In a Nutshell
Starting the day off with Ay Chung Mee Sua (阿宗面线) – a must-eat in Taipei. Felt like a giant at Miniatures Museum of Taiwan (袖珍博物馆) – the first miniature museum in Asia. Sipped on a cup of coffee at Fika Fika Café, before proceeding to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂) – a national monument built in memory of the former President of the Republic of China. Next up? Huashan 1914 Creative Park (华山1914文化创意产业园区) and ending the day off with Jack and Nana Coffee Store, and a good massage session at Ximending.
I was so tired today, I think I haven’t been sleeping well, that I woke up 2hrs later than the planned time. Dropped by Ay Chung Mee Sua (阿宗面线) for breakfast. I have heard a lot about them. They are probably the best in Taipei and it is a must-try. The mee sua is indeed rather satisfying! Not quite sure what goes into that bowl of goodness, but I could taste black vinegar, chicken shreds and bonito flakes, topped with pig intestine slices and fresh coriander.
Ay Chung Mee Sua 阿宗面线
No. 8-1, Emei Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City
台北市万华区峨嵋街8-1号
Opening hrs: 11am-10:30pm (Mon-Thu), 11am-11pm (Fri-Sun)
Subway: Ximen Station Exit 6 (line 5 blue)
#1: Ay Chung Mee Sua.
#2: Pig Intestine Mee Sua (big), NTD65 = SGD2.95.
Next, I went to Miniatures Museum of Taiwan (袖珍博物馆). It is the first miniature museum in Asia, founded in 1997. It started out by Mr Lin and his wife who enjoyed buying little houses and toy cars for their children during their business trips. While in Netherlands, they discovered miniature art and started planning their museum in 1993. Every single piece of work is so well designed and built, and every piece of work comes with a story behind it. They are mainly built based on a scale of 1:12, but some are built based on the scale of 1:24. You can see that lots of effort is being put in for every single piece. It’s jaw dropping and definitely worth visiting!
Miniatures Museum of Taiwan
袖珍博物馆
No. 96, B1, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山区建国北路1段96号B1
Opening hrs: 10am-6pm, Closed on Mondays
Admission: NTD180
Subway: Songjiang Nanjing Station Exit 3 (line 3 green, line 4 yellow)
Instagram: @miniatures_museum_of_taiwan
#3: Entrance at ground level.
#4: Entrance at basement. Admission: NTD180 = SGD8.15.
Here are some of my favourites:
#5: A cheese shop of a small European town about 100 years ago.
#6: A scene of Venice - the elegant Gothic architecture was built in 15th century, between 1425 and 1440. And, how can you miss out gondolas when in Venice?
#7: A very bright kitchen spotted in Richmond B.C. of Canada.
#8: Ting Ting's Room - Ting Ting, the owner of this room, has her room near to the lake. The cool breeze from the lake always keeps the room cool, even if it's during summer.
#9: You see that? Dollhouse inside a dollhouse!
#10: Yung Yung's Playroom - Yung Yung is a preschool boy who loves circus and also a miniature collector.
#11: French Bakery - made to resemble a bakery that is complete with flour, sugar and any other ingredients and tools. The baked products are freshly baked available for customers, who stands waiting at the shop.
#12: Gas Station - a combination of a gas station and an auto-repair shop. This is a gas station from the 1930s, but occasionally you can still find them at the road side of an African village.
#13: Gulliver's Travels.
#14: English Castle of Scotland.
#15: Master Bedroom at Emerald Seattle - Seattle is recognized as one of the most livable cities in the world as there are plenty of lakes and forest surroundings. People say one can live longer if you live close to the forest. This master bedroom of a gorgeous house is very well furnished and decorated, taking advantage of its forest view.
#16: Nostalgic Japan - this is a street scene of 1960 Ikeda, Japan. Today's Japan is more Western and gone were the old good traditional Japan.
#17: Representing a sushi store, so cute!
Right behind the museum is Fika Fika Café. ‘Fika’ means to have a break with coffee and sweets like pastries and cookies, in Swedish. They are the winner for Nordic Roaster 2013 and is almost crowded the entire day. I had the Ham and Cheese Croissant, which comes with a side of greens, egg salad and muesli. Since I ordered a main, I paid NTD20 for my iced latte, instead of the original price of NTD150.
Fika Fika Café
No. 33, Yitong Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
台北市中山区伊通街33号
Opening hrs: 10:30am-9pm (Mon), 8am-9pm (Tue-Fri), 9am-9pm (Sat-Sun)
Subway: Songjiang Nanjing Station Exit 3 (line 3 green, line 4 yellow)
Instagram: @fikafikacafe
#18: Fika Fika Cafe.
#19: Ham and Croissant Breakfast Set, NTD330 = SGD15.
#20: Iced Latte, NT150 = SGD6.80 (top up just NTD20 with any main ordered).
After which I went to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂). It is a national monument, a landmark of Taipei and a tourist attraction spot. It is built in memory of Chiang Kai Shek, former president of China. The monument, surrounded by a park, stands opposite of Liberty Square (自由广场); and is framed north and south by the National Theater (国家戏剧院) and National Concert Hall (国家音乐厅). The memorial hall is built white with four walls, and a blue octagon-shaped roof – the number ‘8’ symbolizes abundance and good fortune. Two sets of white stairs, each with 89 steps, representing Chiang’s passing age.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
中正纪念堂
No. 21, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
台北市中正区中山南路21号
Opening hrs: 9am-6pm
Subway: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station Exit 3 (line 2 red, line 3 green)
#21: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.
#22: Changing of Guards Parade.
Next, I went to Huashan 1914 Creative Park (华山1914文化创意产业园区) and got 50 Lan (50岚) along the way. 50 Lan is marketed as KOI in Singapore, a really popular premium bubble tea brand and is one of the top bubble tea chain stores in Singapore. However, the standard of 50 Lan is so far from KOI’s. I got the Big Bubble Green Milk Tea, and it just tasted like the ones you get at neighbourhood bubble tea stores in Singapore. The taste of the tea is weak, it’s very milky, and the bubbles are so soft instead of chewy. I threw away almost 80% of it, it just taste not as good as expected. Wanted to visit the Upside Down House Exhibit but realized that the exhibit ended last July, damn! I thought it’s gonna be there forever, but anyway the park was still a nice place for photo taking.
Huashan 1914 Creative Park
华山1914文化创意产业园区
No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
台北市中正区八德路1段1号
Opening hrs: 9:30am-9pm
Subway: Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station Exit 1 (line 4 yellow, line 5 blue)
#23: Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
#24: Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
I then went to Jack and Nana Coffee Store, which is a few streets down the road. This place is great for coffee enthusiasts as they do coffee cupping of various coffee blend from a range of single origin beans. Other than that, there are just 4 items on the menu – hot/iced latte, hot/iced Americano, cheesecake and cookies. I had a hot latte and a slice of cheesecake. The cake was really really good, thought the crust was little too thick. The coffee was actually too milky for me… I think I’m just too used to drinking strong coffee.
Jack and Nana Coffee Store
No. 36, Lane 33, Linyi Street, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City
台北市中正区临沂街33巷36号
Opening hrs: 11am-8pm
Subway: Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station Exit 5 (line 4 yellow, line 5 blue)
Instagram: @jacknanacoffee
#25: Jack and Nana Coffee Store.
#26: Cheesecake, NTD80 = SGD3.60.
Went back to Ximending for a good massage session before heading back. The masseur told me that there will be 寒流 from tomorrow onwards. Not quite sure what the word means, but basically it means it is going to be really cold and there will a drop of temperature. In the day is fine, but it will probably drop about 10degC or so in the night. Then… It started raining! It is about 8:30pm and I wanted to find a place to have dinner first since it’s raining but everywhere is crowded. So I grabbed Chicken Katsu Don and a slice of cake roulade from 7-11 before heading home.
#27: Super good Chicken Katsu Don! For a 7-11 standard... NTD70 = SGD3.15.
Expenses for the Day
Ay Chung Mee Sua (big): NTD65
Miniatures Museum Admission: NTD180
3D Paper Model Postcards: NTD100 (5pcs)
Fika Fika Café: Ham and Cheese Croissant NTD330 + NTD20 for Iced Latte
50 Lan Big Bubble Green Milk Tea: NTD50
Jack and Nana Coffee Store: Latte NTD140, Cheesecake NTD80
60mins Shoulder and Foot Massage: NTD850
7-11 Chicken Katsu Don: NTD70
7-11 Cake Roulade: NTD35
Total Expenses for Day 3: NTD1,920 = SGD87.27
Previous Total Expenses: SGD1,033.94
Current Total Expense: SGD1,121.21