If I had to sum up Taiwan in just one sentence, it would be "Taiwanese people are the loveliest and friendliest people I have ever met".
There are still so many things that I want to explore and eat in Taiwan that I will have to make a trip back here soon.
My first stop was Kaohsiung and I stayed at an AIRBNB accommodation that was near Formosa Boulevard station. The above "The Dome of Light" is at the station, it's the world's largest work of glass art created by Italian artist, Narcissus Quagliata. You have to see it for yourself, the colours are simply amazing and it's probably the most beautiful subway station I have ever been in.
KAOHSIUNG
Duck Zhen
Address: 258 Wufu 4th Road, Yancheng District
Opening hours: 10:00am - 8:20pm (closed on Tuesday)
This place is a favourite amongst the locals and for very good reason, it was delicious.
The bowl of rice is topped with slices of duck meat and with lots of braised bits of pork belly. It's a dish that would be very comforting in winter paired with the clear soup that comes with lots of fresh julienned ginger in it.
If I had more time in Kaohsiung, I would have loved to have another bowl of this deliciousness.
Shuang Fei Milk Tea
Address: 173 Xinyue Street, Yancheng District
Opening hours: 9:00am - 9:00pm
This place is the most famous locally-owned milk tea shop in Kaohsiung; they have black tea, green tea and oolong tea that are brewed and prepared in barrels. No ice is added to your tea to keep the flavour consistent.
I would happily drink this everyday without feeling guilty.
叙。Catch up
Address: 53 Rehe 1st Street, Sammin District
Opening hours: 12:00pm - 9:00pm
This caramel pudding with pearls is a must order. It's what you expect a caramel pudding to be, topped with the pearls and a dollop of cream just made it even better.
The snacks and drinks here are delicious and inexpensive, the store owners are super friendly as well. It's definitely worth a visit to escape the summer heat in Taiwan.
Good Eat Toast
Address: Rueifong Night Market (3rd row of the food section)
Opening hours: 6:00pm - 12:00am (closed on Monday and Wednesday)
This was surprisingly good; loaded with lots of pearls and you can taste the milk tea spread in the toast. I would definitely eat this again.
If this is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other food stalls that I am sure will tickle your fancy.
快慢拍小姐
Address: 40號, Xingzhong 1st Road, Lingya District
Opening hours: 7:00am - 1:00pm (closed on Tuesday)
That's the literal translation from google. if you want to order this, just tell them 抹茶髒髒蛋餅 with 丸九小山園抹茶醬.
The matcha omelette has crushed peanuts and cheese in it, so so good and super filling. The matcha sauce was extra but as they say "go hard or go home".
I stumbled across this place on Instagram and knew that I had to visit this place whilst in Kaohsiung. It was worth the calories for breakfast, they have some really creative egg omelettes options that you will not find in Australia.
TAICHUNG
My plans for Taichung didn't go according to plan and it's probably the only day in my whole solo trip that was a bit of a letdown. Why? Because it rained cats and dogs all day long! :(
And the only place that I can recommend is...
Chun Sui Tang
Address: 30號, Siwei Street, West District
Opening hours: 8:00am - 10:00pm
They say that this place is the OG of all bubble teas, the first to create bubble tea in the early 1980's.
Chun Shui Tang translates as "Spring Water Hall" - known for their signature ice cold teas and frothy tea lattes.
The best pearl milk tea that I have tasted to date, the pearls are slightly smaller but they are nice and chewy.
TAIPEI
Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodles
Address: 8-1號, Emei St, Wanhua District
Opening hours: 9:00am - 11:00pm
You can't come to Taipei and not have a bowl of this goopy goodness. The lines were long but it moved quickly.
The noodles were so soft and silky, the gravy was absolutely delicious and you must add the garlic and chilli condiments to it.
I slurped it all up, it was worth sweating in the heat just to eat this.
Xing Fu Tang
Address: various stores located in Taiwan
Opening hours: (struggled to find any online)
Everyone raves about the brown sugar pearl milk tea being their favourite but is it worth the hype?
I loved their brown sugar pearls - soft and chewy, I could have it everyday but besides that, I'm not the biggest fan.
Shilin Night Market
Address: 101號, Jihe Road, Shilin District
Opening hours: 4:00pm - 12:00am (weekdays) and 3:00pm - 1:00am (weekends)
Another bowl of this goopy goodness 😍
This bowl was seriously good and was only a fraction of the price of Ay-Chung's. I paid only AUD$1 for this deliciousness.
If you are at Shilin Night Market, definitely look out for this stall. it's also featured in the 2018 and 2019 Michelin Guide, need I say more?
Fu Hang Dou Jiang
Address: Huashan Traditional Market - Level 2, 108 Zhongxiao East Road, Section 1, Zhongzheng District
Opening hours: 5:30am - 12:30pm (closed on Monday)
The simple things in life - signature flatbread with eggs & chinese donut and cold soya bean milk.
This stall at Huashan Market has been serving up this quintessential breakfast for locals since 1958. The line is out the door, down the stairs and goes around the corner and it's never ending till closing time at 12:30pm.
Thankfully, I only waited 30mins for this and it was worth it. The soya bean milk was so smooth and creamy, the flatbread had a smokiness to it from being cooked in a tandoor oven and it was a great combination having the eggs and chinese donut in it.
This breakfast only cost me AUD$4 and it's also featured in this year's Michelin Guide 😋
In the video, you can see how long the queue gets if you don't get there at the right time.
Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice
Address: 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District
Opening hours: 8:00am - 1:00am
The land of lu rou fan, I mean you can't come to Taiwan and not have this delicious iconic dish.
The lu rou fan at Jin Feng was meaty, fatty and oily, everything you want in this dish.