Travelogue: Taiwan 2012 - Yonghe Lehua Night Market 永和樂華觀光夜市 #TTOT #Travel #Taiwan #Food #LP

After a rather unsuccessful trip down to Wulai 烏來 (Read about our experience here...) during the earlier part of the day. And to ease the slight disappointment, we decided to honor ourselves with a round of feasting at yet another night market in Taipei! Read on to find out more! :)

[Taiwan September 2012]

24th Sep 2012 - Day 13 @ Yonghe Lehua Night Market

The initial intention was to head over to Sunset Market 智光黄昏市场 at Zhiguang Street in the Yonghe district where the food stalls will roll out during dusk and serve homely dishes at affordable prices. But because of a small miscommunication while we were asking for directions, we ended up at Lehua Night Market 樂華觀光夜市 instead!

Well, it isn't all bad after all... I supposed we found another place that is equally good!

Just like the Sunset Market, the food stall vendors at Lehua Night Market will start to line the side of the streets gradually at dusk as we inch into the night. Eventually a normal street in the day gradually evolves into a bustling food street at night! Although there's so many attractive food stalls, we were craving for something rewarding to the taste buds and decided to start off at one of the eateries serving a typical Teppanyaki style grills.

Ah Tai Grill and Spaghetti House 阿泰鐵板燒
Address: No. 21, Bǎopíng Rd, Yonghe District New Taipei City 新北市永和區保平路18巷21號

Complimentary Cream of Corn and Seaweed and Egg soup...

Japanaese Chicken and Mushroom Curry with spaghetti

Teppanyaki Chicken with garlic, scallions and chilli served with a platter of mixed vegetables and rice.

There were a couple of eateries along the same street that serves grill and since we're not too sure which one is good, we just pick the first one that looks the most appealing to us. I cannot remember the exact amount we paid for the meal but I do remembered the food was good and definitely worth the price we paid for. And not forgetting the fact that service was great and swift!

After our sit-down dinner and while exploring the streets of the night market, we spotted this stall in one of the alleys serving Thai mango salad with a snaking queue! But we didn't want to waste time standing in the queue but I am still wondering if it is really that good! Hmmm...

Milk tea with traditional tapioca balls or what we know commonly as pearls now! Got a small cup (at an affordable NT 35) to try it and love how fragrant the milk tea was and the tapioca balls were really chewy and delectable! 

Marlin fish paste on stick 旗鱼串

We were attracted by the preparations for each stick and we had to stop and buy one stick to try for our own! They fried the Marlin fish paste with a slice of hard boiled egg filling inside before serving with a dash of their homemade sweet chilli sauce, salt and pepper. Every stick costs NT 15 and I would say that it tasted more than scrumptious with soft and chewy insides while it is crispy outside. I love the mix of textures with every bite!

Trio Seafood Soup 三鮮羹

What attracted us this time was this endless stream of crowd (irregardless of dine-ins or takeaways) at this particular store serving seafood soup and Taiwanese rice cake. The soup is served with three variations of ingredients namely the prawns, crab meat and mackerel. And we went for the choice with a mix of all three ingredients! In that bowl, we had more ingredients than soup and all of the seafood items were all so fresh!

To add, you can actually opt for additional noodles, beehoon or vermicelli at NT 10 for a portion if you'd like to make your choice a complete meal.

A nightly affair at every night market we visit, the legendary STINKY TOFU!

And with that, we ended our little exploration at a less touristy night market in Taipei and we're glad that we had an equally great evening with great food too! No doubt, Taiwan is a true food haven. No matter where you end up at, there's bound to be someone somewhere to serve you something worth additional attention!

More posts from Taiwan September 2012 travelogue series:

• Day 1 @ Huayin Food Street - The hidden gem near Taipei Main Station
• Day 2 @ Dongshan River - A adventurous afternoon cycling
• Day 2 @ Luodong Night Market - A gastronomic experience at the night market in Taiwan offering the best street food
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 1
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 1
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 2
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 2
• Day 5 @ Road trip to Taroko National Park
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Villa Relax 清境白熊屋民宿
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Evergreen Grassland 青青草原 & Mountain View Pastures 觀山牧區
• Day 7 @ Sun Moon Lake - Water, Land & Air travel @ Sun Moon Lake & One Piece @ Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
• Day 8 @ Good Morning with MACC 早安! 美芝城 @ Sun Moon Lake
• Day 9 @ Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市
• Day 10 @ "Temple Run" at Lukang, Changhua
• Day 11 & 12 @ A side trip to Tainan 臺南
• Day 13 @ Wulai 烏來 & Bitan 碧潭 @ Taipei

Foto Friday: Roti Jala/ Roti Kirai

Roti Kirai @ Pu3 Restaurant

Roti Jala or Roti Kirai is derived from the Malay words where the word roti means bread and jala means net or kirai will simply means an endless line. From what I understood, the people in Malaysia will call this dish Roti Jala while the people here in Singapore will use the term Roti Kirai. And irregardless of which name is used, the laced crepes are usually eaten with curry or served alternatively as a sweet with serawa (a mixture of boiled coconut milk, brown sugar and pandan leaves).

If you've been following me on Twitter (@lobsterpaints), you would have noticed that I recalled this dish from my childhood and I've been craving for it ever since! I've been around and searching high and low for it but to no avail. So you can imagine how joyful I was the other day when I found it over lunch hour somewhere near where I work!


There and then, a life lesson occurred to me.
We might try all means and ways or try so hard to find the "treasure" we yearn to have. At times, we even give up trying because we think we've given our best searching for it. But sometimes whatever we are looking for is probably right there in front of us or right there under our noses! So instead of forcing our way through in future, we should really take a step back to get a clearer overview before proceeding all in all! Keep calm and go on!

Travelogue: Taiwan 2012 - Wulai 烏來 & Bitan 碧潭 #TTOT #Travel #Taiwan #Food #LP

After a whirlwind of moving around the island of Taiwan for almost two weeks, we are finally back in Taipei for a last round of sightseeings there before heading home! I've heard all about the scenic Wulai 烏來 and didn't manage to visit the place during my first trip to Taiwan. So here we go... Wulai! :D

[Taiwan September 2012]

24th Sep 2012 - Day 13 @ Wulai & Bitan

Even though Wulai is located in Taipei itself, it is actually quite a distance from civilisation. We had to wake up early in the morning, hop on the MRT bound for Xindian Station 新店站 from Taipei Main Station 台北車站 before transferring to bus from Xindian Station headed for Wulai! There and then, we managed to arrive at Wulai slightly before noon time.

If you're going to ask me which bus, I'm gonna have to tell you to ask the Visitor Centre counter there at the MRT station because I can't recall anymore! :P


Wulai 烏來

Welcome to Wulai!

Wulai 烏來 is a small mountain village located down south of Taipei and its name was derived from the Atayal 泰雅 phrase kirofulai meaning hot and poisonous. But of course, the hot springs at Wulai are clear, transparent, colorless and odorless carbonic acid springs and no where close to being poisonous actually!

However, there's more than just the hot springs there! You can immerse yourself in awesome food and culture at the old street, sightseeings via the sightseeing trail train or cable car and not forgetting the Wulai Waterfall! If you're looking for a place for all day relax and recreation in Taipei, I guess this is the best place for you! :)

Tonghua River 桶後溪

Nanshi River 南勢溪

The two rivers that intersects at Wulai are namely the Tonghou River and Nanshi River. Aside from the hot spring waters that flow through these rivers, you can do river tracing and enjoy the scenic trekking session or take  too!

In addition, other than the luxurious hot spring experience in the hot spring resorts at Wulai, you can opt to enjoy an equally holistic hot spring experience along Nanshi River just like the locals! Such a pity that I didn't know that we can actually do that or I'll definitely go prepared and join the locals and enjoy a hot spring session right in the midst of the beauty of mother nature! :)

Wulai Old Street 烏來老街

Both sides of the street is lined with eateries serving authentic aboriginal cuisines, food stalls offering traditional aboriginal snacks and even souvenir stores. Thankfully it was a weekday when we decided to head over to Wulai, there is absolutely no crowds at all! :)

Grandma's Shop 阿嬷的店 

We walked passed one eatery with the signboard that reads "60 years old shop" and that's what caught our eyes since we were eager to try some authentic and traditional aboriginal cuisine. And since it was almost lunch time when we arrived at Wulai Old Street, we stop and have our lunch there to satisfy our hunger.

We ordered a couple of dishes like Deep-fried Fresh Catch, Omelette and Mountain Vegetable Soup to share between the both of us. While the omelette is quite normal, I thought the other two dishes were interesting to me!

To highlight, the Deep-fried Fresh Catch platter consisted of shrimps and small fishes so fresh that they were just coated with minimal batter and then deep fried till golden and crispy. There's also no need for any accompanying sauces!


And even though we were told that the waterfall is quite a distance away, we proceeded to take a slow walk down Wenquan St 温泉街 and Pubu Rd 瀑布路 after the scrumptious lunch. Here are some of the shots along the way...

A hungry looking stray... But hey, we're not food yeah?

Wulai's Hydroelectric Power station

Don't you think there's a major rustic touch to this beautiful view?

Us with the power station and river behind...

Wenquan Street just before Lovers Pathway 情人步道...

Morning dew...

We didn't manage to take either the cable car ride or the trail train since both services were actually destroyed during the typhoon that hit Taiwan and not yet fixed prior to our visit. And even before the morning dew managed to evaporate away, it started raining while we were halfway through the walk up to see the waterfall. Caught in the middle of nothing but a stretch of road without shelters in front, we had to abort the mission and took shelter at the Wulai Atayal Museum back at Wulai Old Street! :(

Wulai Atayal Museum 烏來泰雅民族博物館

Website: http://www.atayal.ntpc.gov.tw/index2en-us.php?link=about_3

Wulai Atayal Museum

Since we were taking shelter at the museum, we checked out the exhibits at the same time and we managed to learn more about the Taiwanese aboriginal people's folklore! Very interesting actually! Check out some of the exhibits we saw there... 

Mapping the number of aboriginal people in Taiwan...

Traditional folklore fabric... Very colourful! :)

Knives and weapons used in the various aboriginal groups and some interactive exhibits too!

The weather forecast for that day when we chose to visit Wulai isn't very favorable actually so when the rain subsided a little, we had to make the run and catch the bus back to civilisation. Such a pity that we didn't manage to do anything much after anticipating the trip there! 

But oh well, I'm definitely going to revisit and make sure I am more prepared for any unpredictable weathers! :D

Bitan 碧潭
If you already made plans to make your way over to Wulai, it really doesn't hurt to just drop by Bitan for an afternoon stroll since it is located just behind Xindian Station!

Walking over to Bitan from Xindian Station... Just less than 20 steps away!

The Xindian River branches off the Tamsui River and winds its way through Bitan area where the lake's steep cliffs and aquamarine waters defines the scenic spot. The area is actually suitable for canoeing, fishing, barbecuing, rowing and exploring nature. And not forgetting, the eastern shore where we arrived at from Xindian Station is lined with a park with viewing stands and terraces with eateries too! To me, the area does resembles a less developed version Clarke Quay in Singapore and it is definitely a good place for people to relax and enjoy their weekend!

And just like what I mentioned in my previous post on Sun Moon Lake, Bitan is also one of the eight famous attractions in Taiwan!

No matter what is your nationality, you've got to be a responsible dog owner!

So looking forward to seeing something like that in the parks here in Singapore!

Ok, there's nothing in this picture but I really need some help here! Anyone knows how to read the Chinese character on the signage?

And with that, that wraps up our day at Wulai and Bitan! Do stay tuned for next post for the Taiwan September 2012 series where we went around for a last round of night market musings! :D

More posts from Taiwan September 2012 travelogue series:

• Day 1 @ Huayin Food Street - The hidden gem near Taipei Main Station
• Day 2 @ Dongshan River - A adventurous afternoon cycling
• Day 2 @ Luodong Night Market - A gastronomic experience at the night market in Taiwan offering the best street food
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 1
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 1
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 2
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 2
• Day 5 @ Road trip to Taroko National Park
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Villa Relax 清境白熊屋民宿
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Evergreen Grassland 青青草原 & Mountain View Pastures 觀山牧區
• Day 7 @ Sun Moon Lake - Water, Land & Air travel @ Sun Moon Lake & One Piece @ Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
• Day 8 @ Good Morning with MACC 早安! 美芝城 @ Sun Moon Lake
• Day 9 @ Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市
• Day 10 @ "Temple Run" at Lukang, Changhua
• Day 11 & 12 @ A side trip to Tainan 臺南
• Day 13 @ Wulai 烏來 & Bitan 碧潭 @ Taipei

101 One Pot Meal Recipes: Hiyashi chuka x Cha Soba (Japanese Cold Noodles) #recipe

If you have noticed, I'm quite a travel junky. And in order to make every trip even more worthwhile, I've made a mental note to try and pick up (steal is what I really mean) some recipes of my favorite dishes from the locals I met over every trip. And here I am with the first one I'm trying to replicate from my trip to Taiwan (September 2012)!

The temperatures in Taiwan during our trip was pretty merciless and the best solution to cool down after a long day out has got to be a hearty platter of Japanese cold noodles! It is one dish we'll never fail to return to the convenience store every night to bring back to the comforts of our room as supper!

Hiyashi Chuka x Cha Soba

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
400g dried Cha soba noodles
4 eggs, hard boiled
12 seafood sticks, shredded
2 Cucumbers, grated
3 Carrots, grated
1 bottle Kinnogomadare sesame dressing with roasted nuts
Sesame oil

Method:
1. Follow instructions on packaging and blanch dried soba noodles.
2. Drizzle sesame oil until the noodles are evenly coated. Leave to chill in the refrigerator.
3. Grate cucumbers and carrots. Dry them properly before leaving to chill in the refrigerator.
4. Shred the seafood sticks. (You can boil before shredding them first if you wish)
5. Boil the eggs and half them (or any other alternative cuts).
6. Assemble all the ingredients, top with 2 spoonful of Kinnogomadare sesame dressing with roasted nuts and serve.

Hiyashi chuka, translated as Chilled Chinese, is a Japanese dish invented in Sendai in 1937 and served in restaurants in Japan during summer. The dish is served with lots of toppings and while toppings can vary, they are normally served as colorful as possible. Some of the common toppings are thin omelette strips, boiled chicken, cucumber, boiled bean sprouts, tomatoes and many more.

This Japanese cold noodles is actually so easy to pull off and considering the fact if you buy the ready-made dressing from the supermarket just like what I did, I can assure you that you do not have to be a master chef to do it well! And although I should be using the chukamen to make the dish, I actually switch it for cha soba in this variant I made. I'm so glad that it turned out equally well! :)


I hope I'll be able to fine tune my own sesame dressing and share it with everyone soon!
Meanwhile, hope you enjoyed this easy recipe! :D

Travelogue: Taiwan 2012 - A side trip to Tainan 臺南 #TTOT #Travel #Taiwan #Food #LP

When I arrive at this point of my travelogue series for Taiwan September 2012, I have already shared about my trip from the little adventures at the seaside in Yilan and Hualien to the mountain peak at Taroko National Park, or eating from the popular spots in Taipei to the night market in Taichung!

It's surely an extensive list of posts thus far and if you are interested, you can scroll to the bottom of post to check out the list! Pretty impressive huh? :D


Anyway, after two days down at the western areas of Taiwan, we made a side trip down to Tainan 臺南 to meet up with one of Deserved One's friend. Read on to find out more! :)

[Taiwan September 2012]

22nd & 23rd Sep 2012 - Day 11 & 12 @ A side trip to Tainan!

We left the comfort zones of the new little food haven we found in Taichung and headed down south to Tainan 臺南 to meet up with one of the Deserved One's friend living in Tainan. We left our time entirely in his hands after we arrived at Tainan. Thankfully for his hospitality, we saw Tainan in a more localized manner. Here's some of the highlights from our time spent in Tainan!

Wushan Macaque Natural Reserve 烏山獼猴生態保護區

Due to human overcrowding, hunting and pollution, monkeys at Taiwan's Formosan Macaque gradually became hard to spot. But thanks to the efforts of Mr. Lin who took care of the Formosan Macaques since 1989, visitors can still observe the monkeys in their natural habitat now.

Mr. Lin's Wushan Monkey Conservation Area is located along the Tainan County and Kaoshiung County 高雄縣 border in Nanhua township 南化鄉. There's no admission charge but food for the monkeys and refreshments for visitors are sold to help support the reserve.

Check out these monkey business... :)

We were advised by the people manning the cafe at the entrance to the monkey area to avoid taking on the trail since we had a toddler with us as the monkeys can get really aggressive. So we basically hung around the cafe and entrance, bought some peanuts to feed them and left.

Cigu Salt Mountain 七股鹽山
Website: http://cigu.tybio.com.tw/en/home.jsp

Ever since the Dutch were being expelled from Taiwan, the salt industry had been an important industry on the southwest coast of Taiwan. Beautiful salterns was once the collective memory of Taiwanese people but due to the high cost of productions, TAIYEN had to close all its salterns in May 2002. The salt industry thus became a part of history.

And even though Cigu Saltern was the youngest saltern in the history of salt industry in Taiwan, it has since developed into the largest saltern in Taiwan under the management of Japanese companies and Nationalist government.

Now, the park of Cigu Salt Mountain is dedicated to preserve and feature not only the Salt Mountain but also the history, industry, culture, art and ecology of Taiwan's salt industry amid other park facilities and highlights like the Taiwan Salt Museum.

Salt Mountain

The Salt Mountain, measuring 20 meters, used to be the piling space of Cigu Saltern. The highest peak was once the last place to dry the salt and it was piled with about 60 thousand tons of salt. Over a long period of time, the peak have naturally crystallized with the dust in the air to form a rigid surface.

Now, looking like a giant rock standing in a desert, it has become the landmark of Cigu.

One look at the ground and check out what we're stepping on... SALT!

Here's the view from the top of the Salt Mountain!

The ATV tracks and one of the many salterns...

The boat rowing area with a gianormous statue of a wild boar infront! haha...

Taiwan Salt Musuem in the background!

Website: http://www.taiwan-salt.com.tw/english/

Some of the delicate artwork on display...

All of the above is actually made of salt! Ooo salty~

A close up look at the one of the salterns...

Amusement area for the kids...

Deserved One's friend, Bear, his kids and us! :)

It was actually quite an enriching trip for both the adults and the kids at the Cigu Salt Mountain! I never thought there could be so much history or information we can learn for something as simple as the salt we use in our daily cookings!


An Ice Shop 有間冰舖
Address: No. 152, Zhongzheng Rd, Yujing District Tainan City 台南市玉井區中正路152號



Yujing 玉井 is a rural district in eastern Tainan city and the place is famous for its cultivation of mangoes. And that's explains why the best mango ice in Taiwan has got to be served here!

芒果無雙
NT80

We were more than amused when the bowl of dessert arrived at our table. In that humble looking bowl, we have shaved mango flavored ice topped with fresh mango slices, mango puree and mango flavored ice cream! It's an ultimate mango galore! Seriously speaking, what else can you ask for isn't it? 

Oh no... scrap that. If it is not available on the table. you can actually ask for additional condensed milk toppings that gives the entire bowl of mango ice an additional kick! :D

And with that, that's the highlights of our side trip to Tainan before we head back to Taipei for the rest of our trip before heading home to Singapore. Well, one day in Tainan might be a little too short but I guess this side trip makes me want to go back again and check out the southern areas of Taiwan!

More posts from Taiwan September 2012 travelogue series:

• Day 1 @ Huayin Food Street - The hidden gem near Taipei Main Station
• Day 2 @ Dongshan River - A adventurous afternoon cycling
• Day 2 @ Luodong Night Market - A gastronomic experience at the night market in Taiwan offering the best street food
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 1
• Day 3 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 1
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Exploring and touring the scenic Hualien Day 2
• Day 4 @ Hualien - Eating in Hualien Day 2
• Day 5 @ Road trip to Taroko National Park
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Villa Relax 清境白熊屋民宿
• Day 6 @ Cingjing Farm - Evergreen Grassland 青青草原 & Mountain View Pastures 觀山牧區
• Day 7 @ Sun Moon Lake - Water, Land & Air travel @ Sun Moon Lake & One Piece @ Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
• Day 8 @ Good Morning with MACC 早安! 美芝城 @ Sun Moon Lake
• Day 9 @ Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市
• Day 10 @ "Temple Run" at Lukang, Changhua
• Day 11 & 12 @ A side trip to Tainan 臺南
• Day 13 @ Wulai 烏來 & Bitan 碧潭 @ Taipei