2016 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition: Six Zones to Savor

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

 

The 2016 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition (TCE), now in its 25th year, will be grandly held at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 from August 5 to 8. Themed “The Age of Pure Food,” this year’s event has expanded to six zones: Art of Food, Ingredients of Food, Utensils of Food, Journeys of Food, Companions of Food, and Education of Food, featuring as many as 820 booths. This marks the highest number of participating exhibitors in the event’s history, with attendance expected to surpass previous records.

The “Art of Food” zone showcases the exquisite skills and artistic flair of chefs. It includes exhibitions and events such as Seasonal Taiwan, Gourmet Window, Culinary Chronicles, International Culinary Invitational, Indigenous Food Pavilion, Hakka Flavor, Mainland China Theme Pavilion, and Foreign Theme Pavilions, as well as numerous discounted meal vouchers from hotels and restaurants, including:

• • Howard Plaza Hotel chain – Kaohsiung Pier-2 Branch: Limited-time 0.1% off, only 40 double-room stay vouchers available, originally priced at NT$9,396, now just NT$99 — that’s 0.1% of the original price. Available starting 10:30 AM on August 5.

• • Taipei Marriott Hotel: Over 5-star anniversary buy-one-get-two stay voucher set at 30% off, originally NT$39,600, now NT$13,197.

• • Uni-President Hotels Group – Regent Taipei Tea House: Premium 10OZ steak set meal at 35% off, originally NT$1,408, now NT$499.

• • Hualien Miramar Double Room Stay Voucher also at 42% off, originally NT$7,700, now NT$3,299.

• • The Landis Taipei: First-time launch of universal discount vouchers under NT$1,000 — each for just NT$999, valid for lunch set at Tian Xiang Lou, weekday lunch set at Barcelonya, or two premium French set lunches at Paris 1930, all redeemable with just three universal vouchers.

• • Ambassador Hotel – Various popular restaurant discount vouchers starting at 49% off, including the Szechuan Cuisine Hall’s “Weekday Lunch Szechuan Prawns Double Set Voucher” at NT$1,299 each (original NT$2,640); combined hotel stay vouchers starting at NT$3,200.

• • Tamshui Cambridge Hotel: Meal vouchers at 4.8% off and stay vouchers at 5.2% off. Highlights include European main course + salad bar buffet for NT$599, and five-star hotel buffet vouchers starting at NT$520 per person.

• • Grand Hotel Taipei: Best-selling “Chinese Gastronomy Joy Table” at nearly 50% off, originally NT$18,480, now NT$9,999. The Steakhouse also launches its first limited-time promotional offer.

• • Taipei Sherwood Taipei: Meal vouchers starting at 5.5% off, such as Jiangnan Chun / Peng Lai’s ten-person table set, originally NT$16,500 + 10%, now NT$9,999.

• • Taipei Shin Yeh Hotel: Chengjiang Japanese Cuisine “Sea & Land Dual Main Course Set Voucher” (two vouchers per set) at 53% off, originally NT$2,600/set, now NT$1,380/set.

• • Lucky Group: Premium wagyu beef makes its debut here. Meal vouchers starting at 5.6% off — one voucher grants access to seven five-star restaurants.

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

• • Regent Taipei: Berkeley Lounge weekday afternoon tea discount voucher (for four persons) at 69% off, originally NT$3,036, now NT$2,099. Also launching ultra-early bird weekday company banquet promotions; sign and pay deposit before August 31, and book 10 tables or more to get one free premium suite night and one free table.

• • Terra Hotel: Terra Dining Set Voucher (7 vouchers) at 71% off, originally NT$7,000, now NT$4,998. Present a NT$20 ticket voucher to exchange for daily limited 50 lucky bags — grand prize is one Rock Room stay voucher worth NT$13,800 + 10%.

• • Farglory Food – Show Chef Buffet Lunch (12 vouchers), originally NT$8,976, now 75% off at NT$6,800.

• • Grand Hyatt Taipei: Discounted meal vouchers at 11% off, such as Café Kafe lunch/evening buffet single voucher, originally NT$1,628, now NT$1,450.

• • Taipei Ching Tay Hotel: Golden Grain Western Restaurant Buffet Vouchers — originally NT$6,820 for 10 vouchers, now 80% off at NT$5,500 for 10.

• • Fullon Hotels: Chain meal vouchers — buy 6 get 1 free (avg NT$857 each), buy 10 get 2 free (avg NT$833 each).

• • Da’an No. 9 Japanese Cuisine & Hotpot Restaurant cash voucher: Spend NT$10,000 get NT$1,000 off, hotpot dishes at 66% off, originally NT$6,000, now NT$3,980.Combined meal voucher set for just NT$999 — whether it’s the NT$2,178 grilled NY strip steak set, Peking duck, Boston lobster, or even a light meal double set, one voucher covers it all.

• • Yoshinoya Group Double Black Wagyu All-You-Can-Eat originally NT$4,120, now NT$2,999.

• • Zhaosheng Club Boston Lobster Hotpot Double originally NT$4,000, now NT$2,560.

From August 5–8 during the exhibition period, there will be free tastings of many gourmet dishes every day, such as: ribeye steak / cherry duck from Tiancheng Hotel sourced from American Cedar River Farm, tenderloin with plum sauce and sakura shrimp rice cake from Taipei Ching Tay Hotel, Yilan specialty foods from Shangri-La Dongsha River Resort Hotel, chef-hosted activities at Grand Hotel Taipei and Victoria Hotel, as well as exclusive offers and food samplings from Sun Moon Lake Lalu, Hotel Royal, Zhaosheng Club, Veterans Affairs Wuling Farm, Taiwan Livestock… and much more await visitors to uncover at the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition.

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

• Ingredients of Food

Good ingredients are a dish in themselves. Taiwanese cuisine stems from its rich agricultural produce and diverse applications. The “Taiwan Agricultural Pavilion” displays high-quality Taiwanese agricultural products and agricultural specialties. The “Ingredient Journeys & Agritourism Souvenirs” exhibition area provides information and ticket sales for “ingredient journeys,” encouraging the public to visit the places where ingredients originate and experience the charm of local produce firsthand.

• Vessels of Food

This year’s “Taiwan Tableware” exhibit highlights the craftsmanship and transformation of tableware. The “Great Vessels for Small Bites” section features award-winning designs from the “Innovative Design Competition for Tableware Used in Taiwanese Specialty Snacks.” The gold award-winning “Oyster Listener” uses oyster shells as the overall form and extends the handle, not only catching the eye but also being practical. The silver award-winning “Passed Down Through the Ages” draws inspiration from the bracket sets of traditional Chinese architecture, with radiating patterns representing the motifs printed on the bowl, presenting an impressive and grand aesthetic.

• Journey of Food

Travel is not just about scenic views; the local flavors are equally unforgettable. Especially in Changhua, located at the crossroads of mountainous, coastal, Hokkien, Hakka, northern, and southern Taiwan, its distinctive flavors attract food lovers time and again. The food exhibition has specially launched the Changhua Pavilion, featuring nearly 40 local snack stalls, including the renowned half-century-old favorites: Ximen Changhua Rice Balls, Fan’s Rice Balls, Sandun Pork Rice (Sunshine Old Shop), Zhengchanghua Rice Balls, Chunfang Lamb Stew, Old School Changhua Mung Bean Jelly, No Hunger No Sit Mian Xian Hu, and A-Mei Sister’s Cabbage Rice... allowing visitors to indulge in a feast of local flavors.