Christmas is a time for getting together and enjoying good food in a convivial atmosphere. Many of Taipei's hotels are all eager to provide a venue for this wining and dining, laying on banquets and preparing hampers of every description to meet every celebratory need. Whether it's a takeout turkey with a bottle of wine to be enjoyed at home or a full multi-course dinner with a room, it's all there, and all at very competitive prices, as hotels vie with one another to produce the best combination of quality and price. It all depends on what you want, but here follows a brief rundown of what's available in Taipei for the prospective Christmas reveler.
Now that the nativity is out the window, hotels are stuck with old Saint Nick, aka Santa Claus, and his trusty old pine tree with presents beneath. The Grand Formosa Regent, with its 12.8m-high Christmas tree in the lobby overshadowing the hotel's Azie restaurant, has clasped on to that idea and run with it. Italian is the theme, and Azie's Christmas set offers (Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) such Italianate innovations as grappa sorbet, crispy black banded sea bass with risotto verdi, tomato confit and tarragon-glazed oysters, and pan-fried beef fillet in Barolo and truffle sauce. At NT$2,000 per person and with the Christmas tree overhead, it's hard not to get into the Christmas spirit.
For something a bit more formal, you can take a seat at Robin's, where grilled Wagyu beef fillet with Sangiovese sauce, tomato gratin with zucchini and smoked provola cheese or Christmas turkey with sage and walnut stuffing, turkey gravy and cranberry sauce, braised red cabbage, confit vegetables, and potato mousseline form the centerpiece of the NT$3,000 set menu. If you don't feel like getting all dressed up for dinner, Grand Formosa Regent offers a room service special between Dec. 21 and Dec. 25 that includes a Wellspring Penthouse Suite, a special "Venetian" dinner and breakfast for two for NT$8,999. If hotels are not your thing, then get take out: Christmas hampers packed with delicious European festive foods are NT$2,000. Call (02) 2523-8000 to make bookings for any of the restaurants at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE IMPERIAL HOTEL
Across town, the Grand Hyatt Taipei has mobilized all its restaurants to create exciting Christmas-themed menus. While the traditional turkey and beef are clearly in evidence, there is also plenty to tempt more delicate palates. The Bel Air Bar and Grill has have created a number of dishes for their Christmas Eve special set menus using seasonal ingredients, such as fresh oysters and truffles, to give the meals that something special (set menu NT$3,500). Ziga Zaga has gone out of its way to give Italian food a new twist with dishes such as pear and grappa sherbet with crushed black pepper and roasted veal with oysters on soft walnut polenta, cranberry marsala jus and Brussels sprouts (set menu NT$3,500).
If sweets are your thing, pastry chef Martin Thompson has come up with his own Christmas cakes and dessert designs, which can be enjoyed at the Cha Lounge during the afternoon tea buffet (NT$680) or a dessert and oyster buffet (NT$1,400) on Christmas Eve. There are also seasonal specialties, including Dresden-style Christmas stollen and panettone Milano. For more information or reservations, call Grand Hyatt Taipei's Food & Beverage Sales Department at (02) 2720-1200 X3198 or X3199.
The Ambassador Hotel will be going for a more lively atmosphere with a Champagne Christmas Banquet followed by a "Crazy Rock & Roll Party" with a live band and DJ to help you party through to late. A combined banquet and party package is available for NT$2,200 or NT$800 for the party alone, and you still get a complimentary glass of champagne. The pastry chefs at the Le Bouquet patisserie have also gone all-out, creating the Amedei chocolate Christmas cake using Amedei's Chuao chocolate, a deluxe chocolate produced in limited quantities. To put a little romance into your Christmas, pick up a room and a bottle of red for NT$5,000 for the night of Dec. 23 or Dec. 24. Bookings can be made by calling (02) 2100-2100 X2175 to X2178.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE GRAND HYATT TAIPEI
The Imperial Hotel's Sonoma also has a special Christmas menu between Dec. 22 and Dec. 25. It offers a surf and turf with Canadian beef and lobster for NT$2,600. For those in the market for something simpler, the Front Page Bar has a bistro set for NT$1,224. The hotel bakery, Le Jeu de Pain, has a huge variety of offerings from gingerbread houses (NT$450) to Italian and French-style cakes. A turkey hamper is available for NT$3,200 but must be ordered five days in advance. For those with a mind to celebrate Christmas with greater intimacy, take advantage of the Imperial's special Christmas room deal for NT$3,700, which runs from the Monday through Dec. 24. To book, call (02) 2596-5111.
At the Sheraton Taipei, the mood is more international, with its French restaurant, Antoine, offering specialties such as foie gras. Chef Phonlaphat Sudsaidee of Suhkothai has created a Thai interpretation of the festive season to tickle the taste buds in unusual ways. In addition to all the good food on offer, the Sheraton has gotten together with the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation (華山社會福利慈善事業基金會) to organize the Xmas Charity for the Elderly in Need campaign to spread the warmth to those for whom a dinner at a five-star hotel restaurant is no more than a dream. During December, The Deli is offering 40 products, including gingerbread houses, a takeout turkey dinner, Christmas cakes and many kinds of fancy and seasonal desserts and pastries and will donate 10 percent of its takings to the Huashan Social Welfare Foundation. Contact the Sheraton at (02) 2321-5858 for bookings.
For those on a budget, you could do worse than consider the package offered by the Holiday Inn East Taipei, with Christmas dinner buffet at Sam's for NT$699. This will include sing-alongs with Father Christmas and a prize raffle. A deluxe room deal is also offered for NT$699 per person with a Christmas meal. The offer is open from Dec. 22 to Dec. 25. Contact the Holiday Inn East Taipei at (02) 7703-5865 for bookings.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL
Meanwhile, a panoramic Christmas can be enjoyed at Shangri-La Far Eastern Plaza Hotel's 38th-floor Marco Polo Restaurant. Italian chef Fabian Altabert will be preparing a special lunch on Dec. 23 with US prime steak and lots of seafood for NT$1,480. For dinner, from Dec. 22 to Dec. 24, Italian-style Christmas menus for NT$2,000 and NT$2,500 will be available. Contact the restaurant at (02) 2376-3156 for bookings. The hotel is also offering a wide range of takeout options, with festive cakes for NT$850 (large) and NT$350 (small), and a 5kg turkey dinner for NT$2,700. Contact (02) 2378-8888 X5867 for orders.
A 10 percent service charge is levied on all the prices listed above, but after all, it is the season of generosity and good will to all men, and women. The Taipei Times wishes everyone a merry Christmas, and on a more sober note reminds you that excessive drinking can damage your health. It further advises you not to drink and drive, and if in doubt, check out the hotel room rates or get the concierge to call you a taxi. After all, that's what hotels are there for.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE GRAND FORMOSA REGENT
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