Although its official address is one of those vague rural addresses that can often be hellishly difficult to locate, it is almost impossible to miss Lumama (魯媽媽雲南擺夷料理), which sits just off the No. 14 Jia Provincial Highway (省道台14甲線) above the mountain resort of Cingjing Farm (清靜農場).
In the crazily eclectic style of the area, Lumama, which serves up some of the best Yunnan/Shan food this side of the Thai border, is housed in a kind of Swiss chalet. While the restaurant boasts a lovely view of the Central Mountain Range, it is not set up as a scenic restaurant, and the focus is most definitely on the food with its bold flavors and liberal use of fragrant herbs and spices.
A must-try at Lumama’s is the natural mung bean cake (天然豌豆粉, NT$100), a firm green jelly served with cucumber, coriander, ground peanut and a thick sweet hot sauce. The restaurant’s version of this often-bland starter was extraordinarily vibrant, and while the topping was pungent, the natural flavor of the bean jelly managed somehow to shine through. It is the sort of dish that you order again on the way out to snack on later.
Somewhat more controversial but equally welcome was the beef soup (牛肉扒呼湯, NT$350). Rich and gamy, it is made from offal and the beef is cooked to the edge of disintegration. The flavor of the soup can be enhanced by a selection of spices, and the beef itself eaten separately, flavored with a mint dipping sauce. This beef soup is not for the carnivorously challenged, for while the offal is not physically present in the soup, the flavor of organ meats cannot be missed.
A popular Shan dish that can be found at many local restaurants is gin sa (錦灑, NT$200), a mix of minced pork and herbs wrapped in raw locally grown cabbage leaves. The leaves were crisp and sweet, the meat fragrant with chili and an unfamiliar bundle of mixed herbs. The whole ensemble packs a flavorful punch, but it never felt heavy or cloying. Dishes such as gin sa can be found on many Thai, Burmese and Yunan restaurant menus around Taiwan, but Lumama gives it a special twist that makes the journey to this Shan enclave in the Central Mountain Range worthwhile.
Lumama uses local produce in an understated manner. High altitude cabbage comes from local farms, as does the fresh angelica sinensis (當歸), a plant that is more commonly found as a dried herbal medicine. The collation of steamed preserved meats (NT$200) is also made locally — the restaurant makes much of these authentic flavors, which are made possible by a climate similar to the highlands of Indochina where the Shan originated. The restaurant is situated at an altitude of more than 2,000m above sea level.
Service is brisk and the staff
is clearly experienced at handling the large crowds that flock to Lumama for a taste of its unique cuisine. The joint has no pretensions, and maintains a street food ambiance while presenting restaurant quality dishes.
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