Top 5 Late-Night Foods with @LukeMartin and Host Dennis Nieh! | Taiwan Top 5

It’s no surprise that YouTuber and global foodie Luke Martin @LukeMartin is in love with Taiwan’s unique food culture! In this episode of Taiwan Top 5, Luke teams up with Dennis Nieh, host of The Taipei Tonight Show, to explore some of Taipei’s best late-night foods.

First, Dennis takes Luke to the hip restaurant and bar Grey Me, where they enjoy mouthwatering seafood and fusion dishes in a refined atmosphere. After getting a taste of Taipei’s fancier nightlife, Luke turns the tables on Dennis and suggests they move to a more casual environment: a “re chao,” or stir-fry, restaurant.

“Re chao” restaurants are another one of the best choices for late-night snacks in Taiwan. Dishes are prepared hot and fresh and are best enjoyed with a glass (or bottle) of ice-cold Taiwanese beer. Whether you prefer quick and casual eats or a slower, more romantic dining environment, this dynamic duo provides a range of options to satisfy everyone’s palettes.

Join Luke and Dennis as they serve us a slice of the abundant nightlife Taipei has to offer.

00:00 Late-Night Foods in Taipei
00:40 Luke Explores After Hours Grub with Dennis Nieh
01:11 First Stop: Taipei Restaurant and Bar “Grey Me”
02:25 Dish 1: Taiwanese Beltfish
03:45 Dish 2: Duck Breast with Parmesan and Salted Egg Yolk Sauce
05:01 Dish 3: Lobster Noodles
07:50 Second Stop: Taipei’s Popular “Re Chao” Stir-Fry Restaurant
08:52 Dish 4: Hot-Fried (Stir-Fried) Clams
09:56 Dish 5: Three Cup Bullfrog
10:58 What Can First-Time Visitors Do in Taipei Other Than Eat Great Food?
12:37 End Credits

#LukeMartin #DennisNieh #TaiwanFood #TaipeiTonightShow #Taipei #Taiwan #TaiwanTop5 #TaiwanPlus
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I’m Luke Martin, world traveler
and proud Taiwanese food lover.
Although Taiwan is not my home country,
it certainly holds a special place
in my heart.
After leaving Canada in 2016 to spend a
year in Taiwan,
I fell in love with the culture,
the people and the cuisine.
Since then, I’ve seen, done and tasted
nearly everything
the typical tourist tries in Taiwan.
But this time I’ve come back to discover
a side of Taiwan only the locals can
show you.
I’m teaming up with Taiwan experts
to show you why this beautiful island has
so much to offer
and is worth coming back again and again.
Taiwan is known for its night markets,
and I’ve been here enough times
to have tried just about everything.
That said, I want to find out what the
locals eat
to satisfy those late night cravings.
Something other than the typical night
market fare.
I’ve decided to ask my friend Dennis
host of The Taipei Tonight Show on TaiwanPlus
Dennis Nieh
He is an acclaimed Taiwanese-American host
actor, singer and all around entertainer.
He’s also my late-night guru
for tonight’s activities,
to take me around for some after
hours grub.
We’re here in one of the busiest
nightlife districts
in the capital of Taiwan,
Taipei City.
– Cheers, man.
– Cheers.
Cheers to a night out in Taipei.
Exactly.
We’re at this place, Grey Me.
A little like… It’s got the old
Chinese decor about it.
It’s definitely modern and
a little bit trendy.
Do you feel like there’s a lot of places
like this in Taipei?
Are they popping up all the time now, or?
It is.
I mean, Taipei has always been
really culturally diverse.
So the nightlife here and the food,
the drinking culture
has always been very vibrant.
Taiwan is one of those places
where the population density is high.
When it’s like that,
people just don’t sleep.
Anytime of the day you go out,
there’s someplace to go
and there’s some places,
some people to meet.
It did get more and more diverse,
I would say,
now with the newer generation coming in
bringing new ideas.
But the new idea is not just to bring
what’s the coolest, maybe,
outside of Taiwan.
It’s to bring what was here
that was deeply embedded
in the Taiwan culture
or the Chinese culture.
And then let’s make that stuff cool.
And how do we make that stuff, you know,
kind of trendy, right?
I think we need some food.
– Let’s do it.
– Let’s do it, man.
Yeah.
Alright, we got the first dish.
– Yeah, dinner’s served.
– Alright.
Thank you so much.
Alright, how much of that did you get?
– Absolutely zero.
– Alright.
You’re gonna have to tell me what we got.
This is just great.
This is a beltfish.
You know what that is?
Not familiar, actually.
It’s a type of eel, right?
I think it’s related to, you know,
what is the earthquake fish, one of
those really…
Oh yeah, yeah, right.
I think it’s probably in the same family
or something like that.
This is prepared with, soaked in sea salt
for a little bit, marinated,
and then cooked with some sake,
light sake.
Okay.
A little bit of miso,
and then right now it’s served
with some salmon eggs
and things like that.
Now this is beautiful.
They roll it up in a roll,
so they filleted it already.
There’s no bones in it.
It’s just beautiful, tasty fish.
– Alright.
– Alright.
Let’s dig in.
That’s right.
So it’s a fish.
It’s just a fish wrapped up from the
bottom.
In Taiwan, we call it "hai wei"
which means "the scent of the ocean."
Beautifully presented and super fresh.
Dennis and I are off to a great start
on our after hours food tour.
Let’s see what’s next on our list.
Alright, you ready for the next one?
– Let’s do it.
– Alright, let’s check it out.
– Hi.
– What do we have next chef?
Wow.
– This is a duck breast.
– Oh, duck, okay.
But duck breasts are often known
to be a little bit on the dry side.
So the way that they cooked it was they,
again, it’s a little bit of fusion.
So there’s some Parmesan cheese in there,
mixed with the salty duck egg.
– Have you had that?
– Oh, yeah, okay, yeah.
Not a huge fan, but let’s see.
– Really? Oh, I love it.
– You love it?
So the yolk of these salted eggs
is really smooth and creamy.
So the chef has used that to mix it
with some Parmesan cheese to make the sauce,
to make the duck breast more balanced.
– So salted egg cheese sauce.
– Yes, yes, alright.
– Alright, ready to dig in.
– Let’s try it man.
Alright, let’s try this.
I love duck, huge duck guy.
We actually hunt duck in Canada.
You’re kidding me?
So I have it all the time.
Grew up with it, so
let’s see how it is here in Taiwan though.
– Oh, this is gorgeous.
– This is not dry whatsoever.
And I feel a little bit of spice in there,
a little bit of chili in there, maybe.
Really good, really juicy.
Perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy duck.
More, please.
I think that looks like lobster on top of this.
Yes, well, this is something that’s more
familiar in this part of the world.
Everybody loves lobsters,
but in North America
we mostly have Boston.
This is the other kind. This is
the horny lobsters.
The meat texture on these
are much more tender.
The chef has used the shell of it
to make the sauce, and then
made it into a pasta.
Again, this is a little bit of a fusion.
We’re on an island, so you get the seafood,
the freshness, but then we have some
Italian pasta to go along with it.
Alright, let’s dig in.
You know, you said Boston lobster.
Yep.
I took a little bit of offense there,
because we’re pretty famous for our lobster
up in Canada.
Yeah.
We get great lobster.
Let’s try this one.
Oh, I love the sauce.
Come, tell me what you taste.
What do you taste?
You can definitely taste
concentrated lobster flavor.
He used those shells to boil down the sauce.
It’s definitely like a fusion.
It tastes like something I’d have in Italy,
really, but a little bit of a
spice in there, too.
A little bit of a heat.
And that lobster is just beautiful.
Just a slight kick to it.
Yeah, I like it. That’s how I like it.
Yeah.
Really well cooked lobster.
That sauce is incredible.
You have the coolest voice ever.
You were designed for hosting
The Taipei Tonight Show.
You used to work in radio, too, right?
Yeah.
How do you even get started in something like that?
Oh boy.
Such a unique profession.
It’s a really fun show.
I believe it’s time for me
to take what I have accumulated in the
past decades,
doing shows in Taiwan, doing shows in the
States,
many parts of Asia, to bring some of that,
and then present it in a way,
and in a language,
that people outside of Taiwan
can get a glimpse of.
That’s what The Taipei Tonight Show
is about.
Tell me, you’re finished off at
The Taipei Tonight Show,
your heading home, it is late, you’re
craving for some grub.
What’s your go-to?
What’s your go-to late night snack
here in Taiwan?
One thing I really like about Taiwan is the
it’s called
"re chao"
Have you heard of that, "re chao"?
I think I’ve heard of it. Stir-fried?
Yes, stir-fried.
With this type of cuisine,
it’s all about how high
and how quick you can cook it.
And in that way
you lock in the flavors, right?
You don’t want that flavor to
be spread out or dissipated.
– Fast food the way it should be.
– Exactly, right?
So that’s something that’s really…
Let’s go get some.
You want to try it?
Yeah, let’s do it.
– You feel adventurous tonight?
– I’m ready.
Alright, let’s go. Let’s go check that out.
Time to take Dennis somewhere more my style.
I’m talking fresh seafood and cheap, cold beer.
Ah, there we go.
Yay!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thank you.
One of the go-to drinks when you come to a
"re chao," which is, I guess,
stir-fried, hot-fried.
Hot-fried.
"Re" means hot, "chao" means
stirring it up in the wok.
You gotta go with some cold beer.
Taiwan Beer.
Yeah, and beer is one of those…
You gotta have it fresh.
This is the "18-day" Taiwan…
"18-day" beer.
This is just fresh.
Totally different atmosphere, right?
Fresh off the line.
Cheers, guys.
Pretty crazy atmosphere here,
compared to the last place.
But this is my type of place.
This is your type of place.
This is more my type of place.
I just feel way more comfortable.
Obviously, no problem with the other place.
More trendy places if you wanna
go for a date night or whatever it is.
But, if you wanna have a proper meal,
– This is where you relax.
– Yeah, exactly.
This is where you come.
So let’s get some food.
Alright, you know what this is called?
In Mandarin,
this is called the "ocean melon seed."
Okay.
Why is that?
Because there’s a Chinese delicacy.
Have you had sunflower seeds, right?
Okay.
And there’s pumpkin seeds.
Uh-huh.
When you eat those, you crack it open.
Right.
So this, when it’s fresh and you cook it,
the timing is all right,
it cracks open a little.
So we can call that the "ocean" or
"sea melon seed."
"Sea melon seed," alright.
I’ve never heard that one.
Yeah, but this is great. You gotta try this.
Is it "three cup"?
No, this is just a quick stir-fry.
A quick stir-fry.
Yeah, it’s not.
I see some garlic in there.
Yep.
Yeah.
Oh man.
– So much fresh seafood here.
– Right.
And cheap and delicious.
Yes.
– And the flavor.
– Mm.
– Goes well with something cold.
– Of course.
Stir-fried to perfection.
Out of the wok onto your table in seconds.
That’s my kind of fast food.
Alright, so this is
the famous Taiwan "san bei,"
the "three cup" sauce, right?
Okay.
Have you had this before?
I’ve had three cup chicken.
What’ve we got inside this one?
Do you want to try it,
then I’ll tell you what it is?
It tastes just like chicken.
Alright.
Should I trust you?
Yeah, obvious.
What’s that? I mean, look at this face.
What’s not to trust?
– Mm.
– It tastes like chicken.
But it’s not.
In Mandarin,
the word chicken is in the name.
It’s called "tian ji."
It means "field chicken."
Okay.
Or "farm chicken."
But it’s not exactly chicken.
Alright?
We’re having three cup bullfrog.
Bullfrog.
Bullfrog, have you had it?
I’ve had it. I’ve had frog before
but I don’t think I’ve ever had
three cup bullfrog.
Okay, but it’s good.
It’s good. Yeah.
No, that’s full of flavor.
I mean, a normal person probably
wouldn’t be able
to even tell that this is frog
if you didn’t tell them.
Like me, I thought it was chicken
to be honest.
Although it might not sound appetizing,
these frogs or "farm chickens"
are a must order.
Sometimes it’s all that people talk about
about Taiwan is the food and
it’s kind of ironic
because we are filming
a food show right now.
And sometimes I agree though.
It’s all I talk about on my
YouTube channel, too.
But what other things about Taiwan
do you think
people should recognize and appreciate
that Taiwan does really well?
Or for the first time visitors,
what can they do besides the food?
I think the food is just the obvious.
But if you really understand Taiwan more,
I think the food becomes the icing
on top of the cake.
There’s so much more to it.
Taiwan is not a very big place,
but the mountains in Taiwan are amazing.
A lot of these mountains in Taiwan,
the trails are very well set up.
Literally, you can go one day from
the beach
to the highest peak in
Southeast Asia, right?
That kind of terrain is just mind boggling.
– So the nature, nature.
– Nature.
But one of the beauties of Taiwan is that,
on this tiny island, there’s a great,
amazing public transportation
and high-speed rail system.
So easy access everywhere, right?
And then the nightlife in Taiwan.
Yeah?
You can go out, grab a "xiao ye,"
which is what we’re doing.
That means a "late night snack,"
when you go out.
But, the bars in Taiwan.
The bartending industry has exploded,
I think, in the past decade.
So there’s a lot of speakeasy bars,
good mixes, and nightlife in Taiwan.
The clubbing… It’s just really happening.
– Food’s really just the icing on top.
-Yes!
I appreciate you taking me out for a night
on the town here in Taipei.
It’s been my pleasure.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Cheers.
What an experience that was.
Dennis was the perfect late night foodie
guide here in Taipei.
This is a city that never sleeps
and there’s always something good to eat.
Well, I think I’m calling it a night.
Time to stumble home to bed
before the MRT closes.
Or maybe I should get dessert.
Make sure you check out The Taipei Tonight Show
on TaiwanPlus.
And we have more episodes of
Top 5 in Taiwan
exploring the food culture here
coming soon.
Thank you for watching.
And make sure, if you haven’t already,
subscribe to TaiwanPlus’s YouTube channel.
And I’ll see you guys on another episode.