Chef's Table@The Retreat Lounge

After the New Year holiday, are you ready to travel? It doesn’t matter if you haven’t been there yet, just take a look at my delicious food in Hualien, Taiwan to satisfy your craving first. I have previously shared with you the secret afternoon tea at Silks Place Taroko. Today, I will introduce to you a tailor-made dinner at the hotel. On the day we arrived in Hualien, we had dinner at The Retreat Lounge on the top floor of the hotel and enjoyed a delicious Chef's Table dinner. As soon as I sat down, I had a glass of the hotel's own Shanhe millet sparkling wine. This sparkling wine is tailor-made by a well-known brewery using local Hualien millet wine. It has a fragrant aroma and a refreshing taste. It is super delicious. There is also Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio, a mellow California white wine with a refreshing peach citrus flavor that is not too sweet and is quite to my taste. Our appetizer bread includes the fragrant basswood mushroom bread, which is absolutely delicious when paired with the smooth butter. Dinner started with petite white shrimp, Shoufeng pumpkin and monaka. The fresh white shrimp was topped with chive leaves and pumpkin puree and hidden inside a Japanese monaka pancake. The sticky white shrimp was full of freshness, and the sweet pumpkin puree and crispy monaka pancake made the small piece very rich in taste and memorable. Next, the horse dung sea urchin on Highway 11 and Ji’an fruit corn are prepared with local ingredients. The super sweet and thick corn is paired with the umami-filled horse dung sea urchin, and the umami directly hits the taste buds and is very shocking. This dish of Huilan stone crab and Zhongheng mountain sweet bamboo shoots is prepared with the fresh flavors from both the sea and the mountains! The combination of crispness and freshness is delicious even without any sauce. The delicious taste can't be stopped, so continue to taste the East Coast nine-hole abalone from the sea and the wild vegetables of the Taroko aboriginals. The most famous local nine-hole abalone is served with abalone liver made into a sauce to bring out the original flavor. The unique Taiwanese wild vegetable Guomao, which is not bitter or scratchy, has a very unique taste. Next up is this deep-sea sturgeon, Taiwan 8 line tartar sauce, and handmade red meat plum jam. The presentation is beautiful and it is a mouth-watering dish. The sturgeon has a solid texture and is deep-fried to make it crispy and delicious. It can be enjoyed with Taiwan 8 Line tartar sauce or handmade red meat plum jam. The sour and sweet taste is particularly appetizing. At this moment, a hot soup is served, which is made of wild lobster from the East Coast, mussels from Xunhua, Qixingtan, and organic tomatoes from Xibao. What does this rich combination taste like? The refreshing and chewy wild lobster has a sweet taste, and the plump and rich-flavored mussels and fresh tomatoes create a delicious soup that combines the flavors of land and sea. Coming to the seventh dish: Pacific black eel, Fuli Gold No. 57, and Taitung Guanshan fragrant rice! The eel has a firm texture and a strong fishy flavor. The Fuli Gold No. 57 is what is commonly known as the golden sweet potato. Its flesh is softer than that of the sweet potato, making it the most suitable for making sweet potato puree! But what surprised me the most was the Taiwan Guanshan Fragrant Rice. The rice grains were white and translucent, chewy and firm, and tasted very sweet. It was so delicious that I wanted to buy some back to Hong Kong. Of course, you have to find a red wine to garnish the main course! This Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi Merlot has a full body, balanced acidity and tannins, with a smooth finish. Everyone's main course was grilled Wagyu short ribs with rice aroma and charcoal-grilled wild prawns, but the thoughtful chef changed my main course to pork. The pork meat is cooked to a super pink and tender texture, with a crispy outer layer and a soft, juicy and rich meat flavor on the inside. It can be paired with six colors of sea salt to bring out the multiple flavors. The chewy prawns with a strong charcoal aroma perfectly showcase the charm of the main dish. Finally, our dessert consisted of home-grown mint leaves, cantaloupe, almonds, and lychees. The youthful tones brought out a full fruit aroma, and paired with my favorite refreshing mint leaves, it awakened the taste buds. The chef was even more thoughtful and served us Taiwanese specialty drink bubble milk tea to comfort our lonely hearts as we were unable to go to the night market that night. Finally, end this super enjoyable dinner with a cup of fragrant marigold tea from the back garden.