A STROLL DOWN THE WUCHUAN PARKWAY

by Douglas Habecker,
Translated by Rachel Chiou

In Taichung, there is a rather unique standard for judging the beauty and appeal of an area or place, known as the 'Wedding Photo Rule'. Basically, the more newly-wed couples one sees having their wedding studio photos taken in a given location, the higher its appeal ranking.

By this standard, Taichung's Wuchuan Parkway stands near the top, garnering an eight or nine on a 10 scale. Indeed, one particular afternoon a couple weeks ago witnessed about eight bride-and-groom pairs, clothed in their finest mauve, green, pink and yellow finery, jostling each other as photographers, make-up artists and assistants posed them in front of restaurants, on the grass, against cars and so on.

As if to reinforce the point that this is one of the city's nicest neigh-borhoods, a large number of amateur painters, young and old, were scattered about the grass and sidewalks, hunched over easels and palettes as they attempted to recreate the scenes before them with oils and watercolors. This, in turn, drew small groups of interested observers, peering over shoulders to watch each personal master-piece take shape. Others strolled slowly up and down the side-walks, often with children and dogs.

The Wuchuan Parkway is clearly a place where people go to hang out and relax and it's very easy to see why. Located in a still-quiet part of Taichung not far from the Taiwan

Museum of Art, the grassy strip--bordered on each side by Wuchuan West 3rd and 4th streets--has become home to an incredibly eclectic and growing number of restaurants, cafes and tea houses. Day or night, these creatively named and decorated establishments look out onto the grass and sidewalks, inviting strollers to come in. Given its open, attractive space, the Wuchuan Parkway is fast becoming

an alternative or complimentary attraction to Taichung's other famous cafe area, Chingming 1st Street.

One can drive to this area and find parking fairly easily. A much more pleasant option would be to park at one end or the other and walk the entire length, on sidewalks which are, strangely, completely free of parked motorcycles and other obstructions. Head straight out from the art museum's main entrance, across Wuchuan West Road and straight down either Wuchuan West 3rd or 4th streets which run perpendicular to the main road. The first two blocks are mainly residential with tree-shaded sidewalks.

There is enough variety in cafes and restaurants along the parkway to keep customers coming back time and time again. However, there are some general similarities. Most places are open from about 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Main courses at most places have low-to-medium prices, from about NT$250 up to NT$450. Coffees and teas tend to average NT$150 (remember that one is paying for atmosphere here). Afternoon tea-time specials are almost a rule and average around NT$180 to NT$250. Best of all, these are all good-looking establishments, each with its unique attributes and appeal, ranging from modern to traditional, ritzy to cute. The Map of Wuchuan Parkway will help you find everything described. Find the map at the bottom of the page. A larger version is available if you click it.

After leaving Wuchuan West Road on Wuchuan West 4th, the first cafe one comes to is Sharagan (2, Lane 13, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2378-3128), between Wuchuan 1st and 2nd streets. This big white house with blue wooden shutters has NT$200 to NT$300 Chinese and Western entrees with a NT$189 tea time. On the opposite side of the parkway is Banquet Restaurant (37, Wuchuan W. 3rd; tel. 2375-5559), an old-timer that now features an all-Chinese menu with an emphasis on seafood but including chicken, beef and others.

Back on the other side, continuing over Wuchuan 3rd brings one to Walnut Natural-Style Kitchen (61, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2378-1768), a light-brown, two-floor stucco building. The restaurant serves mainly-Western cuisine, including a variety of steaks, for mid-range prices. On the parkway in this section, take note of the pigeon houses. Most times of the day, the waddling white birds can be watched while sitting on park benches on a grassy strip.

Most of Wuchuan Parkway's restaurants and cafes are located between Wuchuan 5th and 7th streets. Just before that, on the Wuchuan West 4th/Wuchuan 5th corner stands the giant new Parity Coffee 3 Royalty House (68, Wuchuan 5th; tel. 2376-6789), boasting seating for about 300 in its modern-looking, three-level interior and serving reasonable NT$60 to NT$100 teas, coffees and other drinks, plus cheap set meals.

Heading further down on the Wuchuan West 4th side of the strip, one encounters wall-to-wall establishments, starting with a tall green and white house containing Veroli Restaurant (43, Wuchuan 5th; tel. 2372-6597) where the simple menu features several NT$199 deals that include a salad buffet, and NT$99 coffees. Two doors down is one of Taichung's favorite Italian restaurants, Little Italy (106, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2372-6463), with plenty of seating, a warm homey atmosphere and great American-style Italian cuisine.

The modern-looking three-floor-high glass cube next door is Peach Blossom Element I Contemporary Cuisine (107, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2371-8880) with mid-range Western cuisine like various steaks. The food, popular swing-type chairs--attached to the roof by cables--and glass architecture are mimicked at a larger sister restaurant, Peach Blossom of California Restaurant (closed) across the parkway.

Next to the former Peach Blossom is Pumpkin House (108, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2372-8456), a cozy place serving steaks from NT$350 to NT$580, with cheaper pastas and Asian dishes. Then there's the Jade Flavor Humanism Restaurant (110, Wuchuan West 4th; tel. 2375-9959), a green rounded building with popular second-floor outdoor balcony seating, NT$200 lunch specials and NT$300 to NT$500 Western dinner specials. Wagashi Restaurant & Coffee (112, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2378-7767) has it all with Chinese, Western and Japanese set meals and business lunches, starting at NT$250. The neighboring Chicago Chips place doesn't look open yet (keep checking What's New).

Candy House Cafe (118, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2372-4412) has a Chinese/Western mix, ranging in price starting from NT$250, as does the large white Tsai Hsuan Fang Foreign Flavor Restaurant (120, Wuchuan W. 4th; tel. 2376-8009). On the corner with Wuchuan 7th Street is another favorite, The Garden at Giverny (58, Wuchuan 7th; tel. 2376-9755), a large two-floor French-style cafe. There are outdoor seating areas upstairs and downstairs; inside sunlight pours through long, wood-framed windows onto white tablecloths and rattan chairs as quiet music plays.

Crossing the grass strip to Wuchuan West 3rd Street, one sees a new addition, Asakusaya Modern Japanese Restaurant (57, Wuchuan 7th; tel. 2371-1002). The appropriately-modern decor is a departure from most Japanese restaurants although reasonably-priced food is traditional fare. To the right of it is Hong Kong Chiu Ke Restaurant (closed), serving Cantonese business lunches from NT$180 to NT$220 and dozens of other individual dishes.

Heading back towards Wuchuan 5th Street there is the classy Lien Lien Feng Cheng Restaurant (56, Wuchuan 7th; open 10 a.m.-12 midnight) with its white tablecloths, white rattan chairs and mostly-Western dishes. Next door is the very neat-looking Creative Restaurant (99, Wuchuan W. 3rd; open 10:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.). The mix of Eastern and Western decor is matched with a menu that has everything from sirloin steaks to Chinese hot pot and noodles, for low-to-mid-range prices.

Next is 1924 Shanghai Restaurant (123, Wuchuan W. 3rd; open 10-1 a.m.), which does a pretty good job of capturing some of the ambiance and feeling of old Shanghai, with period decorative touches. Given the upscale setting, the Shanghainese/general Chinese cuisine is surprisingly reasonable, with lunch sets starting from about NT$240. After that is Koo-Koo-Roo (93, Wuchuan W. 3rd; tel. 2371-1817), another long-time parkway resident that changes its mid-priced menu every few months, switching between French, Italian, Mexican and other cuisine.

With so much to offer, the Wuchuan Parkway has something for everyone, whether they're looking for a meal, snack or drink. Beyond the buildings and businesses, however, it is simply one of the nicest, most relaxing and attractive streets in all of Taichung, making it a great place to go to, even if you don't spend a single NT dollar.