Touted as “the foodie’s ultimate guide to Asia’s finest restaurants,” The Miele Guide 2009/2010 contains 450 restaurant reviews from 16 countries and a list of the continent’s top 20 establishments. Taiwan managed a miserable five restaurants in the review section, one more than Brunei and one less than Nepal, and zilch in the creme de la creme table.
The five are: Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐), 194, Xinyi Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市信義路二段194號); La Petite Cuisine Brasserie by JQ, Evergreen Laurel Hotel, 2F, 63 Songjiang Road, Taipei City (台北市松江路63 號2樓); Hapa Yakiniku Izakaya Bar, 213, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市安和路二段213號); Shin Yeh Japanese Buffet, 6F, 12 Guanquian Rd, Taipei City, (台北市館前路12號6樓); and A Cut Steakhouse, Ambassador Hotel, B1, 63 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市中山北路二段63號B1).
Of the five, only one serves Chinese food.
The selection process for the next edition is underway and Taiwan has a shot at the big league with the addition of a branch of L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, a three-star Michelin restaurant chain, which opened on Nov. 5 at the Bellavita shopping center in Taipei City’s Xinyi District (5F, 90 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路90號5樓) Tel: (02) 8729-2628). The Hong Kong branch took first place, and the Tokyo branch 20th in the current Miele Guide.
In 2012, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) heroically seized residences belonging to the family of former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), “purchased with the proceeds of alleged bribes,” the DOJ announcement said. “Alleged” was enough. Strangely, the DOJ remains unmoved by the any of the extensive illegality of the two Leninist authoritarian parties that held power in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Taiwan. If only Chen had run a one-party state that imprisoned, tortured and murdered its opponents, his property would have been completely safe from DOJ action. I must also note two things in the interests of completeness.
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Just far enough out of reach to keep big crowds away, but not so far as to make a day-trip an exhausting affair, Jinhuang Hot Spring (近黃溫泉) is a nice winter escape for your next visit to Taitung County. The pools are numerous, the water is the perfect temperature and the walk in is not too challenging, though you will have to get your feet wet. The adventure starts in the county’s Jinlun Village (金崙), which is accessible by train, but you’ll want to have your own car, scooter or bicycle for this trip. If you arrive by train, walk up
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