Taiwan 2014: Day 2 Part 2 (Raohe Night Market 饒河觀光夜市)

Hey there fellow internet people - welcome to Day 2 Part 2 where we now travel down to Raohe Night Market - the avenue of amazing street food packed into a two-laned street of awesomeness.

If you missed out my earlier posts and just caught on, here are the links:
Taiwan 2014: Day 1 Part 1 (Changi International Airport - Taoyuan International Airport)
Taiwan 2014: Day 1 Part 2 (Yongkang Street - Taipei 101 - Shihlin Night Market)
Taiwan 2014: Day 2 Part 1 (Four Seas Soy Milk - Goose Meat Shop - Ximending)

Just thought that I'd split them up so you wouldn't be overwhelmed with too many photos in one post and I'll include some of the photos from my previous trip in June 2014 just so you know what amazing stalls you're in for when you get there.

This temple is one of the iconic landmarks for you to recognise Raohe Night Market because it is situated at one of the entrances. Good news for any of you who have not been there in a while - there is now a new subway station right outside Raohe Night Market - basically the right side of this photo is the entrance to the subway.

If you used to take the train (railway) to Raohe Night Market by alighting at 松山火車站 Songshan Train Station, they have now built a 捷運松山站 Songshan MRT Station much closer to Raohe itself. Don't get confused between them both!
From Taipei Main Station, take the train to Zhongshan Station (or walk) and then transfer to the Songshan MRT Line to board the MRT to Songshan MRT Station.


At the front of Raohe Night Market, you will usually meet a long line of people getting the famous Charcoal Oven Pepper Pork Buns 胡椒餅. 

The long queue that I met when I was queueing for pepper buns in June 2014! Didn't get any photos this trip because I split up with the family to make buying street food more efficient.

Photo from Tripadvisor: The famous Fuzhou Pepper Biscuits. Look at how thin the skin of this bun is - fantastic. The meat is also packed full of yummy juices and absolutely tasty.

My Verdict? Since the queue clears really quickly for this stall, I do recommend you queuing up to try one. There is no discount for buying more, so if you want to save some of that tummy space, simply buy 1 or 2 before hopping over to the next yummy street food stall. With its juicy meat buns and thin biscuit/bun skin, this stall is highly recommended.


福州世祖胡椒饼  Fuzhou Ancestor Black Pepper Buns
台北市饒河街249號前 | 249 Raohe Street, Taipei
(within Raohe Street Night Market, near the entrance with Chinese temple)
Opening Hours: Daily 15:00 to 24:00

*As you can see, i wrote down "near the entrance with the Chinese temple", shown two photos above. There are 2 entrances to Raohe Street Night Market and the one that I've been guiding you to is this same entrance. 

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Next up: Grilled Hotate!

 
Check out my video of the grilling in action! The guy working here is really friendly and he makes really yummy hotate - my favourite is the seaweed flavour. That is amazing - the special set of 4 has a variety of 4 flavours but not all of them taste that complementary to the grilled hotate.

 My verdict? Not too bad and worth a try - something different to try other than your regular street food finds. Always consistent in terms of quality.

No address - but a couple stalls further down from the Pepper Buns!

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Following Stop: Tamago =)

This is how well this stall has been doing.

When I went to Raohe Night Market 饒河夜市 in June 2014, this stall looked like this:

When I went back to Raohe Night Market in December 2014, the stall had moved further down the lane to be at the corner of an alley and got upgraded from a tiny stall to a pretty big L-shaped store to accommodate their long queues and never-ending line of customers:

A really large storefront with clear signs and cute fortune cats with extremely friendly staff! We went back two days later and the lady recognised us teehee - we must have greedy faces!

My all-time favourite: Lobster Salad Tamago - creamy and amazingggg =)

My brother's order of Tobiko Tamago or Fish Roe Tamago - both our orders are the most expensive of the lot but they are truly amazing. The price difference as compared to the other choices they have is not that great so we felt it would be worth our money just getting these expensive ones.

My verdict? A must for all eggy-lovers. The tamago (omelette) is smooth, firm and yet soft. The corn and cheese inside the egg provide a nice texture and bite to the smoothness of the egg. The creamy lobster salad on top shows that they don't scrimp on good stuff (there were plenty of "lobster pieces" in my lobster salad and the added bonito flakes gave the dish that wonderful Japanese flavour. The tobiko provided a lovely different texture and dimension of taste to the soft and creamy tamago.
TWO THUMBS UP - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

爆漿玉子燒 Tamago Stall
No. 153 Raohe Street, Taipei | 台北市松山區饒河街153號
Opening Hours: 5pm-12.30am (Weekdays), 5pm-1.30am (Weekends)

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We were such lazy people that we went for feet massages on Day 2!

Great massage with relaxed feet!

Pretty doggy sleeping outside the massage palour

Cute toy poodle I recognised from my trip in June who belongs to an elderly man who sells socks and stockings. This dog sits quietly at the stall and is so adorable!

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My sister found this stall that makes customised hand-painted shoes. They already have some cute prints on them but the stall's painter can paint on any extra initials or cartoons you might want. Just pick a shoe with a suitable colour, design and size for yourself and hand it to the store owner - who will ask you if you want any extra customised paintings on it.

Each shoe has a fixed price of NTD690 and is unique. According to the stall owner, the shoes can be washed and scrubbed without any of the colours or paintings coming of. If you want any additional customisations, you can just inform them of what you want (they will ask you to write or draw it out) and they will ask you to go take a walk around the night market while they get that done for you so that it can dry properly.

The shoe designs are really adorable and cute - it is quite amazing to see the artist at work too! The shoe prices may be a little steep for cloth shoes but perhaps you could consider that they go towards the artist's hard work!

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The Takoyaki stall at Raohe Night Market is famous.
Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and pan-fried in a special takoyaki pan which allows them to be formed into a perfect round ball. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion and topped with takoyaki sauce, mayonnaise and bonito flakes.

日船章鱼烧 Takoyaki Stall
In front of No. 182 Raohe Street, Taipei | 台北市松山區饒河街182號前
- NTD40 for one serving

Making balls and balls of Takoyaki - each box costs NTD40 and is piping hot and delicious!

This was a splendid street snack that we took back to the hotel for some feasting in the lobby and debrief of the next day's activities.

We found this stall on our way home. Quail eggs with prawn pieces inside, and you get to choose your toppings and sauce. So simple but so amazing - better than the Takoyaki I would say. This stall is somewhere opposite the tamago stall. This is a mayonnaise or salad topping.

This particular one was a nacho cheese topping - YUM!

It was a great night of feasting and delighting in tantalising flavours of street food. We went to bed with happy, satisfied tummies. Make sure you leave in time to catch the last train or 2nd last train depending on where your accommodation is at because its easy to get carried away with so much eating. Catching a cab is fine but just in case you wanna save a couple bucks remember that the latest you can leave is 11.30pm.

Let me know if you have any questions or queries!

To end of, here's a summary video of our trip on Day 1 and 2:

Till then,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V

Taiwan 2014: Day 2 Part 1 (Four Seas Soy Bean King 四海豆漿大王 - Goose Meat Shop 鴨肉扁 - Ximending 西門町)

Hey there so getting back to the Taiwan journey in December which is rather cold - wind-wise. There is also quite a bit of rain during that period of time so do be cautious of wet weather plans if you are planning a year-end trip to Taiwan. If you are staying in a relatively good hotel, you can borrow umbrellas like we did from our hotel, City Inn.

If you missed my previous post on Day 1 Part 2 where we went to Yongkang Street and Shihlin Night Market, click here for the link: http://vanvanscully.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/taiwan-2014-day-1-part-2-yongkang.html

Posing with random structures on the way to the shop!

We woke up excited for a brand new day of never-ending eating and shopping. No trip to Taiwan is complete without a traditional Taiwanese breakfast. From our hotel at City Inn 3, we walked over to Four Seas Soy Bean King otherwise more famously known for its mandarin name as 四海豆漿大王. This shop is literally down the road from City Inn 3, and while it is less famous than Yonghe, this little shop packs a punch too! Upon exiting the hotel, just turn left and keep walking straight - the shop is a 5 minute walk away from the hotel.

It is a relatively small sign - so keep your eyes peeled for this red sign.

小笼包 Soup Dumplings which we ordered - not too bad - the meat was juicy and the skin thin.

猪扒烧饼 Pork Cutlet Pancake - not too much to my liking it felt a little dry? But that is probably just me. The pork cutlet was good - tender and juicy and the pastry slightly flaky but I would have liked a sauce or sorts perhaps?

A spring onion omelette - urm just meh - you don't have to order it.

咸豆浆 Salty Soy Milk - rather unique and one of the main recommendations in such breakfast places. It has some fried dough fritters (you tiao) as well as some preserved radish (chai por).

Letting you glimpse at the juicy pork chop.

My verdict? Definitely worth going for a traditional Taiwanese style breakfast. Other famous abd more popular traditional outlets include 永和豆漿大王 Yonghe Soy King , and 阜杭豆漿 Fuhang Soy Milk but this is definitely worth going to! I went to this place because someone mentioned it was better than Yonghe.

四海豆漿大王 Four Seas Soy Milk King
29 Chang’an West Road, Taipei| 台北市長安西路29號（當代藝術館旁）
Operating Hours: 5.30am-10pm (Mon-Sat), 5:30am-1pm (Sunday)

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A little shoe shopping at Taipei Main Station en-route to Ximending. Taiwan is one of the largest manufacturers of shoes so don't hesitate to buy shoes when you are in Taiwan since they are local products and of pretty good quality. The drawback could perhaps be that they do not carry very big sizes - the maximum is about a Size 8/39 or even much lower than that, depending on your luck.

The guys waiting around while the girls get their shopping done. Men - this may be you.

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My next recommendation for you is in the trendy and bustling Ximending which is only a stop away from Taipei Main Station. The name of this shop is slightly confusing. It says 鸭肉which means duck meat, but they actually sell 鵝肉 goose meat - which is nevertheless tasty. The stall is buzzing with activity as they are very popular with tourists and locals.

There's nothing fancy or extravagant. Just goose meat, noodles, rice noodles and geese parts - but boy are they delicious.

A plate of goose meat - juicy and packed full of flavour!

The stall often recommends that you get some form of carbo to go with your order - they are relatively small portions - you can either choose noodles or rice that has a sprinkling of meat on top to keep you full. They are not too expensive as I recall and if you are a small eater you could share this with someone else.

Geese Gizzards on the left - gosh that's a bit of a tongue twister. Definitely an acquired taste for many I believe - it is slightly crunchy and denser than meat in terms of texture.
Geese Intestines on the right - the beige looking stuff.This was my first time eating geese intestines and they were surprisingly awesome - they taste like chicken skin (but slightly crunchier).

My verdict? Definitely highly recommended especially if you love to eat poultry meat. The quality of food served here is pretty good even with the relatively speedy and efficient service. While it is a place that wants you to eat and get out - they are not rude in their mannerisms but simply very busy!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

鴨肉扁 Goose Meat Shop
No. 2, Wuchang Street, Wanhua District, Taipei | 台北市 萬華區武昌街二段2號
Tel:  +886 2 2371 3918 | Opening Hours: 9.30am-10.30pm
- Goose Meat, Noodle Soup

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Let the street food fiesta begin! Ximending is home to countless street food stalls - either as legitimate stalls on their own, or as push cart stalls (which can be a little shocking for first timers but let's not get ahead of ourselves).

You can't come to Taiwan and not have their Taiwanese Oyster Omelette. It is a classic Taiwanese street food - but truth be told its not much to my liking. Perhaps because I am rather accustomed to the Singapore style Oyster Omelette which is crispy and without a gravy. The Taiwanese version is slightly starchy and chewy, with a sweet gravy to go along with it. Its good, its just not what I prefer. Nevertheless, a trip to Taiwan is not complete until you have tried this. Most stalls generally have the same standard so there is no particular stall I have to recommend.

Ah Mao - the famous dog mascot of a cafe in Ximending - actually about 2-3 cafes. Reading other blogs, I think they use to shuffle Ah Mao between the two cafes that they initially owned and thus they suggested that you didn't touch Ah Mao as he would be tired and might be grumpy - he greets all customers and can open the door for you with a touch button that the shop installed on the glass door. When I went recently, I think they have at least 1 dog per cafe now and thus it is not too stressful. It is adorable though, I saw the shop worker coming out of the store and she got Ah Mao to open the door for her. The little paw went tap on the button and the glass door slid open, while Ah Mao tagged along to go outside. I've not tried eating at this cafe because everyone says there's nothing fantastic and the main attraction is Ah Mao - plus I can't just turn my back on all the street food in Ximending.

Road junctions and alleys are a foodie's dream come true. Why? Because you will have a million and one pushcart stalls serving piping hot food for the unsatisfied tummy. You can get anything from Taiwanese style pancakes, to fried mushrooms, Taiwanese sausages (yummm), smelly tofu and fried sweet potato balls. OMG don't even get me started on the sweet potato balls - they are what God invented to feed everyone that went to Heaven.

They may look like they are nothing special - but they are amazing. Crispy on the outside - but chewy and moist on the inside. It basically expands to be a hollow ball upon frying which means that you can just keep popping these morsels into your mouth without getting full that quickly. There are two pushcart stalls selling this - an old lady and a younger man - who are mother and son. The mother's sweet potato balls taste better - maybe with the technique she uses to fry them - but she asks that we go to her son if we can because he is trying to earn money to support his family =\ awwwww.. Stand there at the stall and watch them fry these amazing things - you will be awed visually - before you are awed upon consuming it.
EXTREMELY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

*Something important that I have to tell you about especially if you are in Taiwan for the first time, or do not have much experience with push cart stalls.
While we consider these streetside stalls part and parcel of the Taiwan street food experience, as do the locals, these stalls are actually illegally setting up their stalls. So occasionally (or actually relatively frequently throughout the day) you will hear a police siren, and these pushcart stall owners will get into a frenzy and start "packing up" to run away into a smaller alley or to make a big round and come back to where you were. 
                                          Do Not Panic
they are not going to run away with your money without giving you your food - these people are usually honest as they set their stall up everyday and won't risk getting into trouble for your order. They usually come back to the same spot that you are at. Otherwise just keep a lookout for where they run off to in case they have to duck into a small alley. They will eventually come back to the same spot. 
You will probably panic at first, but once you get used to it, it is actually quite funny.

Anyway, back to the food!

This grilled mochi is a crowd favourite - there's always a long line to get this but don't fret - its completely worth the wait. These are grilled rice cakes which makes them slightly crisp on the outside while being sticky and chewy on the outside. I didn't have much expectations for it - but this was surprisingly good. You have to choose the right flavour though.

The peaut mochi is really good - the chocolate one is not too bad but the chocolate seems a little too watered down and so the chocolate taste was not strong.

Our final orders were peanut, chocolate and black sesame - only the peanut was really good, the black sesame interesting but too watered down as well. Perhaps you can try other flavours.

There were plenty of other street food stalls but we decided not to eat too much since we were headed to Raohe Night Market at night for more feasting!

Stay tuned to the next post where we go to Raohe Night Market for more street food feasting!


Till then,

Fly Safe and Eat Happy,
V