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Restaurant: Yuan He Dian French Cuisine

Lamb chops with perigourdine sauce is a popular entree at Yuan He Dian. PHOTO: VICO LEE, TAIPEI TIMES

The idea of a French restaurant in Taipei often conjures up images of an establishment with a geometric or minimalist decor painted in light creamy colors. In Yuan He Dian, however, it's a rather mysterious and anachronistic exoticism that permeates the air. Aside from its diners and French dishes, everything in Yuan He Dian exudes 1940s Taiwan. A dozen lamps from the Japanese colonial era light an interior cluttered with exquisite vases, sturdy wooden tables and armchairs -- all made in the baroque style that was fashionable 60 years ago.

Located on Yungkang Street, Yuan He Dian might easily be mistaken for shop selling Chinese antiques. Gathered here are the result of Lai Chiu-wen's over 20 years of antique collecting. Diners have often tried to purchase the restaurant's furnishings, rare finds such as glass-like cloisonne enamel works and mud-block dolls, from Lai. The proprietress, however, rarely parts with her collectibles, preferring instead to share them with like-minded gourmets.

Address: 5, Lane 14, Yungkang St., Taipei (台北市永康街14巷5號) Telephone: (02) 2341-5160; (02) 2341-5305 Open: 11am to 12am Average meal: NT$500 Details: Chinese and English menu. Credit cards accepted.

Yuan He Dian may also be the only French restaurant where diners sit on couches stamped with the words "Empire University," the name of National Taiwan University during the Japanese colonial era, and admire delicate lotus-patterned wood plates -- incense cases that used to be made in Miaoli.

Lai's unique aesthetics are also evident in the dishes. The French cuisine is arranged to resemble the composition of a Chinese ink painting on the plates.

Offering much to please the eye, Yuan He Dian is not negligent with its dishes. Rather than concentrate on keeping the cuisine authentic, the restaurant puts the freshness of the ingredients and healthfulness of the cooking above everything else.

Pig knuckle (NT$550) comes with a set meal and is so popular that it sells out almost every day. The secret of its success lies in using fresh meat that hasn't been frozen and baking it for over two hours to bring out the pork's taste. "Any attempt to speed up the preparation, either by marinating or stuffing it with spices, fails to bring out the natural fragrance of the pork," Lai said.

Lamp chop with a mildly sweet perigourdine sauce (NT$550) is another highlight. And while the French barbecue baby chicken (NT$450) does not taste particularly French, its light vegetable sauce goes well with the chicken, which is as fragrant as it is succulent.

One thing you definitely won't find elsewhere is Lai's line-up of fresh drinks -- she invented them herself. Yam papaya juice (NT$180) and the pineapple yogurt drink are refreshingly smooth. Bean curd with nuts and pine seeds has a rich flavor and goes well with dessert.
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