Anyone been to Taipei?

[Tonitrus]

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g293913-d1516879-Reviews-Din_Tai_Fung_Xinyi-Taipei.html

This is one of the most famous restaurants in Taipei that has branches everywhere in the world, including HK.  Their speciality is Shao lung bao - small pork dumplings.  IMHO it started a world-wide and lasting revolution on how the dumplings are done.  Nowadays the quality of all the shao lung baos are much better almost everywhere thanks to its recipes and training.  Everybody tries to imitate them.  The chefs literally weigh the flour of every dumpling.

Damn, they have one in Seattle(Bellevue even, my home town!).  Where was this thread a month ago before I was up there for Christmas.

[jimmy olsen]

These are great for you since presumably you go there by yourself and it is quite difficult to order food at formal Chinese restaurants for a party of one. 

Incorrect. I am going with HMBOB.

This is one of the most famous restaurants in Taipei that has branches everywhere in the world, including HK.  Their speciality is Shao lung bao - small pork dumplings.  IMHO it started a world-wide and lasting revolution on how the dumplings are done.  Nowadays the quality of all the shao lung baos are much better almost everywhere thanks to its recipes and training.  Everybody tries to imitate them.  The chefs literally weigh the flour of every dumpling.

Sounds good.

[mongers]

Hey, a Mono-Timmay meet up would be 'pretty' cool, even allowing for the inbuilt taint.   

[Monoriu]

If there are two of you then I can suggest one or two restaurants. 

http://www.shinyeh.com.tw/about_en.php

This is easily one of the most famous restaurants that do Taiwanese cuisine.  It is traditional, noisy, full of big tables, big portion, but it offers real local Taiwanese stuff.  There are a couple of branches, and one of them is in the 101 tower.  I suggest avoiding that one, because that one is kinda fusion, modern, fine-dining style that has doesn't have the traditional flavour.  My suggestion is go to the "original" restaurant at 雙城街 (can you display these Chinese characters?)

http://taipei.grand.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/index.jsp#4319

The other one I highly recommend is Shanghai Court.  Yes it is inside the Grand Hyatt and it is expensive.  But it is well worth the price.  It is slow-paced (perhaps a bit too slow for my taste), elegant, and the food is excellent. 

[Monoriu]

http://www.kingjoin.com.tw/kingjoin.asp
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2011/02/18/2003496162

This is another of my favourites, and is a bit unique.  This one sells "imperial" style "long-life" food, and is all-vegetarian.  Their speciality is dim sum and desserts.  You don't really notice that it is vegetarian, because a lot of food is seasoned tofu disguised as meat.  Great for afternoon relaxation. 

[Monoriu]

http://gondola.trtc.com.tw/eng/index.htm

Scenic cable car ride.  It isn't something you'll remember for the rest of your life, but is ok if you've never done it before. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jiufen

A tourist attraction near Taipei.  It is almost a day-trip.  Pretty cool place with lots of traditional houses and food vendors.  A 100% tourist place though. 

[Monoriu]

Transportation - it is a pretty big city, and not really "walkable".  My impression is that Taipei "feels" a lot bigger and scattered than Seoul.  There are two primary ways to get around, the city train system and taxis.  Taxis aren't too expensive (about the same as Seoul).  Biggest advantage is they find the spot for you.  Obvious problem is that most drivers don't really speak English (again, same as Seoul).  You can get around this by asking the hotel staff to talk to the drivers.  The city train system is excellent, but of course you need to find your way to your destination. 

Cash.  A lot of places are cash only and you can't rely on your credit cards alone.  The money changers at the airport are ok.  Maybe 2% more expensive than the city, but they aren't outrageously expensive.  If you really want to save that 1-2%, buy Taiwanese cash at the banks in the city.  They are closed on Sundays and public holidays (i.e. during the 3 days of Chinese new year). 

Weather.  Taipei is A LOT warmer than Seoul, which seems a frozen basement to me.  Lots of rain this time of the year, though. 

[MadImmortalMan]

When I go, I'm totally doing what Mono says to do. Hey Mono. I adore spicy food. Point me to the spiciest, most insane stuff available. I will gobble it up.


If I have to endure two days of intestinal rejection? Totally worth it. Let's rock.

[Monoriu]

When I go, I'm totally doing what Mono says to do. Hey Mono. I adore spicy food. Point me to the spiciest, most insane stuff available. I will gobble it up.


If I have to endure two days of intestinal rejection? Totally worth it. Let's rock.

If you like spicy food, you should go to Sichuan.  These guys put chili in everything and I mean everything.  Hunan is not as bad, but the food is still quite spicy.  Cantonese food is generally not spicy at all.  Taiwanese is about half-way between Sichuanese and Cantonese. 

Best spicy Taiwanese food IMHO is their spicy beef noodle in brown soup. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beef_noodle_soup

The Taiwanese absolutely adore beef noodle.  There are thousands of places that sell these.  Almost all of them are inexpensive, but if done right it is excellent.  The noodle is al dente, the beef tender, the soup rich in different kinds of flavour  

It comes in many different varieties, some very spicy and some not spicy at all.  IMHO the spicy version is much better.  As a Cantonese myself, my acceptance of spicy food is quite low.  I once had a bowl of spicy beef noodle at the Chili House that I mentioned earlier.  The result: 2 days of sore throat 

[HisMajestyBOB]

Transportation - it is a pretty big city, and not really "walkable".  My impression is that Taipei "feels" a lot bigger and scattered than Seoul.  There are two primary ways to get around, the city train system and taxis.  Taxis aren't too expensive (about the same as Seoul).  Biggest advantage is they find the spot for you.  Obvious problem is that most drivers don't really speak English (again, same as Seoul).  You can get around this by asking the hotel staff to talk to the drivers.  The city train system is excellent, but of course you need to find your way to your destination. 

Cash.  A lot of places are cash only and you can't rely on your credit cards alone.  The money changers at the airport are ok.  Maybe 2% more expensive than the city, but they aren't outrageously expensive.  If you really want to save that 1-2%, buy Taiwanese cash at the banks in the city.  They are closed on Sundays and public holidays (i.e. during the 3 days of Chinese new year). 

Weather.  Taipei is A LOT warmer than Seoul, which seems a frozen basement to me.  Lots of rain this time of the year, though.

How does the weather compare with Shanghai?
Is it reasonably beach weather for thick-skinned people?

Oh, and I love Hunan spicy food. I've built up enough of a tolerance that my mouth just goes delightfully numb, instead of catching on fire.

[jimmy olsen]

I like Sichuan (that's the one with the darker more orange sauce? )Sweet and Sour Pork.

[Monoriu]

I like Sichuan (that's the one with the darker more orange sauce? )Sweet and Sour Pork.

Not sure if we are talking about the same thing.  I love sweet and sour pork, but that's Cantonese and is usually not spicy. 

From wiki -

Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and may be found all over the world.

[Monoriu]

How does the weather compare with Shanghai?
Is it reasonably beach weather for thick-skinned people?

Shanghai is more extreme.  Hotter in the summer, colder in the winter. 

Taipei this time of the year can be quite cool.  I need to bring my winter coats if I go there in January.  It is anything but beach weather. 

[Caliga]

 

Average high in January in Taipei is 66F/19C, and average low is 57F/14C.

[jimmy olsen]

I like Sichuan (that's the one with the darker more orange sauce? )Sweet and Sour Pork.

Not sure if we are talking about the same thing.  I love sweet and sour pork, but that's Cantonese and is usually not spicy. 

From wiki -

Sweet and sour pork is a Chinese dish that is particularly popular in Cantonese cuisine and may be found all over the world.

I've had two distinct kinds at Chinese restaurants in Korea. One with a lighter more golden colored sauce that is more sweet than sour, and one with a heavier more orange/red sauce that is more tangy/sour than sweet.