Shanzhai Monster Village

Don’t confuse this one with Xitou Monster Village in Nantou. Yes, there are two monster villages in Taiwan, and yes, they are both operated by the same management group. Located in the city of Yilan, Shanzhai Monster Village allows visitors to enjoy a diverse variety of items on the extensive menu ranging from waffles, pizzas, burgers to pasta and risotto, while being surrounded by (seemingly) monstrous figures in a Japanese setting. In fact, the village tells an ancient story of how a giant monster causing chaos in the Layang region was eventually chased off by the villagers of Shanzhai. Everything available in the restaurant from breads, cakes to meals and souvenirs therefore follows this story.

A multitude of toothpick-pierced samples will leave you spoiled for choice, but the Japanese cotton-soft cheesecake is a favorite of many. The baguette sandwich stuffed with locally sourced roasted duck with cherries and lettuce leaves is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside; if you are craving for some refreshing taste, this is what you are looking for. However, the massive burgers are for the massive appetites only as each of them is eighteen inches in diameter and twelve kilos in weight. Quite massive, eh?