Ningxia Street (1 of 2): An Evening of Street Eats

After eating steak, Dunkin’ Donuts (twice), Thai food, and Burger King during my first 48 hours in Taiwan, I finally got to taste some of the good stuff!  As soon as I landed, people asked me what I wanted to eat in Taipei. I’d reply right away with all the usual Taiwanese eats: oyster omelets (o’ya jian), chinese donut wrapped in bun (sao bing yiou tiao), stinky tofu, spicy-numb hot pot, and on and on.  Problem was nobody could take me out until the weekend, so I waited.  When it finally came around, I piled into a car with my sis, her hubby, and my uncle & aunt, and headed out to NingXia Road for all the good stuff.

I figured this place must be good cause we went a long way from my Aunt’s place in the outer-lying district of Neihu.  We actually passed a much larger night market that I frequent called Shi-Ling for this small strip of land, so they must all know something that I didn’t.  When we get there, I discover that this place is really tiny–just a city block’s length of eateries.  Oh but there’s plenty to choose from!  Just about every street food you could think of is here–frog eggs, octopus balls, corn dogs, meats on sticks, and even bacon wrapped hot dogs Chinese style.

First stop: Stinky Tofu.  Those who know Taiwanese specialties or watch travel documentaries of Taiwan know how special this is to the island.  Don’t let the scent throw you, it’s actually quite tasty and has a flavor completely unlike what you smell.  Here it’s boiled and served with duck blood and sour cabbage soup.  Exotic comfort food.

Personally, I like my stinky tofu fried.  It’s easier to handle for those who aren’t used to the smell and I just like the crispy shell and sweet sauce.

Numbing and Hot Stinky Tofu Store

This is the oyster omelet (o’ya jian) that we came all the way for.  The thing that I love about these Taiwan streetside food courts is that every store or cart sells one or two things only, but they do it so well day in and day out.  This tiny hole in the wall has been around for over 40 years in this location and remains one of the busiest eateries on Ningxia Street.  Even with tons of other ones that have popped up, we had to wait for to get a taste of their specialty.

The insides:  Oysters, gelatinous batter, greens, and egg.  Topped with the oyster sauce.

Yuan Hai Bian O’ Ya Jian:  One of the finest for oyster omelets.

Ningxia Street is located just east of ChongQing N. Rd between MinSheng W. and Nanjing W. Rds.  It’s a very short walk from either the ZhongShan or ShuangLien Metro Stations.  Open through the night.