Wednesday, October 18, 2017

hungryinTAINAN: HOW TO EAT YOUR WAY THROUGH TAINAN IN ONE DAY



If you're like me, you've often thought about taking a day trip to another city in Taiwan, but end up putting it off. Where would I go? What would I eat? How much trouble would it be? So when I was invited by a representative for the Tainan City Government to explore some of their English Friendly restaurants, I took it as a challenge to pack as much as I could in one day. It helped that I had a ready made short list to check out. All I had to do was map it out and figure out what made sense according to their location and opening hours. 

Tainan has often been touted as the Taiwan's oldest city and an equally delicious and historic city to visit as Taipei, with plenty of temples, street eats and museums to visit. The past few years Tainan City Government has created an initiative for businesses to be more English Friendly, creating menus and resources for people who don't read Chinese to be able to discover and patronize these places. All the places I visited did have English menus, and most of them were able to explain menu options or answer questions in English. 

If you had asked me where to eat and go in Tainan a year ago, I would have had no idea. Last year was the first time I went to Tainan despite living in Taiwan for over a dozen years. This last visit was only my third. And even though I feel like there's a lot more for me to explore, I know if you followed my itinerary for this visit, you would be a pretty happy and full visitor. 


9AM BUYING TICKETS TO THE HIGH SPEED RAIL IS EASY




I enter the West Gate of the Taipei Main Station and look for the vending machines along the right side, not too far from the entrance. There's several machines that take cash or credit card and it's easy to choose "English" as a language options and buy a ticket, even last minute. There are unreserved and reserved seats, as well a business class option for a premium. For weekends, it's best to get your tickets in advance. I've checked the schedule ahead of time at the website, so I quickly click through the screens. Travelers can also get tickets from the high speed rail (HSR) app or at a ticket counter. I prefer to get it from the vending machine so I can see all the departure time options and usually there isn't a line. 

With my ticket in hand, I look at the signs for the train. It's a weekday morning, so the train station isn't too crowded yet. It's similar to the train stations I've been to in Italy and Japan, except that buying tickets is very English friendly with the vending machines. The trains leave very promptly so I head to the train level for my 9:21AM train with plenty of time to spare. 

The HSR trains have restrooms, vending machines and sometimes the vendors have snacks and bento boxes during meal times.  I end up getting assigned Car #1 and the Economy reserved is not full. I spy a phone charger outlet on the map in car #4 so I head over there wondering if I can get an empty seat, but it turns out the charger is in a phone booth like space, not at each seat. I decide it's not worth it to stand half my trip to charge my phone. The AC is very strong though, and even though I'm wearing a jacket I'm cold. I make mental notes to pack a scarf next time. 

11AM TAINAN, HERE I COME

Two hours have sped by especially with a book and returning messages on my phone. When I arrive at the Tainan stop, the lush greenery opposite the train station is a welcome contrast to the metropolis in Taipei. I eye the lunch boxes for sale at the exit, but I know I have a full day of eating and I can't get distracted. For those that want to eat at the Tainan HSR station, there's a Mos burger, Starbucks, Mango cha cha and 7-11 to fit all your basic needs. There's a line of taxis waiting at exit 3 and I give the taxi driver the address to the first restaurant, which is about 20 minutes away from the HSR station. My iPhone battery at 52 percent already and the taxi driver is peppering me with questions in Taiwanese. We pass by the Chimei Museum, which you can't miss because it's inspired by Versailles, and I wonder if I should have made a stop there before going into town. Next visit! 

11:30AM COMFORT FOODS AT A FARM TO TABLE CAFE



The first stop is Birches Pastoral, a cozy two story cafe opened just a few months ago by a farmer and his family to introduce some of their farms' organic products to customers, like red quinoa which they mix with their rice dishes like braised pork rice, Japanese chicken curry and onigiri. The Chinese name is a combination of his and his wife's Chinese name, while the English name is inspired by the idea that birch trees are friendly for the environment. Mr. Yu-Chung Cheng interacts with customers while his wife cooks up homestyle Taiwanese, Western and Japanese dishes like curry and udon, favorites from the time she studied in Japan. Besides featuring the farm's products on the menu, which include quinoa, mango, sesame and radishes, some are also available for purchase to cook at home or made into jams or sesame oil.  Even though the cafe has been open only for a month, the first floor of this cafe was filled with customers, mostly from word of mouth. The owners made friendly conversations while the food tasted like home cooking. As Mr. Cheng shows me his farm's website (http://suidohomeland.com/), I spy links to TED Talks titled "what's wrong with our food system" and I can tell that Mr. Cheng has a lot of ideas and Birches is just the start of one of them. 





So many dishes from the menu looked tempting, but I knew this was only the beginning of the day. I ended up trying some of their most popular dishes, the Japanese style Curry Rice Set (NT$249) which came with large pieces of deep fried chicken, and the Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (NT$65) which is also a generously sized portion. Birches Pastoral opens early, so a tuna sandwich or egg salad sandwich would make a fitting breakfast if I were in the neighborhood. 



The mango juice (NT$120) was thick and sweet,  a refreshing drink while I was waiting for my meal. 


Birches Pastoral's menu focuses on comfort foods- braised pork rice, onigiri and curry with fried chicken. The owner said they drained the oil from the lu rou fan to make it healthier, so this would be good for those who love this dish, but want a healthier option. My favorite was the Japanese curry + crispy kaarage- the chicken was so juicy and crispy and I couldn't stop eating it. The curry was a little spicy, but was the perfect pairing for the rice dotted with red quinoa and the fried chicken.  I can't believe how much I've eaten 😂 and this was just the first stop.










1PM MILK TEA AND ICY DESSERT NEAR CONFUCIUS PARK 




Phoenix Flower was the first to use the traditional "hollow cake" or peng bing, as an edible cup for soft serve. The idea came to owner Mr. Alan Lu three years ago when he thought about taking the hollow cake and reinventing it with a modern twist. Traditionally, they were filled with sesame oil and egg, flattened before serving, as a sweet and savory snack to women after they had given birth in one month confinement. Mr. Lu was friends with the owner of a popular pork bun shop that made the hollow cakes and they opened Phoenix Flower next door. Three years later, the dessert is featured in Japanese guidebooks and magazines. They usually have two flavors for soft serve, brown sugar or sesame,  but over 10 flavors for the hollow cake including the original brown sugar, mango, strawberry and pizza. (I know! 🍕??). 

One of the difficulties with finding information about local foods is figuring out what to name it or research it in English, if there is no English menu or common name. While I don't think "hollow cake" is the right name, it's better than previous names for this pastry- which include hollow cookie, protruding cake,Tainan Brown Sugar Bun Cake, or Round-top Pastry. The Chinese name is a slightly better description, macaron hollow cake, which describes its flaky type texture. 

The lemon yogurt was a bit too sour/bitter for me, and he was sold out of the more popular flavor sesame, but it was neat to see this shop's modern take on a traditional pastry. Less of a cake and more of a cookie. (NT$70) The fairy milk black tea was good though and uses a popular Formosa black tea brand. Phoenix Flower is near the landmark Tainan Confucius Temple, so it's easy to check out both at the same time. 




A post shared by Joan (@hungryintaipei) on





2PM THE OLDEST DEPARTMENT STORE IN TAINAN

Hayashi Department Store is a cool stop on the way to my next destination, with snacks, handcrafted goods and souvenirs from Taiwanese makers. The roof is also a popular spot for photos and to check out an aerial view of Tainan. 




3PM LEARNING ABOUT TAIWANESE ORGANIC TEAS WITH A TEA CEREMONY 



Loved the tea ceremony tasting at One 2 Teahouse which specializes in Taiwanese organic oolong teas. The owner Ms. Jenny Chen-Ni Chen was very knowledgeable and passionate about teas and able to answer a lot of my questions (in fluent English!). Being clueless about teas, I learned a lot in that short hour. Ms. Chen explained that, "different seasons will have different flavors. (Teas from) spring and winter are the best because the weather is very cold in Taiwan and the taste is more delicate because the tea leaves grows slowly. If it grows quickly, you have to harvest it in a short time." She and co-owner Ms. Ssu Ting Liu had fond memories of their grandfathers and fathers brewing and drinking tea everyday and wanted to introduce tea to their friends and share what they've learned. 




Highly recommend making a reservation if you are curious or shopping for Taiwanese teas. The tea ceremony includes a tasting for three different types of teas, taking a journey from lighter to deeper flavors, and is complimentary if you purchase a tea. She warms the tea pot and cups with hot water first, to let the scent and taste come out and steeps the teas several times so that I can taste the difference. 








The first tea I try is Lishan Oolong tea from Taichung, which has light fermentation and is grown in high altitudes. The notes say it's "full bodied with oriental pear notes and sweet aftertaste."  The non roasted tea is very bright and lighter in flavor than the teas she chooses for me later. My favorite was the Dong Ding Oolong Tea from Kushan, Nantou, which is very aromatic from medium roasting. The last tea I try is the Sun Moon Lake Black Tea, which is completely fermented but not roasted. 








They put so much thought into everything, from the detailed packaging where each tea has its own unique colors and pattern (which won a Red Dot Design Award) to going to the farms each season to inspect the quality of the tea leaves. Ms. Chen was super friendly and even gave me a recommendation for the bus back to the HSR (H31)! One2Teahouse's teas are also available to purchase online and shipping within Taiwan. 

The space is very modern and I wouldn't expect that there's a tea ceremony option by walking by, so this was one of the more unique things I've experienced. It was very quiet and the space upstairs would be perfect as a quiet working or studying space and there's also tea flavored ice cream and waffles if you're looking for afternoon tea snacks. 









5PM THE BOWL OF SLACK SEASON NOODLES WITH A 120 YEAR OLD HISTORY 






Du Hsiao Yueh is a familiar spot to noodle lovers, as I had tried their signature slack season noodles in Taipei long before my visit to Tainan. In the front of each restaurant, there is an old school noodle station to pay homage to the founder who made the noodles when fishing season was slow, and carried the buckets on a stick on his back. The danzai noodles 擔仔麵 are first topped with minced pork braised in a master stock, then shrimp head broth, touches of vinegar and garlic, and the single shrimp atop. (NT$50) Customers can opt for regular noodles or thin vermicelli noodles. 

Every dish has a story, every restaurant has a history. I love that Du Hsiao Yueh has documented its family's restaurant 120+ year history so beautifully and tells its story at the front of the menu. The restaurants are run by fifth generation family members in Tainan and Taipei, and counting. 

While I didn't have time (or stomach space) for it today, their menu is full of family friendly Taiwanese dishes. Some of my favorites are the fried oysters and the deep fried shrimp rolls. 










530PM SOUL WARMING SOUPS IN A CHINESE MEDICINE SHOP 



Po Jen Store is a 60 year old chinese medicine shop, but last year Mr. Eric Chou and his wife Ms. Ting Su decided to also serve up herbal soups to customers from grandpa's recipes. The soups have different levels of herbal flavors (and health benefits), from clear broths to murky dark ones, which I suggested that they could add to the English menu for herbal soup newbies like me, or even rank them in order of intensity of Chinese medicine taste since he's not really able to explain the details in English. I asked for a "new to herbal soups" level and was happy with the clear broth chicken soup with four types of herbs with side of thin sesame oil rice noodles. (NT$120) 


I'm the only one here because it's blistering hot and humid outside, but at the end of a long day the chicken soup is still healing. Taiwanese version of chicken noodle soup- somewhere you would definitely end up if you were feeling under the weather. The soup is scalding hot and the flavor is light, so don't be afraid of "herbal soup." They had a lot of customers who wanted to drink the herbal soups but didn't want to prepare it at home as soups are simmering for at least four hours, so many of their customers come after work. If I lived in Tainan, I'd definitely come back to try the pork rib with flowery knotweed or the bak ku teh, which is a popular pork rib soup in Singapore and Malaysia. There's also dessert soups, like the white woodear, which I've never been a huge fan of, but it's supposed to good for your respiratory system. 



The family run shop is so unique- the long tables are black with gold engravings, which Mr. Chou said were repurposed from the walls when they decided to add tables and soups to their shop at night. The alley that it's located in is quiet and there aren't really other restaurants around it, but it's worth seeking out. 











630PM EATING DUMPLINGS AND NOODLES WITH THE LOCALS 




I didn't think I could eat one more bite after basically eating ALL DAY, but spicy chili wontons! The vinegar in the sauce was the perfect touch (NT$50).

The most popular menu options at Fuzhou Noodle Shop are listed in photos above the counter, but they also have a English menu upon request. I ended up getting sesame paste noodles and wontons in chili oil, as well as some veggies. Fuzhou Noodle shop has been opened for 12 years and the three aunties are busy cooking, plating and dishing up orders after two large groups of kids fill up the tables outside. The space is semi-outside and a bit old school, but you can't beat having noodles AND wontons or fishball soup for NT$50-55 (or under US$2). There's also a counter full of fish cakes, tofu, braised snacks and instant noodles to add to your order. Service is quick and efficient and don't forget to find the condiment area if you want to add some spicy chili oil to your noodles. 









7:30PM A TAXI AND TRAIN RIDE HOME

While I didn't have the energy to figure out and wait for the free bus was to go back to the HSR station as I had been walking all day to and from all my destinations, there is a free bus to station from certain hotels and bus stops. My taxi was NT$460 and about 30 minutes and my HSR ticket was NT$1350 each way. I get in the taxi at 7:30PM, get to the Tainan station at 8pm, with plenty of time to walk to the departure area for my 8:13PM train. I get back to Taipei by 10PM, and plot my next day trip adventures. 

I hope this post will help some of you with an itinerary for Tainan if you ever want to make a day trip. If you're ever visiting Taipei, I would strongly recommend taking a day to visit Tainan, even if it's just for the day. I will have to write up my eats from my other visits because there really is so much to explore there. Thanks again to Tainan City Government for the invitation to check out these restaurants, and thank you to the owners for the hospitality of all the restaurants I visited. 


WHERE TO EAT 

110 Qingzhong Street, Tainan
中西區慶中街110號
(06) 215-8806
8AM–2PM, 4PM - 8PM

No.83 Nanmen Road, Tainan
704中西區南門路83號
10AM- 7PM 

No. 118, Zhongzheng Road, West Central District, Tainan 
中西區中正路118號
(06) 223-3319
1:30–9PM

DU HSIAO YUEH 度小月
No. 16 Zhongzheng Road, Tainan
中西區中正路16號
(06) 223-1744
11:00AM- 9:30PM

No. 27, Alley 300, Ximen Road, Sec. 2
西門路二段300巷27號
06) 222-6473 
4PM –10PM

FUZHOU NOODLE HOUSE  福洲麵館

No. 299 HaiAn Road, Sec. 2
海安路2段299號
(06) 226-8677
5PM - 11PM 




This blog post is sponsored by Bureau of Economic Development, Tainan City Government (臺南市政府經濟發展局廣告).
For more information about the English Friendly program in Tainan, check out: Tainan EZ Go! or Facebook Page.






Monday, September 25, 2017

chinese/dessert: i recommend HONOLULU CAFE



HONOLULU CAFE 檀島香港茶餐廳
at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11, B1
No. 
松壽路11號B1 

MRT: Taipei City Hall



Price: $$

Kid Friendliness: 

Visits reviewed: 




THE SATISFYING FLAKINESS OF 192 LAYERS of pastry and a jiggly, custard-like center. This is the egg tart that has lured me and all the other people to Honolulu Cafe's first Taipei shop. 

If you hadn't heard of Honolulu Cafe, the famed cha chaan teng from Hong Kong yet, then the trays of freshly baked egg tarts from the entrance's window and the line of people wrapped around the corner outside the building might pique your curiosity to wait in line too. The store introduces itself with well placed signage "Honolulu Cafe | Since 1940" at the entrance, and hand drawn posters diagramming its egg tarts features for newbies. 


Even though I had been a fan of Honolulu Cafe's egg tarts for years, even bringing boxes back to Taipei from Hong Kong, I didn't know there were 192 layers until I saw it on the poster. I just knew that the flaky crust was one of the best egg tarts I had eaten. So I was extremely excited to hear about the opening at Xinyi Mitsukoshi A11. 


Honolulu Cafe's menu is a dizzying array of choices, especially without English translations, but luckily the waiter drops off an iPad menu of glossy photos to browse and order. 


As we swipe through the menu, everyone excitedly agreed that each person will get their own egg tart, and everything else we can share family style, including a few pineapple buns with thick slabs of butter inside, another classic Hong Kong treat.


The pineapple bun is spongy and sweet with a crumbly crust. Those who love this dish devour it with the butter, those of us who can't just eat straight butter nibble around it. I would choose the egg tart over the pineapple bun, which is not as moist as the Taiwanese bolo pineapple bun or the cha siu version of it at Tim Ho Wan. 


And let's not forget, the drinks. Iced lemon tea, coffee brewed with sweetened milk tea, or iced coffee, something that I've never had at the original shop. 


To be honest, I've never actually eaten inside Honolulu Cafe in Hong Kong, I've only picked up takeaway of a half a dozen egg tarts from their shop's front counter outside the store every time. So stepping into their restaurant I'm surprised by the bright modern decor- there are several seating sections, all slightly different with booths, tables and outdoors. 


After we've ordered, a medley of Hong Kong classics arrived to fill our table and the ones around us- dim sum favorites like steamed shrimp chang fun, platters and noodle soups of roast bbq meat, and claypot tofu dishes. 




For a filling bite, I also enjoyed the Hong Kong style french toast, two slices sandwiching a layer of peanut butter and then drenched in maple syrup and a pat of butter. 



My favorites were the roast bbq pork, crispy pork and duck that come with four different dipping sauces, the deep fried soft shell crab, and the sausage claypot rice. And of course the egg tart. 





Try to eat the egg tarts as soon as it's served. It's best eaten hot, though of course don't burn your tongue. The crust is flaky which makes it messy to eat, and the filling is more custardy and soft than dense and sweet like bruleed Portuguese egg tarts, but that's what I love about it. If you prefer the shortbread crust and filling that doesn't wobble, this might not be the egg tart for you, but for me, I'm happy since I won't have to haul back boxes from Hong Kong anymore!!! 

Friday, September 15, 2017

dessert/taiwanese: i strongly recommend DAZHI FENG YUAN



DAZHI FENG YUAN 大直粉圓
No. 35 DaZhi Street
 臺北市中山區大直街35號

MRT: Wenhu (brown line) 5 minute walk

price: $ (about NT$60/person) Delivery available 

hours: 11AM- 9PM

Kid friendliness: very. at this price, they can each get their own bowl

visits reviewed: 8/18/2017 and 9/10/2017


DAZHI FENG YUAN IS A SMALL SHOP IN DAZHI, but with more than all the essentials for Taiwanese shaved ice. With over 20 different chewy, colorful toppings from taro balls to grass jelly to boba and red adzuki beans, you could make a number of combinations. Feng Yuan translates to the name for tapioca in Chinese, so that's why you see a big bowl of it on their sign, advertised for NT$30. 





A bowl of shaved ice is NT$60 with a choice of four toppings. I especially like their pearl barley, so much that I got double of it. I know Taiwanese shaved ice toppings can sound strange to people who are used to having their barley with beef soup or beans in chili, but think of how oatmeal which is usually eaten sweet for breakfast is now being used as a savory option. In Taiwan, mung beans, red beans, pearl barley, oatmeal are all sweetened and used for desserts. I've even seen creamed corn as a topping on shaved ice (which still repulses me, but hey, corn ice cream is a thing in the US now, so we can't judge).



They also have douhua, or soy pudding, but I found the flavor to taste a little on the burnt side, which I know some soy milk places are known for, but I personally prefer it without. You can add three toppings to the douhua, which are hidden underneath. 




Dazhi Feng Yuan's ice isn't super fine, but with the creamy and chewy toppings and brown sugar syrup, it all works together. 

And those who don't like the traditional toppings, they have mango shaved ice, but it's seasonal. I haven't tried it yet because I'm still trying different combos of the traditional. My go to combo is usually pearl barley, aiyu, boba and mochi balls, but on this day my friend wanted to try the big red beans and the taro balls. 




They have about 10 seats and it's fairly clean and they let you use their bathroom. Haha. I had to note that because A LOT of little shops won't let you use their bathroom, even though you know they have one. Anyways, this no frills shop has become a go to when I'm in the Dazhi area for a quick snack. Cuz global warming. The shop is near Shih Chien University and Dominican International School. 

Monday, September 11, 2017

mexican/colombian: i strongly recommend QUANTUM TACOS and MECATOCOLOMBIA at MAJI SQUARE

QUANTUM TACOS 
MECATO COLOMBIA 哥倫比亞小吃在台
No.1 Yumen Street 玉門街1號

MRT: Yuanshan 

websites: Quantum Tacos Facebook
website: Mecato Colombia

Pricing: $ (NT$150/ person) 

Visit reviewed: 9/10/2017

 

I HAVE POSSIBLY FOUND THE BEST TACOS IN TAIPEI RIGHT NOW and you'll never guess where. Forget all you thought you knew about Mexican food in Taiwan and get yourself to the outdoor food court at Maji Square. 



Hidden in plain sight among the jumble of stalls of oyster vermicelli, burgers, poutine and Indian food are TWO food stalls you must try if you've been craving something better than the landscape of "It's good for Taiwan" Mexican food. 

If you are on my blog today for night market finds, beef noodles soups and dumplings, then scroll through my previous posts for a moment while we talk about this. 

But if you've lived in Taipei longer than a year and/or eaten your fair share of Mexican food fails,  I'm talking to you right now. 


I didn't even realize what the name of the shop was, my eyes just went from TACOS on the sign straight to "al pastor," "carnitas," and "chorizo." The photos of the tacos looked promising, the person manning the shop didn't look like a bored Taiwanese worker, and the price of NT$150 for 2 tacos or NT$200 for 3 tacos was reasonable. 

After peppering the guy at the stand with a flurry of questions, I decided to get a plate of 3. Regrettably the carnitas wasn't ready yet, but I could get al pastor chicken and al pastor pork. He said it would take 5-10 minutes, so I would wait in anticipation by making another circle around the food court. A small price to pay for the promise of legit street tacos. 




I made my way back to Mecato Colombia which had drawn my attention with their bright and festive sign, flanked by the yellow, blue and red stripes from the Colombian flag, and more importantly photos of their empanadas. Because I figured I would kill two birds with one stone and try them both out and empanadas with tacos sounded pretty good. 

 I asked which ones were best and settled on the Traditional Chicken and the chicken and mushroom, which the owner said also had cheese. Sounded good to me. There's also pork, salami and Hawaiian empanada on the menu at Mecato (Is Hawaiian a real thing for empanadas? Or is that just for Taiwan????), as well as arepas, drinks and obless, which looked like Colombian tortas and cookies.

I think I made the owners a little bit nervous with all my questions and by concentratedly eyeing them getting the fryer ready for the handmade empanadas, so went back to look for my tacos. 




I have seen (and eaten) A LOT of tacos in Taipei (and around the world!) and the way the tacos look  dictate a lot about how they are going to taste. And these tacos al pastor from four month old Quantum Tacos were definitely in the right direction. 

First, they had corn tortillas. Second, they were sprinkled with diced onions and cilantro, and ONLY onions and cilantro. Third, there was a proper meat to tortilla ratio, enough meat that when you rolled up the taco that you could see the meat coming out of the edges. (And the fact that the corn tortilla was thin and pliable enough to roll up, you couldn't imagine what a rarity that even is in Taiwan!) 




And the taste? HEAVENLY.

I did not realize how much I wanted to eat a taco until my mouth was chewing the tender bits of spit -roasted pork and fat mixed with the punch of the bits of onion and cilantro,  and I forgot that I was even in Taipei. That I didn't even have to think, this is good for Taipei. I thought this is good PERIOD.



The al pastor had enough flavor from the tomato (which gives it its reddish color) * and spices to not need any extra hot sauce. But if you like it with a bigger kick, they did have a bottle of Cholula and housemade hot sauce on hand. All these details because the food was being made by someone who knows what it's supposed to taste like.

Sam, who was from Mexico, said that when he started, he didn't know how to cook these recipes, which are from the owner who is Taiwanese but had lived in Mexico for over 20 years. But after learning, he could adjust to taste when he was cooking it day to day because (let's say it again) he knows what it's supposed to taste like. And that makes a difference.

Also, I noticed when I picked up my food that there were two business cards on the counter and realized the owner of Quantum Tacos was ALSO the owner of Teotihuacan Restaurant, which I had just found on the internets a few days before when I was researching to revamp my list of Mexican restaurants. I had never heard of it before then and now it all clicked IRL.




When I realized my empanadas were ready so I had to put down my taco (you can see the bite I took above) to pick them up. They were golden, fist sized puffs with braided edges and I knew that I was probably the only person in the food court filled with Taiwanese families, eating both tacos and empanadas right then. And they were MISSING OUT.


The chicken and mushroom empanada (NT$55) was deliriously cheesy, so much that they should put the word "cheese" in the description so people can know they are basically getting a fried cheese and chicken savory doughnut. The crust was flaky and the center cheesy, I didn't even mind that I didn't taste any mushroom. I seriously could not believe my luck, that the taco and empanada universe finally expanded to include Taipei. 


The chicken and potato empanada (NT$50) was also delicious, and reminded me of a croquette since it had the diced potato, but with the bonus of the fried crust around it. I am typing this up right now and thinking about if I should go back tomorrow for more. 


If you're looking for somewhere air conditioned to dine, you can also try the Argentinian Gaucho at the end of Maji Square, but while their grilled meats are good, their empanadas are no where near as good as the ones from Mecato Colombia. And their menu overall is definitely more expensive.

But seriously, who would have ever thought a food hall in Taipei would have Mexican, Colombian AND Argentinian food in one place? Is this the first you've heard about these spots? Do these photos make you excited? Where else have I been missing out on?? Leave a comment and some love, so I know you're reading! :)

PS sorry, let me also know the photos are turning up blurry? Blogger is having some issues for me, but I didn't want to wait to share.. so I will try to replace the photos later, but my eyes sometimes are also seeing blurry because i'm on my phone wayyy too much.

*per feedback in the comments, please note that traditional al pastor DOES NOT have tomatoes but chilis and spices, but the chef behind quantum tacos made that personal adjustment.

:)