I have always thought it was interesting to see how indigenous peoples took the foodstuffs that they found and created dishes. Through centuries of trial and error, people who lived off the land discovered the edible herbs, plants and caught the animals that would have the matching qualities from that land we now call terroir.
The Leader Hotel Taroko in Hualien, Taiwan is owned by Taroko aborigines and their restaurant reflects that. The indigenous mountain people prefer to stay in their community, so ingredients are the ultimate in localvore. Their stunning art adorning the walls and hand-carved chairs make for even deeper immersion into the culture. The restaurant servers are young and lively; dress is casual. The building itself resembles an aborigine meeting structure. I was happy to be hosted to experience it!
They serve several versions of prix-fixe meals which have creative concepts like “Hyper Romantic Meal” , “IDAS Tribal Meal” and “When Wild Boar Met the Eiffel Tower”. The tribal meal is a neat way of seeing how they use the bounty of the land.
IDAS Tribal Meal NT$ 480
1. Appetizing Millet Wine
2. Wild Vegetable Salad
3. Wild Vegetable Soup with Chop
4. Baked Sweet Potato
5. Wild Vegetable with Garlic
6. Skinned Green Chili Pepper with Soy Sauce
7. Boar Skin Salad with Garlic
8. Baked Champignon with Herb
9. Salt-baked Filet Mignon or Smoked Lamb Chop for Alternative
10. Bamboo Tube with Glutinous Rice
11. Dessert or Fruit
12. Plum Juice / Coffee / Tea
(Origin of Beef: Nicaragua)
The veggies are wild-gathered by the restaurant and the wild vegetable was a form of Morning Glory stems — “wild braken fern” — that steamed, taste a lot like asparagus. The baked champignon are the local King Oyster mushrooms, so fancy and rare in the U.S. They’re just as tasty in Taiwan, simply seasoned with salt and pepper. The salad had okra, corn, mustard, mung sprouts, bean sprouts, Thousand Island dressing, red cabbage, iceberg lettuce and carrots.
Wild boar is prevalent in their area and the restaurant prepares it in a way that it remains tender and isn’t gamy. Their pork soup with beans demonstrates how well-marbled, juicy and fatty wild boar can be.
The glutinous (sticky) rice is served in the cutest, most bio-degradable containers ever: hand-harvested bamboo stems.
Their plum juice is mixed with their renowned local mineral water. It’s refreshing on a hot day! They also have iced black tea, all self-service.
The gift shop has many musical CD’s, photos and pieces of artwork for sale.
Luxe & Down-Home Cuisine/Culture/Travel/Style 