From its Zen-inspired decor to the beautifully presented 10-course meal, Da Shan Wu Jia (大山無價) shares a striking resemblance to another mountainside dining retreat, Shi-Yang Culture Restaurant (食養山房) (reviewed in the Oct. 30, 2009 edition of the Taipei Times).
The two restaurants are indeed connected. Da Shan Wu Jia was started by a former Shi-Yang chef, Yu Yuan-kun (游源昆). When Shi-Yang prepared to move from its original location in Sindian (新店) to Yangmingshan, Yu decided he wanted to stay in the area and open his own restaurant. The 39-year-old Yilan native found a property with a garden on Beiyi Road (北宜路) and renovated the two-story house to accommodate up to 80 diners.
The restaurant is quiet and tranquil, with a view of the mountains, minimalist interior and a comfy, spacious dining area, where diners sit on tatami mats at low tables.
There is no menu, as each
of the 10 courses is decided
by Yu and his team of six
chefs. The meal, priced at NT$1,000 per person and NT$850 for vegetarians, draws inspiration from Japanese
and Taiwanese cuisines.
Yu shares the same approach to food preparation as his former employer. He only uses locally sourced, fresh ingredients — the vegetables are from Sindian farms and the seafood is transported daily from Yilan.
Our meal started with a slice of homemade peanut tofu, which left a lasting impression for its taste and presentation. It had a creamy texture, punctuated by a tiny dab of wasabi hidden under a goji berry — a very pleasing surprise. The block of bean curd was also garnished with pine nuts and a spot of soy sauce. Served on red ceramic trays
and a large stone-colored slab, the dish looked like a Chinese ink painting.
Unfortunately none of the other dishes could match this one, though there were plenty of brilliant moments: sashimi slices served on a bed of salad and calamari cut in the shape of thick noodles; chicken stewed in red yeast rice (a mild-tasting ingredient used in Chinese medicine) served on a crispy wonton skin; homemade mulberry vinegar; a chicken soup with several different types of fresh bamboo.
I found it hard not to make comparisons with Shi-Yang, where the meal only got better and each course felt like a discovery. It was hit or miss at Da Shan Wu Jia. The later courses, a fried rice morsel with mullet roe and a bamboo and chicken soup, were good, but anticlimactic.
For service, Shi-Yang also holds an edge over Da Shan Wu Jia. The wait staff members were highly attentive, but their timing awkward. Several of them (20-something male students) were too eager to take our plates away, as if their eyes were on the plates only and not observing us.
But Da Shan Wu Jia is still worth a try, especially for those in southern Taipei looking for a novel dining experience, not to mention a peaceful getaway. The restaurant still makes for an acceptable alternative for those who can’t get a table at Shi-Yang, which usually has a six-week wait for weekends.
The restaurant is hard to reach on public transportation, but taxi drivers in the area know the place. A cab ride from Xindian MRT Station (新店捷運站) takes between 10 to 15 minutes and should cost around NT$160.
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