CantaloupeAlone

The Old Kiln Scallion Pancake or 蔥油餅 (cong1you2bing3) My expectations are usually pretty high, especially if my boyfriend (a Taipei local of 30 years and a chef) point out food to me. I bike to Yonghe 6 days a week for week, and it seems that every day I pass a "well-known" scallion pancake stand in Gongguan, next to the 福和橋 Fuhe Bridge called Old Kiln Scallion Pancake 舊漫窯烤蔥油餅. Biking makes me snacky, and scallion pancake is a great snack. Menu The kiln. What is it for exactly? Condiments: chili sauce, white pepper, and soy The Old Kiln Scallion Pancake 舊漫窯烤蔥油餅 is not good. I was served a tepid, greasy fried scallion pancake. I ordered my pancake with an egg, which in my past experience has meant a fried egg. At Old Kiln Scallion Pancake 舊漫窯烤蔥油餅 cool scrambled eggs are spooned inside the pancake. A time-saving trick that seems invalidated by a poor menu. So, did I go on the wrong day? Was going at 11:30 am the wrong time? Did they pawn out the day-old pan...

New life goals, order the 40 kg shaved ice that is served in Taiwan-shaped bowl. I'm thinking birthday, next year, for myself and 50 of my closest. It's only $5999 NTD,  or less than $200 USD The South East Asia Ice Shop東南亞冰店 in Gongguan isn't the most famous shaved ice shop in Taipei, but it is reliable and generous. They offer unflavored shave ice, topped with condensed milk and the fruits (strawberry, mango, kiwi) of your choice, and a selection of fruit sorbets if that isn't enough. It's light, sweet, and more refreshing than a chilly dip in a waterfall on a hot and humid Taiwan day. Advertisement for 40 kg of shaved ice in a Taiwan-shaped bowl Photo menu I like this place not only because it has good desserts, and even some savory snacks too, but mostly because it is yellow. The yellow tables, walls and chairs just make mango taste a little more mango-y, mango-ish, mango-riffic. They also offer a photo menu of each version of shaved ice.  ...

You know pearl tea . It's a big thing in Taiwan. It is also called bubble tea, boba, tapioca. Sometimes the chewy, or as we say in Taipei "QQ," dark orbs are spooned into other drinks, like milk. Sometimes the pearls are made of brown sugar. Chen Sanding Brown Sugar Pearl Milk 陳三鼎黑糖青蛙撞奶 in Taipei's Gongguan night market serves just that. They have some other drinks, more QQ jelly drink. The name of the stand is 黑糖 (hei1tang2) which means black sugar, so just order that. Ok? Ok. Its been around for a while, at least 15 years claims my boyfriend who says it was a regular treat in high school. I'm not finding much information to confirm or deny it. Eater's Taipei 38 calls it a, "hard must." There is always a line at the Chen Sanding Brown Sugar Pearl Milk stand, but do not be afraid. The line moves quickly. We waited for about 3 minutes behind 10-12 people. The words hanging vertically from the sign are the menu. If it is your first time, jus...