7 snacks to try at the new Taiwanese Food Market

Taiwan’s Shilin Night Market is back in Shanghai for another summer visit, and will be hanging around until the end of October. Located beside the Jinjiang Amusement Park, the market features 42 stalls selling over 70 different kinds of street food. Although named after the famous street market in Taipei, stall holders from all over Taiwan, including Keelung City and Yilan, were invited to take part.

Having opened in late May, the market has already become Shanghai's latest food-themed queuing sensation (following in the slowly moving footsteps of Grains' ice cream window and the Fuzhou Luqingtuan). Despite the market opening at 3pm on weekdays (and 11am on weekends), once night falls, queues get long quickly and continue once you get inside the entrance as well, so you're better off getting here early if you can. An enterprising Uighur guy has set up a yangrou chuan stall right by the main entrance queue, so if you're worried the lines look extra long you can always pay him a visit first.

When you do get into the market, you can expect the usual Taiwanese delights like dachang bao xiaochang (loosely translated as big sausage wrap small sausage, 18RMB) and oyster omelettes (22RMB), along with quirky items such as ice cream served in a mini toilet bowl (20RMB).

Be aware that cash is not accepted on site; you'll need to pay via Apple Pay, WeChat Pay or Alipay. Alternatively, you can purchase a card for 200RMB for easy payment at the stalls, which can be returned when you're leaving.

Given it was the first week on our visit, we experienced some kinks - a malfunctioning fryer and some payment machines on the brink of meltdown - but with over 70 (affordable) snack options on offer, it's certainly worth heading down.

Here's a look at seven dishes to try:

Stall 42: Braised minced pork rice (lu rou fan, 15RMB)

Although dismally presented in a plastic container, the warm rice, served with Chinese sausage and broccoli, is a hearty choice.

Stall 32: Rice-flour noodles (ajin mianxian, 15RMB)

Another choice for a filling meal is the mian xian, which comes with a generous serving of oysters and meatballs. For an additional kick, add a big dollop of chilli to the piping hot, thin noodles served in thick gravy.

Stall 25: Shrimp and quail eggs (xiachedan, 18RMB for five)

A classic at Taiwanese street markets, this shrimp and quail egg combination topped with seaweed flakes and meat floss is a great snack to munch on while checking out the other stalls (and waiting in line).

Stall 11: Fried chicken cutlet (da ji pai, 18RMB)

Another irresistible snack option, the fried chicken here isn't as juicy as we were hoping, but is tasty nonetheless. You can also try the stall's plum powder sweet potato fries (12RMB), which are fragrant and crunchy and make for a good fried chicken accompaniment.

Stall 4: Cheesy fried potato (qi si malingshu, from 22RMB)

After an hour wait in line for this (!), we're still in two minds as to whether it was worth it or not. It's decadent - imagine a fried potato topped with slices of cheese and then drenched in more cheese sauce - but still tastes surprisingly refreshing because of the crunchy cucumber slices hidden underneath. But seriously, an hour for potato and cheese?

Stall 41: Tapioca balls drinks (from 13RMB)

The tapioca ball drinks are also hugely popular here, and you can expect to wait around 20-30 minutes to get a cup. If you can endure the queue, try their recommended black sugar milk tapioca balls drink (heitang niunai fenyuan, 16RMB) - a tad sweet but still nice to sip and chew on.

Stall 14: Mango shaved ice (mangguo xue hua bing, 30RMB)

The mango shaved ice is one of the more expensive - and sugary - dessert options at the night market but it's large enough to share between three people. If you're running low on cash, other options include beancurd with toppings (18RMB), which is slightly grainier in texture, and ice cream served in a waffle bowl (from 25RMB).

Shanghai Shilin Night Market is set to be beside Jinjiang Amusement Park until the end of October. Full address: 201 Hongmei Lu, near Meilong Lu, Minhang.