Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) With grip mats to prevent Wagyu beef-based calamities, Taipei's first-ever luxury double-decker restaurant bus was inaugurated at City Hall Square Thursday ahead of welcoming fine dining enthusiasts from Dec. 14.
Patrons will be able to book tables from Thursday for the 26-seater bus's daily afternoon tea service and twice-daily dinner services, with those hopping on the service treated to menus from the Regent Hotel prepared in the bus's lower-deck on-board kitchen.
Food on offer during the afternoon tea service includes roast beef and shrimp brioche, pistachio macaroon and raspberry madeleine.
Full course meals served during the dinner service, meanwhile, will include braised Wagyu cheek with red wine sauce and Ceasar salad, according to Regent.
Round trips will take approximately 1.5 hours for tea and two hours for dinner, according to Eric Hsu , chief operating officer of Sanjin Integrated Marketing Co., Ltd., the main operator of the bus service.
During the inauguration ceremony, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun said the restaurant bus would take patrons on a trip around the capital's landmarks and renowned sights while enjoying a high-quality meal.
"We want to promote an open museum as the whole city is a museum for patrons to explore," Tsai said. "So, we are very happy that Taiwan's very first double-decker restaurant bus is about to hit the road."
The trips, in operation Tuesday to Sunday, originate and end at Taipei City Hall MRT station, and will cruise past many of the city's landmarks, such as National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Taipei 101, Hsu said.
The idea of launching a double-decker restaurant bus came after conducting surveys overseas two years ago and finding that international cities like Tokyo, Bangkok, London and Hong Kong all had similar services, Hsu said.
"They have had these types of buses for many years, and we learned from these surveys and wanted to bring this experience to Taipei," Hsu said.
