Tasting Moments in Parkview Green Has Nothing on Its Sister Restaurant Taoyuan Village

After opening their first branch in Sanlitun Taikooli, our late-night canteen Taoyuan Village now lands a second sister restaurant Tasting Moments at Parkview Green. You have to be determined to eat at Tasting Moments since it’s not the easiest place to find in the Dongdaqiao-adjacent shopping mall; it took us 20 minutes to track down, and we consider ourselves to be seasoned veterans of the area. It didn't take long after we finally found it, situated in a quiet spot next to Tower A, to realize that Tasting Moments is quite different from the nostalgic canteen-style of Taoyuan Village.

For starters, the new all-white tent-like joint is pushing the contemporary minimalist vibe to the extreme. That said, they've clearly put plenty of effort into the details, including the flurry of white: marble tables, counters, logo, and so on. Even the ornamental rocks are painted white. As for the food, which are similar to Taoyuan Village but much more expensive, there's warm soy-based drinks (RMB 26-38), various teas, soy milk cheese tea, cakes, rice rolls, and other snacks.

Thankfully, Tasting Moment's service did not mirror the minimalist setting and the waitress kindly detailed the menu to us. The soy milk with walnut (RMB 29 for a small) was suitably smooth and nourishing, and full of soybean flavor. Perfect for a winter's day.

Our real sustenance, the Taiwanese breakfast staple of teriyaki pork shaobing (RMB 36), was served promptly and made from a crispy cake with a generous dash of white sesame. The sweetness of the pork and egg was cushioned nicely by the abundant lettuce and other ingredients' flavors and textures. We only wish the bread was large enough to actually cover the pork, instead of making for a half-open sandwich – a messy endeavor.

The youtiao (RMB 15) also fell short of our expectations; after eagerly tearing open the paper bag, all we found it was the smallest oily stick we’ve ever seen and even though it was topped with a stingy drop of cheese and stuffed with a sausage that was devoid of flavor, it had nothing on what you'd find at any given hole-in-the-wall joint for RMB 2. If anything, it only made us pine for an authentic Taiwanese alternative and so we left it unfinished.

Tasting Moments may be a convenient snack spot for the neighborhood's workers but rather than waste your money here, we'd recommend heading to the high-value food at the oft-crowded Taoyuan Village without hesitation.

Upon leaving, we noticed that Tasting Moments' logo is a minimalist take on of Salvador Dalí’s The Persistence of Memory, amounting to a pair of chopsticks clamping a soft melting pocket watch. We only wish they'd bothered to stock the restaurant with chopsticks so that we at least didn't have to finger their greasy food.

Tasting Moments
Mon-Fri 8am-10pm, Sat-Sun 10am-10pm. L1-AB1, 1/F, 101 Parkview Green, 9 Dongdaqiao Lu, Chaoyang District (138 1060 3503)
眷时：朝阳区东大桥路9号侨福芳草地一层101内L1-AB1室

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Photos: Tracy Wang