Celebrity Cuisine is also available at Han Lai Harbor, with six signature dishes served all-you-can-eat

▲ Stir-fried sticky rice with Chinese cured meats.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Although Han Lai Harbor Restaurant had already moved into the Taipei SOGO Dunhua branch last (2015) October, the exterior renovation of the SOGO Dunhua store was not completed until March, finally revealing the restaurant’s 25-meter-long glass windows overlooking the tree-lined canopy of Duenhua South Road. To celebrate the symbolic GRAND OPENING with the removal of the construction fence, Han Lai Harbor Restaurant’s Dunhua branch launched the “Michelin Two-Star Cuisine at the Harbor” promotion from March 9 to March 20, offering an all-you-can-eat selection of six signature dishes from Celebrity Cuisine.

The six signature dishes from Celebrity Cuisine available at Han Lai Harbor’s Dunhua branch are: golden and silver garlic spring rolls, Chaozhou-style poached seafood, taro and plum duck hotpot, Shaoxing wine q-fly chicken, Chef Fu’s stew, and stir-fried sticky rice with Chinese cured meats. How were these six dishes selected? Chef Zheng Jinfu (Chef Fu) of Celebrity Cuisine explained that first, they had to be suitable for mass production so many guests could enjoy them; second, their flavors must remain consistent even when made in large quantities; and third, they needed to be easy to prepare—complex dishes weren’t practical for a fast-paced harbor restaurant.


▲ Shaoxing wine q-fly chicken.

Even so, these six dishes are all signature offerings at Celebrity Cuisine. Take the Shaoxing wine q-fly chicken, for example—it’s a flagship dish known for its rich aroma of wine. The specially selected corn-fed chicken is tender yet firm, and it also fits Chef Fu’s criteria of being easy to cook, as it can be steamed using a traditional Tatung rice cooker. It only needs to be marinated in salt and Shaoxing wine for two hours beforehand. However, while most households own a Tatung rice cooker, Han Lai Harbor Restaurant doesn’t have one—instead, it has large steam cabinets. To authentically recreate the flavor of the Shaoxing wine q-fly chicken, Han Lai Harbor specially purchased two 12-person-capacity Tatung rice cookers.

Chaozhou-style poached seafood is an authentic dish from the Chaoshan region, made with seasonal seafood and known for its delicate, tender, and flavorful taste. This dish uses the commonly used pickled vegetables in Chaoshan cuisine as a base, along with radish, celery, and tofu skin, all simmered together. Finally, strips of dried tangerine peel are added for a fragrant touch. The result is light yet flavorful, with a broth-rich texture and a variety of accompanying vegetables.


▲ Chaozhou-style poached seafood.

As for the taro and plum duck hotpot, it’s a winter-appropriate clay pot dish introduced by Chef Fu at the end of last year (2015). First, the seeds are removed from the purple perilla plums, which are then mashed and mixed with seasonings before being stuffed inside the duck and marinated for half a day. The duck is then fried until the skin turns golden and crispy. After that, the plum flesh is removed, and the diced duck meat is steamed in a basket for 20 minutes. Next, it’s transferred to a hotpot, where taro is added and simmered in broth until only a third of the liquid remains—marking the dish’s completion.


▲ Taro and plum duck hotpot.


▲ Chef Fu’s stew.


▲ Golden and silver garlic spring rolls.


▲ To ensure the best quality, Chef Fu came to Taiwan on March 8 to fine-tune the dishes.