Friday, June 21, 2013

2013 June Taiwan Trip (Day 1 Taipei)

14/6 Singapore -> Taipei (新加坡->台北)


Instead of taking the long bus ride from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei city, we took the Ubus (NT$30) from the airport to Taoyuan High Speed Rail (HSR) Station, followed by HSR (NT$160) to Taipei Main Station.
Tip: The HSR comes at cheaper rates for children and senior citizens.

Waiting time for the bus is about 15 minutes while the ride took about 15 - 20 minutes. HSR ride took another 25 minutes or so.  All in all, it took us an hour to reach Taipei Main Station. A cab ride would have cost NT$1100. I guess if there are 4 people travelling together, taking a cab might be worthwhile. 


Rain, rain, go away...
June is really a rainy period here. I still remember it rained the whole week when I was here in June 2006. 

After arriving at Taipei Main Station, we checked in at CityInn Hotel. This hotel is highly recommended for its great service.

See CityInn Hotel Taipei Main Station Branch 1 Review

The staff are courteous and always ready to serve. Coupled with its great location, no wonder it is so popular. Do book early!

Tip: For those coming from the Taipei Main Station, walking underground finding the Exit Z may be rather confusing with large crowds around. Exit the station and cross the road towards the direction of Caesar Park Hotel then turn right. The hotel is a stone's throw away, located near the entrance of Huaining Street. The room I stayed this time round is smaller in comparison to the one I stayed in December. The edge of the bed was just next to the TV. Avoid Room 509!




Next up, we went to meet my cousin for dinner at Ding Tai Fung main branch at Yong Kang Street area. The average waiting time is about 45 minutes. Thanks to my cousin who made a reservation, else we would have probably gave up waiting. Apparently the locals do not dine here as it is rather pricey. They swear there are tastier 小笼包 at lower prices. Anyway, we decided to give it a try since this is the main shop.

人山人海!

灌汤小笼包

虾仁烧卖 - 我的最爱!

元盅鸡汤 - 精华都在汤里

清爽的丝瓜虾仁小笼包 -赞!

红烧牛肉面 - The hubs say it is good

猪排炒饭

All ready to feed the crowd!



鼎太丰 (信义店)Din Tai Fung 
地址:台北市信义路二段194号(永康街口)
Tel: 02-2321-8928


Yong Kang Street (永康街)is a famous gourmet street in Taipei. Based on a quick search online for good food in the area, we decided to check out the following place for dessert. 

Popular Smoothie House - Look out for 15号

Not really cheap but the portion is huge!

Mango Snow Ice - Picture taken when half-eaten 


The reviews were trustworthy. Excellent mango snow ice indeed! Forgot to take a picture in its original form. :p June is the season for mangoes, I guess that is why it tasted awesome! :) 
There is also a famous 芋头大王 located in the small lane just next to Smoothie House known for its yam dessert. We were too full to try any. :D 

思慕昔本馆 (Smoothie House)
地址:台北市大安区永康街15号
Tel: 02-2341-8555
http://www.smoothie.com.tw

Other famous restaurants in the vicinity includes 度小月(担仔面)、高记(小笼包、点心)、红蜻蜓(日式居酒屋)...

For more reviews - 永康街美食地图网

度小月 - A Michelin Restaurant 

红蜻蜓  - My cousin and her hubby's dating place :D 

Looks interesting :)

                                         Spoilt for choices!


Getting to Yong Kang Street - 台北捷运东门站,出口5(Dongmen Station, Exit 5)

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