For a fruity meal fit for a king take a ride up Linsen North Road to the Gloria Prince Hotel and enjoy a combination of sweet pulps, savory meats and fish -- including some rare and unusual items even the most experienced gourmand may not have tried before.
Once you are seated in the elegantly appointed dining room, with its gilded furniture and brightly polished chandeliers, settle down for what could be a two-hour plus gastronomic experience.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
There are nine items on the Fruit Set Menu, which was devised by head chef Peter Wu in June and has been continued because of its popularity. The winner of two consecutive cordon bleu contests in Taiwan, Wu hails from Hong Kong and specializes in Cantonese cooking, which he has internationalized for the local and high-end traveler set he services.
The only man to have been the head chef for two presidents on overseas trips (Lee Teng-hui (
The set menu begins with fiery dragon fruit canapes and ends with a mango ice crush. In between the highlights were some highly inventive dishes, only one of which did not succeed, in this reviewer's opinion. That was the seafood and apple with mayonnaise sauce, which looked good enough, but was slightly sickly with the combination of sweet apple and overbearingly rich mayo.
The rest was an adventure for the taste buds that was rewarded by some original and flavorsome combinations. The pumpkin with egg and fried shark's fin was a revelation. The scooped-out half-pumpkin, steamed and filled with lightly fried eggs and bean sprouts, set off the delicately prepared shark's fin. Usually, I find the taste of shark's fin unremarkable, but on this occasion it was a treat. The sharks used are farmed, apparently, so conservationists need not be upset. The dish came with one of the most delicious clear broths I have ever tried. Made from ham, chicken, pork ribs, pumpkin, dried scallops and spices (the chef refuses to disclose), it is boiled, reduced and strained for days to form a golden nectar that is strong, yet refined in taste.
Braised beef and mango went together surprisingly well, the scallop dishes were superb and the deep fried banana fruit rolls were impeccable.
However, the most remarkable dish, fittingly enough, came last. Hasma sweet soup in papaya sounds bland enough, but the reproductive glands of the snow frog, dried, rehydrated and double-boiled with rock sugar, is a unique culinary invention that was previously only eaten by emperors. The hermaphrodite snow frog's sperm and ova form a glutinous and opaque dessert after cooking. It sounds weird and feels like tapioca in the mouth, but with a slightly salty after taste. Yes, indeed, a funny experience.
June 23 to June 29 After capturing the walled city of Hsinchu on June 22, 1895, the Japanese hoped to quickly push south and seize control of Taiwan’s entire west coast — but their advance was stalled for more than a month. Not only did local Hakka fighters continue to cause them headaches, resistance forces even attempted to retake the city three times. “We had planned to occupy Anping (Tainan) and Takao (Kaohsiung) as soon as possible, but ever since we took Hsinchu, nearby bandits proclaiming to be ‘righteous people’ (義民) have been destroying train tracks and electrical cables, and gathering in villages
Dr. Y. Tony Yang, Associate Dean of Health Policy and Population Science at George Washington University, argued last week in a piece for the Taipei Times about former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) leading a student delegation to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) that, “The real question is not whether Ma’s visit helps or hurts Taiwan — it is why Taiwan lacks a sophisticated, multi-track approach to one of the most complex geopolitical relationships in the world” (“Ma’s Visit, DPP’s Blind Spot,” June 18, page 8). Yang contends that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has a blind spot: “By treating any
This year will go down in the history books. Taiwan faces enormous turmoil and uncertainty in the coming months. Which political parties are in a good position to handle big changes? All of the main parties are beset with challenges. Taking stock, this column examined the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) (“Huang Kuo-chang’s choking the life out of the TPP,” May 28, page 12), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) (“Challenges amid choppy waters for the DPP,” June 14, page 12) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) (“KMT struggles to seize opportunities as ‘interesting times’ loom,” June 20, page 11). Times like these can
Swooping low over the banks of a Nile River tributary, an aid flight run by retired American military officers released a stream of food-stuffed sacks over a town emptied by fighting in South Sudan, a country wracked by conflict. Last week’s air drop was the latest in a controversial development — private contracting firms led by former US intelligence officers and military veterans delivering aid to some of the world’s deadliest conflict zones, in operations organized with governments that are combatants in the conflicts. The moves are roiling the global aid community, which warns of a more militarized, politicized and profit-seeking trend