idely considered the largest and most popular of Taipei’s night markets, Shilin night market (士林夜市) hardly needs an introduction. Spreading over Jihe (基河), Wenlin (文林), Dadong (大東) and Danan (大南) roads, the market comprises hundreds of stalls selling inexpensive clothing, accessories, doodads and, of course, an all-encompassing survey of fried snack foods.
Shilin has its own indoor food court, a massive, boxlike concrete structure south of the main night market and directly across from the sweeping arch of Jiantan (劍潭) MRT Station that was opened by the city government in 2004 to improve sanitation. With the inside as raucous and crowded as any night market, it is hard to tell if hygiene standards are indeed higher, though having most munchies collected under one roof is certainly convenient for gluttons. Opening hours of the food stalls vary, but most stay open until 12:30am to 1am.
Hot Star Large Fried Chicken (豪大大雞排, stall No. 535) is the centerpiece of the food court and is usually marked by the long line of people waiting patiently in front of it. Swap your NT$50 for a sizzling slab of marinated, breaded, deep-fried chicken. The meat is tender and the crispy coating just right. Your taste buds will thank you, even as your arteries weep in terror.
The food terminal boasts several teppanyaki counters. Ri Shang (日上鐵板燒, No. 252) seemed the most crowded, so we sat down and split their seafood set (NT$350). The portions of cod, prawns and calamari were fresh and hearty, but the cooks were a bit heavy-handed with the salt. We balanced the yan (鹽) with a slightly pricey can of Taiwan Beer (NT$40).
Stewed calamari (生炒花枝) is a Shilin specialty sold at many stalls. We randomly picked No. 368 and ordered a bowl for NT$60. The generous slices of calamari in a thick, briney sauce were pleasantly chewy.
Foodies looking for something more unusual should try a bowl of pig’s blood soup. The serving at Wang Ji (王記, No. 381) has large cubes of gelatinized pig’s blood, which were reminiscent of tofu: firm and with little flavor aside from what the clear, savory broth with bits of green onion comported to it.
One of the most gratuitous examples of empty calories at Shilin is a fried confection called big bread wrapping little bread (大餅包小餅). We headed over to Lao Shi Lin (老士林, No. 501), where the pastries are available in a variety of sweet and savory flavors (one for NT$35 or three for NT$100). We ordered the curry wrap, but wished we had gone for the more popular red bean or sesame flavors as soon as we took a bite. The inner bun is deep-fried and resembles a samosa without the filling; the outer wrapping is like a tortilla. The flavoring in ours came from a liberal dusting of curry powder, which did a better job of drying out our throats than adding any spice.
Stuffed to the gills, we waddled toward the night market and made our way down Jihe Road, which is lined with carnival games. Slightly dazed after overeating, my companion and I squandered a few hundred NT dollars on one that looked easy enough: attempting to toss a dozen softballs into a cunningly designed milk jar. After three rounds and only a few successful shots, the woman running the booth cleverly extracted an additional NT$200 from us by promising us a stuffed Doraemon toy — win or lose — if we paid for two more rounds.
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