Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(Duō Sāng; 2 Jungmei Rd; dishes NT$100-250; 5-11pm)
You have to pronounce the name of
this restaurant in Taiwanese, if you want to get it right. It's the least you can do, since it
does such a good job with the dishes. Set in an old Japanese-era wood house, and serving
ultra-orthodox Taiwanese dishes, this is where locals take their visiting friends.
Dishes to try include barbecued pork, ginger intestine, minced pork and beef with scal-
lion. There's no English menu.
Irrawaddy Myanmar Restaurant
BURMESE $$$
(Yījiāng Diānmiǎn Liàolǐ;
www.irrawaddy.com.tw
;
11-1 Minquan Rd, 11-1; dishes NT$120-220;
11am-2pm & 5-9pm, closed 3rd Monday of each month; )
Run by a Burmese immigrant fam-
ily, Irrawaddy serves up some fine curries. To get here cross the river on Jung Jeng Rd
and head up the winding road. At Minquan 1st St, at a park, turn right and head down the
hill to Minquan Rd. Irrawaddy is not far up on the left.
Drinking & Nightlife
Hualien has many trendy cafes and teahouses along its main streets. On Linsen Rd east
of Fu Hsing Rd, and up Fu Hsing itself, is a small bar district with places popping open
and closed with regular frequency.
King Tang Cafe
CAFE
(Jīn Tāng Dárén Kāfēi Guǎn; 431 Jung Shan Rd; 8am-10pm; )
One of Hualien's best cafes,
both for the quality of the coffee and the atmosphere, King Tang has an airy high-
ceilinged indoor area, and a surprising back garden area that features an old air-raid
bunker from WWII. Light, fresh meals are also available.
Shopping
Hualien's main export, marble, is all over the city. Numerous souvenir shops sell marble
carvings but be aware that the mining of marble is having a devastating effect on the loc-
al environment.
Hualien's delicious cakes and cookies are available at bakeries and gift shops around
town especially on Jung Hua Rd, which has pleasant arcades for strolling along.
Mochi,
a
sticky rice treat, can be found elsewhere in Taiwan but many enjoy the Hualien variety
most.
