Eight restaurants in Taipei and Taichung were given one or two-star Michelin ratings for the first time, while Le Palais of the Palais de Chine Hotel retained its three-star rating for the third consecutive year in this year’s Michelin Guide.
Michelin began evaluating the culinary scene in Taipei in 2018. This year was the first time that it evaluated restaurants in Taichung, too.
The list of star-rated restaurateurs was revealed in a ceremony at the National Taichung Theater yesterday.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
In Taipei, Danny’s Steakhouse (教父牛排), Da-Wan Yakiniku Dining Restaurant (大腕燒肉), Golden Formosa Restaurant (金蓬萊遵古台菜), Impromptu by Paul Lee, Ken Anho Japanese Restaurant (謙安和), Kitcho Sushi Restaurant (吉兆割烹壽司), L’Atelier de Joel Rebuchon (侯布雄), Longtail Restaurant and Bar, Ming Fu Taiwanese Seafood Restaurant (明福台菜海鮮), Mountain & Sea House Restaurant (山海樓), Mume, Sushi Nomura (鮨野村), Sushi Ryu (鮨隆), Three Coins Cantonese Restaurant (大三元酒樓), Tien Hsiang Lo Restaurant (天香樓) of the Landis Hotel Group and Ya Ge Restaurant (雅閣) of Mandarin Oriental Hotel maintained their one-star ratings.
The six restaurants that received a one-star rating for the first time were Taipei’s A Cut of the Ambassador Hotel Group, Molino de Urdanize of Hotel MVSA (渥達尼斯磨坊) and Sushi Akira (明壽司), and Taichung’s Fleur de Sel Restaurant (鹽之華), Forchetta Restaurant and Oretachi No Nikuya (俺達的肉屋).
Five restaurants maintained their two-star ratings: RAW, Nihonryori RyuGin (祥雲龍吟), Sushi Amamoto (鮨天本), Tairroir (態芮) and Guest House (請客樓) of the Sheraton Grand Taipei Hotel.
Two restaurants featuring Asian cuisine — JL Studio in Taichung and Logy in Taipei — secured a two-star rating for the first time.
Le Palais, which features baked egg custard tarts, Cantonese-style crispy roast duck and tofu dishes was awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide for a third time.
Chung Chia-hsien (鍾佳憲), who works at Oretachi No Nikuya, also won the Michelin Young Chef Award, a new award category.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, gourmet enthusiasts have to undergo many restrictions when dining out,” Michelin Taiwan general manager Jay Mao (毛行健) said. “Chefs and restaurant owners also face unprecedented challenges, but they continue to use creativity to serve gourmet lovers by offering online culinary courses.”
It is because of this difficult situation that announcement of the new Michelin Guide is “even more precious,” Mao said.
The culinary scene in Taiwan has been voted by international visitors as the No. 1 reason the nation is worth visiting, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
The publication of the new guide, featuring restaurants in Taichung, “shows that Taiwan has other attractive and multicultural cities, aside from the capital,” Lin said.
“Taipei has solidified its status as the city for gourmet lovers through recognition from the Michelin Guide in the past three years, and I hope that the same thing will also happen with Taichung, a city with many restaurants serving creative dishes,” he said.
“I strongly recommend that the Michelin Guide consider evaluating the culinary scenes in southern Taiwan, such as Kaohsiung and Tainan,” Lin added.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19