Taiwan TAipei free and easy : Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 2 東門市場

東門市場 is just located at Dongmen station 東門捷運站, exit 2.

Turn into a small lane and just start exploring the market.

Operation timing should be around 7 to 8 am to around 4 pm in the afternoon.

A place to have breakfast or lunch.

Taiwan TAipei free and easy : Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 1 永康街

Taipei free and easy : Dongmen mrt station Chaiin Hotel

1. 黃媽媽米粉湯/東門城滷肉飯

I am not very sure how to give direction. Just explore the market, it is somewhere to the segment which sells clothes or behind somewhere 東門鴨莊.

The food is quite cheap, going for arounht nt20 for a plain bowl of noodles, there around nt30 to nt50 for the side dishes. The noodles looks bland but actually it taste quite good and goes very weel with the side dishes. If you think noodles is too plain for you, there is a stall selling 滷肉飯. Quite memorable food for me. Will definitely go back if I am back at Taipei.

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2. 東門江記豆花 ( Dongmen Jiang ji soya bean)

They add peanuts to the soya bean unlike singapore version. We actually packed it back to our hotel to enjoy. It is good.

3. 東門鴨莊 ( Dongmen Duck place)

Read about it online. Ordered a pack back to eat. Nicely cooked rice with meat. If the the noodles is not meaty enough for you, there is a place to catch on your proteins and fats, with a servings of vegetables.

4. Others. 

There are a lot of stalls selling yummy cooked food that can be brought back to the hotel to enjoy or have it just there.

What we bought back to our hotel to enjoy. 

There are lots of stalls selling fresh vegetables, seafoods, fruits and vegetables. 

If you need to stock up some fresh fruits, this is a place to get some.

It is an interesting and clean market to explore, experience some of the local culture.

It is not very big, around an hour will do, not including the time spend taking photos and eating.

http://mizztoee.blogspot.sg/2015/05/summary-and-itinerary-of-my-taiwan-trip.html

Taiwan TAipei free and easy : Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 1 永康街

We choose to stay near 永康街, which is just beside dongmen train station  東門捷運站. We did not choose the usual ximenting as this trip is to catered to my elderly parents. Ximenting seems to young for their age. And definitely because of Chainn Hotel as it is new and just beside the train station and is not a hostel. 

 Dongmen is definitely filled with good food.

One of the best place to filled up one's stomach when the night markets are still not in operation

All this resturants can be located by taking the train to Dongmen station and exit 5.

We did not get to try a lot of food. Here is some recommendations.

Taipei free and easy : Dongmen mrt station Chaiin Hotel

Taiwan TAipei free and easy : Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 2 東門市場

1. First STop, Ding Tai Feng 鼎泰豐One of the most famous restuarant or eateries at TAipei It is just located by the road with a big signboard, so you can't miss it. We went there around 3pm, the waiting time was just around 3 minutes. The xiaolongbao is definitely good. The noodle serving is quite big, so share if you want to leave some space in your stomach for the xiaolongbao. Service is definitely good and food is served up real fast. The menu is just outside so you decide on your order while waiting for your table. The food is always good. 

2. Sun Merry Bakery 聖瑪莉

Personally, I did not try the bread. My parents did and they say it is quite nice.

I read some good reviews on it online. Worth to try.

3.  红樱花食品

I did not buy from this shop. It is just beside Sun Merry Bakery. They sell Hello Kitty Confectionary, like biscuits and pastry. Anyone who is looking for cute gifts to bring back home, can get it from here. Free samples for some items.

http://www.redsakura.com.tw/main.asp

4. Smoothie House 思慕昔 MAngo shaved ice 雪酪芒果雪花冰
They ran out of mango and they gave us sour kiwi in replacement. They just expect us to agree.
The mango shaved ice is good but a bit pricey, It cost a good nt$180-nt$190 for one servings. One servings can feed two. It is so famous, feel like I must try it. Not sure if I will go back.
No. 1之3號, Lishui Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
+886 2 2396 1133

8%ice 冰淇淋專門
No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
+886 2 2395 6583
8%  ice cream冰淇淋專門 sells interesting ice cream
No. 6, Lane 13, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
+886 2 2395 6583

4. Smoothie House 思慕昔 Mango shaved ice
It is good, but not fantastic. The mango shave ice is definitely a bit pricely at nt$180. This is one of the more famous place at yongkang street

  15 Yongkang street

5.  豐盛食堂  

We went to this place by chance. We were just wandering around. We realise a lot of tourists and taiwanese dine here. This place has nice decoration. The food is definitely good. The interesting thing is that you can order by pieces for some items. We ordered 3 ribs because only 3 out of 4 us want to eat. Soup was ok, ours is cabbage and somthing soup. The ribs although slightly fattening, is delicious. The pumpkin with sesame is interesting and taste not bad. Price wise will be around S$15 to S$30 per person, it depends on how much you order and of course, seafood will cost more.

6. 芋头大王

I am not a fan of yam, only a fan of chewy yam balls.

My mum loved yam. I googled and found this shop which sell yam related desserts and shaved ice. The shaved ice is slight cheaper than smoothie house, slight difference. The hot yam desserts tasted much better than the cold ones. Yam balls tend to be more chewy. Can try.

臺北市永康街15之4號 ( it is a bit hard to locate the shop, it is tucked in corner. It is on same street as smoothie house, just less than a minutes walk after smoothie house)

7. Others

There are a lot more good food and resturants and cafes. The more hip and happening ones, are not to my parents' taste buds. I walked pass some and tell myself next time. I read about this few places online.

IOU cafe looks good, a great place for cafe hopping lovers.

No 9, Yongkang street  02 2358 7771

 度小月 is another famous eatery at yongkang street. served noodles. 

No.9-1, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City 

8.  Convenience stores and a small supermarket. As much snacks as you want.

This is not really a shopping paradise, the only thing in abundance other than restaurants will be pharmacy and a big Wastons. Don't plan to shop much here, plan to eat a lot.

http://mizztoee.blogspot.sg/2015/05/summary-and-itinerary-of-my-taiwan-trip.html

Taipei free and easy : Dongmen mrt station Chaiin Hotel

As this trip was to bring my elderly parents around, I spend a lot of efforts looking for a hotel instead of a hostel as they need to rest very well and one which is just located just beside the station..

I am very please with Chaiin Hotel (謙商旅‧東門館)

 .

Firstly, the location.

Chaiin hotel  is just located above Dongmen station, so just exit front the station, walk across the post office and you will reach the lobby. There is no escalator but there is a lift at the exit to chainn. It is convenient for anyone with kids and elderly. However, as the hotel is located above the train station, the hotel lift has a speed limit so the waiting time can be slightly long.

It is also located 5 minutes from yongkang street (永康街) where the famous 鼎泰豐 ( Ding Tai Fung) and Smoothie House 思慕昔 is located. There are lots of eateries and shops around the area too. My parents are not very good with directions but since there are so much to see nearby, they can venture out on their own.

Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 1 永康街

Dongmen 東門捷運站 food part 2 東門市場

 The hotel lobby. Clean and new. The cafe staff are definitely more friendly the hotel lobby stuff. There is defintely room for improvement for the hotel lobby staff.

 We booked the superior rooms as the rest of the room are sold out. The two rooms have different design, one is the sink is out the toilet, in the bedroom. The other one, the sink is just inside the toilet. You can try requesting one that suit your preferences.  The room is new and clean. The room is decorated by the useful map, so I know the interesting places around the hotel. There are ample shelves for me to store my stuff. The only negative is the room is a bit dark around the mirror, it was difficult for us to use the mirror to take a good look at ourselves.

From what I read, not all rooms come with view. I am not sure about that. But this is the view from my room. Not bad.

The map in the room.

The hotel, below is the dongmen station and a post office. We bought a post card and mail it back to Singapore 

The lift lobby looks very nice.

 Breakfast is included. My parents prefer to fill up their tummy before venturing out. Simple cafe but good looking cafe.

Breakfast spread, Includes porridge and variety of beverages including fruit juice and latte... Simple but is good enough for us. The food is quite good. The menu change a bit every day. If not, just grab a coffee and eat breakfast outside at yongkang street.

 I will definitely recommend chaiin Hotel. The location is good and quite centralised. Lot of restaurants and some shopping available including pharmacy and watsons. The cafe staff are very friendly. The hotel is clean and new. The bed is definitely comfortable. The shower is not strong but reasonable. The breakfast spread is good too. Chaiin Hotel price is around s$100 -s$150.

http://mizztoee.blogspot.sg/2015/05/summary-and-itinerary-of-my-taiwan-trip.html

Singapore EAts : Hang out CAfe

Quite and simple little cafe which has is decorate by camera accessories.

 Ordered a pizza and a pasta. The serving size is reasonable. I enjoyed the pizza more than the pasta. I like the thin crispy crust of the pizza, but the mushroom can be more fragrant.

2 main course plus 2 desserts. The waffle was not bad but not outstanding. 

I rearrange the creme brulee's strawberry to make it more photogenic

Went down a second time for coffee and desserts as I enjoy the quiet atmosphere and the good service. Parking was also easy as there are lots of empty lots.

 

The price of the cafe is around 10 plus for a main course. If you intend to order a drink to go along with it, budget should be around $20-$30.

Hang Out Cafe

Blk 603, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5

#01-2661

Tel: 6456 3376

Opening hours:

11.00am to 10.30pm (Tue-Fri)

10.00am to 10.30pm (Sat-Sun)

Closed on Mon

SWitzerland free and easy: Things to do at Zurich LAke Boat Ride

 The pier. A beautiful sight. 

We took the short round trip

The boat ride usually cost chf 8.5, but is free for those with Zurich Card. Yes, my friends want to make full use of the Zurich card. I wanted to just another walking tour but it was two against one.

The whole boat ride took around 1.5 hours. There is indoor and outdoor sitting and also a small restaurant.

I think I choose the wrong timing to take the boat so I was not enjoying much of it.

Firstly, it is winter so is very cold and windy to sit outside. It is hard to get a good shot or enjoy the scenery without shivering. 

Secondly, we should not take the night cruise. It is so dark, we can't see the alps. We can only see lights and sometimes there was not much light.

The best timing to enjoy this boat ride should be somewhere around sunset where you can still see the alps and also enjoy the beautiful sunset and maybe a bit of the night lights.

To get to the pier at Biirkliplatz (trams 2, 5, 8, 9, 11)

http://www.zuerich.com/en/visit/navigation-company

Switzerland free and easy: Things to do at Zurich - Zurich National Museum

 I was a bit hesitant about visiting the museum. Thought it will be so boring. 

But our accomodation was only ready in an hour or two, so we decide to visit the museum which is just beside the train station. There was not much shopping at the station, and entrance was free so why not?

There is free storage of coats and luggage which is a good thing for us.

The exterior looks charming.

 A nice little carriage outside the museum

OUr tickets and the lockers. 

They have a storage room for big luggage, the lockers is for small bags and coats.

Normal price of tickets is chf10.

The place is much bigger than I expected, we spend one hour plus and we can't finish touring the place. The place is like a maze.

There is a variety of display from history, bank, watch and clothes. They try to present everything in a different way so it is just interesting to walk around. We were too tired to do much reading.

Worth dropping by for an hour or two.