Taiwan is much more than you could have ever expected. They say you could expect something in between Japan and China. Onsen and sacred temples. Great spaces and nature. Architecturally speaking it is a solid statement, food-wise it is an undeniable truth. But still, exceeding expectations, its capital Taipei is a lively and emblematic portrait of this fusion. Modern and full of energy but at the same time able to show its inner cultural soul with a massive food scene offer.
Taipei hits you with its wide busy long boulevards, a bit anonymous at a first glance, then scores when you start wandering through its quiet leafy backside streets, embracing a deeper Asian vibe. But it's only when you grab the first bite of its outstanding street-food life that you definitely start to have feeling for it. We boarded in this adventure without guides, happy to be impressed. Quite impossible to list all the goodies tried, but could be a tasty attempt.
When in Taipei the watchword is Xiao Chi, the Chinese word for "small eats" . It is synonym of eating often and well. It has the same specific gravity of Tapas in Madrid or Mezze in Beirut. In other words, it is a pure street food concept, and does not matter if consumed in one of the buzzling night markets of the capital or simply in a tiny stall around the corner that you've just spotted. When it comes to categories, there are no specific borders, and if we talk about taste it was a full surprise.
Taipei is a night owl. Its all year temperature never drops deeper than a dozen degrees Celsius, which means it is an ideal strolling-friendly destination. When you google "markets in town" the supply is enormous; for a first-timer is probably hard to say which one is more institutional than the other: Shilin, Rahoe, Ningxia, just to quote some of the many's. The truth is that Taipei will awaken your most adventurous appetite.
As an island, Taiwan has a quite wide and dynamic biodiversity, which is fantastically translated into a marvelous seafood tradition. Taiwanese style clams are a classic "must-try" in the markets of the capital; with Chinese seasoning and oyster sauce' version, or with basil and chilies, all options make their delicate taste the best and it is an easy comfort food, that goes perfectly with a cold Taiwanese Beer.
Tamsui wharf is a lively fishing village and one of the busiest spots for food lovers in town; just out of the MRT station the view displays fleets of small boats and kayaks floating on the seaside. A long esplanade with a colorful offer of fresh goodies from the ocean attracts many locals at night and on the weekends. Deep-fried squids to go are some of the most tempting specialties.
It's not uncommon to see bakers sectioning a big batch of Castella Cake in smaller loafs: with the same meticulousness of a surgeon, they chop this old school super spongy and fluffy cake to take away with you. This delight, a sweet sign of the Japanese rule of the island, came to Asia with Portuguese traders and is today considered to be the Taiwanese cheesecake.
Wandering through the empty streets of Tamsui on a weekday is also very fascinating, to try the quail egg skewer, a classic delicatessen also with Japanese influence. During the week Tamsui residents commute to Taipei city center to sell their products in the major markets, while on the weekend it works in the other way round.
Sour Plum Soup may not necessarily sound the most intriguing thing ever, and not even having referred to bubble tea yet in this article could also not be considered a priority, but Suan Mei Tang, its the Chinese name, is without any doubts a popular drink. You just need to rinse this dried plums in a pot and let it soak it for 1 hour with sugar and then the freshness will come. Both options are available in the machines and in family jars for a home made plum experience.
From 1972 the legendary Din Tai Fung provides its typical small steamed dumplings namely Xialongbao in numerous versions. What makes it a unique experience, not to mention the unbelievable taste, is the dedication and the perfection of their system. Clients can watch the chefs composing the dumplings through a glass window. Each one of this little beauties should weigh 21 grams, 5 grams of dough and 16 grams of filling, and on top of that should have precisely 18 folds.
Superfluous to mention that there's much more than Xialongbao: all the appetizing recipes of Din Tai Fung are influenced by Shanghai' area cuisine. The secret of its success comes also from the core of the business model, with their in-house training program which is oriented to satisfy every customer needs and maintain a very strict quality food process. Despite the 116 branches all over the world, the original one is in Xinxy Road.
The crowded and bizarre streets of Ximending, the "Harajuku of Taipei", attracts 3 million of shopping souls each month. It's the perfect venue for an afternoon stroll, with its mixture of restaurants, bars and bookstores with Japanese influenced magazines, books, clothes and whatsoever you'd love to buy in an Asian metropolis. Perfect place to have an ice cream pit stop and realize that is made with soy milk.
Walking along the hidden green sides of Taipei is easy to bump again into a nice ice cream situation. The A-Zhu peanut roll is the dessert you had never imagined: a scoop of sweet gelato drown in a sticky grounded peanut's nougat and then methodically rolled in a spring roll. The contrast between the crunch and the softness makes it addictive, more than you can expect.
A classic evergreen is also the flame grilled cubes steak: mandatory and hard to be skipped, cooked with a blowlamp simply consists of tender beef and offered with a choice of different seasonings. The perfect bite to admire the red lanterns of Rahoe Market on this unforgettable foodie safari, before finally heading to the 101.
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