Originally Posted by
taipeipeter
One Hong Kong-style dim sum possibility is "City Star"--guaranteed to be full of locals (
http://www.citystar.com.tw). There are fancier places, but City Star is good. Be prepared to wait for a table if you are going anywhere around meal times to late evening.
Even dim sum is more a HK thing, it's not uncommon for folk to go out for dim sum in Taiwan.
I agree with
taipeipeter. City Star is a good choice. If I am not mistaken, the owners (or cooks?) are originally from HK. That should add more "authenticity" to their dim sum
. Since it's open 24 hours, better go during off-peak hours.
Another possibility is Brother Hotel (兄弟飯店). My family really enjoy their dim sum at Ume Restaurant (梅花廳) on the 2nd floor (link
here). Good crowd there whenever we go. If you don't want to wait a good hour, better make a reservation in advance.
Originally Posted by
Audie
I am curious what the going rate for a foot massage and a hair cut (not at the same place, of course) would be and how the price would compare to my past visits to Beijing?
The cost of a hair cut can range from TWD$100 (10-min cut w/o shampoo) to TWD$8K. I don't know how they do it nor charge in Beijing but I would say you can get a pretty decent cut paying $500-$1K, with full service (shampoo, cut/style, blow dry & a bit of neck/shoulder massage) in Taipei.
I am at Daan so I know this area pretty well. Foot massage isn't the main attraction at Daan District. Spa and foot massage brings quite a few Japanese tourists to Taiwan. You may want to check out
this article and get a sense of the local foot massage/spa culture. Depending on your budget, you may be introduced to or leaning toward different packages/services. I don't know them well enough to give you a personal recommendation in Taipei though.
As pointed out, Daan is conveniently located in the city. You don't have to go far for shopping or eating. Both Tunghua (or Dunhwa) and Shida Night Markets are nearby, if you are into night markets.
If I may, you should try some traditional Taiwanese food (NOT from night markets).
Shin Yeh (欣葉台菜) and
Chin Yeh (青葉台菜) are two big names. Shin Yeh has a (branch) restaurant at Taipei 101.
AoBa (@ An-he & Hsinyi RD) is the younger version of Chin Yeh and run by the 2nd (or maybe 3rd?) generation. Therefore, you'll get to taste "neo-Taiwanese" food at AoBa.
Is this your first trip to Taiwan and Taipei? Let us know what you like (to see or eat), so we can give better suggestions/advice. Welcome to Taipei!
