Taipei II

November 10-12, 2025

   

The second half of our time in Taiwan didn't go quite to plan. Our intended outdoorsy excursions were washed away, and then I had a health issue that limited my mobility and eating. (Happily, I received timely and affordable medical care!) Here are some fun foods that fit into our plan Bs and Cs.

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After our cycling tour was cancelled, we roamed the Songshan District for a late breakfast and found Miss Qin's Soy Milk. This breakfast restaurant had English menus available at the counter, a bustling takeaway service, and simple seating for those of us seeking to stay a while. I've never been an enthusiastic soymilk drinker, but in Taipei I felt ready to give it a proper try. We ordered a sesame and an almond soy milk (TW$50 ~ AU$2), which were a fun, sweet way in. Michael also grabbed a pancake with fried bread/doughnut and egg (TW$60 ~ AU$3), recalling the jianbing we were so fond of in China.

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Our accommodation was close to the Main train station, and often the easiest way to make our way out of it was via the QSquare shopping centre. The Happy Cow app helpfully brought to our attention that Minder Vegetarian sat within its food court. It's another pay-by-weight spot, more compact than Three To, while still managing to fit in numerous vegetables, mock meats and fried treats. We had a convenient and tasty lunch for two sorted for TW$300 (~ AU$14).

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Little Tree Food is another vegetarian food court option, worth making a purposeful trip to Diamond Towers for dinner. I was mostly drawn to them for the fresh vegetables, and they had a really nice way with them. We started with Mexican grilled corn (TW$240 ~ AU$11), lightly buttered and dusted with parmesan, chilli, Sichuan pepper and lemon. The avocado macro bowl (TW$420 ~ AU$19) provided exactly the greenery I needed, with delicate zucchini ribbons nestled among micro greens, edamame and avocado. Some quinoa, a really tasty green fried rice, and flavoured chickpeas formed a lower, more filling, layer. Meanwhile, the Taiwanese puttanesca pasta (TW$420 ~ AU$19) took Michael by surprise - here, the usual spaghetti and tomato were teamed with pickled melon, preserved plum, sour long beans and Thai basil.

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Fu Hang Soy Milk is a well-known spot for breakfast in Taipei, and our accommodation offered pre-orders for delivery to reception each morning - no need to queue! For TW$350 (~AU$16), we sampled a sweet soy milk, a savoury soy milk, a thick omelette with fried dough and a savoury rice ball. Our Miss Qin experience had us well-primed for the sweet soy milk, and the omelette/doughnut combo was puffier than the similar rolls we've eaten before, a much higher ratio of bread to egg. The firmly-packed savoury rice ball was a hearty and well-seasoned combination of rice and egg with pork floss in the centre (whoops). Most novel for us was the savoury soy milk. The use of vinegar causes slight curdling, and there were generous hunks of doughnut included. It's not pretty, but it is salty, savoury and comforting - a bit challenging for me at breakfast time though I reckon I'd enjoy it for lunch.

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I needed to rest for most of our last full day in Taipei, but in the afternoon I worked up the strength to revisit Dihua Street. I browsed Yong Le Fabric Market and picked myself a souvenir, then met Michael at MISS SHIBA Cafe, named after the darling dog that lives there. Lucky for me, they specialised in shaved ice desserts, something that felt safe for my digestion! The lightest option with a mandarin orange theme (TW$190 ~ AU$9) was a winner - a huge, carefully constructed mound of shaved ice soaked with black tea syrup and mandarin juice, topped with mandarin segments and a garnishing squirt of cream. Beneath was a heart of konjac jelly and mandarin. We gradually figured out how to angle our way into a food that ballooned out of its serving dish, and I didn't feel any envy over the richer dishes that others were ordering. The cafe was cute, cosy and quiet, an ideal spot to take it easy.

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Since our time in Taipei trailed off a bit, we're left with a sense of all the things we'd like to return and try in future. I hope there's a second chance to visit ahead for us, so that we can appreciate Taiwan more fully.

Taipei

November 8-9, 2025

   

Following Naha, Okinawa, Michael and I visited Taipei, Taiwan. While we were initially a little overwhelmed by the public transport and dense city, we rapidly came to appreciate its unique style, with trees tucked into the unlikeliest places. Taiwan has a rich seam of veg*n food, accessible through just a bit of online research. Here's how we got started.

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We arrived to Taipei in time for a late lunch; Michael led me a short walk from our hotel to Three To Vegetarian Restaurant, a casual corner spot with signs reading 'Sun Like Healthy vegetarian' in English. The huge pay-by-weight buffet of vegetarian dishes is visible from the street, and a kind staff member had enough English to invite us in and get us started, all while serving others rice, weighing their food and settling their bills. The buffet runs to several dozen dishes: vegetables, tofu and mock meats; some lightly treated and others battered and fried, or smothered in sauce. Our hearty meal for two came to around TW$370 (AU$18) and had us excited for all the eating to come.

   

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We sought out an early dinner at Ningxia Night Market, hoping to get our fill before it got seriously crowded. Again, Michael had done his research, and knew a few veg-friendly stalls that were worth tracking down. I loved the Yammy Peanut Ice Cream Roll (TW$60 ~ AU$3), watching the vendor expertly lay out a thin pancake (which I believe is rice-based and gluten-free), grate copious peanut brittle shavings from a huge block, top with two small scoops of vegan ice cream, then garnish with chopped coriander leaves before tidily wrapping it all up. Sweet, bright and refreshing, with just a bit of chew.

   

Michael focused on the salted egg-flavoured scallion pancake (TW$65 ~ AU$3), which was oily and generously glazed with spicy condiments. We finished up in a little seated spot, where two friendly young men served us a generous bowl of strawberry mochi ice (TW$75 ~ AU$3.50). The textures changed as we worked through it, the mochi initially soft and warm then getting more chewy as the shaved ice cooled them. Jammy strawberries, condensed milk and peanut powder completed the sundae experience. From there we were satisfied to sneak down the side of the market and watch others crowd in, some forming long queues down the street for the more famous stands.

   

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Perhaps the most anticipated meal of our time in Taipei was our dim-sum booking at Yang Shin Vegetarian Restaurant; it came recommended by a Taiwanese former colleague of mine. The restaurant is large, a little fancy and very orderly while maintaining that dim-sum buzz. The extensive menu included pictures and English labels, we ordered dishes at our own pace online, and we were entertained by the cat-faced robot that brought select dishes out from the kitchen.

To our taste, every dish was executed flawlessly. Moving top-to-bottom, left-to-right: the shao mai (TW$148 ~ AU$7) were labelled a signature dish and I was impressed by the mock ground pork and the accompanying mustard condiment, which we held onto for dipping the mustard green pancakes (TW$138 ~ AU$6.50). We had to try the stinky tofu wrapped in bean curd sheets (TW$320 ~ AU$15) and found its pungency to be subtle, like a whiff of blue cheese. The rice noodle roll with bread stick (TW$128 ~ AU$6) was carb-on-carb perfection. 

   

The deep-fried radish cocoon pastries (TW$138 ~ AU$6.50) shattered in the most pleasing way; xiao long bao (TW$148 ~ AU$7) weren't as soupy as we expected but included more tasty ground mock pork. The pork theme continued with Cantonese BBQ char siu bao (TW$118 ~ AU$5.50).

   

For dessert, we shared a lovely, varied bowl of tofu pudding, tapioca pearls, a dainty scoop of bean or taro paste, and brown sugar syrup (TW$118 ~ AU$5.50). Then there were some truly memorable deep-fried sesame balls (TW$118 ~ AU$5.50), with crisp golden sesame shells concealing soft, warm and sweet rice dough with a rich, molten black sesame centre.

We were full, we were so satisfied, and we were well fuelled to wander the Zhongzheng District for the afternoon.