Eating Around National Taiwan University - 往台大走 (Taipei, Taiwan)

Lunch Anyone? Just Kidding!

To those of you that wonder why I rarely, if ever, blog about a Chinese restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley, here's the reason: I find it boring and I don't have any inspiration to write about it. I'll leave the SGV to someone more qualified than myself to blog about it. However, writing about the food in my native Taiwan is a different story. If you think the Beef Noodle Soup tour was the end of my Taiwan tour, think again. Let's get on with this before we have to cook the poor dogs from the picture above. (Just kidding of course)

Healthy Dumplings In An Unnamed Shop Around NTU

Eating out in Taiwan with my mom tends to be an interesting task. She's all about eating healthy, and I on the other hand...am quite the opposite to that. Before we got anywhere, we tend to stop by a place that my mom could eat at. First, we stopped at a local dumpling shop that tends to make things a bit healthier (ie: dumpling skins and noodle were made of vegetable juice).

Cold Soymilk For Me

WonTon Soup For My Mom

Dumplings to Share

Curry Potstickers For Me

Kimchi Postickers

The food from above were legit, but definitely not my favorite. My mom enjoyed the won ton soup and the dumplings. The broth was light, but maybe a bit too light for my tastes. The dumplings were pretty standard, but I did enjoy the two varieties of potstickers. The curry version was my favorite and I snacked on most of the plate as my "amuse bouche" before I hit up my intended lunch stop.

大福利排骨大王 (Da Fu Li Pai Gu Da Wang)

Now this is what I'm talking about. Home of the famous Taiwanese pork chop fried rice, and probably my go-to spot to get it in Taipei.

Taiwanese Pork Chop Rice

If these pictures doesn't say "effing dericious," then I don't know what is! The pork chop was fried to a perfect crisp. The meat was tender and flavorful. The rice and the accompanied vegetable were fine, but the star of the show was definitely the pork chop. I kinda want a pork chop rice plate right now! (In fact, I think I'll be eating some later on tonight). I think this is one of the better pork chop rice in Taipei right now. At about $3 a plate, you can't really go wrong with this. There's a reason why this shop has almost been opened for 50 years. If you can find something better, please let me know!

臺一牛奶大王 (Tai Yi Niu Nai Da Wang)

Don't worry, I'm not going to skip dessert. The dessert to get in Taiwan? Shaved ice is always a good way to go. Tai Yi is my absolute favorite place to get shaved ice in Taiwan. In fact, a trip back to Taiwan without eating at Tai Yi is just wrong. There are many options at Tai Yi, but I almost always order the most popular shaved ice they have: Red Bean Shaved Ice with Condensed Milk. Although I always add pudding to my shaved ice.

紅豆牛奶冰 (Hong Dou Niu Nai Bing)

Now this is what I'm talking about! A plate of shaved ice piled high with red beans and condensed milk. Sometimes I do add 2-3 orders of pudding, but I went "light" on this particular order and only added one extra pudding. Trust me, this was a lot of shaved ice, as I'm barely able to finish the entire plate. Most people at the shop share an order, but I don't even want to bother with that. At $1.50, it's quite a nice bargain. I highly recommend Tai Yi!

Lattea

After potstickers, a plate of pork chop rice, and a plate of shaved ice, it's time to take a bread, right? Wrong! My cousin decided to take me to her favorite tea place before she had to head back to school. Although Lattea has many drink options, they're know for this one thing called 綠蓋茶 (luu gai cha).

綠蓋茶 (Luu Gai Cha)

The 綠蓋茶 was basically freshly brewed iced green tea with a salted butter top. Sounds strange, yes, but it was quite tasty. Not particularly my favorite thing I've had, but I'd order it again. It combined the sweet and bitter taste of the tea with the creamy and salty flavors of the whipped butter. The whipped butter had a consistency of whipped cream, but much richer. I'd say try it for yourself before making a conclusion, but it was a unique experience for me.

Madhouse at MRT Station

After an afternoon eating around National Taiwan University, it's onward to other parts of town. For those that are familiar with the NTU and the 公館 (GongGuan) areas may be saying to themselves: this bugger doesn't know what he's talking about. How come he didn't talk about the gua bao place? the pork blood cake place? the famous boba shop next to that aforementioned pork chop rice place? Don't worry, I know all of those places. Sadly I didn't have enough time, stomach space to eat at the other famous food shops in that area, but I'll vouch for them all as I've had them many times on previous visits.

The areas around NTU is one of my favorites in Taipei, and one that I am quite familiar with. I can't wait to take my friends and explore some of the food haunts in this area later on this year. Be prepared people, be prepared to gain 5-10 pounds!

大福利排骨大王 (Da Fu Li Pai Gu Da Wang)
台北市中正區 (Taipei City, Zhong Zhen District)
羅斯福路三段286巷12號 (Roosevelt Rd. 3rd Section, Lane 286, No.12)
Phone: (02) 2365-1009


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臺一牛奶大王 (Tai Yi Niu Nai Da Wang)
台北市 (Taipei City)
新生南路3段82號 (Xin Sheng S. Road, 3rd Section, No.82)
Phone: (02) 2362-3172


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LATTEA 台大 (NTU)
台北市 (Taipei City)
新生南路三段98號3F (Xin Sheng S Road, 3rd Section, No.93, 3rd Floor)
Located on the 3rd Floor of the Eslite Bookstore
Phone (02) 2362-6132 x311


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