Trip to Taipei (November 2010)...Last-day shopping

It had been a short, but very exciting 3-day stay in Taipei. I was so inspired by their local food and and there are many dishes I want to try making (with donabe!) once I return to LA.

We made a few more stops in Taipei before heading to the airport.

Nanmen Market (南門市場) was so interesting. It showcases what Taiwanese food is all about. Although the space is not too huge, the market is quite organized and clean.

WangTea (有記名茶) is a traditional Taiwanese tea shop, which has been in business since 1890. We did a tasting of different teas there. They were all top-notch quality. We took home many kinds.

十字軒(I don't know the English pronunciation) is another historical place. They've been making sweet dumplings and cakes for 80 years. We bought a various things including their famous peach-shape sweet bun with the bean paste filling. It was really nice. Near 十字軒 in the market district, we also stopped by at 永久號 (I also don't know the English pronunciation) which is famous for the cured mullet roe (Taiwanese bottarga!). That's the only thing they sell since they established in 1915 and the quality is considered to be among the best you can find in Taiwan. Their mullet roe is all from wild-caught fish, unlike many cheaper kinds, you can find in all over Taipei, which are farmed.

Our hotel finally completed the giant Christmas tree just in time! They were also doing a culinary event with chefs from different countries. I wish I had enough time to participate. We checked out the hotel in the late afternoon to go to the airport. We took an evening flight back to Tokyo.

I love Taiwan. I want to come back soon!

Trip to Taipei (November 2010)...Local-style pork rice bowl breakfast

It was raining in the morning of the third and the last day of our stay in Taipei.

We took a taxi to 金峰魯肉飯 (I don't know the English name) for breakfast. This is a very popular joint which serves rustic Taiwanese "street food" including "Lu rou fan(魯肉飯)" all day. Lu rou fan is like one of the national "comfort" foods in Taiwan. It's basically stewed minced pork belly over rice. Who makes the best "Lu rou fan", I hear, can be the subject of argument among locals...it's not just about the flavor, but also about the size of the minced meat, broth (including how gelatinous it is), ratio to the rice, etc.

Luckily we didn't have to wait to get a table, since it was raining and we came after the morning rush. The restaurant is located right next to Nanmen Market (南門市場) , which is also a great place to check out all the local delicacies.

The one who's waving to the camera is my mon...she was so brave to come to a hole-in-the-place like this with me. Ordering was very easy. We got an order paper and checked in the box next to the item we wanted. They also gave us a picture menu, so we could order exactly what we wanted.

We ordered several dishes and shared them. Lu rou fan (stewed pork over rice), its rice noodle version, braised tofu, stir-fry spinach, and braised eggs.

Wonderful! Everything was very tasty and gave me so much energy. Their Lu rou fan was also very inspiring to me, as I kept thinking about cooking my version of Lu rou fan with my Miso-shiru Nabe. I would definitely love to try it when I return to LA! Mmm...my Donabe Lu Rou Fan. By the way, for all these delicious dishes on the above picture, the cost was only NT$100, which is just about US$3!! That's insane!!

What I experienced in these short days in Taipei was just a tiny glimpse of the cuisines Taiwan can offer. Yet, it was so easy for me to be convinced how high the standard they have for their food, whether it's at a high-end restaurant or street food. People we met were very, very nice, too. I really love Taiwan.

Trip to Taipei (November 2010)...Taiwanese "Shojin" dinner

The afternoon of our 2nd day in Taipei passed fast with activities.

My mom especially enjoyed visiting Lungshan Temple (龍山寺). We didn't go to the observatory (91F) of 101 Building because the sky was overcast.

Then, we had the Taiwanese massage. It was 100 minutes of extensive foot and whole body massage and my entire body felt so much lighter and healthier after the session!

Our dinner was also something I was really looking forward to having. It was a Taiwanese-style vegetarian dinner at Yu Shan Ge (鈺善閣). Taiwan is a big Buddhist country and most people are very religious. You also find many Buddhist monks in the city. So, there are many restaurants and street vendors with the sign of "素食" which indicates vegetarian food. It's not internationally known, but Taiwan is like a vegetarian paradise with many vegetarian options of restaurants. About 10% of the population is vegetarian. At Yu Shan Ge, they serve very elegant "kaiseki-style" vegetarian course dinner.

We ordered different dinner courses.

The restaurant had the beautiful modern-Chinese interior, and the service was so elegant. The first thing which was brought to our table were finger bowls. It looked like a soup!

My kabocha pumpkin soup with mountain yam. Mom's soup was mushrooms and vegetables.

Small appetizers...my plate included konnyaku (yam jelly) sashimi, tofu skin, etc.

Look at the presentation! My course was taro and lotus root.

I was in shock when the next course arrived. My dish was Mushroom and cheese gratin. Yes, the dish was covered with the cheese from cow's milk!! I later learned that Taiwanese Buddhist-style vegetarian (in Japanese, we call it "shojin") can be completely vegan (like how we define "shojin" in Japanese) or can use dairy. So, it was a surprise, but the dish was delicious, anyway. Mom's dish was eggplant with mashed taro.

Followed by the "palate clenser" cold vinegar tea (red vinegar, honey, and lavender...another artistic presentation), the main course was the mushroom steak. There were three different kinds of mushrooms including the local kind which is rarely found outside of Taiwan (I forgot the name). The sauce had the complex flavors of different Chinese spices. It was very nice.

Rice and soup courses. My soup had ginseng, red dates, sugar cane, lotus seeds, etc. So soothing.

Dessert was steamed dumpling with yam paste.

It was such an elegant and satisfying vegetarian dinner! My body felt so good (and stuffed) after all the dishes. Each dish was so unique and authentic Taiwanese. The flavors were so complex. Both my mom and I had a great time.

After the dinner, we went to the famous Shilin night market. On Monday night, the market was packed with people. Very exciting.