Savoring the best for last

Barbecue on a slate in the aboriginal style [Photo by Zhang Yu/For Shanghai Star]

Shanghai’s Jinjiang Action Park has worked with Taipei’s Shi-Lin Tourism Development Association to bring 30 stalls from the famous Shilin night market to the amusement park.

Despite publicity that only depended on online social media, more than 15,000 eager diners swarmed to the park to get a taste of an authentic oyster omelet, sausage wrapped in glutinous rice and other famous night-market snacks so often featured on talk shows or soap operas from across the Straits.

So what was so attractive to these eager gourmands? Was it truly genuine Taiwan flavor?

Ray Lin, from Kaohsiung on the island, says the food he tried — salty crisp chicken and soft fried prawns — tasted the same as the ones he had back home.

The fried and battered prawns — about the size of a banana —were wrapped in cheese before they were coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried, much like an oversized tempura.

Every bite was tender, and the special sweet chili sauce helped cleanse the palate.

"Actually this is a snack you can find only at major night markets such as Shilin," he says. "It’s not too common."

Other recommended items include the well-known oyster omelet, sausage wrapped in glutinous rice, papaya milk, boiled brined chicken and barbecue on a slate in the aboriginal style.

Prices ranged from 15 to 30 yuan per portion.