the pastel de nata obsession in asia continues as strong as i remembered from shanghai, and they seem to be everywhere in taiwan. we find it hilarious, as most seem to be made by someone who has never actually eaten one before. in some, the pastry shell has turned into cake dough, and more often than not, the custardy cream has morphed into a kind of gelatinous pudding.

in any case, it’s interesting to see this bit of portugal in taiwan. over time, collecting photos of these pseudo-natas became a sort of game.

unlikely as it sounds, KFC has become synonym with natas in asia. so much so, that they’ve even started innovating on their offer: would you fancy a nata with lychee? i was part horrified and part intrigued at the prospect, so of course we had to try… i’d say it’s like eating natas doused in perfume! 😅 

edit to add: i’d forgotten about these meta natas! 😂

almost by accident, the airbnb we ended up choosing is practically on yongkang street, a famous street in taipei where you can find all kinds of delicious food.  one of the dishes it is famous for is mango shaved ice. i love mango, so of course we had to try it!

it consists of shaved ice topped with fruit, ice-cream and condensed milk, and, as if it that wasn’t enough, served with a little dish of panna cotta on the side… 😅 the whole thing is a bomb, as we discovered — definitely too big for the two of us, and probably best shared with a couple other people. it’s amazing though, super refreshing even with frozen mangoes (since they’re not currently in season)! i can imagine this being just the perfect treat to share with friends on a hot summer day.