11 days in Taiwan: Day 3’s Fengjia food guide

After visiting Sun Moon Lake, Lavender Cottage and checking out our accommodations, it was finally time for the highlight of Taichung in Taiwan – Fengjia Night Market (逢甲夜市)!

And for us, the highlight of the highlights – FOOD!

One does not enjoy street food with a bulky DSLR in hand.

Okay, this translates to lousy photos taken by mobile phones, so here goes!

Bear Paw Burger (熊手包)

I’ve always wanted to try this but thought it was too expensive in Singapore for just the novelty factor. But in Taiwan, this is obviously not a concern.

It’s kind of like Subway. You choose the sauce (mayo, honey mustard etc.), then the filling (chicken, pork etc) and then the type of bread, so there’s an endless amount of combinations.

In any case, there’s always the list of popular combinations which you can count on if you can’t make up your mind!

I ordered black pepper with chicken actually, but the cashier keyed my order wrongly and I received a honey mustard with plain fried chicken one instead which was great too. The chicken was tender and the sauce was awesome. Wish they heated up the bun more though!

The wait is horrendously long but the store uses a ticket number system, so you can place your order and take a seat while waiting for your number to be called.

There’s a dine-in area but hey, we need to get to our next dish.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]Address: 西屯區文華路127巷12號[/su_note]

Uncle Yam (憨吉署叔) – Fried pumpkin and yam balls

Just a short walk away is Uncle Yam with its pumpkin and yam balls. You can get these at almost any night markets in Taiwan. I don’t think there will be a huge difference in taste but if you need reassurance, then this would be the stall to get from.

I initially thought that they might be powdery in texture but they were pretty chewy, somewhat like glutinous balls, but not as dense and sticky.

Perfect bite-sized tibits.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]Address: 西屯區逢甲路20巷37號[/su_note]

Cia Cia Fu – Sweet potato fries

Right next to Uncle Yam is Cia Cia Fu, a store selling sweet potato fries. I believe you can find this stall in other night markets too. It’s a franchise.

The queue was horrendously long too and the cold winter winds didn’t help a bit. But hey, the lure of good food kept us hanging in there.

Guaranteed fresh because they have to keep frying new batches to keep up with the demand!

We ordered ours with sour plum powder, which was a good call.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]Address: 逢甲路20巷46號[/su_note]

Quan Guo Fried Chicken (全国 阿伯的韩式炸鸡)

Just a little further down is this unassuming fried chicken stall. This stall looks totally dingy and dubious but my cousin swore that I would not regret it.

And I didn’t. We got the one glazed in some sauce, I think it was teriyaki? But anyway, it was good.

The chicken was uber juicy and tender, and you know, in Taiwan, they don’t cheat you with thick layers of flour.

You get meat.

Don’t queue up behind the crowd! Grab the menu slip from the counter and mark your orders like you would in a Hongkong cafe. Pass it to the person at the counter to get a number and they will shout your number when it’s ready.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]Address: 逢甲路20巷38號[/su_note]

Crabs for lazy men (懒人蟹)

Basically…shell-less crabs. I didn’t eat this so I can’t vouch for the taste. Heard it was not bad.

Da chang bao xiao chang (大肠包小肠)

Sausage wrapped by a generous layer of glutinous rice outside. I tried this when I was there in 2012 but it didn’t quite catch on to me so I skipped it this time. Photo’s from then too. According to reliable sources, it still tasted as good as it was. Try it if you must.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]Address: 台中市西屯區逢甲路20巷口[/su_note]

Grilled prawns (丰收王国)

This photo was taken three years back but according to the net, this store is still around. Grilled prawns without the shells.

I am not a fan of prawns but my aunt, who was with me then, queued for a second serving so I think it must be good!

All in all, we spent probably less than NT500, including drinks and other snacks not pictured. So that’s about NT170 (SGD 7) per person for a satisfying meal! Prices of clothes at Fengjia were getting a bit ridiculous at about NT600-700 per piece so the shopping spirit wasn’t strong.

[su_note note_color=”#e6f7e3″ radius=”0″]To get to Fengjia Night Market, get onto any buses that go to the Fengjia University stop (逢甲大学). Some buses are 5, 25 and 35 and you can take them from Taichung train station and Yizhong street ( the bus stop is called Taichung University of Science and Technology, 國立臺中科技大學). It will take you about 40 minutes.

Alternatively, you can take a cab. From Taichung train station, it will cost about NT200 – 250 and take about 20 minutes.[/su_note]

Useful Links:

• How to get to Fengjia Night Market from Taichung HSR station by Alec Travel Guide
• Fengjia Night Market by A Spoonful of Soul
• Fengjia Night Market Must Eats by Lirong