The Mexican restaurant Dos Tacos, located on Fuxing Street of Hualien, is decorated with bright yellow signs, green cacti, and green/white/red flags. Restaurant owner Jason Chang is a Canadian who met Gao Ping, a girl from Hualien, in 2012 and married her the next year in Taiwan.
Gao originally worked for a financial company in Taipei, but Jason felt that the climate of Hualien is very similar to that of Vancouver Island in Canada, comfortable and pleasant. In addition, he likes surfing and other outdoor sports, and hoped to live in Hualien. As the couple didn’t want to be apart from each other, Gao resigned and returned to Hualien with Jason.
Jason is very good at cooking Mexican cuisine, but there are no Mexican restaurants in Hualien. After consulting with his wife, he decided to open a Mexican restaurant in hopes of introducing Mexican cuisine to the local people, and the couple started their business at the end of 2013. At first, people in Hualien did not take to spicy Mexican cuisine very well, and business was slow back then. However, after a series of media features and reports, and with the help of fresh ingredients from Hualien and customized levels of spiciness, a growing number of customers began enjoying authentic Mexican flavors.
The restaurant name Dos Tacos means "two tacos", and the most popular dish is the quesadilla, similar to a Mexican-style pizza. Its freshly baked crust with salsa, sour cream, and jalapeno tastes refreshing with black olives.
Another well-known dish is Jason's favorite house-made dessert, "fried ice cream". Vanilla ice cream is coated with a special blend of powdered sugar and corn flour and fried, resulting in a dish that’s rich in flavor but not too sweet. It is of limited supply due to the complexity of the cooking process.
On vacations, Jason and Gao enjoy being in the great outdoors. The couple loves Taroko, and occasionally go to Jiqi Beach for surfing. If there is ample time on the day, they like to drive south to Stone Stairs Platform to watch the beautiful pothole landscape. After the birth of their two children, their most frequented site became the head-water point of Shapoxi River in Xiulin Township, which is great for families as the kids can splash in the water and have fun.
Dos Tacos
Address: 92, Fuxing St., Hualien City, Hualien County 970, Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Tel: (03)831–1733