Text by / MOOK Scenic Spots Family Editorial Department, compiled and reported
As the solar terms “End of Heat” and “White Dew” officially bid farewell to summer, early autumn markets are already beginning their seasonal transition. The vine-hanging melons, fruits, vegetables, and legumes of summer gradually diminish, while root vegetables start slowly storing their energy underground. At this seasonal crossroads, it is the most bountiful season in Taiwan’s four seasons. RAW draws inspiration from ingredients to roll out a new autumn menu full of harvest abundance.
As the solar terms “End of Heat” and “White Dew” officially bid farewell to summer, early autumn markets are already beginning their seasonal transition. The vine-hanging melons, fruits, vegetables, and legumes of summer gradually diminish, while root vegetables start slowly storing their energy underground. At this seasonal crossroads, it is the most bountiful season in Taiwan’s four seasons. RAW draws inspiration from ingredients to roll out a new autumn menu full of harvest abundance.
Corn / Miso / Taiwan No. 9 ' Watermelon / Tuna / Beef Tomato ' Kale / Osmanthus Chicken / Moon Viewing
Pulled Pork / Potato / Seven Spice ' Octopus / Sriracha / Furikake ' Angel Hair Pasta / Crab Roe / Laksa Leaf
Calf / Yuba / Squid ' Banana / Toffee / Espresso ' Tapioca / Milk Tea / Monaka
Pulled Pork / Potato / Seven Spice ' Octopus / Sriracha / Furikake ' Angel Hair Pasta / Crab Roe / Laksa Leaf
Calf / Yuba / Squid ' Banana / Toffee / Espresso ' Tapioca / Milk Tea / Monaka
Corn / Miso / Taiwan No. 9. (Photo / RAW)
“Corn / Taiwanese Miso / Taiwan No. 9” – The ultra-sweet fruit corn, so sweet and delicate it made world-renowned chefs who have visited RAW widen their eyes, takes center stage in this nigiri. Taiwan is the place where Japanese cuisine is most fully developed outside of Japan. Nigiri has become part of everyday Taiwanese dining, and this RAW version features a thin crust that’s lightly fried, letting the sweet fruit corn shine with an irresistible aroma. The warm vinegar rice, made with Taiwan No. 9 rice and quinoa, is cleverly paired with 60-year-old local Taiwanese miso, giving this appetizer an unhidden preview of the feast to come.
Watermelon / Tuna / Beef Tomato. (Photo / RAW)
“Watermelon / Tuna / Beef Tomato” – This red dish that follows immediately stirs everyone’s curiosity: “Why eat watermelon in autumn?” This air-dried red watermelon holds the sweetest memory of summer. Drawing on the Taiwanese dining culture’s spirit of treasuring ingredients, the best flavor of watermelon is air-dried and preserved in summer to be enjoyed again in autumn. It even has the texture of raw beef. When paired with air-dried beef tomato and black tuna, these three bright red ingredients offer vastly different flavors and textures. Paired with Straciatella silk cheese at the base, this dish combines sweet, sour, fragrant, fresh, and refreshing notes. An unexpected combination, yet surprisingly harmonious.
Kale / Osmanthus Chicken / Moon Viewing. (Photo / RAW)
“Kale / Osmanthus Chicken / Moon Viewing” – A Taiwanese proverb goes: “January scallions, February leeks, March amaranth, April water spinach, May pea shoots, June garlic sprouts, July lily bulbs, August edamame, September eggplant, October chrysanthemums, November yams, December winter melon.” The tender shoots of kale hold a special place in Taiwanese cuisine. The Osmanthus Chicken here showcases the plumpness of chicken thighs, while Taiwan’s signature “soft-boiled egg yolk” transforms into the perfect sauce, rich in aroma and texture. The “chicken and egg,” “kale stem and leaf” – these familiar ingredient “parent-child” pairings are playfully reimagined, full of freshness.
Pulled Pork / Potato / Seven Spice. (Photo / RAW)
“Pulled Pork / Potato / Seven Spice” – Although baked potatoes are an imported dish, they’re now ubiquitous in night markets and especially popular among younger generations. This dish draws inspiration from that. RAW is never bound by whether ingredients are native to Taiwan or whether the dish belongs uniquely to Taiwanese cuisine. Instead, it draws from the shared dietary memories of our generation, extracting the DNA of Taiwanese food, and then using French culinary techniques to capture “the taste of Taiwan for this generation” in RAW’s own way. This RAW baked potato features a hollowed-out potato skin roasted to crispy perfection, filled with smooth, silky mashed potatoes. The top is adorned with crispy croutons and melted cheese that bursts with aroma, and topped with crispy shredded potatoes sprinkled with seven-spice powder. This dish captures the dining memories of Taiwan’s younger generation.
Octopus / Sriracha / Furikake. (Photo / RAW)
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