When our Taiwanese cousins asked if we wanted to try spicy hot pot for dinner one night, my answer was predictable: yes, and when are we leaving?

I have a serious love for xiao long bao (pork broth dumplings), and Din Tai Fung is definitely one of the best places to get them. I’ve recently had a special opportunity – visiting the first and original Din Tai Fung location.

Finding ourselves one afternoon near the gigantic Tapei 101 building on our recent trip to Taiwan, we needed a satisfying lunch. I’d read about San Yuan online, and especially wanted to try their famed chocolate dumplings. So, off we went to the trendy and interesting ATT4FUN building across the street, where San Yuan is housed on an upper floor.

As you may or may not have been able to guess from my last Wordless Wednesday post, I’ve recently spent some time on Kauai with friends and family. Kauai is a very nice island. There are beautiful beaches, mountains, and all of that. But let’s get to the food.

What to do on your last day in Tokyo? The options are many, but it’s hard to imagine anything better than spending the afternoon in Harajuku, shopping, people-watching, and snacking.

Suzuran is a small noodle bar hidden in a back alley of Shibuya in Tokyo. It’s small, simple, and cozy. It’s also a bit hard to locate, but with the help of our phones and a little exploration we were able to find it. I had read about Suzuran a little bit online while looking for great places to eat in Tokyo, and it definitely lived up to expectations. Noodle fans, take note – this place is the real deal.

When we met iron chef Sakai at his amazing La Rochelle in Shibuya, we thought life was pretty much complete. If that was all that we had been able to accomplish during this trip, it would have been more than enough. I don’t know how, but we managed to luck out again.