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. 

The Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic

Combining the view to die for on top of Gloucester Tower with the most glamorous décor filled with Baccarat pieces scattered inside the open dining area was The Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic, the newest (and arguably the hottest) restaurant in town sitting inside the Forty Five restaurant complex. Also remarkable was the open kitchen which sit right next to the dining room with no boundary in between, giving a home-like atmosphere to the otherwise elegant, almost condescending space.

One to Watch

At the Michelin Guide Hong Kong and Macau ceremony last month, there were no happier faces than chefs Romain and Adrien, whose restaurant Racines has gotten its first Michelin star in the 2024 Guide. I had the chance to dine at the place just a few months ago and this certainly came as no surprise, given how much I enjoyed the meal at this small bistro-style venue in the quiet Tai Ping Shan Street neighborhood in Sheung Wan. 

Petrus' Seasonal Menu

We forgot how nice the view was from Restaurant Petrus until we got up there and paid a visit a couple months ago to check out Chef Uwe’s winter menu. And the food too, at this legendary restaurant with a legendary chef at the helm. 

The Perfect Repeat

I wasn’t planning to come to Tokyo in such quick succession but then when Chef Daniel suggested that I should come visit again during the Shanghainese hairy crab season after my meal in September and “you wouldn’t regret it,” I was like, sure, why not. And just as important was this time I came with the missus. Coming in for lunch this time and I found the dining room during day even more charming, with the mild sunlight beaming in from the window, and this time I got to sit at a table properly for the whole meal with our friends CXB and KC which happened to be in Tokyo and booked to eat there on the exact same day. 

Feuille x Lasai

I am not surprised when the name Feuille often came up whenever the question about the best recent restaurant opening in town popped up. They seem to go under the radar when they opened in Spring 2023, but since then they did attract quite a following for its straight-forward, vegetable-focused French cuisine in a casual setting. 

Urban Oasis and the rest of Shanghai

Work brought me to Shanghai in September so I spent a week at The PuLi, one of the earlier "urban oasis" style properties opened in this city back in 2009. The city has changed quite a bit since my last visit in late 2019 and I was eager to see and experience this dynamic city in the post-COVID times. 

The Main Attraction

A lucky few of us were given the opportunity to preview the tasting menu by visiting guest chef Daniel Calvert before his pop-up stint at MGM Cotai. I still haven't had a chance to visit Tokyo and to Chef Dan's restaurant Sezanne so this was as close as I got reminiscing the good old days and his wonderful cooking since he moved from Hong Kong. 

Summer in Caprice

We went for lunch at Caprice in mid-July after realizing it’s been a few months since our last visit (back during Chinese New Year). There’s always something new to look forward to at the restaurant, with the menu changes constantly depending on seasonal ingredients and flavor. 

Feuille

Feuille is not a vegetarian restaurant – I felt I had to get this out of the way. Despite the name and being marketed as a “vegetal” restaurant concept, turned out there were much more to it.

Polmard Beef Dinner

There's no surprise beef was the main theme of the menu at my recent dinner at Ami with Alexandre Polmard flying in from France and be the co-host with Chef Nicolas Boutin. 

The 6th-generation butcher Polmard is synonymous to top-quality beef with their unique approach of raising the cattle and treating the meat. At this 2-day event we were able to sample quite a few of their meat products prepared in a number of ways by the great kitchen team at Ami.

Big Group Gathering

We had dinner at Neighborhood just a couple of weeks ago with a big group of friends (thanks to our friend P who put this together rounding up the group and working with the chef for the menu). We were happy to be back even though Chef David was not around this time – after all it’s been a while since our last visit to the restaurant. 

First of the Year

We had lunch at Caprice a few weeks ago just as we wrapped up the long Lunar New Year holiday. What started off out of convenience some years ago – back then it was far easier to make a booking when people normally go for Chinese food during the festive season - has become our little tradition to start the year with one fine lunch date, even though their table has now become sought after all year round. 

Get A Room

A dinner conversation with friends one evening led us to a weekend lunch at Caprice a few months later. We haven't been back since mid summer so when our friend suggested that we organized one for a bigger group, we obliged and made the booking.

Whisky Pairing

Felt like there’s no better place to have a whisky pairing dinner than AMI, the restaurant/lounge in The Landmark known for its vast whisky collection. We have been here a few times and love the cozy space and the outdoor terrace for a drink or two plus some simple bites, but it’s only our first time sitting down for a more proper meal inside their dining area right next to the lounge. 

Long Lunch Part 2: Clarence

I don’t think much of the term “Yaki-Frenchy” but this unique concept by Chef Olivier Elzer of combining Japanese yakitori and traditional French cuisine does bring something new to our dining scene at his restaurant Clarence. Didn’t get around to visit since the restaurant opened earlier this year until recently on my week off. 

Friendly Wanchai Bistro

We heard so many good words about this little neighborhood bistro called Jean May that we finally managed to get a dinner booking and went. The restaurant was quite a standout in this quieter side of Wanchai, located in the rows of street-side stalls with the welcoming menthol green facade and dark window panes channeling some Parisian vibes. 

Same Good Stuff

It's always a lovely scene to look at with the Caprice dining room filled with people enjoying the meal and the view in one weekend afternoon when we were there a few weeks ago - something we never got bored at. 

Ode to Seaweed

Complications due to COVID restrictions meant our February booking at Tate Dining Room got pushed not once but twice, first to April and then to June. We were supposed to try their "Ode to Seaweed" menu when the menu was first launched and turned out we were there on the last weekend before they moved onto the next theme for the summer.