I took the MRT for the first time in Taiwan.
Honesty, it isn't called Ximen Mango Shaved Ice for nothing.
There really isn't any way to accurately depict the complexity of the taste(s): the mango juice wasn't too thick and managed to be refreshing and mildly sweet, while the mango shaved ice was as perfect as sweet tartness could possibly be.
Turning back to the K-Pop store that we had passed by before stopping for our 'mango meal' led to the realization that it was, in fact, still an operating shop and had not closed down like we had initially thought.
The store was very small, with only enough space to allow a maximum of four to five people to reside in the store at once. Any other space was all occupied by merchandise such as posters, folders, photo cards, fans, and the like.
After some more walking, a stand for homemade pineapple pastries known as 鳳梨酥 (or pineapple tarts or pineapple cakes or whatever you would like to call them) was discovered. We had originally promised ourselves to avoid purchasing these as souvenirs, but the fragrance drew us in and we were purchasing a set of 5 before we even knew it.
Eventually we found ourselves diving into a well air-conditioned bookstore...
Completely worn out, the last stop was CoCo.
Once again, you have never really tried authentic Taiwanese bubble tea until you've had CoCo. Tapioca boiled to a perfect soft, yet chewy consistency, a sweet-yet-not-too-eggy pudding, and refreshing grass jelly that hits right between the lines of hard and just-manages-to-keep-its-form are all things that I have desperately attempted to find at my local bubble tea parlours without much success. But CoCo has managed to do it all, and at an incredibly reasonable price too.
But no matter, since I know I'll be back for more at some point in my life ;)
P.S. Please check out my vlog to get a closer look at Index ACG and more!
- JUNE 28, 2014 - Mill St. Brewery, Toronto Pearson Airport
- JUNE 29, 2014 - NorthWest Fan Fest 2014
- - Red Star
- JUNE 30, 2014 - Photos N/A
- JULY 1/2, 2014 - Vancouver to HK Part 1 (Vancouver International Airport)
- - Vancouver to HK Part 2 (Flight to Seoul)
- - Vancouver to HK Part 3 (Incheon Airport, Arrival in Hong Kong)
- JULY 3, 2014 - Mong Kok
- JULY 4, 2014 - Macau Day Tour
- JULY 5, 2014 - Shopping in Causeway Bay
- JULY 6, 2014 - Tsui Wah Restaurant, I SQUARE
- JULY 7, 2014 - Arriving in Taiwan + Akazubo (Hankyu)
- - Exploring Eslite
- JULY 8, 2014 - Food and Family Dinner
- JULY 9, 2014 - Ximending
- JULY 10, 2014 - Taipei 101, Ding Tai Fung
- - ATT 4 Fun
- - Birthday Buffet
- JULY 11, 2014 - SOGO, Taipei Underground Mall
- JULY 12, 2014 - Exploring the Area + Shinkong Mitsukoshi
- JULY 13, 2014 - Breakfast + Taoyuan Airport + Flight Back to Vancouver
- JULY 14, 2014 - Mega Sushi
- JULY 15, 2014 - Maji Taiwanese Cuisine
- JULY 16, 2014 - Thai Food + Family Dinner @ The Jade
- JULY 17, 2014 - New Hair + Cattle Cafe
- JULY 18, 2014 - Photos N/A
- JULY 19, 2014 - Garage Sale + MiniComi
- JULY 20, 2014 - Photos N/A
- JULY 21, 2014 - Cattle Cafe + Bubble Tea at Yaohan
- JULY 22, 2014 - Vancouver Aquarium
- JULY 23, 2014 - Lost in Burnaby + Afternoon Tea at Adonia
- JULY 24, 2014 - Journey via Canada Line + Pinkberry
- JULY 25, 2014 - Richmond Night Market (Part 1)
- - Richmond Night Market (Part 2)
- JULY 26, 2014 - Back to Toronto