Yogurtsoda

Posted on April 23, 2018

Maokong is techically part of Taipei but it feels like another world. The area used to be the biggest region for growing tea around Taipei and today that tea culture is evident, and Maokong is filled with teahouses, hiking paths, and temples along the way.

We took a four-kilometer gondola from Taipei Zoo station all the way up to Maokong station. Once we were in Maokong, we meandered through the picturesque hiking trails, stopping for a snack here and there. Douhua (sweet and soft tofu pudding) with crushed ice, grilled baby corn, fried sweet potatoes, and squid balls from street vendors kept us happily satiated along the way.

On our way back down towards Taipei central, we stopped at Zhinan Temple, a Taoist temple on the slopes of Houshan. Founded in 1882, the temple afforded incredible views into Taipei.

By the time we got back to Taipei Zoo station, we couldn’t resist the siren song of a freshly-made pineapple smoothie to beat the stifling heat.

For our last dinner in Taipei, we enjoyed a delicious meal at Li Yuan Dumplings: xiaolongbao, salt and pepper tofu, stir-fried chili chicken and mushrooms, and greens in dashi and citrus dressing. A fitting end to a delicious, memorable trip.

Taiwan, don’t ever change.

Posted on April 19, 2018

What do you do when you’re in Taipei and craving fresh fish? Eat sushi! That’s right. Taiwan is a former colony of Japan, and it’s got a bit of a complicated love affair going on with its former colonizer: Japanese influence abounds throughout the island and local sushi, ramen, and onigiri are ubiquitous (and of excellent quality).

But first, a quick note about breakfast. We stayed at the Les Suites Hotel, a centrally located boutique hotel just a few steps away from the Nanjing Fuxing MRT station. The service was warm and the highlight was the daily breakfast: a cornucopia of congee, preserved eggs, dumplings, fresh vegetables, and all manner of pickled things. Now that’s my kind of breakfast.

But back to the sushi. Addiction Aquatic Development is a modern seafood market meets sushi bar meets seafood restaurant meets hot pot meets…well, you get the picture. There are fruits and flowers and all kinds of other pretty things on sale, but the main attraction is the sushi. We started with an appetizer of uni with Japanese yam before moving on to kampyo, otoro, cured roe, tuna, steak, and salmon roe sushi.

All that sushi called for a plum tea with basil seeds at Comebuy. Hey, basil seeds are good for digestion so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

We spent the rest of the afternoon exploring MAJI Square, a design-centric marketplace housing local artisans, creative vendors, and an array fo food stalls. We snacked on a pleasantly sweet and super QQ snack of cold tofu with taro and grass jelly at TOFU Meets Tea before taking the MRT to Ximending for an evening stroll in the rain. We capped off our evening with a warming meal of spicy Mongolian hot pot.

From sushi to hot pot and everything in between, Taipei has it all.

Posted on April 18, 2018

After our day trip to Jiufen and Shifen, we stayed in central Taipei to visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

The square includes the National Concert Hall and the National Theater, with the Memorial Hall as the focal point. Its roof is blue and octagonal, a shape that represents the number eight, traditionally associated in East Asia with good fortune.

We were hungry after all that exploring, so we set out to find lunch. Here’s the part where I ask you to not judge me: we went back to Din Tai Fung. I know! So many incredible restaurants in Taipei and yet we went back for an encore. And what an encore it was.

Of course we got the truffle xiaolongbao again. The mildly flavored steamed fish dumplings were a perfect contrast. The noodles with spicy sesame and peanut sauce were hard to stop slurping. That noodle texture! But the surprise here was the stir-fried amaranth greens with yuba. I’ve never had amaranth greens before and loved their mellow flavor and hearty texture. Ever since I tried this dish I’ve been looking for amaranth greens to cook with in California.

Afterwards, we spent a couple of hours browsing through the endless streets of Wufenpu, Taipei’s gigantic wholesale shopping district. We walked for miles and I don’t think we even covered half of the little shops, although dodged more than a few (friendly) motorbikes along the crowded alleyways stacked with the latest fashions.

We eventually made our way to Raohe Street Night Market, sipping on sugar cane juice and sampling grilled meats from vendors as we went. The real standout though? This humble looking black pepper bun. Filled with the juiciest, onioniest meat, the bread is crispy yet chewy, and the pepper flavor lingers pleasantly. Located right at the beginning of the market, these buns alone are worth the trip to the market.