Eating in Taipei
We're headed over to Taipei for a couple of weeks in the spring and was wondering if anyone has recommendations for places to eat and things to try while we're there.
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10 Comments:
The street food in taiwan is amazing. Seriously, try everything! The only things I'm cautious of is seafood.
rooster201 at 5:12PM on 03/11/09
Taiwan is an island! Why be wary about the seafood? They get it fresh! If there's anything to try in Taiwan, its the crazy biology textbook of seafood they get there. There will be things you can NEVER find in the U.S, all beautiful alive and on your plate.
Try gam la if you can find it, it might be more popular farther south. Its a dish made from tiny fingernail-sized clams marinated raw (I've also heard of them being made in the freezer) in soy sauce, chilis, garlic and other spices. Pungent and addictive!
Cold, sauced noodles at sidewalk stands, spiced sticky rice stuffed in natural casings with a spicy sweet sauce, oyster omelettes, er ah mi sua (eep, romanizing the Taiwanese dialect is kinda awkward) a starch-thickened soup of thin rice noodles, shredded veggies and oysters. Taiwanese beef noodle soup
A while ago, Portuguese-style egg tarts were very popular, but that fad might be on the way out, and that's not really Taiwanese, anyway.
Fresh fruit fresh fruit fresh fruit. Taiwan's tropical climate makes it a haven for fruit. You'll never be satisfied with supermarket fruit ever again.
fuuchan at 5:25PM on 03/11/09
All great recommendations above. The fruit is amazing. For example the Haiwaiian pineapples they won't let you take off the islands are good, but it doesn't compare to what's available in Taiwan. Don't miss out on the wax apples, guava and lychee too.
A lot of the best street items and good place to start exploring is at the night markets. Taipei has a few popular ones that are easy enough to get to by MRT (subway) or taxi. My favorite is in Keelung (sp?) about 10 km north of Taipei. The standard tourist attraction at the night markets are the snake meat vendors. It's something that's fun to try, but there is plenty else to eat. Aside from what fuuchan listed above you'll also find variet of noodles, yummy things on sticks, bread baked in a tandori like oven and filled with meat, shaved ice with condiments, sticky rice things, toast coffins, everything and anything fried, etc...it goes on.
If you're up for it try a Taiwanese breakfast. Hot sweet or salty fresh soy milk, with an deep friend dough "oil stick" wrapped in a Taiwanese bread pocket to dip in your soy milk. Fresh soy milk is really different from the boxed stuff, and the oil stick is the savory answer to a donut. The excess of wrapping deep fried dough in bread is just fun to do =)
Look or smell around for the stinky tofu. It doesn't taste at all like what it smells like, but one has to be able to get past the smell.
A comment on the seafood. There is plenty to choose from, it just can get pricey. That's hard to rationalize when you can get an amazing meal on the street with some other meat like pork for like 50 NT.
Taiwan is still a cash society, so make sure to have plenty of cash if you want to try all these foods. Credit cards aren't that useful except for the pricier, sit down places.
Good luck!
tinat at 6:17PM on 03/11/09
Seconding fresh fruit (guava, wax apple, lychee, dragonfruit, mango), beef noodle soup, night markets, Taiwanese breakfast (soy milk with freshly fried you tiao aka oil stick aka fried cruller), fresh seafood and sushi.
I would also add on soup dumplings, shaved ice, hot pot, fresh mochi, pearl milk tea, zhua bing, and gua bao (pork bun with mustardy greens, crushed peanuts, etc). Avoid any faux Italian or American--bleh. And don't be afraid of buffets and malls. For whatever reason, they are cheap, fresh, and tasty, unlike the buffets and malls in the United States.
Do try the McDonald's locations and mass marketed chips/candy there. I found the novelty amusing. I went about 4 years ago and Nacho Cheese Doritos were being marketed a new and exciting!
Here's some food photographs from my trip:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kathryn/sets/373038/detail/
kathrynyu at 6:32PM on 03/11/09
The dumplings reminded me of the restaurant Din Tai Fung. There is one in LA, but it's nothing compared to the ones in in Taipei. I think the pigs are happier in Taiwan...I know I am when I'm there.
Don't be afraid of the long line. They're really efficient. They won't even take you to your table until you've ordered first downstairs. By the time you sit down and take your coat off, your first dish is being put down.
http://www.dintaifungusa.com/
tinat at 6:39PM on 03/11/09
Love the stalls at Shilin Night Market... I'm particularly fond of the steamed pork and veggie buns, the shaved ice with mango, strawberry and kiwi with the jelly bits on top, and the stinky tofu (you'll smell it!).
My absolute favorite Taiwanese food is the green onion pancakes at the Shilin MRT station. They come from the stand that is close to the 7-11. You'll know it is the right one because they put basil and egg on the pancake. I've stopped there nearly every time I passed that station, even though it cost more to leave the station. Make sure to get a green onion pancaked, they are all over the place!
I love to eat shabu shabu while in Taipei. Typically we went to a place near Academic Sinica (mainly because that is where we were staying).
Wax apples are delicious and should be in season later this spring.
Ohhh and the bubble tea!!! Home of the original bubble tea so it taste the best!
watchforbears at 11:50PM on 03/11/09
Thanks for the great tips everyone! I haven't been back to Taiwan since I was 8 or 9 and the only food memory I have is going to a McDonalds and the live frogs being prepped in my grandparents' kitchen for that night's dinner. How would you rate the cost of food and eating there?
lliang at 3:04PM on 03/12/09
I've had several friends that lived in Taiwan for extended periods of time. They all ate very well for little. When I've traveled there, food is my least expense. From what my friends who lived there said, eating out is cheaper than buying the food and preparing at home.
watchforbears at 11:58PM on 03/12/09
Eating out is affordable and good. Though I will say prices have gone up dramatically in the past few years. To give rough numbers, you can still get stuff for under 75 NT on the street that is good. But the price it costs you to eat a full meal of street goodies is creaping up more towards 200 NT. For places with actual walls, it's closer to 400 NT. The Tapei 101 basement is priced almost the same as nice mall food in the US (though I find it's much nicer and better). The nicer sit down restaurants cost a little less then they do in the US. Last year I attended a party at a posh downtown tepanyaki restaurant. With a private room, 5 courses, no alcohol the tab was about US$50/person before extras. Luckily it seems like you can still get a yummy boba drink for less than US$1 =)
tinat at 5:00PM on 03/13/09
Street food!!! Fruit!!! And nio ro mien - the spicy beef noodle soup. Sigh. I want to be in Taiwan. When I was traveling in Asia and would run across someone who'd spent time in Taiwan, we'd reminisce over how good the food is.
marchpane at 4:13PM on 03/14/09