The Michelin Guide has released its latest list of Bib Gourmand restaurants in Taiwan, which now features 141 eateries from around the island. The distinction is awarded to restaurants that offer high-quality three-course meals for less than NT$1,000. All in all, this year’s edition features a total of 58 newcomers, with restaurants in Tainan and Kaohsiung making it on the list for the first time. In Taipei, six new eateries were recognized with the distinction. One of them is a Yunnanese restaurant that has been in business for more than six decades. The other is a young vegeterian joint offering a new healthy take on American cuisine.
Balls of black-eyed peas and shrimp are thrown in the oil and deep fried till crispy.
Oyster sauce goes in the wok, and then the shrimp balls are stir fried on high heat. This signature dish is served piping hot. It looks simple, but there’s a lot of work that goes into making this delicious treat.
Each ball has to be made by hand. That’s what the cooks at Jen Ho Yuan, have been doing for more than 60 years. The restaurant was reselected for a bib Gourmand this year, just two months after moving to a new location.
Yao An-chin
Jen Ho Yuan
Before, 70% of our customers were Japanese. We’ve been through almost three years of COVID. But we’ve managed to hold on. We used to not see many Taiwanese customers, and especially young diners. At old restaurants like ours, you wouldn’t see a single young face. But now more and more young people are coming. And that’s injecting our shop with vitality.
The Taipei restaurant serves up traditional Yunnan cuisine, including favorites such as dried stir-fried king oyster mushroom and smoked pork belly slices. Although the eatery has seen fewer Japanese customers due to COVID, business is back up. Another restaurant to earn a Bib Gourmand distinction was Little Tree Food, a newcomer to the list.
The base of this dish is made with steamed beetroot marinated in honey and salt. Avocado and endive chunks are piled on top and garnished with bits of red chile. Little Tree Food has a wide array of vegetarian offerings and has been operating for just five years. It’s the first time the restaurant is recognized by the Michelin Guide.
Jeffrey Liu
Little Tree Food
This new American cuisine focuses on using local ingredients. We try as much as possible to cooperate with small farmers and select the best ingredients. We adjust and change the menu from time to time. We’re trying to be creative with natural ingredients, using culinary techniques in the process.
This year, 141 restaurants and night market stands in Taiwan have made the Bib Gourmand selection, offering excellent meals at low prices to even the most fastidious diners.
