Shilin Night Market is the Mecca of Food Trip in Taiwan! I know I'm going to gain a few pounds after the visit but who cares because tasting Taiwan's culture was our primary game plan before going there and Shilin Market was the top chosen destination.
Getting there is so easy! All you need to do is to get off at Jiantan station red line (NOT Shilin station as this is far from the entrance of the market) walk diagonally to your left. I'm sure you'll know you're there once you see bright lights or just trust your senses...your nose!
Address: No. 101, Jīhé Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
This is the whole map of Shilin Market. They call it the "Gourmet Map" and note that despite gaining weight because of the irresistible food being sold, if you walk the entire perimeter of Shilin, you can loose about 5.6 Kcal (see Line A in dark blue). If you chose the shorter route (Line B and C in light blue and pink respectively) then you can loose about 0.5 Kcal each. Not so sure if this is accurate but it's cool.
Shilin Night Market is a very popular destination at night in Taipei. There are over 500 stalls and it opens from 4 to 5 pm until around 2 am. You can go shopping (like Greenhills tiangge), play games (like in a carnival minus the rides), buy fresh seafoods "dampa style" and EAT!
Here are some of the street food we tried for dinner and midnight snack. This is a must visit in Taiwan and make the most out of your FOOD TRIP so make sure you're coming in an empty stomach.
Rice and Sausage - this is super yummy! at first we thought it's an "Inception sausage"--sausage on sausage haha because we thought that the white one was meat but it's actually rolled rice. It's "ulalam" indeed for only 50 NT.
Deep fried chicken cutlet - HUMONGOUS chicken cutlet with generous amount of pepper--we couldn't even finish everything. This is definitely good for two at around NT110.
Taiwanese long sausage - Can't get enough of these Taiwanese sausages for only 60 NT. You can choose the smaller ones for bite size or the foot long type but either way it's the same burst of flavor and party inside your mouth.
Frog Eggs Drink - Not really the best sounding drink but this frog eggs may or may not quench your thirst. I said may not because I didn't like it that much. The lime is too sour for me but if you like sour food or drinks, then this maybe for you.
Chicken Balls - MY FAVORITE!!! it's so tasty. Not your usual balls I tell you haha (vs. squid balls or chicken balls in Manila). You have an option whether spicy or or other flavors such as BBQ, cheese, wasabi, etc... Chicken Balls cost about 25 NT for 4 pieces.
Fresh Fruits and Candied Strawberries - Nothing fancy or unique but try it for something sweet.
Honey Bitter Gourd - This is my favorite drink! I can't describe the flavor but it's really refreshing. Not sure if this is under the family of "Ampalaya" but I guarantee that it's not bitter at all. Honey Bitter Gourd is just about 40 NT for one medium sized cup.
Peanut Ice Cream Roll - Now time for something sweet and savory...Peanut Ice Cream Roll is a nice snack in the afternoon. The peanut bits make it interesting plus there are ice cream flavors like plum and passion fruit. Super yummy I actually wanted to have more of it.
Penis Waffle - Well...I'm not sure if that's the correct term for this particular food but nonetheless, this is the most unique food stall in Shilin--all others are just the same. I forgot where this is found but don't give up walking until you find this.
For your information...if it helps...the waffle is exactly 18cm long haha and it comes in different variants like green tea, strawberry, vanilla, caramel, chocolate etc. It is also available in Gelo type or Ice Popsicle but the all time favorite is the waffle worth 60 NT. Careful though, eating it can be really messy.
Wheeew! 9 list of food is a lot in one night food trip . Can you imagine how bloated we were after eating those 9 dishes? So, in order to relax our tummies, my boyfriend and I decided to do shrimping in Shilin.
Shrimping is usually done in specialty restaurants with big swimming pools where you will do "shrimping". It's usually by slot and would take you around an hour to finish. We opted to go shrimping in Shilin because it's quicker and more enjoyable because you're not pressed with time but pressure is coming from your Shrimping skills because you pay according to the number of sticks. 7 sticks for 100 NT and unlimited shrimps as long as you get the proper technique. Quite hard at first because the shrimps fight back by swimming away which results to the hooks getting cut. The technique is to grab the shrimps on their tail and pull it slowly but surely.
I noticed most guests only got a maximum of 2 shrimps and I got 3 while my boyfriend aka MASTER OF SHRIMPING got 9!!! Everyone was so amazed by his hidden talent haha.
Once you're done, you have the option to bring home your live shrimps or grill and eat on the spot. We prefer eating of course because it's weird if we will bring home the shrimps back home to Manila right?
Disclaimer: This is an old post from my Blogspot account dated March 5, 2014.
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