Taiwan Food Diary: Milk Fish

We were headed to Wufenpu (五分埔) to check out the largest wholesale garment market in Taipei when we stumbled upon this corner shop located at the junction; just two streets away from the shopping district. (Read about Wufenpu here)





It is not hard to locate the shop as one is bound to pass by the shop upon alighting from the MRT station heading in the direction of Wufenpu.
The shop is something which fulfills my hunt for authentic local food; where they have a special menu serving "milk fish" which was popular in Tainan, as stated on the sign displayed outside and inside the shop.



The cooking area located on the left hand side of the shop while the seating area is to the right.
We were there early, and there did not seem to be much of a crowd in the shop.
(I've noticed that they used large round tables in the shop, and most of the customers would probably need to share tables if they are in small groups of two to three; or even individual. They should consider using small squarish tables to accommodate more customers).


The menu displayed; all in Chinese characters and the prices in the local Taiwan currency.
(Unfortunately, they are only communicating in Chinese and there is no English menu available).



This is a rather localized restaurant; serving "bien tang" (lunch sets which are popular among the locals in Taiwan, and a similar concept to bento or lunch boxes).
The menu offers simple dishes; from vegetables, to mixed lunch sets and of course side orders of their milk fish fillets or milk fish paste and fish balls.

The chefs and workers at work



We ordered the famous milk fish; which I really wanted to try as I am a fan of fish and since this is famous, it's a crime not to order when you are here :-P

(Sorry for the quality of the photos, as they were taken with my phone and in a hurry)

A bowl of Milk fish balls, served in piping hot fish soup and finely chopped spring onions



Milk fish fillets


Well, what can I say, this is an extremely delicate fish with a rather smooth and as the name suggests, milky texture (although a little overcooked on their part), and I must mention that it was rather bony.
Even the fish balls had tiny bones sticking out of them, and if you're not careful, it could end up sticking in your teeth!
This is actually the same milk fish which was also popular among the Filipinos in the Philippines.

Lunch set with mixed servings of stir fried cabbages, bean curd sheets, pork cutlets and sautéed pumpkins; one of the popular lunch sets ordered by the other patrons as we have noticed.


Food was not bad, though the variety may be limited, but there is that localized and authenticity in the taste which makes it special especially if you are on the hunt for local tastes (like me!)
Prices are relatively reasonable too; and makes for a budget friendly meal for both locals and travelers~

*I must try out this when I go to Tainan in the future too!*