28-day dry-aged beef – its irresistible tender texture makes you reluctant to stop chewing

Text and photos by /Orange Dog Loves Candy

When staying in the West District of Taichung, besides Qianmei Eslite Greenery Avenue, nothing is more familiar than the HOTEL ONE building. It can almost be considered the tallest and most visible landmark in the area, with its sleek, modern, tech-inspired design that stands out prominently. I had previously heard that dining at the 46th-floor rooftop restaurant offers an amazing view of Taichung’s cityscape — a truly delightful experience. This time, thanks to food expert Sister Feiqi’s guidance, I finally got to try the 【dry-aged beef】 and fulfill my long-cherished dream of reaching the top.

Located on the top floor of the HOTEL ONE building, the rooftop restaurant is easiest to find by entering from the Asia Zhi Hotel side. There are several office floors in between, so the elevators are divided into different ones designated for specific arrival floors.

The elevator is quite fast, and it doesn’t take too long to get from the 1st to the 46th floor. As soon as you exit, look to your left — that’s the rooftop restaurant. Situated at the very top of HOTEL ONE, nearly every seat offers an unbeatable view of the high-altitude city streets.

Extending forward are elegant white tablecloths, with vibrant red sofas exuding lively warmth. Daylight streams into the room, lacking the romantic glow of night lights but offering a refreshing sense of everyday clarity.

It’s said that there’s a table here known as the legendary “proposal table” — apparently, proposals here are almost always successful XD. There was even a table where a guest generously paid for a fireworks show for their proposal, and coincidentally, I had a friend who dined here that day and saw it.

I think it would be even more beautiful at night if, besides the sparkling city lights, you could also see a sky full of stars.

(But with the city’s light pollution, that’s not so easy!) Today’s main mission is to taste the 【dry-aged beef】 made in-house by the rooftop restaurant, so without further ado, let’s get straight to the point (yes!! No appetizer soup either — we’re going straight to the beef Up!).

Before diving into the main event, Restaurant Manager CANDY explained the process of making dry-aged beef to us. While she spoke, we were first served French bread with French Échiré butter — Échiré is located in western France.

It’s a town known for cattle farming since ancient times. The soil there is particularly suited for growing pasture, and the farms ensure the cattle are kept in optimal health to produce this premium French butter. To make the best butter in France, the factory operates 365 days a year without stopping, ensuring only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients are used. I remember first tasting it at a café in Taipei — it’s been a while, and I’m happy to have found it again at the rooftop restaurant XD. Its delicate texture is so luxurious, spread thickly on freshly baked warm French bread. As it warms and partially melts, it takes on a glossy, creamy yellow hue. With just a hint of salt, each chewy bite of bread is elevated by the rich, smooth butter, leaving a lingering, finger-licking finish. No wonder CANDY said many guests can’t resist ordering extra servings of bread just to finish off all the Échiré butter!!

Next came the main course — steak Up. A warm porcelain plate was first arranged with all the steak sides, which were then neatly distributed onto each individual plate, building anticipation for the large piece of beef waiting alongside. The chef then entered with today’s 【28-day dry-aged beef】, starting to cook it right on-site. So-called “dry-aged beef” refers to beef cuts that are not wrapped in any packaging after being portioned from the carcass.

Instead, they are placed in a temperature- and humidity-controlled refrigerated aging room. Here, the natural enzymes within the beef, along with external microbial action, enhance the tenderness, flavor, and juiciness of the meat. The beef’s own proteolytic enzymes gradually break down the collagen and muscle fibers, naturally softening the beef and significantly improving its tenderness, bringing out the meat’s most perfect natural flavor. Typically, the temperature in these aging rooms is around 0°C.

Humidity is controlled between 50% to 85%, and the aging period generally ranges from 20 to 45 days. The actual temperature, humidity, and aging duration must be adjusted according to the condition of the raw meat and climate conditions. Due to moisture evaporation during aging, the beef loses about 1% to 1.5% of its weight every seven days, and the outer layer becomes hardened and inedible due to drying, requiring trimming before cooking.

After trimming, the beef often retains only about 70% to 80% of its original weight, which is why dry-aged beef is usually more expensive. However, its flavor is also richer and more complex. Almost everyone I’ve asked who’s tried it speaks highly of it. The rooftop restaurant even has its own aging room, conveniently located right near the restaurant entrance — no outsourcing involved.

Our first dish was the 【28-day dry-aged beef – bone-in ribeye / grain-fed / medium rare】.
The average price per ounce is NT$270. Today’s huge piece weighed about 36 ounces, minus around 5 ounces of bone, which means the cost is roughly around NT$9,700. The chef had already seared it lightly to medium rare, then placed it in an iron pan. After removing the bone, it was divided into six portions and slowly served onto our plates. The surface was seared to a crisp, while the inside remained red and tender. The moment you bring it close, the rich aroma of beef wafts over immediately.

The first bite lets you enjoy its pure, fresh flavor. The first chew reveals a tender texture with juices bursting with beefy goodness, and that slightly acidic tang — a result of enzymatic aging — dances gracefully on your tongue with a mature charm.

Despite being medium rare, there’s absolutely no gamey or raw taste. It’s purely the robust, full flavor of the beef itself. That captivatingly tender texture makes you unwilling to stop chewing — you find yourself chewing it over and over before swallowing. It turns out that the deep, rich beef flavor is the true magic brought by aging. After just one bite, I was pretty much in love. The next step was adding the restaurant’s spicy rose salt — its fine grains were like powder.

This pairing was simply incredible. The originally slightly tangy beef, enhanced by the salt, suddenly brought out the natural sweetness of the meat. That innate, sweet umami of the beef launched a counterattack on the taste buds, instantly overtaking the initial plain flavor impression from just a minute ago.

As for the other steak sauce, [bamboo charcoal salt], its grains are coarser and saltier, but its flavor enhancement isn’t as distinct. And as for the remaining steak sauce, unfortunately, the combination of the original flavor and rose salt was already so spectacular.

So I couldn’t spare any attention to explore its taste further.

Our second dish was the 【28-day dry-aged beef – boneless ribeye / grain-fed / medium rare】.
Without the weight of the bone, the portion feels even more generous, and the tenderness is, of course, unquestionable. But when it comes to the expression of acidity in the dry-aged beef —

the bone-in version definitely has a more pronounced flavor compared to the boneless. This also creates differences in taste variation after seasoning. But for me, what really caught my attention were the marbled fat sections. Normally, when eating regular beef, encountering those tough fat strands,

often leads to that annoying struggle where it’s tough to chew and you end up just giving up. But here, after dry aging, those fat parts transform into a subtly sweet flavor. It becomes so delicious that every part of the beef becomes irresistible — you can’t bear to miss any tiny bit of its exquisite taste.

Finally, the hidden bonus dish: 【grilled aged ribeye cap / grain-fed】.
This small piece in the photo is the leftover cap portion from the bone-in ribeye we started with. The chef grilled the whole thing. The beef aroma now carries an enticing smokiness from rendered fat, while the inside offers a crispy yet tender texture.

I’m not sure if this dish is normally offered to regular customers when they order, but it was truly unexpectedly delicious. Although it’s served in portions of 35–36 ounces, the standard aged beef meal for two is actually prepared with 16 ounces per portion.

After enjoying the delicious aged beef, we were then treated to this chef’s homemade dessert. The ice cream on top was paired with pistachios, but what I liked even more was the bitter-sweet 70% Belgian chocolate cake underneath. The cake itself had a delicate yet rich bitterness that melted in your mouth like cotton being planted—smooth and textured—but the acidity of the blackcurrant sauce at the base balanced that bitterness like a duet. From the top layer down, it was a multi-layered delight.

Finally, we ended with a warm and soothing cup of mint and chamomile tea, sipping the hot beverage while sharing our thoughts and experiences from the day.

I can only say today was incredibly lucky. Although I often write food reviews, I haven’t been doing it for long and haven’t tasted every kind of delicacy. Today, thanks to Chef Fei Qi, while enjoying the delicious food, she also carefully explained the best ways to eat and appreciate the flavors. It felt like we were in one of those beautifully appetizing scenes from the Korean drama “Let’s Eat Together” that I watched recently—a truly enjoyable afternoon. And I almost forgot, you can also enjoy the leisurely view of the city from the unique 46th floor here, which you won’t find anywhere else. This meal was absolutely worth it!! (As a side note, we skipped other appetizers and soups this time because we were too full from the previous meal…)

【HOTEL ONE 46th Floor Rooftop Restaurant】
Address: 46F, No. 532, Yingcai Road, West District, Taichung City
Phone: 04-23031234
Business Hours: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM & 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM
Consumption Notice: Afternoon tea time is from 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM; aged steak meals require advance reservation

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