Mum, Mum Cake Shop (饅饅好食) @ Big City in Hsinchu [Taiwan]

When thrown in an overseas shopping mall flushed with tons of eateries, the only viable solution for me, as a foreigner, was to check out Google Maps for highly rated establishments. 

The one that caught my attention was Mum, Mum Cake Shop (饅饅好食), which had a review score of 4.6 from over 90 reviewers. With such an affectionate English name, my mind was conjuring tastes of home-made goodness!

Problem was selection of which cakes to purchase. While I can buy them in slices, I must be sensible to the fact that my dad was against me spending so much on a slice of cake and that we just had a full meal less than an hour ago. I rationalized that this would be a well-suited dessert. 

We cast our vote for Tutti Frutti, which was a pretty slice of cake filled with natural pieces of fresh fruits! Damage cost was 210 Taiwan dollars; pricey at almost S$8.00 for a takeaway cake!

Guess we are paying for the packaging! Aside from such an adorably pink box, the eatery had also provided forks (pasted on the side of the box) for ease of eating. 

There was even a good quality card slotted within the box that shared some tips about Mum, Mum's cakes! Sorry, I didn't realize the taken picture was so blurred! 

Anyway, here's the almost S$8 Tutti Frutti cake.

Despite it being relatively tall, it had just two cake layers with a thick filling which had a stronger vanilla flavor and creamier than the butter cream top! Reminding me of Japanese cakes, the texture of the cake and the consistency of the creams were perfect for each other, making me "mmmmm" with every bite! 

Taste wasn't exceptionally sweet, typical of Japanese kind of cakes and I love the outbursts of fruity aroma in every mouthful. From the above photo, you would also notice the speckles of vanilla seeds in the filling. Would I have this again?! Absolutely but maybe I should consider the their signature strawberry cake! 

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Address

No. 229, Basement 1, Big City, 

Zhongyang Rd, East District, 

Hsinchu City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

 

List of Cakes

As above.

Website (in Chinese)

https://www.mummumcake.com/

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Strawberry Picking at 羊來了草莓園 @ Nantou in Taiwan

I used to travel to Cameron Highlands quite often in the past and one of the most popular activities there was to pick strawberries in one of the many farms, which I didn't quite enjoy given that we were charged based on the number of strawberries we picked and placed in the basket! 

For this strawberry farm at Taiwan, concept was similar with one big difference; we wouldn't have to pay a single cent so long total weight didn't exceed five Taiwanese liang per person, estimated to be about eight large or ten small strawberries.  

Whatever the case, I was happy that this activity was included as part of the tour package and i endeavored to keep to the limit so that I didn't have to pay extra! After taking the plastic bag from the owner, it's time for us to step into the farm! Wait, the above looked like a proper entrance yet it didn't seem to lead to anywhere. 

Entrance from the side, which I thought was absolutely weird. The netting wouldn't deter any thieves from sneaking in at night for some delicious strawberries! 

Unlike the strawberry farms at Cameron Highlands, the strawberry plants were planted on the ground, and not on elevated pots, which would have made it easier for us to pick. I am still fine but for the older generation, it's quite a feat for them to bend down and stand up every few minutes. 

No issue for my dad who is considered very healthy physically! I even consider renting a community gardening plot for him as he is blessed with green fingers! And I don't mind having fresh, locally grown greenies for my salad.

Photographs of the strawberry plants; I am wondering why they have to be segregated. I am no phytologist / pomologist but I am guessing that fruits on one plant will likely have to fight for nutrients, hence reducing individual's sweetness.

Dad with his stash! 

See the ones I picked versus the one that my dad had. Key advice for any amateur strawberry picker; the size doesn't matter, just choose the one that's red and oddly shaped. The so-called perfect strawberry shape is not likely to be sweet. 

Weighing our picked strawberries on the electronic scale. Dad's strawberries were small and didn't have to pay extra. Mine were much bigger and the overall damage for my eight oddly shaped strawberries? 20 Taiwan dollars (less than S$1); which I gladly paid for! 

A customary shot taken by KK, our tour guide, of my dad and I with our strawberries, and the beautiful backdrop of the farm and the hill right behind. 

As the strawberries were not sprayed with insecticide, we were told we could just wash the picked strawberries using the water tap near the entrance, and eat them straight! I had no intention to wait to enjoy the "fruits of my labor"! 

Sweet, they sure were. And definitely tasted better when you pick them with your own hands! Before I knew it, I had downed all of them down my throat! p.s. correction, my dad and I shared the strawberries but clearly, my oddly shaped ones were placed higher on the saccharine level. 

Want more strawberries?

Feel free to purchase from the storefront of the farm! 

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Address

No. 118號, Section 1, Zhongzheng Rd, 

Guoxing Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 544

Map

As above.

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Lunch @ Fan Wang Seafood Restaurant in Taichung [Taiwan]

I didn't expect too much for lunch on day five as the meals for tour packages are often quite standard but I was hopeful that this would be different as there's the word seafood in the name of this restaurant!

First up was the seafood hotpot which was sour tasting although still quite appetising for the taste buds. 

My eyes lighted up when I saw the above; a plate of sashimi with some shredded crab meat. Turned out the tour mates on my tables weren't as keen on raw stuff and even though I only ever like salmon for sashimi; I decided to at least give this a try.

No whiff of fishiness and it was so fresh! According to KK, our tour guide, this was swordfish and it was a satisfying experience given that each slice was quite big, and there were only two other persons on our table who indulged in the sashimi!  

Steamed fish wasn't too my liking as it didn't seem fully cooked. Maybe just me as it was almost completely wiped out towards the end of the meal. 

As you can see, there were a number of seafood items and it's a great pity that I didn't know how to enjoy oysters! And I am particularly hesitant to eat them when I am overseas, given my sensitive stomach.

In all, I would say this was one of the more satisfying lunches so far!

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Address 

86-1號加油站旁, Huanzhong Rd, 

Section 4, Nantun District, 

Taichung City, 408 Taiwan

Map

As above. 

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Nice Cream - Vegan Italian Gelato @ Big City in Hsinchu [Taiwan]

It's not often that I get to see a perfect 5.0 from over 2,000 reviewers on Google Map and this immediately piqued my curiosity even though I am not that big on ice cream. 

And here I am; with eleven flavors for me to pick my brain. There were strawberry, Matcha, Thai Milk Tea, The Earth, Strawberry Paochong Tea, Mint Chocolate, Sweet Melon, Oolong Tea, Banana and Soymilk. Choices to make! 

One thing for sure, I am not going to get the Hong Kong egg waffle to go with my ice cream. Our aim was to ensure we don't stuff our stomachs too much as there's still the dinner that we hope to settle at the mall.

Eventually, we relied on the friendly staff to advise the popular flavors!

And they were.... Soy Milk and Strawberry! Safe flavors for sure.

Our two scoops with cone that cost 190 Taiwan dollars (about S$8.00). Soy Milk reminded me of blended soya milk that was frozen; not impressive in my opinion. Strawberry fared better for its rich, natural flavor with a good balance of sweetness and sourness.

Cone biscuit was crispy but again, didn't amaze us. Honestly, the texture wasn't the utter creamy type and it was only later that I realized the gelato from Nice Cream was vegan, meaning no dairy, no eggs! 

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Address

No. 229, Basement 1, Big City, 

Zhongyang Rd, East District, 

Hsinchu City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

 

Menu

As above.

Website (in Chinese)

https://www.nicecream.tw/?ref=hao

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers

Mandatory Shopping Stop at Aboriginal Specialty Product Center (毛王爺之家) in Sun Moon Lake in Taiwan

I am thankful this wasn't at the start of the day as the morning grouchy mood without my local coffee would have been disastrous for the mandatory shopping stop that was an obligated part of our tour package to Taiwan.

We stepped in after a relaxing cruise around the scenic Sun Moon Lake and it was mesmerizing to be greeted by a majestic statue of a deer with golden horns. 

Claiming we had plenty of time to take photographs later, we were ushered to the room where we would be 'lectured' on health products worth the money in our bank account. 

No photographs allowed of the "seller", unlike our experience at the tea factory the day before. Anyway, the focus was on the nutritional benefits on their product, a Chinese medicinal fungi known as lingzhi, of which there were about 200 species.

Best would be the red, wild one, said to be the louis vuitton of lingzhi, and of course, available for sale in pill form at this Aboriginal Specialty Product Center. *rolled eyes* Such marketing antics might have worked 20-30 years ago but seriously?! In this era of online shopping and google research?

I was honestly more curious with the name of the center. 毛王爺之家; which meant the House of the Prince of Mao. Who exactly is this prince? 

Apparently, the former patriarch, an aboriginal leader, by the name of Mao Xinxiao, had a distinguished reputation in the area, and the prince title was said to be bestowed upon by President Chiang Kai Shek. Note that the origins of the prince title were debated by some on Google though.

There were many photographs of the Prince of Mao with foreign dignitaries, including former Malaysia prime minister, Mahathir. There's even one taken of the princess with the mother of our beloved Mr Lee Kuan Yew! 

Photographs captured my attention more than the sale speech, especially photographs taken of the area in the aftermath of the devastating 921 Earthquake in 1999, where over 2,400 people died. 

Coming back to the shopping, I recalled it was quite expensive. Aside from lingzhi, you could also procure royal jelly, which was procured by one of our tour mates. *phew* Anyway, descendents continued to live in the building next to Aboriginal Specialty Product Center. 

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Address

No. 76, Wenhua St, Yuchi Township, 

Nantou County, Taiwan

Map

As above. 

Website (in Chinese)

https://www.maowangye.com.tw/

Click HERE for the Summarized Itinerary for Our 8 Days 7 Nights See Iconic Taiwan Anew Tour Package via Chan Brothers