A delicacy once reserved for officials—Savor "Restaurant Cuisine" in Beitou’s hot spring town

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

Beitou, a place rich in history and culture, is not just a famous hot spring destination. Its unique culinary culture and food specialties represent the evolution and history of Beitou over the past half-century. The standout feature of Beitou’s local cuisine, "Restaurant Cuisine," lies in its emphasis on ingredient selection, plating, and knife skills. In the past, these dishes were designed to whet the appetite of drinkers—with bold flavors meant to encourage more drinking.

 

 
▲ The hallmark of Beitou Restaurant Cuisine lies in its ingredient selection, plating, and knife skills, all featuring bolder flavors. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)

The 40-year-old Hot Spring Hotel recently launched “Health-Oriented Restaurant Cuisine,” focusing on light, fresh, and clear flavors while retaining rich tastes. It moves away from the previously heavy and greasy style, presenting Restaurant Cuisine in a healthier way and reinterpreting the glory of classic “Restaurant Cuisine.” What was once exclusive to nobility or “officials” can now be enjoyed by everyday diners.

During the Japanese colonial era, due to the Japanese fondness for hot springs, many hot spring resorts, hotels, and restaurants were established in Beitou District, making it Taiwan’s most important hot spring town. This period gave rise to a hot spring town restaurant culture, pushing the trend of hot springs, gourmet food, and karaoke (nagashi) to its peak and attracting many wealthy and famous individuals. As a result, “Restaurant Cuisine,” beloved by political and business elites, was born.

Restaurant Cuisine has no fixed recipe or style but evolved from the signature dishes created by individual chefs, eventually forming a distinctive “Beitou-style Taiwanese cuisine.” Its flavor profile blends Japanese, Taiwanese, Sichuan, and Cantonese influences. Unlike typical stir-fried dishes meant for drinking, it emphasizes elaborate knife skills, premium ingredients, and precise cooking techniques—a luxurious form of Taiwanese cuisine.

Xu Qichang, head chef at the Hot Spring Hotel, emphasized that designing menus aligned with modern health and wellness trends is a key culinary philosophy. For the 40th-anniversary Health Restaurant Cuisine menu, aside from health-conscious seasoning, many don’t realize summer is actually an excellent season for nourishment—not just winter. One dish, “Imperial Premium Health Clay Pot,” uses high-nutrition ingredients like bird’s nest and blood clam, offering a cooling tonic to build energy in summer. Nourishing the body with soup makes it a gourmet delicacy. Another dish, “Wudang Tai Chi Shake Scallops,” uses common Restaurant Cuisine ingredients like dried scallops and shiitake mushrooms, paired with steamed egg, spinach, and carrots arranged in a Tai Chi shape, showcasing elegant plating.


▲ Xu Qichang, head chef at the Hot Spring Hotel, says health and wellness are fundamental to this new Restaurant Cuisine lineup. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)

Additionally, the exquisitely plated “Palm-Sized Jade Abalone,” combines Australian abalone with broccoli. Its seasoning is intentionally simple, highlighting the ingredients’ natural flavors for both taste and visual delight. Also notable is the hotel’s long-popular sakura shrimp fried rice, upgraded for the 40th anniversary as “Sakura Eel Pearl Rice.” In addition to local Taiwanese sakura shrimp, it includes premium eel, creating a hearty dish. “Polygonum Multiflorum Phoenix in Water” features corn-fed chicken from Taitung, emphasizing healthy, tender meat, along with tonic herbs like polygonum multiflorum, ginseng, and black dates, reviving the traditional Chinese tonic soup. It’s not just about the broth—the chicken itself is also a highlight.

Besides enjoying a soak at the Hot Spring Hotel in Beitou, you can also savor Beitou’s most famous Restaurant Cuisine, experiencing the glory and unique culinary culture of old Beitou. The 40th-anniversary Health Restaurant Cuisine set, originally priced at NT$15,000, is now available for NT$8,800. It includes 10 main dishes, 1 fruit dish, plus free access to the public white sulfur hot spring bath, unlimited karaoke drinks, a complimentary bottle of red wine per table, health vinegar, and two side dishes.