This entry was actually unplanned, I had a few things to do in the area and I needed lunch. I had walked around this area of Gongguan a few times but there are quite a few alleys to explore and I’ve been pretty lazy to go down them all. I figured, student area, I have little money on me and I’ll pin prick Google maps in the rough area I’m in to see if there is anything around. Bonus if it hasn’t been covered yet. And, hey ho- I found some cheap, well reviewed Singaporean food in the back streets, just like Singapore food is supposed to be. It also seems to be a secret among TaiDa (National Taiwan University) students, if you believe the Chinese language blogs.
I can lay claim to visiting Singapore once, but it was actually on a coach trip where we never got to get off the bus. We were stuck in Changi Airport for nine hours waiting to come back to Taiwan from the UK and we figured we would go out and look at the city. It looks pretty nice, but from everyone who I know who has lived there, they say you get bored quickly and it is Asia-lite. What they mean is it is Asia made too easy. I dunno if that is true, my own experience of living in this part of the world was a very conservative town in the most conservative part of Korea, and Taipei have had differing levels of easiness/frustration. If I had been in Taipei first and then gone to where I lived in Korea, I would have told you Taiwan eased me into the Asia experience. Living in Korea first basically took any shock I could have experienced here beforehand. What they say about Singapore is it is a European/American country in Asia. What am I talking about? Lord only knows, but yeah… something.
Incidentally, Changi is still my favourite airport to be stuck in; it could be classed as a day out on its own. What they say on TV about it is true, and if I could afford to go to Singapore as a stopover on my occasional trips back to the motherland, I would do so every time.
Looking closely at the intro photo there you can see my monstrous figure, but don’t let that distract you from the place. It is pretty unassuming from the outside, but inside was rammed because it was lunchtime and filled with local students and (I guess) businesspeople.
I only saw a Chinese language menu, but could tell that on the left were Singapore dishes, and at the bottom of the left hand column was Indian. I decided to go with the fish curry; as usual I think I don’t have enough fish in my life, and a drink of tea. Rice was self-service so I guess it was unlimited but as I’m trying to keep trim, I had a small bowl.
The curry was served with roti which is something I haven’t seen over here outside Indian places, it was great. Portion was big (I can see why it is popular with students) had that coconutty curry thing I really like about South East Asian food. The milk tea was good, a bit sweet and smoky buy a bargain at 10NT. I will definitely go again because it is actually not that hard to get to, and the price is right. There are more Singaporean dishes I’d like to find here like fish head curry, and I probably have to up my spending to find them, but at 140NT all in I’m not going to complain.
So there we go, from memory that is now 42/52. At the beginning of this we counted about 25 different cuisines (at a stretch) and from the tip offs I get from other people and around and about, I think the number of different things available in 2020 is closer to 60.
Thanks as always for tuning in to my inane blather.
Menu
Address: No. 3, Alley 1, Lane 136, Section 4, Roosevelt Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei
Best way to get there: Gongguan MRT exit 1. Google Maps is actually pretty bad for finding it, but it is about a five minute walk from there.
52 Cuisines? 