Supermarkets and fruit and veg markets in Tianmu

FOOD SHOPPING in Tianmu 

If you want to find food that reminds you of home, it can be a bit frustrating eating out, at the other side of the planet. The chocolate just isn't so chocolatey. Bacon, eggs, beans and toast? You'll be lucky! You might do better to buy the ingredients, and just learn to fix your fix at home. 

1. SUPERMARKETS
1. If you are missing muesli, chocolate spread and other western comfort foods:

Expat-friendly Mia C'bon. No. 3號, Tianmu W Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111. Despite the ridiculous name (previously Jasons), nice food. Sogo and Takashimaya department stores both have supermarkets in the basement, which include many foreign imports.

Carrefour, has many imports, expat friendly, two locations in Tianmu, see Googlemaps.

Hummus: Hagar's Kitchen Mediterranean Food is the only shop I found selling hummus. Tiny shop very close to Shidong market. No. 59號, Shidong Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111

PX Mart (photo) is the most popular supermarket chain, and has a branch near you. Very good quality fresh fruit and veg. Jars, tins, packets of produce are written in Mandarin only, usually.

Excellent fresh fruit/veg at PX Mart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. MARKETS At the famous Shidong market, in Tianmu, fresh food quality control is generally great, the price may be eye-watering. For a cheaper experience of buying fresh fruit and veg in the street markets, perhaps it needs a small amount of cunning. As a foreigner who doesn't speak good Mandarin, there is a small risk of being overcharged. I had good results at the market around Lane 8 Tianmu E Road. 

If you want to support the smaller sellers, and to enjoy possibly fresher produce, free from wasteful packaging, this  strategy worked for me.

My strategy for market shoppping

 

1. Try any stall that catches your eye, do a modest 'test' order (say 4 oranges, 4 tomatoes), see if the price/quality/friendliness seems reasonable. If not, try another. 

 

2. Meanwhile also visit a supermarket like PX Mart supermarket, so you can check / compare price and quality. If you still prefer the market... 

 

3. Once you have established a connection at the market (they remember your face), increase the size of your order. Go at the same time of day, because some stalls have different staff on shifts. 

 

4. Advanced: find two different market stalls you like. One day one will be closed, or sold out of the thing you want.

Eating out in Tianmu

 

(See also 'Missing Western Food in Tianmu' and 'Eating like a local' and 'Seven favourite cafes').

For a 'safe bet' for a decent restaurant, head for one of the department stores. They have a food court (average meal $200 NT); plus a range of reassuringly expensive independent restaurants, all under the same roof. Japanese food is well represented: if you like sashimi or Teppanyaki, you will do great. Korean food also present. Noodles and rice dishes abound, as do braised fish. The Hong Kong style of Chinese cuisine, which we are familiar with in much of western europe, is NOT widely available in Taiwan.

1. Chunshuitang 

An excellent mid-price restaurant chain, underneath the cinema box office at Mitsukoshi. Famous for bubble tea and beef noodle soup. Pleasant view from the window tables. Open for lunch and dinner. Reduced food menu outside those times. Reservations taken. 

beef noodle soup at Chunnshuitang

world's smallest font in a menu at Chunnshuitang

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. Ootoya, reliably good Japanese restaurant downstairs in Takashimaya, which has the benefit of taking orders via an electronic tablet on the table. Mandarin only, alas. You can try guessing which button to press, as I do: it adds to the entertainment value. The staff come to double check with you. 

 

3. Lili Art & Kitchen

Stylish evening with friends or a date, good bar and kitchen, art on the walls, quite classy.

Zhongshan North Road Section 6 no. 760, 111, Taipei City

中山北路六段760號

4. MiaCucina

If you are looking for healthy, vegetarian/vegan friendly, lunch and salads, this is worth trying.

No. 48號, Dexing W Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Din Tai Fung for world famous dumpling chain (also in Hong Kong, Singapore, etc) downstairs in Sogo. Reserve a table in advance or queue for ages at meal times. 

6. Baires ice cream

Voted one of the world's top 50 ice cream places. 

Zhongshan North Road Section 6 no. 760, Taipei City 111, T中山北路六段460號1樓 

 

7. Duomo Japanese restaurant

Cheerful vibe at this cute little Japanese restaurant, opposite Takashimaya. Reasonable prices, gets crowded. The best miso soup!

111, Taipei City, Shilin District, Lane 50, Section 2, Zhongcheng Rd, 2號1樓

8. Beijing-style Chinese restaurant Song Jiang Pie & Porridge 宋江餡餅粥

Try the circular pastry with chive and minced beef; hot & sour soup; spinach; fried rice; mushroom fried noodle; dumplings.  Eat-in or take away. Very popular place, best to arrive early.

 No. 2, Tianmu N Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111

 

 

 

 

 

Places to chill out in Tianmu: introducing 3 Department Stores and cinema

All over Asia, people love department stores, not least for the air-conditioning! Taiwan's department stores are mostly Japanese. In Tianmu you have a choice of three: here are a few suggestions of how to while away a couple of hours while you cool down. 

Sogo

The food court has a good view. Supermarket in the basement carries a decent range of international food and drink brands. Quality and price are both high. Pick up some clothing from Uniqlo upstairs, their range seems to be an unofficial uniform for blending in in Taiwan. If you have come from Europe, the fabric of your cotton clothing is likely much thicker than the local versions, so it's well worth investing in some thinner and cooler staples. Taiwan offers super-fashionable sportswear in very thin fabrics and Sogo is possibly the most stylish of the three stores. 

Mitsukoshi

Two Mitsukoshi stores side by side. The one further from the traffic junction offers a cinema on the top floor, which shows Hollywood and Asian films (alas not Bollywood). Cinemas have THE BEST AIRCON in Taiwan! You may need to take a scarf or socks! If you want to buy a ticket, but don't speak Mandarin, you could show a photo of the movie poster, and the sales person can probably figure it out. They will ask you where you want to sit, the default position in Taiwan is for everyone to sit in a group in the centre of the cinema. You can request a seat at the side or back; usually there are plenty of seats free for seat-hopping. Unless its the first weekend of some Marvel blockbuster when it might be absolutely packed.  

 

The restaurant just underneath the cinema ticket office is famous for bubble tea, and great beef noodle soup. Their menu shows english (in the world's smallest font). Go up to pay first when ordering. On the basement floor is a FNAC selling a few electronics. 

The food court here is small and not impressive.

Takashimaya

Situated beside the baseball stadium. A gigantic aquarium display is popular weekend attraction for kids. The basement food court is probably the best of the three department stores' food courts, and the supermarket is very good.