Location: Hsinchu Querida & Lamb Zheng
Travel notes: After returning to Hsinchu from Taichung on Sunday evening, I met up with Jiajun, who just got into the NCTU Industrial Engineering graduate program this year. Since I arrived at the train station, we met near the moat by Hsinchu Station. I remembered Querida, a pretty famous spot online, so we headed there. While waiting for our food, we chatted and suddenly mentioned someone who also works in Hsinchu. As I said the name, Jiajun picked up his phone and called our classmate Rongjin. Wow, what a coincidence—he hadn’t eaten yet, was near the Eslite nearby, and was about to go on a business trip to AUO’s Suzhou plant in a few days. So our duo became a trio! I ordered sour and spicy shrimp fried noodles, while they got Mexican baked rice. The fried noodles had penne stuffed with mashed potatoes and deep-fried—pretty unique. But I didn’t ask beforehand, so the spicy level was a bit too much for me. I spent most of the meal battling the heat, so I couldn’t fully appreciate the food. Adding NT$60 to a main gets you fruit, soup, and a glass of white wine (or a non-alcoholic drink). The white wine here is sweet and not a big pour. I t…