At no point is this an exhaustive list of what to eat at ShiLin nightmarket, this is just some recommendations of places to check out if you’re feeling that way inclined.
Cheng Zu’s pepper buns 丞祖胡椒餅
I usually can never get enough of a good pepper bun, especially red hot out of the ‘oven’. Essentially what is a traditional tandoor is where these delicious pepper buns are baked at a ridiculously high temperature until they become crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
I had previously tried the ones just round the corner and I had always thought they were pretty goot, albeit somewhat hit and miss (sometimes they’ve been waiting out of the oven a little too long and lost the freshness/heat). However, this place is going to become my go-to in the area, now.
I find it quite difficult to make this look any nicer than this, but trust me when I say it’s spot-on. The meat is fresh and punches flavour combined with lots of (I apologise in advance) meat juices.
Ordering –
Pork: 一個豬肉胡椒餅 yī gè zhū ròu hú jiāo bǐng
Beef: 一個牛肉胡椒餅 yī gè niú ròu hú jiāo bǐng
Temple vermicelli noodles
士林廟口阿輝麵線
I feel like I’ve been on a bit of a 麵線 binge recently, essentially getting my fill in a bunch of places. Most recently I checked out 面線町, so keep your eyes peeled for another post coming up soon. Anyway, back to it!
So, at $40 for a large bowl and $30 for a small bowl, you’re getting solid value for money. But, is it good? Well, for the area, yes. But, if you’re wiling to travel a bit further afield, you’ll get significantly better elsewhere…
Expect to be greeted by some intestines and some jellied pigs blood in your bowl, as well as copious amounts of garlic and soy sauce flavours.
How to order –
Large – 大碗麵線 dà wǎn miàn xiàn
Small – 小碗麵線 xiǎo wǎn miàn xiàn
Roasted King Oyster Mushrooms
燒烤杏鮑菇
Shroooooooms. Mushrooms are a staple of my diet. I love me some fungus. If I decided that vegetarianism was a thing for me, then this king oyster mushroom would be my meat substitute, for sure.
They’ve got some interested toppings here. But, please be aware, the sauce they used is the same regardless of what topping you order, then the topping will just be sprinkled on at the end. So don’t expect the cumin to be a cumin rub on the mushrooms and then roasted. Expect sprinkled cumin over the top at the end…
We went for pepper and lemon mixed flavours. I think from this point on I will always used lemon juice on my king oyster mushrooms. It was a pure revelation for me! The pepper was good, but the lemon was so much better.
How to order –
一份 yī fèn, followed by your 2 toppings of choice
Wasabi 哇沙米 Wa shā mǐ
Spicy 香辣味 xiāng là wèi
Original 原味 yuánwèi
Lemon 檸檬味 níng méng wèi
Seaweed 海苔味 hǎi tái wèi
Cumin 孜然味 zī rán wèi
Black pepper 黑胡椒味 hēi hú jiāo wèi
Curry 咖哩味 gā lí wèi
Rose salt 玫瑰味 méi guī wèi
Best Friends Cold Noodles 好朋友
If you’re still hungry after that and cold noodles are your thing – then have a think about this place.
I remember being amazed by this place previously, when I had first arrived in TW. However, I haven’t been back in the 7 years post that moment. So, here I went once more.
I asked for no spice (wasn’t in the mood for it) but the dish still arrived spicy. Fair play to them, they hadn’t given me any chilli in the dish. So, why was it spicy? The spoonful(s) of raw garlic they had splashed on. I hate raw garlic. Next time I go I will order it with no garlic to check out if it hits the spot or not, but this time it most definitely did not.
How to order –
Cold noodles with chilli 一份涼麵加辣 yī fèn liáng miàn jiā là
Cold noodles, no chilli 一份涼麵不辣 yī fèn liáng miàn bù là
Please don’t add garlic 請不要加蒜泥 qǐng bù yào jiā suàn ní