We didn’t make any real plans for the Kyoto leg of the trip, so we figured we would just re-visit 奈良 Nara on the first day we were in Kyoto since it was close by.
Right after stepping out of the train station, we noticed something was going on, with some folks dressed up in traditional costumes. A quick search later, we realised we had stumbled into the preparations for the 采女祭 Uneme Festival.
Continue readingAfter a week (or so) trekking the pilgrimage trail in Wakayama, and half a day of visiting Hikone, we were ready to just relax in Kyoto with no plans. For the first day, wifey had a sleep-in while I enjoyed the grand bath in the hotel, and ended off with a nice cup of coffee from Kurasu which was just opposite our hotel.
We had lunch at this popular ramen stall 吟醸らーめん久保田 Ginjo Ramen Kobuta [Google Maps] which already had a queue when we arrived at 11:15am (they open at 11am).
The queue wasn’t that bad and we entered after 15min. We ordered a 醤油ラーメン Shoyu Ramen with Egg (¥1000) and a 味噌つけ麺 Miso Tsukemen Ramen with Egg (¥1100).
The noodles for shoyu ramen were springy and the soup was full of flavours. The dipping sauce for the tsukemen came with minced meat and accentuated the enjoyment of the noodles. Overall a very satisfied lunch!
On the last day of our 5-day Kansai Wide Area Pass (link to: Official Website, Japan Guide), we decided to make the most of it and went all the way to 彦根 Hikone at Lake Biwa after dropping our luggage in 京都 Kyoto.
And we gotten an eki-bento in the form of curry katsu sando which we enjoyed on the train ride.
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Once we arrived at 白浜駅 Shirahama Station, we quickly made our way to 三段壁 Sandanbeki and 千畳敷 Senjojiki via bus.
三段壁 Sandanbeki is a cliff with rocks engraved with the works of nature. Ripple marks were created on the surface of the layers about 16 million years ago when waves and currents moved sand and mud from the seabed. At the bottom, there’s a legendary cave where Kumano naval force hid ships as long ago as the Heian Era, and one of Japan’s largest bronze statue Murodaibenzaiten is dedicated in the cave. One can pay to go down an elevator to the cave but we didn’t venture.
千畳敷 Senjojiki meaning “one thousand tatami mats” is a rocky coastal plateau in Wakayama known for unique geological formations. This is a vast, white, terraced rock plateau eroded by the Pacific Ocean, allowing for coastal hiking.
The weather was beautifully sunny—great for photos, but not so great for our sun-fried selves, LOL! Luckily, a refreshing strawberry-flavored shaved ice (¥150) from one of the souvenir shops revived us a little.
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Cafes in Taiwan were relatively more expensive compared to local food options, and since we were no longer young with huge appetites anymore, we only managed to visit 4 cafes during this short 4-day trip.
Note that you are expected to order at least one drink per person or there could be a minimum expenditure per person required at the cafes.
Given the extensive cheap local foods available, we may well end up visiting less cafes in future in Taiwan,
Continue readingWhile waiting for our flight at the Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 Departure Area, we went to grab a bite.
The tea here was very refreshing, while the 三杯鸡套餐 Three Cup Chicken Rice Set was just alright. The 梅乾菜 (a kind of preserved vegetables made from mustard green) in the 梅乾扣肉套餐 Pork Belly and Hakka Preserved Cabbage Rice Set was really good. I finished one full bowl of white rice with it!
| Contact Location: Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1-3F (Departure Area) [Google Maps] Website: https://www.prioritypass.com/lounges/taiwan/taipei-taoyuan-international/tpe11d-homme-kitchen Hours: 6am – 11pm |
This place was very clean, and seemed like a popular local lunch joint. The noodles (紅燒牛肉麵 Stewed Beef Noodle，牛肉乾拌麵 Dry Beef Noodle) were more to our liking. The beef was also quite good.
The mild heat of the 红油抄手 Spicy Wonton was from pepper rather than the red chili oil that we were used to. The 小菜 干条 was yummy! Texture was a little like noodles and was mixed generously with sesame oil. 猪耳朵 Pig’s Ears was also not bad. Overall a satisfying meal!
| Contact Location: 台北市大同區太原路48巷15號 No.15, Lane 48, Taiyuan Rd, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103 [Google Maps] Website: Facebook Hours: 10am – 7:30pm (Mon-Fri); 11am – 7:30pm (Sat); 10am – 7pm (Sun) |
A no-frills shop where one could dabao 生煎包 for NT17 each. We tried all 3 versions (韭菜 Chives，高麗菜 Cabbage，鮮肉 Pork) for breakfast. The 韭菜 Chives version wins handsdown!
| Contact Location: 台北中正區羅斯福路一段 No. 59, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100 [Google Maps] Hours: 6:30am – 1pm, 4 – 6pm (Mon-Fri); 7:30am –11:30am (Sat) |
This was the second 蔥油餅 Scallion Pancake (NT45) that we tried in this night market, as the first one was so disappointing with barely a hint of scallion.
What attracted us to this stall was the sea of 三星葱 scallion/spring onions (really 蔥海) spread out so generously over the dough. We really like this! (Although afterwards, we read that the sea of scallion was really meant as a gimmick for tourists to take pictures and not exactly used in the dough for consumption. :))
They seemed to have applied a layer of sauce with shallot oil, making it super fragrant. K was very happy with this version.
| Contact Location: 台北市松山區饒河街58號 No. 58, Raohe St, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105 [Google Maps] Hours: 4:00pm – 11:50pm (Closed on Tue) |
After a rather strenuous hike up and down 象山 Elephant Mountain (the steep stairs were really quite a killer for the knees coming down, especially for my short legs!), our wobbly legs could not take us too far for dinner, and we decided to head back to A13 where we had earlier wanted to check out for lunch, but were too late.
We were unable to reserve seats, and were a bit sad to learn that the queue was at least an hour. Suddenly, they asked the group in front of us if they were willing to 拼桌 share table, which the group declined. The staff turned to us and we nodded our heads vigorously and were ushered in immediately! As we made our way in, we heard the earlier group enquire about sharing table, but there were no more… oops. It was 2 groups of 3 pax sharing a huge table that could fit 10 pax, so there were no concerns of mistaking our orders or eating the wrong item.
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Eat.Eat.Walk.Walk . 吃吃走走 