Zhu Lin Canteen was formerly known as Yue Zhi Lu Canteen. Before its name change, it was not operating at its current location; the name was changed after moving here. There is a reason why we found this place. Over ten years ago, we went to Hualien and dined at Yue Lu (recommended by locals at the time). Later, the owner of Yue Lu closed the restaurant to travel around the world. The employees then started Yue Zhi Lu. Unexpectedly, the owner of Yue Lu returned and reopened the restaurant, so Yue Zhi Lu changed its name to differentiate from them. (I learned about this story from online research later.)
Initially, we thought this was a branch of Yue Lu and were too lazy to go up the mountain, so we reserved a table here. Later, we found out their story, and their dishes have some similarities. Since we were already here, we decided to stay and try the food. There were even news reports about it, so it should be of a certain standard and not too bad!
The overall environment is brighter and newer. However, the ambiance at Yue Lu is still better.
The plum series of cold dishes are refreshing and appetizing. This one is quite tasty!
The stir-fried rice noodles are quite tasty, but the seasoning is too strong.
One of their signature dishes, the charcoal-grilled plum barrel chicken, needs to be pre-ordered. Another dish that requires a reservation is the salt-grilled fish, as it takes a long time to prepare and cook. The chicken wasn't as impressive as we remembered; it lacked the plum aroma. The sauce on the side, made with chicken fat, can be used for dipping the chicken or mixing with rice.
The biggest issue that day was the seasoning; everything was very salty. Otherwise, the food was quite good. Maybe the chef's hand shook, was in a bad mood, or they bought too much salt and were afraid it wouldn't be used up? Compared to our past memories, it didn't live up to the original Yue Lu. We might need to go back to the original Yue Lu in the mountains!
竹霖食堂（原月之廬食堂）
 Charcoal-Grilled Plum Barrel Chicken){kind=link}
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