Eating Around Taipei

If you have some cash to spare and you want to impress your guests, Haidilao is the place to go. We used to always entertain our friends from abroad at Michelin starred Din Tai Fung, but ever since @aaaa1982000 recommended this place, I've had an instant change of heart. Their hot-pot might not be the best in town (it's still delicious though, don't get me wrong!), but a dinner here is an experience you will not forget. I knew I had fallen in love when queue-hating me promptly agreed to head there 1.5h before dinner time just to get our queue number. You can only make reservations on the 1st of the month for the following month (that's how popular it is), but as a walk-in you get a QR code and are free to wander off into the shopping district. But then, would you? Haidilao is notoriously generous with its endless freebies (I seem to discover a new one everytime I visit), and the list starts before you even cross the restaurant's threshold. Of course there is free tea served around the waiting area, but how about curbing those hunger pangs with some free Häagen-Dazs ice-cream (and every new barrel is a new flavour)? If you get bored of waiting, you can always take a spin on their massage chair or get your nails done. Yup, all for free. Once an hour during evening service, the mysterious face-changing dancer will make his appearance (if you're still waiting outside, no worries, you'll get to snap some pictures with him and then be ushered into the restaurant to watch the show anyway). The jealously kept secret of this Sichuan art will leave you mind-baffled, as the performer switches between masks in the blink of an eye while dancing to a Chinese-inspired soundtrack. Once you get seated, the impeccable service will start to unfold, with covers arranged over your jackets to protect them from smells, aprons to save your clothes from accidental splashes, ties for long-haired guests and wet wipes for your glasses in case they get too oily during the meal. If your phone is out, a little ziplock bag for it will appear on your table, lest you accidentally drop it into the boiling soup while trying to get that perfect flatlay shot for the gram. Your glass will never be empty, plates will never pile up, your soup will never get cloudy, and a mere glance around the restaurant will attract a server to your table to attend to your every request. Unsure how to concoct the perfect hot-pot sauce? They got you covered. Ordered prawns but now don't want to get your new nails dirty? They'll do it for you. The spicy soup is too spicy? They will fix it (or try to, it's called "Numbing Spicy" for a reason and I recommend avoiding it if you can't handle your chili). Got children? They'll get toys and a special area is set up for them to play freely, while you keep an eye on them at all times through your table's iPad. Want more? Order the noodles, and they will be hand-pulled on the spot in a gravity-defying ribbon dance by a performer equipped with a portable radio. Order 2 servings of noodles to get to see the performance twice in a row 😂. Still not enough? You can sign up for their loyalty programme and rack up points to exchange for attractive branded goods. And while you're ending your meal with more of that Häagen-Dazs, don't forget to get your leather shoes shined 😉. 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢: 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘺𝘦𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘩; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰-𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘉𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴. 💬 Chinese, English, Japanese & Korean menu. Most of the staff speak English. 💸 700 ~ 900元

• +886 2 7743 1855

• 110, Taiwan, Taipei City, Xinyi District, Songshou Road, 12號6樓

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If you're walking down Yongkang Street (which I definitely recommend for delicious food and cute souvenirs), this corner stall is hard to miss, as crowds gather around at almost every hour of the day. While Yilan is notoriously king of the Taiwanese pancake, Tian Jin makes some of the best 蔥抓餅 (𝘊ō𝘯𝘨 𝘻𝘩𝘶ā 𝘣ǐ𝘯𝘨) in Taipei. Now, while this snack is commonly known as "pancake", don't let the name deceive you. We're actually talking about a flaky, savoury flatbread (much similar to Singaporean 𝘙𝘰𝘵𝘪 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢) with chopped scallions dotting the dough. In Yilan it is deep-fried, while at Tian Jin it is cooked over a hot griddle. I tried both, and while Yilan's scallions are hard to beat, I honestly prefer Tian Jin Onion Pancake, which is flakier and less oily. Go for the original for a filling snack, or add everything and turn it into a delicious meal. 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁. Chinese legend has it that pizza is none other than a variant of this dish. Supposedly, Marco Polo invented pizza after he returned to Italy, in an attempt to recreate these very scallion pancakes (disclaimer: for your own safety, do not try suggesting this theory to Italian people!). 💬 Chinese, English, Japanese & Korean menu (look for the small menu near the griddles) 💸 25 ~ 55元

• +886 2 2321 3768

• No. 1號, Lane 6, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
  106台北市大安區永康街6巷1號

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A must-eat dish while visiting Taiwan, 紅燒牛肉麵 (𝘏ó𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘩ā𝘰 𝘯𝘪ú𝘳ò𝘶 𝘮𝘪à𝘯, more often referred to as just 𝘯𝘪ú𝘳ò𝘶 𝘮𝘪à𝘯) a.k.a. 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝘄𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗽, is a variation of Chinese stewed beef soup with the addition of soy sauce. Just to give you a scale of its popularity, annual competitions see chefs from all over the country fight for the title of "best beef noodle". Though not as famous as other shops over at Yongkang, Beef Boss churns out some very delicious beef noodle soups at half the price. Their beef roll pancake is so good, I sometimes go there just to order that (I'm not a big eater, so finishing both is impossible for me). Drinks and side dishes are self-service. Free water and tea. 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁. Though sometimes incorrectly referred to as Sichuan Beef Noodle Soup, this is a Taiwanese invention. 𝗙𝘂𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝟮. In the past, this dish was also known as "The Sad Noodles". Taiwanese marines on a voyage only had noodles and canned meat to eat, and adding heaps of spices to make them more palatable was a common practice. Drowning their homesickness in the spicy noodles, the old marines started referring to them as "the sad noodles". 💬 Chinese menu. English, Japanese & Korean menu with photos available upon request. 🌿 very limited vegetarian options 💸 160 ~ 260元

• +886 2 2363 7966

• No. 19-2, Longquan Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

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On the higher end of the hot-pot scale, 𝗢𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗯𝘂 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗯𝘂 offers a mixture of elegant design, attentive service, and delicious food. The menu hasn't changed much in years, which in my view is usually a sign of great success (why change what is not broken, right?). The food was exquisite and high quality, going up the spectrum all the way to lobster and A5 wagyu. My choice of 𝗕𝗲𝗲𝗳 𝗧𝗼𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲 might sound kind of low-key, but it’s not quite as common in Taiwanese establishments as the other options. I regret nothing. Everything else we tried was also pretty amazing: 🔸 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗴𝘂𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝘂 — a tantalizing cold appetizer of egg-tofu served with asparagus and a topping of (real) crab meat. 🔸 𝗢𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗡𝗼𝗼𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 — thick and chewy udon, infused with a tea scent. While these handmade noodles are unique to the store, once you finish your main dish, the staff will ask if you want to turn your leftover soup into a delicious congee, so choose your other carbs wisely. 🔸 𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗼𝗳𝘂 — almond flavoured tofu, served with ice and canned peach, is a staple in chinese restaurants, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unique mochi-like chewiness of the texture. 🔸 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗹 𝗣𝘂𝗱𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 — we received this as a complimentary dessert, probably after the staff overheard me lamenting the difficulties of finding genuine egg custard pudding across Asia. And prove me wrong did they. 💬 Chinese/English/Japanese 🌿 Vegetarian options available 💸 800 ~ 1600 元 (not including items like lobster, crab or wagyu which are in an entirely different price range)

• +886 2 2776 1658

• b1, No. 135號, Section 1, Da'an Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

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When it comes to world-known Taiwanese cuisine, 𝗗𝗶𝗻 𝗧𝗮𝗶 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗴 is often the first name that comes to mind. Founded in 1958 as a humble mom-ad-pop store, you can still visit the original location in Xinyi Road, located at the corner of Yongkang foodie's heaven. It goes without saying, sampling the national dish that made them famous is a must. 小籠包 (𝘹𝘪ǎ𝘰 𝘭ó𝘯𝘨 𝘣ā𝘰) are steamed 𝗱𝘂𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 stuffed with a meat and soup filling (that will burst to release scalding juices on the unwary taster). Din Tai Fung pride themselves in still making everything by hand, including the dough, and every dumpling will be sealed with exactly 18 folds. You can taste a variety of traditional Taiwanese dishes too, and new items are regularly added to the menu. To be honest, I wasn't impressed with their 𝘯𝘪ú𝘳ò𝘶 𝘮𝘪à𝘯, so I would recommend eating your full on dumplings. Their pickled entrees are all quite delicious. The 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝗻𝘀 are a fantastic way to end the meal.

• +886 2 2321 8928

• Number 194, Section 2, Xinyi Road, Da’an District, Taipei, Taiwan
  106台北市大安區信義路二段194號

• https://www.dintaifung.com.tw/

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