Available by reservation only – Hualien’s affordable set-menu cuisine for just NT$300 per person

▲ Wu You Wu Lü is hidden away in a lane in Ruisui, Hualien. It’s easy to miss if you’re just passing by — extremely discreet.(Photo / Taken by reporter Lee Tzu-yi)

Reporter Lee Tzu-yi / Reported and photographed in Hualien

Hidden away along a rural road in Ruisui, Hualien, the set-menu restaurant “Wu You Wu Lü” specially selects local ingredients from eastern Taiwan. These are nurtured by the rolling mountains of eastern Taiwan, and with the chef's deft hand, they showcase nature’s finest flavors. The restaurant is tucked away in a mysterious alleyway, a far cry from where most restaurants typically choose to set up shop — like a hidden paradise apart from the world.

▲ Seasonal fruits bought that day are turned into a refreshing and appetizing fruit salad.

▲ The roast chicken has an especially crispy skin, while the meat is tender and juicy.

▲ The Q-textured pork is made using netted-pig meat, which pairs wonderfully with rice.

In line with Ruisui Township Mayor’s philosophy of “promoting the use of local ingredients,” all the ingredients used at Wu You Wu Lü come from the Huatung Valley region — the distance between the food sources and the restaurant is like that between neighbors. Ruisui has an abundance of vegetables, so owner Wu Chia-long chooses locally grown pumpkins to make stir-fried pumpkin with rice noodles. The loofah, meanwhile, is grown by a friend — also from Huatung. As for the restaurant’s signature dish, it’s the chef’s “roast chicken,” which has a flavor hard to find elsewhere. They use Taitung Luoyeh free-range chickens, applying a method akin to Cantonese crispy-skinned chicken, but fry the skin to make it extra crunchy. The inside is marinated with a special sauce before roasting. Another signature is the roast pork ribs, using Hualien netted pigs known for cleanliness — letting diners enjoy the sweet taste of the pork.

Adjusting ingredients and dishes based on the season, Wu Chia-long plans to introduce a long-lost dish called “fried fresh milk” next, using fresh milk from Ruisui. This dish is quite famous in Cantonese cuisine.

▲The pumpkin rice noodles are hearty in ingredients and have a refreshing, tasty flavor.

▲ The loofah in the clam and loofah dish is grown by the owner’s friend, also in the Huatung area.

▲ The fried shrimp coating has a very unique texture, almost like it’s wrapped in a layer of biscuit.

▲ Bitter melon chicken soup.

Owners Wu Chia-long and his wife are native Taipei residents who have worked in the food industry since high school until moving to Hualien last year. Speaking about eastern Taiwan, Wu is especially delighted — drawn to life in Hualien, he and his wife relocated here. He particularly loves the laid-back lifestyle, freedom, culture, and scenery. With so many beautiful sights across the Huatung Valley, when there are no reservations, he and his wife often explore the mountains and rivers of Huatung together, feeling that this is what real life is all about.

The restaurant operates as a set-menu eatery. All dishes served each day are purchased fresh in the morning, and reservations are required at least one day in advance. The owner prepares dishes based on the number of guests — NT$300 per person. The menu includes not only Chinese dishes, but Wu Chia-long is also skilled in Western cuisine. Each visit features a different selection, and diners can choose between Chinese or Western styles.

Wu You Wu Lü

Address: No. 8, Lane 194, Section 3, Wenquan Road, Ruisui Township, Hualien County
Phone: 0918 501 101