The world’s 1000 best restaurants: Taiwan gains 2 more entries, totaling 7

▲ RAW has once again made it onto the world’s 1000 best restaurants list. (Photo / Provided by RAW)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

The “La Liste,” a global restaurant ranking led by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ tourism development agency, has released its 2018 list of the world’s 1000 best restaurants. The top-rated restaurant remains Paris’s “Guy Savoy,” the same as in 2016. Taiwan saw an increase of two entries from last year, now totaling seven. These include RAW founded by renowned chef André Chiang, Nordic restaurant MUME, Xinyeh 101 Food Art Gallery with its modern Taiwanese cuisine, Shao Shuai Zen Garden and Zhen De Hao Seafood Restaurant, Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant at Taipei W Hotel, and Tairroir, which offers French cuisine with a strong Taiwanese soul.

Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant at Taipei W Hotel and Tairroir, which features French cuisine with a Taiwanese soul, are both new entries this year. Zi Yan, located on the 31st floor of Taipei W Hotel, specializes in modern Cantonese cuisine, with current head chef Wu Haiming, who previously led the team at Osaka’s Ritz-Carlton Hotel’s Château Restaurant to a Michelin one-star rating. Tairroir is helmed by Chef Kai (He Shunkai), who uses authentic local Taiwanese ingredients and presents traditional Taiwanese dishes through French culinary techniques, elevating Taiwanese cuisine to a new realm—some even call it “Taiwanese soul French cuisine.”


▲ Head chef Wu Haiming of Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant (Photo / Provided by Taipei W Hotel)

RAW, founded by André Chiang, never misses out on international awards or rankings. RAW combines interior design with its unique service and style, weaving together every element of taste, sight, sound, and more into a seamless dining experience. In its cooking, RAW selects ingredients strictly according to the 24 solar terms and sources local Taiwanese produce, using French cooking methods to interpret flavors that resonate with shared memories of Taiwan. In recent years, RAW has also been committed to natural farming produce and wine, as well as achieving zero food waste.


▲ Shao Shuai Zen Garden (Photo / Xiao Hu)

Shao Shuai Zen Garden is a historic site with over a century of heritage. Its layered Japanese-style roof tiles create depth and texture. From the New Gao Hotel during the Japanese colonial period in the 1920s to the years when General Zhang Xueliang and his wife were under house arrest in the 1960s, the century-old buildings here have witnessed the splendor of a bygone era. All the set meals in the restaurant are inspired by General Zhang Xueliang’s philosophy of health and wellness, with chefs crafting exquisite creative dishes using seasonal ingredients.

Xinyeh’s Taiwanese cuisine is part of many people’s childhood memories. Xinyeh 101 Food Art Gallery is located on the 85th floor of Taipei 101, featuring open-view windows facing east, north, and west, offering views of the Tamsui River estuary and changing cloud formations. As for Zhen De Hao Seafood Restaurant, it is known for its authentic seafood and has been dubbed the top seafood eatery in Taipei.

RAW
Address: No. 301, Lequn 3rd Road, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8501-5800

Xinyeh 101 Food Art Gallery
Address: No. 1-7, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8101-0185

Zhen De Hao Seafood Restaurant
Address: No. 222, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2771-3000

Shao Shuai Zen Garden
Address: No. 34, Youya Road, Beitou District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2893-5336

MUME
Address: No. 28, Siwei Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2700-0901

Zi Yan Chinese Restaurant
Address: 31st Floor, No. 10, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-7703-8768

Tairroir
Address: No. 299, Lequn 3rd Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-8501-5500