chinese/taiwanese: i recommend MIAO BANG CALLA LILY GARDEN

MIAO BANG CALLA LILY GARDEN
No.56-7, Zhuzihu Rd,
Yangmingshan, Beitou District, Taipei
(02) 2861-5419

website: chccd.com

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 4/17/2010



I'm always a little bit wary of restaurants once we wander too far out of Taipei. For some, it's an adventure to discover local tastes and dishes, but for me, I usually think of menus only in Chinese, winding roads of unfamiliar restaurants and squat toilets. I don't like squat toilets.

But at least I'm with relatives who also love food and have picked some good places in the past. On this occasion, they want to take me to Yangmingshan where you can walk the field of cally lilies next to the restaurant, take photos and even pick some to take home. It's kind of a nice retreat from the city and not as far as some of the other places we've gone, like the sheep farm or aboriginal village.



The relatives order a dizzying array of food and before we know it, the red plastic covered table is covered with dishes. While we wait, there is a sweet potato soup (NT$30/bowl) that comes first with huge chunks of sweet potato infused with a sweet ginger flavor from the soup it was boiled in.



Some of my favorite dishes from the night- a mushroom stir fry which has a generous bites of tender mushrooms, aromatic from the heavy accent of basil...



the steamed mantou (NT$100) which can be dipped in condensed milk. The pillowy, soft buns have different flavors- brown has a touch of brown sugar, purple for taro- but I'm unsure what the other ones are;



and the heaping plate of mian xian which are thin, wheat flour noodles that are surprisingly addicting, slippery with the rich sesame oil flavor and boiled to a soft, but not mushy bite.



So if you're looking for something different, you can find your way to Yang Ming Shan, enjoy the views and fresh air, and order away at this restaurant tucked in the mountainside.


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