Three Days in Yilan: The Angels' Share

I woke under dark, wet skies in the wrong time zone and headed out in search of breakfast. At that hour my options were 7-11 or Family Mart. By the time Tobie had gotten up, it was clear there'd be no hiking that day. Dawn had barely broken through the clouds by the time Cheng-shu arrived, so we decided on a different kind of exploration and headed to a local whisky factory. Barrels of fun or a quick call to one's sponsor.
Photo: Li Cheng-shu 
The Kavalan Distillery  is named after a local tribe (many of whom would prefer to decline the honor). Taiwan's first foray into whisky, Kavalan is said by many in the high-price booze business to produce the world's finest single-malt scotch. We toured the factory and learned more about whisky production than I ever thought there was to know, but I gave Kavalan's tasting room a miss-it was still early, and I was buzzing from the fumes.Tobie, Chengshu and I took advantage of a break in the rain to head over to another of Yilan's agricultural tourism blends, San Fu Leisure Farm. More jungle than farm, we were led through San Fu by an exuberant ranger-nicknamed "Elephant".

Tobie, Elephant (with the first of many creatures
caught and released) and I. Photo: Li Cheng-shuA man who clearly loved his job, Elephant spoke as excitedly as any kid show host. As Elephant walked us over hills filled with exhibits and instillations designed to turn the area into a respite spot for local wildlife, he introduced us to the myriad species that call San Fu home.


Another hands-on introduction
Photo: JosambroThese introductions were personalized by Elephant, who plucked butterflies out of the air and frogs off their lily pads, seeming to hypnotize the creatures long enough for him to offer narratives on their life cycles before releasing them. We spent an hour on the nature trail with Elephant, leaving educated, duly impressed and hungry for an early lunch.Luckily, San Fu had an excellent restaurant with large table, lazy Susan ambience more typical of China than Taiwan and excellent food. I overlooked the inauspicious numerology presented by the appetizer dish, a quartered square plate featuring four mini appetizers-marinated baby octopus, pickled kumquat, braised eggplant and a smoked scallop. All four were delicious, as was the rest of the meal.
Cheng-shu enjoys the meal despite inauspicious appetizer arrangement.
Photo by Josambro, arms by Openshaw.  Xi lu rou. Photo: OpenshawMost representative of Yilan was a dish called Xi Lu Rou which historically had been made from the leftovers from other dishes, often following weddings or other communal occasions. Offering tons of variation, our Xi Lu Rou had chunks of fish, bok choy, mushrooms, chicken and the occasional piece of offal, with a scrambled egg on top to hide said offal-or the dish's ad hoc nature.From San Fu we headed to the Fang Yue Tea Garden, whose proprietress Hong Hsou Ing was about to begin lessons in DIY tea cake creation. Within moments of entering, we found ourselves sat before small piles of the following ingredients:Green Bean FlourGreen Tea PowderJellied fillings made from mulberry, pomelo and orange peel Raw ingredients. Photo: Lin Cheng-shu Mrs. Hong ran a tight DIY kitchen, making sure that all in her charge would leave not merely knowing the proper way to make a green tea cake but with a box filled with presentable cakes suitable for gifting.My first two attempts proved not up to snuff. "You're not pressing them hard enough," Mrs. Hong told me. But practice makes perfect, and within 30 minutes I had a box filled with 15 perfectly presentable cakes-minus three I stuffed in my mouth.

Mrs. Hong found Tobie a more apt pupil than myself.
Photo: Lin Cheng-shu Delicious though they were, the three green tea cakes-along with an assortment of Taiwanese pickles and other traditional tea snacks-only took up valuable space better used at the second day's last stop, dinner at the amazing Du Hsiao Yue. One of the most highly regarded restaurants in Yilan, Du Hsiao Yue may be a contender for one of Taiwan's best restaurants, and our meal was, if anything, too opulent…the sort of meal best reserved for important dates like weddings or business mergers.

The meal was unforgettable, with all ingredients and recipes being the best of the best.

The first course was sashimi, cut fresh off the sides of fish still alive when we'd parked the car.  In short order, eight other courses had come, including small plates with a single bacon wrapped scallop, a plate of cherry-marinated duck served with caviar sauce, and a rich item of sponge cake texture containing a delicate mix of chicken breast, pork and a savory stock.

[image error] Photo: Openshaw
[image error] Photo: Openshaw

[image error] Photo: Openshaw
[image error] Photo: OpenshawOther items, less specific to Du Hsiao Yue but no less excellent, appeared in time, including a bowl of shrimp fried rice garnished with cherry blossoms and a grilled salt water fish caught earlier that day.Leaving Du Hsiao Yue, all were stuffed. Tobie and I parted ways, and he drove back to Taipei. Chenshu took me to my place of residence for the second and third night-a quirky, somewhat remote, bed and breakfast called The Frog Pool.Fully sated, I took a long bath in my deep tub before settling in for sleep beneath the increasingly heavy patter of rain on the roof.