Miramar's hidden food court

Oooops, Miramar Entertainment Mall actually does have a food court. I originally thought it didn't have a food court, but today, with Yuki and another friend, we discovered it had one on the basement level. It turned out to be a medium sized one, round shaped. Food is still the same as any other food court, with the added variation of Cantonese food and Singaporean food. However we did notice a small sit-in Indian restaurant. Since it was sit-in, we'd all have to agree to eat there so we didn't end up going. But I absolutely love spicy indian food. Especially northern Indian where they're not vegetarian. Regretfully I didn't glance at the menu or the pricing, but I suspect it's not that expensive. I need to make plans to return back here for lunch or dinner. They have a large window to see into the kitchen and they have Hindu cooks. So i'm really struck with interest to try out their culinary menu in the hopes it'll be different than what I've been finding so far around Taipei. You'll hear about when I do.

Dragon boat races

Yuki and I woke up early to travel to the YingFeng Riverside park (迎風河濱公園) to watch the yearly dragon boat races. Dragon boat races are traditionally held as part of the annual Duanwu Festival (端午節). We went there to support her Japanese friend in the race. Her team ended up winning! She'll have to return later in the day for the finals competition. After watching a few more races, I realized they were paddling upstream. Thats gotta be difficult on the arms! Alas, the day was swelteringly hot and humid, so Yuki and I opted to headed over to the Miramar mall for lunch and air conditioning. I still ended up back home with a sun burn :(

Miramar mall

So, Miramar. That far and distant mall out on the outskirts of Taipei. Finally took the trip out to the Miramar entertainment park at the Jiannan MRT exit on the Neihu line. They call it a park, but it's really just a big fancy mall with nothing much around it. Perhaps it'll develop in the future as Taipei city expands. The mall is really nice. Upscale and well designed. Much of the mall have upscale brands ranging from LV to expensive Taiwanese fashion brands. There were some discounted and cheaper stuff on the top floor. Whats really cool is the Ferris wheel on the top floor. They have both normal cabins and glass cabins. That night, there were lines of couples waiting to go on the Ferris wheel. I think the price was around $150. Again, it's slightly discounted with a student ID :). Definitely a must ride if your with your significant other here at night. There's also some nice, but limited choices for restaurants at the Miramar. Fear not, there's the Five Dimes restaurant I blogged about previously nearby. Overall, nice place, but not that "special".

Five Dime restaurant

Today I went with my aunt Lai to Five Dime restaurant (http://www.five-dime.com.tw). It's a restaurant serving chinese food in a very unique building located near the Jiannan MRT station on the brown line. It is very near the Miramar entertainment center. Which by the way I must visit in the future. Anywho, back on topic. Five Dime restaurant is similar to Rainforest cafe, in that it's a theme restaurant. So think of a chinese version of the Rainforest Cafe. The vegetables wasn't bad, but not spectacular either. However I ordered the grilled ordered sirloin in black pepper sauce (黑椒沙朗牛排) and it was tender! The main attraction, however, is the unique architecture outside and on the inside.The outside is carved with spiral stones and multicolored lights all over the place. The inside doesn't have any straight walls and has similar curved and slanted walls like the exterior. They have a large water feature and tons of artifacts scattered about. The place just looks so eccentric! The photos will describe it better than I can with words. This is a great place for parties as well. Most of the tables seem to accommodate between 6-14 people. If your ever in Taipei, this is a fun place to have a meal at while your visiting the Miramar entertainment center. I'm not sure if it get crowded at peak hours because I went during a weekday evening. But it's a definite unique stop. One hint, the front doors open automatically to sound. Clap on (open)!!