This week, I led two friends on a food tour of Taipei. I believe everyone has their personal favourite spots in this lovely city. I'm sharing mine with my friends in the hope that they'll enjoy Taiwan as much as I do. This first post is about all the delicous food that I loved on this trip.
Thu 29 Jan. Afternoon of arrival and we were famished! We headed straight for Yong Kang Beef Noodles. The shop dates back to 1963, and made it to the Bib Gourmand list only once - in 2018.
Came across a queue for Tianjin Scallion Pancakes 天津葱抓饼 and fell in line quite naturally. We opted for the basil + egg filling.
Also voluntarily joined a queue for nougat crackers (see my next post).
Fri 30 Jan. Got my friends to try Taiwanese zhi char, which is known as rechao / hot stir-fry / 热炒 in Taiwan, rechao dishes that are almost always baptized by fire—tossed and turned in giant woks. Speed is a noted feature of the cooking experience, and the food—salty, with multiple layers of umami—is designed to pair well with alcohol. I googled "Taipei rechao street "台北热炒一条街" and a few restaurants came up. I chose this one named Lin Yang Gang 临洋港 that came with a 4.1 rating. We enjoyed every dish.
We ate a couple of vegetables that we don't have in Singapore, like WaWa 娃娃菜 and ShanSu 山苏. The next day at Dongmen Market we saw them! I'll show them to you in my next post.
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| This photo was taken in 2017. |
Sat 31 Jan. Brought my friends to Nanmen Market 南门市场 to watch what the locals buy for Chinese New Year. Then lunch at Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰卤肉饭. When I was in Taipei a few years ago, a local friend recommended it to me.
As we left the market behind us, we spotted this line in front of Zhenwei Pepper Bun 瑧味胡椒饼 and the darn "See Queue Must Join" Syndrome struck us once more. Our second pork pie of the day. Frankly, I'm quite porked out.
I got my Strawberry Daifuku!!! A moment of happiness. And that, my friends, is really all that mattered.
Sat 31 Jan. Dinner was at Tanuki Robatayaki 狸炉端烧 on 林森北路, an Izayaki I had picked just because I like the look of the place. Very grateful to my two friends who came along for the walk, despite the rain. The food was great and the service impeccable. We experienced authentic Japanese robatayaki service without travelling to Japan. My friends now know that in Taiwan, you don't need to be in a properly "fish" restaurant to eat fresh sashimi.
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Sun 1 Feb. We were at Dihua Street, Dadaocheng to catch the Chinese New Year Festival vibes. Came upon Du Hsiao Yueh Dan Zai Noodles 度小月担仔面.
Getting through a slow month. "Du Xiaoyue" originates from Tainan, Taiwan, and means "to get through a slow month (small month 小月) in business." In 1895, the head of the Hung family was unable to go out to sea during the off-season due to unfavorable sea conditions. To support his family, he switched to selling danzai noodles. Because he persevered through the difficult period, it became a classic noodle brand that has lasted for over a century. Now, it is often used to refer to operating during the off-season and getting through difficulties.
Sun 1 Feb. At Cabbage Rice & Pork Rib Soup 灶頂原汁排骨汤高丽菜饭 for dinner. This family-run business is recommended by Bib Gourmand for five consecutive years. Such an unpretentious tiny place! It isn't even a shop. Just a shack housed between two buildings. People are bowed over by their Original Pork Rib Soup. What I loved is the cabbage rice! There it sat on the counter, looking thoroughly unassuming. Yet there is something very comforting about the simple, old-fashioned dish that emphasises on the original sweetness of the ingredients.
My friend Serena, wrote home about it that very night. Her aunt, who is part of her family chat group, immediately set upon finding the right recipe to replicate it. In my opinion, the simplier the dish, the harder it is to replicate. We tend to complicate matters - recipes will tell us we need to fry up the ingredients first, add dried shrimp, add mushroom, add lard etc - thereby ruining a perfectly original dish.
Mon 2 Feb. Breakfast at Daqiaotou Tube Rice Pudding 大桥头筒仔米糕, Yanping North Road. We had intended to join a Day Tour but changed our minds. With time on our hands, we travelled five stops on the MRT to this little shop that was established in 1973. Yes, it has received Bib Gourmand recognition. The location of this shop is just a stone's throw from the Cabbage Rice (above). It opens from 7AM to 4PM. The Cabbage Rice opens 10AM to 8PM. Now, you go figure out a time to try both.
Mon 2 Feb. Our last evening, we had dinner at Michelin-starred Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine Zhongxiao Branch. Shin Yeh has several branches all over Taipei. A few does not accept online reservation. I don't know if I booked the correct one but the food was nothing to write home about. Shin Yeh Taiwanese Cuisine got its start in 1977 in Taipei on ShuangCheng Street.
As we were leaving, my eyes caught a dish that was sitting on the table behind me and I had to ask, "Excuse me, but is that 乌鱼子 (bottarga)?" It was! The lovely couple offered us a taste we gratefully accepted a slice. My first taste of bottarga! It's a little salty, a bit fishy and left a lovely aftertaste in my mouth. I enjoyed it.
Tue 3 Feb. Breakfast at Fuhang Soy Milk 阜杭豆浆. Bib Gourmand 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022. The line was long but moved along quickly. My friends and I agreed that the soy milk was incredibly smooth, and 烧饼油条 are quite tasty. We were there on the morning of Tue 3 Feb 2026 and the lady at the soy milk counter was extremely bad tempered and rude.
There are too much good eats in Taipei. Serena and her partner have booked me for a trip next year. Now my childhood friend wants to come along too!!!
