Michelin star is an ultimate honor for chefs and restaurant owners around the world, though not everyone sees it as a gourmand bible, many people do. This worldwide well-known authority first came to Taipei, Taiwan in 2018 and has published the gourmand guide annually ever since. However, despite it’s been 3 years, I’ve only been to street food places or family restaurants listed on Bib Gourmand but never had the chance to dine in a Michelin star restaurant in Taipei. And I’m glad I finally made it last week!
Among all 24 starred restaurants (based on 2019 Michelin guide) in Taipei, which one did I go? RAW. There are a couple of reasons why I chose it as my first Taipei star to go. A, they serve innovative cuisine, which I think would be a very special experience. B, it’s not far from my workplace so it’s possible to go for lunch and back to work (which would be proved wrong later). And C, it’s one of the hardest restaurants to reserve in Taipei, so how can I miss it when I have the chance?
Unlike most restaurants, RAW doesn’t take on-site customers or phone reservations. The only way to reserve a table here is to book online, on their official website. Also, diners are required to prepay the full meal bill while booking. Despite these and some other rules they have, it’s still one of the most wanted restaurants among diners.
My friends and I reserved a table for lunch having their spring menu, which actually is the only menu they serve but has two different pricing sets, Set NT$3,500 + 10% or Set NT$2,680 + 10%, and the one we ordered is the relatively cheaper one. As for the menu, they change it per season. Spring, summer, and autumn get their season special menu, while the winter menu is based on diners’ choices from the prior three seasons. So if there’d be a second visit, we should come in wintertime.
The lunch set has 10 dishes, and when each one is served, the waiter would come to the table to introduce the food, the ingredients, and explain the story and concept behind the dish. It’s probably my favorite part of this dining experience.
Here come the 10 dishes we had in the set. One thing special is that instead of dish titles, they list the 3 main elements of the dishes on the menu, which is like a hint for diners to know what to expect next. You can find it in the below photos’ descriptions.
Voila, that’s all for RAW’s spring lunch. The lunchtime is about 3 hours, pretty long for lunch, right? So, like what I’ve mentioned above, we failed to go back to the office on time. But well, that day was Friday! What matters the most is that we had a really great time, and of course, great food!
Thanks for the nice post @ChanneLing I really enjoyed your dining experience with that 10 luxury foods. Wow… the price is quite high
I’m just curious, were you full enough after eating them all? Which one is your favorite the most?
I’ve been to some Michelin star restaurant and stall both in Jakarta and Singapore, but never been to the luxury one like you did.
One of my favorite is the noodle stall in Singapore, Liao Fan Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice Noodles , one star Michelin and regarded as “The Cheapest Meal at Michelin-Starred Street Food Stall”. Here is the photo :
In my town sukabumi Indonesia no Michelin restaurant , By the way what’s p the point , I mean what big different between Michelin and non Michelin star because I just know michelin star good price ( read expensive)
Tag teh @Velvel . In Jakarta available Michelin restaurant ?
Thanks, @Velvel I’m glad that you enjoyed the post!
Yes, the price is pretty high. I couldn’t afford to have it every day or even every month. But it’s actually less expensive than most 2-star restaurants in Europe (I ain’t sure about Singapore but I think it’s the same as Europe). So I think Taiwan is actually a really good place to try Michelin Star restaurants. How about Jakarta and Singapore? What’s the average price per meal?
Each plate looks pretty small in portion, but after 10 plates, yes, I’m definitely full. And among the all 10 dishes, my favourite will be the one with leaves plate cuz the sauce is so spotting on, so good!
Thanks for sharing! I’ve eaten it twice in their branches in Taiwan. They have one in Taipei 101 if I don’t remember wrong. Next time I’d try Char Siew noodles since you recommend it!!
Michelin doesn’t have city guides in every city. Actually, they made it to Asia only a few years ago, so they’re still expanding and pinning more cities on their map.
As for Michelin stars, I think it’s a reference for diners and help them make decisions, especially in haute dining, but not a must. There’re controversies about Michelin, for example, it may cause huge pressure on chefs and restaurant owners. Some people can’t take losing stars or are trying too hard to obtain one. Also, Michelin star guide is not 100% objective, it’s still more from French or European angles and they do have preferences.
For me, personally, I use it as a reference when I want to try something fancy or nouvelle cuisine. If it’s for local food or street food, I wouldn’t look at Michelin but friends’ recommendations, Google Maps reviews, or tourism articles. How about you? (Tagging @Velvel here too)
Wait take my calculatorNT$2,680 meaning IDR 1,383,909 .
You spend lot money for can taking pictures all the food inside Michelin star restaurant ,and we can enjoying your picture here free haha ,thank you so much for sharing expensive experience with us
@ChanneLing Glad that you were full after eating this 10 “small” dishes
Oh… I just knew from you that Liao Fan Hong also exists in 101. Is that a restaurant or a food stall there?
Well, the price range for Michelin star restaurant or stall both in Jakarta and Singapore are different based on their type of restaurant, location, food variations, and many more. But from what I’ve tried, the range is started from USD 3.5 just like the noodle that I’ve tried in Singapore above.
Agree with you, Ling that Michelin can’t be the main consideration when you want to decide which restaurant to visit. Sometimes the score isn’t 100% objectives, so that I prefer to read review on Google Maps, local food directories, and blogs.
Teh @Nyainurjanah there’s one Chinese food restaurant from Singapore in Jakarta that I’ve tried before. It is Putien , Michelin one star restaurant. @ChanneLing Putien also exists in Taiwan, right?
Hahahaha yes @Velvel , I think the sparkling water helped too!
Yes, they have one in the food court of Taipei 101, one near Taipei main station and one in Songshan station.
I saw some articles saying that the price range of Michelin star restaurants in Asia is quite diverse. In my opinion, it may be due to dining styles and habits? Like in France and Europe, most restaurants offer course/set menus, but in Asia, normally, dishes are ordered a la carte. The bill really depends on how many plates we ordered. And it’s hard for 1-2 people to dine in since we couldn’t order too much. That’s why I prefer western-style dining if it’s just me or with a few friends. Asia restaurants are more for family or groups. Or I may just go to family restos or street food places. What do you think?
I just know that Putien does have a branch in Taipei! It’s in Xinyi district, not too far from Taipei 101. That’s so cool! By the way, what’s their title dish? And which one is your favorite? I should try it next time.
Asian restaurant is more for family or large group, whereas for individual or a small group, if you want to keep it simple and try a lot of variant, you could go ahead with the set menu from Western restaurant.
I’ve never tried Michelin star Western restaurant. I think I haven’t found it yet in Jakarta
But here, we have a lot of fine dining Western restaurants with the beautiful and luxury ambiance.
My favorite food in Putien is their signature dish, 莆田卤面/ Putien Lor Mee , milk base soup thick noodle served with shrimp, scallop, vegetables.
I knew that Putien also exists in Taiwan because of my schoolmate. He used to study and work as a chef in Taipei before. He has applied the job in Putien, but because of some things to consider, he decided not to accept the offering.
Have you ever visited Michelin star Asian restaurant before?
Thanks for the photo! That looks so yum! @Velvel And it’s milk-based? I’ve never tried noodles with milk-based soup. I should definitely order that when I visit. Does it really taste like milk or more bone stewed based like?
As for Asian restaurants, I’ve tried many listed on “Bib Gourmand” which is the second level of Michelin, higher than “the Plate MICHELIN” and lower than “Star MICHELIN”, but have never tried one with Michelin Stars. I still got so much to explore!!
And among the all 10 dishes, my favourite will be the one with leaves plate cuz the sauce is so spotting on, so good!
.
