Taipei Travel

Delicacy Travel Notes
Old Taipei Rambles

Delicacy is always key to good travels. In "gastronomic capital" Taipei, indulging your palate not only guarantees smiles and wonderful experiences, but is perhaps the best of all ways to get intimate with local culture. Let’s head out together for mini–tour rambles around three areas percolating with nostalgic aroma – Dadaocheng, Chengzhong District（城中區; the old city–center district), and Dalongdong（大龍峒）– putting together the day’s breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner as desired, tasting this city’s old-time flavors and letting food memories take us into old street scenes.

Dadaocheng  Lohas Tour Starts From Breakfast
     Dadaocheng, by the Tamsui River, long thrived as north Taiwan’s key river-trading port, becoming the home of many leading Taiwan social figures. Today, the delicious foods before Cisheng Temple, and the old classic tastes found all round, attract travelers in droves.

Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple –True Local Flavor
The street in front of Cisheng Temple, a temple dedicated to Mazu, seems filled up with food vendors. Many foodie favorites here are the pork-rib soup（排骨湯）, salty-meat congee（鹹肉粥）, soybraised meats（紅燒肉）, four spirits soup（四神湯）, ”“ Xu’s Pork Knuckle Thin Noodles（許仔豬腳麵線）, ”“ Biao’s Squid（魷魚標）, ”“ A-Fa’s Seafood Buddha Jumps Over the Wall（阿發海鮮佛跳牆）, ” and“ A-Wan’s Mitten Crab（阿萬毛蟹）. ” Food-loving travelers come from far and wide to sample the terrific tastes.

▲ Ln. 49, Baoan St.（保安街49 巷）

Dadaocheng’s Environs – Classic Old Flavors
Old streets filled with the foods of regular workaday folk best reveal the attitudes and zest for life of a place’s people. Classic Dadaocheng flavor can be found at Minle Street’s（民樂街）“ Minle Sailfish Rice Noodles（民樂旗魚米粉）,” where thin rice noodles and fresh sailfish chunks are served with delicious soup stock. At Yongchang Street’s（永昌街）Yongle Mitaimu（永樂米苔目）, the mitaimu, a thick rice noodle, is served with stock made with red onion and leek, a savory nostalgic combo. At“ Yan Family Almond Sweet Soup（顏記杏仁露）,” on Section 1, Dihua Street, the smooth, refreshing, lightly sweet soup is topped with condensed milk and syrup. On Lane 36, Section 2, Yanping North Road（延平北路）you’ll find the crispy, delicious oyster fritters of“ Old-Time Flavor Budai Famous Foods（古早味布袋名產蚵嗲）,” flour used for the fried exterior, oysters and leek the innards stars. On Lane 233, Nanjing West Road（南京西路）i“s Tainan Bowl Cake（台南碗粿）,” serving authentic Tainan- style rice-pudding cakes, and a“ Golden Celestial Fish Ball Shop（金仙魚丸店）”, selling savory shrimp rolls and rice with mackerel chunks.

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Golden Celestial Fish Ball（金仙魚丸店）
19, Ln. 233, Nanjing W. Rd.（南京西路233 巷19 號）


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Minle Sailfish Rice Noodles（民樂旗魚米粉）
3 , Minle St（. 民樂街3號）


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Yan Family Almond Sweet Soup（顏記杏仁露）
21, Sec. 1, Dihua St.（迪化街1 段21 號）


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Yongle Mitaimu（永樂米苔目）
7, Yongchang St.（永昌街7 號）


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Old-Time Flavor Budai Famous Foods（古早味布袋名產蚵嗲）
Ln. 36, Sec. 2, Yanping N. Rd.（延平北路2 段36 巷）

Nearby Places of Interest
01. Taipei Xia Hai City God Temple（台北霞海城隍廟）
The main deity here is the City God, with secondary deities including the City God’s Wife, Old Man Under the Moon, and Generals Fan and Hsieh. The temple has acquired fame for helping worshipers find true love. It’s said that in 1971 a woman donated the Old Man statue after the City God’s help finding her children’s fated mates, the news spread, and single males and females have been coming since – even from overseas. From May 21st to July 3rd the Taipei Xia Hai City God Cultural Festival（台北霞海城隍文化節） takes place around the temple.
61, Sec. 1, Dihua St.（迪化街1 段61 號）
(02)2558-0346


02. Dihua Street Commercial District（迪化街商圈）
In the 19th century, this was a key trading/distribution center for regional specialty goods, tea, Chinese medicines, and textiles. Through the decades its essence has remained intact, seen in the vintage townhouse architecture and shop-lined streets selling medicines, dried goods, etc.
Sec. 1, Dihua St.（迪化街1 段）


03. Taiyuan Asian Puppet Theatre Museum（ 台原亞洲偶戲博物館）
Formerly the Lin Liu-Hsin Puppet Theatre Museum( 林柳新紀念偶戲博物館), on the first floor is the Puppet Workshop. On the second, third, and fourth floors are display spaces dedicated to Chinese shadow puppets, marionettes, traditional glove puppets, Golden Ray puppets, etc., plus the Nadou Theatre. There’s also an irregular schedule of puppet exhibitions and puppet-operation classes. Visit the website to learn more.
79-1, Xining N. Rd.（西寧北路79 之1 號）
(02)2556-8909 (Closed on Monday and national holidays)
www.taipeipuppet.com


04. URS127 Art Factory（URS127 玩藝工場）
Located in a heritage red-brick mansion, this art space fosters the interaction between traditional Dadaocheng industries and international interchange. The first-floor front room has books and magazines about art and design. Pass by the open-sky inner courtyard to enjoy the old building’s lovely architecture. The first-floor rear hall and second floor are used for cultural- arts exhibits, and there are also DIY workshops.
127, Sec. 1, Dihua St.（迪化街1 段127 號）
(02)2550-6775 ext. 2003



MRT: Take the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line to Daqiaotou Station. Take Exit 1 and follow Minquan W. Rd. to Sec. 2 of Yanping N. Rd. Follow the signs to places of interest.

▲ MOGU（蘑菇）
In the spirit of "making everything from scratch," designs unique-style canvas bags, natural-dye clothing, paper-crafted products, and other daily-use goods.
187, Sec. 1, Dihua St（. 迪化街1段187號）
(02)2557-0155 (Closed on the last Wednesday each month)


▲ Simple Pleasure（簡單喜悅）
Focused on the simple pleasures of good living, recapturing the warm feelings of things made by hand, through the irresistible design of elegant, refined clothing, scarves, handmade soaps, etc.
184, Sec. 1, Dihua St（迪化街1 段184 號）
(02)2552-8611 (Closed on Sunday)


▲ Wang Tea（有記名茶）
Owned by a family engaged in tea production over a century, here you’ll find Taiwan’s best preserved old tea factory, with tours and tastings offered. Enjoy traditional nanguan music performances Saturdy 2 ~ 5 p.m. (reservations required).
26, Ln. 64, Sec. 2, Chongqing N.
Rd.（重慶北路2 段64 巷26 號）
(02)2555-9164 (Closed on Sunday)