Taiwan - Day 3 (Ximending - Yong Kang Street

We didn't sleep well last night caused by noise and other disturbance from hotel guests. I don't think we can tolerate another two more nights here. Glad that we only booked one night instead of three nights at Hotel Papa Whale. We woke up by the hotel wake-up call at 10.50am (which we did not request). While we're getting ready to check out, one of the staff came knocking on our door at 11.10am. We checked out before 11.30am and dragged our luggage to CitizenM Taipei North Gate Hotel, 3 minutes walking distance (550m) from Hotel Papa Whale.

They allowed us for early check in at 12pm and after we left our luggage in the room, we head to Ximending for lunch. Ay-Chung flour rice noodles is just 11 minutes walking distance (800m) from CitizenM Taipei North Gate Hotel. The last time I had Ay-Chung flour rice was back in 2017. After six years it still taste the same. Slurpy smooth noodles served with intestines in a sweet and flavourful broth. There's a self service sauces station whereby you can add in chili, garlic or vinegar sauce into your rice noodles.

Postal Museum Taipei Beimen Branch

Ximending

Ay-Chung flour rice noodle (mee suah)

Ay-Chung flour rice noodle (mee suah) - NT$ 75 (big)

Chili, garlic and vinegar

Address:

Ay-Chung flour rice noodle (mee suah)

No. 8-1 Emei Street,

Wanhua District,

Taipei City, Taiwan 108

Opening hours: Mon to Thu - 9am to 10.30pm

Fri to Sun - 9am to 11pm

Ximen Yung Ho Soya Milk shop is just 3 minutes walking distance (270m) from Ay-Chung flour rice noodle. I order a cup of cold soya milk with less sugar, "youtiao" (Chinese cruller) and rice roll stuffed with "youtiao", chicken floss and preserved radish. The soya milk is nice and taste like homemade soya milk. However "youtiao" is a bit oily and too crispy. Their rice roll looks dry and rice is hard. It would taste better if the rice is soft and chewy.

Total bill - NT$ 109

Ximen Yung Ho Soya Milk

Soya milk

Youtiao (Chinese cruller)

Rice roll stuffed with "youtiao", chicken floss and preserved radish.

Address:

Ximen Yung Ho Soya Milk

No. 17, Hanzhong St,

Wanhua District,

Taipei City,

Taiwan 108

While strolling along Ximending street, I spotted a beautiful border collie guarding the shop. We made a quick stop at Don Don Donki Ximen Store but came out empty handed. Be prepared to have the Don Don Donki theme song stuck in your head after your visit.

Spotted a border collie

Ximending

We had mango ice cream with milk snow flakes at 3 Siblings just few shop lots away from Ximen Yung Ho Soya Milk. The shop entrance is at street level but there is also a basement floor. Milk snow flakes has a strong milky flavour and mango is a bit sour. Overall not a superb dessert for us.

3 Siblings: Mango ice cream with milk snow flakes - NT$ 210

Address:

3 Siblings

No. 23, Hanzhong St,

Wanhua District,

Taipei City,

Taiwan 108

On the way back to our hotel we drop by Zheng Pork Knuckle as earlier we saw a long queue outside this restaurant. My partner had braised pork belly rice with vegetable and Chinese braised soy sauce egg. Their braised pork belly doesn't have the perfectly balanced sweet and savoury flavour. Instead it's a bit too salty for my liking. Besides that, their soup tastes a little bland and Chinese braised soy sauce egg has a hard texture.

Zheng Pork Knuckle

Braised pork belly rice with vegetable and Chinese braised soy sauce egg - NT$ 120

Soup

Address:

Zheng Pork Knuckle

No.22, Yanping S Rd,

Zhongzheng District,

Taipei City,

Taiwan 100

We decided to have our dinner at Xiang Duck Restaurant. We took bus no. 22 from Taipei Post Office (about 2 minutes walk from CitizenM Taipei North Gate Hotel) to Dongmen Station (Bus fare - NT$ 15 per person). This restaurant is located on the 2nd floor. I choose this restaurant because it has a high rating in Google review. The staff is very friendly and attentive. They recommended us to try their duck meal for two comes with 6 pcs of steamed pancakes, green onion, julienne cucumber, special sweet bean sauce, Xiang duck's sichuan pepper salt and dipping sauce. Besides that, we get to choose one dish from the below menu as well:

Appetizers (select one):

1. Fresh cut tomato plate

2. Cold platter of stir fried mushrooms

3. Triplet of fresh vegetables (sichuan pepper cucumber, golden kimchi and wood ear mushroom in vinegar sauce)

One more way to enjoy duck (select one):

1. Three treasures duck platter

2. Exclusive crispy garlic duck chin

Lacto-ovo (select one):

1. Scallop sauce radish cake

2. Tree seed and water snowflake

3. Stir fried cabbage

4. Three cup eggplant tofu pot

5. Sesame oil spinach (winter only)

Specialty dishes (select one):

1. Aged plum chicken balls

2. Fried wraps with seasonable vegetable and pork

3. Flounder clay pot tofu

4. Stir fried beef with pickled cabbage

5. Salted black bean chicken pot

6. Golden tofu pot

Many ways to enjoy leftover duck + NT$ 150 (select one)

1. Duck meat porridge (rich and silky)

2. Slow cooked Chinese cabbage and leftover duck (light and sweet pepper)

3. Pickled greens and leftover duck soup (sweet and sour)

4. Crispy garlic leftover duck (crispy garlic with pepper salt)

5. Three cup leftover duck (basil sauce braised)

Drink (select two):

1. Smoked plum juice

2. Mt. Ali Oolong tea

3. Cold brewed Oolong tea

4. Sophisticated black rice tea

5. Red apple vinegar + NT$ 20

6. White peach flavoured black tea + NT$ 20

7. Whitebeard's milk tea + NT$ 20

8. Matcha smoothies with black bean and roasted rice cream top + NT$ 80

9. Cranberry smoothies + NT$ 80

Based on the staff recommendation, we had cold platter of stir fried mushrooms, exclusive crispy garlic duck chin, scallop sauce radish cake, golden tofu pot and duck meat porridge. My partner ordered cold brewed Oolong tea while I had smoked plum juice. His drink is very refreshing while mine has a strong smoky taste which I don't really enjoy. I like their cold platter of stir fried mushrooms. It's slightly spicy and very flavourful. It's indeed an appetizing dish.

Golden tofu pot comes with mushrooms, prawns, long beans and tofu. Prawn is fresh. Tofu has this soft and smooth texture which I really enjoy. The gravy tastes like salted egg yolk. Scallop sauce radish cake is good too. Radish is slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. There's not much meat in the crispy garlic duck chin but it's very flavourful with a hint of spiciness. The dish comes with crispy fried garlic and my partner loves it.

Steamed pancakes are on the dry side. Duck meat is juicy and most importantly there's no gamey taste. It would be a perfect dish if the duck skin is crispy. Best way to eat the roasted duck is to take a pancake in one hand, pick up a slice of duck then coat it with the dipping sauce. I like their grape fruit sauce which is sweet and refreshing. After that, spread some sauce on the pancake, add in green onion and julienne cucumber. Finally roll up the pancake and eat it with your hand.

Our last dish is the duck meat porridge comes with crispy "youtiao" and celery. The porridge is rich, creamy and flavourful. We were so full by then and couldn't finish the porridge. Overall, I enjoy the food very much.

Total bill - NT$ 1,727

Public bus

Xiang Duck Restaurant

Restaurant ambience

Cold brewed Oolong tea and smoked plum juice

Cold platter of stir fried mushrooms and dipping sauce

Golden tofu pot

Exclusive crispy garlic duck chin

Scallop sauce radish cake

Roasted duck

Steamed pancakes

Roasted duck skin with sugar

Roasted duck

Duck meat porridge (rich and silky)

Address:

Xiang Duck Taipei Jinshan South Branch

No.2, 2nd Floor,

Jinshan S Rd, Section 2,

Da’an District,

Taipei City, Taiwan 106

After our heavy dinner we walked to Soypresso located at Yong Kang Street. We're just in time before they close at 9pm. It's a small shop selling variety of soy based products. I bought a soy milk soft serve ice cream in a cup. You may choose your soft serve ice cream in a cone or a cup. Sadly, I don't really like the flavour and texture. The soft serve ice cream is icy and not smooth. Besides that, it tastes unappealingly bland. Surprisingly my partner finished the whole cup for me even though he did complain that it doesn't taste good.

Sculpture

Soypresso

Soy milk soft serve ice cream - NT$ 65

Address:

Soypresso

No. 8, Lishui St,

Da’an District,

Taipei City, Taiwan 106

From Yong Kang Street we walked to Shida Night Market. It took us approximately 15 minutes (1km) to reach the night market. It's a small night market, not very happening but seems that it's very popular among university students as it's located near National Taiwan Normal University. Motor vehicles are allowed inside of the night market. Be careful as they tend to drive quite fast along the narrow street of the night market.

I don't want to leave the night market empty handed. So I bought a cup of bubble jelly pudding milk tea. Milk tea taste is mild and not too sweet. The boba balls are chewy on the outside but have a hard texture on the inside. Pudding is nice and the jelly has a pineapple flavour.

While heading back to our hotel, for the first time we took the wrong bus no. 254 (Bus fare - NT$ 15 per person). Luckily my partner realized it and we got off at MRT Gongguan Station. Then, we took the correct bus no. 668 (Bus fare - NT$ 15 per person) back to our hotel. We're the last two passengers and guess what? We missed our bus stop and luckily the bus driver is kind enough to let us get down at the traffic light. We have to walk another 400m back to our hotel. It's indeed a good experience for us. The weather at night in Taipei is definitely warmer than Taoyuan. Basically we don't need to wear any jacket and the temperature is around 21℃ at night.

Note: NT$ 1 = RM 0.14