Taiwan Travelogue: What we ate in Wulai

Wulai's compact little town has much to offer; from its scenic wonders to the aboriginal culture and local products, not to mention the beautiful and naturally clean hot springs, all are just part of the town's treasures which just sends it rocketing to Taiwan's list of attractions.

It was truly memorable touring around this town, and it was love at first sight with the beautiful jade green waters to the enchanting little town and then to the captivating Wulai Falls, there is just nothing in this town that could truly disappoint an excited tourist like me.

After the visit to the waterfalls, we took a stroll back towards the main town of Wulai, with more of the little town's local scenes greeting us along the way.
(These were the scenes we missed when we took the train up to the falls).



The many hot spring resorts on the streets of Wulai


Crossing over the bridge, back to the main town






If you weren't hungry when you arrived at Wulai, you'd definitely be hearing the rumbles in your tummy when you pass through the town which is brimming with the food stalls, offering the local produces of fruits and vegetables and their famous products on sale amidst the small eateries, where woks are tossed with the clanging sounds of the ladles as the locals cook up a typical local meal for their customers.




Local products of Wulai on sale


Packets of muar chee (or similar to Japanese Mochi) on sale - this is one of the popular local products here.


The aroma from the open kitchens as we walked through the marketplace in the town was a temptation especially during lunch hours. Nevertheless one ought to experience the local tastes by trying out their cuisines while here.
We picked out this little eatery shop, out of the many available and looked forward to an interesting lunch.

This seemed to be a rather popular dish which was spotted at most of the stalls.

Mix Fry of the baby shrimps and fish

While I am a fan of seafood, I can't say that I understood the tastes of these little things as I was just not so into the idea of biting into them, nor can I enjoy the tastes. Perhaps these are just not my plate of meal?

Wild mountain vegetables stir fry with fried anchovies


These were really crunchy, and was quite an interesting vegetable which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Another interesting thing to try out in Wulai is the Bamboo Tube Rice (竹筒飯)


This was considered to be local delicacy; which constitute of steamed rice (somewhat sticky rice) with sweet corn in a bamboo wrapped with aluminum foil.












This was the vegetable we ordered; translated to Mountain Vegetable from its Chinese characters.

Wulai was truly a beautiful town and is worth a visit, for even the most skeptical would be converted into nature scenes lover upon stepping into this little town off Taipei.
Be prepared to spend at least half a day here, to take in what Wulai has to offer and bring home with you the scenic views embedded in your mind and photographs, the local products and the tastes and memories to last and to bring that smile to your face each time you look back at your snapshots from this town~

Taiwan Travelogue: Eating in Shilin

Street food seems to be the rage among the locals; as I have seen food stalls and peddlers almost everywhere I went, and it goes without saying that when you are in one of the largest night markets in the city; Shilin Night Market, you are bound to be greeted by (more) food varieties all beckoning to unsuspecting tourists and locals from their counters.
Whether you are one who loves stall-hopping and loading yourself with the 'little' eats along the way (while unaware of the secret additional calories piling, but when you're traveling, who cares?) or if you are one who likes sitting down proper to a meal, there is something for everyone in this night market.



There are many to choose from in this night market, but the top eats? I have checked the list of recommended things to eat in Shilin Night Market.

Things to Eat/Drink

Lemon Aiyu Jelly (檸檬愛玉) is supposedly famous or a favorite among the local Taiwanese; though it originated from my very own country (lol!)
I am a fan, and there were a couple of stalls selling this, so it was a breeze finding this citrusy flavor; the Lemon Aiyu is the original flavor by the way, teamed with the fruit jelly.
There are other flavors available too; as the vendors get creative with their product marketing techniques.




What can I say? Well, I think I have tasted better versions back in my own country as the jelly was rather meager in portion and it was a little diluted. It seems to be the same everywhere I went, a bummer as I really love this drink.

I can testify that almost all the stalls serve the same quality; as I gave it the benefit of the doubt and checked out another stall, with another cup of this, and yes, I still conclude that I get better quality back at home.





Taiwanese sausages are just about the other which is found almost everywhere and they seems to be the favorite finger food/snack among the locals.





Deep fried food are the other common sight; from deep fried chicken (spiced or marinated/salted chicken), to deep fried squids, octopus, fish cakes, and the list goes.
You want it, they will deep fry it.





We ventured into the Food court; in the complex, and it was a brightly lit world down there though there are no signs leading to the end of the action taking place in this enclosed area as compared to the open air night market out there.
In fact, if anything more, it seemed like the place was even more bustling and as noisy as outside (the air space would be much better outside in the open though).
This is just the stalls on the streets outside being brought together into a closed complex; and in a squarish parameter of organization.










Fried Oyster (Or Chien) - (蚵仔煎) is a much raved about Taiwanese favorite; in fact, the locals love oysters with everything.
(There is also the Oyster Noodles which is recommended to try in Taiwan, but we didn't get to trying that.)


The fried oyster is a batter of egg omelette with corn starch fried together with oysters; and can be pretty much termed as an oyster omelette.

I would say that again, the fried oyster back home tastes much better and our Or Chien is just as famous too! ;-)

Seafood Noodles, was quite a satisfying attempt though; as there was a generous amount of seafood included along with the rice noodles.


These are shellfish; or rather, Sea Snails. Also known as Bali tong in my country, my hubby just wanted to try these out. (yeah, he tried it, not me. I may be a seafood fan, but I am not an adventurous one, and I will stick to my usual fare of fish, prawns, and crabs, thank you very much).





Fish Balls in soup; this is one thing that I really enjoyed while in Taiwan (similar to Hong Kong).
Somehow their fish balls are really way much better than what we have (not that ours is that bad either), but I just loved their fish balls which is just so tasty and full of the fishy flavor.





Other food to try in Shilin Night Market would be as follows:-
Peanut Candy (花生糖)
Fried Buns (生煎包)
"Small Bun wrapped in Large Bun"(大餅包小餅)
Stinky Tofu (sorry, not my cup of tea, or tofu) (臭豆腐)
Pearl Milk Tea (珍珠奶茶)
Oyster Noodles/Vermicelli (蚵仔麵線)

More scenes from the food stalls:-







If you are a food lover, you will get around to try as much as you can stuff into your stomach.
As a precaution, I would still like to remind you to be careful with street food, though traveling, hygiene and the quality of the food serving area should still never be compromised.
After all, what could be worse when a trip is spoilt with an upset tummy?

Shilin Night Market has a lot to offer; and I am not saying that it is not advisable to try out the street food but just practice caution and of course, common sense, when hopping from one stall to another, and putting different types of food into your tummies. If you have a tummy that can weather almost anything, you will not have a problem but if your regular eating style does not include such a varied menu, then it would just be good to play it safe and careful when picking out your choices.

I am not a regular with street food, but I did get to enjoy some of the local tastes and flavor; and besides feasting on the food, I think I got quite a treat with the sights too; a motion picture?
Nah, I would say more of a light animation with a little light action and reality kick to it!

Bangkok Travelogue: Som Tam Nua

Who would have known that tucked behind an alley somewhere in Bangkok is a famous restaurant, known for their Som Tam (Papaya salad)?
Located on Soi 5 (soi is street or alley in Thai) in Siam Square, is this place called Som Tam Nua,  famed for their legendary papaya salad which have attracted many from the country and also tourists worldwide to make it a must to stop by this place when in Bangkok.



I was fortunate enough to be staying in Siam Square, and the restaurant was just right down my alley.



There was already a queue waiting outside the restaurant, and typically I don't like to queue for my food (yeah, I just don't), but as I have heard of the fame of this restaurant and also I was traveling with a group of friends, I just joined in the crowd.
At this time, I was really curious and excited to try for myself the credibility of this place as there must be something really good (or cheap!) when people are willing to wait for their food.
Sometimes, it could also be due to the commercialization and some places could be overrated, but either way, I am willing to give it the benefit of the doubt.

I guessed we were really lucky again, as we only had to wait for about 30 minutes and with friends to chat with, the time passed by really quickly and soon we already found our place inside the restaurant.
(They had this really good service where you are presented with the menus to have a glance at what they have, and while waiting, customers are also served with a small glass of fruit punch).



Sweet chili sauce, and a super spicy sauce



 A closer shot of the super spicy chili sauce



Deep Fried Chicken



The famous Som Tam (papaya salad) which seems to be the signature dish in the restaurant.
Now, I am not a papaya fan and I don't really fancy the papaya salad, but I find this raw papaya slices with the slightly spicy sauce of a combination an extremely appetizing dish.
I can understand why they gain their reputation



It seemed that almost everyone had more than enough helpings, and there was just something irresistible about the dish.
I also liked that it was not overly sized to proportion, and how it suited the standard serving of a salad which makes it even more attractive as many get a few, but enough to taste the glory of the dish which made the restaurant famous, and the reason for the restaurant's name.

I am not sure what the following is called, but I know it was an extremely spicy pork soup.
(Yes, the restaurant is non-halal)



While the Som Tam was indeed the famed attraction of a dish here, I was delighted and surprised with this other enticing dish which tempted and lured at my taste buds, leaving that taste which still tickled my memory to this very day.

When we ordered a steamed fish, we expected to see a fish which came with the usual metal platter where a candle is lighted beneath the fish platter. I have never expected to see this....


These were awesome; and they used thread fin fillets which was lightly steamed to perfection and I just loved how it turned out in its taste.
I cannot remember the exact name of this dish, but I know I am ordering this again on my next visit!

I can see the reason behind the fame, reputation and the crowd at this restaurant, as I have tasted for myself and I am bookmarking the place for my next visit, which is coming very soon!~