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I’m not sure if you’re serious. I really enjoy the restaurants in Hualien, but in my opinion, there is better in every category in Taipei. And I’m having real trouble finding good Chinese and Taiwanese food there. This place was good about 10 years ago:
Ming Shifu Restaurant
But I’m not sure if that’s the case anymore. Even if it is as good as it used to be, there’s better in Taipei.
And even if the Chinese and Taiwanese food was awesome in Hualien, I would still go to the Western restaurants. Tourists tend to bring up the quality of the Western food in a place. This is certainly the case in Thailand, for example.
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Ya, cause it’s fancy lol. Slice of bread, egg, meat sauce and some other sauce. With a few lettuce slices in between. It was tasty, but nothing too special. The newer bunch style and coffee shop fad that has hit Taiwan hard has a lot of his type of thing. It would be a bit cost prohibitive to feel full though, itd be $1000 for me to get full haha.
I agree hualien is by far the best available on the east coast. Taipei isn’t east, so it’s not a comparison. Outside of the hiking/nature, the main thing I enjoy about hualien is that there are a LOT of options there! We had 4 vastly different “Curry” styles in 3 days.
I’ll get the names from the wife when I get home. I forgot.
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Really? If you’re a seafood lover then I highly recommend you check out restaurants in Chenggong and Taitung County.
There’s quite a few western restaurants in the likes of Dulan and up in Fengbin.
Best banana bread I’ve had in Taiwan was at the bakery in Dulan.
Yup, some good ones there. But hualien being a relatively big city, places like Dulan dont compare. Honestly, Dulan is over rated now in my opinion. A couple decent spots, but not a lot. Even taitung city isn’t exactly known as a food destination. But more and more people moving out there and more and more modern styled restaraunts are opening. But, in my opinion, taitung is not even half of what hualien is. Unless we are starving, we always try to save ourselves through taiung so we can eat in hualien. Perks of big cities 
You might like “Monday” near the 3 immortals park. Their “taco rice” was pretty good. Their hot dog was crap hehe.
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If you’re not stopping for sashimi in Chenggong then you’re missing out. I mean the harbor is right there. You can go bid on the daily catch too if you want.
I’m familiar with Monday near 三仙台。 I can give you a list of good places if you like. In Fengbin and Changbin you have restauranteurs who have escaped the city and set up shop so lots around there too.
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I would love to get some recommendations. But maybe in a different thread, in view of the theme of this one? A good place for sashimi in Chenggong would interest me quite a lot.
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Please do! We always take grandpa there for seafood. But can’t say we are over the moon. It’s alright. He loves it. With soy sauce and warm beers 
Do share good spots. We are in the area every couple months
The Pakistani place in Hualien city is this one. I remember why I forgot. His brother has a place (which we went a while ago) and their names are almost exactly the same and it was confusing haha.
We went to the newer one, with this wall decoration this time.
The coffee shop above with the toast, Curry and pork chops is this place
Close to the ZhiXue train station, 10 min walk. From the train, go straight, cross Route 9 road and walk along the universitys main food street. When the road curves to the left at the university follow it, 3rd road on the left at the end. Has parking.
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This is my favorite spot in Chenggong. There’s a seafood market on the 1st floor and restaurant on the 2nd floor.
Some good places down by the harbor too but they are pricier. You pay for the view.
Locals all love this place. I’m ok but worth a try.
The Sashimi Nazi. The food is actually really good but the boss is an asshole. Take a look at the negative reviews 
Pasta/Steak/Risotto - chef from Taipei moved down and started his own restaurant and BNB.
Bakery I mentioned in Dulan.
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Cheers! The first one never been to, that looks like a good one to try next time!
The second and trident are more or lessthe typical fare we are used to. It’s not total crap, but it’s also not amazing in my opinion. Lots of fried, oily, msg, sugary sauce type things that are tasty to the tongue but basically kind of low quality. Again, just my opinion. We go to those with various family members because hey require such hard hitting flavor enhanced things to wake them up lol.
But gotta admit, Taiwan can have some petty good fresh seafood. Loads even at the ports, are still imported (always heck the garbage pickup spots and read the labels hahaha). But going at the right time and spending a higher dollar, things like raw fish are actually quite exceptional!
Tried this place. It’s advertised as Penang (malaysian) Food. Had high hopes. Nice wood tables, their menu mentioned thungs like galangal and lemon grass. A good first impression for real ingredients and a proper dish.
So, it’s a bit disappointing. I put in this thread because Malaysia is west of Taiwan and the laksa base is almost for sure Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup. Which was truly saddening. The msg burn was even the exact same as that can. Added a chemical laksa pack from the SE stores and bobs your uncle.
So I didn’t want to post this in taiwnaese food is great thread, not the taiwnaese food sucks thread. It’s not authentic or anywhere close to great Malaysian food. But if a person enjoys salylty msg noodles with a spin, it’s great. Just go in knowing that, and it’s all good.
We had the white Curry soup (coconut base, very sweet lots of msg) an the laksa, just plain fake. But for a noodle dish one expects to be chemical based, it’s OK.
It’s also cheap, so the wife got duped with positive student reviews which the place was filled with (students).
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Guy
Don’t shoot the messenger 
Beats fried noodles for $ 50. Which we also add that trip…but it’s not Malaysian. Maybe the Chinese in Malaysia are doing this now, Malaysia, Thailand etc has really gone down hill in terms of everything from a bag. So I’m not shocked. It was more like American food flavors with some rotten fish funk, touch of sour and noodles.
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Rotten fish funk tastes good to me these days.
Above pics look pretty much standard for these places in Taiwan, I would say that’s ok for the price.
It’s a thing, for sure.
Covid? 
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I think just SEA cooking isn’t it 
My sense of smell got messed up for many months before due to a virus , at one stage I was smelling burnt electrical cables when eating food, try that!!!
So rotten fish funk…bring it on.
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小檳城特色南洋麵食
Little Penang’s Specialty Nanyang Noodles
That place currently has 4.4 / 5 on google maps.
Based on Taiwan’s review inflation, that would be roughly equivalent to around 2.9 / 5 in Japan.
Guy
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This Burmese restaurant in Hualien does a good business. I found it decent, but not anything special and not too different from generic Thai restaurants in Taiwan.
伊江滇缅料理
03 831 0077
Laoban hen qinqie. Adds about 2 points to every review cos the Laoban said two words to them.
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