Visiting Taiwan – Motherly Notes Methods

Books About Taiwan 關於台灣的書

Book Recommendations to Learn About Taiwan 關於台灣的書
遊戲介紹 (Games Rec)：我想聽你說 Popcorn Talks

我想聽你說 Popcorn Talks 桌遊來了!
Taiwan Eats: 八月堂 Hazukido

I don’t usually eat sweets or bread. I don’t really care for bread for that matter. Usually it’s easy for me to take a bite and say “bye bye” real fast since it doesn’t do well for my weight anyway. HOWEVER… these are pretty irresistible !!!!! These are located on top of Taipei Main Station…
Taiwan Eats: 飯 Bar Station , Funbar

This is a trendy style Chinese restaurant and it’s quite tasty! You can find many traditional dishes done nicely. My favorite is the pork belly (東坡肉) and Shanghai Bok Choi Rice (上海菜飯). The meat was tender but not oily. The sauce was just right. The rice was nice and bouncy and just the right flavor.…
Taipei Eats: 銷魂麵舖 Spicy Noodle

I found this in 新光三越 (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi) A11 美食街 (food court basement level) … um… with a crazy line during the weekend. I vowed to come try it when it’s not as busy during the week. There’s still a line during the week! But manageable! It’s spicy but not too spicy. I don’t find…
Taiwan Eats: Mazendo 麻膳堂

This place is supposed to be known for their spicy noodles but the GEM I found is their Hainan Chicken RICE!!!!!!!!!! Their rice has a lemongrass flavor scented through and not oily. The chicken was better than what I remembered in Singapore… chicken was warm and tender and the bones were still red inside but…
Taiwan Eats: 晶華冠軍牛肉麵 Regent CBN Champion Beef Noodles

This place won championship in beef noodle competition in 2015. It may or may not fit your taste depending on what type of beef noodles you like. I found it kind of cheesy they have “Champion Beef Noodles” right smack on the outside but I guess it does help people realize who they while walking…
Taiwan Eats: 一蘭拉麵 Ichiran Ramen

Noodles were great. Soup was great. Extra plate of meat wasn’t so great. Just get their traditional Char Siu. Don’t get the extra $148 plate of 燒肉. It wasn’t tender. Didn’t love that. Otherwise, everything was great! I ordered 10 times the spicy and then ordered slightly harder noodles which I thought was smart. The…
Taiwan Fun: 華山1914創意產業園區 Wooderful Life

This is an “indoor” … “a/c filled”… “pretty place”… “with lots to do”… for kids age 3-8ish. There are easy things like go fish and harder stuff like Chinese checkers in a gated area within Wooderful Life located in 華山1914… go when they open on the weekends and wait at the door about 15 minutes…
Taiwan Eats: 大三元 3 Coins (Michelin 1 Star)

This place was awarded Michelin one star last year. It’s very very traditional cuisine and has a Cantonese flair …. but is it really Cantonese? Not really. The taste is more like Taiwanese Cantonese fusion? The duck is crispy on the outside and I like the wrap that it came with. It’s got grains but…
Taiwan Fun: 國立傳統藝術中心 (宜蘭) National Center for Traditional Arts (Yilan)

We were craving something that’s not mud but yet cultural and fun to shop and walk and clean and pretty for our last stop in Yilan and we went here. There are a LOT … A LOT OF DIY here but we didn’t have enough time!! We thought it’s a 40 minute visit sort of…
Taiwan Fun: Yilan Crayon Factory DIY

We went to 宜蘭 and this was one of the activities that the driver had planned for us. We went to the Crayon factory (there’s only two there and this is the one that most people with kids go to since the other one is for “better quality” art supplies). It’s a very streamlined DIY…
Taiwan Eats: 肉割烹ゆう-Nikukappou Yuu

If you love beef and love marbled melt in your mouth beef from Japan (Omi beef)….Come here. Highly recommended. It’s about ten courses of amazing. There’s only space for about ten guests per dinner sitting. Menu is fixed but you can tell them about allergies and preferences for substitution, etc. Service is friendly and nice.…
Taiwan Eats: Kiki Restaurant Kiki 餐廳

This is a chain opened by 藍心湄. It’s not like something that’s ultra ultra special but the taste is so good! For those that like spicy food, this is the place to come. The menu is expansive and the food is super well cooked. I really suggest 蒼蠅頭 as a must order if you like…
Taiwan Fun: 野柳地質公園 Yeliu Geopark

This place was sooooooooooo freagin beautiful. However, it was SOOOOOOOOOOO HOT!!!! OMG, I was melting!!!! Yes, I did the whole Taiwan thing and was carrying an umbrella the whole time because my skin was burning. Kids were whining one minute into the park on how hot they were and how they feel tired cuz they’re…
Taiwan Fun: 九份老街 JiuFen Old Street

If you love shopping for local items and walking through old styled streets, this is the place for you. This place as been used as the background for movies like “A City of Sadness” and “Spirited Away” so it’s popular for a lot of Asian to come see this place. It’s very “steep”… it was…
Taiwan Fun: 十分 Shifen Old Street

This is the famous place where you can light up paper lanterns and let them float into the sky like the Taiwan idol dramas. The strip of shopping is about only half a mile long. You will find lantern shops all along the shopping strip with similar prices. $150 for one color and $200 for…
Taiwan Eats: Palais De Chine (Michelin 3 Stars) 君品酒店頤宮 (米其林 3 星)

Seems like I’m always eating… but this one is a must go and repeat! Must go and repeat! Must go and repeat! Chinese Site: https://www.palaisdechinehotel.com/tw/restaurant.php English Site: https://www.palaisdechinehotel.com/en/restaurant.php Couple things to note: It’s Dim Sum on steroids. Reservations are hard… hard… did I say hard? Call in the FIRST of the month to get a…
Taiwan Fun: 貓空纜車 MaoKong Gondola

We went on the Maokong Gondola. Some things to note: It’s a 25 minute ride up and 25 minute ride down if you want to ride down. You can take a taxi down for 75 nt a person or negotiate. There are taxis at the top of the mountain. There’s a tour shuttle to take…
Taiwan Eats: 海底撈 Hai Di Lao Hot Pot

I love hotpot and Taiwan has the best hot pot places. This particular chain though is from China and I can’t say enough good stuff about it. First of all, the meat is delicious. Second, they have a bagillion sauces for you to choose from. Third, their service is top notch. We sat down, immediately…
Yen 紫艷 at W Hotel －Oh My Duck…

You want duck? Go to W Hotel. Yummy duck and yummy dim sum. Not like crazy out of this world but definitely satisfying as the quality standard is there. Their duck is served wrapped by their servers. Their dim sum was very nicely done. Everything was made/steamed to order and came out perfectly. Desserts were…
鼎泰豐(信義) The Original Din Tai Fung (Xinyi)

So I always contemplate whether I want to go to another location of Din Tai Fung but always end up going to the original one. There’s always a long wait but the trick is to get there early. We went before 11am and waited only 15 minutes. YAY! And… wait… is that…. TRUFFLE bao??? YES!!!…
思慕昔 Smoothie House Ice

You really really really need to at least drop by one of their locations for snowy ice. Been around and famous for a long time. The first time I went there was the one on 永康街 because it’s conveniently next to the first Din Tai Fung 鼎泰豐 restaurant 鼎泰豐(信義) The Original Din Tai Fung (Xinyi)and…
山嵐拉麵 Yamaarashi Ramen

The ridiculous thing about Taiwan is this… you walk along the small streets and you are overwhelmed with crazy yummy looking places. You walk into one of these and you get knocked out with great tasting food everywhere. This little place I went to near where I live just hit it out of the ball…
大道18號 18 Days (熱炒店 – Quick Fry Restaurant)

Taiwan is not Taiwan if you don’t go to a quick stir fry place. This is what they call 熱炒店. This particular one is a cross between a street style 熱炒 and restaurant style. The taste is pretty spectacular. Most dishes are small and costs between 100-150 TWD ($3-$5 USD). Our favorite dish everywhere we…
饒河夜市 Raohe Night Market Taipei

I was told by locals how this is the night market to go to. I went to Shilin, TongHua, and a couple other smaller ones and I do find I like this one the best. It wasn’t too long, it was all together in one spot (Shilin was huge and spread out). The food was…
態芮 Taïrroir – Michelin One Star Taipei

So I was able to go back and book something here… yay. The decor is nice. It’s more simple than RAW Taipei – Michelin One Star Restaurant for the decoration. Food was however different. Both had Taiwan fusion done right but Taïrroir had more of a French imfluence in terms of plating, size of the bite,…
老媽拌麵 Lao Ma Noodles

When in Taiwan, it’s so hard to just walk around and NOT eat! Everything looks so good! Today after our 90 minute foot massage, we were walking in the neighborhood and I saw this gem. Um, I love spicy and this place has so many spicy sauces! Then I found their website and found out…
KidsAwesome Children’s Museum of Taipei 奧森兒童博物館

This space is called Kids Awesome because…. it’s AWESOME. It’s for ages baby to third grade (max third grade). Most kids in there were about 4-8 and they had great things such as a zipline, ball space, rocket space, etc. The underground level is where it is all happening. All the action is in the…
Moomin Cafe 嚕嚕米主題餐廳

So we went to another cute cafe this time based off of the comic book set! Here’s their facebook page with more of their photos: https://www.facebook.com/moomincafe.tw/ Again, this is for fun and looks… the food was decent and again, not at Taiwan level but very decent, just not anything you’ll be craving. Otherwise, their desserts…
Rilakkuma Café 拉拉熊咖啡廳

So usually my expression shows a disgusted look when I walk into something that’s way too cute. Before kids and marriage, people would have to strangle me to go to a place like this. Let’s just say… having kids changed me and now I actually scope out these places so that my kids would get…
扶旺號 FullWant Breakfast Place

This is the sister breakfast company to 甘妹弄堂 Ganmei Alley Breakfast Stop that’s recommended by a friend here in Taiwan. OMG! YUMMMMMMMM. They have spicy sandwiches for breakfast and the selection is incredible! You can look at their menu online: http://www.fullwant.com.tw/index.php/location.html. There is (which is quite rare) a seating area with air conditioning downstairs. They’re open at 7am…
紅玉滿～姐買的不是雞蛋糕，是外剛內柔的心八顆 Hong Yu Man Egg Pancakes ~ Love Pancakes with Wings!

This cute place is located on the Eslite wing of the Taipei Main Station. We love egg pancakes and these years, these have been going on a steroid level! Look at how cute the shape is! This particular store sells them in four different shapes and they actually tastes incredible!!! They are more chewy than…
Sogo Supermarket 超級市場

Sogo’s supermarket downstairs is like a gem. It’s so nice with a bunch of pre-made foods. There’s handmade dumplings of all different colors but we have no time to even cook here… or else I’d buy some to try. Looks awesome. The different types of pre-made and little packages of meat and tofu was sooooo…
Julia Music School 朱莉亞音樂藝術中心

誰說旅遊就要放棄練習樂器？這家我找了好久也研究了好久。就這個地點（復興小學旁邊）裡面的老師就已經超過80位！！！很驚人吧！給我們只來幾個禮拜的遊客很大的方便。租小提琴也方便所以不用自備。如果是練鋼琴，用他們的練習房都免費哦！實在很理想。上幾次課都可以彈性很大。老闆人超好！ http://www.juliamusic.com.tw/ Who said you have to give up practicing your instrument while you’re in vacation? We found this music school with over 80 teachers! They do strings and piano and fits us perfectly. You can even borrow their piano rooms to practice for free if you’re a student. They match you up with teachers…
Ippudo Ramen 一風堂

I’ve had this ramen in New York. This one I went to was in Taipei Main Station and tastes as good as the one in New York. If you want a decent ramen without guessing whether it’ll be good, this is a good place plus the 5 billion other restaurants on this floor! When I…
Name Stickers Taiwan

So waterproof name stickers are like so DAMN CUTE here!!! Someone shoot me already. I already bought 10 sets of different designs already. Some are reflective and sparkly. They’re in the Taipei Main Station. Website: https://www.facebook.com/funstickers/?hc_location=ufi Each set ranges from 100 TWD to 200 TWD for a set of about 150 name stickers that are…
台鐵便當🍱 Taiwan Railroad Lunch Box

Ok, so a childhood memory and obsession of mine that I always dream of… is this lunch box you get on the railroad for Taiwan. It has a special smell from the paper box it’s in and it tastes soooooooo good… at least to me. This one is very famous and is at the Taipei…
Villa Like SPA 悅禾泰式養身會館

This spa was a great choice for us. They’re a chain with three locations. We went to the one in Da’an district. Their company website: http://www.villa-like.com.tw/main.php They specialize in Thai massage and their massages are less than $100 USD for 2 hours! YES… 2 HOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!! It’s actually 2400 TWD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (was that enough exclamation marks??? ) There’s…
甘妹弄堂 Ganmei Alley Breakfast Stop

This place is so goooood! They have a really creative menu. Their facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/ganmeialley/ Their breakfast is traditional with a flare and there’s usually a line in the morning but not too bad. You can usually get your items in 10 minutes or less. The soup dumplings are awesome with a crispy…
Baking in Taiwan – JMI Cookies

There’s a lot of baking in Taiwan. I think kids and moms love to have classes together here in general. We found a place that actually did the cookies for a “soap opera”… ha ha ha. The space is small but their baked goods are really cute. Handmade mochi is what we made with a…
Mall Crafts in Taiwan

I used to take home art that looked like a crap when my kids were like two. Then I took home semi looking crap when they hit 3/4. Now I’m okay taking home average looking passing for a well done project by a kid sorta thing once in a while from school. Taiwan makes it…
Guest House 請客樓 – Michelin 2 Star Restaurant

This Michelin two star restaurant is easier to book than Tairroir or RAW. It’s been around and is on top of the Sheraton. It’s rather busy for lunch when we went and had a more traditional vibe. Dishes were traditional but with a nice touch. For example, their tofu dish was super delicate (in the…
RAW Taipei – Michelin One Star Restaurant

This is a Michelin one star restaurant that combines French bistro with a Taiwan flare. This was a nine course meal and it was heavenly. The decor was very earthy when you enter and you can smell the wood decoration as you walked through the entire restaurant. Dishes are seasonal of course and set by…
煮海 Trésors de la mer

We had an amazing feast of seafood here next to the fish market in Taiwan. This place is a gem. We had a tray of sashimi and seafood hotpot after. We also had their hand rolls made table side, grilled lamb chops, and grilled steak. The food was super fresh. After the hotpot, you cook…
肉食主義 – Meat Love, Mean Love, Meet Love

Ok, so the name isn’t so sexy but their food is. This is a hot pot place with Japanese Wagyu meat and frankly, it didn’t matter WHAT meat we ordered, they were all so so so so tender!!! We had lamb, beef as well as pork and they all tasted great. We tried all four…
台北蒙特梭利幼兒園 Mrs. Lam Montessori

Although we attend a Montessori in the states, I wasn’t expecting to put the girls in one in Taipei but I am so glad I did. This place was recommended by a friend whose child attended here for a couple of years before moving back to the states. They have several locations and this one…
Mollie’s Bookstore 茉莉二手書局

You can find their store locations here. I went to both NTU and also the underground one. The NTU location was much much bigger. The kids section was about two whole walls and it was … overwhelming… LOL! They had everything from picture books to chapter books and their selection of “manga” was really really…
想去台灣照相嗎？ Relaxed Photo Studio

Website: http://www.relaxedphoto.com/ Relaxed Photo Studio Facebook Page Our Photographer (and owner): 大智 (when you book, tell him I said Hi!!!!! ) Most people when they come to Taiwan, they would schedule a photo shoot. Why? Because it’s sooooo good and soooo cheap! Want to look like a movie star or have magazine ready photos for…
阜杭豆漿 – Fuhang Soy Milk

Stars: 3/5 去了，點了，吃了。難忘的：沒有。有點失望其實。早餐不錯可是要我再排一次，就算了。說真的，上次介紹的家蓁早餐店 – Jia Zhen Breakfast Place 比這家好吃好多好多好多倍！！還有失望的是樓上竟然沒有冷氣，位子要用搶的。大家搶位子為了吃厚燒餅。到後來覺得 “還好” 而已。反而覺得他們的飯糰很好吃。豆漿也還可以。我們今天排了大概15分鐘而已。星期天早上9：30。大家可以試試看可是我真的吃過更好的。下次再介紹另外一家我喜歡的。 So I went to the famous Fuhang Soy Milk breakfast place where people have to line up for sometimes up to an hour to get in. I have no clue what the hype is about. Good thing we only lined up for 15 minutes…
金蓬萊 – Golden Formosa Restaurant (Michelin 1 Star)

Stars: 5/5 We went to this lovely restaurant yesterday and it was sooooooooooo good! A few things to note: Make a reservation!!! Pre-order the Crab Sticky Rice 紅蟳油飯 and also Supreme Abalone Buddha Jumps Over the Wall (帝王佛跳牆）。These need pre-ordering and they’re heavenly. The 放山雞 chicken dish and the fried pork chops were amazing. Pork…
京華城 Taiwan Children’s Play Area: Baby Boss

We went to 京華城 today and went into BabyBoss. What is it? It’s a an indoor place with about 48 jobs that a person can have when they grow up. From chef to astronaut, children are put into 30-45 minute “work sessions” to experience the life of a fire fighter or whatever job they choose. At…
Eslite Xinyi Food Court 信儀誠品食堂

I forgot to show you guys how big the food court is inside Eslite. If you take the kids to go read upstairs, you can eat downstairs in this food court with a million options. Taste is very decent. It’s clean and very kid friendly. There’s also arts and crafts on the top floor you…
信義誠品店 Eslite XinYi Bookstore

We went to the largest bookstore in Taipei today. It’s more like a department store/ bookstore. Absolutely gorgeous… I was so excited to visit the kid’s section only to find their chapter books… were not complete. I took some photos nonetheless. This place huge! It’s a whole building of books from adult to baby but…
永和豆漿 – Yong He Breakfast Chain

3.5/5 Stars This is probably a standard that everyone who comes to Taiwan go by and they’ve been around for a long time. We were going to line up at the other “famous” breakfast place only to find it closed on a Monday so we went here instead. Most Taiwan places are a hole in…
吉龍糖黑糖紅茶 – JLD Dragon Ji Long Tang Brown Sugar Black Tea Shop

5/5 Stars 在台灣每個地方都是波霸奶茶店，這家排隊誇張，就索性試試。不能選擇改糖分或冰塊多少是第一次看到。我們叫的是他們招牌厚奶珍珠紅茶。只能說好喝，很香，奶味很重，有特別的厚奶泡沫，茶味能濃，波霸很Q。可以試試看。 There’s no lacking of boba tea in Taiwan but some are better than others. This one had a long line so I decided to try it out. Their specialty is a huge milk foam on top of the milk tea. They also use brown sugar for the sweetener. Usually they’re able…
茗香園冰室 – Ming Xiang Yuan (Dim Sum)

Stars 5/5 因為來的時候那家粵菜實在太難吃了，在家附近找了一家試試（老公香港人一直想吃吃看台式粵菜）。這家沒有選錯，實在很～好～吃～～～～～便宜，不油膩，真好吃。叫得每一道菜都很有水準。 We had to redeem’s Taiwan’s HK styled food because our first experience was too horrible. Found this restaurant near our apartment. All I have to say, Taiwan has redeemed itself on HK food. This is authentic and not oily like the other restaurant. Husband approves and says it’s just like the…
北投溫泉博物館旁邊的公立圖書館 Beitou Public Library

We visited a library in Beitou next to the museum. If you’re there visiting the museum, might as well stop by this library! The children’s section is all downstairs and it’s an entire level of kids books from baby to about end of elementary. The selection is great. It’s a bit warmer in the lower…
My 灶 – My Kitchen – Traditional Taiwan Cuisine

Stars: 5/5 大姊請客一向瘋狂，才幾個人點了一桌的菜，哈！米其林推薦的傳統台菜。只能說，想吃傳統台菜，就來這裡。有名的是他們的滷肉飯。他們的烘蛋加上鮮蚵仔非常好吃。小朋友一口接一口。最後的古早味刨冰實在是香得不得了。點了太多，自己下面看看。其實點什麼都好吃。困難的就是訂位而已。好險姊都訂好了。想來的朋友，最要預約哦！ This is a traditional Taiwanese restaurant and recommended by the Michelin guide. Their Taiwanese stewed pork rice is pretty famous but otherwise, all the dishes have been great and traditional. The shaved ice at the end is a must because the way they did their brown sugar sauce is…
犁園湯包館 – Li Yuan Soup Dumplings

今天小表妹帶了我們來吃湯包。皮薄，料多，湯汁濃。小菜自取。我們叫了三種湯包（上海，蟹肉，生蠔）還有其他小菜，小朋友都愛吃。小菜的豆干特別有味道。小朋友把一盤都吃完了。最後的芝麻包很特別，做得是南瓜的形狀，味道是QQ 的皮陪著微甜的芝麻。小朋友各吃了兩顆。因為已經吃過鼎泰豐，所以換換吃別家湯包也是很不錯的。 My cousin took us to this soup dumpling spot. We ordered regular shanghai style dumplings, crab dumplings and oyster dumplings and many other dishes like hot and sour soup, etc. The skin was thin and each dumpling was filled with aromatic soup. There were side…
台灣3房2廁公寓出租推薦- Taiwan 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Apartment for Rent Recommendation

這次來台灣因為帶著兩個小的，決定還是租個公寓比較舒服。加上想要誘惑我媽跟著我們來，所以就租了一間170平方米的大空間。暑假很熱，如果小朋友不想出去，還可以在家裡玩玩也不會覺得很悶。既然要來一個多月，決定破費住舒服點。現在發現我的決定是對的，因為外面實在是～太～熱～了！！！！每天出去在外面走動都會覺得頭暈。每次回家都有鬆了一口氣的感覺，好像剛打仗回來。冷氣夠強，房東親切，會中文，會英文，還很熱情的一直介紹附近有什麼小吃之類的。甚至知道我們要送小孩上夏令營還親自帶了我坐了一次捷運，讓我放心到時候上課找得到路！真的是很推薦這間屋子。如果想知道房東聯絡方式，可以問問我哦！地點超方便，走路三分鐘到忠孝東路復興站，4分鐘到 Sogo , 一下樓全是小吃！！！ Since I am bringing the two little ones, I decided to rent a larger space with three bedrooms and two bathrooms (about 1830 sf). There are four beds total in the house so it was really convenient for my girls to bed in the same room.…
家蓁早餐店 – Jia Zhen Breakfast Place

4/5 Stars 106台北市大安區大安路一段27號住在大安區忠孝東路旁真的很方便，一下樓就是一堆吃的。鄰居介紹這家早餐店。6點開始營業。對於調時差的我很適合。帶了老大去樓下走走就來到了這裡。買了4人早餐回家才 NT260. 雞肉抓餅實在好吃。雞肉是老闆自己醃的。辣椒醬一級棒，超辣，超香。唯一不好的就是沒有地方坐。住這裡附近的人都來這家。到了6:30am 就排隊的。看到上班族還是有幾位空姐。不愛吃的老大拿了饅頭一直啃得津津有味～ Food was pretty amazing here. We ordered about five items (sorry some were eaten before I could take a picture – ha!). Each item was only about a dollar or over a dollar (USD). Our whole breakfast for four people was less than $10. I…
Sogo 三合院 – 港式飲茶（好看不好吃）

1/5 Stars 說真的，有點失望。蝦子炸得油膩，脆皮雞就只有脆皮的優點，牛腩只有嫩可是味道不足，蝦餃是唯一過得去的。唉～排隊長龍，服務一般般。 Disappointed in the taste. Fried shrimp was oily, crispy skin chicken had only crispy skin but not taste, beef was tender but lacking taste, but the redeeming factor were the shrimp dumplings which was a hit with the girls. Otherwise, avoid this restaurant. Long lines, lackluster food and service. 三合院粵式料理港式飲茶…