taiwan series: miyahara

December 17, 2014

miyahara! i'd already stopped in for some ice cream but had to go back again before leaving taiwan. on the saturday before i left, claire and aileen met me there for some taiwanese snacks and iced milk teas in the cafe on the second floor. it's been a few weeks since i left, and looking at these photos made me want to go right back! i've said it before but miyahara should be one of your must-see spots on your visit to taichung. and there are actually two of them now, just minutes from each other on the same street, so there shouldn't be a problem getting in. (it does get very crowded on weekends!) try the taiwanese snack platter and one of their house tea concoctions...you'll be happy you did.

the exterior of the original miyahara store, which serves both savory and sweet snacks in its cafe.

a close-up of the front door of miyahara I.

right inside, there are beautiful displays of interesting chocolates.

the emporium, all decked out for christmas.

one of the many tea displays. the boxes are really creative and would make gorgeous gifts.

some of the more traditional but still lovely packaging. i got a rose tea and a long-yan tea in this style.

a view of the shop floor, from the second-story cafe.

a side area with more tea, cookies, and biscuits arranged on bookshelf displays.

some close-ups of the biscuit gift boxes.

on the second floor, there is plenty of seating for you to enjoy a meal, afternoon tea, or a light snack. the space is cavernous - i love the exposed beams.

a taiwanese snack platter with tasty sauces handily labeled for your eating pleasure.

a "poutine" - looks more like chili fries, actually.

the logo, which incorporates the building's past as an eye clinic during the japanese colonial era. the building was abandoned for years, and its current iteration as a sweets emporium recalls this history in small details like this. love it!

inside the second-story cafe, near the bar area.

the second miyahara, another converted building that retains its original signage as a taiwanese cooperative bank. this location is just up the street from the first, and also serves ice cream, tea and other sweets.

taiwan series: revisiting fantasy story

December 1, 2014

it's a whole lot colder in brooklyn than it is in taichung. i've been back for about a week now, and am wishing for those sunny 70-degree days, especially now that it's getting dark at 4:30 here. ugh. to comfort myself, i'm revisiting photos from my trip! here are some that i took at fantasy story, which i first checked out last year (although i didn't get around to posting about it until september).

i spent a bit longer there this time around - it was a weekday and things were slow, but there seemed to be more shops associated with the fantasy story brand. in fact, they were all strangely marked by strings of halloween pumpkin lanterns, which you can see in some of the photos. since my visit was in late november, i'm not sure if it was leftover from some halloween event, or a year-round thing the way christmas decorations tend to be. (i can still remember how my favorite restaurant in middle school had a "merry xmas" banner on its door in the middle of summer. tangentially, it's strange how so many american holidays have migrated to taiwan. my mom mentioned thanksgiving to me and i was like: "why do taiwanese celebrate the survival of pilgrims and squanto's good will?" these holidays were definitely not on any local's radar when i lived there in the 1990s....) but i digress. back to fantasy story: it's definitely very cute. but hey, i like this kind of thing.

the spaces are available for events and exhibits, and it looked like a crew was scoping out the space for a future event while i was there. there were also more restaurants than last time - a tea shop and a japanese restaurant on the second floor, as well as a large western restaurant called isabella.

it was so peaceful just wandering around and exploring alone. on the weekends though, it's probably packed with friends and family having tea and brunch and running around the courtyards.

this is the "bookshop for beginners" - an introductory point to fantasy story.

a list of the shops and restaurants on zhongxing first lane 「中興一巷」.

the second floor of one of the buildings. love the way they've restored the rooflines and shingles.

one of the dining options. — one of the dining options.

the adorable outdoor seating at one of the second floor restaurants.

a view down to one of the interior courtyards.

fantasy story featured blooming bougainvillea too, like everywhere else in taichung. how have i never noticed these flowers before?!

the second story of the complex. i hear it used to be dormitories.

this shop bears signage for an architect's office, but seems to also sell other goods.

these plants are amazing! i would live here.

a gift shop on the second floor of the second building.

a glimpse into the eating area at isabella.

each building had two to three small courtyards. this was taken from the street into the last.

more plants! i wished that i could bring them all home.

a map of the different locations associated with fantasy story.

ps. check out my last visit here.

taiwan series: taichung cultural and creative industries park

November 22, 2014

for the longest time, there was a derelict liquor factory across the street from my friend aileen's house in taichung. the facility was a ghost town all through my childhood, but was reanimated as a cultural event space and park a few years back. now they host concerts, exhibits, and other arty happenings there. it's a similar initiative to huashan 1914 in taipei, where long-abandoned spaces like tobacco and liquor factories are being converted into new creative venues. taichung cultural and creative industries park 「台中文化創意產業園區」is much quieter than huashan 1914, it seems, but it makes sense given that taichung is generally a much sleepier place than taipei. (but the weather is waaay better here.)

i went to the park around noon on a weekday, and aside from a few tour groups, it was pretty empty. the cafes open around 11am, although i think the exhibits open at 10am. mostly though, i like going there just to walk around outside. the old buildings have been restored and the landscaping is lovely, so it's a pretty relaxing environment to enjoy a walk and a cup of coffee away from the city streets.

if you get hungry, there are a few options, including the ark cafe 「方舟咖啡廚房」and sole cafe. ark has full meals but since i wasn't hungry, i went to sole for some coffee and a valrhona brownie.

check it out if you're in the area. i love seeing how abandoned spaces are being turned into useful and beautiful new parks, and it's nice to have one so close to my parents' house!

taiwan series: tea & ice cream @ miyahara

November 19, 2014

i've done a lot of walking on this trip. yesterday, i walked about 6 kilometers, first from my parents' house to miyahara near the train station, then onwards to an entirely different part of town. it's been a long time since i've walked that route - probably not since before i got my license! (scooter license that is...but hey, that's a legit motorized vehicle.)

anyway, miyahara has the most amazing ice creams. i can't stop thinking about them. they are light and gelato-like, meaning i ate a huge scoop and felt nothing but refreshed afterwards. they are divided into three sections: chocolates, fruits, and teas. i tried a couple of the tea flavors and they were all divine.

i settled on the earl grey tea, topped with toasted buckwheat and purple rice. may seem weird, but it was soooo good. it's also strange (but delightful) to taste traditional taiwanese teas like oriental beauty 「東方美人」in ice cream form.

the toppings were really interesting too. i want to try more of them! claire, aileen and i are planning to go back on saturday for lunch. stay tuned for a more comprehensive post on the delights of miyahara!

taiwan series: taichung alley plants

November 18, 2014

my parents' house is behind the taichung railway station, an older part of town that's remained relatively unchanged for the past twenty years. well, that's not really true - new buildings have gone up and old ones have been torn down - but these changes haven't really altered the feel or the look of the neighborhood much. on our street, there's the elementary school my brother went to, a hot pot place, and a night market past the next intersection. it's all mom-and-pop restaurants, bakeries, and tea stands, with the odd doctors' and dentists' offices on every other block. the one major department store in the area has been renamed four times (that i can remember) but it's still the same building with a new sign. i still refer to it by a name that's three iterations back and have no idea what it's currently called.

i have my rituals when i come home: i get a danbing 「蛋餅」from my breakfast spot, and i head to the nearest chunshuitang 「春水堂」for some bubble tea and fried turnip cakes (theirs are amazing). i also always go to my dentist and optometrist, because if you know anything about the affordability and quality of taiwanese health care, you'd come to taiwan for all your medical needs too. and when i'm done with that stuff, i get back to eating... there's lots of it to be done! all that eating means that i've gotta burn it off somehow, and that's where shopping comes in. :) or if i'm taking a break from conspicuous consumption, i'll just take some walks around the alleys. this time, i noticed these magenta pink flowers everywhere. if only flowers bloomed in new york at this time of year!

i suppose these plants have been here all along, but before my relatively newfound love of leafy things, i never really noticed them. i'm only now appreciating all the ad hoc greenery lining the streets. i'm going to have to start identifying plants through garden compass! (it's a great plant ID tool where you just take a photo of the mystery plant in question and then they reply with an identification within about 24 hours.) it's too bad i can't take some of these varieties back to brooklyn with me...