Salmon Galore - 三味食堂

If you are a salmon / sashimi lover, this is a MUST-GO. 

Located about 10 minutes walk from Ximending Station Exit 1, it is relatively easy to find. Note the opening hours at the bottom. If you don't wish to queue much, go earlier and wait for the the doors to open. If not, be prepared to queue and watch people eat and endure the painful wait. It was about 30 minutes for us, so it's not too bad. But once inside, everything will be worth it still.

ENJOYYY.

Note the operating hours. They are so popular they can afford to take a break. 

Calling for customers on the longggg list of names that we write ourselves.

We had to wait for about 10 groups before reaching our turn. 

Thankfully the 2nd level is rather spacious.

Price is very decent. About 250 NTD mostly.

Free miso soup for you.

First dish - mixed sashimi. Salmon, tuna, squid and crabmeat.

Salmon is still the best for me.
Oh and yes, their wasabi is decent too. Unlike some places where it's crap and really doesn't do justice to the salmon, no matter how nice they are.As wasabi is a MUST, at least for me.

The portions are so thick I found it a little hard to chew some times.

Next up - Salmon sushi.

You can choose to have a mixture of sashimi, which I thought we should have gotten instead of only salmon. A mixture would have been nice too. I'll do that next time perhaps. 

Check out the thickness

Tempura. It must have felt a little sidelined there, cause really, this was the kind of reaction.

Salmon came: WAHHHHHH. OMG.... SO BIGG... OMGGGG...
Tempura came: wahhh.. looks good.

It's true.

Have you seen salmon-wrapped rice-balls?

When you spread them open.

Look at those slabs of salmon. Gosh.

Probability of return: Definitely

Not only is the sashimi fresh, you could see how huge they are so it's surely worth your money. I will try their Dons and wraps the next time round. Everything above was for the 2 of us. And to be honest we got a little sick towards the end. It's really too much. Eat in moderation and you'll enjoy the experience better I guess!

No. 116號, 貴陽街二段, Wanhua District

Taipei City, Taiwan 108

02-2389-2211

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Hualien - Ziqiang 自強 Night Market and Hualien City

Hualien is full of mountains and waters. So if you're into that kinda stuff, you won't wana miss a trip here. At the end of this post I will recommend a place to put up at, as well as a few pictures of the places I've been as a preview for you.

But first.. FOOD. And this is Zi Qiang 自強 Night Market that we went to.

Shanghai steamed bao 上海水煎包

Very popular BBQ-styled everything.

 EVERYTHING.

Duck parts - not my type of thing, but it's famous too apparently.

Coffin-Bread.　蒋家棺材板
Really awesome and delightful find in Taiwan, again not available back home.

Their juice is good Try papaya milk.

Have you seen anyone prepare wraps like this???
This dude's like a MACHINE. And it tastes good too. 

Breakfast place our guide brought us to.

蛋餅，油條，溫豆花，煎佼子

Must-buys from Hualien - Mochi 麻糬

These that are sold individually are fresher and can be kept for ~2 days max.
Buy those sealed ones if you wish to bring home for friends.
In other words, eat those nicer ones yourself.

Streets of Hualien City

曾記麻糬

More mochi from another famous shop 曾記麻糬. It's EVERYWHERE I tell you.

Taro balls 芋蝦. Love the wasabi and mao sauce. It was 6 + 1 free by the nice uncle!

Beggar gang - Lu wei 丐幫滷味. Too full so we takeaway. See below.

From a famous goose shop. Not really fantastic in my opinion, but some might like it.

Ahh. 滷味 is still my favourite. Satisfaction!!

Tip: 王子面 is the MUST when you have this anywhere. It's like instant noodles, only tastes wayyyy better. 


OK, as promised, here's my recommendation for accommodation. They provide the tour packages in the pictures you can see below. The likes of Taroko Gorge, Cising Beach, even rafting too. Very friendly and helpful owners too. Rachel will be corresponding with you most probably. They provide free pickup from the train station!

http://www.bbsunrise.tw/epack.htm

Cisingtan

Taroko Gorge National Park

Cingshui Cliffs

Taken from Hualien Official Tourist Website :

Hualien County is approximately 4628 sq. km and has a population of about 350,000. Four hundred years ago, the Portuguese sailors went past the East Coast of Taiwan, fascinated by its beauty, and called it “FORMOSA.” Facing the immense Pacific Ocean in the east and leaning against the grand Central Mountain Range in the west, it is famous for its beautiful scenery. The natural resources in Taroko National Park, East Coast National Scenic Area, East Rift Valley Scenic Area and Yushan National Park make Hualien the most beautiful county in Taiwan.

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