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2023-09-23
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Day trip to Taipei. Meeting went well, so best to reward myself to a Michelin (+Asia’s top 50) dinner before my flight.Fairly dark ambience, with approximately 10 tables; open kitchen on the mezzanine floor; private room seating 12 in the basement.Menu, cutlery and napkin all awaited in the Drawer underneath table, leaving no room to cross my legs.Reminded server of my allergy to chili and impending flight to catch.Wine list was ok.Went for a glass of US Pinot. Here’s what I had. -Cracker filled
Fairly dark ambience, with approximately 10 tables; open kitchen on the mezzanine floor; private room seating 12 in the basement.
Menu, cutlery and napkin all awaited in the Drawer underneath table, leaving no room to cross my legs.
Reminded server of my allergy to chili and impending flight to catch.
Wine list was ok.
Went for a glass of US Pinot.
Here’s what I had.
-Cracker filled with duck leg and chives
[Forgot to take photo- too engrossed in my online game😠]
-Tomatoes with Ginger Curd, Gooseberry, pesto, basil oil and herbs. Refreshing dish signaling the end of Summer.
-Red Prawns from Yilan with Persimmon, pickled onion, Lemon Balm oil, prawn oil and Makauy peppercorn oil. Loved the tangy Citrus flavors.
Makauy (馬告/mountain pepper) is often promoted as a local ingredient and an important feature in the cooking of Taiwanese Aboriginal communities. Flavor-wise, it contains elements of pepper, citrus and ginger.
[Forgot to take photo again😩]
-Sourdough bread with quinoa; Butter with Pickled Radish aged 28 years sprinkled with sea salt. Loved the acidic yet buttery taste.
Amadai with crispy scales, cooked with the うろこ焼き (u rokuyaki) method, ie spooning hot oil over the skin first, then cooked in oven. On the side: smoked Mussel topped with sautéed fennel and Taiwanese bottarga. Sauce was bouillabaisse with dill oil and orange juice.
South African Abalone cooked with sake in High pressure cooker. At the bottom: Olive Green and bamboo shoots. Sauce was made with Abalone liver, lined with taste of black pepper. Thoughtfully precut in pieces, so no need to use the knife at all.
Thinly sliced Cuttlefish presented like pasta. On a bed of spicy minced pork; Topped with Sakura prawn. Despite my earlier warning, Chili oil was mistakenly added. Server was mortified at the error, genuinely apologetic and offered me a glass of something else to go with the main. (Recalling the exact incident with chili oil happened to me at VEA, but absent the apology, humbleness and genuineness. Maybe that’s the difference between Taiwan and Hong Kong.)
Courtesy of server: Glass of floral-tasting Cabernet franc to go with the New Zealand Lamb Rump, Roasted then seared. On the side: Zucchini and Lily bulb. Loved the sauce with Makauy, very fragrant. Unfortunately meat was quite tough- had to double check if I had the steak knife upside down.
Dessert: Deconstructed tarte tartin: Caramelized green Apple with a piece of puff pastry; on the side: ice cream made with leaves of Cinnamon from Taiwanese Mountains and a scoop of Chantilly cream. Instructed by server that each spoonful should contain a bit of everything.
[Again, too engrossed in my online game to take photo 😤]
Bite-sized puff topped with Coconut and Mango cream.
Got a “MUME x GlenDronach” whiskey mooncakes giftbox.
In summary: marvelous experience. Local Taiwanese ingredients expertly cooked and presented with complex flavors.
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