The Slow Food movement has been promoted heavily in Taitung in recent years. Slow Food, combined with the “Farm to Table” and “local and seasonal food” concepts, presents unique local flavors using a variety of culinary techniques to the table. Are you intrigued, yet? Here are some specialty vendors so that you can experience the rich food culture that Taitung has to offer.

Embark on your slow food journey and experience local food and culture. Qilibo Red Quinoa Healthy Foods is the first in Taitung to specialize in red quinoa cuisine. Red quinoa, one of Taitung’s main crops, is also a staple of the tribal dining table. Qilibo creates a variety of healthy dishes using red quinoa, practicing the concept of healthy cuisine in their restaurant.

Besides using healthy ingredients in their dishes, Qilibo also uses a creative cooking technique, sous vide, to create their dishes. The cooking method can preserve the most flavor of the ingredients in the cooking process. Qilibo even works with a noodle factory to incorporate ground Taimali red quinoa into the flour to create an exclusive red quinoa noodle. The curly and bouncy noodles are the star of the red chili oil chicken dry noodles dish. The combination of the noodles, broth, and chicken breast creates the perfect symphony of flavors and textures. The bouncy red quinoa noodles are paired with the numbing red chili sauce which is as visually stimulating as it is flavorful. The chicken breasts are sous vide at a low temperature for 4 hours which delivers the perfect tender bite every time.

The owner insists on refraining from using ingredients readily available on the market due to the extra additives that are commonly used. Therefore, bonito soy sauce is prepared from scratch in-house using locally sourced bonito flakes. After 3-4 hours of gentle simmering, a rich and flavorful sauce is born. The restaurant’s credo is to create dishes that bring health and longevity, nourishing hungry travelers as they pass through Taitung.

Taste the leisurely pace of living Taitung has to offer. Eat seasonal set meals and drinks so that you can enjoy the epiphany of the Taitung Slow Food spirit. Tsao Min, located not too far away from the Taitung Forest Park and Taitung Art Museum, is one of the popular brunch locations in Taitung. Featuring ingredients that are fresh from the farm to the table, the restaurant also has a dining environment that is close to a botanical garden. Relax and enjoy your meal while surrounded by plants and flowers.

The classic brunch to order is the Piper betel meatballs with marinara sauce. This popular dish is made with Piper betel, paired with an organic salad, and hand-made buns from the Chulu Ranch. The roselle tea is also made from home-grown roselle flowers. The refreshing flavors truly showcase the spirit of the Taitung Slow Food movement.

Tanya’s Thai Table was awarded a star in the 2022 Taitung Slow Food review. The Thai restaurant offers simple set meals that include pho, stir-fried pork and basil, Thai curry, and more. The idea is to create “Thai set meals that one person can enjoy.” Tanya sticks to traditions and also insists on making all the dishes from scratch. The curry paste is created in-house, from toasting the spices, grinding, and mixing, to cooking them into fragrant curry pastes. There are no additives to the food, and guaranteed to be free of MSG and pre-made flavor packets.

Fresh herbs and ingredients are used at Tanya’s. Therefore, the menu also changes according to the vegetables and fresh ingredients that are available in the season. Tanya also incorporates locally sourced ingredients that are unique to Taitung in her Thai dishes. The result is a little restaurant that adds a Siamese aroma to the alleys of Taitung.

Opened in 2018, Yu Cai Seasonal Cuisine won favor in the 2020 Taitung Slow Food Festival Ranking, receiving a two-star award! Chef Lin has over two decades of experience in Japanese cuisine, He uses his exquisite technique in cooking and precise control of the stove to preserve Japanese culinary skills at Yu Cai.

Yu Cai Seasonal Cuisine uses locally sourced ingredients such as Guanshan sushi rice, Zhiben saltwater prawns, fresh seafood from Chenggong Harbor, Taitung navel oranges, fungi and wild greens local to Taitung, fresh free-range eggs from Taitung Ranch, and more. These ingredients are masterfully combined to create intricate and delicate dishes. Seasonal dishes are most highly recommended at Yu Cai as they will guide foodies on a delicious food journey through the seasons of Taitung while also introducing unique and special local ingredients.