ROUTE MT Toast (breakfast) → St rawberry Farms on Bishan Rd. (st rawberry-picking) → Farmhouse Cafe Trattoria (lunch) → Baishihu Suspension Bridge, Bishanyan (stroll) → Woodcraft Workshop (viewing wooden furniture) → Moooon River Café & Books (dinner)
The peak season for the Taiwanese strawberry crop is between March and May, when tender, juicy strawberries taste the most tart and sweet. Come to Taipei and you need only take the bus into the hills above Neihu to enjoy picking strawberries and appreciate the natural spring scenery for yourself, as well as the opportunity to enjoy unique cuisine, and savor the profusion of sensations of Taipei during this season.
Strawberry-Picking at the Tourist Farms on Bishan Road
Before climbing the mountain, fill up with the most local traditional Taiwan-style breakfast! MT Toast (麥町吐司工房), around five minutes' walk from MRT Neihu Station (捷運內湖站), provides competitive prices and a clean space, and is always occupied by an endless stream of customers at breakfast time. The restaurant's staple dish, Mid-Autumn Roast Pork Toast (中秋烤肉蛋吐司), which features cured and grilled pork with mayonnaise sandwiched inside soft toast, with an added fried egg for nutrition, is a taste well-known to every family in Taiwan. Aside from this, the French Drumstick Burger (國王厚牛美式漢堡) and Chinese Omelet (香蔥美蛋餅) are also popular choices, accompanied by freshly-brewed soybean milk, sure to make everyone greet every day full of energy.
After breakfast, go straight to the alley in front of you and take the Small No. 2 bus (小2公車), to begin a daytrip around the spring fields. There are more than ten tourist farms scattered around Bishan Road, including Bishan Tourism Strawberry Farm (碧山草莓園), Baishihu Tourism Farm (白石湖草莓園), Shanying Strawberry Farm (山櫻草莓園), Berry Garden Tourism and Leisure Farm (莓圃觀光休閒果園), and Wild Flower and Fruit Organic Farm (野草花果有機農場), all of which are inspected weekly by the Taipei City Government's Department of Economic Development (臺北市政府產業發展局), allowing guests to pick strawberries at ease, and eat them with confidence. As well as strawberry-picking, some farms provide diverse experiences such as DIY sweet potato roasting, strawberry daifukumochi (a Japanese mochi stuffed with sweet filling), and ecological experiences. However, when the strawberries ripen, they draw many tourists to experience spring on weekends and holidays, and we recommend that you telephone the strawberry farm to inquire about availability prior to visiting, to save disappointment.
Enjoy Fields, Gardens and Natural Food
For the complete strawberry experience, head for No. 38 Bishan Road, and you will pass the romantic Tongxin Pool. This once-desolate spring has been made into an ecological wetland in the shape of double hearts, and is very lovely. Next, turn a small corner, and the scene before you resembles another country – this is the Farmhouse Cafe Trattoria (穠舍田園咖啡義大利菜), founded by a local farmer, Lin Jiamin (林家民).
Lin's ancestors and parents lived and ran a farm here, but following the development of tourism in the Baishihu Lake community, he changed the old farmhouse hidden in a bamboo forest into a restaurant with its own inimitable style, and installed equipment for kids' games like hopscotch outside, allowing everyone to share in the fun here.
The lunch dishes provided are also very characterful. For example, the spinach fettuccine and flat fettuccine, which combine olive oil with fried fresh seasonable vegetables, giving every bite a great natural taste; this aside, the series of dishes made with the farm's own strawberries, such as strawberry pancake and strawberry au lait, can't be missed. No pesticides or growth hormones are added to the strawberries, which are small, sweet, tart and juicy. Combined with fresh hand-made cream, they warm the heart and delight the eyes, and also taste great.
Baishihu Community: Feasting Your Eyes on Natural Scenery
After your meal, follow the small path beside the farmhouse, and you will come to "Baishihu Suspension Bridge." Baishihu, which lies beneath the suspension bridge, is not a real lake but a valley because the previous inhabitants of this place called it a "lake" and is also named bai shi, for the white pebbles common in the area.
The suspension bridge is shaped like a dragon skeleton, the spine arching up piece by piece, symbolizing a massive dragon flying over the valley, and also symbolizing how one's wishes come true when walking across the bridge. As well as making your dreams come true when you cross the bridge, you can also broaden your horizons and feast your eyes on the elegance of the fields and mountains.
Next, you can choose to take the bus from the Baishihu Suspension Bridge to the city or to further enjoy nature. Continue down the path, and you can reach Bishanyan (碧山巖), the Fuqi Trees, and some hiking trails; the Small No.2 bus, which can be hailed anywhere along the road, will take you to any of the scenic spots along the road.
Aside from this, travelers with an interest in craftsmanship and woodworking can pay the Woodcraft Workshop (木想工作室) a visit, and appreciate the artistic furniture produced by Huang Guotai (黃國泰) with traditional woodworking techniques and natural cypress timber. Huang has forty years' experience of woodworking, and here you can see a master at work, and hear him sharing local stories.
A New Highlight of Neihu: A Space for Savoring the Scent of Books and Fine Cuisine
Towards evening, take the bus back to Neihu and get off at intersection of Ruiguang Road (瑞光路) and Gangqian Road (港墘路), then go to the Moooon River Café & Books to enjoy your evening meal. Combining the concepts of a library and a restaurant, Moooon River café, provides guests who eat there with books for purchase or to be read at the venue free of charge, holds irregular book exhibitions and book exchanges, and also provides tablet computers to search for the latest books on the market. The classical design inside the café, with a towering triforium and sofa seating, is both comfortable and provides privacy, allowing guests to enjoy a quiet eating and reading space.
When night descends and your journey draws to a close, it couldn't hurt to order a drink and a few of the Cafe's signature sandwiches: Honey Mustard Chicken (蜂蜜芥末菠菜雞), Spinach Chicken Fillet (菠菜乳酪烤雞腿) and Lava Chocolate (任性妮濃) to accompany a leisurely viewing of the spring twilight, bringing this nature-scented spring break to a peaceful close.
Information
MT Toast 麥町吐司工房 (內湖貳店)
Add: 2-1, Aly. 1, Ln. 60, Sec. 3, Neihu Rd.; Neihu Branch No. 2 (內湖路3段60巷1弄2之1號)
Tel: (02)2793-6396
Bishan Tourism Strawberry Farm 碧山草莓園
Venue: 47-12, Bishan Rd. (碧山路47之12 號)
Tel: (02)2793-1382
Baishihu Tourism Farm 白石湖草莓園
Venue: 40, Bishan Rd. (碧山路40號)
Tel: (02)2790-2785, 0927-151-119
Shanying Strawberry Farm 山櫻草莓園
Venue: 40, Bishan Rd. (碧山路40號)
Tel: 0933-065-537
Berry Garden Tourism and Leisure Farm 莓圃觀光休閒農園
Venue: 38-2, Bishan Rd. (碧山路38之2號)
Tel: (02)2790-2492, 0937-458-986
Wild Flower and Fruit Organic Farm 野草花果有機農場
Venue: 38, Bishan Rd. (碧山路38號)
Tel: (02)2790-2706
Farmhouse Cafe Trattoria 穠舍田園咖啡義大利菜
Venue: 38, Bishan Rd. (碧山路38號)
Tel: (02)2793-5448
Woodcraft Workshop 木想工作室
Add: 30, Bishan Rd. (碧山路30號)
Tel: (02)2791-3623
Moooon River Café & Books
Add: 218, Ruiguang Rd. (瑞光路218號)
Tel: (02)7720-2070
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