2016 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition: Six Major Zones to Delight Your Taste Buds

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

 

The 2016 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition (Taiwan Culinary Exhibition, TCE), now in its 25th year, will be held from August 5 to 8 at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1. Themed “The Pure Food Era,” this year’s event has expanded to six major zones: Art of Food, Ingredients of Food, Utensils of Food, Journeys of Food, Companions of Food, and Education of Food. With as many as 820 booths and the highest number of exhibitors to date, the event is expected to attract a record-breaking number of visitors.

The “Art of Food” zone showcases the exquisite skills and artistic flair of chefs. It includes various pavilions and activities such as Taiwan Season, Gourmet Window, Culinary Chronicles, International Culinary Invitational, Indigenous Cuisine Pavilion, Hakka Flavors, Mainland China Theme Pavilion, and Foreign Theme Pavilions, along with numerous discounted meal vouchers from hotels and restaurants, including:

• • Howard Plaza Hotel Group – Kaohsiung Pier-2 Branch: Limited-time offer of just 0.1% off, with only 40 double-room stay vouchers available. Original price NT$9,396, now just NT$99—equivalent to 0.1% off. Available starting at 10:30 AM on 8/5 via Q quality...

• • Taichung Lai Lai Hotel: Over 5-star anniversary buy-one-get-two-stay package voucher at 30% off. Original price NT$39,600, promotional price NT$13,197

• • Yunglo Hotel Group – Regent Taipei Tea House Premium 10OZ Steak Set Meal at 35% off. Original price NT$1,408, promotional price NT$499

• • Hualien Miramar Double Room Stay Coupon also at 42% off. Original price NT$7,700, promotional price NT$3,299

• • Ambassador Hotel: First-time launch of universal coupons under NT$1,000, each just NT$999, valid at Tin Hsin Lou (lunch set), Basel Hall (weekday lunch set), and Paris 1930 Restaurant (two top-tier French set lunches at lunch), and just three universal coupons needed

• • Ambassador Hotel – Various popular restaurant discount vouchers starting at 49% off, including Szechuan Cuisine Hall “Weekday Lunch Szechuan Prawns Double Set Coupon” NT$1,299 per coupon (original price NT$2,640 per coupon); Ambassador combined stay vouchers starting at NT$3,200

• • SkyCity Hotel – Meal vouchers starting at 4.8% off, stay vouchers starting at 5.2% off. Highlights include European main course + self-service salad bar NT$599, five-star hotel buffet vouchers starting at NT$520 per person

• • Grand Hotel Taipei: Best-selling “Chinese Set Menu Banquet” at nearly 50% off. Original price NT$18,480, promotional price NT$9,999. The steakhouse is also launching limited-time discounts for the first time

• • Taipei Fuhang Hotel: Meal vouchers starting at 5.5% off. Jiangnan Chun / Peng Lai 10-person set menu, original price NT$16,500 + 10%, promotional price NT$9,999

• • Taipei Shinkong Mitsukoshi Hotel: Chengjiang Japanese Cuisine “Sea & Land Double Main Course Set Coupon” (two coupons per set), at 53% off. Original price NT$2,600/set, special price NT$1,380/set

• • Regent Group: Premium wagyu beef makes its debut for the first time. Meal vouchers starting at 5.6% off. One voucher gives access to 7 five-star restaurants

• • Victoria Hotel: la FESTA Italian Restaurant American NY Strip Double Set at 62% off. Original price NT$2,860, promotional price NT$1,800

• • Taipei Silks Place: Ballroom Afternoon Tea Discount Coupon (for four people) at 69% off. Original price NT$3,036, promotional price NT$2,099. On-site also offers ultra-early bird weekday banquet & year-end party promotions. Sign and pay deposit before August 31, and book 10 tables or more to receive one complimentary luxury suite night and one free table

• • Terra Hotel: Terra Gourmet Set Coupons (7 coupons) at 71% off. Original price NT$7,000, promotional price NT$4,998. Show your ticket to get a NT$20 discount coupon to exchange for daily limited 50 lucky bags, with the top prize being one Rocky Cliff Room Stay Coupon worth NT$13,800 + 10%

• • Farglory Gourmet – Show Chef Buffet Lunch (12 meal coupons), original price NT$8,976, 75% off promotional price NT$6,800

• • Taipei Grand Hyatt Hotel: Value meal coupons at 11% off. Café Kafe lunch/evening buffet single coupon, original price NT$1,628, promotional price NT$1,450

• • Taipei Ching Tay Hotel: Golden Grain Western Restaurant Buffet Coupon, original price NT$6,820 for 10 coupons, 20% off promotional price NT$5,500 for 10 coupons

• • Fullon Hotels: Chain meal coupons buy 6 get 1 free (average NT$857 per coupon), buy 10 get 2 free (average NT$833 per coupon)

• • Da’an No. 9 Japanese Cuisine & Hot Pot Restaurant cash coupon – spend NT$10,000 get NT$1,000 off. Hot pot dishes at 66% off, original price NT$6,000, promotional price NT$3,980A combined meal coupon for just NT$999 covers everything from the original NT$2,178 grilled NY strip steak set, to Peking duck, Boston lobster, or even a light meal double set

• • Yoshinoya Group Double Black Wagyu All-You-Can-Eat original price NT$4,120, promotional price NT$2,999

• • Zhao Sheng Club House Boston Lobster Hot Pot Double original price NT$4,000, promotional price NT$2,560

During the exhibition period from 8/5 to 8/8, there will be many premium dishes and delicious treats available for free tasting every day, such as: Tiancheng Hotel offering U.S. Cedar River Farm ribeye steak / cherry duck, Taipei Ching Tay Hotel offering plum-marinated tenderloin cutlet and sakura shrimp rice cake, Shangri-La Dongsha River Resort Hotel offering Yilan specialty foods, Grand Hotel Taipei and Victoria Hotel chef-hosted events, Sun Moon Lake Lalu Resort, Landis Hotels, Zhao Sheng Club House, Veterans Affairs Council Wuling Farm, Taiwan Livestock & Crop… and many more discounts and live food tastings await customers at the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition to discover treasures on-site.

In addition, this year’s international exhibition area has invited Kagawa Prefecture, Yamagata Prefecture, and Setouchi from Japan to participate, showcasing authentic Japanese street foods on-site, including Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, Sanuki udon, Tokushima ramen, Shiga rice… and other popular local dishes.

• Food Ingredients

Good ingredients are themselves a form of cuisine. Taiwanese cuisine originates from abundant agricultural produce and diverse applications. The “Taiwan Agricultural Pavilion” displays premium Taiwanese agricultural products and agri-products. The “Ingredient Journeys & Farming Souvenirs” exhibition area provides information and ticket sales for “ingredient journeys,” encouraging the public to visit the hometowns of these ingredients and experience firsthand the charm they bring.

• Culinary Ware

This year’s “Culinary Wares Taiwan” highlights the craftsmanship and evolution of tableware. The “Small Bites, Big Ware” section features award-winning designs from the “Taiwan Specialty Snacks Tableware Innovation Design Competition.” The gold award winner “Oyster Listener” uses oyster shells as the overall design and extends the handle, not only catching the eye but also being highly practical. The silver award winner “Heritage in Flow” takes inspiration from the dougong (bracket sets) of traditional Chinese architecture, with radial extensions representing the printed patterns on the bowl, presenting an imposing aesthetic.

• Food Journeys

Travel is not just about scenic views; the local flavors are what leave an unforgettable impression. Especially in Changhua, located at the intersection of mountainous, coastal, Hokkien, Hakka, northern, and southern regions, its distinctive local tastes attract food lovers time and again. The culinary exhibition has specially launched the Changhua Pavilion, featuring nearly 40 local snack stalls serving renowned delicacies with a half-century history, such as Ximen Changhua Rice Balls, Fan’s Rice Balls, Sandun Pork Rice (Sunshine Old Shop), Zhengchanghua Rice Balls, Chunfang Lamb Hot Pot, Old School Changhua Mung Bean Jelly, No Hunger No Sit Mian Xian Hu, and Amei Sister’s Cabbage Rice… allowing visitors to indulge in a feast of local flavors.