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The Tie That is Taiwan (Part 3 of 3)

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Where did I leave off?  Oh that first evening with Jim at Xi Men Ding.  That was a good night to catch up and do a bit of shopping while trying out more of Taiwanese street food.

We’re “friends” shot

The “we sort of like each other” Shot

Jim recounts how Taiwan has been for him.  He moved there more than a year ago for work.  I remember we even threw a despedida for him and I kept teasing him about not bringing the album the group prepared for his departure.

 

Reminisce our cute Taiwan trip!  READ the story below:

The Tie That is Taiwan (Part 1 of 3)

The Tie That is Taiwan (Part 2 of 3)

Day 3, Monday

Ma Li restaurant Shabu Shabu, Chang Kai Shekand Fuxing Dinner

Staying up late the night before to pack and enjoy our midnight snacks from the streets of Taipei, we woke up leisurely on our last day.  Initially planned to go but eventually decided to skip Sun Yat Sen (SYS) Memorial Hall (our bus passed by it and didn’t give a huge impression on me) and Longshan Temple(you see one temple, you’ve seen them all) to make it a light and easy trip. One place I wanted to go to but didn’t find time was Yangmingshan National Park and the hot springs in Beitou.

Ma La Hot Pot Restaurant

My favorite hot pot in Manila is King One Hot Pot in Manila, which was introduced by Richard and Irene and Healthy Shabu Shabu.  But I believe I ate at the best hot pot in Taiwan and maybe that part of Asia.

 

Ma La Hot Pot has 4 kinds of soup base.  I only remember the spicy mala, herbal soup and sour cabbage.

 

It’s all you can eat restaurant where there is a section for the cold meats, vegetables, seafood ramen and another section for the sweets, desserts and drinks.  Desserts include fresh fruits, cakes, flans and this bottle of dessert of I don’t know what but tasted like some milky mousse.

The best part is the all you can eat ice cream from both the finest commercial ice cream brands in the world –Haagen Daz and Movenpick.  Actually, the money you pay for is not even enough for the buckets of Haagen Daz you can devour.  The buffet fee only covers one pint of Haagen Daz ice cream elsewhere but here it’s unlimited at such a cheap price.

 

Both Bubba and I were happy to find that a branch is just along the back street of our hotel.  Sweet luck.  Lucky too that we were able to walk in a bustling restaurant crowd that was almost full except for one booth table, that was probably meant for us.  We saw big group of friends enjoying and laughing over the steaming shabu shabu pot.

The only caveat of this seemingly “buffet heaven” was the time, you can only stay a maximum of 2 hours –which I think is fair amount of time.  When we reached 2hrs and 15mins, we didn’t get any “shoo” so should be okay.

 

Service was great, even if there was language barrier.  The wait staff explained to us in her best English which one in the menu was lamb, Black Angus beef, US Angus, etc.  Well worth your Taiwan money, definitely!  And well worth its place in the Top 50 Taiwanese restaurants on this site http://www.taiwanese-secrets.com/taipei-restaurants.html

For the first time, I let Bubba pick the sauces since his excitement seems to keep him from sitting still.  He bounced from his chair from time to time to pick up items from the fresh section.

He mixed in a sauce with sesame, scallions and other spice I can’t figure out.  The lamb was superb and I wanted another plate if I wasn’t just watching my intake (heart-health issues).

All the meat were thinly and perfectly sliced.  I bet you that I would have ordered and devoured more plates of those beautifully red raw meat if I wasn’t watching my health.  This restaurant is most certainly a MUST stopover in Taiwan.

READ MORE:

Fit for a King at King One Rotary Hot Pot

Hong Yang Shabu Shabu

Cook it the Right Way at Healthy Shabu Shabu

Ma La Hot Pot Buffet Flickr Album 

Direction: http://www.mala-1.com.tw/en/store.html

Chang Kai Shek Memorial

This is one of my favorite places we visited.  Like what my friend and SG leader Nats said, this is a must see sight of Taiwan.  CKS Memorial Hall is a massive structure that was built to commemorate the late President Chiang Kai-shek.Think Abe Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC –only this one is Chinese version.

The main hall contains an art gallery, classrooms, viewing rooms and lecture hall.  The whole compound is surrounded by Chinese-style gardens.  The blue and white structure with a long stairs leading to its 4th floor is on its own worthwhile to look at and take photos of.  Opening hours: 9am – 6:30 pm. Admission is free.

 

Directions: MRT to CKS Memorial Hall Station. Depart via Exit 5.

 

Taipei 101

Taipei 101 is one of the sites Taipei is famous for all over the world.  The exterior design of the building is shaped in the image of a bamboo.  When you visit Taipei 101, you can take the world’s fastest elevator to the top of Taipei 101.  to see the full view of the city. It is a must visit when you’re in Taipei. Not going there means not going to Taipei at all. It is a bit pricey though costing NT$400 per head.

 

Address: #45 Shifu Rd., Taipei.Phone: 02-8101-7777

Directions: Take MRT to Taipei City Hall Station. Free shuttle from station to Taipei 101.

Din Tai Fung

 No need for a big introduction since I’ve featured Din Tai Fung in my Singapore post.  We went here for some snacks and refreshments.  They make the best xiao long bao! :)

Fuxing

We went to Fuxing because there was a good and very popular Yakiniku grill restaurant there with games and entertainment called Kan Pai.  I think we run out of luck because when we got to the restaurant, we were third in line.  It was jam-packed, testament to how great the food is here (and probably the fun cheerful vibe) and we couldn’t risk waiting and missing our flight.  We had to check-in in 2 hours and still had to ride a bus to the airport.

 Image source: Taiwan Fun website

Kan Pai apparently serve the best grilled meats from imported high quality Australian beef to Italian-style raw beef, carpaccio and will tell you how to pair it with your beer.  Cheers!  Would have loved to cheer loudly and salivate over succulent meat that’s being grilled.

 

Image source: Taiwan Fun website

Address: 1, Lane 198, XinYi Rd, Sec 2.  Contact Number: (02) 2394-9388

Website: www.kanpai.com.tw

I want you to enjoy your Taiwan and see the best of what it has to offer, I’m posting the link here and here for the Kan Pai info and review.  I was there so I saw it for myself, albeit without a table.   It’s worth a dining experience.

We decided to check out a Pho House in the same area instead.

 

To cap off that trip, let me just say it was full of misadventures from the time we got our luggage from the hotel with Jim and hurried to the Metro to reach the bus station.  I think, I think I am not that sure, I am to blame for almost getting Jim squashed by the train door.  Good thing the sturdy Samsonite luggage saved the day!  Or evening.  Or Jim’s nose.  Haha.  We were scared for a while because there was a loud noise at the station when that happened and I think that’s even a violation of something.  Fortunately, we were able to make it in one piece at the bus station, except that I was compelled to insert a bit of shopping (just a tiny bit I promise, boots, who can resist?).  And I was running low on Taiwan money so Jim instantly became a money exchange counter.

That was a tad bit nerve-wrecking night but unarguably THE MOST FUN, MEMORABLE and adventurous ever.  I just laughed out loud now remembering everything.  LOL.

This trip was actually Bubba’s gift for my birthday last February.  What made me happy more than the trip was really being able to spend some good quality time with him –getting lost in the unknown and somehow rediscovering ourselves again as a couple.

The post The Tie That is Taiwan (Part 3 of 3) appeared first on Between Bites - Bites of Food, Travel and Lifestyle.


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