I Knead More Dough

In Kaohsiung, Wu Pao Chun Bakery has become somewhat of an institution - from cab drivers to pedestrians, everyone knows the legendary tale of the country-side boy from Southern Taiwan who became a world-famous baker and went on to win prestigious international baking medals for 2 of his famous loaves that infuses a bit of the East with the West: A round rice wine with longan loaf and a triangular rose-lychee loaf. Each are massive, weighing at least a pound and have a signature design imprinted with flour on its surface. The first time we visited, we were surprised at how big the loaves were and ended up buying a smattering of their other smaller buns (they carry traditional Taiwanese, Japanese buns and European pastries as well as creative ones like this curry flatbread with a fried egg on top):

The award-winning loaves claim a wall all to themselves at the front of the bakery, and are a good 4-5 times larger than any other breads in the vicinity. Below is the rose lychee bread which was the only one on display during our first visit:

I wasn't satisfied with trying Wu Pao Chun's normal buns, so on our last day in Kaohsiung, I made it my mission to return and claim one of their signature loaves. As luck would have it, their rice wine + longan bun had just been freshly baked when we entered, and so I quickly snatched one before they disappeared:

The loaf is truly spectacular and absolutely worth the NT 350 (USD 12). Being a self-professed bread and bun-fanatic, I was delighted by the semi-hard crust which provided just the right amount of bite and the luscious, soft, stretchy interior filled with walnut pieces and bits of juicy longan which provided a deep and satisfying fragrance. The rice wine also had the effect of bringing a slightly sweet and acidic undertone which alltogether made the bread entirely irresistible and extremely addicting. 

I definitely recommend returning and buying one of the medal-winning loaves! 

5/5 Longan bread

3.5/5 All the other bread

Address：No.19, Siwei 3rd Rd., Lingya Dist., Kaohsiung City 802, Taiwan

Rolf's! Frankly the Wurst.

What an interesting place Rolf's is. Now, I'd been here before years ago, and my recollection was that food takes a backseat to decor in a BIG WAY. Sadly, in the interim, nothing has changed (for the lights, that's a good thing) except I think the food is now somehow even less remarkable than before.

Rolf's is an ostensibly Alsatian-Bavarian restaurant with specialties from the region like Choucroute and other typical german favorites like Schnitzel and Wursts of all kinds.

The decor is pretty amazing, and they change the theme with the seasons, so it actually is quite nice, in a very gaudy "this is how I imagine very gaudy German restaurants look" kind of sense. Many lights, many decorations, you can see the effort.

However, whatever amount of effort is put into the decor is obviously taken out of food preparation, and dishes are uninspired, bland and very much overpriced. The average entree is $28 and while generously portioned, is still silly. Now, the food is quite edible, and I actually did eat most of my Choucroute, a Sauerkraut (which i LOVE) dominated-dish filled with an enormous smoked pork chop, two wursts and potatoes. Overall though, it's a sizable understatement to say that these dishes could/have been done much better and for much less. We also had a mediocre meatloaf, mediocre sausage platter, mediocre potato pancakes and just plain bad beef stew.

The pictures actually make the food look more appetizing I'm sad to say. C i need your camera!!

Overall, an interesting experience for kids or to have some solid German beers (they had a legit German Pilsner, Dark Ale, Lager and Heifeweizen on tap) in extremely bright lighting. People interested in a decent German meal need not attend.

1/5 Food

3.5/5 Decor & Service

Food in Taiwan

First meal off the plane! Taiwanese breakfast sandwich on the left, rice ball on the right.

Merry Christmas!!

C&J's Eating Adventures

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