Travel
Deciding to take a stand against unhealthy consumer culture — Cat Down Cafe cancels reservation service
The reservation book was filled to the brim, and the phone rang non-stop with booking requests — surely a sight most restaurant owners love to see. This used to be the case at Cat Down Western and Quick-Fry Café, but two months ago, the restaurant’s owner, Chen Lukuan, decided to cancel the reservation service. He believes that consumers now make too many unreasonable demands, and that the sick consumer culture of putting reservations and guests on a pedestal needs to change. He decided to let Cat Down take a bold step forward, hoping everyone can unite to bring about change.
Yuen Burn introduces a new à la carte dish: "Diamond-Cut Beef Short Rib" — grilled to perfection by a dedicated chef.
Yuen Burn has launched a new dish starting March 1st. In addition to the original meat sets, customers can now add the new "Diamond-Cut Beef Short Rib." Chef Wu Weixun mentioned that during his research trip to Japan, he was impressed by the precision of Japanese knife skills and wanted to incorporate this technique into Yuen Burn’s offerings — resulting in this diamond-cut beef short rib, which is made from U.S. Choice-grade beef.
Tigerair Taiwan Makes Its First Appearance at the Kaohsiung Travel Fair — Flights to Macau from NT$668!
The Kaohsiung Exhibition Center International Travel Fair kicks off on the 6th, running for four consecutive days with over 900 booths, marking the largest scale in the history of travel fairs in Kaohsiung. Tigerair Taiwan, which launched its Taipei and Kaohsiung to Macau routes in December 2014, is participating in the Kaohsiung International Travel Fair for the first time this year. To show its sincerity, the airline will give away 40 round-trip tickets from Kaohsiung to Macau over the weekend.
Conan is so popular: Japan's Tottori Prefecture joins the Taichung Lantern Festival
Japan’s Tottori Airport recently announced its official renaming to “Tottori Sand Dunes Conan Airport,” and this wave of “Conan fever” has now spread to Taiwan’s Lantern Festival. This year, Tottori Prefecture participated in the “2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival” in Taichung for the first time, featuring a 2.4-meter-tall Conan-themed lantern display in the “Sister City Lantern Area.” The famous “Yonago Giant Lanterns” will also appear on the main stage.
Drink coffee with Luffy and Chopper at this One Piece-themed café right next to the MRT station!
This café was recommended by Mei-Ji to Old K. She had visited before and said it was filled with One Piece stuff. Although Old K isn’t a fan and only knows a little about the series, many people around him are huge fans, so he thought he’d check it out for everyone XD
Taiwan Lantern Festival Warm-Up: 15 Taiwanese and Japanese Performance Groups Bring Energy to Qunmei CaoWuDao
The 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival is set to officially kick off today, the Yuanxiao Festival (March 5), in the Wuri High-Speed Rail Special Zone. In addition to lantern zones such as the Fengyuan Commercial District and Taichung Park, which have been lit up since the end of February, a lively street parade was specially arranged today at Qunmei CaoWuDao, using music and dance to warm up for the evening's lantern displays.
Old Taiwan Bank Transforms into Yilan Art Museum; Classical Rose Garden Opens a Dining Hall
The Yilan Art Museum, renovated from the former Taiwan Bank branch, is still in its trial operation phase. The museum plans to repurpose the old bank's restaurant as a cultural and creative dining hall, managed by the Classical Rose Garden Group. Named "Yilan Art Museum Dining Hall," it will offer food services and cultural and creative product sales, and held a job recruitment event on the 3rd.
The Six Clans Blessing Sharp Cannon Fort Festival kicks off for 5 days & challenges a 16-meter extreme feat!
The 2015 Hakka 12 Major Festivals – The Six Clans Blessing Sharp Cannon Fort Festival opens with a bang in Pingtung for 5 days. This year’s event not only takes place in Wugou Shui Village, Wanluan Township, the birthplace of the tradition, preserving its century-old customs, but also innovatively introduces a mobile APP game and an extreme Sharp Cannon Fort standing at a towering height of 16 meters. The blend of old and new makes this year’s celebration even more exciting.
A perfect encounter with premium American 1855 beef at this refined Kansai-style barbecue spot!
2015 was definitely a year of fierce competition among grilled meat restaurants in Taichung. Today, I’m introducing a brand-new Japanese Kansai-style x izakaya-style barbecue gem — “Yakiniku Kazama.” Whether it’s the grilled meats, creative à la carte dishes, or signature cocktails, you can tell the owners have put a lot of heart and expertise into selecting ingredients and crafting the cuisine. The staff also offers a dedicated grilling service, which gave me a long-overdue sense of delight... The first taste was nothing short of amazing, and I highly recommend it to fellow foodies who are as passionate about refined barbecue as I am.
Instant noodles can become creative cuisine – Kabuli Izakaya launches limited-time specials
Thanks to the viral success of a short film about instant noodles, interest in its filming location, Kabuli Creative Cuisine Izakaya, has also increased. Seizing the wave of popularity, the izakaya secured authorization from Uni-President to use the recipes for five creative noodle dishes featured in the film, and will offer these limited-time noodle creations from March 6 to April 18.
Are you a "difficult guest"? 14 strange questions that will definitely leave hotel staff speechless
Many people are not difficult guests in daily life, but perhaps once they board a plane, cross several time zones, and drag heavy luggage, their minds may start to get a bit fuzzy. According to a report by American media outlet Thrillist, it pointed out 17 common situations that often leave hotel staff speechless or even annoyed. Due to differences in cultural context, this article has selected 14 strange questions along with the internal thoughts of hotel staff. Please be careful not to become such an annoying person yourself.
Head to the azure coasts of the Mediterranean and discover the charm of Cyprus and Malta
As the Mediterranean Sea is surrounded by the Eurasian continent and Africa, it generally experiences calm waves, creating naturally excellent harbors and coastlines. For this reason, maritime trade has thrived here since ancient times, bringing diverse cultures to the islands in the Mediterranean. The two small islands of Malta and Cyprus are located in the Mediterranean, and their stunning island scenery and architecture filled with historical memories offer travelers a unique experience.
Harajuku-style kawaii culture comes to Taiwan: Adorable dessert cooking classes are now serving!
The three-day HARAJUKU KAWAii (Harajuku-style kawaii) Japanese food culture experience event, starting on the 13th, transforms Japanese ingredients into cute desserts infused with Harajuku KAWAii style.
Another Michelin-starred restaurant from Hong Kong is coming — Han Lai secures the agency for Celebrity Cuisine and sets up in Kaohsiung
Following Tim Ho Wan and Shanghai Night, yet another Michelin-starred restaurant from Hong Kong is heading to Taiwan. This time, it’s the two-Michelin-starred "Celebrity Cuisine," and instead of landing in Taipei, it will set up shop in Kaohsiung — great news for southern Taiwan foodies. The Asian agency rights for Celebrity Cuisine have been acquired by the Han Lai Group, with an official signing ceremony expected on March 13.
A Century-Old “Seolleongtang” in Anseong City—A Clear Soup That Lets You Taste the True Flavor of Beef Without Any Seasoning
Ending up at this renowned seolleongtang restaurant, said to be the oldest in Gyeonggi Province, was actually a beautiful mistake. A friend from Hong Kong invited me to visit the Anseong Namsadang Jeontonggwan (the place name is incomplete), so I planned the route and traveled a long way to get there (the attraction will be added later as it’s a bit out of the way). At that location, we met two incredibly kind uncles (probably grandpa-aged)
Hosted by Robert Wu in person！ Songshan Eslite Hotel Opens with a Spectacular Collection of 5,000 Books
Located in Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Eslite Hotel officially opened today (6th). It has been attracting much attention since its soft opening in December. Today, Eslite Hotel held a media launch event, with Eslite Group Chairman Robert Wu, Vice Chairman Wu Yihui, and General Manager Luo Rongzhen making their first appearances.
Flower season drives up prices! Group tour fees to Japan, Korea, Europe rise up to NT$5,000 from April to June
With the arrival of the second quarter of 2015, the Republic of China Travel Quality Assurance Association announced today (March 6) the pricing trends for group tours across various destinations from April to June. The main factors influencing price changes include flower viewing seasons, airfare, and exchange rates. Japan, which has recently attracted a large number of travelers due to the weaker yen, has seen group tour fees increase by about NT$1,500–3,000 compared to last year, owing to the peak cherry blossom season in April and general price adjustments for buses, restaurants, and other services.
Uncle Chicken’s “Sichuan Spicy and Salty Fried Chicken” — A fiery combo of spicy sauce and fried food
Uncle Chicken is a chain of fried food shops across the province, but they’re rarely seen in downtown Kaohsiung. It wasn’t until one day when we passed by Section 1, Guangfu Road, Fengshan, that we spotted a branch. Actually, we had already had dinner, but it wasn’t a pleasant meal, so purely out of a desire to make up for it, we decided to give Uncle Chicken a try.
Are Tokyo’s cherry blossoms blooming earlier than usual? Ueno Station’s limited-edition scenery creates the most beautiful cherry blossom station
Japan is in the midst of cherry blossom season, and while you can find these iconic flowers at various scenic spots, you can now also enjoy them inside a train station. Starting now, Tokyo’s Ueno Station has decorated its platforms, staircases, and even ceilings with large murals of blooming cherry blossoms and artificial flowers, giving passengers an immersive welcome surrounded by vibrant pink blooms as soon as they step off the train.
We've got all the locations across Taiwan where you can admire golden bell trees in bloom — come walk through these vibrant golden tunnels with us.
Golden bell trees, also known as yellow trumpet trees, are often planted along roadsides in many central and southern regions of Taiwan. Recently, they have burst into full bloom, with vast seas of golden flowers passionately flowering across counties and cities including Taichung, Chiayi, Changhua, Kaohsiung, Tainan, and Pingtung. Below is a list of golden bell tree viewing spots where the public can enjoy the blossoms, unwind, and joyfully welcome spring.