Stinky Tofu, Tanghulurs, and Other Street Food in Taiwan

When a self-confessed foodie goes to a new place, of course she's going to Google what kinds of foods to eat there.

My siblings and I went to Taiwan just before 2016 ended. It was an adventure of many firsts—first time for all of us to go to Taiwan, first time for two of my siblings to be out of the country, first time for all of us to travel somewhere without our family, first time for some of us to experience a weather colder than the usual 26-28 degrees Celsius we have in Manila.

Of course, we Googled where to stay, where to go, what to do, and most importantly, what to eat. Taiwan, apparently, is one of the best food trip destinations, with all their famous street foods and night markets We didn't get to eat all that we wanted to, but these are some of the best and tastiest street food we got to try.

Foodventure: The Chocolate Kiss Café

Location: Bahay ng Alumni, U.P. Diliman
Cuisine: Filipino, Italian
Prices: Ranging between P195-295 for a meal; P85-90 for a cake slice
Food Rating: 4/5
Service Rating: 4/5

I chanced upon The Chocolate Kiss again last Saturday—a delightful little café situated in one of the cosier corners of Bahay ng Alumni in U.P. Diliman. I'd only been there once or twice and for cakes (that are absolutely delicious, by the way), so this was my first time to taste their savory dishes.

Foodventure: Wabi-Sabi

Location: Tomas Morato, Quezon City
Cuisine: Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese
Prices: P180 for ramen; P80-100+ for side dishes
Food Rating: 4/5
Service Rating: 4/5

Raise your hand if you love Japanese food!

Oui, moi aussi, j'adore la cuisine japonaise!

Foodventure: Sandwicheese by Banapple

Location: SM North The Block Skygarden
Cuisine: American (burgers, fries, pasta)
Prices: Ranging between P80-120 for sides; P120-200 for sandwiches/burgers
Food Rating: 4/5
Service Rating: 4/5

There's this restaurant that opened recently at SM North The Block, Sandwicheese by Banapple, which is out in the Skygarden, just beside its sister restaurant, Banapple. The location of Sandwicheese is a rather difficult location to attract customers, in the sense that the previous restaurants that have been there never really stayed that long. The last one before Sandwicheese was Zabo Chicken, which our family really liked, but I guess the Filipino palates are not really fans of the Mediterranean cuisine (too bad!).

Adventures in Palawan Day 1: The Importance of Being Flexible

I had it all planned out: fly out to Puerto Princesa in the morning, check in at the hotel, grab a quick lunch, proceed to tour museums and other nearby areas until dinner time, before heading back to the hotel for an early bedtime because the next couple of days were bound to be jam-packed with activities.

Of course, not everything always goes as planned, starting with our flight being delayed for about three hours, till I was living in fear and cold-sweat that it would be canceled completely. (Thankfully, it wasn't.)

When we (FINALLY!) landed in Puerto Princesa, we were picked up by the van from where we stayed, Casitas de Az Pension. (Shoutout to them—everyone was so nice and friendly and accommodating. I peppered them with a thousand questions before booking with them.)