Written by / MOOK Travel Life Wei Ruiwei, Interview & Report | Photography / TAO CHEN, Wang Mingwei

 

The China Airlines Novotel Hotel, located just about a 5-minute drive from Taoyuan International Airport, sits in a prime spot where you can watch planes take off and land on the runway. Its unique geographical advantage, combined with appropriate soundproofing design, offers transit passengers a high-quality and distinctive accommodation experience. It is also Taiwan’s first “family fun” hotel, allowing up to two children under the age of 16 to stay in the same room as their parents without extra bed charges and with complimentary breakfast. Additionally, there is a “Children’s Play Area” on the first floor, enabling parents to enjoy meals or social gatherings without distraction. During holidays, many locals especially love to come here for an “airport mini-trip,” visiting the nearby Aviation Science Museum, then heading to the first-floor “Q Bar” for light bites, or dining at “The Square (Pin Fang)” or the second-floor “Weifang.” Some also prefer to change the environment and spend the night here, enjoying the hotel’s heated swimming pool, jacuzzi, and 24-hour fitness center to unwind, recharge, and set off again!

Novotel Hotel Must-Try Hotel Cuisine

'New Shanghai Cuisine at Weifang

Different from traditional Old Shanghai cuisine (also known as Benbang cuisine), which tends to be sweet and salty with bold flavors, the Weifang Chinese Restaurant mainly offers a refined version of Shanghai cuisine by incorporating culinary essences from other provinces—what is known as “New Shanghai Cuisine (Haipai Cuisine).” The restaurant’s stylish and minimalist oriental design was also one of the filming locations for the idol drama “It Started with a Kiss.”

 

The Weifang menu blends delicacies from Shanghai (Hu), Hangzhou (Hang), Huaiyang (Huai), Yangzhou (Yang), and Suzhou (Su). The top recommendation is “Poached Tender Beef,” made using a broth simmered for two days with Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and around 70–80 different spices, along with pork bone, chicken feet, and pig skin. The dish uses Angus snowflake beef from Australia and New Zealand. When ordered, the server will personally cook the beef tableside by swishing it in the broth. The rich aroma not only gets your stomach growling instantly, but is likely to tempt neighboring diners as well. Though it may seem like a dish for spice lovers, it’s surprisingly easy to eat—it’s numbing and aromatic, making you want bite after bite. Paired with ingredients like bean sprouts and mung bean starch sheets, the overall flavor is well-balanced, appetizing, and leaves you wanting a second serving.

 

Other popular dishes include Osmanthus Honey Glutinous Lotus Root, Suzhou Braised Abalone, Hangzhou-Style Spicy Fish, Cloud Bamboo Shoot Sour Soup Mountain Spring Fish, and Luffa Xiao Long Bao... Each à la carte dish is priced around NT$180–640, and there are also set meals available for NT$1280 and NT$1580.

 

In addition to open seating, the restaurant has six private rooms, with the largest able to accommodate 20–25 people and featuring a separate living area and restroom. It often attracts foreign travelers eager to try Eastern cuisine and is also a favorite choice for business banquets.