eating with emak

The Chocolate Salted Caramel Doughnut @ Dough stand in Smorgasburg Dumbo.

Not the best photo, the doughnut got smushed in the bag. I love this doughnut. The dough has a nice soft chewiness to it. The glaze wasn’t too sweet. I shared it and now I want my own. 

The Uni Miso Mazemen @ Yuji Ramen stand in Smorgasburg Dumbo.

Mazemen is a soup-less ramen served cold. I think it’s a clever idea to introduce ramen this way. It definitely makes it much easier to eat standing up without worrying of spilling soup all over the place. Also, who would want to eat piping hot ramen outside in the summer months?

I ordered their special…Uni Miso Ramen. The noodle were thick and chewy topped with a dollop of uni and miso, shredded shiso leaves, nori flakes, and zest of orange. Combined the flavors were just so so. I’m not sure how fresh the uni was, it was a little fishy. The other menu choices sounded interesting as well..Bacon, Egg, & Cheese and Spicy Tuna. I wouldn’t mind trying those. 

I decided to try the Bongo Brother’s Cuban food truck when they were parked near my office. I ordered their Mojo Lechon platter (pulled pork with white rice, black beans, and fried plantains) It was good, but they still can’t beat the flavors from Sophie’s Cuban.

Hong Kong Street Food

I got yelled at by the owner for taking photos of his food. I just pretended that I didn’t understand Chinese. I quickly snapped a few photos and gingerly walked away. =)

North Point Mini Egg Cakes from the Tsim Sha Tsui branch on Nathan Rd.

Danshui Street Food- Fried Mushrooms

This fried mushroom vendor was also featured in my guide book. I walked up to the lady asking for fried oyster mushrooms, but she suggested I get a variety. Sure, even better! She chopped up, battered, and deep fried the mushrooms and then sprinkled them with 5 spice powder.  Yum, they were so good. 

“YOU MUST TRY THE STINKY TOFU”, wrote Jennifer in all capitals when I posted on my Facebook status that I have arrived in Taipei. Also, a few weeks before my trip, I wrote to fellow blogger Joan of A Hungry Girl’s Guide to Taipei and asked her for some food recommendations. She recommended that I try stinky tofu and said that the stand near Zhongxiao Dunhua station was really good. 

First, what is stinky tofu? It is fermented tofu that is usually deep fried and served with sweet and spicy sauce. Because of the fermentation, the smell is usually pretty pungent. Some people says it can smell like rotting sewage; however, if you are able to get past the smell, it taste wonderful. It’s quite a popular street food item in Taipei. I, being the curious and adventurous foodie that I am, made it a top priority of mine to go try some stinky tofu when I was in Taipei.

I found the particular stinky tofu stand that Joan recommended, and it was actually located just across the street from my hotel. While walking up to the stand, I didn’t think it smelled at all. After the owner handed me my tofu, I walked around with it for another two blocks just to make sure it wasn’t smelly. Then, I decided to bring it back to my hotel room to eat it because I couldn’t find a place to sit on the streets.

The tofu was crispy, and it was drenched in this sweet sauce with a side of spicy chili sauce. The pickled cabbage was fresh. It was pretty good and it didn’t smell at all; at least not like rotting sewage. I guess this vendor prefers their stinky tofu to be less stinky.