TWN: Lan Lan Restaurant (藍藍餐廳)

Such nice cuttlefish and pteridophyte dishes!

There aren't many eateries around the area outside Taroko National Park. During our 3D2N stay, my BFF and I had our dinner at the same restaurant, which isn't far from Li-Wu Hotel. We ordered two dishes each evening as the servers told us that they'd be more than enough for two people.

Melon couldn't wait to dig in after a tiring trek. Anyway, for our friends who don't read Chinese, fret not. You can rely on the pictures and/or the English names of the dishes in the menu booklet.

Boiled Chicken with Chili Soy Sauce (Quarter) NT$180.00 (~S$8.05)

Taste: 7/10

I shall begin this review with something that I enjoyed the least from the restaurant, but by no means awfully executed. The white meat was pretty juicy, but I felt that it could be bouncier and have a more gelatinous skin. The soy sauce with chili slices was adequately spicy. 

Deep-Fried Cuttlefish with Pepper NT$350.00 (~S$15.65)

Taste: 9/10

On the other hand, the deep-fried cuttlefish was so lovely that I almost wanted to order a second serving. Each piece was fresh, bouncy and not rubbery at all, sprinkled with the correct amount of salt and pepper. The result was a simple, yet awesome dish that was neither too salty nor overly peppery.

Fried Sliced Pork with Bamboo Shoots NT$250.00 (~S$11.20)

Taste: 8/10

I like bamboo shoots, but I don't get to eat them often. The restaurant cooked them well as they retained the crunchy texture and the natural juice. I believe the sliced pork was salted prior to pan-frying, imparting a savoury note to the dish.

Pteridophyte Vegetable NT$150.00 (~S$6.70)

Taste: 8.5/10

The menu uses such a difficult biological term for fern shoots. Anyway, I relished the leafy vegetables as they were crisp and cooked with lots of garlic, thus highly aromatic. I also appreciated the fact that it wasn't laden with salt, but tasty enough.

Melon's Rating

Taste: 8/10

Ambience: 7.5/10

Service: 7/10

Overall: 7.5/10

As we were the only guests for the two evenings, service was fast. However, the servers could be more friendly, I guess. Nevertheless, we really enjoyed the dishes with a homely feel. Pika's advice: I reckon it'll be more worth it to go in a larger group, so that you can have more varieties.

Lan Lan Restaurant

(藍藍餐廳)

Zhongbu Cross-Island Highway

Hualien

Taiwan

(Daily: 11.00am - 2.00pm, 5.00pm - 7.00pm)

*Prices quoted are nett prices.

Have a nice meal,

Cliff(y)