Taipei City Guide

(Updated 2014)

DO NOT MISS:

• Basically, in Taipei, the one place you can't miss is Din Tai Fung. To start, get a couple of steamers of xiao long bao. The pork is the classic, the crab is the luxury item and there's a fantastic newcomer to the party - the shrimp and loofah. It's delicate and light and perfect for giving your palate some relief from the richness of the pork or the crab.

Aren't they bee-yoo-tiful?

Bamboo with mayo

Sautéed water convolvulus

Shrimp fried rice

Eight Treasure Rice

BUBBLE TEA:

• 50 Lan. Multiple locations. Look for the below logo. You can get all sorts of crazy bubble tea concoctions, including ones with Yakult or an entire creme caramel pudding mixed in. They will ask you to specify the level of sweetness (regular, 90%, 70%, 50%, 30%, 10% or none) and the amount of ice (regular, reduced or none). My beverage of choice here is the milk bubble tea with the small bubbles, reduced ice and 30% sugar. It's about $1 a cup.

NOODLES:

• Xa jiang mien at my little noodle stall - if it has a name, I don't know it. It's on Da-an Road, just off Xin-yi Road. There's a little strip of shops and the noodle stall is the last one before you get to a little children's playground. If you hit the 7-Eleven, you've gone too far. This one's a sentimental favorite; I've been eating these noodles since I was eight years old. The perfect amalgamation of chewy homemade noodles, a hearty meat sauce and some crunch and bite from braised greens and pickled lettuce. A bowl will run you just under $2.

CASUAL:

• Ban Mu Yuan at the corner of Da-An Road and Dongfeng Street. Grab some small dishes out of the refrigerated case in the back, order a few of their beef or veggie xian bing (sort of a Chinese Hot Pocket) and a bowl of congee.

DESSERT:

• Dong Qu Fen Yuan in Lane 216 off Zhong Xiao East Road. Best place to get a big carton of that weird Chinese ice dessert topped with various stewed beans and odd chewy bits. Also famous for their soft tofu. 

FOR THE ADVENTUROUS:

• The really quintessentially Taiwanese food cannot be easily documented. It's the street stalls, food carts, night markets. Be adventurous. If a stand is busy, that's a good sign. Order what everyone else orders and you should be okay. Don't ask too many questions.