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The most basic need for any human being is of course...food! Taiwan is well-known for its night markets and the sumptuous food. Every night, these night markets will be bustling with people, both locals and tourists walking around either searching for food or holding and eating them. It seems like a common culture to eat and walk the night markets. It will also get especially crowded during the weekends. Besides the night markets, there are also little shops and restaurants where you get to enjoy the comfort of sitting down and eating the food that you have placed order for.
This journey to Taiwan is the first trip I did research for food. Normally, the priority in my research are place of interests. I mean, who could avoid all the binge eating, especially in a country where you can eat non-stop. This is also the first trip that I consumed more than I should but never mind (like real!). Since travelling to binge-eat in Taiwan is one of the many reasons for MANY, I shall be generous here and share the places and things I ate during my stay. I know, don't have to thank me and you are most welcome. :)
First up, I will be sharing the little shops and restaurants that I went to and had my palate tested.
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Yang's Chicken Roll (杨家鸡卷)
This is a recommended eatery by a few blogs. It's location is just behind the Jingtong train station which is pretty easy to find.
This is the interior of the eatery. Although the weather was hot outside, it was quite cooling to be seated inside. The eatery is not air-conditioned but there are fans.
Find a table to sit and you may start to place your order.
This is an order form which you will find on your table. If there isn't one, the boss or one of the workers will bring it to you. Write down your table number and the number of orders you would like to place for each dish. I ordered the chicken roll (鸡卷), braised pork on rice, (Lu Rou Fan / 卤肉饭) and a cup of grass jelly (仙草茶) . Once done, either bring the form to the counter infront of the shop or one of the workers will collect from you. You will also pay at the same time. After which, just wait patiently for your food to arrive.
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| My food order |
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| Braised Pork on Rice a.k.a. Lu Rou Fan (卤肉饭) |
My first bowl of braised pork on rice in Taiwan. This is a very common and popular dish in Taiwan which one must eat.
The famous chicken roll. Although it is called chicken roll, there is actually no chicken meat inside. You will taste abit more flour. If you have eaten Ngoh Hiang, a snack popular in Singapore and Malaysia, you will roughly know how it tastes like.
So why called it chicken roll then? Here is a little history about the dish.
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| http://wodejiaoying.blogspot.sg/2014/03/taiwan-trip-1-mar-14.html |
According to what was written, the roll is made of ingredients which include yam, onion, beancurd skin and flour. In the past, before the invention of the refrigerator, people will think of ways to keep food fresh. The early owners of the eatery used certain methods to preserve the food that were not sold for the day and wrapped the excess ingredients used for preservation in beancurd skin before deep-frying them.
Also, Chinese families in the past were too poor to buy pork, chicken or fish as offerings to the deities thus this method of offering was used.
It was only after I had my stomach filled did I notice something unique.
The owner actually converted old sewing machines into dining tables. Innovative! There will always be interesting findings during travelling.
Eatery: Yang’s Chicken Roll 杨家鸡卷
Address: No. 127, Jingtong St, Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 226
(新北市平溪区菁桐街127号)
(新北市平溪区菁桐街127号)
Nearest Railway line: Jingtong (菁桐)
Number: +886 2 2495 1056
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Upon stepping into the eatery, you can choose to find a place to sit first or place your order immediately at the 'counter' near the shop front. It is all self-service so once you have placed an order, pay and wait for awhile and all your food will be placed on the tray infront of you.________________________________________________________________________________
Tamsui Ke Ko Fishball (淡水可口鱼丸)
This is an old eatery with a history of 50 years in Tamsui, famous for their fishballs stuffed with meat. It is along Tamsui street and relatively easy to find. I decided to give it a try.
The menu is on the wall inside the eatery. I wanted to try the fishballs and dumplings but ordering two separate bowls will be too much. I decided to try the combination of fishballs and dumplings. I also ordered a pork bun.
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| My breakfast for the day |
I tried the famous fishballs first. Nice. I was worried that it would taste like Fuzhou fishballs which I did not really enjoy eating. Luckily, it tasted more delicious than that. The dumplings were nice too. As for the pork bun, you may leave that out.
Some customers even buy these fishballs in bulk which explains why they have buckets and buckets of them around the eatery.
Eatery: Tamsui Ke Ko Fishball 淡水可口鱼丸
Address: No. 232, Zhongzheng Rd, Danshui District, New Taipei City, 251
(台北縣淡水鎮中正路232)
Contact: +886 2 2623 3579
Operating Hours: Mondays - Fridays (08 00 – 19 00)
Saturdays and Sundays (08 00 - 20 30)
Nearest Metro line: Tamsui (淡水) (red line (2))
Click for Google Map directions
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Tamsui Ah-Gei (淡水老街正宗阿給老店)
After spending time around Tamsui, I searched for the original Ah-Gei eatery recommended by blogger, Alec who went to ate at the branch. I did not manage to find it so I gave up and continued with my photo-taking along the waterfront. Then I saw this man performing his tricks selling ice-cream.
This is the famous Turkey ice-cream where the seller will perform tricks with the ice-cream before really serving you. I was busy taking photographs and video of it. When I was satisfied, I turned and was about to leave when lo and behold, facing directly this stall, which is on my left, is the flagship Ah-Gei eatery! The eatery is also facing the structure below.
Wasting no time, I went in to look for a seat first. Although it was 2 plus in the afternoon, the eatery was still crowded. The eatery is air-conditioned.
I made a seat reservation with my bag which is not a very good option but I had no other choice because it is again self-service and you had to place order and pay first before you are served.
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| Self-service and a warning to check your change before moving away from the prep food station |
The menu is on the wall so after taking a quick look at it, I went to the prep food area and placed my order.
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| The menu |
Some of the blogs recommended the fishball soup. Since I already ate fishballs at Ke Ko, I ordered Ah-Gei (阿給) and pork ball (肉丸).
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| My order |
The eatery does not sell drinks. I bought that from a drink stall. There is a tub of chilli on every table so feel free to help yourself.
This is the glass noodles wrapped inside the fried tofu. An authentic taste. I ate the Ah-Gei but left the sauce out cause it was too sweet for me. I didn't taste a tad of spicy in the dish though. Probably I did not add the chilli into it.
This appears in many of Taiwan's eateries. Free of charge! Another innovation idea.
Eatery: Tamsui Ah-Gei 淡水老街正宗阿給老店
Address: No. 4, Lane 11, Zhongzheng Rd, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251
(新北市淡水區中正路11巷4號(渡船頭旁))
Contact: +886 2 2623 3398
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (08 00 – 22 30)
Nearest Metro line: Tamsui (淡水) (red line (2))
Click for Google Map directions
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Modern Toilet Restaurant (便所主題餐廳)
I remembered seeing this restaurant being introduced somewhere before. I wanted to try eating at the restaurant for uniqueness. I shall not go into details about the history of the restaurant for I will provide the link to the website later on. You can choose to read more about it from there. I finally got the chance to try out the food when I travelled to Taiwan in October. It was also my first official meal in Taiwan. How memorable is that!I went there for a late lunch, hopefully the restaurant was not packed. I chose the branch at Ximending because it was supposed to be the largest in Taipei according to blogger Alec. I took the metro to Ximen Station and came out from exit 6. The place will be bustling with people as Ximending is popular with tourists and the young locals. The road on the left is Chengdu. You should see The Red House (西門紅樓) across that road. See picture below.
Leaving the exit, just cross that zebra crossing/traffic light and walk straight along Chengdu Road till you come to this intersection below. Do not cross. Turn right into Kunming Street and continue to walk straight.
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| Intersection of Chengdu Road and Kunming Street |
Continue walking along Kunming Street. You will reach the intersection below. Turn right at this intersection.
You will enter a small street. You should see the multi-storey carpark on your right.
Enter the alley on the left and you should see the restaurant on your left.
The menu was customer-friendly. They had a whole menu on pictures of the food items so that you get the visual of the dishes. Even the menu was in the shape of Mr Poop.
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| The cashier |
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| Items for sale |
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| They were sitting on a huge toilet bowl |
My food finally came. The presentation was also toilet-related. I shall not say much. Let the pictures speak for themselves.
After the mains, the dessert arrived.
It was indeed an enjoyable and authentic experience to dine at such a theme restaurant.As you walked down the stairs to leave, do listen for the toilet flush!
Eatery: Modern Toilet Restaurant 便所主題餐廳
Address: 2F, No. 7, Ln 50, Xining South Road, Taipei City
(萬華區西寧南路50巷7號2樓)
Contact: 02-23118822
Operating Hours: Weekdays (11 30 – 22 00)
Holidays (11 00 - 22 00)
Nearest Metro line: Ximen (西門) (blue line (5))
Website: http://www.moderntoilet.com.tw/
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| http://www.alectravelguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/location-map-toilet-restaurant.jpg |
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Chow’s Porridge (周記肉粥)
This eatery was an impromptu find the night before. It has been around since 1956. Since I was heading for Longshan Temple, I might as well give it a try. Again, I went there for a late lunch to avoid the crowd. I took the metro to Longshan Temple Station. There are several exits. Look for direction signs to lead you to the temple. I chose to walk through the underground mall and leave from exit 4.
Once you have come out of exit 4, you will see Longshan Temple facing you.
Just turn right and walk along Guangzhou Street till you come to the intersection below. From here, if you look far ahead, you should be able to spot the eatery's signboard.
Cross the traffic light and continue to walk straight. You will come to the eatery.
My food was served pretty fast because there was no crowd. I ordered their signature dish, Red Braised Pork a.k.a. Hong Shao Rou (红烧肉) and pork cheeks ( 嘴边肉). Again, I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
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| Chow's Porridge |
Although there was not much meat in the porridge, it was really tasty. No wonder I saw customers placing more orders for the porridge.
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| Signature dish - Red Braised Pork |
They will reduce or increase the serving for the Red Braised Pork which is why they require the number of people eating on the form. Of course, you can always request for more if you like even if you are eating alone. Do not be fooled by the appearance and miss out ordering this dish! It tasted real good!
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| Pork Cheeks |
This meat literally melted in my mouth without much chewing. Nice!
I was glad I made it a point to visit this eatery. The food was good and the price was also reasonable. I will surely come to this eatery again if I were to visit Taipei.
Sorry that the name card looks crumpled. I was caught in the rain while hiking and it got wet.
Eatery: Chow’s Porridge 周記肉粥
Address: No.104, Guangzhou Street, Taipei, Taiwan
(廣州街104号)
Contact: 02-3025588
Operating Hours: (06 00 – 16 30)
*On the name card, it states that they will be closed on 2 days every month but they do not fix the days. So, you might want to call before going to avoid disappointment (just a suggestion).
Nearest Metro line: Longshan Temple (龍山寺) (blue line (5))
Click for Google Map directions
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Dong Fa Yin Shi Dian Oyster Mee Sua (東發飲食店蚵仔麵線)
Mee Sua (麵線), also known as vermicelli, is commonly eaten in Taiwan. The more popular version will be oyster mee sua / oyster vermicelli (蚵仔麵線). I believe many tourists, Chinese especially (myself included) who do not speak Hokkien tend to pronounce it as 'Orh Ah Mee Sua'. Apparently, that is the wrong pronunciation. 'Orh Ah' actually means crow, something I learnt from this blogger, KampungboyCitygirl. The correct pronunciation should be 'Er Ah Mee Sua'. This I try to learn by heart but somehow, 'Orh Ah' will just come out naturally.
Coming back to food, tourists will flock to eat the popular Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle / Ah Zhong Mee Sua (阿宗麵線) when they are in Taiwan. You will see long queues every day at each branch. People will just stand around outside the branch and feast. Although I have yet to try this famous mee sua, somehow I find that it is over-rated. For me, food tends to lose the original taste after 'branching' out. Furthermore, they add intestines instead of oysters. Hm...
During my research for food, I happened to read this blogger's post, recommending this mee sua eatery at Raohe Street. I decided to search for it since I was heading to Raohe Street Night Market anyway. It was not too difficult to find as long as you follow the direction of the human traffic of the Night Market.
Once you stepped inside, you will see the prep food section. The menu is on the wall.
Three dishes - 蚵仔麵線(oyster mee sua), 肉羹(bouillon) & 油飯 (literally translated as oil rice)
If you would like to take a look at the bouillon, check out this blogger, Taiwan Explorer. It comes with pork dumplings and dry bamboo.
If you would like to take a look at the bouillon, check out this blogger, Taiwan Explorer. It comes with pork dumplings and dry bamboo.
Place your order at the prep food section and you can pay at the same time. Then find a seat while you wait for your food. It did not take long as it was not crowded. By the way, I went there for dinner.
My oyster mee sua came, piping hot. I ate the mee sua. It had a good springy texture. Nice!
It also came with oysters, not intestines!
My first bowl of oyster mee sua and I still miss the taste. I wanted to try the bouillon but due to one thousand and one reasons, I did not manage to. I shall and must be back!
Eatery: Dong Fa Yin Shi Dian Oyster Mee Sua 東發飲食店蚵仔麵線
Address: No. 94, Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
(台北市松山區饒河街94號(土地公廟旁))
Contact: +886 2 2769 5739
Operating Hours: (08 30 – 24 00)
Closed on Public Holidays
Nearest Metro line: Songshan (松山) (green line (3))
From exit 4, you should be able to see exit 3 (below) across the road.
Coming out from exit 4, do a right turn and you should be able to see this sign pointing towards Wufenpu Commercial District.
As usual, the food came pretty fast.
I ordered their signature braised pork rice. They have different bowl sizes for this so just take note. I also ordered a plate of pig trotters and one of their tonic soup, Si Shen Tang (四神汤). I wanted to order their vegetables, kangkung (烫青菜) but they were sold out.
Address: No. 94, Raohe Street, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
(台北市松山區饒河街94號(土地公廟旁))
Contact: +886 2 2769 5739
Operating Hours: (08 30 – 24 00)
Closed on Public Holidays
Nearest Metro line: Songshan (松山) (green line (3))
Click for Google Map directions
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Formosa Chang / Hu Xu Zhang Lu Rou Fan (鬍鬚張魯肉飯)
A franchise well-known for their braised pork rice (滷肉飯). It was not my intention to visit the restaurant initially as with most franchise, the food will no longer be up to standard. However, several blogs mentioned there are also tonic soup and pig trotters (猪脚) thus I decided to give it a try.
Searching Google Map, there were about 18 outlets in Taipei. Most bloggers recommend going for the one near Wufenpu (五分埔) so that one can eat at the restaurant and shop around Wufenpu later. I took the metro to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站) came out from exit 4. Some blogs might recommend exit 3 but you do not have to wait for the traffic light to cross the road if you were to use exit 4.
Searching Google Map, there were about 18 outlets in Taipei. Most bloggers recommend going for the one near Wufenpu (五分埔) so that one can eat at the restaurant and shop around Wufenpu later. I took the metro to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站) came out from exit 4. Some blogs might recommend exit 3 but you do not have to wait for the traffic light to cross the road if you were to use exit 4.
From exit 4, you should be able to see exit 3 (below) across the road.
Coming out from exit 4, do a right turn and you should be able to see this sign pointing towards Wufenpu Commercial District.
Just follow the direction of the sign and walk straight along Yongji Road until you come to the intersection below. Turn to your right and the restaurant is just beside you. I almost missed it and was tempted to cross the road.
I was ushered to my seat once I entered the restaurant. Thankfully, it was not crowded. The order pad was on the table. I roughly looked through it because I knew what I wanted.
The waiter came round to tick my order on the form.
As usual, the food came pretty fast.
I ordered their signature braised pork rice. They have different bowl sizes for this so just take note. I also ordered a plate of pig trotters and one of their tonic soup, Si Shen Tang (四神汤). I wanted to order their vegetables, kangkung (烫青菜) but they were sold out.
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| Braised Pork Rice |
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| Hot tonic soup on a rainy afternoon |
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| Pig trotters |
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| Sinfully good |
I was quite satisfied with the food overall, especially the pig trotters. Probably because I have not eaten it for a long, long time and I have not been drinking nice and good tonic soup since my grandmother passed away. The pictures below show how the restaurant looks like from across the road.
The map below is from blogger, Cavin. The exit he indicated in red is exit 3. Looking closely, exit 4 is just across the road, near the first yellow arrow.
Eatery: Formosa Chang / Hu Xu Zhang Lu Rou Fan 鬍鬚張魯肉飯
I was early of course. I crossed over to the store. I knew what I wanted after looking at the items on the menu. Apparently, there are 3 stations for you to queue. It makes things faster I guess. I was directed to the second station as the first was still busy. I ordered Cheese with Pork Chop Rice Ball (起士三島豬排飯糰) and a cold almond drink (杏仁茶). The guy then asked what type of rice I wanted. There are two types of rice to choose from - regular sticky rice a.k.a glutinous rice / luo mi (糯米) or purple sticky rice / zi mi (紫米) . I chose purple as it is supposed to be healthier. See health benefits
Nearest Metro line: Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) (red/green interchange)
It was my turn to order. There are only two prices for the chicken bites - medium (中) pack (75NT) and large (大) pack (110NT). Apparently, prices had gone up. Some bloggers mentioned that they used to cost 55NT and 100NT respectively. For me, as long as the food satisfy my palate, is delicious and tasty, my money is worth spent. I placed my chicken bites order.
Eatery: Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji 继光香香鸡
Address: No. 121-1, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
(台北市萬華區漢中街121-1號)
Contact: +886 2 2388 2622
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (11 30 - 23 00)
Website: http://www.jgssg.com.tw/index.php (in Chinese)
List of other outlets: Click here
Click for Google Map directions
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'Ya Rou' (鴨肉) literally means duck meat. However, this restaurant does not serve duck meat at all. Instead, they are selling goose meat (鹅肉) which is kind of weird based on the name of the restaurant. Based on the recommendations of several blogs and it having a history of 60 years, I decided to give it a try. Time for some wild goose chase.
The restaurant is situated at Ximending (西門町) so take the train to Ximen (西門) Station and come out from exit 6. Walk towards Zhonghua Road and you will be able to reach the restaurant. Their menu is quite small. You can either choose rice or noodles to go with the meat which comes only in two sizes, small or large.
It is a two-storey restaurant so I guess it can get pretty crowded at times. As I entered the restaurant, one of the staff came forward immediately and ushered me to a table. He asked whether I would like to have rice or noodles. I asked for noodles. Then he said that he would serve me a small plate of goose meat. I agreed to that. The food came pretty fast.
The chopsticks were on the table if I remembered correctly. There was no spoon provided. I was ready to slurp the soup straight from the bowl when I spotted that they were in containers hanging on the wall. I was glad that I did not embarrass myself. Nothing fantastic about the noodles. The soup was nice and not too salty. I tried the meat. I simply do not understand what caused the hype for this dish. Sorry to say that I find the meat tough and not to my liking. I had so much difficulties pulling the meat from the bones that I think I almost pulled out my teeth. The meat were also too salty for me. Probably it is just me who doesn't know how to appreciate this dish. I will not go back for a second round.
Eatery: Ya Rou Bian (Duck meat slice) 鴨肉扁
Address: No. 98-2, Section 1, Zhonghua Roadd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
Contact: +886 2 2371 3918
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (09 30 - 22 30)
Address: No. 157, Section 3, Guohua St, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
(台南市中西區 國華街三段157號)
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Eatery: Anping Bean Jelly (同記安平豆花)
Being a chicken meat lover, I will not miss trying anything with chicken. This stall was selling chicken leg rolls / ji tui juan (雞腿捲) so I joined the queue and ordered 3 of them. You get to select different flavours/spices for each roll - the original flavour / yuan wei (原味), the spicy flavour / la wei (辣味), the India curry flavour / jia li (印度加理), the wasabi flavour / ri shi jie mo (日式芥末), the lemon and spice salt flavour / ling meng jiao yan (檸檬椒鹽) and the cumin powder flavour / xing jiang zi ran (新疆孜然). If I remembered correctly, I chose the original, the spicy and the lemon and spice salt flavour. The rolls were still juicy after the grilled. I could have come back for more. They have 2 or 3 similar stalls along the way so if the queue gets too long for the first, try the next one. Too good to miss this!
I came across this stall while watching a Channel 8 programme, Taiwan Taste (就愛台湾味). It introduced nice and delicious food in Taiwan and this stall was highlighted. The pies looked delicious and I decided to try it out myself. The staff told me to eat the pie with tomato sauce. He told me that many customers find it weird but would think otherwise after eating it. I totally agreed! I did not know that pies go so well with tomato sauce!
Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing (大餅包小餅) literally means small bun wrapped in big bun. You get to choose the bun flavour first, either salty or sweet. For the sweet flavours, there are peanut (花生), yam / taro (芋頭), black sesame (黑芝麻), coconut (椰子) and red bean (豆沙). Curry (咖哩), spicy (麻辣), pork floss (肉鬆), black pepper (黑胡椒) and original (香酥) are salty flavours. Then one of the staff will write it down on a plastic bag and pass it to the staff preparing the snack. This staff will smash up the crispy small bun, spread the flavour on top and then wrap it in a Chinese wrap. I bought three different flavours to try. Perhaps it's just me but I found them too dry and had a hard time biting into the buns. I do not really know how to appreciate this.
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| The name card for this outlet only |
The map below is from blogger, Cavin. The exit he indicated in red is exit 3. Looking closely, exit 4 is just across the road, near the first yellow arrow.
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| http://cavinteo.blogspot.sg/2014/04/formosa-chang-lu-rou-fan-also-known-as.html |
Eatery: Formosa Chang / Hu Xu Zhang Lu Rou Fan 鬍鬚張魯肉飯
Address: No. 533, Yongji Road, Nangang District, Taipei City, Taiwan 115
(台北市永吉路533號)
Contact: (02）2788-8081
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (10 00 – 24 00)
Nearest Metro line: Houshanpi (後山埤) (blue line (5))
Website: http://www.fmsc.com.tw/ (in Chinese)
List of other outlets: Click here
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Website: http://www.fmsc.com.tw/ (in Chinese)
List of other outlets: Click here
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Yong He Dou Jiang (永和豆漿大王)
Dou jiang (Soy milk) and you tiao (literally translated as ‘grease stick') (豆浆油条) are considered one of the must have for breakfast in Taiwan. Both items go well together. The two famous eateries that the locals and tourists go to would be Yong He (永和) and Fu Hang (阜杭). Looking at the pictures taken by some bloggers, I noticed the queues for Fu Hang are really longgggggggggggggg. Thus, I decided to give Yong He a try.
I knew I had to get up early to avoid the crowd. I took the metro to Technology Building Station. I believe there is only one exit. After coming out of the exit, there should be a Macdonald's on the left, a few meters away. Turn right and walk along Section 2, Fuxing South Road and you should reach the junction below.
Once you have crossed the zebra crossing / traffic light (the picture shown on the right), turn right and walked straight. You will see another dou jiang eatery, 四海豆漿大王first. Continue walking straight and you will reach Yong He Dou Jiang eventually at the corner of another small intersection. You will not miss it because there will be people queuing for their food.
There are two different queues. One is the takeaway zone (外带區) and the other is the dine-in zone (内用區). The whole menu is actually right inside the eatery, on the wall so you might want to go in and take a good look at the variety first. For those dine-in, you will have to self-service.
Shao bing (燒餅) is basically baked flat bread. It tastes crispy when you bite on it. I ordered Shao Bing Jia Rou Song, Shao Bing You Tiao and Shao Bing Jia Dan Bing (I think). Of course, I ordered their dou jiang too. I prefer to drink it cold. I intended to save some for lunch so I queued at the takeaway zone. It gave me a chance to look at how they prepared the food and take photographs.
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| All the shao bing |
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| The ready you tiao |
I guess I was early so the queue for takeaway was pretty quick. It could also be that I had chosen the one less visited by tourists. There are, I believe, four outlets in Taipei. I read out all my orders, paid and received my food. I went in to sit since there was no crowd and tried my first shao bing.
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| First try |
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| Baked flat bread with pork floss (Shao Bing Jia Rou Song) |
I was tempted to try their salty dou jiang but think the better of it. I still prefer sweet dou jiang. Maybe next time. If you like a peek at how the salty dou jiang looks like, go to this blogger, Miso Peckish and check it out. I made a mistake of ordering all shao bing. By the time I ate the other two during lunch, they turn soft. I should have ordered dan bing instead. Again, next time!
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| The view of the eatery across the street |
Eatery: Yong He Dou Jiang 永和豆漿大王
Address: No. 102, Section 2, Fuxing S Rd, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
(復興南路二段102號)
Contact: +886 2 2703 5051
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (Opens 24 hours)
Nearest Metro line: Technology Building (科技大樓) (brown line (1))
Click for Google Map directions
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Liu Mama Rice Balls 劉媽媽飯團 / 刘妈妈饭团 (simplified chinese)
I am starting to love impromptu finds alot. The following store is considered one of the best so far. I have never tried rice balls before although you can find them in Singapore. Since the reviews for this store are good, I shall try it out myself.
Again, I got to wake up early. The early bird catches the worm which in my case, rice ball. I did a Google Map search the previous night and found the address which was at Roosevelt Road. Happy I was, I took the train to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Station. I held my handphone and switched on my Google Map. I followed the directions given FAITHFULLY. However, I felt that something was amiss. The store as mentioned in blogs was popular and I should see people getting busy. The streets around the area was empty except for a few souls walking by now and then. I took a tour around the area, thinking I was lost again but it was indicated on the Google Map that I was at the right place. The streets were deserted. Doors were closed. No indication of the store anywhere.
I spent a good 15 to 20 minutes perhaps circling the area just to make sure. I hit search on Google Map again and realised that the store was closed on weekends. Bummer! I realised that they have another at Hangzhou South Road. I was disappointed and wanted to head back to the hotel. Something bugged me and I decided to try my luck at the flagship store.
I took the train to Guting (古亭) Station. According to Google Map, I had to take exit 6 to head to Hangzhou South Road.
Once you have come out from the exit, walk straight till you see this corner.
The road infront is Section 2, Hangzhou South Road. Turn right and you should see something like the picture below.
Walk straight and if you have a good enough eyesight, you should see their red signboard ahead. All you have to do now is walk there and place your order.
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| The red signboard after the America flag lookalike |
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| On closer look |
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| This is how the shop front looks like |
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| They have the entire menu hung up |
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| No queue!!! |
I was early of course. I crossed over to the store. I knew what I wanted after looking at the items on the menu. Apparently, there are 3 stations for you to queue. It makes things faster I guess. I was directed to the second station as the first was still busy. I ordered Cheese with Pork Chop Rice Ball (起士三島豬排飯糰) and a cold almond drink (杏仁茶). The guy then asked what type of rice I wanted. There are two types of rice to choose from - regular sticky rice a.k.a glutinous rice / luo mi (糯米) or purple sticky rice / zi mi (紫米) . I chose purple as it is supposed to be healthier. See health benefits
I received my order, paid and off I went. The store does not have a dine-in section so customers do takeaways. It was only after reading other blogs did I realise that the Cheese with Pork Chop Rice Ball has been ranked as one of the store's popular items (No. 4)!
I took the train back and found a place to sit in the park near the hotel. I could not wait to eat my rice ball.
My verdict. It was simply DELICIOUS! I regretted immediately not getting more! (greedy pig) I MUST return for this!
Other reviews on the store: Sugar & Spiced
Xuite (in Chinese)
Hantian (in Chinese)
Eatery: Liu Mama Rice Balls 劉媽媽飯團 / 刘妈妈饭团 (simplified chinese)
Other reviews on the store: Sugar & Spiced
Xuite (in Chinese)
Hantian (in Chinese)
Eatery: Liu Mama Rice Balls 劉媽媽飯團 / 刘妈妈饭团 (simplified chinese)
(台北市杭洲南路二段88號)
Contact: +886 2 3393 6915
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (05 30 - 11 00)
Public Holidays (05 30 - 12 00)
Closed on the last Monday of every month
Nearest Metro line: Guting (古亭) (green line (3))
Addy(2): No. 1, Lane 9, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District,
Taipei City, Taiwan 100
(台北市羅斯福路一段9巷1號)
Taipei City, Taiwan 100
(台北市羅斯福路一段9巷1號)
Contact: +886 952 515 251
Operating Hours: Mondays - Fridays (07 00 - 10 20)
Nearest Metro line: Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) (red/green interchange)
Click for Google Map directions
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Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji (继光香香鸡)
Pardon me for I am cursing and swearing as I am typing this. I spent the whole morning doing this section and Blogger just got to * up! All the effort was wasted as it was not saved! This is the second round I am doing it, trying to remember as much as I can what I had done. Pfffftttttt! Apologies for the rant. Back to business.
The reviews given for this store were so good that I had to try it out myself. I will not resist eating chicken. What more it is fried! The outlet at Ximending (西門町) is easily accessible. Take the train to Ximen (西門) Station and come out from exit 6. Turn right, walk a few metres more and you will see the store. There will always be a queue to indicate how popular the store is.
The queue on that day was not that long, thankfully and it was moving pretty fast.
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| Too adorable! |
Founded in 1973, their first store is located in Taichung. They have been into this business for almost 40 years. The recipe is heavily guarded. It is said that they make use of more than 10 spices for the food. No wonder they are still going strong! As I was reaching the counter, I got to watch the staff in action.
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| The staff in action |
The best reason to buy from them would be that the chicken bites are fried to order which means they do not re-fry like some other eateries do. Your food will be served piping hot with the juiciness retained and not dry and hard. One admirable point was that the staff continuously promoted their food through a microphone while working on them. Don't worry. They had their Mouth Spit Guard Service Mask put on.
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| The menu right above |
It was my turn to order. There are only two prices for the chicken bites - medium (中) pack (75NT) and large (大) pack (110NT). Apparently, prices had gone up. Some bloggers mentioned that they used to cost 55NT and 100NT respectively. For me, as long as the food satisfy my palate, is delicious and tasty, my money is worth spent. I placed my chicken bites order.
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| Salivating |
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| My food being prepared |
My chicken bites were then served and sprinkled with some herbal based pepper powder. If you like a touch of spiciness, chili powder can be added. The staff will ask how spicy you would like your chicken bites to be and add the chilli powder accordingly before they pack.
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| Be prepared to wait longer if you were to order the other items on the menu |
The store is patronised by tourists and more importantly, the locals. Go where the locals go, eat what the locals eat. You can't go very wrong with that, especially food.
After paying, I took my food and I could not wait to eat them. In order to be environmental-friendly, most stores do not provide plastic bags for snacks and sometimes, food. The locals will bring their own for takeaways. Thus, I was thankful that the store actually provided the plastic bag as the food was still hot. Nice.
The chicken pieces were bigger than popcorn chicken. The first bite was memorable! The meat was hot, super moist, juicy and tender. It was not powdery and more importantly, it was spicy! I was eating chicken and not flour! You might want to take note that there are still bones attached to some pieces so do be careful while eating, especially for children. Other than that, no complains! I ate as I walked along, something that I do not do often. This tells you how good their chicken bites are!
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| How can one not drool just by looking at these? |
Most customers come for their fried chicken bites. The other delicious items on their menu include fried squids (鮮炸魷魚) and crispy garlic mushrooms (蒜脆杏鮑菇). After visiting their website, I realised some outlets sell fries too. The latest news I came to know about is that they have an outlet in SINGAPORE! (Hungryboy) Oh, a side info. I researched on the names of squids and cuttlefish in Chinese following this post, just to make sure I got them right during translation. I get them mixed up quite often and still do! Call me 'Sotong'
Eatery: Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji 继光香香鸡
Address: No. 121-1, Hanzhong St, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
(台北市萬華區漢中街121-1號)
Contact: +886 2 2388 2622
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (11 30 - 23 00)
Nearest Metro line: Ximen (西門) (blue line (5))
Website: http://www.jgssg.com.tw/index.php (in Chinese)
List of other outlets: Click here
Click for Google Map directions
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Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken / Hao Da Chicken Schnitzel
(豪大大鸡排)
This is another must try when one visits Taiwan. Famous for its plus size, this chicken schnitzel has caused a storm and it has already blown all the way to Singapore with 7 outlets.
There is an outlet at Ximending (西門町) and two outlets at Shilin Night Market (士林夜市), one along the street while the other is at the basement food court. I tried the one at Ximending. Take the train to Ximen (西門) Station and come out from exit 6. Turn right and walk all the way straight. The signboard is very noticeable, skyblue and there will be a queue of course.
Once you have placed your order and make payment, you will be given a queue number. Just wait around the area. Once your food is ready, the staff will call out your number and you may proceed to collect your food. It was before peak hour so my waiting time was short. It was about ten minutes. Be prepared to wait up to 30 minutes if they get really busy.
I ordered a chicken schnitzel, of course. I saw something else on the menu that interest me so I ordered that too. This is how the chicken schnitzel looks like, sprinkled with salty and spicy powder. The bones are kept so be careful when you bite into it.
This chicken schnitzel is actually quite a big portion so if you intend to try other food after this, especially at the night markets, you might want to share it. Compare Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken (豪大大鸡排) with Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji (继光香香鸡) in my earlier post, I prefer the latter. The chicken bites are smaller and easier to eat. The meat is so much more tender and juicier. I even went back to Ji Guang on another day to purchase the large pack!
The other item that I ordered was the deep fried king oyster mushrooms (杏鲍菇), something I have not tasted before. I brought it back to the hotel so it had turned cold but the taste was not too bad.
Eatery: Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken / Hao Da Chicken Cutlet 豪大大鸡排
Address: *I could not locate the address (the outlet in Ximending) on Google Map nor on
their website. I will update if I have any information.
their website. I will update if I have any information.
Contact: Not applicable
Operating Hours: Not applicable
Nearest Metro line: Ximen (西門) (blue line (5))
Website: http://www.hotstar.com.tw/index.html (in Chinese)
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Ya Rou Bian (Duck meat slice) 鴨肉扁
'Ya Rou' (鴨肉) literally means duck meat. However, this restaurant does not serve duck meat at all. Instead, they are selling goose meat (鹅肉) which is kind of weird based on the name of the restaurant. Based on the recommendations of several blogs and it having a history of 60 years, I decided to give it a try. Time for some wild goose chase.
The restaurant is situated at Ximending (西門町) so take the train to Ximen (西門) Station and come out from exit 6. Walk towards Zhonghua Road and you will be able to reach the restaurant. Their menu is quite small. You can either choose rice or noodles to go with the meat which comes only in two sizes, small or large.
It is a two-storey restaurant so I guess it can get pretty crowded at times. As I entered the restaurant, one of the staff came forward immediately and ushered me to a table. He asked whether I would like to have rice or noodles. I asked for noodles. Then he said that he would serve me a small plate of goose meat. I agreed to that. The food came pretty fast.
The chopsticks were on the table if I remembered correctly. There was no spoon provided. I was ready to slurp the soup straight from the bowl when I spotted that they were in containers hanging on the wall. I was glad that I did not embarrass myself. Nothing fantastic about the noodles. The soup was nice and not too salty. I tried the meat. I simply do not understand what caused the hype for this dish. Sorry to say that I find the meat tough and not to my liking. I had so much difficulties pulling the meat from the bones that I think I almost pulled out my teeth. The meat were also too salty for me. Probably it is just me who doesn't know how to appreciate this dish. I will not go back for a second round.
Eatery: Ya Rou Bian (Duck meat slice) 鴨肉扁
Address: No. 98-2, Section 1, Zhonghua Roadd, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
(台北市萬華區中華路一段98-2號)
Contact: +886 2 2371 3918
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (09 30 - 22 30)
Nearest Metro line: Ximen (西門) (blue line (5))
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Tu Hsiao Yueh / Du Xiao Yue (度小月)
Bidding farewell to the eateries in Taipei, Tainan is another place to search for good food. I did not really get to eat much around Tainan for I spent most of the time travelling further out of the city.
The first eatery I went to is famous for its Dan Zai Noodles/ Dan Zai Mian (擔仔麵), a small bowl of traditional fares added with minced meat, dried shrimp and black vinegar. The eatery was established in Tainan in 1895. With such a rich history of both the eatery and the noodles, how could one resist the temptation of trying it from its place of origin? For your information, they do have their outlets in Taipei.
After visiting the Chihkan Tower (赤崁樓), I went straight to Du Xiao Yue for lunch. The eatery is just around the corner, beside the tower. It was just slightly over 11 a.m. and there were only two customers. I walked into the eatery and placed my order at the counter straight away, telling the staff what I wanted from the menu on the wall.
I went to look for a table and my food was served pretty fast. It was then I realised that the forms for ordering were placed in a basket on every table. The dishes together with the prices are listed on the forms so you will just need to indicate how many of each item you would like to have. The blank on the top left hand corner is for customers who wish to do take-aways. I supposed you just put a tick on it. The blank on the top right is for customers who dine-in to indicate their table number. Once done, bring it to the counter to place order and make payment.
I ordered a bowl of Dan Zai Mian with a century egg / pi dan / hundred-year-old egg (皮蛋). It looked appetizing.
Though the portion was small, the bowl of noodles was delicious. The soup was plain and not salty. I could have easily ordered another bowl. Too bad I did not have the chance to go back again due to my travelling time. I will be visiting Tainan again for sure and this will be on my bucket-list.
Eatery: Tu Hsiao Yueh / Du Xiao Yue (度小月)
Address: No. 216, Section 2, Minzu Road, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
(台南市中西區民族路二段216號)
Contact: +886 6 221 5631
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (10 30 - 23 30)
Website: http://www.dosyue.com.tw/index.php?op=home (in Chinese)
For those who are interested in the outlets in Taipei:
Du Xiao Yue 度小月担仔面.
1) No.9-1, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City (Dongmen Station Exit 5)
台北市大安區永康街9-1號
Tel: +886 02 3393 1325
Opening Hours: 11:30 am – 10:30 pm (Sun – Thu), 11:30 am – 11 pm (Fri – Sat)
2) 12, Alley 8, Lane 216, ZhongXiao East Road, Taipei City
(Zhongxiao Dunhua Station, Exit 3)
台北市忠孝東路4段216巷8弄12号
Tel: +886 02 2773 1244
Opening Hours: 11:30 am-10:30 pm (Mon-Sat), 11:30am – 10pm (Sun)
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Hsiu Ann Peddler Tofu Pudding (修安扁擔豆花)
After so many main courses and snacks, it is time for some desserts. Although I am not a fan of sweet stuff, I do not mind trying them once in awhile. Tofu Pudding / dou hua (豆花), especially cold ones is one of my favourite desserts. There are other names for it - soybean pudding / bean jelly / tau huay. Apparently, Tainan was the birthplace of Tofu Pudding and the popularity of the dessert spread to the other cities. One of the recommended eateries for this dessert is Hsiu Ann Peddler Tofu Pudding.
Thus, I went to search for this eatery one hot afternoon. I followed the address given by one of the bloggers which was at Zhong Shan Road and did a Google Map search. The result stated that it was permanently closed. Not wanting to repeat my mistake with Liu Mama Rice Ball, I tried searching based on the name of the shop instead. The map indicated that it was located along Gouhua Street.
It was not that difficult to spot the eatery. It was about 2 plus in the afternoon so there were not many customers. I went straight to the counter and looked through the menu. You can find the menu at the counter by the way. Take one, look for a seat and decide what you want before placing an order.
The red indications on the side of some items are based on popularity among customers. Those in light blue are recommended by the eatery.
Since I was eating alone and would like to try as many flavours as possible at one go, I ordered the combination of fen guo pudding and soy milk tofu pudding (綜合粉粿布丁豆漿豆花). I am unsure what to call 'fen guo' (粉粿) in English but it tasted starchy. You can choose to add toppings to the pudding with additional charges if course. After making payment, just wait while they serve your order.
I went to the nearest empty table to enjoy the dessert. After checking their website, this is the breakdown of the different things in the bowl. Based on the pictures from the website, going clockwise, the dark-coloured 'fen guo' is 黑糖粉粿 (black sugar fen guo), the transparent 'fen guo' is 原味粉粿 (original taste fen guo), and the white-coloured fen guo is 豆漿粉粿 (soy milk fen guo). The one in the middle would be tofu pudding.
It was the first time I was eating 'fen guo' (粉粿), I think. Unique taste. Starchy. The whole dessert was too sweet for me. I don't have a sweet tooth in the first place so that is just me. The pudding was nice. Nothing quite special.
They sell their soy milk in bottles too. I wanted to buy a bottle to try but decided against it since I ate the dessert. Sugar overloaded.
I went around the eatery to take a few more pictures after eating. Here is a little history on Tofu pudding. During the olden days, Tofu Pudding was put into two heated wooden buckets like those below and carried around by peddlers on the street. They would call out for customers to try their pudding. Once an order had been placed, the peddler scooped the warm tofu pudding with a metal spoon and served it in a white china bowl. They only served warm pudding in the past. I believe the the wooden buckets are still in use because there were pictures of their staff serving pudding from them in some blogs. It actually gives you a nostalgia feel (古早味) to be served from these buckets.
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| Tofu Pudding - hot or cold? |
A nice eatery to satisfy your sugar craving on a hot afternoon. Come with a couple more friends if possible, especially those with sweet tooth and enjoy the other desserts on the menu.
Eatery: Hsiu Ann Peddler Tofu Pudding (修安扁擔豆花)
Address: No. 157, Section 3, Guohua St, West Central District, Tainan City, Taiwan 700
(台南市中西區 國華街三段157號)
Contact: +886 6 226 1069
Operating Hours: Mondays - Sundays (08 00 - 22 00)
Website: http://www.xiuanbeanjelly.vrworld.com.tw (in Chinese)
Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/XiuAnDoHua
Anping Bean Jelly (同記安平豆花)
The second recommended Tofu Pudding eatery is Anping Bean Jelly (同記安平豆花). I did not know that they have more than one outlet in Tainan. The one I went to was the second outlet in Anping. The flagship is just a few metres away. Searching for the eatery was part of the itinerary for the day anyway since I wanted to visit Anping Old Fort and the Anping Tree House.
After visiting the tree house, it was time again for dessert. I went to search for the eatery but not before I checked out the time the next tour bus would arrive. I did not want to miss it. The eatery was just a few metres walk from the tree house and near the bus stop.
There are three different flavours of Tofu Pudding for you to choose - the original, the black charcoal and the fresh milk. A blogger recommended eating the Tofu Pudding with lemon juice as topping so I thought I would try that out. I decided to add in one more topping which was red beans to my original flavour pudding.
After making payment and I received my dessert, I walked into the eatery to look for a table. There were not many customers so I was able to get a seat. My dessert was served in a transparent bowl. A small portion. I could have easily ordered another bowl. Since it would be another hour before the tour bus arrived, I took my time to savour the dessert.
Indeed, lemon-flavoured tofu pudding is unique. The tangy lemon taste balanced the sweetness really well. The red beans were tender, not mushy which tasted good with the pudding.
You can find the menu on the table so if you are really satisfy with your first round, look at the menu again and go for a second or even a third!
Between Anping and Hsiu Ann, I will definitely go for the former the next time I am back in Tainan.
Eatery: Anping Bean Jelly (同記安平豆花)
Address: No. 141-6, Anbei Rd, Anping District, Tainan City, Taiwan 708
(708台南市安平區安北路141-6號)
Contact: +886 6 226 2567
Operating Hours: Mondays - Fridays (10 00 - 22 00)
Saturdays & Sundays (09 00 - 22 00)
Website: http://www.tongji.com.tw (in Chinese)
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tongji/?ref=stream
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Time to move on to the night markets. I guess the night markets are more popular with both the locals and the tourists. Not only can you get to eat delicious food, you get to do some shopping along the way too. I am not a 'shopping' person so I shall only focus on food.
Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)
Unlike the majority who will flock to Shilin Night Market the very first night they land in Taiwan, I love being the minority. I flocked to Raohe Street Night Market instead. I know that Shilin would be crowded based on popularity and I hate crowds. Furthermore, Raohe focuses more on food though they do have stalls selling other stuff. Raohe Street Night Market is also smaller and easier to walk around without having to really squeeze and get lost in direction amidst the crowd like when you visit Shilin.
The night market was easy to reach. I heard of people who faced problems finding their way there. I guess it is easier now that they built a new metro station near the market. Just take the metro and alight at Songshan (松山) station and come out from Exit 5. Many people will be walking there if you were to go in the evening. It is just located next to a temple.
It was an eye-opener when I first stepped into the night market. It was bustling with activities. I realised soon enough they have a 'walking system'. One direction in, walk one round and use the other direction out. Of course there were those who go against the traffic. I am a law-abiding citizen of Singapore so I followed the rules. Let;s start the feast with our eyes.
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| Squids |
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| Oysters!!! |
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| Custard apples |
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| Thought of getting these...for the bottles :) |
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| I wanted to try these... |
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| but could not locate the stall the next 2 nights. |
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| Plus-sized candy floss |
Being a chicken meat lover, I will not miss trying anything with chicken. This stall was selling chicken leg rolls / ji tui juan (雞腿捲) so I joined the queue and ordered 3 of them. You get to select different flavours/spices for each roll - the original flavour / yuan wei (原味), the spicy flavour / la wei (辣味), the India curry flavour / jia li (印度加理), the wasabi flavour / ri shi jie mo (日式芥末), the lemon and spice salt flavour / ling meng jiao yan (檸檬椒鹽) and the cumin powder flavour / xing jiang zi ran (新疆孜然). If I remembered correctly, I chose the original, the spicy and the lemon and spice salt flavour. The rolls were still juicy after the grilled. I could have come back for more. They have 2 or 3 similar stalls along the way so if the queue gets too long for the first, try the next one. Too good to miss this!
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| The flavours |
This stall caught my eye with its jelly-like eggs in red and yellow. They looked interesting, just like tadpole eggs. 菜燕 refers to jelly so I thought they would taste like it. I bought 10, with 5 red and 5 yellow. I ate them as I walked through the market. The ones in red were made with red bean paste / hong dou sa (紅豆沙) and the yellow were made with green bean paste / lü dou sa (綠豆沙). They tasted nothing like jelly. They were chewy or 'QQ' as the Taiwanese would say. The transparent 'coverings' were made with starch. Again, there are 2 or 3 stalls selling the same thing with more flavours to choose from so try them out!
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| QQ 凉圆菜燕 |
The following stall was selling blanched squid tentacles (燙魷魚). There was a queue so I just joined in. You can choose how spicy you would like it to be. I brought it back to the hotel. Along the way, I bought a can of Taiwan beer which I thought would go well with the squids. It had turned slightly cold but still tasted nice with the amount of spice!
The pan-fried dumplings (煎餃子) looked good and I was craving for them. I ordered a small bowl. The sauce went well with the dumplings.
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| 一口煎餃 |
Yuan Zhu Min Taiwan Sausage (原住民山猪肉香肠), a popular snack in night markets. I bought one stick to try. It tasted very different from the usual sausages. Unique but not to my liking.
Takoyaki (たこ焼き) is a Japanese snack in the shape of little round balls containing pieces of octopus. It literally translates to 'octopus (tako) fried (yaki)'. It is also called 'Octopus Balls' (章鱼小丸). Delicious!
I walked past this stall on the first night but did not take much notice of it. On the second night, I saw someone place an order and realised that they were selling spring roll / popiah! My favourite, especially the non-fried ones. The Taiwanese called them 'bing juan' 餅捲. I bought the zhong he kou wei (綜合口味), combination of turkey meat, sweet corn and something else which I could not remember. The spring roll turned out to be so huge that a passer-by commented, "Wow!". It tasted really good. I will go back to try it again.
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| 潤餅捲 |
I wondered if this Pocket Toast (口袋吐司) was something new. It seemed quite popular with a queue. I stood by the side to watch how it was made before I decided to try it. Apparently, they have two flavours to choose from - salty and sweet. I went for the sweet and ordered the Chocolate Custard Toast. The product is a small-sized toast, just like a pocket. I will go back to try more flavours. You may want to check them out in Facebook.
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| Bubble + Brûlée |
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| Chocolate custard |
I came across this stall while watching a Channel 8 programme, Taiwan Taste (就愛台湾味). It introduced nice and delicious food in Taiwan and this stall was highlighted. The pies looked delicious and I decided to try it out myself. The staff told me to eat the pie with tomato sauce. He told me that many customers find it weird but would think otherwise after eating it. I totally agreed! I did not know that pies go so well with tomato sauce!
I ate these for dinner on one of the nights. The chicken leg roll right at the back, the Taiwan Sausage and the pie with tomato sauce. All good!
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| Creamy Bacon & Mushroom Chicken Pie |
Do take note that I went to Raohe Street Night Market on more than one night. I could not possibly eat that many things at one go. Most of them I ate back in the hotel room although I wanted to taste them on the spot. I love my food piping hot. Trust me when I say it was not that easy balancing a camera on one hand and holding food to eat on the other in a crowd.
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Shilin Night Markert 士林夜市
Although I do not like to be squeezed in a crowd, I also do not want to miss the chance of paying this largest and most popular night market a visit. My initial thought of getting there was to take the metro to Shilin Station but thankfully for my 'in-depth' research, I found out that I should be taking the Red line 2 to Jiantan (劍潭) Station instead. From there, come out from Exit 1. The night market is just diagonally across the road on the left. There would be many people crossing that road so you will definitely not miss it.
I was quite taken aback on the first night I was there. It was probably past 8 p.m. and the human traffic was pretty unbearable for me. I felt like I was packed in a can of sardines. Moving my hands around and watching where I was going were already quite problematic, not to mention taking photographs. I just followed the crowd and moved.
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| Candied Haw in a Stick / Bing Tang Hu Lu / Tang Hu Lu /糖葫蘆 / 糖葫芦 (simplified Chinese) |
As I was moving along, I spotted this stall famous for its Pepper Bun / Hújiāo Bǐng (胡椒餅) at Raohe Street Night Market. The queue would usually snake all the way out of the entrance. Since the stall at Shilin had a shorter queue that night, I decided to try it. I did not wait for long as the queue moved quite quickly. At the same time, the buns were also sold out pretty fast as customers would usually buy more than one. When it was almost my turn to place order, they had to prepare a new tray of buns and then charcoal-baked them. I had to wait for the buns to be out of the oven. That gave me a chance to catch the making of the buns in action. When the freshly baked buns came out from the oven, I bought two and they were pipping hot! It was tough holding the camera and taking pictures of my bun at the same time. As I bit into the crisp of the bun, the juice inside spilled out and got onto my camera and my hands! Ouch! It was really hot! The bun was not at all dry and the juiciness of the meat was still contained in it. It was really delicious! Just take note that the buns are really hot to handle but at the same time, you have really got to eat them hot to get the most out of it.
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| Freshly baked out from the oven! |
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| Turned cold as I brought this back to the hotel |
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| Not as nice and hot but still edible |
As I walked past the stalls, I saw this one below selling barbecue squids so I decided to give it a try since there was no queue. You can find a number of similar stalls in the market and even in Raohe so fear not if you were to miss one. Again, I ate this back at the hotel. It had turned cold and the spices on the squid turned damp with the condensation so it was not as nice. It is always good to eat such food while they are hot. I believe in trying it again.
The following stall was selling Aiyu jelly (愛玉冰) / (愛玉凍), commonly known as ice jelly in Singapore. It is a jelly made from the gel from the seeds of a variety of fig found in Taiwan and East Asian countries of the same climates and latitudes. It is supposed to be cooling and we love to add fruits to the dessert served in a bowl. Over here, they served it in a cup. I bought one and drank it along the way.
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| Lemon-flavoured |
On the second night I went to Shilin Night Market, I ate a feast! First, I managed to find this stall, Prince Cheese (王子起士馬鈴薯) which was selling mashed potato topped with cheese and your choice of ingredients. It was one of the recommended stalls from the Channel 8 programme, Taiwan Taste (就愛台湾味). I tried to look for it on the first night but to no avail. I got lucky on the second night I guess or should I say my genuine mistake led me to the stall? I crossed the junction vertically instead of diagonally and spotted the stall across the road. What luck! Once I got over to the night market side of the road, I made a beeline for the queue. It was around 7p.m. so the queue was short. The staff approached me with the menu and asked what kind of toppings I would like to order. He recommended the combination (王子綜合) and told me that the combination was hot favourite so I ordered that. He gave me an order form which I was supposed to submit when I reached the stall counter. You can choose to dine-in with the tables and chairs provided at the basement area near the stall. Not wanting my snack to turn cold, I opted for dine-in instead of taking it back to the hotel. I was thankful that there were empty seats after I had received my order because I had no one to 'chop' (reserve) seats while I was queuing up. The cheese was pipping hot and topped with lots of ingredients like bacon bits, scallop bits, sliced eggs, corn etc. Just looking at it makes one salivate! The combination of the toppings, the cheese and the mashed potato was just so heavenly delicious! This is a MUST try!
I saw stalls in Raohe selling this but I did not get a chance to try. Since I saw it again at Shilin and I was famished that night, I decided to buy a stick. This stall selling fried milk was near Prince Cheese. Yes, fried milk! I was curious how it was like so I stood by the side and watched for a while and took photographs. Then I went to place my order. I had to wait for new ones to be fried as the customer before me bought what was left. The 阿姨 (aunt), an affectionate term used by the Taiwanese to address some middle-aged or married ladies even though they are not related was very nice. She told me the process of how the fried milk was made but did not divulge the secret ingredients in making them though. When I received my snack, she cautioned that it was hot and told me to be careful while eating it. I thanked her and went to the side to taste my latest food challenge. Not too bad. It was not very sweet and the flavour of the milk just burst and filled in your mouth. I could have bought more sticks but I wanted to reserve space in the stomach for other food. Next time!
I went down to the Shilin Night Market Food Court (士林夜市B1美食區) after eating the Fried Milk. An underground food paradise for foodies to explore.
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| Sticky Tofu |
Having tried the oyster mee sua / oyster vermicelli (蚵仔麵線) at Raohe, it was time for another popular dish in Taiwan, the Oyster Omelette / Er Ah Jian (蚵仔煎). I was searching online for really sumptuous ones and Da Tou Long Oyster Omelette (大头龙蚵仔煎) was recommended by one the bloggers. There were not many customers so after I had placed my order, I managed to get a seat rather quickly. I was still hungry so I had a bowl of braised pork rice (滷肉飯) to go with the omelette. The size of the omelette was as big as my face and I must say the taste was good! I would have ordered another plate if there were sambal chili to go with it.
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| 大头龙蚵仔煎 |
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| Oysters were big! |
Coffin Bread (棺材板) is one of the signature dishes from Tainan. You will get to eat it in different parts of Taiwan now. This snack was on my bucket-list. I was actually looking for another stall but no one was around so I hopped over to this one which seemed popular looking at the number of customers eating and buying. I went in and sat down. The menu was on the table. The staff came forward to ask what I wanted and recommended the combination of various ingredients in one order of Coffin Bread. I took that and also ordered a plate of prawn rolls. The snacks came pretty fast. The lady who served me the food told me to eat each piece of Coffin Bread as a whole to fully savour the snack. Not too bad. I like it but I would like to try more stalls to determine whether there are better Coffin Bread though.
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| A mixture of pork, shrimps, fish, mushrooms and corns spread among four pieces. |
Da Bing Bao Xiao Bing (大餅包小餅) literally means small bun wrapped in big bun. You get to choose the bun flavour first, either salty or sweet. For the sweet flavours, there are peanut (花生), yam / taro (芋頭), black sesame (黑芝麻), coconut (椰子) and red bean (豆沙). Curry (咖哩), spicy (麻辣), pork floss (肉鬆), black pepper (黑胡椒) and original (香酥) are salty flavours. Then one of the staff will write it down on a plastic bag and pass it to the staff preparing the snack. This staff will smash up the crispy small bun, spread the flavour on top and then wrap it in a Chinese wrap. I bought three different flavours to try. Perhaps it's just me but I found them too dry and had a hard time biting into the buns. I do not really know how to appreciate this.
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| All the small buns |
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| Ready to be smashed |
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| Spreading flavour |
And with this cup of fruits, I shall end my food quest in Taipei...at least for this year...
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