Sherwood Grill (西華飯店)
42F, Sherwood Taipei, 111 Minsheng E. Rd., Taipei (台北市民生東路三段111號); tel: 2718-1188 ext. 3002. 11:30am to 2:30pm; 6pm to 10pm. Average meal: NT$900 (lunch); NT$2,500 (dinner). Credit cards accepted. English menu.
Hailing from the small southern French town of Castres, famous for its duck foie gras, chef Jean-Marc Cauquil is turning Taiwan's diners to the French culinary experience even as he absorbs Taiwanese elements in his cooking. And gauging by his two-year stay in Taiwan, the symbiosis is a success.
Cauquil has traveled around the world, serving diners at major hotel chains in England and the Caribbean. For Taiwan he has brought the refined culinary traditions that characterize French food. Mousse of duck foie gras royale with ripe tomato confit dressing and orange segmenys (法國銀塔招牌鵝肝醬) is one of his teasing starters. As an aperitif, red wine granite (波爾多紅酒冰砂) is served in a small glass with lemon and mint. We recommend Cauquil's Perigord truffle glazed poussin, served with Provencal ratatouille, mousse of spinach and aubergine cooked in wine (松露烤春雞). The dishes are served with a two-month-old baby chicken of about 250gm. Imported from France, the rare and tender "spring chicken" is a popular dish. Other delicious platters are the Scottish smoked salmon or the ravioli, both of which benefit by a French twist.
YuYu Cafe Time (口幼 口幼 人文生活館)
31, Chungching S. Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei (台北市重慶南路二段31號); tel: 2358-1568. 11am to 9pm. Closed Monday. Average meal: NT$250. Credit cards accepted. English menu.
Serving simple and elegant French food, this one-month old restaurant offers fine dining with country style French food at affordable prices.
Chef Chang Chih-hua (張啟華), from Kaohsiung, has nearly 20 years of experience in the hotel catering industry and is known for his French cuisine. He likes to try new recipes to add uniqueness to his dishes by using, for example, purple rice, wheat and grains.
There are four set meals and the menu rotates every month. Beef stew is a top choice, made with tender meat soaked in Bordeaux red wine.
Another specialty is Argentine chicken with pumpkin, a dish Chang says is actually European. The chicken is boiled for an hour in a broth that mixes pumpkin and other fruits, like apples and pears. The taste is fresh and not greasy, salty or oily.
Additional dishes that will rotate onto the menu this month include white wine chicken, in which carrots, mushroom and other vegetables are cooked in a wine sauce before being added to the chicken. Another dish soon to be available is pork fried with cheese, a Chang creation. The pork is marinated in red wine for two days before being stuffed with cheese and fried.
Le Bistro de L'Olivier (橄欖樹)
145 Anho Rd., Sec. 2, Taipei (台北市安和路2段145號); tel: 8732-3726. 11:30am to 11:30pm. Average meal: NT$700 (business lunch NT$250). Credit cards accepted. English and French menus.
Le Bistro de L'Olivier opened just last year but its chef, Maggie Liao (廖玉儀), came through with a rookie-of-the-year performance by winning the second prize in Taipei Walker's Best Chefs competition this year. The winning dish? Meringue shells with custard cream.
With her specialty rooted in home-made French style cuisine, particularly that of the southern French town of Nice, Liao runs a cozy restaurant with a cosmopolitan menu to match its decorations -- black and white photos of French lovers.
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