Yongkang Street 永康街, Taipei

Yongkang Street 永康街 is famed for the street that housed the "original" Din Tai Feng 鼎泰丰。It's a "must go" place for most Japanese tourists.

Papa Snew insisted that a trip to Taipei is not complete without a meal at Din Tai Feng 鼎泰丰, although it's so common back home. We have heard that the queue at this particular store, or any others, could go up to more than 1 hour. 

The comforting thing is, Yong Kang Street is across the road from our hotel - Hotel 73 that we stayed in Taipei. We skipped the breakfast at the hotel and went to queue for Din Tai Feng before lunch time, and we managed to get a table within 20 minutes. 

You must be wondering why I took only 1 single Xiao Long Bao 小笼包 instead of the entire basket. That's because Papa Snew was so hungry for it and before I could take a photo, he has already eaten a few! 

For some strange reasons, I got to say that Din Tai Feng in Taiwan still taste the best. 

Our hotel receptionist recommends the other eateries along Yong Kang Street instead. I guess the locals do not really fancy Din Tai Feng. The other eateries such as 高记, 度小月 serves similar food and frequented by the locals. 

We came across a stall that forms a long queue. This stall sells one of the best Fried Spring Onion Pancakes - 葱油饼. The Chinese version of Roti-Prata containing spring onions. This one is really yummy, fluffy and crispy. Really worth the queue. 

The longest queue at Yongkang Street is the Yongkang Beef Noodles. On the Sunday that we visited, there was a long queue outside the shop. Infact, it was the long queue that caught our attention that the beef noodles must be good.

We went back the next day to try the beef noodles. It turned out to be the best beef noodles I had. The beef was just tender, and the soup was full of beef flavour. That really explain the queue.  

Location of Yong Kang Beef Noodles as below. 

Snew's Rating: 4.8 / 5

Yongkang Street, the "must go" place in Taiwan. Great restaurants with great food. Quaint branded boutique with prices that aren't exactly cheap. "Must Try" is the Yongkang Beef Noodles. Avoid lunch hour and weekend as the queue can get insane. 

Yongkang Street

MRT Station: Dongmen Station (Yellow or Xinzhuang Line)

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Tea at Maokong 猫空, Taipei

Maokong 猫空, literally translated as "No Cat" in Chinese, is located on a hill in the Southeast corner of Taipei City. It doesn't mean that Maokong has no cats, but a name that has been derived from "Niao Kang" in native Taiwanese dialect. 

Maokong today is famous as a place for drinking tea, as it was a district classified as tourist tea plantation. Tea plantation is the main draw for tourists to Maokong and the area is now also famed for its beautiful quiet scenery. 

Getting to Maokong is not difficult. However, the journey does takes a bit of time. Take the blue MRT line to Zhongxiao Fuxing 忠孝复兴 to change to brown line to Taipei Zoo 动物园. Taipei Zoo is the last station in the brown line. It takes about 30 minutes to reach Taipei Zoo from Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

From Taipei Zoo MRT Station, follow the sign to the Maokong Gondola Station. It's a short 5 minutes walk away. To travel to Maokong, you will need to transfer to the Maokong Gondola.  A separate fare for the Maokong Gondola is payable. It cost 50NT per way, which I think is a very reasonable fare.

We did choose the Crystal Cabins as Papa Snew and myself feel that our weak hearts couldn't take the glass bottom cabins. The entire journey is a total of 4KM, lasting a good 30 minutes. The journey include 2 stops in between. However, the destination for most passengers is the final stop, Maokong.

It started raining slightly as we got up the Maokong Gondola. I was really disappointed as I have done some checks on the weather forecast, and was forecast to start rain only at night, Hence I change the schedule to travel to Maokong in the afternoon. However, the rain started just as we reach Maokong Station just around noon time. The views were all camouflaged under the misty rain.

As we exit from the Maokong Gondola Station, we walk towards the left and we found a stretch of tea house. The one recommended by friend, "Ms Taiwan", is 大茶壶茶栈二楼。

It's in a old shophouse, about 10 minutes walk down the road. Apparently the tea house on the ground floor is a different one from the second floor. The one that "Miss Taiwan" recommended to me is on the second floor.

"Ms Taiwan" recommended the "must try" dish as the Caipo Chicken Soup 菜脯鸡汤。Drinking Chinese tea and Chicken Soup doesn't seem to go together in Singapore. I would think it as too much liquid intake in the warm and humid weather. However, it was the perfect combination over in Taiwan. With the weather chilling up after a slight rain, having hot tea and soup with side dishes is just perfect.

It was our first try at brewing chinese tea the correct way. The staff were very friendly and showed us how to brew tea. Tie Guan Yin (Iron Buddha) 铁观音 is locally grown over at the plantation at Maokong. However, we decided to try a combination tea of Osmanthus with Pu Er 桂花普洱。I like the Osmanthus scent mixed in the tea with a nice flavour that is not too strong.

We spend a good 3 hours chilling there and slowly savouring the aroma of the tea. I guess the rain also kept us there, and finishing a whole pot of chicken soup for 2 person and cups after cups of Chinese tea just makes time pass really fast.

The sky managed to clear up as the rain  finally stop after 3hours. We finally managed to get a better shot of the scenery.

Even though we spent 3hours enjoying the tea, we couldn't finish brewing the tea leaves. The staff vacuum-packed the reminding tea leaves in a packed. We were told to consumed it as soon as possible so as not to lose the flavour of the tea leaves.

We strolled back to Maokong Station to meet our friends for dinner. We were late for our dinner appointment with our friends. To get back to Taipei City, the journey takes about 1 hour. That is not taking into consideration the time to walk to Maokong Station and to change from the Gondola Station to the MRT. A safer time would be to account about 1.5-2 hours if you have dinner or other plans back in the Taipei City.

In anyway, the trip to Maokong was worth it. It was a nice chill out place for tea and to be away from the city.

Before I conclude, 大茶壶 is split into two levels and operated independently now. Apparently, there's some politics between the family and they split the tea house into two. The one that we went is on the second level, and it's open till 6am in the morning. You can enjoy sipping tea with a cool scenic view. If you are lucky, the clouds may hover in, creating a feel of "sipping tea in heaven"!

大茶壶茶栈二楼

台北市文区指南路三段38巷37号之1， 2楼
Tel: + 886 2 2939 5-57
Opening Hours: 10am - 6am


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Windsor B&B 温莎堡民宿 @ Jiufen

I was recommended to Windsor B&B (bed and breakfast) 温莎堡民宿 by a friend. When I first saw the photos of the room, I fell in love with the place immediately. Initially, I planned to stay one night at Sun Moon Lake and one night at Jiufen. But I realised it make no sense to travel so far to Sun Moon Lake and back just for one night. So I decided to spend more time at Jiufen and vicinity. The photos of Windsor just seconded my choice. So, we booked a 2-night stay there. 

The owners of Windsor B&B - 许大哥 and 陈姐 (Mr and Mrs Hsu) are husband and wife team. Their daughter and son also help out in the running of the B&B and the cafe.

Windsor B&B have a few sections of the Inn. The first is 涵馆 (Han Guan), which is housed together with cafe. There are 4 rooms for this, each with a different theme. We stayed at one of the rooms here on our first night.

Our room was 涵馆 2 and Mrs Hsu personally brought us to our room and introduce us the place. The room is big. The concept of 民宿 Mingsu means its a comfortable stay and carries a homely feel. The room is divided into a few areas. It has a living area as well as the bedroom. Stepping out, you have a lookout area, toilet and bathroom. There's even a stairs leading to the second level. The second level is an area where you can have tea, and enjoy a full glass panel view. 

A partially blocked view from the lookout benches, but we do have a good seaview.

The next morning, breakfast is provided at the cafe. The breakfast area has a full glass panel view where we enjoy sipping coffee and enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean.

The second day, we shifted to the another section of the Inn, which is located almost at the end of the Jiufen Old Street. This is call the 日光涵馆 (Ri Guang Han Guan). This section have 7 rooms, also individually themed. Our room was 日光涵馆 7. The huge glass panel was the highlight of the room. From that huge glass panel window, we have a clear unblock view of the Pacific Ocean. We were Wow by the scenery and spent a lot of our time enjoying the view from our room. 

There were two levels, and the room could sleep up to 8 pax (2 double beds on each level). This room is good for extended families travelling together (although there is only 1 toilet). 

The view that blown Papa Snew off. He asked me why didn't book the same room for 2 nights. Well, occupancy at Windsor B&B is very high. We booked our rooms 1 month before arrival and there were limited rooms left. We have to adjust our travel schedule to fit the room availability. 

Snew's Rating: 4.5 / 5

I would fully recommend Windsor B&B to anyone going to stay at Jiufen. Other than these two sections of the Inn, they also have a section call 香草庭院 and 老舍 which is more rustic and ancient feel. However, 涵馆&日光涵馆 are still the more popular choice. 

Tips if you planning a stay at Windsor:

1) Book Early. We made our reservation 1 month prior to our arrival and rooms are almost fully booked. Remember, this is not a hotel and there are not more than 15 rooms. They are very popular with Singaporeans, Malaysians, Hong Kongers and Japanese. So, book your stay EARLY! 

2) Bring only Hand or Cabin Luggage. There are definitely flight of steps in Jiufen. If you the stay is at 日光涵馆, it's at the far end of Jiufen Old Street. Plan your trip such that you can leave your huge suitcase with the concierge in your Taipei Hotel. 

On our trip back to Taipei from Windsor, we ask the staff at Windsor Cafe to get us a taxi that comes right at the doorstep of Cafe to Ruifang. Cost slightly more at NT200 to Ruifang Train Station. 

3) Book a Driver to explore the nearby areas. The North-eastern coastal areas and nearby areas from Jiufen are beautiful places to explore. We went Jinguashi 金瓜石, Golden Waterfalls 黄金瀑布，Yin Yang Sea 阴阳海, Nanya Rocks 南雅奇石，Shifen 十份and Yeliu 野柳 on a road trip (which I will next blog). It's definitely worth a trip to these places. 

4) Moderate your Expectation. Remember that you are staying at a B&B, not a 5-star hotel. It's the intimate experience of staying at a place owned by a local family that is invaluable. It's authentically design and every detail that been put into thought by them. Treat it like you are staying at someone's house on your holiday. Do not pinpoint or worse, try to compare it to staying at a luxurious hotel.

Windsor B&B 温莎堡民宿
The website is in Chinese.
You can email reservations to service@windsor.idv.tw
Upon reservation of your room, you will need to transfer 50% of the room reservation charges to confirm the reservation.

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Jiufen 九份, Taiwan

I have heard so much about Jiufen. Missed visiting it on our first trip to Taipei. Hence, I decided that we not only needed to make a trip there, but also spend two nights at the Mingsu 民宿 (bed & breakfast).

Jiufen 九份, sometimes spelled as Chiufen or Jioufen is about 1 to 1.5hours from Taipei. There are two ways to get to Jiufen from Taipei. One way is by Keelung 基隆 bus 1062, heading towards Jinguashi 金瓜石 outside Zhongxiao Fuxing 忠孝復興 MRT Station Exit 1. Travelling by bus would probably takes about 1.5hours. 

The second way is taking a 45-minute train journey from Taipei Main Station and then change to a 15-minute bus ride from Ruifang Station. This is a faster way, and the route we took. For more information on how to go about this route, refer to my post on Ruifang 瑞芳.

It was raining slightly when we reached Jiufen. Like what most other tourists did as they alighted the bus, was to buy an umbrella at a stall just infront of the bus-stop. A long umbreall was only NT100 (S$4). Armed with the umbrella and luggage, we proceeded to look for our Mingsu 民宿 at Windsor B&B 温莎堡景观民宿 (which I will blog on separately). Because of the rain, there was not much of a view, only misty and foggy sight. Luckily, I manage to shoot a better shot of  Jiufen when the weather clears up.

We started exploring Jiufen after taking a short rest. Jiufen is characterized by it's windy streets and steps with shops and eateries on both sides.

If you are staying overnight at Jiufen, I would recommend to leave the suitcase at the Taipei hotel and just bring a hand luggage with necessities for your stay at Jiufen only. You wouldn't want to be carrying big luggage up and down the narrow streets and flight of steps.

Some of the interesting street food:

These two shops - 九份传统鱼丸 and 九份老面店 is recommended by Windsor B&B.

The beef noodles served at 九份老面店 is not bad. We mistaken the first corner shop at the start of the Jiufen street to be the shop that was recommended. Although there were many tourists in that shop (probably due to its prominent location), it was not as good this one. However, the best beef noodle in Taipei is at Yongkang Street (which I will blog about it later).

Up next is the battle of Taro Balls 芋丸. The Taro rice balls is something similar to Singapore glutinous rice balls 汤圆. The Taro Balls here are smaller in size, serve in a mixture of sweet potato and taro balls, cooked in sweet soup, instead of ginger or peanut soup. The texture of the balls is also different, which is difficult to describe in words. So, the only way is to try it!

First is Lai Ah Po Yu Yuan 赖阿婆芋圆. This is a very popular shop, occupying 3 shop space at the main Jiufen Street.

The other popular one is Ah Gan Yi Yu Yuan 阿柑姨芋圆. This is a staircase up from the main Jiufen street, in what looks like a dilapidated shop.  After we enter the shop and purchase a bowl, we have to walk deeper into a path, leading to the seating area.

So VERDICT?? Both selling at NT50 (S$2.20), I prefer Ah Gan Yi Yu Yuan 阿柑姨芋圆 for the richer yam flavour. However, Papa Snew prefer Lai Ah Po Yu Yuan 赖阿婆芋圆 as he prefers just the rice balls to be colourful, and doesn't have an over-powering yam taste. So, I guess it's individual preference. In anyway, Taro Rice Ball is now a signature street food in Jiufen. So, it's a MUST TRY!

Some other interesting street food:

Top Row is Century Egg and Red Meat Dumpling 紅糟肉圓.
Bottom Row showcase an assortment of Balls - Octopus Balls and Meat Balls.

Snails anyone? I don't think this is escargot.

We saw a shop selling braised 卤 dishes - an assortment of meat and vegetables. There were many people patronising this shop. When we walked passed it again during a Saturday morning, the queue was up to the steps. I wonder if it's really that good. For NT30 a dish, I guess this also partly explain the queue.

Most of the shops at Jiufen close around 6+pm in the evening. Windsor's owner recommended a few tea houses -  that opens till late. We choose the famous Ah Mei Tea House 阿妹茶楼 which is known for its crowd on weekends. A must-go place for Japanese tourists.

The favourite spot for every photographer.

Other than tea, the place also serves alcohol. I guess this is to cater to the Ang Moh tourists?
I do really like the rustic interior decor.

Well, I must say the food is not too bad. Can't complain since this is one of the few place that is open at night. I must agree with comments over the Internet that the prices are pretty steep. Averagely, the tea starts from NT500-NT1000.

A touristy place that guests visit for tea appreciation with good seaview. But guess what? There's not much of a view at night. So, to us, it's one of the places of "been there, done that". We'll probably try the other tea houses the next time we visit Jiufen. Below are a few other interesting ones that we saw.

I would really recommend visiting Jiufen to anyone who is going to Taipei. In fact, if you are able to spend at least one night there, it will be perfect. The rustic and nostalgic atmosphere would bring out the other side of New Taipei. THUMBS UP JIUFEN 九份!!!

One thing to note, I would not recommend going to Jiufen on a weekend or holiday season. It's so crowded that you may not even get a seat up the bus, and you wouldn't want to squeeze through the crowd in the already narrow street. Would you?

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