This is a very important point, so listen: Huaxin Street for tea and eating is primarily a day time spot. The tea place I like opens early in the morning and shuts around 3:00 pm. The eating places I like are open for dinner but I would not randomly pull into that neighbourhood at 8:00 pm expecting to find things open. Visit during the day if you can.
Guy
Since that street is more like a community for myanmar people so many restaurants there are mainly for serving their own people as their first priority and not act like a business restaurants.
Best time to go there is at 5pm when everything opens for dinner.
Sounds logical.
Any recommendations for fermented tea leaf salad? That would be my primary reason for going. When in Myanmar we basically lived off the stuff, a good 10 small bowls equals a meal, when the oil is getting to be too much.
I miss that dish sooooo much. I’d travel Taiwan wide just for that (if it’s good and proper).
Following the devastating earthquake in Myanmar in March, the Burmese community centered on Huaxin Street in Zhonghe organized a busy series of events today to raise funds and to offer Buddhist prayers. The whole street was sectioned off from traffic, with tons of people there.
Guy
As people gathered today to support and pay respect to people in Myanmar, they also ate. I did so at a recently opened Muslim-operated shop selling dosas and chapati and simple but satisfying curries (mine today was laced with cloves and cardamon, served with a plate of long grain rice for the very reasonable price of NT$160). Total cost with a cup of chai: NT$190. At this price point I can say with some confidence that it’s better than anything currently available in the capital.
Shop name: Masala Art; address 69 Huaxin Street, Zhonghe, New Taipei City
Warning: this is a very simple shop, with maybe 10-12 seats total and no washroom and no sink for customers. Plan accordingly.
Guy
This was in place of the usual New Taipei Songkran event.
Thank you for the extra context. Yes given recent events there was no water festival on Huaxin Street. From my limited point of view, the organizers did seem to get the tone right, with people stepping up to donate funds while also connecting with other members of the diaspora.
Guy
That would have been fun to attend 
I don’t think “fun” is the right word. But it was impressive to see the community being together like this.
Guy
CNA / Focus Taiwan now has a report up on today’s event:
Guy
