TWN: Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市)

Torched wagyu beef cubes with rose salt, anyone?

Ningxia Night Market stretches over 150 m along the road that gives its name. Despite the fact that it's of a smaller scale to the more prominent ones like Shilin Night Market, it's packed with mouth-watering stalls. I've learnt from my mistakes of not taking down the prices for the previous Taiwanese night market reviews, so I'm going to include the prices this time round.

Make a guess of what did I order from this particular stall that serves only two dishes, will you?

Squid Balls Soup NT$60.00 (~S$2.70)

Taste: 8.5/10

Simple, yet hearty, the bowl of squid balls in soup warmed my body and soul on such a windy evening. The squid balls were pretty chewy and naturally sweet, while the soup added with a bit of chili and black vinegar was enjoyably thick and starchy.

Given that I'm a man who love meat, let's splurge just a little bit.

Torched Wagyu Cubes (Large) NT$200.00 (~S$8.95)

Taste: 8.5/10

Torched on the spot for a few minutes, the beef cubes were pretty succulent and bursting with natural juice. Sprinkled with rose salt, they were a delight to pop into the mouth. Pika's advice: You may want to consider other condiments, such as Hungarian red pepper and Italian spices. 

After two savoury items, I was searching for something sweet.

Yam Balls (Medium) NT$100.00 (~S$4.50)

Taste: 8/10

Oval-shaped than round, the deep-fried yam balls had a not-so-thick outer layer that crumbled as soon as I sank my teeth onto them. The yam filling was soft, earthy and mildly sweet.

Can you resist the temptation of those rice cakes being cooked in boiling water?

Mochi NT$40.00 (~S$1.80)

Taste: 8.5/10

Being value-for-money, the rice cakes were delectably chewy without being sticky on the teeth. They came with quite a generous portion of crushed peanuts and black sesame seeds that had been mixed with an adequate amount of sugar.

It was time to wash everything down with something cold.

Papaya Milk (Medium) NT$60.00 (~S$2.70)

Taste: 7.5/10

While the papaya milk was pretty good, it slightly fell short of my expectations. The sweetness level was just right for me, but I felt that it could be thicker and milkier. Still, it was thirst-quenching and fragrant enough.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

What's your favourite item in a Taiwanese night market? :)

Ningxia Night Market

(寧夏夜市)

Ningxia Road

Taipei

Taiwan

(Daily: 5.00pm - 12 midnight)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)