Sausage egg and cheese

The carts in New York have some of the best sandwiches for a great bargain. It's kind of like eating fishballs and gai dan zai in Hong Kong . I LOVE biting into a piping hot croissant filled with gooey cheese, sausage/bacon, and eggs. Clearly, some carts are superior than others, and this one from one outside Columbia's Medical Center up in 168th street is amazingggg.

Mr. Bing

Although Beijing was highly polluted and sometimes I just got so sick of the noise and chaos, I really do miss the street food terribly! Anyone whose been to Beijing can recall that lovely first bite into a steaming hot jian bing after a night of fake alcohol and dancing to cheesy hip hop music at Vics or Mix. As much as I love the street food in Hong Kong as well, I really did yearn for that little plastic bag of goodies that I always munched on during my break between classes while at Tsing Hua and was SO excited when I heard that Mr. Bing was opening. Mr. Bing is opened by Brian Goldberg who fell in love with the snack while studying Mandarin in Beijing. I was unsure of how well this version was going to compare to the ones I've had at Beijing and I am so happy to announce that I APPROVE! These jian bings were delicious and brought back so many memories of my time in Beijing! Good job and I will be shoving my face with many more jian bing in the days to come!

Super cute logo!

I guess since I was used to the lightning speed efficiency of the Beijing experts I thought this guy moved at the pace of a snail! Yet the food was good so I guess it's ok...

Original Jian Bing with NO cilantro (blech!)

I felt that the crepe skin was a tad thick but it was nice and soft. The amount of sauce was very generous and was bursting with flavor. The crispy wafer inside was crispier than the version I've had in Beijing which was great! Overall a delicious pipping hot meal that perfectly hits the spot!

I've heard some complaints that these jian bings are no good because they are so overpriced as compared to Beijing. That is quite a thick remark because clearly you are not in Beijing. This store is also in Central where rent is sky high. I felt that the price was very reasonable at $30 for the original jian bing and I urge everyone to come try it out! There are also other interesting flavors and add ons which I am excited to test out on my next visit.

Mr. Bing

83 Wellington Street

Central

Hong Kong

Taiwan getaway: Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Parents decided to jet off to Taiwan for short weekend trip which means another foodie adventure for me. Shilin night market is considered to be Taipei's largest and most famous night market and is one of Taipei's top tourist destinations. Apart from food stalls, there are also hundreds of stalls that sell clothes, jewelry, bags - anything your heart desires. There are also many game stalls where you can practice your aim or test your skill in scooping up little shrimpies. My parents and I skipped out on the game and shopping stalls and headed straight to the indoors food court. When we first arrived it was fortunately not too crowded and we had a great time looking at what each stall had to offer. To be honest none of the food was that amazing, perhaps we chose the wrong stalls or the food was just not our cup of tea. But I was not super impressed, it is definitely worth it to visit for the atmosphere because it is a very lively and unique area, but I was a little disappointed with the food. The night market is definitely a feast for the senses and when I return to Taipei again I would love to give the food another try.

Outdoor area 

Interesting...

Huge sausages! 

One of the night market's most popular dishes: oyster pancake

Meat and vegetable bun
The bun was piping hot and the filling was meaty and gingery. The bottom of the bun was also very crispy. Yummy but not something I would rave about. 

Big bun wrapped around small bun 大餅包小餅
Another well known dish at the market, did not try this as it looks too incredibly deep fried and mother is not a big fan of that.

White bitter melon milk shakes were surprisingly refreshing and strangely appetizing. 

A very interesting name for a dish. Translation: Spraying pee chicken cutlet haha!

Stinky tofu
I have always wanted to try stinky tofu! This was my first time and I was not impressed. I have heard that although it is as stinky as the name implies, the taste is actually quite delicious. The tofu was not appealing and we stopped eating this after a few bites.

Oyster pancake 
Little oysters mixed with a batter and fried with an egg was one of the most popular dishes we saw as we walked around the food stall. Unfortunately the stall we picked did not make this dish well at all. It was slimy and tasteless. The pancake was smothered with this ketchup sludge concoction with a few withered bits of lettuce. No thank you.

A little awkward english is always funny 

One of the game stalls where you try to hook little shrimps 

Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Can either go by cab or closest MRT station is Jiantan Station on the Tamsui (Red) line

串

Chuanr (skewers) is one of my all time favorite street foods in Beijing. I usually try not to think about the hygiene standards of these delectable skewers of meat and veggies on a dingy little stall on the side of a dirty bar street. All I know is that they are super duper delicious and I wish they had something like this in Hong Kong.

SELECTION
You can get cartilage, chicken hearts, lamb kidneys, testicles, corn, peppers, chicken, etc etc. Mmmm 

CHICKEN HEARTS
My favorite along with lamb. I know it doesn't look that great, but trust me its delicious. 

Perfect on a freezing night after a few drinks

Final product
Apologies for the terrible quality. But you can see how it has been perfectly grilled and sprinkled with spices. Oh how I miss thee

Chuanr is everywhere on the street. But my favorite stall is in the grimy bar street next to Nali Patio in Sanlitun. It is near Door Bar and next to Shooters (unless its closed...?)

Beijing Street Food :)

One of the things I will miss most about Beijing is its amazing street food. The egg pancake and skewers are some of the best things when you are inebriated, and delicious even when sober. Although the hygiene of these street stalls are extremely questionable, I am lucky enough to never have gotten an upset stomach from chomping down on these goodies. These pictures are much a mere glimpse into what the Beijing streets have to offer.

雞蛋仔

Loved it as a child, love it now.