Prawn Bee Hoon and Stinky Tofu @ Liuhe Night Market in Kaohsiung [Taiwan]

Our primary priority upon arrival at Liuhe Night Market was to have dinner and two competing makeshift food stalls next to each other drew our attention; would it be the rich wok-hei tze char or the pungently fragrant stinky tofu?! 

The granny with her decades of experience firing the work was definitely a sight to behold and Alex was captivated by her skill, cementing his desire to have a bite of at  least one of eighteen dishes on the menu! 

Well, I was tempted but I am craving for stinky tofu. 

So, why not try both of them at the same time?!

Prawn Bee Hoon - at just NT$100 (about S$4) a plate, I was impressed with the more than ten prawns mixed in with the bee hoon. p.s. more starch than bee hoon although not an issue for me. 

With that massive fire underneath the wok, I am expecting an intensely rich wok hei that begged me to return. Reality was that it's the sweetness of the dish that caught me off-guard. Alex loved what he had whereas I am happier with the crunchy prawns. 

Stinky Tofu - served on a plate wrapped with a plastic sheet, I must say the operator must have hated washing dishes! Now, when this was served to my table, I honestly couldn't catch even a faint whiff of the stinkiness! 

The stinkiness puffed out with a bite through the tofu! Aroma aside, the taste was sadly pretty blaned and I needed the saltish spicy chilli to elevate the flavour. Saving grace was the cold cabbage that was crunchy with my preferred vinegarish-sweet marination. 

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Address
Along Liuhe 2nd Rd, Sinsing District, 

Within Liuhe Night Market

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Pricing

Prawn Bee Hoon - NT$100 

Stinky Tofu - NT$80

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

Rice Cakes City (米糕城) @ Kaohsiung in Taiwan

The word "rice cake" frightened me as it would mean a ton load of carbohydrates in dessert form but the truth was much more different after I caught the video introducing the Taiwanese eatery from Kaohsiung City on YouTube! 

So here we were at Rice Cakes City (米糕城) for late lunch; which kind of explained the lack of customers. The review score of 3.7 from across 2,000 reviewers was hardly a must-try but its legacy since 1946 was tempting and I am curious about the rice cakes.

Braised Pork Rice - let's check out the Taiwanese basic dish first; the ubiquitous luroufan that was commonly known as rouzaofan in the Southern part of Taiwan. This would be what I considered to be the most authentic one around; thick chunks of savory fats over rice and slices of crunchy, sweet pickled cucumbers! Loving it! 

Rice Cake - this was actually similar to rouzaofan except that heavier glutinous rice was used and there was a layer of fish floss. Well, I prefer the fluffier rice from rouzaofan, which was priced lower, and honestly, fish floss belongs to porridge!  

Braised Fish Belly - ordered this as it was reviewed on the YouTube video, and this sorry looking piece of fish was not something that Alex had any appetite for. 

Turned out to be one dish that Alex couldn't forget! The fish had an alluring texture that was meaty, oily and filled with collagen; the taste was just unforgettably good that when Alex wanted to order a second serving, I had to stop him since we had much more to eat for the rest of the day, and stomach space would be precious! 

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Cleaned up everything except for the rice from the rice cake as it was too heavy for the tummy! p.s. Alex insisted on returning the next day to eat again but it was sadly (for him) already closed for the day. 

p.s. return your own crockeries and cutleries

No issue for Singaporeans!

Address

No. 107, Daren Rd, 

Yancheng District, 

Kaohsiung City, Taiwan 

Map

As above.

Menu (in Chinese)

As above.

Pricing

Rice Cake (S) - NT$45

Braised Pork Rice (S) - NT$35

Braised Fish Belly - NT$110

Click HERE for 11 Days, 10 Nights Taiwan Trip: Summarised Itinerary for Chiayi Alishan (嘉义阿里山) - Kaohsiung (高雄) - Tainan (台南) - Taichung (臺中)

May Village within Sun World Fansipan Legend @ Sapa in Vietnam

The Sapa Rose Valley was mystical enough but imagine an equally mysterious village just three hundred meters, shrouded in a light mist that reduced visibility; May Village.

This attraction was at least much more crowded than Sapa Rose Valley; human activity actually made the place less eerie. p.s. I doubt I will survive in a rural place. 

A group of tourists huddling up in front of this traditional wooden tribal house. One item caught my attention as it would have provide us with a lot more context about this village, and I was praying the text wasn't in Vietnamese.

Informative plaque, in Vietnamese and, thankfully, English! Apparently, May Village showcased Vietnam's ethnic minority groups which would have been darn educational, if there was a guide with us. If not, I would just have to refer to the plaques.

Red Dao People

This particular sector highlighted the life of Vietnam's second largest ethnic minority, the red dao people, known for "distinct red headscarves". What I saw wasn't the headscarf, but the pot of fire exuding warmth to heat up my cold ass.

Medication or herbal products for sale? 

Looking at the wooden tub, I sure wish there was a foot soak! 

Known as Wedge Drum, this had a spiritual purpose, to connect the living with the other realm, and used for important ceremonies like weddings, coming of age rituals, funerals etc. I didn't see the gentleman making any; he sure was keeping the fire going. 

Giay People

House of the Giay People, it was said to have a unique half-stilt, half earth house, which didn't seem to be the case from what appeared in front of me. 

Random photographs; showing you how misty it was. 

Beauty of fresh cabbages; should my mom be with us, she would ask for maybe a wok, fire stove, and some seasoning and sauce to whip up her signature stir-fried cabbage!

Tay People

The abode of the Tay People would have appeared to be more inline with the half stilt, half earth house of the Giay People. Anyway, Tay tribe was said to be the "earliest inhabitants in Vietnam and the largest ethnic minority group in the country".

A cafe; we should have gone in for some hot beverage to warm our body but our family was bent focused on having lunch back at Sapa Town! Mind you, it was already 2.30pm at this time.

Xa Pho People

Hailed from the most remote village at Sapa, the Xa Pho people were also known for their dances and serenades of folk songs and lullabies. p.s. we didn't hear any.

Aside from nature, I realized my dad enjoys such cultural immersion activities and actually loves loving photographs with the people of the minority tribes. For "younger" generation like mine, I refrained from the latter activity as I don't know if it would be rude or not. Nevertheless, I did ask permission in advance.

More photographs

In the past, I always thought Hmong was the largest ethnic minority group but as mentioned above, it was the Tay that took the spot. Anyway, this is  Ma Thi Gia, a black hmong lady blessed with a skill picked up since she was 14 years old.

Her profession? A beewax painter! Do you know that beewax is water resistant and it was melted to "obtain a bright yellow liquid" that "dried immediately when applied to white linen fabric"? 

Empty field that was like a centerpiece for May Village. I am guessing cultural activities would take place here in good weather. 

Hmong is a large group and within the community, they are sub groups differentiated by colors. There was the black Hmong, the white Hmong and the above showcased the green Hmong!

Making of incense sticks by artisan Vu Thi Xin, who hailed from the Giay. To make the incense sticks, bamboo stems were stripped and "covered with a layer of incense powder made from cinnamon bark, cloves and herbal fruits".

Ha Nhi People

The house for this minority group was the most special, as it was made entirely of earth and a typical house would between 4 and 6 meters tall with just a single central door! 

Saw a super adorable pony! 

My sister and dad with the cute pony. Please be assured that I am as worried of their safety and had checked and secured approval from the pony's handler that we can take photographs.  

Dad loving his vegetables! 

Lastly, showing you the interior of one of the houses. More often than not, I wonder if there is a small chance that such houses are "functional", which would have made them more appealing than being mere covers for tourism. 

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Address

Next to Hoang Lien Cable Car Station,

Sun World Fansipan Legend, Sapa, Vietnam

Click here for my summarized itinerary of my 3 days trip to Sapa