The Island of Taiwan Restaurant Review

A certain smell hangs over the city of Taipei, a sort of pungent, musky odor that sinks into clothing, concrete and skin.  Some liken it to rancid meat, others say it's akin to unpleasant bodily emissions, but to me it will always be the scent of culinary adventure (and the rewards of a good meal from an unexpected source).

The smell emanates from a delicacy indelicately known as 'stinky tofu', and is naturally on the menu (and in the air) at Island of Taiwan Restaurant, one of the  relatively few Taiwanese eateries in the greater NYC region.  Alongside the fore-mentioned aromatic dish are a number of national staples (stews, sausages, and savory pa-jun-like pancakes) that showcase Taiwan's culinary history, an amalgam of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean influences presented with its own unique flavor. 

Even your nostrils aren't quite up to the stinky-tofu challenge - and believe me, its bark is worse than its bite... which is delicious - Island is definitely worth a visit to expand your gastronomic horizons, and chow down on some really tasty food.

6817 8th Ave
(between Ovington Ave & Bay Ridge Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11220
Neighborhood: Dyker Heights
(718) 680-0033

Taiwan Hotel Review

The recently refurbished Taiwan Hotel is extremely conveniently located immediately beside Changhua rail station. The outward appearance not very special, but tastefully decorated inside. Rooms are of various sizes, some without windows according to the room plan. Rooms facing west on upper floors have excellent views. You will hear a little noise from the railway, but it did not disturb my sleep. Bathroom fairly large and well designed. Broadband access worked, no password necessary. Reception staff speak some English. The only major drawback is breakfast, which consists of a McDonalds delivery at 7.30. Also there were some muffled rumbles of sound which did not come from the railway, I suspect it was from the cinema which is located in the same building, and it subsided at night. Will stay here again if I return to Changhua.

We stayed here for one night. Taiwan Hotel is spacious, clean and comfortable with a fanscinating view of the Changhua railway station and tracks. Breakfast was an interesting three-choice affair. You can let the reception know if you would prefer Soybean Milk, Macdonalds, or a 7-11 coupon to purchase food directly from the 7-11 across the hotel. Location wise the hotel was perfect. It was a 2 minute walk from Changhua Railway station and a cinema is just beside the hotel.

No.48 Chung Chang Road, Second Section, Changhua, Taiwan

Taiwan Cafe Review

I was born in Taiwan, so I am critical of any Taiwanese cuisine. This is definitely a casual dining place, no ambiance whatsoever, but that is fairly typical of Chinese restaurants. The tables were all closely placed, which is obviously to maximize the amount of people they can squeeze in, which again is quite authentic!

Then my sisters and I got extremely excited over the menu - there were so many familiar Taiwan eats/snacks on the menu! Hadn't even seen some of them in any restaurants outside Taiwan. So we ordered many dishes to try out. The Beef Noodle soup is the standout - plenty of well cooked beef, the noodle was amazing, and the soup was sufficiently spicy. The xiao long bao was okay, but I am comparing that to Din Tai Fung. But you get value for money, as they were bigger than traditional ones. The fried dumplings were also good, but again, made too big, too much meat to be authentic - may be to cater to local market? I had the pork rice, and it was okay, not bad, but not much to write home about. There were a few true Taiwanese dishes that I can't describe, but were all not too bad. Avoid the cold jellyfish - was not crunchy enough. This was the only one we regretted ordering, even though my husband loves jellyfish.

34 Oxford St. (Beach St.), Boston, MA 02111-2002
(617) 426-8181

A Taste of Taiwan Review

Pretty solid Taiwanese food here, I got the rice noodle soup which came with veggies and pork. The soup was really flavorful and decently priced. My BF got the beef noodle soup, which was really good, especially for what you can get in the US.

I'd definitely like to come back here in the future to try out their other food. When we got here in the afternoon, the restaurant as pretty busy, although not crowded. (Then again I only came here on a whim when the dim sum restaurant down the street required a 30 minute wait).

Keep in mind when you come here, as with most Asian restaurants, this place is CASH ONLY so don't be like that douche that cried BS when the owner told him they were cash only and the only Bank of America was 2 blocks away. He grumbled all three minutes over there, what a hoot.

NW corner of Prince and 39th Avenue
Queens, NY 11354
Neighborhoods: Downtown Flushing, Flushing

Taiwan Map Review

Taiwan-map provides users with accurate interactive maps of Taiwan, along with travel and living information geared at both tourists and foreigners living in Taiwan. Taiwan-map is the one-stop source for English-language information on getting out and about in Taiwan.

Features include...

    Map Search: Need to map an address? Locate a landmark? Then check out Map Search.
    In addition, our "Theme Maps" and "Travel Guide" sections
    provide essential travel and leisure information concerning accommodation, dining, shopping, sightseeing and more, including detailed maps.
     Become a member, and you can print and save personalized maps for future use, plus receive notices of Taiwan-map.com updates. 

No. 7, Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road Section 3 Taipei 106 Taiwan
(+886) (02) 2162-2000
(+886) (02) 2162-2251

Taiwantrade Review

Taiwantrade is an interactive e-business portal designed to provide small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with immediate access to B2B e-commerce activities, and to help them gain a digital edge over their competitors worldwide. Backed by a wealth of trade promotion resources and strong support from different trade and industry associations, e-marketplaces, and popular trade websites, Taiwantrade offers the utmost online trade and promotion services to businesses in Taiwan and abroad. Major local trade and industry associations representing such sectors as machinery, electronics, communications, computers, auto parts, and motorcycles work closely with Taiwantrade to enable global buyers get hold of all kinds of information on products and manufacturing services offered by Taiwanese enterprises from different industries. 

Taiwan Travel Review

Ilha Formosa – Beautiful Island. This is what a group of Portuguese sailors, said to have been the first Westerners to lay eyes on the island, uttered upon seeing Taiwan for the first time. We imagine they must have been pretty enamoured. While not every Westerner has the same love-at-first-sight reaction to Taiwan, our Portuguese seafaring friends were just the first of many. With the lush mountains of Wulai, pulsating cities like Taipei, the stunning basalt cliffs of Penghu , excellent hiking in Taroko Gorge, not to mention some of the world’s best hot springs (we especially like the Taian Hot Springs), Taiwan cuts a figure as one of the most diverse destinations in Asia.



150 Linden Street
Oakland
CA 94607

Ph. (1) 510 250 6400
Toll free. 800 275 8555
Fax. (1) 510 893 8572