Taiwan Day 7

The day that we would inevitably take the plane back to Singapore after a week short break in Taiwan. Its not as difficult as my trip to Australia but its still not pleasant. After all, i know Singapore can't beat the service in Taiwan at this time for sure and the nightlife and such will disappear the moment i set foot in Singapore. So no, it wasn't pleasant at all but life goes on.

This morning, being the last, we went for our usual breakfast and then proceeded to the underground mall to do some quick pickings. There, we discovered a Japanese Bento stall that has been right under our noses and bought some back to taste....along with sweets and biscuits from the friendly neighborhood convenience stall.

Sushi, candy and biscuits for the snack crazy

Handroll

Sushi Close Up

The sushi is actually pretty darn good. Everything was just fresh off the hands of the sushi master so it was all fresh and very tasty. In fact, we regret not having found this earlier since it was also pretty cheap, less then sgd 10 for everything here. The snacks were so-so in the end.

Departure Lounge

Live Flowers

Upon arriving at the airport and checking in our overloaded luggage, its time to explore. The lounge is pretty boring where we were at but venture further and you'll find more things to see and do. Be warned that its huge so it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to walk end to end. It took us quite a long walk to finally come to the food lounge to try, of all things, oyster mee sua and oyster pancake.

Airport Food Lounge

Oyster Mee Sua

Oyster Pan Cake

Conclusion? Never eat local food at an airport. The mee sua was terrible and lacked taste. The waiting time took about 10 minutes and we were rushing off to catch our flight by the time the pancake was ready. Also, the pancake was oooiiiilllyyyy and covered with something like ketchup. It also has this terribly soggy texture that made me nauseous after a few bites. A bad taste to leave Taiwan with for sure.

The following will be some of the stuff we brought back from Taiwan. All are gone by now.

Last thoughts about Taiwan: If you take away the problem of the warm weather, Taiwan is a beautiful place to visit with alot to do and alot to enjoy. In fact, i'm more then delighted to return again for another short trip. This is scheduled for next March at the moment and i simply can't wait to return again. In the meantime, i'll work on a better figure so i can eat more when i'm there again. Taiwan Rocks!

Taiwan Day 6

Taiwan Day 6 is mostly an ad hoc trip. Why so? Its because we're leaving the next day and wanted this second last day to be less taxing. Our past few days on 2 to 3 hour long trips across Taiwan has already drained us much and so, this is the day we'd just stroll around Taipei and get joy as it comes.

Taiwan Hospital Mrt Station

What i like about Taiwan is that you'll really see interesting things along the way. Its a melding of cultures that has on one hand, extreme modern influences while on the other hand, deep Chinese cultural rootings along with some Japanese influences. The above was found in an mrt station, talk about art anytime, anywhere.

From the super modern to the traditional

To the cultural

Love the architecture

Thats a huge whale skeleton

More interior shots

Deep Sea Gallery

Artifacts Gallery

Historical Gallery

Architectural Gallery

Taiwan Museum: The museum was interesting in a boring way. Its a beautiful place with gilded hinges and elegant, laid back atmosphere. In its halls, you'll find interesting reads about nature, architecture, history and more. Its just a nice place to go in, stroll along its halls and leave feeling a little more happy to be alive in a period where most things have already gone past its violent and turbulent beginnings. I'd allocate maybe about 1 or 2 hours for this but thats about it.

Across the street to Dian Shui Lou

Dian Shui Lou Set Meals.

Interior

Tables

Spicy and Sour Soup

We were off to a good start for lunch with this sourish appetiser. Rather thick and reminiscent of starchy shark's fin soup without the need for vinegar and you get this. In fact, if we could save sharks but consuming this, i'm all for it.

XLB (aka Xiao Long Bao)

How can we miss eating Xiao Long Bao in Taiwan? Not for the world it seems. The XLB here is simply delectable with its thin skin and absolutely tasty broth within. This might sound wierd but there seems to be less fat in the broth for this rendition as well. Anyway, this got my vote as a great tasting XLB.

Prawn Dumplings

Prawns dumplings turned out a little lackluster after the XLB. No doubt the prawns were crunchy and sweet but the skin for this was a little too thick and the combination didn't work for me.

Pan Fried Chives

After the soup, XLB and the prawn dumplings, we were pretty close to regretting our order for this since its huge. However, i took a bite and forgot that i was stuffed since the chives and fragrant dough combination actually works pretty well. Its also not oily which made stomaching it that much easier.

Custard Buns!!!

Absolutely Gorgeous

The custard buns we had last because missed seeing it in the menu at first and what a pity that was! These buns were awesome! Sweet, nectar-like and buttery custard oozed out with a single bite with its taste staying in your mouth long after its gone. The bun itself is feathery light and is gone in a second. Alas, we had only so much space in our stomachs for lunch and we had to let it go.

These birds were all huddled and watching something

And this is it!

This squirrel refused to let go

It had another friend which was too shy to stay

A sand bath?

Returning to the park, we were on our way back to the station when we saw the scenes above. How odd that the animals have absolutely no fear of people. On further probing, the old man has been feeding the squirrels and birds here for quite some time. And its an adorable showcase. Like i said, gems like these can be found anywhere in Taiwan, just keep your eyes open.

Pathway to....

This Masterpiece!

Just another ad hoc shot while strolling through the garden to the mrt. Beauty is indeed everywhere.

Takopachi! Taiwan Style

Shopping Mall Close Up

We were at some random shopping mall when we chanced upon this for a snack. Seriously though, i think its the mall business thats wrecking all the good food. This was pretty bad for me. The service for this was pretty bad, the takopachi itself was done too thick and cooled too quickly to enjoy. My fiancee found this alright though.

Ding Tai Fung!

XLB pt 2

Ho ho ho! We've finally found Ding Tai Fung in Taiwan. When i used to speak to clients in Taiwan, i was invited more then once to join them in Ding Tai Fung when i visited because they said the food here was great. The reason we ate Dian Shui Lou was also because we couldn't find Ding Tai Fung. So, was it worth the hype?
Marginally i suppose. As we were still full from lunch and the snack of bad takopachi, we only ordered their famous XLB. Believe it or not, their small little XLB's packed even more broth and had an even thinner skin. However, i prefered Dian Shui Lou's broth and serving size. DTF is still pretty good though, seeing how its packed with people at the 4pm mark. Its pretty popular with the locals too.

Shilin Night Market Take 2

Da Chang Bao Xiao Chang

A closer look

Now this i recommend at least a try but please have it on an empty stomach. The outer layer is actually fragrant glutinous rice which can be rather oily but surprisingly tasty. The inner layer is our famous Taiwan sausage which is sweet and oily all its own. Add both of them together and you have a snack suitable for splitting into 3 meals all on its own. Still, you'll be tempted to finish it all in one sitting because its just so addictive. Good stuff.

Shaved Ice

Shaved Ice Cream

This is excellent. Its reminiscent of ice cream without the cream. In its place, for my order, is the strongest peanut taste you've ever had in an ice cream. This is interlaced with some azuki beans for added texture and you have something you can't stop eating until its gone. Be warned though, i got more thirsty the more i had this for some reason. So BYOW.

Dong Dong yet again

Our Favorite Noodles

If you've followed my past few posts, this needs no introduction. We simply couldn't leave without having another bowl of this superb tasting broth and noodles. Somehow, this visit lacked the kick it provided during our first visit but we still liked the beef noodles enough to recommend yet again.

Our Spoils after 6 days in Taiwan

Being the last night in Taiwan, we decided to pile all our items bought on the bed for a good look. And it looked just like an additional 20kg to pay for going over the limit for getting on the plane. The carton and suitcase you see are both new so you can imagine how heavy and how many additional items we've bought. The next day, another carton of pastries was added to the lot you see here. Definitely trouble when we get to the airport.