[Monday Foodie Guide]Yuli Humanities-Themed Bookstore & Yuli Shared Kitchen

“A combination of literary charm and culinary aroma, where intellectual nourishment and fine dining come together at one table. ‘Meat-free diets may make one thin, but books keep one refined.’ What should one have nearby to consider it the greatest happiness in life? Our answer is a bookstore and a great restaurant.” From this restaurant introduction, no further elaboration is needed—it clearly conveys all the philosophy and mission. Here, it’s not hard to see that owner Ms. Su has a deep love for literature and the world of books, which inspired her to “switch careers midway” and collaborate with friends to open this humanities-themed eatery. It combines the format of a bookstore and a restaurant—on one hand, sharing a variety of new and old collections with guests, and on the other hand, carrying forward the long-standing tradition of classic handmade flavors with heartfelt dedication.

Growing up in a military dependents’ village, Ms. Su was immersed in an environment where she realized that the dining table and food culture are the best stages for promoting ethnic integration. She also observed that many traditional flavors from her childhood, due to their complex preparation, have gradually disappeared from modern dining options. With the desire to preserve these traditional tastes and cultural heritage, this restaurant was born.

The signature “Osmanthus Salted Duck” is a famous dish from the Beijing-Suzhou region, once described in a historical recipe as: “During the Jinling Eight Periods, salted duck was the most renowned, and everyone thought the meat carried the fragrance of osmanthus.” Another dish, “Yellow Wine-Soaked Chicken,” uses a 35-year-old family recipe from the founder of Yongfu in Taipei. With a unique method of soaking the chicken in full-strength wine marinade for seven days, it exudes a rich, mellow wine aroma, while the meat remains tender and flavorful. Even the seemingly ordinary “preserved pork” carries clever craftsmanship rooted in everyday life. “Every handmade dish tests the chef’s knife skills and techniques, and takes a lot of time because it needs to marinate and absorb flavors—it’s not something you can just stir-fry quickly over high heat,” Ms. Su explains. It’s precisely this patience and dedication to “slow craftsmanship” that allows these timeless classic flavors to be cooked up, making them even more precious and worth trying.

 

[Info]

Address: 1F, No. 1, Lane 177, Minquan Rd., West District, Taichung City

Phone: 04-2225-9811

Hours: 11:50 AM – 9:00 PM