Toro Toro! El Toro!

Nope I'm not in Spain, I'm still in Taiwan. Toro, is the fatty most prized part of the Blue-fin Tuna (Maguro). And it's Tuna season now.

My partner, was invited to a Tuna-Feast at 東港, about 50mins drive from Kao-shiung city. It was rainy and a long drive. BUT how can a sashimi lover like me ignore a S$250 a head dinner where Toro is the 主角.

The first dish was dried tuna roe which I think is expensive but can't say I'm a big fan. Then the sashimi came. I'm not exactly a connoisseur but good sashimi can always be differentiated. I made good use of my "stranger" status at the table and stayed away from conversion and the endless Macallan toasts, quietly polished off the sashimi... slice by slice. So good... I needn't describe good sashimi do I?

There were several tuna dishes, like grilled fish jaw, fish liver with capsicum, braised fish slices with onion. But nothing comes close to the sashimi.

Healthnut Rating:
Comments:This is a once a year Toro-feast held by my partner's friends and I guess I'll work hard to survive one year in Taiwan in order to be invited to the next one!

廚窗滷味@瑞豐夜市

瑞豐夜市 is my hangout now. There is a STRONG supper culture here and I'm trying my very best not to fall prey. The various food choices at the night market, Thank Goodness, are mostly deep-fried and I have not much interest in. But given the sheer numbers, you just know that my will-power's not gonna last long.

My eyes fell on the broccoli at the 廚窗滷味 stall. I love my Broccoli and I have been deprived. How the stall works is, there are many selection of dishes braised in their special soy-sauce and is either eaten straight or ta-paoed home and heated up. I chose 1. two servings of broccoli, 2. duck-wing, 3. two servings of 豬腳根 (Ter-Ka-Geng) [NTD170]. Not cheap actually but all my favourite foods! The broccoli's crunchy and sweet, as is all Taiwanese veg & fruit. The peppery and tasty soy-sauce braised the duck-wing and pig ligament well. Finger-licking good!

Healthnut Rating:
Comments: Good mix of veg and meat, not to mention I can select only my favourite foods. Too bad it's quite pricey. I'll leave this as an occasional treat to myself.

3M: Mucho Mango Madness

Not exactly a dessert person but guess you can't come to Taiwan and not eat the Chua Peng 削冰. So when in Rome do what the Romans do =)

I'm stuffed actually. I headed to this dessert place after my 撒尿水煎包. But as there's a saying, there's always space for dessert. There are loads of choices of 削冰, I went with 芒果 (NTD40) which I guess is the favourite amongst Taiwanese, I assume with all the food show hosts choosing it.

Portions were generous, came with Vanilla and Mango ice-cream. Mango was sweet and fresh. I found out only after that it's Mango Season here, together with pineapple. But I guess pineapple 削冰 does sound a little too radical. The amazing thing is that the shaved ice's texture, tastes like ice cream! Singapore's ice-kachang's ice standard pales in comparison. It's smooth and creamy even. Trust the Taiwanese to make even plain ice-shaving taste like that.

Healthnut Rating:
Comments: Since there's fruit involved, I can 勉強 rate it a two on the healthoholic scale. I'll turn a blind eye to the ice cream and enjoy this 芒果削冰 in the Taiwan Summer =)

撒尿水煎包

You remember the show 食神? When the anorexic patients tried the 撒尿牛肉丸, the juices SPRAYED all over. Well, I tried the 水煎包 version. Ah Guan warned me but warning fell on deaf ears. *PSSST* Soup all over the table...

The 撒尿水煎包 (NTD120 for ten) was simmering in a not-so-healthy looking wokful of oil when I first entered the shop. My healthoholic radar was beeping incessantly. Lardth Vader's near.

I'd usually prefer the normal Ding Tai Fung soup dumplings but there's a certain kick to the crunchiness of the thin & crispy lightly pan-fried bottom of the 煎包. The skin's thin and fluffy, courtesy of an army of FOUR ladies wrapping the 水煎包 outside of the stall, yes FOUR. The black seaseme seeds added to the dumpling having a nice bite to it.









Healthnut Rating:
Comments: The soup in the水煎包 was solid. The only drawback was that it was pan-fried. I'd preferred the steamed 湯包 which would have scored higher on the healthnut rating. Probably on another post, my partner's got a favourite restaurant selling crab-roe steamed meat dumplings. Till next time!

LARD-th Vader 大腸包小腸

My company secretary Ah Guan seems hell-bent on making me put on weight. She says I'm too skinny, and has set out on a quest to bring me around to eat all the GOOD FOOD. She's taking orders from LARD-th Vader, trying to get me on the Fat... I mean Dark Side.

Nuff justification. This street stall is a 老字號 selling 大腸包小腸 (NTD35) outside a temple. Ah Guan told me the 大腸 portion is traditionally made using the intestine-casing rather than the rice-casing used in more commercialised materials.

The sizzling-crackling sound of the sausages over the grill and the intense smokey fragrance is an experience in itself, as you see three pairs of hands busying themselves, turning sausages around on the grill while serving customers.

The first bite of the 大腸包小腸 *CRUNCH* with the snappiness of the 大腸 skin. The glutinous rice wrapping is flavoursome, I suspect yam is used in it as well. The 小腸 sausage, minced pork with lean meat and bits of LARD, yes LARD, puts all other sausages to shame. The picked cucumber balances the savoury 大腸包小腸 with its freshness and tinge of sourness.








Healthnut Rating:
Comments: May the force be with me. I fled the scene of crime hurriedly before I was tempted to down another. I will NOT succumb to the temptation of the LARD side... at least for now

B&B: Broke & Breakfast

Bed & Breakfast? Not exactly, more like broke! and breakfast. Living on a shoestring budget is fun in a warped kinda way. Finally had the luxury of sleeping-in a bit later, woke up at 9am instead of the usual 730. The healthoholic in me beckons. Determined to abide by my health-values, it was organic muesli (dry) with orange juice (NTD60) for me. The muesli (NTD260) was bought from Melaleuca store, some MLM chain with save-the-earth convictions.

Healthnut Rating:
Comments: Dry, thank goodness for the raisins & apricots, else I'd be better off eating sand. At least it's healthy!

The Special Wan

No it's not Jose Mourinho, The Special ONE. And neither is it you Kevin Wan. The Special Wan, is probably the best meal I've had thus far in Taiwan. Located in an unassuming little street, served in an unassuming little bowl, the Special Wan definitely looks unassuming in it's own little way. BUT! You've gotta be kidding me man, this has got to be the shiok Wanton I've tasted.

The Wanton is hand-wrapped in silky smooth wanton skin, white rather than yellow like the one found in Singapore. The pork-filling is sweet with crunchy bits of LARD (sighz, dammit, if not it'd be perfect for this healthoholic). Comes in a bowl of ten (NTD60) with a poached egg. The pork soup's clear/sweet and I doused it with generous servings of white vinegar.




Healthnut Rating:
Comments: Soup-based & tastes so good! I have found my lunch/dinner for the next 6months!