Top 7 Must Have in Ximending, Taipei, Taiwan

Upon stepping your foot in this busy street especially walking out from Ximen MRT station, take a minute to look around – you will find yourself lost for a moment, not knowing where to go as there just seems impossible for you to navigate your way.

Nonetheless, you will be greeted with one of the best news ever that you will never get hungry in Ximending. All you need to do is to eat like the locals and walk like the tourists. Story cut short, let me take you to the top 7 must have in Ximending, Taipei.

1. J & G Fried Chicken

It’s a very high chance for you not to miss this! Right after you step out from Ximen MRT Station, you will come across this. When sunset resides, you will somehow see a long queue in front of this shop. Known for their fried chicken, I suggest that you should also try their fried squid. For just 190 Taipei Dollar, you get the best out of both worlds.

2. Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice (Ru Rou Fan)

There are plenty of stalls and restaurants that sell this staple dish. During my stay in Ximending, I managed to try two different shops and both were pretty delicious. Rich in taste, not oily and it goes really well with any side dishes even fried oyster omelet.

3. Papaya Milk

Am not a fan of papaya milk but this orange cup has totally changed my perception (especially my tastebuds). The original taste of papaya retains well.

4. Bubble Tea at Men’s Uno

Before you know it, bubble tea shops have invaded Taipei. Literally, you can find at least 1 – 2 bubble tea shops on each street. Thanks to Ximending Food Tour Map, I decided to try something that is not available in Malaysia which is Men’s Uno. Voila, I think this is one of the best bubble teas that I ever had. It’s not sweet, the boba is soft and chewy and the tea taste is so fragrant.

5. Burgers and fried chicken at KFC

Yes, you read it right! Kentucky Fried Chicken – one of our Taiwanese friends had alerted us to try their KFC. As curiosity hit us in one of the mornings, we opted KFC for our breakfast. And no regret indeed. Unlike KFC in Malaysia which is usually oily, the KFC in Taiwan comes with a much healthy chicken version. I felt so nice eating it without having any guilt feeling. I kid you not that I had actually tapao-ed KFC burgers to airport before I left Taiwan.

6. Ma-La Hot Pot

There are few branches of Ma-La Hot Pot in Ximending. Just pick any outlets and pray hard that you do not need to queue for it. Alternatively, just go there early and you will be guaranteed to get a table. With a wide selection of food for one to choose, you will have a tough time to choose what you want to eat. Strongly recommended!

7. Grilled Sausage

Oh yes, never said no! One of the snacks which I ate whenever I was in Taiwan. Regardless which stall you go to, be sure to be spoilt by the grilled Taiwanese sausage that goes well with any of your favorite flavors.  

All in all, I said yes to Ximending this time! Wasn't in favor with Ximending in my first visit but it turned out really well during my second visit. I enjoyed strolling the busy streets while immersing with tons of street performance plus witnessing a couple of creative shows and face arts on random roads.

Hope this post does not make you salivate.

Regards,

Foodiestravel

Satisfy your Xiao Long Bao cravings at the ORIGINAL Din Tai Fung at Dong Men Station, Taiwan

Yes, yes and yes. Just yesterday I did the 24 hour food tour in Penang and today, I'll be bringing you to Taipei, Taiwan. As we had paid our flights to Taipei, we decided to go all out by visiting the original Din Tai Fung restaurant which is opened in year 1949. Upon stepping out from Dong Men MRT station, we tailed the large group of MRT commuters. And it was one of the wisest decisions as they led us to Din Tai Fung and we joined the queue like the rest.

Make sure you take your number first!

On average, the waiting time is an hour, be it you are in small group or big group. After jotting down on what we would like to order, we decided to stroll along Da’an, marveling each and every Yong Kang street. We couldn’t resist our temptation so we had some light snacks in between. Not so-wise decision in fact.

After an hour, we got our table in Din Tai Fung. It is a narrow 3-storey space with a really, really small space. At most, it can accommodate up to 8 – 10 tables in each floor while ground floor is mainly taken by its main kitchen.

This is how the order chit looks like

The service was great! Every few minutes, the servers would check on us. At some point, it gave us the feeling as if they were rushing us to quickly finish our meals. Nonetheless, first that came to our table was the signature xiao long bao.

Paired with soy-sauce, vinegars and strips of freshly ginger, a bite of xiao long bao should smack your lips with juicy pork fillings and delicately flavored broth, however, I was quite disappointed as it didn’t taste like what I would have expected.

Next up is the Pork Chop Fried Rice. One of the staple dishes which I would order whenever I visit Din Tai Fung in Malaysia. One thing about this dish is that you can choose to opt for brown rice or white rice. And as always, white rice will bring out the best version of the taste and smell -   Good taste with aromatic smell.

We opted for another of their signature dish called Steamed Shrimp and Pork Shao Mai. I would rate this as our least favorite dish. The combination of prawn and pork didn’t seem to gel well. The prawn is too dry and the skin is too thick. It could have been a better dish if they use fresher prawns.

Like the saying, when you are in Rome, you must behave like a Romans. So, when you are in Taipei, you must eat like them. Hence, we opted for the Steamed Wantan in Chilli sauce. I was expecting it to be spicy but it was not. A common taste where anyone can eat it. Thus, don’t be afraid to order this.

All in all, the taste doesn’t vary much between Din Tai Fung, Malaysia and Din Tai Fung, Taiwan. In a good way, kudos to Din Tai Fung, Malaysia for retaining the standard. 

If you wish to experience the joy of waiting with a large crowd and squeezing in a small restaurant plus, ticking off the bucket list of visiting the original outlet in Taipei, then head over to Din Tai Fung at Dong Men MRT station. You will like it.

Oh, they sell the above too.

Ambient: 2/5

Price: 3/5

Food: Non-halal, Chinese food

Service: 4/5

Verdict: Try the steamed wantan in chilli sauce
Remarks: Accept cash only!

Din Tai Fung Restaurant

No. 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road,

Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Monday – Sunday: 10am – 9pm

Regards,
FoodiesTravel

Bak Kut Teh, we’ll have you the next round. Peng Heong Hakka Paikut, Klang tops the list.

Born in Klang and grown in Klang yet, how can I call myself a Klang girl without trying the known Peng Heong Hakka Paikut where it attracts people from near and far. On a random weekend, after our hearty breakfast session, I tagged my partner along to give a try on their signature pork ribs.

Since it was my first time there, I was filled with so much excitement and anticipation, looking forward to savour the best hakka paikut in town. The feel-good factor was further amplified when you got yourself a good parking space. Judging from the large crowd on a Sunday afternoon, it heightened my curiosity and appetite to quickly get a table and order a plate of paikut (pork ribs).

Signature Pork Ribs (from RM8 – RM20 depending on the portion)

I salivated a little while simultaneously had my fork ready to take the paikut (after taking its photo). It was tender and flavourful while having a strong aromatic aftertaste which I enjoyed the most. Then, I took the second piece and I was immediately put in disappointment. The second piece was hard and un-fresh – it’s just not like the first piece that I had. Thankfully, before my experience got ruined, the third piece went well. As the pork ribs come with a strong flavor, I suggest to have it with a bowl of rice – even we did order one although we were pretty full!

What supposed to be just a plate of pork ribs turned out to be a feast as we wanted to try some other dishes that caught our attention.

Vinegar Pork Trotter (RM9)

It was nice! However, I prefer if more vinegar could be added to bring out the sour-ish taste especially after having the flavourful pork ribs! I guess it’s just time to ‘clean’ our mouth.

Deep fried pork meatballs (RM1 per piece)

Unfortunately, the meatballs were pretty disappointing. I was hoping that it gave the punchy taste but all I got was just dry meatballs that were lack of taste.

And how can you not have barley drink on a hot Sunday? Comes in a big bottle, the barley drink was not too sweet and it was quite refreshing.

All in all, I must say that their signature Hakka Paikut is one of the best pork ribs that I ever have in Klang. Note again, in Klang but not one of the best pork ribs that I have in my entire life. So, if you are in Klang, I reckon you to try this place instead. Klang has lots of good food so, don’t just indulge in Bak Kut Teh but have a change for once!

Ambient: 3/5

Price: Reasonable

Food: Non-halal, lunch

Service: 4/5 (fast)

Verdict: Must try their signature pork ribs!

Peng Heong Hakka Paikut Restaurant,

No.2, Lorong Gudang Nanas, off Jalan Pasar,

41400 Klang, Selangor.

Regards,
Foodiestravel

Have Jiggly Soufflé Pancakes in Soufflé Dessert Cafe, Puchong

Bumped into this place by chance and was amazed by the large crowd. Although it says that the operating hour starts at 3pm, we were in awe when we saw so many people at this cafe albeit that it was just fifteen minutes past 3pm.

We were ushered to a pretty nice, cozy table and browsed the menu in no time. Bear in mind that you have to put your order at the counter and make the necessary payment before you get to savour the jiggly soufflé.

1. Soufflé Pancake with Ice Cream

As the name suggests, there’s plenty of souffle pancakes await you. At the top of the list, you are highly recommended to order their Souffle Pancake with Ice Cream. There are 5 flavours of ice cream where you can choose from – Valrhona Dark Chocolate, Madagascar Vanilla, Classic Tiramisu, Hokkaido Black Sesame and Japanese Uji Macha.

Souffle Pancake with Classic Tiramisu ice cream (RM 24.00)

Comes with 3pcs of souffle pancake accompanied with a tiny cup of honey, we wasted no time but to eat it. After all, we waited for 20 minutes just for this and that led to high expectation.

Jeng jeng jeng... on our first bite, it just tasted like the Asian Sponge Cake! Yes, the taste itself was pretty similar like ‘Ji Dan Gao’. Haha! Nonetheless, they were really soft and had a light airy texture.

2. Earl Grey Chocolate Cake

Imagine the combination of tea and chocolate.. does it even make sense to you? We decided to give it a try! Somehow, the tea taste was pretty strong, yet it gave the aftermath sour taste. We suspected there’s a layer of passion fruit jam in between.

Just like durian – you either like it or dislike it. I personally don’t fancy it but the other two friends of mine liked it.

Earl Grey Chocolate Cake (RM12.00)

3. Mocha Ice Ball

This is interesting! Comes with mocha ice ball and a cup of warm milk, it gave the feeling of yin and yang. As soon as you pour the warm chocolate on the mocha ice ball, the ball would melt on its own. In a couple of minutes with some stirring in between, you would be able to taste it. And for this drink, all I can say is once you put it in your mouth, you would be transported to a new paradise. Yummy!

Mocha Ice Ball (RM15.00)

All in all, if you like soufflé, you can go to Soufflé Dessert Cafe at Puchong (if it’s near to your place). Note that the café can be quite hot in the afternoon and also, noisy. So, don’t expect to a peaceful conversation with your family or friends.

Roasted Oolong Pearl Milk Tea (RM8.00)

Ambient: 2.8/5 (in the afternoon)

Price: Slightly expensive ($$$) for souffle

Food: Snacks, tea time

Service: 3/5

Verdict: You can try it if you are near to Puchong and have a liking towards souffle.

Remarks: Only cash accepted!

Soufflé Dessert Cafe,

No 1-7, 1^st floor, Kompleks Kenari,

Jalan Kenari 19a, Bandar Puchong Jaya,

47100 Puchong, Selangor.

Opens everyday except Tuesday, from 3pm to 12am.

Regards,

Foodiestravel

Chapter 165 - FLOUR Restaurant @ Bukit Damansara

When my friend prompted me to FLOUR, I thought that they were playing a prank on me. Trying to be macho, I literally turned to Mr. Google and typed the word “FLOUR”, hoping that there would be some new discoveries. All I got was merely flour, flour and flour…purely tepung.

Seeing how clueless I am, my friend shared a link pertaining to ‘FLOUR Restaurant’ – in that very second, I was filled with so much of embarrassment that I asked myself ‘How could I just type the word Flour without restaurant?”

Known for their authentic northern Indian cuisine, I headed to FLOUR with another 3 friends of mine. FLOUR is situated right in Bukit Damansara that you might have to fully depend on Waze (if you are not familiar with Bukit Damansara). Even if you know the place well, I still suggest you to use Waze because there is a high chance that you may miss this place especially if you go there at night.

Strawberry Lassi

In FLOUR, I was told that Mango Lassi is a must to order but unfortunately, it was not a mango season. So, I opted for Strawberry Lassi. Smooth texture and packed with its flavor. Good choice indeed.

Papadum

Then, we had Papadum. Unlike the usual Papadum that we have in banana leaf, it was very crispy and refreshing especially when you dip it with mint sauce. However, it only had 2 pieces per order.

Mutton Briyani

Mutton Briyani was another recommended dish. It was one of the most compelling briyani that I ever had. The rice was fragrant with spices and the mutton was tender. A really nice bowl of briyani.

Fish Curry with Sesame Kulcha

Pairing with fish curry (a recommendation from the waitress), we opted for Sesame Kulcha, an Indian flatbread with coriander and sesame. A pretty good combination.

Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) with Naan

Another favorite of ours was Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken) with Naan. Chicken pieces were well-marinated, giving so much punch of its flavours.  Every bite was just an explosion of aroma and flavours that you just longed to chew them bit by bit while enjoying the moment.

Ajwaini Baingan (eggplant in curry)

Among all the dishes that we ordered; we collectively weren’t that fancy with Ajwaini Baingan (eggplant in curry) with Laccha. As much as this was one of the best-sellers in Flour, we didn’t like it much. We thought that okra curry could be a better bet.

All in all, if you opt for an authentic Northern Indian cuisine, FLOUR Restaurant is a must to go. A gentle reminder to always make your reservation before heading there. Or else, you might have to wait for 1.5 hour, just like me.

Ambient: 3.8/5

Price: Slightly Expensive ($$$$)

Food: Northern Indian cuisine, Halal

Service: 4/5

Verdict: Try it today, at least once in a lifetime!

FLOUR Restaurant,

69 & 71G, Jalan Medan Setia 1, Plaza Damansara, Bukit Damansara, 50490 Kuala Lumpur.

012 – 221 4066

https://www.facebook.com/FLOURRESTAURANT/

Regards,
Foodiestravel

Chapter 164 - TOP 5 info about Da Nang, Vietnam

I’m back! Cross fingers that I will not fall into any of the movies or drama addition or else, you will see me disappearing again 😊. Lately, I visited a very beautiful country where I enjoyed the sights and sounds plus, getting myself entertained with the chicken-and-duck conversation. It was fun, it was comfortable, it was beautiful, and as French would always say, it was tres magnifique.

Now you see me, now you don't

From having the opportunities to stay at different kind(s) of accommodation like AirBnb and hotel, to entering into a thrilling world of dining and indulging with a plenty of different kind(s) of spring rolls and walking into the adventure of some tourist attractions where we were greeted with pouring rain unfortunately, it was indeed one of the holidays that is worth remembering.

All we did was to enjoy a cold glass of San Miguel, took plenty of photos regardless where we were and entered into a shopping paradise where our bargaining skills took a notch up. Yet, there were still some circumstances that held us back from enjoying to the fullest.

Here are the top 5 things that one must know before heading to Vietnam.

• Traffic is a nightmare

We barely able could cross the busy street. It seems like there is no sense of mercy to the pedestrian and all you need is to be courageous and run as if there’s a dog chasing you from the back. You hardly have the time to turn to your left and right too. We did cross the road once and we vowed no second time. We took Grab instead.

• Drivers are ….. just speechless

Plenty of drivers are there for you; just open your Grab app and in no time, you just have to wait for your drivers to arrive. However, very frequently, our drivers decided to cancel our booking. So, be warn! Drivers in Da Nang also love to honk; I can’t even track now whether the honk sign serves as the warning to other drivers/motorcyclists, a greeting when they bump into their friends next door or merely it’s for fun. At some point, it can get pretty annoying.

• Food is good (if you like vegetables and salad)

For vegans and those who have favorite liking towards any kind(s) of vegetables, particularly basil and mint, Vietnam is the right place for you. It gives a different twist to our local cuisine. Don’t expect to have an array of meat as it comes with a pretty minimum quantity. We ordered a bowl of Quang noodles for instance and sadly, only a few, thin chicken fillets were found whereas our bowls were filled generously with lots of vegetables.

Some of the Vietnam food that we had

•  Check the weather

Yay! Bana Hills is a pretty attraction to begin with but the joy in us immediately disappeared when dark clouds started forming. Before we could tour around Bana Hills, we found ourselves running to the nearest restaurants/outlets. We couldn’t go anywhere except playing with our phones. Even after 2 hours, the rain refused to stop so, we decided to leave Bana Hills. Thankfully, we took some photos at the Golden Bridge before that.

•  Currency - More USD and less Vietnam Dong

Tips to all Malaysians - it is good to have more USD dollar with you. When you compare both USD and Vietnam Dong plus the conversion of Ringgit Malaysia, somehow, buying stuff using USD currency is slightly cheaper as compared to Vietnam Dong. Even if you wanted to tailor-made your dresses, suits, t-shirts or what not at Hoi An, the vendors prefer USD.

The amount of stuff which you can buy in Vietnam

To sum up, it was a wonderful short-getaway session with the ladies. After all, nothing is more than exciting than creating the moments and memories together.

Till then, the next time…adios!

A beautiful place when lanterns are lighted up

Regards,

Foodiestravel