Taiwan Trip Day 1- Fu Hang Dou Jiang, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, Mala Hotpot, National Palace Museum, Shilin Market

♪ ♫ All our bags are packed, we're ready to go ♪ ♫

Our first international trip together- Taipei, Taiwan!

Taiwan- it's the perfect destination for us. I planned it all out. We'd go food tripping, bargain hunting, shopping, sight seeing, enjoying the trip..

Just the two of us..

What to do in Taiwan: Foodtrip at Taipei's Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

One place you should not miss when visiting Taiwan (Taipei) is Shilin Night Market. It's considered the most famous night market in the city. Instead of having dinner at a casual restaurant, we decided to go on a food trip and sample some of Taiwan's famous street food. 

Of course, we started with Shilin's famous Hot Star Large Fried Chicken Chop (NT$55). It's actually what I was looking forward to trying in Shilin. We've been addicted to Taiwanese chicken chops here in Manila and we were more than excited to finally be able to try the real thing.

Places that serve Taiwanese Chicken Chops in Manila:

• Big Daddy's Chicken 大雞排 - "Taiwan's Famous Crispy Chicken Chop"
• Yen Yen 圓圓 Taiwan Street Food-Wilson,San Juan
• Taiwan's Famous! HoHo ChickenChop in Manila!

Where to eat in Taiwan: Mala YuanYang Hotpot in Ximending, Taipei

Mala Yuanyang Hotpot was the best lunch we had during our Taiwan trip.

Mala Yuanyang Hotpot is located in Ximending district very near Holiday KTV along Xining Road. 

We arrived early for lunch after our visit to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial. 

Rate per person: NT$499- lunch (11:30am-4pm) NT$599- dinner (4pm-5am)

Time limit: 2 hours

The concept is shabu-shabu all you can. Choose 2 kinds of soup base then get anything you want from the chiller. 

We chose a dual pot of plain and mala soup base since my mom can't tolerate spicy food. 

The shabu-shabu items were far from what we have here in Manila. They have a lot of fresh veggies and mushrooms, squid, fish, crab, clams, scallops, tendons, mochi, noodles, squid balls, fish cakes, cheese balls, dumplings, crabstick, tofu etc..

Have A Merry Cremas with Alaska Crema- Eastwood Food Bazaar

♪♬ We wish you a Merry Cremas, we wish you a Merry Cremas, with Alaska Crema! ♪♬

Last month, we went to Eastwood Mall for Alaska's Merry Cremas Food Bazaar wherein concessionaires showcased their food products using Alasaka Crema.

We were invited to sample all products from the participating merchants and got the chance to judge on who among them has the most creative and innovative dish using Alaska Crema.

Here are my top picks in no particular order:

UP Town Center Series- No Ordinary Toast at Cafe Shibuya

After our visit to Casa Verde, we decided to put Cafe Shibuya on our next hit list. Fortunately, D and I were able to check it out just before I went to our province in Quezon for Christmas. 

Check out all restaurants in UP Town Center Katipunan

• Where to Eat in UP Town Center- Restaurants and Food Destinations

Cafe Shibuya is known for their toasts. And they're not just any ordinary toast. They serve thick toast that's crunchy on the outside, but pillowy soft and chewy on the inside.

Savory Toasts

UP Town Center Series: Casa Verde Cebu Now in Manila! Home of the Famous Brian's Ribs- UP Town Center, Katipunan

Our first stop in UP Town Center in Katipunan- Casa Verde. Yes, the famous Casa Verde in Cebu is finally here in Manila! 

Check out all the restaurants in UP Town Center Katipunan:

• Where to Eat in UP Town Center- Restaurants and Food Destinations

Be sure to order their bestseller- Brian's Ribs (P250)- Baked pork ribs with sweet and tangy piquet sauce served with rice, corn and carrots

Serving size is huge yet price is so affordable! No doubt loyal patrons and foodies patiently line up for this. D and I enjoyed the sweet and tender ribs to the bones. 

If there is ribs, then there is wings. Two of my favorite food in one place- perfect! 

Green Pastures by Chef Robby Goco- East Wing Shangrila Mall

One common New Year's resolution every year is to lose weight. That's also part of our list this coming 2014, (it was also on my list for 2013, 2012, 2011..) but since there's no way for us to go on a diet, we decided to go for healthier food selections instead. 

That's why we chose to have dinner one night in Green Pastures at Shangrila Mall's East Wing, helmed by Chef Robby Goco, the man behind the success of Charlie's Grind and Grill and Cyma.

Choose their salad of the month or go for bestsellers like this Farmhouse Salad (P550)

Shredded kale, chopped romaine, konbu roast chicken, malagos goat cheese, hard-boiled eggs, dinelli bacon, corn, avocado, grape tomatoes, honey mustard dill vinaigrette

You may also opt for their DIY salad and choose the ingredients yourself. One order is already good for sharing.

Green Pastures is known for their house made cheeses but we went for their Charcuterie Plate (P325/half, P595/full)