It’s almost a tradition for expats in Taiwan to eat out or order takeout for Thanksgiving.
For some, though, part of the fun is spending the day in the kitchen preparing a meal for friends and family. If you like to prepare your own, Costco has frozen 10 pound (around 4.5kg) turkeys for NT$699 each. Supplies are limited, so it’s best to call your local store first. Phone numbers for Costco outlets can be found at www.costco.com.tw.
Another option is Thomas Meat, which offers frozen turkeys weighing between 5kg and 9kg, and priced from NT$875 to NT$1,575. Precooked frozen turkeys are also available for NT$1,950. The distributor’s store is easy to access on public transport — it’s located near Exit 4 of Wanlong MRT Station (萬隆捷運站). Thomas Meat also delivers countrywide, with free shipping for orders of NT$3,000 or more. More information can be found at www.thomasmeat.com.tw or by calling (02) 2932-3807 X217.
Photo courtesy of Dean and Deluca
For those who want to brush up on their turkey technique, the University of Illinois Extension school has a well-organized and advertisement-free Web site: urbanext.illinois.edu/turkey. This is a good place to start if you’ve never prepared a Thanksgiving meal before, and the site contains practical cooking tips as well as facts and trivia about the venerable bird.
Most major hotels and Western restaurants in Taiwan will serve buffet or prix fixe meals on Nov. 25 and throughout the weekend. If you’re on a budget, consider lunch at Carnegie’s in Taipei, which is under NT$500 per person, or dinner at the Tavern on Nov. 26 for NT$600 per person. For early birds, the Brass Monkey starts serving its Thanksgiving meal this Monday.
Nearly all of these establishments also offer take-out hampers that include whole cooked turkeys with side dishes. The packages range from NT$2,400 to NT$5,200.
Photo courtesy of the Grand Hyatt Taipei
Most restaurants require reservations at least three days in advance for both dine-in and takeout meals for Thanksgiving.
DINE IN AND TAKE OUT
The Brass Monkey is serving a Thanksgiving dinner from this coming Monday until Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25). The menu consists of clam chowder, Caesar salad, roast turkey with hazelnut and orange stuffing, sweet corn fritters and bacon wrapped frankfurters, as well as the standard mashed potato and pumpkin pie. The cost is NT$675 per person plus a 10 percent service charge and bookings are recommended. Send an e-mail to hanny@brassmonkeytaipei.com. 166 Fuxing N Rd, Taipei City (台北市復興北路166號), tel: (02) 2547-5050
Photo courtesy of The Westin Taipei
Carnegie’s serves its Thanksgiving meal from Nov. 24 until Nov. 27, at NT$490 per person for lunch and NT$630 for dinner. The set menu remains unchanged from last year: Along with the requisite roast turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce, the set includes mashed potato, vegetable casserole, stuffing, butter rolls, and cranberry and spinach salad with citrus dressing. For dessert it’s pumpkin cheesecake with coffee or tea. For larger parties, a whole turkey can be ordered for NT$5,800 (dine in) and NT$2,900 (take out), with advance booking necessary for both. 100, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段100號), tel: (02) 2325-4433
The Grand Hyatt Taipei’s Cafe has one of the best buffets in town and offers a Thanksgiving Day meal every year. The cost is NT$880 per person plus 10 percent service charge. Reservations are strongly recommended. For take-out dinners, the hotel also offers 5kg turkeys for NT$4,200 or a 7kg roasted Virginia ham with chestnuts, port wine and brussels sprouts for NT$5,200. Both sets are also available for Christmas and require ordering at least three days in advance. 2F, 2 Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路2號2樓), tel: (02) 2720-1200, X3198 or X3199
On Thanksgiving Day only, Robin’s Grill, an upmarket steakhouse at the Grand Formosa Regent, is offering a dinner set menu that includes a choice of either roast turkey, braised US prime bone-in short ribs or lobster fillet with black truffle sauce. Sides include fennel cream soup with chorizo sausage and pumpkin walnut cheesecake. Lunch is NT$1,800, and dinner is NT$2,100. 2F, 41, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段41號2樓), tel: (02) 2523-8000 X3930
Photo courtesy of The Splendor Kaohsiung
Capone’s is serving a prix fixe Thanksgiving dinner on the evening of Nov. 25 for five to eight persons at NT$850 per person, plus 10 percent service charge. Large parties can order a whole turkey, but reservations are required. For the same price, there’s a set menu for individual diners that includes a “buttery stuffing celery stick” with Waldorf salad, a choice of mushroom or pumpkin soup, roast turkey with cranberry sauce and stuffing, sweet potatoes and mashed potato, and vegetables and gravy. Dessert choices are pecan or apple pie with ice cream. Diners who were born in November get 50 percent off the meal. 312, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段312號), tel: (02) 2773-3782
If you don’t get your fill on Nov. 25, The Tavern is serving a buffet dinner that includes roast turkey with gravy on Nov. 26 starting at 7pm. The price is NT$600 per person. 415, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段415號), tel: (02) 8789-0892
Chicago-themed restaurant Dan Ryan’s offers a Thanksgiving dinner on Nov. 25 only, with walnut green beans and candied yams in addition to roast turkey, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, and homemade gravy, available as a set for NT$750 per person. The price goes up to NT$920 if you want a salad with creamy Italian dressing, pumpkin soup and a slice of pumpkin pie. The children’s dinner special is NT$520 and does not include dessert. All dinner sets are available to take out, and whole 4.5kg to 5.5kg turkeys with gravy and cranberry sauce are available for NT$2,500. With stuffing, mashed potato and cranberry sauce, the price goes up to NT$3,500. Whole pumpkin pies are NT$600. Take-out turkeys must be ordered three days in advance. 8 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路8號), tel: (02) 2778-8800
Grandma Nitti’s will serve its Thanksgiving meal on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26. The dinner set includes a choice of roast turkey or roast beef. For side dishes it’s clam chowder, Japanese-style or Caesar salad, mashed potato, stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, a choice of pumpkin pie, tea or coffee and a glass of wine. Price is NT$800, plus 10 percent service charge. Dinner starts at 5pm. Reservations required three days in advance. Take-out dinner sets, which the restaurant says will feed 12 to 15 people, include turkeys ranging from 4.5kg to 5.5kg (10 pounds to 12 pounds), mashed potato, stuffing and gravy; prices are calculated at NT$250 per pound of turkey. Advance orders are required and are only available for pick up until Nov. 21. Grandma Nitti’s is also selling pumpkin pies made from scratch by its sister bakery Sweetie Pie, which normally cost NT$900. Order a pie in advance by Nov. 21 and get a 30 percent discount. 8, Ln 93, Shida Rd, Taipei City (台北市師大路93巷8號), tel: (02) 2369-9751
TAKE OUT ONLY
The Deli at the Sheraton Hotel offers a selection of hampers for Thanksgiving and Christmas priced between NT$2,600 and NT$3,500. The basic hamper comes with a roasted 3.5kg turkey, “brandy turkey giblet sauce” and cranberry jelly for NT$2,600. The Roasted Virginia Ham Hamper comes with mushroom sauce and apple sauce for NT$2,800, and the Roast Australian Beef Hamper includes a 2.5kg joint of roast beef, gravy and mashed potato for NT$3,200. For a turkey dinner with all the trimmings — mashed potato, grilled vegetables and cornbread stuffing — get the Roasted Turkey Combo Hamper, which costs NT$3,500. Orders must be placed at least three days in advance. 12, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路一段12號), tel: (02) 2321-5511, X8373 (between 10am and 8:30pm)
The Grand Formosa Regent’s Thanksgiving basket includes a 6kg roast hen turkey and stuffing made with chestnuts imported from France and green apples. Side fixings are mixed mushrooms, vegetables and mashed potato. The set is available from now until Christmas and costs NT$3,200. Orders must be placed at least three days in advance. 20cm pumpkin pies by the hotel’s French chef are also available for NT$720. B3, 41, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段41號B3). Tel: (02) 2523-8000 X3157
Dean and Deluca in the Breeze Center offers a take-out Thanksgiving package that includes a 4.5kg roast turkey, fried potato, cranberry sauce, gravy and a bottle of red wine for NT$3,680. Orders must be placed three days in advance. B2, 39, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (微風廣場台北市復興南路一段39號B2), tel: (02) 6600-8888, X7324
The Westin Taipei’s roasted turkey set is NT$3,888 and includes a turkey weighing approximately 6kg, roast potatoes, brussels sprouts with cream, wild berry sauce, chestnut and chicken liver pate, and pumpkin pie. A Virginia honey glazed ham weighing around 3.5kg is available with the same trimmings for NT$3,300. The same packages are also available for Christmas. Orders must be made three days in advance. 2F, 133 Nanjing E Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市南京東路三段133號2樓), tel: (02) 8770-6565
An old Taipei standby, Jake’s Country Kitchen offers 9kg cooked turkeys for NT$3,400 each. At the lighter end, a 4.5kg to 5.5kg turkey is NT$2,400. Pumpkin pies and apple pies are NT$450 each. The restaurant’s full-fledged dinner set is NT$4,885 and includes a turkey weighing 4.5kg to 5.5kg, about 1.3kg of mashed potato and 0.9kg of broccoli. 705, Zhongshan N Rd Sec 6, Taipei City (台北市中山北路六段705號), tel: (02) 2871-5289
TAICHUNG
In Taichung, the long-standing PJ’s Cafe continues to offer its price-busting Thanksgiving dinner. For NT$195, diners get one plateful of turkey, mashed potato, stuffing, cranberry sauce and coleslaw. The owner, American expatriate PJ McKenna, says that one plate usually manages to satisfy the appetites of most customers, but if it doesn’t, a second plate definitely will. A vegetarian option is also available. Dinner will be served on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, or until supplies run out. 23 Dayeh Rd, Taichung City (台中市大業路23號), tel: (04) 2325-2457
TAINAN
Candy’s American Kitchen in Tainan offers a roast turkey dinner set menu for NT$300 per person, which includes clam chowder, mashed potato, apple cider, stuffing and an assortment of pies. Candy’s Thanksgiving dinner has a local touch: Restaurant owner Candy Hsu (許惠雲) says she sources her turkeys from farms in Chiayi (嘉義). Thanksgiving dinner is available from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27, and will be served each night in two shifts, from 6:30pm to 8:30pm and 8:30pm to midnight. Reservations strongly recommended. 49 Chongming Rd, East District, Tainan City (台南市東區崇明路49號), tel: (06) 289-5757
KAOHSIUNG
The Lighthouse in Kaohsiung offers a NT$500 set meal on Nov. 25 that includes creamy pumpkin and ginger soup, roast turkey with stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce, glazed sweet potato and mashed potato, broccoli, carrots and green beans and homemade apple pie. Reservations recommended. 239 Fuguo Rd, Zuoying District, Kaohsiung City (高雄市左營區富國路239號), tel: (07) 559-2614 (after 6pm)
The Splendor Kaohsiung (高雄金典酒店) offers a take-out Thanksgiving hamper that includes a “French style” 7kg turkey with gravy and cranberry sauce, mashed potato and an assortment of bread rolls for NT$2,900. For an extra NT$599, the set comes with a 750ml bottle of red wine and a pumpkin pie. Roast beef and roast ham hampers are available with similar trimmings for NT$3,900 each. Three days notice is needed. 1, Zihciang 3rd Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市自強三路1號), tel: (07) 566-1149
Want to be included in next year’s Thanksgiving listings? Send an e-mail to features@taipeitimes.com
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