Taiwan Trip 2015 (Third Day) - Taipei

We did not manage to catch the sunrise. We were too tired to get up early for that.:D So, when we got up, it's already bright outside. The sea view is just super from our room.

We have breakfast in the hotel. The buffet breakfast is quite simple one, but the taste is awesome. I love their porridge best. I think I had 2 or 3 servings that morning.   

After finishing our breakfast, we went for cycling. The hotel has free bicycle rental. We cycled around chi shing tan beach. Below are few pictures that we took. 

After that, it's time for us to leave hualien. We packed everything and left around 11 am. The hotel has free shuttle to the train station. However, their shuttle was full that time, so, they actually called a cab for us, and paid for our taxi fare. I have to admit that their service is two thumbs up.

We reached taipei main station at around 2 pm. Then, we took train (MRT) to Zhongshan station. It's just one stop away from taipei main station. Our hotel is located very close to Zhongshan station. With luggage, it's better to take exit No. 4, even though there is one more exit (with staircase) which is closer to Tango Hotel (just few steps away). The hotel is quite small, but the design is very modern.   

The toilet especially is very modern and cool. As we reach the toilet bowls, the cover will automatically open up. There is a sensor, hahaha. One more thing, the sound system is very good in the room. I remember there is a deal in agoda. I bought the hotel voucher without knowing which hotel that we get. But there is a hint that I get from the number of reviews. So, I know that the hotel that we will get is Tango Hotel. It's about 20-30 SGD cheaper than the regular rate.

It was 3 pm, and we started to feel hungry. I know there is one shop that sell oyster misua in that area. We found it! It's really nice, especially if you love oyster, you should go to that shop. It's just a small restaurant. The address is 41 nanjing west road (very close to Zhongshan station).    

After that, we thought of going to Wu fen pu for shopping, but eventually decided just walked around the area. There are few shopping malls (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi) in the area. I think I prefer to stay at this area instead of Taipei Main station.

We have dinner appointment with my high school classmate and her family. We forgot to take picture of the food and restaurant. But, I remember it's a local type of restaurant around Zhongshan area.

Finishing our dinner, we went back to hotel and walked to Raohe night market. It's about 15 minutes easy walk from our hotel to the night market. Few famous food in Raohe are fried taro ball, ice mochi. You won't miss the fried taro ball stall, because there is always a long queue. They have two type of taro ball, one is the original, and the other one with egg yolk. We prefer the one without egg yolk. The ice mochi was served with peanut. It was delicious. 

That's pretty much it for the day. 

Lemon Cheesecake

It's been a while since the last time i posted any recipe in my blog. Today I am going to share with the the recipe for my simple lemon cheesecake. 

Chocolate base

Dark chocolate 65 g

Unsalted butter 25 g

Paillete feuilletine 65 g

Melt dark chocolate and butter then mix with the praline. 

Place them in the bottom of a 6 inch cake pan. Press firmly. Refrigerate. 

Cheesecake

250 g cream cheese at room temperature

200 g whipping cream

Grated Lemon zest from 1 lemon

1 teaspoon of lemon juice (can be ignored to get firmer cheesecake)

40g sugar

Procedure:

Whip the whipping cream, then refrigerate. 

Whip creamcheese with sugar until smooth then add the lemon zest. Add the whipped cream then pour the mixture on top of the chocolate base crust. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. 

Paris Trip - Solo (Second day)

I woke up very early (at 5 am) that day. I haven't had a firm plan yet where to go for the day. Knowing the danger of pickpocket, I wish that I could just hibernate in the room. But, I am in Paris! Be brave and be careful, that's all I heard from my heart. So, after having a short chat with my brother, I thought I will go and visit Louvre (pronounced as "Loove") Museum. I had my breakfast in the room. I brought oatmeal from Singapore, haha... That could last me for three days.
I went out at around 8:30 am with my backpack in front. Yes, I should be careful with my backpack. I left my passport in the security box. From Saint Lazare, I took Metro line 14 to Pyramides (2 stops away). Then I asked the information center how to go to the museum. It took me about 10 minutes walking from Pyramides station to the museum. Below are some pictures that I took there. It's a nice building. I actually paid 15 euro to go inside. But, honestly I am not so much into Museum, so, I didn't enjoy it very much. My main purpose is to see "Monalisa".

After walking around the museum, I felt a bit hungry. It was at 10:30 am. I passed by one cafe in the museum, so, I went in and had my brunch there. I ordered a set of meal that comes with a "pain au chocolate", one roll of bread, butter, raspberry jam, hot drink (I had hot chocolate), and a glass of fresh orange juice. That was the first French meal that I had. The pain au chocolate was pretty nice, and so was the bread. Hot chocolate is pretty nice too, but nothing very special. The price is 8.1 euro, and I gave 9.5 Euro with tips. I got the info from google, saying that we need to give 15% tips when we have meal in a restaurant in Paris. 

I think the brunch was the most satisfying thing that I had in the museum. 

Oh yeah, by the way if you happen to visit the museum, please be mindful of your stuff, because It's very crowded, again pickpocket is quite common. 

I saw "Monalisa" drawing in the museum, but, I can hardly take any picture of it. Anyway, I heard that the drawing is not the original. Not sure about this though.:D

     

There is a shopping mall (Printemps) inside the museum. I walked around the mall, but did not get anything. The upside down pyramid in the building is very interesting.

From the museum, I continue my adventure to Champ Elysees. I took metro (line 1) from Palais Royal Musee du Louvre to Franklin D. Roosevelt (4 stops away). The Palais Royal Musee du Louvre metro is connected to the mall, so, I actually walked inside the mall to the station. It's really convenient. As soon as I walked up to the street, first store that I saw was Disney store. One whole street has all luxury shops, such as, LV, Longchamp, Zara, etc, You can shop until you drop in this area. Again, I didn't buy anything there.
 

As I walked until the end of the street, I saw "Arc de Triomphe". I didn't go inside, but, only take few shots from the opposite of the street. It was around 2 pm, and of course I feel hungry. I searched on my google map, and saw one restaurant that I have been looking for. That's restaurant by a michelin star, Joel Robuchon. There is one branch at Publicis Drugstore. The address is

133 avenue des Champs-Elysees, 75008

Paris France 

I waited for less than 10 minutes for a seat. The seating area is pretty small, so, they have something like bar seating, and only few small tables. So, most people sit together at the bar stool. Since I was on my own, I got a seat pretty fast. I ordered one set meal, it comes with a starter, one course, and a dessert. Of course free rye bread is also served. Surprisingly, at the end of my meal, I was served madeleine cake with chocolate. They gave me two for each, but, I was too full, so I only had one each.

So, my brother told me that I should try their mashed potato. Since their menu is in french, I have to ask the waiter to explain to me, and I did order one course (cod fish) that comes with mashed potato. Yes, the mashed potato is delicious. Very smooth, and taste good.... The starter was egg with mushroom and eggplant. I chose lemon sorbet and meringue dessert. It was nice, but quite sour. I should have chosen another one I think, haha...

Anyway, that was the best meal that I had in Paris! Oh yeah, when the waiter asked me whether I want water, she asked, "sparkling" or "still". I chose stillwater. I think i should probably tell her, "regular water". After i made the option, i realized that I might need to pay a lot of money for that water. Hahaha. But, i was so thirsty at that time. When she poured some in my glass, i think that was the best water I have ever drunk. Hahahahaha. And yes, when the bill comes, the super nice water costs me 8 euro. Oh dear.... Anyway, I paid total of 60 Euro, included tips. 

After the satisfying meal, another selfie in front of the restaurant. Now I think about it, i don't feel that is expensive for that kind of meal. I am sure that I will need to pay a lot more than that if I go the same restaurant in Singapore. Yes, they do have a branch in RWS. 

Anyway, after that lunch plus dinner, I went back to my hotel. I should take rest early to get ready for the conference the next day. 

Paris Business Trip - Solo (Fifth Day+Departure day)

Bonjour....

It's my last day for the conference, and unfortunately my presentation was scheduled on the last day. I guess it's because of my late submission of abstract. Anyway, after the session, I didn't join their cocktail session. I believe there must be alcohol served for the gathering. I don't drink anyway, so, I guess I won't miss anything. But, I want to shop before I leave Paris!

Below is the picture of me while giving the presentation.

So, five of us left for the outlet, at La Valee Village. It costs 6.9 Euro for one way trip to the outlet. You need to take RER A to the direction of Disney Land, and alight one stop before Disney stop. That's Val D'Europe station. There is a free shuttle to the outlet, but if you choose to walk, after you are in front of the station, you turn right, and walk along the way toward a shopping mall. We then walk inside the shopping mall to another end, to get to the outlet. It takes about 10 minutes walk.

Of course before shopping, we need to fill our stomach. We went to an Italian Restaurant. From my experience in Paris, I think Italian restaurant shouldn't be a wrong choice for meal. I ordered the last menu on the list below, but, it doesn't taste very good. The rest of them ordered the spaghetti, and they said it's very nice.

The one that I ordered is the flat noodle (left side on the picture below). The right one is the seafood spaghetti noodle. I should have ordered that one, instead.:( I finished it anyway. It tastes better than the canteen food that I had the day before.:D

There is packed of huge macaroon seats. It's very cute. I can't resist not to take any selfie, haha... Oh yeah, you see that my backpack is always in front of me. I usually put it at the back if I need to take a full body picture. LOL.

Unfortunately, I can't find a lot of things to shop in the outlet. Longchamp is my man target, but then the design doesn't look good, and they are all old design. But, I bought one small Le pliage (brown color), just because that it's super cheap, especially with 10% discount. If I am not mistaken, the price is 34 Euro, outside they sell it for 55 Euro. I got discount voucher from my friend. They went to the outlet few days back, and applied for tourist card to get 6 vouchers. You need your passport and a visa credit card to be able to apply for that card. So, after the 10% discount, I paid only 30.6 Euro. It's a steal for Le Pliage. That's all I bought from there.

As I walked through the outlet, I saw few ice cream stall. It's very interesting that they shape the ice cream like a flower. It has 3 different flavors. Yup, yummy.....

From the outlet, we went to a supermarket in the mall. I bought chocolate wafer and few confectioneries to be given to my colleagues. After that, I left the mall with the two guys. I still have few more items to buy at Galeries Lafayette. The other girls decided to shop around the shopping mall.

Sheng Yu and Yun Ting alight at Gare De Lyon station, whereas I carried on until Auber station. From that station, I walked to Galeries Lafayette. By the way, I received a 10% VIP card from my hotel, to shop there. Just that, I realized the card is expired. So, I went to the information centre, and they are nice to extend the discount card for me. However, I didn't get anything eventually with the discount card. I went to Longchamp, and there were a short queue to get in to the shop. Haha, yes, you need to queue to get in to the shop. But, I saw long queue at LV shop. I was thinking to get in there to see around, but then I was too lazy to queue. Anyway, I think I will probably end up buying nothing there. Oh yeah, Longchamp! I have been thinking to get a medium size of Le pliage Neo (with detachable shoulder strap). Unfortunately, their store doesn't accept the discount card. In that case, I better wait until the next day to get it at the airport. However, It will depend on my luck, whether they have it in stock there. Anyway, I choose not to buy first.:)

My next list is Jean Paul Hevin hot chocolate. Unfortunately, they don't have hot chocolate on that day. So, eventually I bought one small cake. It cost me about 6.7 Euro, I think... But, the taste is super yummy. I even bring some back to Singapore (too much food for my last night in Paris), and it is still delicious. The chocolate tastes really good. There is meringue inside (on top, then bottom is like mousse chocolate) of the cake. Yummy....

 

Then, my next treat is Macaroon from Pierre Herme! Oh dear, they are good. The macaroon shell is slightly crispy outside, as you bite it, the inside is super soft, and the filling is soft and super nice, then everything will melt in your mouth. Oh..... yeah.... You should try it if you are in Paris! I brought back to Singapore, of course. Surprisingly, they are still good when I reach Singapore. During my journey from hotel to airport, then in flight, I put it together with the cake. Since the cake was placed in a good quality of box, the macaroon was always in stable position. I placed them in in my backpack. As soon as I reached home, I put it back to the refrigerator. I had it after a week, and the taste was still pretty nice. Definitely, the fresh one is always the best.     

From Galeries Lafayette, I stopped by monoprix supermarket. I was thinking to get something for my breakfast, since I ran out of oatmeal. I got this yogurt. Surprisingly, it's dairy free yogurt. From the name, sojasun (soja is soya in French). I never know that there is yogurt that is made from soya. 

Then, of course I need food for dinner. When, I checked in to the hotel, I overheard the conversation between hotel receptionist and one of the guest. The receptionist suggested her a nice italian restaurant nearby the hotel. It's called "Little Cesar". Address is
20 Rue d'Amsterdam
75009 Paris, France

So, I stopped by the restaurant before going back to hotel. This is what I got, "Smoked Salmon pasta". It's with white creamy sauce. It's indeed nice. Together with my ABC sauce, it's even better. Oh yeah, their service is also good. The guy was very friendly, when I asked for English version menu.
The serving is too much for me, and I only had one bread. Eventually, I kept the left over spaghetti for my breakfast.

Then, I thought I should take a snap of metro ticket. The ticket is quite small size. There is a magnetic thing at the back. 

Saint Lazare at night. Nice huh....

The next morning, I left hotel at around 7:45 am. I walked to Opera to get onto Roissy Bus again. I think this bus is really convenient if you want to go to the airport. I dragged my luggage, and almost got lost, hihihihi. Luckily, I realized before I walk too far. I checked a map at the side of the street.
As soon as I reached the bus stop, there is two Roissy Buses there. I quickly got on to the bus. The bus ride took about 40-45 minutes to terminal 1.

After checking in my luggage, I start to shop. There is one duty free shop, that sells all branded bags. Guess what? They have the Le Pliage bag that I want. The price is cheaper, since no tax. Haha...

Then, I got another Macaroon from Laduree at the airport.

I saw there is super deal for perfumes. It's 29.90 Euro for each. Original price is ranging around 50 Euros. It's a steal, I think. I got Burberry Perfume for my self (yup, 29.90 Euro for 50 ml bottle).

I guess, that's all for my adventure in Paris! Overall I like Paris, but, I probably won't go again on my own. I just didn't feel safe there, especially in the metro train.

Paris Business Trip (Forth Day) - Montmartre

It's second day for work in Paris. I reached the University at around 9:30 am, and it seemed like a lot of people are missing. Haha,..
I attended few talks, and then met two chinese girls (Wang Ying and Lily) who I knew from my colleague. Wang Ying gave talk on the day, so, I attended her talk. After that, we went for lunch together. I plan to follow their itinerary today. In the canteen, we met the two taiwanese guys (Sheng Yi and Yun Ting), and they joined us too. Lily has planned about the places that they want to visit, and she has all the info printed out. Sheng Yi is the one who find way by looking at metro line and map. I help only if there is necessity (checking once in a while that we are in the right direction). Wang Ying and Yun Ting are the followers. They don't even bother whether the direction is right, haha... I guess in a group, there shouldn't be too many planners, there has to be some followers as well, otherwise a plan won't work.

Oh Yeah, my lunch was not very appetizing that day. I chose chicken, and eventually did not even touch the chicken. It's too scary, due to its size. The best one was the chocolate pie. It's not too sweet and fits my taste bud.


We started our trip by visiting the Place de la Bastille. We took picture of it then walk to another points.

I can't remember the place in this picture (below). But, my iphone stated it in Place des Vosges. 

Then below is somewhere at Hotel de Ville area. Again, I got the info from my iphone. By the way, if you happen to walk around this area, you should try the ice cream. I have it on my list (got it from a blog). It's stated as best ice cream, but then I didn't have chance to try it. I remember passing by BHV department store. Again, it's on my list, but we didn't have time to look inside.

Berthillon (Best Ice Cream)

31 Rue St.-Louis-en-l'Ile, Paris (Hôtel-de-Ville) 

Notre Dame Catheral is around the area as well. All of them have been there, excluding me. So, I requested to pass by, so that I can take a picture. The conference organizer actually has arranged for a walking tour at Notre Dame Catheral in the evening on that day. I have registered for that. But, of course I didn't go eventually.:D Oh yeah, if you want to go in side the church, you may need to queue. The queue is indeed super long, and the weather was very hot. I just need to have a picture of the building.;)

From there, we take metro to another part of Paris. We enter the 18th area. So, Paris city centre is divided into different city area. The highest the area number the least safe the area is. We could see that this area is  

This is the alley that we passed through. It's a bit hard to see from the picture that the road is going downhill. I took the picture when we reached the top of the street.

We saw this interesting bike hanging on the wall.

Then we arrived at a street where there are a lot of small shops with tourists around. While the two girls are busy shopping, I saw an ice cream store. I can't resist not to get one cup. They guys also joined me. I had coffee and hazelnut flavor.

We were too tired, and our legs are hurting. So all of us sat at the side of the road and take a selfie picture. Lily has a selfie stick! Hahaha... Then we asked one tourist to take a picture for us. By the way, we don't know the two guys in the picture (sitting at the back of us). 

When I saw the scene of this building, I was like "Wow..." The sky is incredibly cooperating. Yes, it's indeed very beautiful.  

So, from this place, we can see Paris!

After sitting for a bit, we make a move. Then we saw a metro line that bring people downhill. We used our old metro ticket, and surprisingly it worked! I know that we can use it in 1.5 hours time limit. I am not quite sure whether we have passed the time since our last metro trip.
The train is a small one (more like LRT in Singapore). It just bring us down, then we walk to another metro station. Sheng Yi suddenly remember that there is one restaurant that people have recommended. We then went and checked it out. The girls agree to have dinner first before leaving. They stay at the University area, so, they usually make sure that they can go back to the hotel early. It was 7 pm at that time.
 

This restaurant is famous with the salad. Actually, I realized it's not the salad, but the fried potatoes. All salads come with fried potatoes. We ordered one salad to share. Each of us ordered one dish. I ordered grilled Salmon, they all had steak. Apparently, all dishes are served with fried potatoes. I have to agree that the potatoes did taste good. 

The girls like their steak, but the guys don't. The girls are not used to uncooked meat, so, they want me to tell the waiter that they want a well done steak. I misunderstood that they guys want the same. Eventually all steak was cooked, and the guys found it to be too hard. Haha, yeah... I was the one who communicate with the waiter in English. 

This is typical Asians, who take picture of food before started eating them.

We finished at around 8 plus. The guys was nice to send the girls back to their hotel. I went back on my own. That's my interesting day in Paris!

Stay tune for my last day adventure in Paris...