Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 - Westin Hotel

Address: 133 Nanjing East Road, Sec 3, Taipei. (B2 Westin Hotel)

Telephone: (02) 8770-6565

Hours: 12:00PM-2:30PM; 6:00PM-9:30PM

What do you know when you are about to dini at a quality hotel? You are definitely getting great service in an upscale atmosphere that will make your wallet bleed.  I would also dare say that typically the food can be counted on to be excellent.  It stands to reason that when an 4 or 5 star hotel provides every other amenity that a guest would desire, providing amazing dining choices would be one of the most important things that they would care to strive for.
Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 at the Westin is able to pass all of the above criteria easily.  The food is splendid, the service is magnificent, the decor is luxurious and the prices are of course exorbitant... check, check, check and check.

 Combo Platter.  Some good flavor with a spicy kick to it.

 Sea Cucumber. 

Nice QQ(cannot think of the English equivalent... perhaps chewy) noodles that is mixed on hand.  

Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 is located on the B2 floor of the beautiful Westin Hotel, with ample seating for large parties and intimate gatherings alike.  We were here for a dinner on a quiet Monday night and were seated in a private room.  The restaurant didn't seem too busy, but there were a decent number of patrons coming in and out.  

I arrived in time to see my God-Mother finishing up her order with the waitress.  I was not privy to what was ordered, and to be honest, I wasn't too worried about it.  Eating at a Pekingese restaurant, I knew there was definitely going to be one thing guaranteed to appear in front of me, and that was enough for me.

 Oh boy.. YUM.

Duck.  In all stages of devastation.

Isn't Pekingese cuisine synonymous with Duck? Is that just my uncouth nature spilling out again? Regardless, Peking Duck is the signature dish of this type of cuisine, and why the heck shouldn't it be? It's just oh so very delicious.

The Peking Duck at Yi Yuan Pekingese Restaurant 頤園 is renowned around the city as being one of the best Taipei has to offer.  I've been told that in the Japanese tour books about Taiwan, they all highly recommend Yi Yuan, so you will often see Japanese tourists come here to dine on this exemplary creation.  The chef is known to travel to Beijing every year to review his skills on roasting the duck, and his techniques on making the sauce and pancakes which often accompany the duck.  As you can see, Yi Yuan 頤園 and its chefs take tremendous pride in their signature item, and it shows in the finished product.

The duck is superb.  The meat is moist, the skin is crisp, and every inch of it is oozing with flavor.  If you manage to wander into Yi Yuan 頤園 without ordering the Peking Duck, then you have truly missed out.

 Pancake and the necessary fix'ns. 

Yi Yuan isn't only renowned for its roast Peking Duck, but as also a great spot to get a taste of many modernized versions of Pekingese gastronomical staples.  We had a wide range of food for us to experience.  From a mushu like dish, to combo platters and dumplings.  I found the food to be a joy to look at, which I have continuously said might be on occasion just as important as the taste of the food itself.

 Love the sauce that accompanies the perfectly cooked fish.  Sweet and a bit tangy.

Yi Yuan 頤園's version of the scallion pancake.

Caramelized Taro with spun sugar.  

You can fill out your meal around the necessity that is the Peking Duck.  But I would definitely recommend the scallion pancake, along with the combo platter to start.  The sea cucumber is also a famous dish of theirs, but i'm not a fan of sea cucumbers in general so I didn't give it a taste.

To be honest, I didn't find any dish to be lacking, but clearly not everything can be great.  But it is a testament to Yi Yuan 頤園 that everything ranged from good to excellent.  I enjoyed the presentation of many of the dishes, and how they preparation was done table side, that's always a nice touch and something commonly done in Pekingese restaurants.

I greatly enjoyed my experience at Yi Yuan 頤園, and must thank my God-Mother for the treat.  If people are ever in the mood to be a bit lavish and have some amazing Peking Duck done right, I now know where to go.

Overall Yi Yuan 頤園 Receives: 

-Til Next Time-