"We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us."
Welcome back to my blog on Taipei @ Autumn 2023, I hope you like my previous blog on Neihu Taipei @ Autumn 2023
As mentioned, before this is my second visit to Taipei in 2023, first was in Spring where the weather was pretty chilling.
This round is Autumn which will be much warmer. We visited Taiwan a few years back on the month of September so we know what to expect beside the heat, there will be rain too. Temperatures often exceed 30°C during the summer and it gets uncomfortably humid as well. June till August is the height of typhoon season while September is the rainiest month.
Avoid that stretch at all costs for many unforeseen circumstances, so if given a choice, it is good to avoid these months, hahaha which means I got no choice.
However, I am very lucky throughout my week there, there is not really much rain at all BUT the sun is scorching, and I feel sticky all the time!
However, I am very lucky throughout my week there, there is not really much rain at all BUT the sun is scorching, and I feel sticky all the time!
Taiwan is a place that needs no further introduction in this trip as most of my peeps had already visited before and I had already shared on below blogs on what we had done in Spring 2023...
6)Da Tong (大同) @ TAIPEI (台北Throughout our weeklong stay in Taipei, here are the activities and food we had outside of Neihu.
Wang's Broth (小王清湯瓜仔肉)
After checking into our room, we made our way to the town of WanHua. This is our first meal in Taiwan!
By the time we reached here it is already after lunch hours, yet the crowd was still very big. This place is added into my "Must Eat" list, and this is our second visit.
We finished everything we ordered.
Steamed minced pork with pickle soup - this is a must to order.
Lu Rou Fan
Stewed pork belly
Cabbage
It cost SGD10 for us.
LungShan Temple
After filling up our tummies, we head to pay our respect and seek blessings to the highly worshipped temple - Lung Shan Temple
LungShan Temple was constructed by the Fujian immigrants in the 18th Century.
It is one of the most popular temples in Taiwan that receiving tributes from the Chinese Buddhist from all over the world. Even curious non-Buddhist visitors come along, clicking away their camera on this ancient beauty. What a pride of Taiwan!
The LungShan Temple has survived several natural disasters and a few wars.
During WW2, Monga area was air raided and parts of the main hall was damaged, but the statue of The Goddness of Mercy was 100% intact. This miracle sign spread throughout the nation where people start ro flocked in to seek blessings.
The Marriage God (Yue Lao) too, attracted devotees from many single ladies and men seeking blessing for finding the other half.
Various conservations were done throughout the years to maintain the building. Few constructions are done to improve the surrounding like parks, retails outlets and even F&B joints. There is an underground mall nearby selling Buddhist related products and antiques shops.
The temple consists of 3 halls in the front, middle and the back. All halls are lavishly decorated with beautiful dragon engravements and Chinese arts.
XiMenDing
XiMen means west gate in Chinese, is the hippest place of the city. It was built as an entertaining area when Taiwan was under the Japanese Colony, and it still maintain that atmosphere. It is a must come place for me when I can do all my needed shopping at one go, usually I will choose a boutique hotel here so that it is easier for me and my friends to go for many rounds of shopping after returning to our room to drop our loots.
Perfect place for families outing, couples on dates, friends gathering or even lone strolling.
XiMenDing is literally built on retails shops, cinema, restaurants, cafes, bubble tea bars, street food etc. Even at the nights where the night market comes alive, it is still as busy as the day. XiMenDing doesn't sleep. Many people like to compare this place with Tokyo's Shibuya, but to me I doubt they are comparable as each has its own difference charm and character.
Here to share our day here...
南美咖啡 Nanmei Coffee
Located right next to Fong Da Coffee which we visited on the previous trip.
This coffee shop has lesser crowds compared to Fong Da but that does not mean they are no good.
The service staff here are very friendly and chatty and feels so "homely", water and wet towels were served upon seated.
We opted to sit on the second floor where there is a nicer view of the street.
We ordered 2 cups of "Pure Blue Mountain", and it tasted really nice.
And further, he ordered toast with ham & sunny side ups.
Love the atmosphere of this old coffee shop in the Ximending area.
Opened since the 1950s and it is hard to get this kind of vibe nowadays.
Opened since the 1950s and it is hard to get this kind of vibe nowadays.
Vintage coffee shop of 67 years old, with good food, of course very nice coffee.
台湾塩酥雞
Located at the corner of XMD, this is a popular shop selling street snacks of Taiwan.
See, there variety of choices is so big.
You take the order chit, "tick" the items you want , pay for it and wait for your food via queue system.
He grabbed the chicken butt and mini crabs.
海产张小吃店
My man loved this place very much since our first visit on the previous trip.
This hidden gem has been operating here for decades. It is located in a small alley, quite a distance from the main road. The must come place for true blue Taiwanese home-cooked food that has been run by the same family for decades. I just added this shop onto my "must eat again" list.
The shop front is simple and not attractive, the interior is also simple but very clean. The staff attitude is very welcoming and friendly. The basis of the dishes here is mostly stir fried, which is our favorite! There is English menu available, so it is ok for foreigners, but staff have a limitation for an English conversation.
ICE UNA XMD
Saw an old uncle sitting in the middle of XMD with a stool while holding up a big placard advertisement for cold shaved ice dessert.
Perfect dessert after a hearty meal and dance perfectly for the summer.
This cute monster headed and colorful dessert is made of fruits.
The price is higher than a dish I ordered in the restaurant
Good for some digestion after whole day of eating.
ChengZhong Market (城中市場)
Mentioned on my Spring Trip that I will cover this place next and now I am here! I always love to shop where the locals do their shopping.
Just 10min walk from XiMen station, there is ChengZhong Market (城中市場), this pkace has been around since the Japanese era.
Today, it has many shops selling food, fashion, household and etc..
he shops here are well arranged, different sections selling different stuff like this lane is selling clothes and accessories while another lane selling food etc.
The things here, whether food or others, are selling at lower price which is to cater mainly to the locals living nearby. Visiting the market would provide you with a glimpse of the locals' daily lives.
The local air is very thick here and I enjoyed my time mingling with them while speaking Hokkien.
明星西點咖啡 Astoria Cafe
This European vintage design of Astoria Cafe which opened since 1949 makes me feel like I had stepped into another era. The cafe cum restaurant specializes in Russian Fusion food.
The bakery is located on the ground level while the cafe is located in level 2 and 3.
As we were walking up the stairs, the walls were well decorated with old photos of the shop.
This man in the picture is the original owner.
I heard about this place for quite some time and now we are here for our lunch, It was bustling with business and people were chatting happily away.
I like the corner table, which was reserved for us, it looks so whimsical.
The window view is a historic Chinese Temple pf Cheng Huang.
We ordered 2 set lunches of 5 course meal; he got the lamb, and I got the chicken.
Salad is the standard kind that is up to expectations of fresh and crunchy.
Mushroom soup is good, and it is not those canned soup taste.
Inhouse bread is also nice, goes well with the jam of papaya and pineapple mix, even the butter is also very nice.
Lamb chop taste well with the inhouse mint sauce though my man feel that the lamb can be soften a little more.
Boneless chicken thigh with inhouse sauce goes perfectly to my taste buds.
Dessert of the day is Their inhouse Russian Candy which is something like soft nougats.
Here are the more pictures of the place.
臺灣省城隍廟 (Taiwan Provincial City God Temple)
Located directly opposite Astoria Cafe, we first caught the view from the cafe's window.
This beautiful temple to dedicated to the City God (城隍), whenever I came across this deity, I am always reminded his legend "水鬼升城隍“ How a river ghost rosed to become the City God. According to legend, the river ghost has been roaming in the river for 200 years after drowned at the same river. However, he is very kindhearted, whenever he sees someone is in danger in the river, he will rescue them. His kindness touched the almighty and therefore was rosed to become to city god.
屈臣氏 城中門市 Watsons (Tax Refund)
The reason why I want to highlight this store which I can find everywhere is because this particular store offers Tax Free service, and not every store in Taiwan has this service.
And this is a good place to fish a good catch on those International brands of skincare like this photo below:
I asked the staff why the price is much lower than outside. She told me because there is no designated counter service with brand's staff (专柜 ) like the malls outside. Something like duty free. "So please just take my money."
The shop is mega in size and is a good place to do a deep shopping while avoiding the heat outside! And I just learned something new from here : "look out for tax free" Watson's in Taiwan.
And this store is located right next to Astoria.
Came across this little stall selling pretty calendars, and it is super hard to find similar business in Singapore.
O'time Cafe
It's people gazing time while resting my legs over a cup of power coffee!
Vast choices of coffee and I chose "Salted caramel ice coffee.".
Most of the seats here are based on out doored though there are a couple of tables in doored.
永和世界豆漿大王
We have one super popular outlet in Singapore's Geylang Lorong 24 which is a favorite hunt for my family.
The menu in Taiwan has more varieties than in Singapore, there is no dim sum choices here too.
For sure, the price in Taiwan is also cheaper.
After a day of ME day, exploring the town, this is my lunch : Ice Soya Milk with Pan Cake filled with ham and pork floss.
Ding Tai Fung
Located in SOGO Far Eastern TianMu, I am glad that the queue here is shorter(5 minutes only) than the previous ones I visited in Zhong Xiao area.
Though this is a common restaurant in Singapore but there are dishes that are not available in Singapore.
XLB here is also seems tastier too while the service is as good as Singapore.
Zheng Pork Knuckle 鄭記豬腳飯
This humble family-owned eatery has been feeding people for more than 60 years! Located near to the vicinity of the North Gate, the building itself is a relic too. The shop offers indoor & outdoor seatings too. The interior of the eatery is simple, with limited seats but airy. Traditional Hokkien braised foods that serve only 3 dishes: Pork trotter rice set, pork bellies rice set, and milkfish rice set which come with free flow of soup.
And we ordered all 3 ! Pork bellies are soft, pig trotters are boneless, milkfish is boneless too.
Each rice set comes with the selected main that is attached along pickled vegetables and egg., you may add some chili too! Simple and satisfying!
We were captivated since our first visit in April and back here again for round 2.
Wulao Hotpot無老鍋(中山店)
Very good atmosphere and great presentation on everything. The star here is the creamy tofu soup which was to our great delight.
Bursting with flavors of ginger, garlic, pork bone, and chicken bone, it tantalized the taste buds.
The cozy seating and excellent service enhanced the dining experience further.
The rest of the ingredients we ordered were really top quality.
As we are Asians, we are exposed to different hotpot restaurants, and I must say this is really one of the best I’ve tried. Will definitely be back again!
Highly recommended to place a reservation in advanced to avoid disappointment.
Here to share my loots for this trip before coming to the end of this blog, sincerely thanks for your time.
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| As usual, we came with one checked in luggage and leave with so many bags. |
Just to share, we have already bought our air tickets to Switzerland and already made plans for Denmark & Norway, please stay tune.
Feel free, you are most welcome to browse through my other blogs to Denmark (we stayed there 6 months as Residents), France, Japan, China, Thailand, Malaysia and cruises etc. I will be deeply blessed if you can like and share my Facebook page:: followblueginger
Lastly, thanks for dropping by.
Wish you good luck.
Cheers
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