Shilin Night Market is a Must Visit

 I was in Taipei for a quick 3 day getaway. It was more of a sightseeing excursion but we did manage to squeeze in a few culinary adventures along the way! This is the 6th of 10 parts.

One hasn't fully explored Taipei without visiting the mother of all night markets, Shilin! 

Shilin Night Market is the biggest and most famous night market in the city with hundreds of kiosks and stores selling food and  non-food items (clothes, shoes, accessories, etc.). Arcade arenas, karaoke joints, and theater houses also surround the area. 

Don't be deterred by the huge crowds as the frenzied and chaotic environment is part of the Shilin experience.

Our first stop was the popular chicken stall Hot Star.

Hot Star has one of the longest lines but wait time isn't bad...

thanks to a very efficient system!

Chicken Getting Floured 

Fry Station

Ready to be Served

Deep Fried Chicken Fillet

Juicy with an addictive flour coating, I could eat this jumbo chicken all day long!

A few stalls from Hot Star is Ladu Alibaba...

Making the roti in full view of passersby is a brilliant strategy as it drew us in.

Kebabs Anyone?

Curry Beef Roll

Sadly, there was nothing remarkable about this roll. Hot and filling but not much else.

A food kiosk not be missed is the stall below. It's home to the best scallion pancakes in Taipei!

Scallion Pancakes

This fried dough with egg didn't picture well but was oh so good! Salty and greasy making it perfect for midnight snack. Best eaten piping hot.

Our last food stop at Shilin Night Market was Cheng Zu.

I could not resist these buns!

Small Meat Buns

Loved the crunchy bottom bits and the very soft and flavorful meat inside. 

Curly also tried the intriguing "froggy" drink...

but got disappointed. She said it tasted weird.

We also joined the long lines of this 50 year old establishment.

Everyone was queuing for this drink....

and it tasted like grass!

Oh well, at least we also had milk tea which wasn't so bad!

Shilin Night Market is open from 4 pm to 2 am daily. Get off the Jiantan Station (not Shilin!!!) of the Danshui MRT.

50 Lan: The Best Milk Tea in Taiwan

I was in Taipei for a quick 3 day getaway. It was more of a sightseeing excursion but we did manage to squeeze in a few culinary adventures along the way! This is the 4th of 10 parts.

I don't drink milk tea but I know just the place to find the best milk tea in Taiwan!

There's nowhere else to go but 50 Lan!

And how do I know for sure???

It's because Curly, my friend/milk tea expert, said so!

I encourage everyone to trust Curly's judgment and pay 50 Lan a visit when in Taiwan! Just look for the blue logo found all over the city.

For 50 Lan's menu, click here. 

Lugang Cafe Now at Mall of Asia

Lugang Cafe opened last week at SM Mall of Asia.

It stayed true to its Greenhills roots...

Same Signage

Similar Open Kitchen 

and Familiar Ambiance

Food quality was also at par with the pioneer branch.

Tapioca Hot Pearl Milk Tea (140php)

Tapioca Bubble Milk Tea (130php)

Steamed Pork Xiao Long Bao (188php)

Winter Melon and Clam Soup (180php)

Golden Fried Rice with Shredded Pork (220php)

Pineapple Fried Rice (280php)

Minced Pork in Spicy Peanut Sauce Over Noodles (230php)

Minced Pork in Bean Sauce Over Noodles (230php)

Taiwan Style Crispy Chicken Nuggets (160php)

Roasted Meat Combination (420php)

Crispy Fried Chicken (490php)

Sweet and Sour Fish Fillet (280php)

Prawn Mayonnaise (480php)

Red Beans, Candied Pineapples, and Condensed Milk on Shaved Ice (180php)

Coconut Fruit Sago (160php)

Unfortunately, just like the Greenhills branch, patience is needed in order to get a table during peak hours at Lugang Cafe Mall of Asia.

It goes to show how popular this import from China has become. 

With SM in the mix, there's no stopping Lugang Cafe now.

Lugang Cafe is located at GF 136-137 Main Mall, South Wing, SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City. For more information, call 5550219 or click here.

The Ever Reliable Café de Coral

I was recently in Hong Kong. Get to know what Hong Kong has to offer through my adventure. This is the 9th of 14 parts

Café de Coral is a popular quick service restaurant in Hong Kong which offers good food at reasonable prices. It also has a wide selection of food choices as menu changes through breakfast, lunch, tea time, and dinner.

Causeway Bay branch

So popular in fact that Cafe de Coral is still full of people at 3 p.m.

Its roast specialties are always a hit as shown by the long line here:

I usually go for the white chicken and roast duck combo, but opted to try something new to me this time.

Baked Thick Cut Porkchop with Rice (32 HKD)

While the presentation could be improved, the dish hits the mark as porkchop is very soft and the tomato sauce complements both meat and  rice spectacularly. Serving is also huge as one order can actually be shared by two people.

Hotdog with Dried Tomato and Herb Sausage (17 HKD)

Café de Coral proves there’s no bad food to be had here with even a simple hotdog managing to shine. The hotdog has a smoky taste with the condiments and the fresh vegetables giving it full flavors. One million times better than Ikea’s!!!

The hotdog meal comes with milk tea which Murtle said was excellent.

Milk Tea

As expected, Café de Coral managed to deliver good comforting food! No wonder I always make it a point to visit Café de Coral whenever I’m in Hong Kong.

Cafe de Coral is located all over Hong Kong. For more information, pls. click here.