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| Until now, I am still wondering how we were able to eat all of these |
Me: Where do you want to go? Do you want to see Jiufen? Do you want to release sky lanterns at Shifen?
Auntie: I just want to go on a food trip. I'm fine with anywhere.
Prior to our trip, I did an extensive research on the places we could visit and most importantly, the food that Taipei has to offer. I read blogs, watched videos and even asked friends who had been to Taiwan for their recommended places.
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| Excuse me po, makikidaan - Sunday in Ximending |
It was overwhelming. There is so much to see and experience but we only have two full days to explore the city. So the best option was to stick to Auntie's plan, go on a food trip. But ooops, there are at least five night markets in Taipei. Each of these night markets have their own specialties. So the ultimate decision had to be made - stay somewhere central where the offerings of the night markets are available. And that place for us was Ximending.
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| When I saw Auntie at the airport, the shoes were among the first things that caught my attention. #twinning |
As mentioned in the previous post, we also got an apartment in the Ximending area. This made things easier for us. All we had to do was walk to most of the places, stalls and stores we visited. Tip: Wear comfy shoes. That was my advice to Auntie who at first wanted to wear her boots because it was winter time. Well, she did follow my advice. And both to our surprise, we were wearing the same model of comfy shoes. Shhhh, oldies know what's comfy!
With our comfy shoes on, let the food adventure begin!
Night # 1
Our flight left Manila around 5pm so we landed at the Taoyuan International Airport, past 7pm. There was a long line at the immigration not only because of the tourists like us but there were also delegates to some convention of sorts. It took us around 45 minutes to get past immigration, get our luggage and hail a taxi to our apartment. It took another 45 minutes for us to reach Ximending. Because of the language barrier, we asked the taxi driver to drop us at the Ximen station instead. We walked about 7-10 minutes to reach our apartment. If you do the math, it was almost 10pm when we have finally settled at our place and decided to go out and have dinner. To say that we were famished would be the understatement of the year.
We walked around Ximending checking for a place where we could eat. There were lots of choices and it was overwhelming. We agreed that we'll have something hot. So after circling the nearby streets, we ended up at a small restaurant that was almost across our apartment. We really just needed to eat something to fill the tummy so we could think straight and find the food we wanted to eat.
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| The only thing that made a mark was the drink. Why? We didn't know what we were drinking! |
We watched what other customers were eating and ordered the same - pork noodle soup and steamed veggies. The taste was forgettable. Probably our fault because we were not big on spicy stuff (tummy issues) so we didn't use much of the condiments which the other customers mixed with their orders. When we ordered our drink, we asked the owner if she could give us soda or cola. They didn't have them. But her face lit up at our request as if she had a eureka moment. She came back to us with a canned drink and the only word we could read was "Vitali". We were there for an adventure, right? So we took the drink. It was a carbonated drink. The closest thing I could think of was Cali Shandy. Our first meal cost us a little over NTD100 about Php165. That was for both of us already. If you have read previous posts, you'll know that Auntie and I share our food.
Though we really didn't eat much (didn't finish our food), we already started thinking straight. Our disappointment with our first meal lighted a fire in our belly making us search for something that would make our first night in Taipei a memorable one, food-wise.
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| You can easily see this place when you get out of Ximen Station Exit 6 |
While walking around Ximending, we noticed people holding bubble tea in one hand and a small paper bag in the other. And by the looks on their faces, whatever was in that bag tasted good. We followed where they were coming from and stumbled upon this store where there was a queue. The only thing we could understand was 1973. It smelled good. So Auntie fell in line without any idea on what we will be ordering.
As it turned out, the place is called Ji Guang (J&G) Fried Chicken and it was founded in 1973! We just based our orders on the photo in the store. After waiting for about 10 minutes, it was our turn. However, after giving our orders, we had to wait another 2-3 minutes to be served because stocks were, to say, flying off the shelves. It was soooo worth the wait.
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| So we were like, making tusok-tusok the chicken and squid |
We got a combination of chicken nuggets and squids. But lo and behold. They were not just ordinary nuggets. They were tender, bite-sized, deep-fried boneless chicken cutlets sprinkled with a combination of a million (exaggerating) herbs and spices. No need for a gravy. It was so good that Auntie came back for another round the following night.
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| "LeWay is love way" ???? |
It was almost midnight so we decided to walk back to our apartment and get bubble tea along the way to wash down the chicken and the squid. We each got a bubble tea from LeWay. Winter melon forever!!!
But have you ever found yourself in a situation wherein though you very much want to call it a day, something was still missing? That was the case for Auntie and myself and we were craving two different things.
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| In the PH, you only get to buy this in high-end Chinese Restos |
In my case, it was the mobile stall at the corner of our apartment that I saw when we arrived. I wanted to check it out when were looking for our first meal but there was a beeline. So on our way back, I had to check it or else I won't be able to sleep. It was selling Roasted Duck Pancakes. If Auntie likes chicken, I'm the duck girl. To our surprise an order that can be shared by 2-3 people was only NTD150. We had to get one. It made my day. We ate what's left of it the following morning since our schedule at the Secret Starbucks was not until 10:30 am.
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| So, it's persimmon |
Auntie on the other hand, would like to have some fruits. There are lots of fresh fruits in Taipei and they're quite sweet. So even if we didn't know what it was (peeled already when we saw it), we bought this yellow fruit being sold by an old lady near our apartment. It was tart, sweet and refreshing. We then discovered that it was persimmon. We've always known what a persimmon is but the variety we usually get in the country is the squishy one. So since this trip, I always buy the fruit whenever I see one (but not the squishy variety). I have even influenced a colleague from Sri Lanka to like it when we saw some at the office cafeteria.
A few things we learned from our first night in Taipei: 1) follow the line; 2) be patient; and 3) follow your instincts.
Day #1
From my previous post you'll know that we had breakfast at the Secret Starbuck so we had the usual fare. For lunch, we considered going to Din Tai Fung which has a restaurant at the ground floor of Taipei 101. Not only were the lines more OA than me but we were still full from our late brekky.
We spent the next hours, checking out the sights and that required a lot of walking. Once we've had enough of sightseeing (read: hungry, and with legs aching), we went back to Ximending.
Part of our to-do-list was to have hotpot. Auntie is a hotpot fanatic. Taipei is actually a good place to have hotpot especially during winter. Based on the blogs I've read, there are restaurants that offer buffet hotpots with extensive selections. Two of the famous ones are in Ximending. During the planning stage, we considered going there. But, we realized that though it was not really expensive-expensive, it still was not economical especially when we had no plans of stuffing ourselves full. We took our chance and walked around the area to look for a place serving hotpot even if it was not buffet.
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| Thank goodness for the photos in front of the restaurant |
On the same street where our apartment was, we saw a restaurant that appeared to be serving hotpot although the only word we could read was Sugarcane.
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| Parang Surf lang sing sulit pero di sing mahal Photo by Auntie |
Lady Luck must have been smiling on us that day. The set-up of the restaurant was quasi-buffet. They will serve you the hotpot set you ordered -meat and veggies. Then, with that you can have all the soup, noodles, rice, side dishes, drinks and desserts that you want to have. They even have frozen yogurt. All these for just a little over NTD200. And here was the best part. In a buffet set-up, you are not allowed to share food. In the case of this restaurant, we just paid an extra NTD100 so both Auntie and I could enjoy their offerings. It was quite a steal. You see in the other hotpot buffet, one person needs to shell out at least NTD500.
Feeling really tired, we spent the rest of the afternoon at our apartment. We needed all the energy we can have for our last night in Taipei.
Night #2
I couldn't remember the series of events because I probably suffered from food coma. Just kidding!
We spent the night checking-off from our list the stuff we wanted to eat, and trying some new things we saw along the way. We also made use of the time to do some pasalubong (mochi and fruit cakes) shopping. Aside from food, Ximending is also a fashion district. This is also where you can buy souvenirs like keychains and ref magnets (I collect them).
Here are the things we tried.
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| This tender chicken fillet is bigger than my face . And my face is not small, to say the least! |
Hot Star Large Fried Chicken. This is actually available in the Philippines but we can't help but join the line. Wait, it was not just a line. There were lines! It was understandable because the smell alone was very enticing. I am not sure if they were also serving stinky tofu but I smelled it. Or it was probably the mobile stall going around.
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| Sa simula matamis pero sa huli mapait pa rin.
Pero uulit-ulitin ko ito #hugot
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White Bitter Gourd Juice with Honey. While Auntie was waiting for the chicken, I fell in line for this juice. There were other stores selling the same drink but this was the only one with a long line.
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| Cheese Egg Waffle, please. |
Egg Waffle. This was just beside the juice store. We had no plans of trying this but the aroma coming from the freshly made waffles got the better of us. My favorite was cheese. I think it was mozzarella because it was so gooey and stretchy.
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| Nope, photo is not blurred. That was steam. |
Xia Long Bao. Taiwan is also famous for this. Across the egg waffle store was a dimsum place. Got to have that siomai na may sabaw!
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| Through the fire |
Flame Torched Beef Cubes. This was among my top 3 must-eats. The beef cubes were literally torched, cooked using a blow torch. You can have it with different seasonings such as cumin, black pepper, etc. I had mine seasoned with rose pink salt. It was tender, buttery and almost melt-in-your mouth. Auntie was not a fan of meat cooked this way so she instead had a hotpot similar to the one we had in Macau.
Black Pepper Pork Buns. The most famous one can be found at Raohe Night Market but we didn't go there. I instead got mine at one of the mobile stalls near our apartment. This one has peppered minced pork and lots of green onions inside and cooked by sticking the dough (bun) on the sides of the kiln.
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| Baked potato with all the works but I didn't get a "Prince" |
Prince Cheese Potato. This store has some sort of a barker who would convince you with all her might to try their product. I actually told her that the line was very long already but she told me that it would only be for just five minutes. I understood why people didn't mind waiting in line. It was the ultimate indulgence. Just check the picture above. The one in the tall container is cheese!
Small Sausage in Big Sausage. You will see two kinds of sausages on the grill. One's light and the other's darker in color. The Small Sausage is the spicy-sweet Taiwanese Sausage while the Big Sausage (where you stuff the small one) is actually made of rice. The "sausage in a bun" is topped with pickles, dressing and the works.
Disclaimer: We walked around for hours. #defensivemuch
Last Day
For breakfast, we decided to try our luck at Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodle. We braved the streets even if we were just in our sleep wear (decent enough to go out). You see this store is so famous that even it is open for 24 hours, there is always a line, to think that they only have one main product. Our timing was perfect, the crowd was still thin.
When we had a taste of the noodle soup with all its condiments (I love the black vinegar), we understood why it is famous. It is like our batchoy (at least the way my Mom cooks it) but with a more distinct taste that is enhanced by the condiments it is served with. When I return to Taipei, I won't mind falling in line again.
Auntie also bought some breads at a nearby bakeshop. Auntie, can you please explain your red bean bread craving?!
We spent the morning at Longshan Temple and went back to Ximending for lunch. One lesson we learned was, Ximending is crowded during weekends especially on Sunday. We were checking out restos for lunch but most were full or in some cases, we had to wait to be seated. So guess where we ended up?
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| Egg tart is love |
KFC! It was economical and the place was not crowded. Oh, and they serve Portuguese egg tarts similar to those that they have in Hong Kong and Macau. The meal was a much needed break from the Taipei fares we've just had.
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| Ice cream in winter |
Of course, food-wise, no trip of mine will be complete without ice cream.
After lunch, we just stayed at the apartment to rest, pack for our departure and figure out how to get a taxi to bring us to the airport. Iris, our ever dependable host, taught us how to do it. And we succeeded, we were able to get home!
This post is already very long but would you believe that the featured foods are not even half of what Taipei has to offer? It is a place worth revisiting not only for the food but also for its culture and sights. Oh and lesson learned, 2 days and 2 nights are not enough. Take at least 5 days. But better do it in winter. Summer can be very hot and during wet season, Taipei can be very wet. Same as the Philippines, it's in the typhoon alley.
Most importantly, have a list of must do, must visit and must eat! Taipei has so much to offer.
Taipei has taught me that food is patient so learn how to fall in line!
The Umbrella
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| 'Told you the place so big that we had to walk a lot! |
