There’s no shortage of delicious foods and drinks on offer in Taiwan
and Marc and I did our best to consume as many as possible to share with you.
And by the way if you’re wondering why my voice sounds different, like I have a frog in my throat,
I have a cold and I didn’t want to delay this video so sorry for the sick voice.
Anyway I can easily understand thinking that you’d already seen it all
in our videos on traditional foods,
desserts,
street food,
Taiwanese cooking,
and the top foods to try,
but in this video I’m going to prove that some of the best is yet to come.
We felt very lucky for the chance to dine at a Michelin star restaurant called Longtail
where course after course tested and satisfied our palates
but also inspired us with how much creativity you can fit on a plate.
We tried out different cocktails including a peach lassi that was delayed because quote,
‘they were waiting on a fresh peach.’
Something I am more than happy to wait for!
It was made of peach, yogurt, caramel, and cardamom.
I also loved the signature Longtail cocktail where it’s all about the glass.
If you’ve never contemplated drinking out of a bird’s tail feathers before
let me tell you it does add a certain something.
The night market cocktail is a really cool idea.
It’s savoury and delivers on its name with notes of sesame oil and basil.
Whoa!
I…I don’t know about this one.
Next we got to try a bunch of starters like this banh mi paté served with baguette and house pickles.
The fig toast with ricotta cheese, port wine and lemon balm was one of my favourites
and look at how gorgeous this crunchy soft shell crab is with salted egg yolk and curry leaf.
Ah that’s good.
We also tried a pesto made of a green vegetable that’s very common in Taiwan
as well as fried chicken with sweet potato piri-piri.
Here’s a twist on dumplings I’ve never had before: foie gras dumplings.
Very interesting.
So much happening right now!
Another of my favourites were these shrimp sliders,
which I could eat copious amounts of Homer Simpson style.
One of the most interesting fish dishes I’ve ever had
was this tilefish served with spring peas, parmesan, lemon and herbs.
Look at how the scales just stand up like a porcupine!
It’s all about that crunch.
This braised short rib came with cauliflower, hibiscus, and lovage –
an edible flowered plant of the parsley family.
Marc also loved this juicy Australian beef tenderloin with carrots and leeks.
And having Chef Lam Ming Kin come chat with us
and talk us through the desserts he’d created was an extra special treat.
For all my fellow dessert lovers,
we had Kaya French toast with soy caramel and espresso ice cream,
chocolate fondant with lime and green tea ice cream,
and compressed strawberries with yogurt, kaffir lime, and Taiwanese basil.
Another meal we had where creativity was a main ingredient
was about as far away from a Michelin star restaurant as you can get.
We just arrived at the restaurant we’re eating at tonight and it’s actually an apartment building.
It’s so private that it’s in someone’s apartment.
I’ve never been to a place like this before but I love home cooking.
The owner and chef is Wayne
who makes the term ‘home cooking’ quite literal
as he serves up unique dishes he’s created in his tiny kitchen.
The food is Taiwanese Italian fusion – two of his favourite cuisines.
We started with platters of Taiwanese cheese, sausage, toast,
pork jerky, pig’s blood cake, yellow fish tempura, and bamboo.
This is a luffa risotto.
Luffa is a vegetable that’s part of the cucumber family
and it’s commonly used in Taiwanese cooking.
Luffa stir fry with clam is one of the most popular dishes
so he mixed that with risotto to change it up.
We also had a Chinese style soup
with fried scallops and shitaake mushrooms.
Normally a soup like this would be served with dumplings,
but Wayne put a twist on it by making a ravioli fusion dumpling.
It is yummy.
Is it yummy?
Is it yummy? -Is it yummy?
It is yummy.
Next up was ground meat
served with the classic Italian flavours of oregano and balsamic vinegar
that we spooned into these big crunchy lettuce leaves.
My favourite was Wayne’s take on Taiwanese burgers - which are called gua bao –
which he added Spanish and Italian flair to:
pork served with steamed buns and a mixed nut powder
which is usually just made with peanuts.
I enjoyed that dining in this private apartment felt so similar to a regular dinner party,
which is an experience you don’t normally get to have while you’re travelling,
unless you’re lucky enough to know people who live there.
Marc and I work a lot while we’re on the road
so we’re always on the look out for places where we can be productive
and École Cafe really fit the bill.
As the name implies, it has an old school house vibe which I loved
and it’s clearly a popular spot to work because we went more than once and each time
found lots of other people on their laptops.
The prices are higher but the wifi is pretty good and they don’t pressure you to leave,
so we felt comfortable sitting for hours and hours.
Of course they have lots of different coffee options,
but I really enjoyed having a fruit lassi.
To eat we both had smoked salmon paninis which were simple and good.
Even if you’re not in need of a place to work,
this is a lovely cozy spot to pull into for a break.
On a super sweltering day in Taipei
we were wandering around the Huashan Creative Park feeling really thirsty
when I spotted vending machines.
You know I love me a vending machine but I didn’t anticipate just how good a find this was.
You got that just ‘cause of the packaging, didn’t you?
The tennis player.
Yeah, I would be lying if I said it was something other than the packaging,
although, I love anything peach-flavoured and this is peach-flavoured tea.
But just look at that!
Pink with a tennis player.
I was looking at all the vending machine and this one was calling to me.
It’s so hot right now.
OH MY GOD.
Imagine like the best peach yogurt you’ve ever had
and you whip it up in the bowl like this and then add like honey and cold water.
Oh my god, we need to put these in our suitcase.
Can we buy another suitcase?
Can we get a carton of those?
I looked for this peach drink everywhere and never found it again.
If you know where I can find more, please tell me!
I selected root beer just ‘cause I love root beer.
And it tastes really different than the root beer back home.
Definitely less sweet.
Like it tastes more probably how it should taste.
More rooty?
Very earthy.
Like, yeah, whatever the root is, it tastes like it’s in there.
It’s good!
Ahh rootbeer.
Always a classic.
Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 to 1945 and its cultural influence still echoes.
We had a fantastic meal at a Japanese restaurant called Xiao Dao Shao
on the beautiful island of Xiao Liuqiu where we went in search of sea turtles.
Xiao Dao means small island and Shao means grill so the restaurant’s name is Small Island Grill.
It’s getting rarer and rarer to find things that are only available in one place,
so I was delighted to find that this island that’s less than seven square kilometers
has its own local beer and is only available there.
I don’t even like beer but I do like awesome graphic design
and these cans are straight up gorgeous.
Being on an island means tons of fresh seafood and a menu that changes daily.
We had don buri with salmon roe, grilled salmon,
egg, ginger, and black bean
as well as clams cooked with a sake-infused broth.
We also had a colourful mixed sashimi bowl
and winter melon with passionfruit flavour.
That’s niiice.
It’s niiiiice.
Niiiice.
The oysters were local and fresh
and sitting on the patio at this little restaurant
named after this little island, I felt a little touch of magic.
There’s a well-known snack that’s made on Xiao Liuqiu
so we went to a store where you can try samples.
They’re twist rolls with different flavours like sesame, plum, brown sugar,
condensed milk, seaweed, taro, and spicy.
The best part is being able to peak behind the scenes of production
and watch people making the twisty treats that are then shipped all over Taiwan.
Something else you find all over the country is a fast food chain called Mos Burger,
which is originally Japanese.
They have smaller portions and higher prices than other fast food joints
but the food is fresher and higher quality.
Their most popular item is the Yakiniku burger
where the bun is made of rice.
Not a first date burger.
More like a ten years down the line kinda burger?
Exactly.
Even then it’s questionable.
It’s all good.
I got the chicken burger that comes with lemon tartar sauce
and then you freshly squeeze this on - oops -
you freshly squeeze this on as well.
And it’s got this like…it tastes sort of like
when you have coleslaw on the side of fish and chips or something.
Except on the burger.
It’s so good.
It tastes really fresh.
It’s delicious.
Now I don’t know what a typical food court looks like where you’re from,
but we visited one that felt pretty next level in Taipei.
I think this was underneath Xinyi Place
but please leave a comment if you could confirm that for me.
This was the same day we explored the abandoned UFO village
and by the time we left it had started to rain
so the whole bus ride back we were craving something warm and cozy.
Ok we’re taking the bus back into Taipei.
I don’t know, I’m thinking like maybe we’re here and we should go…here?
I have no idea how to read this.
Also, for my hilariously awesome hair here,
I have to give credit to humidity, saltwater, and rain at the UFO village.
Thanks for making me feel fabulous!
You know when you’re looking at what people have on their plates making eyes at it?
So we walked by this woman’s table several times
because what she had looked so good
and finally I was like let’s just ask what it is
and she was so nice.
Her name was Dora.
She got up, she’s like, ‘Oh I’ll show you, I’ll show you.’
She took us way over to the place,
helped us order it, asked how spicy it was,
showed us other things on the menu, and then helped place the order.
Just such a lovely person.
Wow.
And we interrupted her dinner and she got up to show us so
this makes this taste even better.
The curry chicken noodle bowl not only warmed our bellies
but the kindness of the woman who helped us warmed our souls too.
I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing more of what I ate in Taiwan.
From top tier Michelin star dining
to home cooking
and fast food to vending machines,
there are no limits on where to find unique and memorable meals on the road.
If you liked this video, give it a thumbs up
and watch the rest of our Taiwan series for more videos on food,
sights,
and tips.
And if you want to see more what I ate videos from around the world,
I’ll link those videos as well.
Remember to subscribe for more travel adventures,
thanks for watching, and my voice should be better next time.