Taipei Travel

I have been coming to Taiwan for almost 10 years every chinese new year and I never knew about this hidden gem. It may be one of the funnest things I've done in Taiwan. Making the pineapple cakes was really fun and educational. The staff did a great job speaking English and teaching us how to do it. They also had a small museum where you could try on outfits from traditional china empires. There was alot of young children here which I was worried about at first. But they must have been a school group and the staff separated there tour from ours. If you have young kids. This may be one of the best experiences in taipei to do with them. And you even get to make the cakes put them in a box and bring them home as your own souvenir.

Warning: 1. Make sure that when you follow the gps maps on your phone, it is taking you to 546 Wenlin Road and not No.12 Wenlin Road. The map took us to No. 12 Wenlin road only to find out that the actual address is a 15-minute walk. 2. We didn't know that you had to book online for the baking class. Reviewers here didn't mention it and the museum's website is hard to navigate thru. The website also does not mention the class timings and how many classes there are per day. Note: There are 2 classes. One in the morning and the last one is at 1pm. I piggy-backed my 7-year old kid for a 15- minute walk from the wrong address only to discover that the baking classes were over and we couldn't participate. FML.

Family travel including grandparents, wife, and 3 kids (12,10,8). We all had a blast. The program is well run and I can't say enough positive comments for the lady who guided our session. Jokes were a little corny at times, but super friendly, very helpful, and clearly enjoyed her job which made it enjoyable for all of us. Kids spoke very little Chinese and required our help. The tour guide did speak some English and Japanese. She later told us that she is learning Korean as well. There's a little museum tour while waiting for the pineapple cakes to be baked. It's a bit cheesy, but tolerable way to pass the time. You end packaging up about 10 self-made pineapple cakes, then a little tea time with pineapple cake and mango ice treat. Pros: fun experience, good pastries and dessert, good tour guide Cons: a bit out of the way, not much else nearby, a bit of a walk from nearest MRT station. Tips: be sure to ask how long whatever you buy will stay fresh, as many of them do not have preservatives. Some may not last until you've returned to US.

FOR THE REAL SWEET LOVERS Through my work I have been exposed to all kinds of sweet and chocolate creations in every capital in Europe and Asia. I have had the delight to taste many so called fusion sweet, but this is until tasting the House of Kuo's dessert The museum is not really a museum, more of a glorified shop. Instead, head straight to their CAFE next door HOK House of Kuo 郭元益的家   Address: No. 526, Wenlin Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111 Order a nice Oolong or Tieguanyin tea (best to balance the taste) then just try every chocolate and their pressed paste cakes ('classic pastry' on the menu). What a blast on the tongue.

Our family enjoyed the DIY session very much. The cakes were delicious and the staff explained that they will taste like pineapple biscuits on the first day and develop a more pastry like flavour the next day. It was quite a long session taking 2.5 hours. Good value considering it cost only 350 NT per pax.