Felice Anniversario Angelo Aglianò Restaurant

This month marks the one year anniversary of the opening of Angelo Restaurant. I first wrote about the restaurant a month after the opening and called it the best Italian restaurant in Taiwan; frankly, that was an easy call. I have since gone back to the restaurant regularly. It is no secret amongst my friends that I only like to go to two western restaurants in Taipei and Angelo is one of them.

A year has gone by quickly and the restaurant has matured. The chef owner Angelo Aglianò once mentioned to me that his mentor Joël Robuchon told him, a restaurant is like a baby and will require time to grow, to stand up, and to walk. The irony with any restaurant is when it opens there is usually the most press coverage and the greatest anticipation from the public. Yet, the early days of the restaurant is probably the worst time for the customers to go because the staff is still learning to work together. Therefore, in the early months of Angelo Restaurant Aglianò held back the volume of the business to ensure the quality and at the same time made small improvements.

So what sort of adjustments has Angelo Restaurant made in the past year? For starter, to avoid confusion with other Italian restaurants with Angelo in their names, Aglianò added his last name to the marquee of the restaurant. Since Chinese New Year, the awning on the exterior of the restaurant has changed accordingly. The light box outside the entrance now has the menu displayed like a restaurant in Italy. Inside the restaurant, Aglianò has tweaked the decoration by placing ceramic fruits (mostly pears and apples) of different sizes and colors on the shelves above and in front of the counter; I particularly like the golden apple. The paintings on the walls change every few months, providing different visual interests for the customers of the restaurant.

Aglianò has also added more staff in the restaurant both in the kitchen and the front of house. Since the opening of the restaurant the kitchen is led by chef de cuisine Kedy Chou, who has worked with Aglianò since their days at Robuchon Taipei. Chou can often been seen working on the left side of the open kitchen, cooking meat or fish, enforcing the standard, and mentoring the junior cooks. He also contributes to the creation of the new dishes. The front of house is managed by Joanne Wang, another veteran from Robuchon Taipei. Wang has been at the restaurant since the beginning as well and has assembled a young team of servers. The service is attentive but relaxed.

Over the course of a year, Aglianò has changed the menu a few times. While one or two dishes from each course, such as the risotto Milanese and Tiramisu remain, the bulk of the menu changes with the seasons.

A meal at Angelo always starts with some house made bread. The quality is superb with good structure and crust; only a couple of restaurants in Taipei can match it. Instead of the two types of bread (mini-baguette and ciabatta) served in the first months of the restaurants, now there are three, with focaccia added to the bread basket. The breads are served warm with butter and olive oil/vinegar. This is followed by an amuse bouche, which is generally some form of puree, whether with chickpeas, tomato, or bacalao, served in a small soup bowl with crispy chips providing contrasting textures.

When I am at Angelo, most of the time I like to have a four-course meal. For the starter, a good choice is always the assortment of Italian antipasti, which are displayed in a glass case near the pass of the kitchen. Usually I simply ask the chef to choose for me as all the items are excellent. Besides the cold antipasti, I often like to start with some seafood dishes on the menu. Whether the dish is with langoustine, hamachi, or crab, they are always well seasoned and balanced in their flavors. The presentation is often done with the main ingredient formed as a circular plane at the bottom and dotted with different ingredients and condiments on top; visually the dishes are very beautiful.

While I love expensive ingredients, the mark of a good chef is the ability to take cheaper ingredients and make a delicious dish out of them. Hence, one of my favorites is the octopus terrine. The octopus is first cooked in liquid and formed into a log. The natural gelatin in the octopus allows it to bind together like a terrine. At service time, the octopus is sliced thinly and served with vegetables and herbs.

I find the starters to exemplify the basic characteristics of Aglianò's food: light but flavorful. In Taipei, people are always looking to eat "light" but often times, the restaurants and customers confuse light with bland. Aglianò shows that light can be delicious or as the Chinese would say, 鲜 (xian).

For the primi, I like to order a risotto, because Aglianò's risotto remains to be the gold standard. The classic risotto Milanese has remained on the menu ever since the opening and it is still fantastic.  My ten-year old daughter loves it and orders it every time she goes. I think she will be disappointed if Aglianò ever decides to take if off the menu. Besides the Milanese, there seems to be an infinite amount of variations that Aglianò can do with the risotto. One of the most memorable risotto that Aglianò made for me was the red wine risotto with berries and topped with seared foie gras. This deserves the phrase, "to die for".

What is remarkable about Aglianò's risotto is the consistency in quality. Many so-called Italian restaurants in Taipei serve risotto but the reality is those are not really risotto. Cooks in these restaurants ought to be a stagiaire at Angelo for a few months and learn how to cook a proper risotto. At Angelo they would learn that the risotto needs to start with a good rice, with the preferred choice being the one-year aged rice from Acquarello; they would learn how to make a stock; then they would learn how to par-cook the rice before service; learn how to keep the temperature of the stock and the rice constant when cooking the rice; and finally learn the process of mantecare and to have the right amount of liquid with the rice.

Besides the risotto, the house made pasta are also wonderful. I particularly love some of the Sicilian style ones with seafood and topped with breadcrumbs.

In October and November it is worth a special journey to go to Angelo for some pasta with shaved white truffle. There's nothing quite like the white truffle from Alba as they are simply intoxicating.

Another memorable primi that I thoroughly enjoyed in the past year was the fregola sarda with lobster: simply divine.

For the secondo, I am always happy to order a fish, which is usually sourced locally. Aglianò has a light touch with fish. The technique can be poaching, grilling, or sautéing, the dish is always light and the flavors are very clean. The vegetables that accompany the fish both compliment and provide a balance in terms of flavor.

Several months ago, Aglianò added a rotisserie, which is situated front and center inside the open kitchen. Customers sitting at the bar now often has a clear view of the daily roast.  Recently, Aglianò has been roasting pork which he procures from Ilan county. The meat is delicious and for a Chinese reminds me of the Cantonese char siu. The pork is served with some mashed potato. The mashed potato reminds me of the one served at Robuchon except some of the butter is replaced with olive oil and also a touch of pepper.

In terms of meat, I also enjoyed the lamb, which was cooked perfectly.

The dolce is supervised by the pastry chef Joshua Wang. Working with Aglianò, he reinterprets many of the Italian classic desserts, such as the cannoli, and panna cotta.

Recently, Aglianò is serving his take on a Sicilian breakfast dish: almond granita and brioche. The contrasting textures and temperature make this a delightful dessert.

While the Italian desserts don't necessarily have the wow factor or delicateness like their French counterparts, they are a very nice and light way to finish the meal. I am curious to see what Aglianò has planned for the next season. I would like to put a vote in for some sort of zabaione or bombolone.

Most of the time when I am at Angelo Restaurant I like to sit at the bar. Angelo has three private rooms which gets used quite a bit. Unlike most Taiwanese, I actually prefer to be in the dining room rather than the private rooms. I like seeing what other people are ordering and what they are wearing. Nevertheless I have eaten in two of the smaller private rooms. I like the medium size room which has windows to the street. The space of the room has a comfortable feel with a generous size. I don't really like the small private room, which I find to be a bit too small. Another problem with the small room is the acoustics. The room consists of only hard surfaces which do not absorb the sound well. Actually my wish for the private rooms is that one day they can have large format meals, similar to some of the restaurants in New York City, such as the Breslin or Momofuku Ssam Bar. Instead of simply having the same menu as the rest of the dining room, one can reserve in advance with a party of 8 persons or more and be served large format food such as the whole pork shoulder, whole roasted suckling pig, or whole roasted duck.

Unlike the opening months, Angelo Restaurant now has a wine list. Kenny Lee, the affable sommelier will happily help to select a wine. The corkage fee at Angelo is low, however, I still like to order wine at the restaurant for three reasons. First, similar to the fact that I don't bring a jamon to the restaurant for Aglianò to slice it for me, I don't bring a wine to restaurant. Second, I prefer to drink and learn about wines that I am less familiar with. Therefore, most of the times, I don't even ask for the wine list. I simply have a quick discussion with Lee about the day's mood and food and let him pick a wine for me. This is similar to if I go to someone's house for dinner I am not going to go to his or her celler to pick a wine. The host will choose wine that he or she wants me to drink. Third, beverage is an important source of revenue for any restaurant. If we want to see good restaurants thrive, we should support them and let them make the necessary profit. The mark-up on wine at Angelo is not high, therefore at dinner I am always inclined to have glass or order a bottle. Like an Italian I also enjoy having an after dinner drink such as the limoncello.

Aglianò said to me that even though the restaurant has the color of the Italian flag he isn't necessarily cooking Italian food per se. I am reminded of the story that Jacque Pépin, the great French chef in America, told about his mother. In Pépin's autobiography he said his mother scolds him whenever he visits her because while she loves his cooking it is no longer French. Pépin agrees with his mother that his cooking is not purely French or purely anything. In the same vein Aglianò's cooking is not purely Italian nor purely anything. It is simply his cuisine which is a reflection of his training, travels, and life experiences.

Aglianò likes to incorporate local ingredients in his cooking and I applaud him for it. In doing so Aglianò's food sometimes feel like it is a cross between Taiwan and Italy. We live in an increasingly globalized world where restaurants can easily be detached from their locations. Ingredients can now be sourced from anywhere in the world. Ingredients can also be detached from the seasons. For instance, we can now have black truffle from Australia in the summer and black truffle from France in the winter. While I am not a locavore, I feel a restaurant should have a connection to its location. An Italian restaurant in Taipei should not be the same as an Italian restaurant in Milan. Therefore, I love the fact that Aglianò uses Shuilian 水蓮 and serves it like a pasta with crab; adds green soy bean 毛豆 to a classic Italian burrata and tomato salad to give the dish some crunch; or serves water bamboo 茭白筍 with gnocchi for contrasting textures.

Using Taiwanese ingredients in Italian cooking is not an easy task. It is a testament to Aglianò's skill and experience that he can produce these types of dishes. To be creative with cuisine requires a full understanding of the the fundamentals. In other words, one needs to know the rules before one can break them. I have seen many restaurants in Taipei where the chefs tried to be "creative" but in reality didn't have any frame of reference. When one talks to Aglianò about cooking, he constantly mentions techniques and the balance of flavors. This can range from the precise temperature for sous vide cooking, the length of time to marinate the cod, or a pinch of oregano from Sicily to provide more depth of flavors. Good cooking is very much about the culmination of all the little details.

Angelo Aglianò Restaurant is an important restaurant for Taipei for many reasons. One, the restaurant shows that it is possible for a foreign chef with local partners to establish his own fine dining restaurant without being part of an international chain or a hotel. Two, the restaurant's success means that there is indeed hope in Taipei for a better western dining scene. My wish is customers in Taipei will get accustomed to the high standard, e.g. Aglianò's risotto, and start demanding better food elsewhere. Third, while some of Aglianò's staff may not stay at the restaurant for a long time, they will be properly trained and carry on the work mentality and the self-demand for quality. Finally, the restaurant is important because it cannot exist anywhere else but in Taipei and is a representative of its location, culture and moment.

Happy Anniversary Angelo Aglianò Restaurant and may you have many more wonderful years to come.

安傑羅餐廳這個月開幕满一週年。去年餐廳開幕滿月時我曾寫過一次評論，並稱許它是臺灣最好的義大利餐廳。這一年中我也不時的去安傑羅餐廳用餐。週遭的朋友都知道在臺北市的西餐廳我只喜歡去兩家，其中之一就是安傑羅。

一年很快的過去，安傑羅餐廳也日漸成熟了。廚師兼業主Angelo Aglianò跟我提到名廚侯布雄曾説過，一間餐廳就如同一個嬰兒需要時間來成長、站立、然後學會走路。通常餐廳剛開幕時是新聞報導最多的，也是一般大眾最想去嘗試的時候。但是相反的，餐廳開幕的初期卻也是最不宜顧客造訪時候，因為員工需要時間學習及培養工作默契。所以，Aglianò在餐廳最初的幾個月，限制了顧客的人數，以確保食物及服務的品質，並同時一步步的改進。

然而安傑羅餐廳在過去的一年做了什麼調整呢？首先，為了避免與其它也以安傑羅為名的義大利餐廳混在一起，在去年農曆新年時,Aglianò將他的姓氏加在餐廳的招牌上。另外，如同在義大利的餐廳，大門外加了展示菜單的燈箱。餐廳內部也有改變，Aglianò在高架和吧檯前放置了一系列不同顏色和大小的陶瓷水果（主要是梨和蘋果），我喜歡其中的金蘋果。為帶來不同的視覺效果，牆上的壁畫每隔幾個月會作更換。

餐廳也增加了一些人手。餐廳開幕時，廚房即是由Aglianò的左右手Kedy周主導，Kedy與Aglianò曾在台北侯布雄餐廳一起工作。坐在吧檯的位子用餐時都可以看到Kedy在開放式廚房的左側，烹調肉或魚，管制品質及督導初級廚師。另外他也幫助Aglianò創造新的菜餚。廚房外的管理則是由Joanne王負責，她原來也是在侯布雄餐廳工作，自從安傑羅開幕後，她就來此領導著這新的一個年輕的團隊，提供好服務的品質，親切週到且不拘束。

這一年中，Aglianò的菜單也有所改變。除了幾道精典的菜餚，如米蘭式燉飯和提拉米蘇固定之外，其他的菜單均隨季節而有所變化。

在安傑羅用餐，先上桌的是他們的自製麵包，口感紮實有彈性，台北僅有少數的餐廳能與之匹敵。餐廳開始時只提供兩種麵包（小型法式麵包和ciabatta），現在已有三種，增加了focaccia。熱麵包搭配著牛油和橄欖油與黑醋。接下來的是開胃菜，通常是鷹嘴豆、番茄、玉米、或鹹魚所製成的泥，盛在小湯碗中加上脆片以提供口感的對比。

我到安傑羅用膳一般會點四道菜。前菜，義大利冷開胃菜是不錯的選擇，靠近廚房的玻璃櫃展示了許多吸引人的菜色，我都會直接請Aglianò為我挑選。除了冷開胃菜之外，我也常喜歡點一些海鮮的菜餚，不論是海螯蝦、青甘魚或螃蟹，味道鮮美並且溶合著複雜的口感。 擺盤的方式通常是將主要的原料擺放成圓形，上面點綴著不同的配料，視覺上都非常吸引人。

我雖然也喜歡昂貴的食材，但是一個真正有能力的廚師更可以將便宜的食材製作成美味的佳餚。因此，章魚凍也是我最愛的前菜之一。作法是先將章魚在水中煮，之後型成一個筒狀，章魚本生的膠質讓它定位如同一個果凍。在上菜前將章魚切成薄片，加上蔬菜和香菜既可完成。

我認為Aglianò食物的特徵在前菜就已充份的表現出來：輕盈，也具有層次與豐富的味道。台北的人多半希望吃得輕淡， 但很多時候，餐廳所做食物卻是淡而無味，相對的Aglianò，不但吃下去沒有負擔同時也兼具了鮮美口感。

至於第二道菜，我喜歡點一份義大利燉飯，就我而言Aglianò的燉飯手藝已達到了極致。經典的米蘭式燉飯，從餐廳開幕時就一直在菜單上。我十歲的女兒每次去都會點，我想如果有一天Aglianò決定換掉這道菜，她一定會很失望。Aglianò的燉飯有著無限的變化。其中最令我難忘的是他為我做的紅酒燉飯加上烤鵝肝。

Aglianò燉飯的品質不但高而且很穩定。在台北有很多的義大利餐館都有燉飯，但是都稱不上是真正的義大利燉飯。那些餐館的廚師都應該到安傑羅學習如何正確的煮一道燉飯。諸如:做燉飯先需要用好米，如Acquarello的一年老米;學習如何做高湯; 學習如何將米先煮到半熟；學習如何在製作的過程將高湯與米保持在同樣的溫度；學習如何在最後攪拌，並且適度加入一些高湯等工序。

除了燉飯，餐廳自做的麵食也同樣精彩。我特別喜歡一些西西里風味的海鮮麵。十月和十一月，值得專門去安傑羅品嘗一些白松露加義大利麵。來自阿爾巴的白松露非常的特別，口味著實的令人回味。過去一年另一些難忘的菜，是一系列不同的fregola sarda。

主菜呢，我喜歡點一道魚（一般都是來自台灣的近海）。 Aglianò烹調魚不論是煎、烤、或水煮有很好的技巧。搭配著合宜清爽蔬菜，提供了和魚平衡口感或是提升了對比的香味。

幾個月前Aglianò在開放式廚房的中間增加了一個烤爐。坐在吧檯的顧客現在可以清楚看到當日的烤物。最近，Aglianò開始從宜蘭採購豬肉，肉質鮮美，烤過之後似乎有點像廣東叉燒。豬肉的配菜是馬鈴薯泥，也讓我想起了侯布雄餐廳的薯泥，不過Aglianò用橄欖油代替一部分的牛油，另外他也加了一小許的胡椒，增添了層次感。

甜點方面由糕點廚師Joshua王負責。在Aglianò的督導下，他重新詮釋很多意大利經典甜品，如香炸奶酪卷和奶凍。近日，Aglianò還推出了一個類似西西里早餐的甜點：杏仁冰糕和奶油。對比鮮明的質感和溫度使它成為一道迷人的甜點。

安傑羅有三個包廂。有別於大多數台灣人，我比較喜歡坐在餐廳開放的空間，尤其是在吧檯。我喜歡看到別人點的菜餚和欣賞他們的穿著。我曾經在兩個較小的包廂用餐。兩個房間之中，我比較喜歡有窗戶的房間，空間的大小與感覺都非常的舒適。小的那間包廂，空間似乎太小了且音響效果不好，因為整間餐廳的建材都是不吸音的材料。我希望安傑羅的包廂能像是一些在紐約巿的餐館，如Breslin 和Momofuku Ssam Bar，當人數多時可提前預訂，如烤豬肩肉、烤全乳豬、或烤全鴨等，以供大伙聚餐共享。

不同於開幕的幾個月，安傑羅餐廳現在有一個酒單。親切的侍酒師Kenny 李，很樂意幫助客人挑選葡萄酒。雖然安傑羅的開瓶費不高，我還是喜歡在餐廳點酒，主要有三個原因:首先，就如同我不會帶火腿到餐廳請Aglianò切給我吃，我也不帶酒到餐廳喝。其次，我喜歡嘗試一些我不熟悉的葡萄酒。因此，有時我不看酒單，請Kenny就當天的情境與食物幫我挑一些酒。這就如同我去別人家吃飯，我也不會去主人的酒窖中挑酒，主人想要我喝什麼酒我都很高興。第三，飲料是餐館收入的重要來源之一。如果我們希望看到好的餐廳茁壯成長，就應該支持他們，讓他們能有合理與必要的利潤。在安傑羅餐廳，葡萄酒的售價不算高，所以在安傑羅用餐，我總是傾向於點一杯或一瓶酒。另外，就如同在義大利我也喜歡在飯後喝一小杯烈酒，比如說檸檬酒之類的。

Aglianò說，儘管餐廳標記上有義大利國旗，他並不一定烹飪義大利菜。這讓我想起了，在美國的法國廚師Jacques Pépin的故事，Pépin在自傳中説他的母親常會罵他，因為她認為Pépin做的已經不是正統的法國菜。Pépin也同意他母親的看法，因為他的烹飪的確已經不是純粹的法國料理，而是跨國界的食物。Aglianò的廚藝同樣也不限制於單純的義大利料理，他的食物反映著他的歴練、旅行、和生活經驗。

我非常贊同Aglianò將臺灣本地的食材用在他的菜餚中。因此Aglianò的食物有時像是穿梭在臺灣和義大利之間。我們現在生活在一個日益全球化的世界裡，餐廳很容易的可以脫離他們的所在地。食材現在能夠來自全球各地，並且甚至跟季節分離。例如，我們現在冬天可以用來自法國的黑松露，夏天則可以吃來自澳大利亞的黑松露。雖然我不是一個locavore，但是我認為外國餐廳應該與它的目前的所在地保持一定的關係。在台北的義大利餐廳應該要不同於米蘭的義大利餐廳或日本東京的義大利餐廳。因此，我喜歡Aglianò使用水蓮代替義大利麵來配著螃蟹; 將毛豆加到經典的義大利burrata起司番茄沙拉; 還有用茭白筍在義大利餃子湯中，使得這幾道菜各有些不同的輕脆的口感。

在義大利莱中加入台灣的原料並不是一件容易的事。Aglianò有著過人的本領和經驗才能够做出這些類型的菜餚。食物的創意應建立在傳統美食基礎上發揮。換句話說，一個人需要知道規則才可以打破它們。在很多台北的餐廳，廚師力求“創意”，但是實際上卻沒有任何的意義。任何人與Aglianò談起烹飪，就會發現他經常提到技術和口味的平衡。包括精準的中空料理，醃鱈魚的時間，或是如何用一些西西里島的原料，以提供更深入的風味。好廚藝是一系列小細節的關注累積出來的。

許多的因素促使安傑羅成為臺北市非常重要的餐廳。一、 安傑羅餐廳的成功證明一個外來廚師與當地合作的夥伴是可以建立起自己的品牌，而不需依附著一個國際連鎖或酒店。二、餐廳的成功，意味著台北確實開始有高級餐廳的市場。我希望台北的顧客會習慣食物高的標準，如Aglianò的義大利燉飯，然後開始要求其它餐廳提升食物的水準。第三、雖然一些Aglianò的工作人員可能會離職或創業，但是他們所受到的高要求養成與訓練，將會把這些工作態度帶到其它的地方漸漸普及。最後，此時位於台北的安傑羅餐廳，確實代表著西方飲食文化與台北地理環境的美好結合。

祝安傑羅餐廳周年慶快樂，希望未來能帶給大家更多創意及精彩的歲月。

Chocolate Bouchon

The first time I had a chocolate bouchon was when we visited Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery in Yountville around ten years ago. The little brownie-like cake was such a delight. Soon after the trip, I purchased Keller's Bouchon cookbook, which included the recipe for the bouchon. I always thought about making the bouchon but somehow never did. Maybe I was deterred by the 3 sticks of butter (2 tablespoons per bouchon) that's required in the recipe. Actually it was just as well that I didn't since the recipe in the first printing of the Bouchon cookbook had the wrong amount of sugar: 3/4 cup instead of 1-1/2 cup.

Two years later, Keller opened a branch of Bouchon Bakery in the Time Warner Center in New York City, which meant I could just buy a chocolate bouchon when I needed a fix. Alas, when I moved to Taipei, bouchon, along with many other things, is no longer available. Therefore, if I want a bouchon I need to make it myself.

Recently I finally decided to take the plunge. I even bought a silicone mold from Williams-Sonoma that's specifically designed for the bouchon. I figure if I am going to do it I might as well go all the way. The recipe I use for the bouchon is from Keller's latest book, Bouchon Bakery, instead of the old book. Keller made significant changes to the recipe for a dozen bouchons – sugar is reduced from 1-1/2 cup to 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon and butter is reduced from 12 ounces to 5. It is interesting to note that the amount of sugar is now closer to the previously incorrect number in the Bouchon cookbook. Besides the reductions in fat and sugar, the new recipes have the ingredients by weight, which I much prefer over the measurements.

The bouchons are actually not too difficult to make. Melt the butter (141g) and in a separate bowl sift flour(50g) with cocoa powder(50g) and a little salt(.4g); combine eggs(75g), sugar(162g) and vanilla paste(1.5g) in a stand mixer and whisk on medium-low speed; add butter and flour mixture in six alternating turns; remove from the mixer and fold in chocolate chips(112g); let the mixture rest in a cool spot for around 2 hours; transfer the mixture into a piping bag and pipe into the molds (I find using the piping bag to be easier and cleaner than using spoons); bake for around 12 minutes in a convection oven of 350 degrees Fahrenheit; remove from the oven and let the bouchons rest in the mold for 10 minutes before unmolding (the resting time is required for the cake to set); dust with powder sugar before eating.

The bouchons are just delicious and definitely plenty rich in taste. It is hard to imagine how the bouchons would be if I had made it with the old recipe. Now when I make the bouchons they are mostly for an afternoon snack or as petit fours for a dinner party. However, when I eat a bouchon I am still reminded of the take-out lunches I had at Time Warner Center; I would order a sandwich with a bouchon as the dessert. It is always nice to have a little sweetness in life.

The Savoir-Faire of Olivier Jean

Last late September I was informed that chef Xavier Boyer of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Taipei was being transferred to the London branch of the restaurant group. Upon hearing the news I couldn't help but let out a long sigh. Boyer was a wonderful and creative chef who seemed to really enjoy being in Taipei. I had many memorable meals with Boyer at the helm; he was always happy to see me and let me try some new dishes. While I know that a change of chef at L'Atelier is not unusual – Boyer is the third chef de cuisine in four years – nevertheless his short tenure in Taipei was a big surprise. I had expected Boyer to stay for at least two years, similar to his predecessor, Angelo Aglianò.

News of Boyer's move coincided with the release of the 2014 Michelin guide for London, in which L'Atelier London was demoted from two stars to one. While no one officially gave a reason for Boyer's departure from Taipei, it wasn't hard to decipher that he was tasked with gaining the Michelin star back. Boyer was the chef de cuisine in L'Atelier London before moving to the branches in New York and Taipei, therefore, it was logical for Robuchon to ask him to go back to right the ship. However, Robuchon is essentially signaling that London is more important than Taipei; frankly, I understand his position. London is one of the world's food capitals with the likes of Alain Ducasse, Gordon Ramsay, and Heston Blumenthal, all competing for well-heeled customers and media attention. Financially the London branch of L'Atelier probably does more covers and generates more revenue for the Robuchon group than Taipei. Therefore, if I am Robuchon I probably would have made the same decision. But, what about Taipei?

"Taipei is the luckiest, always with a new chef", Chef Yosuke Suga half-jokingly said to me in October when he and Robuchon made their annual visit to Taipei. The new chef de cuisine is Olivier Jean, who was previously a sous chef in L'Atelier Étoile with Suga in Paris. He is from Valence, a small town in the south of France, best known in the food world as the location of the 3-Michelin-star restaurant Maison Pic. He is certainly well trained and worked at Louis XV prior to joining the Robuchon group. Jean is very tall and young, only 27 years old. When I first learned about his age I was slightly taken aback. At 27 I was only two years out of graduate school. On second thought, chefs typically have a different timeframe. Many of them start their work in the restaurant when they are still in their teens. By their late 20's they already have ten years worth of experience. Robuchon received his first head chef job when he was 28. When Suga was tapped to run the first L'Atelier in Tokyo, he was also only in his late twenties. Hence, one shouldn't be too surprised that Jean is given the job to run the L'Atelier in Taipei.

There is definitely some truth to Suga's assertion that the changing of chefs at L'Atelier Taipei certainly makes the restaurant more interesting. Just before Jean arrived in Taipei I was asked by a staff at the Le Salon de Thé on the third floor of Bellavita, which of the three chefs (Suga, Aglianò, Boyer) I like the best. Caught off guard I actually paused for a bit before I was able to answer her. I never thought they were in competition. In my mind each chef brought his own sensibility to the restaurant. Suga had the tough task of setting up the restaurant and establishing and enforcing the Robuchon standard. While his cooking is definitely French, he has a Japanese sensibility of simplicity and precision. Being Italian, Aglianò brought an Italian and Mediterranean feel to the cooking, some of the dishes he served at L'Atelier can still be found at Aglianò's eponymous restaurant in Taipei. Also, as Aglianò got to know Taiwan better, he was able to introduce more local ingredients into the dishes. Similarly, Boyer has a fondness for local ingredients and was always excited to tell me about a new fish or shrimp he found at the market or a new farmer that's growing vegetables for him. In contrast, his cuisine was a bit more complex than Suga's and Aglianò's, and incorporated a geographically wide-ranging of flavors and textures.

So what kind of sensibility does chef Jean bring to L'Atelier? Based on some recent meals in the first few months of his tenure, I would suggest, in a very general manner, the restaurant is becoming more French. Since Jean is from the south of France, this is not a surprise; frankly I quite welcome this direction. While there are dishes on the menu that reflect influences from other countries, there is a return to exploring some of the recipes and flavor profiles of traditional French cuisine. At the same time, these familiar dishes are executed with contemporary techniques and made lighter. Furthermore, the dishes by Jean always seem to be plated beautifully and very art-like.

The return to France was evident in the first lunch my wife, Maria, and I had under Jean's direction in late last November. We tried some of the new dishes on the menu starting with a mackerel and potato. The fish was cooked perfectly with a crispy skin. The different temperatures of the fish and the potato provided a nice contrast. The plate was beautifully decorated with dollops of condiments in varying sizes.

For the main course I selected the chicken fricassée, which was just delicious.

The pastry chef Kazuhisa Takahashi sent out a perfectly executed passion fruit soufflé that was just a sheer delight. The iPhone picture really doesn't capture the glory of this dessert. I could never get my soufflé to not collapse like the ones professionals make. The lunch was just a pleasure and provided some insights into chef Jean's thinking.

The reassertion of France, perhaps with a more rustic feel, was also played out at another lunch, where I started with the jamon and leeks. The plating is certainly pretty and the leeks were delicious. The dish was very good, but not as interesting as some of the other appetizers on the menu.

For the main course I went with the braised pork cheeks with lentils from Le Puy, a very satisfying dish.

Similar to last year, my wife and I celebrated our anniversary with a dinner at L'Atelier. Chef Jean offered to do something special, which was music to my ears. It is always best to just trust the chef and be open minded about food. Also, I am always happy to be surprised.  

We started with some beautiful asparagus served with an egg, cheese, black truffles, and jamon.

The second course was a delicious gnocchi with leeks and black truffle.

In contrast to the richness of the pasta, the next course was a fish simply fried and served with tomato, capers, arugula, and lemon juice. I feel this dish is actually quite indicative of Jean's or Robuchon's approach, which is to allow the ingredients to be the star. The dish was skillfully executed, simple yet full of flavors and aroma. 

The last savory course was a ballotine. The combination of poultry with foie gras is an idea that gets played around quite a bit in L'Atelier. In our previous anniversary dinner Boyer served us quail with foie gras wrapped in cabbage. With Jean the ballotine was chicken with foie gras wrapped with chicken skin. At first I thought it was cooked sous vide, but it actually was not. The ballotine was served with the famous mashed potato and the endive with herbs provided a little bitterness to contrast with the richness of the dish.

Since the restaurant knew it was our anniversary, chef Takahashi sent out a little strawberry tart with a sugar flower on the side – just a wonderful gift. We took the sugar flower home and kept it on our dining room cadenza inside a cake dome.

The dinner ended with two more desserts that were both delightful and beautiful. Furthermore, chocolates are now served with the mignardises and coffee at the end of the meal, which is a most welcomed addition.

My anniversary dinner was fantastic and memorable, but in a dinner a few weeks later Jean made a dish that truly won me over. In the early part of that dinner, Jean said he would make a dish à la minute and it would be a surprise. Sometime during the service, Jean slipped into the back kitchen to prepare the dish. As Jean presented the beautiful tourte for two at the counter, I couldn't help but muttered, "Ah, a pithivier!" Jean gently corrected me that the dish should be called a tourte chaude since it is not sweet. The tourte was sliced in half and plated at the pass. As if the tourte was not enough, Jean made a jus with black truffle for us to drizzle over the tourte. It was simply yummy or as the French would say, "miam, miam." The sommelier Benoît Monier walked by and said this is a very traditional dish in France and we both marveled at the dish for a moment. What Jean and Monier didn't know is I love pâte feuilletée and en croute dishes. As much as I like modernist cuisine and have fun messing around with my immersion circulator and iSi whip at home, I absolutely adore some of the traditional dishes of France. I half-jokingly said to Monier that perhaps one day, the restaurant should consider serving the poularde en vessie; after all, Robuchon used to serve the dish at Jamin. The dish is also in Daniel Boulud's new book, therefore, what's old may be new again.

While the dishes at L'Atelier involve high level of cooking techniques, there is a clarity to the food. You can easily identify the ingredients and the flavors have integrity. There is also an elegance to the presentation of the dishes coming out of Jean's kitchen. In the meantime Jean is eager to learn about the customer's preferences in Taipei as well as incorporating local products into the menu. As time goes on it will be interesting to see how Jean evolves. When Suga introduced Jean to me, he again half-jokingly said, "If there are any problems with Olivier, you let me know". Robuchon and Suga should be quite happy with Jean, we certainly are.

While Jean is the leader in the restaurant, he is quick to acknowledge his team in the kitchen. He also credits his sous chef Frédéric Julien (ex-Taillevent) for creating some of the dishes, including the langoustine carpaccio over lobster gelée that I had a dinner. The sommelier Monier remains peerless in Taiwan; a sentiment shared by my wife and my cousin. I always tell Monier that I don't know anything about wine and will happily drink whatever he chooses. He is always nice to allow me to try various wines by the glass and provide some guidance. Furthermore, only recently did I find out that besides his expertise with wines he is also very skilled at deboning fish at table/counter side. While there are some new faces in the the front of house team, the service led by Vincent Hsu and Grendy Yang is still as smooth as ever. The visit to the restaurant bookends with a warm welcome by the hostess Nana Kung and a send-off by Jean and Monier with even a few parting words in Mandarin. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon takes the business of pleasure professionally and always manages to thrill.

New Year Fireworks

Since 2005 Taipei 101 has been setting off fireworks at the beginning of the New Year. The rooftop of our building has a nice view of Taipei 101, therefore our family always gather at New Year's eve to view the fireworks and ring in the New Year.

However, after a few years of watching the fireworks shooting off the building, I feel the show is getting a bit old and tired. Part of the problem is the fireworks is only coming from Taipei 101 and the typology of the building puts a lot of limitations on what can be done. The bigger problem is the duration of the fireworks is just too short.

It seems to me that of all the major cities in the world, only the fireworks in Taipei has the duration measured in seconds instead of minutes. For 2013 the fireworks lasted 188 seconds while this year it was 218 seconds. In contrast, the new year's fireworks at Singapore was 8 minutes, at Sydney was 12 minutes, Brazil was 16 minutes, and Dubai was a whopping 30 minutes.

The adage of "Go Big or Go Home" should be applied to the fireworks of Taipei 101: either produce a bigger show, or stop and do something else.

Arbitrage: Books

Despite the fact that I have an iPad and read e-books with the Kindle app or iBooks, I still like physical books. I like the construction and feel of a book as an object and enjoy the act of flipping through the pages. Therefore, I still buy many books every year, especially hardcover English-language books. However, I almost never buy them in Taiwan, neither online nor at Eslite bookstore. The reason is simple, the hardcover books are almost always cheaper at Amazon.com.

Recently I purchased the new cookbook by Daniel Patterson of Coi Restaurant in San Francisco. This book is available at Eslite for NT$1,521 at a special discount of 21% off the original price. At first glance the discount seems to suggest this might be a good deal, but it is actually not.

At Amazon.com, the same book is available for US$33.33 (33% off the list price). Since the book needs to be shipped to Taiwan, there are additional shipping charges of US$4.99 per shipment and US$4.99 per book. The total cost of the book purchased on Amazon.com is US$43.31 or around NT$1280.

Eslite would have to discount the book by around 33 percent from their list price to make the price to be about the same.

The cost difference between Eslite and Amazon is greater the more expensive the book because the shipping cost becomes a smaller percentage of the overall cost. Also, if one purchases multiple books in one shipment, the cost will go down as well since one of the shipping cost is per shipment. Furthermore, Amazon often offers greater discount for Best Sellers (around 45% off list) or for pre-ordering. Not only is pre-ordering cheaper but one also gets the book much sooner than the local stores. I pre-ordered Daniel Boulud's new book Daniel a few months ago, which Amazon was offering for 50% off list for US$30 or US$39.98 with shipping. I received the book a few weeks ago after it was published; as of today neither Eslite nor Books.com.tw have the book yet.

I am not sure why the local bookstore cannot be more competitive on price; then again, not too many companies anywhere can compete with Amazon. I just know I am not buying foreign books via a local seller.

Angelo Restaurant

Angelo Restaurant 安傑羅 is located on the ground floor of a nondescript, tiled six-story apartment building inside a narrow alley off the bustling Zhongxiao East Road. The black awning of the restaurant marks a complete break from the building above; the wall and some of the window frames enclosing the restaurant are also in black. The fact that the stylish and a little mysterious outward appearance of the restaurant reminds one of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon at Saint-Germain in Paris is probably not a coincidence. The chef patron of Angelo Restaurant, Angelo Aglianò, worked for many years as a chef for Joël Robuchon at several different locales. Just prior to starting his eponymous restaurant, Aglianò ran the Taipei branch of L'Atelier. Instead of transferring to another branch in a different country after completing his two-year contract, he decided, with Robuchon's blessing, to go out on his own and to realize his dream of owning and running his restaurant.

Angelo is my most anticipated restaurant opening in Taipei this year. In fact I have been waiting for this ever since my last dinner at L'Atelier with Aglianò at the helm in October 2012. At that time, Aglianò didn't have anything concrete yet. He only had plans to talk to some investors for the new restaurant and even the location may not be in Taipei. Since Aglianò left Robuchon, I heard different rumors about where he would land. One of them suggested that he would take up the toque at the Italian restaurant at the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Taipei. Even Aglianò's ex-colleagues at Robuchon didn't seem to know, or at least were not willing to spill any beans.

It wasn't until August this year that by chance I saw someone "Liked" Angelo Restaurant on Facebook. Intrigued, I clicked on the page and at first only saw a bunch of construction photos. Scrolling through the photo album I came across a picture of Aglianò in a black t-shirt sitting at a table trying out the place setting in the middle of the construction site. Finally, I had the confirmation I needed. At a time when talents in different fields tend to leave rather than stay in Taiwan, I am glad Aglianò decided to remain in Taipei. I also applaud his partners for helping him make the restaurant a reality.

Since the restaurant is not too far from my apartment, from time to time I would stop by on my way to Dunhua Eslite bookstore and peek through the windows to see the progress of the construction. The space that is now Angelo used to be occupied by Papa Giovanni, an Italian restaurant that began in 1996 and later became Papa Gio'. It is very nice to see the Italian flag continue to fly at that location. However, besides staying as an Italian restaurant, everything else is changed with a gut renovation.

One enters Angelo Restaurant via a set of wood sliding doors on a small raised terrace with potted plants. A decorative and translucent glass screen separates the reception from the dining area. On the left of the reception is a small bar with a lit up Peroni tap handle; a nice little area to grab a drink while waiting for friends to show up. The setup of the restaurant takes a page from the L'Atelier playbook with counter seating overlooking the open kitchen. In fact the kitchen at Angelo is almost completely open except for the dishwashing and the cold storage areas. The different stations of the kitchen are laid out in parallel bars perpendicular to the counter area with the kitchen pass and heat lamps located at the end of the counter. The kitchen staff, except the pastry chefs, are all dressed in black.

Just like at L'Atelier, I prefer to sit at the counter at Angelo. I like to watch the kitchen in action and to see my meal being made in front of me. I enjoy cooking and know enough about it to realize that I will never cook like a professional; sitting at the counter is as close as I will ever get. Probably due to the lack of space in the kitchen, when one is seated at the counter, the dishes are served from behind the customers, rather than served directly in front like at a sushi bar or at L'Atelier. This is not a problem per se since if one is seated at a table, the dishes would be served from behind as well. However, it may mean the restaurant will not be able to seat the customers at the counter as tightly as currently laid out.

Besides the counter seating there are also table seating divided between two areas of the restaurants; the area at the back has banquettes. Also, unlike L'Atelier Taipei, Angelo has three private dining rooms of different sizes; this should be good for business.

The overall palette of the restaurant consists mostly of different shades of grays, dark wood, and beige, which reminds me a bit of the style of Armani Casa. The tables and counter are done with light grey stone. Similar to L'Atelier, there are no tablecloths but placemats in shades of dark and light grey stripes. The dinnerwares are strictly in white. While one can tell there wasn't a carte blanche budget, nevertheless, it was money well spent and not over designed. The overall appearance is simple and elegant.

The only downside to the space of Angelo is the ceiling, which is a bit lower than one would like. This is not a problem with the design, rather an all too common issue with restaurants located in existing residential buildings in Taipei. The designers mitigate this issue by making the space continuous and open. The filtered natural light from the windows also helps make the space bigger and more comfortable. I certainly enjoy lingering in the restaurant especially in the early afternoon, sipping an espresso and munching on a biscotti after a long lunch.

Angelo's logo has the color of the Italian flag in a wave-like ribbon so it is obvious that the restaurant serves Italian cuisine. While Aglianò is from Sicily, the food is not limited to southern Italy, in fact it is not even limited to Italy as mini-baguette, Spanish ham and foie gras are offered. Some of the dishes on the menu are from northern Italy, perhaps as a reflection of Aglianò's time spent in Milan. The risotto alla Milanese is served with osso buco on top, and is simply delicious. The beef carpaccio is served with artichokes hearts and deemed by my good friend, Alfred, as the "best carpaccio ever". The tiramisu is placed on a plate dusted with chocolate and accompanied by a scoop of coffee ice cream.

Southern Italy is represented with a tasty spaghetti with clams and bottarga shavings. There is also the melanzane alla parmigiana with a soft egg. The baba au rhum is more in the Neapolitan style with ricotta cream. Also present on the menu is a wagyu beef rib that Aglianò used to serve at L'Atelier. My friend and I shared this once; it was expensive but fabulous. Seafood accounts for a large portion of the menu and Aglianò sources his fish, shrimp, and squid locally. The seafood is mostly prepared with a light touch, allowing the flavors of the ingredients to come through cleanly.

What makes me really happy is that unlike many western restaurants in Taiwan, Aglianò loves to serve pork. I don't know why western restaurants prefer to serve imported beef instead of pork. For instance when STAY first opened in Taipei, there was no pork on the menu. There are so many things that one can do with pork and they are all more interesting than a fillet of beef. I like steaks, but Taiwan has great pork so why not use it? I was once told that Aglianò's old boss, Robuchon, said of all the countries he has restaurants in, Taiwan has the best suckling pig. Maybe we need the western chefs to show us how pork can be done in western restaurants in Taiwan. Or we can learn from Homer Simpson, who once referred to the pig – the source of ham, bacon, and pork chop – as "a magical and wonderful animal." At Angelo, one can start a meal with some jamon Iberico, albeit imported, the hard-to-find in Taiwan product is arguably the best ham in the world. The primo can be the maccheroncini with pancetta. The secondo can be a pork chop Milanese style served with some arugula, peeled cherry tomatoes, and Parmigiano shavings on the side. All three pork dishes are terrific. And if they are not enough for a pork lover, there is also a roasted suckling pig on the menu.

Over the years of visiting L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon Taipei, I have come to know chef Aglianò and consider him to be a friend. I have also grown to know and recognize some of the other staff at Robuchon, who have joined Aglianò at his restaurant as manager, sommelier, sous chef, pastry chef, captains, and servers. When I go to Angelo they take good care of me, therefore, I am not an anonymous diner with an unbiased view. Nevertheless, I will still offer that Angelo is already the best Italian restaurant in Taiwan. For the moment, just consider the four-course lunch set that I had recently. Where else can one find a selection of exquisitely done antipasti being offered like they do in Italy? Where else can one find such high quality risotto that is creamy, al dente, and served all'onda? Where else can one find fork tender beef cheeks cooked with the modern sous vide technique served over a bed of polenta cooked for four hours in the the traditional manner? Where else can one find a beautifully plated crispy sfogliatelle? Not only is the food wonderful, the value conscious diners would be pleased to know that the aforementioned four-course lunch costs NT$980 plus 10 percent service charge, and includes some great bread baked in-house, an amuse bouche, and coffee with cookies.

Angelo opened in the middle of September. The restaurant continues to make adjustments to be better. The service is pleasant and cordial but some of the junior staff are a bit hesitant and not as confident in their abilities yet. The wine list is still being put together. The kitchen is staffing up and the junior cooks are learning to work at Aglianò's standards. Aglianò says he is not firing on all cylinders yet. He asks his regular customers as well as himself to be patient. In time the food will be more consistent and ambitious. Already, I had some off-the-menu specials, including a sexy risotto with Sicilian flavors of sea urchin and cuttlefish.

I can only assume that Aglianò is not looking to just be the best Italian restaurant in Taiwan, but to have a restaurant that is worthy of Michelin stars; frankly, I expect nothing less. For the time being it is actually quite interesting for the diner to be part of the ride and to see how the restaurant is improving little by little everyday. Needless to say I will be dining at Angelo as often as possible.

Porthole Kickstarter

The first time I saw the Porthole was on the September 2011 cover of Food Arts magazine. The Porthole with herbs and fruits sandwiched between two round pieces of glass looked stunning. The Porthole is a cylindrical glass vessel custom-designed and made by Martin Kastner of Crucial Detail, and used at the Aviary Bar for various infusions. Aviary is operated by Grant Achatz, who also owns the famous 3-Michelin star restaurant, Alinea, in Chicago. I came to know Kastner's work through the various serving pieces he developed with Achatz for Alinea, which were well publicized along with Alinea's innovative cuisine. However, the Porthole was something that I actually want to get. Unlike some of the Alinea serving pieces, the Porthole seems like something I can use at home. It turns out I wasn't the only one thinking about a Porthole. Many people who frequent Aviary asked about purchasing the Porthole. There are even stories of some guests trying to take the Portholes home.

When I found out on the Internet that Kastner was doing a Kickstarter project to fund a commercial version of the Porthole, I was happy to make a pledge. Before I signed on I have never used Kickstarter before. I have also never been or wanted to be a venture capitalist. In other words, I didn't have much of an idea of what I was getting myself into. Nevertheless I made a pledge in mid-August 2012 for two Portholes. I bought two mainly because the cost of shipping for one to Taipei is US$50 while for two is only fifteen dollars more. I also thought that since the Porthole was scheduled to be delivered before Christmas, perhaps I could give one to someone else as a present.

Christmas came and went and the Porthole was nowhere to be found. About once a month, Kastner would send an update and the delivery date would keep moving back. There always seemed to be some kind of problem with the manufacturing process. Since I am an architect, I can sort of understand the problems Kastner were facing; stuff happens. However, he was way too optimistic with initial estimate of delivering the thousands of Portholes before Christmas. Nevertheless, it was nice of Kastner to provide updates on his progress – informing us about his various problems and keeping us in the loop. I felt like I was part of the venture. Unlike buying a product from a store, the Kickstarter project is really an adventure of making a new thing. You are along for the ride and you have to think people are doing their best to deliver the goods. Frankly, there wasn't much one could do but to be patient and wait.

It wasn't until June this year that I was notified that my Portholes would be shipped soon. I received the two Portholes via DHL in July. The packaging was quite nice. Along with the Porthole, Kastner also added two asymmetrical tumbers that are very beautiful.

The Porthole also came with a few recipes for drinks served at Aviary. The recipes are complicated with many ingredients, similar to some of the dishes served at Alinea. The problem for me is many of the ingredients are very hard to find in Taiwan. I can't even find white verjus, let alone dried elderflower or rare tea cellar berry meritage tea. After looking through the recipes a few times I basically gave up. I can only hope that one day someone from the States can bring some things back for me. With my dream of reproducing the drinks from Aviary dashed, I started to look on the internet for simpler things to do.

Before I did any infusion I filled the Porthole with water to make sure I was doing things correctly and with no leakage. The Porthole consists of only a few parts: two round plate glass covering a round frame and connected by a short stainless pipe via screws on the outside. The first time I assembled the Porthole together and poured some water inside, I actually couldn't get a good seal and the water started to leak out at the bottom. The trick to sealing the Porthole, as per the instructions in the box, is to press hard on the glass in order to compress the gasket all the way around the circle. The instructions also said the screws should not be over-tightened. However, I don't really know what that means. In my experience I felt I had to tighten the screws quite hard so the two pieces of glass remain pressed against the gasket. After a few trials with water, I decided to do my first infusion.

I started with some vodka infused with pineapple slices and mint. I let the Porthole sat in the fridge for three days.

The second one I tried was some bourbon with apple. This would form the basis for some apple honey toddy.

I am not sure what's the next infusion I will do. Instead of alcohol perhaps I might start doing some fruit infused water. The Porthole with things inside is also so pretty to look at that I will probably use it as some kind of table centerpiece the next time I have friends over for dinner.

Even though the Porthole was delayed by more than half a year, I am still quite happy upon receiving the vessel. Nevertheless, I don't think I will support projects on Kickstarter on a regular basis. It was an interesting experience but for now I will just focus on making drinks.