2025年再次如往年走訪各地,拜訪了不少新的餐廳,也重訪了許多令我倍感親切的老地方。現在回想起來,有十道菜不管 […]

Traveling a full hour by car into the mountains from central Kyoto to Hirasansou in Shiga Prefecture was all for one reason: the Moon Bear Hot Pot, available only in late autumn and winter.

This wasn’t my first time eating bear meat. I had previously encountered it at the French restaurant L’évo in Toyama. Its abundant gelatin and deep, savory aroma left a powerful impression on me (earned at the cost of a nearly two-hour drive). That experience made me more eager to try Hirasansou’s signature moon bear hot pot.

I spend four months of the year in Milan, five in Shanghai, and the rest traveling around different countries. It’s a lifestyle I feel very fortunate to have. My schedule in Europe is always hectic, but this vivid, unforgettable night in Milan had to be recorded.

No one quite knows when it started, but Asia has been swept up in a Panettone wave in recent years. Just like how the Japanese eat strawberry shortcake at Christmas and Germans enjoy Stollen, Panettone is something Italians can’t celebrate Christmas without.

Returning to Shanghai in the summer, my colleagues scattered across the world gathered to celebrate our company’s 10th anniversary. I wondered what could truly surprise their palates.  For the Western bistro, they chose Sage, but what about Chinese food? I wanted something unexpected, something magical that could charm even the pickiest foodies. That’s when “Oriental House” popped into my mind. The fishing season had just started in Taizhou—perfect timing for a visit.

Singapore may seem close, but the flight takes more than five hours from Shanghai.A few months ago, aside from attending the Michelin awards ceremony in Singapore, I finally had the chance to visit my old friends — and couple — Francisco and Fernanda at their Chilean restaurant Araya.I first met them when they were head chef and pastry chef at Nappa in Shanghai.

Some restaurants are destined to become legends.From Barcelona Airport, it’s about an hour and a half by car to Girona — a quiet-looking town made famous by El Celler de Can Roca, twice named The World’s Best Restaurant.

In the recently released Michelin Guide Tokyo 2026, one familiar name popped up in the list of new one-star restaurants—and I nearly jumped out of my chair in delight.

If you have ever come to Komatsu in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, it was probably just to transfer on your way to Kanazawa nearby. This time, however, I did the opposite — I took a half-hour train ride from Kanazawa to Komatsu Station, then drove another 20 minutes into the mountains, all for one purpose: Auberge eaufeu. (Directly from Komatsu Airport, it’s about a 30-minute drive.) 

Crowned five times as the world’s best restaurant, Noma held a four-day guest residency in Taipei from August 8–11, set against the lush backdrop of YMS by onefifteen on Yangmingshan. Once a 1950s dormitory compound, YMS has preserved its mid-century modernist architecture while weaving together natural scenery, art curation, and gastronomy—an oasis on the city’s edge. Within its grounds, Lab 10 and Restaurant 12 are the first to open, offering respectively a contemporary tea experience and a seafood-focused menu rooted in local waters.

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