蘭城晶英酒店 紅樓中餐廳
Location: Yilan County, Yilan City
The reason why Yilan's cherry duck is so famous largely comes from the Red House Chinese restaurant in the Grand Hotel located above the Crescent Plaza. For the people of Yilan, this restaurant has always been fully booked every weekend. However, as more restaurants and hotels in Yilan have started offering cherry duck dishes, this place still holds its ground in Yilan, though it's not as difficult to make a reservation as it used to be. Generally, you can still find a spot if you book about two weeks in advance. This time, I’m sharing my thoughts after visiting once again.
🌟 Red House Xiaomanhan
The five small dishes at the Grand Hotel are truly remarkable. Each dish is well-seasoned and very delicious. The green beans and asparagus not only provide a vegetable taste but are also seasoned just right, so the flavors don't overpower the taste of the vegetables. The slight hint of mustard adds a bit of spiciness. The marinated beef is so tender, easy to bite, and juicy.
🌟 One Duck, Five Dishes
Watching the chef slice the duck always makes one want to take out their phone to snap a photo or record a video. The duck sushi is incredibly delicious. After trying so many duck dishes, I still think this is the best. The roasted duck skin combined with cheese and rice creates a complete flavor profile. I even think that Yigong's duck doesn’t outshine this. Not to mention the chain restaurant Xiangyu can't compare to it.
The duck meat wrap and scallion pancake are also very tasty. The crispy skin of the pancake paired with the chopped scallions and sauce brings the deliciousness to another level. Other duck restaurants may not be bad, but they just can't compete with this one. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
🌟 Vegetables - Water Lily, Seafood Tofu Pot
The stir-fried vegetables are different from those at other stir-fry places. They are served with a bowl of goose oil that can be added to the vegetables. Stirring it together elevates the flavor of the stir-fried water lily without making it too soft and losing its texture.
The seafood tofu pot is filled with an abundance of seafood. The underlying seafood broth is rich in fresh flavor, making it seem like a vegetable dish that can be paired with rice or even enjoyed as a soup.
Overall, it’s a very delicious and consistently good experience. If you haven't tried this restaurant's duck yet and you’re visiting Yilan, you should definitely make a reservation to give it a try. I highly recommend the duck sushi!
After all, it’s a five-star hotel. I feel like the service isn’t quite as refined as it used to be, but given the manpower shortage, it’s completely understandable.