Chia Te Pineapple Cake from Taipei, Taiwan
Aside from exploring the various tourist spots found in a country and treating your taste buds to the taste of their local cuisine, pasalubong (souvenir) shopping is always a part of one's travel itinerary as it gives you the chance to take a piece of your travel destination home for you to remember.
Pasalubong comes in different types. My friend J collects magnets from all the countries that she has visited, while I make sure to drop by the local Starbucks store to buy myself a City Mug to add to my growing collection. My sister, on the other hand, makes sure that she stocks up on local snacks and food items that she can share with the family back home.
If a trip to Manila is not complete without buying boxes of sweet Dried Mangoes and Goldilocks products, we found out that while in Taipei, we have to make sure to buy boxes of authentic Pineapple Cake to take home. Of course, we have to look for the best and thanks to fellow bloggers Richard and Leslie who gave high praises for one particular brand, I, together with my friends traveled to Nanjing East Road Station in search for none other but Chia Te Bakery.
Getting off the Nanjing East Road Station, our very organized friend Jean has prepared a print out of the bakery's address which she presented to the station officer to ask for directions. We then were advised to take a short bus ride which will drop us off very near the bakery.
True enough, the bus ride simply took less than 5 minutes and quite quickly we found the bakery! Everyone was excited all the more when we saw the line outside and the thick crowd of busy customers inside.
I love the sweet smell of pastry that greeted me the moment I entered the bakery. Everything was well-organized. We found our spot near the Pineapple Cakes (NT30/piece) and happily filled our boxes of various flavored cakes such as Strawberry, Logan, Cranberry and a lot more!
They also have other types of pastries such as the Wife's Cake and this delicious Almond Pastry that I enjoyed munching on here in Manila.
I can't believe that the store is always this busy as told to us by the cashier. Everyday, people would flock to this store for their fill of Pineapple Cakes and a lot more.
The moment we arrived home from our Taipei trip, we presented our boxes of Pineapple Cakes to my parents and grandparents. To satisfy our curiosity, we opened a pack each and took a bite. I love the light buttery outer covering and the chunky pineapple filling. It wasn't overly sweet that would make you cringe instead you get a good mix of sweet and sour flavor from the pineapple. We all loved the Pineapple Cake from Chia Te that the moment it ran out, my Angkong (grandfather) bought a pack of local pineapple cake from Chinatown. Unfortunately, it just doesn't taste the same.
Now, I wish I can just hop on the next plane to Taipei to buy more of Chia Te's Pineapple Cake.
*photos taken using a Canon S95
Visit Chia Te at No.88, Sec. 5, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan District, Taipei City.
How to get there: Take the MRT and get off the Nanjing East Road Station.
Take any of the following bus numbers: 46、204、204、248、277、279、282、306、306、604
Pasalubong comes in different types. My friend J collects magnets from all the countries that she has visited, while I make sure to drop by the local Starbucks store to buy myself a City Mug to add to my growing collection. My sister, on the other hand, makes sure that she stocks up on local snacks and food items that she can share with the family back home.
If a trip to Manila is not complete without buying boxes of sweet Dried Mangoes and Goldilocks products, we found out that while in Taipei, we have to make sure to buy boxes of authentic Pineapple Cake to take home. Of course, we have to look for the best and thanks to fellow bloggers Richard and Leslie who gave high praises for one particular brand, I, together with my friends traveled to Nanjing East Road Station in search for none other but Chia Te Bakery.
Getting off the Nanjing East Road Station, our very organized friend Jean has prepared a print out of the bakery's address which she presented to the station officer to ask for directions. We then were advised to take a short bus ride which will drop us off very near the bakery.
True enough, the bus ride simply took less than 5 minutes and quite quickly we found the bakery! Everyone was excited all the more when we saw the line outside and the thick crowd of busy customers inside.
I love the sweet smell of pastry that greeted me the moment I entered the bakery. Everything was well-organized. We found our spot near the Pineapple Cakes (NT30/piece) and happily filled our boxes of various flavored cakes such as Strawberry, Logan, Cranberry and a lot more!
They also have other types of pastries such as the Wife's Cake and this delicious Almond Pastry that I enjoyed munching on here in Manila.
I can't believe that the store is always this busy as told to us by the cashier. Everyday, people would flock to this store for their fill of Pineapple Cakes and a lot more.
The moment we arrived home from our Taipei trip, we presented our boxes of Pineapple Cakes to my parents and grandparents. To satisfy our curiosity, we opened a pack each and took a bite. I love the light buttery outer covering and the chunky pineapple filling. It wasn't overly sweet that would make you cringe instead you get a good mix of sweet and sour flavor from the pineapple. We all loved the Pineapple Cake from Chia Te that the moment it ran out, my Angkong (grandfather) bought a pack of local pineapple cake from Chinatown. Unfortunately, it just doesn't taste the same.
Now, I wish I can just hop on the next plane to Taipei to buy more of Chia Te's Pineapple Cake.
*photos taken using a Canon S95
Visit Chia Te at No.88, Sec. 5, Nanjing E. Rd., Songshan District, Taipei City.
How to get there: Take the MRT and get off the Nanjing East Road Station.
Take any of the following bus numbers: 46、204、204、248、277、279、282、306、306、604
