Taiwan Food: Unique, Flavorful and Varied

Interested in Taiwan food? This is the snack food that's found all over Taipei City and Taiwan. I wonder how many of the foods can you identify.

If it's more than 10, you're well on your way to being a real gourmand of Taiwan's food culture. In fact, anybody coming here for a visit really risks going home a few kilos heavier, and be in need of really proper dieting! Because, if you come here, you will be greeted by a dazzling array of restaurants that match any other country in the world for speed, price, range and quality!

There are a few provisos, though: first, Taiwanese foods do tend to reflect how locals see the worlds - for example, you'll find steaks all over the island served with a fried egg; pizza flavors may not reflect authentic New York or Naples, but you will find that they have adapted the flavors to the local markets; and, while there are many great restaurants, you will need to follow the Taiwanese to the restaurants that are really good, they are invariably popular.

Word of warning: If a restaurant is empty at a regular mealtime, there's usually a reason for that. Beware. Look for queues or groups of people tucking into something with gusto, you'll have some idea that the food there is not just edible, but popular!

One thing to note: service standards do NOT match the standards of the Taiwan food itself, so you won't always find the same high waitering standards you might see in US restaurants. The food itself is what determines the fate of a restaurant here, service is pretty much an afterthought!

Western Style Burgers, too

We didn't manage to take any photographs of our burgers, but today we went to a restaurant with over 80 kinds of hand made burgers, including a few very original creations. Served with delicious fries, salad and a drink, the prices are VERY reasonable. Less than US$10 for a full burger mealset.

Forkers.tw can be found in Taipei in Chungxiao East Road. Check the map or navigate yourself: (02 2771 9285) No. 8, Alley 10, Lane 223 Chung Xiao East Rd. Sec. 4, Taipei.

Why not try out the store! I had a Ranch Burger with fries and salad and a beer. We tried the dessert, too. But the best was the chili-fries starter! For three, we paid a little over NT$1200. Well worth it.