Taipei: Good Way to Start the Weekend! - Fri 3/18

Last year in March, the Taiwan Trade Center offered a free flight for buyers from foreign countries to go to Taipei to check out the trade shows, and I was lucky enough to be the one sent for that particular trip. Of course, I fully took advantage of it, stayed for roughly 5-6 days and ate as much as I could. Too much probably.

This year, they contacted us again and the same incentive was offered. Since I went last year, it was decided that there should be a sort of continuity since now I know what products were there last year and what not so just 2 weeks ago, I got a short little business trip to Taipei once again :] Not as long as last year, roughly the same as a long weekend, but hey, any chance I get to go back, I'm gonna take it!

This time I jotted down when I had the food to kinda check my pattern of how I eat. Don't think I went as crazy this time as before but... man, I ate more than I thought hahah.

With enough miles, I upgraded to business class on China Airlines and with it comes lounge privileges :]

The food station.

Didn't want to go too crazy since I had a big dinner before I left, so just got some snacks and a blueberry apricot danish. Of course, it's almost a tradition for me to have at least one ginger ale when I travel!

The sushi selection that was offered for the Asian travelers. The lounge is a shared lounge among many airlines so they try to accommodate. Also couldn't resist the call of Taiwan beer :P

After the plane takes off, they start serving "late night dinner" and this time opted for the Szechuan Chicken.

Not really spicy... but meh, it's good enough.

Comes with seafood salad (with this huge piece of shrimp), and unlimited garlic bread.

About 3 hours before the plane lands, they'll serve breakfast, and you can choose between Oriental style or Western. Western usually involves some weird looking omelette so the Oriental style it is.

Comes with two types of plain buns.

With porridge, there's always side dishes. From left to right: pork sung, chilled stir fry veggie, pickled veggie, and braised oil tofu.

After landing around 6am, I took the bus to my aunt's place from the airport to Taipei. Street vendors are already out around 7am selling breakfast!

Cha! Didn't know TenRen started Cha in Taiwan as well haha.

Aunt's place, where I stayed for the next 3 nights.

Around 10am, left my aunt's place and headed over to my grandma to see her. Never a big fan of food on the plane, I had to get some traditional Taiwanese breakfast while on my way to see my grandma.

飯糰夾蛋餅 egg crepe wrapped rice roll. Posted this numerous times, but still, just as good as I remembered.

燒餅油條 fried donut in sesame bread. As for as traditional breakfast go, this is as old school as it gets.

Yes, had to get some milk tea :P Small, but only $15NT!

And before officially starting my work, some homemade dumplings around noon for lunch.

On the way to the convention center, had to get an oolong milk tea (2pm) :]


After the end of 1st day of the convention, decided to walk across the street to Taipei 101's food court.


MOS Burger! I had to do it. (5:30pm)


Oh maaaaaaaan, how I miss the marinated pork and the awesome rice bun.


After window shopping and feeling like crap cause I can't buy anything at 101, decided to head back but not before I head to 清心福 Qing Xin Fu for milk tea!


Oolong fresh milk tea. So what's so good about this place that everytime I come back to Taiwan I get it 2-3 times? Well, to start, their oolong tea is great. Strong roasted tea flavors that can withstand the milk and sugar. Also, fresh milk in Taiwan has way more of a milky flavor to it, so when you mix fresh milk and good tea together, it's a drink that the shops in US cannot compete with. (6:30pm)


Street food near the Da An MRT station.


Had to get 雞蛋糕 egg cake (6:40pm)


Didn't expect it to be hollow but crispy outside plus the little bit of cake in the middle = good eats!

After eating the egg cake, headed back to my grandma's cake and somehow... somehow still manage to eat dinner with the family. Definitely a good start to the trip :]

Most more to be posted when I have time haha.

Vancouver: Snacking All Day Long - Day 2

After a good bike ride around the park and stuffing ourselves with JapaDog's delicious creation, we got on the seabus (a ferry) and headed towards North Vancouver which is about a 15minute ride. Our goal was to get to the Capilano Suspension Bridge ASAP since weather forecast predicted rain. When we got there, it wasn't rainy but it sure was gloomy and foggy with clouds that look like doom.

Yes, Capilano Suspension Bridge is somewhat of a tourist trap but seriously, it was cool. I've never been on a suspension bridge, let alone the longest suspension bridge in the world. It's wobbly and hard to balance especially when there's a good amount of the people so it is exciting. The view is pretty spectacular too.

You can find out more about it here.

Pretty crazy view in the canyon though. On the most right picture you can see there's also these treetop bridges that connect you from one huge redwood to another. (Click to enlarge)

After our 2 hour trek around the forest, and failing miserably trying to take pictures (kinda hard to have a steady hand when the bridge shakes), we decided to stop by McDonald at the seabus station to check out if they have poutine (fries with gravy), but they didn't so we went for these McDonald McMini chicken sandwiches. They sure are small but they ain't cheap either. Where's the 99cent menu at??

Pesto McMini. You can choose between grilled chicken or fried, and of course we went with the fried option :P This was my favorite McMini. Surprisingly garlicky pesto with fried chicken = win.

Spicy Thai McMini. Yea... pretty much sweet & sour sauce with a little kick. It was whatevs.

Mango Chicken McMini. It's actually more like mango chutney on the chicken so it's actually a little Indian twist on the sandwich. Not bad but seriously, take it easy on the mayo Canada. EVERYTHING is mayo-ed up like crazy.

Of course, every country's McDonald has their own unique pies besides apple pie and in Canada, it's banana chocolate cream pie!

Same flaky crust.

Sorry, it's not the most appetizing picture but yes, the cream pie. I'm not a big fan of banana desserts so... yup. However if you do like banana desserts, it is very banana-y :P

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Lonsdale Quay Market

123 Carrie Cates Ct

North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K7

Afterwards, right next to the seabus station, it's the Lonsdale Quay Market, which is essentially a farmer's market. Small produce, seafood, and specialty stores can be found in this market with a few food vendors. We met up with Amanda T. and proceeded to search for some more fooood.

First stop, some Canadian pastry, the Beavertail, which is essentially a dough rolled flat, fried, then they add toppings.

History of Beavertail. I don't want to type it out so click on it to enlarge haha.

Savory & sweet options.

The nice Chinese lady frying up our Beavertail orders (btw half of the vendors are Asians... they are everywhere). They butter the thing up like crazy then pour cinnamon sugar over it to make...

... this! Cinnamon sugar beavertail with lemon. It's bomb. I mean, what's bad about a fried pastry, buttered, then sprinkled with sugar? The lemon is actually an important bit because it's pretty amazing when you squirt the lemon juice onto the beavertail. It's sour yet it works so well with the cinnamon sugar! Can't really describe it.

I wonder if churros will taste just as good with lemon?

We also chose a savory one, Canadian bacon beavertail with cheddar cheese. Of course Canadian bacon isn't your typical smoked bacon, more like ham. In the end, definitely prefer the sweet one.

Next, Michael went to Sweet Carrie's Dessert Shop for some cookies from "down under." It was odd. Maybe Aussies like it really hard and dry. HAH.

Then he got some feta stuffed olives from Prima Italian Market, an Italian grocer. Didn't try it since I was way too thirsty after the beavertails and the combo of olives + feta sounded like sodium overload.

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Crystal Mall

4500 Kingsway

Burnaby, BC V5H 2A9

After Lonsdale Quay (coo-way? cui? cay?), Amanda drove us to Cystal Mall in Burnaby, which is a neighboring suburb. There's a huge Chinese population in Burnaby and Crystal Mall is where they all congrgate. Imagine stuffing half of the Chinese from San Gabriel into one indoor mall. Way too many Chinese people there haha.

Lots and lots and lots of vendors of shop in the circular mall. Felt like I was in one of those newer Taiwan traditional markets.

There's also a food court. The difference between US and Canada is that... you can expect to find authentic and legit food in Canada's.

Tea Plus. Haven't had real milk tea yet so when I got the chance, I went for it.

Earl Grey Milk Tea. Genuinely surprised that they have this. Very nice earl grey fragrance. They use powered milk for the dairy, and shaken in that crazy shaking machine for quite awhile so it was mixed well. I believe the guy who made my drink fresh brewed my tea. Maybe it's because early grey isn't as ordered as much so it doesn't sit in those big gallon jugs.

Notice the Nike logo on the cup XD

Next, Wang's Shanghai Cuisine for some xiao long bao, since Michael's been dreaming about this place ever since he came here last time.

Xiao long bao. 5 for about $4. Again, I'm surprised at how legit the food is here. It's a food court so you would expect fast food quality stuff here but this is good. Beats any average restaurants any day.

Connie was able to find a stand that sold "gai dan zai" aka egg puff pastry. Sorry if I butchered the Cantonese pinyin but hey, Cantonese is hard :P It wasn't that good since I'm guessing the machine was too hot and it crisped the outside too fast, leaving the inside still slightly soggy.

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By the time we finished all that it was about 7:30pm. You would think we were full but not even close as we were about to try out the world famous Vij's (next post). All that food was just the beginning!