Tasteful @ Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan

With all work settled in Taipei, it's now time to head back to Malaysia and here I am at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport waiting for my ride home. My flight is scheduled for the afternoon and I had to arrive here around 12 noon without having had a chance to have my lunch outside.With the immigration clearance settled, I am hoping to be able to find a good place inside the departure terminal to have my meal.

The Departure Hall

Food Court in the Departure Terminal

Restaurant Tasteful in the Food Court

Closer to the Departure Gates, was this Chinese Food Court selling a number of Taiwanese dishes. After going through the stalls, I decided on a outlet called Restaurant Tasteful which were selling a number of Taiwanese dishes from Noodles to Dumplings. 

Lunch Sets Available

The Lady Preparing The Food

They have a variety of sets here and it is all clearly explained. One would have to decide on the dish, make the payment to the cashier and then wait till your number was called. All their sets comes with a main dish, a side dish and a cup of cold tea. They seemed to have a large number of customers in line to place their orders. With the payment done, I just waited by the stall instead of sitting at the table because they were calling the numbers in Taiwanese and if I sat down, I would surely miss it. My set meal cost me NT$ 180 which is around USD 6 .

Cold Tea

The cold tea was unsweetened and not up to my expectations. Perhaps, this is how it is supposed to be but I did not enjoy it. I would only rate this at 5/10 .

Taiwanese Curry Noodles

This Taiwanese Curry Noodles was very interesting. All the ingredients were just dumped in and we would have to mix them ourself. It had some kind of curry paste that was flat in taste but spicy, cucumber, ground peanuts and noodles in it. Mixing all these together was fun. In the end, it had a weird but nice taste. The ground peanuts, noodles and cucumber mixed well giving a slightly sweet and crunchy taste and the curry paste left a clear spicy aftertaste. Overall, it was a new experience for me. I would rate this dish at 7/10 .

Steamed Pork Dumplings in Soup

This dish was very good. The Pork Dumplings were really fresh and huge and the soup was lovely. I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. There was also a small amount of some kind of seaweed which again added on to the taste. Compared to the noodles, honestly, I enjoyed this more. I would rate this at 9/10 .

It is good that the Taiwan Airport does have some great dining places. I also observed that there was another food court specifically for Continental Food and another with some fast food outlets. The choices may not be many when compared to airports like KLIA or Changi but definitely sufficient. The price was also quite reasonable. As I am leaving Taiwan shortly, I would surely miss the good food that I had had here and look forward to another opportunity to travel here soon.

Address:   Terminal Two, Departure Hall, 

                Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE),

                No. 9, Hangchin Road, Dayuan Township,

                Taoyuan County, Taiwan 337.

Opening Hours: All Day

Lung Tu Ice Juice @ Huaxi Street Night Market, Taipei, Taiwan

Huaxi Street in Taipei is a famous night market. It is the second largest night market after Shihlin Night Market and it is located right beside the Longshan Temple, very much within the city centre. Ask anyone from Taipei and they would definitely be able to direct you to this place. Night markets are a famous concept in Taiwan. They usually start in the evening around 5 pm and then go on till past midnight. The streets would then be closed to traffic and these designated zones would be buzzing with pedestrians who would be walking through these streets getting their favourite food along the way. Just like the rest of the Taiwanese people, I too had the opportunity to visit this place this evening. When I was here, it was just 5 pm and that is why you do not see the crowd in the below photo. By 7 pm, the place would be packed. It was just unfortunate that it was raining this evening and we had to be walking with an umbrella while trying to take some good photographs which seemed somewhat like a great challenge to me. 

Huaxi Street in Taipei at 5 pm

Lung Tu Ice Juice Outlet along Huaxi Street

The Entrance to the Outlet

While walking along this street, I noticed that there were a number of stalls that were being set up, right from simple deserts to main meals. As it was still early, I was in the mood for a light snack instead of a main meal. Also, with the distance traveled today, I was somewhat dehydrated and seriously needed a drink.  That is when I stumbled upon this outlet selling fruit juices and fruit cocktail containing shaved ice. It seems that they were established in 1920. I immediately called upon my friend to try this place. 

My Friend Placing The Orders

Love the Colours of the Mangoes 

I was in the mood for some fruit juice and my friend was in the mood for some shaved ice. As a Mango lover, I asked him to see if they serve Mango Juice. Just look at their Mangoes, these are the red fruits right above the Orange and below the Papayas. It reminds me of the Indian Mangoes. He then placed the orders and then returned to the table. Everything happened so efficiently that you never realise the time that passes. 

My Mango Juice at NT$ 80

Ooooops...sorry...Ive already taken a big gulp

This was truly one of the best Mango juice that I have ever had in my life. The extract was really thick and honey sweet. It was evident that there were no artificial sweeteners used in this drink. It was all goodness and with every sip, you would want more and more of this. A must try item at this place. I would rate this drink at 10/10 . I am not sure where they are getting these Mangoes from but they surely taste as good as the Indian Mangoes. For NT$ 80 which works out to be around USD 2.50, it is way too good!

Mixed Fruits Shaved Ice @ NT$ 80

After trying the earlier drink, I wanted to try their specialty which is the Mixed Fruit Shaved Ice. This again was priced at the same NT$ 80. It came with shaved ice, chunks of Mangoes, Yam, Red Beans and Black Beans. Mixing them together and having them with the shaved ice was a heavenly treat. The juices from the various ingredients together with the ice made this a true pleasure. Great stuff again. I would rate this at 10/10 .

It is great to know that this outlet has been around since 1920 and after trying their offering today, it was evident to me how they stayed strong all these years. Quality is the key here and they have maintained it at very high standards consistently. A must try place when you are in the city or at this night market.

Address: Huaxi Street Night Market, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Opening Hours: 1400 - 0100 Daily

Zhong Pua Restaurant @ Taipei, Taiwan

Here we are in Lin Shan South Road in search of a good place to have common Taiwanese lunch. I was told that along this street we would be able to find very good food at a cheap price. This street is located right next to a University and hence it mostly caters for university students. I was excited by the fact that I am trying out a common food place instead of the posh tourists restaurants or those located in the malls.

Lin Shan South Street in Taipei, Taiwan

Our Lunch place called Zhong Pua Restaurant

We sighted this very humble looking restaurant along this street that serves some good soups and dumplings. All along this street, you find similar settings where the ground floor is converted into a restaurant and the first floor is the home of these restaurant operators. I have heard that the dumplings in Taiwan is quite good and I immediately agreed to try out the place. Interestingly, dumplings here are known as Tian Shien instead of Dim Sum which is the commonly used name in most other Chinese speaking countries. 

Very Simple Set Up

Menu and the Price of the dishes

Small Dining Space

Small yet air-conditioned

Once we were there, I kept staring at the menu and then let my friend do the ordering. The dishes offered is limited but savoury. The ordering process too was quite simple and if we need additional side dishes, we could just pick the items and place them in a plate and it would then be garnished and served. There is a small air-conditioned seating area which had a total of four tables that seats sixteen comfortably. There is also a small television in the room which airs local dramas. This stall is operated by a single lady and I am sure for this size, it would not make any economic sense to hire a helper. Also an interesting thing to mention here is that since most of their dishes are soups, they do not sell any drinks here. As we ordered a few dishes, it took her around 10 minutes to prepare them and then it was sent over to the table.

Mixed Seafood Soup @ NT$ 100

The first to arrive was the above dish. It is a mixed Seafood Soup dish and is priced at NT$ 100 which works around USD 3.30 . It was a really huge bowl and came with prawns, abalone, crab sticks, cockles, vegetables and squid. The soup was salty, spicy and really delicious. Definitely worth the price paid for bearing in mind the number of ingredients added. I would rate this dish at 10/10 .

Spicy Soup @ NT$ 35

This was quite similar to the one that I had at the airport but this had no pork in it but came with loads of mushrooms, vegetables and tofu. It had a touch of vinegar in it that gives a slightly sour taste but then comes packed with black pepper too and that adds a lovely touch to this dish. The portion is equally great to the earlier one and I for sure was not able to finish it. It was priced at NT$ 35 which works out about USD 1.10 . I loved this soup and I would rate this at 8.5/10 , though I liked the one at the airport more.

Pork Dumplings @ NT$ 55

Here in Taiwan, you are not able to have multiple varieties of dumplings in a single seating as it usually comes in a plate of ten instead of the usual two or three. It is commonly consumed as a single main dish. These steamed dumplings most commonly have pork as the filling and it consumed by dipping it into a vinegar and ginger dip. The outer skin was so soft and smooth that you would not realise that there was an actual skin which held the filling in place. Really it was an awesome dish. I would rate this dish at 9.3/10 . This dish was priced at NT$ 55 which works around USD 1.80 .

Herbal Eggs & Herbal Tofu @ NT$ 30

The above is the side dishes that I took today. It is two Herbal Eggs and one Herbal Tofu. It is priced at NT$ 10 each and my selection today added to NT$ 30 which works out at USD 1.00 .Generally, the Herbal Tofu taste sweet but flat and is consumed by dipping into thick sweet soy sauce. Similarly, the Herbal Eggs also tasted the same. In Malaysia, usually it is slightly salty but that was not the case in Taiwan. Even the eggs had to be dipped into the thick Sweet Soy Sauce but it was nice though. Due to the herbs, it had made the texture slightly harder and it was really nice. On average, I would rate this side dishes at 8.5/10 .

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal today. Having lunch in such a simple setting truly gave me an opportunity to experience the day to day meals of a common Taiwanese. It did not cost anywhere near those restaurants in the malls and was satisfying. If I do get another opportunity, I would love to try more of these simple pleasures here in Taiwan. 

Address: Lin Shan South Street, Taipei City, Taiwan.

Opening Hours: 1000 - 2200 Daily 

Night Snack Buffet @ City Suites Gateway Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan

This trip to Taiwan, I am staying at City Suites Gateway Hotel which is located in close proximity to the Airport and hence, it takes about an hours drive into the city. The surrounding areas are mostly deserted with a few automobile workshops and one 7 Eleven Store. I truly wonder if that 7 Eleven store was catering specifically for the guests of this hotel. 

City Suites Gateway Hotel in Taipei

Various Buffet Hours

With that said, it was around 9 pm and I was hungry with no where else to go. I checked at the hotel and they told me that their restaurant only serves buffet and that the buffet dinner ends at 9 pm but the have something called Night Snack Buffet which starts at 9.30 pm and ends at 11.00 pm. Interesting, as this is the first time that I am hearing of a Night Snack Buffet. With no other available choice, I decided to wait for another half an hour to try out this Night Snack Buffet. This buffet is priced at NT$ 150 which equals to USD 5 which seemed like a very worthy price for a buffet. At 9.30 pm, I went to the first floor where the buffet was served. 

Restaurant on the First Floor

The Full Buffet Line Up

Various Steamed Buns

Soup & Porridge

On the first floor, there was a cashier counter where I had to pay the NT$ 150 and then I was allowed in to the dining area. I was the very first to arrive and the entire restaurant was empty. This was good because I was able to try all the dishes without interference. Well, to explain that further, within 15 minutes some tour group from China arrived and they were literally fighting for the food with people pushing each other around. There was even a time when I tried to take a Steamed Bun and I was poked with a fork from the back and pushed over. It was that bad. This is when I realised that the food is limited and it is not topped up. Above that, around 10.00 pm most of the food were unavailable but the hotel still accepted another bus load of Chinese tourists which I feel is not fair to them. They too are paying guests. So being early and behaving greedy are two very important survival skills in a buffet line in Taiwan. Understanding this, I took a portion of each offering in the first round and put them on my table for me to be able to eat them peacefully and also to be able to try all the dishes. Well, there wasn't too many varieties too, just thirteen in total and I shall review them individually in the lines to come. 

3 Tiers of Taro Bun and That Was It

Closer Look At The Taro Bun

Taro buns have become famous in recent years and it is good to see that this sweet root paste originating in Hawaii has been adopted well by the Chinese / Taiwanese too. This was typically Taro filled Bau's i.e. steamed buns. They only had three tiers of these buns available with an average of 13 small buns in a tray and that gives a total of 39 Bao's for the buffet line up tonight. With two bus loads of tourists and me, there were easily 50+ people for this buffet tonight and you only provide 39? I think that that is not justified. These buns were really tiny and they lacked moisture which is a sign that it may have been prepared much earlier as the dough was dry. The filling was good and it was made right. My thought is that these were frozen buns which were reheated or steamed just a short while before opening the buffet line. The Taro filling, though nice, was scanty and that gave a just doughy taste with every bite. A little disappointing I must say. I would rate this at 4/10 . 

Pork Buns

Close Up of the Pork Buns

Now, time to try the Pork Bao's. There were a total of seven trays with around 15 Bao's in each tray. Much better than the Taro Bao. It was evident, just like previously that these were frozen Bao's that were being reheated but this was much better. The Pork filling was much more lavish and that was satisfying though the taste was nowhere that I imagined that it would be. It tasted quite average and my rating for this Bao would just be 5.5 / 10 .

Custard Buns

Closer Look At The Custard Buns

The Custard Buns, though limited in number, were the best among todays offering of Bao's. Though this is not the best that I have tried, they were nice and fluffy with a decent filling that tasted good. Clearly factory made, it was still of an acceptable quality. I wish these guys actually tried the food in Malaysia and they would be mesmerised. I would rate this at 7/10 .

Spicy Minced Pork Innards

An interesting dish!!! This was a platter of highly spiced Minced  Pork Innards which comes with loads of Chilies and some vegetables.Something unique. This is the first time I am trying this dish and I liked it. I would rate this dish at 9/10 . The best dish so far!

Pork Ham and Potato Platter

Yes, that was the total portion size offered for tonight's buffet. This dish is a mixture of Pork Ham and Potato's and it was sauteed with Butter and spices and garnished with Olive Oil. I must say that it was relatively nice though I would have loved to have more of it, but I was just behaving more considerate bearing in mind that the total portion size was shrunk to half a plate. Nevertheless, the dish was delicious and I would rate this at 9/10 .

Stir Fried Cabbage

This dish was as good as the last two dishes. Though looking simple, it was stir fried with loads of Chillies and that gave it a spicy touch. The cabbage used were also fresh and not over cooked giving it a crispy experience with every bite. Definitely enjoyed it! I would rate this dish at 8.5/10 .

Steamed Fish

Does it not look pathetic that in a buffet line, the hotel only serves eight small fishes? I was fortunate that I was early and managed to get a full fish to myself. This was the first dish to clear when the first bus load of tourists arrived. It is Steamed Fish with Soy Sauce and sliced Ginger. I must say that it was not as great as it seems and could have been better. I would only rate this dish at 6/10 . A sheer let down!!!

Sweet Chinese Pastries

This was again served in limited amounts but they were quite nice. They were sugar coated and were prepared quite well. I have tried these before and I must say that the preparation here is quite good. I would rate these at 9.5/10 .

Steamed Salted Tofu

Initially I had thought that this was the Taiwanese Stinky Tofu but it was not. It is a unique preparation and this is the first time that I am trying this. They were Steamed Salted Tofu that tasted very much like cheese as you had them, only that the texture was much lighter. It can be too salty for some but I liked it and it was thrilling with every bite. I must say that this would be a must try item for food experimentalists. My rating for this would be 9/10 .

Pork Ham & Preserved Vegetable

This dish was quite average and was a let down. It was typically Pork Ham strips mixed with Pickled Vegetables. I would have expected much more from this dish. Even the vegetables were not preserved that long and these was an odd taste to it. I would only rate this at 3/10 .

Clear Chicken Soup with Radish

This was the only soup available for the night and it was nice though not extremely good. It had a slightly dull taste to it but that was adjusted by the lavish amount of black pepper and radish in the dish. I would rate this soup at 8.5/10 . Most people that came late unfortunately only got to taste this soup and the next item which was a rice porridge.

Plain Rice Porridge

The final dish for the night which wraps up this buffet line was the above Plain Rice Porridge. Obviously this is supposed to be taken with the Salted Tofu or Pickled Vegetable but on it's own, this porridge was just average. It was very lightly salted and there were no other ingredients added in to it. Would have been good even if there were some sliced ginger which would have improved the taste much better. My rating for this would be 7/10 .

On the whole, this was a rather average buffet line. For the price, it is worth it but for the quantity available, it's arguable. As said earlier, you have to be greedy, behave like a glut and be early to get the best out of this buffet line. If you come in later than 9.45 pm, then it does not seem worth at all. You would rather have a good meal in town and then come in to the hotel for the similar price paid. For me, this was a good experience which I would always remember. 

Address: 1st Floor, City Suites Gateway Hotel,

                No. 442, Zhongzheng East Road, Dayuan Township,

                Taoyuan County, Taipei, Taiwan.

Opening Hours: 2130 - 2300

Telephone: +886 3385 3017

Website: http://en.citysuites.com.tw/ec99/ushop1080/ShowCategory.asp?category_id=58

Great Food Town @ Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei, Taiwan

Here I am, just landed in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 3.00 pm and I am so hungry. I know that it is quite a journey back to the hotel and as such, I decided to find a good place in the airport to have my lunch. This is my first time at this airport and I am not familiar with the facilities. Having checked out of immigration in Terminal 2, I came across this place called Great Food Town which seemed like a good place to get some decent meals. 

Entrance to Great Food Town

Tenants Occupying The Space

Limited Seating Capacity

Counter of the outlet I choose

Counter of the outlet I choose

The Great Food Town holds a total number of three different stalls, a bakery, cafe and a Taiwanese Food Stall. They all share a rather small and limited dining area. As I was really hungry, I wanted a heavy dish and resorted to the Taiwanese Food Stall. I do not know the name as it was all in Chinese and all I could think of was to get my food sorted. The place seemed very clean and all the workers wore gloves and other protective items to keep up with the hygiene requirements. That is surely an upside for them. This particular outlet had their mock food on display and they seemed very nice and authentic. 

The Menu On Display

The Set Menu

Most of their set menu was priced at NT$ 120 per set which works around USD 4.00 per set. I choose the set 10 which comes with some White Rice and Gravy on top, Quick Boiled Vegetables and Mushroom Pork Thick Soup. Let's hope that it all turns out well. Understanding that I had no idea what to order, the waitress was very patient with me and she assisted me with the orders asking me if there is any meat that I do not consume, my preferences in taste i.e. do I like spicy etc and I must congratulate her efforts. I definitely made my ordering process much smoother. 

Bamboo Chop Sticks Clean Packed

Rice with some Pickled Meat

As part of the set, I received the above Rice which comes topped with some pickled meat. The gravy was thick and slightly on the salty side but it blended very well with the white rice. The rice portion too was more than sufficient. Taste wise, this would score 9/10 . I would have been satisfied if I had just this only too. 

Mushroom & Pork Thick Soup

Mushroom & Pork Thick Soup

This soup was lovely. As you can see from the brim of the bowl, there was a whole load of black pepper added to this dish and that made it quite spicy. There was a reasonable amount or Pork and Mushrooms in it and this soup was really thick. I also believe that they may have added some vinegar to it.Somehow, it left a very sticky lip aftertaste. Must have been the starch floor. As a final verdict, I must say that I really enjoyed this soup and would rate it at 9/10 .

Quick Boiled Vegetable

This was another side dish. It was very much boiled vegetables which were topped with the same meat pickles that were added to the earlier rice, only the added portion was much smaller. There was also some thick Soy Sauce found at the base. The vegetables were fresh and crisp which added a sweetness to the greens. I would rate this dish at 8/10 .

My Lunch @ NT$ 120

On the whole, I believe that I had made the right decision by trying this place out and also in allowing the waitress in assisting me with my orders. She had definitely suggested something that I liked and I thank her again. I never imagined that I would be getting this kind of food in an airport as opposed to the usual Mc Donalds and fast food chains or some of the sub standard so called local delicacies. I definitely would vouch for this place and recommend it to fellow traveler's stopping by at this airport. 

Address: Ground Floor, Terminal Two, Arrival Hall, 

                Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE),

                No. 9, Hangchin Road, Dayuan Township,

                Taoyuan County, Taiwan 337.

Opening Hours: All Day