![[Taipei Cuisine. Taiwan] "INDIGO. The only three-star Michelin restaurant in Taiwan.](https://jonathansin.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/46075576722_e5074c16aa_z-1.jpg)
My best friend is getting married soon, so we, the Drunken Brothers, organised a three-day, two-night farewell trip to Taipei for him. The short itinerary was all about eating, drinking, playing and getting drunk, so I picked out a few Michelin restaurants for the occasion!
As the only Michelin three-star restaurant in Taiwan in 2018, "The Palace" at the Grand Hotel was the perfect choice for this trip. The restaurant was so popular that it was hard to get a table, thanks to the help of Ms Dai from the Hong Kong Office of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and the public relations officer from the Grand Plaza Hotel Group for booking a table for us to have the chance to eat there. We were very satisfied with the restaurant's service, which was very suitable for a group of friends.
The Flaming Piece of Duck
This sliced duck is very different from its peacetime counterpart. The Yilan duck is served on a rack like the Middle Eastern Shawarma rotisserie. The waiter first asked us whether we preferred French Cointreau or Taiwanese Yushan sorghum wine, and we chose the authentic sorghum wine. The chef poured the wine over the roast duck and then lit the fire, which burned the duck like a "fire phoenix" with a captivating aroma of wine. After the flames die down, the chef slices off the duck meat and skin using the shawarma cut. The residual flavour of the sorghum wine and the aroma of the duck fat blends into the crispy duck skin, which is served in three different ways.
The First Eat is the most interesting way to eat East meets West. The sliced duck, fried mozzarella sticks and celery, with a little sweet cinnamon sauce, were wrapped in a soft lotus leaf crust. The buffalo cheese had a rich, creamy flavour, with a slightly tangy cinnamon note, which made it a surprisingly good accompaniment to the warmed-up duck.
The second is the original traditional way of eating green onions wrapped in lotus leaf pastry crust.
The third dish is the Duck Taro and Hsinchu Rice Vermicelli, which is made with the delicious taro from Dak Kap, and the rice vermicelli is very refreshing without being overly saturated.
It costs almost HK$1,000 to eat a Flaming Duck, but the portion is large enough for eight to ten people. The overall taste of the duck is good, but the most surprising thing is the unconventional way of eating it and the flaming show which is full of colours and flavours, so be sure to make a reservation if you want to eat it.
Crispy Barbecued Pork vs Barbecued Pork King
We ordered both BBQ Pork King and Crispy BBQ Pork. The Barbecued Pork with Crispy Skin was another dish that impressed me.
The BBQ pork is made from roasted pork neck part, which is chewy in the mouth and covered with a crispy sugar coating made from granulated sugar and a few undissolved sugar granules, which makes the BBQ pork even more sweet and crispy, giving it more flavour. A few slices of lemon, delicately cut to help relieve greasiness, are also served on the plate. The BBQ Pork King is made from the pork part of the Kurobuta pork, which is very good, but not as amazing as the Crispy BBQ Pork.
Stir-fried Dragon Tendon with Conpoy
"Dragon's tendon" is actually the pork eyebrow tendon that we seldom eat, which is slightly spicy and chewy, very tasty. It is usually regarded as an off-licence, but with the chef's skillful hands, it is instantly transformed into a mouth-watering delicacy.
Taiwan Wild Vegetable Plate
This dish is one of the most famous items at INDIGO. The beauty of this plate is that it is a collection of seasonal organic vegetables from the north, middle and south of Taiwan. First of all, the colourful appearance is already very eye-catching. On my day, there was a huge pile of asparagus, kudzu, different coloured eggplants, corn, spring onions, celery, carrots, sweet potatoes, taro, etc. All of them were carefully selected by the restaurant on that day. All of them were carefully selected by the restaurant and arrived on the same day, making them naturally sweet, tasty and healthy.
Cantonese Dim Sum
I also ordered some dim sum. I always thought that Hong Kong's dim sum is the best, but the standard here is also comparable to Hong Kong's. Each large abalone and chicken siu mei is topped with a real abalone. Each of the large "Abalone and Chicken Siu Mai" is topped with a real abalone, which has a sweet flavour. The Baked Barbecued Pork Buns with Crispy Skin are also crispy and full of ingredients, which is worth recommending.
Fried Tofu Milk
For dessert, we recommend the traditional Shaanxi Fried Tofu Milk, which looks like a crepe. The crispy deep-fried coating with a sprinkling of icing, wrapped in a creamy cheese filling, is a delicious and satisfying dessert when eaten hot.
"Online booking for INDIGO opens on the first of every month, so if you're thinking of coming, you should really hurry. There is also a formal dress code, so be careful!
Address: 17F, No. 3, Sec. 1, Chengde Road, Datong District, Taipei 103, Taiwan
Access: Take bus 304 or 660, or take the MRT to Taipei Train Station.
Reservation: eztable.com
Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 11:30-14:30, 17:30-21:30
Phone: +886 2 2181 9950#3261https://www.palaisdechinehotel.com/tw/restaurant-info.php?id=6
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