DanielFoodDiary.com

[Taipei, Taiwan] Some of my friends who travel to Taipei were asking, “There is NO KOI in Taipei!” In case you do not know why that shock, KOI is one of the most known bubble tea brands in Singapore. Nothing beats having your favourite drink from where it origins. They are about right. There is [...]

[Taipei, Taiwan] Din Tai Fung is the world’s most famous Xiao Long Bao (small steamed buns) makers which originated in Taiwan, ranked as one of the world’s top 10 restaurants by The New York Times in 1993. Over at Hong Kong, Din Tai Fung’s Silvercord Branch (新港店) and Yee Wo Branch (怡和店) at Causeway Bay [...]

[Taipei, Taiwan] Since everyone is talking about Scooting off to Taiwan at $88, I have my own visions of what to do when I first reach Taipei – rush off to Ximending to eat Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji 继光香香鸡! Talking about fried chicken street food, Taiwan Hotstar Hao Da’s super large XXL chicken cutlet, [...]

[Taipei, Taiwan] One of my favourite souvenir candy shop in Taiwan is Sophisca. If you haven’t been there before, be ready to be chuckled by the kind of products you would come across. Let’s see… Candy bras, edible Sophie sanity pads (my favourite, lol), sweet medicated oil, tasty mahjong tiles, chocolate band aids, and strawberry [...]

[Tainan, Taiwan] While Tau Hway (also known as Tofu Pudding, Douhua or Bean Jelly) has taken waves in Singapore, I always remember that the best ones are eaten at its ‘hometown’ – Tainan. And of course, Tainan is the birthplace of Bean Jelly before it became popular in other Taiwanese cities. My Taiwanese host families [...]

[Taipei] This is as strange a restaurant as it can get. And no I am not kidding, this is the “TOILET bowl restaurant” located at Ximending. Well, the colourful Taiwan also has eating locales that resemble jailhouses and hospitals. Let’s see. You walk in, and sit on covered toilet bowls (which is kind of hard [...]

[Chiayi, Taiwan] Chiayi, though a lesser known area in Taiwan, is the access point of the scenic mountain area of Alishan. For those unfamiliar and wish to venture there, the popular street foods at Chiayi include Water-spray Chicken Rice, Guo’s Rice Cakes in Soup, Shrimp Egg with Preserved Mustard Green and Thick Duck Soup. Taiwan [...]

As a foodie, one of the most amazing experiences for me for the SayTaiwan International Youth Week would be to make Xiao Long Bao at Din Tai Fung 鼎泰丰. The popularity of Din Tai Fung is startling, with long queues at every branch in Singapore (and other countries), especially when it was ranked as one [...]

Do not leave Taiwan without trying its famed Aiyu Jelly 愛玉冰, which can also mean ‘Loving Jade’. It is sold at most bubble tea shops, night markets, sometimes together with sago which are usually now as “Frogs laying eggs” 青蛙下蛋 in Taiwan. If you go to Alishan, there are no less than 3 shops selling [...]

This may sound really strange – but have you eaten a coffin? If you are thinking about the other version that is used to bury people, let me clarify. I am talking about Taiwan’s Coffin Bread 棺材板, a popular street snack similar to bread bowl soups. Knowing how superstitious the Chinese are, naming a food [...]