Departures Hong Kong Autumn 2013

BLACKBOOK ON THE GROUND

BLACKBOOK ON THE GROUND BONA FIDE BREWS Tea plays an important role in Taiwanese society. Here, two spots that offer different takes on this local tradition Smith&Hsu This sleek teahouse near Taipei 101 offers a modern twist with English high tea – complete with clotted cream – and traditional brews. Make sure to check out the house blends, which come in attractive packages, perfect as small gifts. 33, Section 5, Zhong Xiao East Road, Xinyi District; +886 2 2747 4857; smithandhsu.com Wistaria Declared a historical site, this spot was once the residence of the Japanese governor-general of Taiwan. It later became a gathering spot for intellectuals and political dissidents. More recently, it served as a location for Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman. Regulars and visitors alike favour it for its tranquil ambience and emphasis on tradition. 1, Lane 16, Section 3, Xinsheng South Road, Da’an District; +886 2 2363 7375; wistariateahouse.com WHILE OTHER ASIAN METROPOLISES RUSH TO EMBRACE THE FUTURE, TAIPEI IS TURNING ITS ATTENTION TO ITS PAST served up chaotic traffic and terrifically ugly architecture. I moved to Taipei in the late 1990s, fresh off a postgraduate degree. The city still seemed rough around the edges, but pockets of cool were cropping up, from quirky coffeehouses like Norwegian Wood to the always edgy IT Park Gallery. Improved public transportation, including an extensive metro system, led to better air, and green spaces were allotted throughout the city. But it was only later, after I’d moved on, that Taipei’s transformation really began gathering steam. Shabby-chic bistros moved in and Belgian beer became a menu standard. The city’s pace had somehow gone from Creative expression is key at Grace Wang’s eatery-cum-emporium VVG Thinking harried to laid-back. “What changed?” I kept asking friends. How did drab, capitalist Taipei find its inner bohemian? “We’re not so anxious about catching up,” one friend offered as an explanation. Indeed, the city is now leading the way. While other Asian metropolises rush to embrace the future, Taipei is turning its attention to its past and remaking derelict factories and other industrial leftovers into cultural hubs. Take Huashan 1914 Creative Park, a 7.3ha downtown site where a defunct wine and sake distillery built by Japanese colonialists stands. Though the parcel of land is valued at around USbn, city officials were persuaded to turn the space into a complex of artist studios, performance venues and galleries. Spot, an art-house cinema spearheaded by the great Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-Hsien, also set up shop, while Grace Wang – the creative force behind the VVG miniempire of boutiques and restaurants – opened VVG Thinking, a two-storey, eclectic eatery-cum-emporium that personifies the city’s new spirit. (Wang also runs the best-kept secret in town: VVG BB+B, a pied-à-terre stuffed with souvenirs from her travels.) In the shadow of the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper, young couples and families alike patronise the Sunday market at 44 South Village, a former housing estate for soldiers that is home to Good Cho, a sprawling store and café that champions local food artisans and designers, and FROM TOP: © SMITH&HSU, NEIL WADE 32 departures-international.com

D E PA R T U R E S at - I N T E R N AT I O N A L For additional impressions of Taipei’s renaissance, go online . C O M BLACKBOOK m o r e S e e ADDRESS BOOK BEDDING DOWN VVG BB+B 2F, No 18-20, Alley 40, Lane 181, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District; +886 2 2775 4386 temptingplaces.com Clockwise from top left: lunch at Huashan 1914 Creative Park; designs on offer at ArtYard; the boho chic environs of VVG Thinking; colourful contemporary art at 44 South Village SMART ART Huashan 1914 Creative Park 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzhen District; +886 2 2358 1914 huashan1914.com Spot 18, Section 2, Zhongshan North Road; +886 2 2511 7786 spot.org.tw/index_e.htm Red House Theater No 10, Chengdu Road, Wanhua District; +886 2 2311 9380 redhouse.org.tw NEIL WADE STYLISH CAFES AND QUIRKY BOUTIQUES HAVE CROPPED UP AROUND YONGKANG STREET peddles superlative bagels spiced with Taiwanese ingredients like red bean and black sesame. Nearby, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park occupies an old tobacco factory. Across town, design stores such as ArtYard are slowly populating the Japanese-built shophouses along Dihua Street, one of the city’s oldest thoroughfares, while at the historic Red House Theater in the lively Ximending neighbourhood, a weekend market showcases emerging designers. High-profile preservation projects aren’t the only places where you can catch the city’s growing sophistication. Stylish cafés and quirky boutiques have cropped up around Yongkang Street, once best known for Din Tai Fung, the famed dumpling chain. It’s easy to idle away the day here, starting with an espresso at Caffè Libero, which also serves as a lounge and patisserie, and then browsing hand-cast pieces at Chung’s Silver or fair-trade accessories and blouses from South Asia and Africa at Twine Studio. Elsewhere, the back lanes of bustling Zhongxiao East Road abound with indie-flavoured shops, including Designburg, a sleek space devoted to the creations of owner-jeweller Jadis Cheng and other homegrown talents. Taipei’s scene is still mostly local, but more and more, I spy weekenders from Hong Kong and Singapore exploring the new art spaces and funky ‘hoods and enjoying the city’s more relaxed lifestyle. It’s only a matter of time before the rest of the world catches on. Songshan Cultural and Creative Park 133 Guangfu South Road, Xinyi District; +886 2 2765 1388 songshanculturalpark.org HOT TABLES VVG Thinking Huashan 1914 Creative Park 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzhen District; +886 02 23225573 vvgvvg.blogspot.com Good Cho No 54, Songqin Street, Xinyi District; +886 2 2758 2609 Caffè Libero No 1, Lane 243, Jinhua Street, Da’an District; +886 2 2356 7129 IN STORE ArtYard 1, Lane 32, Section 1, Dihua Street, Datong District; +886 2 2552 1321 $ artyard.tw Chung’s Silver No 14, Lane 31, Yongkang Street; +886 2 2394 6420 chungsteam.com Twine Studio 1/F, No 3, Lane 2, Yongkang Street, Da’an District twinestudio.net Designburg B1, No 10, Alley 6, Lane 170, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District; +886 2 2771 1833 designburg.com CONTACT PLATINUM CARD SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS departures-international.com 33