Not sure where to eat Christmas dinner this week? Not to worry. Taipei’s hotels, restaurants and bars are preparing all kinds of meals and goodies to cater to every holiday need. Read on for an exhaustive list of places that are offering multi-course set menus, Christmas dinners, turkey hampers for takeout, and other goodies. Readers should note that hotel prices are subject to a 10 percent service charge. Christmas specials are on offer on Wednesday and Thursday, and that orders for gift baskets and hampers should be made three days in advance, unless otherwise noted.CHRISTMAS DINNER (HOTELS)
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, the Grand Hyatt Taipei is teaming up with the Taiwan Foundation for Rare Disorders (罕見疾病基金會) for a donation campaign to help people suffering from rare disorders who have been deprived of opportunities for a good education or medical care. The hotel’s restaurants are also getting ready for Christmas revelers with specially crafted feasts. The Bel Air appeals to the delicate palate with a NT$3,500 set meal featuring fresh premium ingredients such as salmon caviar, truffle and lobster. Seared foie gras and pinot noir sauce, champagne and orange sherbet, roasted venison fillet with mushroom crust, bone marrow and truffle jus and spicy chocolate soup with fresh berries, warm gingerbread pudding, and single-malt ice cream are the centerpieces.
Ziga Zaga entices Christmas revelers with its Italian set menu (NT$3,500) of roasted quail with fava bean ragout and balsamic glaze, beef tenderloin with crisp duck liver, pumpkin gnocchi, sauteed baby spinach and Madeira glaze, and lentil cappuccino with truffle tapanade and cottachino sausage.
To add to the Christmas atmosphere, pastry chef Martin Thompson is preparing a wide selection of seasonal specialties including Dresden-style Christmas stollen, panettone Milano and cinnamon ice cream for the afternoon tea buffet (NT$680) at the Cha Lounge. Call (02) 2720-1200 X3198 or X3199 for reservations.
The mood is more international across town at the Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, where the Marco Polo Restaurant on the 38th floor promises a romantic night with its stunning view of the city and Christmas Eve dinner set for two (NT$6,400 or NT$7,600 for a window seat) that features tuna tartare with crispy cake, salmon roe and mustard dressing, cream of leek soup with lobster tail, and tortelloni with porcini mushrooms and prosciutto. The entree is pan-fried veal tenderloin wrapped in pancetta and served with roasted pumpkin, zucchini parmigiana and black truffle sauce.
Christmas dining Japanese-style is a tasteful experience at Ibuki Japanese Restaurant, where the NT$3,200 set menu includes an array of seafood such as king crab, toro sashimi, sea urchin and abalone. A seven-course Shanghai-style set menu can be found at the Shanghai Pavilion (NT$1,500 for lunch and NT$3,000 for dinner). For reservations, call (02) 2378-8888.
French head chef Bernard Noel and pastry chef Delcourt Laurent teamed up to create holiday season menus for the Grand Formosa Regent. Under a glittering three-story-tall Christmas tree on the hotel’s first floor, Azie is offering a Christmas special (NT$2,000) that includes pan-fried sea bass with zucchini and tomato saffron sauce, and chicken consomme with pesto. Main course options are pan-fried beef fillet wrapped with mushroom in truffle sauce or salmon with risotto spinach and basil sauce.
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