Taiwan
is a foodie’s paradise….do not miss these if you are travelling!
P.S Please notice everyone wears masks and handles food even otherwise in Taiwan.
SOUP
DUMPLINGS AT DIN TAI FUNG
Founded in 1972,
the original location of this Michelin starred dumping house is at xinyi store,
Taipei 101. While they have a complete menu, the most widespread dish, and claim
to fame is the Xiao long Bao aka the Taiwanese soup dumplings. Inspite of
making tons of dumplings, they are hand-made, and one can really palate
the difference. To savour the dumplings, one needs to dip it in a bowl of 1
part soy sauce to 3 parts vinegar sauce. Then spoon it and jab a hole in the
cover to release the rich golden broth in the spoon. And lastly eat and enjoy. Interestingly
each dumpling grips closely 21 grams of filling and is prepared with exactly 18
folds.
ROASTED
DUCK AT RED LANTERN
Chef Jeffery Lin
has determined that seventy five-day old ducks weighing over 3.2 kilograms are
best for a roast duck cuisine. This special variety of ducks were imported from
China and reared in Cherry Valley, England, hence named after the Cherry
Valley. Chefs deftly slice the ducks within 15 minutes of serving in a
theatrical manner at the table, to ensure the duck is juicy and the skin is
crisp. The duck cuisine is served in 5 ways as the Chef utilizes the whole duck
for appetising cuisine. The hearty stew duck combination is full of rich
flavours
FRENCH
TAIWANESE AT RAW
Celebrity
Taiwanese chef André Chiang gave Taiwan a big gift in 2014. He created RAW
helmed by inborn chefs with an emphasis on indigenous produce. Here Parisian gastronomic panache is pigeon-holed by close by sourced, seasonal ingredients prepared using cooking techniques but presented in a bistro-like fashion. The gorgeous eight-course menu is an exploration of Taiwan’s exceptional topography and micro-seasons.
GRILLS
AT SHILIN NIGHT MARKET
This is one of
the leading night markets in Taiwan with respect to food, and also one of the
most prevalent points of Taipei’s nightlife among tourists. You would come
across several grill stalls along the maze of alleyways. Go for the chicken
wing, chicken drumsticks and much more.
Recommendations go all out for the
Sausage Wraps Duo which syndicates two dissimilar types of sausage in a
roll. Look out for the U-shaped arena with live prawns and many flocking
around to exhibit their prawning skills! One gets seven small rods and a
container at the beginning of the session. By means of a modest wooden
stick with a bit of thread and a tiny hook hanging off it, one has to challenge
one’s catching skills! The prawns are delicious and hard work pays!
GREEN
TEA ICE-CREAM IN YILAN
At the Xing-Yuan
Tea Garden, a holiday farm in Zhong Shan Village in the Dong Shan district, the
owner Liu offers several Do It Yourself activities. One of them being making of
the tea-flavoured ice cream. It is fun to measure out ingredients mainly milk,
cream sugar and the green tea paste.
Tighten the steel box and secure it in an ice box and then dance to the
tunes of peppy music while continuously shaking the ice-cream container. 20
minutes of shaking and dancing, voila! Your ice cream is ready for consumption.
My story first published in ET Travel
