Shilin was a bit of a disappointment. There was very little variety in food stalls and not many choices appealed to me (or maybe because we got lost and went the wrong way at first). I enjoyed the street food in Damsui (grilled squid) and Jiufen (fried squid) and the night market in Kenting more.
Best street food picks:
Favorite from Shilin: Best Curry Fish Balls - the white kind (not fried) covered in curry sauce with a sprinkling of satay powder (other flavors: curry, seaweed, etc.) I don't normally like fish balls but this was different from the ones in Toronto - not as 'hard'.
2. Jiufen
2. Jiufen
Favorite from Jiufen: 炸花枝 (squid) It's made in large sticks but served cut up into bite sized pieces (pictured below)
炸花枝 with bonito flakes on top. The bounciness of the fish paired with the mayo-like sauce and bonito flakes was delicious.
Conch
Signature Taro/Pumpkin/Sweet Potato Glutinous balls (芋圓)with Barley, Grass Jelly and Tofu. I only like the barley.
3. Kenting
3. Kenting
@ Kenting: 苦瓜汁(Bitter Melon Juice) - surprisingly not bitter tasting at all, quite refreshing. Also famous - 冬瓜汁(Winter Melon Juice) doesn't have winter melon taste; it is very sweet and tastes like sugar + water. Favorite drink: Fresh Mango Juice - the mangoes in TW are almost as large as a butternut squash and much sweeter. Must drink! Other drinks to try: Papaya Milk and fresh Guava juice.. basically won't go wrong with anything fruit related, such abundance of fresh fruits in Taiwan.
