Taipei

Dongmen 東門 & Da’an 大安

We must’ve taken the MRT to Dongmen at least 6 times when we were in Taipei. It’s right next to Da’an 大安, one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Taipei. Yongkang St, the main street, is colourful and not too touristy. There’re plenty of respectable gift shops and eateries.

• Stop By Teahouse, for casual brews. Ask the owner for a tour of their very cool event space in the basement.
• Jiuyang Yongkang Shop. Noodles, snacks, and well brewed boba-style drinks.
• MATA Tofu Pudding. Silky douhua with toppings of shaved ice, nuts, syrup, and fruit.
• 人來風 茶道具 — No English name but roughly translates to “People flow like wind”. Teaware shop, and the shop owner, Li Ling, will demo her tea ware if you’re interested
• Wenzhou St Radish Pancake — Similar to a spring onion pancake but with radish. Their shopfront is 50% made up of a huge oil fry tank, and you can watch them prep the snack as you queue.
• Terra Bean to Bar Chocolate — We were here on the last day of our trip and enjoyed a chocolate flight sampling cacao from around the world.
• Yonghe Soy Milk King, for a classic Taiwanese breakfast. I loved their savoury soy milk with a side of fried dough fritter and fantuan rice roll, chased by a milky black tea.
• Ruian Soy Milk King, if Yonghe Soy Milk King is too busy

Raohe St Night Market

We only visited one night market for one food item, Fuzhou Ancestral Black Pepper Bun 福州世祖胡椒餅 for 60NTD (AUD$3)! Then we snacked our way down the colourful food stalls.

Dihua St 迪化街, Dadaocheng

• Pan’s Popiah Minquan makes traditional vegetarian popiah with a delicious black sesame spread
• Wolf Tea has lovely tea ware and a selection of local loose leaf
• Kuo’s Astral Bookshop is set in a heritage building with original cinderblocks and wooden beams, with a couple of mini art galleries in the attic
• Food stalls around the temple serve vegetarian food. I found a tasty almond milk vendor when the midday heat got a little strong, even in winter.

Central

• Zhen Fang Breakfast Sandwiches for another classic Taiwanese breakfast

Xinyi district

• Hermit’s Hut, a tea lover and aesthete’s dream. Sessions are 2 hours long; we brewed the wild mountain leaf and tieguanyin oolong.
• Tei by OBOND — a cocktail bar serving tea-based beverages; bookings essential via Instagram
• Last, but not least, the Taipei 101 building