I visited Taipei for two weeks and prior to visiting, I signed up for two classes here. One was run in the morning with a market tour and the other in the afternoon. The market tour was fun. If you have not been to an Asian traditional market, I think it would be a good experience. Here you see the full animals (if you don't like to see animal heads and organs than this may not be your thing -- talk to the instructors beforehand, I am sure they will accommodate you).
The whole area is very spacious. There is a place for the students to relax before the class starts. This is also the place to enjoy your labor after you cook. Here you can also socialize with other students or if you have kids with you, they can kill their time here while you are learning to cook.
The class was designed immaculately! They really worked out all the kinks and thought of everything before the class was run. Here you find a systematic way of learning and you don't feel like you are just ordered to do various things. The process is very streamlined and smooth. Every step just naturally transitions into the next step. Here you learn cooking is actually a very relaxing process -- as long as you know the steps -- and what they show you exactly are the steps and the little clues to watch when you cook in order to make sure the flavor builds and the food tastes good.
The staff was wonderful -- every single one of them. The instructors were very knowledgeable about the food, the tour guide knew which alley to turn to show you where the hidden food gems are and the assistants are the unsung hero -- while we were cooking, they were there chopping away and washing things away so that the next food ingredient can be delivered to us for cooking.
When the class ends, I was handed an individualized recipe book -- how cool was that! All the pictures taken in the class were also emailed to us after the class.
If you are into Taiwanese food, this truly is a place where you can have fun, learn good cooking skills and develop the food that you crave.
