Restaurant: Hui Liu

Hui Lui is a distinctive restaurant by any standard; excellent cuisine, an atmosphere of earthy elegance and doting service. That it is strictly vegetarian makes it even more distinctive.

Nestled adjacent to the park on Yungkang Street, the restaurant is located in an attractive building with an interior that has undergone extensive improvements over the past few years. The restaurant sports a collection of pottery all of which is for sale, even the plate from which you eat. Hui Liu also sells pre-packaged herbs and spices that they use in their dishes. Recreating them at home, however, might be a daunting task.

Hui Liu's fried vege loaf (NT$320) is meat loaf in vegetable form and does a good job at recreating not only the consistency of ground beef, but an equally intense flavor as well. It is served with cabbage and accompanied by soup, salad and organic rice. Their Marco Polo Jiao Zi set (NT$350) serves up bottle gourd and ricotta cheese dumplings in a fresh tomato sauce and is accompanied by salad and homemade bread. On alternate weeks the "chef goes to market" set (NT$300) consists either of southern American stir-fried vegetables or sauteed vegetables with roasted asparagus and almonds, also served with salad and organic rice.

During lunch hours, the menu is pared down to set meals and the prices reduced. The pancake vegetable stack (NT$250) is a must-try. Layers of raw and cooked vegetables and pancakes (think crepes) are topped with yogurt raita and accompanied by soup and salad. Another dish that will have you smacking your lips through the afternoon is the sesame sauce noodle set (NT$220) which has a layer of vegetables and sprouts over a bed of sesame-flavored noodles, also served with salad.

Hui Liu serves up excellent teas that are kept hot over a bed of charcoal briquettes brought to your table. All of Hui Liu's oolong teas are organically grown in central Taiwan. Hui Liu's salads, it should be said, are among the best items on the menu. Fresh garden greens and sprouts share the bowl with various diced fruits and are topped by a lively vinaigrette.

Perhaps most distinctive about Hui Liu is the noticeable lack of grease in their dishes. Die-hard meat-eaters be warned: If you're idea of a good meal is something that has been stewed in its own fat, look elsewhere.