Starting today, Formosa Express (環島之星) passengers can enjoy snacks provided by restaurateurs and food vendors on the Michelin Guide’s Bib Gourmand list, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said yesterday.
Launched in 2008, the Formosa Express is Taiwan’s only around-the-island luxury train service, which is offering the innovative gourmet menu through a partnership with EZ Travel, the agency said.
Passengers traveling on the Formosa Express on weekdays until June 30 would be treated to snacks prepared by restaurateurs on the Bib Gourmand list, it added.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
The list highlights establishments that provide high-quality food at a reasonable price, which for Taipei is a maximum of NT$1,500.
The snacks are to include Fuzhou black pepper buns from Taipei’s Raohe Night Market (饒河夜市); fluffy rice cake with red beans from Dian Shui Lou; pumpkin cakes, crab roe and shrimp dumplings, custard buns and steamed pork buns from Hangzhou Soup Dumplings; and various pastries from No. 1 Food Theater, the agency said.
EZ Travel said that it has created six food tours in central, southern and eastern Taiwan, most of which have been endorsed by celebrities or gourmets, which would introduce travelers to a wide selection of food, from Aboriginal and Hakka dishes to creations by a Cordon Bleu chef and a Japanese restaurant chain that has received one Michelin star.
The addition of food recognized by the Michelin Guide would surely offer all travelers a first-class experience and increase the service quality of the Formosa Express, Ministry of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
“We hope that tourists from overseas will explore Taiwan through railway tours,” Lin said. “We also hope that more people in Taiwan can embark on an around-the-island tour, which is something that everyone must do at least once in their life.”
About 30 percent of the Formosa Express’ passengers are tourists from overseas, mostly from Japan, Hong Kong and Macau, TRA Director-General Chang Cheng-yuan (張政源) said.
People often have to wait in long lines to try the highly sought-after snacks that are to be served on the Formosa Express, he said, adding that taking the train would spare them that hassle.
Formosa Express tickets sell out quickly in peak travel seasons, but the occupancy rate on weekdays and in nonpeak travel seasons is only about 50 percent, Chang said.
As summer vacation is approaching, the agency hopes that the new gourmet food service will boost the occupancy rate on weekdays, he said.
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