I spent 6 weeks in Taiwan and during this time, I familiarised myself with the local food scene near Sanxia Old Street. What I've got featured are local hot-spots with reasonably-priced items (< 100 NTD) that are worth your bucks. Some are within walking distance from Sanxia Old Street; others are farther, but conveniently located at the residential buildings nonetheless. Far or near, these eateries uphold the Taiwanese spirit of transforming commonplace food items into a foodie's best dream.
5 minutes' walk away from Sanxia Old Street, this local hotspot sells
slushie and traditional bean curd priced at a steal (
30 NTD). The place was packed when I went on a Sunday afternoon. Though the queue was relatively long, the staff were fast-handed so we got through the queue quickly.
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| Generous serving of soft peanuts and chickpeas |
Address: No.149 Minsheng St., Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City 237, Taiwan
Operating hours: Daily 9am - 10pm. Closed on the 1st and 4th Tues of the month.
Map:
It was a warm evening when I stumbled upon this place. I'd thought to myself,
what better way to end my lonesome night than a dessert-for-one? Thoughts of social awkwardness of consuming one bowl of shaved ice by myself melted away when I tried the peanuty goodness. I didn't care that it was a calorie bomb or that I was alone -
I just wanted to finish the entire bowl by myself. And finished I did. That's the power of sugar, I guess. 😂 I got
peanut Korean shaved ice the first time there
with 4 toppings at NT $70. (The difference between Bingsu and Taiwanese shaved ice lies in the texture of the ice. Korean Bingsu is made with finely shaved, feather-light ice that melts immediately on your tongue, while the Taiwanese variant contains chunky ice reminiscent of Singapore's Ice Kachang.) The bingsu is limited edition (which I only found out on my second trip) and comes with 3 flavours: matcha, peanut and chocolate. Initially, I wanted to opt for fruit syrup, but the staff advised against it, saying that it'd affect the taste of the peanut flavour - and I was so glad I listened to him! I changed to watermelon as one of my toppings in the end and to be honest, it was really an odd match with the peanut bingsu but at least it didn't contaminate the flavour like the syrup would have. 😜
*For vegans, do inform the staff not to add condensed milk.
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| Some of the ingredients: different types of beans, taro, fruits, tapioca pearl, aiyu jelly, grass jelly, fruit jelly, pudding, fruit syrup |
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| Taro, red bean |
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Watermelon, soft peanuts
(The peanuts and taro are camouflaged with the peanut ice) |
Eating this was like going on an archaeological food dig as you uncover the treasure of ingredients hidden below the mountain of ice. I was so impressed by the flavour and the affordable price that I went back again a few weeks later. This dessert place is located beside a waffle stand, which also seemed to attract the local crowd so you can consider grabbing it as an afternoon tea snack (the waffle, not the people)! I got the original shaved ice for my second trip there at 50 NTD, including 4 toppings. Because I was flying solo again, I had the whole bowl to myself. So I requested for less ice and no brown sugar to avoid going sugar overload. A wise choice, if I do say so myself, since the ingredients come sweetened.
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| Taro + red beans + salty roasted peanuts + blackcurrant |
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| Showing a different side so you can see how generous they are with the toppings! |
Address: 237, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Sanxia District 民生街108號
Operating hours: Daily 1-11 pm
Map:
Address: No. 255, Dayi Road, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 237
237新北市三峽區大義路255號
Operating hours: Daily 12.30 - 10.30pm
Map:
I'm a carbs lover through and through. Bread, pastry, potato and even good ol' rice - I love them all. This carb-on-carb waffle deserves a huge shout-out for its simplicity and palatability. The waffle was slightly crunchy, not dry, and the hashbrown was crispy. With melty cheese and fresh, crunchy cabbage, this waffle sandwich is an upgrade from your typical sandwich and burger. While it is definitely not a hearty meal, it is definitely indulgent. But there's just something comforting and nostalgic about holding a warm paper bag of waffles in your hands, munching unhurriedly and retreating into your own headspace as you do so - or at least, that's how my experience at this cosy waffle place went.
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| Menu item: Brown patties (basically hash brown) with sliced cheese and vegetables (60 NTD) |
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| Do I need to post so many photos of the same thing? |
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| Apparently yes. |
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| Because I can't decide which photo to use. |
Address: No. 134, Wenhua Road, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 237
Operating hours: Daily 8.30am - 10pm
Map:
I would never have discovered this place if it wasn't for a late night bus en route to my accommodation. Its vibrant logo and state name (Sanxia) had captured my attention, and so I made a mental note to google this place and check it out.
You'll hardly find a queue on most days but don't let that fool you into thinking that
that means business is slow. Behind the counter stood several kitchen staff diligently making the buns from scratch. You'll also find boxes upon boxes filled with buns waiting to be picked up. By who? You - and the locals! They usually pre-order in bulk and self-collect. Less (or better yet,
no) queuing time always sounds delicious to me.
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| Menu |
When I first held the bun in my hand, I was slightly disappointed that the it was not warm. But all was good when I took my first bite. Even though the bun was not warm, the dough somehow maintained its pillowy softness -
not tough or dry at all. And the filling? It was
CREAMY and
BUTTERY (but not oily 'cause I doubt they added butter). I suppose the bun itself is made with brown sugar, because it doesn't carry the taste of flour. It tasted so good even when it was not warm, so I can only imagine how much extra-ordinary it'd be when warmed.
On my day of departure, I bought the sesame bun again and 2 vegetarian buns (bamboo shoots and cabbage) to try.
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| Bun is bigger than the size of my palm |
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| Bamboo shoots |
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| Cabbage |
Personally, I preferred the bamboo shoots to the cabbage because of its taste and texture. The dough-to-filling ratio between the bamboo shoots and cabbage one appears so drastic here because it's handmade. But I can close one eye here since the bread tasted good anyway. The filling was however a tad too oily for me, so the sesame bun still has my heart.
Address: No. 281, Fuxing Road, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 237
237新北市三峽區復興路281號
Operating hours: Daily 7am - 7pm
Map:
Run by a young couple, this store has a steady stream of loyal customers and here's why:
The lady boss was very kind and generous. She'd ask the customers if they've tried their products and if not,
she'd offer a sample of the yellow and black soymilk. Black is more fragrant with a thicker consistency; yellow is mildly sweet.
Both are good, but
black soymilk is packed with more nutrients. The soymilk comes unsweetened, but of course, you have the option of sweetening it. The lady boss shared with me that she adds cane sugar for black soymilk, and homemade brown sugar for yellow soymilk.
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| Bean curd with black soymilk |
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| Went down my throat so easily 😋 |
Address: No. 93, Dade Road, Sanxia District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 237
237新北市三峽區大德路93號
Operating hours: Tues - Sun, 2.30 - 8pm. Closed on Mon.
Map:
7. 新博豆浆
Taiwanese breakfast is heavy on the carbs, but don't shy away from carbs because of that - carbs are not our
starch enemy.
(But diet is.) A great way to begin your day energetically is to load up on carbs
(until you get the carb crash). Anyway, my point is Taiwanese breakfast is GREAT with extensive options so it's a must-get, must-try. The place that I went to was near my accommodation. Though not as popular as Yong He Dou Jiang (永和豆漿) or Fu Hang Dou Jiang (阜杭豆漿), it's still worth a try if you're around the neighbourhood.
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| Menu |
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| Shao Bing (烧饼) and egg tart also available |
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| Pancake-making station... and no, I don't mean the Western pancake, but Chinese spring onion pancake |
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| Savoury bean curd 咸豆浆 w/ chilli oil and vinegar |
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| Vegetarian rice roll 素饭团 (vegetarian floss 素肉松 + fried dough fritters 油条) |
Maybe I should've tried this at another store, or maybe I'm just one of those who didn't like it, but the savoury bean curd was a let-down. It was what it was: slightly spicy from the chilli oil (optional) and sour from the vinegar.
But the rice roll was awesome. The
rice was slightly sticky and
works well with the sweetness of the vegetarian meat floss. Even my host family chose the vegetarian option over the meat one! The dough fritter lost the crunch factor when I bit into it, but that's probably 'cause I'd left it out for 1 hour. 😅
Address: 3 Dacheng Road, New Taipei City, Taipei (Beside Family Mart)
Operating hours: Mon - Fri, 6 - 11am. Closed on Sat & Sun.
Map:
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