Taipei Food Part 5 - Keelung night market.

This place is the biggest outdoor food outlet I seen (well except of course other than Thailand). Keelung is a port city near Taipei. It use to be a trading point for goods coming into Taiwan and this town seem to be as big as K.L. The night market which includes a hawker street has loads of variety of seafood.
I was first taken to have a soup that had some flour in it. It looked a bit like the pan mee here only the flour is more thinner and fine. The soup is a bit bland but the judging from the crowd at this stall it seem to be pretty popular.
The other good one was the fried chicken that come in small pieces (yuan se chi). This place is must visit when you are in Taipei for food.

The Soup Stall.

How They make the flour.
The soup with dough.

Seafood.

Yuan Se Chi stall.
Fired Sotong.

Taipei Food Part 4 - Jin Shan.

About 45 minutes north of Taipei, there is a little town by the name of Jin Shan. We were there for some sight seeing and we ended up at a food stall in town just in the temple compound that sold thier famous steam duck fro lunch. The place was a bit odd for me as it was just in front of the temple and one place just sold duck and stirred fried dishes while on the opposite side it sold noodles.
I noticed that there were not many seating place between the two stalls and people just picked up thier food as cooking and take it somewhere else to eat with the plates. Business was so good that the owner of the duck stall didn't have to take any orders, she just cooked a batch of vegetables or crab or whatever and placed it at the counter and customers will just take what they wanted and go. And mind you business was so brisk that it doesn't go to waste, it finishes there and then. We were a bit late in the evening and there are still people taking the food, I can't imagine the scene during lunch or dinner time.
As for the food, the duck was ok and tender. It does not have the bad aroma that ducks meat produces if not cooked properly. The noodles was nice and smooth too. It doesn't have the after taste of preservatives like the noodles we get elsewhere. As for the rest it was ok. But the experience of seeing something new as in the way the stall was set up and food ordered was something new for me.

Chopping up the duck.

Tubs of duck waiting to be eaten.

Cooked dishes waiting to be picked up.

Quarter steam duck with garlic.

Stirred fried Celery with Squid.

The noodles form the other stall.

Taipei Food Part 3 - Breakfast.

During one of the mornings we decided to have breakfast Taiwanese style. Walked to one of the small shops near the hotel that sold a typical Taiwanese fare. It was a fare walk from the hotel but I wanted to try the "you tiao" i.e. the "yao char kuai". A typical breakfast may consist of soya milk (sweet or salted) with "you tiao" or "siow loong pao". Anyway since I rarely had the change I ordered all including the "vor tiak" or pancake and a plain "man tao". The "siow loong pao" and the pancake was the best. I made it a point to have it on this trip as from my last trip I had it and I know it was good.
The soya milk was of different texture than the once we get over here. It taste better and I dip the "you tiao" into it. The "you tiao" also is long and cruncy unlike the onces we get here that are hard and short (I think in Malaysia we "tao kung kam liew" on this).
One thing I notice about Taiwanese everyday food, they give you large enough portion only for you to feel just right, not too much or too little.

You tiao, Soya milk and plain man tao.

Stuff pancake with egg and meat floss.

Siow Loong Pao.

Taipei Food Part 2 - Tamsui.

Here some photos of the Tam Sui night market and some of the food stalls I took. Its not as famous as the Shilling or Rao Er night market in Taipei but its just as big. Competition in Taiwan must be pretty stiff as everyone is doing thier own thing to attract customers to thier products. Load hailers, speakers and auction sales are a common sight here even for selling food. I came a cross two girls selling seafood sausages using load speakers. There were not many takers except us. I was pretty good. There so many food here that I can't recognise the end product I just ended up taking photos of it but I did not try it. The sign boards are all in Mandarin.

Seafood Saugages.

Seafood sauages that I tried.
The black sausage is made from Octopus.


Sea Snails.

Taipei Food Part 1.

Was in Taipei for a few days last week. This was my second trip there. From my previous experience, the Taipei street food the a must for tourist to try. There so many variaties and variations of food that one is spoilt for choices. One of the best places to have street food is at thier night markets. The size of the popular Taiwanese night markets are not like ours, its many tim bigger and the range of goods sold there are wide that it puts our pasar malam to shame.
As I made contact with the some friends in Taipei prior going, I had transport that took me to many place. The Taiwanese are known for thier exception friendlyness and hospitality to foreigners.
I made a trip to the Tamsui night market located at the about 40 minutes from Taipei. I was told that one of the speciality there is the so called "Tek Taan" or Iron Egg. I was so curious that I bought one for myself. Its tasted like our version of the "york choy taan" but only harder. It sold individually or vacuum packed to be sold. I was told that you can't get it anywhere else in the night markets in Taipei only in the nigh market in Tamsui. Intersting...

Tak Fok, Puchong.

I saw a review in the newspaper about this place that served great cheese crabs and it said it had a branch in Puchong. So off I went to look for it. When I found it I only realise that I actually eaten or rather 'Tah Pau' at this place before. I had some bad comments the last time but since we were there I decided to give it a try by have a sit in meal.
Thay had the RM1 shark fin promotion. We ordered that home made tauhu, curry prawn in coconut and of course salt egg yoke crab. I particularly liked the curry prawns. This time round the food was much better. Maybe this sort of food cannot 'tah pau' as it will not be as good as having it straight from the wok. Anyway good night of makan.

RM1 Shark fin soup.
Home made tauhu.
Curry prawn in coconut.
Salted egg yoke crab.

Puchong Yong Tau Fu.

Have not been to this place for more than a year. The last time was when I had a freind over from Kota Kinabalu and We made a trip there. The place has not changed much since the last visit. The Fried Yong Tau FU is still as fresh and crispy as it was made fresh from the raw ingredience. It cost RM1 per piece. The crowd seem tobe fewer on that day maybe because there was another Yong Tau Fu shop opened just a few houses away taking some of the customers. Nice and lights dinner if you don't prefer the heavy stuff.

Fried Yong Tau Fu.
Stuffed Tauhu.

Chopsticks, Megamall.

I had not been to Megamall for ages so lat wednesday I decide to make trip there for lunch. The problem this mall is that there so many outlets, we are spoilt for choices. There pertaining question, What to eat? As I not too familiar with the place we decide to walk around with our empty stomachs to shop around. Finally we ended up at the Garden area and out hungry stomachs said no more. You must eat now!!! So we were at this outlet that had many customers. Our usual wisdom says many customers must mean good food. So we hoped in.
This place generally serve Hong Kong styled noodles and rice with a local twist. From the menu the servings looked good and huge. I decided to go for the beef noodles and the misses when for the chicken steak rice. I order the "soi kow" or water dog to be shared. To my dissapointment went the food came it was no where the size of portioned that the advertised in there menu. It was some what minicule. We asked the chief waitress about this, she just uttered the photo angle in the menu made it food look big. Oh well!!! If only i had the time to go to small claims court.
Anyway, the consolation was that the food tasted great!!! I especially loved the chicken. It was crispy and had some mild curry flavour in it. I also order the "black jelly with white coffee" it was good too. I never had my coffee this way before. It tasted a bit like black jelly with soya milk but less creamy. I would love to recommend this place. Maybe next time I try some other thing and the portions will be bigger.

Black Jelly with white coffee.
Water Dog.
Crispy Chicken with rice.
Beef noodles.

Pizza Uno, Bandar Puteri Puchong.

The wife wanted western for dinner. We where deciding where to go and finally ended up at this place in Bandar Puteri. I use to frequent the one in Taipan, USJ, but this one I only been onces some months back. Somehow this place is more meant for fine dining and its more cozy but I somehow like the one at Taipan better which is more loud and cramp which gives a typical economical Italian eatery place.

We wanted pizza for dinner but we were told that the pizza maker was on emergency leave and we can order everything else in the menu except that. What happen? I guess the cook left for a better paying job.

Ordered sangria for my drink. Sangria is a cocktail of red wine, lemonade and fruit juice. It very nice and refreshing. The fried calamari salad was much better than the spaghetti. Lots of olive oil and greens. Not as filling but sufficient for the night.

Ice blended Cuppacino
Sangria.
Fired Calamari Salad.
Seafood Spaghetti.

Nando's, Subang Parade.

After her trip to South Africa, the wife will always have this craving for Nando's Chicken. I wonder why? I had it a few time. I would what the big deal was? Anayway had to venture out to Subang Parade for it. Surprisingly they had some new offerings since the last time I was there. They have beef now in thier menu. We ordered the half chicken with mild flavour and the mild plafour beef sandwich. The beef was a dissapointment as it was tough and hard to chew. As always the chicken pretty filling, thats about all I can say.