Taiwan: Part 7

We ended our trip with a hike through one of Taiwan's most beautiful mountains and an early morning Tai Chi session with grandma and her friends. Even my grandma's dog, Gui-Gui (which means obedient in Chinese) joined us! It was the perfect way to end our trip to Taiwan.

 

A trip to Taiwan is not complete without a trip to Din Tai Fung. Din Tai Fung is famous for their soup dumplings (小笼包 pronounced xiao long bao), which is a steamed dumpling with a savory broth on the inside. You eat it carefully with slices of ginger and dipped in a vinegar, soy sauce. Din Tai Fung also serves classic Taiwanese dishes that are just amazing. You must go if you go to Taiwan.

Soup Dumplings

How you eat soup dumplings! Make sure you eat it whole. You don't want the broth to leak out. Be very gentle when you take the dumpling out of the steamer and place it on the spoon.

Soft tofu with black fungus and lima beans

(Super) drunk chicken

Chive dumplings in hot chili oil

Red bean sticky rice with sweetened dried fruit. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea.

Hope you enjoyed Taiwan, even if just through pictures!

Taiwan: Part 6

Taiwan is full of little bakeries. They line the streets of Taipei. And luckily, there were some great ones right near our home in Taiwan. Here are some of the great baked goods we found and got to enjoy! We went to visit this bakery near the end of our trip in Taiwan.

We found another snack stand and was delighted to see our favorite treats. I brought a big bag home for everyone to share. I definitely miss seeing this on every street corner.

On our second to last night in Taiwan, my aunt made a super gourmet meal and taught me how to make each dish. I'll make sure to walk you all through these dishes. But for right now, here's a quick snapshot of her culinary genius. She made a wonderful grilled fish, green vegetables with dried fish, fried Taiwanese pork chops, and a beef kimchi stew. For dessert, we enjoyed a Taiwanese mango beer.

Taiwan: Part 5

A close friend of the family's took us out the next day to an upscale restaurant in Taiwan, the Ahmi Cafe. What a treat it was. A beautiful fusion of Asian and European cuisine. Looking at these pictures is making me hungry again! We started the meal with a delicious light spring salad and miso soup, then enjoyed a delicious grilled steak or seafood platter. Fresh fruit and a lovely cup of tea ended this delightful meal.

 

Afterwards, my mom and I ventured off to do a little shopping. We found a super cute kitty sitting on the check out counter of a jewelry store. She was just too cute to not post on this blog.

Later, we headed out to eat, again! This time we got beef noodle soup, philly cheese steak and fries (so funny!), and almond shaved ice and almond tofu dessert to top the evening. The beef noodle soup was completely different than the other we had, but just as delicious. You can get two types, super spicy or not spicy. I didn't have any philly cheese steak, but I did have some almondy desserts! :)

 

The almond shaved ice was just heavenly. I added red bean as my topping. It is a must try!

Taiwan: Part 4

We started another day in Taiwan with a visit to the Chiang Kai Shek memorial. No food, but still very worth sharing!

Afterwards, we headed over to a restaurant that serves modernized Taiwanese classics and I have to say, I was very impressed. It really does a great job elevating those traditional Taiwanese dishes, while still keeping those classic flavors. We got so many dishes: noodles with meat sauce, rice with meat sauce, fried tofu with chives, grilled milk fish, and fried baby oysters. Simply a wonderful meal.

Later that night, we enjoyed a homemade meal of hot pot, which is one of my favorite things of all time. Hot pot is exactly that; it's a hot pot with a delicious broth where we throw vegetables, meats, and all sorts of treats. Everyone picks from the hot pot so make sure you claim a good spot close to the pot, otherwise, you'll be out of luck! And make sure you prepare a great bowl of sauce. Use lots of soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, chives, and hot pot sauce, and you're set!