All's well that ends well

I wrapped up the year 2024 with a bang with a fine dinner at Sushi Kumogaku on the last week of December. I have been to the restaurant a few times before but this was my first time coming here for dinner - partly because the restaurant is super popular and kind of hard to book. Chef Kin and his team was making final preparation behind the counter already as we walked in and seated at far end of the L-shaped counter in the main dining room, which could seat up to 12. 

End of An Era

I always feel we didn't appreciate Roganic enough for what the restaurant and the team brought to the local dining scene since their opening  in 2019, breathing a new life into our old concept of "fine dining" with a more casual, no-nonsense approach that's quite unique at that time and has since become more a commonplace. 

Ephernité

I just stumbled across Chef Vanessa Huang and her restaurant Ephernite on social media a few months ago, but that alone has convinced me to pay the restaurant a visit when we made a quick return to Taipei in late July, our second time this year. Given the restaurant only opens during dinner service, we went on the first night we arrived in town after settling down quickly at our hotel just a few hours before. 

Second Visit

On the whole nothing much has changed since my last visit to The Cristal Room 6 months ago, well, except now they are bestowed with a star in the latest edition of Michelin Guide. It's well-deserved, by the way, and certainly helped their cause to become one of the hottest restaurant openings in town in recent times. 

Hidden Gem in Gangnam

My friend G introduced me to Summer who's a food and travel writer based in Seoul, and we met up at her restaurant Onyva in Gangnam District one night while I was in town for work. Many describes Gangham District lined with multi-level designer boutiques as "Beverly Hills" of Seoul, with the main throughfare Apgujeong bearing the nickname of "Rodeo Street". Onyva was located just one block behind the busiest section of the street, which turned nice and quiet at night when the shops are closed.