate the food. Adding NT$60 to a main gets you fruit, soup, and a glass of white wine (or a non-alcoholic drink). The white wine here is sweet and not a big pour. I took a sip, letting it spread in my mouth. White wine usually tastes better a few degrees cooler than red, often chilled before serving to around 8–12°C. My palate’s not refined enough to tell if it was chilled, but a lower temp might’ve suited me better. With a 10% service charge, it came to over NT$200 per person—pretty reasonable price-wise. The decor is quite distinctive.
Location: Taichung Qingzhen Guan Travel notes summary: Taichung Qingzhen Guan (Sauerkraut and Pork Hot Pot) (Acrostic article) ------------------------------------------------------------------- During the five-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, Morgan returned to Taichung. One evening, I went with my family to this Qingzhen Guan again—it was my second visit. The restaurant was first recommended to me by my junior, alejate. It's located in an alley off Zhongxiao Road. This time, we had enough people, so we ordered the sauerkraut hot pot, yellow beef dumplings, potstickers, and vegetarian liangpi. After some waiting, the dishes arrived one by one. The hot pot offered both beef and lamb slices. I dipped the meat in the pot for a moment, then added some minced garlic—it tasted quite good. Having tried almost everything on the table, plus some side dishes, noodles, and soups from previous visits, I'd say the liangpi is great, the spicy platter is great, and the sauerkraut hot pot is great. Definitely avoid their kimchi—it just doesn't taste right. As for the dumplings, potstickers, and noodles, they're okay. Among the three standout dishes, liangpi is a cold skin noodle with a delicate texture. The spicy platter lets you choose two or three items from beef tendon, shank, and tripe—a bit pricey but well-marinated. The sauerkraut hot pot has a long chimney above the pot, with charcoal fire below, giving it a real northern Chinese vibe. Taichung has plenty of great food, and this restaurant near Zhongxiao Night Market is a fine example. It's open for lunch and dinner, perfect for groups to enjoy hot pot or a little drink. ^^ I've posted clearer photos on my personal blog—feel free to check them out if interested. I wish the holiday could last forever, but life doesn't always go as planned. Still, I mustered the energy to write this.
Location: Hsinchu Yizhan Cafe (Closed) Travel note summary: Hsinchu Yizhan Cafe (Closed). Today, I originally planned to have a meal with a classmate who just got into the National Chiao Tung University graduate school this year, but he told me he has many freshman cup matches to play, so he needs to practice. We'll have to reschedule :P. Unexpectedly, not long after, Changyu asked if I wanted to eat. Okay, so three people from the original group, after having yakiniku the day before yesterday, today we switched to small hot pot. When Morgan first started university, since I usually ate at home before, I rarely went to set meal restaurants. And since I was really tired of rice dishes, when I first started having family gatherings or meeting friends for afternoon tea, I tried almost all the set meal restaurants in Tainan, and I almost always ordered small hot pot. After eating it so much, I got a bit tired and even scared of it, and then started trying various other dishes. But today, Hsinchu was a bit chilly, and while walking around Jinshan Street, I finally decided, let's have small hot pot~ :P. Coincidentally, a few days ago, I got a flyer on my scooter saying that until 10/10, all small hot pots are 15% off. So, okay, let's try this Yizhan place. It's not related to Yizhan inside ITRI, which is opened by Chimei Cafe. This Yizhan is located on the second floor of a restaurant on Jinshan Street, opened by the owner of another nearby private kitchen restaurant. Actually, the location isn't great because you often pass by without noticing, since it's a second-floor shop. But the decor is okay. P.S. The first picture is a scene inside the shop, showing that indeed there aren't many customers. The second picture is the window seat overlooking a corner of Jinshan Street. After Sanju on Monday with not many tables occupied, today I again enjoyed the treatment reserved for VIP customers because the business here isn't very good either. So during dinner time, the quite spacious environment was really quiet~ ^^. Actually, the menu in the shop has quite a variety of options, including set meals, gratin, teppanyaki, etc., ranging from over a hundred to over three hundred. Changyu and I each ordered a braised beef hot pot ($220).
Location: Hsinchu Zhulian Squid Thick Soup & Yi 981 Pasta Travel note summary: Hsinchu Zhulian Squid Thick Soup & Yi 981 Pasta. Tonight, the Hsinchu branch office had a barbecue, so that's another round after yesterday's all-you-can-eat yakiniku. I hope when I return to Taichung for Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday, there won't be an additional session. Otherwise, barbecuing three times in five days, I probably won't want to see tongs and charcoal for a month. But since it's a barbecue, does that mean no food diary today? Flipping through photos on my notebook, not necessarily. After visiting four shops over the weekend, there are still two I can write about :P. Although the two shops in the title seem quite mismatched, I don't want to drag it out into two posts, so I'll write them together~ After all, these two shops are so different in nature, it's unlikely they'll spark any chemistry ^^a. Okay! Let's get to the story~~ Last Saturday morning after playing badminton, I took Zhiqian to Zhulian Market. Next to the market, there's an area full of food stalls with many types of snacks. At the very edge, there's a squid thick soup noodle shop. Last time when Morgan wandered over alone, I suddenly noticed the queue was ridiculously long. So, curious me, I followed the crowd and joined the line. After queuing and queuing, when it was finally my turn, my phone happened to ring—it was my friend Lungfish asking me to eat! Ah, I looked at the boss, and the boss was looking at me too. After hesitating for a moment, I had to awkwardly wave him off. After all, eating with friends is more fun. This second attempt at Zhulian Squid Thick Soup, no hurricanes, no earthquakes, and no phone ringing, I finally got to eat peacefully. We each ordered a bowl of squid thick soup noodles ($35) and sat down at a simple table to eat. In Hsinchu, I've also tried another famous Guo Family Squid Thick Soup on Zhongzheng Road. In terms of squid, they don't feel very different, but the thick soup at Zhulian has a slightly sweet taste, which is not bad. For Hsinchu prices, such an almost overflowing bowl of squid thick soup noodles is quite affordable.
Location: Hsinchu Sanju Japanese Yakiniku All-You-Can-Eat Travel note summary: Hsinchu Sanju Japanese Yakiniku All-You-Can-Eat (in verse) Because of Changyu's remark: [Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, we should have a barbecue, right~~], tonight's outing was born. And since Changyu added: [I'm really hungry, it has to be all-you-can-eat~~], this meal became an all-you-can-eat yakiniku. I remembered a fellow forum user mentioned 'Yang Yakiniku' at the Far Eastern Department Store in my blog comments, so why not meet there? So after work today, I took the elevator up to the 7th floor of Hsinchu's Far Eastern Department Store. I was the first to arrive, but looking around, I couldn't see any yakiniku restaurant, only a sales clerk smiling at me—probably thinking this person is really strange, wandering around confused with a laptop in a clothing section. Hey, so I had to go to the customer service center and ask a staff member where the yakiniku place was. To my shock, she told me that 'Yang Yakiniku' had already closed down long ago. Here, I can only use Changyu's favorite catchphrase: [Awesome~ old buddy~ well done~~]. When in a pinch, adapt and find a way. Luckily, I had a backup plan ready in my head. I called the others and changed the meeting place to Sanju Yakiniku on the 2nd floor of Zhongxing Department Store. Dinner was NT$399 plus 10% service charge for all-you-can-eat. If I remember correctly, its predecessor was called 'Tao'. The atmosphere inside was dimly lit and not bad, at least it could be called a Japanese yakiniku place with some decor. However, there were very few customers. But later, I realized the restaurant only had a good atmosphere; the variety of food wasn't extensive. It felt like the same few items kept coming around: beef belly, lamb belly, pork shoulder, and loofah. The seafood selection was also limited, not many ingredients to order. At most, you could add beef tongue and quite large cubes of beef. The whole meal seemed to be just grilling these same things over and over. The only thing I found decent was actually the side dishes—tofu and burdock root. There weren't many standout main dishes. And I couldn't even find my favorite mirin, I almost fainted. Today's gathering had five friends: Moragn, Changyu, Junhong, Qijun. Four of us arrived first.
Location: Jin Diwang Shibu Wuguji, Hsinchu Travel note summary: After work yesterday, I hurried to Subway to exchange a stamp card for a sub and had a quick meal before heading out again (Morgan really likes subs, so I filled up the stamp card quickly @@). I rushed to Caesar Park Hotel Hsinchu because a senior was holding an event there and invited me. Besides showing support, I mainly came to learn and observe how the senior arranged and managed everything. After it ended, the senior took me to a restaurant. Honestly, I've passed by this place so many times but never really noticed it. It's right next to the underpass where Guangfu Road meets Zhonghua Road, opposite Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. The storefront looks quite casual, but quite a few people drive here specifically to eat. For this late-night snack, besides me and the senior, there were two of the senior's friends—one works at Coretronic, and the other is Brother Li, who worked in the Science Park for 12 years. The four of us ordered half a black-bone chicken (500), a plate of vermicelli noodles each (30), and a bunch of hotpot ingredients (rice blood cake, intestines, frozen tofu, vegetables, etc.), totaling exactly $800. From what the senior said, I learned that this restaurant is also run by the family of a senior from the NCKU Institute of Information Management. They have relatives who run another branch in Taipei. The black-bone chicken itself doesn't have much flavor, of course, because the essence of the chicken is in the soup :P. The broth has a lot of Chinese herbs and leaves added. After being served, it's reheated along with the hotpot ingredients, and then cooking wine (important for Taiwanese people :P) is poured in. However, the dark broth doesn't taste too heavy; it's not sweet but quite nourishing~ Winter is coming again, so this is also a place where you can come to drink and chat. Just for reference~ :) Address: Next to the Guangfu Road underpass on Zhonghua Road, Section 2. Phone: (
Location: Hsinchu Gao's Corn Pancake & Gao's Winter Melon Tea Travel note summary: A rare leisurely evening in Hsinchu, where I could freely ride my scooter around. Starting from Baoshan Road, Xida Road, Jingguo Road, Guoguang Street, Zhuwen Street, Zhuguang Road, and back to Xida Road. For a directionally challenged person like Moragn, the biggest advantage of riding a scooter is not being afraid of getting lost—just go wherever the road takes you. Unlike driving a car, you don't have to worry as much about taking a wrong turn or having trouble making a U-turn. After reaching the end of Xida Road, a right turn leads to Heping Road, and then onto Zhongzheng Road. As I was wandering around, I suddenly spotted a brightly lit shop sign on the left side. Oh, this Gao's Corn Pancake is actually a famous snack in Hsinchu, but I'd always forgotten to try it. Since I happened to pass by, I decided to give it a go! With 20 years of history in Hsinchu, it's a classic shop that recently reopened. I bought one corn pancake (NT$35) and then walked next door to grab a cup of Gao's Winter Melon Tea (small: NT$15). I chatted with the owner for a bit, and sure enough, the two shops are related—the owner of Gao's Winter Melon Tea is the younger brother of the owner of Gao's Corn Pancake. They're often mentioned together. After buying them, I've gotten into the habit of taking photos first before eating. > After finishing the corn pancake, I took a sip of the winter melon tea. Honestly, compared to Tainan's most famous Yifeng Winter Melon Tea or the winter melon tea from another shop, Shoufu Rice Cake, Gao's version is much lighter in both concentration and sweetness. Editor's note: I briefly mentioned these two Tainan shops in a much earlier article. You can refer to: Yifeng Winter Melon Tea, Shoufu Rice Cake's Winter Melon Tea. But after eating the somewhat dry corn pancake, pairing it with a cup of winter melon tea does have a refreshing effect. The two can still be bought together to try. Since the internet at home was down again tonight, I was writing this article in Notepad while thinking about what to do next, and I suddenly felt inspired to write a playful poem...
Location: Zhufengyuan Dim Sum Restaurant, Hsinchu Travel note summary: A few days after writing about Longchang Xiaoguan, a helpful anonymous forum user lebronze recommended this place to me. I took the advice right away and came here after work today. I ordered a bowl of hot and sour soup ($30) and the steamed dumplings, which I heard were also quite large (one basket for $70). While waiting, I observed the restaurant as usual. Honestly, the whole process is quite chaotic. The owner and his wife are busy stir-frying or steaming, while another person walks around. Orders are written on blank paper on the spot and then clipped to the wall, sometimes without even a table number noted. There are people lining up for takeout at the door, and inside, orders are all taken verbally without any forms—it's easy to get confused. Seeing how overwhelmed they are, even if I wanted to give the owner some suggestions, I probably wouldn't find the time @@. Finally, the steamed dumplings I ordered arrived. They are indeed quite large, served on a plate with the steamer basket—about 70–80% the size of Longchang Xiaoguan's (you can refer to the blog photos). The wrappers of the two places clearly feel different. Zhufengyuan's steamed dumplings have a denser, firmer overall texture, and the wrapper tastes similar to boiled dumplings. Compared to Longchang Xiaoguan, although both have large steamed dumplings, one is loose and the other tight, each with its own characteristics. However, while the large size is a feature, it requires longer steaming to cook through, so the filling tends to be a bit dry and lacking in juice. But overall, they're okay, especially if you only eat a few—the texture isn't bad. Why do I say this? Because I didn't know beforehand that their steamed dumplings were this big, so I strongly recommend bringing more people to share (the restaurant also has beef chow mein and other dishes to order). Otherwise, if one person orders a whole basket, you might end up wanting to cry by the end. If you don't believe me, here's a little poem as proof: -------------------------------- Minzu
Location: Hsinchu Hekouwei Restaurant Travel notes summary: Hsinchu Hekouwei Restaurant (Chinese family-style dishes). Tonight, I had dinner with several friends from ITRI, including senior Ziyi, Changyu, and Qijun, so we came to Section 3 of Zhongxing Road in Zhudong (just continue on Guangfu Road to reach Zhongxing Road) to eat at a Tainan-style beef clear soup restaurant. They have beef, lamb, pork, seafood, hot pot, beef soup, fried rice/noodles, and family-style dishes. However, since I ate until almost 2 PM at lunch and wasn't hungry, I only ordered a bowl of beef soup to try. Seeing the small details can give you an idea of the whole; although its business is okay, it didn't feel particularly special, so I won't introduce it further. The reason lunch went so late was a department gathering to bid farewell to a colleague. So, a group of 16 people came to the second floor of the Science Park Administration Bureau's employee activity center—this Hekouwei Restaurant. They also have a branch near Zhudong Erchongpu, which I had passed by or heard about before but never had the chance to try until this afternoon. I briefly looked up some information online: Chef Chen Zhengyong had previously hosted many state banquets at the Twin Oaks in the United States early in his career. After returning to Taiwan, he opened this Hekouwei Restaurant in Hsinchu. However, I personally guess that Chef Chen has probably passed on his skills to his successors now. Unless it's a very important banquet, it's unlikely he personally cooks everything anymore, especially since they have more than one branch. But a master should produce excellent disciples, so I also checked the restaurant's online reviews. Although there aren't many discussions, most are positive. But today's main character was our vegetarian colleague Zhengwei, so of course, we prioritized him. So, except for the first two dishes—roasted pork knuckle and drunken chicken—the entire banquet table was vegetarian: mushroom shark fin soup, kung pao chicken, pineapple shrimp floss, asparagus stir-fried with konjac, bamboo shoots stir-fried with mushrooms, stir-fried seasonal vegetables... etc. Some dish names sound meat-based, but they are just made to resemble meat by the chef; the ingredients are, of course, all vegetarian, using various plant-based ingredients to mimic these meat dishes.
Location: Hsinchu Longchang Restaurant Travel notes summary: Hsinchu Longchang Restaurant (Chinese family-style dishes). Another weekend spent shuttling between playing sports and eating. On Friday night, I played badminton with my colleague Lydia and her church friends at the ITRI Guangming Hsinchu courts until almost 10 PM. Saturday was the same, playing badminton all afternoon with a few friends from UMC. After playing, of course, it was time to eat. I asked everyone for their opinions. Rafter said he didn't want Western food today and preferred a Chinese restaurant. TS was okay with anything. So, Morgan thought for a moment... Hmm, there's a place I've been wanting to try but haven't had the chance. But there were only three of us. The worst thing about family-style dishes is having too few people because you can't order many dishes. What to do? No problem, just scrolled through my phone contacts and randomly invited people. In the end, we added Lungfish and Helltaker, who works at AUO, making five people—much better! :P Everyone met up at Longchang Restaurant on Jin Hua Street and went in. This place seems quite famous in Hsinchu, and judging from the storefront, it has been open for quite a long time. After sitting down, we listened to Helltaker share some of his 'special' experiences in Dongguan, broadening our horizons while also trying the most famous steamed dumplings here. The steamed dumplings, at NT$70 per basket, are most notable for being 'big.' As shown in the blog pictures, each dumpling is at least twice the size of a regular steamed dumpling. Despite their size, the taste is better than expected—not bad at all. We also had potstickers, NT$60 per plate, which were also slightly larger than usual, though the taste was just okay. Of course, these were just the main dishes. Looking at the menu, there were quite a few dishes to choose from, including Taiwanese and Hakka cuisine. Tonight, we ordered stir-fried beef with scallions, soy sauce chicken, stir-fried pork intestines with ginger, three-cup chicken, and a large bowl of hot and sour soup—four dishes and one soup.
Location: Hsinchu, Thai World Thai Cuisine Travel note summary: I enjoy gathering friends for meals—it's both a hobby and a pleasure. Sharing dining moments together creates memories worth keeping. This gathering was decided just last Thursday via MSN and phone calls, and tonight nine people showed up. It was essentially a small reunion of my grad school friends in Hsinchu. Since almost everyone works at companies in the Hsinchu Science Park (like TSMC, UMC, Wistron NeWeb, etc.), naturally, I thought of Jinshan Street near the park for dinner. The weather turned cooler today, so I initially considered stir-fry but then thought, why not hot pot? I wanted to try Bashu on Jinshan Street, which seems to be owned by the same person as Chuankuzi. Unexpectedly, when we arrived at Bashu, there wasn't a single customer inside, and the staff were huddled around a table playing cards. Although it had switched to all-you-can-eat, aside from a few hot pot ingredients, there wasn't a single slice of meat in the freezer. Walking in, the owner seemed surprised anyone had entered. Orz. He quickly said, 'For nine people, I'll just charge for seven—I'll bring out the meat right away!' Seeing that scene, you'd need some courage to stay and eat. After asking everyone's opinion, we obviously walked out to find another place. Luckily, Jinshan Street has plenty of options. Crossing the street into Jinshan 7th Street, there were two Thai restaurants. When the group is large enough, I always prioritize set meals or hot pot because these options offer better value with more people—you can try more dishes or get a lower average price per person. I'd been treated by a senior working at Macronix to another place, Nancheng, which is all-you-can-eat (around 436+10% at night). So we decided to try this seemingly nice Thai World (not Thai Century).
Location: Hsinchu, Rokkaku Workshop Ramen & Daifuku Japanese Cuisine Travel note summary: Saturday in Hsinchu meant two casual meals. At noon, I headed alone to the newly opened Rokkaku Workshop Ramen in the Qingda Night Market. The ramen here generally costs around $130–140, which I think is the main reason why, despite being in the night market area, there aren't many students among the customers. However, their cheapest option, the small Rokkaku Ramen, is only 70 NTD. Given my past experience with touch-screen ordering systems and my management background, I naturally observe the operational flow in restaurants. At noon, Rokkaku Workshop had five kitchen staff, four servers, one cashier, plus the owner himself. In the not-so-spacious space spanning two floors, the staffing and division of labor seemed quite adequate. But estimating their monthly operating costs might be staggering. In this area with likely high rent, if customer traffic and table turnover don't increase, running the place could be tough. But that's the owner's problem to solve—I'm just a customer. I tried their ramen, starting with the broth as usual. Compared to other ramen shops I've tried in Hsinchu, the broth isn't as outstanding as Jingfu or Gochiso's, but honestly, I found it passable. After all, investing so much in a prime location shows they have some confidence in their product. The question is whether they can maintain quality under such high costs without cutting corners and falling into a vicious cycle, which would require some observation. Added on 2007/2/12: Actually, the owner of Rokkaku is also the owner of Jingfu, but he seems to be mostly stationed at Rokkaku.
Location: Taipei, Zang Wei Guan (Tibetan Flavor House) - International Cuisine Travel Notes: The most appealing thing about Taipei is that it has all kinds of cultures, and of course, you can find all kinds of restaurants. This Zang Wei Guan near Shida sells exclusively Tibetan-style dishes. It might be the only restaurant in Taipei that boasts authentic Tibetan cuisine run by Tibetans. Even though it was raining that day and we were all a bit bedraggled when we entered, being able to try such a unique restaurant didn't dampen Morgan's enthusiasm at all. The four of us ordered Tibetan-style potato and beef stew, Tibetan-style dry-fried spiced lamb, and Tibetan spicy chicken, among other dishes. We paired them with Tibetan staples: tsampa, momo, and Tibetan flying saucer fried meat patties, finishing with a pot of butter tea. The portions weren't huge, but it wasn't expensive either—just NT$820 for four people, leaving plenty of room to order more. You could clearly taste that many dishes were seasoned with cumin, immediately evoking a frontier flavor. The momo and Tibetan flying saucer fried meat patties, while less common, didn't differ too much in ingredients and texture from what we usually eat. (The momo was a bit like beef steamed dumplings, but the skin and filling were quite firm, which might be a bit hard for Taiwanese people who prefer delicate food. The fried meat patty was a pastry filled with beef, but its orange dipping sauce was quite special, with some unique spice flavors.) The most noteworthy item was probably the tsampa, made from roasted barley flour, butter tea, and some sugar (see the first picture). As senior Iman said, it's a term you'd only see in old geography textbooks, so of course we had to try it :P. Since tsampa is hand-kneaded, the shapes vary. Morgan's first impression was actually of paper clay @@. The flavor of tsampa isn't very pronounced; for someone like me who isn't used to it, I could only slightly appreciate the grainy taste.
Location: Hsinchu, JR (Gia Western Restaurant) Travel note summary: This weekend, I tried the newly opened Shiki Japanese Shabu Shabu on Guangfu Road (dinner NT$198+10%), as well as Omuraya in Qingda Night Market and Yongji Beef Noodle Shop (the beef was pretty good). On Sunday evening, after playing badminton all afternoon with friends from UMC—Zhiqian, Yanlu, and Zongwei—we habitually headed to Jinshan Street for dinner. We originally wanted to try the new Dafu Japanese Restaurant, but it was closed on Sundays, so we went to JR (Gia Western Restaurant), which I hadn't had a chance to try before. Unlike its somewhat intimidating exterior, the menu actually has cheaper options (under NT$300) like pasta set meals. But based on recommendations from senior Katiya and my own observations, this place has survived in the competitive Jinshan Street area for so long—it must have something going for it. So even though it was my first time, I dared to try their steak. Like my friends, I went for the Premium Sirloin Steak (NT$450+10%), cooked medium-rare. Following the usual Western dining course, after having clam chowder and garlic bread, since we were a large table, they brought a salad bowl for four with salad dressing and vinaigrette. After finishing all the appetizers, we waited a while before the main steak finally arrived. Picking up the knife and fork to cut into it—the color was indeed a tender pink, so the cooking was on point (as I've mentioned before, steak shouldn't have blood regardless of doneness; it should be this color. And with high-quality beef, you really don't need seasoning—just a bit of salt when grilling, like at Niupeng). Then I cut a small piece and put it in...
Location: Hsinchu Uncle Beef Soup Specialty Shop Travel note summary: Previously, on another food board 'Food' on Wretch, I saw the board moderator yjlou recommend a shop. So, taking advantage of yesterday after work, I suddenly remembered and wandered over to the Longshan Community area. This shop is located just off Science Park Road, and you can see it on the left not far in. Honestly, it seems like any shop that opens here ends up closing. Over the past two years, it's gone from an old-fashioned noodle shop => Longshan Delicacies => Poppy Butterfly, and now it's become this Uncle Beef Soup Specialty Shop. Struggling to stay in business seems to be the norm here. Following the same pattern, business here is also quite slow. When I entered around 6 PM, I was the only customer. I'm not sure if it's only for the opening period, but ordering a bowl of beef soup comes with a plate of blanched vegetables. So, I spent NT$80 for a small bowl of beef soup, which came with white rice and blanched vegetables. Personally, I think the price is quite reasonable for what you get. Since leaving Tainan, I haven't eaten like this in a long time. (A side note: Tainan's beef soup is quite famous in Taiwan because of its freshness and local custom; many people even eat it for breakfast. For example, on Tainan's Guohua Street, there's a shop called Ah Hui Beef Soup. It opens at 3 AM. Once when I went, I was their first customer. In the small, somewhat messy and inconspicuous shop, not long after, a bunch of regulars suddenly appeared, filling the place up quickly. In Tainan, to emphasize freshness, the beef slices are often slightly undercooked, still隐约可见血水 (faintly showing blood). But kept warm in the hot soup, picked up with ginger shreds, dipped in thick soy sauce, and eaten—the tender texture with the flavor-enhancing condiments creates a taste that's truly unforgettable.) The Uncle shop I ate at last night couldn't match the精彩出色 (brilliance) of Tainan's shops in terms of口感 (texture/taste), but overall, it was okay and not bad. The shop is quite bright and clean, and the menu has a variety of options, including beef-based noodles and hot pot. But seeing business so slow makes one worry a bit. Anyway~ Hsinchu seems to have fewer shops specializing in beef soup. Those interested can give it a try~
Location: Hsinchu Lakeshore Hotel--Sunshine Café Travel note summary: Today at noon, our department had a gathering at one of the restaurants inside Lakeshore Hotel—the Sunshine Café, located on the left after entering the main gate. Their main courses are divided into three price levels: NT$299, NT$399, and NT$499, plus a 10% service charge. Ranging from more平民 (common) options like pasta, American-style roasted chicken legs, and pan-fried cod with oysters, to higher-end steaks or seafood, there are different price points for customers to choose from. Since they change their menu periodically, I won't go into too much detail about all the dishes. Today, I ordered the American-style roasted chicken leg. Besides the main course, following the normal Western meal procedure, it also comes with soup (choose one of two), salad, and post-meal drinks and dessert. For the soup, I chose tomato vegetable soup, which was somewhat disappointing today—it used too much pepper, making the overall flavor too heavy and overpowering the ingredients' tastes. But the main course was good; the roasted chicken was above average. As for dessert, you choose from the cake display window on-site, with five or six types available. I chose Earl Grey chocolate mousse, which was soft and fluffy with a chocolate aroma—quite tasty. Overall, the food was not bad. The cheapest option at NT$299+10% is similar to Hefeng Hall and slightly higher than SkyLark (comparing with these two places has no special meaning; they just came to mind @@). But the atmosphere is quite nice. Located within the hotel, with European-style decor, the restaurant mainly has tables for four, plus slightly larger sofa areas. It offers a classic, elegant feel while still allowing guests to relax comfortably. So, although the location is a bit remote, I personally think it's a pretty good place for gatherings. And remote places are always quieter, adding to the atmosphere~ :P Just for reference :)
Location: Hsinchu Yashiki Italian Cuisine Travel note summary: Yesterday, my friend Jill had an interview at UMC in Hsinchu Science Park and asked me to have dinner with her after work. So, I randomly picked this newly opened restaurant on Jinshan Street and had a meal there with Jill and her boyfriend Jing-Kui. The chef, Kevin Calvin, is from Singapore and has lived in South Africa, Europe, the US, etc. He's also an interesting person with over 24 years of culinary experience. Now he's come to Taiwan. A notable feature of this restaurant is that it offers S.PELLEGRINO water, a natural sparkling mineral water from the Alps, which can be seen in some Italian restaurants. Usually, a cup sells for NT$100 in department stores, but the chef personally negotiated with the Taiwanese distributor, so they provide S.PELLEGRINO at a low price in the shop—a 1000c.c. bottle for NT$100. However, there's a contract stipulating that no other water can be served in the restaurant. Without prior explanation to customers, this can easily lead to dissatisfaction and misunderstandings (it's rare in Taiwan for casual dining or Western restaurants not to provide free water on the table). Kevin Calvin said that before opening, he visited many restaurants in the Jinshan Street area and tested their water, finding it less than ideal, which led to this idea and action. As for the food itself, it's cooked in an open kitchen for customers to see. With the chef insisting on not using any pre-made sauce packs or excessive seasoning, I ordered the onion bacon pasta set meal (NT$220), which tasted a bit less suited to Taiwanese palates. However, my friends' à la carte seafood squid ink pasta (NT$250) received quite good reviews from them. Even though my dish wasn't quite to my taste, judging from the three plates of pasta having almost no excess sauce, you can tell the chef's heat control is quite good, with the sauce reduced cleanly. Overall, this restaurant is just a small, rather inconspicuous eatery in the Jinshan Street area. But the chef himself has rich culinary experience and his own approach. So, while the flavor might not yet perfectly capture Taiwanese preferences, it's not the kind of place you'd only visit once and never return. Because I believe in the chef, I believe in this restaurant...
Location: Taipei, Xiang Chu, Chinese All-You-Can-Eat Travel Notes Summary: Taipei, Xiang Chu, Chinese All-You-Can-Eat Last Saturday, we had a university classmate gathering at Xiang Chu's Zhongshan branch. This restaurant is quite well-known in Taipei because it was one of the early pioneers of Chinese all-you-can-eat, focusing on Hunan cuisine, and later added many Taiwanese or Sichuan dishes. There are about thirty-something dishes you can order, plus unlimited soups and desserts. I vaguely remember that night we ordered dishes like orange juice spare ribs, honey-glazed ham, nine-turn pork intestines, lettuce-wrapped shrimp鬆, bamboo section pigeon soup, curry crab, and so on. Some of the dishes were quite distinctive, like the pigeon soup, which is a type of soup made with minced meat. Overall, in terms of banquet-level standards, I'd personally give it around 75-80 points. The店内 is mostly staffed by slightly older female servers; service is okay, but some dishes come out very slowly. Weekend dinner is 530 TWD + 10% per person; weekdays seem to be 450 TWD + 10%. At first, it felt a bit pricey, but later thinking about it, it's equivalent to a wedding banquet table for less than 6000 TWD. So, evaluating it that way, being all-you-can-eat, it feels about right :P Address: (Zhongshan Main Store) No. 123, Section 2, Zhongshan North Road, Taipei City By Morgan, August 16, 2006 P.S. Oh, by the way, the next day, after hiking Tiger Mountain Trail and visiting the Taipei Information Exhibition with Ah Fu, Rui Hong, and Sakaya, we casually ate at a restaurant called Imperial Chef Small Hall across from the World Trade Center. It was okay, but overall, there wasn't much distinctive to introduce, so I'll just mention it in passing :P
Location: Hsinchu Hejia Noodle Shop's Pork Knuckle Rice Travel note summary: Hsinchu Hejia Noodle Shop's Pork Knuckle Rice. Actually, I had included this shop in my Hsinchu notes before, but at that time, because the service in the shop wasn't great, and the noodles I ordered felt just average, I could only rate it as 'a shop not worth stepping into.' However, I always think a single experience might be biased because of what you ordered (not the signature dish?) or bad luck at the moment (encountered a rude server?). So when I passed by the relocated Hejia Noodle Shop again last night and saw quite a few customers inside, and the shop's decor was redone to be quite bright and clean, feeling very different from a typical noodle shop, I thought, why not give it another try. So I walked in, found a seat, and ordered the pork knuckle rice promoted at the entrance. The owner's attitude wasn't bad, but the server's attitude still made me shake my head. While clearing leftover stuff from another table, soup splashed onto my arm, and they didn't even say a word, with an expressionless face. But for a dinner that's only NT$70, I just ate my food; it didn't really affect my mood. The pork knuckle was braised quite flavorful; you could tell it had been simmered over low heat for a while. Although the side dishes were ordinary and there was no soup included, overall, considering the shop's fairly diverse menu (there's a NT$100 grill and hot pot combo? @@) and some things tasting okay, at least my rating has risen a bit from the worst to 'a shop you can go into once if you happen to pass by.' New address: No. 118, Section 1, Guangfu Road By Morgan, 2006.8.16
Location: Hsinchu Thai Taste - Thai-style Noodles Travel note summary: Hsinchu Thai Taste - Thai-style Noodles. Near Hsinchu Train Station, there are some quite historic alleys (around Lane 88, Lane 96) that used to gather many beef noodle shops. As time flows, only a few beef noodle shops remain, but some foreign snacks and restaurants have appeared. Thai Taste is a small shop located here. The shop mainly serves Thai or Yunnan-Dian-Burmese style noodles and some snacks, like papaya salad. I ordered a bowl of soup-style Baiyi rice noodles (NT$60). Rice noodles should be a staple for Yunnan people; they taste a bit like Vietnamese pho or Cantonese rice noodle rolls, made by steaming and drying rice batter. When it was first served, I took a sip; the flavor seemed quite bland and not outstanding. I looked at the instructions on the table; it turns out the seasonings are placed on the side, letting customers adjust according to their taste. I opened the small chili vinegar jar and added a few spoons into the soup. Ah, eating it immediately gave a Thai taste—sour with a hint of spiciness, quite appetizing, so I finished all the soup. Although because I was dining alone, I didn't have a chance to try some snacks, overall, it's a quite distinctive small shop. If there's a chance, I should bring friends to try it again~ Address: No. 12, Lane 96, Zhongzheng Road (inside the alley of the old Far Eastern Department Store location) By Morgan, 2006.8.16
Location: Hsinchu Rose Garden Set Meal Restaurant Travel note summary: Hsinchu Rose Garden Set Meal Restaurant. Last Wednesday, I came to this set meal restaurant on Jinshan Street for the second time. It seems to have several branches in other parts of Hsinchu. I described it in a previous monthly note. The shop's layout and decor give a warm feeling. But I think the biggest feature of the shop is that its chef uses various fruits to pair with main dishes. From the orange fish fillet I ordered last time, the pineapple duck slices I ordered this time, and several items listed on the menu like mango beef strips, etc. Fruits themselves usually have a certain sweetness, so to have various ingredients combined with fruits and still have a complementary effect requires continuous experimentation to find good combinations. (Aside: When Morgan tried randomly at home before, using plums to stir-fry cabbage or using custard apple to cook noodles were failures, and I got scolded by mom several times. So it really requires constant trial to succeed :~~) Although my friend Xiao Lan said his melon with beef tasted a bit weird, the meals I ordered these two times tasted quite okay. Since this place doesn't seem to have any corporate partnerships, the shop adds a 10% service charge. The overall price range is around NT$250-400, slightly on the higher side, but still quite competitive in the fiercely competitive Jinshan Street. At least it's not like some shops here where you wouldn't want to go in again after eating once @@. Address: (Jinshan branch) No. 48, Jinshan 8th Street By Morgan, 2006.8.16
Location: Taichung, 7 Doors Restaurant Travel Notes: 7 Doors Restaurant is located opposite the Taichung Art Museum, along a green parkway lined with many restaurants, making it a hub for dining in Taichung. When I visited with new friends recently, I tried their Japanese teriyaki chicken rice bowl, which cost around NT$300 including service charge. The interior is bright and spacious across two floors. The name '7 Doors' comes from the owner's idea of seven spiritual outlets through music, coffee, food, magazines, and colors. While the atmosphere is nice and they use service bells, the food didn't quite live up to the price for me, but it's still a decent spot for gatherings.
Location: Hsinchu - Sato-ya Sanuki Udon & Donburi Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu - Sato-ya Sanuki Udon & Donburi. Classical-style description: A new shop just opened in Hsinchu, the menu focuses on udon noodles, the sign at the door says Sato-ya, on the right side of Guanghua East Street. There's a Sanuki prefecture in Japan, with over 800 udon shops large and small, famous as a synonym for udon in the island nation, that is Sanuki udon. Sit down, served tea and handed a menu, since it's the signature dish, of course order it. Freshly cut and made by hand, only then is it fresh. Half a cup of soy sauce placed in front, add sesame for sweetness, pour in green onions and grated radish, seasonings enhance flavor with a slight saltiness. Noodles white and laid with sea salt, stir into the cup with red accents, gently send to the tip of the tongue and chew carefully, wheat flavor subtly appears. Refreshing, not greasy, skin smooth and soft, chewy with enough texture, finish with warm tea to soothe the throat, this meal totaled over a hundred NTD. Plain description: After getting off work from the park today, I had some free time as usual and wandered around alone. Passing by Guanghua East Street, I suddenly spotted this shop that looks like it hasn't been open long. So I parked my bike and went inside. This place boasts Sanuki udon. Sanuki (old name) is now Kagawa Prefecture. Back then, when Kobo Daishi learned the method of making udon noodles from Tang China and brought it here where it was hard to grow rice, over 800 udon shops emerged locally. It's said residents eat udon at least one meal out of three, so mentioning Sanuki has become synonymous with udon. Udon can be eaten hot or cold depending on the season. So on this slightly stuffy evening, I ordered a special Sanuki cold udon. The way to eat it is to pour half a cup of soy sauce into a cup, then add ginger, green onions, and grated radish. As for other seasonings like wasabi, add according to personal preference. There's also a small bowl of white sesame seeds with a little wooden stick, like grinding tea, letting customers grind the sesame powder themselves and add it to the soy sauce. Then add the udon noodles to...
Location: Hsinchu - Free Style Cafe Travel note summary: Hsinchu City---Free Style Cafe Written on 2004/9/10 ------------------------------------- At noon, Wenzheng was originally going to take us to a place called something like 'Ten-Minute Break,' but we saw a red 'For Rent' sign on the door; it seemed closed. So we continued walking along Dongguang Road. Not long after, we spotted another small shop by the roadside that looked pretty good. The shop name is Free Style Cafe. The overall decor uses a lot of blue and white, creating a relaxed and leisurely atmosphere. I forgot how long it's been since I ate at a set meal restaurant, but when I sat down and flipped through the menu, that familiar feeling quickly came back :P. The lunch offerings aren't too many, just five or six items, but the afternoon tea snacks and drinks are quite plentiful. The most expensive business lunch is eel rice at NT$260, the cheapest around NT$150. I ordered the German pork knuckle to try. Maybe because there were quite a few customers in the shop that day, the pork knuckle I ordered with Wenzheng took a long time to arrive. However, since their service attitude was pretty good, they eventually gave us a 10% discount as an apology, so it was acceptable. For the price (NT$220), the German pork knuckle was quite good value. The meat was fairly tender, and eating it with mustard or onions tasted good. It's been a while since I ate at such a place; glad I didn't step on a landmine~~
Location: Tainan, Tucheng Seafood Restaurant (Specialty: Red Crab) Travel note summary: Today at noon, I had a crab meal with my boss. This place is quite far—I doubt many readers would actually go try it. It's at No. 517, Section 6, Anzhong Road. You take Zhonghua North Road to the end, connect to Section 1 of Anming Road (Provincial Highway 17), cross the bridge, keep going until Section 4 of Anming Road meets Section 6 of Anzhong Road, then turn left (toward the Holy Mother Temple). According to our professor, many NCKU alumni come back here for red crab. Even on a regular weekday lunch, business was good with several tables occupied—some in suits looking wealthy, some in slippers casual, and even foreigners brought along, quite interesting. I heard it's packed at night, with no parking allowed at the door. The specialty is its red crab. Trying it today, it was really great—the crab meat isn't soft and mushy like usual crab, and you eat it with the immature yellow roe, dipped in a slightly sour sauce. This restaurant's red crab is really good, no wonder my boss has come here over ten times despite the distance. Just eating crab won't fill you up, so we also ordered dishes like stir-fried celery with geoduck clam, grass shrimp, tilapia, stir-fried greens, watermelon radish fish soup, and oyster vermicelli, making a very satisfying meal. Besides crab, the other items are decent too, though not as refined as some hotel dishes—more like typical roadside stalls but with above-average flavor. Of course, crab isn't cheap; six of us spent around 3000 NTD. So I know not many will actually go try it based on my article. But if you love red crab or suddenly want to try it with friends, this place is a good choice in Tainan. Business is booming! By Morgan on 3.19 afternoon.
Location: Hsinchu, Taipei (Five Restaurants) Travel note excerpt: Hsinchu, Taipei—Five Restaurants (Kafka, Constellation Teahouse, Fangtian Curry, Dan Ryan's, Zhuangji Simple Meal). Written on 2004/10/26. Honestly, I think you could eat at Taipei's restaurants for a lifetime and still not finish them all—there are just too many. This trip, I tried a few more, but I doubt it's even one ten-thousandth of the total :P. I originally wanted to visit the places sagaf recommended, but without addresses or phone numbers, I had no idea where they were @@. So, let me briefly list the places I ate at these past few days: 1. Kafka: No. 204, Science Park Road, Hsinchu (Longshan Community), (03)6663200. Located on a quiet street by Longshan Community; turning in and around the corner is where I'll be living in the future @@. The ambiance is decent, with main dishes ranging from 240–280 TWD. Common options include red wine beef stew, Hungarian hamburger steak, and dishes using chicken legs or pork chops. I recall they also have baked pasta and spaghetti. Personally, I found the food average—nothing particularly standout—but the service is good, and the place is quite elegant, making it a nice spot for gatherings. 2. Constellation Teahouse (Jigu Qing Five Bowls Tea): 5F, No. 64, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, (02)23643085. I didn't expect Taipei to have a place like Life Home, with tons of manga to read, and the prices aren't high either. While the food is just okay, prices are generally between 150–200 TWD (plus 10% service charge). They offer simple meals, steak dishes, and seem to have noodles too—quite a variety. Besides spending an afternoon or evening reading manga here, they also have many small partitioned rooms like private booths, perfect for friends to chat. It caters to different needs well.
Location: Hsinchu -- Some restaurants I ate at this week (Marco Landau & Carpenter's Home & La La Duo & Vietnamese Eatery). Eating is a very casual thing, so no need for strict plans. Usually, a phone call can turn into a wonderful dinner. This week seems to have passed quickly again in this manner. 1. Marco Landau: This Italian restaurant is quite famous in Hsinchu, but I never had the chance to try it. On Wednesday, after swimming with Zhiqian, we went together. The dining environment was a bit noisy due to the crowd. I tried their Italian Seafood Baked Potato ($250+10%), and Zhiqian ordered Squid Ink Pasta ($250+10%). The food was above average, but it was just noisy. The a la carte prices are a bit high, but they include a drink and soup, and partner companies are exempt from service charge. 2. Carpenter's Home: I met here with Champ senior and rcnjko senior for a small gathering. They also have a branch in the Science Park, but I didn't expect the main store to be hidden in an alley on Gongdao 5th Road. I only found out because I helped my brother move there that day. The owner's accent doesn't sound local, but I'm not sure if he's Thai or Hong Kongese @@. Set meals are quite cheap, starting at $150, including soup, a simple dessert, and a drink. I ordered Tomato Stewed Chicken Leg. The food wasn't bad either. Judging from the menu, it seems to focus on home-style dishes. 3. La La Duo Cafe: After playing badminton at NCTU with Saving and Zhihao, I went with Saving and invited TS, who had just left the company, for dinner here. This place also focuses on Italian cuisine. Saving ordered Seafood Pasta ($280), and TS and I ordered Salmon Lasagna ($280). The overall food was pretty good. The set includes soup, bread, dessert, and a drink. The dining environment is quite elegant, but there seemed to be a few too many waitstaff—maybe because it was the weekend. But since they weren't really needed that much, you could often see them standing around chatting, which felt like a waste of manpower. 4. Vietnamese Eatery: Actually, I mentioned this place in my previous '90 shops' post. Later, I went back many times, almost trying everything on the menu. But I found that the Beef Pho and Vietnamese Cold Noodles are still the most worth trying. Also, on Guangfu Road towards Zhudong, on the left side, there's a place called A Rong Eatery; the Vietnamese food there isn't bad either—I've tried it a few times. Today at noon, after eating Huoshui Tofu Pudding with Xyris and returning to Longshan Community, I brought him here to try it. Huoshui Tofu Pudding: the texture is quite fine, but the flavor isn't as rich as the one on Huai'en Street in Tainan. Still, it's good. At the Vietnamese Eatery, I ordered Vietnamese Chicken Rice and Meatball Soup. Maybe I was hungry after exercise, so I finished it quickly. As for the places I ate alone, I'm too lazy to write about them because I've written about them before. I'll mention it if I eat something more special :p
Location: Hsinchu, Hurricane F1 Go-Kart Travel notes summary: Written on 2004/10/1 ------------------------------------------------------- On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, since we couldn’t go far, almost everyone from the camp ended up in Hsinchu. Some comrades went to the movies, some played arcade games, and others found their own activities. As for me, Morgan, I always want to try things I haven’t done before. So, I tagged along with one buddy who’s into cars, plus two other friends from our squad and their three girlfriends, to this small go-kart track. The address was quite hard to find—from Gongdao 5th Road in Hsinchu, we turned onto Shuili Road and twisted through some small alleys before arriving. The track isn’t very big, with only about 6 or 7 turns. At normal speed, it takes nearly a minute to complete a lap. The structure of these go-karts is indeed simple, of course not comparable to real race cars, but the motor is pretty powerful. When you floor the accelerator, you can feel the speed continuously building. Unlike typical amusement park rides, if you’re not careful, you might crash into the tires or grass on the side. I estimate the speed reaches around 70-80 km/h when going fast. Since the kart has no cover, you’re directly exposed to the air, and with just a full-face helmet on, when accelerating at full throttle, you feel your vision slightly vibrating. Also, when turning, the steering wheel feels a bit heavy. That sensation is somewhat different from riding a motorcycle or driving a car. Honestly, watching the owner demonstrate earlier—those sharp turns and quick drifts—was really impressive. Too bad I don’t have his skills. Initial D...
Location: Taichung - Jiangwu Japanese Restaurant Travel note summary: Taichung - Jiangwu Japanese Restaurant (all-you-can-eat section) Written on 2004/7/3 ------------------------------------------------------- At noon, Grandma said she wanted to give me a farewell meal before I enlisted, so she offered to treat us to a restaurant. I originally suggested having it next week because we had planned an outing today, but it was canceled due to bad weather in the morning. So, we decided to go today. My sister and cousins couldn't make it back because they were told it wasn't happening this week. In the end, it was just my grandparents, my parents, my brother, and me—six people in total. My dad initially suggested Tofuya, but I remembered I hadn't tried this all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant in Taichung yet, so I insisted on giving it a try. Jiangwu has three branches; today, we tried the Wenxin branch. On weekdays, it's NT$380 plus a 10% service charge, and on weekends, it's NT$420 plus 10%. The menu includes Japanese dishes, grilled items (like grilled chicken, mackerel, fish collar, smelt, icefish, beef short ribs, and salt-grilled squid), fried items (such as tempura shrimp, fried mushrooms, and fried chicken), steamed dishes (like chawanmushi and dobinmushi), soups (miso soup and clam soup), plus sashimi (tuna, swordfish, salmon, red snapper, and sea bream), hand rolls, sushi, burdock root, scallop lip, cold tofu, and some stir-fried dishes (like pineapple shrimp balls, sweet and sour pork ribs, saltwater shrimp, seasonal steamed fish, stir-fried eel, stir-fried scallops, and spicy lamb hotpot). With drinks and fruit included, it's really easy to get super full. Today, we only ordered about two-thirds of the menu. But honestly, I think there's still plenty of room for improvement in terms of food quality and cooking standards. Although the price for all-you-can-eat Japanese food here isn't expensive, and business was good even in the stormy weather today, maybe my palate has become a bit pickier—I found many of their dishes...
Location: Hsinchu - Simple Meal Restaurant -- Magic Bean Coffee (now changed to Xian Dou). Occasionally browsing the food board on Dream University still yields results :P. I really like eating submarine sandwiches, but in Hsinchu, aside from Subway, I rarely see shops selling them. I miss the cheap and hearty 50 TWD subs from the Tainan Bullfighter Light Meal Shop (which seems to have closed?). So when I saw subs on the online menu, I went to try it after work from the Science Park today. Food hunting is still my hobby :P. Walking down Ciyun Road opposite the main gate of the Science Park, turn left at Puding Road, and the shop is on the right. Although the interior is narrow and long, cleverly arranging seats on both sides allows it to seat over thirty people. The owner and his wife are quite friendly. I ordered a smoked beef sub ($60). The sub is somewhat like a mille-feuille, with layers of lettuce piled at the bottom, topped with cucumber, tomato slices, onion, and finally smoked beef slices spread with cheese. It looks quite substantial. As for the taste, it was just okay. Perhaps there was too much lettuce, making the flavors less harmonious. But given the mid-to-low price point and the cozy atmosphere, I think I'll bring friends to try other items here :)
Location: Hsinchu - A Week's Dinner Diary Travel Notes Summary: Hsinchu - A Week's Dinner Diary. Writing casually, don't mind the mess. A week's dinner diary, wandering from south to north. Eating through Hsinchu is still far off. Monday went to Shandong Restaurant, dumplings cost 4 NTD each. Plumpness is passable, but the flavor lacks sweetness. Tuesday had a simple meal at Water Pen Restaurant, hidden in an alley requiring a turn. Mid-range prices, decent food—creamy bacon penne pasta. Wednesday ate at Hong Yuan for grilled meat, average quality but unlimited quantity. Japanese yakiniku and hotpot, just filling the belly. Thursday visited Yue Lai Small Restaurant, a little shop in Longshan Community. Food was okay, nothing special; probably won't go back. Friday went to Shi Yi Street Noodle House in Zhubei, more like a hotel than a noodle shop. Visited twice, left a deep impression—tried noodles, rice, and dumplings. Saturday at Shin Chiao Yakiniku House, high-end ingredients cost quite a bit. Highly recommend the marbled beef, memorable and lingering. Sunday cooked at home, too cold to go out. After six days of running around, time to rest and gear up for work. Life passes in a blink, the world changes endlessly. Better cherish the present, just live fully in this world.
Location: Hsinchu - Bullfighter Yakiniku Buffet Travel note summary: There's a Bullfighter yakiniku buffet in Hsinchu on the 13th floor of the SOGO department store near the train station. I don't know where the other branches are. So on Mid-Autumn Festival, about a dozen people from my old army company (the first three squads), plus some family members, came here for a group meal. I'm not sure if they have different time slots, but our lunch that day was NT$399 plus 10% service charge. 'Buffet' means all-you-can-eat for a single price. Yakiniku buffet is self-explanatory. Compared to the many all-you-can-eat yakiniku places popping up like mushrooms these days, the price is a bit high. The Bullfighter I had before at the Tainan Eslite building was also this style, though that one had an à la carte option too. This one doesn't have a salad bar; it's purely all-you-can-eat, order whatever you want. Honestly, I personally think this Hsinchu Bullfighter performs quite well in terms of meat quality and various seasoning combinations. Besides standout items like marbled beef slices, beef short ribs, grilled sea bream belly, and cumin lamb skewers, dipping the meat in the Japanese-style sauce with garlic paste is truly unforgettable. Many ingredients are already pre-seasoned. Basically, I appreciate that many of their ingredients are well-seasoned. Other items like chicken, squid, cuttlefish, diced beef, enoki mushrooms with butter, shiitake mushrooms, marbled fatty beef, tripe, sausages, etc., are also okay. Although for more expensive dishes like beef tongue, you need to choose the NT$499 or NT$599 plan, I think NT$399 is enough to eat very full, and there's enough variety to alternate and not get tired of it. This washes away my previous bad impression of the Tainan Bullfighter and makes me think this Hsinchu branch deserves a higher rating. That's about it. I realize even though I haven't started working in Hsinchu yet, I seem to be slowly trying out Hsinchu restaurants. Hope I can find as many cheap and delicious places as in Tainan. Hope so~ :P By Morgan, evening of 2004.10.1
Location: Taichung Fengyuan snacks and introduction Travel note summary: Taichung - Fengyuan snacks and introduction (Miaodong & others) Many people might think Morgan is from Taichung City, but in fact, I moved to Fengyuan when I was very young and only moved back to Taichung City during my sophomore year of college. So, I lived in Fengyuan for about 15 years, and Fengyuan City is the place I'm truly most familiar with :P Below, I'll write about some of my food experiences in Fengyuan, as this place accompanied most of my childhood. First, when you come to Fengyuan, the first place you must eat is Miaodong. What is Miaodong? It's a small alley next to the Mazu Temple on Zhongzheng Road. There are many great shops in this area. First is Fengyuan Meatball. Its meatballs are just as good as other famous ones from around Taiwan—the skin is chewy, and the meat texture is top-notch, paired with the sauce (spicy or non-spicy)—it's a truly nostalgic flavor~ Of course, just eating a meatball won't fill you up. As you walk further down, you'll see a shop selling rice dumplings and wontons (Yongfangting). Their rice dumplings are already quite good, but the wonton soup—I have to say it's the best I've had so far. As a kid, every time I could eat wontons from this shop, I felt an indescribable happiness. The skin is thin, and each wonton is small and cute. Biting into one, describing it as 'leaving a lingering fragrance in your mouth' is absolutely not an exaggeration. There's also a Japanese restaurant with curry rice that my dad loves the most—you can give it a try too. Next, at the end of the alley, across the street, is Mantingfang Beef Noodles. Their beef noodles are also unmatched so far—thin noodles paired with incredibly fragrant beef. Every time I eat their beef noodles, I finish all the soup, completely satisfied. On the other side of the temple, there's Fengyuan Hotel (it might have changed its name now, but it should still be there). Their Japanese food is also good; I used to love their tempura~ What about away from this area? Fengyuan isn't only famous for this. Fengyuan Spare Rib Noodles—this shop is also quite famous.
Location: Taichung All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants Summary Travel notes: Having spent more time in Tainan recently, I've missed out on many high-end buffets in Taichung. Here's a quick rundown of places I remember: 1. The Linden Hall (formerly Regent) Hotel afternoon tea: Hotel buffets generally feel more refined. The Linden Hall's spread didn't disappoint in variety or quality. 2. Taichung Steak House / Yuan Taizu: A long-standing favorite, especially for its Mongolian barbecue—a must-try. The Wuchi branch is even better, constantly adding new items. Dinner is around NT$400, great value. 3. Shanghewu: Already mentioned before, but both flagship stores in Taichung offer good quality and atmosphere. 4. Chao Gang Cheng: Another famous spot, usually around NT$250-400 with coupons. The space is large, and the food matches the price—nothing exceptional but acceptable. 5. Nichiden Teppanyaki DIY: A budget-friendly place on Yingcai Road where you grill your own food on a teppan. At about NT$200 per person, it's a fun, unique experience. 6. Skylark: Not strictly a buffet, but it offers unlimited bread. It's a chain north of Taichung, with affordable set meals (around NT$200+) that have maintained popularity for years. Of course, Taichung has many other budget all-you-can-eat spots like Koriya and Funny Moment. These six are my personal recommendations. Now, back to writing my thesis... By Morgan on 2004.4.23 evening
Location: Kaohsiung - Jiangzhe Seafood Cuisine (Yellow Crane Tower Restaurant) Travel Notes: I suddenly felt like going to Kaohsiung for a meal with friends. Originally, I wanted to try the Brasserie at Kaohsiung Grand Hotel (now renamed King's Town) to compare it with the one in Taichung, but we arrived too late. A friend who often visits Kaohsiung took us to this famous restaurant. Besides banquets, they offer an all-you-can-eat option: NT$350 for lunch, NT$400 for dinner, plus 10% service charge. That night, we ordered 15 dishes, including shrimp balls, beef on sizzling plate, honey-glazed ham, and more. The food was quite refined for the price, though some staff were a bit rushed due to the busy crowd. Overall, it's a great Taiwanese-style buffet restaurant with a long history and quality that surpasses many similar places in Tainan. If you have a big appetite, it's worth a visit! :) By Morgan, evening of April 21, 2004.
Location: Pingtung, Donggang Hot Pot Travel Notes: Pingtung – Donggang Hot Pot (inside the night market). My friend Morgan has a good friend who lives in Linbian Township, Pingtung. Many people might not have heard of Linbian—it's the southern terminus of the National Freeway No. 3. Heading south from Kaohsiung, you pass through Linyuan and Donggang to reach Linbian, a quiet coastal fishing village. Every time we visit, he takes our group to a hot pot place in Donggang's night market. Actually, locals don't call it a night market; they call it a 'shangzhan' (commercial exhibition). Why? Because it really feels like a bustling market fair, selling everything, with many stalls set up right on the roadside. There aren't many shops or houses around—just a long, dimly lit road lined with all sorts of things. Having visited night markets all over Taiwan, this one feels quite unique to me because of its strong local flavor. The hot pot spot is easy to find, under a simple but quite long canopy, bustling with people and stretching for ten to twenty meters. The food is cheap—just over NT$100 per person can fill you up nicely. The best part is the atmosphere: a few friends, some beers, and you can enjoy the lively, bustling vibe. If you have a chance to visit Donggang and don't know what to eat at night, come check this place out. Speaking of Donggang, I have to mention its famous bluefin tuna. The season runs from April to June, which is right around now. The meat is incredibly tender and elastic; savor its freshness slowly in your mouth without adding anything—just enjoy the ingredient itself. After eating it, you might sigh, 'Once you've seen the ocean, it's hard to settle for rivers; once you've been to Mount Wu, no other clouds compare.' If you get the chance to visit Donggang and don't mind the budget, give it a try. From Donggang, you can also take a boat to Xiao Liuqiu, one of Taiwan's many outlying islands, about a 35-minute ride away. At a glance, the sea and sky blend into one color, with the island's scenery fully in view. The sea breeze is gentle and refreshing—a very comfortable place. Besides eating, consider heading there too.
Location: Taichung - Taiwanese-style charcoal grill all-you-can-eat Travel note summary: Taichung City—Taiwanese-style charcoal grill all-you-can-eat (Charcoal Grill King). This afternoon was scorching hot, so I went swimming alone at the municipal pool. It seems like Tainan's summer is almost here. Compared to the warmth of the south, Taichung was really cold during the Lunar New Year this year—so cold you wouldn't even want to go out. But to celebrate a friend's discharge from the military—freedom is priceless—I still went out with him to eat at this place. The address is easy to find, right next to Ding Wang on Jingcheng Road. I'll include the detailed address at the end. What's common is Japanese-style charcoal grilling, but this place is Taiwanese-style, meaning our usual way of barbecuing. There's a ton of stuff: all kinds of meats, chicken hearts, lamb chops, fish collar, fish slices, onions, bell peppers, loofah with clams... Everything is quite heavily seasoned, but some are done really well. Even something as cheap as buttered corn—I actually found it so delicious I went back for seconds. That says a lot. Whether you enjoy the fun of grilling (like my junior who loves grilling things herself, not necessarily eating them) or you're someone who really loves eating barbecue, or you have a huge appetite, I think you'd really like this place. Besides all the ingredients to choose from, there's also unlimited white rice, desserts, fruit, and drinks—though usually, these unlimited extras aren't something to get too excited about :P. The place does great business; when we went, we only got a table because a group had just left. I think it's also related to the price: it's only NT$199, and I believe that's without service charge. No wonder it's so popular. If you can't afford Ding Wang, I think eating at this place next door is a good alternative :) By Morgan, evening of April 19, 2004. Address: Jingcheng Branch: No. 8, Jingcheng Road, Taichung City. Dongxing Branch: No. 393, Section 3, Dongxing Road, Taichung City.
Location: Kaohsiung - British Cuisine (European Pie Shop) Travel Notes: After a meal, we went to Kaohsiung to meet senior Dwight. After watching a movie at Warner Village, we visited this European Pie Shop, run by a British couple. The decor has a British flair, similar to a bakery next to Passatina French Restaurant. Though seating is a bit cramped, it feels elegant. They offer various foods, but pies are the highlight. We tried Italian pasta (just okay) and four pies: red wine beef, seafood cheese, bacon chicken, and shepherd's pie. The shepherd's pie (with lamb) was the best, with two sauce options. Portions are small; without upgrading to a set meal (+NT$100), you might not be full. Prices range from NT$180-230 per item, plus 10% service charge. I noticed they use the same touchscreen dining system as Chef senior's old DOS version—turns out this restaurant is one of the 37 I mentioned before! After eating, you can enjoy the night view at 85 Sky Tower or Ocean Heart. Kaohsiung Port at night is quite charming. A unique and nice spot to try! :) By Morgan, late night of April 17, 2004. P.S. Address: 2F, No. 61, Sanduo 4th Road, Kaohsiung.
Location: Hualien, Carp Lake Live Jumping Shrimp Travel note summary: Hualien -- Carp Lake Live Jumping Shrimp (a row of shops opposite Carp Lake). The weather in Tainan is getting hotter day by day, reminding me of one summer when I, a friend, and another friend and his spouse (because they got married later :P) — four of us — drove around the island. Passing by Hualien's Carp Lake, one friend who often visited Hualien told me about a local specialty. In the row of shops opposite Carp Lake, you can uniformly see them all advertising 'Live Jumping Shrimp'. How is it made here? They put rice wine, black vinegar, garlic, and live small shrimp into a bowl with holes on top. After a few minutes, the shrimp get drunk from the fumes and are ready to eat. At first hearing, eating this way really takes some courage because it feels like eating raw shrimp. But since we were there, we might as well try it. Morgan always wants to try unknown or untested things. So, mustering courage, I picked up chopsticks and ate a few from the bowl. Actually, because the seasoning flavors are very strong, there isn't much fishy taste. But just thinking the shrimp in your mouth is still raw feels a bit weird. Still, it was a very unique experience, seemingly only found here at Carp Lake. If you have a chance to pass by, a few people can order a small bowl (I think it was 100 or 150 NT) and try this Carp Lake live jumping shrimp guaranteed to be unforgettable :P. Also, Hualien's famous products include Yuli's yokan. Last time passing through Yuli, I asked a local 7-11 clerk, who recommended an old shop called Guang Sheng Tang. But later, in Hualien city, I found it sold everywhere, so no need to buy it in Yuli. The five-flavor pack (100 NT) tasted pretty good, with a great texture. If you have a chance to visit Hualien, you can try buying some. As for food in Hualien city, I guess I'm like any tourist: first recommended are Yexiang Wonton and Zengji Mochi. Personally, I think Yexiang Wonton is just okay, but I've had Zengji Mochi more than four times; I still buy it every time I go to Hualien. It really has its特色 — chewy skin and substantial filling. Unfortunately, it doesn't keep long, so you have to finish it quickly and can't buy it back to enjoy slowly. That's about it. Hualien and Taitung are really great places. Blue skies, white clouds, high mountains, and vast seas — your mind naturally opens up :) By Morgan, late evening, April 13, 2004.
Location: Taipei, Wulai Indigenous Flavor Meal Travel Notes Summary: Taipei County – Wulai Indigenous Flavor Meal (Tayal Grandma's Shop) Once again, there was a time when Morgan and a few Taipei classmates went to Wulai to soak in the hot springs. After soaking, of course, our stomachs were growling with hunger, and we just wanted a good, hearty meal. So, walking along Wulai Street, we remembered a shop that had been featured on TV called Tayal Grandma's Delicacies, where you can try many indigenous flavor dishes. Entering this open-style shop, decorated with lots of bamboo, it had a great atmosphere. We ordered bamboo tube rice, mushroom and shell ginger leaf rice (a bit like our zongzi, but with a different flavor—quite tasty), fried river fish, stir-fried mountain fern with sweetfish, stir-fried fresh willow mushrooms, stir-fried water spinach, and Black Forest Warrior Soup (made with black beans and pork knuckle), plus millet dew (a bit like a cocktail made from millet wine). Generally speaking, the food at this shop is pretty good, and there are some indigenous dishes you don't often get to try. What's even rarer is that the prices are moderate—not outrageously expensive just because Wulai is a popular tourist spot. Ordering some ordinary dishes, each person spent about 160 TWD and ate quite well, with unique flavors. So, if you have the chance to visit Wulai for cherry blossoms and hot springs and want a nice dinner, this shop is definitely worth considering—pretty good! :) By Morgan, evening of April 12, 2004.
Location: Kaohsiung - Jiasan Mountain Produce Set Meals (Royal Hotel) Travel Notes: After a tiring 200km trip, I remembered camping at Qikeng Hot Springs with friends. Exhausted after descending, a friend who often visits the Southern Cross-Island Highway recommended this restaurant at No. 7, Zhongzheng Road, Jiasan. The decor features many nostalgic items and photos. The food is affordable—less than NT$200 per person for five, including drinks. Some dishes were quite good, especially since we were all hungry and tired. The menu includes mountain and river produce, like river shrimp, and common set meals. If you visit Jiasan, besides famous taro specialty shops (e.g., Commander, Sanguanwang), consider this place for a meal. Among the mountain produce restaurants I've tried in the area, this one feels quite nice. :) By Morgan, evening of April 5, 2004.
Location: Hsinchu -- Korean Copper Plate BBQ (Han Il Gwan). Once, I had business in Hsinchu. At noon that day, pj senior, who now works at Realtek, took me and another senior to this restaurant. The main store is near the Science Park at 62 Science Park Road; the MinSheng branch is at 284 MinSheng Road. Later, I heard they opened a Han Yi Gwan opposite National Tsing Hua University. If it's still the same as before, it's 229 TWD for weekday lunch and 289 TWD for other times, all-you-can-eat. The main feature is unlimited copper plate BBQ. It's not like the iron grates of Dongdaemun or the regular stoves of Da Laoye. They use a yellow, curved copper plate with a slightly uneven surface; meat cooks very quickly on it. I'm not sure if this is more authentic Korean copper plate BBQ, but it's quite unique. There are several types of meat to choose from; the quality is okay, but the dipping sauce is pretty good. Besides the BBQ, you can also order unlimited Korean side dishes and seafood pancakes. I'm not sure if there was kimchi stew because we mainly ate BBQ that time. The seafood pancake was also good, but it's filling, so we didn't order much. Considering Hsinchu's prices, I think this restaurant offers reasonable value for money. Also, I haven't seen much Korean copper plate BBQ in Tainan; most of these kinds of shops seem to be in the north. So, that meal left quite an impression, hence I'm sharing it for your reference~~
Location: Taichung - Spicy Hot Pot with Dual Broth Travel note summary: Taichung—Spicy hot pot with dual broth (Heng Ji: chain store). Today I returned to Taichung. Just now, to pick up my older sister who teaches part-time at Taichung Institute of Technology, I accidentally rode into Yizhong Street and almost got swallowed by the crowd :P. Since I'm in Taichung now, I'll write about a Taichung place today. Well, actually this place is a chain; it has three branches in Taipei and one in Taichung. The main store is in Taipei. The Taichung Jingcheng branch is at No. 9, Jingcheng 6th Street—just turn onto Jingcheng Road from Zhonggang Road, and turn left when you see 6th Street. It's all-you-can-eat for NT$300 per person; I'm a bit fuzzy on whether there's an extra charge. Sorry~ The hot pot ingredients are quite plentiful, with all kinds of meats and seafood. The stuff is pretty fresh, and the ingredients themselves aren't all cheap; some are quite high-end. But the most, most, most, most important thing is the broth. Basically, Morgan hasn't been eating much spicy food in recent years, so after trying many Tainan spicy hot pot places during freshman and sophomore year, I rarely go to such places now. That time, it was purely because ATTILA senior picked this place that I had spicy hot pot again. The dual broth pot is divided into two sides. I originally didn't dare touch the colored side, but seeing the blissful expressions on everyone's faces after eating it made me tempted. So I tried a small bowl. After tasting it, I realized that a truly good spicy hot pot can be numbing but not overly spicy. After drinking the soup, my whole body felt comfortable—it was a great feeling. Not the kind of comfort from getting warm, but the kind where a warm current flows through your mouth and body. After drinking it, I fell in love with the broth. And paired with its duck blood, it's a perfect match. Biting into the duck blood releases a lot of juicy flavor—really delicious. We asked the staff to refill the duck blood several times. It also overturned my stereotype that eating spicy hot pot easily causes stomach issues.
Location: Chiayi - Fenqihu Railway Bento (Sifang Bamboo Restaurant) Travel Notes: While visiting the mysterious Tea Mountain Village near Danaigu, we stayed overnight in Fenqihu. I forgot which bento place my friend JamesPanda recommended, so I asked the hotel owner. He suggested an old shop called Sifang Bamboo, located away from the old street near bamboo groves. Along the Alishan Railway, Fenqihu is famous for railway bentos since trains used to stop here for passengers to buy them. The owner said many advertised bentos are just packaging, and the real deal is at old shops like this. The bento costs NT$60 with pork chop, pickled radish, pickled mustard greens, and more. It's not gourmet, but the nostalgic feel is what matters. The shop is friendly and doesn't overcharge tourists. If you're in Fenqihu, give it a try! :) By Morgan, evening of April 2, 2004.
Location: Taipei Pub Travel note excerpt: Taipei—Pub (Carnegie). Gazing out the rainy window, I remembered when Morgan was launching the ordering system for the first restaurant. We were quite nervous back then, as the whole system went live without rigorous testing, which was a bit risky. I took a bus from Tainan to Taipei and spent two days at A-Plus, constantly debugging to stabilize the system. But of course, even while working, I couldn’t forget to have fun—balancing both has always been my goal. My chef senior, who knows Taipei well, took me to Carnegie that night since we couldn’t modify the code during business hours. At the entrance, there was a long queue; I vaguely remember the cover charge being around 400–500 TWD, which included a drink, as is common in many pubs. Inside, we saw many people swaying on the bar counter, with a significant portion being foreigners—a hallmark of this place. If you feel like it, you can hop onto the long platform and dance to the music anytime. The atmosphere was super lively, with lots of men and women kissing and flirting, especially the foreigners who were totally uninhibited. This pub is foreign-owned, and even the staff at the door are foreigners; you’re more likely to hear English than Chinese from entry to exit. As for the offerings? Drinks are probably similar everywhere. I haven’t tried the food at Carnegie because back then, Carnegie’s chef and several front-of-house staff were poached by the owner of A-Plus. And A-Plus’s food is really quite good—I’ve recommended it before. So honestly, I can’t vouch for Carnegie’s food now, as they likely hired a new chef. If it’s not great, you can always head to A-Plus on the same road (Anhe Road) for a bite (if the chef hasn’t changed). But I think the most important thing about going to a pub is the atmosphere.
Location: Taitung, Zhiben Mutton Hot Pot Travel note summary: Taitung -- Zhiben Mutton Hot Pot (Heisong Mutton Shop). Another story: Once, Morgan attended the wedding of a senior who worked at Yuanta Core Pacific Securities in Taipei. Since the senior's hometown was in Taitung, I set off from Tainan and traveled along the South-Link Railway to the east coast. That evening, a senior from the class of '82 took us to a small shop in Zhiben. He said it was quite famous. The address is No. 144-2, Section 3, Zhiben Road, Taitung City, but I think asking locals might be quicker when you're there :P. Its specialty is being cheap and delicious. A large pot for 350 NT has plenty of ingredients. The shop also sells fried noodles or set meals, all quite affordable. The broth of the mutton hot pot is pretty good. On a cold day, eating steaming mutton and having a little drink is really satisfying~~~ Good food naturally makes you want to go back ^^. Also, the former board moderator rrt mentioned Jiusong before. We heard a B&B owner recommend it during that graduation trip too, but my classmates and I ended up eating at Taitung Night Market, so we didn't get to try Jiusong. So, to sum up, if you have a chance to travel to Zhiben and want set meals, you can look for Jiusong. If you want mutton hot pot, you can try this Heisong I recommend. On a side note, Zhiben is really beautiful. I've visited four times, and each left a deep impression. Once, coming out from soaking in the hot springs at Zhiben Hotel in the evening, seeing the entire valley surrounded by colorful sunset clouds, a peaceful atmosphere between heaven and earth, an indescribable feeling of emotion welled up in my heart. '落霞與孤鶩齊飛' (Sunset clouds and a lone wild duck fly together) — many things just didn't seem so important anymore. I recommend visiting Zhiben if you get the chance. There are many great B&Bs and hotels, but most importantly, you can appreciate the beauty of nature. That kind of beauty can stay preserved in your heart forever :) By Morgan, late evening, March 31, 2004.
Location: Pingtung, Wanluan Pork Knuckle Travel note summary: Pingtung -- Wanluan Pork Knuckle (Haihong Restaurant). During a graduation trip with Morgan and classmates from the Information Management institute, we drove several cars to Hualien and Taitung. Our first day's lunch was here. This place is quite famous, I believe. Heading south on Provincial Highway 1 towards Kenting, turn left onto Highway 187 towards Wanluan, and you can find it by following the crowd or asking locals. Every place has its specialty; when you think of Daxi, it's dried tofu; for Wanluan, it's pork knuckle. When a place is famous for a food, many shops sell the same thing, like suncakes in Taichung, but you'll find the most famous one is always packed. It's also extremely crowded here on weekends. Back then, we ordered a plate of pork knuckle, pork tendons, some greens, braised tofu, and offal soup. A plate of pork knuckle was around 300-something NT. I remember eating Wanluan pork knuckle that my parents brought home when I was little, but I couldn't really tell good from bad back then. Growing up and visiting Haihong Restaurant myself, this decades-old establishment, I finally discovered for the first time that truly delicious pork knuckle is something you crave. The texture is oily but not greasy, braised with soy sauce and Chinese herbs, making it hard to put down your chopsticks. The fragrant pork knuckle, paired with its rich dipping sauce, is excellent whether it's the tendon, meat, or skin. They sell frozen packs outside and offer delivery service, so if you can't get enough, you can buy some to take home and reheat. I've tried the packaged version too; honestly, the taste is slightly less impressive, but it's still delicious. Writing this makes me really want to eat it again, even though I just came back full from Caigenxiang. But if there were a plate of pork knuckle in front of me now, I think I'd still enjoy it heartily. I really miss its flavor :) By Morgan, late evening, March 30, 2004.
Location: Taoyuan - Shimen Live Fish Multi-Dish (Shiyuan Restaurant) Travel Notes: On a drive from Taipei, we saw the sign for Shimen Reservoir and decided to go eat live fish. A friend from Taoyuan recommended Shiyuan Restaurant on Provincial Highway 3. Even at 1:30 PM, it was packed. We chose live fish from the pond—the method is: for every 2 catties, they prepare one dish. Our fish weighed 12 catties, so we shared with another table. Six catties made three dishes: spicy bean paste fish, fried fish pieces, and fresh fish soup. The fish meat was firm and fresh, with no fishy smell. The fried pieces with sweet and sour sauce were as good as McDonald's nuggets! We overordered a bit, so it cost around NT$1,500 for three. If you have 7-8 people, it's more suitable. On the way back, we bought some famous Daxi dried tofu. A fun experience in Taoyuan! :) By Morgan, evening of March 29, 2004.
Location: Tainan, Notes on Three Shops Travel note summary: Tainan, Notes on Three Shops. Preface: Thanks to today's job fair, many friends returned to Tainan, so I rushed to three gatherings with different members in a row. Please bear with me if you don't like verse, because I really wanted to write this way today—no reason, just mood fluctuating, so I wanted to write, that's all... First—Jinge Teahouse: Drove to Kaixuan Road, Golden Ball Hall nearby, a brand-new building appears, straight to second floor seeking the teahouse. Spacious with many seats, private room design atmosphere great. Three-five friends meet here, quiet place to chat casually. Meals 70% off cheap, this price considers quality. Set meals, hot pot plus drinks, things good and varied. Service decently attentive, forget time chatting away. Not a bad spot for gatherings, another window to Tainan teahouses. Second—Xiyuan Japanese Cuisine: Twists and turns to Lin'an Road, not yet 6 PM almost full. Business quite good attracts people, here square tables for dinner. Things affordable not expensive, quality okay mid-range. Sushi, pork cutlet, fried udon, tofu miso shrimp hand roll. Dishes varied to try, but attitude slightly annoying. People coming and going ignore you, busy in and out a bit chaotic. Dining mood affected, can't stay long hard to talk. Maybe holiday service worse, helplessly not very happy. Last—Xiaolin Composite Specialty Shop: Papaya Milk Haian branch,颠覆s old Xiaolin印象. Ice desserts, flower tea plus juice, toast, gratin hot and cold. Drinks start around 50, black tea green tea large cups. Things worth the price, juice fresh coffee fragrant. Key point beside the shop, a row of seats hidden in alley. Atmosphere excellent in darkness, dim yellow灯光beautiful无双. Under the table see fish tank, fish穿梭can欣赏. This shop though not many people, chatting environment堪称棒. Finally just附上three shops' addresses, for interested people参考and寻访: 1. Jinge Teahouse: No. 12 Kaixuan Road. 2. Xiyuan Japanese Cuisine: No. 251, Sec. 2 Lin'an Road. 3. Xiaolin Composite Specialty Shop: No. 211, Sec. 1 Haian Road. By Morgan, late night on Mar 14, 2004.
Location: Tainan - Tayih Landis Hotel - Shang Xuan Chinese Restaurant Travel notes: (Acrostic article) I had to choose between two places: the basement buffet and Shang Xuan at Tayih Landis, and I went with the latter where former President Chen Shui-bian once held a state banquet. Up the stairs, the entrance and sign are on the left. After criticism last night, I'm here tonight to gain experience, and I've always believed that cultivating refinement helps broaden horizons and learning. The grand exterior with violin music inside kept the mood pleasant throughout the meal, except when paying. For Chinese dishes, we ordered six dishes and a soup tonight; except for the soup and some items per person, each dish serves about 3-4 people. The tableware is quite upscale—here, it's not just about the food but also service, ambiance, and utensils. Besides us, many tables had foreigners, with various languages heard around. Tonight's menu: 1. Roast suckling pig platter: crispy skin, great with plum sauce, can pair with roast duck, soy sauce chicken, or BBQ pork. 2. XO sauce stir-fried scallops: often seen in comics, soft and refreshing with scallops. 3. Bamboo fungus in superior broth: usually paired with herbs, with bok choy, the crunchy texture is unique. 4. Garlic-baked pork ribs: light garlic aroma with deep-fried pork, a flavorful combo. 5. Chicken fried rice noodles: common in Hong Kong-style dim sum, with chicken and onions, a bit oily for my taste. 6. Jade hairpin abalone roll: NT$280 per person, abalone wrapped around something like shrimp balls with asparagus, just okay. Six dishes, each with its own character; we missed the roasted pigeon due to lack of ingredients today.
Location: Tainan Canaan Fruit Shop Travel note summary: Tainan Canaan Fruit Shop. By the South Gate Road, there's Canaan, a shop not inferior to Lily. However, the items seem a bit pricey, so I just picked a few to pay for. My classmate tried watermelon juice, while I ordered the fruit shaved ice. The variety of fruits isn't huge, and the taste isn't the freshest either. But the shaved ice itself is pretty good, drizzled with syrup—quite sweet. Forty NT per bowl is just so-so, at least for me. Suddenly glanced at my watch—past six o'clock, hurried back wanting to listen to folk songs. From 'Empress Wu' to 'Carmen,' a musical feast tonight. By Morgan, late night of 2002.5.8.
Location: Tainan, Xiaonan Bowl Rice Cake. Travel note summary: Xiaonan Bowl Rice Cake in Tainan has actually been famous for a long time, but I never had the chance to try it. Taking advantage of some free time tonight, I went on a food adventure. On Fuqian Road, I found Xiaonan, which only sells two items: bowl rice cake and fish thick soup. Ordering both costs just 50 NT. The bowl rice cake smelled amazing, with egg yolk, pork, and shrimp, topped with sauce—it was quite delicious. The fish thick soup had about six or seven pieces with cilantro for extra flavor; it was decent, and the reputation seems well-deserved. By Morgan, late night, May 8, 2002.
Location: Tainan Summer Class Ice City Travel note summary: Tainan Summer Class Ice City. This shop is on Dong'an Road, easy to spot with its red sign. Twenty-five NT for five toppings, the main product is shaved ice. The whole plate is quite generous and not expensive, also has smoothies and cold drinks. Tired of the many ice shops nearby? This place is worth a visit. By Morgan, evening of 2002.4.28.
Location: Tainan, A Smoked Braised Food Shop. Travel note summary: Last night, on a whim to watch professional baseball, I rushed to Tainan Baseball Stadium. After not seeing a game for a long time, I let off some steam, and it was already evening when I left. Searching for a late-night snack nearby, I thought carefully and remembered a place on Datong Road I'd seen but never tried. Located next to a public housing area, with many shops around—noodle stalls, shabu-shabu, steak houses, dim sum, and Don太郎. This braised food shop was pretty average, honestly a bit disappointing. Nothing special, common everywhere, I'd give it a solid 70 points. By Morgan, afternoon, April 28, 2002.
Location: Tainan Kiwi Ice Shop Travel note: Dinner dumplings were too few, so we had to grab a late-night snack to feel full. Still craving more, we wandered along Fuqian Road. I'd heard about this ice shop before—they're known for generous fruit portions. Order six plates and get one free! The owner was all smiles while explaining. We ordered various juices and platters with friends. A bit pricey but fresh, and service was quite good. If you don't like Lily's messiness or noise, this place is a solid alternative. By Morgan, late night, April 19, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Pork Cutlet Specialty Shop Travel note summary: At Pork Cutlet Specialty Shop in Tainan, following board opinions, went to Beiyuan Street in the evening to try it myself. Ordered a pork cutlet rice, the cutlet was unusually large—not quite face-sized but close, thickness not a thumb but about half. Cut it open, dipped in ketchup, crispy and decent texture. Just gets greasy if eaten too much, marginal utility gradually decreases. Other feature salad bar, not many items, four or five plates, but fruit is good, at least for me. Corn soup acceptable, easy to eat till super full. Summarizing everything, I'll give a score: I'd rate it 83. By Morgan, evening on Apr 12, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Rongya Snack. Travel note summary: Feeling a bit better, but I didn't forget to hunt for shops. This snack place called Rongya is on a street called Nanyuan. Past Kaiyuan Road and Linsen Road, near Xiaonan Pork Chop, go straight to see a pharmacy, Huacheng Pharmacy, then turn left. Dumplings are only 2 NT each, tasty and cheap. The highlight is the wonton soup, a bowl for 10 NT, quite sweet and fragrant. Carpe diem, searching for美食 in the world. Eating, drinking, having fun, laughing at the world, forgetting all worries. By Morgan, evening, March 20, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Vegetable Zongzi Expert. Travel note summary: Feeling down, I rode around randomly looking for something fresh. I remembered a place someone had recommended. At the end of Changrong Road, Section 5, a small shop by the roadside called Vegetable Zongzi Expert, with a '喜' character on it. A single vegetable zongzi costs 20 NT, paired with miso soup for an extra 10. It was quite tasty, not losing out to famous shops. Jotting this down for reference—haven't written poetry in a while, so not very skilled. Celebrating the new forum moderator, hoping for big changes here. By Morgan, evening, March 19, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Small Squid Rice Noodles. Travel note summary: After a spa at Water Linglong, I was starving by noon. Guohua Street was crowded, so I tried the small squid rice noodles here. The rice noodles are thicker, which is rare; dipping the squid in sauce and chewing a few times, the flavor was just okay, ordinary. The portion wasn't big, and 50 NT felt a bit expensive. Should've eaten something else. Just for the experience, but chances of coming back are slim. By Morgan, afternoon, January 19, 2002. P.S. Actually, I heard another small squid rice noodle place on Zhonghua West Road is more famous, but I visited twice and it said closed, so I wonder if it's gone? So I had to try this one on Guohua Street ;p
Location: Tainan, Ah Han Salty Porridge Travel note summary: At Ah Han Salty Porridge in Tainan, a bowl of rice noodles wasn't quite enough—how could I stop there? A senior recommended this place, said it's always packed. The original shop was at Shijingjiu, but it moved after the temple was demolished. Now it's at the intersection of Zhongyi Road and Gongyuan South Road. The bowl has fish meat, and the salty porridge tastes good. If you don't mind seafood smell, you can order an extra fish head. It's pretty decent, I recommend it—40 NTD per bowl is acceptable. Writing this, I'm a bit tired; time to stop and take a nap. By Morgan, noon on Jan 19, 2002.
Location: Tainan Almond Tofu Ice (not the one on Tiyu Road) Travel note: Just helped a friend move—Tainan's winter feels like early summer, so I was sweating and craving ice. Remembered someone mentioning this spot. Look for it near the turkey rice shop on Fulian Road. Flavor rivals the Tiyu Road place, decent and cheap. A bowl for 20 NT satisfies the craving; the almond is nice with red beans sprinkled on top. Give it a try if you're not in a hurry to head home. By Morgan, afternoon, January 18, 2002.
Location: Tainan Huangzhen Stir-fry Travel note: Someone mentioned a mysterious spot in Rende during summer break—hidden in a back alley near a home salon. Tonight's search came up empty; the area was dark and lifeless. We switched to Huangzhen on Linsen Road instead. Standard stir-fry, nothing special to highlight. We shared greens, braised pork, oysters, shrimp balls, fatty intestines, and winter melon clams. Nine classmates ate our fill, bought some beer and whiskey, then chatted by Success Lake—true friends need no searching. By Morgan, evening, January 17, 2002.
Location: Tainan O.C. Café Travel note: A shop on Fulian East Road, inconspicuous at the corner of an alley. Someone recommended it before, so I dropped by this afternoon. Their specialty is the milk hot pot—that's what drew me here. The milky aroma wafted over, but service was a bit slow. Ingredients were average, but it was fun to try something new. Not great, not bad; if you're curious, give it a go. Address: No. 18, Fulian East Road. By Morgan, afternoon, January 17, 2002.
Location: Tainan, Xiao Du Yi Mian Travel note summary: Xiao Du Yi Mian in Tainan is perfect for late-night snacks when sushi just isn't enough. Open until 2 a.m. on You'ai Street, it's always bustling. The yi mian noodles are refreshing and not fried, with a unique minced pork base. At just 30 TWD a bowl, it's affordable—grab some braised side dishes too. A great spot for late-night chats and satisfying cravings, no need for recommendations; it's already popular, so I'm just jotting this down casually. By Morgan, late night on Jan 16, 2002. Address: mentioned in the text.
Location: Tainan, Granny Soup Ramen Travel note summary: At Granny Soup Ramen in Tainan, the dorm lost power so I couldn't study, just wandered around to try something new. The door was locked, not open—struck out at two shops in a row. Diagonally across from Mint Candy, there's a Granny Soup Ramen. I'd heard of it before, only met by chance now. The broth is decent, ingredients okay, noodles refreshingly melt in the mouth. Plum tea is free to drink, orange slices for dessert. Medium price under 100 NTD, pretty good to recommend. Don't mind my personal score—just at the 80 borderline. By Morgan, evening on Jan 15, 2002. Address: In the alley opposite IZZY on Minzu Road or opposite 3388 Beimen Road, diagonally across from Mint Candy.
Location: Tainan, Ancient City Douhua Village Travel note summary: In Tainan, Ancient City Douhua Village—I went for a drive to escape study stress. Lunch was beef noodles on Xinxing Road, pretty average, so I don't recommend it. After eating, I headed to Fuqian Road; this douhua shop has a sweet taste, rivaling Huoshui or Green House. Soft and tender on the tongue. To find it, it's next to the handmade fish noodles place. Too many delicious foods to try them all—I hope to have that day someday. By Morgan, afternoon on Jan 14, 2002.
Location: Tainan Wu Jiao Chuan Ban Travel note summary: Tainan Wu Jiao Chuan Ban. Right across from Eternal Golden Fortress, quaint and quite rare. The interior decor is very cozy, with three branches opened in the south. One person costs two hundred eighty, a ten-person set meal is really great. If the group size is too off, then I'd change to not recommending. Fried shrimp, pork knuckle, jellyfish skin, bamboo shoots, squid, duck rolls, shumai, greens, lamb hot pot, sweet and sour chicken, beef flank... After the meal, drinks and dessert, plates scattered, bellies round. Satisfied and not bad, though I spent quite a bit. After eating, buy preserved fruits in Anping—it's on the way, not far. Giving a score for the whole night, I'd rate it eighty-three. By Morgan, evening of 2002.1.10.
Location: Tainan, Handmade Fish Noodles Travel note summary: Tainan's handmade fish noodles used to be on Minsheng Road but have moved to Fuqian Road. If you're wondering where, it's just past Yongfu Road on the left, with a sign saying 'handmade fish noodles.' What's special? The noodles are entirely made from fish, paired with a decent broth. Tasty but not very filling—I feel like the portion's smaller than before, but still unique enough. Among Tainan's countless snacks, this one's a must-try. By Morgan, Jan 9, 2002. Address: On Fuqian Road, shortly after passing Yongfu Road, on the left side with a sign for handmade fish noodles.
Location: Tainan, Hometown of Tangyuan Travel note summary: Tainan's Hometown of Tangyuan has been quite popular lately, so I dropped by when I had time. At the start of Minsheng Road, look up near Dongyang Notary. With many varieties to choose from, no wonder it's called the tangyuan hometown. The menu might expand, so no business cards yet. A special feature is the hot pot, with a chocolate flavor said to be fragrant, but I didn't try it this time—just had a bowl to taste. The flavor was decent, and at 20 TWD, it's not pricey. Consider it for dessert; it's a nice new spot. By Morgan, before class on Jan 9, 2002.
Location: Tainan Little Chili Braised Dish - Lamb Hot Pot Travel note summary: Tainan Little Chili Braised Dish - Lamb Hot Pot. There are so many shops on Datong Road, and braised dishes even have lamb hot pot. Eighty NT per serving isn't expensive, the price is pretty good. In winter, small hot pots are trendy, seen everywhere—too many to mention. I've tried my best to eat at dozens of places, but there are still too many I haven't tried. Fish cake, cabbage, frozen tofu—usual ingredients, nothing fancy. The broth isn't too bad either, generally acceptable. After eating, patting my belly, I ponder what score to give. Not the best but decent enough; personally, I'd say seventy-six. By Morgan, evening of 2002.1.8.
Location: Tainan, Château de la Vie Castle Restaurant Travel note summary: At Château de la Vie Castle Restaurant in Tainan, there's a shop in Yongkang like a castle, hidden in the wild so hard to find. But the food is pretty special, lighting and atmosphere quite good. Last night scouting was frustrating, ended up near graves and got bitten by a dog. Spotted it in a dark alley, almost cursed out loud. Should be an Italian restaurant, with quite a few delicious dishes. Foie gras with pork roll, orange-smoked duck taste amazing. For dessert, chose secret drops, original coffee has high concentration. Worth the price but not cheap, over 300 NTD a must. Suggest a good spot for family gatherings, juniors can mooch off seniors. Yawning as I finish writing, late at night time to sleep. By Morgan, late night on Jan 8, 2002. Detailed address: Take Xiaodong Road toward Yongkang, at the junction there's Yongkang Veterans Hospital, turn left into the road opposite (Zhongxiao Road), then soon see a three-way fork (before Zhongxiao Road ends), take the rightmost road (Fuhua 1st Street), almost to the end intersection (Fuxing 1st Road) in front of the 7-11 (before the convenience store), turn left into the closest alley, you'll see a residential area, on the right is a castle-like restaurant, that's it.
Location: Tainan, Jinmen Wang Ramen & Stinky Tofu Travel note summary: In Tainan, Jinmen Wang ramen and stinky tofu—someone mentioned it earlier. Ride down Datong Road and look for the red sign on the side. I recommend two things: first, the 'bomb ramen,' a big, chewy bowl that's substantial and cheap. Second, the herbal stinky tofu, refreshing with a soft center and crispy yellow skin, only 30 TWD for a large plate—a shame to miss. After eating, chat with the friendly owner; it's a bit far but worth the trip, proving good food knows no distance. By Morgan, afternoon on Jan 7, 2002.
Location: Tainan Don Taro Travel note: Saw people discussing it recently, so I visited tonight. Located by the public housing on Datong Road, among shops on red brick. The sign highlights chicken katsu don—I ordered one to try. The fried chicken wasn't too small, and the flavor was fairly fragrant. Sides included a few items: sliced egg with thousand island, seaweed, cucumber, pickled radish, plus a bowl of miso soup. Maybe I'm picky, but it was just okay. Personally, I'd give it a 72 out of 100. By Morgan, evening, January 6, 2002.
Location: Tainan King Pork Chop Rice Travel note summary: Tainan King Pork Chop Rice (Morgan's first food review in verse). This morning I lingered at the computer center station, someone recommended a shop. Out of curiosity, I wandered over at noon—seems not bad, worth recommending. The old location used to be a pub, by the Minzu Qianfeng roadside, I think it was called Meishile. Now renovated, it sells meals. The side dishes seem just okay, but the pork chop flavor is quite fresh. Importantly, the price isn't high—a single portion with soup for fifty NT. Steamed egg, mushrooms, and greens, pork rib and radish hidden in the bowl. The competitive edge lies here: the broth has its own charm. After eating, I jot this down for the food board; please don't mind my humble offering. Hoping for more food exchanges, eating, drinking, and having fun in this world. By Morgan, afternoon of 2002.1.4.
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