Jess Food Therapy
 
BBQing was one of my favorite activities back in LA. With Cali's beautiful, sunny weather, you can have a BBQ for no reason at all. Whether it was for someone’s birthday, a Lakers’ game, or just for the heck of hanging out, it was always so easy to get a BBQ going. All we needed was a backyard/beach/park, a portable grill, a group of chill friends, frisbee/football, buns/patties, condiment, and we were good to go! With an ice-cold Corona in one hand and a perfectly grilled bacon-wrapped hot dog in the other, life was pretty darn good… 

Now that I live in Taipei, all-American BBQs are a thing of the distant past. Unless you feel that Chili’s and Friday’s can suffice.  I've got the friends, the food, the grill, the location – but what always ruins the plan is the stubborn weather. If Cali is "not too cold not too hot," then Taiwan is "very cold, very hot, very rainy, and very humid.”  Plus, people can't seem to get up early enough even if their lives depended on it (I have to admit, myself included).   

But one thing Taipei does not lack is the limitless restaurants hidden in the nooks and crannies all over the city. Although authentic Western BBQ restaurants are hard to come by, you pretty much forget about them once you try the Taiwanese version of BBQ (烤肉/燒烤). 

While I do miss the outdoorsy California BBQ experience, hickory-smoked beef ribs, and pulled-pork drenched in ten layers of BBQ sauce, Taiwan offers me something better and more unique:  thinly-sliced beef tongue, salmon-filled rice balls, buttered spinach and corn, chicken cartilage, and miso-marinated intestines. And instead of dipping your meat in thick, heavy “Smokin' Coles Original Bold n' Spicy Barbeque Sauce,” you can enjoy each bite with the effortless combination of lemon juice and finely, finely chopped onions & scallions. 

Simplicity at its best! 

胡同
www.hutong.com.tw
台北市敦化南路一段161巷17號
(02) 277601575


大腕燒肉專門店
台北市敦化南路一段177巷22號1樓
(02) 27110179

**call beforehand for reservation

 
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Sometimes, a simple weekend getaway is the cure to all. That is, with close friends, beautiful scenery & good food of course. 
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