10/05/2025: A fantastic experience in this 2 Michelin star restaurant, being pampered in this location is priceless, it is located in an ancient Byzantine tower.
The dishes have refined flavors that cannot be tried elsewhere.
Alex was able to illustrate our tasting journey to us, step by step at each course with passion and extreme preparation in his work. Wonderful environment
Advised!
05/05/2025: With two Michelin stars, the restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the hotel. You have to sit in the sofa area on the first floor of the hotel and wait until you arrive outside to take a table. The dining space is located in an ancient tower built in the 6th century AD and can only accommodate 7 tables. The decoration is simple and the lighting is almost only based on a table lamp. Although it is enough for eating, there is definitely no lighting design for you to take pictures 😂
The guests are entertained with a highly controlled politeness and restraint. They always serve the dishes at the same time, confirm each guest's choice, and ask the guests what they think of each dish. It seems that I have never experienced this kind of outhouse service in Taiwan (maybe the Paris restaurant is closer)
The quality of the food is commensurate with the two stars, the techniques are delicate but not difficult to understand, the flavors are layered but not complicated, some echo the tradition, and some are novel in orientation, but in the end they do not break away from the essence of Italian cuisine. Even if a few dishes are a bit hesitant, the overall flaws are not concealed.
Welcome drink
Originally it seemed to be champagne, but after we ordered non-alcoholic drinks, the restaurant took the initiative to change it. It had the delicate aroma of white cantaloupe, the citrus flavor of grapefruit, and finally the herbal aroma of sage. It was a rather elegant start and seemed to hint at some Asian flavors in the later menu.
Appetizers
Goat cheese/grapefruit
Grapefruit gel makes the goat cheese smell feel light
Oyster/bell pepper sauce
The oysters are delicious and plump, the sour and spicy sauce and the bright green oil are simply delicious.
Amberjack ham/horseradish
Horseradish’s bright, spicy and herbal flavor is a crowd-pleaser
Bread/mackerel/yuzu
The bread was a little too soft, but the aroma of cooked mackerel was strong and the citrus flavor was nice
chicken liver pate
Use berries to make a glass-like shell, and then wrap it in rich and smooth chicken liver pate. The light sourness and sweetness of the berry skin makes the liver pate much softer.
bread
There are five kinds of bread sticks, the bread sticks are crunchy, the pepper aroma is good, the seaweed nut crisps are full and salty; the taralli shortbread has the aroma of brown sugar and the spiciness of ginger; the small piece of schiacciata bread with pork back fat has a good fat aroma, but the bread tastes a bit soft and sticky; the main bread itself is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the olive oil and grassy bitterness when paired with it are wonderful
Red shrimp/tomato bread/caviar
The shrimp meat is soft and sweet, and the saltiness of the caviar adds a lot of color. The sweet and sour tomato wrapped in the crispbread roll in the middle is eye-catching, and the fresh aroma of olives and green oil at the bottom is also good. It seems simple but rich in flavor.
The crispy cakes made with shrimp heads and shells on the side are basically shrimp cakes😆
Smoked amberjack/Bernaise sauce/lemon jelly/celery
The smoky flavor of the amberjack is quite strong, but the flavor of the fish itself is not obvious. The egg flavor of the sauce is full, but a little too much. It is suitable for dipping into bread.
Eel/Tosa vinegar/Almond/Tarragon
A very Japanese dish, the eel skin is a bit crispy, the meat and oil are very delicate, but I don’t quite understand the logic of pairing it with almonds. The aroma of tarragon sauce is good, but it feels like it could be more, the balance is too Japanese.
Duck/Peanut/Chestnut/Truffle/Raspberry
The duck meat was a little dry, and the sauce was too much and the flavor was a bit mixed, especially the strong aroma of peanuts, but I really liked the sweet and sour taste of fresh berries.
On the side is toasted crispy bread sandwiched with duck ham and liquid orange. It tastes good, but the main flavor is orange, and the ham doesn't have much presence.
Straight noodles/seaweed cream sauce/bergamot/sea urchin/tuna roe
The noodles taste great. The seaweed cream sauce has a rich seaweed aroma, followed by the salty taste of fish. Finally, it ends with the elegant aroma of lemon and bergamot. It should be my favorite dish today.
Raviolo dumplings/ricotta cheese/Neapolitan meat sauce
The meat sauce is rich in flavor and has a distinct tomato aroma. The dumpling wrapper has a good texture, but has a more traditional and earthy taste.
Red snapper/sweet and sour basil sauce/onion sauce/garlic sauce
Using bread to pretend to be fish skin is very clever. The bread is thick and crispy, wrapping the extremely tender fish meat. The contrast between the two is huge and eye-catching. The sauce base is a bit like canned mackerel in tomato sauce, but it adds a lot of depth with sweet onion sauce and garlic sauce.
There are tomato-filled bread and mini waffles on the side. The bread is crispy, but the filling has too little flavor; the waffles are soft and paired with anchovy sauce. I don’t quite understand the purpose of putting them here.
Squab/apple/teriyaki sauce/artichoke
I also missed some notes here. I remember that the breast meat was a little dry, but it was paired with a lot of teriyaki sauce and applesauce, so it didn't matter. The pigeon legs on the side were cooked well, and they were paired with quinoa to add a crispy texture, and the leg meat was juicy.
After the salty meal, the napkins and water glasses are replaced, which also reminds the guests to change their mood. I like this kind of thoughtfulness.
Chocolate soufflé
Let's go straight to the main dessert. It's a very big one and it's hot when served. The aroma of chocolate is full and rich. It's a straight-up dessert. But after the whole menu, such a portion is too much to bear 😂
Originally, the pre-dessert was moved to the end to clear the mouth, but I personally feel that it would be better to have it before the soufflé. I missed the note here, but my impression is that it is refreshing and delicious.
There was tea at the end, but I couldn’t eat any more, so I packed it away. I gave five of them, including French fudge, chocolate, madeleines, etc. It was still delicious to eat the next morning.