Yesterday was a public holiday, so I headed north to Springleaf. When the city center is crowded, this spot always feels like a mini retreat. There’s a nature park for slow walks and quick photos, leafy corners for catching your breath, and, importantly, the Hans Union restaurant is a great place to have a meal and some nice ambience as well.
Inside, the space is bright and lively without being frantic. I love the clean marble tables, the easy self-service flow, and the wide menu boards that read like a choose-your-own-comfort food. You’ll spot baked rice options, pastas, local plates, and a good spread of drinks and cakes. There’s even a little retail corner with biscuits and spreads, very “grab something for later” snack.
For lunch, I went straight for the Herbal Chicken. It has a generous quarter chicken in a dark broth that smelled nostalgic, slightly sweet, a little earthy, and warm with ginger. On top and tucked around the chicken were all the nice toppings, ginkgo nuts, red dates, slices of ginger, and a handful of herbs I couldn’t name but definitely could taste. The meat was tender and moist, pulling off the bone with a gentle nudge of the spoon. That sauce… oh my. A balanced sweet–savory blend with herbal depth that made me keep “just one more” sip until the plate looked clean. It’s the kind of sauce that begs for plain rice, and the rice did its job perfectly, soaking, softening, carrying every bit of flavor.
What I appreciate most here is the comfort factor. Herbal chicken can sometimes lean medicinal or too heavy on one note, but Hans Union keeps it friendly. The ginger perks things up, the dates bring round sweetness, and the herbs float in the background like a supporting choir instead of a soloist. If you’re sensitive to sweetness, you might find the sauce a touch on the cozy side, but paired with rice it hits a lovely balance. And portion-wise, it’s generous, enough protein to satisfy without tipping you into a food nap.
Because holidays deserve a finale, I wandered to the dessert chiller and chose apple pie with hot tea. The slice was golden and shiny, with tidy layers of fruit tucked inside a firm, biscuit-like crust. It’s not the cinnamon-heavy, gooey American style, think a more restrained, café classic profile. The apples held their shape, the filling wasn’t cloying, and the crust gave that gentle, satisfying bite. Sipping hot tea between forkfuls felt like the best kind of reset after a rich, herbal main, clean, warm, and quietly happy.
Overall, this was exactly the lunch I needed, simple, nourishing, and gently celebratory. I liked stepping out of the city swirl and into Springleaf’s slower rhythm, where you can take a walk, take a photo, and then take your time over a hearty plate that doesn’t try too hard. Hans Union keeps things approachable, plenty of choices, a pleasant dining room, and flavors that feel familiar yet cared for. I left satisfied, relaxed, and already thinking about my next visit. Maybe I’ll explore the baked rice section next time, but knowing me, the herbal chicken will be calling my name again, and I won’t put up much of a fight.
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