Day Four was yet another memorable day, thanks to some
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DAY FOUR
英專路: 綠味正宗老店 古早味蛋糕 Ying Zhuan District: Lvwei Old-Fashioned Cakes --> 永康街 Yong Kang Street --> 高記上海點心 Kao Chi Shanghai Dim Sum --> 西門町：阿宗麵線 Ximending: Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle --> 八鍋 臭臭鍋 8Pot Steamboat Restaurant
The day started off perfectly as usual and we skipped downstairs happily to grab breakfast from 7-11. A must-eat at 7-11 is the onigiri! It's not a Taiwan delicacy but it's cheap and filling, making it the perfect breakfast.
Here's another reminder of how great the 關東煮 is in Taiwan 7-11s :)
After breakfast we went to do some window shopping at 英專路 Ying Zhuan District, which is just adjacent to Tamsui MRT Station.
This is supposedly one of the first Daiso stores in Taipei! On my previous trips I had never seen this store here, so it must be newly-opened. My god-siblings had never heard of Daiso before and were apparently very fascinated when it first opened.
It's also cheaper than in Singapore, because 39 NTD translates to roughly 1.72 SGD :) Yay to cheaper goods!
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| Street food, safe and delicious as usual |
There's a morning market where you can find clothes, household appliances and fresh groceries for sale! A very typical market for a very typical tourist.
If you think prices at the city center are cheap, try your luck in these morning markets and you may just find what you are looking for at half the price! Many shops were selling winter vests at 100 NTD (4.42 SGD) and though I did not purchase any, I did give them a feel and the material was not too shabby!
綠味古早味現烤蛋糕
Lvwei Old-Fashioned Cakes
Address: 新北市 淡水區 中正路 8巷 4號
Website: [click here]
If you follow through the sheltered alley and out into the other end, you'll find yourself catching a whiff of freshly baked cakes. That's right, freshly-baked. The culprit for your excessive salivation would be known as 古早味蛋糕, which very loosely translates to Old-Fashioned Cake, the descriptive referring to the style of baking as well as the taste, I am guessing. It is a plain, eggy cake with no toppings whatsoever, and while it might sound boring, the cake alone suffices and this is something I swear by. The eggy aroma is bound to entice you!
There are many shops claiming to be the authentic retailer of the cakes, but trust me, no one cares. There might be some shops with long queues and some with shorter ones, but it really all boils down to exposure. Shops with richer bosses will have more money to advertise themselves, so it is no surprise they get more customers. To me, they all taste the same - heavenly.
As I said, the plain option is enough but I kind of lied because the cheese flavoured version is so bloody good, once you try it you will not even bother looking at the plain cake. For 100 NTD, which is less than 5 SGD, you get a whole 'loaf' of cheesy goodness suspended in rich, eggy cake. Who would say no to that? In Singapore you pay more than 5 SGD for a slice of cake that can't even compare to this.
After grabbing the snack we decided to go around looking for more cheap eats, and it was just around the corner that we found this eatery:
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| Taiwanese bento for only 50NTD! |
A Taiwanese bento works pretty much the same way Singapore's economical rice does - you have rice, and then you select side dishes to make a meal. The exception is that there is already a main dish included (usually a meat) which will cost 50 NTD (approx 2.10 SGD) and you can choose whether to add on other dishes or not.
We ordered the 排骨便当 (Pork Bento) and it came with free mini sides!
It tasted pretty decent, nothing special but highly recommended if you have no idea what to eat (since it's cheap and filling) - you can even pride yourself on eating like a local!
We had initially planned to visit the famous Maokong Gondola but unfortunately, the winds were too strong that day and hence it was closed. We only found out on the way there when we checked the website and lucky for us, we took public transport so changing our plans was easy!
TRAVEL TIP: Always check the official website/Facebook page of the tourist attraction you are going to before leaving! Unexpected closures are rather common, especially for outdoor attractions like Maokong Gondola that are subject to weather conditions.
Instead, we decided to go to 永康街 Yong Kang Street for a short tour around the area.
Here we found Din Tai Fung's original storefront, which welcomes throngs of customers a day.
And the famous Smoothie House, which I think has recently come to Singapore.
If you allow yourself to just let loose and wander around, you might find yourself in one of the more quiet area of Yong Kang Street. This is where you can find hipster cafes, and interesting shops.
We found a store selling 'pet food and goods' - the goods were expensive! But look at the dear cat we found belonging to the owners.
Somewhere around the corner we found a pet groomer who 'displays' his finished 'products' just by the window, probably advertisement as a testament to his grooming abilities, but if I had not checked carefully I would have taken it as a pet store!
I have no idea where we wandered off to, but we found this interesting alley way lined with stalls selling antiquities:
Unfortunately I was not allowed to take photos, so I stashed my phone away.
Further walking brought us to this themed cafe with various ornaments on display/for sale. I really like the modern interior design!
The walking had made us all tired, so we decided to actually go somewhere to eat and rest. On the way back to the train station we found a nice Dim Sum restaurant.
高記上海點心
Kao Chi Shanghai Dim Sum
Address: 台北市 大安區 永康街 1號
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 1000-2230; Saturday to Sunday 0830-2230
Website: [click here]
Nearest MRT: 忠孝復興 Zhong Xiao Fu Xing
Tea is served complementary, and we ordered a basket of 流沙包 Golden Lava Buns and a basket of their 上海鐵鍋生煎包 Shanghai Pan Fried Buns.
流沙包
Golden Lava Buns
3 for 135 NTD (approx 5.97 SGD) --> 1 for 1.99 SGD
I had had high hopes for the bun as its quality is, to me, a testament to the Dim Sum chef's ability. I felt that the filling was very average, if not bad. Unlike the golden lava buns in Singapore, this bun's filling was plain and rather tasteless. Of course, this is no one's fault as I believe that Singaporeans' tastebuds are wired towards stronger flavour, so this might actually be quality dim sum to the locals in Taiwan. The flour bun on the other hand was really well-made - soft and fluffy, just how a good bun should be!
上海鐵鍋生煎包
Shanghai Pan Fried Buns
10 for 200 NTD (approx 8.85 SGD) --> 1 for 88.5 cents SGD
Ah, this one did not fail to satisfy. I loved the crisp outer layer, and the pork filling was adequately savoury. In my opinion, this is much better than 小籠包 Xiao Long Bao because the filling seems the same to me, and I cannot imagine who would give up on the bun and going for pastry skin. Someone looking for a light snack, maybe?
Take note that Kao Chi imposes a minimum expenditure per pax of I think, 200 NTD per pax. Obviously, my two sisters and I did not hit the minimum expenditure but we just argued that we were not informed when we were seated (it's true) and hence it is unfair to suddenly request that we order more during payment. Ahh, the skills of 狡辯-ing...
It was getting late, so after our light snack we quickly made our way to 西門町 Ximending as my younger sister was craving the famous oyster vermicelli.
I have never been to Japan, but I have played AuditionSEA when I was younger, so being in Ximending gives me the feeling of being in Shibuya. There is just this hip vibe everywhere, and the youngsters prancing everywhere is an inviting sight.
阿宗麵線
Ay-Chung Oyster Vermicelli
Address: 台北市 萬華區 峨嵋街 8-1號
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 1000-2230 ; Friday to Sunday 1000-2300
Website: [click here]
Nearest MRT: 西門町 Ximending Station
I'm not a big fan of Oyster Vermicelli, but it is really a must-eat when you visit Taiwan, because how else can you claim that you've experienced Taiwan? The broth was smooth as silk, and the noodles had a good texture to it. Good food, as you can expect from Taiwan street food.
After the satisfying snack we strolled around, and I noticed something that brought back a lot of childhood memories:
Not that I ate this a lot as a child, but I clearly remember this being dispensed in a vending machine and I would beg my parents to buy me a cup because it just looked so good (and I think it really was!)
Unfortunately they are no longer in Singapore, otherwise I'd buy a cup just for old times' sake :')
Now, remember at the top of the post where I mentioned 'some
STORY TIME!!!
The whole day was just going really great, as you can tell from our escapades detailed in the post, right until we were stopped in our path by this teenage guy, who tried to talk to us. At the start, he acted extremely friendly, shaking hands with us and giving us high-fives when he agreed with something we mentioned (I forgot what, but it was lame) His ultimate aim was to fish information out of us, asking if we were tourists, and when we said that we were, he asked if our experience had been good. Pretty harmless, right? Maybe he was just trying to make friends.... Or not.
We took his courteous attitude with a pinch of salt, answering his questions honestly right up until he asked how long we would be staying in the country. Although we were really only into a quarter of our trip (Day 4 of 16), I quickly answered that it was our last night in Taiwan before my sisters could tell him the truth. Thank god I did that, because that piece of information came in handy later in the conversation.
He then introduced himself (finally!) as a member of a youth organisation that is trying to raise funds for their university education, and asked if we could be nice and show them some support. With that, he put this hand into a bag and fished out three boxes of pens and placed them in our hands. Not wanting to seem rude, we took them from him awkwardly and waited for the inevitable... He said that these pens were of good quality and it would be a nice souvenir to take back to Singapore, so my younger sister cut the chase and asked what he was requesting for in return. As a joke, he then leaned over and said that my sister could give him a kiss in return, and my elder sister instincts took over as I shot him a disgusted look. He quickly recovered from that predator stance and finally revealed the truth - that he was asking for a 'modest' fee of 299 NTD (approx 13.20 SGD) for the pen.
?!
I balked at the mention of the exorbitant price, and our silence prompted him to suggest that we could pay any amount we liked, and in any currency. My sisters and I looked at each other awkwardly, because all along we had been taking notice of his badly-decayed teeth that was a sign of drug abuse (although it could also point towards very very bad dental hygiene.......) - we put one and one together and gathered that it was most likely a scam to obtain donation money from unsuspecting tourists and use the funds to buy drugs. The assumption is far-fetched, definitely, but it is not an uncommon phenomenon. We exchanged looks and agreed that we did not want to buy the pen at all, so I used the white lie I had given earlier and said that we cannot afford to buy this as all the money we had left was to be used in hiring a car to the airport the next day. Unconvinced, the teenager actually had the guts to suggest that we take public transport instead so that we can have extra money to buy this pen.
I was getting increasingly annoyed at his audacity, but I kept my cool and calmly said that we had a lot of baggage and hence taking the public transport would not be ideal. I tried to return the pens that he had put in our hands, but he refused to take them from us. Instead, he tried playing the sympathy card, saying that we as privileged youth should try and understand the plight of students like him who cannot afford an education, much less go overseas for holidays. I have to admit that I did soften a bit after hearing that, but my stance stood still - While education is a global issue I am concerned about, I am not going to pass my hard-earned savings to a random guy on the street claiming to be down and out, especially not after his weird antics, and especially not what he did after this (read on).
We apologised once again, saying that we do understand how expensive an education can be and how we would really love to help if not for the fact that we are cash-strapped. At this point of time, he had already stalled us for around 10 minutes and I was wondering when we could escape from this desperate individual. However, instead of accepting that this was going nowhere, he began accusing us of looking down on the poor and said that he is unable to raise funds because of people like us. Infuriated, I then passive-aggressively said that if he would just take back the merchandise from us and moved on to another person, maybe he stand a better chance of getting the funds he wanted. We tried to return the merchandise for the umpteenth time, to no avail. Seeing that he was refusing to take back his own goods, I added on that it would be wise to take it back, otherwise he will suffer great losses if we were to walk off with his pens then and there because we had to rush off. Hearing that, he became upset and started firing angry remarks towards us. His long angry speech went something like, "Are you threatening me right now? Did you have to go to that extent? Just tell me if you don't want to buy it, you did not have to say such things! I know you look down on people like us, but don't act all that high and mighty......." which was kind of hilarious because it was full of untruthful statements. He was obviously trying to be scary to throw us off so that we might give in and buy his merchandise, but we stayed calm and I continued looking him right in the eye, not flinching one bit because if I did, it would spell his victory. It was funny seeing him grasp around for insults to hurl at us. I just smiled as he continued spewing rude remarks, and then my elder sister, ever the peace maker, just said something to the effect of, "Sorry, she did not mean to insult you, but we really cannot afford to buy these pens. Please take them back."
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| Best entertainment I had in days |
Seeing that we were not going to back down, the man soon retreated and unwillingly took back his pens. We were afraid that he would suddenly attack us, but lucky for us (and for him, because my sisters are highly skilled martial artists), he did not. We left the townsquare as quickly as possible, making sure not to walk into his path again...
END OF STORY
Up till today I still cannot believe how crazy that man was, to demand we buy his goods at an exorbitant price, and to suggest that we make changes to our holiday plans just to accommodate him. We consulted our god-siblings that night, and they confirmed that such scams are common in tourist attractions. What a disappointment!
Anyhow, please do read on as I have a great eating place to share with you guys - take it as my gratitude for reading through my angst.
8鍋 小火鍋
8Pot Steamboat Restaurant
Address: 新北市 淡水區 沙崙路 21號
Contact: +886 2 2805 6457
Opening Hours: Monday, Wednesdays to Sundays 1100-2200
*They are closed on Tuesdays, but they do have an outlet nearby at the address: 新北市 淡水區 新民街 276號
8鍋 8Pot Steamboat Restaurant is a place I had always wanted to visit, because it serves the following free flow:
- White Rice
- Minced Pork Rice
- Ice Cream
- Beverages
... Who wouldn't go for this?! The main dish, which is a personal mini steamboat, is cheap and comes in a variety of flavours, so dinner at this restaurant is sure to leave you satiated and satisfied!
This is the order chit which basically serves as the menu. For those who do not read Mandarin, this is a rough idea of how it works (non-exhaustive as I will not translate all of it):
Choose ONE broth + ONE main ingredient + add-ons
BROTH
Original
Satay
Herbal
Mala Spice
Milk
Pumpkin
Tomato
Curry
Mushroom
Sesame Oil
Sour and Spicy
Garlic
Basil Pesto
Milk and Cheese
Main Ingredient
Fish Head
Fish Slices
Pig Intestines
Beef
Pork
Mutton
Chicken
Duck Blood
Mushroom
Seafood
Ala Carte Add-Ons
Pork Slices
Beef Slices
Mutton Slices
Chicken Slices
Pig Intestines
Cabbage
Mushrooms
Glass Noodles
Meat Balls
Tempura
For me, I had milk broth + chicken + no add-ons, which cost me only 130 NTD (approx 5.75 SGD) and it was really filling, because the steamboat also came with side ingredients such as vegetables.
I cannot even begin to praise the wonderful taste of this broth. Milk. Simply. Amazing. Some people like my mother will shudder in disgust, but I beg to differ. I've had Fish Soup with Milk before, but this takes milk in soup to a whole new level, and milk-lovers should definitely try this out when they visit Taipei.
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| Eggs! I cannot remember if they are free flow though. I think they came with the set, so not free flow. |
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| My sister chose the Satay broth - you can see the brown Satay sauce to be mixed in |
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| To the best of my memory, this was Smelly Beancurd broth that my younger sister ordered |
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| Free flow food just look so good |
The free flow beverages available were really nice. I like that they had two contrasting flavours (apple and winter melon) so as to cater to a wider variety of customers.
After a great time feasting and talking with my sisters, we headed straight for the dessert.
8Pot is really the place to go when the weather gets cold and you are craving some hot broth. The next time I go to Taipei, I will most definitely visit this restaurant again!
Right after dinner, we walked across the street to the convenience store to grab some drinks to store in the fridge.
Taiwan convenience stores really never fail to surprise me :) 50 NTD for 900ml of yoghurt drink? What a deal! We quickly bought it and chugged it down over the next few days.
And that's how Day Four ended, after an eventful night.
Hopefully I get the other days up soon!
As for now,
xoxo
Valerie
Here are the links for the other days (click on the days!):
DAY ONE
DAY TWO
DAY THREE
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