Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳 (Taiwan, Nantou Country)

Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant is an alfresco dining restaurant perched over a mountainous deep valley in Cingjing. 

This restaurant is well-known among Taiwanese for its food and scenery. It has been featured by their local magazines and visited by Taiwanese celebrities.  

This is the magnificent view from the dining area. It is beautiful and the air is so fresh. Coupled with the cooling weather, it is a perfect place to enjoy our food during the afternoon.

Set Menu

We ordered the Set Menu for 5 persons at 1200 TWD (S$52.40). It consisted of Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚, Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉, Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦, Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍, Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜, Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 and Steamed Rice.

We also ordered their signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞560 TWD (S$24.50). This is dish and the Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚 are their signature dishes \.

Do note that, I have literally translated the Chinese characters to English Language. Hence, the dishes may sound weird in English Language.

The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 is a very famous dish here and this is a must try at the restaurant. The chickens are marinated and then cooked in huge earthen jar placed outside the restaurant. The chickens are hooked up-right and cooked (roasted).  The essence and fats from the chicken is then collected at the bottom. Each earthen jar can cook four chickens at any point in time. Every now and then, a staff will take out each chicken from the jar and spray them with a layer of oil before putting back to roast, resulting in the crisp skin and tender meat.  

Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50)

The signature Roasted Chicken (Earthen Jar Chicken) 現烤甕缸雞 560 TWD (S$24.50) was served with dipping sauce (i.e. chilli and salt) and interesting a pair of cotton knitted work gloves and plastic gloves! Just like what you see in the above photo.

The chicken was so tender that it was easily torn into smaller pieces by hand. Hence, gloves were provided. The chicken skin was crispy and there were no fats in between as the fats had all been roasted. The interior meat was juicy and tender, not dry at all. Taste wise, it was just nice and there was no need for me to use the dipping sauce. A must try! 

Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜

These cabbage from the Highland Cabbage 高山高麗菜 dish were grown and harvested from the mountains. Although it was well cooked and the cabbage was sweet and crunchy, it was just an ordinary dish. 

Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot  雞湯滷桂竹筍

The Stirred Fried Chicken Soup Bamboo Shoot 雞湯滷桂竹筍 is another must try.This dish was well executed. They were so fresh and crunchy with a sweet taste. Not hard at all and taste so different from the ones you eat or can buy in Singapore. 

Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦

The Crystal Shrimp 碧湖水晶蝦 was a very addictive dish. The shrimps were deep fried with their shells still intact and were lightly seasoned with pepper, salt and chilli. They were so well deep fried that the shells were so crisp and crunchy which the interior meat was soft and sweet. Perfect with plain rice (white steamed rice).

Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉

The vegetables and pig used in this dish (i.e. Stirred Fried Mountain Vegetables with Mountain Pork Meat 山菜炒山豬肉) were grown from the mountains. They were very generous with the pork meat.

Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚

This is another signature dish - Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚. The trout fish was taken freshly from the fish tank. Its head and tail were removed leaving just the body. The fish was then cooked with shredded ginger, chili and garlic mixed with little soy sauce till it was 50% cooked. It would then be served to customers.  The staff would then advise the customers to wait 10 minutes as the fish would continue cooking. By then the fish would be perfectly cooked. 

Steamed Live Trout 清蒸中段活鱒魚

The trout fish had a lot of bones in it. Even for someone like me who is used to eating fish, I was extremely careful when eating this dish. I did not find this fantastic. 

Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯

As for the head and tail of the trout fish, they were not wasted. They were used to cook the Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯 together with ingredients such as mushroom and carrot.

Live Trout Head and Tail Soup 活鱒魚頭尾湯

The soup was lightly flavoured.

高山鱒魚

Look at the number of Trout Fish in the fish tank. Interestingly, they were all perceptually swimming in a particular direction. 

Inako Scenic View Cafe Restaurant 清境伊拿谷景觀咖啡餐廳(Taiwan, Nantou Country)

546南投縣仁愛鄉大同村仁和路信義巷36之1附1號

No. 25-1, Rénhé Rd, Renai Township, Nantou County, Taiwan 546

Tel: 049 280 3710

Opening Hours: Daily 10am to 9pm

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