There could be times when a certain cuisine was washed away by the tide of the changing world, but its glory has been etched in the history for us to discover. Mountain and Sea House, a Michelin one star and green star establishment in Taipei, has reproduced exquisite Taiwanese flavours of the 1930s through its quality ingredients, cooking techniques and artistic presentation. Dining here was like a revisit to childhood memories, arousing long-buried flavours in mind, which I came to realise are always, at last, the best.

Born in Osaka, the birthplace of Japanese comedy, Chef Kunihiro Hagimoto brings with him a mix of Japanese rigor and humour, as well as Italian spontaneity, and has set up his own restaurant, INITA, in Taipei. In addition to sitting in front of the counter and enjoying the food, you can also enjoy the chef's stroke-of-genius wittiness in a multi-cultural ambiance.

Cantonese cuisine emphasizes techniques and there is no standard procedure. It usually takes years of hard work for a chef majoring Cantonese cuisine to master the essence of it. Chef Max Wo, a celebrated graduate from the famous fine dining spot Lei Garden in Hong Kong with over thirty years of culinary experience, has welcomed renowned chefs both from Taiwan and from other countries at Silks House in Taipei since he took the helm from 2019. It has not picked up a Michelin star yet but it is my No. 1 Cantonese cuisine restaurant in Taipei.

Opened in 2018 here in the alleys of Taipei by Hokkaido-born Chef Ryogo Tahara, French cuisine restaurant logy is a romantic spin-off from Hiroyasu Kawate’s two-star Michelin restaurant Florilège in Tokyo. With an innate sense of natural ingredients and a persistent search for unique Taiwanese flavours, Chef Tahara cooks in an unpretentious way, but his insistence on mastering people’s understanding for good food is self-evident. Within a short span of three years, logy has scooped two Michelin stars and has been ranked Top One among Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in Taiwan. This time trying logy’s spring menu was a surprisingly great experience, as I could detect more traces of local elements when its creator incorporates multifaceted techniques from Japan, Italy and France.

When I returned to Taiwan earlier and stayed at Grand Formosa Regent Taipei, I had a chance to catch up with my friends for lunch so I specifically chose Silks House, a Michelin Guide Cantonese cuisine restaurant on the third floor of the hotel. Despite its long establishment, the hotel is very well maintained with many senior members of staff still working and providing warm, understated service, reminding me of the elegant ambience of the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo.