Harnessing the Bounty of Taiwan Travel Desk

• Published in: The New York times
• Main Author: Eckhardt, Robyn
• Format: Newspaper Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, N.Y New York Times Company 19.02.2017
• Edition: Late Edition (East Coast)
• Subjects: Beef; Chefs; Ingredients; Meat; Restaurants; Singapore; Hong Kong; Taiwan
• ISSN: 0362-4331

The seasonal set menu of eight courses and a few smaller bites (with optional wine pairings), eschews dish names in favor of shortened ingredient lists ('Taiwan' Rice Pork Mushroom, no commas). A skewered baby corn cob coated with kernels from a mature cob and slicked with deeply smoky barbecue sauce winked at the sort of fare you might find in Taipei's night markets, while Beef Tongue Cracker, an oblong crisp with shavings of velvety ox tongue arranged atop a smear of caramelized onions, confit egg yolk with vinegar for dipping, was a sly nod to ox tongue crackers, a classic Taiwanese snack named for their shape. Lunch and dinner tasting menu, 2,680 Taiwanese dollars (about $87) per person, plus 10 percent service charge. > Tairroir Tairroir, which opened last May on the sixth floor of a building next to RAW, is, in appearance at least, its polar opposite: intimate (just eight tables) and elegant (white-on-white dining room, sleek copper bar). Tasting menu (lunch) 1,650 or 2,350 Taiwanese dollars and (dinner) 3,200 or 5,000 dollars per person, plus 10 percent service charge. > MUME MUME, which opened around the same time as RAW and shares its capital-letters-only naming approach (mume is the botanical name for the plum blossom, Taiwan's national flower), channels a Nordic sensibility, with a cozy dining room gently lit by the glow of a marble bar and Scandinavian-style bentwood chairs flanking tables lit by low-hanging pendant lights. Packed with vegetables (taro, bamboo, radish, white cabbage), bean curd three...