Taipei 2014: Day 5 (Danshui - Ximending)

This is the last post of the Taipei 2014 series, and is a continuation from the previous post Taipei 2014: Day 4 (Jiufen - Taipei Main Station - Shilin Night Market)

We had a pretty laid back, casual day on Day 5, and Day 6 was spent doing nothing much in particular hence this would be the last post of my Taipei 2014 June series.

Honestly, we were both still rather exhausted from the long journeys of Jiufen 2 days prior so we decided to take it slow.

Now I'm gonna give you some brief little paragraph about Danshui from Wikitravel but if you can't be bothered, you can skip it:

Tamsui (淡水, or Danshui, Danshuei, Tamshui) is a smaller city to the north of Taipei that was the centre of shipping and commerce in northern Taiwan in the 19th century. The city is still a hit with visitors from Taipei and boasts many historical attractions. Additionally, it is a popular location for viewing the sunset. 

Located near the outlet of the Tamsui (Danshui) River into the Taiwan Strait and originally home to Formosan indigenous peoples, Tamsui was next settled by the Spanish in 1629 as the town and mission of San Domingo. 

The Spanish were later expelled by the Dutch in 1641, who built Fort Anthonio, forming what is known today as Hongmao Castle. Following the departure of the Dutch in 1661, Tamsui continued to grow, becoming the largest port in Taiwan by the 19th century. Tamsui is a favourite for those looking to enjoy a laid-back cuppa along the river. 


HOW TO GET THERE: From Taipei Main Station, take the green Tamsui Line, heading towards Tamsui and of course alight at Tamsui. Take exit 1 and turn left, walking along the river bank. That should take you to Tamsui old street which is made up of Zhongzheng Road and Gongming Street. 

Danshui is known for its jumbo tower ice cream! Unfortunately I only got a medium one because it was still too early in the morning for any dairy in my tummy.

The quiet peaceful streets of Danshui/Tamsui full of ice cream shops, game stalls and seafood snack stalls.

The beautiful pier at Tamsui - quiet and peaceful.

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A snack that Tamsui is famous for is Iron Eggs also known as 鐵蛋 (ti-eh dan). It is a hard-boiled egg that has gone through many cycles of braising and drying until the egg white shrinks, turning tough & chewy in the process. A-Po (Granny's) Iron Eggs are the original, but there have been many other shops that have started selling this snack as well. You can purchase them in vacuum packs to take home as souvenirs.

These other brands come in different flavours and I haven't heard anything bad about them so I'm sure they still taste really good (yea I don't eat braised eggs so I can't give you any verdict).
BE SURE that you only purchase your iron eggs here because they are way cheaper in Tamsui (even though this is the original place it came from) as compared to anywhere else in Taipei selling it. Walk around Tamsui to get the best possible price/bargain for your iron eggs.

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Since we had to stand all the way from Taipei Main Station  to Tamsui station, I was really tired and cranky so I didn't want to squeeze on a bus to Fisherman's Wharf where the lover's bridge was. 

After exploring more of Tamsui, and even walking through McDonalds to attempt to have lunch there (to no avail, there was a school on tour there which made it even more crowded), we figured it was best for us to brave our hunger and return to Ximending for lunch. 

I've put some recommended places to go eat or buy stuff in Tamsui here that I found upon more research, and you can consider visiting these places if you are interested.

洪媽酸梅湯 (福佑宮邊) Mummy Hong’s Sour Plum Soup
No. 182, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui District | 台北縣淡水鎮中正路182號

 

紅旗德國農夫面包 Berliner Landbrot
No. 178, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui District | 淡水鎮中正路178號
- good German bakery

醒醐大师 (中正店) Xing Hu Master (Zhongzheng Branch)
No. 123, Zhōngzhèng Rd, Danshui District | 台灣新北市淡水區中正路123號
- sells Iron Egg and Fish crackers, be sure to keep a lookout for other stall’s prices as well.

四十五年淡水老店淡水鱼丸 45 Years History Danshui Fishballs
No. 135-2, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui District | 新北市淡水區中正路135-2號
- About SGD1.50 for 4 fishballs; Ah Ge阿给: taupok stuffed with tanghoon soaked in braised sauce,
  sealed with fish paste, steamed and drizzled with sweet sauce before served.

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We made our way back to Ximending where we had KFC for lunch. 

Photo from season-of-love.blogspot.com I had this but with egg tart and no roast chicken. Taiwan's KFC is not too bad, give it a shot when you're there. Also, something I learnt yesterday: Are you one of those people like me who wonders why KFC's egg tart is so good? In my opinion it was better than those famous egg tarts on the streets of Macau. KFC actually fries their egg tart after baking them, which gives it that extra crisp, and yet no extra oil. YUMS.

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Returned to the hotel for an afternoon nap, and then went back to Ximending for steak.

This steak is so absolutely fantabulous. A big heart piece of meat comes with egg, pasta and some vegetables. You can even ask for more pasta.

At this restaurant, you order what cut (weight) of meat you want, and it comes on a sizzling platter like this. Drinks, bread, soup, sauces, coffee and tea are free flow so help yourselves to them. Service at this restaurant too is wonderful and the wait staff are friendly and chatty. 

My verdict? I highly recommend coming to this restaurant if you feel like you need some well cut hearty steak in you at a fabulous steal.

黑蕃茄牛排 Black Tomato Steakhouse
108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District| 武昌街二段29號
Tel: +886 2 2375 7980 | Opening Hours: 11am-10pm
- Choice of any steak comes with free flow of drinks, soup, bread, coffee, tea and 1 dessert cup.

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Since it was our last night in Taipei, we figured that we should go checkout the Modern Toilet Restaurant. After walking around and around and around, we realised that it was situated away from the main bustling area of Ximending (somewhat). 

The verdict? The concept of this place, as with its hype is really cool, fun and interesting. Service however is TERRIBLE - the wait staff are so unfriendly. Also this place has a "each person must order at least NTD100 worth of items" rule which is rather ridiculous (hence the urinal drink) and they don't tell you about this rule till you get to the paying counter. Food-wise it is terrible. We paid quite an amount for that load of crap (literally and figuratively) which was mainly just a heap of ice. SKIP THIS PLACE unless you are dying to see all those toilet bowls. Otherwise, just head to a plumbing store, you'll catch plenty of that there.

便所主题餐厅Modern Toilet Restaurant
No. 7, Lane 50, Xiníng South Road, Wanhua District, Taipei | 台北市萬華區西寧南路50巷7號2樓
Tel No.: +886 2 2311 8822 | Operating Hours: 11.30am to 10pm

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Thereafter, we went back and bought some last minute cheap buys at Taipei main station (shoes!) and the travel mate bought this really yummy 蔥油餅 (Spring Onion Pancake) which for Singaporeans i would call these the Taiwanese prata, and Malaysians this is the Taiwanese Roti Canai.

He bought it from some random store which was still open in the underground mall at that hour, and it was still delicious. Top yours off with an egg for a lovely treat. 

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And that's it from me for this Taipei holiday in June. Thanks for reading this post, and this series. Stay tuned for my holiday series in South Korea which I had back in December 2012.

Don't forget to leave any comments or feedback on how I can improve my posts. Feel free to ask me any questions about Taipei as well and I will do my best to help!

Till then,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V