Fresh Mex night in Hsinchu

After LuGang, we took a train over to Hsinchu to visit my cousin. Then promptly joined her and her friends to a local bar and drank ourself silly. Then promptly crashed out back at her place. This morning...correction, late morning, we headed over to a famous mala beef noodle soup place (麻辣牛肉麵). It's called Sichuan Duan Chun Zhen Chongqing famous snack (四川段純真牛肉麵). There was a long wait so I was very eager to see how good this place was. Seems everyone in the crowd was in the same agreement. After 30 or more minutes, we headed in and was escorted to a small square traditional wood table with bench seats. The interior had a very simple dark wood and white walls theme. It was also very clean and tidy. My cousin told me to order the regular noodles, not the mala one, because they were all spicy to begin with. She was right. The regular one was just perfect on the spiciness. The hand made noodles were Q (Taiwanese term for perfect chewiness) and the meat tender with a good marbling of fat. And their sour vegetables 酸菜 is really good. It's not the normal dark green limpy cabbage you find at just about every beef noodle place. It was lighter in color and tasted a lot fresher. Different and a positive check in the quality department for me. I really liked it! Overall, I'd put the dish up at a high 8.5/10. If your ever in the area, you must try this place out. Apparently it's a chain so there are other locations. Later that evening, we had ourselves a mexican dinner. I cooked some quesadillas and my cousin made tacos. It turned out to be a very simple and relaxing weekend. Also I discovered there was a rather large and extensive indoor bouldering gym called iClimb in Hsinchu too. So i'll have to plan another visit to we can all go together and climb some fiberglass rocks.

Sichuan Duan Chun Zhen Chongqing famous snack (四川段純真牛肉麵)
新竹市建功一路135號
03－5748838

新竹市武陵路62號
03－5408165

LuGang Lantern Festival

My girlfriend informed me of a lantern festival that was happening in LuGang. It's apparently this year's chosen city for the lantern festival and it has an old town, which I always find interesting. Our plan was to head out for one day and then head over to Hsinchu to visit my cousin which I haven't seen in a while. First off, we took the train and only had a small 7-11 breakfast. It took a good three hours. So when we arrived, I was starving. On the way to the festival, they had setup a rather large food market with temporary tents. This could have been LuGang's night market, but I can't tell the difference. Even some permanent night markets are still under tents. There were some unique foods there and some common staple foods. But I did see a guabao 掛包 (chinese hamburger?) vender and that's what I ended up desiring. Usually they use fatty pork but this vender used lamb. I love lamb, so i couldn't pass up this opportunity. It tastes awesome. Although I still think gaobao is better paired with fatty pork because the lamb makes it too lean. But it is definitely a unique take. Moving on, we headed over to where every else was going...the old street. Upon arrival, there were thousands of people, street venders, lanterns and street performances everywhere. It took forever to walk down the street or even take an unobstructed picture. Several of the buildings were over 100 years old. I always enjoy looking at old asian buildings. The wood braced roofs and the intricate stone carvings on the building corners make them so attractive. Looking further, you can see some of the japanese, chinese, western and taiwanese influences in the architecture. Sometimes renovated over the years and you can see a mix of cultures. We stopped by an old cafe that served Taiwanese and Japanese cuisine. It was decorated with advertisements and trinkets from the 20's to the 60's. It seems to be a popular theme here in Taiwan and I like it. It's like visiting a diner car back in the states, you know, like the one's converted from old pullman trains. For dessert we also tried miancha 麵茶, which is an old porridge dish that used to be popular 30 years ago, but has slowly phased out of popularity. LuGang still carries on this dish for traditional purposed. According to my Aunt, the government at that time would give out rice and noodles for free and milk was expensive. So someone invented a way to grind these free ingredients into a porridge that was supposed to taste like milk. It doesn't. But it still tastes pretty good! I regret not buying a $100 NT bag of this to bring home. It's a nice place to revisit, during lantern festival or not. It's still a tourist attraction, so the businesses will still be open during the regular season.

Mexican dinner with a panda

Tonight was a unprecedented evening for this blog. It's the first time I got to meet one of my blog readers, in person, for the first time. Is she some creepy weird psychopath that i'll regret meeting? haha, No. She turned out just fine. She is cheerful, an ease to be around with, sociable and eager to be here in Taiwan to learn Chinese. Although I'm sure my blog had a very minor influence, it makes me proud I started something of value and where I have opportunities to meet some genuinely good people as a bonus. This blog started out only as my personnel online journal of my stay here in Taiwan. But then my stay, originally expected to only be temporary, has turned into a much longer if not permanent stay. And my blog has changed from a private log to a food blog to a blog that a few strangers follow along with on my adventures here in Taiwan. Hopefully I can meet some you that are reading this or at the very least, the information I post will be of help to you. So I dedicate this entry to "panda" (i'm not sure if she wants to be mentioned by her real name). Thank you!

I'll try to keep it short and simple for tonight's epicurean adventure. I went with "panda" and my girlfriend to Eddy's Cantina. This is also another mexican restaurant that I've been wishing to try out ever since I saw their business card on the bulletin board at my gym. It's in Tianmu near the Taipei American School. Story goes, Eddy is Mexican by ethnicity and Canadian by birth, then later moved to Taiwan. He decided to open a Mexican cantina in two locations: Tianmu and DanShui, using the recipes passed down to him from his family. The food turned out to be OK. But it's partially my fault for ordering a burrito, which is about as mexican as Jay Leno. What can I say, I'm from California and I love me some burritos. My burrito was typical tasting. The skin was warm, powdered with dough to give it that made at home texture. But it ended up being too thin and broke up easily spilling out my burrito contents. I ended up resorting to a fork and knife. Macho Tacos still prefered on this one. On the other hand, Yuki ordered the tacos and she said they were pretty damn good. "Panda" said her's was pretty good too, and the spicy salsa is spicy haha. I'd be willing to have a second go at this place since it's so close by my home. Damage to the wallet is around $200+, thus not considered a cheap eat, but a moderate infliction.

Eddy's Cantina Tianmu
台北市士林區中山北路六段450巷3弄1號
02-2873-7612
http://www.eddyscantina.com‎

Eddy's Cantina DanShui
新北市淡水區中山路151號之1
02-2628-2638

The roof is on fire!

Today is a continuation of yesterday. We decided to head back to Songshan Tobacco Factory to finish off the exhibits that we didn't get a chance to see on Saturday. The main halls 1-5, were the largest exhibits and had the longest waiting line. So it still took us until early evening to finish off the last 5 exhibit halls out of 14. After finished up the first location, we took a free shuttle to the second location at Taipei World Trade Center exhibition hall. But in the end, we gave up. It was getting late and we were tired. I also had to head to church at 5:30. Normally, I wouldn't mention anything about Church but this evening ended spectacularly. Well at least for me. First, near the end of service, the building next to us caught on fire. I think it first started on the roof, then spread to the entire building. It was approximately 50 feet away. I could feel the heat from the fire. Sparks were flying, flames were licking the aluminum roofs, thick black smoke was billowing from the fire and electrical units were exploding due to the heat. So the service ended prematurely and we all headed out for dinner as a safety measure from the fire. We ended up having dinner at Macho Tacos (Shida location). Yes, a second location to my favorite (and only) fresh-mex restaurant. They open right next to my school, and after I no longer go there. How unfair. But at least i'm there often, so it add fresh-mex to the option of foods to the Shida area. Coming back from dinner, the firemen were still trying to put out the flames. Fortunately, it seems everyone got out fine and no one was injured. But it made me realize with such a vertically packed city with disorganized alley ways, it must be very difficult for firetrucks to navigate directly to the optimal position to fight a high-rise fire. This blog post goes out to the brave fire men of the Taipei Fire department. God bless you!

Macho Tacos (Shida location)
台北市大安區浦城街15號
No. 15, Pǔchéng St, Daan District (Taipower or Guting MRT would be the closest)

Macho fish tacos

I haven't been getting proper sleep lately, so we slept in pretty late. But after getting up, Yuki and I went to Macho Tacos near the SYS memorial station again for a very late lunch. Near closing time around 3 pm. But we got in right before and enjoyed a quiet lunch experience in the normally crowded and busy establishment. I got the burrito...again. If you even make it here, you really only want to order the tacos and burritos. The other items on their menu aren't very good in my opinion as I think I've mentioned before. Her fish tacos this time turned out perfect! Crunchy! And I loved the special sauce they add on top. I wonder if they'll make me a fish burrito next time. Afterwards we made a short trip to Laetitia near Zhongxiao Dunhua. If you remember from my older posts, it's a small pastry puff shop, similar to Beard Papa. Excellent little pastry puffs. A little expensive, but very very delicate and silky in taste. I recommend to drop by and try one or two. After that, we went shopping around for more shoes for Yuki. I have no idea how many pairs she owns now. But it seems every time we go shopping it's for shoes. haha maybe it's not that many. We don't always walk away with a pair every time. For dinner, Yuki didn't recollect that she ever ate at the Dunhua Fuxing SOGO food court. So we grabbed a cheap dinner at the food court of the new SOGO. I have some sizzling pork over pasta and an egg. Taiwanese food court staple. I think just about every food court here has a sizzling "steak" stand. And every food court at a mall is always so packed. Good food, cheap eats attracts everyone! But we were fortunate to scout...wait for a couple to finish and steal their seats. Then we got a big bowl of shaved ice dessert afterwards which ended up being pretty expensive. So not so cheap after all. But I always enjoy the food courts, so many choices.

San Francisco trip

For my school break I went back to the San Francisco bay area to finish some business and show Yuki around the bay area. It's a welcomed relief from Taiwanese food, back to the fattening delicious food of the bay. I introduced her to some real Cali fresh-mex, american pancakes, burmese food, the wine train, Krispy Kreme, Sichuan/Taiwanese at Spices, Indian food, Italian seafood, In&Out, Dim Sum, and filipino food. Showing her the sights of SF and being away from SF for so long, made me really realize how beautiful and victorian San Francisco architecture really is. Also how perfect the weather is. Despite some rain, the sky was always blue and cloudy and dramatic. Taiwanese skies are rarely ever like that. But despite missing having my own car, perfect weather, a variety of ethnic food and a victorian city, living in the bay area is just too troublesome and expensive. Parking tickets, insurance, smog, and the ridiculously expensive SF parking fees really miss the convenient, cheap and traffic-free subway system of Taipei. SF is definitely beautiful and has a lot to offer in it's own right, but it makes me appreciate Taipei's simplicity and comfort. I wish I had more time, but I have to leave some for next time Yuki and I have a chance to visit. Farewell SF!

Macho Tacos

Today, I found another mexican food place near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall (國父紀念館). It's called Macho Tacos. I think the founder is an ABC like myself. The food was excellent. They were out of beef, so I had the pork instead. The pork was tender, tasty and shredded. AND they use the proper mexican rice with options for refried/black beans. Now this is the fresh-mex that I have been missing since California. My heart is content, I've found my Cali-mexican joint to satisfy my burrito cravings here in Taiwan. They're chips and salsa are also excellent. To top it off with a cherry, they serve Horchata too. It's a mexican cinnamon rice drink. WIN! Afterwards, Yuki and I visited an old concrete military residence museum/village. This relic has since been converted to an art park. We found many people here browsing the limited trinket stores, taking pictures, eating ice cream and sitting around chatting. On my way back, my parents called me up for a dinner invite to Beijing Do It True (北平都一處). It is also near the S.Y.S. memorial. They have two famous and frequently ordered meals. The Peking Duck and sour cabbage hot pot. Peking Duck of my favorite dishes. And so hard to come by in the USA. Many places say they have Peking duck, but unless it's a REAL peking duck from Beijing, it's fake. Most restaurants in the US can't justify the cost for the real thing and substitute it with another duck. Most patrons can't tell the different. To be fair, I can't either. I have to ask. Sorry, no pictures of the Peking duck. Why, because we didn't order it. The waitress was speaking too fast for me to understand, but I believe they sold out. So we had to order another type of meat that was still available. It was still tasty and we devoured it way too fast. The sour cabbage hot pot was so-so according to my mom.



www.machotacos.com, Yanji St, Lane 126, #3.
Beijing Do it True, 506 Renai Road, Sec. 4.

Oola Mexican Grill (Gongguan)

Today, while browsing through the internet before class, I discovered a hidden mexican food place near Gongguan. So I decided to visit this place after class. It's hard to find. It was literally down a dark alley, behind other buildings and a large movie theater. But once I found it, it was brightly lit up with the name Oola Mexican Grill across the top. It's a two floor eatery. Tonight the top floor was busy with teenagers while the downstairs tables remained more quiet and comfortable. So I opted to stay on ground floor. I ordered a burrito barbacao and my partner in crime ordered a chicken burrito. Prices range from $170-200 a person + $50 for drinks & chips. Hands down the best burrito i've had so far in Taipei. And I'm kinda glad I found another place for my south of the border cravings. My two other options either closed down (Taco Bar) or a little on the expensive side (Aunt Nitti's). Only three vital things were missing; refried beans or black beans in my burrito, it was not mexican rice (jasmine doesn't cut it), and no Cholula hot sauce. OK one more, no Lengua (beef tongue). Lengua is the bomb! But I have to give it to them, mexican food doesn't seem to have a strong demand in Taipei and their salsa was very good! And to all you authentic Mexican foodies out there, I know burritos are an American invention. But when I say Mexican, I mean California-Mexican (Fresh-mex). Oola also has a build your own burrito/taco too. All in all, an excellent restaurant and it's bumped to the top of my list for Mexican food in Taipei. Oh one last thing, students get a 10% discount so bring your ID's!!!

Taco night at home

Today, I decided to eat in and make it "Taco Night". So I visited my local TianMu (天每) American import place, Willie's Deli. Boy, is the final price tag expensive. But hey, it's Valentine's day, expenses don't count today right? I have to say it was quite satisfying. It's been a while since I cooked at home. My kitchen is sizable, but unfortunately it just doesn't offer the counter space nor the tools that I need for proper "western" cooking. Like an oven. But I make do. Ovens in Taiwan are rare and reserved for the very wealthy. But, I can only image the stuff I could make with an oven. Like cookies, lasagna, DIY pizza, pie...Taco night turned out to be a success. Abiet no where near authentic, but delicious none the less. However, outside of my kitchen I'm still in search for a decent fresh-mex burrito in Taipei. Here's to taco nights and fresh-mex!

Grandma Nitti's Kitchen

I went to dinner with a friend to Grandma Nitti's Kitchen in the Shida night market. It's on #8 Lane 93 Shida Rd. We were looking for some comfort food because we were both feeling a little under the weather. More so her than I. After all the hot weather we had during the Chinese new year break, today was cold and rainy. A lot of other students have caught a colds too. Anyways, back to the restaurant. The decor is pretty simple. Mostly white stucko walls with lots of sketch artwork. But the place was still pretty busy for 6pm. Looking at their menu, they have mexican, salads, pasta, hamburgers and pizza. Since my discovery that my favorite mexican food place (Taco Bar) decided to shut down, I haven't found a replacement. So I decided to try some of Grandma Nitti's Kitchen's enchilada. Oh wow! Soo good. Still probably not quite what you'd get in California, but for someone that hasn't tasted mexican food in months, THIS WAS GREAT! This motivates me to not only come back and try out their other dishes, but to have a tex-mex night at home. Prices are around $300-500. Website is www.grandmanittis.com.tw. Afterwards I noticed a cake shop across the street. It was called MySweetiePie Cake and Cafe. Their display counter had ALOT of delicious looking cakes. I was full and didn't feel like stuffing myself anymore. So i'll make a note to visit this place next time.

Taco Bar, Shida Market (closed)

My friend, Bruce, introduced me to an hidden alleyway at the western side of the Shida night market. It's the first alley way directly accross the way from the main entrance to the chinese side of the Shida night market. Walking down, I saw a Thai and Indian restaurant that I intend to try out. But the purpose of my travel down this hidden alleyway is to go to Taco Bar. It's a small quiant place with limited seating. One quiet and kind asian guy behind a bar cooking up a storm. There are two tightly fit tables, 6 seats at the bar and 1 table outside. With a projector playing Norah Jones on the not so distant wall accross the room, we took the first table for four. Three of them were my friends of previous acquintance, but the forth one was new. He's from Guatemala. This is really such a great reason to come learn at Shida MTC. There are so many students from all around the world. I have met more people from different countries in the past 3 months than I have in my entire lifetime. You never know who you'll meet and from what country their from. Back to dinner. The Taco Bar is noteworthy because I've been searching for a decent mexican place in Taipei for a while. Finally, I've found it. Prices range from $90-$130 NTD. The atmostphere is great and the food is excellent. You must try the mexican rice, even though it does take about 20 minutes to cook. They have ceviche too, but that needs a 24 hour advanced notice. The only down side is the small size, but I will definitly come back and try out the ceviche and other entres. Of course, I can't just eat one of everything in one seating, haha! 'Till next time readers!

Edit: Permanently Closed!