Garden.V

Review

Garden.V sits at No. 136, Section 1, Dongda Road in Hsinchu's East District, close to the Big City shopping mall, in a three-storey townhouse. The MICHELIN Guide says it has been running for more than twenty years and is well known locally; it entered the Bib Gourmand list in 2025 and remains in the 2026 guide. United Daily News and Supertaste both describe it as a Shanghai and Jiangsu-Zhejiang restaurant and advise booking ahead.

The guide recommends two dishes: braised wheat gluten that balances sweet and savoury, and vegetable rice in which separate grains are tossed with bok choy and minced Jinhua ham, which must be ordered in advance. A glass cabinet holds cold starters you can pick directly, and portions are generous. Diners also often order chicken or pork bone soup, red-braised pork belly and beef short rib; overall the flavours follow the sweeter Shanghai style, and plating is careful.

Fans say the cooking is consistent and every dish is well seasoned, the pork belly is sweet and tender and the short rib soft, making it good for hosting guests or older relatives; the interior is tasteful, with large windows that keep the room bright and clean. Criticism focuses on prices above an ordinary home-style restaurant and some small portions, while staff on each floor are stretched at peak times and one diner felt ignored when calling for help. Others find the rules a little rigid.

According to online information, it opens roughly 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 to 9:30 p.m. with no fixed closing day, so confirm before going. MICHELIN notes that credit cards are accepted, the rooms are air-conditioned and it is family-friendly. Reservations are handled by the restaurant, and walk-ins rarely get a table at weekends or dinner. Drivers can park at the Big City mall and walk over.

It suits family gatherings, meals with older relatives or hosting, and anyone wanting several Jiangsu-Zhejiang classics at once. Come with three or four people, pre-order the vegetable rice when booking, then add braised gluten, red-braised pork and a pot of soup, plus one or two cold starters from the cabinet. Expect about NT$400 to NT$800 per person.