Taiwan, Part XIX - Master Ji

There is a famous sushi stand at Shi Dong Market called Master Ji. (It's truly a "stand". There isn't any place to sit.) From what I've read, normally people just tell Mr. Ji their budget, and let him decide everything. Since this was my last day in Taipei, and I had another plan for lunch, I knew exactly what I wanted to get. The small downside was that I wanted to get to my final lunch destination at a reasonable time, so I didn't wait for Mr. Ji, or the official 11 o'clock opening time.

One of the highly praised items was the sea urchin Ezo Bafun Uni (scientific name: strongylocentrotus intermedius) flown in from Hokkaido. "Bafun" means horse manure. What a distateful name for such a delicious delicacy. Well, name aside, the urchins were so smooth and amazingly sweet.

I also ordered two other highly recommended items - salmon roes and toro. Those didn't quite live up to my expectations. Salmon roes were just OK, nothing special. I've had better. At dinner, my friends told me that the salmon and salmon roes in the Pacific Northwest are much better than the ones in Taiwan. No wonder, I would definitely skip this in the future.

The toro was VERY fatty. (The second picture is the puddle of tuna oil left behind the toro.) It was torched, topped with the super fine menegi (leek sprouts). I don't like the strong pungent flavor of raw onions, green onions, etc. The menegi, however, was very mild, perfect with sushi. I felt the torching was unnecessary. It rendered a lot of the fat into oil, and completely covered the fish, that all I could taste was the oil. I would much more prefer a perfectly cut and unaltered piece of toro nigiri.

There is always a pot of fish soup at the end of the counter that the customers are welcome to help themselves. The broth was well prepared with pieces of random fish (with bones) that didn't make to sushi. Some other bloggers have mentioned that if you spend over certain amount, you'd get the special soup with shrimp that they keep in the back.

My two hand rolls and one piece of nigiri rang up to NT$600. It's unfortunate that I didn't like the salmon roe or the toro. Next time, I would definitely wait for Mr. Ji, and get more uni.

Master Ji (阿吉師)
Address: 100 Shi Dong Rd (Shi Dong Market, 1st floor, stand #88)
地址：台北市士東路100號(士東市場一樓88攤)
Telephone: 02-2834-6136 0936-132578
電話：02-2834-6136 0936-132578
Hours: 11 am - 5pm, closed on Mondays
營業時間：週一休息，平日11:00am-5:00pm

Taiwan, Part XVIII

In the States, the Asian supermarkets are often associated with being dirty and messy. However, I find the supermarkets in Asia very clean and often much more upscale the normal Safeway's or QFC's. On this trip, I was particularly impressed by the sushi selections at a supermarket. I don't know how they taste, but they sure look scrumptious.

There are another type of markets in Taiwan, similar to permanent farmers markets. You can find produce, meat, poultry, fish, and other random things. They are sort of like Pike Place Market, only that these places are not tourist attractions, they don't toss fish for show. Shi Dong Market is supposedly the best. (Do you see how large that winter melon is? Even with the ends chopped, it's still over 3 feet long.) Walking around, you'd see the regulars greet the merchants. There are tanks filled with live crabs and other shell fish. There is cooked food, next to a stand with raw animal parts hanging. I have to admit that walking by some of the stands, you need a strong stomach. At the same time, it's very fascinating. This is the kind of place where you get to see how the locals eat and shop.

Taiwan, Part XVII - Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant

Beef Noodles are such a big part of Taiwanese local food scene, that there is even an annual Taipei International Beef Noodle Festival dedicated to it. So one day I set out to try a place that's the Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's favorite - Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant.

Mu's is a small hole-in-the-wall kind of place, located across the street from Taipei Medical University's front gate. Even with 2 floors, the space is very limited. I arrived shortly before noon, and walked down the steep staircase to the basement. Ninety percent of Mu's menu are various beef noodles and soups. When you order noodles, you can choose thin or home-made thick noodles, they will also ask if you'd like green onions and cilantro. I love tendons, so I ordered the Half Tendons and Half Meat Noodles (large NT$190, small NT$170) with thick noodles. The tendon was melt-on-your-tongue tender without disintegrating. The meat was also very tender, but not as outstanding as the tendons. I would probably just get all tendons next time. The broth was flavorful without the taste of MSG. The noodles were just the right level of al dente for me.

Another specialty at Mu's is the dry-cooked layered pancake, which comes with the Shredded Pork (NT$150) / Beef (NT$160) in Peking Sauce, or stuffed with beef (NT$100). Since I've already ordered beef with the noodles, I went with the shredded pork. The pancake was so flaky and light. Since there is no oil, you only taste the natural sweetness of the flour. While the pancake is quite large (it’s folded into quarters on the plate), it's so good that most people would just eat it by itself, end up finding the one piece that comes with the dish insufficient, and order another one (NT$40). A friend told me to request the Shredded Pork in Peking Sauce cooked with some chili. The sauce was sweet, salty, and mildly spicy. This would be perfect with rice too.

The food is served really quickly at Mu's. The place gets filled up just as fast. When I arrived at 11:40, it was still half empty. However, when I left at 12:15, not only the place was packed, there was already a long line waiting. (That's when I took the picture of the outside.) Don't get discouraged, it's totally worth the wait. If I had more time, I'd definitely visit Mu's again.

Mu's Beef Noodle Restaurant (穆記小吃牛肉麵斤餅店)
Address: 239 Wu Xing Street
地址：台北市吳興街 239號 ( 台北醫學院正門口附近 )
Telephone: 02-2723-9372, 02-2722-2707
電話：02-2723-9372、02-2722-2707
Hours: 11 am - 9 pm
營業時間：11:00～21:00

Taiwan, Part XVI - KiKi Restaurant

I know it might sound like I had a lot of mediocre food, but I did have some great food too. KiKi Restaurant was one of the memorable experiences.

KiKi has 6 locations, including a cafe and a Thai restaurant. Even though I cannot vouch for the quality at other locations, I believe KiKi's popularity is largely due to the dishes being consistently delicious, instead of the celebrity ownership.

Having only a pepper pancake for lunch, we showed up for dinner when they opened, ready to devour anything. Like most restaurants in Taiwan, there are many small appetizers at the counter for the customers to choose and take to their table. My friends picked the Sichuan style Shredded Bamboo Shoots (NT$80). It was a very good start! The bamboo shoots were tender and moderately spicy.

KiKi has a long list of house specials. The number one is Crispy Deep Fried Egg Tofu (NT$200), and that's a well deserved title. The skin was paper thin, and deep fried to golden brown. The inside was so soft and tender that you'd think you are eating custards, not tofu! This was definitely my favorite!

The Stir Fried Minced Pork with Chinese Chives and Fermented Black Beans (NT$220) is extremely popular as well. I've never been a fan of Chinese chives, so I can't declare this as a favorite. We asked for mild, even though there were a lot of chili peppers, it wasn't spicy at all, a little bland for me. Next time, I would ask for medium spiciness.

The Thinly Sliced Boiled Pork in a Piquant Garlic Dressing (NT$220) was indeed "piquant". =) The meat was thin and tender, the garlic was very mild, the sauce was what made the dish.

The Pan Fried Omelet with Dry-Salt Meat Sauce (NT$200) didn't stand out against the other plates, but it didn't disappoint either. I remember the sauce being the star.

The Sauteed Diced Chicken Legs with Chili Peppers (NT$330) wasn't like what you get in the States. The chicken pieces were small. They were deep fried to such a crispy level that they were almost crumbly. Again we asked for mild, and as alarming as those chili peppers and garlic slices might look, it wasn't spicy.

The Whole Pan Cooked Fish in a Piquant Molasses and Vinegar Sauce (NT$320) was deep fried, then topped with a sweet and sour sauce. (Their translator must really like the word "piquant". =) The fish was perfectly tender. The sauce was titillating. While I’m not much a rice person, I'd be content with a bowl topped with this sauce.

Can you believe the three of us ate all of THAT? And every dish was so delectable that I'd order it again. Even the freshly brewed Hot Fruit Tea (NT$170), with diced fresh apples, pears, oranges, and pineapples, etc., was so fragrant, it was the best fruit tea I've ever had. This was definitely one of the most gratifying meals of the trip.

KiKi Restaurant (KiKi 餐廳)
Address: 28 Fu Xing South Road, Section 1
地址 :台北市復興南路一段28號
Telephone: 02-2752-2781
電話 : 02-2752-2781
Hours: M-Sat 11:50am - 3pm 5:15pm - 11pm Sun 11:50am - 3pm 5:15pm - 10pm
營業時間 :週一至週六11:50~15:00 / 17:15~23:00　週日11:50~15:00 / 17:15~22:00