taiwanese/street eats: i strongly recommend XING LONG HANDMADE COLD NOODLES

XING LONG HANDMADE COLD NOODLES
or XING LONG SHOU GONG LIANG MIAN
No. 2-1, Lane 333, Roosevelt Rd. (Or LuoSiFu Rd)
(02) 2363-0429

hours: 11AM- 11 PM

$

Kid friendliness: limited tight seating; can get stuff to go

Visit reviewed: 10/6/2010



Down any random alley in Taipei, you'll inevitably find something delicious to eat. Down this random alley in Shida, I followed my gut and followed my nose. I smelled the sweet distinctive smell of stinky tofu. Sweet to some, unbearable to others. This alley, like a lot of others, was like uncovering a treasure map of eats- a run bing vendor, a pepper bun stand, a soy tofu vendor, and a row of xiao chi or small eats.

But one stood out from the others- it was bustling, there were people waiting in line and it was the source of the stinkiness! If I didn't have a lunch date right around the corner, I would have did a tasting course with a sample from each different place.



Besides stinky tofu, this place is also known for their cold sesame noodles and hot noodle soups, based on the orders and wall of fame. There's not a lot of room to sit- some right in front of the food, and about 10 seats in the back.Everything is under NT$50 or US$2.



I grabbed a plastic stool near the front, next to the wall of magazine and newspaper reviews blown up for show. While I was waiting for my stinky tofu to be freshly fried, I watched the lao ban scoop up dry noodles from a huge silver bowl and spoon an assortment of sauces atop to complete a plate of cold sesame noodles and a short line form for to-go orders.



The wait was worth it. The crispy skin of the each piece of stinky tofu was broken in the center, and stuffed with finely diced garlic and garlic juice. It was like the pungency of the garlic cancelled out the pungency of the stinky tofu and made one harmonious bite. (Ha ha! Okay, I can't imagine what stinky tofu garlic breath smells like to the non initiated, but just bring some mints for afterwards.) Topped with sliced cucumber and a side of pickled cabbage for more crunch, I added some of the chili sauce that was available on the table.



So now I have new daytime spot to go to for stinky tofu lovers while mourning the my recent discovery of the disappearance/closure of Yong Kang Kou on Yong Kang Street. I'm definitely coming back to this alley for more.


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western/dessert: i recommend MOM's PIES

MOM'S AMERICAN STYLE HOMEMADE PIES
75 Neihu Road, Section 2
Neihu District
(02) 8797-1716

Various delivery locations around Taipei
Mr. Hsu 0935-504-554
Ms. Wu 0922-091-113
Mr. Hsieh 0922-324-060
Mr. Huang 0931-311-215

website: imomi.com.tw Chinese and English (worked for me in Taipei, but not in LA)

hours: check website for hours/locations

$

Kid friendliness: some flavors might be too dense for kids, but what kid doesn't love pie?

Visit reviewed: 6/19/2009



Taipei is a city full of desserts- you can easily find cake-by-the-slice in every coffee shop or bakery; fruit topped shaved ice or scoops of ice cream for the summer days; colorful macarons and delicate napoleons, and now even frozen yogurt.

But pie?

Pie seems to be an elusive Bigfoot in the world of Taipei desserts. Look long enough, and you'll find it offered on the menu of a few American places like Jake's Country Cafe, ACC, or the Diner, or your best bet for pumpkin pie around Thanksgiving time- Costco, or randomly in the basement of Sogo at a little shop called Rose Pie.

When I was craving a slice of lemon meringue pie a few years ago, I started searching for pie places in Taipei, and started hearing about Mom's Pies. It sounded so mysterious. It was sold off a truck? Would it taste American style homemade like its name promised? Most importantly, was it good?

So when I was having lunch with a friend at Happy Korean and spotted a woman at the table next to us with a bag that said Mom's Pies, I quizzed her about where she got it. She said it was just right around the corner of the restaurant, on the sidewalk across the street from AIT, and kindly gave me her flier.



So my friend and I paid the bill, hurried outside and sure enough, a woman with a table full of pies was on the street corner. We'd found Bigfoot! I'd heard about it for so long, it was weird to finally see it in person. Although some people would think twice about buying a pie from the street, this made sense to me since Taipei is a city where you could buy practically anything from a street vendor, before LA was the city where you could buy almost anything off a truck.

But instead of a truck, Mom's Pies has been driving a van and selling it around different spots in town from Tuesday to Friday- the updated weekly schedule can be found on their website, though it is only in Chinese. You can also call for free delivery if you order more than 2 pies.



I spotted lots of flavors- pumpkin, chocolate, peach, cream cheese, cherry cream cheese, blueberry cream cheese, and chocolate cream cheese, and I know they have some more interesting flavors like red bean, taro, green tea cheesecake, purple yam and oatmeal (?!?!).

But still no lemon meringue. :(

The slice of pecan pie(NT$45) was full of large pecans and had a good sweet, sticky filling and the crust was flaky. A whole pie of the same flavor is NT$300 with 8 slices.



I've had their cheesecakes after finding them this day- coincidentally, someone gave a relative of mine a pie of different slices (NT$360) and their cheesecakes are dense and a bit heavy. They are so thick that you could pick up the whole thing by the slice and it would be a solid piece. The red bean and green bean flavors also kind of weirded me out (not really American homestyle), but I want to try the peach and apple in the future.

Where have you spotted Mom's Pies and did you give it a try? What's your favorite flavor?

night market/dessert: i strongly recommend TONG HUA NIGHT MARKET

TONG HUA NIGHT MARKET
Linjiang Street between Tong Hua Street and Keelung Road

$

Kid friendliness: crowded but lots to eat on the go

Visit reviewed: 5/2/2009



This should be a familiar sight to those of you who read my blog. Night market crowds and lots of food vendors. Fresh fruit, fried foods, meats on a stick...





One surprising thing I had was good gelato from Seven Nine Gelato. The cheeful vendors happily handed out lots of mini spoons of samples and big scoops of your favorite flavors.



And it was so good, I ended up getting two scoops for the bargain price of NT$60.



It's too bad I was too full from dinner, otherwise I would have love to have sampled the Chinese sausage and sticky rice or the candied sweet potatoes I saw at the end.





I'd love to explore Tong Hua night market more, which is a great location for those living near 101/Xinyi or DaAn area and don't want to trek all the way to Shilin.





For those of you who have been to Tong Hua, what's the best to eat or shop there?




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PS. Found this cool little shortlist guide of Taipei nightmarkets.

street eat/taiwanese: i strongly recommend STINKY TOFU VENDOR

Stinky Tofu and Squid Potage Street Vendor
Lane 181, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4

(north of the alley next to Ding Kua Kua, two blocks east of Dun Hua N Road/Zhong Xiao intersection)

MRT stop: Zhong Xiao/Dun Hua

$

Kid friendliness: outdoor table and stools to sit at, but in busy lane with cars

Visit reviewed: 10/14/2009



One of the best things about Taipei is that if you're hungry, you can find almost anything, even on the street. In fact, some of the stuff is found along a busy alley, with no address, no phone number. Of course, that makes it telling a friend where to find it even harder. While some people don't want to risk their stomachs for unknown factors, I think it's not any more scary than the hole-in-the-wall.

During a recent lunch with the girlfriends, my friend V and I left a little hungry. When we passed by the sign, we decided to split a bowl of squid vermicelli potage and a small plate of stinky tofu, each for NT$55 (about US$2). Forget eating here for US$40 a day, if you love street eats, you could do it for US$10.



They fried the chou dofu tofu to order and put some pickled cabbage and sauce atop, and topped the you yu geng squid potage with a generous bunch of cilantro.

For some people, the smell of stinky tofu is so strong that they can't even brave a bite. For others, it's a nostalgic memory of Taiwan. For me, I enjoy the crunchy crispiness of the skin when fried just right married with the sourness of the pickled cabbage and spiciness of the chili sauce so much that I don't even mind the distinctive smell.



It was heavenly.

A lot more satisfying than our expensive lunch- it was crispy, soupy and perfect mix of contrasting textures and pungent flavors for a rainy afternoon. It didn't matter that we were sitting on plastic stools with scooters zooming dangerously by. It was the kind of meal that would be tough to replicate in any other city in the world. You'd have to drive an hour away to eat in LA and it probably wouldn't even be half as good and three times as expensive.



It's one meal that makes you happy that you're hungry in Taipei.


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night market/taiwanese: i strongly recommend LEHUA NIGHT MARKET

LEHUA NIGHT MARKET
Yonghe Road and Zhongshan Road

MRT: DingXi Station

website: Public Health Bureau gov.tw
hours: 4 PM- 1 AM

$

Kid friendliness: lots to eat and play, though can be crowded

Visit reviewed: 5/20/2009



Stinky tofu- check!



Shaved ice- check!



Cute animals to gawk at -check!



Cheap goods to bargain for- check! And rows and rows to shop and eat- check.

Now you know you are at a Taipei night market.



When I first came back to Taipei after 17 years for the infamous Love Boat, the only night market I knew about was Shilin. After all, that was the closest one to campus and easy to get to. It was the biggest and the best, so there was no need to discover any others. But since living and eating in Taipei with it being my home, there's an abundance of awesome night markets here.

Lehua Night Market has all those things, plus a few variations of the familiar, located in Yong He, a suburb which is a bit southwest of downtown Taipei city. I have an aunt that lives in Yonghe, so she is always wanting to take us there to eat, but I've only been there twice. It's definitely worth visiting.



It's the first time I had Snowflake Ice or "Shue Hua Bing" which is shaved ice with milk in it already, which my aunt delighted in being the first person to introduce it to me and my sister. "What?! You NEVER had shue hua bing before? Never?" she exclaimed in shock to both of us, in Mandarin.



Nope, never. But it was pretty fantastic. The ice itself is superfine, like how you would imagine sticking out your tongue and eating freshly fallen snow. It's also a bit sweet, since the ice has milk in it instead of water. Then of course, you dump more condensed milk ontop and your choice of toppings- pudding is pretty good- to eat before it melts on a hot summer night.

Or you can opt for Aiyu bing or a lemon jelly with chunky ice that we got with boba. But I'd pick the snowflake ice!



After the sweet, we had some salty, or should I say stinky. Apparently, this vendor is pretty famous and has the newsclips to prove it.



The stinky tofu had some of the crispiest skin I'd ever tasted, like a crunchy shell to the spongy pungent inside. Complete with a heap of pickled cabbage and sauce, the guy deserved his newsclips- it was some of the best stinky tofu I've had.



So wander over the Lehua night market if you've never been. It's oh so sweet and stinky.


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CLOSED! chinese/street eats: i strongly recommend YONG KANG KOU

a/o october 2010 CLOSED!

YONG KANG KOU
No. 1, Lane 6, Yong Kang St
(02) 2396-7532

$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs

Visit reviewed: 4/17/2009



Stinky, stinky tofu. When my friend JL was in town, he had a wishlist of stuff he wanted to eat- taro ice cream, stinky tofu, oyster vermicelli, taro dessert dumplings from Din Tai Fung. So we hit up Ximending one day for an eat-fest and the next day at Yong Kang Street or Yong Kang Jie.

Right across from Ice Monster, you'll spot the entrance for Yong Kang Kou (next to the Vietnamese restaurant) which looks like it's been around forever. To our surprise, we spotted stinky tofu there (when we were told that we'd probably have to hit up a night market to find it) so we decided to give it a try.



And good thing we did! The "chou dofu" (NT$45) which comes fried perfectly crispy, with a touch of superfine minced garlic and pickled cabbage. The stinky tofu here was quite dry, but in a good way, which made the skin much more crispy than those that are served a bit soggy.

I'd also recommend ordering the "shou gong nuo mi da chang" or handmade sticky rice stuffed in intestines (first picture at top of the post) so it's like a sticky rice sausage (NT$55 for small serving) and "da chang oh ah mian sien" or oyster vermicelli with intestine (NT$40). I'd recommend adding a bit of the chili sauce to the vermicelli to give it an extra needed layer of flavor.



SO GOOD! If I didn't already have some beef noodle soup from Yong Kang Beef Noodle, I would have eaten a lot more. Next time I want to try their "ba wan" or a glutinous hockey puck stuffed with diced meats and bamboo with a sweet sauce.



So maybe while you can multitask while you are waiting in line for Din Tai Fung around the corner or looking to eat Taiwanese snack foods without having time to go to the night market (or wanting to avoid the crowds), you should definitely make a trip to Yong Kang Kou. And they deliver! (with a minimum NT$400 order)


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japanese/dessert: i recommend MOCHI on a STICK in XIMENDING

MOCHI on A STICK VENDOR
49 Er Mei St, Ximending

MRT: Ximen

$

Kid friendliness: sticky and messy, but lots of flavors

Visit reviewed: 4/16/2009

Mochi ice cream? Mochi on shaved ice? Mochi on a stick? Traditional mochi desserts? What is your favorite kind of mochi?

For those of you who have never had mochi (or mua ji in Taiwanese or nien gao in Chinese), it's made from a glutinous rice and comes in many different sizes and shapes. It's probably most popularized in the states as mochi ice cream, but I remember growing up eating the brightly colored confections, dusted with white powder on special occasions when my mom would buy a box as a gift in a little shop in Gardena called Sakura-ya. The white ones filled with red bean were and still are my favorite. Or during Chinese New Year, my mom would pan fry brown sweet "nien gao" rice cakes until the outside was crispy and hot, the inside gooey and chewy.

That's what this was sort of like, except on a stick. And covered in sauce.



After eating dumplings near Zhongshan Hall, ice cream from Xue Wang and looking for Ah Chung Noodles, (which were a bit too mushy this time around) my friend JL and I passed by this vendor... and who wouldn't stop for mochi on a stick?!



After asking what the flavors were, he recommended cheese or peanut (though I think there's also quite a few other flavors on the board behind him in Chinese). We picked peanut.



He picked the sticks off the grill, squeezed some white milky sweet sauce on top and poured some ground peanuts on top. At first bite, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, but with each bite, the flavor grows on you as you are chewing the sticky texture. Kind of like when you grill marshmallows for Smores and get that crispy outside before it burns and inside is gooey. Man, I wonder what mochi Smores would taste like!



If you are looking to try some of your own, look for the Body Shop, it's right across from it, with bright red lanterns hanging from it.

street food/taiwanese: i strongly recommend XIN YI MITSUKOSHI STREET FAIR

XIN YI MITSUKOSHI STREET FAIR
at parking lot/sidewalk outside A8

hours: Some weekends. Not all the time! :)

$

Kid friendliness: lots of room for strollers and lots of finger foods

Visit reviewed: 4/18/2009



Finally, finally! I see these bright red and white tents pop up on occasion near the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi malls in Xin Yi, but I never have the time to eat there. I usually spot it after I've eaten, but this time, I saw them setting up and made a mental note to save all of my stomach to have a little sample-fest.

Basically, if you like night market food, you'll like the food here. If you've never had night market food, then it's a good place for you to explore and see if there's anything you dare to eat.

I started from one end and walked to the other and just bought whatever looked good. These are my favorites:

1- Indian wrap (beef) NT$60



Someone has gotta tell me if this is something that is actually from India, or something like Indian Taiwanese food- a wrap filled with curried ground beef, chicken or lamb or vegetables- sort of like an indian wrap, roll or burrito. I've spotted it at Rao He Night Market, Shih Lin Night market and now here (but never in the states.)



This vendor has probably been doing this for a long time, as he attracted customers by calling out in Chinese and flipping up his paratha like pizza dough before letting it bake on a hot, curved oven.



There's even dessert options if you feel like having peanut, chocolate or butter- kind of like a crepe, I suppose.



2- Fried Mushrooms NT$50

There were quite a few vendors, but this is the first one I saw. I got a mix of the two- I think abalone and chantrelle. They weren't hot off the frier, but still warm and crispy.




4- ren bien or Taiwanese summer roll/wrap/burrito



This vendor was very efficient, wrapping multiples at a time. It was very fresh, as you can see the man making fresh skins to wrap all the vegetables and meats, and she was also stir frying the cabbage.



There was quite a few different vegetables, including something pickled, so there was a crunchy as well as a soft texture; sweet from the ground peanuts as well as salty. It's not as refined as the ren bing from Shin Yeh, but just as tasty.




3- Sausages on a stick. 1 for NT$35 or 3 for NT$100



4- Stinky tofu

Okay, finally stinky tofu that was tooo stinky for me. One bite and I felt sympathy for all the people who didn't enjoy stinky tofu. Probably because this was boiled and then grilled, stuffed with a bit of pickled vegetables. With two sticks, I didn't even know how to begin to shove this in my mouth, but after one pungent bite, I gave it to my friend.




And some stuff I saw but didn't eat

Dim Sum



Sugar cane juice




And a lot of other stuff like fishballs on a stick, sausages stuffed in sticky rice (yum!), watermelon juice and squid vermicelli soup. I can't tell you when or when the street food fair happens, but sometimes you can spot them setting up Friday night or Saturday morning and they stay up through the weekend. Stop by for just a snack, or gorge on street eats the whole night for a meal.

There was a whole other section I didn't get to (between A9 and A11) but last time I spotted the tents, there were quite a few carnival style games for prizes for kids and kids at heart.



Happy Earth Day by the way!