[Taipei 台北] Shenkeng Old Street ♦ 深坑老街－Lynda's Taiwan-logue

< Visited in Mar 2019 >

In Taiwan, old streets are as iconic as night markets, many of them within or in close proximity to the cities. Shenkeng Old Street 深坑老街 is one such destination in New Taipei City that is worth a visit, via a half-hour cab ride or less than an hour's bus ride.

Taking the bus in Taiwan has become a norm for me, a mode of transport I appreciate very much, for its extensive network, affordability and being the easiest way to immerse in the local way of life. My mode of transport this time was bus 912 from exit 3 of Taipei City Hall MRT station (市政府捷运站; blue line BL18). (Check out other bus routes on Google Maps, which I personally find accurate and useful.)

Arriving at Shenkeng, where we alighted is on the same side as Shenkeng Old Street 深坑老街.

▼ Right opposite is the bus stop for our return ride to Taipei City Hall MRT station.

▼ Alighting with other passengers headed to the same destination, we followed their footsteps to the old street, within a minute's walk.

▼ A handful of foodstalls "outside" the main old street.

▼ Besides the main old street (dotted path in map), there is another short pathway (green line) you can take as part of your leisurely stroll.

▼ Steering off the main course for the short pathway first... to the right of the photo (and old street proper).

Back to the main old street...

The original street existed since the Qing dynasty, a key passage between Taipei and Yilan, on what is known as Tamsui-Kavalan Trails 淡兰古道. From 2008, the city government started refurbishing the old street. The old Red Cedar tree here has been preserved, despite initial plan to uproot the landmark. And the speciality on this old street? Tofu (beancurd). Though there are plenty of other stuff to eat and see here.

The architecture here is reminiscent of many other Taiwanese old streets - minan-ese houses with Baroque-style facades.

We were here on a Saturday for lunch and stroll, thus the sizeable crowd.

▼ Besides tofu, yam pastry is another local speciality. This stall is popular, took this photo without crowd on our way back out.

▼ There is actually more than one stall selling the yam pastry, either steamed or fried (we tried the latter).

▼ Came across this interestingly-named beverage - 赚钱汤, literally "money earning soup", though more accurately a herbal drink. The friendly stall owner offered a sample, but I didn't find it quite to my taste. Went with a grass jelly with milk (large, NT$50) instead.

▼ We were not particularly famished after earlier snacks and beverages. We randomly picked one of two eateries for light lunch after browsing their menus. You will find many similar eateries on this old street, selling a variety of tofu dishes (from steamed, braised, fried to stinky!) among others, each with a decent crowd.