Wasabi is actually two different restaurants located next door to one another in the Taipei 101 Mall, a dining bar and a buffet. This review regards the buffet. While the two share the same kitchen and staff and even several dishes, they are distinct dining experiences. The dining bar is a straightforward restaurant, but the buffet is billed as a "Japanese food festival." It's an appropriate billing.
The Formosa Regent Hotel, which owns and operates Wasabi, has essentially brought a Japanese night market indoors and made it upscale. That is, as upscale as a buffet can be made. There is a kind of wide-eyed ravenousness among all buffet-goers, and even the highbrow mall patrons who perambulate into Wasabi quickly start salivating and circling the buffet areas. The fact that they're in a sleek interior of dark woods and vertical louver walls and carrying elegant flatware makes them look no less like a pack of dogs. It's not surprising, given all that's on offer.
The first buffet area is a fisherman's haul of shrimp, sushi, sashimi and fish-egg rolls prepared fresh on the other side of the counter and laid in individual wicker baskets.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
But plan accordingly; there are four other buffets. One includes large fried octopus balls and all manner of grilled things. Of note are the bacon-wrapped cherry tomatoes and asparagus, but be sure to ask for items fresh from the grill. Another area offers a variety of noodles too numerous to name and another offers dim sum, several bite-sized desserts and fruit, including mangosteens with the tops cut off. I forgot a spoon but was quickly brought one by a staffer who noticed me trying to suck my mangosteen's insides out.
Since you're already feeding from the trough, go ahead and be a pig. Dish up a bowl of Movenpick ice cream and choose your topping. Don't forget a coffee or cappuccino available at the push of a button.
There are, by most accounts, too many items here to sample in one sitting. But the bottom line is whether a buffet -- even one this good -- is worth NT$800. If you're hungry and in the mood to spend a couple hours sampling everything from soba noodles to candy-coated shrimp -- or if you're a fan of sushi and sashimi -- it's worth it (at least it feels so afterward). If you're not in the "food festival" mood, save yourself a bit of cash and step next door.
Late last month Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Theresa Lazaro told the Philippine Senate that the nation has sufficient funds to evacuate the nearly 170,000 Filipino residents in Taiwan, 84 percent of whom are migrant workers, in the event of war. Agencies have been exploring evacuation scenarios since early this year, she said. She also observed that since the Philippines has only limited ships, the government is consulting security agencies for alternatives. Filipinos are a distant third in overall migrant worker population. Indonesia has over 248,000 workers, followed by roughly 240,000 Vietnamese. It should be noted that there are another 170,000
Hannah Liao (廖宸萱) recalls the harassment she experienced on dating apps, an experience that left her frightened and disgusted. “I’ve tried some voice-based dating apps,” the 30-year-old says. “Right away, some guys would say things like, ‘Wanna talk dirty?’ or ‘Wanna suck my d**k?’” she says. Liao’s story is not unique. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics show a more than 50 percent rise in sexual assault cases related to online encounters over the past five years. In 2023 alone, women comprised 7,698 of the 9,413 reported victims. Faced with a dating landscape that can feel more predatory than promising, many in
“This is one of those rare bits of TikTok fitness advice with a lot of truth behind it,” says Bethan Crouse, performance nutritionist at Loughborough University. “Sometimes it’s taken a bit too literally, though! You see people chugging protein drinks as they’re scanning out of their gym.” Crouse recommends the athletes she works with consume 20-30g of protein within 30-60 minutes of finishing a resistance training session. “The act of exercising our muscles increases the breakdown of muscle proteins,” she says. “In order to restore, or hopefully improve them — and get gains such as increased muscle mass or strength —
“Far from being a rock or island … it turns out that the best metaphor to describe the human body is ‘sponge.’ We’re permeable,” write Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie in their book Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. While the permeability of our cells is key to being alive, it also means we absorb more potentially harmful substances than we realize. Studies have found a number of chemical residues in human breast milk, urine and water systems. Many of them are endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the body’s natural hormones. “They can mimic, block
RSS