Taipei Night Markets: Huahsi, Ningxia and Raohe

Earlier this year, a friend and I went on a girls-and-bubs trip to Taipei, and as much as we love our babies, the best part of the trip was leaving the sleeping babies behind at our accommodation with a nanny, and going out at night to check out the night markets! It was the one thing I wished we did more in Kaohsiung, where we only did one night market (battling the crowd with a 4-year-old is rather challenging). In Taipei, my friend and I visited three markets, and it left me wanting for more! I'll just have to plan another trip to Taipei!

A street cart on Zhonghua Road between Carrefour and Ximen MRT (either near the intersection with Guiyang St or Changsha St), peddling mochi (glutinous rice snack):

Mochi simply tossed with sweet peanut and sesame sauce:

Huaxi Night Market, aka Snake Alley

Huaxi night market is located near the Longshan Temple, and specialises in snake dishes, which we did not try because of time constraints. We did try many other street snacks, and here are some of the highlights.

My friend's favourite Chinese street snack is cong you bing, a savoury scallion pancake. This lady makes a delicious you bing at Huaxi market:

A shop specialising in choudofu (stinky tofu):

Our first taste of choudofu was a stewed version. I'll be frank here, we were not keen on it. But we persisted, and I found with each spoon that the taste sort of grew on me:

Fried taro balls are popular here, and this girl flicks the balls out of the deep-fryer onto the cooling tray with the speed and precision that can come only from doing this for a long time:

Ningxia Market

Ningxia is a traditional market that reminds its visitors of old Taiwan. There are plenty of food stalls to visit and also interesting stores to shop in. We enjoyed delicious oyster omelet and more fried taro balls. We also tried the deep-fried version of stinky tofu to find out if it's an improvement over the stewed version we had the previous night (it's not).

Popular shop selling oyster omelet:

This oyster omelet was worth the wait! Plump juicy salty oysters with crispy egg

Deep-fried choudofu. Definitely an acquired taste, and I wish I had longer time to give stinky tofu a chance (like I did with bitter gourd (as a young child, my mum told me eating it would make my blood bitter and repel mosquitoes - that's a lie because mozzies still find me tasty, but it got me acquiring a taste for the bitter gourd), Aussie Vegemite, and Japanese natto):

More crispy taro balls:

Raohe Street Night Market

On our final night in Taipei, my friend and I ventured to Raohe Street Night Market for more street snacks.

This hu jiao bing (black pepper pork bun) stall at the end of Raohe Street night market had a huge queue, though it was a weeknight:

There were about 8 or 9 staff on the production line to efficiently churn out delicious pork buns to satisfy the hungry crowd. Though the line was long, we didn't wait long to get to the front of the line:

Buns lined up waiting to be stuck on the wall of the clay oven, which is similar to the Indian tandoor:

Truly delicious! Definitely worth the short wait in the long queue:

We also tried some herbal pork rib soup, which I'm sure was very nourishing:

And I indulged in some thick sweet soup full of mixed beans and black taro and chewy tapioca balls:

The best pineapple cakes in Taipei @ SunnyHills, Taipei

The most popular edible souvenir in Taiwan is the pineapple cake. There are so many shops selling pineapple cake, and truly one can make a free (albeit unhealthy) meal out of sampling pineapple cakes. We visited two of most popular bakeries in Taipei: Chia Te (where I discovered their delicious egg tarts, and SunnyHills. I'd also bought pineapple cakes from a few other shops for comparison's sake. I'm only reviewing SunnyHills here because their pineapple cake was unanimously voted by my household to be better than Chia Te's pineapple cakes. That's not to say that Chia Te's pineapple cakes are inferior - the quality and range of products and the variety of pineapple cakes offered by Chia Te is incomparable. SunnyHills specialises only in pineapple cakes, hence it should follow that theirs would trump over others. SunnyHills was a bit of a trek from the nearest MRT station, but we were welcomed with a cup of tea and a small pineapple cake. I certainly wasn't expecting that, so it was a pleasant surprise. They even gave a cake and a cup of water each for our little ones. This is a brilliant marketing idea, as I was able to sample a full piece of cake, and not just a tiny morsel of mostly crust or filling, which ensured that I bought something before leaving the store.

The simple entrance:

Our complimentary cakes and tea waiting for us while we sorted out our babies and strollers:

The products offered by SunnyHills - two different boxed quantities of pineapple cakes (10 or 15), oolong tea and 100%
pineapple juice:

A cup of tea and cake for me, and water and cake for baby:

Delicious. I love the crust, and the not-too-sweet not-too-tart filling that actually resembles pineapple fruit:

Sunny Hills
No. 1, Alley 4, Lane 36, Section 5
Minsheng East Road
Songshan District, Taipei City
Taiwan 105
Tel. +886 2 2760 0508

Yummy egg tarts @ Chia Te Bakery, Taipei

Based on what I've seen and the food samples handed out to me while walking through the food basement level of Taipei 101 and around the streets of Taipei in general, pineapple cake is a big thing to buy in Taiwan. My friend and travelling companion had the name of two bakeries most well-known in Taipei for their pineapple cake, and Chia Te was one of them. So famous is Chia Te, that there are often long queues of people buying its delicious baked goods by the boxes. Indeed, Chia Te's pineapple cakes are delicious, even winning the bakery first place in a pineapple cake contest, but I want to highlight the egg tarts sold here. I live in Hong Kong, the land of yummy egg tarts, and I have been to Macau and had Portuguese egg tarts several times, so I know a good egg tart when I eat one. The type sold at Chia Te features a deep-pan shortcrust pastry, and the egg custard is cooked perfectly through despite its depth. It's absolutely divine when eaten fresh out of the oven, but I did buy a few more to bring home the next day, and I found that the quality suffered a little with the shortcrust pastry absorbing some of the egg custard moisture. Hubby and the kids were nonetheless appreciative and the tarts were polished off within minutes.

Pastries galore:

My humble purchase compared to the multiple boxes other customers were paying for:

A box of half-dozen egg tarts:

Just look at that custardy goodness and the crumbly pastry:

So yummy:

Chia Te Bakery
No. 88, Section 5
Nanjing East Road
Songshan District, Taipei City
Taiwan 105
Tel. +886 2 8787 8186

Date night @ OZONE [Ritz-Carlton], Hong Kong

Hubby and I had a bit of a fun date night recently, at Ozone in the Ritz Carlton, which is literally next door to us, making it a lazy but fancy choice. We hadn't been out on a date night for a while, so we decided to splurge a little - staying out a little longer, spending a little more. Both of us noticed Skyline Cocktail on the drinks menu, and while hubby was interested in the mix - Zacapa 23 Years, Absinth, Imperial Oolong Syrup, Pink Grapefruit, Lime Juice, Dom Perignon Foam, Chocolate Stones and Apple Wood Smoke - I must admit that the first thing that stood out to me was the hefty price. Being a bar at the swanky Ritz, everything at Ozone is generally quite a lot more expensive, but the Ozone signature cocktail, the Skyline (HK$295!), has to be the most expensive I have ever seen. It was also prepared with a certain flair and finesse, no doubt mostly for the visual benefit of those who order it (watch this cocktail process video to get an idea of how it's made). After a brief discussion with hubby, we decided to give it a try, with no special occasion to celebrate other than the fact that we'd put the kids in bed and we were out without the kids at the highest bar in the world.

The smoker dome being lifted off:

I really liked the smokey flavour in the foam. An easy cocktail to drink:

Hubby's Choc Negroni (HK$188) was also delicious:

OZONE
118th Floor
The Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong
International Commerce Centre
1 Austin Road West
Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong
Tel. +85 2 2263 2263

Fong Da Coffee, Taipei

I am not a coffee connoisseur, but I do appreciate a good brew. When I was planning for our girls-and-bubs' trip to Taipei last month, I turned to Eating Asia for ideas, as Robyn's recommendations for good eating experiences had proven to be excellent in both Hanoi and Kaohsiung. (She has recommendations for many other locations and countries on her blog, and I'm sure I'll be turning to her website time and time again when I need ideas for my future travel.) It was one of her articles on Wall Street Journal that pointed me to Fong Da Coffee, one of Taipei's original coffee shops that has been in operation since 1956. Fong Da retains much of its heritage, choosing to use vintage equipment to roast, grind and brew coffee. There are many varieties of coffee beans to choose from, and several ways to have your coffee. It's very popular, and the dining rooms both on the ground floor and upstairs were filled to the brim on the weekday afternoon we visited. It was hence not by our choice to order our coffees to go, but we weren't going to wait around for a table - not when we have two 1-year-olds in our midst. We still had to wait about 10 minutes for our coffees, and I used that time to admire the machines and buy the snacks at the front of the shop.

The queue (for takeaway and tables) was long:

I'm guessing this is a grinder (it was not in use when I was looking):

Roasting in a action:

Iced drip coffee, anyone? This apparatus makes four cups in six hours!

Enjoying our coffees with the snacks I bought from Fong Da - almond, peanut, sesame and mung bean flavours (in the background are two bottles of freshly-pressed sugar cane juice, bought at a street vendor on our way home, not at Fong Da):

Fong Da is worth a visit for coffee lovers in Taipei.

Fong Da Coffee 蜂大咖啡
No. 42 Chengdu Road
Wanhua District
Taipei City
Taiwan 108
Tel. +886 2 2371 9577

Eat Street Markets, Brisbane (Australia)

After playing in the sun and sand in Brisbane, my in-laws took us to Eat Street Markets for dinner. Entrance fee was AU$2.50 for adults, children entered for free, and that gave us access to a wide variety of local and international street food. Set in converted shipping containers by the wharf, this is an interesting concept that is proving quite popular with the locals and tourists alike. Get in early to get parking.

Just past the entrance:

The Wurst Meister stand:

Hot dog with German sausage, as requested by the 7-year-old boy:

The seating area was large, but there were so many people that it was difficult to find a vacant table big enough for our group:

The Phunky Dory stand:

The Fish 'n' Chips (with sweet potato fries) from Phunky Dory was delicious:

Hubby chose Redgate Farm for his dinner:

The steak sandwich from Redgate Farm was scrumptious:

Step-MIL had the Greek platter from a Greek food stand, and she was not impressed with it (she's Greek so she knows good Greek food):

Hubby was underwhelmed by the Cruffin:

The Cronut was a bit more satisfactory:

Eat Street Markets open every Friday and Saturday night from 4pm to 10pm, and Sunday through winter only from 11am to 3pm.

Eat Street Markets
99 MacArthur Ave
Hamilton QLD 4007
Australia
Tel. +61 7 3358 2500

Street food in Hanoi Part 3: xoi che, chao suon, banh bao

We are back home in Hong Kong now. That trip to Perth was so good but also so tiring; travelling with three kids (two under 3) is hard work. But it really was great to catch up with families and long-time friends. This is the final post from our trip to Hanoi last summer. I can't believe it already has been almost a year since we were in Hanoi, sampling all the delicious street food! Baby #3 was still in my belly, causing me awful morning sickness grief, but I somehow still managed to enjoy the foodie experience in Hanoi. Most of the following street stalls were marked on the map by our hotel guy who gave very good food recommendations. Nothing beats having a local's advice!

Xoi Che (sweet glutinous rice and treats)

The first stall we found was marked on our paper map by our hotel guy, but saw a similar stall across the road selling the same stuff, and we decided to check it out for comparison's sake. The first stall operated in front of a tailor's shop, which seem to be a common way for pop-up food stall businesses to run in Hanoi. The proprietress had some English ability, and she managed to understand what I was trying to buy.

Friendly partnership between the tailor shop and the xoi che stall:

The xoi che lady at work:

A simple dessert that was ready in a matter of seconds (though the ingredients would need to be pre-prepared):

Sticky rice with a simple syrup:

We also got a layered mixed beans dessert (quite possibly the Che Ba Mau, three-coloured dessert) which was refreshing and sweet and filling:

Across the road is a proper shop selling the same kinds of dessert, but with more varieties. I can't figure out if they're both owned by the same people because the signs of each shop state the same address, but we think the sweets taste better at the first stall. The dedicated seating space inside and in front of the second shop may be a bit more comfortable, though I'm sure you agree that there is not much that can be done to make sitting on low stools any more comfortable than it is (consider my poor hubby who had a big-for-her-age 21-month-old strapped on to him in a carrier - the bad pavements (and the lack of pavements altogether) plus the rain make Hanoi not very good for wheeled pedestrians).

Across the road at 93-95 Hang Bo:

There is a proper menu (in Vietnamese) on the wall, and google translate indicates that one side lists what is available in winter and the other is the summer menu:

The same bowl of sticky rice and layered mixed beans to compare. The other one is better:

93-95 Hang Bo Street
Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem District
Hanoi, Vietnam

Chao Suon (spare rib rice porridge)

I love congee, so I was pleased to see this marked on the map. The consistency of this congee is thick and super-smooth. Flavour is great, but not a big fan of the spare rib bones. Comes with a serving of quay which is essentially the Chinese you tiao, the great partner of all things congee. You can also request pork floss topping, if you know how to ask for it (we didn't - there was a lot of pointing and gesturing).

Open-air dining at this roadside stall:

Super smooth and thick congee with condiments:

16 Hang Giay
Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem District
Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel. +84 4 6684 9857

Banh Bao (steamed meat buns)

This is just like the Chinese bao. There were several stalls selling these steamed buns literally by the side of the road along the same street, and we chose the friendliest one (the other two didn't seem to care for our business). This is a meal-in-one deal, perfect for grabbing to have on the go.

Soft fluffy bao:

Glass noodle, vegetables, egg and meat inside:

Tiem Thanh Beo
8 Luong Van Can
Old Quarter, Hoan Kiem District
Hanoi, Vietnam