A Piece of Thailand in Pingtung!

South Pacific Flavor Stilted (Thai) House 南洋風高腳屋 is located just outside of Kaohsiung in the area of Lin-Luo (麟洛). The English above is just a direct translation of its Chinese name. I didn’t see any English signs or menus available, so that’s the best I can do! This restaurant has some amazing Thai-style architecture & good-tasting food! I found the restaurant one day while I was just exploring on Google Maps. I made a note of it, and have been meaning to make a trip to the restaurant for over a year. Today was finally the day we decided to go give it a try. And I’m so glad we did!

The central building of the restaurant grounds. Very Thai style and a great place for a few photos! Inside seems to have indoor seating for those that prefer not to sit in the outdoor gazebo tables.

The restaurant’s grounds are quite large and a great place for nice afternoon meal with family or friends. About 20 minutes away from the restaurant is a Dog Park that we went to prior to visiting this restaurant. We called ahead to make sure dogs were allowed, and they said sure as long as they have a leash! So, our little shiba inu tagged along with us. The outdoor seating is great, and I’m glad we went while the weather isn’t too hot. The gazebo style seating is very similar to a restaurant we ate at while in Bali, Indonesia. We had a great time relaxing, eating and thinking about our past trips to Bali, Thailand, etc.

There is an entrance fee to enter onto the restaurant’s grounds of $100 NT. But, this can be immediately deducted from your meal price. We ordered two set meals, the green chicken curry (泰式綠咖喱套餐) and spicy chili fried chicken (椒麻雞套餐), with two glasses of Thai milk tea (泰式奶茶), there’s also complimentary unlimited self-serve water if needed. The total for both of us was a little under $500 NT. In my opinion, the food was tasty and fresh and we had no complaints.

After eating the place is large enough to walk around a bit, digest your food and take some pictures of the architecture & other photo ops that are all around the area. The host told us that we would have 2.5 hours to eat. Our food was prepared extremely quickly and brought to us still hot and freshly cooked.

The restaurant’s address and operating hours are as follows:
南洋風高腳屋 (South Pacific Flavor Stilted House)
地址 (Address)：屏東縣內埔鄉富豐路306號 (No. 306 Fu-Feng Rd., Neipu Township, Pingtung County)
營業時間 (Business Hours)：週二 ~ 週五 (Tues. ~ Fri.) 12:00 ~ 20:30
週六 ~ 週日 (Sat. & Sun.) 11:00 ~ 21:30
服務電話 (Service Inquiries/Reservations Phone No.)： 08 778 8819

Gu Yan Temple （古嚴寺）

The gardens around the area are beautiful and have lots of cool photo ops!

We had a wonderful time here even took some great selfies!

The address for this temple is: 814高雄市仁武區公館一巷34號 .

Old & New Taiwanese Cuisine (老新台菜)

This restaurant is located in Kaohsiung City at No. 265 Shiquan 3rd Rd. The restaurant has no menu and is customized for you after selecting from a few different levels. Each level has different foods and the prices per person start at around $600 NT. If you have any allergies don’t forget to mention it to the staff when ordering!

Here is Old & New Taiwanese Cuisine’s building.

The interior of the building has some really cool old movie posters and lots of other Taiwanese antiques.

Here is an example of the $600 NT/person menu options. We went for my wife’s Father’s Day. He loved the food, inside was very clean and the wait staff was great.

This restaurant’s address in Chinese is 高雄市三民區十全三路265號 .

Wutai Township (霧台鄉)

A lesser-known area of Kaohsiung, especially by the foreign community. It is about an hour and a half from Kaohsiung City if you drive by yourself there. The area is full of aboriginal buildings and people. The architecture is unlike any I’ve seen in other parts of Taiwan, and a great day trip. There are also great millet snacks and waterfalls! If you’re in Kaohsiung for an extended time and get sick of the city, then make plans to check it out!

Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Wu-Tai. (基督復臨安息日會霧台教會)

When driving up the mountain road toward Wutai, you’ll need to stop here and write your information down prior to being allowed up. It’s free and there are some nice views from the parking lot!

Here is the view from the police checkpoint going up the mountain towards Wutai.

This is Shen-Shan Waterfall (神山瀑布) located near the entry of Wutai District. There is a large sign written in Chinese that writes 神山瀑布 pointing towards the road you need to follow to reach this area. I recommend checking out this blog post for more detailed instructions on how to reach the waterfall.
https://whuy123.pixnet.net/blog/post/201424632

This is what the trail toward the waterfall looks like. Not recommended for small children. It’s a pretty steep staircase and as you can see not in the best condition. So be careful!

But, the view is so worth it! When it’s hot, I’m sure this place is ideal for taking a swim!

The super famous millet-donuts in Wu-Tai Township. A definite must-buy when you’re here! They are wayyy tastier freshly fried.

The calories are worth it! At around $35 NT a doughnut they’re very reasonably priced!

Another famous place in the area is this place that sells Lemon Ice Jelly with Millet & Lemon Juice. Fantastic and refreshing, especially after visiting the waterfall!

These are some traditional aboriginal buildings in the area. Go exploring! There’s much to see!

If you go at the right time of year, then you’ll be able to see the beautiful cherry blossoms!

Yang Bao Bao (楊寶寶)：Traditional Taiwanese Foods

This restaurant is frequently recommended by local Kaohsiung people, especially residents living in Nanzih District (楠梓區). The reason it is so well liked by the locals is that their flavor has remained consistent since they opened and that even though their business has been had much success, the owners have not allowed franchising of their business.

No. 106, Chaoming Road, Nanzi District, Kaohsiung City, 814

Every time I pass the Yang Bao Bao Restaurant, especially during lunch or dinner time, it is full of people with many people waiting outside. Other people have even said that if you go too late some of the menu options may be sold out limiting your choices! So, if you’re going to try it out get there early!

This time I ordered an order of steamed dumplings and an order of potstickers. Was not disappointed in the flavor at all. There are many options to choose from for other small dishes. The small dishes are available as self-serve, and include items such as kimchi, cucumbers, tofu, etc.

Pork Chop over Rice at the Pingtung Night Market

In my free time I enjoy watching a Taiwanese food review show called Super Taste (食向玩家) and prior to going to Pingtung (屏東) I made sure to watch the episode for that area. The hostess recommended this restaurant located in the Pingtung Night Market. So, I put it on the to-eat list and saved some room in my stomach especially for this restaurant.

As you can see in the photo above, there are stacks of fried pork chops just piled high on the counter. What is special about this restaurant is the preparation of the pork chop. They first marinate the pork chop, fry it and then marinate it again before serving it.

The result is a pork chop that when placed over rice has lots of flavor. The juices drip down and get soaked up by the rice, and the overall flavor is spectacular. And, all of this for approximately $2 USD! Back in the U.S. you can barely get a drink for that price. If you are planning on traveling to Taiwan be ready to loosen up your belt a notch or two!

There are a few slices of sausage (香腸), half an egg (半顆滷蛋) and some sour vegetables (酸菜) to go along with the rice and pork chop.

The place also has a photo of the hostess from the television program Super Taste posted on the wall, as well.

Here is picture of the boss and the Super Taste hostess (莎莎).

If you’re in Pingtung Night Market and are in the mood for some hearty pork chop over rice that won’t break the bank, then this is a good spot to try!

God of the Land (土地公)

I was on the hunt for food either going to or from the Ziguan fishing harbor (梓官區蚵仔寮) and decided to go check out a nearby park called Tardy Hills Park (a.k.a. Leidishan Natural Park：漯底山自然公園). While driving, I saw this huge statue of the God of the Land. At that time, I wasn’t sure who he was, but with the beautiful weather and such a cool statue I had to take a picture of him. When I got home, I began doing some research on the God of the Land. Next, I will share (What I believe to be…) the two best stories to show the character of the God of the Land and why the local Taiwanese people pay respects to him.

The reason so many people pay their respects to Tudigong (God of the Land) is because he was a smart, loyal man. His real name is Zhang Fu-De (張福德), and in his 30’s he became a member of the royal court. Throughout his service he always was sympathetic and caring for the common-folk and was considerate about their hardships. Therefore, he spent his life taking care of and ensuring the livelihood of the less fortunate.

One story explains that one day before Tudigong gained the title of Tudigong/God of the Land he met a man who was always eating large meals. Tudigong asked the man how he is able to always eat meals like he does. The man showed him a type of magic ring, but the ring’s function varies depending on whose head it is placed upon (similar to Sun Wukong’s, a.k.a. The Monkey King’s crown). The man allowed Tudigong to borrow the crown and try it out for himself. The man said whenever the carriages with royalty come into town, he will place the ring on his head and the royal chefs will bring him large platters of food. Knowing this, Tudigong took the magic ring to try it for himself. First, he placed the ring on a moving horse’s head and the horse ran off making it hard to get the ring back. The man told him you cannot put the crown on something that is moving. Next, Tudigong went into a field and placed the ring upon the head of a scarecrow. He said he waited and waited, but to no avail. The man asked him why on earth would you place it on a dead object’s head? Of course it won’t do anything! Finally, Tudigong entered into a market full of people. In the market, he saw a poor, starving man. Instead of Tudigong placing the ring upon his own head, he placed it upon the head of the poor, starving man. As a result of his generosity people still to this day will make offerings of delicious foods to him.

Zhang Fu-De passed away at 102 years old. Three days after his death they noticed his facial features were completely unchanged. A destitute villager got four large, flat stones and arranged them into a house-like structure dedicated to Zhang Fu-De. He also used incense and various food offerings to ask the spirit of Zhang Fu-De to continue to watch over his family and give them peace.

Soon afterwards, the destitute man’s family became wealthy. The other villagers heard of this and quickly built a temple in honor of Zhang Fu-De. The royal court successor was not a good man, therefore the local people picked the names “福德正神” and “土地神 (土地公)” to refer to Zhang Fu-De.

八三鱔魚意麵: 83 Eel Noodle Shop

I am a big fan of good-tasting eel noodles, and this place definitely has it! A few months ago, I went to the Pingtung Nightmarket (屏東夜市) and had some fantastic eel noodles that has caused me to have a craving for them recently. I ate some at a small shop in Nanzih District (楠梓區) on Dexian Rd. (德賢路). But, they were pretty awful and I had to douse the entire plate in black vinegar to scarf it down! Tainan (台南) in general is known for having some of the best local Taiwanese food in all of Taiwan. Therefore, I used Google Maps to help guide me to a hopefully tasty eel noodle shop. With nearly 600 reviews and rating upwards of 4-stars, I decided to try it out!

八三鱔魚意麵【店家地址：台南市中西區民族路二段136號】
Address: No. 136, Section 2, Minzu Road, West Central District, Tainan City, 700

We ordered the Eel Noodles in the thick soup (鱔魚意麵羹), Stir-fried Squid Noodles (炒花枝意麵) and Pork Liver Soup (豬肝湯). Each dish was cooked perfectly and the flavor was on point. This place’s food was even a notch above the place I ate previously at the Pingtung Nightmarket!

If you’re in the West Central District of Tainan and have a craving for (or just want to try) eel or squid noodles, you should definitely give this place a shot! It is reasonable priced and located a short distance from most of the commonly visited tourist sites in Tainan.

According to the pink box in the bottom right:
Eel: Iron, Calcium, helps to enrich your body’s blood
Squid: Prolongs aging, Improves liver function
Kidney: Protein, Nutritious
Pork heart: enrich your body’s blood, Nourishes the heart & calms the mind
Pork liver: B vitamins, Iron

For anyone who has trouble reading Chinese, here is a summary of the key terms to be able to order what you want!
Blue Circle = 羹 : thick soup
Yellow Circle = 乾炒：Dry Stir-fried noodles (not in a soup)
Red Circle = 炒類：Stir-fried dishes without noodles
Orange Circle = 麻油：Sesame Oil dishes
White Circle = 湯類：Soup
鱔魚：Eel
花枝：Squid
豬心：Pork heart
豬肝：Pork liver
腰只：Pork kidney
冬粉 (in the soup)：Mung bean noodles

The Journey Begins: Illa Formosa

Thanks for joining me! I hope to post primarily in English with Chinese supplemented to help out those trying to make their way around Taiwan. I am fluent in Chinese, but I would like to give people traveling to Taiwan, or who have just moved here a resource to help them discover the fantastic foods that primarily only the locals get to enjoy! If you have any questions regarding where to eat, what to do, where to go, and/or any Chinese questions feel free to ask!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

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