Passengers of the Future Express (鳴日號) would soon be able to enjoy food prepared by the chef of a three-star Michelin restaurant in Taipei, Lion Travel said yesterday.
The tourist train’s fine dining experience is the fruit of a collaboration of the Taipei-based travel agency, Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) and the Palais de Chine Hotel, it said.
Domestic and international tourists have shown great interest to the Future Express and other tourist trains, TRC vice chairman Jackson Liu (劉雙火) said in a news conference in Taipei’s Nangang Station.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
Many legislators have also inquired if such trains could stop at or depart from the stations in their districts, Liu said.
The collaboration would not only allow passengers to enjoy food from a three-star Michelin restaurant, he said, adding that they could also access high-quality railway service.
Tourist trains themselves have become travel destinations, Lion Travel managing director Andy Huang (黃信川) said.
Future Express trains slow down to 30kph when passing through important scenic spots, Huang said.
“We want to make sure that it would be a safe and romantic trip,” he said.
Ken Chan (陳偉強), the executive chef of Le Palais, and FDC International Hotel restaurant executive chef Rick Wang (王輔立) jointly designed the menus.
Chan has about 50 years of culinary experience in Chinese cuisine, while Wang’s expertise is innovative Western-style dishes.
The gourmet dining experience starts with an appetizer made with Yilan cherry duck, Taiwanese-style sauerkraut, bell pepper, spring onions, purple onions, eggs, carrot strips and jellyfish. The dish is decorated with star-shaped mountain hawthorn and flavored with pomelo sauce.
Chicken soup made with free-range chicken raised in Hualien County and stewed using coconut water follows the appetizer. The soup is served in a coconut shell with the top neatly cut open.
Future Express passengers can choose between the two main dishes: One is an abalone burger, with ingredients including Taiwanese steamed buns and abalones braised in meat sauce. As decoration, porcelain-style patterns were painted on the steamed bun by using colored sugar made from fruit puree.
The other dish has thick rice noodles produced in Hsinchu County, oysters from Chiayi County’s Dongshi Township (東石), squid from Penghu County and lobster from Canada.
The two main dishes would be paired with red wine selected by FDC.
Passengers of the Future Express would be able to taste desserts, including fried custard apple pie, with custard apples produced in Taitung County.
Chefs used soy milk, black sugar and sesame to create a jelly resembling a preserved egg with silken tofu. The dessert is called “not preserved egg with silken tofu.”
The creation of the dessert lunchbox was inspired by TRC lunchboxes, with rice crackers resembling rice, mango pudding resembling a boiled egg and chocolate resembling hamburger patty.
Apart from tasting gourmet food on the Future Express, people could visit the Cisingtan Beach (七星潭) in Hualien County to learn about oceanic ecosystems or go to a wild vegetable school run by indigenous people.
During the two-day tour, travelers could also take a guided tour in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) where they could learn about the history and culture of the coastal town.
The tourist train can board 54 passengers, with one onboard staff member assigned to serve every two passengers. A one-day trip costs at least NT$18,800, while a two-day trip costs NT$39,990 or more.
The culinary tour is to begin in the third quarter this year, the agency said.
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