XiMenDing is also known as the Harajuku of Taipei. Reason being, XiMenDing used to be the recreation district during its Japanese colonisation days. The streets here have one of the most eclectic mix of fashion, restaurants, bars, and clubs.
Here, even though it is not exactly a night market, the street food scene really comes to life at night!
You may also be interested in Taipei Food Guide: things to eat and where to find them!
1. Ah Zong Mian Xian
This yummy rice vermicelli is an extremely tasty snack or meal. There are no seats nor table at this outlet and you'll have to eat it with just a spoon, standing up like how the locals do! Unlike the oyster meesua that we are familiar with, this rice noodle has a thick gravy with soft chewy pig's intestines! A small bowl of meesua costs TWD$50 (about $2.30 SGD) and a large bowl costs TWD$65 (about $3 SGD).
You have to have it with lots of vinegar with some chilli sauce! :)
Ah Zong Mian Xian
No. 8-1, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
2. 50 Lan (50 嵐)
This is the brand behind our favourite KOI in Singapore! You can't miss having bubble tea when you are in Taiwan. There are a variety of drinks that you can order, from milk tea with pearls, to earl grey milk tea with pudding or herbal jelly!
50 Lan
There are multiple outlets even in XiMenDing!
No. 48-4, Xining South Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
3. Prince Cheese Potato
Look out for this food alley in XiMenDing because all these stalls are must-tries!
The prince cheese potato is potato that is stuffed with lots of ingredients like corn and ham, deep fried, then drenched in a pool of cheese sauce. So yummy!!
Prince Cheese Potato
108, Taiwan, Taipei City, Wanhua District, 峨嵋街49-3號
4. Taiwanese sausages
Taiwanese sausages are my absolute favourite, I crave for them for their sweet gooey and slightly charred flavour.
Besides the regular sausages, you should definitely also try the "Big Sausage Wrapped in Small Sausage". Basically this snack is almost like a hot dog bun, except it is another sausage that wraps around the hot dog. This would be an extremely filling and oily snack, so do grab a cup of 50 lan tea to wash off the oil!
This stall can be found along the same street at the Prince Cheese Potato
5. Flame-grilled Beef
Flame-grilled beef as a street snack is something that you only see in Taipei. Cubes of beef are first grilled on top of a grill when it is almost done, a blow torch is used to give that final charred look and taste without over-cooking the beef.
The result? Nicely charred beef cubes that are super soft when eaten!
6. Grilled Mochi on Sticks
This was a tasty and sweet treat after all that oily delicious food. These grilled mochi were sticky and chewy when you bite through it and coupled with the topping (condensed milk, peanut, cheese, et cetera) it is a burst of flavours!
7. Lu Rou Fan (Minced Meat Rice)
This is a quintessential Taiwanese meal. They have Lu Rou Fan when having lunch and dinner. Instead of just having white rice, Taiwanese love this savoury dish. It is a rather simple yet homely and satisfying dish! You can find this in most taiwanese restaurants! We ordered a small bowl to share because we cannot leave Taipei without finding out how the authentic one tastes!
8. Oyster Omelette
The other Taiwanese favourite is the Oyster Omelette! Unlike the ones we have in Singapore, we didn't quite like it as it was more of a separate Oyster and omelette dish. The sauce is also sweet, unlike the savoury and vinegary chilli sauce that we have in Singapore. But, it is still a try!
9. Dou Jiang You Tiao
Dough fritters with soya bean are a popular breakfast in Taipei. Note: This dish is HIGHLY OILY, eat at your own risk. We wanted to try this because it is an authentic breakfast, but found the snacks to be far too oily. Even at the popular Yong He Soy Milk.
Besides the food at XiMenDing, you should also head to Rao He Night Market or ShiLin Night Market for more foodie adventures!
Stay
It is also advisable for you to stay at the XiMenDing district. It is extremely accessible to many of the other areas in Taipei. During our time in Taipei, we stayed at the cosy Orange Hotel XiMen. This is a chain boutique hotel and it is located just a short 5-minute walk from the XiMenDing MTR Exit 1. Because of the close proximity to XiMenDing, we were also able to explore and walk the streets till late everyday! We paid about $104 SGD per night on Booking.com.
Have you enjoyed your stay in Taiwan? How was your foodie experience at XiMenDing? Share them with us!
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