On the morning of Day 4 of our Taipei travel itinerary, we decided to check out Chen Ji Mee Sua (陳記專業蚵仔麵線) since it was recommended by Charles (our tour guide) and that it was less than 10 minutes by foot from our hotel at Caesar Metro Taipei…
Breakfast at Chen Ji Mee Sua (陳記專業蚵仔麵線)
When you think about mee sua in Taipei, many people think about Ah Zong Mian Xian 阿宗麵線. However, according to Charles our tour guide, Chen Ji wins it hands down. After trying out both Chen Ji and Ah Zong (you’ll read about it in the subsequent posts), we must agree that Chen Ji does fare better and here’s why…
At Chen Ji Mee Sua (陳記專業蚵仔麵線) in Taipei, you can choose either of the 3 options below
1. Mixed (of Oyster and Pig’s Intestines)
2. Oysters only
3. Intestines only
At time of writing, the large was going for 90 NT (~$4 SGD) and the small for 45 NT. This time, we had the large mixed and small intestine – which came up to 135 NT.
Our first observation was that the OYSTERS WERE SO HUGE! As you can see from the photo, the oysters were plump and fresh. Also, the large one was quite generous in the number of oysters as well. Secondly, for the intestines, we noticed that there was no “funky” taste, which meant that the intestines were thoroughly cleaned and prepared before braising. As for the size and texture, you can see that the intestines were also sliced into large pieces and generous portions – plus, they were so tender! Not sure how the owners of Chen Ji Mee Sua (陳記專業蚵仔麵線) does it, but if you’re in the vicinity, definitely drop by for a taste of one of the best orh ah mee sua in Taipei!
As for the condiments, we find that they didn’t really match the mee sua. The vinegar tasted a little too “industrial” – the sour taste of the vinegar was striking, not mild. Garlic and (a little) chili/vinegar would probably suffice. Otherwise, the mee sua at Chen Ji was already pretty good on its own!
Enroute back, we bought some coffee from 7-11 (an iced americano and a hot one). While ordering, Tom said 烧 instead of 热 for the hot americano and one of the locals pointed out that he was not local as locals would usually use 热 instead.
@2bearbeartravel Recommended to try out 陳記腸蚵專業麵線, Chen Ji Orh Ah Mee Sua (Taiwanese Oyster Vermicelli). Some say it’s better than Ah Zong at Ximending! 😱 We were pleasantly surprised by the large oysters and there were quite a few of them. Also, there’s no foul smell with the intestines which means they had been pre-prepared well. You can choose to have either the oyster version, the intestine version or both (mixed). Large goes for 90NT and small for 75NT. #oystermeesua #meesua #orhahmeesua #oystervermicelli #taiwaneseoystervermicelli #chenjioystervermicelli #陳記腸蚵專業麵線 #food #taiwanfood #taipeifood #foodie #sgfoodie #singaporefoodblog #travel #travelfood #foodtravel #2bearbear ♬ Straight Through My Heart – Backstreet Boys
Bus Tour to Waiao and Yilan Taiwan
Our first destination was the Waiao Scenic Area or the Waiao Beach at Yilan. Enroute, we passed by the Presidential Office Building which is right next to Ketagalan Boulevard – named after the Ketagalan tribe, who were the aborigines of Taiwan. Ketagalan Boulevard would also be the place where demonstrations and protests are held.
Charles also shared that：
– At the Taipei 101 area, it used to be a Japanese military precinct. It was also said that many execution of criminals took place there. Today, Grand Hyatt sits on the premise and several guests had told Charles (both foreigner and Chinese) that they felt something pressed against their legs and chest when they stayed. Charles shared that there’s a large charm at the lobby but is only useful for levels 1 and 2 😅 On a more practical side, he also shared that the property prices had skyrocketed and if he had known, would have invested in that area as well.
– Enroute to Waiao, we went through the longest tunnel in Taiwan. Known as the Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道), it spans 12.9km and took a total of 16 years to build due to its complex topography and heterogeneous geological structures. With the tunnels, travel time was reduced by 1.5 hours and took us about 10 minutes to pass through the series of tunnels. At Yilan, we were told that it has the largest plains in Taiwan and is known for the cultivation of pearl rice and three stars green onion (large in size and sweet when cooked).
Due to the volcanic material in the vicinity, Waiao Beach is also known to be a beautiful black sand beach. The landscape surrounding it is beautiful and you can see a lone island (Turtle Island) in the distance. According to Charles, the area can get pretty crowded during the summer months.
Near the entrance to the beach, you’ll be able to find No.9 Cafe at the Beach Waiao. A beautifully appointed cafe that overlooks the beach, serving a good mix of western selection such as waffles, pizzas and beers as well as local foods such as beef noodles. Credit cards are accepted at No. 9 Cafe at the Beach Waiao.
@2bearbeartravel Waiao scenic area is known for its black sand beach. Also, there’s a coffee joint right on the beach known as No. 9 Cafe Waiao with views of the beach. Great place to chill especially during the summer months. For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #waiao #waiaobeach #waiaoscenicarea #外澳 #外澳海灘 #beach #blacksandbeach #chill #taiwan #yilan #travel #traveler #traveling #travelvibes #traveltiktok #traveltok #2bearbear #nature #naturevibes ♬ Forever Gold – Jerome
Lunch at 天下第一窯烤雞 Jiaoxi Yilan
Lunch was at 天下第一窯烤雞 in the town of Jiaoxi in Yilan. The name 天下第一窯烤雞 actually means, the number one kiln roasted chicken. But the word 窯, does not refer to a conventional oven but a large (usually clay) moulded kiln where you can achieve penetrating high temperatures to achieve tender chicken meat and nicely crisp outer chicken skin.
In terms of taste, we love the taste of the chicken that was slightly pink in colour and infused with the smoky flavours of the kiln. Steamed fish here was pretty good as well. The total came up to 4200NT for 2 tables (or about $15 per person), inclusive of vegetables, eggs and tofu. There’s also free-flow of rice as well as soy sauce, chicken and pork oil that you can add to the rice as well.
@2bearbeartravel Had lunch at 天下第一窯烤鸡 (since they do not have an English name – it’s loosely translated to be «the number one kiln grilled chicken») and boy was their chicken excellent! The skin was lightly crisp and not so oily while the meat was tender, infused with the smokiness of the kiln. They actually do up some pretty good steamed fish as well. If you’re dining in a group, you can order a couple of dishes to try out. Our average came up to be $15sgd per person which was not too bad. Oh, you can have free flow of rice with pork, chicken and sesame oil as well! Yum! #天下第一窯烤鸡 #烤鸡 #窯烤鸡 #kiln #kilnchicken #grilledchicken #smokedchicken #chicken #food #taiwan #yilan #jiaoxi #food #foodie #sgfoodie #foodtok #travel #traveltok #traveltiktok #2bearbear ♬ Angel With A Shotgun (Nightcore) – Syrex & Ericovich
Wu Feng Qi Waterfalls Yilan (五峰旗瀑布)
After lunch, our next stop was at Wu Feng Qi Waterfalls Yilan (五峰旗瀑布). The cool thing about Wu Feng Qi Waterfalls is the 3 tiers of waterfalls that you’d be able to see along the way, culminating at the highest tier with a height of 100 metres.
What we like about Wu Feng Qi Waterfalls is that the pavements are well built and the walk to the highest tier of waterfall was less than 10 minutes way. The walk itself was scenic, passing by streams and lower tier falls as well as an iconic bridge. At the highest tier, Charles also took a family shot for us which was really beautiful as well – capturing the top of the falls at 五峰旗瀑布.
@2bearbeartravel Enjoyed our short climb (difficulty:low) to see 五峰旗瀑布(Wu Feng Qi Waterfall). The walk is easy with well paved paths. You’ll pass by a bridge and arrive at the red pavilion at the end. There, you’ll be able see the entire falls. Thank the Lord for His marvelous creation! #waterfall #waterfalls #falls #nature #naturevibes #wufengqi #wufengqiwaterfall #无峰旗 #无峰旗瀑布 #taiwan #yilan #jiaoxi #travel #traveltok #traveltiktok #naturetok #traveling #traveler #traveltheworld #2bearbear ♬ Would You Even Know – Audien & William Black
Tangweigou Hot Spring Park (湯圍溝溫泉公園) in Jiaoxi Yilan
Still in Yilan, we headed to Tangweigou Hot Spring Park (湯圍溝溫泉公園) in the Jiaoxi township. Right in the town’s centre, you’ll be able to find a square with staggered steps for communal foot baths. The temperatures here were too hot though! At 50 degrees, we could only dip our feet in and very quickly, Tom was emitting sweat out of body! The hotspring here does not contain sulphur so it doesn’t smell. It does contain minerals such as potassium, magnesium and sodium which is said to be good for the skin. Charles also recommended that we get some San Xing Spring Onion Pancake (i.e. 三星葱饼) since Yilan is known for its 3 Stars Spring Onions and a well-known stall was nearby. We also had some beers from a nearby 7-11 to go with the pancake while soaking our feet. 😄
After our foot bath, we still had some time. So we strolled around town to a supermarket nearby. There, we bought some 3 Stars Spring Onion / pork floss bun as well as an ice cream roll – yup, instead of cream, it was ICE CREAM roll. Many of our family members also shopped at Yih Shun Bakery (奕顺轩) – famed for their San Xing Spring Onion buns and other pastries as well.
@2bearbeartravel Visited 湯圍溝溫泉公園, which is a public footbath area in Jiaoxi, Yilan. Remember to grab one of the #葱油饼 (Spring Onion Pancake) with egg because they use the local #三星葱 which is slightly sweet with a chewy pancake. Yum! For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #湯圍溝溫泉公園 #礁溪 #宜兰 #yilan #taiwan #jiaoxi #hotspring #footbath #publicfootbath #travel #traveltok #traveltiktok #traveler #traveltok #travelvibes #traveling #2bearbear ♬ I Like It – Alesso & Nate Smith
Tour of Kavalan Distillery (金車噶瑪蘭酒廠) Yilan
To round up the trip, we headed to Kavalan Distillery in Yilan (金車噶瑪蘭酒廠) to learn about the whisky production process here in Taiwan as well as to try some of their famed whisky…
We arrived just before the self-guided tour closed for the day and were able to walk through and learn about the whisky distillation process at Kavalan Distillery Yilan. Here, we learnt about the fermentation process from malt to create “wort” and thereafter, the distillation process to extract the alcohol. The maturing process takes place in oak casks and this is probably the most important part of the process. Depending on the type of oak and length of time of maturation, the flavours, aroma and colours are slowly imparted to the distilled alcohol to produce whisky.
One thing that surprised us was that Kavalan was only established in December 2005! Just about 20 years! Today, it is a relatively well-known single-malt whisky, establishing itself in the premium category after winning accolades at international whisky competitions. To acquire the skills, Kavalan sent their people to learn in Scotland and even imported Scottish and German (earlier versions) distillers. Besides producing award-winning whiskys, Kavalan’s branding is also relatively strong.
At the end of the self-guided tour, we headed to Spirit Castle where you’ll find the whisky tasting area as well as the shop to bring home some Kavalan whiskys and Buckskin craft beers (of the same family brand). You can try a 10ml whisky for 100 NT (or 200 NT for premium kavalan whiskys). Mr Brown Coffee and Buckskin Beers are also from the same company. This time we tried the Kavalan Triple Sherry Cask and were impressed by the flavours and aromas. But we still prefer the Japanese whiskys which has a little more depth in the flavours. Pretty good single malt whiskys at Kavalan nonetheless.
@2bearbeartravel Kavalan Whisky is homegrown in Taiwan, which started with an ambition to start a local Taiwanese brand of whisky. Thereafter the owners sent a team to study and learn from the whisky makers of Scotland and built copper distillers. During the tour we learnt that whiskey is made from malted barley grains, fermented, distilled and matured in oak casks. The type of cask as well as the length of maturity determines the eventual taste, aroma and colour of the whiskey. We must say that we’re very impressed that Kavalan is able to built this up in just a couple of decades. For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #kavalan #噶瑪蘭 #whiskey #威士忌 #kavalanwhiskey #liquor #alcohol #yilan #taiwan #distillery #2bearbear #travel #traveltheworld #impressed #impressive #whisky #kavalanwhisky ♬ original sound – Adelitas Way
Luo Dong Night Market Yilan (羅東夜市)
To round up our trip to Yilan, we stopped by Luo Dong Night Market (羅東夜市) to get our dinner. It is the largest night market in Yilan but still slightly smaller than Raohe Night Market that we visited last night. We had originally wanted to try a Gua Bao (刈包) – pork belly bun that we saw on Taiwan’s 1001 Stories. Unfortunately, it had closed post-COVID. Hence, we went with another one at 沈记 （Shen Ji) for 75NT. It was a deep fried bun with sauerkraut and pork with a homemade sauce which was quite appetising…
We also tried out Taro Milk which was so shiok!
We had the warm version of the Taro Milk as it was raining and it was rich and creamy. At 60NT per cup, only 2 ingredients were used. Steamed Taro and warm milk – then blended. The result? Smooth taro milk with pure taste of the taro with no sugar added. It was so good that we also got a cup for Charles as a way to thank him for taking care of us during the trip.
@2bearbeartravel Ended the night with a visit to Luo Dong Night Market (罗东夜市). We wanted to look for a Gua Bao but saw that it has since closed down. Thankfully, after we bought the Taro Milk, we were pointed to the Gua Bao next door which was excellent. At 75NT, it comes with thickly sliced pork belly, sauerkraut with sauce and wrapped in a deep fried bun. Yum! The taro milk tea was also superb. Just taro and milk, blended. No additional sugars, just the natural tastes. Superb! For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #guabao #luodong #luodongnightmarket #nightmarket #taromilk #罗东 #羅东 #food #foodie #foodtok #sgfoodie #singaporefoodblog #travel #traveler #traveling #traveltiktok #traveltok #2bearbear ♬ Tough – NEFFEX
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@2bearbeartravel Day 4 of our 2024 travels in Taiwan, we made a trip to Yilan. The day started with an excellent breakfast at Chen Ji Orh Ah Mee Sua. Thereafter, we headed to Waiao Black Sand Beach and onwards for lunch at #天下第一窯烤鸡 which had excellent kiln smoked chicken. A hike up to Wu Feng Qi waterfalls worked up an appetite and we had the 三星葱油饼while doing a footbath at Jiaoxi public foot bath. Spent some time learning the history of Kavalan and tasted some whisky before rounding up at the largest night market in Yilan – Luo Dong Night Market. For more details, visit 2bearbear.com today! #chenji #oystervermicelli #waiao #waiaobeach #beach #blacksandbeach #天下第一窯烤鸡 #五峰旗瀑布 #wufengqiwaterfalls #wufengqi #waterfalls #falls #publicfootbath #footbath #luodongnightmarket #nightmarket #nature #naturevibes #naturetok #travel #travelvibes #traveltiktok #traveltok #taiwan #yilan #jiaoxi #traveling #traveler #2bearbear ♬ 美食的味道 – 欣雨歌
We hope you have enjoyed day 4 of our travels in Taipei! Day 5 was a free-and-easy day where we checked out one of the most famous hotpot joints in Taipei – 五老锅 (Wu Lao Guo)!
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