National Geographic Traveller (UK) - Food
DA’AN & GONGGUAN
Despite their close proximity to some of the busiest parts of the city, the Da’an and Gongguan neighbourhoods are wonderfully laid-back. Come here to explore pretty, residential streets replete with ferns, quiet coffee shops and Japanese-style housesturned-restaurants.
Start the day with a fat rice ball from the
Mama Liu food truck, where the servers dole out dreamy portions of sticky rice packed with pickled radish, braised egg and pork floss (a type of dried meat with a fluffy texture). Then, stroll over to Yongkang Street for a flaky spring onion pancake topped with egg, cheese and basil at Tian Jin Onion Pancake — it’s a local breakfast staple.
This area is saturated with boutique cafes and tea salons, so grab a cup at nearby Yaboo
Cafe, where sleepy cats recline on top of the espresso machines. Once refreshed, take some time to stroll through Da’an Forest Park, the largest park in the city. It’s a nature-lover’s paradise, teeming with indigenous birds
— and birdwatchers.
Just around the corner is Wistaria Tea
House, a Taiwanese tea house in a 1920s Japanese-style home, where government officials used to congregate. They’re sticklers for tradition here, so the tea is served gong fu-style, in small teapots and tiny teacups on a wooden tray. Staff will happily explain the process to the unititiated.
Stroll through Shida Night Market for some light snacks before dinner. The standout outlets here are Lan Jia Gua Bao, which specialises in steamed buns packed with chunks of stewed pork belly, and — for the non-squeamish
— Zhen Ji Pig Blood Cake, for umami-heavy rice sticks dipped in pig blood.
Experience dinner at a traditional rechao, the Taiwanese equivalent of a Japanese izakaya bar, where beer and salty stir-fries are the centrepieces. At Baxian Grill, the best orders include spicy clams immersed in black bean sauce, claypot chicken, and stir-fried ferns.
End the evening with a nightcap at Blue Note,
Taipei’s longest-running jazz club.