In a Nutshell
Starting off with cafes Meat Up, White Whale (白色鲸鱼), and Coffee Megane (眼镜咖啡). Following after, to Breeze Song Gao (微风松高) - where Taipei's H&M flagship store is located - and A Poet. Passed by Formosa Chang (胡须张) while on my way to A Poet and decided to give it a try! And lastly awesome street snacks at Raohe Street Night Market (饶河街观光夜市) – one of the oldest night market of Taipei.
There is this really pretty cafe called 'Meat Up' at Ximending that I always pass by on my way to the metro station, and back home. So finally this morning I decided to check it out and no regrets! This fuss-free cafe serves just burgers and fruit-based drinks. I had a beef burger with customization of cheese sauce, sunny side-up and bacon. It comes with fries and coke. You can change the drink to any other drink and they will just minus NTD30 off from the bill. I ordered a strawberry mango juice and it comes served so prettily in ice blended form! The burger is really nice as well and I'm so glad I decided to check these guys out!
Meat Up
No. 124-4, Section 2, Wuchang Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City
台北市万华区武昌街2段124-4号
Opening hrs: 11:30am-9pm (Mon-Thu), 11:30am-10pm (Fri), 11am-10pm (Sat), 11am-9pm (Sun)
Subway: Ximen Station Exit 6 (line 3 green, line 5 blue)
#1: Meat Up.
#2: Super pretty illustration of their menu.
#3: Strawberry Mango Juice in ice blended form, super delish! NTD145 = SGD6.60.
#4: Beef Burger, choose 1 sauce and 2 other ingredients. I had cheese sauce, bacon and sunny side-up. It comes sandwiched with onion, tomato and lettuce as well. NTD280 = SGD12.70.
Next, I went to White Whale (白色鲸鱼), a simple drinks cafe decorated with dried flowers. I chose the double drink option of Peach Oolong Tea and Raspberry Strawberry Tea. The bouquet flowers are so pretty I have to bring a mini one home! They have a pet cat in the shop as well and it just sits there quietly, so pretty and cute!
White Whale 白色鲸鱼
No. 46, Wenchang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City
台北市大安区文昌路46号
Opening hrs: 8am-6pm (Mon-Fri), 10am-6pm (Sat), Closed on Sundays
Subway: Xinyi Anhe Station (line 2 red)
#5: White Whale.
#6: Super pretty flowers!
#7: Double Drink Option - Peach Oolong Tea and Raspberry Strawberry Tea, NTD90 = SGD4.05.
#8: Their dried flower bouquets are so pretty, I have to bring a mini one home! NTD120 = SGD5.45.
After which, I went to Coffee Megane (眼睛咖啡) across the street. Not quite sure what is the obsession with glasses for this cafe is, but the Matcha Milk that I ordered sure is good! This place kind of give of a Japanese-style vibe as they use mainly wooden dining ware. This cafe is surprisingly popular despite its lack of space and choices. But I guess the quality of the items and the quiet atmosphere made up for it!
Coffee Megane 眼睛咖啡
No. 6, Lane 52, Siwei Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
台北市大安区思维路52巷6号
Opening hrs: 10am-8pm, Closed on Wednesdays
Subway: Xinyi Anhe Station (line 2 red)
#9: Coffee Megane.
#10: Matcha Latte, NTD180 = SGD8.15.
Wanted to went over to A Poet, which is also round the corner, but they are close for 2hrs in the afternoon. So I decided to go Smith and Hsu first and then head back here again. UNFORTUNATELY, the Smith and Hsu branch at Zhongxiao East Road has closed down! Damn! I crossed the road over to Breeze Song Gao (微风松高) where the flagship store of H&M Taipei is located. This H&M store is real huge and all the things at the HOME section are so pretty! I wonder why Singapore's H&M doesn't have HOME section? I haven't seen any store in Singapore with that section... Breeze Gong Gao also has many theme stores like Minion, Snoopy and LEGO.
Breeze Song Gao 微风松高
No. 16, Songgao Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
台北市信义区松高路16号
Opening hrs: 11am-9:30pm (Sun-Wed), 11am-10pm (Thu-Sat)
Subway: Taipei City Hall Station Exit 2 (line 5 blue)
#11: Breeze Song Gao.
#12: H&M Flagship Store in Taipei.
After which I went back to A Poet. This place is so dim... I guess they run as a cafe in the day and as a bistro in the night. Not really interested in any particular item on the menu so I just went for a cup of hot latte, because after this I'm gonna head over to Formosa Chang and Raohe Street Night Market!
A Poet
No. 9, Lane 295, Section 1, Dunhua South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
台北市大安区钝化南路1段295巷9号
Opening hrs: 11:30am-3pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Subway: Da'an Station (line 2 red)
#13: Got this along the way at 7-11 as I am freaking hungry!
#14: A Poet.
#15: Latte, NTD170 = SGD7.70.
Passed by Formosa Chang (胡须张) while on my way to A Poet and thought I should give it a try after A Poet as it is pretty popular in Taiwan and probably worldwide. It is famous for its legendary Braised Pork Rice which won them the 'Most Popular Award' at the 9th Taipei International Food Carnival. Formosa Chang is a great place to try some authentic Taiwanese food and the Braised Pork Rice was indeed fantastic. I had the Braised Pork Rice (small) + Garlic Taiwan Sausage + Radish Cabbage Soup meal set. The food were great but it wasn't to my liking as they were all too oily. This proves its authenticity as food in the past were cooked packed with flavour and also lots of oil as oil helps to enhance flavours, but it is just too much for me.
Formosa Chang 胡须张
No. 24, Xinyi Road Section 4, Da’an District, Taipei City
台北市大安区信义路4段24号
Opening hrs: 10am-11pm
Subway: Da'an Station (line 2 red)
#16: Formosa Chang.
#17: Formosa Chang.
#18: Braised Pork Rice Set, NTD99 = SGD4.50.
Lastly, I went to Raohe Street Night Market (饶河街观光夜市). It is one of the oldest night markets in Taipei. Personally, I prefer this over Shilin Night Market as the stalls here are more organized and there are better food choices. Everybody is just everywhere at Shilin Night Market. You can probably lost your way there as it is really messy. I feel the prices there are steeper as well since it is the most popular night market in Taipei and is also well patronized by tourists. There are so many to choose from but I just pick a few that looks more appealing to me. I had the famous Pepper Bun (胡椒饼), it's like almost everybody that comes to Raohe Night Market will queue for this! I also tried 爆浆芋 (Lava Salted Yolk Taro Balls) and 爆浆玉子烧 (Tamagoyaki with a runny center), anything that is 爆浆 (liquid sauce?) would definitely taste awesome! I also bought 2 boxes of Taiwan Pineapple Cake and a box of Taiwan Mochi that goes at 1 for NTD70 and 3 for NTD200. It's cheaper I would say as many places sell NTD100 per box.
Yup, and to more dining actions tomorrow!
Raohe Street Night Market
饶河街观光夜市
Section 4, Bade Road, Songshan District, Taipei City
台北市松山区八德路4段
Opening hrs: 5pm-12am
Subway: Songshan Station Exit 5 (line 3 green)
#19: Raohe Street Night Market.
#20: Pepper Bun.
#21: Pepper Bun, NTD50 = SGD2.25.
#22: Fried Taro Balls.
#23: There are many filling options but apparently these two are the most popular!
#24: Golden lava salted yolk goodness. NTD100 (4pcs) = SGD4.55.
#25: Lava Tamagoyaki.
#26: I ordered Ebiko Tamagoyaki, and it is served topped with mayo, seaweed powder and bonito flakes; with a runny enter of cheese, corn and more ebiko.
Expenses for the Day
Meat Up Burger: NTD280
Strawberry Mango Juice: NTD145 - NTD30 = NTD115
White Whale: NTD90
Dried Flowers: NTD120
Coffee Megane Matcha Latte: NTD180
H&M: NTD1,722
> Child T-shirt NTD199
> Child Star Wars T-shirt NTD399
> Child Sweatpants NTD499
> Falsies NTD199
> Printed Napkins NTD99 x 3 = NTD297
> Printed Dish NTD129
> Cactus Wall Hook NTD199 (did not charge to bill, woohoo!)
7-11 Chicken Sushi Wrap: NTD45
A Poet Cappucciko: NTD170
Formosa Chang: NTD99
Raohe Hu Jiao Bing: NTD50
Salted Yolk Taro Balls: NTD100 (4pcs)
Pineapple Tart and Mochi: NTD200 (3 box)
Keyring: NTD59
Yu Zi Shao: NTD65
Total Expenses for Day 6: NTD3,295 = SGD149.77
Previous Total Expenses: SGD1,265.51
Current Total Expense: SGD1,415.28