Taiwan’s many bakeries have been satisfying local demand for a wide assortment of high-quality and innovative baked goods.

BY STEPHANIE POON

Suffering from energy depletion after a vigorous shopping session shortly after my arrival in Taiwan, I caught the aroma of baking bread in the vicinity. My legs unwittingly followed the alluring waft of rising dough and melting butter towards the corner bakery, where a tray of goodies was shoved in my direction as I entered. Half a dozen elderly women sporting uniforms and red bandanas were operating military-style – filling up the bread trays, slicing baguettes, bringing out freshly-baked items – as a steady stream of customers poured in. The store, devoid of any swank design, displayed its products in a functional setting under harsh fluorescent lighting. “Get what you need and get out” was the tacit message.

Taiwan Business TOPICS talks to Hoyt Tillman, Director, Century Development Corp.— the company in charge of marketing and leasing out the facilities — regarding progress to date in attracting tenants to Phase III of the Nankang Science Park (NSPK) Park.

By Brian Asmus

The Nankang Science Park’s (NKSP) first phase kicked off in October 1999 with Phase II beginning in September 2003 and Phase III in 2008. “Phase I and II of the software park,” says Hoyt Tillman, Director of Century Development Corp., “attracted almost exclusively high-tech tenants, including IBM, Philips, Teco, Siemens, AMD, NXP, Infineon, and DCI.”

Coffee lovers no longer have to feel left-out in tea-drinking Taiwan. More and more high-end cafés are opening, catering to those who know their beans.

BY JANE RICKARDS

Leopoldo Sposato, the Italian Trade Office trade director, is fond of quoting the old saying that real coffee “must be black as night, hot as hell, and sweet as love.”

Increasingly, many Taiwanese are feeling the same way. Traditionally a tea-drinking country, Taiwan did not see the development of widespread coffee habits until the early 1990s with the advent of various low-end Japanese coffee chains. Since then, the situation has changed dramatically, with the emergence of a variety of sophisticated cafes catering to gourmet coffee tastes. TOPICS surveyed members of the Italian and French communities, as well as Taiwanese and Americans, for their top picks.

The most noteworthy additions to the Taipei dining scene this year seem to be establishments featuring Mexican, French, and Spanish cuisine.

BY BRIAN ASMUS

LAB: Dining Sophistication off the Charts

I first discovered Francois Parveau and his culinary delights at the home of former French Institute Director Jean-Claude Poimbeouf in the summer of 2008. As I learned long ago, if you want top-quality, innovative food at reasonable prices but presented with style, then follow the French. Parveau has already built up a sterling reputation among Taipei’s most discerning customers.