Back with a Buffet Bang

Yes, I am alive! And as Han mentioned, time has a way of slipping by... I managed to survive taking the bar exam almost a month ago. (As for passing, we'll find out in November.) I recuperated in Taiwan, spending quality time with family and eating 1000 lbs of delicious foods a day. I figure the only fair thing to do is to show you some of it.

My aunt recently took us to a glorious buffet at 饗食天堂, Xiang Shi Heaven.


It's quite pretty inside, and the buffet spread is awesome.


Temaki (hand-roll) station and cute temaki holders:

If I hadn't been trying to save room for more food, I would have had ten asparagus + shrimp temaki. Ymmmm.

Dim sum station:


Dessert:


Heart-shaped tofu for hot-pot. Adorbs!

There are a TON more stations, including a variety of fresh-squeezed juices and all-you-can-scoop haagen dazs ice cream. Heaven.

The best part - you're given numbers on your table to order fresh-made dishes family-style. Yes, my aunt could be a hand model.

You put your table number on the number of the dish you want to order, and they bring the dish out to your table when it's ready. Genius. The dishes were definitely my favorite part of the meal. The following are some delectable ones we ordered using the numbers. First, crushed soybean cod.

The fish was sooo fresh, and the topping (I *think* it was crushed soybeans) was incredible. I could have ordered 10 plates of this. Literally. You can order as many of these dishes as you want. It's almost too good to be true!

Basil clams. A Taiwanese favorite. And my mom's favorite.

I cannot overstate how perfect this was. Clams? Fresh x 100. Sauce? Perfect consistency and basil-y taste. This dish was so good, I think we ordered three of them.

We also ordered candied yams.

*Drool* I don't know what they put in this, but part of me thinks it must be magic. Piping hot, and soooo good.

Eggplant dish. My favorite color.

Cooked to the right amount of softness without losing the eggplant texture. I want more.

We also ordered pigs blood + intestine.

I know, it sounds quite gross, but when I was little, I used to looooove both of these things. Now? Well, let's just say I eat it more for nostalgic purposes. I probably had a few bites of each. Pretty tasty.

Okay, back to the rest of the buffet. My plate #1.

Not even sure what half of this stuff was, but rest assured my stomach was a very happy camper after inhaling this plate.

And what is this?

Yes, a peking duck station. The meat was actually just okay, but the skin was crispy and fatty and delightful. Han would approve.

Part of plate #2.

Featuring a beef roll, clam-meat-ball in clam shell, and mala pastry (a sweet bread often eaten at dim sum).

Part of plate #3.

"Pearl" meatballs = pork meatballs covered in sticky rice. These weren't as good as my grandma's, but they were pretty solid.

Truffle time!

I enjoyed the dried flowers, but the truffles definitely looked better than they tasted.

Green tea cake and mango cake.

How cute is the little "peach" on top??

Variety of my favorite jellos and cremes:

Starting from the 12 o'clock position and going clockwise: mango jello, strawberry creme, grape jello, passion fruit creme, and lychee jello. All were super refreshing and delicious... I would have enjoyed them even more if I had not been about to explode from all the food.

I still have a hard time believing how much food I put in my stomach in this one meal. If you're in Taipei, this buffet must not be missed. Go and overeat TODAY!

饗食天堂, Xiang Shi Heaven
12th Floor of Míng Yào Mall (Zhōngxiào Dūnhuà station by metro)
Taipei City, Taiwan
Tel: 02-2771-8832
http://www.eatogether.com.tw/