The text describes a restaurant called "Nisshisen Takoyaki" located in the Xindian city area, with the nearest MRT station being Qizhang Station exit 1, about a 3-minute walk away. The shop is situated at a corner, and during non-business hours, the breakfast shop space is rented out to several stalls, with Nisshisen being one of them. Apart from the food cart, there are no other signs.
After choosing your flavor, you place your order with the owner and pay (cash only). Each flavor is priced the same: $55 for one portion and $150 for three portions. After ordering, there is a short wait for your freshly made takoyaki (there are many already prepared nearby, so they might just be reheating?). Finally, the owner adds mayonnaise, seasoning powder, and bonito flakes.
In the photo of the cut takoyaki, you can see that the squid is super small, about the size of a cubic centimeter. I ordered the nori flavor but didn’t particularly notice the nori; the filling was just the taste of flour with some cabbage shreds, and the flavor was average.
It has been about 5-6 years since I last ate takoyaki, and today I suddenly missed the taste of takoyaki (I had walked by it every day before but never thought to buy it). It was purely a nostalgic experience, but my child really liked it (he said not to add squid), but squid is probably the main point, right? 😅
At the Fengjia Night Market, a $70 roasted duck wrap from a small vendor may not be considered a high cost-performance value, but I would be willing to repurchase it.👌
💰 The part that doesn't qualify as high cost-performance is the price.
In terms of portion, the price is not expensive, but it’s also not cheap. Many places selling roasted duck wraps are around this price point as well. However, considering it’s served with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts, I personally feel it still can't be rated as food with high cost performance.
🦆 The reasons I would be willing to repurchase:
1️⃣ Of course, it's the taste!
It's not exceptionally delicious, but the roasted duck wrap is not something you can easily find, and the vendor does a pretty good job! The duck meat combined with sweet bean sauce, and the crunchy vegetables balance it all out. 👍
The most surprising part is the outer skin, which initially looks like a square of Jinhua ham, but it’s actually larger! When you bite into it, the skin is chewy! It doesn’t taste bland like dry buns; it has a hint of sweetness and a delightful flavor!
Eating it with the duck meat feels like an alternative Gua Bao. Although it doesn’t have the fragrance of fatty meat or the smooth texture, the chewy skin along with refreshing vegetables and duck meat is great! 😆
2️⃣ It’s filling!
After finishing one serving, I felt about 50% full, which was more than I had expected! When at the night market, you want to try a variety of foods! So, I was always on the lookout for some small snacks to enjoy.
From a distance, I initially estimated it would fill me about 30-40%, but it exceeded my expectations! If I ordered another serving, I might not have room for anything else today!
Next time I come to Fengjia Night Market, I might still want to try this again.
It’s not extremely recommended, but I personally think it’s a pretty good dish. 👍 I recommend it to everyone~
Xu's Pig Trotters Vermicelli is one of the famous shops in Baoan Street, Dadaocheng's Cisheng Temple area. It has been operating for over 50 years, attracting countless local customers, and even many food enthusiasts from abroad have visited.
Today, I'm enjoying the pig trotters vermicelli, priced at 130 NTD.
Pig Trotters Vermicelli:
The broth of Xu's Pig Trotters Vermicelli is a white soup base, rich and full of collagen, which pairs wonderfully with the pig trotters in the bowl. The pig trotters have a very elastic texture; they are tender yet full of substance. The vermicelli itself is quite standard, not particularly eye-catching, but it does a great job supporting the flavor of the meat.
Of course, you can't avoid the bones in the pig trotters. Next time I visit, I might opt for the leg meat or a mixed vermicelli.
Overall, it is indeed a very delicious local queue-worthy shop. Initially, the shop had only one stall but later expanded by merging with the neighboring stall and added air-conditioned seating across the street.
It's evident that the shop not only focuses on refining traditional flavors but also cares about the comfort of its customers.
Highly recommended to everyone!
Bracewearer's review: It's all takeout, no restroom available.
If I come to Luodong Night Market, I will definitely buy the spring rolls from this stall. Each spring roll costs 50 NT dollars and comes in original, mustard, and spicy flavors. The portions are substantial, offering great value. During weekends, there is often a crowd, and you need to queue up. The spring roll wrapper is freshly made on-site and rolled to order, with a moderate level of moisture for a good texture, and it remains unaffected even if taken out. The filling is rich, the vegetables are refreshing, and the peanut powder is evenly distributed, making the overall taste not monotonous. The only slight disappointment is the slightly small portion of braised pork.
The only stall selling fried king oyster mushrooms
I found a standing sushi restaurant recommended by a short video on Instagram, located around the Shuiyuan Market in Gongguan Night Market.
They offer both à la carte and set meals. This time, we ordered a meal for one person at 300 TWD, which includes a total of 12 dishes. The sushi varies slightly each day depending on the ingredients available, but generally, it doesn't differ greatly.
The dining environment is a bit basic; you have to eat standing up since there are no chairs. I find the table height a bit low (I’m over 175 cm), so it’s a bit unfortunate not to have chairs.
For the meals, it averages out to about 25 TWD per dish, which I personally think is very cost-effective (compared to other sushi chains like Zeng Qian or others).
I think their sushi rice is quite good, and the seafood ingredients are diverse and abundant. The owner also serves the dishes in an order that enhances the taste experience, making it very smooth to eat.
Finally, there is also a serving of cold noodles, which is quite substantial (compared to sushi), as well as a special sushi snack. The sushi snack is paired with salmon roe and tapioca from bubble tea, which makes it really unique. I personally think it's perfect to try on a cool autumn day.
📍New Taipei City, Wanli District
A long-established grilled corn shop on the North Coast 🌽
On holidays, there are always a large number of people waiting, and cars parked in the nearby open spaces for grilled corn!
The shop occupies a fairly large area, built with corrugated metal. On weekdays, there's only one grill, but this time during the holiday, they opened two grills.
After lining up and ordering the grilled corn, the staff will ask if you want a large or small size, what type of corn texture you prefer, and if you would like it spicy. Interestingly, they weigh the corn to determine the price and use that as your order number.
After ordering, it takes about 15 minutes to prepare the fresh grilled corn.
I highly recommend calling ahead to place your order. This time, I made a reservation 30 minutes early, so when I arrived, I could just line up, give my phone number, pay, and get my corn.
🌽 Grilled Corn (Large, Spicy) ($120):
The corn has a sticky rice texture, and each kernel is large and plump! It has a nice chewiness and firmness!
I recommend adding spicy sauce; it has a granular, salty taste.
Unfortunately, this time the sauce was a bit thinly applied 🤨 Grilled corn is all about enjoying that sauce!
🍄
Would I revisit: Yes!
Although it’s not cheap, it has a flavor that I miss if I haven't had it for a while.
I buy it almost every time I come to the North Coast 🤤
✏️
A little note:
🔸 Payment can be made in cash or via Taiwan Pay.
The old-fashioned ice dessert stall in front of the Ziyun Rock Temple is a beloved spot among locals, and there is always a line every time you visit. Since there are no seating areas, many people buy their desserts and sit under the banyan tree in the back to enjoy their ice treats and cool off ☀️.
Each cup is priced uniformly, and you can get three pieces for just 30 NT dollars, which is super affordable! They use disposable cups for serving, and the portion in each small cup isn't very big, so we usually eat two cups each to feel satisfied. 🤣 At first, it takes a while to dig down to the ingredients.
✐ One cup for 30 NT dollars allows you to choose 1-3 types of toppings:
Tapioca balls / Sweet potato balls / Coconut jelly / Plum / Mountain tapioca balls / Mung beans / Grass jelly
This time, I chose tapioca balls, sweet potato balls, and grass jelly. I sincerely suggest that you eat it right away without waiting for it to melt. The taste diminishes significantly when it gets diluted by the ice, and usually, the first cup you eat is the best. The advantage here is that the flavor is balanced and not overly sweet, so if the ice melts, only the flavor of the ingredients remains. The tapioca balls are the best – they are made of white jade, cooked to be crystal clear and chewy, with a light honey flavor that reminds me of the white jade pearls from the shop in Midsummer.
The grass jelly is the usual kind you commonly find, but I’m not a big fan of sweet potato balls. Although the texture is quite chewy and the portion is generous, I feel like they have a bit of a powdery taste. I’ve seen many people recommend the plum flavor, so maybe I’ll try that next time! 😋
The renowned unnamed cart at the South Airport Night Market serving shaobing! 🤤 Every time I go to the South Airport Night Market, I have to eat it! This time, the two of us ate a total of 7 pieces 😂 I eat so much, I’m getting super fat! There are quite a few people in line, so we’ll have to wait a little bit 😀
The vendor now has four flavors: scallion shaobing, salty crispy shaobing, sweet crispy shaobing, and red bean shaobing. Each one is $15! It’s fantastic to have one or two after a meal~ I remember they used to be around $10 each when I first tried them 🤣 This time, I personally had half a salty crispy shaobing and 3 sweet crispy shaobing 😋
Salty Crispy Shaobing
I’ve had scallion shaobing before, and I personally didn’t really like it 😅 I was a bit scared to try this one 😱 However, surprisingly, it was really good! It had thin pork and some green onions inside, and the outer layer was crispy. It was easy to eat~ Delicious! I could order more 👍🏻
Sweet Crispy Shaobing
This is a must-have every time I go! Inside, there’s probably something like syrup. Anyway, the outer layer is crispy and thin, while the inside is sweet, but not overly sweet! Plus, it’s hot and fresh when you eat it~ So blissful ☺️
This time we went at a little past 9, and the vendor surprisingly had something similar to fried buns 😂 The owner’s wife said it's because someone ordered extra or something like that~ Usually, this isn’t on the menu 🤣
The "large intestine wrapped in small intestine" sold at night markets is generally done poorly, but this small vendor on the outskirts of Taitung City truly puts care into their preparation.
The flavor of the rice in the large intestine is quite sufficient; it doesn't stick too much and you can still feel the shape of the rice grains. The sausage might have some Shaoxing wine or something similar added, but the seasoning is enough to cover up the taste of the wine, so those who dislike the taste of alcohol need not worry. Paired with their signature salsa sauce, the flavor really makes you want to have one after another. I never thought salsa could be used in Taiwanese snacks. (The food picture was put in the menu, but the reservation got messed up 🤣)
The reason for losing one star is that the portion size is really small; the large intestine is short and the sausage is tiny, and the price has already reached 60. If you're just looking to fill up, I wouldn't recommend it, but if you want to taste something delicious, you can still give it a try.
