Longevity Hall Cantonese Cuisine and Dim Sum 257, Taichunggang (Taichung Kang) Road, sec.1, B1-level (Hotel National Taichung) (04) 2321-3111 Hours 11:30 am-2 pm, 5-9 pm

Classy Cantonese at Longevity Hall

By Niang Chen / Translated by Annie Chen and Matt Godsey

       Longevity Hall Cantonese Cuisine, located in Hotel National Taichung, has long taken pride in its authentic Hong Kong-style cuisine. All the dishes served here are prepared by experienced Hong Kong chefs.

One of the great features here is the all-you-can-eat meals offered: lunch is NT$450 per person + tax; dinner is NT$550 per person + tax. The menu includes sea food, stir-fried dishes, cured-pork dishes, soups and desserts, totaling around 40 to 50 delicious dishes. With the exception of some popular standard items, most dishes change every other week so that even regular customers won't tire of the selection.

       The main dishes at Longevity Hall are cured meat dishes, of which Minglu Duck is the most popular because of its crispy skin and juicy meat. All of the standard Hong Kong-style dim sum favorites--such as cured pork, radish cakes, yao-zhu steamed meat dumplings and shrimp rolls--can be found, as well as many others.

       Two available dishes not often seen in other restaurants are the Golden Pork Dumplings and Grilled Ham Pancakes. Golden Pork Dumplings are made with cured pork, wrapped in a multi-layered pie, which is baked until it turns a golden color. The skin is crispy, the stuffing is tender and the sweet-and-salty flavors come together in just the perfect proportions, resulting in a dumpling that really does "melt in your mouth". The Grilled Ham Pancakes are filled with ham and crab stuffing and are perfect for eating in one bite. When you pop one in your mouth, the fragrance of sesame delights your senses.

       All the dishes here are very sophisticated. Even a small plate of radish-cake sauce is completely original--the light, sweet sauce has just a hint of garlic that perfectly sets off the delicious flavor of the radish-cakes. The Fried Cheng Fun with Fresh Shrimp is quite different from the usual steamed cheng fun. Dip it in the thick sesame sauce and it's like nothing you've ever tasted before. There are also XO-sauce Fried Dough with Chopped Shrimp Sauce. Try these once and you'll look at fried dough in a whole new light.

Sauteed seasonal vegetables, fried seaweed and many other dishes are so tasty that it's hard to stop yourself from going back for more even when you're full. Regular customers always order taro and mango pudding for dessert. Try it and you' ll know why! To liven up the tapioca, fresh taro must be used. These flavors, when combined with fresh mango and coconut milk, create a truly scrumptious pudding. In December, special seafood set meals will include stew, shark fin soup, abalone rolls and sea food soup, for only NT$800 per person (plus 10% service fee).

       It's hard to find a place with Longevity Hall's variety of Hong Kong-style delicacies, which the chefs put so much effort into. If you are tired of raucous, hustle-and-bustle eateries, this is just the spot for you. Eating at Longevity Hall will make you rethink the meaning of eating and the principles of fine food.