Gourmet Flyer EVA Air operates an impressive quartet of four VIP lounges at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) – The Garden, Infinity, Star, and Club. Each of these facilities has its own unique décor and thematic atmosphere and serves a specific subset of the airlines’ customers (more on that later.) For example, The Garden features a green theme with lush foliage spread throughout the space and caters to the airline’s highest tier of frequent flyers. This particular review focuses on The Star which highlights a bright and airy space illuminated by a starry-sky theme punctuated by shades of blue lighting.
Table of Contents
Location
All of EVA’s flights depart from Terminal 2 in TPE and the airlines’ lounges are located on the fourth floor. After clearing security and passport controls, follows signs to either Gates A1 – A9 or B1 – B9 and take the escalator upstairs. Both sets of escalators lead to the same space, so it really doesn’t matter whether you turn to the A gates or B gates.
Access
As mentioned earlier, there are four EVA VIP lounges at Taipei Airport and the eligibility to access each facility is summarized briefly (and probably incompletely) below.
The Garden, the poshest of the four, is exclusive to Diamond members of the airlines’ frequent flyer program.
Both the Infinity and the Star share the same main entrance. After the agent has checked your credentials, he or she will direct you to the appropriate facilities.
The Infinity is reserved for First Class and Business Class passengers of EVA Air and its Star Alliance Partners.
The Star is for MileageLands Gold as well as Star Alliance Gold members travelling in any class of service.
As of this writing, the hours of both facilities are from 04:30 to 23:30 daily.
The Club, which is located at the other end of the floor, welcomes the airlines’ Silver frequent flyers traveling on EVA or UNI as well as Star Alliance Gold members traveling on any of its partners’ flights.
Please refer to the airlines’ official website for complete admission policies.
Seating
The entrance leads to a long and elegant hallway adorned with shelves of antiques and some delicate and precious looking porcelain pottery. To the right are two spacious seating areas with sofas facing a large screen TV.
These sofas are soft and very comfortable. Some of them have a small coffee table next to them. However, I did not see any charging outlets in this area.
Near the end of the hallway and to its left is an area set up with round dining tables which are mostly two tops. This space has a very cozy and casual café or bistro vibes and is where my wife and I like to hangout.
If you need to get some work done, there are several large communal high-top tables equipped with charging outlets in various areas of the lounge. These are some very comfortable and spacious workspaces which have plenty of space for a laptop accompanied by food and drinks.
If you want to avoid distractions, there are also some work benches that are lined against a wall. You can almost always find a space there as these are often the last places to fill up when the club gets crowded.
Another few sets of high tops line the windows which overlook the check-in counters on the third floor below. These are the only window seats in this EVA Air Lounge in Taipei Airport.
If you want to take a nap, there is actually a rest area with large leather recliners with footrests. These are very comfortable, and you can really sleep soundly there. Just don’t forget to set an alarm so you won’t miss your flight!
TIP: You can ask the agent at the front desk for a blanket if you need one.
Breakfast Menu
The center piece of the dining area at this particular EVA VIP Lounge was a grand, stylish, and elegant buffet counter that features the airlines’ “evergreen” theme. In case you don’t know, EVA originally stands for Evergreen Airways, a term that is no longer used nowadays.
Breakfast on the day I was there was a medley of Chinese and Western cuisines. You can see a tray of bacon sitting right next to pan-fried turnip cakes (lo bak go) above. Asian bacons were pan fried just like ham, so the texture was soft, and not crispy. The turnip cakes were delicious, and they were very popular. Every time the staff brought out a fresh tray, it was quickly emptied before I got a chance to snap a picture. So, my apologies that I could not provide a better picture here.
Above are the usual staples of scrambled eggs and French toast. The eggs were soft and slippery – an Asian term referring to the texture of the egg.
Thick slabs of grilled ham were accompanied by a tray of mixed vegetables. The veggies of the day were zucchini, yellow squash, and carrots. What a great combination!
Above is one of my breakfast plates. One thing that I really like – and I think US based airlines should copy – is that they give you trays to carry your food, and also provide wet sanitizing hand wipes in addition to napkins.
You have to try the pork buns if you haven’t already. These are special in the way they are cooked – they are pan-fried first and then steamed – which gives them a crusty bottom but a moist and soft body of the bao.
Congee is a staple of Chinese breakfast, and it was served with plenty of toppings. Above is my bowl of congee accompanied by a baked yam and a pork bun.
Lunch and All-Day Menu
Usually, lunch entrées are served around 11am, replacing some of the breakfast items. However, many items served during breakfast, such as the salad bar, remain available throughout the day. The salad bar was nothing fancy but carried all the essential staples. The Asian sesame dressing was delicious!
When I was there for lunch on a recent visit, soup of the day was a Chinese vegetarian specialty – turnip and eryngii mushroom (aka king oyster mushroom) soup with sesame oil. It was delicious and refreshing.
The other two vegetarian entrées were pan-fried vermicelli with veggies and white cabbage sautéed with carrots and sliced shitake mushrooms.
For the meat lovers, there were pan-fried pork patties, which looked somewhat like flattened meatballs.
A Japanese rendition of Wagyu beef with onions was served with steamed rice.
The Western dish on the lunch menu today was spaghetti with sliced chorizo in tomato sauce. A fresh tray of sautéed zucchinis, squash, and carrots complemented the pasta.
Desserts
If you have never tried an Asian dessert soup, here is your chance. It is a type of desserts almost exclusive to Asian cuisines that comes in the form of a delicate sweet broth. The specialty of the day was a blend of red date, sundried longan, and snow fungus.
Ice cream lovers will enjoy the four flavors of Mövenpick from Switzerland. Selections of sliced cakes and other sweets are also available in another refrigerated compartment.
Beverages
All drinks – including alcoholic beverages – at the EVA lounge in Taipei are self-served. The main source of your cold drinks is a huge refrigerator by the wall right by the buffet counter. A good variety of soft drinks, juice, Asian teas, as well as beers are available. I always love to check out the local beer in every country that I visit, so I am glad they have their iconic Taiwan beer there.
Coffee lovers will probably appreciate the fancy espresso machine there, that apparently grinds the beans the moment you make your drink to preserve the richest and freshest flavors.
Hot water is dispensed in a special machine. You need to pay attention to the instructions there and unlock the machine first, then press and hold the dispense button. Be careful that the water is very very hot – in most of Asia it is customary to brew their tea using boiling water to bring out the flavor and aroma of the tea leaves.
Other beverages in self-served dispensers include lemon-infused water, iced milk tea – a Taiwanese favorite, and a selection of chilled juices. The day I was there for breakfast, they were serving fresh orange and passionfruit juices.
Last but not the least, there are good selections of adult beverages. Mixers, such as soda, tonic, etc. are in the same fridge where all the soft drinks and beers are stored.
During my two recent visits, the selection of wines was:
- Chateau des Annereaux Lalande-de-Pomerol (a very good Bordeaux)
- Masseria Surani Primitovo (similar to Zinfandel)
- Cuvée Dissenay Chardonnay
- J. Bäumer Rheingau Riesling
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed my recent visits to the EVA Air VIP Lounge at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. I found the space thoughtfully designed with a thematic character subtly reflected in its décor. It exuded a sense of sophistication and casual elegance but was not overly opulent. This made the atmosphere more relaxed and welcoming. The extensive buffet of international cuisines was adequate and also diverse enough to satisfy different dietary requirements. I thought the chefs there did a great job with some of the dishes, and I particularly liked the pork bun, among a few other things. Service has been almost impeccable, and truly exemplified the spirit of Asian hospitality.
