Riding the MRT's Mucha line in the direction of the Zoo always seemed like
riding into a deep and foreboding jungle until about three months ago when a
shining outpost of civilization was erected at the terminus station. Now, as
the train passes over the Chingmei River to its final stop, the Zoo Mall
comes into view looking like the world's biggest betel nut stand with
50m-long bars of blinking neon lights giving the surrounding hills a
pulsating technicolor glow in the evenings and on dark, rainy days.
The mall is a surreal sight situated alone against a backdrop of lush hills
and the winding river, but it's got exactly what thousands upon thousands of
teenagers on dates and families with kids in tow want - the zoo next door,
fast food in abundance and toys, toys, toys!
The mall has been cleverly designed as an open-air pedestrians-only zone
with the restaurants and snack shops spilling into the street for dining al
fresco. During weekends the space is jam-packed with visitors and spotless
stalls peddling corn dogs, popcorn, pig's blood cakes and other delectable
delights.
It's hard to tell if the intention of the place is to recreate a European
village square atmosphere as the design would suggest, or the raucous
Taiwanese night market that it more closely resembles. Ultimately, it's
neither, because the mall offers almost exclusively American fast food, such
as Ranch 1, McDonald's, TCBY and Napoli Pizza. There's also a Ponderosa with
a nice view of the MRT and the river. For shopping, check out the Discovery
Channel's outlet store filled with educational games and stuffed animals or
cross the square to Toys R Us.
Whatever one thinks of the food options, the mall is a nice break for tired
legs after lining up for hours to see Patrick and Henry the incessantly
somnolent koalas, and the king penguins. And kids seem to love it, so
there's no arguing with that.
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