Taiwan Travelogue: Off the Beaten Path with a local Night Market

Night markets are aplenty in Taiwan, and there is just an endless list of the popular recommendations of the night markets to check out when in the city of Taipei. Occasionally we would love to stray from the tourism path and take the road familiar, or probably even unknown to the locals themselves.
It is part of exploring the inner circle of the place to get acquainted with the local culture, which is best done when you go off the beaten path, and that was exactly what we did, when we took note of this particular night market near our hotel, where it is tucked away in a residential area and hailed by the landmark of the local Sanmin High School in the Luzhou district.



It was the last stop on the train heading in Luzhou's direction, and as you can see, it was a relatively isolated station, probably due to the area being mainly a residential area which would only be crowded in the peak hours when the folks head to work or school.



It was not too hard to locate the night market, which was approximately 10 minutes walk away from the station, but it may seem as though one may be unsure when faced with the quiet neighborhood and the narrow roads with only the occasional passing car, and even a pedestrian.
Yes, the streets were rather isolated at night in this neighborhood.



The Sanmin Night Market is a total spin off from the usual buzz and crowds in the far more reputable Shilin and the other night markets on top of the list, that one might be inclined to think that this was just an ordinary street lined with stalls at night and hardly one would call a night market.
It is not unexpectedly so; since this is located within a discreet neighborhood and intends to cater to the communal needs of the vicinity.

What not to expect: Crowds and major brands of tourism filled with a wide variety of choices plastered over the places, or folks replying to your questions and conversing in English
What to expect: An everyday spectacle of the residents going about their habits; with the after schoolers and blue/white collar workers making beelines to the food stalls for their snacks, or perhaps  a pick of their dinner choice from the array of choices available; with a sporadic appearance of families with young offsprings enjoying a slow evening walk browsing through the stalls.



An apparel stall set beside the alley into a temple 


Deep fried Sweet Potato balls for a snack 


A typical bread and pastries stall; just like ours back in our own markets with the daily freshly baked pastries from their own ovens or neighborhood confectioneries.



A children's apparel stall


Spotted this little stall ran by an elderly woman, selling the Egg Waffle which I have been looking for; Gai Dan Chai (which I have tried, once in Hong Kong and back at home)








It is not hard to find this Tokiwado everywhere in Taiwan's night markets, which is simply quite delightful as it was quite a harrowing task locating them in my own backyard.
These are mini top-hat pancakes (thicker flour dough) with red bean paste in the middle (conventional flavor). Some of the innovative vendors would be offering a wide variety of the flavors, keeping up with the ever changing tastes and trends of the modern society.


Sanmin neighborhood Night Market may be a far cry from the hip assemblage found in Shilin or even Raohe, but a taste of the distinctly unique and definitely quieter resident street market is quite a
riveting change in the itinerary, away from the hustle bustle of the rowdy city scenes.
This would be interesting for those looking for an unconventional, off the beaten path and a glimpse into a district townsfolk-run night market.


Besides, who would say no to a jostling-free environment where you could take a slow stroll and enjoy each and every stall at your own pace, in the cool breeze of the evening?

Taiwan Travelogue: Scenes and Snacks from the Raohe Street Night Market

One of the oldest night markets in the Songshan district and just within walking distance from Wufenpu, is the Raohe Street Night Market.


If you are coming from Wufenpu, you would be able to get here in an approximate of 10-15 minutes walk (do confirm your directions with the locals), or alternatively, take the train straight to the Songshan station to reach this night market.

Raohe Street Night Market is another night market to add to the list of night markets in Taipei, which courts tourists and locals to its estimated 600m long street filled with the familiar scenes of an intermix of food, drinks and clothing stalls. Originally a busy area thriving on business centers, the rapid development and implementation of the modern transportation system has driven the limelight away from this Xikou area; making Raohe street a secondary road, taking a backseat in their crowds and also the prosperity of the businesses here as they make way for development.
Taking note of the declining popularity and the effect in the local economy, the government stepped in and established a night market for the locals as a source of income, which is today flourishing as one of Taipei's most visited night market.



Like most of the night markets in Taipei, the streets are filled with the local sights not to mention the familiar aroma of food cooking in the stalls set up neatly along the walkway. The night markets, as I have previously mentioned are similar to our local version of pasar malam, and that being said, it also means that most of the locals can be found on these streets as this is just simply part of their lifestyle.
The best place to probably get a glimpse into the Taiwanese street culture would probably be on these night markets, which are all over the city.





The signature Oriental-styled archway entrance and exit at both ends of the night market, and also commonly graces the other night markets in Taipei too (especially the government-established night markets).


Scenes from the Raohe Street Night Market



It amazes me how there are little stalls set up complete with tables and chairs for customers to enjoy their food on the spot, right beside the stall and straight from the stoves and woks.











Found a stall run by a father and daughter selling the fluffy egg cakes; and they used the cute moulds to make the little Bearmina egg cakes as advertised on their banner.









Look at this adorable little Bearmina Egg cake!~ ❤ ♡❤ ♡


To bite or not to bite, that is the question!




Another delectable cakes stall run by a jolly-looking European chap, selling such colorful and attractive-looking sweet treats~
Just looking at them is enough to make one swoon over the cakes, with its bright colors screaming for attention~







Another stall which caught our eyes, located towards the end of the night market is a stall with a banner, "Frying Milk"
(How on earth does one fries milk? In the same way one fries ice cream, I suppose?)



Upon closer look, he confirmed my suspicions as I watched him coat the milk with flour in a half-solidified state to form little cubes on skewers., before dipping them into boiling hot oil.






Another stall buzzing with a large crowd is this stall selling Dorayaki.
Like the egg cakes, this is another fairly popular snack. In short, I have noticed that the Taiwanese definitely love their sweet eggy pastries for snacks.



Dorayaki certainly comes in different flavors, and even shapes.


I am old-school on this one, and I stick to my favorite red bean flavor, with a couple of green tea (matcha) dorayaki, just for the taste, and oh, I opted for mini dorayaki, which just seemed so cute!



Cleanliness is taken very seriously here on the streets in Taipei, and in Raohe, I have spotted a man picking up the trash on the street along the 600m long night market. It is a good thing to be enforced here, though I do find it rather hard to find a trash can around on the streets in Taipei (to my surprise) and yet, there is no trash spotted on the streets or roads for that matter.
I am impressed with the civic consciousness and awareness levels among the Taiwanese in that aspect.


Raohe Night Market turned out to be a rather enjoyable place for me; and truly, this came from a person who does not even go to night markets of any sort even in my own country.
Perhaps it was the cool weather, or the ease of walking, or the lesser crowd, or the night market was just pleasant for a visit. I personally enjoyed the better organized market, with the more systematic manner in which the stalls are arranged and the wider space for the patrons to walk.

I also find the folks here more friendly and hospitable (the stall vendors), and in my personal opinion, I would prefer this over the more famous Shilin Night Market (which I find, a little overrated), anytime of the day...

Taiwan Travelogue: Eating in Shilin

Street food seems to be the rage among the locals; as I have seen food stalls and peddlers almost everywhere I went, and it goes without saying that when you are in one of the largest night markets in the city; Shilin Night Market, you are bound to be greeted by (more) food varieties all beckoning to unsuspecting tourists and locals from their counters.
Whether you are one who loves stall-hopping and loading yourself with the 'little' eats along the way (while unaware of the secret additional calories piling, but when you're traveling, who cares?) or if you are one who likes sitting down proper to a meal, there is something for everyone in this night market.



There are many to choose from in this night market, but the top eats? I have checked the list of recommended things to eat in Shilin Night Market.

Things to Eat/Drink

Lemon Aiyu Jelly (檸檬愛玉) is supposedly famous or a favorite among the local Taiwanese; though it originated from my very own country (lol!)
I am a fan, and there were a couple of stalls selling this, so it was a breeze finding this citrusy flavor; the Lemon Aiyu is the original flavor by the way, teamed with the fruit jelly.
There are other flavors available too; as the vendors get creative with their product marketing techniques.




What can I say? Well, I think I have tasted better versions back in my own country as the jelly was rather meager in portion and it was a little diluted. It seems to be the same everywhere I went, a bummer as I really love this drink.

I can testify that almost all the stalls serve the same quality; as I gave it the benefit of the doubt and checked out another stall, with another cup of this, and yes, I still conclude that I get better quality back at home.





Taiwanese sausages are just about the other which is found almost everywhere and they seems to be the favorite finger food/snack among the locals.





Deep fried food are the other common sight; from deep fried chicken (spiced or marinated/salted chicken), to deep fried squids, octopus, fish cakes, and the list goes.
You want it, they will deep fry it.





We ventured into the Food court; in the complex, and it was a brightly lit world down there though there are no signs leading to the end of the action taking place in this enclosed area as compared to the open air night market out there.
In fact, if anything more, it seemed like the place was even more bustling and as noisy as outside (the air space would be much better outside in the open though).
This is just the stalls on the streets outside being brought together into a closed complex; and in a squarish parameter of organization.










Fried Oyster (Or Chien) - (蚵仔煎) is a much raved about Taiwanese favorite; in fact, the locals love oysters with everything.
(There is also the Oyster Noodles which is recommended to try in Taiwan, but we didn't get to trying that.)


The fried oyster is a batter of egg omelette with corn starch fried together with oysters; and can be pretty much termed as an oyster omelette.

I would say that again, the fried oyster back home tastes much better and our Or Chien is just as famous too! ;-)

Seafood Noodles, was quite a satisfying attempt though; as there was a generous amount of seafood included along with the rice noodles.


These are shellfish; or rather, Sea Snails. Also known as Bali tong in my country, my hubby just wanted to try these out. (yeah, he tried it, not me. I may be a seafood fan, but I am not an adventurous one, and I will stick to my usual fare of fish, prawns, and crabs, thank you very much).





Fish Balls in soup; this is one thing that I really enjoyed while in Taiwan (similar to Hong Kong).
Somehow their fish balls are really way much better than what we have (not that ours is that bad either), but I just loved their fish balls which is just so tasty and full of the fishy flavor.





Other food to try in Shilin Night Market would be as follows:-
Peanut Candy (花生糖)
Fried Buns (生煎包)
"Small Bun wrapped in Large Bun"(大餅包小餅)
Stinky Tofu (sorry, not my cup of tea, or tofu) (臭豆腐)
Pearl Milk Tea (珍珠奶茶)
Oyster Noodles/Vermicelli (蚵仔麵線)

More scenes from the food stalls:-







If you are a food lover, you will get around to try as much as you can stuff into your stomach.
As a precaution, I would still like to remind you to be careful with street food, though traveling, hygiene and the quality of the food serving area should still never be compromised.
After all, what could be worse when a trip is spoilt with an upset tummy?

Shilin Night Market has a lot to offer; and I am not saying that it is not advisable to try out the street food but just practice caution and of course, common sense, when hopping from one stall to another, and putting different types of food into your tummies. If you have a tummy that can weather almost anything, you will not have a problem but if your regular eating style does not include such a varied menu, then it would just be good to play it safe and careful when picking out your choices.

I am not a regular with street food, but I did get to enjoy some of the local tastes and flavor; and besides feasting on the food, I think I got quite a treat with the sights too; a motion picture?
Nah, I would say more of a light animation with a little light action and reality kick to it!