Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant (食養山房)
Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant (食養山房)
Address: No. 5, Lane 350, Section 3, Xiwan Rd, Xizhi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 221Phone: +886 2 2646 2266
Closed on Mondays
Website: http://www.shi-yang.com/en/about-detail.php?m=6
Price: NTD 1250 or NTD 2200 (SGD 55 or 100)
Spoiler alert: This is the best meal we had in Taiwan and i highly recommend this place for an experience.
Shi Yang is a place of peace and serenity but first, you need to get yourself a reservation to eat here. My wife found this place through trip advisor and we decided to give it a try. Reservation was made almost 1 month in advance and when we arrived, it was a pretty long trip from the MTR via taxi up a hill to get to this place.
From the moment your taxi arrives, a doorman will check if you have a reservation before allowing your vehicle to enter the premises. Once inside, you'll find yourself in a very different world. It feels like being in Kyoto Japan. The surroundings are filled with trees, small river creeks and a modern yet Japanese looking building.
The restaurant and the path leading to it.
Needless to say, the atmosphere of the place is simply incredible. Its so nice and serene that all your worries and troubles just vanish into thin air. Even the 45 minute winding taxi ride to this place seemed to be worth it.
Food wise, they only serve non ala carte set meals at fixed prices. Vegetarian options are available but must be informed during the reservation. Any dietary restrictions will need to be informed as well.
Amuse Bouche began with a trio of drinks to cleanse the palate.
Silken tofu with cherry tomatoes and a soup i can't remember. The tofu is so meltingly smooth its amazing and the tomato goes really well with it by balancing the acidity with the base taste of tofu. Sorry i can't remember what the other dish is.
Seared scallops with wasabi peanut sauce and braised asparagus. Fat and juicy scallops cooked to perfection so that its crispy on the outside and yet still juicy and sweet on the inside. The combiination of the wasabi peanut sauce only served to enhance it even further.
Assorted chilled sushi and cold dish. This was a sight to behold. It was huge! There were assorted sushimi, uni, ikura cucumber, abalone, mussels and they were all super fresh.
Lotus chicken soup. This is a surprise and once again, after all the other dishes, this was also a huge and generous portion. It was served without the flower and it was added after whereby it slowly opened to this beautiful scene. There is also a whole chicken underneath the soup which has been double boiled and taste sublime. The meat just falls off the chicken as well.
Red bean mochi signaled then impending end to our superb meal and is still equally chewy, sweet and full of taste. By this time we were stuffed so our brains have more or less stopped working.
Suffice to say, all this high quality food presented in an almost fine dining atmosphere and method for a price of SGD 55 is really a steal. After the meal, you can enjoy the surroundings in the moonlight before making your long way back to your hotel.
A word of advise, book the cab to and fro the place or drive here. Otherwise, the locals can help to call a cab but there is no other way to get here as far as this writer knows.
Verdict: Reserve your place now. Go with an open mind. Enjoy the moment.
