Taiwan (Taipei/Taichung 6D5N): Taipei City Stroll

TAIPEI

05-08.09.2018

ACCOMMODATION

our stay experience with Airbnb.

a cosy blue ocean look in de room which fitted perfectly (and max) for 2. this place has it all (except for liquid toiletries), great location, with just a short walking distance from MRT Xinyi Anhe and was surrounded by shops and restaurants. however, this place may not be good for those who are prone to allergies as de small bedroom has a limited space (a general lack of ventilation in a small area). adding to de downside is de soundproofing of de window although de room is relatively quiet due to its location in a back street. it was overall a decent stay with moderate cleanliness. we recommend this place to those who are on de go and just need a place to sleep.

HA Ocean Suite

Self check-in/smartlock code (with detailed instructions) 
Private room with ensuite 
MYR159++ per night

free wifi

CITY STROLL

#1 Taipei 101 (MRT Taipei 101/World Trade Centre )

this was my first time to Taipei but sorry to say I wasn't impressed by it. de building appearance looked a little old and worn down in de city. it was nice to be reminded that this city was a slightly better version of HK because it was overall clean. just had a stroll in de shopping mall of Taipei 101 and took a picture of this building from a strategic location. besides being an architectural landmark in Taipei, you find luxurious goods in this upscaled mall and nothing more. dislike bad selling de pushy sales at counter and some sales persons even actively approach any passersby (am I not in Taiwan?). no point coming back again unless with a purpose. we did not head up to de observation deck at 91st floor due to time restriction.

#2 National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall 中正紀念堂 (MRT Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall)

this attraction is located just steps away from de MRT. admission is free and if you enjoy witnessing blend of history with cultural sights, do visit this place. there is a changing of de guard ceremony going on every hour between 9 am to 5 pm. try to arrive at de right time and be impressed with their effort and discipline in putting up a super slow motion of marching.

Liberty Square 自由廣場.

de area was currently undergoing construction activities (just too bad).  

de 89 steps leading up to de statue of Chiang Kai-Shek represents his age at de time of death. de stair is long but you will be rewarded by a nice view from de top of this memorial. 

witnessing de changing of de guard at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.

look up and look at de ceiling is designed to resemble de national flag of Taiwan. here you will see de bronze statue of Chiang Kai-Shek, former President of the Republic of China. de basement is a museum which is easy to miss (and we missed it!) to help you to learn and understand Taiwan's history.

#3 Ximending 西門町 (MRT Ximen)

it wouldn't be a visit to Taipei if you have not come to Ximending. this place is bustling with crowds especially de youngsters and tourists. here you will find everything from food, drinks, souvenirs, and shopping.  

happily lose your money to claw machines.

there were dozens of brightly lit claw machines in Ximending which probably wanting to attract you to play their games. god knows we were hooked to this claw 'hype' (NT$ 10 per attempt) partly because de plush toys in de boxes were cute and looked original. he succeeded grabbing 2 plushies after numerous attempts (for fun me). but we did not regret de experience, which was fun!

STREET EATS

#1 Ximen Jin Feng 西門金峰 (MRT Ximen)

"Lu Rou Fan" (魯肉飯), is one of de Taiwanese staples which consists of a simple combination of white rice topped with braised minced pork. while you can get Lu Rou Fan at countless restaurants throughout Taipei, possibly de most famous restaurant (and frequent by de youngsters according to a local taxi driver) is Jin Feng. along with serving braised pork, you can order brain soup if you like innards or odd cuts like him. you guessed it - pigs' brain soup. I'm not into adventurous eating for pigs' brain, but de soup tasted just like an ordinary soup. he said de brain was fresh, maybe something like hmmm.. foie gras?

#2 Thumb Homemade Flaky Scallion Pancake 大姆哥手工蔥抓餅 (MRT Ximen)

if you're looking for more street eats, scallion pancake is also a popular choice. we have tried de original scallion pancake from Thumb Homemade. other choices such as egg, egg with cheese, black pepper pork chop, beef and chicken and etc were available. much like Roti Canai, but more layered and flaky. not something to go crazy over but you can still try. picture on right is guava (Taiwanese refer as "bala" 芭樂), cut up into cubes that is amazingly sweet and crunchy. guava is de remarkable fruit that you must try when you visit Taiwan!

#3 Convenience stores
7-11, Family Mart, Hi-Life and OK-Mart, you can find these convenience stores almost everywhere. be sure you pay at least a visit and pick up some local drinks or snacks from these stores! we particularly like to frequent 7-11 for no reason.

i. Ruisui fresh milk 瑞穗鮮乳
ii. Uni-President watermelon milk 统一西瓜牛乳
iii. Uni-President papaya milk 统一木瓜牛乳 ---recommended
for papaya milk, we prefer Uni-President over Kuang Chuan (光泉). Ruisui milk wasn't my cup of tea. de sweet taste of milk just confusingly being sugary sweet.

#4 Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿 (MRT Shandao Temple)

we were just tempted to join de line to taste what de fuss was all about this Taiwanese style breakfast. de queue didn't end on ground floor, instead it continued to de stairs and ended in a food court at second floor. there would be at least a 30-minute wait.

we ordered soy milk (豆漿) (hot and cold), fried dough stick or "Youtiau" (油條), egg pancake (蛋饼), and a thick flatbread with egg (厚饼夹蛋). good breakfast, but nothing mind-blowing to warrant in a long queue unless you don't mind to wait. we didn't opt for de savoury soy milk (鹹豆漿) because we were not a fan of it. Youtiau was gigantic but a tad on de greasy side. egg pancake mimicked Roti Telur, but with a more oily, chewy texture. overall, we would recommend thick flatbread with egg. having Youtiau eaten with soy milk is something most Malaysians do not practice because we normally eat Youtiau with coffee (3 in 1) alongside soy milk (yes we have this option too!) and congee. always happy with Malaysia for its diverse plethora of food.

#5 Hao Ji Dan Zai Noodles (好記担仔麺) (MRT Songjiang Nanjing)

this is one of de popular restaurants that is known to serve authentic Taiwanese food. they preserved de traditional food ordering system so you find food made and displayed with price tags outside de restaurant. you do not have to scroll through list of items to order things you want and this also make easier for those who can't read Chinese.

toppings were a slice of cha-shu pork, a boiled shrimp, and minced pork (肉燥 "rou-zao"). 

"Dan Zai Mian" (担仔麺) is a traditional food originated from South of Taiwan. they, including other side dishes, were served in small portions and meant to complement each other. similar to our prawn noodles, it has curly yellow noodles cooked on de soft side but was likely to come with a milder taste. many reviews have mentioned that it has clear soup with very little oil but I felt it was too oily for my liking. it is de signature dish but honestly I find it hard to appreciate this soulless bowl. de pervasive smell of liver and pigs' intestines, on de other hand, almost gave me a heart attack but that didn't bother him much (and taste good to him). we have a clash of opinions so we guess you can make your own choice.

#6 Coffee Spot

1. The Lobby of Simple Kaffa 興波咖啡 (MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua)

recommended by de boy and also home of 2016 World Barista Champion, we were eager to check out de coffee at Simple Kaffa. 

this hidden cafe is located at de basement of Hotel V.

we took some time to decide what to drink because there were many choices in de menu. every coffee has a detailed description that made choosing became very difficult (you probably need assistance). we tried latte and a 1+1 (same espresso extraction, half made espresso, with another half espresso right after cappuccino). not really a pro to evaluate de coffee standard, but de taste of coffee was rich and aromatic. we picked up de wrong dessert (Geisha pound cake) and regretted not getting de Matcha roll though. a place recommended for coffee lover.

2. Fong Da Coffee 蜂大咖啡 (MRT Ximen)

it was a pure coincidence for us to pick up our daily fix and some traditional snacks from de oldest cafe in Taipei. established in 1956, little did we know that Fong Da was quite a phenomenon back in those days because it was famous for introducing iced coffee to Taiwan. surprised to see this cafe lacks de pleasant atmosphere or friendliness of Taiwanese people (what is worse than HK?), but do give a try on their signature iced coffee (too bad we missed it!) and enjoy de charm of their vintage equipments. a vast choice of coffee beans is also available in Fong Da for you to take home.

3. Cama Cafe 現烘咖啡專門店 (Changchun Rd.) (MRT Nanjing Fuxing)

Cama Cafe has several outlets in Taipei City and across Taiwan. if you plan to visit a coffee chain, honestly this cafe would be a better option if compared to 85 Cafe or Starbucks. we spent quite a bit of time here before our next pit stop due to bad weather (since morning!). overall, decent coffee with affordable price. de environment could be improved if air conditioners were better. suggest to grab-and-go your coffee due to limited seating.

4. Hogan Bakery 哈肯舖 (Xinyi Rd.) (MRT Xinyi Anhe)

(bottom right):

i. Shredded dried pork bread 卷毛獅子王 NT$ 40

(from left and clockwise):
ii. Golden sweet potato ball 黃金地瓜燒 NT$ 10/piece ---recommended

iii. Russian bread 黃金號角 NT$ 38 

iv. Cinnamon sugar bread (contains alcohol) 肉桂小太陽 NT$ 28 ---recommended

v. Cheese & sausage roll 起司熱狗捲 NT$ 50

here they offer more bread selections and what is more important is that they are not alcohol-free. we have tried some varieties that we couldn't get in Malaysia. I have to agree that franchising is always inferior to de original.

#7 Shilin Night Market 士林夜市 (MRT Jiantan)

undoubtedly this is de most well known night market in Taipei and as such, de street food that you see is expected to be a little more expensive. de best way to sample food is to check out street view and do your googling first if you have a limited stomach capacity.

you can find a wide range of street foods alongside vivid crowd scenes on de street. however, it wasn't quite a memorable experience probably due to de fact that these foods weren't particularly special to us (we have night markets popping up with Taiwan, Korean, Vietnam, Thai foods and etc. in Malaysia). for similar food, I hardly taste any differences what de fuss over de grilled king oyster mushrooms?. anyway, if you were to buy something from de fruit stalls, I would suggest that you ask for de price first before you buy. I think they charged about twice de price for guava, not sure if I was overcharged but this was absolutely jaw-dropping. not my kind of place, perhaps de Nike outlet nearby would be more attractive?

to read more on our Taiwan travel (Taipei/Taichung), visit Taiwan (Taipei/Taichung 6D5N): Sun Moon Lake

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