viks chaat & market.

this was my second visit to viks chaat market in the east bay.. there isn’t really anywhere else you can get indian “street food” like this. i LOVE everything here, the spices and flavors are such a refreshing change from my usual palette.

cholle bhature. this is before the bread fell, its light and somewhat crispy.. to eat, break off pieces, and eat with the pickles and cholle sauce.

mixed vegetable pakoras.

keema (lamb) samosas- i couldn’t eat this because i’m allergic, but b said it was really good.

i mean.. it LOOKS sO good, right? yuM.

pani puri. my fave! partly because its so cute.

to eat, you crack open the top, and its a hollow shell, fill with tamarind chutney sauce, garbanzo beans, potato, spiced water.. etc. and eat in one bite.

lOve.

xx

http://www.vikschaatcorner.com/

foodie day trip to taichung.

TAICHUNG.

we drove down to taichung for a day of culinary exploration with a few friends.

we started with these noodles.. ” ma jiang mien” which was amazing. it was a stand in a market.. stools, little tables… hanging butchery meats nearby. you get the gist. i really like dry noodles. i’m not so much a fan of soup noodles.. so this was perfect for me. really flavorful, creamy and not too big of a portion. the noodles had a great chewy texture.

then we went to get ai-yu lemon juice. i hear that this establishment has been around for quite a while. once you walk near it.. you smell the fresh squeezed lemons.. then you see.. a tOn of lemons. the ai-yu jelly is not sweet- and has a great texture- not soggy.

i wish i could better explain how to get to these places.. a new friend who had lived in taichung mapped out this “tour,” and took us to all the amazing local eateries.. we hit up 11 places in ONE day.

this place- for stewed pork rice, and thousand year egg with tofu.

freaking amazing. look at the fatty pork. it melted in your mouth like butter.

yum… this was light and fresh.

next up, we went to get the infamous taichung HONEY CAKE. we drove by, waited, placed an order- and were told to return in 1hr 20mins. if we didnt, the cakes would no longer be ours. we got back.. an waited another 20 minutes in line.. watching the workers fan the steaming cakes + cut them. drooling all the while. i wanted to dig in right away- but my friends made me wait… until it was cooled- to get the correct chewy texture. i LOVE these cakes. i’m obsessed.

“no pictures allowed.” here’s one i took of our cake later…  i want a HUGE one, to sleep on like a pillow.

then we had fluffy shave ice.. to give our stomachs a slight break and refresh our palettes for more eating.

onto more sweets! black sugar boba stand at a street corner.

next up.. oysters. we sat down and ordered a few dishes from this place.. below is a picture of the “wa wa” veggie soup, which was thick and gooey.

what we came for. raw oysters. they serve these small local oysters in a bowl, already shucked, with julienned cucumbers, soy/ponzo sauce,  wasabi, and a sprinkling of dried seaweed. mix, and enjoy! these was fresh, and the sauce allowed us to eat bowl after bowl without getting sick of them.

when i saw stewed fatty pork on rice being served to another table.. i couldn’t resist ordering one too. this is one of the only times i eat a lot of rice. i can’t get enough. it was done well here too. YUM- with dried pork shavings and some pickled veggies for a crunch.

after that.. we we pretty much done for the day. stomachs distended.. we drove off to one LaSt stop for the road. roadside fried chicken pieces.

we waited in line for the meat to be seasoned and fried… we got chicken, chicken skin, yam, onion, and green beans. 2 bags of snack sized savories.

the deep fried chicken skin. sOo good. i cant even explain. like pork rinds but fresh.. i coudn’t stop eating them.

i’ve tried to find another place in taipei that prepares them like this place.. but nothing comes close. :( it was super crunchy and well seasoned…not gummy or too thick.. droOL.  i guess i need to go back to taichung to get my fix.

what a GREAT day. happy food journeys with good company.

and for those who are wondering… nO, i actually didn’t get a stomachache the next day.  a-oK!

xx

Burgermeister, Berlin.

streetside burgers in berlin.

sO, this burger joint stands in what used to be a public restroom, under the train tracks! NOT a pretty thought.

there are 3 high tables with bars that you can balance on to eat your meal when your number is called.. otherwise the sidewalk it is.

the hamburger. not bad at all. i don’t think i even put it down before i finished it. its got the works: onion, lettuce, tomato, juicy beef patty. no cheese for me.

heres a shot of our “table,” or corner of a table.. theres a guy sitting in front of me quietly eating his chili burger.

b n his jalapeno + cheesy fries.. i had the wedge cut fries with curry and ranch dipping sauces (but you order sauces separate!)

YUM, but it was pretty greasy. we walked it off the next day.

beef noodle soup.

there’s certain places that locals like to frequent for their beef noodle soups.

given that there are wide range of flavors for the broth, noodle and meat types, there are many places to choose from. everyone has different “bests and favorites.”

i visited this one last week. it’s a rundown tin roof shack, that you stand outside in line to wait to be seated. surprisingly there usually IS a line.. to get into this literal.. shack. it better be good, right? here’s a shot from inside after we were seated on sticky stools.

the food. side dish of thinly sliced tofu skin with scallions.. the tofu skin was surprisingly fluffy and light. in general i usually don’t enjoy this dish, but i found myself eating it here!

one of my favorite taiwanese side dishes.. cured thousand year egg with soft tofu + soy paste sauce.

now, their signature dish. the reason for the lines, the shack, the crowd. the beef noodle soup we came for. considered “clear” soup, not the kind braised with soy.

verdict: the noodle texture was very chewy, and the soup was full of flavor yet light.

yes, i liked it.

 

 

more street.

oH dirty food.

seriously. i KNOW its dirty. but i eat it and suffer anyways.

this roasted corn at shilin night market is different from the usual street corn. they add a layer of something carb-y and then another layer of spicy sauce.

you can choose the level of spicyness.. its a little bit of a wait, and not cheap, for street food.. but its worth it!

now. on to “dirty street noodles.”

the first noodle stand on the right, the side street next to the CA fitness, behind zhongxiao rd.

zha jiang mien. looks clean enough right?

my stomach hates me!

shave ice, again.

shave ice stand @ yongkang street.

this shave ice stand used to be the famous “ice monster.”

i didn’t get a chance to try it before it closed… but whats there now is pretty good!

we ordered the mixed fruit ice.

106台北市大安區永康街15號

damn… street food.

my favorite street food so far in taiwan.

taipei, near tai da college area.

gua bao. huge. fatty. delicious.. the bread is fluffy, the meat is juicy, and the peanut powder and cilantro ratio is a-oK. you can choose from “lean, mixed fat, and fat”

aaand.. heres a pic of the menu with the addy.. so you can find it yourself.

i’m still not directionally oriented here.

AND! right across from the gua bao stand/small store.. is the most amazing boba milk tea stand. i’ve been twice, both times with a line.. but it goes fast and is worth it. i just wish they had a “large” cup size option.

its different b/c it uses black sugar boba.. which is sweet + delicious.. i actually eat/drink them all.  the milk tea (ordered in chinese translates to “frog hit milk”) uses whole milk, which makes it extra good.

i haven’t craved boba like this, since high school…