Anyone having a jaunt down south could do worse than paying http://www.zorbagarden.net a visit. Right on a yellow sand beach and adjacent to a fine campsite, Andrea and Jenny cook up some authentic Tuscan food in what must be one of the nicest parts of the island.
Spend the day lazing on the beach and the evening under the stars on the extensive wooden deck of the restaurant chatting to Andrea, who is a very cool bloke indeed.
Don’t miss the zuccotto – the best dessert I’ve ever had anywhere in Taiwan.
Hi Sandman,
When were you there? I heard from a very good Taidong source that the landlord, on seeing how the waiguoren had transformed his property from waste land into a major success, decided to break the contract and take control of the property. Interestingly, this also happened to another foreign-run restaurant in Taitung, a place called “Kasa” run by David Ripple. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Maybe you should change “very good” source to “usually reliable.”
I was at Zorba Garden last Thursday and it was very much open. Don’t know about the other place you mentioned. Anyway, Jenny, a local woman, is the driving force behind the venture and the name on the lease, far as I can tell, and she’s a feisty character who knows what time it is. Doesn’t seem like the type who’d stand for any landlord shit.
Sorry, Hobart, the link seems to be farked. Too many clicks on their pathetic little server, probably. Don’t know if I have any pics. I’ll have to ask 'er indoors. I’ll post them if I have them.
The link now seems to be working. And, by golly by gosh, it looks lovely! Sandman, what are the other draws for Taitung? I’m going to have a bit of trouble persuading the better half to make the trip to Taitung for the sake of visiting a restaurant!
Mark, try: gorgeous beaches; beautiful mountain scenery; chrben hot springs; fantastic sunny weather; peace & quiet (compared with the rest of Taiwan); whitewater rafting just up the coast; whale-watching trips; ferry to Green Island/Orchid Island from Fukang harbor just 5 minutes by car from the restaurant; outstanding seafood restaurants at the same harbor; the museum of prehistory; parasailing; that mountain where they grow those orange flowers for soup…
Any other nice places like this in Taitung? What hotels are recommended? I am sold on Taitung now. Been kind of in the neighborhood to Kentingb[/b] a few times and Hualian and TaiLuGe, but never Taitung. Weather should be nice now. Not too hot, and definitely warmer than Taipei.
Hobart, don’t know what your budget’s like, but there are many hotels at Zhiben hot springs (although if you’re driving, you’ll need to look for “Chrben” or maybe “Jrben”, which are the spellings used on the roadsigns) including a five-star one (the Regent, maybe?) which has a really top-notch spa, as well as an outdoor, Japanese-style hot spring for residents. Lots of more modest ones, too.
I camped at a very nice site on a beach right next to the Zorba Garden when I was there, which is where I always go, so I don’t really know about hotels in the immediate vicinity.
