Taiwan Day 4 – Taipei 台北 Tamshi 淡水老街 / ShiLin night market 士林夜市

Farewell to Alisan, we took the bullet train headed north to Taipei city and moved into Casar Park Taipei, the hotel is strategically located right opposite the Taipei Train Station, a hotel that we picked for its easy accessibility to the various parts of the city through the MRT.

Tamsui lao jie 淡水老街 (Alight at Tamsui Station淡水捷運站)

An old town built next to the northern costal line, food and eateries are the main attraction here.

Ji Guang Delicious Fried Chicken继光美味炸鸡

Freshness is the attraction but the chicken was not fully de-boned, an irritation to eat and the kids were infuriated eating the chicken. Piping hot chicken was juicy and crispy exterior, ordinary taste and not to the point of making you come back.

Peanut sugar + Ice cream   花生糖 + 冰淇淋

Something unique that you can’t find in Singapore, peanut sugar and plain vanilla ice cream were wrapped in a popiah skin. The peanut was fresh but overall nothing extraordinary; it was more a marketing gimmick from a creative mind. 

Freshly baked thousand layer cookies 弄饼家 (现烤千层饼)

A wide choice of filling available, from peanut, cheese, potatoes, red bean, sesame etc, the crust was crispy and fragrant, baked to a nice finishing. The filling was flavourful and we all like it

Ah Gei Luo Dian 阿给老店

The bean curd was stuffed with fish paste and sealed, steamed and top with vermicelli and special sweet sauce, it tasted delicious and don’t forget to order a bowl of Tamsui fish ball and fish cake soup to go with it, both complement each other well and a good taste of this local delicacy.

BoloKing 波罗旺

The Bolo bun was fluffy and baked to a nice golden brown finishing; the buttery essence was felt in every bite of the bun.

Ah Po Tie Dan阿婆铁蛋

The famous “Iron egg” from Tamsui, made from chicken, pigeon, or quail eggs,the recooking and drying process in the herb eventually resulted in eggs that were dark, flavourful, and chewy, which was extremely popular with the locals.  The egg yolk was permeated with the fragrance from the herb and kind of addictive but the egg white was too rubbery that not too much to our liking.

Freshly baked sponge cake,现烤蛋糕 古早味, 传统手工

The sponge cake was freshly made in a huge tray and cut on the spot into small portion, two versions are available, original or with cheese. The sponge cake was handmade and much retains the nostalgia taste, the cake was fluffy, dense and as soft as cotton, we love the perfect sweetness and the alluring taste, we took back with us few more boxes just to satisfy the craving.

Ah Xiang Prawn roll  阿香虾卷 

Prawn paste wrapped in some kind of wrap similar to our wanton skin but much thicker, the wrap then deep fried to achieve a crisp skin and doused with the special sauce. A nice local road side snack that worth to try.

50 Lan 50風

You can’t find this bubble tea in Singapore yet but we spotted a few around Taiwan, the milk tea was remarkably fragrance and smooth, the great choice of tea leave and the perfect brewing process was reflected in the drink. A must try when you visit Taiwan.

Hot Star Large Fried Chicken豪大大鸡排

Real big piece of fried chicken! Crisp exterior and moist internally, juicier than the similar one you can get from Singapore, could be the source of the chicken but there is one thing in common with Hot Star fried chicken, the chicken bone still intact and could be annoyance when eating.

ShiLin night market 士林夜市

ShiLin night market is a place that Singaporeans could not miss in Taipei, besides the shopping spree; there are plenty of local delicacies to lure your appetite.

Prince cheese potatoes王子起司马铃薯

Mashed potatoes mixed with hardboiled egg, battered in breadcrumbs and cooked, the fried potatoes was doused with rich cheesy sauce and choice of topping with corn, Bacon bits, ham, turkey, corn, pineapple, broccoli, mayonnaise and hardboiled egg. Prince cheese potatoes are definitely one of the top favorites among the local and the tourists.

Taiwan sausage台湾香肠

The fascination of this popular local snack is something you got to experience in your Taiwan trip. The sausage was packed with fatty pork and every bite sees the oozing out of the sinfully saturated fatty acids.

Other food and snacks you should experience in Shili night market are:

• “Small bun wrapped in large bun” (大餅包小餅)
• Fried buns (生煎包)
• Peanut candy (花生糖)
• Lemon aiyu jelly (檸檬愛玉)

The glutton bellies were stretched to the limit and certainly a highly satisfactory night outing.  Highly recommended delicacies that you should not miss are the Freshly baked sponge cake and 50 Feng milk drink.