Taiwan Day 9 Part 2: Cafes in Taipei, A guide to YongKang Street 永康街

I'm dedicating my last post for the trip to my favourite pastime, cafe hopping. 

Located near Dongmen Station, Yong Kang Street is a food paradise in Taipei! You can find almost everything on this long stretch of street. 

Because we were at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall before coming here, we actually walked from the place to Yong Kang Street, just a station away! :)

Here is actually a food map of Yong Kang Street taken from Ladyironchef. :)

Ding Tai Fung's flagship store. 

I would love to try some xiaolongbao from the original store but the queue was really crazy! Heard from many that there is not different in the food quality though. Maybe just for the taste of eating at the flagship?  

Kao Chi.

Walking distant away from Ding Tai Fung is fierce competitor, Kao Chi. The restaurant is just as famous for their Shanghai Xiao Long Bao as well, but definitely not as crowded as Ding Tai Fung. 

While waiting for your seats, perhaps you can entertain yourself with the skilful shi-fu at work!:P 

Can't remember the name of this bakery, but it is just across Kao Chi. The bread is super good! Basically I have never come across any bakery in Taiwan that isn't good. T.T All their breads are so soft and fluffy! 

Just walk along the street and every corner you will discover something new. 

The variety of food options are really huge isn't it? 

Yong Kang Beef Noodles, 永康牛肉麵.

We came for this actually. 

We were lucky that we came just before the lunch crowd. You should have seen how crazy the queue was during lunch. I can't even. 0.o"

Just google Beef Noodles in Taipei and Yong Kang Beef Noodles probably comes out as the top search. It is a must-eat for all beef noodles lover!

The soup was so full of flavours and the noodles was cooked to the right texture. Most importantly, the beef. They were really generous in their serving and beef itself was so tender! NT180 for this bowl of goodness. So worth it! 

We ordered a steamed small intestines with glutinous rice as well. Love it! 

The menu at Yong Kang Beef Noodles is really wide. I would recommend you to come with a group to try more of their dishes. Also do avoid the peak hours in possible!

Pastisserie La Douceur. 

We were wondering around for a place for tea and I remember seeing this cafe to have Taipei's best desserts, as recommended by Ladyironchef. 

A French-inspired cafe which is really tiny when we visited, as they were undergoing renovation during that time. 

All the pretty French cakes and pastries!

It is a really cosy place to chill! :)

As you walk along Yong Kang Street you would probably notice 2 very popular Mango Shaved Ice stores. One would be this, Smoothie House. 

Another one is this, Mango Emperor. 

What I've heard from the local is that there used to be one mango shaved ice store only, but the couple who ran this store fell out, thus the competition. Not sure how true this is, just a little gossip for everyone. Heh. 

We decided to go for Mango Emperor in the end. Look at the chuck of mango!!! I miss this. T.T

Yay! 

This is the end of my travel guide for Taiwan. Hopefully my entire series of posts would be helpful to you for your planning eh? :) 

I do have another travel guide coming up. It is for Bangkok! I know I've blogged about BKK before but this time round I will be focusing on the food more. :) 

Will also be travelling to Hong Kong again this December and I totally can't wait! :D

• Taiwan Day 1, Part 1: Starry Minsu 清境觀星園景觀山莊 (Cing Jing)
• Taiwan Day 1, Part 2: Green Green Grassland (Cing Jing)
• Taiwan Day 2, Part 1: Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) + Plaza Hotel @ Tai Chung
• Taiwan Day 2 Part 2: Feng Jia Night Market 逢甲夜市 (Taichung)
• Taiwan Day 3: Tai Chung 台中, Xin She 新社 - Lavender Cottage 薰衣草森林 + Summit Resort 古堡花園 + Carton King 纸箱王
• Taiwan Day 4 Part 1: HuaLien - Bayview Hotel + Qi Xing Tan 七星潭
• Taiwan Day 5: HuaLien (Golden Triangle Commerical Circle and Zi Qiang Night Market)
• Taiwan Day 6 Part 1: HuaLien - Taroko Gorge
• Taiwan Day 6 Part 2: Taipei (inhouse hotel 薆悅酒店 + Guide to eating in Ximending 西門町)
• Taiwan Day 7 Part 1: Jiu Fen (九份) and Shi Fen (十份)
• Taiwan Day 7 Part 2: Wufenpu 五分埔 + Formosa Chang Lu Rou Fan 鬍鬚張魯肉 + Raohe Street Night Market 饒河街觀光夜市
• Taiwan Day 8 Part 1: Beitou Hot Springs 新北投溫泉 + Tamsui Old Street 淡水老街 + Fisherman's Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭 + Lovers' Bridge 情人橋
• Taiwan Day 8 Part 2: Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
• Taipei Day 9 Part 1: Taipei 101 + Dazzling Cafe + Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 中正紀念堂

Love,

Lirong.