Gastro Monkey // 美食家

Folks, the main reason Noodle in a Haystack caught my eye was their clam ramen that they had their first year of business (while I have come to love their other ramen offerings, I was still sad about the one that got away). I am happy to report back that I have finally tried it and it was fantastic. I am a huge clam fan and can put away a few pounds of clams in one sitting (it's all shell weight, anyway). Tried as I might, I could not get a reservation while they served that original clam ramen. When I heard that it was going to make a comeback, I cleared what I could of my July in anticipation of that weekend that I would head out to the Bay to get some. Thankfully my schedule worked out with the last Sunday of July! In case you missed it, I have posted about Clint and Yoko's ramen in detail here: Noodle in a Haystack Shio Ramen Then, there's this post also: Noodle in a Haystack Duck Shoyu and Foie Gras This post will focus on the July seating of their shio bu...

If you've been following my blog, you'll know that Noodle in a Haystack is my favorite ramen restaurant/pop-up in the States. You can find my previous blog entry here . I broke down the reasons why it's worth making that elusive reservation, and what makes Clint and Yoko's ramen so great and unique. So, I'm not going to repeat myself. What I want to do this time around (and next time because I assure you it's not my last visit), is show some pretty pictures and introduce one of the other ramen seatings that they had. They have a few different ramen varieties in rotation which depend on what they feel is fresh. They had a shio clam ramen I wanted in on a few years ago, but they stopped making it because they didn't like the clams they were using. They finally brought it back (don't worry, if you aren't able to go, I will definitely report back!) for July 2019. For how long, I can't say though. So really, if you see something you like, BOOK IT. Th...

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...

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

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...

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, ...

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 ...