House of Thousandrocks 千岩

On a very rainy day after dropping Jeremy off at Jiden (My cousin’s house) I left on my full day of trekking (to lose weight). My mom was having a lunch gathering at my cousins as my 臺南姨媽and大舅 was visiting from 臺南and 白河。The plan was to walk a few stations and board the MRT back to city center when I happened to spot Marriott Taipei on my left. I wanted to know what my discounts my Bonvoy Platinum card is able to get so I went in and asked. It turned out that only the Lobby bar and the semi-buffet Garden Kitchen was able to offer 20% discount and points accumulation. Seeing what was available piqued my appetite but as I was still on OMAD I should really be eating dinner and not lunch.

So I left, feeling miserable and spotted this diner and through the window I could see people feasting on southern style bbq. Feeling my stomach groaning I decided that my one meal for the day would be lunch instead. Changing my regimen for something different was worth it, after all, life means indulgence and a little rule breaking (especially your own rules!). An American style BBQ in 大直I thought would be more authentic?

I was told that there were no places available inside upon arrival, just as well, a lazy lunch al fresco in 大直 wouldn’t bad except for the mosquitoes. I asked for 蚊香 and soon I spotted the stainless steel tray on the floor and knew I didn’t have to ask.

Looking through the menu I was faced with a choice of my favorites: ribs, pulled pork and brisket. I chose brisket 200 and upgraded to the set for 150 which also included a drink, a small bun that they call biscuit and a coleslaw.  

Ice tea with bbq pairs great, but not as great as beer. Sadly on my keto OMAD diet I cant drink beer as the carb count is too high.

An authentic pit boss (the dude in charge of the roasting pit) should prepare all ingredients from its raw from so I was delighted to find out that they make their own sauce.

The brisket was a good 1/3 inch thick and I prefer this thickness. Sometimes briskets are offered in bacon thin slices. The meat was tender and juicy but slightly lacking in flavor (perhaps due to sub-par roasting techniques) so I asked for more bbq sauce. I was presented with a spicy and a non-spicy version. To be frank I would have asked for the sauces anyways just to be able to taste them some more.

It is the best brisket I had in Taipei and I would go back to try the ribs and pulled pork for a better overall evaluation of their meats. I would love to find more authentic American style BBQ in Taipei though. Perhaps I could find some in 天母？