Haodama Food Plaza (Niko Niko Do)

The Haodama Food Plaza in the Niko Niko Do department store offers a great selection of snacks and main courses. These are easily accessible even for those without limited Mandarin.

Seating

You do not need to book ahead for this restaurant but may need to wait to be seated at busy times (weekends and holidays) even though there are tables for several hundred diners.

Vacant tables are marked with a flower; it is important to realise this as the guests may well be off selecting their food.

Once seated, wait for a staff member to remove the flower and allocate you with a card. This serves as your order. You can now leave to select your food - though it is always best to leave someone watching bags if you have any valuables.

Food selection

The food on offer is obvious - it is actually on display. There are dozens of outlets specializing in a series of closely related dishes. Wander around these once just to get a feel for what is available.

To order you only need point at the dish that you would like and hand your card over. The server stamps your card with the outlets code in spaces that indicate the cost.

None of the dishes takes long to prepare and all are brought to your table quickly. You should try to decide on the whole order before commencing, otherwise you will end up with lots of dishes delivered and going cold before you get back.

It is tempting to stick with dishes that are familiar but remember, this is your chance to try something a bit different even without knowing the correct name. Go for what looks good and do not worry - there are no truly shocking dishes to worry about. Try a few cold starters as well, these are generally excellent.

The bill

When finished eating you only need hold up your card to attract a staff member. They will tot up the bill, which can be surprisingly cheap. That explains the popularity with the locals - not all of whom are shoppers in the store itself.