青菜園 (Qīng cài yuán) is one of those restaurants that you’d probably see at the side of the road and then pass by because it looks unremarkable in every sense of the way. I mean, that’s even presuming that you’ve even noticed it if driving past, as it’s relatively concealed down a steep driveway. But, you’d be missing out on some seriously delicious food if you did. Read more to find out what I recommend.
Table of Contents
So we went up at night after going to check out the cherry blossom at Tianyuan temple in Tamsui – which is also seriously beautiful, by the way!
青菜園 is perched right on the top of Yangmingshan, therefore be prepared for the weather to be completely different from what you have been used to in the area of downtown Taipei or wherever you’ve come from outside of the Yangmingshan area. When you arrive at 青菜園 expect to be greeted by a metal-roofed shack-style of a restaurant, but please do not let that put you off!
When you walk in you’ll be seated at a table, and when you’re ready to order you’ll take your menu to this area and they will sort you out – you pay after the meal here.
青菜園’s Menu
The red column on the left is their specialty dishes, in the middle, you’ll find their stir-fried vegetables and their seasonal vegetable dishes, then on the right, you’ll find their deep-fried, soup, and dessert items.
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- 本店招牌菜 Běn diàn zhāo pái cài
- House specials
- 炒青菜類 chǎo qīng cài lèi
- Stir-fried vegetables
- 季節時蔬 jì jié shí shū
- Seasonal vegetables
- 炸類 zhà lèi
- Deep-fried dishes
- 湯 tāng
- Soup options
- 美味甜點 měi wèi tián diǎn
- (Delicious, apparently) Desserts
Sweet potato soup
地瓜湯 (Dì guā tāng)
It was 10° when we came up Yangmingshan to 青菜園, and all I really wanted was something hot that could warm me up – this sweet potato soup did the job, and then some. It is no exaggeration when I say that this is the first thing I order when I come here. Not only is it the fact that you get an entire sweet potato that is cooked so perfectly that it is still soft and juicy in the middle, but also holds together in the soup, but the soup has a spiced ginger flavour to it that casts winter aside like it doesn’t even exist. At $50/bowl, it is worth every penny.
Cold cut mountain chicken
放山白斬雞 (Fàng shān bái zhǎn jī)
Chicken is universally accepted as the meat that has the least flavour. This dish will prove that preconception wrong, on every single level. Whatever marinade 青菜園 uses must be super light, because the flavour that comes out of this chicken is that intense, buttery, flavour that free-range organic chicken has. In between the meat and the skin is this layer of incredible jelly that has the flavour of an intense chicken soup. When you chew down on the skin it melts in your mouth with that jelly, and then you get to the most tender chicken meat you may have ever tasted, all up here in Yangminshan at 青菜園.
You absolutely must not leave here without ordering this.
Baby Chinese cabbage with deep-fried egg
蛋酥娃娃菜 (Dàn sū wá wá cài)
How cute does baby Chinese cabbage sound? In reality, it doesn’t necessarily taste much different to a normal Napa cabbage, if anything perhaps a little more intense and concentrated in flavour. It’s stir-fried with some mushrooms, pork, garlic, and some deep-fried egg. It’s good, but I wouldn’t say that it is a must-order.
Basil fried eggplant
塔香茄子 (Tǎ xiāng qié zi)
This, on the other hand, you gotta get. The eggplant/aubergine is cut nice and thick so it still retains a bit of bite to it whilst simultaneously being a little soggy. There’s so much basil that the fragrance coming off the steaming dish is intense, and the overall flavour is one of simple deliciousness. It’s like what you get at many Taiwanese buffet places, but on another level.
Ginger and pickled vegetable fried intestines
薑絲酸菜大腸 (Jiāng sī suān cài dà cháng)
OK, now bear with me here as I fully understand that this sounds disgusting. Not only does it have pickled vegetables (not everyone’s cup of tea), but it also has intestines (wildly unpopular amongst most circles). But, the immense amount of ginger and garlic that lashes the dish with a copious amount of dark vinegar lifts those intestines to another level. They’re chewy, they’re silky smooth, and they are a must-order here at 青菜園.
Stir-fried cabbage
炒高麗菜 (Chǎo gāo lí cài)
A staple. Often good. Sometimes great. Here, it’s great, because it’s very clearly a high mountain (高山) cabbage – which means it has an extra level of sweetness that your average store-bought cabbage just can’t achieve naturally.
Stir-Fried Beef with Green Onion
葱爆牛肉 (Cōng bào niúròu)
One of the greatest things I like about Taiwanese cooking is something such as this green onion and beef stir-fried dish. It’s so effortlessly simple, yet so incredibly flavourful. Not only are you going to get the fresh beef flavour coming through, but you’re also going to get the green onion fragrance piercing through the air, too. There’s not many other ingredients to this dish, but it really doesn’t need anything else adding to it. It’s really good, and pairs perfectly with a big bowl of rice.
Wild Boar with Gracilaria
山豬肉炒龍鬚 (Shān zhūròu chǎo lóng xū)
Onions, garlic, soy sauce, chilli, and thinly sliced wild boar are all stir-fried to succulent perfection and then plomped on top of these Gracilaria.
I have tried to find a better translation for this vegetable so many times before, but it seems I have settled in Gracilaria. It seems that some refer to it as a type of asparagus shoot, and others a member of the fern family (who knows, maybe it could be both?). But all I know is that the stems are tender and the flavour is mild. It can sometimes take on a somewhat slimy texture, but not here. Blanched in water and cooled down before being put on the plate allow the deep green colour to remain, while also maintain a nice crunch.
I liked this dish, but I perhaps liked other dishes more.
Bamboo with Salted Egg
金沙茭白筍 (Jīnshā jiāobái sǔn)
Now this dish right here is a new must-order of mine. When in season, these younger bamboo shoots are tender and full of a light bamboo flavour. Stir-fried to crunchy perfection while still retaining the succulence on the inside, they become wonderous when stir-fried with the salted egg yolk here. There’s an incredible umaminess to salted egg yolk when used as a stir-fry sauce/topping. It didn’t disappoint in any way. I will certainly order this again.
The bottom line
Is it worth the long trip? Yes, without a doubt.
What’s the must-order dish if you had to pick one? The chicken. I mean, everything is awesome, but that chicken is stunningly good.
If you enjoy this kind of hidden gem, you should not miss the following place as well:
New Taipei Restaurant-Amajia Seafood 阿嬤家咖啡漁村料理 Is a Great Option for a Relaxing Afternoon Out of the City.
Where is it?
If you drive then it's pretty straightforward and won't take you long to get there. But, if you want to take public transport directly there, then your best bet is on the S9 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Beitou Zhuzi Lake Line which takes you to the Hutian Community stop and costs you $30, whereupon it's a 6min walk to the restaurant.