The famous XXL Chicken (士林豪大大鸡排) made my mouth water even days before my trip. I missed my chance due to a ridiculously long queue and an unrealistic curfew during my army training trip to Taiwan, but this time I was determined to taste this epic street snack. The XXL Chicken has many outlets or imitators around the world, but this store in Shilin is the original and another must-try.

This shop was not hard to spot, especially with the constant queue. The shop was so busy that the staff hands out plastic bag and prepares exact change before you even reach the counter. She dumps the chicken into your open plastic bag after you indicate your preference for spiciness and hands you exact change (the chicken was priced at NT$55 so NT$100 was the obvious amount most customers would pay with). With the big piece of chicken in my hands (with a bunch of other street snacks that I bought without self-control), I ate it during my walk around Shilin.

The deep-fried piece of chicken was crunchy and adequately seasoned. And it was BIG and looked like it belongs to a competitive eating competition’s menu. I had a lot of trouble finishing the chicken and had to let some go after my previous snacks were threatening to come back up. The chicken itself was surely tasty, but in my opinion, does not live up to the hype. It was not one of those to die for food like Yong He that you would make you feel like you could die right there and then.

Still, it was good enough. Plus, you can’t say you’ve come to Taipei unless you have eaten this once.

Yong He in Geylang has got to be my favourite supper location, and I knew the moment I decided to go to Taipei that I had to make pilgrimage to the original Yong He. Yong He Dou Jiang Wang or Yong He Soya Bean King is one of the must-eat places when you visit Taipei. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it made sense for me to go in the noon when there are less patrons.

Yong He Dou Jiang and Dan Bing

It was about 3 in the afternoon when I arrived. I took a long 30-minutes walk from Zhonghua Fuxing station under the swelthering heat, and the air-con in Yong He Soya Bean King was God sent. I took a seat in the empty restaurant, and immediately ordered a sweet cold dou jiang (NT$20) (soya bean drink) and took my time trying to decipher the menu on the wall.

The soya bean drink, as expected, was gao (thick) and it definitely deserves the “king” in the name. The flavour was less sweet than the Singapore’s outlet, but oh-so-satisfying. Even though I was full from lunch, I went ahead and ordered one of Taiwan’s favourite street snack, dan bing (NT$20) (loosely translated to egg biscuit), which was kind of like an egg crepe and tasted exactly like that. Soy sauce was required for this dish.

Dou Hua

That was as much as my stomach could take for this trip, but I came back again and tried their dou hua (soya bean curd) and dan bing jia you tiao (Doughstick wrapped with Egg Biscuit). I also had a taste of the salty version of their cold dou jiang, which did not change my preference for the original. The dan bing jia you tiao was difficult to eat (or I was doing it wrong), and I ended up eating the dan bing and you tiao separately. Dipping the you tiao in dou jiang is one of the simple pleasures in my life that I very much enjoy. The dou hua was smooth and the soya flavour was snuffed out by the syrup, so it is not your typical Singapore’s soya bean curd flavour.

Dan Bing Jia You Tiao

Out of all the street snacks I ate in Taipei, this is probably the top of the to-go list. It’s open 24/7 and the prices are much lower than Singapore, so there’s simply no reason not to go.

See also:
hungryintapei’s breakfast/taiwanese: i strongly recommend YONG HE DOU JIANG DA WANG

A sense of familiarity brings back memories of delicious Xiao Long Bao and Pork Ribs Fried Rice in the Din Tai Feng back in Singapore. As the pictures from the menu got our tastebuds geared up, we didn’t hold back on the ordering, with 5 Xiao Long Bao dishes, 2 Fried Rice dishes, and more.

The food was served up quickly by the courteous staff. It was looking to be a good first meal that set the standard for the next few days. The Xiao Long Baos, as expected, were top notch, with very flavourful fillings. The taste was slightly better than the ones in Singapore, what made the difference was the vast variety of Xiao Long Bao and Dim Sum dishes you could order.

We inhaled through the dishes, and left very satisfied. The food was fairly priced, and cheaper than the outlets in Singapore. I would definitely recommend you try this once during your trip here and here are some encouraging photos to help you with your decision.

So, this is my room. Reasonably neat and I try to keep it clean. The parquet floor makes it hard to see the amount of hair that ends up on the floor, so I wipe it once every two days.

My table is right next to my bed, so it doubles at my bedside stand. The only two thing I do before I sleep are reading and playing with my iPad. I’m reading Esquire’s The Handbook of Style ATM

The only otaku part of my room is this coaster, simply because it’s nice to have Haruka Ishida looking at me everyday. Got it from the AKB48 Cafe.

Even with the insurgence of ebooks on my iPad, I’m still steadily adding books to my collection. Apart from books (mostly non-fiction, Haruki Murakami is my only fiction indulgence), are limited edition bottles of Absolut Vodkas, cleaning accessories and every other miscellaneous item that doesn’t have a place anywhere else in my room. The outrageous amount of dust that settles on books forced me to put in those plastic coverings.

The other side of my room. Dry box, mini fridge, haven’t found a good way to store my bags yet, so they go on the floor for now. Luggage is out because I’m packing for a trip.

Inside the fridge? Pretty boring, with Gin, Vodka, Whiskey and water. Beers are usually in when there are guests.
My poor snack corner has seen better days, usually with plenty of Japanese snacks. My two Best Made enamel cups are severely under-utilized, but at least they look good.
This is the other corner of my huge table. I love beautiful umbrellas, and I often buy more than I can use. All my accessories go onto this metal birch, I don’t wear those often. The metal aroma therapy thingy was a gift from my sister.

This is where I spend 80% of my adult life. My MacBook Pro has been with me for almost four years, and is screaming to be replaced. Magic mouse, induction-charged on a Razor mousepad. I recently indulged in an Intuos 5 from Wacom. My Samsung TV came free with my internet plan, and is conveniently hooked up with my laptop. Was watching Mikeneko Holmes no Suiri, which wasn’t a particularly good show.

On top of my printer, my Rolodex, a valet box system from Muji, and plenty of beauty products.

A dedicated hook in place for my PBJ jeans, which I haven’t wash for 1 year and counting. That’s the main reason why it doesn’t go into the wardrobe with the other clothes. I bought those dumbbells when I was 15 and they remain to be the only outlet of exercise I do in my room.
The latest “innovation” in space saving is this grocery bag container from Simple Human on the insides of my cupboard. My OCS plague goes on it after I sold my sword case.

On my way to the Warhol exhibition at the Art Science Museum at Marina Bay Sands, I passed by a charming, expensive-looking store. The prices were actually pretty affordable, in contrast to the layout and location. The selection of gifts were actually pretty awesome, like a ceramic skull piggy bank for less than SGD$30. With a great mix of vintage and modern gifts, you might wanna take note of gifts from MoMa, one of my favourites.

The Dictator
Sasha Baron Cohen, enough said. I’ve watched him first as Ali G, brief moments of Bruno and most memorably in Borat. I can’t say no to one more. Unlike it’s predecessors, The Dictator doesn’t come in the form of a mockumentary, to my dismay. I loved it when he trolled unsuspecting victims in Borat, but he probably got enough of lawsuits.

The Avengers
I wrote about it here, but it’s worth repeating it again. This is gonna be legend, wait for it, dary!

Jiro Dreams of Sushi
Another one that I wrote about, bound to make your mouth water. I hope it comes to Singapore.

The Dark Knight Rises
After the first two installments, Chris Nolan returns again with what’s set to be the best finale in the trilogy.

Taken 2
Liam Neeson was the biggest badass in movie history because of this show. I wanna see him bust an entire syndicate again.

Mougin & Piquard™ for J.Crew Grande Seconde watch in cream
This Swiss brand you’ve probably never heard of shut its doors in 1920s, only to open half a century later with these lovely models referencing pilot’s watches of the 1920s. Beware of the surprise GST when you order above $500.

Billykirk® schoolboy satchel
You know how I love my leather, especially the light colored ones.

Bucktown shell cordovan 18mm NATO watch strap
Leather again. And shell cordovan! Talk about luxury, which explains the price.

If you don’t feel hyped up by the news yet, watch this video:

Preorders are available through Blizzard if you wanna play the game the moment it’s out. While there are stores accepting preorders for slightly lower prices, I got mine for 90SGD through Blizzard because it’s just the safest way with the least hassle. This is, of course, a digital copy as game boxes take way up way too much space for me. So if you want a fancy collector’s edition, you’d have to wait.

As a gamer who has experienced all the versions of Diablo, this video cracks me up.

While in Tokyo, vehicles would make way 99% of the time, I haven’t had the chance to witness if pedestrians would give way. Although to be fair, it’s quite impossible to stop in the middle of the Shibuya Crossing on what seems to be a weekend night. The amount of human traffic there is so outrageous that I could understand their “heartlessness”. Having met many Tokyolites and Japanese in general, you would come to realise that their level of social awareness is probably the highest in the world. Perhaps then, you would not jump onto the bandwagon of condemnation that quickly.