I just came back from Taiwan like a week ago and I must say it was one crazy hot and wet trip. I think May is probably a very wrong time to go there. Some parts of Taiwan was raining non-stop while in other parts especially in Taipei, was scorching hot. On a side note, I was incredibly disappointed that there were some halal food restaurants in Taipei that has closed down. I seriously did not expect it because they were pretty well known and had quite a number of good reviews. I will talk about em at a later part of this post.
One very important thing to note about all these halal restaurants is their opening hours. They will open at around 11am - 2pm and 5pm - 930pm. This seems to apply to every one of these restaurant so make sure to plan your day properly so that you are able to eat on time.
1.
Bismilla Restaurant *Halal*
No. 40, Beining Rd
886 (02) 2577-9271
Bismilla was the first restaurant that I went to in Taipei. Unfortunately, I did not manage to take any photos of the food because I was literally too hungry at that time and forgotten to take photos. This restaurant serves up Thai food and I must say its pretty good. There is also another Halal Thai food restaurant called Yunus Halal Restaurant just a few shops away from it. However, sadly again, I forgot to take any photos at that restaurant so I can't do a seperate review for it.
Out of the two places, it is an extremely tough fight and I just can't simply choose which is better. Yunus has a better restaurant ambience compared to Bismilla but in terms of price, Bismilla is slightly cheaper.
Still, I think both of these restaurants are worth a visit.
2.
Somewhere in Wulai.. *Not Recommended*
While I was on my way to Wulai Falls, I came across several shops and this place. The reason why I did not put the restaurant name or address is because I seriously do not think it is worth it. If Wulai is one of the places in Taiwan that you intend on visiting, then you might encounter this place on your way there. However if its not, then I strongly do not think you should come all the way there for the food.
I do not think the food is terrible but I would say, just mediocre. What totally ticks me off about this place was the restaurant owner. He kinda has a bad attitude and you can also sense a little vibe coming from the locals that he wasn't very liked by them. When asked how long he has been in Taiwan, he said 6 months. Well, good luck with that. I don't think this place would last long. I was quite doubtful about the authencity of the halal sign as well.
Therefore, this place is a huge no-no for me.
3.
Kunming Islamic Restaurant *Halal*
No. 6, Lane 81, Fuhsing N. Rd
886 (02) 2751 6776
Omelette NT$150 (~S$6.50)
Chili Prawn NT$260 (~S$11)
Fried Fish with Spicy Sauce NT$300 (~$13)
Bhindy (Lady's Finger) Arabian Style NT$230 (~$10)
Kung Pao Chicken NT$260 (~S$11)
Out of all the halal restaurants I've been in Taipei, this restaurant beats out the rest in terms of taste. For something as simple as an omelette, it is probably one of the best omelette I've ever tasted. In most of their dishes, they use a lot of red pepper, green pepper and whatnots to bring out its refined taste which is different.
Although I did not order chapati (because I just ate chapati earlier in the day at Wulai), I still think their chapatis are worth a try as most of the diners there had chapatis on their table. So it should be good right. Another recommendation to try is the Fried Fish with Spicy Sauce which also seems to be a popular choice among the diners there as well. The size of the fish is also a lot bigger as compared to fried fishes in other restaurants which makes it oh so satisfying.
One of the things I have to point out is that I find their briyani rice too expensive. I bought a plate of plain briyani rice which cost me NT$120 (~$5). Pretty extreme don't you think. Although the briyani rice tasted really good, I don't think its worth at all to spent around $5 for it, without any meat or toppings whatsoever. Well, probably its best to just settle with plain white rice which will only cost you NT$20 (~$0.90).
4.
Taipei Halal Bismillah Restaurant *Halal*
Taoyuan Airport, Terminal 1
Basement 1
Before departing from Taiwan, I decided to have my last meal at Taipei Halal Bismilla Restaurant. It is located in the basement food court at Terminal 1 and serves up mostly Mediterranean fusion food. (As usual, hungry me forgot to take photos of the food...) I'm really glad that my last meal in Taiwan ended up well. I like that the food is really simple yet tasty and at a pretty affordable price.
Service may be a little slow as there is only one person taking care of the stall and doing the cooking. So, it may not be for those who are in a rush to catch a flight but if you are not, it will definitely be worth it to give this place a try.
Before & After
Here are the two places that I went to which has closed down. I was really disappointed especially with Enjoy Kitchen because it was a very popular burger place. Thank goodness there is Google Maps cus I almost thought I went to the wrong address or that my eyes are playing tricks on me. If you haven't notice you can actually turn back time using Google Maps. Pretty cool right? So all the photos below was taken from Google Maps. The before photos was from 2012. Its amazing how 3 years can change so much.
If you happen to come across this post and planning to go to Taipei, make sure you take down this two places so that you won't have to waste so much time looking for them like I did.
Yuntai Muslim Food
4 Wenzho St., Da'an District
Before After
Enjoy Kitchen
No.2, Ln. 84, Sec.3, Roosevelt Rd, Da'an Distict
Before After
That's the end of my HFJ in Taipei but its not the end for Taiwan. I went to another part of Taiwan called Taichung . I did not want to add it in here or else this post will just be too long. It's gona be a short one cus I only spent like 1 night there. So, do look forward for the next HFJ in Taichung!
