Delicious Western BBQ at Salt Lick in Hualien
Taiwan is known as a culinary destination for a lot of travellers. It is not a surprise since the country itself is very proud of its food culture. This can be spotted from the numerous night markets scattered all around in the country. But, one does wonder, where to eat delicious Western BBQ in Taiwan? Especially when you are not at the big cities like Taipei and Kaohsiung. What if you are, in fact, somewhere in Hualien? Well, look no more, you can have a delicious Western BBQ at Salt Lick in Hualien.
Salt Lick was opened back in 2013 by Jason Delickta and Benjamin Mercer, both came from the US. Having spent years in the catering business, they aim to bring the real American BBQ style to Taiwan shore. Some of the restaurant's signature dishes can be spotted in the entrees such as Texas Beef Brisket and the pulled pork from the Carolinas. TaipeiTimes said that all of Salt Lick's signature dishes are made using a smoker that was built in Hualien to Delickta's own design.
Salt Lick also serves a lot of ala carte menu. Oh wow, this is the first time I saw a Western restaurant in Taiwan serving Gumbo. So far, I have only known Gumbo from cooking game like Cooking Mama. Other than Gumbo, another dish that pricked my taste bud is the Kansas Baby-back ribs. Salt Lick also makes their own sauces for the ribs and other BBQ items.
After minutes of deep thinking, we decided to order the DIY Combo Plate for starter. DIY Combo Platter is the combination of side dishes like coleslaw, fresh cut french fries and hush puppies (huh?) served with a side of wedges (another fries?). The hush puppies are the fried meat-ball looking thing. They are kinda taste (and look) like croquettes.
For the mains, I finally decided to order the Gumbo, which is as described, a bowl of chicken and sausage stew served with a big dollop of white rice in the middle of the bowl. My friend ordered the Carolina pulled pork and wow, looks at how generous the meat portion is. O_O!
Salt Lick is located at the following address:
147 Chongshan Rd, Hualien City (花蓮市ä¸å±±è·¯147號)
Salt Lick opens from 11.30AM to 2.30PM for lunch and from 5PM to 11PM for dinner.
While you are in Hualien, you can also continue your foodie journey to the famous night market at Zhiqiang Night Market after finishing your meal at Salt Lick. Hahaha.