Taipei Weightlifting

Beef noodles, barbecue, chirashi—and a summit that made me work for it.

Taiwan202335 photographs

By Julius Uy3 min read

Two people seen entirely from behind sit on a boulder beneath tree branches facing illuminated Taipei 101 and the night skyline.

I called this trip “Taipei Weightlifting.” Most of the episodes involved eating, with enthusiastic verdicts on beef noodles, barbecue and chirashi. Elephant Mountain, Beitou and Jinmianshan supplied a change of scenery—and, in the last case, some actual exertion.

Elephant Mountain

My greeting from Elephant Mountain was an enthusiastic “Hello Toiwoooooonnnnn!!!!!” Taipei 101 shines above the surrounding buildings, its stacked outline lit against the night sky. From the hillside, the city spreads out in windows, signs and lines of light.

Taipei 101 shines above the illuminated city, seen from Elephant Mountain at night. — Taipei’s night skyline from Elephant Mountain.

Branches frame Taipei 101 and surrounding illuminated towers above a dark green slope. — Taipei 101 framed by hillside foliage.

牛爸爸牛肉麵: beef noodles

My verdict at 牛爸爸牛肉麵 was not restrained: “the world’s most incredible beef noodles.” A special lecture from the owner and chef himself came with the meal. The bowl sits in floral, gold-rimmed crockery, surrounded by small side dishes.

I also joked that I would be eating grass for the next three months. Episode one of “Taipei Weightlifting” had set a rather ambitious tone.

The photographs also record the small side dishes, ornate bowl and spoon, and menu pages. One last frame shows the floral bowl empty—a quieter ending to my very enthusiastic verdict.

The 牛爸爸牛肉麵 sign stands above a pale green entrance and a door with a circular inset. — 牛爸爸牛肉麵.

Large pieces of beef sit in brown broth in a floral, gold-rimmed bowl, surrounded by small side dishes. — The beef-noodle meal.

Amber liquid fills an ornate blue-and-yellow bowl beside a white cup and matching spoon. — An ornate bowl and spoon at 牛爸爸牛肉麵.

Small white dishes of peanuts, greens and sliced accompaniments cover a glass-topped wooden table. — Side dishes around the beef-noodle meal.

A hand holds the dark textured 牛爸爸牛肉麵 menu in front of wooden chairs and green plants. — The restaurant menu.

A printed beef-noodle menu stands open with plants and empty wooden chairs behind it. — The beef-noodle page photographed during the visit.

An empty floral bowl sits among side dishes and small bowls on a wooden table. — The bowl at the end of the meal.

大阪燒肉燒魂 Yakikon 林森本店

Episode two was barbecue at Yakikon’s Linsen main branch. Slices of marbled meat covered the tabletop grill, with spring onions scattered over them and little sauce dishes around the edges. My title was suitably dramatic: “Mr. Moo Moo died so we might live.”

Marbled slices of meat topped with spring onions cook on a tabletop grill above blue flames. — The tabletop grill at Yakikon 林森本店.

Chopsticks hold grilled meat above a table set with a grill, sauces and vegetables; only hands and torsos are visible. — A bite from the Yakikon grill.

Orange and brown pieces of grilled meat line a tabletop grate beside metal sauce dishes. — Another round on the tabletop grill.

京·美川: chirashi and oysters

“Holy Moly Chirashi” was the title for 京·美川. The bowl was crowded with fish, roe and other toppings, and I thought the meal offered amazing value.

The oyster earned its own emphatic verdict: “DIVINE!!” It arrived in a blue-and-white bowl with dark sauce and a small garnish.

The meal photographs extend beyond the main bowl: a prawn over broth, pale seafood on a dark plate and a generous sea-urchin topping over seaweed-wrapped rice. The close views keep the textures of the meal in the foreground.

A chirashi bowl is piled with sliced fish, roe, prawn and a yellow piece marked with Japanese characters. — Chirashi at 京·美川.

Oysters sit in dark sauce with chopped green garnish in a blue-and-white bowl. — The oysters that earned an emphatic verdict.

A prawn head rests across chopsticks above an orange broth in a wooden bowl. — A prawn and broth at 京·美川.

Pale scored seafood glistens on a black textured plate beside soy sauce and pickles. — A small plate beside the chirashi meal.

A hand holds seaweed-wrapped rice generously topped with orange sea urchin in front of an empty kitchen counter. — Sea urchin over rice at 京·美川.

Small food stops around Taipei

I called this collection “Holes in the Walls,” and the ratings covered a lot of ground. Salted beancurd with youtiao was “absolutely divine”: 10/10. The sandwich got the same words and the same score.

Fried ice cream was divine too, though apparently not absolutely—9/10. Chocolate sweets also earned 9/10. TenRen tea and the egg each received 7/10; stinky tofu and sesame rice balls landed at 6/10. Kiam png was the disappointment at 2/10.

Coffee produced another wide spread: Panama Geisha scored 8/10, kopi luwak reached 10/10, and the Taiwan coffee got 4/10. There was no shortage of enthusiasm, but not every stop won me over.

The album also catches the everyday setting around these bites: a photo menu propped against delivery crates, a douhua shop beneath red-brick apartments, and packaged sandwiches beneath a bright sign. Cups, bowls and takeaway wrappers sit alongside the more elaborate restaurant meals.

A bowl topped with youtiao pieces and green herbs sits on a tray beside another bowl and wrapped food. — Salted beancurd with youtiao: 10/10.

A hand holds a partly eaten sandwich in a paper wrapper against a wall with Chinese lettering. — The sandwich earned another 10/10.

A rectangular layered chocolate cake sits on a white plate on a green marble table. — Chocolate sweets: 9/10.

Golden fried tofu squares and shredded vegetables fill an open takeaway box. — Stinky tofu: 6/10.

A board of photographed breakfast dishes stands among green crates and cardboard boxes. — A breakfast menu from the small food stops.

A douhua shop occupies the ground floor of a red-brick building, with plants above and scooters outside. — A street-level douhua stop.

A black bowl holds a pale dessert with crushed ice, peanuts and a metal spoon. — A bowl of douhua and toppings.

White rice balls sit on shaved ice while a spoon reveals a dark sesame centre. — Sesame rice balls: 6/10.

A cup of black coffee sits on patterned crockery with toast and cake behind it. — Coffee, toast and cake.

Black coffee fills a blue-and-white floral cup beside a spoon on a reflective tabletop. — Another cup during the Taipei coffee stops.

The sandwich choices photographed during the visit.

A hand holds a peeled egg in clear wrapping above a table printed with food photographs; a companion’s torso and arms are visible. — The egg from the small food stops.

Beitou: rest day

Episode five was simply “Rest Day,” in Beitou. The scenery is full of water and greenery: steam rises from a pool, while a rocky stream runs between stone walls and overhanging trees. Sunlight catches the water between the rocks.

Sunlight falls across a rocky stream bordered by a stone retaining wall and leafy trees. — A sunlit stream in Beitou.

Jinmianshan: the actual workout

Jinmianshan brought the series to a more literal workout. I joked that I “died twice” getting to the summit.

Large rounded boulders overlook a sweep of wooded hills. In the other direction, Taipei stretches across the valley, with Taipei 101 visible in the distance beneath a broad layer of cloud. This episode had a summit to show for the effort.

Closer to the ground, the uneven stone path disappears into shrubs. Bare branches frame another view of the green slopes. Those trail photographs give the city panorama its hillside setting.