Obviously, this was totally a food trip…a weight gaining trip! We ate more than 4 meals a day! Started with this famous local Taiwanese breakfast, Fu Hang Soy Milk (阜杭豆漿), this was not only a tourist spot but also the locals’ favorite breakfast place too.
We departed quite early from our hotel around 6.30am but there was already a long queue when we reached there.
The open kitchen – Big, Fast and Efficient!
After 40 minutes, we finally reached the counter! Before you start to order, let them know whether you are dining in or take-away! You may also need to study what you are going to order prior to your visit instead of deciding on the spot as the environment there was really rushing. Get prepare for it, and all the best!
Look at what we ordered and you might get shocked that it was just for 2 persons!
We would rate this as the best among what we had ordered! It was just a simple combination but it makes up such a yummy breakfast! It was quite filling too.
厚餅蛋夾油条 (TWD60)
The earlier one was a thick version while the second one was a thin version which tasted like Chinese Egg Pancake. It didn’t have a heavy taste of flour. Not sure what they have added but I guess the egg brought up the taste. It was worth to try.
蛋餅 (TWD28)
Salty soy milk, this is something that you wouldn’t find in Malaysia. We ordered it since it was something new to us. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to our liking as the taste was kind of weird. I’m not saying that it wasn’t nice but it was just something that we wouldn’t order again in future. Of course, this is really subjective.
鹹豆漿 (TWD30)
Soy milk, the usual one that we can get in Malaysia. It was really yummy! You can taste and smell the strong soybean and it texture was really smooth too. This is a must order at this place.
豆漿 (TWD25)
饭团 (TWD40)
Fu Hang Soy Milk (阜杭豆漿)
Address: No. 108 – 2nd floor, Zhongzheng District, Zhongxiao East Road, Section 1, Taipei City. (台北市中正區忠孝東路一段108號2樓)
Operating hours: 5.30am – 12.30pm (Close on Mondays)
Getting there: Take Exit 5 at Shandao Temple Station and then look for HuaShan Market Second Floor. (捷運善導寺站5號出口, 華山市--2nd Floor )
After such a heavy meal, we headed to Din Tai Fung for Xiu Long Bao! Yes, don’t rub your eyes for reading wrongly! It was our second round of breakfast. Haha.
Din Tai Fung was originated from Taiwan and we definitely must visit their first restaurant in Taiwan! Other than trying their XiaoLongBao (小龙包), our main purpose here is to try their Mini Pork XiaoLongBao with Soup (小龙汤包) which is only available in Taiwan. You can only try it at some of the branches listed in their website. And it is only available during weekends or public holidays at a specific time only. You can check out their website for Mini Pork XiaoLongBao with Soup‘s available times and branches in Taiwan at http://www.dintaifung.com.tw/en/default.htm
It was unfortunate that we missed it since we visited on a weekday. So, we just ordered the normal XiaoLongBao and noodles. The staffs gave excellent services and the food quality was great too.
Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰永康街总店)
Address: No.194, Xinyi Road, Section 2, Taipei City. (台北市信義路二段194號（信義路永康街口）
Operating hours: 10.00 am – 9.00pm (weekday); 9.00 am – 9.00 pm (weekend)
Getting there: Take Exit 5 at Dongmen Station (捷運東門站5號出口, 步行約2 mins)
Nice view to compensate us for missing out the XiaoLongBao with Soup (小龙汤包) from Din Tai Fung!
Taiwan is also a place where you can spend a lot of time shopping. We spent quite some time in Tomod’s which was similar to our Watsons or Guardian. The only difference was they were mianly selling Japanese brands.
Next station, King Mango (芒果皇帝)!
Summer is the season of mangoes. When you’re in Taiwan, mango ice is a must try dessert. There were a few dessert houses famous for their mango shaved ice dessert such as Smoothie House, King Mango, Ice Monster, etc.
We ordered one of their famous desserts at TWD190. We felt that the shaved milk ice was not smooth enough as we could still bite some large pieces of ice. We preferred the cheaper and nicer shaved ice at Raohe Night Market.
We were still eating. It was the same activity since the morning! Pin Chuan Lan (品川蘭), rated as one of the best beef noodles in Taipei by CNN Travel.
Honestly, this was our first time eating beef noodles in Taiwan. The staff explained to us in detailed about the menu. We ordered the beef noodles from “Lan Series” which is the clear-broth flavor with springy noodles and fresh tender beef.
TWD588
It was quite special as the soup was in the teapot and was separated from the noodles and meat in the bowl. The staff poured the soup into the bowl to slowly cook the half-cooked meat. The clear broth was yummy with the meat being tender and juicy with this serving style! It definitely impressed us! They also served good quality of beef. We ordered the middle range beef since the premium range will be more expensive! Quality does speak for itself.
Pin Chuan Lan (品川兰牛肉面)
Address: No. 10, Alley 11, Lane 216, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City (台北市大安忠孝东路4段216巷11弄10号)
Operating hours: 11.30 am - 2.30am, 5.00pm - 9.00pm (Mon – Thurs); 11.30am - 2.30pm, 5.00pm-9.00pm (Friday – Sunday)
Getting there: Take Exit 3 at Zhongxiao Dunhua Station (捷運忠孝敦化站3號出口 )
Taipei 101 is one of the tallest buildings in the world! The observatory deck is the most expensive way for us to have a nice view of Taipei.
The cheaper way to enjoy the nice view of Taipei from Taipei 101 is at Starbucks. However, a reservation is required since they only allowed limited number of visitors at one time. This means that you will not be allowed to visit the highest Starbucks in the world (35th floor of Taipet 101) if you didn’t make any reservation.
Besides making a reservation, you must also spend a minimum of TWD200 per person when you are there. Please also make sure you to have proper attire as slippers and shorts are strictly not allowed.
We made our reservation on our second day in Taiwan and thank god that there were slots available. Luckily, we came early to the waiting line and managed to get a nice seat (for nice view) at Starbucks.
As mentioned, a minimum of TWD200 per person spent is required. This amount could easily be hit with a drink and a light meal (dessert/wrap/salad). We ordered two drinks (it must have my favorite green tea latte), a slice of cheesecake and a lemon tart which cost us TWD480.
The reason of the troublesome need to make a reservation instead of just walk-in is because the coffee shop is initially meant for the office workers and not for tourists. It then became very crowded and hence, this rule of making reservation with a maximum stay time was implemented for better crowd control.
Starbucks 35th Floor @ Taipei 101
Phone number for reservation: +886 2 8101 0701
Duration of stay: 90 minutes
Operating hours: 7.30am - 8.00pm (Weekdays); 9.00am - 7.30pm (Weekend)
After eating for almost the entire day, we definitely need some exercise to burn off the extra calories! We already saw a nice view of Taipei City from Taipei 101 in the afternoon but that wasn’t the best view of all. So, now we were off to hunt for the best view of Taipei City!
To get the best view of Taipei City, a hike to Elephant Mountain, Xiangshan (象山) is a must! Xiangshan is a hiking trail in Nangang District. We got down from Xiangshan Station, took Exit 2 and headed towards the direction of Zhongqiang Park at Section 5, Xinyi Road(信義路五段中強公園). At the end of the road, turn left and follow the signboard until the entrance of Xiangshan Hiking Trail. No worries, it wasn’t difficult to get to the entrance.
The entire hiking trail was made of flights of stairs all the way to the top. I took a break in the middle of the trail while Mr. J didn’t need any rest at all. Obviously, my stamina was way weaker than him and I would need to exercise more once I’m back in Malaysia. We took about 35 minutes to get to the top.
Some pictures to show…
Evening would be the best time to hike Xiangshan not just because of the cooler weather, but you would be able to catch the sunset and see both the day and night view of Taipei. Don’t forget to bring mosquito repellent as there were a lot of mosquitos! A mini torch light would also be helpful as the trail was quite dark if you start hiking down after the sunset. We quickly secure a nice spot at the lookup point as there were more and more people the later it gets.
Mission completed!
Where to go food hunting for our dinner? Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). This is one of the largest and more popular night markets in Taiwan. In fact, this night market is mainly for tourists and you probably wouldn’t spot many locals there. Some of the foods were nice while some were overrated. Click here for a more detailed blog post of our food hunting in Shilin Night Market.
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