Cooking Musician

Cooking Musician Exploring the worlds of music and food, creating beautiful shared moments and connecting people across borders, cultures and languages.

19/08/2026

A little tour of Taipei 101…

It was the tallest building in the world from 2004-2009 and also had the fastest elevator when it opened…

It’s still the tallest building in Taiwan and you can see it from so many angles and places; my last two hiking videos feature Taipei 101 even though one is in the south and the other far north of the city!

Was the upper level (and the extra cost) worth it? I’m not sure- it was fun to do, but I might not bother again… and we didn’t try the external walk which is FAR more expensive and- as I don’t love heights- probably not something I’ll ever do 😅 has anyone else tried that!

Happy travels, friends!
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18/08/2026

Untraditional Italian pasta…

On the road for ages, it’s been impossible to cook most of the time… but I managed to make my father in law’s favourite… he has always loved all kinds of pasta and noodles. 😋

First night was home made pesto (which I forgot to film 🫣) and the second night I made his favourite tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes- but added the pesto pasta and some avocado to upgrade the leftovers.

What do you cook on the road?

Music was from the jam I went to last week- Taipei has the best sessions!

Happy travels, friends!
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11/08/2026

Beautiful Yangmingshan National Park is one of the highlights of northern Taiwan…

Beautiful views, the best kept trails and pretty easy access to Taipei… we tend to get up early and head there to have morning hikes, the trails aren’t empty but there are very few people, the weather is usually gorgeous… and less humid up on the mountains!

We actually headed up to hike Qingtiangang Circular Trail, one of our favourites, but the road was closed for some reason and we picked this spot a bit at random; it was superb! And the free hot spring foot soak at the end was the cherry on top!

Sometimes the unexpected detours are the best part of traveling, looking forward to our next adventure!

Happy travels, friends!
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09/08/2026

Omakase on Yongkang Street, Taipei…

Sometimes you just find a perfect restaurant by accident… Yóu Sushi was like that.

Last summer I wanted to eat with friends near Yongkang Street (I love to shop in this areas!) and saw this restaurant on Google Maps… it looked pretty, had good reviews and was in the right area so I booked us for lunch. We had one of the most memorable omakase meals ever- and the lunchtime set is a very good deal!

Fast forward to this summer and I brought my mother-in-law, husband and daughter; again, one of the best omakase meals- and they were so accommodating for my MIL who doesn’t love raw seafood (somehow after all these years, I didn’t realize this!).

The torched squid was particularly gorgeous, but the uni was unmatched- this is something my MIL would never even touch, but after hearing us just go on about how amazing it was, she tried and decided it was like sea butter.

The cost for dinner was much higher than the lunch special so keep that in mind when you reserve!

Happy dining, friends!
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07/08/2026

Elephant Mountain 🐘🗻

Taiwan hiking is a big part of our summer holidays… but somehow we missed Elephant Mountain the fist trips we made!

Now it’s a must on our list of hikes- it can be hot and crowded though, so we like to get there as early as possible. It is accessible on the MRT, the last stop on the red line is Xiang Shan which means Elephant Mountain, it’s a short walk to the trailhead from there.

The trail is beautifully kept with stone stairs and incredible views of the city, especially of Taipei 101, and lots of animals and flowers to admire- although the mosquitos definitely love this trail too so grab some bug spray!

After, we like to grab a breakfast of soymilk and egg crepes or xiao bing (and I’m always ready for a coffee 😅) before heading home for a shower.

Anyone have another trail they recommend in Taiwan?

Happy travels, friends!
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05/08/2026

Two iconic boats in Hong Kong…

For me, any time I can be on the water, I’m happy- growing up on an island with the sea always only steps away, I really miss the ocean!

The Star Ferry began transporting people over Victoria Harbour in 1888, it was featured in the film The World of Suzie Wong; the day I was there, Anson Lo, a Hong Kong musician and actor, was celebrating his birthday and made travel on the ferry free for all…

Following the ride from Central to Tsim Sha Tsui, I walked along the Boulevard of the Stars to get on the Duk Ling, the last original junk that sails in Victoria Harbour.

Hilariously, I was the only passenger aboard the boat, so I had a private tour of the harbour; even the moody storm that blew up just made the trip more perfect.

Happy travels, friends!
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03/08/2026

After more than 10 years, I finally got to catch up with friends in Hong Kong 🇭🇰

My second night, I saw my old friend Sunny, we studied together in London a million years ago… so we went first to The Iron Faries, a great bar not far from my hotel; such a fun place to catch up and have a gossip about old friends 😂❤️
The Iron Faries
LG, 1 Hollywood Rd, Central

Then we went to Yardbird Yakitori, a restaurant I’ve wanted to go to for years… I bought their cookbook back in the pandemic and really need to try to keep making more of their recipes!
Yardbird Yakitori
Winsome House, 154-158 Wing Lok Street G/F, Shops A and B, Sheung Wan

My favourite was probably the fish tartare with homemade potato chips, such a great combo!

Happy travels, friends!
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01/08/2026

I had a quick trip to Hong Kong to meet with a collaborator on an upcoming music education project… but since I had a free morning, I signed up for a food tour with Hello! Hong Kong and this is what we had:

Dim sum; this is the most iconic type of food to get- and this restaurant is one of the last that still serves the dim sum from rolling carts. We had all the classics, siu mai, rice rolls, meatballs at
Luk On Kui
40-50 Des Voeux Rd W
Sheung Wan

Then we tried wonton noodle soup, absolutely one of the best I’ve had! The prawns in the wontons are super fresh and bouncy and the broth had a perfect balance. We went to
Mak An Kee Noodle
37 Wing K*t St
Central

Then we explored the mid-level escalators; they are the longest open air escalators in the world and then headed to Graham St Market to look around…

Finally, I made my own comparison of different styles of egg tarts; the newer croissant crust vs the crumbly short crust style along with the iconic Hong Kong silk stocking milk tea 🧋 at the Hong Kong Airport… both tarts were delicious, I’ll have to try again to decide which i like better 😅

Thanks so much to Alex, our tour guide, and the Hello! Hong Kong team- it was a great day out!

Happy travels, friends!
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29/07/2026

Soft Power…

Taiwan’s famous food scene includes some incredible breakfast joints, many of which serve egg crepes, eggy and soft pancakes with a variety of fillings…

Soft Power is a breakfast place recommended by the Michelin Guide, but what did we think of it? Check out the video to see!

Happy travels, friends!
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26/07/2026

👻 Soul Heist 👻 hang!

Soul Heist rocked it at Revolver…

Amazing New Orléans style jazz band- the energy is sooo fun live especially!

After, their lead trumpet, Er Mao, , and a bunch of friends went down the road for late night eats at this xiaochi (a late night place for beer and food) near the bar they played in.

- stinky tofu with duck blood
- clams with basil and chilies
- night market fried oysters
- 3 cup squid
- different stir fried greens
- sashimi
- stir fried beef with fermented sauce veg
- steamed fish
- so many other things 😂

Such a good hang, and what an amazing band! Can’t wait until next time!!
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台北市士林區中山北路五段505巷42弄1號
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