For an island nation where oyster omelets (蚵仔煎) were once voted the exemplar of Taiwanese xiao chi (小吃), or snacks, Taipei suffers from a curious — and tragic — dearth of raw oyster bars. Yaya’s Oyster Bar (Yaya’s生蠔酒館) strives to fill that gap. Located on Changan East Road near a strip of seafood joints, the large sculpture of an oyster on a half shell mounted next to the restaurant’s door makes it hard to miss.
In all honesty, if you are the type of oyster aficionado who can tell the difference between the sweet finish of a Kumamoto oyster harvested from the cool waters off the north of Japan or a Long Island blue point, and who caresses each plump, quivering mass with your tongue like a sip of fine pinot noir before sliding it down your throat, then Yaya’s will probably leave you underwhelmed. But if all you are looking for is a plate of reasonably priced bivalves to slurp down with a mug of Coors Light or Corona (NT$150), then you should leave satisfied.
The interior of Yaya’s is cozy and grotto-like, with low ceilings, wooden floors, wall murals and an entertainingly large and detailed poster of cheerful, mostly nude sunbathers on Wreck Beach, a clothing-optional beach near Vancouver. We ordered Set A for two people (NT$1,400), which comes with Boston clam chowder, four raw oysters, four baked oysters, salad, and spaghetti or a rice dish. We also ordered an additional plate of six raw oysters (生蠔拼盤, NT$720 for small oysters, NT$780 for larger ones; sets of three oysters with different toppings are available for NT$360 or NT$390 each).
The oysters are firm, fresh and reasonably flavorful — as far as we could tell. It was difficult to gauge the shellfish’s natural aroma because each one was served with a heavy, overwhelming dollop of topping, including salsa, cocktail sauce, fish roe or miso paste. The latter left a particularly indelible impression and not in a good way — the saltiness of the miso coated my taste buds for the rest of the meal, a situation that no amount of house wine (NT$150 per glass) could rectify. The oyster flesh practically screamed for freedom and we obliged by scrapping off half of each topping (except for the fish roe, which was a suitably light complement) before tipping it into our mouths. The flavors in the baked oysters, which were topped with melted cheese, were better balanced.
The clams in the chowder were generously apportioned and tender, but we wished the texture of the soup itself had been a bit thicker and heartier, with more brininess to balance the rich cream base. The al dente texture of the spaghetti was pleasingly toothsome, while the marinara sauce was unexpectedly spicy.
If you want to avoid overeating, order from the restaurant’s a la carte menu. Most of the dishes have an Italian or French twist. Entrees include garlic prawns (義大利蒜蝦, NT$250), escargot (法式田螺, NT$240), plate ribs (鐵板牛小排, NT$350) and meatball pizza (貢丸比薩餅, NT$200). Pasta and rice dishes are available for NT$200 to NT$350, while carb-shy diners can order salads for NT$180 to NT$300.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not
This Qing Dynasty trail takes hikers from renowned hot springs in the East Rift Valley, up to the top of the Coastal Mountain Range, and down to the Pacific Short vacations to eastern Taiwan often require choosing between the Rift Valley with its pineapple fields, rice paddies and broader range of amenities, or the less populated coastal route for its ocean scenery. For those who can’t decide, why not try both? The Antong Traversing Trail (安通越嶺道) provides just such an opportunity. Built 149 years ago, the trail linked up these two formerly isolated parts of the island by crossing over the Coastal Mountain Range. After decades of serving as a convenient path for local Amis, Han settlers, missionaries and smugglers, the trail fell into disuse once modern roadways were built