Nightmarket Treats – Part 1 of many

The following snacks are available in the Ruei Feng (瑞豐) Nightmarket.

Famous Duck Wrap – soft outside shell (sort of like a bread-y tortilla) filled with succulent duck meat, cucumber strips, pickled vegetables, onions, and a sweet savoury sauce.

 

This is the sign for the Duck Wrap, including the choices of flavours. Most of them are self-explanatory. “Numb” apparently, is another word for VERY SPICY :)!

 

 

Parking: Easy. There are two parking lots. The one that is usually open is on Nanping Rd. (南屏路), which is off of Yucheng Rd. (裕誠路). The other lot is open when the first one is full, and it’s just past the nightmarket on Yucheng Rd.

Price: Cheap! 40 NT per wrap

Directions: From MAK, take Hwy 10, exit Zihyou/BoAi Rd. Go south on Bo Ai until you reach Yucheng Rd. Turn right onto Yucheng, go one block, and you’ll see the nightmarket on the right. For parking, take another right at your first light after you turn onto Yucheng. That road is Nanping Rd. There is one parking lot that is very visible on your left. THAT IS NOT THE LOT! Go about half a block until you see a “P” on your left – it’s basically a little alley that goes into the lot. Look for a little restaurant that looks really elegant, and starts with the letter “M”. It’s just past that restaurant. If that lot is full, then you’ll need to circle around, and go back onto Yucheng. Go past the nightmarket, and right where it ends (before the next lights), turn right. They’re both difficult to spot, so look out!

Hours of Operation: Tuesday, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, starting at about 6pm. (Food vendors tend to open earlier than clothing/games vendors)

Best Cold Noodles or Liang Mien (涼麵)

Tucked away on a small street in downtown Kaohsiung is this unassuming little restaurant. I would never have even set foot in this place, but because a Taiwanese friend took me there, I am now dying to go back. I’m not sure who claimed it to have the best Liang Mien in town, but it was really good (and they don’t use MSG!)


Liang Mien is literally translated as “cold noodles.” Traditionally, it has Chinese egg noodles (sort of spaghetti-like pasta), mixed with a garlic, sesame, vinegar & chili sauce, cucumbers and chicken.
The menu is simple (read from right to left):

• Vegetarian Liang Mien (S – 35, L – 45)
• Regular Liang Mien (S – 35, L – 45)
• Shredded Chicken Liang Mien (S – 50, L – 60)
• Shredded Beef Liang Mien (S – 60, L – 70)
• Miso Soup (10 NT)

Directions: From MAK, Take Hwy 1 south and exit at Zhong Zheng Rd. (中正路). As you come off the ramp, go straight past the big intersection of Zhong Zheng Rd. Follow the signs leading you to the next big street south of there, called San Duo Rd. (三多路). Take a left, and drive about 5-10 minutes until Fude Rd. (福德路). You should see a Blue, Red & White Grocery Store on the corner. Turn right onto Fude and the shop will be on your left hand side, a little ways down. (And on your way to this restaurant, stop off at the Bite-Sized Zongzi Store!)

Price: Economical
Parking: Moderate (depending on the time of day)
Hours of Operation: Mon – Sat., 7:30am – 2:30pm

Biggest Chicken Steak (雞排) in Dashe

For the biggest chicken steaks or cutlets, then look no further than this chain. They claim that their Chicken Steaks or Cutlets that are bigger than your head. I especially love that the name of the stand is 奶妹 (which means “Milk Sister”).
 
The stand opens around 5pm, which is the best time to go since it’s extremely popular. The lady seems to get less impatient as the night goes on, probably because she’s taking phone orders, live orders, and filling all the orders at the same time. If you go later than 5:30pm, then be prepared to wait anywhere between 15-30 minutes, depending on how large your order is.

They sell 5 different kinds of chicken steaks, starting from the top left (at 45 NT), going down then to the second column:

(For each steak, you need to specify what topping you want on it WHEN you order. The choices are: white pepper, plum powder, seaweed, curry, garlic, Mexican, Black pepper, Wasabi, Spicy)

BBQ chicken steak (like the kind we normally get) – 45 NT
Teriyaki Chicken Steak – 50 NT
Very Crispy chicken steak – 45 NT
Crispy Chicken steak – 45 NT
Lemon chicken bites – 35 NT
Chicken thighs – 30 NT
Chicken nuggets – 30 NT
Boneless chicken steak – 35 NT

(Column 2):
Three Corner Bone (some sort of chicken piece) – 60 for large, 40 for small
Salted Chicken pieces – 50 (L), 30 (S)
Cuttlefish – 50 (L), 30 (S)
Calamari rings – 50 (L), 30 (S)
Sweet Potato Fries – 40NT
French Fries – 20 NT (choice of cheese or salted)
Yams – 20 NT (choice of plum powder or pepper)
Tien Bu La (fish paste snacks) – 20 NT
Tempura – 20 NT
Chicken Wing – 15 NT
Hot Dog – 10 NT (for 3)
Blood rice cake – 10 NT


Directions from MAK: This stand is right across from the Thai Restaurant. When coming from MAK, do not take the shortcut back road, but go all the way to Dashe Main Road. It is located beside another chicken stand and beside the red and black teashop “Da Pai.”
There are also other chains located around the city, including one in Nanzih by the Choi's church.

Parking: Easy (you can pull up anywhere and put your hazards on if necessary!)

Costs: Economical

Yang Bao Bao

For some of the tastiest local steamed dumplings and beef wraps, along with fried bread that will have you going back for more, try out Yang Bao Bao in Nantze. The restaurant looks like this:

This restaurant has food based on the northern-Chinese style (i.e. not rice, but heartier foods that would keep you warm on a cold day). This restaurant is EXTREMELY popular with local people and originally outgrew its nightmarket stand a few years back. It is often bursting at the seams, even on a weekday lunch, so don't be surprised if you have to wait to be seated. If you're getting food to go, take a pink menu from the front counter, order, turn it in to receive a number, and wait until they call your number. Or, go an order teas from the tea stand next door while you wait. :-) This restaurant can also be a fun one for visitors from your home country who are slightly leery of eating out in Taiwan because the restaurant is clean and the food is delicious.

Here is a basic run down of the menu:
a) pork steamed dumplings (8 of them) (pictured above)
b) beef steamed dumplings (8 of them)
c) veggie steamed dumplings (8 of them--highly recommended!)
d) fried dumplings
e) pork wraps (wrapped in fried bread)
f) beef wraps (pictured above)
g) fried bread, cut into triangles
h) fried bread, "shredded" into some pieces (highly recommended) (pictured above)
i) chicken broth soup
j) beef broth soup
k) hot and sour soup
l) corn chowder soup
m/n) sides (such as these green beans, pictured above)

Click on the menu for a larger view

Directions from MAK: When turning on to the "main" road (that runs under the freeway), turn right (towards E-Da Hospital). When the road T's into the next major road, turn left at the light. This is highway 22. Continue on this road until you enter Nantze several kilometers down the road. Once in Nantze, go straight through the intersection that has McDonald's/Donutes/KFC on your left and the train station on the right. At the next intersection, turn left. Go straight down this road until almost the end. The restaurant will be on your near a corner furniture store. Look for lots of scooters and cars outside. If you reach the back entrance of the hospital, you've gone too far.

Alternate route, via Dashe: Go through Dashe towards Nantze. Once in Nantze at the intersection with the Easy Shop straight ahead, 3C on the left, and McDonald's/Donutes/KFC/Subway/Dominos on the right, turn left. Go approximately one block. Turn right at the 7-11. Follow this road straight for a few blocks. The restaurant will be on one of the intersections, far right hand side, on the cross street. Park wherever you find space, or pay at one of the local lots. 

Parking: Challenging (may cost 30NT at a local lot)

Costs: Economical

Taiwan "Snacks" 台灣小吃

If you're looking for a great way to try a variety of Taiwanese foods in smaller, more economical portions, try out 台灣小吃 tái wān xiǎo chī. This is a chain that offers a delicious variety of simple foods. (Note: many of the foods have a pretty high amount of garlic flavor, so prepare yourself for bad breath.) It's a good price, too, with the above-pictured meal just 140 NT. In the photo above are the following foods: Rice with meat, meat floss, cucumbers (upper left, "A" on the menu below), meatball soup (lower left, "L" on the menu below), a large bowl of "dry" noodles (bottom right, D2 on the menu), wooden noodles soup (upper right and also pictured below, G2 on the menu), and fried tofu ("S" on the menu, 5NT per piece).

Here is a menu translation (Thanks, Ellen!):
B. Rice with minced soy sauce pork gravy (light, not thick like American gravy)
C. Rice with slices of soy sauce pork
F. Crispy pork with Noodles (usually soup, but can ask for dry)
G. Wide rice noodles with minced pork sauce (like B.) (2 options: dry (top) or with soup(bottom))
H. Vermicelli noodles with minced pork sauce (like B.) (2 options: dry (top) or with soup(bottom))
I. Short pork rib soup
J. Bitter melon short pork rib soup
M. Spinach / Green (usually a favorite)/Bean sprouts
N. Bamboo shoots
O. "lu" Cabbage ("lu" usually means they cook it for a long time, maybe in a slow cooker in soy sauce and spices)
P. Fish (Tilapia)
U. Sliced pork (like C, with no rice.)


Recommended items on the menu include D or E, G, and M2 (green veggies). Try a little of each and find a new favorite!

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), go straight. Keep going past the second light, too (with Watsons, 7-11, Family Mart). The shop will be on your left, before you reach the next intersection (with Donutes). Look for a maroon sign and wooden decor. You can pay on your way out, after eating.

Parking: Challenging, because it's on the main road.

Costs: Economical.

藤原拉麵 Fujiwara Ramen

Fujiwara Ramen is a clean, economical restaurant with delicious handmade noodles and dumplings. This place has a particular advantage at dinner time because of it's extensive parking lot and proximity to the fantastic tea shop Tea & Magic Hand:

Here is a picture of their menu:

Dish "A" is a miso soup broth with pork, noodles, and an egg. Here is what it looks like:

Items B, C, D, and F are nearly the same, all being dumplings and noodles with veggies. B, C, and D are all soups, with the first being a red soup, the second a miso soup, and the third a clear Japanese-style broth. Item C is pictured here:

Item F (wonton noodles 餛飩 幹麵 hún tún gàn miàn) is made with the red sauce (slightly spicy, but not too bad), but is served "dry", which means they serve the broth on the side, as pictured below. For only 50 NT, this is one deal that's hard to beat!

If you're still hungry, try out a side dish of green veggies (Item "G--青菜):

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), turn left. You'll now be on the morning market road (Jin Long Rd. 金龍路). Follow this road until you see the Tea and Magic Hand tea shop on your right (with a maroon sign). Immediately after the tea shop, there is an alley that leads to a huge parking lot. You can park back there. [If you pass the park or fire station, you've gone too far.] The restaurant is on the other side of the alley from Tea & Magic Hand (look for the red sign above). There's a kitchen in the front with yellow tables inside for eating. You can pay on your way out, after eating.

Free sweetened black tea is provided, as are reusable spoons and chopsticks.

Parking: Easy. You can park their parking lot behind the restaurant.

Costs: Economical. Most dishes are 70NT or less.

Dumplings and potstickers

For some decent dumplings and potstickers, check out this restaurant in Dashe. It's on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd.), next to the "Presotea" tea shop. Look for this sign:

Their menu is basic, so once you learn one section, you'll know nearly half of the menu! The most important parts are pictured below. Basically, #1-4 are potstickers and #5-9 are boiled/steamed dumplings, and 10-12 are soups. All prices are per dumpling/potsticker.

Here's a translation of the menu, thanks to Ellen in Systems Services in Taichung:

1. Potstickers (regular ones, what the store is famous for, just regular pork.)
2. Veggie Potstickers
3. Curry Potstickers
4. Korean spicy potstickers
5. Dumplings(regular ones, what the store is famous for, just regular pork.)
6. Veggie dumplings
7. Curry dumplings
8. Korean spicy dumplings
9. shrimp and pork dumplings
10. hot and sour soup
11. Octopus ball and fish soup
12. Taiwanese cream of corn soup

Back left: vegetable potstickers (#2). Back right: veggie dumplings (#6). Front: pork dumplings (#5). Also recommended are the curry potstickers and dumplings (#4 and 7)

This is the fish ball soup (#11 on the menu):

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection, go straight. It is located on the right-hand side (across the street from the Tea Elf and before getting to the Watston's/7-11 intersection). Walk past the kitchen to sit down and use the ordering form. You can pay on your way out, after eating.


Parking: Challenging because it's on the main road.

Costs: Economical.

Fried rice near the temple

This little fried rice/fried noodles restaurant provides a moderately-sized portion for a bargain price of about 50 NT! It's located near the temple on Jhong Hwa Rd. Look for this building:

The inside is rather simple (see below), but you get tea with your meal for free (self-serve in the container on the left).

This is their basic menu. It pretty much works as follows: decide if you want fried rice (炒飯 chǎo fàn), fried noodles (炒麵 chǎo miàn), or a gravy sauce over rice. Then, choose your meat (shrimp, beef, lamb/mutton, pork, seafood). Nearly all dishes are 50 NT. They also have veggies as sides.

This is the beef fried rice:

This is the lamb/mutton with gravy sauce:

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), turn left. You'll now be on the morning market road (Jin Long Rd. 金龍路). Follow this road until the next major intersection (again, with a convenience store on your right). Turn right onto Jhong Hwa Rd. (中華路). When you see the temple on your right, go just past it to the building pictured above. You can pay on your way out, after eating.

Parking: Easy. You can park right next to the restaurant. If the temple isn't busy, you can also park in front of it.

Costs: Economical. Most dishes are 50NT or less. Dishes "to go" are good for lunches the next day.

Fried bread at the Dashe morning market

Among the multitude of delicious foods at Dashe's morning market is one little stand selling fried bread with a variety of toppings, such as an egg, ham, cheese, etc., with each topping being an extra 5-10 NT or so on top of the initial 15 NT. Everything tastes best fresh.

Look for the little stand that looks like this:

You'll see someone cooking up the fried bread like this:

And here's their menu:

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), turn left. You'll now be on the morning market road (Jin Long Rd. 金龍路). Follow this road for a bit through the morning market. This stand is located on the left-hand side of the road as you head away from Jhong Shan Rd. It's near a store that sells bedding and is not far after an alley that leads to the left into the morning market. Sometimes, there's someone selling colorful rice/bean milk and sandwhiches next door.


Parking: Moderate. Park as you would for the morning market.

Costs: Economical.

Turkey Rice

One of Taiwan's "famous" foods in the city of the ChiaYi is turkey rice. It's incredibly simple (usually just consisting of white rice with pieces of shredded turkey on it), but makes for a simple, yet filling snack or meal. Dashe opened a turkey rice restaurant on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd.) in 2009, along with a partnering tea shop. Here is what the sign looks like (in red, reading "Fire Chicken Meat" a.k.a. turkey). The tea shop has the black sign.

And here's the entrance:

Most items on the menu are 60 NT or less. Clearly, the turkey rice item is what you'll want to try at some point. It is the first item on the paper menu. If you want the side dishes (which you may or may not be able to choose on your own, depending on what's available), mark the 1a option. For a large turkey rice (火雞飯 huǒ jī fàn), 1b, and for a small turkey rice, 1c. The 1a option looks like this (note the rice with turkey and a few pickles on the lower left):

The second menu item is a combination of fatty meat and sausage, coupled with some side dishes for 50 NT, and looks like this:

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). Go just past the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), and just past Jack-Boy drink stand on your right.  The restaurant and tea shop are soon after that (just look for the black and red signs). You can pay on your way out, after eating.


Parking: Challenging. Any time you have to park on Jhong Shan Rd, it can be hit or miss.
Costs: Economical. Turkey rice also makes for good leftovers for lunches.

Ah-Sing's Beef Steak

At Ah-Sing's Beef steak restaurant, you'll enjoy the friendly service of Ah-Sing and his wife while enjoying several varieties of fried steaks. Beef steak (牛排 niú pái) is the most typical dish and is available for 80NT, as well as pork (豬肉) steak and chicken leg (雞腿 jī tuǐ) steak. Salmon (鮭魚 guī yú) steak and a bit thicker beef steak are slightly more expensive. You can choose what kind of sauce you want on your meat: mushroom, black pepper, or a mixture of both sauces. All dishes come with noodles and a fried egg.

All meals come with a bowl of corn chowder (玉米濃湯 yù mǐ nóng tāng) and sweet black tea. Both of these items are self-serve, as is the silverware. After you order, Ah-Sing will tell you which table is available for seating. Your plate will be sizzling when it comes, so be careful. Additionally, you'll need to flip your egg over to let it finish cooking.

Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), turn left. You'll now be on the morning market road (Jin Long Rd. 金龍路). Follow this road until the next major intersection (again, with a convenience store on your right). Turn right onto Jhong Hwa Rd. (中華路). Go past the temple on your right, Turn left at the next intersection (where there is a large store on your left). The restaurant is the first one on the right and has many red plastic tables inside.  There is a tall, yellow sign with red lettering above the restaurant. You can pay on your way out, after eating. 

Parking: Moderate. You can park right next to the restaurant.

Costs: Moderately economical. Dishes range from 80 NT to about 150 NT.

Other notes: The Smuckers eat here nearly every Tuesday night. If you go, tell Ah-Sing that you're friends with Matt and Holly (我們是Matt 和 Holly 的朋友。wǒ men shì Matt hé Holly de péng yǒu) for an extra special greeting. Also, Ah-Sing is fluent in several languages, including Mandarin, Taiwanese, and Hakka. He knows a little bit of English (e.g. the names of the food dishes), so he may be able to help as you stumble through any language barrier.

Red Bestial Superfine Beef Noodles

One of the most wide-spread dishes you can find in Taiwan is called "Beef noodles" (牛肉麵 niú ròu miàn). For a delicious, economical and local variety of beef noodles from a very hospitable owner, try the Red Bestial Superfine Beef Noodles shop in Dashe. Here's what you need to know:

Location: In Dashe, across the street from the temple on Jhong Hwa Rd. (中華路). It is located next door to the large tree where elderly people like to gather to chess and other games. 


Directions from MAK: Go into Dashe on the main road (Jhong Shan Rd. 中山路). At the first major intersection (where there is a Hi-Life Convenience Store), turn left. You'll now be on the morning market road (Jin Long Rd. 金龍路). Follow this road until the next major intersection (again, with a convenience store on your right). Turn right onto Jhong Hwa Rd. (中華路). When you see the temple on your right, look across the street for the Red Bestial Superfine Beef Noodles shop (sign is in English & Chinese). The kitchen is in the front and the seating is in the back. Walk past the kitchen to sit down and use the ordering form. You can pay on your way out, after eating. 


Parking: Easy. You can park right next to the restaurant. If the temple isn't busy, you can also park in front of it. 


Costs: Economical. Dishes range from 35 NT for a basic bowl of sesame noodles to 80 NT for rice and beef. 


Recommended dishes: The first five dishes on the menu are some form of beef noodles and all of them are delicious. Try the 4th one from the top for something special--it's shaved/handmade noodles with meat and vegetables (70NT).  (See picture below)

Their "economical" beef noodles (the first one listed on the menu for 55NT) is a reasonable portion and delicious, too:

If you like spicy foods, try the handmade dumplings in red sauce (18th on the menu and 40 NT for a plate, as pictured below). Yum! This works well as a side dish.

They also have lots of drinks for sale and side dishes, too, as is pictured at the top. 


Happy eating!