taiwanese/night market: i strongly recommend LONGSHAN TEMPLE street eats

LONGSHAN TEMPLE STREET EATS
Guangzhou and Xichang Streets

$

Kid friendliness: Not as crowded as some of the other night markets. Lots to eat.

Visit reviewed: 12/27/2008



I rarely get out to this part of Taipei, so it was an adventure eating around Longshan Temple with my aunt and cousins. She led the way and we followed, so forgive me if the descriptions of where and what are a little bit meandering.

We ate a lot of classic Taiwanese street eats that you can find at most night markets- sausages, ba-wan, squid vermicelli, stinky tofu- but had to go to different streets and stores to get it- which might be more confusing if you aren't familiar with the area. It's not a localized one stop all under one roof like Shih Lin Night Market or one way long street like Rao He Night Market, but if you have time to explore, you can find some delicious and unique snacks like the peanut brittle ice cream wrap with cilantro.

If you are especially adventurous, you can go to Snake Alley, where you can drink snake's blood or see caged up snakes and other weird things. See what this Taipei Times writer had to say about the area.

First stop: Sausages or "hsiang chang"- strongly recommended



If you are standing with 85 Degrees C Cafe behind you outside the MRT Station stop, you'll spot a little vendor across the street to the left grilling sausages. Taiwanese sausages are slightly sweet, sometimes served in a sticky rice bun, often served on a stick.



If you can spot this vendor, pick up a stick for NT$25.



Second stop: Ba-wan - recommended



After we picked up our sausages to go, we headed down the alley adjacent to 85 Degrees C and ended up a small shop that sold ba-wan and got it to-go. "Ba-wan" (NT$35) is a hockey puck sized snack with a thick glutunous rice skin and diced meat and bamboo inside. It's often topped with a sweet red or brown sauce that completes the taste, although the whole thing is kind of mysterious.



It's fried in a vat of oil, but it isn't crispy. It's also steamed, but most times you'll it fried and then the oil squeezed out.



Third stop: HSIANG JIA CHI YU MI FUN



Originally I thought this was squid rice noodle soup, but after asking a friend to translate, it turns out it was swordfish rice noodle soup (NT$30)! Or pronounced "chi yu mi fun tang." I thought it was decent, but not something that I'd seek out. They wanted to order some other stuff, but they were sold out.



There's an assortment of other things available, but it's hard to tell what if you don't read Chinese. The restaurant was also not very happy to see that we brought ba-wan from another store (although they don't sell it themselves), but still let us eat it there and asked us not to bring over other stuff again. I liked the ba-wan better than the rice noodle, and the ba-wan just above average.



Fourth stop: Stinky tofu or "cho do fu"



After we ate, we ended up walking around the empty night market area where they sold clothes, dvds/cds, jewelry and other things. I picked up some stinky tofu (NT$40) to go and it was hot crispy and came with a side of pickled cabbage. I think there was a time when I was a kid that I didn't like stinky tofu, but I've come to be quite fond of it. I can only eat it fried though- I still can't eat the regular stinky tofu.




After we had walked through this section, we crossed the street and I took a picture of the signs so I would remember what intersection it was!





Fifth stop: SHAVED ICE or "chua bing"



The shaved ice shop was pretty busy- with the right side serving shaved ice and the left side serving hot desserts, such as red bean soup.




Somehow I wasn't crazy about the shaved ice. Part of the reason I love shaved ice to eat the condensed sweetened milk on top of the ice and I guess it landed on top of the toppings instead of the ice and quickly became mush.

Speaking of mush, I had never seen this before, but apparently Oatmeal Shaved Ice (or "Mai Jiao Chua Bing" is another variety of popular shaved ice. I tried a bite, but I just couldn't get into it.






The sign says they've been around since 1920 and this area is one of the older areas of Taipei. I didn't know this until doing some reading online, but you can sort of feel the difference, as the other night markets just have different energy. Even outside the MRT station, you can spot various older locals hanging around and random city signs prohibiting a laundry list of things.



Some are kind of amusing, like "No private desks or chairs," but others like "No urinating" are just kind of gross. The nearby Snake Alley is a famous tourist spot, but has reportedly been "cleaned up"- although from my memory of going over 9 years ago, it's a bit scuzzy and creepy. I think I remember seeing a roasted bat on a stick among things like the poor snakes in cages, as well as hearing that the nearby seedy area was considered the Red Light District.



Sixth stop: Peanut and ice cream wrap or "hua shen bing"- strongly recommend

And last but definitely not least, we ate the peanut brittle shavings and ice cream wrap. I almost didn't get it since I was so full, but I'm glad I did. It was a million times better than the shaved ice and more unique as well.



Read the full review here.

So that's Longshan Temple street eats. Exploring the area is an adventure in itself. Anyone have any other recs for the area?

taiwanese/dessert: i strongly recommend PEANUT WRAP WITH ICE CREAM

PEANUT BRITTLE SHAVINGS WRAP WITH ICE CREAM
near Longshan Temple
Guangzhou Street and Xichang Street

nearest MRT: Longshan Temple

$

Kid friendliness: might be messier than a cone, but there is a plastic bag to hold it all in

Visit reviewed: 11/27/2008



Peanut brittle shavings + ice cream + cilantro + spring roll wrapper = deliciousness

This is one of the weirdest things I've found as a Taiwanese street eat- maybe because I grew up familiar with smells, sights and tastes of oyster omelettes, stinky tofu, shaved ice or oyster vermicelli with pig intestines, pig's blood on a stick so that those things are all part of my encyclopedia of Taiwanese food and therefore no longer weird to me.

But who would have ever thought to come up with shaving a huge block of peanut brittle, sticking it inside a thin crepe-like wrap with pineapple, taro and peanut ice cream, and then sprinkling it with cilantro? But guess what, it actually works and after eating it I kept thinking about it for days.

I had heard about it before after someone asked me about it through the blog, but it was my first time seeing it in person. If you run across it in other places (I've heard Danshui), let us know where. In Chinese, it's called "Hua shen bing" as a sweet counterpart to the "run bing" which you might have seen.

First, I don't know if this is the permanent spot for the vendor, but I found it in front of this restaurant called "Xi Jiou Ah Jiou Lu Riou Fan" or roughly translated "Four Corner Mr. Nine Braised Meat Rice" on Guangzhou Street.




One wrap is only NT$35 or you could get it without the ice cream for NT$25, but I definitely recommend it with the ice cream.



They shave this huge block of peanut brittle with a wooden thing and then put the shavings on top of the wrap.



They offer pineapple, taro and peanut and you get three scoops and get to choose. We got one of each, but next time, I would just get pineapple with more cilantro. The tartness went well with the sweetness and flakiness of the carmelized peanuts and fragrant cilantro. The peanut and taro flavors were not as strong. You can get it without the cilantro too, but it wouldn't be the same- I guess the most similar flavors I could liken it to is when you have cilantro in mango or pineapple salsa. Same thing, right?



You get it all wrapped up and it looks like a run bing or spring roll. Eat it fast though the ice cream didn't really melt as fast as I thought it might.



Mmmm. You can spy the tiny bit of cilantro on the side as we asked for less cilantro in case we didn't like it all together. The peanut brittle shavings are definitely much better than just ground peanuts with sugar which is found in quite a few Taiwanese street eats like run bing and gua bao because it has a crystal like texture that is a great contrast to the softness of the ice cream. I guess you could call it a dessert crepe or burrito or spring roll.



Look for part 2 of this night in a separate blog- more of street eats near Longshan Temple!


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happy new year!

Happy New Year!

Even though the 2008 New Year's Eve fireworks were not as jaw dropping as previous years (I think if they had just made the finale more final, then it would have been more memorable), it's still a sight to see fireworks spiraling off Taipei 101. Even more of a sight is all the people who come out and crowd the streets into the wee hours of the new year.

It's been amazing to grow this blog with you guys and I look forward to 2009 being another year of good eats, new discoveries, more readers and comments, but with less weight gained. LOL.



In Taiwan, the new year festivities continue on to Chinese New Year which is at the end of January/beginning of February. This is the year of the Ox, which is "the sign of prosperity through fortitude and hard work," according to Wikipedia.

So I should get cracking. I finally uploaded all the pictures and tabulated the "Best Of" readers poll, so there will be some new posts in the coming weeks. Here are some of the places that are on my permanent to-do list.. maybe if I declare them here, it'll set a deadline for me to write them up quicker, rather than having post holiday writer's block when looking at the pictures.

-Peanut, cilantro and ice cream wrap and street eats near Longshan Temple
-Famous Larry's New Year Pizza
-Tenpura Sanuki Udon revisited (it moved from Xinyi Vieshow to Bistro 98!)
-Chao Ping Ji dim sum at San Want Hotel
-Ramen Kagetsu Arashi at Xinyi Vieshow
-Tripod King Spicy Hotpot (Ding Won)
-Ding Won (but not Tripod King) Spicy Hotpot
-Curry Champ
-El Gallo
-Crown & Fancy Bakery
-Chia Chia Steak
-Sukhothai at Sheraton Taipei
-Patara revisted (now called Patio)
-Big Tom Ice Cream
-Cheesecakes from Howard Plaza
-Stinky tofu and Street eats in Shihlin
-Beef Noodle Soup in Kaohsiung
-Hong Kong restaurants and dim sum
-Yong He Dou Jiang

I was sad to hear someone post that Mamm Goz has closed? I'm sad... wish I had a chance to eat there again before they closed. The last time I went there was in April 2008. Does anyone know why?

my kitchen: mini-Oreo cheesecakes

Merry Christmukkah to everyone- hope you are having a great holiday with your loved ones where ever you are reading from. In Taipei, there is definitely a lot of decorations and trees and lights, but I think it's still harder to "celebrate" Christmas since most people don't really get the day off and if everyone has to go to work like any other day, then it's not really a holiday.

But to go along with my little tree and lights, Costco Christmas cards and holiday plans, I decided to try and bake some Mini-Oreo Cheesecakes for the first time!



I found a few recipes on the web, picked the most basic one (cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, lemon, eggs, Oreos) and tried it out! I grew up eating my mom's mini cheesecakes w/ Nilla Wafers as the crust, but instead of trying to figure out where I could find those in Taipei, I just used Oreos.



First off, why doesn't JASON's Supermarket at 101 or the supermarket at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi not have Philly's Cream Cheese? Boo!



Second, don't forget to put a little "water bath" under your cheesecake so it will come out nice and smooth and not crack!

The first attempt, I swirled the oreos inside the cream cheese, didn't have the cream cheese soften completely, and forgot about the water bath and it doesn't look as pretty. The second attempt, I left it, added lemon, a bit more sugar, and put the water bath and it definitely does taste moister and look better!


lumpier, but still tasty!

Just twist off the Oreos and use as the base for your cheesecake cupcakes- it's not as wide as the base, but still works!


surprise at the bottom

If anyone wants the recipe, I can post in detail... now I gotta run to the gym to burn off some the calories from yesterday's party!

ADDED 12/2010: A little late, but here is the recipe! :)

MINI OREO CHEESECAKES

12 Oreo cookies
2 (8 ounce) packages Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2/3 cup white sugar

DIRECTIONS
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2.Line muffin tins with 12 paper baking cups. Place a half of an Oreo in each one.
3.In a medium mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. If cream cheese is not softened, then microwave a little bit before mixing. Add eggs, lemon juice, and sugar. Beat until smooth and thoroughly combined.
4.Fill each baking cup 2/3 full with cream cheese mixture.
5.Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. If you can, put a water bath underneath so that the tops don't brown.
6. Cool cupcakes at room temperature and then in fridge overnight or a few hours. Break up Oreos in pieces to use to decorate on top.

chinese/bakery: i recommend LANE 216 MANTOU and BAOZI

Bao Zi
No. 1, Alley 40, Lane 216, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4
(02) 27523687

Lao Guh Tsui Jien Bao

hours: 8 AM - 9 PM

$

Visit reviewed: 10-22-2008


bao zi

You can always pick up a hot steaming bun at the 7-11's around Taipei, but for even more selections and freshness, you should definitely wander over to Lane 216. There you'll find a whole street corner with various vendors selling steamed buns of various sizes, shapes, fillings- huge hot sesame paste or red bean buns for only NT$18, or pan seared meat and vegetable buns for NT$12.

It's pretty impressive to see all the various trays of baozi and bags of mantou surrounding that little corner of the street. It might be a bit confusing for a novice because the signs are all in Chinese and there is actually a lot to choose from- basically a "bao" or "baozi" is a steamed bun filled with something inside, usually ground meat or chopped vegetables, or something sweet; a "mantou" is a steamed bun without a filling- a dense yet fluffy bread; a "tsui jien bao" is the bao with a pan-fried coating on the bottom, usually savory, not sweet.


man tou

There's often a line of shoppers, but the wait is not long. Sometimes the shop is sold out of various items by the end of the day, or you have to wait 5-10 minutes while the new ones are steamed. I bought a few of the huge bao zi, filled with red bean and a bag of mini-mantou that were different colors.



Just a few steps away is Lao Guh Tsui Jien Bao- which are slightly smaller and cheaper at NT$12, with only 4 different types to choose from.



This is a favorite of mine from my memories of first having them at the Shih Lin Night market. These might not be as crispy if they've been sitting out (and they are MUCH better crispy), but I like the cabbage ("gao li tsai") and meat ("zhou bao") fillings. There's also chopped Chinese leek ("jiou tsai") which is like a cousin to a spring onion.



The best way to figure out what you like it to order a few different kinds and then you'll know generally which kind you like and which kind you don't, even though each place will make it slightly differently.

I definitely want to explore this corner again and take some pics of the actual baozi and mantou before I eat them on the way home.

news/taiwan: HELLO KITTY HOSPITAL

awwww

Not food related, but for those pregnant hungry girls in Taiwan, you can consider trekking to Yuanlin, Taiwan to have your baby blanketed in Hello Kitty from the moment he or she is born. I had heard of Hello Kitty themed "one month rest" places, Hello Kitty-fied airline flights, but this is the first of an actual hospital that is authorized by Sanrio. Even the birth certificate will have a HK cover.

Director Tsai Tsung-chi said he hopes the white, mouthless cat that is one of the world's most recognizable characters will ease the pain and fear associated with childbirth and being admitted into hospital.

"I wish that everyone who comes here, mothers who suffer while giving birth and children who suffer from an illness, can get medical care while seeing these kitties and bring a smile to their faces, helping forget about discomfort and recover faster," he told Reuters.

Check out the whole Reuters story here

It would be awesome if the hospital food was cute HK bentos and cakes! LOL

Of course, if you are in need of a Hello Kitty fix in Taipei, you can check out the Hello Kitty Sweets cafe (though while the decor and cakes are cute, I've heard that the food and service aren't that great) or the 7-11's or McD's often has cute Hello Kitty merchandise.

taiwanese/snack: JI KWONG HSIANG HSIANG JI

JI KWONG HSIANG HSIANG JI
(or Ji Kwong Fragrant Chicken)
No. 2, Lane 49, Chung Hsiao E Road, Sec 4
(near SOGO)
To order delivery：0966395551

website: nolssg.com.tw

hours: 11 AM- 10:30PM (not sure about this)

$

Kid friendliness: some of the pieces have cartilage and bone so be careful with smaller kids.

Visit reviewed: 10/15/2008



One of the best things about Taipei is that you can find street vendors around everywhere- some have regular spots that you can find them, others are tucked into alleys near busy shopping areas for hungry shoppers or students on the go. Ji Kwong Hsiang Hsiang Ji is near Sogo, right near TGIF and you can often smell the fried chicken calling you from afar- thus the name "Hsiang Hsiang" or Fragrant.

My friend wanted to pick some up after an afternoon of running errands at Sogo and I'd never had it before so I was definitely interested. A line quickly formed after we ordered, as they pour the battered chopped up chicken into the fryer to order. After they fry it up, they have a giant scooper to scoop it into the cooling area and then sprinkle mysterious salt powder (probably top secret spices) onto the chicken- and ask if you want it spicy.



A small bag is NT$55 and the large bag is NT$100. Inside are crispy nugget-like pieces that you can stick with the giant toothpicks that they give out.



Be warned though, the spicy is pretty spicy.. just because they sprinkle the spices on the chicken before they scoop it in the bag and it's unevenly spread out. Powdered spices concentrated on more pieces than others. I couldn't really eat any more after a couple pieces. Also the chicken pieces have cartiledge or bone chunks so I found that annoying when I was eating the chicken. I'd rather eat the large flat fried chicken instead.

There's other locations across Taipei listed on their website.. I'll translate the locations when I have time.

not taipei: Hong Kong recs?

hi everyone! I'm headed to Hong Kong tomorrow so I need some recommendations for Must Eats! Can be any kind of food or any good food blogs.

Also, thanks for the rush of new votes for the Reader's Choice.. it's great for those people campaigning for their very favorite restaurant, but share some of your other favorites, will ya? Otherwise I won't know if it's the same anonymous person just voting 10 times over.

Man, I have a sudden craving for pizza. I don't know why...