TRAVELOUGE: [TAIWAN] - Day Three: 美兒堡中西式早餐店 Mei Er Bao Fusion Cuisine Breakfast Shop --> 長角 96 The Longhorn Bar and Grill --> 台北車站 Taipei Main Station Krispy Kreme --> 216 King 粉圓大王 --> 饒河街觀光夜市 Rao He Night Market


Day Three was amazing and one of the most memorable days I'd spent in Taiwan (yes, I'm back in sunny Singapore!) and readers who love food like I do: Bookmark this entry for your trip to Taiwan because the itinerary is basically food, food and more food!

Look over here for other days!


DAY THREE
美兒堡早餐店 Mei Er Bao Breakfast Shop --> 長角 96 The Longhorn Bar and Grill --> 台北車站 Taipei Main Station Krispy Kreme --> 216 King 粉圓大王 --> 饒河街觀光夜市 Rao He Night Market

美兒堡早餐店
Mei Er Bao Fusion Cusine Breakfast Shop
Address available upon request from Facebok page [click here]
Nearest MRT: 淡水 Tam Shui Station





"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" says practically any adult trying to convince a child to eat in the morning.. While I might blatantly ignore that statement back in Singapore, in Taiwan it's a different thing altogether. I didn't mention this in my previous post, but breakfast shops are seriously a specialty of Taiwan and it's the only thing that motivates me to wake up early in the morning (ever since the exams ended I've been sleeping till 1100) - so if you ask me, breakfast is certainly the most important meal of the day when you're in Taiwan!



I remember my pathetic attempt at translating 蛋餅 in the previous post - so here you are! Egg pancake for those who are still trying to wrap their head around this mystical food item.

The eating area is furnished with a bookcase filled with magazines for the customers' perusal
Also, posters of delicious-looking food for hungry eyes




Different breakfast shops function differently, but in this particular shop we are asked to fill in the order list ourselves before submitting it to the 接單區 (ordering area) ;  shops like these usually do not have a menu (the order list itself is basically one) and any visuals are usually given in the form of posters (as seen above) adhered onto the walls.

Trivia: In Taiwan, ordering in fives does not take the conventional hash-mark system (four-vertical-lines-and-one-horizontal-strikethrough) but instead it emulates the steps in writing the Chinese character 正 (which, if you notice, is made up of five straight lines) If you'd paid attention during Chinese lessons in primary school, you'll be able to figure out which figure corresponds to which number, but for starters an order of one would translate into a single horizontal line; an order of two would look something like a 'T' and so on and so forth. Note that we didn't use their method because we were used to our own numeral system.

As it was a chilly morning, we decided to order our favourite corn soup, otherwise dearly known as 玉米濃湯




Then we went on to order the usual - a 起司蛋餅 Cheese Egg Pancake for myself while my sisters had different items

Noodles are available for those who want a more filling meal


As this breakfast shop is within walking distance from our usual residence in Taiwan, we never fail to visit at least once, and every time we do, there is this particular dish I must order: Pan-fried dumplings!



These babies, known in Mandarin as 鍋貼 or 煎餃, are really expensive in Singapore, be it the frozen ones or freshly made ones in the hawker centres. That's why I always have to order them whenever I go to Taiwan! A portion of 10 dumplings go for 30 NTD which is roughly 1.30 SGD - super cheap if you ask me! In Singapore you'll probably see these going at 3 for 1 SGD...

~

After breakfast we went up to our godparent's mountain house where we met our beloved god-pets (???)

金剛 - supposedly an obese black labrador

威力 - A stray dog our god-family adopted when he was just an infant puppy!

I'm loving how they welcome us so warmly every time we visit although we've only met them about five times in our entire lives!

PS: I know I said this itinerary was all about food but that doesn't mean my blog post is going to concern solely food - for those looking for the plain itinerary, please scroll right through! 

PPS: No, these dogs are not food. They are family.

We had a short tour of my godfather's splendid flower nursery - those interested in flowers, you might want to strike up a deal with him because his flowers and plants are lovingly grown and taken care of - just look at these treasures!













It was about 1100 when we were done visiting so we went off with our godparents for lunch. While on one hand I feel so bad for having them treat us to such an expensive meal, on the other hand I am glad to have this opportunity to try out new dining haunts in Taipei!

海角一樂園
The Seahorn 99
Address: 新北市 石門區 白沙灣 別墅 23號 
Opening Hours: 1130-2100
Contact: +886 2 2636 3465
Website: [click here]



The signs have conflicting meanings, primarily because it is rumored that this store has gone through quite a rough patch since its opening, including name changes, address changes and even change of owners! It is said that this business used to be owned by a couple who fell out and opened separate versions of their co-founded business in another area (still somewhere between a kilometre-radius of one another though) ... Or it might be another publicity stunt to draw customers to either of their stalls. Who knows?



I had a good feeling one I stepped out of the car and saw the building. It looked like a really cozy and tranquil place to enjoy one's midday meal!

 

The entrance is surrounded by so much greenery -  It's starting to look more like a cottage than a restaurant, but I love it.



A vintage phone booth greeted us at the entrance and I was thrilled to see it. Vintage paraphernalia for the world!

*Cues Drake's Hotline Bling*






As someone who is deeply interested in interior designing, seeing decor like this gets me excited.





If I ever were to open a restaurant, I'd be sure to take note of the finest details like these - because it's these items that lend themselves to the overall atmosphere of a dining place!









The entrance was tastefully decorated. A bar at the second level greets customers coming from the first level -  strategic placement I'd say!

Not sure if I can get over how intricate the designing is.




The seating area overlooks the sea and a bit of mountains - perfect for those unwinding and relaxing over a cup of tea with friends and family.



A sneak peek of the menu - costly if you asked me, but whether it's worth it? Scroll down for more!



Why hello there
Condiments are very important to me and cafes/restaurants that provide personal (table-wise) containers earn my respect!
Fruits and cornflake salad
This salad came with the three set meals that we had ordered. Fruits and cornflake, you ask?! I was rather skeptical at first too, because for one, I don't like fruit salads with apples and raisins in them, and secondly, I kind of dislike cornflakes. However, the combination topped with some special mayonnaise magic they had there made the salad an extremely good appetizer! I'd have this again if I were to go back.





Soups of the day! One was cream and cabbage soup, and the other was some beef stew. We were allowed to choose between two, and if I ate beef I would have definitely picked the latter, because, hello?! Beef vs Vegetables?? There was a clear winner in that one. But I had my cream and cabbage soup anyway, which was much better than I had expected. It was almost like clam chowder, but with cabbage instead. Is cabbage chowder a thing?



The soups came with bread, and at first, I was rather unwilling to eat it because I did not want to waste my carbs on something plain, but I'm glad I tried it because it was probably the best bread I'd ever tasted my entire life.

One thing about Singapore bread - it truly pales in comparison to those in Taiwan. I tore the bun in half and dipped one end into the soup, expecting to taste cold, hard bread, but what greeted me what entirely unexpected.



Does it do the bread justice to say that it was softer than cotton pads?????

I don't think so. But it was a real shock and even as I write this post I surprised myself once again at how soft the inside of the bun is. Talk about salivation!



We ordered a side of chicken wings which were good, but probably nothing to shout about given the price.

Fish and chips
Substandard, really
We almost got a large platter, but luckily we decided on a small platter because it was nothing amazing (simple even, given that I can air-fry these things at home) The mozzarella sticks however were really nice! If it was a platter of those and some nicer fried items then maybe I'd order the platter time and again.



yumyumyum







My younger sister, trying to opt for the cheaper options to save my godparents' money, chose the US Soldiers' Colonel Burger which had a side of fries. Seeing that it was a beef burger, I'd say it's one of the more worth items on the menu, a sentiment to be supported by my sister as she slowly relished the burger bit by bit.



On the other hand I decided to try their John Dory Fish which was really satisfying! When the dish arrived I was quite disappointed to see such a small portion but to my surprise I was almost full (and people who know my appetite know how much it takes to get me full) when I finished the dish. Steal a bite here and there from the table, and I was a happy girl with a happy tummy!

I really liked the side they had here: Risotto, mushroom and a marinated sweet potato slice. I'm not a big fan of sweet stuff, but this was really good! It was almost like dessert - warm and sticky like data pudding. The mushroom and risotto formed a savoury combination which complemented the fish well whenever I felt tired of the seafood taste.

We also ordered two dishes to share between the five of us - namely the Sirloin Steak that they are famous for, and an Au Gratin.





The service here is noticeably impeccable -  upon serving the beef, the waiters would offer clean plates for those want new ones. They would salt the beef in front of you (though honestly I heard the salting should be done 30 minutes before searing... Secondary salting maybe?) and then slice it into fat servings just enough for everyone with extras. Lucky for my family, I don't eat beef so that meant that they had more to themselves. Hearing my godfather sing praises about the beef was enough to know that it was good.

Our meals came with drinks and while we ordered one cup of coffee and one cup of tea, we were greeted with three cups of tea and one cup of coffee - two teas were on the house! I felt quite bad because the five of us had such a good time we laughed a lot - loudly even - which I guess had spoiled the ambience restaurant quite a bit...  Nevertheless we were glad to accept them and it was a welcomed gift because we were feeling quite queasy after all those deep-fried goodness.











Towards the end of our meal, we decided to explore the balcony area, which is supposed to have a beautiful view of the sea albeit rather far away. It was raining and windy, but it was so worth it!




We left soon after to make our way to Taipei Main Station, where we wanted to deal with some issues with our portable WiFi - we used iVideo, the headquarters of which are in Shin Kong Mitsukoshi. I'd like to furnish a blog post specially to review this particular company's portable WiFi, but sadly I do not think I can build an argument strong enough to support my views (as you might guess, I was seriously disappointed with it) I even forgot to take a photo of the device we rented! But all's fine, and if memories of that faulty device gets on my nerves again I might just write up a post and leave the readers to decide for themselves whether they want to believe me.

The view from the train before we departed from Dan Shui Station
The train ride from Danshui to Taipei Main Station takes about half an hour, which feels almost as long as a ride from Pasir Ris to Buona Vista. It's quite saddening because train rides (捷運 in this case) are rather costly and the speed is not much to make up for it. Ah well!


I don't know why but this looks so much like Hong Kong (and I've never been to HK before!)





We spotted a blood donation bus parked ostentatiously in the midst of the crowds, which made me feel warm inside because it was nice to know that Taiwanese people are truly individuals of compassion (of course the presence of the bus does not directly insinuate this, but without the support of the people I don't think the government would invest in these special vehicles anyway!)







We went into the wrong building (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store) but the experience was good anyway, because we got to see what it was like inside (and boy does it look like a high class shopping mall!) Many compare it to Singapore's Paragon but I'm not too sure about that because I've never been there (or at least I did, but didn't know)

So we went into the proper place, and finished our business before leaving to visit the Krispy Kreme we'd seen the previous day when we visited the underground basement.  On the way there, we saw what we thought was the funniest sign of all time:



Talk about tooting your own horn! I'm not saying this is untrue, but the signage makes the mall seems so... distasteful of a sudden.

Krispy Kreme
Many outlets in Taiwan!



I've never had Krispy Kreme before, primarily because I probably haven't passed by one in Singapore yet, but also because it's on the expensive side when you consider doughnuts. However, according to my younger sister the doughnuts sell for cheap here (35 NTD ~ 1.55 SGD for one compared to 2.60 SGD in Singapore)



We got a New York Cheesecake doughnut to share, and I'm sorry to say that I forgot to snap a picture of it - but it should be fine because you readers probably aren't like ignorant me who hasn't had a Krispy Kreme before; I'm only talking about this because I thought it'd be nice to inform that Krispy Kreme in Taiwan is hella cheap!

Our next stop was 忠孝復興  Zhong Xiao Fu Xing station where we wanted to explore the East Metro Mall (which honestly, was nothing special, so people looking for fun places to go can just scroll through)





One thing noteworthy about this underground mall however is that it connects directly to 忠孝敦化  Zhong Xiao Dun Hua station, so for those looking to window shop while saving on travel expenses, this is a good place to look at.





Apart from Coco and 50岚 , there are many other bubble tea shops (that we didn't try out) but I thought it'd be good to share whatever I saw during my trip so here is a quick snap I got of a bubble tea shop menu before fleeing because I did not purchase anything from them.



According to my sister, this store is well-known - for what I don't know, but for those who know of 八方雲集, here is an outlet in E Metro Mall!

When we emerged from underground it was already dark, somewhere past 1700. I was pleasantly surprised to see huge malls surrounding me, but our current motive was to go check out 216 King 粉圓 that was located in the vicinity.















After some walking we arrived at our destination!

216 粉圓大王
216 King
Address: 台北巿 忠孝東路 4段 216巷 40弄 3號 1樓
Nearest MRT: 忠孝復興 Zhong Xiao Fu Xing Station
Contact: +886 2 2711 8002
Opening Hours: 1100-0000
Website: [click here]









I was quite surprised to see the store almost empty and rather plainly-furnished, because 216 King is supposed to be known for its dessert. I guess we caught them on a bad day?

We ordered peanut soup with three free toppings - Yam balls, Yam, and Sweet Dumplings, which came up to 60 NTD (about 2.65 SGD)







It tasted quite normal to me, just like Ah Balling in Bedok, but then again Ah Balling is famous for its dessert, so I guess the overall verdict is that it was good! Price wise, I felt that it could be cheaper considering that it is Taiwan (A wild stingy Val appears!!)

Since Taiwan gets dark really early, we decided to rush off to our next venue before it got any darker - 五分埔 Wu Fen Pu Shopping District and 饒河街觀光夜市 Rao He Night Market!

五分埔
Wu Fen Pu Shopping District
Address: Alley 9, Lane 443, Yongji Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Nearest MRT: 後山埤 Hou Shan Pi Station



The first time I went to Wu Fen Pu was early 2014, and to date I've only been there three times (this time being my third).  And it just so happened that whenever I went over it would be chilly season (hovering somewhere around and below the 20s) so in turn the clothing sold in the district would cater to winter wear and such. For us Singaporeans, the best time to go over is actually around the middle of the year because that's when Singapore-appropriate clothing pop up -  summer fashion and all! However, considering that temperatures can rise well above that in Singapore during June period... I guess it's always worth a try! I mean, Bangkok can be bloody hot at times but we Singaporeans love going there anyway, so what's the difference with Taiwan?

The walk from 後山埤 Hou Shan Pi Station can be rather confusing, so I thought I'd help with some visual aid (some taken from Google Street View!)



- From the MRT, take Exit 1 (Wufenpu Commercial Zone) and to your right you should see a whole row of Ubikes for rental



- Facing the row of bikes, walk towards the traffic junction to your left, which goes off to two different directions (in the picture, they are marked with the white stripes going off to the front and to the left)
- Go in the front direction



- At the end you should see a dental clinic with a Hi-Life Convenience Store to your right.
- Walk in the direction of the Hi-Life Convenience Store and follow the path until you come to crossroads again



- You should see a Cosmed Drugstore right in front of you; DO NOT CROSS
- Facing that direction, walk to your left and follow your path until you start to see wholesales clothing retailers or fashion retailers



They may not look like much now, but these shops line only the parameters of the entire shopping district. Find an opening and walk through the alley to get to the central of the shopping district!







A lot of clothes go for 100-150 NTD, which is dirt cheap considering the marked-up prices in Singapore. I cannot vouch for all the shops' quality of clothes but those that I have bought have served me well so far and I am so glad to have chanced upon them!

I sincerely do not know why I took a picture of this top
















This place is HUGE and during weekends it can get really crowded, so please secure your handbags and guys, do hold on to your wallet or you might get your bum pinched by a sexy lady and find your money missing afterwards (dayum)









There is a shop here that sells shoes, shoes, and more shoes! Of course they do have others like clothes but their main trade is shoes so those crazy for footwear, this is the place to go!
Unfortunately I did not manage to take a photo of the shopfront, but look out for a large (much larger than normal) shop with blasting music and steps leading to underground.



Shoes Galore!








At a shop nearby I bought this red cardigan that has become my favourite outerwear (it is so damn comfy!)

Long sleeved Grey shirt I bought - not Singapore appropriate but I can always make it work!
My sisters are not as enthusiastic as I am over shopping, so I had to cut short my shopping trip (I can spend hours here!) so that, and another grey shirt were the only things I bought there. Sad! But I wasn't too bothered because my hungry stomach was eagerly looking forward to our next destination...


饒河街觀光夜市
Rao He Night Market
Address: Raohe St, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Nearest MRT: 松山 Song Shan Station

The nearest MRT Station to Rao He Night Market used to be Hou Shan Pi, up until Song Shan Station started business (which was only recently) .



We walked from Wu Fen Pu, so I'm not sure about which exit to take from Song Shan Station. However, when you are standing from my viewpoint, Rao He Night Market will be within sight!



The distant view to the left (if you were facing the station) should be very obvious with its bright lights!




Rao He Night Market is one of the oldest night markets in its area, but it has only begun gaining the recognition it truly deserves in recent years. While it is not as large-scale as Shilin Night Market, it's relatively 'untouched' when compared to it. By 'untouched', I mean that commercialisation has not fully taken its toll in the area. To me, a night market in Taiwan comprises stand-alone booths with souvenir shops or food stores at the shophouses. Of course, these brands will be local and perhaps unknown, even. When brands like Nike open a shopfront in a night market, you know that's when a night market's quality starts to drop. The governments will be too obsessed with generating income from the night-market goers that they might potentially disregard the important things like our favourite food vendors because they are relatively unable to offer high rental. Slippery slope, I know. But I'm using emotion here to rule my logic so pardon me - I strongly feel that costly, exclusive brands should remain in their shopping malls. So, by the looks of Rao He Night Market, it is still in its purest form, which calls for a celebration!



原住民山豬肉香腸



Did I mention that my sisters embarked on a gourmet journey searching for the best pork sausages in Taiwan Night Markets? Well, they did. And this stall above was not let off!



This particular store has four different types of sauces to slather your pork sausage with. There's Black Pepper, Wasabi, Thai Chili, and Garlic. Four varying sensations, I'd say! But all spicy, so I wonder if a spicy note complements pork well. One pork sausage here goes for 35 NTD (approx. 1.55 SGD)

爆桨玉子燒



Up till now I have no idea what this dish is exactly, but my sister had been eyeing this stall since before the trip so we thought we'd give it a try. The storefront displays a tablet with a looping video of a TV gourmet show featuring their dish, so it might be very famous! The queue was substantially long...



Flavours aplenty! The price ranges from 65 NTD to 75 NTD (2.90 SGD to 3.30 NTD)



This was good, but I very much prefer plain old Takoyaki.

巧手韓式蛋中蛋



This is a MUST TRY in Rao He Night Market! It's a sweet dish with the concept of an 'egg-inside-an-egg'. Of course, it isn't literally one egg within another, but instead poached egg within an egg pancake (in the shape of dorayaki!)



It is cheap given its novelty, and taste-wise it is really satisfying, especially when you get to the yolk inside, so I strongly recommend at least giving this dish a try when you visit Rao He.

蠔老闆尙青大生蠔



For oyster-lovers like me, you'll be delighted to know that there are many stalls offering grilled oysters (and raw ones upon request) for cheap! The first time I visited was in October 2014, and I was hooked on my first slurp (because you slurp oysters right?) Back then, I felt that the oysters were the freshest and the best I had ever tasted, and for Mandarin-speakers, it really brought meaning to the phrase 鮮甜 - it was SWEET.

I recommended my sisters to visit the same stall during their December trip, but my little sister was extremely disappointed because the oysters were salty, and not heavenly as I had described it. Nevertheless, I was adamant on giving it another try so this trip, we decided to give it another go.



Raw oysters are not on the menu but you can request for them as mentioned above. The price is the same (6 for 100 NTD approx. 4.40 NTD)







I let my sister try it first, and this time it was not as salty as it had been the previous year. When I tried it however, I could understand the disappointment my sister had felt because it was not as good as it was when I had visited in October. It was still fresh, and sweet, but the preparation might have deteriorated because there was an overwhelming taste of saltwater. I highly suspect it is due to the skill of the workers, more so than the quality of the oysters. Let me just say that the first time I visited, I was served by the boss himself so that might explain why my experience was top-notch. Then again, it might be due to the change in season. October vs December... A different of two months can mean so much sometimes! I'm not as big of a fan as I was last time, so the next time I visit, I might try another stall just to compare and contrast, but if you are an oyster lover, I recommend starting with this stall and then working your way through in other visits.

舞Q 冰品甜品館



When there's so much food in a Night Market, we tend to overeat and stretch our stomachs to the point where we really cannot take in anymore food... Unless it's dessert! We were excited to try out this new dessert store (the previous year my two sisters tried the dessert somewhere else) and so into the store we skipped.





Our bowl of dessert only cost us something like 50-70 NTD (2.20-3.10 NTD) which is really worth it because it was so good! Plus, it was shared between the three of us, which meant about a dollar each at max? We didn't leave the place feeling hungry!



The bowl was filled almost to the brim, and a generous serving of milk was poured which added on to the richness of the cold goodness.

This dessert is similar to Black Ball in Singapore, if not the same. The toppings (pudding, taro balls and chickpeas) are very classic examples of what you can add on to your dessert. Yum!

If you didn't see anything that caught your eye in my blog post, here are some pictures I snapped around Rao He Night Market for a better glimpse of what stalls there might be! Hopefully you find something you like :)



























It is good to have convenience stores at night markets because you can always find something to eat or drink in case the night market food does not suit your palate. Of course, for us, this was supplementary for our ever-hungry stomach!

With this we ended day three in Taiwan, and we were glad to return home with stuffed stomachs! I hope just somehow this post has been useful to you readers :)

xoxo
Valerie

Here are the links for the other days (click on the days!):

DAY ONE
DAY TWO
DAY FOUR

teeseirelav

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