Besides the famous Shilin Night Market, do give a visit to the minor and less "advertised" ones such as Ningxia night market (寧夏夜市) where nearly 90% of the crowd is made up of its local people. Although not as decorated and crowded with tourists, it does however offers an array of delicious street snacks, souvenirs and classic carnival games. On top of that, Ningxia was one of the cleanest and organized night market I had observed in Taipei.
Directions to Ningxia Night Market
1. From ZhongShan MRT Station Exit 1, walk approximately 10 minutes westwards along Nanjing West Road.
2. From Shuanglian MRT Station Exit 2, walk approximately 10 minutes westwards along Minsheng West Road.
Note that it is indeed quite a distance from any nearest station, but do hang in there for a rewarding night market experience awaits you at Ningxia. Don't forget to try out their famous Muah Chi (麻糬), which comes completed with peanut and sesame powder.
One of the greatest creations created by mankind is combining a piping hot baked potato wrapped in a nicely crisped skin, together with a generous amount of mayonaise and melted cheese. Here we had the potato with mashed tuna filling (NT$60). No wonder my friends strongly raved about this, cos' I can tell you what it tasted like - heaven.
Most of the stalls in Ningxia Night Market are equipped with tables and chairs, which is comforting to have after a whole day of walking. We chose a stall located near the end of the street and decided to have our proper meal there.
Braised Pork Rice 滷肉飯 (NT$25) and a good bowl of Lamb Stew (NT$80) with lots of meat (and ginger too).
Another night market I would like to recommend is Shida 師大夜市. There is some rumours that Shida has been closed down, but I would like to clarify that it is up and running (as of Nov 2012). Maybe a portion of it has been downed, but Shida Night Market still hold its vibrance. It is located near a couple of universities, so do expect no less than crowded streets flocked by university students.
There are all kinds of shops selling all sorts of items, but mostly on apparels and accessories (which of 70% are female-based). Well, being the guy, I had to wait for Peiyi to finish her shopping before continuing our gastronomic journey.
Directions to Shida Night Market
1. From Taipower Building MRT Station Exit 3, walk 5-10 minutes before reaching.
I highly recommend 咸水鸡, which means chicken cooked in salt water. This particular corner stall in Shida proves to be an expert of the dish. We had chicken breast mixed together with at least 4 various vegetables (mushrooms, sliced cucumber etc) and chicken gizzards for just NT$110. It is then de-boned, cut into smaller pieces and mixed together with drizzles of sesame and chilli oil. I found it a perfect dish to be part of the family dinner, plus it's highly addicitve.
Onion Pancake (蔥抓餅) is another must-try in Shida. It costs NT$25 and an additional NT$5 for egg and NT$10 for extra ingredients such as cheese, bacon and vegetables, which then you drizzle your own combination of sauces. It surely does remind you of Roti Prata, doesn't it?
