Moon Lake House Inn

Concrete walls, dark green drapes, wooden furniture and local handmade pottery work nicely together in this elegant room that spans two floors. The young chef, who honed his skills in France, excels in modern French fare with an Asian twist. Try his chargrilled scallop with kombu, peas and parsley sauce for a delightful mix of textures. Desserts made à la minute and tea brewed with herbs that you pick yourself end the meal on a decadent note.

Sur- moved to Central district in 2023 and now occupies the third floor of a quaint building. The minimalist room dotted with wooden furniture and vintage couches sports dark colours. The owner-chef elevates everyday Taiwanese ingredients to haute cuisine using traditional techniques like tempering, charbroiling and smoking in the tasting menu that changes every season. The wine and zero-proof pairings are highly recommended.

In 2006, a mushroom farmer opened this mushroom-themed restaurant in Xinshe, the mushroom capital of Taiwan. Free-range chicken soup with shiitake tastes rich and flavoursome, while dried day lily flowers and assorted mushrooms add to the complex taste profile. Try also three-cup monkey-head mushrooms, and mushroom minced pork rice. Adjacent to the Sea of Flowers and Dakeng, it makes a great stop to recharge your body after a day out.

On a mountainside nearly 500 metres above sea level, this Zen-inspired establishment was founded 10 years ago and opened by a renowned restaurant group. The elegant room is nestled on meticulously manicured ground that spans over 3,000 square metres. Only one 10-course omakase menu is offered, featuring tea tasting rituals and novel creations based on kaiseki traditions. Seasoning is precise and restrained for natural flavours to come through.

This paradise for beef lovers is just the ticket for discerning connoisseurs. The young owner-chef knows his cattle inside out and sources prize-winning breeds from all over Japan, including Akage Wagyu from Kumamoto and some rare ones not found elsewhere. Both the set and à la carte menus showcase premium cuts that are perfectly grilled to your order by the highly-skilled team. They also explain every cut in detail, together with where they source their produce.

A time capsule circa 1960s and a get-together hotspot for locals, this restaurant takes you back in time with vintage knickknacks and nostalgic home cooking that is inexpensive and generously served. The gua bao set menu is hugely popular – steamed buns stuffed with braised pork belly, bamboo shoot, pickles and ground peanuts, while the stir-fried beef with Madeira wine is gingery and flavourful. Help yourself to the steamed rice with lard.

A firm favourite among many Taichungians, this noodle shop is now run by the third generation of the family. For 60+ years, the signature dish has remained unchanged – blanched egg noodles tossed in braised ground pork sauce and fried scallion. Marinated egg is optional, but a dab of the house-made sweet chilli sauce is mandatory. Equally popular are the fried tofu puff soup and the so-called ‘all at once’ soup, well-seasoned with spicy pickled mustard stems.