It's Airol's birthday and we made an effort to wake up early to check out the hotel's breakfast (and only one was complimentary, something wrong here), plus we decided to head to Taipei zoo to check out the pandas that both of us love but have not got a chance to see in person.
The items they offered were not enough to even get Airol off his butt for a 2nd helping, so once we finished what we took, which had some weird things like leaves from some cactus, we just went to change and head to our destination of the day!
Getting some directions from the hotel staff, and a lot more help from the map, we were off to get to the nearest train station that would bring us closer to out black and white balls of fur. Along the way, we made a few stops to take pictures; some to make postcards, some for memories, and some just to show his different poses.
Somehow This Scene Amuses Me
After all the walking and 2 train rides, we were finally at the stop we've been eager to get to. Then we find out that we have to walk a bit more, and the sun was starting to get to my eyes. Thank goodness it was still cool even with the sun out or I think I would have been miserable. Got our tickets, as well as the passes that would allow us to view the pandas only once, and at a specific time. Guess we're lucky I was still able to figure out what the pass said or we would have missed our only chance. So off we went, in search of our 'big bear cats' first, just to make sure we didn't miss the opportunity.
I Think The One On The Right Is Dead?
The line moves slowly as everyone wants to have as much time as they can to view the pandas. Good thing was that there were wardens who would ask you to move along once you've taken your photo, but they didn't really care if u got a good shot or not. So Airol couldn't get in a nice shot with him posing with the pandas in the background, but at least we got a few good shots of the pandas rolling around as we walked to the end of the line, nudged on by everyone else.
Hello Panda!
All The Way To Taiwan To Take A Pic With Koalas?
Back to the main grounds and we were shopping for more souvenirs when we spotted this weird little exhibition. At first, I thought it was a beehive for children to play in, but as we got closer, it clearly stated what it was all about; getting to know poop. Well at least it's a colourful and fun way to look at something that would turn the best of us away.
Airol disappeared as I was taking photos of the poop art and returned with another panda in his hand. It's like anything they can create into a panda shape was available. This time, it was cheese filled griddle pancakes (100NT for 3) that caught his attention. Sadly there weren't any panda shaped burgers to end our panda-fest, but when a boy gets hungry, you better feed him before he starts whining. Oddly enough I really just needed a big cold drink.
Once the zoo started chasing everyone out, we got on the train and headed to Shilin Night Market, this time absolutely sure we would enjoy the food we got. There were a few suggestions on some 'must-haves' from Taiwan and I was aiming to clear the whole lot within the night, just in case I couldn't come back a 2nd time.
Taipei's 'Times Square'?
Once we got out of the underground station, we were greeted by bright lights telling us we were at the right place, and apparently the right time by the looks of the line for the XXL chicken. As we had too many things to try at once, Airol was left to queue for the XXL chicken while I went around hunting for mango shaved ice, as well as BBQ chicken butts, beef noodles, and smelly toufu. Somehow I still made it out with money to spare, but we were going to have a feast in the hotel room with all the food we've accumulated through the trip back.
The sight that greeted us in our hotel room was pleasantly shocking. The housekeeper had not only cleaned up after we left the place as though a storm passed through, she even placed our shoes neatly under the tv, and folded our scarves like a loving mom would. Made me feel a bit guilty for the mess we made before... maybe that's the plan? Hmmmm...
Anyway, we also noticed a few extra bits of stuff on the side table and realised it was the hotel's effort to recognise Airol's birthday. I wonder if they would do anything if I didn't put a note in the booking? Simple as it was, at least it made his birthday a little more special.
After getting all the photographic evidence of the room, it was time to start logging our food haul, and it is rather amazing the amount of food we can put in ourselves, even if it's over the course of a few hours.
The Whole Lot... I Think
Starting with the stuff we got from the underground shopping as we travelled by train from one place to another - a bag of stuff from Mos Burger, some sushi, braised tau kee, and some breads and pastries from a bakery. As Airol couldn't try too much food as they seem to love their lard in Taiwan, his choices had to be backed up with fast food, which isn't too bad considering it was an opportunity to compare it to the ones back home. Although the desserts came in a cute little glass, to me, there wasn't really much difference. Maybe it was because I had better things to try and wasn't that bothered to compare the Mos Burger items.
Airol's next raid was in a bakery, getting some bread for himself, the only two items that caught my eye were the egg tart and sesame bun. Honestly, I didn't like both. The pastry for the egg tart was just too thick and the egg custard just can't satisfy an egg-loving glutton. The sesame bun was just strange to me. It was like eating a piece of baked gluten, which isn't my idea of a bun, but I guess there are a lot of people out there who seem to like it. Just not my cup of tea.
Oh yes, almost forgot about the custard bun (30NT) we got while roaming the zoo, from one of the stalls selling meat filled steamed buns, but since everything was pork, we got the only 'safe' option. Even after it travelled all around town, the custard bun still survived the journey, with the bread staying soft, and the custard still creamy. Pleasantly not as sweet as I thought it would be. I think the Taiwanese have got a good sense of sugar control or something. :D
Sesame Bun & Egg Tart From Underground Bakery, Custard Bun From Zoo
The braised tau kee was interesting, a little herbal, a little sweet and salty at the same time. It is a really good, chewy snack as it was like semi-dried cubes of toufu that has been soaking in the sauce the whole day. The spicier option would have been great with ice cold beer too, and just for 35NT a pack.
Braised Tau Kee
- Mango Shaved Ice with Fresh Mango Fruit (100NT)
- Stewed Beef Noodles (90NT)
- Spring Onions Wrapped in Pork (40NT)
- Chicken Butts (40NT)
- Smelly Tofu & Duck Blood Soup (60NT)
- Fried Smelly Tofu in a bag(50NT)
- Prawn & Oyster Omelette (50NT)
- Fried Smelly Tofu in a bowl (50NT)
- XXL Chicken (50NT)
- Tim Sum (10NT each x 5 pieces)
Mango Shaved Ice With Fresh Mango Cubes
The next thing I tasted was the stewed beef noodles, another recommendation by Eddie, which was alright except that the gravy was rather bland. I guess with something stewed, I expected a rather rich gravy, and judging by the amount of people eating at this stall, I think they might have missed out on giving me some condiments. Anyway, the noodles were soft and chewy even after staying in the gravy for an hour, the beef was a little chewy but still rather tasty, but there was this strange sour vegetable which I couldn't identify that didn't seem to fit in. The noodles did go well with the barbecued spring onions wrapped in pork though.
Although I lost the photo, it's easy to just imagine a bunch of spring onion, wrapped in pork, barbecued till cooked through, slathered with some thick soy-based secret-recipe sauce, and then blast it with lost of pepper and chilli powder. One bite and the sting from the onion just goes straight to the sinuses just like wasabi, and then the flavours of the sauce and spices kick in to blend nicely with the juices. Add this huge flavour explosion to a mouthful of plain noodles and it was PERFECT!
From the very same store came the barbecued chicken butts. Barbecued till the skin blistered, then slathered with the same sauce and blasted with spices, the fat little bums were crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside. The best thing was that some of the fat had already melted away and it made it less a lot easier to snack on them. I think I probably could go through a lot more sticks if I didn't have so much to try.
Stewed Beef Noodles & BBQ Chicken Butts
Next up was the one thing that got me questioning at the stall if I should get it or not. No one really mentioned anything about duck blood soup, and to have it with smelly toufu at the same time was probably something to really consider. However I think I made a really good choice getting it. So if you've ever had pig's blood and like it, duck's blood would be a little less smelly. This dish was like a herbal, hot and sour soup with cubes of duck's blood, tau kwa, and preserved vegetables - the idea seems to be a little close to salted vegetable and duck soup mixed with smelly toufu. I'd recommend this if you dare to eat both the blood and smelly toufu, which isn't really that smelly really.
Smelly Toufu And Duck Blood Soup
So the way I stumbled upon the soup was because I was following my nose to get me some smelly toufu. But as I was finding my way out, I happen to pass another stall and decided to get a pack from there as well. As Eddie told me, I probably wouldn't like the smelly toufu they offered in Taiwan if I've tried the one in Hong Kong, and he was right in a way. The smelly toufu here isn't as smelly as the ones in Hong Kong, with the flavour only sitting on the surface of each cube of toufu. The pickled vegetables that went with it was really nice though. The big difference between the two stalls was definitely in the chilli sauce. While the one in the plastic bag (the stall selling the soup) had a nice spicy and sour chilli, that had a hint of belacan for some reason, the one in the bowl wasn't spicy enough and it needed just a pinch of salt. In the end, I'd rather stick to the ones in Hong Kong.
Smelly Toufu From 2 Different Stalls
Another thing Eddie warned me about was the oyster omelette, and once again, I found myself not liking this dish. So I've always not like the starch they put in the fried oyster omelettes here, and usually go for the option without starch. But when trying something from another country, we have to try what they offer, unless I'm allergic to it, and so here I sit trying out Taiwan's fried prawn and oyster omelette. Other than it had way too much starch when compared to the kind back home, the omelette needed a bit more flavouring which was probably because the oyster and prawn were both lacking in flavour as well. But the hardest thing to swallow was the gloopy chilli sauce which tasted like a cross between the sour one we get , and satay sauce. This is one thing I definitely won't touch if I head there again.
Fried Prawn And Oyster Omelette
Another bunch of pictures I lost was of a mixed pack of tim sum. There wasn't much choice to start with and so I chose the ones that seem cute to me. I ended up with 5 pieces which included the prawn & tang hoon ball, sweet black glutenous rice, crystal prawn dumpling, curry dumpling, and one unknown white dumpling. Other than the glutenous black rice and the curry dumpling, the other 3 were disappointing. I'm not sure if it's something about the prawns here or if they're cutting back on the prawns to save cost, but anything that was supposed to have prawns didn't seem to taste like they did, and that made the crystal prawn dumpling just taste like a chice dumpling instead.
The prawn and tang hoon ball was pleasantly light, rather refreshing for something with meat and starch, but once again, the prawn escaped. The white dumpling confused me, I just chose it randomly without asking what it was, and I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be in the end as it was just mushy and tasteless. The curry dumpling did surprise me though, it tasted like the soup base of the curry flavoured instant noodles, and the texture was really nice, especially with the crunchy peas. I guess they really go light on seasoning as I keep finding that I need a bit of salt here and there, but the good thing is that they do it with their desserts too and it was really nice that the mouthful of glutenous rice was just perfectly sweetened with the bitter-sweet lotus seed decorating it.
The last thing I tried was the rather famous Taiwanese street food item that Airol finished just as I finished my food shopping, the XXL chicken. Compared to what we get here, it's a bit thicker somehow, and I guess not cutting it into bits has kept the juices within. They're also a lot more generous with the spices and even after keeping it for so long, it still kept it's crunch in the coating, probably because they kept changing their oil, resulting in the long queue. Which is probably why the long wait, even in a cool weather, didn't deter the birthday boy, who seems to be coming down with something.
XXL Chicken
Big Mistake
Once the medicine started kicking in, he was off like the light next to him, posing in his sleep. Guess he had a good day celebrating his existence that it wore him out thoroughly.
He Even Poses From Head To Toe In His Sleep!
Happy 29th Birthday Airol!
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