TWN: Shilin Night Market (士林夜市)

That huge crispy chicken with a video of me eating it! :P

Shilin Night Market was actually the first out of the three night markets I visited during my 4D3N trip to Taipei. Often considered to be the most famous night market in the city, it's the place where you can get the crispy chicken everyone has been talking about. Enjoy this last entry of the month!

I actually visited the well-known stall last before I went back to the hotel. It so happened that there wasn't a queue at sight when I reached there, but it soon grew after I ordered my crispy chicken.

Crispy Chicken

Taste: 8/10

The piping hot crispy chicken was actually good, but not as extraordinary as I thought it'd be. The well-seasoned batter had a heady aroma of ngo hiang (Chinese five-spice powder consisting of cloves, star anise, fennel seeds, cinnamon and Sichuan pepper). The meat could be juicier, but it was tender nonetheless. Pika's advice: Beware of the chicken bones!

Braised Food

Taste: 7.5/10

There were a lot of stalls and pushcarts selling food braised in aromatic brine. I've got no idea which is the best one till now, but that day I just followed the queue that led me to a pushcart in the middle of a street. I ordered a lot of items, but none of them were internal organs. They were alright, though not highly aromatic and would taste better if they were a bit sweeter.

Can anyone enlighten me what are those in the picture above? I thought I was eating frogs, but again, I wasn't (am not) very sure either. They were quite chewy.

Time for huge pork sausages!

Pork Sausage

Taste: 8.5/10

If someone were to ask me to choose between the crispy chicken and the pork sausage, I'd definitely go for the meaty sausage. It was firm, but enjoyably chewy. Out of the four types of sauce available: wasabi (Japanese horseradish), garlic, spicy and sour and sweet and spicy, I enjoyed the garlic one the most (expected of me, I guess?). The wasabi sauce was pretty diluted.

Fancy fried fresh milk? After being alive for 23 years (and counting), I finally tried fried milk balls. Haha...

Fried Milk Balls

Taste: 7.5/10

The outer layer of the snack was acceptably crispy, while the inside was pretty velvety. However, the fresh milk was too bland to be made into a snack. Sugar would be more than welcomed, but then it wouldn't be fresh milk balls anymore.

I've always loved almond-based products. Almond tea is definitely in the list.

Almond Tea (Small)

Taste: 6/10

I was a bit disappointed to find out that while the almond tea looked thick, it wasn't very flavourful. The aroma wasn't bad, but it wasn't as rich as I thought it'd be. Having said that, it managed to quench my thirst while allowing some time for my stomach to digest the food I ate.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 7.5/10

There were actually some other things I tried, but I can't seem to find more pictures in my laptop. Perhaps I didn't manage to snap them. Anyway, here's the video that my buddy took! :P

Shilin Night Market

(士林夜市)

Jihe Road

Taipei

Taiwan

(Daily: 3.00pm - 1.00am)

*Sorry that I'm not quoting prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)