Sarah, I was there three times for longer stays but my last visit was about 15 years ago. So keep that in mind while reading my recs.
There a Chinese Buddhist veggie restos that are really amazing–you’d swear some of the dishes are meat. They often (always?) have the CB symbol, which is a backward swastika (most unfortunate, but of course it predates the swastika by many centuries). The one we went to was by the Academia Sinica, far from downtown, but I’d guess there are other more convenient ones.
I also remember a resto (and I don’t think it was that unusual, at least then) set up like a cafeteria, where you pointed to what you wanted cooked as you walked through the line, and it was then stir-fried right in front of you, and handed to you. Generally, the stir-fry was really excellent, and there were lots of veggies that I’ve never seen before. Nothing beats one of those, expertly stir-fried with a bit of garlic.
There are a lot of tea plantations surrounding Taipei. Some of them serve tea to visitors, the one we went to was easily accessible by taxi. You sat in an open porch, sipped tea, and ate peanuts or something else (a small pickle–can’t remember) surrounded by tea bushes.
Finally, don’t miss the National Palace museum (pottery, painting, art objects), definitely worth visiting (I think it’s been redone since we were there, but presumably the collection is the same). It’s on a hill (on the N side IIRC) and you can see it from most places in Taipei. One highlight is the “piece of pork,” actually a semi-precious stone with a “crust” that looks very much like a cooked pig skin. You can also see Chinese opera, though I never went to that. However one w/e we came across an opera (or maybe folk opera) performance outdoors in a village outside of T, definitely something you’d never see in the US or Europe.
Hmm… Was HK one time autonomous? Or maybe not. not sure the exact political setup there. But I get what you’re saying. That said though… just b/c you run off with some fellow war comrades to a corner of the land, throw up a flag and create a ‘congress’ doesn’t make you a country does it? It’s only 3 generations ago when this happened, not like the Egyptian times… (But yah was just poking fun, didn’t want this moved to Politics Mr. Moderata).
Great hotel according to folks that have stayed there… but it’s a bit expensive… 20K SPG pts a night (or around $300).
The Westin Taipei is not far away either… 12K a night (or around $200) is a decent alternative if you are loyal to the Starwood brand.
Yes Ma’am… I will continue to work on my sensor of humor (and basic grasp of logic) by traveling to more Countries in Asia that I’ve not yet visited - such as Hanoi, Manila, etc.
Wow… end of the story already? I’d say the story has barely began!
personal prefernce, i’m not a fan of lin dong fong at all… i think the yong kang st beef noodle or taoyuan st beef noodles are much much better… heck, i think cash box (karaoke) has better beef noodles and dumplings than lin dong fong
i avoid night markets now since most of them are just filled with tourists… my street food of choice in taipei is cold noodles and 3 in 1 soup. ‘mama liu’s coold noodles’
another personal preference, i wouldn’t eat ding tai fong unless it’s at the original location… even though their food is central kitchen’d now, i think the cooks at the original location is better at putting things together. i don’t like dtf in the states because they use metal steamers as opposed to bamboo steamers… huge loss of flavor in my humble opinion…
taipei has been getting more and more fine dining restaurants of late… ‘mume’ was making a name for themselves for having chefs who spent time at noma’s kitchen… ‘raw’ is another one that’s been very popular
hot pot can be enjoyed year around in taipei as well… chan’s spicy hot pot is very good, so is ‘ma shen spicy hot pot’
look for street side ‘hot wok’ stands or ‘seafood stands’ for fresh and cheap eats.
you can also enjoy top notch japanese cuisine in taiwan… ‘ben’ tepanyaki is a local favorite . sushi/sashimi is also very popular and enjoyable.
I went to Taipei twice in the last 3 months for 2 weddings. I highly recommend Mume. The food was amazing and relatively cheap, but the service was kind of lacking. I tried to go to Raw, but couldn’t get a reservation. I went to Mama Liu’s noodles also at 2am after the bars. The place was packed and the noodles were great! There is a BBQ seafood place next to Mama Liu’s that will deliver to your table. Had some BBQ’d prawns and oysters which were excellent. The Keelung night market had a great variety of seafood cooked to order and some other items as well. Andrew Zimmern from Bizarre Foods and Anthony Bourdain from his Layover show both went there if you want to see what they have available.
Hey I always thought Dao Xiao Mian to be a northern Chinese dish (like a Dong Bei area dish)? Did it get reinvented in Taiwan? any distinct differences?
Charlie - if that’s the case, I need to introduce you to my friend Jonathan Dinh. Traveled with him in Vietnam and have never seen more street food consumed in the course of getting from one meal to another. Truly kindred spirits!
This is a great resource - thanks to all (even Mark, though he stopped making sense early on ).
It’s only 3 generations ago when this happened, not like the Egyptian times… ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
(But yah was just poking fun, didn’t want this moved to Politics Mr. Moderata).![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
).
Came home with 36 bites on just one leg.