This post covers about:
-Moon Lake Hotel Taichung
-谢氏早点豆花专卖店 Taichung famous local breakfast restaurant
-第二市场 Taichung Second Market
-包车游 8-hour Day tour
-阿仁羊肉羹 (Dinner)
-继光香香鸡 J&G Fried Chicken 1973
We reached Taichung Station at about 2.30am after the two-hour bus journey. Click
here to read how we bought bus ticket once we touched down at Taoyuan.
To our own surprise, Taichung station is not 24 hour operated as we thought. It is totally dark with only 7-11 store operates. So, we walked to
our hotel, Moon Lake Taichung with the guide of GPS, 15 minutes of walking journey is okay for us under the cool weather hehe. We made our booking thru agoda during Maybank's exclusive 8% off on hotel. We had family room for about RM 155 per night, breakfast inclusive where my family quite enjoy to have Taiwanese congee, steamed bun, soya milk and toast and more!
#MableTips Try to search the bank you have an account in it or the bank issuance for your existing credit card for limited offer. Sometimes they collaborate with this kind of online hotel agent like agoda and booking.com and you can save quite an amount!
The hotel receptionist understood about our late (midnight) arrival and so we had the chance to do quick-cleaning at the washroom and even felt asleep at the lobby LOL luckily we were shielded from the cool weather throughout the night.
Breakfast store @ 谢氏早点豆花专卖店
We actually had a round strolling the streets nearby before we felt asleep at the lobby and we'd found out there was a Chinese restaurant where the people are busy preparing food. Looked up to the signboard and checked online, it's a local-style breakfast shop named
谢氏早点豆花专卖店 which is apparently one of the famous breakfast shops among the local.
As my mum, sister and I woke up on the sofa at the lobby at around 5.30 in the morning, we then headed to the breakfast shop. It's located few shops away from our hotel where just a minute of walking distance!
NTD 110 for 3 pax of breakfast
We didn't feel very hungry but still order some to stuff our taste buds and stomach, indeed, we quite enjoy them in overall, I shall make some highlights of what we like about.
豆浆红豆Warm soya milk with red bean, NTD 30
Both items are my favourite food and it's my first time having them both at a time, normally there's only so-called Michael Jackson (Soya milk with grass jelly) available in the markets back in Malaysia. We had also plain soya milk at NTD 10 only.
综合汤 Mix (pork) soup, NTD 25
Basically, it's a clear soup consist of pork ball, blood curd (quite far tastes from what I have in Malaysia) and fish maw. It tastes similar like how we've been having back in Malaysia though. Not a bad choice to have in a cool and windy morning!
肉松蛋饼 Pork floss pan cake, NTD 25
This changed my mind after my first bite, all thanks to the essential flavoursome from the egg! I usually don't like to eat the home-style Chinese pancake, because of the taste of flour (haha, I just don't like it at all!). The egg and pork floss managed to cover it up and make it another favourite item of mine in the breakfast store.
Trivia
Name: 谢氏早点豆花专卖店 @ 台中继光街 Taichung Ji Guang Street
Business Hour: 5am till 12 noon daily.
My recommendations: 豆浆红豆Warm soya milk with red bean & 肉松蛋饼 Pork floss pan cake
We headed to 第二市场 (Taichung Second Market) after all of us had our breakfast. It's roughly 15 minutes walking distance from our hotel/the breakfast store as mentioned above. I'd read a lot of great reviews especially the food stall there, basically every stall is 老招牌 where people would queue up along the street. Some of them include 老赖红茶,李海卤肉饭&王记菜头糕糯米肠.
We had pre-booked for a day tour in Taichung around a month ago. It's commonly known as 包车自由行. There're lots of this kind of day tour agent posting on facebook, showing you the great destinations they had taken the tourists to (visitors from different countries) and some suggestion.
Okay not an advert but I think you guys can have a view on
this if you're keen, I knew it from my aunt after I had already made the booking with another one.
#MableTips If you have your own plan where to go, they are always welcome for it and they make the arrangement on which to go first and all that. But if don't, they are glad to assist you with their suggested one-day itinerary and then only amend from it. 去旅行最重要是玩的开心
Most of them covers only 8 hours per day, but if you have large quantities of people then they can allow for up to 10-12 hours of tour guide. Oh ya, they can also help in booking hotel on behalf too.
Ours include (all free entrance):
- 南天宫关圣帝君 Taichung's largest Chinese temple
- 国家歌剧院 National Taichung Theater *Regretful
- 彩虹眷村 Rainbow Village
- Lunch @ 财神爷卤肉饭 Taiwanese braised pork rice (24 hour)
- 情人桥 Dakeng Lovers Bridge
- 东东芋圆 Don Don Taiwanese shaved ice
- 新社花海 Taichung Flora Exhibition *Regretful
- 梧栖渔港 Wuqi Fishing Harbour
- 高美湿地Gaomei Wetlands *Regretful
- 逢甲夜市 Feng Jia night market (but didn't manage to due to exhaustion)
It's photo-sharing session!
First, 南天宫关圣帝君 Six-level Chinese Temple
南天宫关圣帝君 Taichung's largest Chinese temple
This temple inclusive of different god and goddess for different religion and belif among Chinese.
Thus, there're up to 6 levels in this temple, passenger lift provided no worries.
Coincidentally, they serve vegetarian vermicelli soup for public and we grabbed some to have a quick taste of local.
A warm bowl like this is simply best for our stomach during the windy morning.
Next stop, 国家歌剧院 National Taichung Theater.
Out view of the theater
Okay, to be honest, we were regret shortly after we got down from car. The theater open for public at 11.30am but we were like an hour earlier to enter zzz Despite low temperature but we're greatly welcomed by the warm sun shine (oh no!) Hence, we walked around for like 15 minutes then hopped on our cab for the next destination.
Third stop, 彩虹眷村 Rainbow Village
Rainbow Village at Taichung
(No edit but I'm awed over the beautiful outcome in overall!)
This is absolutely out of our initial plan frankly (mum doesn't like artistic viewing like this) but since we've some time before lunch hour, so our tour guide driver suggested this thus off we headed for there.
这位是想婚了吗？
Candid shoot but not bad huh
There's also a stamping corner provided where my sister was super excited to know it!
FYI, there's this practice in tourist destination, especially, in Taiwan. It is considered as part of souvenir the authority could distribute to the public. They are also available at every mrt station but not high visibility. You may ask at the inquiry counter if you're keen.
#MableTips Bring along your own note book from home and fill it with the stamping provided!
Lunch hour!
财神爷卤肉饭 Cai Shen Halogen Meat Food
Wah I'm surprised to know the phrase "Halogen Meat Food" as I'm sharing about our lunch part. Googled and learnt that it's related to halogen oven. But I regard 卤肉饭 as braised pork rice anyhow haha!
We let the driver to decide where to have lunch with only condition that must be local (and tasty) food and here we discovered this 24-hour Chinese restaurant.
It's self-service policy, menu is displayed above the counter. The service crew were so patient for us to select our food as we were quite blank and in little dilemma what to order (just got up from sleep on car after rainbow village). At least they didn't show up the black face to embarrass us.
Side dishes also available to pick.
Spot any of your favourite one?
They serve 仙草梅子汁 (Grass jelly in plum juice) for dine-in customers.
I think it's charged based on the number of bowl taken, free flow and such a refreshing one by the way.
Fourth, 情人桥 Dakeng Lovers Bridge
I emphasized to the driver that I don't wish to miss out having 东东芋圆 (Don Don Dessert), one of the famous local dessert. And so, he arranged to have us the dessert while on the way to the next destination. On the route to the dessert store, he dropped us a while for another landmark of Taichung, Dakeng Lovers Bridge.
Dakeng Lovers Bridge, pink and dreamy especially for the girls!
We spotted the youngsters gathered there with take-away desserts and have a windy afternoon together.
Take-away dessert
东东芋圆 is also Taichung MUST eat dessert, according to my friend.
The driver served us take-away one while we were on the way to 新社花海 (flora exhibition), our next destination. NTD 50 for each.
We had two and all of us preferred the one served in Penang, oh no!
First, the shaved ice in way too coarse, finer texture served in our hometown is preferable.
I guess that's the original dessert where we don't 欣赏 them very much.
Fifth, 新社花海 Taichung's Flora Exhibition
Taichung's municipal do have such annual tradition to showcase flora exhibition and open for public, usually held 3 weeks or a month long in November. We knew it from others' sharing about this and so, we included this into our itinerary, since the exhibition falls within our visit time.
Taichung annual flora exhibition (Nov 2017)
Natural view of flora..people..mountain..and then hot sun!
Another regret one among the itinerary because we were hooked over the beautiful photos shared by people online （坑爹真是照骗）The passionate sun in fact turned us down and we stayed there for like 30 minutes only. It's free entrance during exhibition, so the exhibition is crowded with the public.
Sixth, 梧栖渔港 Wuqi Fishing Harbour (Fishing Market)
It required an hour car journey to reach the harbour from the previous stop. All of us straight felt asleep on the way to there,haha! Okay thanks God that our driver safely ferry us in the end. A nap like this somehow is quite refreshing one, once we reach Wuqi Fishing Harbour, thanks to the windy weather and sea breeze(perhaps?) as it's surrounded by the sea.
What attracted us to included it into our itinerary is the evening market with abundance of fresh seafood. It's great to explore it by ourselves other than from media channel even though we're not planning to buy anything.
I swear I will definitely buy the crabs if I gonna have homecook dinner over there.
Fresh fish selections @ Wuqi Fishing Market
阿姿烧酒螺 is famous for serving different flavours of Balitong (Sea snail).
If you're balitong fans, why not have a try on the local taste?
Mild / Medium / Super Spicy Flavour up to select.
Last stop, 高美湿地 Gaomei Wetlands
I labelled this as another regretful stop we had because things turned out out of (wonderful) expectation, haha! Partly because of the on-going construction on the tourist-photo-shooting point and also that god damn strong cool sea breeze. All of us went down from car reluctantly and my mum stood still outside the car, not willing to walk further, too cold she kenot lol
By the sea: Gaomei Wetlands
We didn't manage to get down from car for night market, simply because all of us already exhausted (Imagine that sleepy and emo face hahaha). So our driver dropped us back to our hotel and we got showered after a power nap though. Then it's time for dinner!
继光夜市 (Ji Guang Night Market) is just right in front of our hotel main entrance, just crossing a little street and you're about to explore the food and shops. We went randomly to see which restaurant to have our dinner and eventually we picked this 阿仁羊肉羹, beside the breakfast shop I mentioned earlier, 谢氏早点豆花专卖店
The stall and cooking section is at the outside but behind is the dine-in section
Simple deco and it's quite homey to see such wooden furniture with television switched on to news channel.
It serve quite a variety of food but not only
肉羹 (Thickened Soup Noodle with Starch Coated Pork) NTD 35
谁爱吃鱼翅汤的就会很喜欢吃这个，口感很相似!
猪杂汤米粉汤 (Vermicelli Clear Soup with Pork Intestines) NTD 55
米粉汤 (Vermicelli Clear Soup) NTD 35
炸酱面 (Noodle with Soy Bean Paste) NTD 45
Trivia
Business Hour: 10.30am - 9.30am
My recommendations: 肉羹 （Thickened Soup Noodle)
As I'd been strongly recommended by one of my friends that Taichung's must eat fried chicken is J&G Fried Chicken, locally known as 继光香香鸡. The flagship store is at Taichung and I just knew upon drafting this that they have overseas branch at Sunway Putra Mall at KL. We found that there's a branch (or is it flagship store) nearby so we just headed for it right after dinner!
J&G Fried Chicken is a local fast food restaurant served to the people since 1973.
As usual, it's also a self-service restaurant where menu is well displayed behind the cashier. Can't really remember the variety but I know there's half and whole fried chicken as well as popcorn chicken, large packet but forgotten the price already,haha! Spiciness categorized into mild (小辣), medium (中辣) and extra spicy (大辣)
Popcorn Chicken from J&G Fried Chicken
We had medium spicy and to people who can eat spicy, medium spicy is really nothing! Okay, FYI, Taiwanese are spiciness-intolerance so even the extra spicy should be fine if you can eat spicy usually.
Hot and mild spicy flavoured popcorn chicken, yum!
