Tainan Ta-da!

Posted in Chinese on June 20th, 2007 by mei| | .

tan_zi_mian.jpg Wow. I can’t believe I am this backlogged. I haven’t had even the most minute of minutes to sit down and blog (let alone the time to cook and EAT!).

I promised my loyal readers food fodder from Tainan. Then there’s scrumptious Singapore. I better throw out news about the Taipei International Food Show (June 21-24, 2007) now or else I would be remiss to not inform Taipei foodies on time. Your truly also needs to make note of the yum-yum wedding dinner party at the Far Eastern hotel at some point.. and then there’s Taidong and Green Island eats…

Tainan. If you haven’t been there… go! It’s every Taiwan foodie’s mecca. Now with the High Speed Rail in commission one really doesn’t have a reason why not to make it. You can get there in less than an hour and a half, eat to your heart’s (and tummy’s) content and still make it back to Taipei for dinner. If you decide to stay over in Tainan for a few days, yours truly would highly recommend staying at the Evergreen Hotel - especially if you get there on a weekday. Among my three friends and I, each ended up spending about 30 bucks US a night (and trust you me, my room at the ramshackle hotel on Green Island costs the same) and we even got breakfast vouchers and coupons to use at certain eateries in town. Now, this foodie would normally cast askance looks when someone mentions hotel buffets and food vouchers but I tell you the smoked salmon at the hotel breakfast was TOTALLY WORTH IT. That dreamy lemony capery mustardy dilly sauce used as an accoutrement needs to be documented IN STONE somewhere!!! I heart smoked salmon.

Next - food vouchers. I forgot the exact amount the hotel gave for the four of us (all foodies in our own rights) to split but it was a fair amount. It wasn’t just a few NT dollars and then you end up paying a huge balance at the end of the meal. You could use the vouchers at three of the restaurants in town. I didn’t really care for the latter two but I have to say the first restaurant was splendid.

rice_tube_pudding.jpgChi Kan Dan Tsi Noodles to me was the perfect place to get my fill of Tainan’s famous Dan Tsi noodles (top left: broth variety pictured in the foreground, soup-less variety in the background). My friends an I also ordered a number of other dishes such as steamed milkfish (老豆辦蒸虱目魚肚), milkfish ball soup (縣煮虱目魚肚湯), pork trotters (赤坎招牌精燉滷豬腳) and rice tube pudding (廟口竹筒米糕)(pictured to the right). What really took the cake (or pudding, if you will) was the last item: dreamy glutinous rice steamed and flavoured with stock in a bamboo container, served with pork floss on top. My prosaic description does this divine culinary item no justice. Just go and eat it.

Chi Kan Dan Tsi Noodles 赤崁擔仔麵
No. 180, Minzhu Road, Section 2
Tainan (Next to the Chi Kan Towers)
06 2205336
台南市民族路二段180號 (赤崁樓旁)
website (Mandarin only): http://www.chikan.com.tw/index.asp?le=tchines

Tainan is also famous for its fried shrimp rolls. I’ve had them at several eateries in Tainan but just found them okay. Not bad. Not superb. Just okay. I repeat - my favorite food item in Tainan was the rice tube pudding.

If you really can’t make it to Tainan (tsk tsk) check out this famous Tainan eatery in downtown Taipei:

Du Xiao Yue　（also known Internationally as “Slack Season Dan Tsi Noodles”)　度小月
No. 12, Alley 8, Lane 216
Zhong Xiao East Raod, Section 4
02 2773 1244
台北市忠孝東路四段216巷8弄12號
website (Mandarin only): http://www.iddi.com.tw/front/bin/ptdetail.phtml?Part=b22&Category=123069

One Response to ' Tainan Ta-da! '

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  1. hungryintaipei said,

    on June 27th, 2007 at 10:29 am

    did you get to check out the food show?? i didn’t make it!

    btw, I tagged you on my blog. The rules are pretty simple, hope you’ll accept the mission! :)

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