Ching Guan Market

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 9th of 10 parts.

We visited the Ching Guan Market thanks to an inspiring post by jinlovestoeat. I think it would been better though if we went to Ching Guan at night since some stalls were closed.

At least the goose place was open!

Roasted Goose

I found the goose salty but it was tender and had a clean taste.

Next stop was this noodle stall...

Sesame and Peanut Noodle Soup

Not a fan of beansprouts but enjoyed the strong sesame and peanut flavors. Didn't care for the thick consistency of the soup though.

We also explored the dry goods market and chanced upon this small bake shop.

Fried Doughnut with Milk

I'm a sucker for any kind of fried bread and this was no exception. Crispy and sweet!

How I wish we skipped this pancake stall...

Cheese and Corn Pancake

 It might look appetizing but it was served with a strand of CURLY hair! Eww!!!

Needless to say we got traumatized and left the market soon after.

For those who want to experience the flavors of a small neighborhood market, Ching Guan might be the place for you. Just skip the pancake stall.

Ching Guan Market is located at Lane 2, NóngĀn St, Jhongshan District, Taipei (near Zhong Shan N Rd, Sec 3). From the Minquan W. Rd MRT red line station, take a 5 minute cab ride.

Negative 145 for Fahrenheit

I’ve heard not so good reviews about 145 Fahrenheit but randomly gave it a shot. Knowing what I know, I already had low expectations going in.

Too bad my low expectations were still not met.

Complimentary Bread

Every entree at 145 Fahrenheit comes with either soup or salad and coffee, tea, or dessert.

I chose to have soup.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Dinner was off to a decent start with this flavorful soup. I wish the consistency of the soup was denser though.

USDA Black Angus Beef Porterhouse (1490php)

Unbelievably bad! Requested for the steak to be cooked medium well but this came out way overcooked. Very hard to chew on with natural steak juices non-existent. It had zero flavors save for the mushroom sauce it was paired with. This was also the thinnest cut of porterhouse steak I’ve eaten unless I count orders I’ve had from the Steak MD or Slice N’ Dice variety. Black Angus, I have my doubts.

Mashed Potatos

The siding of mashed potatoes was of the commercial kind. Blah.

Good thing we ordered seafood!


Tri Peppercorn Crusted Prawn with Garlic Confi (495php)  

Not really king in size but it at least had good flavors and was cooked right. The garnish was a wonderful accompaniment to the prawns with its crispy garlic bits. Redemption for 145 Fahrenheit or so I thought.

Unfortunately, I was halfway done with my prawn when I saw a strand of hair mixed with the garnish. Yes it was another HAIRY experience. Too bad I wasn’t able to take a picture as everything happened so fast. When I complained about the hairy situation, I received no apologies from the waiter but he did offer to have the contaminated prawn replaced.

It took some time before the replacement arrived and when it did, I noticed that the prawn was even smaller than the original prawn served. It also wasn’t crusted and tasted plain. Is this the proper way to treat an already displeased customer? The incident made the uninspiring meal all the more disappointing.

We also had dessert as this was part of ordering an entree.


Choco Mouse Cake

So bad nobody finished it.

I also had a complimentary mango torte cake since it happened to be my birthday.

This was better than the Chocolate Mouse Cake but not much.

Coincidentally, 145 Fahrenheit is celebrating their second year anniversary this November. I'm amazed that they have managed stay in business as restaurants this lousy usually don’t last long. Miracles do happen.

145 Farenheit is located at Upper Ground Floor Il Terazzo Mall Tomas Morato Quezon City. For more information visit their facebook page:

Murtle’s Hair- Raising Experience

I’ve always been a victim of unsanitary food preparation in restaurants. Lucky me has been served:

• Siomai with a baby cockroach lying on top (it replaced the usual shrimp component)
• Chicken barbeque with a giant bangaw as garnish
•  Soup with a swimming unidentified plastic object

Thus, I can’t be blamed for being amused when it was Murtle’s turn to be the victim of a similar experience while we were at Le Coeur de France in Galleria.

The Crime Scene

She was halfway done with her pasta dish when she discovered that a long strand of hair was entangled with a slice of sautéed onion. HAHAHAHAHA

Apologies for the not-so-clear picture

Due to the impromptu pictorial with the nasty object, I think the servers knew something was up and tried to ignore us when we were calling their attention. When one brave waitress finally went to our table, she even had the audacity to imply that the hair was not from their kitchen as their cooks always wear hair net. I just rolled my eyes since it was such a stupid statement. Where did it come from then, Einstein?

Such strong hair

In the end, we didn’t have to pay for hairy dish though a part of me wished that they got our entire bill covered as food here is so-so.