Some Things We Ate
September 2025
To state the obvious, Taiwan is one of the best food destinations in the world. It’s where I first had xialongbao in 2010, sparking a Din Tai Fung obsession that continues to this day. It’s where I tried chicken buttholes for the first time. It’s where you can have a US$0.50 cifantuan (purple sticky rice ball stuffed with pork floss, pickled vegetables, and a tea egg) for breakfast and then on the same day have dinner at the world’s only three Michelin-starred Singaporean restaurant.
Taipei breakfasts go beyond street snacks, often featuring doujiang, a soy milk preparation served hot or cold. We first tried it alongside scallion pancakes at a locals’ spot called Ding Yuan. Also, despite my obsession with XLB I did not realize that it is traditionally a breakfast dish. The XLB at Ding Yuan was excellent, with flavors more intense and distinct than those at Din Tai Fung. It was a nice to try a different style.
Of course, we also had to eat at DTF on its home turf. We visited the original location, now takeout-only, and enjoyed a picnic in nearby Da’an Park.
One of the best single dishes we had on our trip was crispy, fried stinky tofu at Tonghua/Linjiang night market. We chased this with a Korean kimchi pancake and Taiwan Beer.
Michelin-recognized Fu Hang is the tourist-favorite restaurant for soy milk. Lines can last over an hour. The kitchen on display provides entertainment while waiting. We were lucky to wait only about five minutes to reach the ordering station, where your tray is filled almost as soon as you can call out the dishes you desire. It was good, though not quite at the level of Ding Yuan.
Taiwan’s fine dining scene is surprisingly mature. We ate at four starred restaurants, with JL Studio (***) in Taichung standing out as the highlight. Unfortunately I did not bring the camera, so there are no photos of that meal.
Our last dinner in Taiwan was meats-on-sticks cooked to order at the Taipei Dome while watching a baseball game (set #8), a perfect blend of street food and spectacle.
Fifteen years after my first visit, Taiwan reminds me that its culinary treasure is not necessarily the food itself, but the joy of experiencing it in so many different contexts, from a bustling breakfast restaurant to a busy street to a quiet fine dining venue to a roaring stadium.
Recipes: Reggie’s Portra, Classic Cuban Negative
Taiwan Photosets:
Taipei Days
Taipei Museums
Taipei Nights
Jiufen/Shifen
Taichung
Sun Moon Lake
Food
Baseball
