Yilan, Taiwan

[momopi]

Ah, Yilan, beautiful coastal area with green mountains, waterfalls, cold springs, beaches, booze (whisky factory), and clean air away from Taipei. Wait, I'm just there for the cherry valley duck!


http://www.yelp.com/biz/%E7%B4%85%E6%A8 ... D%E5%B8%82
http://www.silksplace-yilan.com.tw/en/food_red.html
http://www.pacejmiller.com/2014/07/08/c ... ace-yilan/

Quack Quack (Call ahead and make reservation for "Cherry Valley Duck")

[Jester]

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[momopi]

Xian Jin Seafood Diner (先進海產店), Taipei, Taiwan

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_R ... aipei.html
http://superp.pixnet.net/blog/post/3465 ... 5%E6%8E%A8
http://maverick007.pixnet.net/blog/post ... 2%E5%BA%97

This is a road side hole in the wall seafood place that has gotten famous with celebrities visiting. You need to call to make reservation, but I suggest going earlier than later. The dishes prepared at 5:30PM when it's not busy will have a lot more love in it than 7:30PM when the cook is slammed.

































When ordering, specify "Small" or "Large" portion. I recommend small portions to start. Despite being a seafood place, the pork liver, pig intestine w/green onion, and fried rice are all excellent if ordered when they're not busy. The regulars tend to order sashimi here, but since I had just eaten quite a bit at Tsukiji in Japan the week prior, I opted for other dishes instead.

[zboy1]

Looks absolutely delicious, Momopi! When I went to Taiwan, I didn't get to try the local cuisine very much, unfortunately. I wanted to eat at Din Tai Fung, but we were sidetracked at the last second.Anyway, the food is something I would go back to Taiwan for, again.

[momopi]

Looks absolutely delicious, Momopi! When I went to Taiwan, I didn't get to try the local cuisine very much, unfortunately. I wanted to eat at Din Tai Fung, but we were sidetracked at the last second.Anyway, the food is something I would go back to Taiwan for, again.

Ding Tai Feng is a global chain, check their web site for location near you. Not saying the one here in Los Angeles is better than Taiwan, but at least it's avail.

[Falcon]

Wonderful Momopi, awesome food pics! I went to eastern Taiwan with my family during my high school years. The scenery around Hualien is very similar to that of the Philippines. I missed out on Yilan though.

I haven't had Asian food that's strictly non-spicy for a while. I'll be in Taiwan next week and can't wait to try some of the local treats. I've been stuffing my mouth with hot chilis for the past few months, so I'll have to get ready to transition to the much milder Taiwanese cuisine.

[momopi]

Wonderful Momopi, awesome food pics! I went to eastern Taiwan with my family during my high school years. The scenery around Hualien is very similar to that of the Philippines. I missed out on Yilan though.

I haven't had Asian food that's strictly non-spicy for a while. I'll be in Taiwan next week and can't wait to try some of the local treats. I've been stuffing my mouth with hot chilis for the past few months, so I'll have to get ready to transition to the much milder Taiwanese cuisine.

Yilan was actually a BFE area of TW, but since they opened the tunnel many people from Taipei have gone to Yilan to purchase weekend retreats. They typically buy a SFR on a lot of land and plant rice and veggies, then visit on weekend to get away from Taipei and tend their gardens. Somewhat like what folks in Tokyo in Beijing do.

The real estate in Yilan used to be very cheap, but prices have gone up a lot since 2007-2008. Back then I was engaged to a girl in Taipei who insisted that I move to TW. I did not like Taipei's pollution but Yilan was close enough and the property prices were far cheaper. They also opened a nice shooting range in Yilan:
http://www.szfang.com.tw/history/history.aspx
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLb8uT8YhQU

The facility is newer and cleaner than the old one in Taipei (Linkou) that started as a facility for United States Air Force Security Service decades ago. However due to TW's strict gun laws it's very difficult to import your own shotgun unless if you're a professional competitor. To buy a shotgun legally in TW you have to join the sports association (NT 60000 fee + NT 6000/year) and I think you're only allowed to register up to 2 guns under the association, so people tend to buy expensive stuff.

If you ever make it out to Yilan and want to go for a swim around Suao, be warned that the beach is "rocky" and the drop is big. That is, you waddle in 2-3 feet of water, then suddenly it's like 8-10 ft deep. They also have cold springs but avoid on weekends.