Undercover Boss: Taipei

We were off to discover the Sinyi District 信义区 where Taipei 101 was, by taking the MRT to Taipei City Hall.

WHAT?? It's freaking 36 degC?!!!

The Sinyi District is an obviously modern and planned district with contemporary buildings emerging from the ground in a grid.

You cannot miss the huge and inviting blocks of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi 新光三越. I think there were 4 different blocks. Each block caters to a specific audience (e.g. middle class, youngsters, rich etc) and is a few storeys worth of shopping.

And I love the way its Japanese name sounds in Chinese.

Along the pedestrianised walkways between the buildings, there were street performers, enlivening the spaces at freaking 36 degC!!

Somehow, we found this Taiwanese restaurant Shin Yeh 欣叶 at the top floor of one of the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi blocks. More reading online revealed that it's part of a huge food group. It's like Crystal Jade but more atas.

It serves high quality Taiwanese dishes.

A short wait for our table. In the background is a branch of Kanpai (introduced in an earlier entry).

The decor of the restaurant was comfortable. And even though it was packed, it was not too noisy. Nor were there screaming kids. This was something we had noticed during our trip. Taiwanese kids scream and kick up a lot less fuss than kids in Singapore. And if they do, they are quickly shut up by a stern and firm warning from the parent(s).

Back to the food... We ordered quite a bit of food. Menu was in Chinese and English with pictures. So, it's a breeze for foreigners. Nonetheless, I thought we were the only non-Taiwanese in the packed restaurant. Another good sign. =)))

I'd always thought that Taiwanese food was overly oily and salty, with weird spices. But I was wrong. All the dishes we had ordered suited our Singaporean taste buds very aptly.

The dishes are meant to be consumed with either porridge or rice, but we skipped those. Tummy space constraint. =D

Cabbage with dried scallops. Something I'd make sometimes.

Oysters with chives(?). Very yummy. 'Good Fren' was beaming with happiness.

Oh Oh!! This is even better than the usual stuff we can buy from Teochew muay stalls in Singapore. It's not too herb-ish, spices were used sparingly, and the fats... the fats... the fats are the stuff a Chinese heaven is made of!!

This is the best dish ever!! 'Good Fren' is still talking about it now. It's kidney and chicken testicles in sesame oil sauce.

When he ordered the dish, I had my doubts, coz the sesame oil chicken dishes I've had in Singapore had not been satisfying. However, this dish tasted nothing like those chicken dishes in Singapore. It's in a class of its own.

Btw, why are chicken testicles so big??! I think they are bigger than cat testicles...

I digress...

Crab Tanghoon!!!

The crab was sweet and the tanghoon was savoury. Need I say more??

Ok, I have something to confess. We ordered 2 desserts. But I only managed to take a pic of 'Good Fren's fried sesame seed balls.

I got overly excited when I saw my almond tofu and forgot to take a pic of it. I too thought to myself,"What's so special about almond tofu, right? We have those in every cheena restaurant in Singapore?!"

I was dead wrong. In Shin Yeh, they made the almond tofu in a chewy muahchee-like texture. YEAH!! Imagine that!! The chilled light almond frangrance with a milky bond and a chewy rebound against your palate. OOOoohhhhh!!! I WANT!!!

Shin Yeh also provided us with 2 peanut-dusted muahchee to end the crazily-enjoyable meal.

We ordered enough to feed at least 3 people. The bill came up to about SGD100 after taxes.

[I am told that there is a Shin Yeh in Singapore. At Liang Court. But the menu does not include the above, except for perhaps the almond tofu. =((]

Since we were in Taipei, we had to visit Taipei 101.

It's a huge icon, reaching up to the heavens, like how bamboos grow in abundance. I like the bamboo analogy. It personifies the spirit of Taiwanese people. 坚韧不拔. Of perseverance.

Unfortunately, we got put off by the huge (PRC) tourist crowds making their way to the observation decks and decided that we would give it a miss.

Did I mention that we saw Taiwanese and their pet doggies everywhere?? And they really use the pet prams alot!!

And the next destination was Eslite Bookstore.

Going by the name and quick online searches, Eslite is supposed to be the largest bookstore in Taiwan. So I was expecting multi-storey bookstore, a bit like the bookstore in Beijing, but progressive, shiny and funky.

I was right about the bit on being progressive, shiny and funky, but I was so wrong about the 'bookstore' bit!

Eslite is a symbol of the upper-middle class lifestyle in Taiwan. This building hosts a large bookstore, alright...

But it also contains a whole host of other lifestyle activities for sale. E.g. Take a drawing class...

Kids were seen also fiddling with 'smart toys'... not just dumbing Mattel action figures...

Buy some home decor...

Dress yourself in the latest fashion...

Or... Simply have a bite at the huge foodcourt and snack stalls in the basement.

I remember one of our Taiwanese MBA course mates told us that one could enjoy a high standard of living in Taipei. "在台北，也可以过得很好。" I think she was refering to this. =)

Ok, overdose of flashy shopping districts for the day... Let's go in search of a Taiwanese dinner!!

'Good Fren' suggested for us to walk, instead of taking the MRT, so as to enjoy the sights. And we did. We walked into 国父纪念馆 Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall.

There were people everywhere.

Enjoying the vast spaces...

Some were inside the hall...

Eh?? They look a little over-dressed for a chill day at the memorial hall??

Who are all these people? Why is the air buzzing with excitement??

FWAH!! Check out the crowd... Most of them were teenage girls...

HOR!!! I geddit! It's the Korean Wave!! It has hit Taiwan too!

The South Korean boy band BEAST was performing at the Memorial Hall that evening!

Taiwanese fans were out in full force to support BEAST!

Entrepreneurial Taiwanese were not missing out on the Korean Wave action. Setting up stalls along Zhong Xiao East Road 忠孝东路 to satisfy the fans.

We walked on... And saw yet another couple with their doggie, all on a single Vespa. Now just replace the young couple with a plump elderly couple and the tiny doggie with a large golden retriever and you'd get the pic of what we would see later in Ximending.

This breed of doggie seems to be very popular in Taipei.

At some point, I remember having this conversation:

BM: Papa? You know, we can't travel like this when we get older. We won't be able to walk around as much. Our knees and joints would ache.

GF: Yah... We would have to travel in vehicles, and not walk around so much.

BM: Walking around allows us to see a different side of the city... Do you think we should start taking Anlene?

GF: Anlene oredi?!!

As we headed west, we chanced about this atas-looking district.

Spliced with some shopping...

And then, we found what we were looking for, Guang Fu South Road 光复南路.

Nope... Not looking for Korean food...

Ahhhhh!! YES!!! Chang Bai Restaurant 长白小馆.

Oh Oh!! What do we spot in the corner?!!

Sleeping kitty didn't give a damn about us.

The ground floor was packed.

Let's head to the basement.

What exactly are we having here?

What are they doing?

This restaurant is famous for its hotpot.

Sauces are mixed by customers.

Enjoy thinly sliced beef and mutton with the sauces...

With the best soft drink in the world...

By the time we were done with our meal, the kitty was still fast asleep.

This is his NRIC. And his name is 长白宝宝 Changbai Baby! ARRRHGHGHG!! So cute!!! =)))

It was about 9pm and the traffic along Zhong Xiao East Road 忠孝东路 was unrelenting.

While we attempted to make our way to Pacific SOGO at Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station 忠孝复兴站, we got distracted by the little alleys on the northern side of Zhong Xiao East Road 忠孝东路.