TL:DR; WE DID NOT EAT STINKY TOFU.
Remember that game on Windows 98 called Taipei with the little mahjong tiles on it? I never knew why that was called Taipei. Do they play that game in Taipei? Was it made in Taipei? Does Taipei even exist in real life!? All good questions, all good questions. Well, I can say that Taipei is real, it exists, and it’s an interesting place to visit. As my cousin Conrad would say, “It’s a cleaner version of China.” Having never been to China, I wouldn’t know if this statement is accurate, but based on the internet, I’d believe it.
We booked this trip about 3 weeks in advance. Having not been on an extended trip for over a year, we (more like I) were in need of some adventure. We found it in Taipei.
When walking around Taipei, it’s best to keep your head on a swivel. Look up, down and sideways or else you might miss a 4th floor cafe, a bustling alley-way market, or a small neighborhood temple.
The weather in Taipei (end of April, beginning of May) was all over the place. From hot and humid to cold and rainy, we got a little bit of everything in our short stay there. I suppose the tropical climate is to blame for the lush greenery that juxtaposes the concrete city streets. Plenty of trees dispersed among bustling streets and well-kept parks.
There are a handful of landmarks dispersed throughout Taipei, a great way to relax for a bit between meals.
The Chiang Kai-shek memorial hall and Liberty Square were the most impressive, possibly because of its cultural relevance and the vast area it covers. Just by being there, you get a sense that this guy must’ve done something really important, you know, like be a founding father of a country or something.
Inside the memorial, they have a giant statue of the man himself, but what brought me to climb the 87 steps to the top is the changing of the guard ceremony at the top of the hour. A very fascinating ritual to bear witness to.
Jiufen, an old gold-mining city tucked away in the northern area of Taiwan is a very popular tourist attraction. It is home to the A-mei tea house, which if you’ve seen Spirited Away, you will recognize it from the scene with the big black blobby thing. Unfortunately, due to poor way finding and lack of a tour guide, we were dropped off and could not find that tea house in the hour and a half we had there. The market alleys smelled of stinky tofu, squid, and were stuffed with bodies. Our experience here was miserable and I would not recommend this excursion to anyone without a guide. Along the way was a scenic waterfall, and seeing the coast at sunset was also a highlight of visiting the area.
The Maokong Gondola was a fun, relaxing ride through what seemed to be jungle territory of Taiwan. You can rent a glass bottom gondola if you want to wait in a longer line, but seeing it out the side windows was equally as impressive. I imagine sunset rides are very popular. The ride itself takes about 40 minutes one way.
The ice cream is terrible.
Alright everyone, here comes the tasty section of this blog and the main reason why went to Taipei in the first place: Food! I’ll using a rating system of Eat it or Beat it. Ready? Let’s go!
Restaurants
LAO ZHANG BEEF NOODLE – Beat it
After a 14-hour flight, 40 minutes of public trans, and a 7 minute walk to your hotel, you just want to eat. This place was close by and it was serving the one thing we came to Taipei for: Beef Noodle soup. At the time, it didn’t disappoint—it was everything we wanted and cost about 7USD for the two of us. It was a great way to get our palettes ready, and give us some context for taste and price. In hindsight, this was not the best beef noodle we’d had, but it cured the air sickness and set us up for later success.
Liu Mama Rice Ball – Eat it
The equivalent of an asian burrito, this breakfast roll has crispy fried dough (youtiao) and pork floss (dried pork) wrapped in rice. This shop also does purple rice which makes for a more visually appealing roll. Either way, devouring one of these will leave you feeling full hours later.
LAO SHANDONG HOME MADE NOODLES – Eat it*
Our favorite beef noodle restaurant on this trip, these home-made noodles really make this place a hidden gem. When I say hidden, I’m not exaggerating. It’s literally in the basement of a building around a corner with practically no signage. You either know or you don’t. These noods were imperfectly perfect with inconsistent cuts and thickness, but every bite, slurp, shove was delicious. So nice, we had it twice!
JIN FENG – Eat it
My ultimate comfort food: pork over rice. Simple as that. You can get the regular pork or get a thick cut of pork belly atop your white rice, depending on how much comfort you’re in need of. Ordering the vegetables helps make you feel like you’re eating a balanced meal, even though that is probably stir fried in oil and deprived of all original nutrients. But hey it’s green. The marinated egg was snappy with a creamy yolk. A simple and effective dish.
LAN JIA – Eat it
This bun had a surprisingly nutty flavor to it, probably some sort of sesame paste. It was stuffed with pork, cilantro and brown goop in a fluffy sweet bun. It didn’t take up too much stomach space, so I recommend trying it to get a feel for traditional street cuisine. Go out of your way for it? Probably not.
FUHANG SOY MILK – Eat it
An all around breakfast joint serving traditional Taiwanese breakfast. We really enjoyed both soy milks hot and cold and the egg pancake thing was a great breakfast option to get us started. The line was long at around 9a.m., but moved rather quickly near the service area.
HI DI LAO – Eat it
This is a chain based in China, so it may or may not be Taiwanese style hot pot. Regardless, it was a seemingly high-end experience. We ordered a tomato-based broth as well as a pork/chicken specialty broth. If variety is your thing, you can actually order a hotpot with 4 broths separated out! Aside from good food, this restaurant is also known for its Kung Fu Noodle, which, when ordered, a table-side performer will hand stretch a noodle for you and place it in your hot pot. It was fun, additional flair that made the experience memorable and seemingly tastier!
DIN TAI FUNG, XINYI – Eat it
Do I even need to write anything here? Gotta do it. Didn’t disappoint. It’s fun to say you’ve been to the first DTF that started it all and they have some exclusive merch you can’t find anywhere else! They also have exclusive menu items such as stewed bamboo shoot appetizer.
LIN DONG FANG – Eat it
The third beef noodle we had, Lin Dong Fang’s beef slices were the deal here. The slices were well marbled with tendon and the soup was well made. To the side was a jar of mystery paste that when added, certainly made the soup taste better for unknown reasons. I could only describe it as a beefy, peppery paste——no idea what it is but it was necessary.
HANGZHOU XIAO LONG BAO – Eat it
Xiao long bao is everywhere in Taiwan. This place is one of DTF’s competitors and I can attest that it is, in fact, a competitor. The dumplings were practically 1:1, however, the atmosphere and other dishes were the difference. This place has a less posh feeling—self-serve vinegar and ginger, side dishes, and the menu included a variety of food very different from DTF’s. For instance, in this picture you can see pork spare ribs and a marinated beef wrap, two more dim-sum style dishes not found on a DTF slip.
WISTERIA TEA HOUSE – Eat it
This place seemed to be a cafe mixed with a traditional tea house. They served some tasty looking dishes, but what we had come for was the tea. They offer some regional and seasonal tea leaves that you brew right at your table. The experience was very relaxing and a good break from walking around Taipei. If you love tea, this will be a great place to visit. If all tea tastes the same to you and you add sugar to your tea, then ignore.
MAO LAN TEA HOUSE – Beat it
Not huge into dining with animals, but this place has kittens running around the cafe while you sip tea or eat some snacks at the peak of the Maokong Gondola ride. The tea was okay, the kittens ended up tearing my shirt. Overall, nothing worth noting.
SNOW KING ICE CREAM – Beat it
Ice cream was just not the strong suit in Taipei. This is longan flavored and kidney bean flavored ice cream. Neither was impressive. If you’re looking for some interesting flavors like sesame oil chicken or pork floss, then go here.
Street Food and Night Markets
FUZHOU PORK PEPPER BUNS – Beat it
Located in the Raohe Night Market, this hyped bun was a huge let down. Though meat+bun seems like a winning combo anywhere, these meat buns had a burnt bottom with a piping-hot filling. The bitterness from the burnt area left an awful taste that overpowered the bun and filling at times. Also, because these are served ridiculously fresh and hot, your first bite will leave you with a burnt tongue, palette, and hand (juices will fall out and burn you.) If you are going to try this, please peel off a small hole at the top to start venting the steam out of the bun and literally wait 5-10mins before really getting into this thing. Despite all of the inconveniences of this bun, I wouldn’t recommend it based on taste.
TAIWANESE SAUSAGE – Eat it
Found at the two night markets we went to, these sausages are savory, sweet and everything you want out of meat on a stick. The sausage at Raohe had a bit more of a sweet taste, similar to Lap Cheong, while the others around Shilin had more savoriness to them. Interesting that depending on where we went, the sausages were different.
SCALLION PANCAKE – Eat it
Yes. If you find one with a long line, it’s probably because you’re in a touristy area or because it’s really good. Luckily the one in Ximen Ding is both. You can get it plain, or with egg and meat, but I keep it real. Chewy, flaky, and a great munchy.
COLD NOODLES – Eat it
No idea what it’s called, but luckily found one! A great break from buns and fried stuff, this cold noodle was served with sesame sauce, vinegar and cucumbers. Beef buns and soy milk on the side cuz life.
PEANUT ICE CREAM WRAP – Beat it
If you see this, don’t bother with it even if there’s a long line. If I could describe this, it would be shaved ice topped with ground peanuts wrapped in an unsweetened crepe. I gotta say, ice cream in general here is not good.
BLOWTORCHED BEEF – Eat it
Flashy, gimmicky, but nonetheless delicious. Chunks of rib eye grilled and blow torched with your choice of salt or sauce. Meat + stick = win.
FRUIT JELLY – Eat it
Agar jelly seemed to be a big thing in Taipei. These were fresh fruits formed into little balls with that jelly creating these sweet edible marbles. Fun to eat and refreshing at the least.
ROASTED CORN – Beat it
Basted in some sort of soy sauce and sesame seeds, these corn on the cobs may have had a unique taste but the cooking style left the kernels dry. The texture wasn’t reminiscent of corn, and sometimes all you need is butter.
SHAVED ICE – Eat it
This shaved ice place had a seasonal mango shaved ice that came with a whole peeled mango on top! Beware, you may want to floss after. If you’re looking for a specialty shaved-ice store, try Yu’s Almond Dessert for an almond-flavored ice atop almond tofu.
TEA AND DRINKS – Drink it
Aside from bubble/boba tea, Taiwan is also known for fruit tea and a variety of other tasty drinks. One of our drinks was served with red beans, and another served with chopped white peach.
Walking around you will see several chains including CoCo and 50 Lan that serve boba and fruit teas but the best drink we had off the street was from TIGER SUGAR. This drink is milk, brown sugar, caramel sauce, and boba, and once you have it your life will never be the same. Find it at Ximen and other locations!
Overall, Taiwan can be described as delicious. There were plenty of restrooms around, the MRT was very timely and frequent, and there was plenty to see, do, and eat. People don’t speak english here as much as other international stops we’ve been to, but we were able to get around okay. To Taipei, we say, Xie xie!
