Food

We found that our son was much calmer and happier if we stuck to the routine (sleeping and feeding times) he was used to in the CSS nursery and we found it helpful to come back to the hotel at lunch time, put him down for his nap and then pick up a lunch take-away while one of us held fort at the hotel. We tried the hotel buffet once and ended up taking terms scoffing down food, while one of us was walking up and down the lobby trying to entertain a restless baby. After that experience, we went looking for quick take-away places at walking distance from the hotel. Here is what we found:

Food (1)

On Songxin Rd ([5] on the map) there are a number of tiny Chinese food stalls where you can buy lunch for two with A$12. I went there often and ordered dumplings, steamed greens, fried tofu and marinated peanuts. These are rather basic food stalls patronised by office workers and school kids. The fare is simple but nice and you can order it (as I did) by pointing at what other customers are eating. The price to pay is often typed on a calculator by the store chef. 

Food (2)

On the same tiny lane behind the BenQ sign at the end of Songren Rd ([4] on the map) we found an excellent Vietnamese restaurant for pho. The lane where it is is pretty busy and does not have pedestrian side-walks so, if Asian-style traffic disconcerts you, do not go there. If you are willing to take the risk, though you can get a cheap (A$14 buy you two seafood pho and two serves of rice paper rolls) delicious quick lunch to take back to the hotel.

Food (3)

On the restaurant floor (5^th?) on the A4 building in the Mitsukoshi Dept store (marked blue on the map) you can find take-away sushi (expect to pay approximately A$30 for two small portions of sushi).

On the second underground floor on the A8 building in the Mitsukoshi Dept store, which is in front of the A4 building (marked blue on the map) there is a food court with lots of Chinese take-away booths. On the same floor there is a good selection of sweets and chocolate boxes, which we found useful for small thank you gifts.

On the seventh floor of the A9 building there are more restaurants (we did not try them).

Food (4)

On 1^st floor of the NEO19 building (marked green on the map) you can find sushi and a western steak house chain (we did not try them so I can’t rate them).

On the ground floor of the NEO19 building (marked green on the map), there is an Italian restaurant called Macaroni. It is nothing like mum’s cooking but it does quick take-aways (we tried large salads and chicken schnitzels and paid approximately A$45 for two portions and complimentary garlic bread).

Food (5)

There are Hagen Dasz ice cream parlours both on 1^st floor of the A4 building in the Mitsukoshi Dept store and on 4^th floor of the Taipei 101 tower (next to the Page 1 bookshop, which has a good children section, by the way).

We found a large number of patisseries scattered around town. The baking is not always up to scratch but the crème caramel and panna cottas that we tried were just fantastic!

The 7-11 convenience stores and Starbucks coffee shops are omnipresent and opened at times when other places might not be. Shops normally operate between 10am and 10pm so if you are out early with your little one and you need a caffeine fix, Starbucks will likely be your best chance.

Entertaining a Toddler

We found it a bit difficult to discover places where a 14-month baby could be let loose for an hour and burn off some energy. The city is dense and public places are not always child-friendly. Here are some ideas: