On my final evening in Taipei we headed out from the hotel in search of dinner and quite by accident stumbled across a wonderful little restaurant called “Diary” on Dongfeng street in Da-an district (台北市東豐街53號). Attracted by its striking interior of exposed concrete walls and roof beams, softened by wooden tables and subtle lighting, we ventured inside…

Overlooking the open kitchen we soon realised that the hand-written menu was all in Chinese but luckily the proprietor was kind enough to walk us through it and our neighbors provided some helpful recommendations. Apparently they plan to have an English menu soon. Diary doesn’t serve a specific cuisine so I guess you could call it “fusion” food.

Mushroom and Truffle Risotto – I don’t think I’d ever eaten anything containing truffles before up till that point but wow, the texture and flavor was something else. Filling but left you wanting more.

Stuffed Tomatoes, Courgettes and Potatoes – bite-size and healthy little morsels, beautifully presented with a pesto sauce.

Pork Chops with Mash Potato and Herbs – I’m not usually one for rare-cooked meet but this was seriously tasty.

Seeing everything cooked in front of you immensely enhanced the experience and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in the relaxed atmosphere. This is one place I thoroughly hope I can return to in the future.

Related posts you might like:

1. Secret Pig’s Hoof Restaurant
2. Louis XIV in Taipei
3. 6000 Flavours
4. Shilin Night Market