Greetings from Taipei, Taiwan.
Another day and another night market.
And we brought our appetite.
Today we are visiting the Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市) and they are renown for their
street food.
If you want to have street food this is the one market you need to visit.
And earlier this week we visited Shilin night market (士林夜市) where we got to try a few different
treats.
Yeah.
But we're on the lookout for more Taiwanese street food (Xiaochi - 小吃).
It is all about the food tonight.
Let's go eat.
Okay so we found our first snack of the night.
Before we even entered the market.
Yeah, so we're trying a pork bun (胡椒餅) that was cooked in the oven.
And this is just freshly made so really exciting.
It is like pipping hot.
I can feel it warm in my hands.
And it was cooked in what resembled like one of those Indian tandoori ovens where the bread
just sticks to the side.
That is really good.
And this is filled with pork and chives.
So I'm not getting a lot of pork on the first bite but it is very thick and condensed.
So very doughy.
Let's see if we can get a better look.
Alright, so we've finally made it to the point where I can get some meat here.
Alright.
Mmmm.
Bite number two.
Oh yeah.
Nice big piece of pork.
A big piece of pork.
What?
Is it ground pork?
It is ground pork.
Mmmm.
The pork is a little bit sweet and also a little bit spicy.
But the dough is savory and salty.
It is a nice contrast.
It tastes really good.
And it was also really cheap.
It was only fifty Taiwan dollars which is I think about a dollar fifty.
A little bit more than a dollar fifty US.
So Sam got the giant pork bun but they also have options for vegetarians in the form of
mini-buns.
So I'm going to try that one.
Look at it.
Yeah.
Covered in sesame seeds.
That was just stuffed at the bottom of our package.
So pretty cool.
There you go.
It is just the chives.
That is all that is in it.
That is your vegetable.
The chives.
The green onions.
Is it tasty?
Really tasty.
And I like that it is a small bite.
And I like that is was a bonus.
We didn't pay for it.
Or I feel like we didn't pay for it.
It was just like stuffed in the bottom of the bag.
We like free things.
What is next?
Okay, next we're having something sweet so we stopped at Anna's egg tart (蛋撻).
And these are like the miniature egg tarts (蛋撻) that you might find in Portugal or
Hong Kong or Macau.
Except these are like mini bites that you can just pop them right in.
Yeah, you can pop them in.
One each.
Mmmm.
How is that?
That is really nice.
It is like creamy and smooth and custardy.
It is really good.
I'll have this one too.
Hey!
Hahaha.
That is so mean.
I'm not sure this is going to be enough for Sam the giant.
Show us that tiny little.
Look at how small that is.
These are really mini.
When they said they were mini they weren't kidding.
But I love these.
Like you've said I've had them in Portugal, I've had them in Hong Kong.
I've had them in Macau so really cool to try egg tarts here in Taiwan.
Yeah.
Big enough to fill a cavity, right Sam?
Mmmm.
Oh man.
What do you think?
That is really good.
The thing I really like about it is that it is really creamy and sweet.
I can tell that those are freshly made because it is still warm.
Yeah.
Mmmm.
And they were so cheap.
Flaky pastry.
How much did we pay?
They were only twenty each.
So you're talking like just over a dollar US for us to both have.
Maybe like a dollar twenty.
Really really good.
Nice little bite.
But yeah that is not going to fill me up.
Alright, let's keep moving.
Red bean.
Okay.
(Speaking Chinese)
And now it is time for a mystery sample that caught our eye but we have no idea what it
is.
We're being a little adventurous here.
We have no idea what this is.
It is cold in the hand.
And it feels kind of slimy.
And we got ten of these for thirty five Taiwan dollars so that is just over one US dollar.
So let's just hop right in and try it.
Um, I think I heard him say red bean.
Yes, one of these are red bean.
And this was sitting on ice.
It looks like a dessert that was sitting on ice.
Mmmm.
Okay.
Sweet.
Yeah.
The red beans obviously has some sugar added to it.
And if I had to guess I think it is something the consistency is sort of like a rice cake
on the outside.
Do you think it is like a miniature mochi ball (麻糍 - 麻糬), maybe?
It could be.
It might be little mochi balls (麻糍 - 麻糬).
Quality control.
Mmmm.
Is it passing quality control?
It is.
I like it.
It is kind of like a I would consider it to be a little bit more like a dessert than.
It is definitely not savory.
It is sweet.
Good stuff.
My hand is actually freezing holding this bag because it has chunks of ice in it.
Um, but I'm going to try a different one.
Sam was having the red bean.
And this is another mystery one.
It is yellow.
I have no idea.
The lady was trying to explain what it was but I don't get it.
We didn't catch.
We didn't catch it.
Does it taste like anything familiar?
No?
It has like the texture of bean paste.
Yeah.
White bean paste?
Is there such a thing as a white bean?
Hahaha.
I don't know.
It is good though.
It reminds me a lot of red bean paste just different color.
But it is sweet.
And it is cold.
My hands are so cold right now.
So this next snack was purchased solely for its cute factor.
Let's take a look in the the bag.
They're like these little egg waffles (雞蛋仔) or pancakes shaped like a cartoon.
So here I've got Sponge Bob Square Pants.
Let's see who else is in there.
We've got this is like a Pokemon.
That is a Pokemon.
I don't really follow it.
I have no idea.
If you guys follow Pokemon tell us who it is.
And if it a Pokemon.
Hahaha.
This looks like a cow with giant nostrils.
No, that is panda bear.
That is a panda bear.
Anyways let's try it and see what it is like.
A cow with giant nostrils.
Nice.
Oh how is that?
Okay.
So no filling whatsoever.
But it is super light and fluffy and it has like pockets of air inside.
Is it sweet?
It is pretty nice.
This would be good with ice cream.
Oh, it is sweet.
Oh yeah.
It is like cake.
Fluffy cake.
Okay Sam, who will you be devouring tonight?
So I'm going to bite in to Sponge Bob here.
Sponge Bob.
Square Pants.
Those are really good.
They're freshly made.
That is what I'm loving about this night market so far.
Everything we've had has been pipping hot.
Freshly made.
Gotta love that.
And it was cheap too.
So we paid forty five Taiwan dollars for this one.
Which is less than one dollar and fifty cents US.
So and we got five.
We got five of them.
Yeah.
We'll be snacking on these for a while.
Alright.
Please put the whole cookie deep in your mouth and chew it.
So what are you having Audrey?
It is smoking.
Smoking cookie.
I have to put this whole thing in my mouth, chew with my teeth and not with my tongue.
Alright.
Woah!
It is smoking out of your mouth.
Haha.
You look like a dragon.
Haha.
Is it good?
It is cold.
It is ice.
Oh wow.
It kind of gets stuck to your tongue.
That is why they tell you to eat it with your teeth and eat it fast.
Because it wants to get stuck to your tongue.
So you probably just saw me try a smoking cookie.
We also got some ice cream from the same place.
This is called Smoking Molecule ice cream.
I got the bubble tea (波霸奶茶) flavor and this is the bubble tea sauce in a syringe.
An injection of it.
An injection.
Let me inject that.
He said do it slowly.
There we go.
That looks good.
And it has the pearls.
This is bubble tea (波霸奶茶) which I love.
Let's see is this going to make me smoke as well?
Like this ice cream is super cold.
It was so cold it was freezing.
I don't know what they're putting into it.
Let's try.
Mmmm.
How is that?
Ha!
It is not making me smoke.
No smoke this time.
No smoke this time but the ice cream is really good.
It is dripping down the sides but it is tasty.
Mmmmm.
Yeah.
That place was a lot of fun.
It is kind of like a performance while they're making your food.
Yeah, that is what I thought too.
I thought it was just fascinating to see how it was made and just it is such a charismatic
performance and a lot of attention to detail.
A lot of fun.
It is called Cooler Bear (酷樂熊).
Yeah.
Definitely check this one out.
Yes.
One of our coolest things yet.
The sugar high continues.
Yeah, we've had a really imbalanced ah ratio of sugary things versus savory things so I
think after this we're going to have to hit up some savory stuff for sure.
Yeah.
Alright.
Let's try that.
And it is also starting to rain here at the market.
Mmmm.
So you can probably notice a few droplets on the camera.
Oh that has got a nice really rich flavor.
It almost it does taste like bubble tea (波霸奶茶) but it also tastes a bit like a coffee flavor
to me as well.
Yeah.
I noticed that too.
Did you notice that too?
Yeah.
Mmmm.
Love that.
Love that stuff.
Even the spoons are cute.
They're shaped like little hearts.
Yeah.
This is one my favorites so far.
Time to bring out the big guns.
Yeah, so this is the one we've been trying to hunt down for a long time.
This is fried chicken steak (大雞排) and it is so popular that there is like a order
list.
So we're just waiting for our number.
We're 253 and the current order I think is 250 so we've got three more to wait for.
Alright.
Big meal for the big boy.
What are you having next Sam?
This is the chicken steak (大雞排) and this thing is a behemoth.
Like look how big this is.
And look how thick it is.
I think it is fresh out of the fryer.
It is pipping hot.
Like it is actually too hot on my hands.
I have to put the plastic bag around it.
Yeah.
Anyways, without further adieu let's try this.
Oh and we got the chili version of it too.
Yeah, the spicy one.
Don't burn yourself on the wait.
Woah.
You can see the steam coming off.
Oh my gosh that is good.
How was that chicken steak (大雞排)?
Pure magic?
Pure magic.
It is so crispy on the outside.
It tastes like the crunch and then you also taste the spiciness - the chili.
But then the chicken is so thick and juicy on the inside.
It is like that contrast between crunchiness and juiciness.
And it is so good.
I love this.
Mmmm.
So I don't know if you can see this right now but seriously check out the chicken.
It is such a thick juicy cut.
I know.
You can just oh.
There is so much more generous than what I thought.
It is massive.
You're going to like this.
Oh.
Hot?
Mmmm.
That is so good.
The spicy coating on the exterior has got this crunch.
It is almost like you're having chips.
Like crisps.
I know.
It is so so good.
And that is my favorite savory dish of the night so far.
How about you?
Yeah this is one of the best things we've had tonight.
And the price was really reasonable.
Sixty five Taiwanese dollars.
So two dollars.
Yeah.
Two US bucks for that bad boy.
This giant piece of meat.
Like seriously that is really good value.
Imagine going to a restaurant and getting this much meat.
This much chicken.
Amazing.
It costs a lot more.
Value for sure.
So that is a wrap from the market for us.
We're going to call it a night and head back.
It has started pouring rain and it is basically just masses of people like bumping into each
other with their umbrellas.
So we're like okay probably time to call it quits.
But we have lots of snacks that we're taking back with us.
And oh gosh just as we were leaving we made the most horrible mistake.
I wanted to order bubble tea (波霸奶茶) with milk and I got the original without milk
so it is just black tea with tapioca balls.
But I think there is brown sugar too.
So it should be sweet.
Yeah.
But it is not what I wanted so I'm so disappointed.
But anyways that was fun.
We ate really well so I would definitely say this is a market worth checking out if you're
in Taipei (臺北市).
And yeah that was good.
So if you want to check out this really cool night market in Taipei, Taiwan you're going
to come to Songshan station (松山車站) and then you're going to take exit one and
it basically takes you right there.
You just walk for like a couple of minutes and you'll see the market right away.
Yeah, and you turn left.
There is a huge temple at the entrance.
Yeah.
So I mean you can't miss it seriously.