BEST OF THE REST |
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Go on a day trip to Jiufen This cliffside town is illuminated by picturesque red lanterns . Stuffed with food vendors and dreamy tea houses , it ’ s a lovely place to spend an afternoon . |
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images : getty ; alamy |
Take the kids to Taipei Zoo Travelers with children can stop by the Taipei Zoo , which has an impressive walk-through aviary and tropical rainforest dome . It ’ s also connected to the Maokong Gondola , a cable-car system that provides an aerial view of the jungle and tea plantations below . |
Spend a morning at Binjiang Market In this wholesale produce bazaar frequented by the city ’ s best chefs , there ’ s a dizzyingly vibrant array of vegetables and fruit . Right next door is Addiction Aquatic Development , an immersive seafood market serving some of the freshest cuts of fish in town .
Enjoy the National Palace Museum Art and history buffs will love it here . It ’ s home to more than 700,000 ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks .
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FOOD
The cuisine of Taiwan is often synonymous with night markets . Though these open-air evening bazaars are nowhere as robust as they used to be in the ’ 90s and early 2000s , there are still a couple of standouts like Ningxia Night Market , which has a skilled vendor dealing out plates of oyster omelets , and Raohe Night Market , where a daily line forms for piping-hot black pepper buns .
Instead of night markets , most locals spend their weekend evenings at rechao restaurants — noisy , semi-outdoor eateries with large woks frying greasy food . Old Friends Chinese Restaurant is a great place to dip into this storied culture . It serves great three-cup chicken ( chopped chicken braised with soy sauce , rice wine and sesame oil ) and lots of hearty stir-fries . For a vegan alternative to the rechao experience , make reservations at Chao , which has all the classic dishes sans meat .
For a more elegant dining experience , consider booking a table at Taïrroir , the first Taiwanese-style restaurant on the island
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A traditional Taiwanese
tea ceremony
to win three Michelin stars . A play on the word terroir , the restaurant is a love letter to the abundance of Taiwan , where local ingredients like oysters , water chestnuts and pork are reinvented with a French twist . For a remake on a classic , stop by Sinchao Rice Shoppe , a fancy fried rice specialist . Order the perfectly smoked duck served over rice studded with taro , or fried rice topped with a medium-rare steak .
And of course , a trip to Taiwan isn ’ t complete without a hearty serving of beef noodle soup or a dreamy bowl of soft , braised minced pork belly over rice . For the former , MuJi Beef Noodles is a broth-centric establishment with nicely textured beef . For the latter , the braised pork at Lo Bah Png on Songshan Road is buttery soft and a welcome punch of flavor .
DRINK
There are plenty of libations — both boozy and non-alcoholic — on the island . Start off with a warm cup of tea at Wistaria Tea House , a classic tea room nestled inside a
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summer 2024 • 79 |