Grub Crawl - UCF: Sus Hi Eat Station, Tenders and Taipei 101 (Closed)

I ate dinner at these places around UCF at the end of last month. They are all off Alafaya Trail.

Sus Hi Eat Station - I believe it opened (recently) as Sushi Ninja. It's a Subway sandwich shop for sushi, bowls or wraps. I had a Salmon Roll for $6. The rice was good. Better than most non-assembly line options. The salmon wasn't bad either. They wrap it in Nori and let you stuff it with a variety of items. I just went with avocado. You can also top it with a host of other things like fresh fruit. I abstained. They cut it into thin slices. The place is modern. The walls are murals or cartoon characters. They serve liquor. It seats about thirty. There were around twelve people there while I ate. It's very conducive to take out. It's in a strip mall that has two UCF bars - The Station and I forget the other. Acceptable.

Tenders - A chicken-centric endeavor that I think they said was born in Gainesville. I had a chicken sandwich for $5. It was their popcorn chicken on a roll. You trade a strip for the bun at this price point if you go for the sandwich versus the popcorn chicken. It was better than the chain competition. The place seats about twenty. It was full. The clientele provided a sad testament to certain group dynamics. It seemed that every male of a certain demographic was being treated by his girlfriend. Didn't even offer to chip in. They have alot of special days. A fine fast food alternative. Nothing fancy. It's in the same strip mall as Sus Hi.

Taipei 101 - I saw this place on the way back. It's a few blocks closer to Oviedo on Alafaya. It's in a strip mall with a pizza place and (I think) a hookah place. I had to stop because you don't see many Taiwanese places around. It was worth the pit stop. I had Bawan for $3. It was an uber-dumpling they call a jelly ball. It was a special. The clear noodle like dough was thick and very gelatinous. It was tough and chewy. Inside was hearts of palm, beef and mushrooms. It was topped with a ginger, soy, hot pepper paste, and garlic dressing. Plus something sweet. It was utterly fascinating. I also had Lu Eggs for $2. It was two hard boiled eggs that they then roasted and topped with meat bits and sesame oil. It was average. I ended with a pig blood cake for $4. It was black skewers (2) eight inches long of rice (maybe sesame seeds) combined with pig's blood and formed into a rectangle. The sauce was spicy with sesame oil, scallions, and peanuts added. It was interesting. They have all these kinds of traditional meals. You can see how affordable they are. If you have an adventurous streak then I suggest you find it. If not, I think you'll find Taiwanese food less greasy than Chinese. It's more like Vietnamese food. I'm sure you can find something something that comports with what you expect from Chinese food. The people are lovely and Taiwanese. The place is small. It seats about twenty. It's clean. Very white (in color not ethnicity). The crowd seemed Taiwanese.