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Showing posts from July, 2017

[Portland, OR] - Pip's Original Doughnuts & Chai

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When talking about Portland and doughnuts, what do you hear first? Voodoo? Blue Star? My favorite doughnuts have been from The Doughnut Vault in Chicago ever since I tried those, and Top Pot in Seattle. Until I had Pip's.  These little doughnuts changed the game for me. There are only a few flavors but they are all done incredibly well. They are made fresh to order, so you might have to wait 5+ minutes (depending on the line also). The best part for me though, is hot and fresh they are. The inside is so spongy and soft, and the outside has just a tiny bit of crispiness from the fresh fry. If you get these to go, eat them in your car! They are best when super fresh. There is a food truck that goes around to different locations, and also a brick and mortar location. For $4.75, you can get a half dozen of these little bites of heaven. Flavors like honey & sea salt, nutella & sea salt, cinnamon & sugar, and The Dirty Wu. In case you are wondering what it is, it'

[Gangshan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan] - 翔園羊肉店/Xiáng yuán yángròu diàn

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Now, I present to you my favorite goat restaurant in Gangshan. If you are stopping by via train, this one is also going to be the most convenient one to eat at. It's a small restaurant, but it's cozy. They have a variety of the usual suspects, along with hot pot. My favorite thing here though, is the marrow. While marrow has in recent years become hipster food, they haven't quite gotten to goat marrow. The bone is smaller and there is less marrow. I don't know about others, but I feel like the smaller amount makes my arteries appreciate me a little for respecting their flow. It can get a bit muggy inside depending on how many people order hot pot. They have fans blowing, but it's still pretty hot for me. At the same time, I was also sitting in front of the hot pot so that did not help. Out of all of the places there, the goat and restaurant are probably going to be the cleanest, and probably the most convenient to stop by if you don't know your way around o

[Gangshan, Taiwan] - 舊市羊肉/Jiù shì yángròu

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舊市羊肉 is one of the other restaurants I eat goat at in Gangshan. Truthfully, a lot of these are pretty comparable. I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between this one and 源坐羊肉店. The main difference for me would just be location (albeit Gangshan is so small that it's all negligible), and the side dishes you can order (which again, are still mostly the same). Tomorrow I'll share the one that I like the best, even though you can't go wrong at any of these three places.  Simple bowl of goat meat and rice vermicelli. And a ton of ginger. This place can get pretty busy, so try and call ahead if you can. If not, be prepared for a little wait. Address: No. 111號, Hehua Road Kaohsiung City,  Taiwan 820 Gangshan District Facebook

[Gangshan, Taiwan] - 源坐羊肉店/Yuán zuò yángròu diàn

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I spent a lot of my childhood in 岡山, or Gangshan. Or on some signs, Kangshan. If you visit Taiwan, you'll notice that a lot of the cities are spelled differently depending on the road sign or store. Honestly, romanizing Chinese words just seems clunky. Either way, be aware that spellings can change so you are still heading to the correct city or town that you're intending. Gangshan is a tiny town on the very outskirts of Kaohsiung (also spelled Gaohsiung). When I grew up, I had to rely on someone to drive me to Kaohsiung if I wanted to go to a city with an actual mall. Just in the past few years though, the KMRT has expanded so that it reaches Gangshan. It's now officially connected to the city! Chances are good you are not staying in Gangshan. Chances are, no one you know where the hell it is or what it is. So, if you just happen to be in Kaohsiung and you want to try something different, pop on the KMRT and head over to Gangshan and try some of their famous goat nood

[Wulai, Taiwan] - 山地美食屋

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One of my favorite places to relax in Taiwan is Wulai. At some point in my life, I realized that it's harder to slow down and just breathe. Wulai allows me to do that with the marvelous natural hot springs, fantastic local produce, and small town living. A lot of foreigners like taking a cab to get to Wulai (actually, most foreigners like going to Beitou for hot springs and is probably more tourist friendly), but I think taking the bus and holding on for dear life is part of the fun. And, you appreciate it more when you make it there after not plummeting off a cliff amrite? In Wulai itself, you don't need a car. There's the bus stop, and the main town. It's a small town. Some places you have to search for the bus stop on the way back, but it's the same general spot so it's easy to find. It also comes and goes regularly so if you miss one, just wait for the next.  The majority of food vendors and restaurants are along the main street. It is impossible to mis

[Kaohsiung, Taiwan] - Stinky Tofu King / 江豪記臭豆腐王

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I love when people I follow in Instagram post places I wouldn't have found on my own. Who says you have to sit around with Insta-envy? I use it as a way to find places to go! Stinky tofu? Good. Blood cakes? Good. Ramen? Good. All together? GOOD!   If you are in the Kaohsiung area and are feeling a hankering for stinky tofu and ramen, this is a good place to get it. The bowl isn't huge, but those blood cakes were pretty filling on top of all of the side tofu we ordered. Tofu is super dense so it really didn't take that much to get full. The stinky tofu here is pretty good and very stinky. If you can't handle the smell, you can sit outside where it's a balmy 85F with 90% humidity, or you can head upstairs and enjoy the strong a/c.  Are they really the king of stinky tofu? I don't know, but I do know that I liked what I had. My favorite of course, was the softer, fried tofu, and the ramen with stinky tofu, blood cakes, and enoki. Stinky tofu, ramen,

[Keelung, Taiwan] - 廟口夜市 Miaokou Night Market

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Every summer that I went back to Taiwan was spent with family. The best part of being with family and just letting them take me everywhere. While there are a lot of people who don't really explore, my family loves food and loves trying new places along with their tried and true favorites. The bad part is not being really able to go off and do things on my own at farther locations. Keelung was one of those farther away locations I never had a chance to visit. Although, I have to say, I wouldn't trade the other places I went instead (Taroko Gorge, Hualien, and a good chunk of the East Coast).  Now, when I go back to Taiwan, I stay a few days in Taipei which leaves me time to pop over to Keelung. Keelung's Miao Kou Night Market is arguably, one of the best night markets in Taiwan. The seafood alone is already a huge draw. Most of Taipei's fresh seafood comes from Keelung. Aside from seafood, they have a plethora of other options based on rice, pork, or beef. There is