Yong Kang Street (永康街) @ Taipei [Near Dongmen MRT Station]

In spite of my friends' recommendations, my mind was only focused on one place when i exited Dongmen subway station towards the direction of Yongkang Street; the original Din Tai Feng restaurant!

Life has a way of mocking mere mortals - Din Tai Feng was closed for a one-day renovation (frankly, i don't understand how renovation can be done in one day but that's exactly what the waitresses at the entrance told us)! 

Taipei 101 was spotted at a pretty close distance! p.s. there would be a separate posting on the world's third tallest building. Anyway, a fellow NUS colleague suggested a visit to the nearby 大來小館 for their signature luroufan; i did attempt but it was not yet open for business! Sighs...

Nonetheless, Yongkang Street is more than just food and you can immerse yourself in its unique splattering of boutiques and quaint little cafes that sprouted at locations least expected. 

For example, a corner shop selling socks, bibs, bags and even mats. Okay, bad example although you must note that a man who failed to satisfy his food craving wasn't exactly in his best mood. 

Until he spotted a dessert shop, 斯慕昔, which unfortunately happened to be quite empty! You know what can worsen a hungry person's mood? Bad food. In the simple mind of Cavin, the lack of customers is a strong hint that food might not be the shop's forte.

Almost did a double turn when i walked further down the street and saw another dessert shop that had the same Chinese name, same decor and selling the same type of desserts; albeit with a lesser variety! Funny thing was that the place was filled with customers! Fishy!!

Whatever the case, i was more captivated by the snaking queue outside this stall selling Tianjin Chong Zhua Bing which looked a bit like our local roti prata! Did i queue up? Nope!

Freshly picked strawberries! I found fruits in Taiwan to be a bit pricey even though they were produced locally most of the times. Guess it has something to do with the quality and maybe the lack of harmful pesticides.

Imagine a shop that sells nothing but umbrellas! 

Ladies would enjoy shopping in these boutiques; there were so many to choose from and i am glad my company was Alex. If not, i would likely be bore to death! 

I still remember that time i went to Hong Kong with my sister and her friend; i lost count on the number of shoe shops i stepped in. Countless. 

The equivalent of Koi in Taiwan! The bubble milk tea in Taiwan was so delicious and for the price of less than S$2, you can get a cup that easily cost S$4 in Singapore! 

Passageway by the side of the road reserved for pedestrians only! 

Maybe i didn't research sufficiently, maybe the retail mix wasn't really my cup of food or maybe, there was only so much food my stomach can take - i didn't really find Yongkang Street that fascinating. 

Talking about food, it's time to have Super Mango Snowflake Ice with Panna Cotta at the yellow building i mentioned just now with more people; the one known as 斯慕昔 (Smoothie House). 

At NT$180 (about S$7.50), it was a huge portion! 

Decorated with thick chunks of mango and topped with panna cotta that tasted more like jelly to me, i thought it was nice yet not impressionable enough for a second visit. 

Now i know why this shop was able to attract more crowd than its sister branch nearing the start of the street. It had that undeniable advantage of allowing customers to relax and people-watch at its alfresco seating! Now, that's what vacation should be all about! 

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Location

Yong Kang Street

[Exit from Dongmen Subway Station]

Map

As above

For an overview of my 9 Days, 8 Nights Taiwan Trip [Cingjing (清境) - Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) - Taichung (臺中) - Taipei (臺 北)], click HERE.