Friday, March 31, 2023

news: ASIA'S 50 BEST 2023

Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants for 2023


Wow! Congratulations to all the restaurants on the list and to chef Tonn who has not only the number 1 restaurant with Le Du, but 2 in the top 5 with Nusara as number 4. Sezanne made an incredible climb to number 2, with chef Daniel Calvert at the Four Seasons Tokyo. A lot of movement on the list this year with everyone being able to travel again last year. 

This year, Mume is the sole rep for Taiwan at number 45 on the list. 

1. Le Du (Bangkok)

2. Sezanne (Tokyo) 

3. Nusara (Bangkok)

4. Den (Tokyo)

5. Gaggan Anand (Bangkok)

6. Odette (Singapore) 

7. Florilege (Tokyo)

8. La Cime (Osaka)

9. Sorn (Bangkok)

10. Narisawa (Tokyo)

11. Labyrinth (Singapore) 

12. Sazenka (Tokyo) 

13. The Chairman (Hong Kong)

14. Villa Aida (Wakayama, Japan)

15. Mosu (Seoul) 

16. Masque (Mumbai) 

17. Meta (Singapore) 

18. Fu He Hui (Shanghai) 

19. Indian Accent (New Delhi) 

20. Ode (Tokyo) 

21. Zen (Singapore) 

22. Suhring (Bangkok) 

23. Onjium (Seoul) 

24. Burnt Ends (Singapore) 

25. Euphoria (Singapore) 

26. Cloudstreet (Singapore) 

27. Les Amis (Singapore)

28. Mingles (Seoul) 

29. Neighborhood (Hong Kong) 

30. Avartana (Chennai, India) 

31. Ensue (Shenzhen, China)

32. Cenci (Kyoto, Japan) 

33. Ms. Maria & Mr. Singh (Bangkok) 

34. Da Vittorio (Shanghai) 

35. Potong (Bangkok) 

36. Born (Singapore) 

37. Wing (Hong Kong) 

38. Raan Jay Fai (Bangkok) 

39. Wing Lei Palace (Macao)

40. Anan Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

41. Mono (Hong Kong) 

42. Toyo Eatery (Manila) 

43. Sichuan Moon (Macao) 

44.L’Effervescence (Tokyo)

45. Mume  (Taipei) 

46. Baan Tepa (Bangkok)

47. Born & Bred (Seoul) 

48. Metiz (Manila) 

49. Caprice (Hong Kong)

50. Refer (Beijing)

Friday, February 10, 2023

vegetarian/western: i strongly recommend MIA CUCINA


MIA CUCINA
No. 11, Lane 107, Section 1, Fuxing S Rd, Da’an District
(02)2752-8767

(more locations below)

MRT: Zhongxiao Fuxing

11AM - 9:30PM

$$

Date visited: February 2022

Recommended dishes:  
the 3 cheese roasted tomato flatbread (NT$420), the avocado mushroom panini, wild mushroom pasta, harvest salad, kale farro salad



Hello everyone in 2023! It really is easy to forget things when I don't write about it. This meal was from almost a year ago February 2022, and the first one that popped up from my google photos that uploads from my laptop. Looking at this meal, I remember it's from Mia Cucina because of their signature thin crust flatbread pizza and piles of salad and pasta, but without the menu in front of me, I'll have to google the prices and names of the dishes.  I'm thinking if I can upload random past meals from my photostream and get some posts done for 2023, even if they are throwbacks. Let's see how long this lasts! 

Mia Cucina was one of the first "vegetarian, but you can take your family who eat meat" restaurants and also one of the first places to have a great salad selection. Looks like they celebrated their 10th anniversary last year, which means they opened in 2012. Now there's a ton of Western vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Taipei, but Mia Cucina really was one of the first to have pages of over a dozen salads, pizzas, paninis and pasta, and be exclusively vegetarian. Now there's Herbivore, Baganhood, Herban Kitchen and Bar. It also reminds me of Gonna, which is not vegetarian but does the whole salad and pasta with same ingredients thing.

The first location I went to was their first one in Neihu, probably in 2013 and I remember being in awe because they had a semi-open kitchen with huge assortment of colorful veggies and you could see them as they assembled the salads and dishes. (I'll have to see if I can dig out the photos!!) The state of finding a salad in Taipei before then was so tragic- Caesar salads or lettuce with some diced cucumber, and at best, the salads from Chilis. It really was so sad. Look at us now! Mia Cucina now has locations in Daan, Tianmu and Xinyi, in the very visible second floor walkway of A11. I actually really used to like Mia Cucina, but haven't gone as often once all the cafes and Gonna and Herbivore opened. But don't be deceived- it can still be very busy and popular and you should make a reservation.

Their OG salads were the Farmers and the Harvest, which I would always get confused, with overlapping ingredients (and early menus only in Chinese). Ok let's break it down- Farmers salad has grilled sweet potato, bell peppers, grilled corn, raisins (YUCK WHY), red onions, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, cherry tomatoes, carrots, boiled egg, caramelized pecans, pineapple (again hmm), broccoli, croutons, avocado, cheddar cheese and ranch dressing. Harvest salad has grilled corn, grilled bell peppers, cherry tomato, asparagus, grilled carrots, grilled eggplant, red onion, cucumber cubes, quinoa, cilantro, toasted almonds, dried cranberries, feta cheese with lemon vinaigrette. 

In the last few years, they've changed it up, adding salads like Kale and farro (NT$435) and brunch and bowl options. Might have to revisit to give it a try!



Farro Kale Salad - kale, pecans, cranberry, scallions, celery, feta, lemon vinegar sauce

wild mushroom pasta


Other locations: 

110, Taipei City, Xinyi District, Songshou Rd, 11號2樓號
(02) 2722-3120

Zhongshan District, Nanjing W Rd, 12號2樓
(02) 2522-2438

No. 48號, Dexing W Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111


Tuesday, August 30, 2022

news/michelin: 2022 TAIPEI TAICHUNG KAOHSIUNG MICHELIN STARS ⭐️



I spotted some friends posting from the 2022 Taipei Michelin Guide Awards, so I hopped onto Facebook to watch the livestream and screencap some highlights for you guys! 

The Michelin Guide now has four cities in Taiwan in their guide- adding Tainan and Kaohsiung for the first time this year to Taipei and Taichung



Michelin awarded 38 restaurants with stars for 2022, along with Michelin Green Stars, Bib Gourmand and Michelin selected restaurants (which confuses me a little bit- it's not a star, but I guess like an honorary mention. I'm not sure if the previous Plate category is still included also, or if this mention replaces Plate). 



Kaohsiung's Liberte and Sho managed to catch new stars, but none for Tainan. 




Five of the seven restaurants who were newly starred were in Taipei- Holt, Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama (at Landis Hotel), Shin Yeh (yay!), Sushiyoshi and Yu Kapo. 




Chef Hiroki from Sushiyoshi seemed to be having the most fun with the mandatory photo ops onstage, making silly faces and heart signs with the Michelin Man and head of Michelin Taiwan. 




It was also a sweet moment when host Alex Niu made sure that Shin Yeh's founder Mrs. Lee got a photo of her chef receiving their first star. 


Le Palais remains the only 3 starred restaurant in the Taipei Michelin Guide, for the fifth year in a row, while JL Studio, Logy, Tairroir, Raw, Shoun Ryugin, Guest House and Robuchon kept their 2 star status. 




Highlighting Chef Justine Li of Fleur de Sel in Taichung and the wife owner of Ming Fu in the sea of male dominated chefs onstage. 



Congrats to all the chefs and restaurants that were honored this year. What do you guys think of the list this year? Any surprise inclusions or snubs? Comment below or DM me! 

2022 TAIPEI TAICHUNG KAOHSIUNG MICHELIN STARS 

1 MICHELIN STAR TAIPEI ⭐️ 
1 MICHELIN STAR TAICHUNG ⭐️ 
1 MICHELIN STAR KAOHSIUNG ⭐️ 
2 MICHELIN STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ 
3 MICHELIN STARS ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 
  • Le Palais (Taipei)

Sommelier Award 
Paris 1930 de Hideki Takayama
Lin Yun Shu

Welcome and Service Award
Fleur de Sel 
Pauline Pei-Ling Yu

Young Chef Award 2022
T+T 
Kei Koo and Johnny Tsai

Green Star 2022 for sustainable gastronomy
Mountain and Sea House
Yangming Spring
Embers 
Little Tree Food 



READ ABOUT PREVIOUS YEARS

Monday, June 06, 2022

bread/taiwanese: i recommend EAT MI



The pandemic had everyone making bread at home, me included. For the first time, I made quick foccacia, no knead peasant bread, salted honey butter parker rolls, easy yogurt flatbread, honey beer bread, easy pretzels and of course, a lot of banana bread (not really a bread, but you know what I mean). Wow, okay seeing that, that's a lot of bread, but it's also been a loooong two years. It's evidence that  I love bread and all kinds of bread. But it wasn't until I got the invitation by a friend to try EatMI that I had heard of bread made from rice. 

Like everyone else, I’ve been trying to figure out how to eat healthier in between those media tastings, brown sugar boba and shaved ice cravings, and carb-bread-cinnamon roll-cake-croissant temptations. And most of the time, the cravings win.

So that’s why I was intrigued by EatMI, a new company making toast and bread with Taiwanese rice. Around the world, people are eating less rice (whether it’s because they are cutting carbs or have other options to pick from) and in Taiwan, rice consumption has fallen more than 30%. So the partners founded EatMI and spent two years figuring out how to make bread made from 100% Taiwanese rice and zero wheat flour, but still have a texture that bread lovers would still enjoy. With a master baker from Jiu Zhen Nan (舊振南), a food business keeping Chinese pastry traditions alive since 1890, and other partners, they are looking for a way to evolve the way people in Taiwan eat rice and the way they eat bread. 




EatMi started with a popup at Taipei 101 in December 2021, a vegan kickoff at Ooh Cha Cha x OmniPork with chef Mai Bach who also helped create some vegan toppings for them for their 101 popup, and then some collaborations with 5 restaurants like M One Cafe and Tamed Fox doing their thing with EatMI toast into eggs benedict, French toast, and bread pudding. 






Shrimp eggs Benedict w crispy hashbrowns
EatMi x M One Cafe 

Charsiu eggs Benedict Tamed Fox with EatMi English muffins

No flour, no wheat, just rice- which makes the bread a great option for those looking for gluten free options in Taipei. The first version of the packaging was individually packed and in a box, with three flavors available- original, nutty and chocolate. (NT$770/ 8 slices, combination box) 




My favorite was the nutty toast and the original a close second. They recommend (and I agree) that the toast is best when toasted longer than you would for normal toast... I use my air fryer and a good 3-4 minutes in it before I top it. I even tried my hand at the French toast that I tried from Brun, and it definitely helps those crusts when I airfried/toasted it a few minutes after griddling. The rice toast has a slightly chewy texture, not as chewy as mochi waffle, but just a slightly chewier than regular toast, and the crusts become caramelized. It's hard to describe, you kind of have to try it for yourself.

Strawberry French toast by Brun x EatMi. This was sooo tasty! 




Just launched, EatMi's second version comes in a sliced loaf, with slightly more eco-friendly packaging, and better pricing at NT$330 for 6 original slices, or NT$380 for 6 nutty slices. It's definitely still a splurge for bread, which is extremely competitive in Taiwan, but much more affordable than the pricing for the first time around. For those looking for gluten-free options, this is much tastier than the gluten free breads I've tried in the states. For more info, check out eatmi.com


Thursday, June 02, 2022

takeout/taiwanese: i recommend SHIN YEH x INLINE


hi guys! As you may know, Covid has been peaking in Taiwan and numbers are at a record high and for the first time, I have a number of friends who have caught (and recovered from) Covid. Since everyone is being more cautious and while things are not shut down (like this time last year), I have been definitely eating more at home, cooking and ordering in. So when Inline reached out and asked if I wanted to check out their service, I looked at the list of restaurants and I said YES. I realized that it had been far too long since I had my favorite dishes from Shin Yeh since it's usually a place I would eat at with my grandmother and visiting relatives, but why not enjoy it at home? 

inline is mainly known for their reservation booking service, but they also have a ton of restaurants that you can order from. For Shin Yeh, they have takeout from four locations- Xinyi Mitsukoshi A9, Nanjing, ShuangCheng (original shop) and takeout/delivery from ZhongXiao branch. The menus have slightly different variations at the branches, and I ordered ahead to schedule a time and got the confirmation once the restaurant opened. While you can click on the top right side to change the language to English, it doesn't translate the dishes' names to English (for now), though the newest OS for iphone lets you highlight the dish name to translate. 


If you're looking for what to order from Shin Yeh, here's what I recommend  (with photos) below: 

1. Signature braised pork 欣葉滷肉NT$270
 


I was afraid 1 portion of the pork belly wouldn’t be enough since it said it had 3 pieces, but 2 portions was really sizeable with lots of tender chunks of meat! It was still warm when I got it. Would definitely reorder. Enjoyed the leftovers and sauce with rice in a second meal. 


2. Sesame oil kidney (small) 麻油腰只(小)NT$410 


Shin Yeh separated the sesame oil broth so the kidney didn’t overcook. Pork kidney is slightly crunchy and bouncy, yum. This isn't something that I have often, but when I think of this dish, I think of Shin Yeh since it's one of their signatures. It might not be for everyone, but those who love it, love it. 

3. Wok fried pork liver 香煎豬肝 NT$300 


Shin Yeh’s pork liver is slightly sweet and soft. This is another favorite of my family's. IYKYK. Uncover right away so it doesn’t overcook. 


4. Baby oysters with leeks and fermented black beans 
蔭豉蒜青蚵 NT$310 


This was another dish I was slightly worried about overcooking, but it was fine. Juicy baby oysters with the pronounced flavor of fermented black beans - this was one of the first dishes I reached for, and wished I had added a few bowls of sweet potato porridge after eating. 


5. Poached chicken (L) 鹽水土雞(大) NT$480


 I admit I am spoiled by the deboning of Hainan chicken, so the meaty pieces were gone quickly and then the bony pieces were not. 

6. Cashew shrimp 腰果蝦仁 NT$460

They separated the cashews which I thought was interesting, it was either this or the salt and pepper shrimp. This is less work to eat. It's been so long I forgot we like the pineapple shrimp here. Next time! 

7. Stir fried chives with preserved eggs 韭菜炒松花 NT$285

Another perfect with rice dish


What's your favorite dish from Shin Yeh? Check out some other favorites from my previous visits - the clams and loofah or stir fried vermicelli  , or the gua bao. Reminder to self-next time get some sweet potato porridge and pineapple shrimp.

Thank you Inline and Shin Yeh for letting me try my favorites at home. 

:)