Shihlin Night Market (士林夜市)

Shilin Night Market is the one of the largest night markets in Taipei. 

Everyone who visits Taipei wants to go to the Shilin Night Market 士林夜市.

It's one of Taipei's most famous hot spots or to say it in simple terms: You have to visit it. Some people would die to spend one evening there. I heard stories of Chinese Malaysian or Singaporean men breaking up families just to visit this famous night market. Shilin Night Market is the dream land for Chinese all over the world: It's close to what English call heaven. Every Chinese man wants to eat that famous chicken cutlet, gulp down the sweet bubble tea and observe hot Taiwanese girls (me included)

5 Favourite Taiwanese foods

1. Braised pork rice (滷肉飯)

A Taiwanese saying goes, "Where there is a wisp of smoke from the kitchen chimney, there will be lurou fan" (braised pork with rice). The popularity of this humble dish cannot be overstated. 

"Lurou fan" is synonymous with Taiwan.

The Taipei city government launched a "braised pork rice is ours" campaign last year after Michelin’s Green Guide Taiwan claimed that the dish is from Shandong Province in mainland China.

A good bowl of lurou fan has finely chopped, not quite minced, pork belly, slow-cooked in aromatic soy sauce with five spices. There should be an ample amount of fattiness, in which lies the magic.

The meat is spooned over hot rice.  

A little sweet, a little salty, the braised pork rice is comfort food perfected.