Seafoods at Yehliu, Taiwan

Yehliu GeoPark, a beautiful seacoast in Taiwan, located in Wanli Township, Taipei. It has been known as Taiwan's North Coast's Pearl, rocks that been existed since million years ago with blue sky, rocks, wave, and beach has make it a beautiful panorama and well known throughout the world. Which make it so special are the rocks with different type of shape and forms: Candle rock, Ginger rock, Mushroom rock, Fossil, Pot hole, Queen’s head, Elephant rock, Earth rock, Fairy’s shoe, Marine bird rock, Bean curd rock and etc.

Nearby the Yehliu Geopark is the Yehliu fishing port with lots of fresh seafood available, therefore many seafood restaurants along the street walking to the Yehliu Geopark. While you are walking pass by the restaurants, you can see many restaurant workers standing outside their shop calling and shouting for business.
After visiting the Yehliu Geopark, my husband and I had decided to have our lunch at one of the restaurant there – San Ye Mei Shi (三叶美食海鲜). Well, what had it attracted us were the word at signboard: “fresh seafood set meal for NT1000” and the aquariums in front of the shop that fill full with different fresh seafood.

As we do not really know how to order, the staff had recommended us to take the set meal NT1000, which can serve up to 4 persons. We were desperately want to try the local seafood, the set meal including 3 seafood (steam prawn, ginger clam, squid, 1 crab soup, 1 vegetable, rice and tea).

Since it located near the port, the prawn and crab very fresh indeed. Personally like the crab soup with shao hsing rice wine (紹興酒) ,make the soup smell good.

 

Fried squid with vege, not bad just that the squid was difficult to chew.

Overall, my  impression on this restaurant is quite good, food tasty and staff are quite nice, we ate for quite long (more than 1 hour) but they still treat us politely, not as some other restaurant, keep looking at you to "signal" you that your time is too long. No extra charge (feel worry before enter to the restaurant because scare they will charge extra to foreigner). But next time, I will suggest not to order set meal, because seem not quite worth as going there surely main purpose is to eat seafood, and the set meal included a vege that seem like a normal dish, and the squid was fried with vege. Since there already has vege in our meal, why not order another type of seafood instead, NT1000 for 2 is not cheap too.

Enjoy Grilling

After doing some research online, I had decided to have a try in 極屋精饌燒肉 ,
which is a grill meats restaurant. What I had found from comments online, it has quite a worth eating, with acceptable ingredients at a reasonable price. It is located at Taichung town, opposite GuangSan Sogo, easy to locate, just get off from bus at Sogo bus station, walk along ZhongGang Road (中港路一段) for roughly 2 minutes, and you will see the 極屋 restaurant.

極屋精饌燒肉
 
It offers variety of choices in terms of pork, beef, mutton, chicken meat, prawns, seafood, and vegetables. While each type meats have choices like pork meat has streaky or known as belly, pork butt (shoulder butt or collar butt). I didn’t know which part is best to eat, so I just simply choose some to have a try.

Chicken Soup in pot
Before we made the order, the waitress had served us a pot of chicken soup, for us to warm our stomach and chase out cold. Feel warm after drinking the soup, but personally do not really like the taste.

I had ordered a set meal for two persons price at NT676, where I can choose two sets of main course, 6 plates of small dishes, an additional dish (either rice or udon mee), two cups of drinks, and two desserts.

Beef Set

Pork meat (side dish), seafood set

It use charcoal to grill

Main course mean the big plate of meats you choose, there are three choices: pork, beef, or seafood. Since we can choose two sets of main course, I had ordered for beef and seafood. I like beef a lot. I like the rice too, quite special, with some smash fish meat on top, smell good and tasty.

Smash fish meat rice

Dessert - Ice cream and chees yogurt

Desserts are ice-cream and cheese yogurt. For me, the desserts are just so-so, still ok, but not impressed me. Overall, this restaurant is quite worth eating, especially the set meal, where we can eat until stomach full. Of course, the choices and quality of the meats are less attractive comparing with others higher class restaurants, but with the price that 極屋offer is worth to try.
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極屋精饌燒肉
台中市中港路一段340號
No 340, ZhongGang Road Section 1, Taichung City.
(台中廣三SOGO對面 opposite GuangSan Sogo)

Taiwan Ginger Duck

Once I reach Taichung, the very first thing to do is to find some good foods to eat. After walking a while around Fengjia (逢甲), attract me was a signboard with "Ginger Duck" word. 帝王食補 KING DUCK located nearby Fengjia night market 逢甲夜市 in Taichung, Taiwan. Oh my, can you imagine how good it is, to have a hot soup in a cold weather is. I never try ginger duck before but had heard lots from friends and from Taiwan drama series.
 

Set Meal



Ginger Duck

The set meal cost NT168 per set, which included a ginger duck soup, vegetables set, mee suah noodles (面线) and a cup of juice. It serves in a small steamboat bowl and the most important ingredient, of course is the ginger itself.

I like this ginger duck; it has strong ginger smell and taste good, but is better not to cook it too long, as the taste change to a bit bitter at the bottom. After having this ginger duck, I feel much warm and had stopped running nose. The mee suah noodles (面线) with sesame oil had stimulated my appetite.

Ginseng chicken soup
 
Ginseng chicken soup is quite a big bowl that can serve 4 persons. Soup is a lot, but the ingredients, I mean the chicken is not many. Maybe the bowl is too big, or this is only the starter for them.

My hubby like this chicken soup more, but I do prefer the ginger duck. It much suit my appetite.

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帝王食補 KING DUCK

04-27086967

(逢甲店) 台中市西屯區逢甲路173號

http://www.tain.com.tw

Christmas Trip in Prague - Hotel Rott

This is my first time I stay in Western country's hotel --RottHotel, located at the center of the city, quite convenient indeed.

Rott Hotel is one of the 4stars luxury hotel in Prague, with lovely external and interior design, especially its special elevator in the middle of the hotel lobby.

Hotel room is very tidy, simple but clean. One thing to mention there is no kettle in the room, and no preparation of mineral water. It was kind of strange, because usually hotels do have a kettle, plus some tea bags, coffee, and mineral water to the guests.As we had arrived at the hotel, but since my friends feel tired, would like to get some rest before going around, so I thought wanted to make myself a cup of noodles (cup noodle, which I brought from home). No kettle, what should we do? Then I went to the hotel's restaurant, and request some hot water from the waiter.  The waiter looks a bit puzzled, took a coffee cup fill in some hot water from the coffee machine.



Buffet breakfast was nice and various choices provided. The restaurant's decoration was nice and feel warm and happy to dining inside.

Great experience in staying in this hotel, and will stay in this hotel if going to Prague again. 


Hotel Rott
Address: Hotel ROTT, Malé náměstí 4/138, 110 00 Prague 1
Tel: +420 224 190 901, Fax: +420 224 216 761
E-mail : reservation@hotelrott.cz
http://www.hotelrott.cz/

Christmas Trip in Prague (2)

After having breakfast in hotel, my friends and I had joined the local Orange Umbrella one day Prague Walking Tours.

We got to know this tour from the hotel lobby, and it’s Explorer tour cost 1000 CZK for an adult and 950 CZK for student. This price includes: the walk, the heated boat trip, a snack, lunch, drinks, entrance fees, coloured map of Prague and of course super guide. To join this walking tour, we just need to wait and look for the tour guide with orange umbrella sign at the Astronomical clock in Old Town Square.

The Astronomical clock in Old Town Square 
  Closer look on the Astronomical Clock. This clock is quite meticulous and complicated, as it composed of three main components: The astronomical dial, position of the sun and moon and some other astronomical details like zodiacal ring, and also the time scale, calendar and some moving figures coming out when time reached.

The Church of Our Lady Before Týn, is an obvious and dominant feature in the Old Town. It has been the main church in Prague since 14th century.

Another view on the Church of Our Lady Before Týn.
  The Powder Gate or Powder Tower located right next to the Municipal House and it is one of the Prague’s medieval monuments. It called as Powder Gate as it was used as a storehouse for gunpowder in 18th century. To reach to the Prague Royal place, The Powder Gate act as the starting point which lead through the Old Town over the Charles Bridge, through the Lesser Town and finally go up to the hill to reach to the Prague Castle.

The Old Town Bridge Tower, located at the east end of the Charles Bridge, as the entrance to the Old Town. While on the other end of the Charles Bridge, is a tower called as The Lesser Town Bridge Tower which guide as entrance to the Lesser Town. 

  Under the Old Town Bridge Tower, entrance to the Charles Bridge

On the Charles Bridge, there are about 30 statues mounted on the two side of the Charles Bridge, which had established for more than four century. The local people believe that if a person can touch on the bronze carve on the statues, it can bring him or her some good luck. Unfortunately, I was unable to put my both hand on the carve at the same time --- well, my hand not enough long. We had a boat ride with some hot refreshments that served on boat. Below are some of the view from the boat:




Church of St Salvator, Clementinum

Statue of Charles IV or also known as the Monument to Emperor Charles IV located near the Old Town Bridge Tower.


Guide at the entrance of the Prague Castle

Saint Vitus Cathedral is the biggest church in the country and located within the Prague Castle. It is huge and magnificent both inside and outside of the building.

The back part of the Saint Vitus Cathedral.


  The inner part of Saint Vitus Cathedral Christmas market in Old Town Square
 
Night scene in Prague