Category: City: Tainan

Cafes and food in Hayashi Department Store, Tainan

Hayashi Department Store is a characteristic five-story retail venue originally opened in 1932 in Tainan during Japanese rule. After decades of abandonment, it was refurbished and reopened in 2014. It is today a big touristic attraction in Tainan. The Japanese influence on the building is apparent; notably there is a restored Shinto shrine on the rooftop.

The visit

The building has such an old-times charm that I keep visiting it every time I am in Tainan, even if I am not particularly interested in the merchandising they sell (even if it includes many quality products from local makers).

Food can be found on the first (ground) floor and in two cafes, on the fourth and fifth floor. Let’s start from the top (the elevator stops only on the ground floor and the fifth floor by the way).

The fifth floor cafeteria

The fifth floor cafeteria (“Delicious Tainan”) is a good place where to relax and have a light meal.

The menu is based on Chinese comfort food, sweet soups, and milk tea.

I tried their Dan Zai noodles (a specialty from Tainan) and I found them bland as compared to the one that I had in another traditional restaurant.

On the other hand, their cold tofu pudding with red beans and peanuts was very good and refreshing. On the menu, they have several variations of this dish.

I spent 235 NTD (7.75 USD) for two sets of noodles and two bowls of tofu (I was with a friend). Very affordable.

The fourth floor cafe

On the fourth floor (one level down) there is the namesake Hayashi cafe mostly catering to cakes, smoothies, tea, and coffee.

I had their chocolate smoothie that was excellent, even if it probably shortened my lifespan.

It cost 180 NTD (6 USD). In this cafe prices are a higher than upstairs.

The first floor shopping area

The first floor of the Department Store is dedicated to cakes and traditional snacks (it is called Tainan Feast, 台南好客廳). These make very welcomed gifts.

One of the signature snacks was the Hayashi’s sweet cake (filled with red beans) made in a century-old bakery in Tainan. Each cake bears the Hayashi seal (back in the day, this was a big innovation). They were popular with women after giving birth, as a dietary supplement.

Brown sugar maltose crackers sandwiches were recommended as a complement for tea time.

Pineapple cake (another classic from Taiwan) was available in many formats.

The most affordable snack was this popped rice crispy cakes made by a bakery in Tainan with natural ingredients: one, individually packaged, could be bought for 40 NTD (a little over 1 USD).

This is just a small selection of the goods available that include mango cakes, dried fruit, and teas.

Where in Tainan:
No. 63, Section 2, Zhongyi Road, West Central District.
Website: http://www.hayashi.com.tw.

The Marvelous Space is in Tainan

In Tainan there is a marvelous space. It is a cafe, cum art gallery, cum event hall, and much more. I had the pleasure to visit it upon a friend’s invitation. It was supposed to be a simple coffee meeting, but it turned out to be marvelously more.

The visit

As I noticed for other nice cafes in Tainan, The Marvelous Space is hidden in a non-descript building. The entrance is on a side alley. You can see the sign above in Chinese (飛石樓). It is perched on the 8th floor.

Entering the shop, you are welcomed in a very spacious room.

A massive wooden table extends for most of the room. What is really impressive is that every corner of the space is dotted by artworks: prints, paintings, statues, furniture. Every single piece has a story.

The baristas have been training for years with a famous coffee master from Taipei and my friend immensely enjoyed his coffee. I had an equally satisfying Oolong tea with cookies.

Some of the teas, tea-ware, and even some of the artworks in the shop are for sale.

The owner kindly walked me and my friend around his studio showing his collection of rare prints and paintings from Zao Wou-Ki, a renown contemporary Chinese-French painter (he passed away in 2013). He had specimens both from his early “Paul Klee” phase and his subsequent more abstract period.

But they also had some more affordable design objects.

In the adjacent room, there is a space sometimes used for events and equipped with a state of the art audio system.

The check

I was kindly treated to this coffee, so I cannot comment on prices. But quality come at a price.

The Marvelous Space is a testament of the well-developed aesthetic sense you can find in Taiwan where tasting an outstanding coffee or tea surrounded by the beauty of hand-picked artwork is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Where in Tainan:
8F, No. 83, Section 2, Yongfu Road.
In Chinese: 台南市中西區永福路二段83號8樓.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themarvelousspace/.

An izakaya in Tainan where to enjoy great donburi dishes

In Taiwan you can find great Japanese food. In some cases even better than in Japan (see here , here, and here if you do not believe me). So do not judge me negatively if I dined in a Japanese restaurant in Tainan. I was pointed to the place by a friend that had enjoyed lunch in the restaurant and had taken some persuasive pictures. I was not disappointed.

The visit

I went to the restaurant on a Sunday evening. It only has a Chinese name (丼丼丼). Also the menu was only in Chinese, but profusely illustrated, so ordering was not a problem.

It is not a large eatery. They have bar chairs (but comfortable) and at peak hours they might have some queuing.

On the menu they indicate that the rice used is same that is exported to Japan for imperial consumption. The rice is full bodied and firm.

I was offered complimentary edamame.

Their top dish is the donburi (rice bowl with seafood). They have several variations of this dish. I went for the one with mixed seafood. Every single piece of seafood was fresh and tasty: eel, prawns, salmon roe, scallop, ark shell, prawns, sea urchin, squid. The eel was not soaked in the traditional brown sauce, but its flavor was left genuine. It was glorious.

I also had their miso soup that came with a mind-blowing scallop.

Finally I had one of their sashimi on seaweed, with scallop and sea urchin.

The check

My final check was 730 NTD (24 USD). For this quality and quantity of seafood was a pretty good price. I can understand why this izakaya seems to be quite popular on social media.

Where in Tainan:
10 Minsheng Road, Western and Central District.
In Chinese: 中西區民生路一段10號.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DONNBURI (well played… since “donburi” was not available they used the name “donNburi”).

Room A: a crossover between a cafe and a library in Tainan

Room A was introduced to me by a friend during a weekend visit to Tainan in October 2019. Hidden on the third floor of a non-descript building, it was a pleasant surprise. It is a paradise for a bookworm. The owner used to run a second-hand bookstore.

The visit

The cafe shares the entrance with a bed and breakfast.

From the sign, my understanding is that from 10am to 1pm the place operates as a breakfast cafe. Then from 1pm onwards the format changes.

On the door, a sign says “Have a seat & read a book”. It sounds like a plan.

The place has a vintage feeling and, in my opinion, it is beautiful. On one side there is the kitchen behind a big counter and books are everywhere. Books can be taken and read freely. I think the book inventory is all in Chinese. I indulged on a photography magazine.

It was quite busy. And people were really reading books. Obviously, no talking! Customers were advised to keep quiet. I whispered with my friend over lunch.

A number of dishes are available through the day.

I had a burger with egg and bacon.

My friend had a chicken sandwich. In both cases, the bread was nicely toasted and there were no dripping sauces. The food was good and healthy.

Drinks, tea and coffee were included in the usage fee (see below).

They also have a lovely terrace.

The check

The food cost 180 NTD (6 USD).

In addition to the food, there is a usage fee: 1 NTD for every minute inside the cafe. This is an interesting business model. One hour would cost you 60 NTD (arund 2 USD) that is very reasonable if you consider that you can enjoy complimentary coffee and tea. I do not have the final receipt as it was taken care by my friend.

I really liked the place and the format. If I was living in Tainan I would be a regular. I like to think of it as the Tainan’s answer to Starbucks.

Where in Tainan:
3F, 21 Kangle Street.
In Chinese: 中西區康樂街21號3F.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/on.RoomA/.

The Chef Table in Tainan

I always like restaurants that try to innovate traditional dishes in a tasteful manner. Chef Table Food & Wine in Tainan falls into this category. Chef James proposes Western-inspired dishes using local ingredients and Chinese techniques.

The visit

The restaurant is located on the second floor of the stylish Changyu Hotel.

I arrived for a late lunch on a Saturday. I had reserved a table communicating on the Facebook page of the restaurant. Answers were instantaneous! I later learnt that the page is managed by the chef himself. I was very hungry.

My first dish was a “shrimp brulee egg” with seaweed and sweet and sour sauce. It was a nice mix of flavors, a nice variation on the theme of seafood omelettes popular in Taiwan.

The restaurant has a number of items that can be ordered from the grill. I had scallops and the local milk fish. The milk fish lived up to its reputation and it was incredibly juicy. Portions are small, so you can order several items. Vegetables were included. I wish I had ordered more.

I also had the deep-fried soft shell crab with mustard mayo that did not let me down.

Another interesting dish was the cauliflower with a poached egg and dry shrimps.

Finally, I had their quesadilla that came with a very Chinese filling: roast duck and cheese.

The check

For this Lucullus-grade lunch I spent 1017 NTD (33.50 USD). It could have been enough for two people. I enjoyed every single dish. I think The Chef Table is a great place where to divert from local food and experiencing Western dishes reinterpreted with local ingredients.

Where in Tainan:
2f, No. 89, Section 1, Beimen Road, West Central District.
In Chinese: 台南市中西區北門路一段89號2樓.
Visit the Facebook page for up to date menu.

Elegant Taiwanese dinner in Tainan

In October 2018 I was invited to a dinner in a well-reputed Chinese restaurant in Tainan specializing in crab. The restaurant was located on the second floor of Tainan’s Dream Mall and was called Jin Xia (錦霞樓). According to my research, the restaurant was run by a local family then in its third generation.

The visit

Our group was assigned a large private room with a classic round table and a lazy Susan at the center.

It was a classic eight-course Chinese meal with some add-ons.

Tea, sparkling wine and Apple Sidra were available throughout the dinner. Appe Sidra is a Taiwanese fixture: launched in 1965, it is a kind of apple cider vinegar soda with a very crisp and sour flavor.

First an amuse bouche including a piece of shrimp and tofu.

A tofu and abalone appetizer.

Another nicely presented appetizer dish including some local specialties like sausages and mullet roe (in the paper wrapping). Well balance of flavors.

Then we had a delicious seafood soup with shrimps, white fish and crab.

Then time for a big ticket item: a crab with its roe on a base of rice.

Another soup with tripe.

Another fish dish with a rich sauce.

Fruit.

A final Chinese dessert with tofu, jellies and brown sugar.

The check

I cannot comment on the price point because I was invited by a friend. But I can imagine that it would be fine dining level.

I found it an incredible good meal, leveraging on local specialties and with a contemporary touch in the presentation of the dishes.

Where in Tainan:
2F, No.366, Section 1, Zhong-Hua East Road, East District, Tainan City, Taiwan (2F of T.S. Dream Mall).
Address in Chinese: 東區中華東路一段366號 · 台南市
Website: http://jinxia.ezsale.tw/JINXIA_en.asp.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ASHA.JINXIA.

The famous coffin bread from Tainan

During one of my visits to Tainan (October 2018), I finally tried their coffin bread. Thanks to a local acquaintance I was directed to the restaurant that invented the dish in the 40s and it is still in operations.

Coffin bread (or coffin toast bread, or guancai ban, 府城棺材板) is a dish where the toasted bread is used as a bowl. Given its rectangular shape and the use of a piece of bread as a “lid”, it does look like a coffin. The bread is filled with starchy soup of seafood, vegetables chicken, or curry. Given Tainan’s contact with the Western world it was probably inspired by the Western chowder.

The visit

The shop is called Chikan Eatery in English and is located inside a market. At noon, on a Sunday, it was open for lunch, while many of the other stalls were closed. I and my group were directed to a secondary dining room just across the main restaurant.

Coffin bread was available in various versions: curry, chicken, seafood and a mixed version that I chose.

The soup was very thick and concealed pieces of squid, chicken, and vegetables. It was good, a very filling dish.

I also had deep-fried baby oysters, another local dish.

The eatery has a website (not recently updated) that further explains how the coffin bread concept went about and was named:

The original name for Coffin Toast was“Chicken Liver Plank”. In the 40’s, chicken liver was a fine ingredient. As a result, Hsiung Liu-Yi [the founder of the restaurant] chose chicken liver as its stuffing and named after it. The stuffing tasted like French foie gras and then became very popular at that time. Those, no matter came from local or other places, would visit SAKARIBA and enjoy the snack.

Once there a professor (NTU) came to SAKARIBA and tasted the“Chicken Liver Plank”. After the meal, he praised to it and said to Hsiung Liu-Yi that its shape was a coffin alike. Therefore, Hsiung Liu-Yi finally decided to change its name as Coffin Toast. Since then the snack has become famous and popular in Tainan.

The check

To order, we were provided a Chinese form. Having someone who spoke Chinese was of course an advantage, but with some creativity it should not be difficult to ask for their main dish even without Chinese. The coffin bread cost 60 NTD (less than 2 USD). The oysters were 150 NTD.

It was certainly great to have a lunch at the original place of the coffin bread. Tainan is a city full of culinary points of interest.

Where in Tainan:
No.180, Zhongzheng Rd., West Central Dist
Address in Chinese: 台南市中正路康樂市場沙卡里巴內180號
Website: https://www.guan-tsai-ban.com.tw/tw/index.php

A restaurant where to try traditional Tainan food

Tainan is regarded as the culinary capital of Taiwan (or at least by its inhabitants as a friend of Taipei once remarked). I agree that food in Tainan is a big deal and they have a lot of local specialties that should not be missed. This restaurant does a good job in offering a selection of these specialties.

The visit

The restaurant in English is called Chikan Peddler’s Noodle and is located just next to a Tainan’s landmark, Chihkan Tower.

I initially went there for their Dan Zai noodles, but then I realized they had a set menu to sample some of the main local dishes and I went for it.

I was asked to sit on the upper floor. The building is an old traditional house and the stairs are quite steep…

The dining room upstairs was almost empty and I was quickly served.

The first dish was a bowl of their Dan Zai noodles, a type of noodle topped with minced pork ragu (and a shrimp). The pork meat goes through a long preparation process and the result is outstanding. The meat is full of herbal flavors and is extremely delicate. It is really a dish to try.

Then one by one I got the other dishes of this set menu. The second was boiled spearfish thick soup. Quite a good soup with some good pieces of white fish.

The oyster omelette was another typical dish included in the set.

I also had an opportunity to try the milk fish (boiled with a traditional bean paste).

Another dish was rice cake with deep-fried shrimp rolls.

Finally, I was served a kind of flan.

The check

Total was 420 NTD (13.65 USD), which included a large cup of iced tea (white gourd to be precise).

The restaurant clearly caters to tourist, but I think it did a decent job in presenting this selection of traditional dishes. My impression is that the noodle were really great, while the other dishes were quite bland. I do not have enough expertise to say if this was just the norm, or there was a difference between the quality of their noodles and the rest.

Where in Tainan:
No.118, Section 2 Minzu Road.
Address in Chinese: 老店  台南市中西區民族路二段 180 號
Website: https://www.chikan.com.tw

Tip: for the thick soup the Tainan’s King of Thick Soup has its store just across the street around the corner.

Brunch restaurants in Taiwan: a Tainan exemplar

Taiwan is mad for brunch restaurants. These small restaurants are halfway a cafe and a bistro. I see them as a natural evolution of Taiwanese breakfast restaurants, but serving foreign food, usually from 9 am to mid afternoon or early evening.

The visit

Just as an example, I will mention one from Tainan where I ate. In English is called character and it is housed in a small space in a back alley of Chenggong road. It could have been a garage.

Everything about it is cute…

Their specialty seems to be instagrammable latte, with cute cartoons drawn in the cream.

I went for a set luch that included an iced tea, a salad with soba and…

…and an excellent tuna cheese sandwich.

The place with its cuteness and affordable prices seemed to cater to young people.

The check

The set menu cost me only 150 NTD (4.87 USD), really a bargain for a nice lunch.

This kind of eateries, which are not really restaurants, but not a cafe as well (not really designed to hang out for a long time as in certain cafes), are now endemic in Taiwan; I noticed a lot of them especially in the South. They are really a great option for a non-Taiwanese breakfast or lunch.

Where in Tainan:
No. 4-5, Lane 68, Chenggong Road, North District