7 nights in Taipei and Danshui: 7-14 Jan 2012

In march last year we  decided that Taiwan would be one of those places that we had to visit. Mostly because he convinced me the food there would be so amazing it would blow my mind to the moon and back, and beyond.

I’d been there previously with my mom and aunts for a distant cousin’s wedding, and since they (mom and aunts) weren’t the night market types, we didn’t have much, if any street food.

Boo on the other hand, had had loads of street food from his last trip as an army boy (xin guang bu dui – he wore it like a proud badge and told anyone who would listen. Usually the sales people who would ask if you’ve ever been to Taiwan as a conversation starter) and held many fond memories of them. Everytime we walked past a stall in the foodcourt (in Singapore) selling zha ji pa (deep fried chicken cutlet), he’d tell me how it was so amazingly awesome in Taipei. He also introduced me to rou song dan bing (egg rolled pancake with pork floss) from that stall in the basement of Far East Plaza – truly yums, and was one of the things I was looking forward to trying in Taipei. Sadly we didn’t see it anywhere, which boggled me. Was this one of those things that had been localised for Singaporeans? Like how you’d never find Singapore fried noodles in Singapore?

By April 2011, I had got our tickets booked. Way early but I love planning holidays, and it’s doubly exciting when I know I’ve scored a good deal on flights and/or hotels, or found some uber amazing place with the most incredible food to try.

The trip started out great because: (i) it’s the first holiday in a long time for the both of us where we didn’t have to bring work along; (ii) it was a decent length; (iii) we didn’t have to return home past midnight and drag our asses in to work immediately the next day. It felt like a right and proper holiday.

The only thing that had us worried was the weather. It was the middle of the winter, so we knew it would be cold which was great – coming from Singapore where the only weather we get is hot and humid or very hot and humid, with the occasional ponding affair along Orchard Road, anything different is enough to get us excited – but the forecast also predicted rain, everyday. This was a concern because we were planning to spend our nights visiting the various night markets, and they were all open air. After our first encounter with what they call ‘rain’ however, we realised we needn’t have worried. The rain in Taipei is really fine (tiny little droplets you barely notice), and clears up in a matter of minutes.

Highlights of our trip in pictures and captions.

Our first night in Taipei. Dinner at a tiny cafe located in one of Ximending’s back alleys.

One quick snap every morning before we head out. 

Food adventure in Taipei: Shilin Night Market

Shilin night market is undoubtedly one of Taipei’s most famous night markets and from what we saw, had a good mix of tourists and locals.

We were in the Tienmu area, so decided to take a bus down – our first bus ride in Taipei, excluding the ride in from the airport. But if you’re taking the MRT, the nearest station is Jiantan station, not Shilin.

After alighting from the bus, we had to walk through a little dark alleyway to get to the main Shilin night market area.

Food adventure in Taipei: Ah Ji Shi at Shidong market

Today we went exploring a little off the usual touristy places for food. I completely adore Japanese food, and so of course no holiday of mine is complete without a satisfying meal of fresh sashimi and sushi, especially when in such close proximity to Japan.

I did my research online whilst planning our itinerary and found this sushi bar – Ah Ji Shi in Shidong market.

Shidong market is an indoor wet market, a short taxi or bus ride away from Shi Pai station. We had initially planned to take the bus from the train station, but after a 15min wait in the glaring sun, we thought better of it and hailed a cab. A rumbly tummy does not a happy girlfriend make, and Boo knows this better than anyone.

Food adventure in Taipei: Exploring Ximending

We spent the night roaming the streets of Ximending, a short 5minute walk away from our hotel.

I had expected a night market atmosphere, similar to the Raohe night market we went to yesterday but it wasn’t quite so.

Ximending has a vibe, similar to the back alley shopping areas of Shibuya and Shinjuku of Tokyo, except a little less quirky, and dotted with sporadic stalls of street food that seemed intent on migrating every hour or so to a different location. I suppose to go where the crowd was.

Food adventure in Taipei: The original Din Tai Fung

Just about everyone said a visit to the original Din Tai Fung outlet along Xin Yi road in Taipei is a must-do. So of course, I made it a point to include it in our itinerary.

My research pre-trip said Da An was the nearest MRT station, but 15minutes into our walk, we started to get the feeling that it wasn’t. Undeterred we kept on going, surely good food was worth a little effort, wasn’t it.

Finally, in the distance, we spotted a whole horde of tourists gathered outside a tiny shop and figured that must be it. We were right.