2013 Taiwan’s Authentic Gourmet Evaluation Guide — “The First Choice of Gourmet” carefully selects dishes

Text and photos / Published by Business Weekly

The Michelin Guide was first published in France in 1900. After a century, it remains Europe’s most authoritative and credible restaurant rating indicator because it established a strict scoring system, sent inspectors undercover as customers, and insisted on paying for their meals themselves, thereby establishing fairness and objectivity in its evaluations.

“The First Choice of Gourmet Awards” follows the same rigorous approach. Professional food journalists personally visit restaurants at their own expense, covering the entire island of Taiwan. Nearly 1,000 restaurants were tasted, with a total cost of several million NTD. Team members also concealed their identities to select the most worthwhile restaurants in Taiwan in 2013 in the fairest way possible.

ABU Authentic Cuisine

Taipei’s top-tier French-Italian fine dining. The owner and head chef, Bo Qiurong, hails from Hong Kong and trained in Italy and France. He has a keen sense for ingredients and precise seasoning, excelling from desserts to main courses. He is also diligent, well-versed in global kitchen trends, often travels abroad for research, and has long mastered molecular gastronomy techniques such as foams and low-temperature ovens.

Abu excels in seafood and poultry dishes, often using lobster or clams to enhance the umami of sauces. Lately, he enjoys adding Asian-style touches, such as lamb chops with fermented tofu sauce or mixed seafood with curry rice. From appetizers and soups to main courses, the flavors are consistently bold—leaning toward the rich style of Joël Robuchon but with his own unique twist. Desserts also have a distinct personality; the soufflé is a signature, and seasonal creations are also offered.

The restaurant is located in a lane on Sihwei Road in Taipei City, with convenient transportation, but the space is small with limited seating. Reservations are a must. Tables are somewhat close together, compromising privacy. The maître d’ is seasoned and attentive, offering guests specially brewed sprout-tip Pu'er tea before and after meals—a standout feature. Lunch sets are generous in portion and reasonably priced.

▲Confit Duck with Confit Potato

▲Mango with Agar Noodles

Recommended dishes: Crispy Bighead Carp with Saffron Clam Sauce, Warm Boston Lobster with Cauliflower Sauce, Corn Soup with Pan-Fried Duck Liver

Address: No. 28, Sihwei Road, Da’an District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2707-0699
Business Hours: 12:00–14:30, 18:00–21:30
Payment: Credit cards accepted. 10% service charge applies.
Average Spending: Lunch NT$1,300, Dinner NT$3,100
Wine: Extensive selection. BYO allowed with NT$500 corkage per bottle.
Ambience: No private rooms. Suitable for gatherings of 2–8 people.
Transportation: Near Da’an MRT Station. Paid parking available. Valet parking offered.
Notes: Mineral water costs NT$100 per bottle. Lunch set menus range from NT$1,000 to NT$1,800 depending on the main course. Dinner offers two set menu options: NT$2,680 and NT$2,980.

Tan Tian Lou (Talk Sky Tower)

It’s hard to describe this restaurant in simple terms. It’s a place full of stories, a favorite among Kaohsiung gourmets passed down by word of mouth. Operating for over 20 years in Kaohsiung, the Xia family’s two generations have carried on the legacy. The father, a food-loving journalist, and his four sons—none professionally trained as chefs—nor were any chefs they hired. They traveled across China’s provinces, and whenever they tasted great food, they sought to understand it thoroughly. Even when they encountered bad pork knuckle, they went home to experiment and refine it. Through repeated trials, they gradually mastered the essence of regional Chinese cuisines.

Here, you don’t need a menu. Regulars know what to order. First-timers only need to share their budget, taste preferences, and party size, and the boss will handle the rest. Around 30 dishes are served daily—all elevated street food and refined gourmet classics. The “Five Blessings Platter” features homemade items like white-braised smoked chicken, tied trotters, pig ears, liver sausage, and cured sausage, all intriguing. The “Pepper-Salted Pork Knuckle,” first blanched then fried, gets more flavorful the more you chew.

The “Chengdu Sun-Dried Meat,” learned from Sichuan cuisine, simply lets cucumber and sliced pork shine, even better with a dash of Sichuan peppercorn oil. Overall, the dishes here are creative, made with quality ingredients, and reasonably priced. The space retains the feel of a traditional Chinese restaurant, and the service is warm.

▲Chengdu Sun-Dried Meat

▲Five Blessings Platter, Walnut Sponge Cake

Recommended dishes: Chengdu Sun-Dried Meat, Five Blessings Platter, Pepper-Salted Pork Knuckle, Squid Shreds, Walnut Sponge Cake

Address: No. 5, Luoyang Street, Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City
Phone: 07-237-1010
Website: www.tian101.com
Business hours: 11:30–14:30, 17:30–21:30
Payment: No cards accepted, cash only. No service charge.
Average spending per person: NT$400.
Wine selection: Limited, but you may bring your own wine. No corkage fee.
Ambience: Private rooms available, suitable for groups of 5 or more.
Transportation: Close to Xinyi Elementary School MRT Station. Paid parking nearby.
Note: Reservations required on both weekdays and holidays.

?Teppanyaki HANA

A high-end teppanyaki restaurant with consistently skilled chefs. The husband-and-wife owners, Li Houde and Zhang Dongbi, who manage both the front and back of house, are seasoned teppanyaki masters themselves. They know their customers’ tastes well, excel at creating new dishes, and often incorporate elements of molecular gastronomy—like foams or sauce pearls—in appetizers. They even use premium ingredients such as “ice flower,” which costs NT$8,000 per kilogram. However, the flavors are well-balanced, ensuring the dishes are as delicious as they are impressive.

Classic teppanyaki dishes—from soups to mains and desserts—are all prepared with care. Options include American wagyu, Japanese kuroge wagyu, Australian wagyu, and French foie gras. Lobster and abalone must be live when served. The foie gras accompaniment, a red wine poached pear, is also homemade and delicious.

If requested, the fresh fish in set meals can be upgraded from common fillets to whole red throat or black throat fish, grilled on the iron plate to perfection with a crispy outside and tender inside—exceptionally tasty. The signature dish “spicy beef tendons” is highly recommended. Made with premium beef tendons, they’re chewy and flavorful, spicy and perfect for drinking. A favorite among regulars. The head chef rarely misses a beat, the front-of-house service is attentive, and the post-meal seating area is spacious—ideal for entertaining guests without any loss of face.

▲Australian wagyu, pan-seared horsehead fish.

Recommended dishes: American wagyu ribeye steak, seasonal fresh fish, pan-fried foie gras, spicy beef tendons

Address: 2F, No. 32, Nong’an St., Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2596-7204, 2595-5880
Website: www.twinpeak.com.tw
Business hours: 11:30–14:30, 17:30–22:30
Payment: Cards accepted. 10% service charge applied.
Average spending per person: Lunch NT$1,500, dinner NT$2,000.
Wine selection: Extensive. You may bring your own wine. No corkage if bringing a single bottle without changing glasses. Otherwise, a corkage fee may apply.
Ambience: Private rooms for 7–20 people, suitable for gatherings of 2–20.
Transportation: Close to Zhongshan Elementary School MRT Station. Valet parking available.
Note: Children under 6 not admitted (except in private rooms). Reservations required on both weekdays and holidays.

Jan Ji (Nanjing Branch)

A long-established spot for à la carte spicy hot pot in Xinzhuang. Owner Zhan Qidong has a background in traditional Chinese medicine, giving him a unique touch in crafting broth. His recipes evolve over time—the spicy base originally included beef bones but now is entirely vegetarian—yet it remains addictive. In late 2012, the brand expanded to Taipei’s urban area for the first time. The “Nanjing Branch” matches the quality of the “Xinzhuang Original,” but offers a much better dining environment with a trendy retro-style decor. It’s almost always fully booked, and after opening at 5 PM, diners are served in two or three rounds.

When you dine here, first choose between a large or small pot based on group size, then select your ingredients. The signature hot pot base “duck blood” is a must. Its secret lies in adding spices during the coagulation process. After boiling, it’s soaked in the spicy broth and gently rocked in a machine resembling a baby cradle to enhance flavor, then rapidly cooled with a fan—an impressive sight.

This labor-intensive duck blood is flavorful, tender, and bouncy. It should be scooped out as soon as it boils. Due to limited daily production, extra servings cost extra and are limited by pot size. Other ingredients, especially beef and offal, are excellent, generously portioned, and some items allow mix-and-match options for greater variety. Though it's an à la carte spicy hot pot, prices for non-meat items are quite reasonable—you can eat heartily without breaking the bank.

▲Spicy hot pot, duck blood.

Recommended dishes: Spicy hot pot, duck blood, tofu, beef offal, large intestine, pork ribs

Address: B1, No. 178, Section 2, Nanjing E. Rd., Zhongshan District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2508-2080
Business hours: 5:00 PM – 2:00 AM
Credit cards: Accepted. A 10% service charge applies.
Average spending per person: NT$500.
Wine selection: Limited. Guests may bring their own wine for a NT$500 corkage fee per table.
Ambience: Private rooms available, suitable for gatherings of 2 to 24 people.
Transportation: Close to Songjiang Nanjing MRT Station. Paid parking is available nearby.
Note: Dining is limited to 2 hours. Reservations are required on both weekdays and holidays.

Author: The Food & Travel Team, Next Magazine

A group of journalists dedicated to food, drink, and entertainment, who put their all into sampling nearly a thousand restaurants across Taiwan. With professionalism and integrity, they select outstanding establishments and boldly rate them to satisfy diners with truly discerning tastes.

Full text excerpted from “Next’s Choice Gourmet Awards” / Published by Business Weekly