It was raining in the morning of the third and the last day of our stay in Taipei.
We took a taxi to 金峰魯肉飯 (I don't know the English name) for breakfast. This is a very popular joint which serves rustic Taiwanese "street food" including "Lu rou fan(魯肉飯)" all day. Lu rou fan is like one of the national "comfort" foods in Taiwan. It's basically stewed minced pork belly over rice. Who makes the best "Lu rou fan", I hear, can be the subject of argument among locals...it's not just about the flavor, but also about the size of the minced meat, broth (including how gelatinous it is), ratio to the rice, etc.
Luckily we didn't have to wait to get a table, since it was raining and we came after the morning rush. The restaurant is located right next to Nanmen Market (南門市場) , which is also a great place to check out all the local delicacies.
The one who's waving to the camera is my mon...she was so brave to come to a hole-in-the-place like this with me. Ordering was very easy. We got an order paper and checked in the box next to the item we wanted. They also gave us a picture menu, so we could order exactly what we wanted.
We ordered several dishes and shared them. Lu rou fan (stewed pork over rice), its rice noodle version, braised tofu, stir-fry spinach, and braised eggs.
Wonderful! Everything was very tasty and gave me so much energy. Their Lu rou fan was also very inspiring to me, as I kept thinking about cooking my version of Lu rou fan with my Miso-shiru Nabe. I would definitely love to try it when I return to LA! Mmm...my Donabe Lu Rou Fan. By the way, for all these delicious dishes on the above picture, the cost was only NT$100, which is just about US$3!! That's insane!!
What I experienced in these short days in Taipei was just a tiny glimpse of the cuisines Taiwan can offer. Yet, it was so easy for me to be convinced how high the standard they have for their food, whether it's at a high-end restaurant or street food. People we met were very, very nice, too. I really love Taiwan.
