In the north of the city, Mamaday is a restaurant that has its origins in Hong Kong.
The outdoor seating area will be really nice in the coming evenings as this weather goes a little cooler.
Inside you start to get the vibe of the restaurant almost immediately. It’s fun, it’s harmless, and it’s relaxing.
The menu plays along with the same sort of idea. There’s a lot of funny babies saying silly things. But, if you notice, the dishes are also called things such as 奇奇怪怪三杯雞 – translating to ‘weird three cup chicken’, or why not order their 還可以牛肉沙拉 – ‘just OK beef salad’?
So call Latte
不就是拿鐵 Bù jiùshì ná tiě
$140
First order of business – coffee. I am not much a fan of milk in my coffee. I like it plain, and simple. I usually order an espresso or hand-poured coffee when I do order coffee out, but I was in the mood for something a bit different (potentially influenced by the menu), so I plumped for a latte.
It was fine, but nothing to be wowed by – note to self, stick to my usual next time.
Iced taro latte
手工紫薯拿鐵 shǒu gōng zǐ shǔ ná tiě
$160
The creamy taro flavour in this drink would be right on the money for a dessert, in my eyes. It was nice, but save it for the end of the meal.
Claypot rice with beef and cheese
還可以牛肉起司煲仔飯 hái kě yǐ niú ròu qǐ sī bāo zǐ fàn
$360
This looks a beauty, right? The beef was well cooked, had lots of flavour, and got me excited for the rest of the dish…
…but it all sort of collapsed from there. The rice was underneath, needing to be stirred in with the rest of the ingredients in the dish. But, the sheer amount of cheese made that so difficult to do. Normally I am not one to cheese-bash. I’m first in line at the cheese counter, and brimming from ear to ear. But, here, it didn’t work. The melted cheese was just too much and it ruined the dish. It was a shame, as the beef really was pretty damn good – I hate to see beef wasted.
Soft-Shell Crab Pizza
千島軟殼蟹起司比薩 qiān dǎo ruǎn ké xiè qǐ sī bǐ sà
$360
Ever had soft-shelled crab before? Well, I have been fortunate to have it a few times in Taiwan, and I do like it. I don’t love it, but I do like it.
On a pizza? Italians look away now.
The soft shell crab was deep-fried, but then put on top of the pizza it kind of went a bit soft and squishy. I was expecting it to be crunchy and full of texture, but it sort of failed at the last. In all honesty, it didn’t taste that fresh, either. But, the pizza itself was pretty good. It was thin, the amount of cheese was pleasant, and the flavours were fine. But, the soft-shelled crab should’ve been the star, and it just ended up being an innocent bystander.
Mentaiko Spaghetti With Wasabi
哇莎米明太子義大利麵 wa shā mǐ míng tài zǐ yì dà lì miàn
$280
Frankly this worried me when it got plonked down on the table. But, it was the star of the day (maybe I should make that a thing from now on). The noodles were cooked well, the crunchy shrimp was fried to perfection, the seaweed was a great addition, and the wasabi mayonnaise added a sour heat that was delightful. Good job!
Opening Times: Monday – Sunday 11:30 – 22:00
Tel: 02 2719 0662
