Taipei, Day 4 - Ningxia Night Market

For my last afternoon/evening in Taipei, I decided on a second attempt at reaching the Ningxia Night Market. From my online research, it's a smaller market that mainly caters to locals. During my hair appointment earlier in the day, my hairdresser suggested this market as well, so off I go!

But first, a shaved ice break. I bumped into a shop that sold black sugar shaved ice, and figured I should give it a try. Visually, I would NOT have guessed this to be shaved ice; it almost looks like bran cereal, in my opinion!

I chose to have red beans, stewed peanuts, and mochi balls as my toppings, and the ice cost 65 NTD ($2.17). The flakes of black sugar ice were less sweet than I anticipated; I kind of wish I asked for condensed milk as one of my toppings. But the ice was good, like a modern rendition of tong-shui.

After my ice, the market was an easy stroll away... a little too easy, actually. I arrived way before the market was even up and running, so I walked around the neighborhood of Datong (大同區), looking at all the older style buildings.

At 5pm, the market will STILL being set up, and so I sat down at another shaved ice place to wait. Hey, it's HOT in Taiwan; I have to stay hydrated!

The market entrances were clearly marked

The market even has a... mascot?

It was actually fun to sit there and watch all the vendors set up for the evening, a small slice of everyday life. Of course, having a really big bowl of shaved ice in front of me was pretty nice too. :)

The market, before all the hungry visitors arrive

This bowl cost 100 NTD ($3.33 USD). It was a deep bowl, which made
this a pretty giant shaved ice. A healthy portion of mango and
condensed milk lurked underneath the ice mountain.

After a while, the market opened for business. This night market is pretty small, spanning only one street in length. But in some ways, it's just as good as the Shilin market. The smaller space means that there are fewer repeating food items across the different carts. I saw a few items that I had not seen earlier in the week.

The market filling up with people

Fruit carts are pretty popular throughout Taipei; I saw plenty at the other
market as well. Sigh. Only if lychees were in season!

A chicken wing is de-boned, stuffed with sticky rice, then deep fried.
Can there be a more perfect food???? The vendor also dusts the chicken
wing with a spice of your choice before serving. I chose peppered salt.
This was a little pricey at 50 NTD per wing ($1.67 USD) but SO YUMMY.

Mashed taro is stuffed with either pork floss or a salted egg yolk, then
deep fried.  I didn't get one, but this was a very popular stall.

So many skewers. After ordering, they are then simmered in a soy-based
braising liquid.

A big tub of Aiyu jelly. This refreshing drink is supposed to quench
thirst really well, making it a popular presence in all the night markets.

Once again, I lamented my small stomach. There were many booths that I did not get to try!

And with this, my Taipei visit is coming to a close, and I fly back to Osaka tomorrow morning. This was a really fun visit though; I like this city a lot! I definitely won't hesitate to return, armed with a NEW list of things to eat!