Jiaoxi Township, Yilan County｜蘋果樹廚房

Just a short walk away from the glitzy and towering hotels that surround the area around Jiaoxi train station is this family-run cafe that sits quietly along the busy main road that passes through Jiaoxi's centre. Despite its quaint little storefront, this place boasts delicious food at a very affordable price. We had the signature grilled chicken set meal and the sesame oil chicken noodles and were surprised not only by the generous serving but also by their unique and amazing taste. The grilled chicken is served with a dip made from a special blend of spices that hint of Southeast Asian influence and is accompanied by fluffy pearl rice, a lightly fried omelette, crunchy edamame beans, flavourful braised vegetables and a serving of freshly cut fruits. The noodles, on the other hand was intentionally served separately from the sesame oil soup, which allowed us to dip the soft noodles into the savoury soup at our own pace without the noodles absorbing too much broth. It also comes with a similar serving of fresh fruits as the grilled chicken. We also had both meals accompanied with soup and tea, which were both amazing in their own right. The owner and his mother were the ones running the place when we visited the cafe and were incredibly friendly and welcoming to us. Both of them were pleasantly surprised to discover that we were tourists from Singapore and were excited to shared with us their experiences there. We had a very pleasant conversation and when we asked for suggestions at the end for a place to have dessert (湯圓 tang yuan) for the winter solstice that night, both of them eagerly provided us with a recommendation (where they themselves had gotten their serving that day), which we really appreciated. All in all, this place is a hidden gem in Jiaoxi and we would really recommend anyone in Jiaoxi to give this place a visit instead of heading to the touristy food outlets near the train station!

This is by far one of my favorite restaurants in Jiaoxi and it's truly a 5 star rating restaurant. The food tastes very fresh each time. The flavor is delicious which is neither over powering in one flavor or under flavoring in another. It is also very filling. The price for set meal also includes soup, vegetables, and main course. If I could give a higher rating, I would for the service and kindness of the 老板 to each customer.

Very healthy and teasy food, lovely owner and his mother cook with passion. Nice food and welcome home.