The magnificent 7
Anna King Shahab has seven top tips for a foodie break in Taiwan
1 VISIT ONE OF MANY NIGHT MARKETS AND SAMPLE AN ARRAY OF SNACKS
Raohe is a good pick in Taipei if you’re after a market that’s primarily food-focused, while at Dongdamen Night Market in Hualien, we discovered the bonus of a whole street of indigenous food stalls. A few classic night market dishes to seek out are fried milk (delectably good deepfried balls of sweetened condensed milk custard), beef noodle soup, grilled squid on a stick, mango shaved ice, black pepper buns
— and if you’re feeling brave — stinky tofu.
2 VISIT A TEA HOUSE
Taiwan produces tea, primarily oolong, green, white and black varieties. We drove 40 minutes out of bustling Taipei City, into the woolly green hills of Xizhi to spend an afternoon at the teahouse Shi-Yang. We enjoyed a seasonally inspired degustation — 13 courses of delicate bites and palatecleansers, culminating with herbal chicken broth into which a lotus flower is lowered, to gently unfurl. We then climbed the stairs of the sleek but organically designed space to take a seat in front of cha shui (tea master) Ms Chen. In this zen-like setting, we readily relaxed into a fascinating tea ceremony.
3 DINE AT A HAKKA RESTAURANT
Hakka people were originally nomads from the north of China who settled in southern regions and later made their way across the sea to many parts of the world, including Taiwan. Hakka specialties to look for include smoked pork, steamed chicken with kumquat sauce, thick rice noodles, pork cooked in fermented red yeast rice, and peanut mochi. We loved Shi-Ting in Hualien City.
4 BOOK INTO DIN TAI FUNG
I’m serious when I say book, or you’ll queue for hours! Taipei is the birthplace of this cult brand that has sprouted branches internationally. Ding Tai Fung’s signature dish is the Shanghai classic xiaolongbao (or XLB as they’re affectionately referred to): delicately thin, pleated wrappers encasing dumplings and hot broth, and it’s fair to say they are the best in the world, attracting the attention of the Michelin Guide in several locations. We dined at the Taipei 101 branch, and the experience was an exemplar of friendly efficient service, and absurdly good food. Order XLB, of course, but also prawn dumplings in spicy sauce, cucumber salad, fried rice with fresh sliced truffle, and the dark chocolate dumplings — my new benchmark for dessert!
5 SIP ON BUBBLE TEA
Taiwan is where this popular drink-meetsdessert was born, and you’ll find it on every street corner in every version imaginable. I recommend hitting up the original brand, Chun Shui Tang — their pearl milk tea is made with only natural ingredients, is not at all overbearingly sweet (even at “full sweet”) and is served alongside a menu of excellent salty and spicy snacks like spicy tofu, kung fu noodles, and spicy
chicken’s feet. For a more avant-garde take on things, head to Azie Grand Cafe at Regent Hotel where they currently have a special bubble tea menu paying homage to the trend, with dishes like bubble tea tiramisu (in original or matcha — amazing), a giant bubble-tea-meets-shaved-ice situation, and bubble tea calzone (surprisingly delicious!)
6 TRY AN UPMARKET TAKE ON TAIWANESE CUISINE AT SHIN-YEH
This place boasts a breathtaking view from the 85th floor of the iconic Taipei 101 tower. Our eight-course tasting menu featured seafood delicacies like abalone, prawns, whitebait, squid, and fish, and a Taiwanese favourite specialoccasion soup called “Buddha jumps over the wall” that absolutely nailed the delicate umami broth thing.
7 WRAP YOUR LAUGHING GEAR ROUND TAIWANESE SNACKS
Savoury faves include pork paper — wafer-thin pork candied with apple; crackers dusted with pork or fish floss; and seaweed. At specialist sweet shops they’re generous with samples so you can try before you buy. Some of the most famous items include pineapple cake (with locally grown pineapples), chestnut cakes, nougat, and mochi filled with peanut, red bean, black sesame or taro.