Taiwan Food Diary: Hot Pot with Ojijiman

On our last night in Taipei, we ventured to the backyard of where we were staying on a hunt for the local food before heading back to finalize our packing.
(I just hate it when it comes to packing and unpacking, it is always tiresome, stuffing and rearranging all those stuffs into the luggage which never seems to agree with you when you needed it to. Grrr...)

We stumbled upon this Steamboat/Hot Pot restaurant; Ojijiman Steamboat Restaurant, which apparently was a really famous hot pot restaurant we discovered after that.
Guess it is still our luck after all? ;-)
(Love the name of the restaurant, just sounds so cute!)



It was packed to the brim although we were there at an early hour; about 6.00pm, and we were heading out to leave. Perhaps it was the look of disappointment on our faces, or the fact that it was really cold out there, or we are just likable (that was a little overboard), the restaurant owner was really kind enough to help us to reserve a place and told us to be back around 6.30-6.45 where he can definitely secure a place for us.
We obliged, and loitered around the area, taking in the scenes of Taipei on our last night while enjoying a nice walk in the cool weather, something which is more of a luxury in our hot and humid weather.

When we arrived back at the restaurant at the appointed time, we were immediately ushered to our dining place (thanks to the owner's prompt and impressive service).
The restaurant was definitely still crowded, but we secured our place, which was facing the street.





The waitress bustled about cleaning up our table; which was technically a table on the counter facing the street separated by the glass window. Usually I would never have taken a table on the counter, well, let's just say it's a matter of personal preference, but in this case, I think the owner went out of his way to reserve us a table and I appreciate his kindness :-)





The funny thing is the way the waitress came to us (after cleaning up the table) and started speaking in this really fast-paced local Chinese on the procedure to do the ordering for the hot pot, as it was a Eat-All-You-Can and customers are free to order anything from the menu for unlimited times (with exception of certain items). She was practically reciting without taking a moment to breathe that we were really straining our ears to catch her each and every word.
It was really hard for us to form the words to ask her to, well, Repeat.

Anyway, we got the wind of it after that and selected our soups.
(Unlike Malaysia, this is something similar to the Japanese Shabu-shabu style where we were designated with our own individual pots of soup).

Herbal Chicken Soup 


Osmanthus Flower Soup (this is really unique, and pleasant in taste)


Vegetables plate and the settings on the table






The meat
Pork


Chicken




Seafood (snapper fillet, garoupa fillet, dory fillet, squids, tiger prawns)


Oysters


From left: Fish paste and Octopus paste


Lobster salad as appetizer while waiting for the hot pot to get cooking~


Sauces; the chili paste on the bottom was really spicy that it could send one shooting to the roof (technically, that would be me?)




Ice cream was part of the selection which one can help to the scoops from the counter; and is the dessert to complete the meal for the evening.


Overall the food was alright, but they do have a good selection of seafood; especially the fish which could be categorized into the different types of fish and all neatly made into fillets. (Just the way I like it).

It would cost about NT$590 per pax (if I am not mistaken) to dine here, and while I can't say that their selection is comparable to our steamboat buffet back home, nor can I compare it to others as this was the only one I tried in Taipei, I can only say that hot pot is definitely more suited for the cool weather.
Besides, with all that craze over hot pot here in Taipei (I see hot pot restaurants almost everywhere), the Taiwanese definitely do love this as a meal option and I think that is all the reason you need to justify for a hot pot meal while here?

Now, this is making me crave for hot pot and I am thinking of places to go for hot pot...or just make it at home? ;-)

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!*

Taiwan Food Diary: Fishballs and Braised Tofu at New Bamboo

Whenever I am traveling, I like to find and experience the local eateries or the places where the locals go (as long as they are not too run down or does not compromise on the hygiene; that's a given) to blend in with the culture of the place, or at the very least, see for myself the way they live on a daily basis. I am sure that is also what most avid travelers do; especially those who do their self-tours (like me).
While wandering on the streets towards the Bo Pi Liao Historic Street, presumably still within the Wanhua district of Taipei, I stumbled upon a little eatery named Xin Zhu (translated as New Bamboo)   along a row of shophouses.





It looked pretty decent and homey, that we popped into the little shop for a quick bite before continuing on our journey.



Small tables and chairs filled the tiny space of the shop; just like how I would imagine a local Chinese eatery from the vivid images depicted in the movies and tv series I have watched over the years. Locals sat comfortably, chattering away with each other, drowning the nostalgic tunes of old songs being played from a radio in the background; filling the air ventilated by a table fan fixed to low ceiling.
Oh yes, that was the environment, and you can clearly see from the picture above.
Definitely a retro moment, and I am glad I found a place like this!

One drawback for international tourists would be that in places like these, the local language is a preference when communicating with the owners.
Of course, they could get away with picture pointing and sign languages, but it is when you speak to them in their local language that you get the recommendations and it makes the whole ordering process easier.

Still, the menu here was pretty simple and straightforward and as we could also speak Mandarin, it was not really an issue.

Braised beancurd/tofu


One thing I have noticed about the Taiwanese, is their love for soy and dairy products. They love braised stuffs too; especially braised curd.
Not that I am complaining, as these are really good!



We ordered a bowl of Fried Fish paste (TWD$45), which came in a sticky broth made of corn starch and drops of sesame seed oil. Slices of ginger were added to add to the flavors of the soup and to keep the fishy smell to a minimum level (though the frying did that job already).
It was in all, a very warm bowl; filled with heat (yang) elements to warm one up during the cold winter weather.








A Mixed Bowl (TWD$60), where there is a little of everything.
From fried fish paste, to their famous meat balls, to cuttlefish, this was a bowl of mixed ingredients served in the same broth.




A very light, and enlightening meal, and I have enjoyed the simple and homey tastes from this little kitchen.
The warm soup did good to warm us against the cold wind blowing in our faces, and we left as happy and satisfied customers :-)

Taiwan Food Diary: Rolled pancake (Ban Cheng Kueh)

I was prepared to be greeted with the varieties of food on the streets of Taipei; and I was not disappointed as I have mentioned again and again in all of my posts about all the stalls spotted (though some illegally) everywhere.

While in Ximending, I have also spotted this particular stall operated by a young girl; probably in her teens or early twenties, selling pancakes.

These are uncommon in my country; in fact it was one of the favorite street food too popularly found in the morning or night markets back at home.

They are known as Pancakes, or Ban Cheng Kueh (in Hokkien); just as it is known in Taiwan too and they are made of an egg and flour batter, where they are then baked on little pans before sugar, chunks of butter, grounded nuts and a dollop of canned sweet corn are added on top of it.

Nowadays, the people behind this pancake is getting creative; introducing new flavors such as red bean, chocolate, strawberry if you are not into the original flavor as described above.

This stall caught my eye not because it was serving something which I can find in my own country; but rather, they were quite creative to make rolls of pancakes; as in, they just roll the dough and make them into Pancake rolls, like these:-

It was not too expensive, and I got myself one; and since I am a fan of red bean, there is no prize for guessing which flavor I went for.
(The triangular shaped pancakes are cut from the whole round pancake just like slices of pizza; and they are always best in the original flavor of grounded nuts with corn).

My Rolled Pancake oozing with the generous amount of red bean paste; at only TWD$200


Yup, eat it just like that, right on the street....(I don't usually do this, LOL), but again, everything seems fun when you are traveling, so just trying how it is like, that people just eat right on the streets!~

Taiwan Food Diary: Brown Sugar Cake

There are plenty to look out for while in Taipei, from the local eateries to the street food, there is no end to the varieties staring and beckoning to you from every corner and alley while in the city. It is almost synonymous to that of my own country, where the food never seems to take a break or go to sleep at all; perhaps even more so back in my country where you could wake up in the middle of the night feeling hungry and you are still able to dispel that quickly by popping to those late night to early morning eateries everywhere (that's Malaysia for you).

In my food diary, the trails of the food and the types of food will be shared along the way; hand in hand with the updates from my travel blog which shares on all the places visited, with a quick note of my personal perspectives during the journey to each and every site.

The morning where we visited Longshan Temple, and then wound up checking out the streets nearby; which had a bustling morning market in action, beckoning to the early birds' crowd.



It is interesting that while I don't frequent the markets (morning or night) back in my hometown, I ended up doing the exact opposite when I am in a foreign country; but in my defense, this was supposed to be something that the locals do around here, and hey, somehow everything seems fun when you are traveling? (I doubt I will have that same enthusiasm to do the same thing back here, but I might try, once in a while).
I was interested to capture and watch the typical or usual scenes which take place in the neighborhood, and all these seems like what the locals enjoyed on a regular basis.
Besides, their morning market was not exactly similar as it seemed more like a street filled with eateries on one side of the street while the other are laid with canvas mats with second hand goods for sale.

I spotted this particular stall selling cakes, buns, and baked goods, which caught my eye, as there were many items which were really fascinatingly unique and they were mostly meant for deities worship (remember the Longshan temple was nearby?)



The way to tell the goods were meant for worship is to look out for red patterns or red wordings or dot; yeah, the key word here being something red on the buns, or cakes. Red is considered an auspicious color and the Chinese dwell on this; and it is practiced by all of them in every corner of the world (yes, wherever you go).



There are inscriptions of well-wishes or meaningful words on the buns usually; such as prosperity, wealth, luck, longevity and such in red that makes them unmistakably the items for the deity worship.
Most of these can be consumed; although it would help to check with the seller if you are unsure.
The lady running the stall was quite friendly; though not with that beaming smile but she was quite soft-spoken and kind enough to answer some of our questions. She even recommended some cakes for us to try; and I ended up picking this.




It costs about TWD$20-30 per packet; which contained 4 pieces.
The description says that this is a Brown sugar cake; made without eggs or any dairy products.
The main ingredients are rice flour, brown sugar, water, and rising sugar.




Brown sugar is typically associated with dispelling heat/toxins from the body; as compared to the usual white sugar, or so as believed by some of the elders. Another reason it is also favored in baking is due to the light fragrant scent from the brown sugar itself, which added a little bit more flavor to the baking.



The cake, was surprisingly quite dense and it tasted like an entire block of brown sugar with rice flour. Taste wise, I wouldn't say it was too bad, if you are a fan of cakes and non-dairy stuffs, this would be quite an interesting try, though not so much for the non-gluten folks.



The cake was also topped with a fair scattering of sesame seeds, to add to the taste.
There were also no preservative included in the cake; nor is there any artificial coloring, and we were told that the cake should be consumed within the very same day (recommended). If not, it should be refrigerated immediately, and even then, it's best to consume it within a day or two.

Not a bad try, though I think we may be able to find this back home, maybe not in the same texture or taste. It should not be hard for baker enthusiasts to be able to simulate or even innovate this simple recipe?