#Karerry in TW: Day 5

11th May, 2016

Woke up to a chilly morning and it was soooo shiok. It was like aircon temperature throughout, and it was a bit unusual, because TW was supposed to be a little bit hot. 

But I wasn't complaining because I loooove!!

Walked to XMD to have our local breakfast, and boy, it was so good! 

The sandwiches was so yummy, and the hot TW milk tea was perfect for the weather! 

After such a satisfying breakfast, we walked around XMD for a bit before heading towards YongKang Street for more food! 

Our first stop at YongKang was KaoChi restaurant, that is the rival to Din Tai Fung.

Why we decided to eat here was because it is the local's favourite and it's much cheaper than DTF. KaoChi is famous for their xiao long baos and also their Signature Pan Fried Pork Buns (as seen in the picture above).

The Pork buns were pretty yummy, but hmm, 10 pieces for the two of us... it was a tad too much because it was a little too jelat after awhile. :p 

But still, I'm glad I tried it! 

Address: No. 1, Yongkang St, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Next stop: The famous Spring Onion Pancake

It was a small store, but the queue was super long, and we had to queue up along the road. 

But when I bite into it... the wait was all WORTH it. 

We ordered the one that has everything- egg, cheese and ham. 

Oh boy, it was soooooo yummylicious and it was so crispy... I LOVE IT!!!

Third stop: Smoothie House
It was just across the street from the Spring Onion Pancake shop, and it is apparently a very nice shaved ice place. 

I found out that there is an outlet that was recently opened in SG, but it is super expensive to eat it in SG. 

So despite the very cold weather, we decided to still go for it, since we can get it at a much lower price. :P 

I guess Smoothie House is known for their fruits shaved ice, specifically the mango one, but because my dear friend over here doesn't take fruits, we ordered the Matcha and Azuki flavoured one.

But i gotta say, eating this in the cold weather was really cold.. :p

By the time we finished with our shaved ice, we were already so full... And since C caught the flu the previous day, I caught it from her too and we were both down with flu. :(

So we were pretty much tired from the long day and we were so full. 

We headed to this pretty cafe: La Douceur, that was along the same street and we rested in there. 

I forgot what was this called, but it was really yummy. 

The interior of the cafe was very pretty and it was quite quiet! 

And ofcos, we had a very good rest inside :D

Fifth stop: Yong Kang Beef Noodle shop

It is the famous beef noodles shop in Yong Kang, and we headed there for our dinner.

Thankfully, there wasn't any queue when we were there, probably because it wasn't 6pm yet!

We were seated pretty soon, and C and I ordered a large bowl of their Signature Braised Beef Noodles with Beef Tendon to share. 

It looks pretty spicy, but thankfully, it wasn't... However, it was oily indeed. hahah! 

Address: YONG KANG BEEF NOODLE SOUP
No. 17, Lane 31, Jinshan S. Rd., Sec.2
(a few blocks from Yongkang St)

Despite the cold, I still have to drink my bubbletea, and so, this time, we got our cuppa from Tian Ren! 

It is the original, and the first ever milk tea shop in TW supposedly! hehe.

After we were done with our food journey in Yong Kang, it was just the right time to head over to my all time favourite night market - Shida!!! 

We walked from Yong Kang Street over to Shida as it was located around the same area, but the walk was about 20 minutes i guess. 

Thank God we were able to navigate our way around! 

Started our shopping therapy immediately, and I think we bought a lot of clothes :P 

Hehee. 

But I was so happy because all the shops in Shida are soooo nice! I mean the clothes and the price!

What is Shida without my favourite bolou bun?? 

Every single time I go to Shida, I will look for this and I will eat it without fail! 

However, they shifted from their previous spot, and moved to a bigger spot and it's now more obvious and easier to find. 

They used to be located in like this dark alley... Haha. 

But anyhow, it didn't let me down, and I still enjoyed munching on it yumyum.

And yeah! This concludes my second last day in TW!! 

And my happy faces in my favourite night market :D 

#Karerry in TW: Day 4

10th May, 2016

Day 4 of TW was more chill, as we only know what we really wanted to do towards the early evening part. 

So to make our day worth it, we looked at the train map, and decided to head to Xin Beitou for a tour around (after searching about it online), and because it was along the way to Tanshui, our second destination. 

There were so much history in Xin Beitou, I was so intrigued by it.
We went to the first museum we saw along the road, and it was a museum on Hot Springs.

So much interesting stories to read in there, like how the first hot spring was formed, where the source of the water came from etc. 

I was never the kind of person that enjoyed learning such history, but I guess the older I become, the more I start to appreciate such. 

We went to another smaller museum that was on the same stretch (i didn't take any pictures), and after we were done there, we decided to pop by 7-11 to get ourselves a drink! 

I wanted to try something different, and I was spoilt for choice... so I asked the staff to recommend me to his favourite drinks, and he recommended me this! 

Green Milk Tea! 

And it was quite okay!! Although it cannot be compared to my favourite GMT from Koi. :P

After getting our drinks, we continued our journey and went towards the Thermal Valley!!

It was the only thing that I looked forward to the most in Beitou, because the pictures and all look so cool and amazing!!

True enough, when we arrive, we were greeted by its heat and the steams were enveloping us :P

Ok, but seriously, it was reaaally hot there!

But yet, it was so fascinating, so cool!!

I thought I should put my face closer to the steam.. because I heard it's actually good for our skin or whatever. 

After visiting the Thermal Valley, we had our late lunch at Man Ke Wu Ramen 滿客屋拉麵, just few stones throw away from Thermal valley.

We had a bit of difficulty finding this place at first, because the internet was telling us the shop name is Man Lai Hot Spring Ramen, so when we first saw this shop, we thought it was a similar shop but not the popular one... :p

But boy were we wrong! 

They changed their name to Man Ke Wu Ramen, and have been around for more than 10 years!

I ordered their Miso Chashu Pork Ramen (NT$120) while C ordered the Corn Chashu Pork Ramen (NT$140). And also, ordered their signature side dish, Hot Spring Egg (half-boiled) which cost NT$25.

When the bowl of ramen was served, our jaws dropped. 

Because it was sucha hugeeee bowl. :O 

I couldn't finish the noodles, because it was too chewy for my liking (i really hate chewing, and i don't like chewy stuff)... But the broth was good and the chashu was good too!

What I loved and enjoyed the most was the Hot Spring Egg!

It was sooooo yummy. 

Ironic to the name, it was served cold :P 

And we learnt about the history of this dish: Years ago, they would cook the eggs at the Thermal Valley. However, accidents happened, and they stopped doing so. :'( And hence, the name of this dish.

Address:

Man Ke Wu Ramen 滿客屋拉麵

No. 110, Wenquan Road,

Beitou District, Taipei City,

Tel: (+886) 2 2893-7958

Nearest MRT: Xinbeitou MRT

After our lunch, we went to the public library to take a look, and it's because the aesthetics of the building attracted us.

It was so beautiful,.. I didn't know a library can be this beautiful. 

The book shelves were pretty low and it was so quiet on the inside!

I had a very memorable experience inside this library too though...

I hit my knee against their wooden chair, and I experienced the sharpest pain ever. 

It was soooo painful, I had difficulty straightening my legs, or to even walk! 

Pretty sure it was because I hit directly onto my bones...

C and I was quite lost as to what to do, but we went to a nearby Starbucks and asked for a cup of ice, to ice my injured knee. 

So we actually sat at Starbucks for a good 30 minutes, icing my knee, before we headed on to our next destination. 

(thanks for the 'painful' memory, Taipei Public Library!)

Next stop - Tanshui! 

I remembered this place so so clearly from my first trip in 2012! And it was certainly good to be back!

Grabbed our bubbletea from CoCo before exploring Tanshui Old Streets, but sadly, it wasn't so fantastic... As it was just rows of shophouses and a few street stalls.

Headed back to the waterfront area, and played at their game booths. 

I must say, C is really so good at such games, but I am a sucker for such :p

It seems so easy to shoot and burst those small balloons, but homg, it was sooo difficult for me. 

Hah, I guess I can't be one of those #girlswithguns, but I shall just live happily in my Princessy-bubble. :D 

Bought the Turkish icecream, and got tricked by the man so so many times. It was so awkward, but well, just gotta laugh it off. :P

Just before we could watch the sunset, it started to rain really heavily,... hence spoiling our beautiful plan :'(( 

We seek for shelter at a caricature's stall, and it was to also kill time. 

Well, I guess it was worth the experience, since it was my first time doing so... But hmm, my portrait turned out to be.. hmm... I guess a much older me :p 

When we were both done, we decided to just leave Tanshui, and proceeded onto Shilin Night Market!!

No rain can stop us from hunting for food, and even though C was having a bad flu, we just had to eat!!!

I was so happy to be back in Shilin Night Market!! 

And I guess because of the weather, it was not so crowded as the previous time I went. So yay!

Omg, that Chicken wrap with I forgot what sauce was soooo yummy!!! 

It's like a much better version of KFC's Bandito and it was so so tasty :P 

I bought one taro ball to try (i don't like taro), but boy, it was so good too!! 

We then went to the shops area to seek for shelter, and we both bought the wide angle lens! 

It was such a good investment, and I am so happy I bought it together with C!! 

Shared an oyster omelette at the underground food stalls, and it was not so bad too. I still prefer SG's version. heh.

After our meal, we went upstairs, and it was the place where there are so many different game stalls, and stalls selling electronic stuff. 

C and I played a few round, and won ourselves a teddy bear each! Hehe. 

After playing, we continued on eating :p 

That fried milk balls were so good, I am so going to get it the next time I go back!!! 

And well, what's Shilin Night Market without the famous cheesy baked potatoes?!?!

It was sooooooo cheesy good, C and I finished every single last drop of cheese!!!!! So YUM!

I don't think anywhere else can be compared to this particular's shop's cheese baked potatoes. 

After 4 years, I can still remember where is this stall located at! Heh. 

And okay, now that I am blogging about this, I am craving for this. omg. 

Got my second cup of bubble tea just before we left and headed back to our hotel! Hehe. 

Well, afterall, we are in the land of BBT!!!!