After our icy breakfast, we went for lunch at Din Tai Fung, Taipei 101 and order dishes that we could not get in KL. Need to get a number and then wait for the number to be called. Both of us waited for about 20 minutes. There were many people in the queue but the numbers were moving fast.
2 cups of tea (foc) and 2 saucers of julienned fresh ginger (foc). We ordered a small plate of starter which is a lightly blanched vegetable known as chayote and these are its shoots (lóng xü cài / 龙须菜 / 龍鬚菜 which literally means "dragon-whisker vegetable"). I don't think we can get this vegetable in KL. This dish costs NTD 100+ (NTD 110 after 10% service charge so the price is about MYR 14.75 nett with the exchange rate of NTD 100 - MYR 13.40).
The bowl of dessert on the right is "Jiu Niang" (酒釀 / 酒酿 / fermented glutinous rice) with two glutinous rice balls filled with sesame paste (tang yuen) - NTD 110+ (NTD 121 which is about MYR 16.20).
"Jiu Niang" is fermented glutinous rice so you get fermented glutinous rice floating in a sweet syrup liquid with a small amount of alcohol from the fermentation. The texture of the rice is like soaked puffed rice so one will need getting used to the spongy or rather mushy texture. This is my friend's favourite dessert which we cannot get in KL too.
Order chit for 3 items.
Proof that the vegetable dish is just known as "A菜". Total bill for these 4 dishes for 2 pax: NTD 803 nett which is about MYR 107.60 which is rather pricey but we don't get to eat these food here in KL. Even Din Tai Fung KL does not have these items on its menu so since we are in Taipei for just 1 day, might as well eat the food there that we cannot get in KL.
The Jiu Niang dessert looks interesting, would like to try it, now I have craving for desserts
ReplyDeleteif you like tong sui with a bit of alcohol you will like this.
DeleteYour trip to Taiwan reminds me of my trip to Taiwan in 2013
ReplyDeletegood memories.
DeleteOh! So we went to the original. They have an outlet in KL, right?
ReplyDeleteyou went to the Taipei 101 branch? it is not the oldest branch but it is orginal. They have more than 1 outlet in KL and even a halal outlet in KLCC.
DeleteIt is pricey. But something we don't get over here, I guess it is worth it.
ReplyDeleteya eat some food that are not served here.
DeleteI have visited Taipei no less than 5 times but had never stepped inside this Taipei IOI building. Did you walk all the floors? I didn't have a real vacation there yet.
ReplyDeleteTheir food is always tasty and healthier as their folks are so fussy.
I did not walk all floors. If you go you must go up to visit the top platform to look at the balancer ball of this building.
DeleteOh! I didn't know there is a balancer ball there.
DeleteNow I recall that someone discouraged me to visit citing that only branded stuffs and expensive shops are there. These are the places that I normally avoided in overseas. I must go to Taipei IOI next time.
the proper name for the ball is tuned mass damper. It is worth a look!
DeleteYep the food does look pretty unusual. 'Chayote' here is that pear-shaped gourd, different from the leafy greens in your picture.
ReplyDeleteit is the same. the leafy greens are chayote shoots - pucuk of the chayote plants.
DeleteThanks, something new to me! Now I'm quite keen to plant this, heh.
DeleteYou are welcome! All the best in planting them! Sounds like you know your vegetables well though you say you prefer to eat meat than vegetables in general. :)
DeleteLove the yummy post, babe!
ReplyDelete:)
DeleteThe meal looks so delicious!
ReplyDeleteTasty and we can't get it here that easily.
DeleteI think I have never eaten Jiu Nang before. Am now very keen to find it here in Malaysia but I doubt we have it?
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen it being sold here before but I think you could try making your own.
DeleteEnjoying food that's not available here sure is syiok.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
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