January 2015 taiwan business topics wine & dine

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TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS January 2015 | Vol. 45 | Issue 1 中華郵政北台字第 號執照登記為雜誌交寄 5000

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CONTENTS 6 j a Nuary 2 0 1 5 vO lumE 45, NumbE r 1 一○四年一 月號

Publisher

Andrea Wu

Toro, Toro, Toro!

You need rich tastes and a deep pocket to enjoy the best cuts of Pacific bluefin tuna, but Donggang’s annual festival is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

By Jules Quartly

發行人

吳王小珍

Editor-in-Chief

沙蕩

Associate Editor

副主編

Tim Ferry Art Director/

12 Eating Your Way through Taiwan’s Former Capital

總編輯

Don Shapiro

A guide to finding Tainan’s delicacies.

法緹姆 photo : r ich Matheson

美術主任 /

Production Coordinator

Katia Chen

陳國梅

Manager, Publications Sales & Marketing 廣告行銷經理

Caroline Lee

By Steven Crook

後製統籌

李佳紋

American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei 129 MinSheng East Road, Section 3, 7F, Suite 706, Taipei 10596, Taiwan P.O. Box 17-277, Taipei, 10419 Taiwan Tel: 2718-8226 Fax: 2718-8182 e-mail: amcham@amcham.com.tw website: http://www.amcham.com.tw 名稱：台北市美國商會工商雜誌 發行所：台北市美國商會 臺北市10596民生東路三段129號七樓706室 電話：2718-8226 傳真：2718-8182 Taiwan Business TOPICS is a publication of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. Contents are independent of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Officers, Board of Governors, Supervisors or members. © Copyright 2015 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint original material must be requested in writing from AmCham. Production done in-house,

16 Reserving a Seat at the World’s Fine-dining Table

If Taiwan wants to develop a cuisine scene matching its reputation for fantastic night market treats, it still has some way to go.

By Jules Quartly

20 Healthy Meals, Delivered to Your Door

Three companies with somewhat different business models are offering options for those looking for healthfulness and convenience. photo : L’ateLier de j oëL robuchon

By Timothy Ferry

Printing by Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd. 登記字號：台誌第一零九六九號

28 Taipei Coffee Culture: Rich, Robust, and Satisfying

印刷所：帆美印刷股份有限公司 經銷商：台灣英文雜誌社 台北市108台北市萬華區長沙街二段66號 發行日期：中華民國一○四年一月 中華郵政北台字第5000號執照登記為雜誌交寄 ISSN 1818-1961

A decade ago it was difficult to find a decent cup of coffee, but today the city is a haven for specialty blends and cool places to drink them.

Chairman/ Thomas Fann Vice Chairmen/ Scott Meikle / Dan Silver Treasurer: Cosmas Lu Secretary: Fupei Wang 2014-2015 Governors: William E. Bryson Jr., Sean Chao, Rodney Van Dooren, Cosmas Lu, Scott Meikle, Dan Silver, Gordon Stewart, Ken Wu.

By Jules Quartly

2015-2016 Governors: Margaret Driscoll, Thomas Fann, Ajit Nayak, Vincent Shih, Stephen Tan, Fupei Wang, Lee Wood.

2015 Supervisors: Arthur Cozad, Kai Speth, Neal Stovicek,Wern-Yuen Tan, Neil Waters.

COMMITTEES: Agro-Chemical/ Melody Wang; Asset Management/ Christine Jih, Derek Yung; Banking/ Victor Kuan; Capital Markets/ Miranda Liaw, C.P. Liu, Shirley Tsai; Chemical Manufacturers/ Michael Wong; CSR/ Lume Liao, Fupei Wang; Customs & International Trade/ Stephen Tan; Education & Training/ Robert Lin, William Zyzo; Greater China Business/ Helen Chou, Cosmas Lu; Human Resources/ Richard Lin, Seraphim Mar, Vickie Chen; Infrastructure/ L.C. Chen, Paul Lee; Insurance/ Arthur Cozad, Joseph Day, Dan Ting; Intellectual Property & Licensing/ Jason Chen, Peter Dernbach, Jeffrey Harris, Vincent Shih; Manufacturing/ Thomas Fan, Hans Huang; Marketing & Distribution/ Wei Hsiang, Gordon Stewart; Medical Devices/ Susan Chang, Tse-Mau Ng, Dan Silver; Pharmaceutical/ Margaret E. Driscoll, David Lin, Jun Hong Park; Private Equity/ William Bryson; Public Health/ Jeffrey Chen, Dennis Lin; Real Estate/ Tony Chao; Retail/ Prudence Jang, Ajit Nayak, Wern-Yuen Tan; Sustainable Development/ Kenny Jeng, Kernel Wang; Tax/ Cheli Liaw, Jenny Lin, Josephine Peng; Technology/ Revital Golan, Scott Meikle, Jeanne Wang; Telecommunications & Media/ Thomas Ee, Joanne Tsai, Ken Wu; Transportation/ Michael Chu; Travel & Tourism/ Anita Chen, Pauline Leung, Achim v. Hake.

photo : eva air

24 Flying High in Food Service

Inflight catering kitchens face a host of difficult challenges.

By Don Shapiro

c ov e r ph o to : c o u rtes y o f L’ ate L i er d e j o ëL r o b u c h o n

4

taiwan business topics • january 2015

COv Er SPONSOr

ja nua ry 2015 • Volume 45 n umbe r 1

Fubon Financial Holdings Overview

32 How Sweet it is: Taipei Embraces Macarons

The global craze for the refined French confection sweeps Taiwan’s capital

Committed to becoming one of Asia’s first-class financial institutions, Fubon Financial Holdings has built a strong lineup of financial service companies. Its major subsidiaries include Fubon Life, Taipei Fubon

By Matthew Fulco

Bank, Fubon Bank (HK), Fubon Bank (China), Fubon Insurance, and

36 DinTaiFung: Taiwan’s Culinary Icon

Fubon Securities. As of the end of Sept. 2014, Fubon Financial Holdings had total assets of US$171.1 billion, ranking second among Taiwan’s

From modest beginnings, the dumpling restaurant has grown into an international empire.

publicly listed financial holding companies. It is the most profitable financial holding company in Taiwan.

By Don Shapiro

Fubon Financial Holdings’ subsidiaries rank among the top performers in their respective sectors. Fubon Insurance has consistently led all P&C insurers with an over 20% market share. Taipei Fubon Bank is one of Taiwan’s biggest privately owned banks; Fubon Securities ranks among Taiwan’s top three securities houses; and Fubon Life ranks second in first-year premiums and total premiums.

Fubon Financial Holdings has also moved aggressively to extend its reach throughout Greater China. Fubon Financial Holdings acquired a stake in Xiamen Bank through Fubon Bank (Hong Kong) in 2008.

photo : regent taipei

Fubon Property & Casualty Insurance began operations in 2010.

40 New Restaurant Update

TOPICS’ annual look at the latest entrants to Taipei’s dining-out scene.

Founder Fubon Fund Management, a fund management joint ven-

By Anita Chen

launched in July 2011.

ture between Fubon Asset Management and Founder Securities, was

46 The Blossoming of the Taiwan Whisky Market

In January 2014, Fubon Financial Holdings and Taipei Fubon Bank

The Taiwanese have become major consumers, especially of higher-end varieties, and the island is now home to two distilleries.

acquired a controlling 80% stake in Shanghai-based First Sino Bank, which later changed its name to Fubon Bank (China). Fubon Financial Holdings is now the only Taiwanese financial institution with banking subsidiaries in China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.

By Scott Weaver

50 Bartending in Taipei

Looking ahead, Fubon Financial Holdings will continue to strengthen

Two experienced managers discuss what it takes to make it behind the bar in local night-life establishments.

our presence in Taiwan and pursue stable growth. At the same time, Fubon Financial Holdings will continue to search for suitable M&A

By Timothy Ferry

opportunities in Greater China in order to develop a foothold in the regional market and move closer to the goal of becoming a first-class business group in Asia.

taiwan business topics • january 2015

5

photo : tourism bureau

toro, toro, toro! you need rich tastes and a deep pocket to enjoy the best cuts of pacific bluefin tuna, but Donggang’s annual festival is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

BY JULES QUARTLY

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

F

or centuries the township of Donggang (sometimes spelled Tungkang) in Pingtung County has been the final port of call for the Pacific bluefin tuna, which returns annually to one of its principal spawning grounds in the southern waters of Taiwan’s Bashi Channel. Romantically, the fish are said to couple in the moonlight so as to avoid the attention of predators during the day, with the male fish leaping out of the water to catch the attention of his potential mate.

After releasing between five and 25 million eggs, depending on the size of the female, the fish shoal up and hitch a ride on the prevailing northern currents as far as California. That is, if they are lucky and have not been caught up in a net or more often hooked on a longline, ending up on a plate as one of the world’s most sought after gourmet dishes.

Aficionados believe bluefin tuna sashimi is the world’s most delectable fish dish and it is certainly one of the most expensive – with a Tokyo restaurateur paying US$1.4 million for a 222-kg fish

Bluefin tuna

The town of Donggang goes all out to make a big splash for its annual bluefin tuna festival. photo : tourism bureau

at auction last year. So prized is freshcaught Pacific bluefin tuna that hordes of domestic and mainly Japanese tourists make the pilgrimage to Donggang every year for the Pingtung Bluefin Tuna Culture Tourism Festival.

Celebrities, government ministers, and occasionally even the president turn up for the start of the festival. They are pictured, beaming, next to the catch of the day, which hangs by its tail, supine, from a lanyard on the boat of the successful fisherman. Timed to coincide with the tuna run from sometime in early May to July, the moveable feast has become a firm fixture on the Taiwan tourist festival calendar since it first took place 13 years ago.

The visiting gourmands often gather at dawn on the harbor front as the tuna are unloaded by crane from the returning ships. They look on as the fish are taken to the nearby market, weighed, and auctioned off amidst a great hullaballoo.

Then they repair to a nearby restaurant to savor the fruit of the seas.

With tuna this fresh, it’s a no-brainer

on how to eat it. No preparation or cooking is required beyond paring the choicest cuts, no additives or additions such as soy sauce or wasabi. Top grade tuna sashimi is almost creamy in texture and really does – as advertised – dissolve in the mouth, leaving a fishy tang trace and slight sebaceous residue. When it’s so fresh there’s a palpable jolt of energy, as if the life force of the sea creature was being directly transferred through the act of eating. It’s as natural as can be and even the best chef in the world would surely admit this is as good as it gets.

A rare treat But get it while you can. Unfortunately, the Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) is threatened with extinction.

The International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific Ocean suggests the bluefin tuna population is now less than 4% of what it was historically. In November, the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) said overfishing

was further depleting stocks that had dropped 19-33% over the past 22 years.

Responding to this alarming decline, it updated the Pacific bluefin tuna from “Least Concern” to “Vulnerable.”

Jane Smart, global director of IUCN’s Biodiversity Group, said of the new listing: “The growing food market is putting unsustainable pressure on these and other species. We urgently need to impose strict limits on harvesting and take appropriate measures to protect habitats.”

Taiwan is a signatory to the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) that was set up in 1994. It agreed to scale back fishing but still has the fourth largest “effective catch limit” after Australia, Japan, and South Korea. But up to 80% of Taiwan’s catch ends up on jet planes to Tokyo to help satisfy the huge Japanese demand for bluefin tuna flesh. It’s also a sad fact that fishing limits have been widely ignored and likely will continue to be.

If the bluefin tuna were to die out, it would be a tremendous loss. The spetaiwan business topics • january 2015

7

Bluefin tuna

photo : tourism bureau

cies can swim as quick as the cheetah can run, barreling through the sea at an astounding 70km/h. The tuna can achieve that speed because of its supersized gills and a highly evolved heart that helps process oxygen at a turbocharged rate. It is warm-blooded and therefore able to withstand the chill temperatures when it dives as much as a kilometer beneath the waves in search of food. An alpha predator, it ruled the four seas and was dubbed the “king of all fish” by Ernest Hemingway, who knew a thing or two about his subject.

The tuna’s physiology means there’s a preponderance of blood vessels all over its body, and that is what makes the meat red – as opposed to the white flesh of its fishy brethren. The blood is rich in iron, while the meat is packed with long-chain omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), said to combat a wide range of diseases, such as cardiovascular and autoimmune problems, cancer, asthma, and even depression. These factors help make the fish not just a tasty treat but a healthy one too – and arguably the most valuable wild animal on the planet.

One 411.6-kg, 2.7-meter-long specimen caught in April this year is thought to be the largest fish ever reeled in on rod and line. As big as a calf elephant, it was caught after a four-hour battle off the

coast of New Zealand and could have fetched up to US$2 million at auction, or made about 2,875 tuna sandwiches.

Raw power Ending up in a sandwich would have been a waste. So good you must eat it raw, the belly of the beast is referred to as toro, or ohtoro, by Japanese fans of this prized product. There is even a dedicated website (otoro.com), which enthuses over its “sophisticated essence, fantastic composition, and exquisite marbling.”

Making favorable comparisons to the finest sirloin steak, the site says toro technically comes from the underbelly of the tuna toward the head and should ideally be blush pink with oily white lines running through it. Even if you do have rich tastes, it’s a bit like Belgian chocolates – so good you don’t need that many and if you did overeat, it would leave you feeling slightly sick. Better to take your time and savor the toro, then switch to the slightly lower grade chutoro, which derives from the tuna belly in the center and rear and is less fatty. Akami refers to the rest of the tuna meat, neither toro or chutoro. But it’s all good.

Bluefin tuna has been a vital ingredient on humanity’s menu for millennia.

There are pictures of bluefin tuna painted on walls by Stone Age artists in Sicily, and the Japanese have hunted the fish for

at least 5,000 years. Interestingly, they were not fans until relatively recently. In fact, tuna used to be so abundant and looked down upon that only the near starving would eat its red meat. Even then they would often bury the fish for four days so it would ferment and hide the iron-metal back taste.

It was only in the 1840s that a glut of fish led to street vendors selling tuna as sushi, wrapped in dried seaweed, cooked and vinegared rice, and various vegetables, with a side dish of ginger, the mustard-like wasabi, and soy sauce. Tuna was still ground into cat food up to the 1960s, when the advantages of refrigeration and the growing acceptance of red meat in Japan led to changing opinions and a love for the now increasingly rare bluefin tuna.

Though Westerners are prone to pronounce that just 55% of the tuna is edible, this is in fact a waste of good fish. In Taiwan, practically every part is considered to be a treat and cooked up avidly. Fish heads, of course, make excellent soups or can be steamed; even the gills can be stir-fried, and the lower jaw roasted.

While belly meat is best for sashimi, sushi and nigiri (on vinegared, compressed rice), aburi toro is delicately singed, which heats the fat, intensifies the flavor and makes the flesh even creamier. Another favorite is tuna steak, rimmed with black pepper, which is from the back and has a texture like kobe beef after being fried, or even better, grilled.

photo : tourism bureau

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

Bluefin tuna

Taiwan’s sea capital Though you can experience the epicurean delights of bluefin tuna in Taipei, for guaranteed freshness there is no substitute for making a visit to Donggang, which has been a port since the 17th century when it was under the sway of Koxinga, the Chinese admiral, scourge of the Dutch, and ruler of Taiwan (part of it anyway).

Both locals and visitors alike keep the restaurant trade busy here. Section three of Guangfu Road – often called “Donggang Seafood Street” – has an array of restaurants on both sides of the road offering relatively inexpensive fare. Zhongshan Road is also famed for its seafood, while Linbian Seafood Street specializes in marine products from nearby Dapeng Bay and the wider county of Pingtung, especially its aquaculture products.

Changes have taken place with an eye on the tourist trade, such as conversion of the former Huaqiao fish market into the less appealingly named Donggang Fishery Port Marine Product Direct Sale Center, on Chaolong Road. What used to be a flourishing and slightly chaotic sales point for the town’s fishing industry is now a 5,000-square-meter kind of upmarket night market with more than 400 stalls selling fresh fish and cooked and specialty dishes. Perched on the top of the Center is a platform with a sprawling view of the harbor and coast.

My personal restaurant of choice, however, is the Rising Dragon (龍興), at

Fishermen proudly pose with their prize-winning catches at last year's festival. photo : p ingtung c ounty government

1 Guangfu Road, Lane 362, Section 1 (屏 東縣東港光復路一段362巷1號), tel. (08) 833 3428, near the harbor. It’s unpretentious, but clean and well appointed.

During the tuna season, it comes into its own as a place to savor the full range of bluefin dishes.

The Pingtung County Government has yet to set a date for the 2015 edition of the Bluefin Tuna Festival, but a spokesman said it would be announced soon. Speaking on behalf of an executive officer, she said tuna catch limits had

led to a shift in emphasis for the event.

“The Bluefin Tuna Festival is not only about delicious seafood, it’s also about marine conservation and local culture,” she stated.

Donggang’s folk culture has also been incorporated into the annual festival and visitors will typically take in street performances and the township’s major temples, such as the Donglong shrine to Lord Wen. The Donggang Fisheries Museum is also worth visiting, and there are mangrove forests and wetlands to explore.

The township now promotes itself as “Taiwan’s Sea Capital” and the festival features Donggang’s “Three Treasures,” which in addition to tuna includes the sakura or cherry shrimp, as well as oilfish roe. The shrimp are found only in Suruga Bay in Japan and in Donggang, and are known as the “Jewel of the Sea.” Rich in calcium, they can also be eaten raw or very lightly boiled. You won’t find oilfish roe, which has a very powerful taste that lingers long after digestion, anywhere else either. Cut into slices, the roe is accompanied by garlic and radish.

Naturally, bluefin tuna is still the main course, but it’s not the only dish on the menu – an attitude that bodes well for preservation of the king of the seas.

photo : p ingtung c ounty government

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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East Market

eatinG your way tHrouGH taiwan’s ForMer capitaL story By stEVEN CrooK photos By riCh mathEsoN

F

ollowing the merger of Tainan City and Tainan County at the end of 2010, the special municipality of Tainan now encompasses 2,191 square kilometers (eight times the land area of Taipei) and has almost 1.9 million people. Among its far-flung attractions are the hot springs at Guanziling, and the Zengwen, Wushantou, and Nanhua reservoirs.

Much of the best food, however, is found in the old heart of the city. This article focuses on two very central parts of the municipality, plus one other district easily reached by public transportation. If you wish to telephone any of the listed eateries before you arrive in Tainan, remember to add the area code 06.

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

East Market (東菜市場) is just 700 meters south of the railway station. This neighborhood’s culinary offerings are best enjoyed as part of a walking tour, which also takes you to two of Tainan’s most interesting places of worship.

The first is the Prefectural Cheng Huang Temple (城隍廟; 133 Qingnian Road), where the city god and his wife are among the deities worshipped. Inside, hanging right above the main doorway, a huge iron abacus reminds visitors that the gods are constantly tallying both their righteous deeds and their sins. The city god’s birthday, the 11th day of the fifth lunar month, will fall on June 26 in 2015.

Located just a few doors east of the temple, Qingqi Breakfast (清祺素食; 135 Qingnian Road; tel. 228-5781; open 4:30–11:30 a.m. and 1:30–10 p.m. daily) is a long-established eatery serving excellent vegetarian food. Help yourself to the dim sum in the circular bamboo steamers out front, grab some turnip squares or deep-fried spring rolls, and order noodles if you’re especially hungry. Then take your selection to the counter inside where you pay before eating. The bright lights and white-tile walls may remind you of an old hospital, but there’s no doubting the cleanliness of this establishment, as well as the tastiness of the food.

If you prefer meat with your noodles, head for Amei Lumian (阿美魯麵; 88 Minquan Road; tel. 226-9102; open 7 a.m.–1 p.m. daily). The signature dish (dalumian, 大魯麵) is the only hot food

Eating out in tainan

available. You’ve a choice of standard wheat noodles or rice vermicelli, but it’s the broth – which is chock full of sliced pork, mushroom, egg, and vegetables – that’ll have you coming back for more next time you’re in the city.

One reason for this business’s prosperity is that some local families buy dozens of portions to share with friends and relatives whenever an elderly family member has a birthday or a daughter gets engaged. At the same location, under the brand name Qiu Hui-mei Pineapple Cakes (邱惠美鳳梨酥), the owners also sell a range of traditional baked delicacies that make for good gifts.

The quickest and most interesting way of getting from Qingnian Road to Minquan Road is by cutting through the market. About halfway, on the left, you’ll find Meifong Sticky Rice (美鳳油飯; tel.

226-4525; open 8-12:30 a.m.). This is where traditionalists with a son about to marry order boxes of youfan (油飯), a mix of sticky rice and pork given away on such occasions. If you’re looking for something to add to a picnic, you may prefer to buy some of Meifong’s taro balls (NT$60 for six). These are made by putting steamed taros through a meat grinder (hence the worm-like strands), then rolling the purplish matter around a filling of green onions stewed in pork gravy.

Turning right at Amei Lumian leads to Dongyue Hall (東嶽殿; 110 Minquan Road, Section 1), a cramped and

spooky temple where relatives of the recently deceased petition the gods of the afterworld in an effort to minimize their loved ones’ posthumous suffering.

Because much of the activity relates to the recently dead, photographers should snap with sensitivity.

A score of businesses on this stretch of Minquan Road sell religious paraphernalia, such as votive money and incense sticks. It’s Tainan’s equivalent of Xiyuan Road in Taipei’s Wanhua District.

Turning left and crossing the road brings you to Sunice (太阳牌冰品; 41 Minquan Road, Section 1; tel. 225-9375; open 8 a.m.–9:30 p.m. daily), which first opened its doors in 1957. The desserts served here are built around neither conventional milk-rich ice cream

nor the shaved ice so popular during Taiwan’s summers, but something in between. Multiple flavors (NT$50 to $80 per serving) are available, including taro, mango, and azuki beans with condensed milk. If you want to keep moving, buy a popsicle (NT$17 to $22). Where else will you find the flavor choice of walnut and egg yolk?

Getting there If you’re coming by car, the most convenient parking lot is on the corner of Weimin Street and Wude Street.

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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Eating out in tainan

Old Five Channels Cultural Zone Thanks to the vast amount of silt washed down from the mountains each wet season, Taiwan’s southwestern coastline has advanced steadily over the past few centuries. Fort Provintia, also known as Chikan Tower, is now more than 10 kilometers from saltwater, but when the Dutch built their fort here in 1653 it was an oceanfront property. During the Qing period (which lasted until the Japanese took over in 1895), this part of Tainan was called Wutiaogang (五條港), literally “harbor of five channels.” It still retains an exceptional amount of traditional character, as you’ll notice as you walk among the eateries introduced below.

In recent years, the Tainan City government has organized an annual beef festival, with the 2014 edition showcasing 48 eateries spread over 18 of the municipality’s 37 districts. One of the featured restaurants is at the northern edge of the Old Five Channels Cultural Zone: Kangle Street Beef Soup (康樂街牛 肉湯; 325 Kangle Street; tel. 227-0579; open 4:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.midnight, closed Tuesdays). It’s a classic example of a restaurant that focuses on a narrow range of dishes and does them very well. The beef soups (from NT$100) consist of nothing but stock and thin slices of meat; no onions or greens make an appearance. Cow’s lung and cow’s heart are also available, fried or in a soup, and there’s a beef version of the old staple of braised meat on white rice (rouzaofan, 肉燥飯). According to the 14

taiwan business topics • january 2015

owner, the beef is sourced from a ranch in Tainan City’s Shanhua District, just 25 kilometers to the northeast – a detail that’ll please diners trying to minimize their food miles.

Less than 150 meters to the south, Guban (古板; 145 Minquan Road, Section 3; tel. 220-3515; open 9:30 a.m.–10 p.m. daily) serves tasty beef buns (niurou x i a n b i n g, 牛肉餡餅) a n d p o r k b u n s (zhurou xianbing, 豬肉餡餅). The corner location makes it a good spot to linger and watch life on the street.

A worthwhile nearby attraction is the Wind God Temple (風神廟), easily found by continuing south along Kangle Street to just south of Minquan Road. Dating from the early 18th century, it’s the only house of worship in Taiwan devoted to the wind god, which is surprising given the frequency of typhoons. The adjacent archway was erected to welcome imperial officials disembarking at the end of the sea voyage from Fujian. Appropriately, it’s made of granite blocks that arrived as ballast on board ships coming from the mainland.

Much loved by tourists thanks to its antique appearance, Shennong Street is a must-see in this part of Tainan. Largely intact traditional two-story houses with tiled roofs and wooden upper floors line both sides of the street, which is too narrow for cars.

Surprisingly, the only formal restaurant on this ultra-traditional street specializes in French-Italian cuisine. The multi-course sets at Brittany (布列塔尼; 65 Shennong Street; tel. 0989 203 383;

open 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. and 5:30-10 p.m. daily) are priced around NT$700 and worth every dollar. Without a reservation you won’t even get in, as ownerchef Paul doesn’t unlock the door unless he has a booking.

After Shennong Street, cross Haian Road and take a look at the market that fills almost the entire block between Minquan and Minzu Roads. It’s named after the picturesque shrine at its heart, Shuixian Temple (水仙宮). This year the temple is celebrating its 300th anniversary.

In addition to the usual stalls offering fresh fish, meat, and vegetables, there are three vegetarian holes-in-the-wall on the fringes of the market, and at least two places serving coffee. A stone’s throw from the northeastern corner, you’ll find Fu Sheng Hao Rice Cake (富盛號碗粿; No. 8, Lane 333, Ximen Road, Section 2; tel. 227-4101; open 7 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mondays), which has been in business since 1947. The above address, which is what appears on websites and name cards, is actually the back entrance.

Instead, look for the bilingual sign on the

south side of Minzu Road, equidistant between Guohua Street and Ximen Road, and enter there.

“Rice cake” is an unsatisfactory translation of what Mandarin-speakers call wanguo (碗粿), but which most Taiwanese pronounce waguei. “Cake” seems to imply something sweet and baked, but the dish is actually a mix of liquidized rice and peanuts, flavoring, a few small chunks of pork, plus a shrimp or two.

The concoction is then steamed until it’s thicker than pudding. The taste is savory

Eating out in tainan and very mild; most people add a dollop of the store’s zesty garlic sauce or a squirt of wasabi before tucking in. A single serving costs NT$30.

One more restaurant deserves a mention, even though it’s 500 meters from any of the other eateries featured in this section. To get to Chikan Peddler’s Noodles (赤崁擔仔麵; 180 Minzu Road, Section 2; tel. 220-5336; open 11 a.m.-2 a.m. daily), you’ll need to follow Minzu Road eastwards past Fort Provintia. Danzai n o o d l e s (擔仔麵), t h e f e a t u r e d d i s h here, was invented in the late 19th century by a fisherman who needed to earn money during the hotter months, when typhoons made fishing too dangerous.

For this reason, they’re sometimes called “slack season noodles.” The putative creator is said to have used shoulder poles to carry his noodles to the temple courtyards where he hawked them; danzai means “carry on one’s shoulders.”

The noodles come with minced pork and a single shrimp. They’re extremely tasty, but portions are small so also order vegetables and perhaps some of the excellent pork dumplings. The bilingual menu isn’t complete, however, and the way the names of certain dishes have been translated is confusing. On the plus side, the retro decor is easy on the eye.

Getting there Tourist Shuttle Bus no. 88, which also serves Anping, stops outside the market at the intersection of Minzu Road and Guohua Street. If you’re approaching by car, by far the best place to look for a parking spot is Haian Road.

Anping The Anping district played a prominent role in Taiwan’s history. By 1624, when the Dutch East India Company established its colony here, migrants from the Chinese mainland had already established pioneer settlements at a handful of places along Taiwan’s west coast. Anping quickly became the most important of these thanks to the presence of European, Chinese, and Japanese traders.

As you would expect in a district abutting the ocean (and which was an island until well after the Dutch were forced out in 1662), seafood has long played a leading role in local cuisine. Anping’s most famous comestibles are based on oysters and shrimps. Big bags of shrimp chips are sold by several stores; Ruhfu Bakery (熱富西點麵包店; 133 Anping Road and also at 26 Yanping Street; tel.

221-3724; open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily) is the only one where products are labeled in English as well as Chinese.

Another good place to find edible gifts is Chycutayshing (永泰興蜜餞行; 84 Yanping Street; tel. 228-9271; open 10:30 a.m.-7 p.m. daily), which is said to have been trading on Anping’s oldest thoroughfare since the final quarter of the 19th century. The signboard out front (which staff say dates from around 1960) deserves a photo, and inside you’ll see several of the glazed pots formerly used to produce Chycutayshing’s famous candied fruits. The selection – which includes kiwis, strawberries, and several plum flavors – is impressive. Small packets are priced at NT$50.

For an unpretentious sit-down meal, Chen’s Oyster Rolls (786 Anping Road;

tel. 222 9661; open 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily) is perhaps your best bet. Modern technology is used to crank out delicious yet inexpensive traditional food. Many tourists come here for oyster omelets, but the menu also lists shrimp rolls, soups, and straightforward noodle dishes.

Even better known is Chou’s Shrimp Rolls (周氏蝦捲; branches at 125 and 408-1 Anping Road; tel. 280-1304; open: 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily). Founded by a banquet chef for whom shrimp rolls were initially just a sideline, Chou’s is now under second-generation management.

Like Chen’s, the business has applied lessons learned in the fast-food industry to meet demand. As a result, there’s not much atmosphere, but the upside is consistency and never having to wait long for your order to be filled. A serving of the famous deep-fried shrimp rolls (xiajuan, 蝦捲) costs NT$55 and is enough for four people to each enjoy a lipstick-sized morsel. The recipe includes green onions, celery, pork, and pig offal. The menu’s other options include meatballs, shrimp soups, and danzai noodles.

Getting there On weekends you’ll struggle to find parking within 300 meters of Yanping Street. Many Tainan hotels lend bicycles to guests, and Anping is within cycling distance of central Tainan. You’ll need a lock to enable you to explore on foot, and helmets are advised. City bus no. 2 (NT$18 one way, regardless of distance) links Tainan’s railway station with the National Museum of Taiwan Literature and Confucius Temple before stopping near Fort Zeelandia. taiwan business topics • january 2015

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phoTo : w Ta IpeI

reserVinG a seat at tHe worLD’s Fine-DininG tabLe If Taiwan wants to develop a cuisine scene matching its reputation for fantastic night market treats, it still has some way to go.

BY JULES QUARTLY

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pHoto : L’ateL ier D e joëL robucHon

f the world’s dining scene were a level playing field, you would expect Taiwan to be a winner. For historical reasons, it is a melting pot of the best cuisines from all over China, plus it enjoys an abundance of fresh produce because of the sub-tropical location combined with more temperate climates at higher elevations. It has also been ideally placed to absorb cultural influences from around the world for longer than most of its Asian neighbors.

Yet Taiwan’s place in the international gastronomic arena pales compared with culinary powerhouse Japan, and is wilting while Shanghai, Beijing, Singapore, and South Korea continue to boost their reputations for gourmet dining. One could point to Taiwan’s excellent food in night markets, its wide variety of delectable “small eats” (xiao chi), and worldbeating bowls of beef noodles. But that is hardly the stuff of a fine diner’s dreams, distinguished by star chefs, alluring ambience, and elegant food plating.

For good or ill, Michelin’s Red Guide is the Bible when it comes to restaurants.

Whatever the merits of social networkbased reviews on sites and apps like Yelp, Foursquare, and TripAdvisor, serious foodies religiously take note of the opinions of the anonymous Michelin critics who dispense stars, Bib Gourmands, or just a “fork and spoon.”

The “little red book” is a publication that causes chefs to quake in their toques, as it can make or break a restaurant. While Taiwan does have a Green Guide, which reviews and rates attractions other than restaurants (and is often the precursor to a Red Guide), rumors of the imminent coming of a Red Guide are just that at the moment.

The good news is that Michelinstarred chefs have had the red carpet rolled out for them in Taipei and are spreading their foodie wings. The world’s most decorated cook, Joël Robuchon, has established L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Taipei’s Xinyi District; his erstwhile disciple Angelo Aglianò decided to stay on after completion of his culinary tour of duty to establish his own eatery; and Stay (which stands for Simple Table Alléno Yannick) recently became the second restaurant in the capital to be opened by a

Michelin

three-star Michelin chef.

In addition, Taiwan-born kitchen maestro Andre Chiang has returned to his roots and recently set up RAW in conjunction with Hasmore Limited (whose dining establishments include Swensen’s and Ruth’s Chris). Looking south to Taichung, Lanshu Chen, the region’s top female chef, has been running Le Moût to great acclaim.

But while there may be a number of local restaurants that deserve honorable mentions in a list of the world’s best, much more could be done to improve the dining scene in Taiwan, starting perhaps with regulations to ease the entry into the market of prime ingredients like Spanish ham, Japanese beef, and certain seafood. Ken Yu, the Chinese executive chef at YEN, the impeccably designed establishment that is panoramically blessed on the 31st floor of the W Hotel, expresses impatience with import regulations that prevent him from easily acquiring the products he needs to create the dishes he desires.

Speaking after preparing a fastidious yet poetic table of “new Chinese cuisine” – including sea urchin drizzled with caviar in a poached lobster with egg-white nest – he described his style as traditional with a twist, incorporating Western elements.

Trained as a chef at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Hong Kong, Yu is blunt about Taiwan’s advantages and disadvantages as a center for cuisine.

“There are a lot of great talents and ingredients here – and a lot of chefs outside of Taiwan have the same opinion as me,” he says. “The produce is good, but of course the variety is not as large and seasonal volumes are not stable. Therefore, it’s very difficult to provide consistency, which is essential.”

Another factor is pay. With Taiwan’s economy limping along and wages retreating rather than advancing, Yu says it can be difficult to motivate his staff.

“If the government opened the gates to allowing the hiring of more experts from abroad,” he contends, “then the bar would inevitably be raised and everyone would benefit. If this took place, then Michelin would come.”

Michael Fei – an architect, foodie, and blogger (http://michaelfei.blogspot.

phoTo : w TaIpeI

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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Michelin Rather than haute cuisine, Fei says, the emphasis in Taiwan is on xiao chi snacks and night market food. Indeed, a Tourism Bureau survey showed that some 62% of visitors head straight to the night market, and possibly to Din Tai Fung (Michelin-starred in Hong Kong, but based in Taiwan) if they’re feeling flush.

It’s like patronizing a bistro in France or a gastropub in Britain, Fei says.

Western cuisine

Famed chef Joël Robuchon, seated, with Olivier Jean, the young talent in charge of the group's Taipei restaurant. pHoto : L’ateL ier D e j oëL robucHon

tw/2012/02/restaurant-andre.html) who has kept a knowing eye on the dining scene, says that although it has developed somewhat over the past five or six years, it still lacks genuine star quality.

“I’ve heard rumors the Michelin Red Guide might come to Taipei, but I have my doubts, since I’m not sure there’s enough of a market for the guide to be viable. Michelin still needs to sell books.

There used to be a Michelin Red Guide for Los Angeles and Las Vegas, but it was discontinued after a few years due to the low sales figures. If Michelin can’t make it work in L.A., I don’t know how it will work in Taipei. In my opinion, Taipei doesn’t have such a big tourist industry, and most of visitors are from just two countries: China and Japan. If I were Michelin I would expand to Singapore first.”

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Though Michelin was contacted for this article, it did not provide any further information on whether it would indeed come out with a Red Guide for Taiwan in the near future. The organization is notoriously secretive, so the lack of response should be no surprise.

Offering some clues as to why Taiwan is behind the curve, Fei cites the traditional anonymity of the chefs in Chinese restaurants. “Even in the old days, Chinese restaurants were not chefdriven,” he says, noting that the key figure was usually the owner or maitre d’. “The chef in Chinese culture doesn’t have such an elevated position as in the West, where over the past 20 years or so they have become celebrities like artists and rock stars. In Chinese restaurants, you often don’t even know who is cooking the food.”

As for Western food, “my feeling is the Western dining scene here is not so good,” Fei continues. “It’s a bit like eating Chinese food in Manhattan.

You’re not getting the real thing most of the time, so there’s a limited number of places to go to.”

Another factor is the nature of the clientele. “High-end Western restaurants need customers with deep pockets to support them,” says Fei. “In London and New York, there are a lot of people with expense accounts.” In addition, top-tier Western restaurants depend on wine consumption to make money, since food has a relatively low profit margin. “We [Taiwanese] didn’t grow up drinking wine with meals,” he explains. “That’s why the business model here is so much more difficult.”

If a Michelin Red Guide did arrive, Fei wonders whether it would be able to find a restaurant worthy of three stars.

He’s a big fan of Angelo Aglianò, is impatiently awaiting his first reservation to dine at RAW, and has followed Robuchon since it arrived in 2009. He gets on well with the current chef, Olivier Jean, whom he regards as setting the standard around town.

Jean is French, tall, handsome and young – in fact, the youngest chef at a Robuchon restaurant. Repaying the faith that his “heart father” Joël Robuchon placed in him is a tall order, but on four hours’ sleep and an afternoon catnap of 15 minutes a day, the 27-year-old is certainly working hard to please.

He is a believer in the school of thought that if customers are prepared to shell out a lot of money for a meal, then they deserve to have a very special experience – “the best mashed potato, or roast

Michelin French-trained chef Lanshu Chen incorporates Taiwanese techniques and ingredients into her dishes at her restaurant in Taichung. phoTo : cna

chicken or vegetables they have ever had.”

To do accomplish that feat, he says, “we must 1) have great creative products, 2) technique, and 3) fantastic service. Top service involves rigor and artistry. If it isn’t at that level, it can kill a meal.”

Though still young, Jean started his culinary career at the tender age of seven or eight and has received both formal training and intense mentoring from the masters. He admits it is challenging to find the best local ingredients to add to the food items imported from abroad, but says he has been lucky with his team, who learn quickly and fortunately stick around, to provide the consistency of food and service that is essential.

As for stars, he’s more than hopeful of one or two when the anonymous Michelin inspector eventually does come by. “It’s for sure, because we have the same standards as in Paris. In the past five years we are full every lunch and most nights. We have a mission. It’s a gift to be here in Taiwan, to have this life and give pleasure.”

While bookings every night sounds great, in the great centers of the culinary arts, the leading restaurants can count on three or four covers a night. Taipei, at least at present, just can’t provide the same volume of business.

Michael Fei compares the high-end dining business model to designer culture: “You need major international talents and a consumer base that is willing to pay for, say, fancy handbags. The people

who buy them don’t think they’re necessarily expensive because they have value added. The customers are the world’s 1%.

Hong Kong has the bankers and international customer base to support it. Here there are few expats with so much money to spend on fine wines and dining.”

While Fei doubts there is a true threestar restaurant in Taipei yet, he nevertheless perceives a positive evolution here towards a more cosmopolitan rather than provincial outlook. If indeed the country is to make a real breakthrough in the Western side of the culinary arena, however, local chefs will need to develop some distinctive and innovative cuisine.

Certainly, Andre Chiang fits the bill, as does Lanshu Chen, another Frenchtrained chef (the Ferrandi School of Culinary Arts and a pastry diploma from Le Cordon Bleu) who has returned to her place of birth. Chen won Veuve Clicquot Asia’s Best Female Chef award earlier this year from Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, which praised her Le Moût for bringing “a slice of French haute cuisine to Taiwan, and little has become lost in translation.”

In an interview in February with the Fine Dining Lovers website, Chen praised

the “large variety of vegetables and seafood in Taiwan, giving me a lot of opportunity to be creative.” The creativity often involves incorporating some Taiwanese techniques and ingredients in preparing Western dishes. She mentioned borrowing the “traditional Taiwanese method to ferment mustard leaf and use it to wrap a whole pigeon and truffled pearl barley.” She also uses such ingredients as dried osmanthus as well as the aromatic leaves of the Chinese toon tree, which goes into making “very special pesto or sauce” that tastes “non-like but more nutty and floral.”

“Growing up in Taiwan, food has always been an integral part of my heritage,” Chen told Taiwan Business TOPICS by email. “From an early age I appreciated the pleasures that derive from preparing and sharing meals.” She added that “passion, intuition and an aesthetic appreciation of food are the keys to become a good chef, and when it comes to leading the kitchen, it requires absolute efficiency and organization.”

It’s an attitude that sums up what it will take to lead a renaissance in the country’s cuisine and gain the recognition it surely deserves.

Duck foie gras with fruit gratin and orange liqueur is one of the specialties at L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon. pHoto : L’ateL ier D e joëL r obucHon taiwan business topics • january 2015

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HeaLtHy MeaLs, DeLiVereD to your Door Three companies with somewhat different business models are offering options for those looking for healthfulness and convenience.

bY TIMOTHY FERRY

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

n the wake of the multiple food scandals that have shaken Taiwan’s faith in its local food industry – and considering the oily, starch-laden foods that typify Taiwanese cooking – health-conscious consumers are hard-pressed to find nutritious, quality food on the go. Now, however, several startups are serving up healthy foods with the added convenience of delivery straight to the consumer’s home or office.

Green & Safe, EatSmart, and Nutrifresh cater to different segments of the health food market, with Green & Safe offering fresh, organic foods that require some preparation, while Eastsmart and Nutrifresh are serving up ready-to-eat meals. But all share a similar formula of subscription-based food delivery.

“We’re basically an e-commerce business,” explains Steve Ho, founder of Nutrifresh. “We’re a central kitchen and a delivery service.” This business model makes for a lean outfit. Every working day, a staff of just eight people produces two to four meals for some 250 customers throughout Taipei – 750 meals in all. “There’s no storefront, so we don’t need to serve and clean up after customers,” Steve says. The company employs a further eight drivers to deliver the meals to homes and offices in the Taipei metropolitan area.

Green & Safe operates in much the same way, as an e-commerce site that also delivers from a central kitchen and depot via their own delivery vehicles.

The exception is EatSmart, which is affiliated with Coda restaurant, where its gourmet meals for dieters, including the occasional celebrity, are prepared.

Andrew Lunman, the owner of Coda and cofounder of EatSmart, says that “if I did not have a restaurant, Eatsmart could not exist.” Citing the synergies derived from the sharing of labor and kitchen facilities, he observes that EatSmart essentially “provides a new channel and maybe can help us to get into a little more premium product.” EatSmart contracts third-party food delivery service Foodie Express to deliver its meals.

The healthy-foods-delivered model is already well-established in many markets, particularly the United States, where market leaders Jenny Craig and

Fresh Food

Nutrisystem pioneered the business of delivering processed meals to dieters seeking portion- and calorie-controlled meals. More recently, startups such as Freshology, Hello Fresh! and Plated now deliver boxes of ingredients for the home preparation of meals that emphasize freshness, health, and convenience for health-conscious but time-constrained consumers.

The market is thriving in the United States, where new businesses seem to enter the market every day, some focusing on organics, some on localism, and still others on specific diets or processed foods. But in convenient Taiwan, where there is no shortage of inexpensive meal options for busy office workers, are consumers ready for or interested in these products and services?

Market players say demand has been generated by a disappointingly unsafe food industry. Longtime concerns about food safety have been acerbated by the recent waste oil crisis and earlier scandals involving dangerous chemicals added to drinks and other products. Ho Yichia, president of Green and Fresh, says the company’s business increased sharply in the wake of the most recent scandals, while Steve Ho of Nutrifresh says the scandals “did drive some customers to us, and when they were considering joining us, one of the first questions they had was ‘what kinds of oils do you use?’”

Many busy office workers subsist primarily on small restaurant and takeout foods such as biandang lunchboxes that tend to feature oily meats and vegetables and lots of starchy white rice. “Tai-

wanese food is not healthy,” asserts Steve Ho, saying that the cheap prices of the small streetside food stands should be red flags in terms of the quality of the ingredients and overall hygiene. “If someone is charging so little for their food, what kind of quality can they be offering?” he asks.

Daniel Wu, cofounder of Eatsmart along with Andrew Lunman, says that their customers are primarily “very health-conscious people who are sick of getting oily food every time they go out but don’t have time to cook for themselves.” EatSmart meals average between NT$150 and $250 – not cheap by Taiwanese takeout standards, but not very expensive either. However, the company does require that subscribers pay upfront anywhere from NT$10,000 to NT$20,000 or more to cover the cost of the next month’s meals.

“A lot of people are interested in the idea of healthy eating but don’t want to commit to NT$18,000 worth of meals a month,” observes Lunman. He says EatSmart’s customers “tend to be young and ambitious with a reasonably high disposable income.”

Lunman describes health food as “a premium product” and subsector of the “image industry,” alongside fitness and cosmetics and other luxury goods and services intended to make people look and feel good. “It’s nice to call it healthy and it is healthy, but I think people do healthy things not because they necessarily want to be healthy but because they want to look good,” he observes.

“This idea that we need to go the gym all of the time and that we need to

have toned abs and girls need to work on their butts comes from the West,” Lunman continues. Consequently, “our market is primarily people with a lot of Western exposure. They’re either Westerners themselves or ABCs (Americanborn Chinese) or CBCs (Canadian-born Chinese), or people who spent a lot of time in the West.”

Cultural differences Another reason for the predominantly expat clientele may be that Lunman and Wu’s principles may differ from Taiwanese people’s basic concepts of nutrition. EatSmart “uses only fresh, natural ingredients – for example quinoa, guacamole, blueberries, Lunman says. “We try to tap all of the superfoods, and we use only lean proteins such as salmon. And we absolutely don’t use any processed food.”

Wu observes that these same ingredients are sometimes hard for local consumers to accept, as they are used to eating a lot of white rice, often in a biandang. EatSmart’s offerings are “higher in proteins and contain raw vegetables and different kinds of carbs,” he notes.

Steve Ho of Nutrifresh agrees that “Taiwanese culturally don’t like to eat raw foods.” He says “I hear that from customers a lot: ‘I don’t eat cold foods, I don’t eat raw foods.’” And while many in nutrition circles strictly limit the amount of “white carbs” such as rice, pasta, and potatoes, Steve says that “Taiwanese need rice with their meals.” Recognizing that reality, he developed an Asian meal box to cater to local tastes. He uses lean

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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Fresh Food

meats and lots of vegetables that are stirfried (“we use tiny amounts of oil just so they won’t stick to the pan”) or steamed.

As a result, after four years in business, the majority of Nutrifresh’s 250 customers are now local nationals. In fact, Ho says that one of his biggest surprises has been the low percentage of expat customers.

Likewise, Green & Safe’s customers are almost entirely locals, and the company recently revised its target demographic income level downward from NT$3 million a year to $1 million, seeing a broadening trend in the market toward health consciousness. Ho Yi-chia describes her customer base as 35-50 year-old working parents who “need healthy processed food and don’t want to take their kids out to eat all of the time.”

The success of these varied strategies would seem to indicate positive conditions for future development of the market, but the sector is still in its infancy and faces a number of challenges that may constrain continued growth.

First, while subscriptions are considered essential to enabling these firms to leverage batch production and a steady revenue stream to minimize costs and deliver high quality, the pre-paid business model has faced problems in Taiwan due to strict regulations designed to protect consumers – some of them adopted in the aftermath of the Alexander Health Club scandal in 2007, in which the company continued to sell lifelong memberships until the day of its collapse. Banks in Taiwan are unwilling to provide support for subscription-based businesses.

While Nutrifresh was able to overcome this challenge, subscription plans may also run into problems with customer acceptance. Consumers might balk at spending between NT$10,000 and $20,000 per month for meals upfront, even though they are likely to spend as much or even more eating on their own.

In addition, Lunman notes, eating is a social activity and subscription meal plans can be isolating. “If you’ve got a family and sit down with them, and you’re eating this and they’re eating something else, there’s a bit of a barrier there,” he says. “And if you’re working in an office, you don’t go out to eat with your friends,

so it does take a lot of commitment.”

On the other hand, “if you’re really committed to weight loss, then you have to be committed to the plan,” he notes.

“We’re results oriented. You’re not eating this cause you want tasty – although the food is tasty – you’re eating it because you want to be healthy. As long as we’re achieving that, we’re successful.”

Choice – or the lack thereof – can also present challenges. While the EatSmart meal plans cycles through 90 different meals, Lunman admits that “we found that around the three-month mark people start to say, okay, I’ve seen that enough.”

Nutrifresh counters tedium by offering more choices and making some compromises between nutritional ideals and what customers expect in their meals. “Whenever I plan the daily menu, everything is about balancing the calories, as well as the textures and the kinds of meats,” Steve Ho says. He concedes that he winds up using more “white carbs” than he would like “because people are not as idealistic as I am and they taste good – and that matters.”

The players: Nutrifresh: Rescuing office workers from the biandang Ta i w a n - b o r n b u t Te x a s - r a i s e d , Steve Ho worked on Wall Street for years until the financial crisis of 2008.

“When you’re a corporate (worker), the first thing in life is your work and the money,” he observes. “The wealthier you get, the more your health slips.” Then suddenly “I had no job and no apartment in a city [New York] that I didn’t love,” he recalls, so he went back to Taipei to take a break and restore his health.

After four months of working out and eating right, he felt better and decided he wanted to work in health and wellness. Noticing that no one in Taipei seemed focused on the diet-end of health, he says, “a lightbulb went off in my head.” Steve established Nutrifresh in 2010, and despite a year of research he was still unprepared for market realities and almost folded. But he held on, and through trial and error built his company into one serving 250 customers paying between NT$12,000 or more a month, depending on the plan. Meals are delivered twice a week, and subscribers can choose among Western, Asian, and “third choice” prepared meals, most of which can be eaten either warmed in a microwave or cold.

While Steve initially expected the business to cater to corporate managers, 60% of the meals are delivered to homes and only 40% to offices. He also notes that a surprisingly large number of customers are female, and that some subscribers use his service to provide for their children or elderly parents. “One thing that we learned is the importance of adaptability,” he says. “We’ve changed ourselves as we’ve figured out what the customer needs.” He continues to seek to expand the business, and aims to eventually offer service in Taichung and Kaohsiung.

Nutrifresh: Tel: 2546-0006. Email: info@nutrifresh.com.tw. http://www. nutrifresh.com

EatSmart: Similar, but higher end Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and Andrew Lunman and Daniel Wu, co-founders of Eatsmart readily concede that they owe their inspiration to Nutrifresh. Wu, a personal trainer from

Nutrifresh features lean meats and plenty of steamed or stir-fried vegetables. pHotos: nutrifresH

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

Fresh Food

EatSmart is emphasizing fitness, such as the provision of pre- and post-workout meals. pHotos: eatsMa rt

Australia, says he was looking for ways to help his training clients eat better when he discovered Nutrifresh. Client Andrew Lunman heard about the system, and suggested that they could partner on their own food production and delivery company, but with a menu more tightly focused on the fitness sector as opposed to the general community. The result is EatSmart, a boutique food delivery system that operates from Coda restaurant, serving fewer than 20 subscribers.

EatSmart offers various plans in four- and six-days-a-week options ranging from the NT$12,000 Healthy Helper “supplement plan” to the NT$18,000 “Liquidator” full-course version.

EatSmart delivers two days’ worth of fresh meals in the evening, “so you have your food ready for you to take to work,” says Lunman. “We really want to make it accessible to people,” he notes.

“You can eat it on the go, you can eat it at your desk, you can eat it cold.”

He says convenience is important to foster continuity in the program. “If this didn’t work, people wouldn’t stick with it.”

He adds that people in the upperincome demographic are demanding, making tastiness all the more crucial.

EatSmart offers tastes from Taiwan and around the world: even a version of Taiwan’s beef noodle soup (niu rou mien).

“We try to play with healthy flavors that are interesting on the palate, but our first and foremost goal is it’s got to work for your health.”

A longtime restaurateur, Lunman over the past more than 10 years has operated such Western restaurants as Bongos, Forkers, and Coda. But despite his long experience, the healthy-foods-deliv-

ered sector has brought some surprises.

One is that single people comprise only around half of the clients, “not as high a ratio as I would’ve thought,” he observes.

Another is that about three-quarters of the customers are men, though some couples go on the plan together.

One reason for the preponderance of males may be the availability of EatSmart through some of the new gyms in Taipei.

“We want to provide pre- and postworkout meals for our clients,” Lunman says. He considers that gyms will be an increasingly important sales channel for the company.

EatSmart: Tel: 0955298085. Email: wudiez@hotmail.com http://www.coda. tw or https://www.facebook.com/Eat smartTw

Green & Safe: How Grandma would make it With eight years of operation, Green & Safe is the oldest player in the market and the market leader, having some 2,000 subscribers who receive fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, as well as pledged organic meats (Taiwan has no organic certification for meats), wild-caught fish,

and even frozen, prepared meals. Ho Yichia says Green & Safe takes pains to track the exact source of all its ingredients. For example, to ensure the quality of the extra-virgin olive oil they use, Ho and her team went to Italy to visit the 600-year-old farm that presses it. All of the farms that are Green & Safe suppliers are organic or pledged organic, and the company is careful not to push farmers to provide more than they are confident of producing for fear that organic standards may be compromised.

Green & Safe sells to more than 20,000 customers every month, but only 15% of them are on the subscription plan – the rest order a la carte. For NT$2,500, the smallest weekly plan provides two fully prepared meals and the ingredients for three more for a family of two or three people. NT$4000 and NT$6000 plans are also available. With its focus on organic farm-to-table foods, Green & Safe’s offerings vary by the season and include special items for some holidays.

At Christmas, Ho says, “we give all the things that go with Christmas, including a whole organic chicken and organic chocolate cake.” For the Chinese New Year, Green & Safe provides a whole chicken and a large portion of pork, dumplings, mustard leaves – “everything for the prayer table.”

Catering to the local market by offering healthier, organic versions of traditional favorites has allowed the firm to grow steadily each year, and demand now exceeds supply. But Ho will not expand faster than Green & Safe’s ability to ensure the safety and quality of its suppliers. “If you grow too fast, you’ll lose control over quality,” she says.

Green & Safe: Tel: 0800-321-378 http://www.green-n-safe.com

Green & Safe sees itself as offering healthier, organic versions of traditional favorites. pHot os: green & safe taiwan business topics • january 2015

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P pHoto : cH ina airLines

FLyinG HiGH in FooD serVice Inflight catering kitchens face a host of difficult challenges.

BY DON SHAPIRO

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taiwan business topics • january 2015 pHoto : cH ina airLines

reparing tens of thousands of meals a day is a difficult enough task, but the challenge is compounded when the food will be consumed many hours later by diners sitting 30,000 feet or more up in the air. The altitude and even the “white noise” ambience on the aircraft may affect how taste buds react, blast chilling after cooking removes moisture, and the reheating process on board the plane can overly dry out the food unless the operation is well timed.

When serious turbulence suddenly occurs, the delays in food service may bring unwelcome results.

During typhoon season in particular, the caterers have to keep a close eye on changes in flight schedules. Under regulations of the Quality & Safety Alliance Inflight Services (QSAI) program, cold food has to be delivered to the aircraft within 24 hours of its preparation and hot food within 48 hours. When bad weather intervenes, the food that was originally prepared may have to be discarded and a whole new supply provided.

Another difficulty not found in an ordinary restaurant is that the air caterers have to be able to supply a broad range of special meals to meet the particular dietary requirements of passengers who order them in advance. A typical range of choices is the one offered by China Airlines: Infant/baby food, children’s meal, bland/soft diet, diabetic diet, fruit platter, gluten intolerant meal, Hindu meal, Hindu vegetarian meal, Muslim meal, Kosher meal (individually packed, provided by outside suppliers), low-calorie meal, low-fat meal, low-salt meal, low-lactose meal, no-beef meal, seafood or fish meal, raw vegetarian/fruit meal, vegan meal, vegetarian Oriental meal, and vegetarian meal Western-style – a total of 20 different special options.

In Taiwan, the challenge is taken up daily by three inflight catering companies, all located in Taoyuan in the vicinity of the Taoyuan International Airport.

The largest is China Pacific Catering Services (CPCS), a joint venture of China Airlines (51%) and the Hong Kong-based Swire group (49%), the parent of Cathay Pacific. The chairman is Janice Lai, former director-general of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

Airline cAterers

With a staff of slightly over 1,000 personnel (including 105 chefs and cooks), CPCS supplies an average of about 37,000 meals a day – or more than 1 million meals a month. That volume requires the monthly consumption of some 13 metric tons of fresh fruit, 10.3 of vegetables, 7.4 of poultry, 4.2 of rice, 2.85 of pork, 1.65 of beef, 1.36 of eggs, and 1.25 of seafood. The meals are served on about 150 flights per day, both for the two partner airlines as well as some 30 other carriers, including Delta, United, KLM, Korean Air, and various Chinese airlines serving cross-Strait direct routes.

Since 2003, when the impact of the SARS epidemic on air travel forced CPCS to shut down the majority of its equipment and put its staff on half-day shifts, CPCS has also sought to diversify by doing institutional catering. On a B2B basis it offers baked goods and other delicacies as corporate premiums and gifts, and B2C it provides snacks and frozen TV dinners to consumers who order from its website for home delivery. “We expect to do a big business at Chinese New Year,” says Vincent Tseng. “Our selection includes both Chinese food and Western cuisine like beef stew Provencal.”

The second-largest operation belongs to the Evergreen Sky Catering Corp.

(EGSC), which works closely with its Evergreen Group affiliate EVA Airways and also provides food service for departures from Taiwan by 16 other carriers, among them All Nippon Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates Airlines, Thai Airways, and Malaysia Airlines. According to the company, its staff of over 900 prepares an average of about 27,000 meals daily.

President Jason Lin proudly notes the popularity of the meals that EGSC has developed for service aboard the Hello Kitty-themed aircraft that EVA flies to Paris, three airports in Japan, Seoul, Singapore, Guam, and Hong Kong. “In the presentation, everything is Hello Kitty,” he says. “You can see Hello Kitty on the main course, the dessert, everywhere. The customers love it.”

Another new initiative has been to invite prominent Japanese chef Motokazu Nakamura, master chef at a three-star Michelin restaurant in Kyoto, to develop

Above, a business-class main course on an EVA Hello Kitty jet. Below left, flight attendants wearing Hello Kitty aprons present Hello Kitty inflight meals; right, a children's meal on a Hello Kitty flight. pHotos: eVa air

a series of Japanese dishes for both business and economy-class meals. Nakamura is scheduled to visit Taiwan this month to instruct the Evergreen staff on how to prepare the dishes he designed for EVA Airways. “We’re hoping to upgrade all our Japanese cuisine,” notes Jason Lin. “We’re also expanding our Japanese kitchen and recruiting more senior Japanese-cuisine chefs. We already have five chefs specializing in Japanese food, which is quite unusual [for non-Japanese companies] in the air catering business.”

The smallest of the three inflight kitchens, supplying some 8,00 meals a day, is TransAsia Catering Services, which along with TransAsia Airways is part of the Goldsun Group. It is the one with the longest history, however. Whereas EGSC was founded in 1993 and CPCS in 1994,

TransAsia traces its history back to 1966 when SongShan Airport was still the international airport for Taipei. Before then, the Grand Hotel handled virtually all the airline catering in Taiwan, but the hotel abandoned the line of business more than a decade ago.

“Our scale used to be much larger,” says TransAsia Catering chairman Anita C.M. Lin. “At the peak, we had 16 airlines as customers, but now it’s down to five, with TransAsia Airways and Japan Airlines as the biggest. The main local airlines now have their own catering operations, and we also lost a lot of business because of the growing importance of airline alliances. TransAsia doesn’t belong to any alliance.” Membership in the SkyTeam alliance has given China Airlines an advantage in attracting custaiwan business topics • january 2015

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Airline cAterers

TransAsia has diversified into the wholesale and retail baking business.

Its store near the airport can attract up to 5,000 customers on a Sunday or holiday. pHotos: transasia

tomers for CPCS, while EVA’s Star Alliance affiliation does the same for EGSC.

A focus on baked goods Aw a r e o f i t s c o m p e t i t i v e d i s a d vantages as a sky kitchen, TransAsia Catering more than a decade ago shifted direction to put more emphasis on breadbaking and candy-making. It runs a chain of bakeries, with the heavily patronized main store located just next door to its factory near the rear (cargo) entrance to the airport. “We started out with a shop of just 10 ping [360 square feet],” recalls Anita Lin. “But pretty soon we had to expand to 20 ping, then 30, and now it’s 100 ping. On Sundays and holidays it may attract up to 5,000 customers.”

TransAsia is also the supplier of baked goods to the Hi-Life convenience stores, and provides about half of the sandwiches and pastries offered at Starbuck’s outlets, says Anita Lin. “Our plan is for the airline catering to steadily decline as a proportion of our total business,” she says. “Now it’s 50-50. In the future it perhaps will be 30-70.”

All three companies emphasize – and reemphasize – that the top priority in their business is food safety and hygiene.

“We are an international business and have to take responsibility for the passengers’ health,” says Vincent Tseng at CPCS. “I always remind our staff that we 26

taiwan business topics • january 2015

can’t afford to have even one incident.”

EGSC’s Jason Lin refers to the strict foodhandling guidelines set by QSAI and notes that their inspectors may come to check on a catering operation at any time without notice. “They might call you and say ‘I’m at the airport – come pick me up,’” he says. “Then they conduct a two-day inspection. It’s very serious.”

Taiwan’s air caterers have all qualified for ISO quality certification. CPCS has eight hygiene officers on the staff, follows the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) system promoted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and conducts microbiological tests on 20 samples a day. EGSC prides itself on its two in-house laboratories, including an ultra-trace lab with advanced laboratory equipment that can detect impurities of just 0.1 parts per trillion.

“Quality assurance starts with control of raw materials,” explains Vincent Tseng. “We have strict vendor assessment procedures, and samples of every material have to be tested by both the production and QA teams before they can go into mass production.” The inflight catering firms also keep careful computerized records of the sources of all ingredients – procedures that were already in place before the recent spate of food scandals in Taiwan, but which have since been tightened even further. “When we buy produce, we inspect it a lot more

carefully than most companies outside this industry would do, and all suppliers have to submit certification about the origins of the products and ingredients,” says TransAsia’s Anita Lin. “But because we demand a higher standard, our costs are also higher. You have to pay for it.”

The environment in which the food is prepared is also crucial. The temperature in each company’s production facilities is kept at 18 degrees Celsius, with the multi-story CPCS building even equipped with refrigerated freight-elevator shafts to maintain a constant temperature as food is transported between floors. “It’s a quality as well as a safety issue,” says Anita Lin. “You have to be very strict about temperature and humidity to achieve stable product quality.”

Improved equipment Over the past several decades, improvements in technology have helped the air caterers try to assure fresher-tasting meals for air passengers. At TransAsia, for example, Anita Lin says the company has started using vacuum freeze drying instead of blast chilling to bring down the temperature of food after cooking without as much loss of moisture.

Vincent Tseng cites the installation in the past decade of steam ovens on many aircraft – especially those serving Asian routes – as a major advance. “Reheating

Airline cAterers

with a conventional convection oven tends to leave food dry,” he notes. “It’s less of an issue for Western dishes cooked with a sauce, but it’s a problem for Chinese cooking, particularly steamed rice.

Now with the steam oven, you reheat for 20 minutes – 10 minutes of steam and 10 minutes of dry heat – and you get a very satisfactory result.”

For first-class passengers on flights to and from Japan, the aircraft may now also have electric rice cookers on board to ensure that the rice is freshly cooked.

And microwave ovens may be available to attend to the needs of passengers who wake up hungry after having slept through the regular meal service.

Microwaves are also a big convenience for the private jet catering business that represents a small but growing sideline for both CPCS and EGSC. “Private business jets always have a microwave on board, so you can reheat any time,” says Vincent Tseng. “But it’s still a complicated business. Although we have a long list of options on our menu, sometimes the executive has a special requirement and we have to accommodate. He may ask for dumplings from Din Tai Fung, for example, and we get a lot of requests for bubble milk tea. Or he may demand a particular brand of mineral water, and we have to chase around to find it on the market.”

Tseng also notes how food preferences have changed over the years. “In the early days of aviation, tickets were very expensive and only the wealthy could afford to fly,” he says. “Inflight meals in those days featured lobster, abalone, caviar, foie gras – every high-value food you can think of.

But instead of that rich food, people now want lighter meals. We include more veggies and stir-fries, and reduce the protein consumption. Besides, we have to take endangered species into account. On China Airlines there is no shark’s fin and no caviar.”

Still, some old favorites remain on the menu by popular demand. Tseng cites beef noodles, braised pork chops, and lurou fan (滷肉飯), Taiwanese rice with meat sauce, as examples. “These are dishes that make you feel warm,” he says. “They’re a reminder of home and family.”

Examples of the presentation that goes into the service of business-class and first-class meals. pHotos: transasia( LeFt)/cH ina airLines(riGHt)

As to future trends in the airline catering industry, Tseng foresees that “food will become even simpler and we’ll have to subcontract more to vendors.” In what is a labor-intensive industry, “labor costs are getting higher and higher, and it’s hard to recruit employees for what are seen as low-end jobs,” such as peeling and slicing fruits and vegetables. Already CPCS is subcontracting about 20% of its requirement for such work, and the volume is expected to continue to grow steadily. “The vendors will wash and precut vegetables and fruit according to specifications from the executive chef regarding size and shape,” Tseng says.

When taking a no-frills Southwest Airlines flight in the United States some years ago, Anita Lin says she realized

how much the economics of the airline industry would affect the catering business. “Long-haul flights will still need meal service, but in general the airline business is trending toward being just a form of transportation to get passengers from one place to another. The meals on board are not as central to the experience as they used to be, and so the airlines are spending less money on food than they used to.”

Jason Lin of EGSC is more sanguine, despite noting the growth of low-cost carriers, which usually don’t serve meals, at least for free. “But I’m not worried because most business people still prefer to fly on regular flights because of the certainty of the schedule,” he says. “I still see that catering has a bright future.”

EGSC laboratory's liquid chromatography quadrupole mass spectrometer is the most advanced ultra trace lab equipment available. pHoto : eVa air

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taipei coFFee cuLture: ricH, robust, anD satisFyinG A decade ago it was difficult to find a decent cup of coffee, but today the city is a haven for specialty blends and cool places to drink them.

BY JULES QUARTLY

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C

offee is a many-splendored thing, and Taiwan’s love affair with it is complicated by the existence of a significant other, namely tea. The two beverages have alternately tugged on the affections of the populace for centuries, ever since tea’s younger and possibly more glamorous rival entered the scene as far back as the early 17th century.

While tea had a long and classical upbringing in China that was naturally transplanted to Taiwan, it was the Dutch who introduced coffee – not long after the brew had spread from its original homeland of Ethiopia in the 16th century.

If you were to draw a graph charting the relative popularity of tea and coffee in Taiwan, it would show that you can’t have too much of a good thing: caffeine in this case. Generally, when tea drinking rises in popularity, coffee dips and vice versa. At present we are very much on a coffee upswing and the trend shows little sign of flagging.

Look around Taipei and you are spoiled for choice. From the former milk tea and bubble tea vendors who are now capitalizing on the coffee fad, to well-established franchise chains and boutique or slow-life cafes, coffee has never been more popular on the island. In malls, on main streets, and down hard-to-find alleys, coffee has changed both the physical and cultural landscapes of the city and indeed the country as a whole.

Coffee

But it has taken time for the humble coffee bean to become firmly rooted in Taiwan’s soil and its people’s hearts.

The story begins with the Dutch establishing a foothold in what is now Tainan, in 1624. Spurned by China and spurred by trade, the Dutch East India Company saw Taiwan as a likely coffee plantation, and that was when the now famous coffee growing area of Gukeng, in Yunlin County, is thought to have first cultivated Coffea arabica.

Simon Hsieh – a recognized expert in the field as author, roaster, coffee buyer by trade, and owner of Soaring Phoenix Trading – says the Dutch also tried to grow seedlings in Tamsui but failed to recognize that the low altitude and salty, humid climate was entirely unsuitable. Even the success in Gukeng did not last long after Koxinga and his cohorts chased off the Dutch in 1662. Coffee growing there then went by the wayside, and it’s said that the only use for the red bean was as a form of decoration by Aboriginals.

For a century, tea took hold and coffee was nowhere to be seen. It required another foreign colonization to reverse the tide – this time by Japan, which occupied Taiwan between 1895 and 1945.

“The first coffee in Taiwan,” according to Hsieh, “was not planted by English traders (as the story is sometimes told) but rather it was Hawaiian seedlings sold to the Japanese, who brought them here in the late Qing Dynasty and transported them from Sanxia in Taipei County down to Gukeng, where they took hold.”

“The coffee wasn’t drunk here. The

beans were all sent back to the emperor in Japan as a form of tribute. Even so, it was the Japanese who later established what was Taiwan’s first form of coffee culture, so perhaps we should be thankful,” Hsieh says.

A fascinating exhibition presented by the National Museum of History five years ago looked at Early Taiwanese Coffee Culture and portrayed how the Japanese set up the first cafes in Taiwan, along what is now HengYang Road, near Ximending. They were often opulent establishments, catering to high society individuals. Called katakana, they were the height of fashion. The interior design

changed seasonally, as did the uniforms of the pretty waitresses. Some coffee houses morphed somewhat into lounge bars, which were effectively brothels.

Meanwhile, Taiwanese who had studied abroad returned to open their own coffee shops. Artists and intellectuals gathered and the cafes occasionally became hotbeds of foment against Japan’s rule.

The eventual defeat of Japan in World War II and arrival of the Kuomintang in 1949 effectively set back the cause of coffee for another 40 years. The mainland migrants were loyal to tea and helped develop oolong into a worldbeating brand. Then, milk teas bubbled up out of nowhere and coffee was out in the cold. In Gukeng and elsewhere, coffee plants were ripped out of the ground and replaced by tea plants and betel nut and fruit trees.

But the bean bounced back strongly in the 1990s and coffee houses started opening their doors, not so much for the upper echelons of society, as in Japan’s day, but for the ordinary man and woman on the street. The standards weren’t always high, but tastes were developing. Part of the new coffee revolution was Mr. Brown Coffee, which became a worldwide brand after its launch by the King Car group in 1982.

A display of Taiwan-grown coffee for sale in Taipei. pHoto : Katia cHen

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Coffee Coffee expert Simon Hsieh enjoying a cup at the Chamber Cafe in the "coffee zone" near National Taiwan Normal University. pHoto : aeG ea HsieH

It was only a matter of time before Starbucks entered the fray, which it did in 1988. Other franchise coffee shops followed, such as Taiwan’s 85°C Bakery Café, whose business model has been to sell relatively inexpensive coffee and make its money from pastries. The owner, fittingly, used to run a chain of bubble-tea stores.

Now in the era of gourmet coffee outlets and boutique cafes, Simon Hsieh says the country’s economic performance over the past decade provides a ready explanation for the extraordinarily fast development of a flourishing and relatively mature coffee culture that is the equal of anywhere else.

“Ten years ago, the stock market was good and a few people who had extra funds started investing in coffee shops,” he relates. “Then with the stock market crash in 2008, many people who got laid off opened coffee shops. Ten years ago there were about 200 coffee shops in Taiwan; now there are well over 12,000, and they’re still opening more.”

Never slow to cash in and innovate, Taiwan businesspeople have made the most of the trend. Back in Gukeng, farmers started replacing the tea plants, betel nut trees, and fruit trees with coffee once more. Other nearby areas such as Dongshan in Greater Tainan followed suit. Meanwhile, Alishan in Chiayi County has made a name for itself with some super coffees – floral and fruity, 30

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complex and lighter than a dark roast – one of which was named by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) as a top-50 entrant in a competition for the world’s best.

Obstacles to expansion The pristine air of Alishan has an elevation and climate that is ideally suited to produce great coffee, following a long harvesting season from late November to May when the beans are picked, in stages, only when fully ripe. Hsieh says it is difficult to plant more coffee in the area because the land is often owned by Aboriginal tribes, which have protected the environment and understandably don’t want it to be spoiled by farming.

Another obstacle to further expansion, he continues, is that such coffees can never compete with most international brands on cost alone because labor is more expensive here and the sector hasn’t been opened to foreign workers.

The only option is to compete in terms of quality, which is what Hsieh intends to do, working with farmers in the area to try out different processes, equipment, and strains of beans to produce the perfect cuppa.

Hsieh has a “zero defect” philosophy, which involves removing all unripe, insect infected, or moldy beans from the bag before roasting. He says that while even premium grades like Jamaican Blue

Mountain Number One have up to 30% bad beans, he insists that sorting them out makes a better brew.

Water is another of Hsieh’s pet subjects – in particular the total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water, such as minerals, salts, and metals, which affect the brewing process. Naturally, softer and purer is better. He and other experts pass on these and other details in numerous coffee classes offered in Taipei and other cities, attended both by future café owners and the merely curious.

All of which is creating a land of aficionados equal to the world’s top coffee cities, according to a BBC Travel report in April 2014. An accompanying infographic demonstrates the cost of a good cup of coffee compared with the essentials of living like rent and gas. Taipei ranks well, along with Cuba’s Havana, meaning specialty coffee is an affordable pleasure here. The ratio in London, for example, is more than three times higher.

Also surfing the wave of coffee’s popularity is the Taiwan International Tea, Coffee & Wine Expo, which has developed massively since it was first established 23 years ago. Sales manager James Yau says the annual event has grown 10 times bigger since 2004, mainly due to a surge in the popularity of coffee. When the 2015 show is held at Nangang’s Taipei World Trade Center, probably in November, there are expected to be 528 coffee exhibitors, as opposed to 175 for tea and 149 wine booths.

Explaining the transformation in coffee’s fortunes, Yau says “Taiwan is a small island and can easily accept and transform various cultures from abroad.”

As to whether coffee will continue to grab the attention of fickle consumers, he is bullish. “Coffee culture changes rapidly, just like consumption habits, so it’s hard to say that coffee culture is here to stay,” he reflects. “Even so, looking forward we are highly confident that it will keep growing.”

Coffee

cafés for all tastes A

t Fong Da Coffee on ChengDu Road in Ximending, the roasting machine out front is tended by the manager, who scoops up the beans by hand and sniffs them to determine whether they are ready to be bagged. It’s an effective attraction because any nearby coffee lover is naturally drawn by the smell like a bear to honey.

As they have done since the café was founded in 1956, customers enter with noses twitching and eyes shining brightly, looking for a fix of Java, Arabica, Robusta or Typica – all varieties of coffee neatly displayed in wooden drawers.

Adding to the atmosphere is the shop’s piled-high collection of French presses, coffee jars, and cups. There are also oldstyle Taiwanese biscuits in huge jars, a drip iced coffee device, and a couple of grinders to serve the true addict buying fresh beans for the home.

The décor at Fong Da may be slightly frayed, but it is clearly devoted to coffee, which is served from beans ground to order and percolated in bulbous glass beakers over a low naked flame. The product is unassailable, arriving black

and steaming, mostly unadorned with froth, cream, or anything else.

S e c o n d - g e n e r a t i o n o w n e r Ts a o Shih-hua is ably assisted by his son, and the 90-something patriarch still pops in frequently to keep an eye on business. Fong Da has survived the slings and arrows of fate over its nearly 60-year history by being in the right place and sticking to core principles. It has always focused on specialty coffee and quality pastries, developing a loyal following.

Another place worth scouting out is Chamber Café in the “coffee zone” of National Taiwan Normal University, down a ShiDa Road back alley. Styled on a 1920s speakeasy, the café comes recommended by coffee expert Simon Hsieh, who praises the owners’ attention to detail when preparing his favorite blends.

The staff will even discuss your requirements and explain where the coffees come from. Full of antiques, Chamber charges a premium for the experience, but it’s a perfect spot to while away a couple of hours and wonder afterward where they went.

A personal favorite is Orange Days

Second-generation coffee shop owner Tsao Shih-hua roasting beans at his store. pHoto : juL es quartLy

Ikari is one of a number of coffeeshop chains that have been highly successful in this market. pHoto : juLes quartLy

near Taipei 101 and not far from the old military dependents’ Village 44 on WuXing Street. Again, it has a vaguely retro, New York-styled ambience. While the coffee is good, it is the small but perfectly formed collection of cakes home-baked every day that really hit the sweet spot.

For a taste of Australia and its specialty coffee culture, Woolloomooloo has a couple of branches around town, all industrial chic with light woods, steel, and gray plaster. While the smell of coffee often draws in passing traffic, the gastropub-type food, beer and desserts also have their fans.

Among the many places worth visiting in Tamsui, which has had a coffee culture longer than most areas around Taipei, is Eudora on GongMing Street. Cozy, with flower boxes on the window ledge and views of both the mountains and sea, it has a loyal following.

Whether you are looking for a blend, a destination, food, or a franchise, Taipei offers an abundance of choice. You are best advised to explore and discover a gem for yourself. Alternatively take the advice of a friend, flip through Facebook, or browse any number of blogs, websites, and even apps devoted to the city’s rich, robust, and satisfying coffee culture.

— By Jules Quartly

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W HOW SWEET IT IS: taipei eMbraces Macarons The global craze for the refined French confection sweeps Taiwan’s capital

bY MATTHEW FULCO

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estern desserts have historically been a risky endeavor in Taiwan, where local palates are wary of sweetness in pastries.

But in cosmopolitan Taipei, a surge in interest for authentic French desserts paired with afternoon tea is changing the equation. Tea salons and eat-in pastry shops are springing up around the Taiwanese capital, from secluded lanes to upmarket department stores.

Macarons enjoy pride of place in Taipei’s French pastry boom. The colorful confections made from egg whites, ground almonds, and sugar are winning accolades among the city’s savvy sweet tooths, who are undeterred by hefty price tags of NT$60-$100 per piece.

At the Taipei branches of Sadaharu Aoki, a Paris-based patisserie known for its Japanese-inspired confections, a single macaron sells for NT$90. “The price is the same as a typical lunchbox in Taipei,” says Paris Ying, manager of the patisserie’s two Taipei stores, located in the five-star Regent Taipei hotel and upscale Bellavita mall. “But our customers are able to afford to indulge themselves and believe eating macarons is fashionable.”

“Macarons are colorful and cute, appealing to the eye,” says Judy Lin, 31, an editor with a research firm in Taipei and dessert aficionado. “Their French origins also attract Taiwanese who want to enjoy ‘the good life’ associated with France.”

But it is not only Gallic glamor that makes macarons hard to resist, Ying says.

“The taste is complex. The hard outer shells are sandwiched together with a soft creamy center, maybe chocolate or fruit puree. You can experience multiple textures – crispy, crunchy, sticky – that change rapidly in one little pastry.”

Compared to other pastries, macarons are also available in a dizzying array of flavors – typically, anywhere from 12 to 20 in Taipei’s patisseries – which appeals to Taiwanese consumers’ desire for variety in dining. Those flavors range from the conventional (such as chocolate, vanilla, and lemon) to Asian-inspired – like sesame, macha (green tea), and yuzu (pomelo) – to the unusual: balsamic vinegar, lime basil, and confections infused

Macarons

with teas endemic to Taiwan.

Macarons have become such a Taipei institution that they can even be found in local coffee shops like Dante, but the petit pastries were not always so wellreceived. When they first appeared in Taiwan almost a decade ago as restaurant desserts, consumers rejected them, says Remy Chiang, founder and head chef of the Taipei patisserie La Douceur (French for “sweetness”). “The macarons’ sweetness was a problem,” he says. “There was much less of a French dessert culture in Taipei at the time.”

Paris Ying believes Taiwan’s extreme heat and humidity cause local palates to recoil from the saccharine. “I think the climate here exaggerates the sensation of sweetness,” she says. “It’s true that sweet drinks are common in Taiwan, but if you want bubble tea, you can choose semisweet or sugar-free. It’s not possible with desserts.”

For pastry chefs then, it was imperative to subtly tone down the sugar levels in their macarons if they expected to make headway in Taiwan, but the Taiwanese palate has probably become more tolerant of sweets in recent years as well.

The small sizes of French desserts, and macarons in particular, have helped them gain popularity in Taiwan, Chiang says.

“Before French pastries became popular here, Western desserts were thought of more in terms of American sizes, which can be overwhelming if you’re not used to them.”

The miniature size of macarons appeals to women, who are the biggest consumers of the confection in Taiwan, says Linna Chan, manager of the Salon de Thé de Joël Robuchon – named for the eminent three-star Michelin chef – in the Bellavita shopping center. “Women like sweets in small sizes,” she says. “They have a lower calorie count.”

At the same time, the quality of life in Taiwan is improving, leading to changes in attitudes, says Ling Kao, marketing and public relations manager of the Zenique Tea Salon, which is tucked into a tranquil lane off of bustling Yongkang Street. “Taiwanese are now able to appreciate more refined desserts than before,” she says.

The teatime pastry Coming in bite sizes, macarons are a natural accompaniment to afternoon tea, which is going upmarket in Taipei as the city’s population places a greater emphasis on quality of life. “People are discovering how to relax in the afternoon,” Chan says. “Afternoon tea is one of the best ways way to do that.” She adds: “Five years ago, afternoon tea was usually buffet style here. Macarons are too high-end for that setting. But they are perfect a la carte, which is where we are now.”

Zenique, which takes its name from a combination of the words “Zen” and “unique,” blends elements of a French patisserie and Taiwanese tea salon.

Founder David Huang is a tea connoisseur who developed an affinity for French desserts during his five years in France as a student. He founded the Zenique brand in 2006 and launched the tea salon in 2011, with the concept of “appreciating tea through desserts.”

That can be done by pairing Zenique’s Nantou-grown tea with its tea-infused macarons, Ling Kao says. She recommends pairing the osmanthus fresh grapefruit macaron with osmanthus green tea.

“The fragrance of the osmanthus is highlighted while the sweetness of the green tea compliments the taste of fresh grapefruit,” she says.

The rose black tea macaron, meanwhile, is an ideal match for black oolong tea, Kao suggests. “The rose black tea macaroon is aromatic and a bit sweet. It’s the perfect companion to the full smoky flavor of the black oolong tea,” she says.

Despite the gourmet trappings of macarons, it is their whimsical qualities that may endear them most to their devotees. At La Douceur patisserie, a macaron-shaped brochure resembling a child’s drawing doubles as an oversized business card. The pastel-colored brochure opens to reveal a history of the storied confections, the flavors available at La Douceur, and instructions on how to properly refrigerate them.

“Many French people grow up eating homemade pastries. Eating them as an adult brings back happy childhood memories,” says Remy Chiang of La Douceur.

A signature rose black tea macaron from the Zenique Tea Salon photo : Zenique tea SSalon

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Macarons

“We want to evoke that feeling at our patisserie.” To bring home that point, he motions toward the image of a smiling young girl on the brochure, also in the style of a child’s drawing, which is used as La Douceur’s logo. “This was inspired by my daughter,” he says.

At Sadaharu Aoki, customers are purchasing macarons for a traditional Taiwanese ceremony held when a child is four months old to reduce the constant drooling common at that age, says Paris Ying. During the ceremony, which is called shouyan (收涎), cookies

are strung around the neck of the baby.

Family members and friends break off the cookies and rub them on the lips of the baby to prevent future drooling. Then they eat the cookies.

“I’m not sure if it works – it’s just a tradition,” Ying says. “But macarons are becoming popular for the ceremony because they look great in photographs.”

“For women, macarons are one of those sweets that can make us feel happy instantly,” she adds. “They look and taste delightful. I think they bring out the little girl in all of us.”

the perfect macaron A 1:1 shell-to-filling ratio is ideal. There should be a substantial layer of light filling between the two shells. Keeping things balanced is essential, as too much shell or filling spoils the macaron experience.

Ganache, buttercream, jam, and caramel all work as fillings. In the case of a ganache filling, when the texture has sufficient firmness and the shell-to-filling ratio is correct, the filling should not seep out of the edges of the macaron when it is being eaten. The shell surface should be smooth, without bumps or bubbles, while the interior of the macaron should be moist and tender.

Macarons are sweets by definition. However, sweetness should not be overwhelming, to the point that it overpowers the pastry’s original flavor.

Lastly, bigger is not better when it comes to macarons. Ideally, a macaron is no larger in circumference than a U.S. quarter. When the pastry is too large, quality may be compromised. Most commonly, the outermost ring of the shell gets overcooked and the inside is too chewy.

— Matthew Fulco

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

Paris Ying, manager of the Sadaharu Aaoki patisserie in Taipei. photos: AoKI/MAtthEW FULCo

DintaiFung: taiWan’s cuLinary icon From modest beginnings, the dumpling restaurant has grown into an international empire.

BY DON SHAPIRO photos: DintaiFung

W

hen foreign tourists come to Taiwan for the first time, they usually have a plan – whether written or mental – for what they want to see and do here. In the Taipei area, besides appreciating the treasures at the National Palace Museum and enjoying the panoramic view from the observatory floor of Taipei 101, the list often includes savoring a serving of dumplings and other delicacies at one of the restaurants belonging to the famous DinTaiFung chain. It has become one of Taiwan’s best-known brands.

Once a humble neighborhood eatery at the corner of XinYi Road and YongKang Street, DinTaiFung has since expanded to a network of nine restaurants in Taiwan (including a popular venue in the Taipei 101 Mall with a seating capacity of more than 300 diners) and – at last count – a phenomenal 100 outlets around the world, the majority 36

taiwan business topics • january 2015

of them run on a franchise basis. Outside of Taiwan, DinTaiFung branches can be found in mainland China (23), Singapore (19), Japan (14), Indonesia (13), Korea (7), the United States (a total of 6, in the Los Angeles area and Seattle), Australia (6), Malaysia (5), Hong Kong (4), Thailand (2), and Macau (1). Of the 9,000 employees worldwide, 1,000 are in Taiwan.

Next on the expansion list will be a restaurant in Dubai, where no pork will be served; chefs for that outlet have completed training in Taipei and will depart for the U.A.E. this month. DinTaiFung is currently considering such additional markets as the Philippines and England, says Chairman Warren Yang.

DinTaiFung was founded by the chairman’s father, Yang Bing-yi, a native of Shanxi Province who left for Taiwan in 1948 at the age of 21 in the midst of China’s civil war. With the help of an uncle,

DinTaiFung

he found a job as a deliveryman for the HengTaiFung cooking oil store. When the shop closed a decade later, Yang and his wife, a former co-worker at HengTaiFung, went into business for themselves, selling oil purchased from wholesaler DinMei Oils. Borrowing the character Din (鼎, usually spelled Ding) from the oil company and TaiFung (泰豐) from their former employer, they came up with the name for their new enterprise.

Business was good until the 1980s when canned cooking oil hit the market, drastically reducing demand for traditional oil retailers like the Yangs. In response, they turned half of their premises over to making and selling steamed dumplings, which were such a hit that the couple soon gave up selling oil and converted the entire shop into a restaurant. To get to their tables, customers had to squeeze by a work area at the front where cooks were assiduously kneading and rolling out the dough and stuffing and folding the dumplings. The aroma emerging from the large steamers was enticing.

At the age of 88, Yang Bing-yi still drops by the original XinYi Road restaurant almost every day for lunch.

Asked the secret of DinTaiFung’s success, Warren Yang emphasizes the high standard of quality the restaurant seeks to maintain in both the food and the service. Describing the xiaolongbao (小 籠包) or pork dumplings, for example, he says proudly that the “skin is much thinner and there’s more filling” than in other products on the market, plus the restaurant uses high-quality pork obtained directly from contracted abattoirs. Each dumpling should weigh precisely 21 grams, he notes, with 16 grams of filling. (In a given month in Taiwan, DinTaiFung sells 2.3 million pieces of dumplings of all kinds).

F o r D i n Ta i F u n g ’ s s i g n a t u r e steamed chicken soup, Yang says only 16-week-old chickens from a particular farm in Taitung are used, whereas the typical age of chickens slaughtered in Taiwan is about six weeks. “At 16 weeks, the bones are firmer, which makes for a tastier broth,” he explains. “This is special chicken. If you went to the market looking for it, you wouldn’t find it.”

In the past few years, DinTaiFung has added several new dishes that have proven extremely popular, including a delectable pork xiaolongbao with truffles.

But old standbys like fried rice dishes, wontons, steamed buns, and various desserts continue to have loyal followings.

“In most restaurants there might be just a couple of dishes that are excellent, but our customers tell us that everything on the menu is really good,” says Yang.

Staff morale is as important as the food, in Yang’s opinion. “If you’re unhappy, how can you give good service to the customers?” he asks. He says he sees to it that personnel are wellpaid and well-treated. Jovana Macura, a 24-year-old native of Serbia who has been interning at DinTaiFung for the past 10 months, testifies that the team at the restaurant has been like a family and she turns tearful at the thought that she will soon be departing.

Macura, who speaks little Chinese, is assigned to attending to English-speaking customers, giving them information about the restaurant and the various dishes. “I show them how to mix the sauce for the dumplings – one part soy sauce to two parts vinegar is the right combination,” she says. “But it’s better not to put any sauce on the truffle or green squash (絲瓜) dumplings, since the taste is too delicate.”

In her experience, American guests tend to be partial to the pork truffle dumplings, and the many vegetarian customers from the United States enjoy the restaurant’s vegetarian offerings.

Previous interns have come from

DinTaiFung Chairman Warren Yang is the son of the restaurant's founder. photo : D intaiFung

Russia, Poland, and Brazil, and one current regular staff member is from Finland. In addition, many of the local employees are multilingual and wear flag pins to identify which languages they speak: English, Japanese, Korean, French, Russian, Italian, German, and Spanish.

Menus are available in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. That service is important, since about 20% of the customers tend to be overseas tourists – with Japanese the most numerous.

“Many of the foreign visitors had heard about DinTaiFung from their friends and want to see what it’s like,” says Yang. “Some of them enjoy the food so much they come again the next day and maybe even the day after that.”

taiwan business topics • january 2015

37

DinTaiFung

the New York Times Legend DinTaiFung is unquestionably a major success story – not only among Taiwan-based restaurants but among local enterprises in general – in terms of its high quality of product and service, achievement in branding, and ability to penetrate international markets. Two of its restaurants in Hong Kong have held Michelin stars.

But is it correct, as DinTaiFung has long stated, that in 1993 it was selected by The New York Times as one of the world’s 10 best gourmet restaurants?

In the Travel section of the Sunday Times on January 17, 1993, DinTaiFung was indeed the subject of a highly complimentary review that called the food “outstanding.” The five-paragraph article was part of a cluster of reviews of 10 restaurants from 10 different parts of the world, yet nowhere did the newspaper claim that these eating establishments represented the best around the globe.

Rather than engaging in any intentional attempt to deceive, most likely DinTaiFung (or Ting Tai Fung, as

the Times spelled it in 1993) was led astray by a misreading of the English headline, which referred to the selected restaurants as “Top-Notch Tables.” To a native English speaker, it is clear that “top-notch” simply means first-rate or high-quality. But the phrase was apparently taken to mean the very best of the best.

Over the years, the boast has been repeated so many times that, like an urban legend, it has taken on a life of its own. Do a Google search of “Din Tai Fung New York Times” and you’ll find hundreds of references to the leading U.S. newspaper having rated the restaurant as one of the 10 best worldwide. The claim has appeared on scores of foodie blogs and websites, as well as in Lonely Planet, Forbes, and incredibly The New York Times itself, whose copy desk failed to fact-check the assertion in an article from Taipei in 2012. Did no one wonder how a dumpling house could rate at the very pinnacle of the culinary elite?

If anyone had gone back to look at the original newspaper layout –

photo : DintaiFung

searchable on microfilm at most major reference libraries – he or she would have found another clue that something was amiss. The 10 restaurants reported on did not include any in such world-class centers of gastronomic mastery as Paris, London, or New York; instead, most were in locations – such as Freinsheim, Germany; Rhinebeck, New York; Saint-Etienne, France; and Llanddewi Skirrid, Wales – that could be considered off the beaten track.

In fact, the collection of reviews was prefaced by the introduction: “10 food experts choose restaurants that inspire a pilgrimage.” The inclusion of DinTaiFung was certainly a tribute to the restaurant, but it might also be seen as an indication that the Times regarded Taipei as an unlikely spot for culinary distinction.

DinTaiFung Dumpling House on South Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, California. photo : WikipeDia

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

NEW RESTAURANT UPDATE Perhaps influenced by the popularity of cooking and culinary reality TV shows, Taipei’s dining scene has been becoming more diversified in recent years. From gourmet Taiwanese cuisine, trendy Peruvian restaurants, to health-conscious vegetarian and vegan cafés, these new restaurants will surely provide something for everyone.

PhoTo : moUNTAiN AND SEA hoUSE

BY ANITA CHEN

Mountain and Sea House 山海樓

No. 16, Lane 11, ZhongShan North Road, Section 2, Taipei. 台北市中山北路2段11巷16號 Tel: 2581-5760 https://www.facebook.com/vintagetaiwancuisine

PhoToS : moUNTAiN AND SEA hoUSE

“

Taiwan is world-renowned for its food, but Taiwanese cuisine is synonymous with snacks and night market foods. As a result, it is rarely mentioned in relation to haute cuisine,” says Ho Yi-chia, owner of the first fine-dining Taiwanese cuisine restaurant – Mountain and Sea House. Ho says that from the early 20th century to the 1960’s and 70’s, many Taiwanese restaurants specialized in haute cuisine; personal chefs employed by wealthy Taiwanese families also had unique recipes that were prepared and served only at private banquets at home. These dishes gradually evolved into exquisite Taiwanese banquet cuisine.

“For a number of reasons, these banquet dishes became less popular, and many distinctive recipes and dishes disappeared as

a result,” she notes.

Seeking to reacquaint themselves with the history and culture of local customs, ingredients, and culinary habits, Ho and her team spent almost a year in research to recreate these exquisite dishes for their menu. They interviewed famous Taiwanese head chefs, chief cooks at traditional Taiwanese catered banquets, and even elderly relatives and senior members of friends’ families, asking them to pass on distinctive recipes. The team spent hours and days with each senior chef to learn about the history and stories behind each dish. They even went through a detailed, time-consuming process to learn how to prepare each dish, aiming to breathe new life into Taiwanese fine-dining cuisine.

Take the Cold Platter, one of the most common Taiwanese appetizers, incorporating a variety of meats and seafood, as an example. One element on the restaurant’s platter, Egg-stuffed Squid Rolls, is an exquisite seafood delicacy: three types of eggs are mashed into a golden mixture and squeezed into fresh squid before steaming. The duck eggs are marinated for 40 days using a special blend of red clay, the “century eggs” are products of a two-month traditional process, and the rare “first eggs” come from young hens. The unique flavor of mixed eggs nicely complements the sweetness of the fresh squid.

Another rarely-seen dish is Red Yeastbraised Ham Hock, based on a special family recipe, courtesy of Taiwanese Chef

New restauraNts

Huang Wan-ling. The ham hock is first deboned and stuffed with pork, which is then marinated in red yeast for up to 96 hours before stewing. The meticulous preparation produces sweet and savory cold cuts that are a delight to the palate.

This dish was actually handed down to Chef Huang by her maternal great-grandmother, who brought it into their family as part of her dowry. The detailed, timeconsuming preparation process symbolizes that a marriage needs long-term cultivation to build trust, mutual understanding, and acceptance.

Yet another dish requiring superb culinary skills on the part of the chef is Whole Chicken Cooked in Pork Stomach. A free-range chicken is carefully deboned and stuffed with shredded bamboo shoot, shiitake mushrooms, and other seasonal ingredients. The chef then wraps the chicken with pork belly and stews it for hours. This traditional soup

dish is considered the Taiwanese version of haggis.

Perhaps the most nostalgic dish among all is the Supper Medley Stew, a.k.a. “Leftover Soup.” Peggy Chang of the restaurant’s marketing department explains that this dish was created as a way to show gratitude to kitchen helpers at Taiwanese banquets. Traditionally, the head chef would take a big scoop out of each dish before serving the guests. At the end of the banquet, he would then place these scoops of food into a big pot of soup cooked for hours to create a hearty soup stew to reward the staff for their hard work. Today, the kitchen team at the Mountain and Sea House first separately prepares seven different dishes before mixing them into a soup with fresh local vegetables. The end result is a soup that is rich and diverse yet refreshing.

N o Ta i w a n e s e m e a l i s c o m p l e t e without a pot of quality tea. To add to

the experience, the restaurant uses tea utensils made by Xiao Fang Pottery Arts and selects high-quality organic tea from across Taiwan to mark a perfect end to an exquisite meal of Taiwanese cuisine.

Apart from the carefully-researched menu, Ho and her team also invested a tremendous amount of effort into a twoyear renovation of the Japanese-style house where the restaurant is located.

The two-story structure was built in 1932 and originally owned by a Japanese doctor. Aiming to preserve the authenticity of the building, Ho and her team worked with architects to repair window frames, floors, and other original architectural elements. They even flew in Japanese experts specializing in earthquake prevention to help with the reinforcement of the foundation. The garden is planted with Taiwanese trees, flowers, and plants, reflecting the restaurant’s dedication to local culture.

Ya Ge, Mandarin Oriental Taipei 雅閣 3F, 158 DunHua North Road, Taipei (Mandarin Oriental Taipei) 台北市敦化北路158號 (文華東方酒店3樓) Tel: 2715-6788 http://www.mandarinoriental.com/taipei/fine-dining/ya-ge/

P

robably one of the most anticipated hotel launches of 2014 was the Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Positioned as the city’s most luxurious hotel, it features a diverse range of restaurants, offering the hotel chain’s legendary services and culinary excellence. Among them, the modern Cantonese restaurant Ya Ge brings a delightful fusion of traditional Cantonese cuisine and modern culinary standards that elevates the quality and dining experience to a new height.

In line with the hotel chain’s theme of luxury hospitality, Ya Ge could almost be mistaken for an Oriental art gallery. Walking into the earth-toned, dimly lit restaurant, guests will view elegantly displayed sculptures and artworks, balancing modern and traditional Chinese touches. The heavy wooden chairs are paired with sharp orange and olive green pillows, while the wood floor is covered by gray carpets. In all, the atmosphere is one of subtle glamour that complements the elegant dishes designed by Executive Chinese Chef Wong Tin Mo. With a focus on locally grown produce, Ya Ge’s menu is crafted to feature a selection of traditional dim sum dishes prepared using high-end ingredients. Taking the “must-order” items in every Cantonese restaurant – shu-mai and dumplings – as examples, Chef Wong gives a new spin to these traditional del-

PhoTo : mANDARi N oRiENTAl TAiPEi

icacies by incorporating exotic ingredients such as truffle, king prawn, foie gras, and abalone. The Crab Meat Dumpling with Black Truffle and Egg White is made with ever-so-thin dough delicately molded into a beautiful shape. The rich truffle and the refreshing egg white blends into a wonderful balance.

The Bamboo Shoot and Fresh Prawn Dumpling uses the finest local bamboo and king prawn grown in the restaurant’s own kitchen tank. The Taro Dumpling with Foie Gras is another surprise, deep-fried to crispy perfection with a nice balance of taste between the root vegetable and the rich duck liver.

The Pork Shu-mai with Whole Abalone is another gourmet dish delightful both to the eyes and the palate.

In additional to dim sum, Ya Ge also offers many signature Cantonese dishes. Specially recommended is a magnificent-looking dish with a Chinese name (穩如磐石) translated as “firm as a rock.” Australian Wagyu beef slices are first stir-fried taiwan business topics • january 2015

41

New restauraNts with sweet potatoes and shiitake mushrooms and seasoned with truffle sauce before being stuffed into a peeled steamed pumpkin and served with fresh greens. The beef is so tender that it can be easily poked through; the pumpkin is fluffy on the inside and tender on the outside, and the overall presentation is pure visual enjoyment.

Another highly-acclaimed dish is the Giant Garoupa Enrobed in Minced Shrimp, served with spring onions and fresh vegetables. For those who crave famous Cantonese supreme broth, the soup dish 請君飲一杯 – the Chinese name translates as “please have a drink” – is a great choice. The clear soup is made from the broth of chicken, ham, and pork, slowly simmered for six hours and flavored with shredded matsutake mushrooms and bamboo pith. The dish is served in a clear tea pot, giving a modern twist to the traditional cuisine.

PhoTo : mANDARi N oRi ENTAl TAiPEi

L’idiot 驢子餐廳

369 LinSen North Road, Taipei (1F, Gloria Hotel) 台北市林森北路369號 (華泰王子大飯店1樓) Tel: 2581-8111 ext. 1511 http://www.lidiotrestaurant.com/en/index.html

W

hen the original L’idiot restaurant on MinSheng East Road closed in early 2013, it saddened many loyal patrons. After almost 18 months of “regrouping,” the restaurant was relaunched in July 2014 inside the Gloria Hotel (the hotel group that owns L’idiot) with a brand new look and an updated, more sophisticated menu.

Unlike the original L’idiot, which boasted a colorful, young, and playful ambiance, the new restaurant has a more modern feel. The “chandelier” in the central main dining space is made of used wine bottles, while other corners are decorated with “starry skies” composed of naked light bulbs hanging randomly from the ceiling, creating a casual industrial loft atmosphere.

Similar to the décor, the dishes prepared by owner/head chef Fudy Chen in the new L’idiot are also more mature and sophisticated. One of the secret weapons 42

taiwan business topics • january 2015

behind L’idiot’s updated menu is the Josper, a combination grill and oven that has the ability to lock in PhoTo : l‘iDioT all layers of flavors. Soaked white oak chips imported from Tennessee-based distillery Jack Daniel’s are lined on the bottom of the Josper during the grilling process, imparting a rich aroma of bourbon whisky to the food. Whether it’s the signature Bone-on Ribeye Sirloin, the house aged-28-day T-bone, or the grilled asparagus, everything coming out of the Josper remains crispy outside and juicy inside, while exuding the unique sweetness of bourbon whisky.

In line with a Mediterranean theme, new L’idiot incorporates a variety of seasonal vegetables grown in its own farm, local seafood, as well as house-made cured meats and pickled vegetables in its dishes, such as the Grilled Asparagus Salad, Yilan House Duck Prosciutto, Pingtung Clams with House Chorizo, and Deep-fried Hen-of-the-Woods with Romesco Sauce. The popular brunch menu from the original L’idiot is still offered, including such favorites are King

Crab Cake Benedict and the Josper Grill Steak and Egg. Dessert lovers should not walk away without trying the Chocolate Molten Cake and the Warm Apple Pie. Handmade to order, the molten cake is ever-sorich in cocoa flavor without being overly sweet. The good old-fashioned apple pie is fresh and delightful. Both are served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, delivering a perfect sensation of “ice and fire” to the palate.

PhoTo : l‘iDioT

New restauraNts

Gallery 上庭酒廊

No. 3, Lane 39, ZhongShan North Road, Section 2, Taipei (2F, Regent Taipei) 台北市中山北路2段39巷3號 (台北晶華酒店2樓) Tel: 2523-8000 ext. 3852 http://www.regenttaipei.com/en/#/dining/gallery

R

egent Taipei recently re-launched the second-floor bar Gallery with a brand new look. Continuing the hotel chain’s focus on “simple elegance” and modern Oriental design, the Gallery’s new décor incorporates elements such as a dark marble floor, white window frames, and bamboo blinds to enhance the visual effect through the contrast of light reflections.

The menu here also received a nice update, offering “simple yet elegant” French-style light meals with beautiful and intricate presentation. One of the new additions to the menus is the classic French dish Tartine, which consists of a piece of bread with something on top.

Beef short ribs are first slow-roasted for 12 hours to increase the texture. The beef slices are then topped with creamy mustard mayonnaise and stacked on top of freshly baked crispy bread, and served

PhoToS: REgENT TAiPEi

with fresh seasonal vegetables and golden crispy French fries. The Pesto Seafood Tartine is another wonderful delicacy: a variety of crispy seafood including white prawn and sea scallop are topped with house-made fresh pesto. Paired with a thin slice of crusty French baguette, the multi-layered flavors can surely satisfy the most demanding gourmet diners.

The classic French Quiche is also a

favorite, with the garlic butter on top nicely bringing out the salmon flavor.

Other recommended dishes include traditional French soufflés, which can be made savory with exotic ingredients such as king crabs, or sweet with Grand Marnier or classic chocolate.

The journey to the Gallery should not end without the tableside services of its elegant dessert chariot, which offers a dazzling array of delicate desserts including macarons, scones, tiramisu, and pie cakes, all prepared and served by Regent’s pastry chefs at your tableside.

Herban Kitchen & Bar 二本餐廳

No. 27, Lane 101, ZhongXiao East Road, Section 4, Taipei 台北市忠孝東路四段101巷27號 Tel: 8773-7033 https://www.facebook.com/herban.taipei

PhoTo : ANiTA chEN

V

egetarian restaurants in Taiwan used to be limited to Buddhist eateries, mostly offering only buffet-style Chinese dishes, accompanied by subdued Buddhist music in the background. In recent years, Taipei’s dining scene has been joining the worldwide trend of Western-style vegetarian restaurants, with Herban Kitchen & Bar as the latest addition in Taipei.

Located on the first floor of an old residential apartment building hidden in a small alley of the bustling ZhongXiaoDunHua area, Herban creates a “modern oasis” feel by incorporating both industrial elements and different shades of green in the décor – an attempt to play off the words “urban” and “herb.” The heavy door is made of reclaimed wood

together with used parts from a vintage Singer sewing machine.

The interior design uses a lot of natural colors and various green plants, with exposed walls and ceilings decorated with funky light fixtures and used wine crates.

In the spirit of the three giant words “eat with LOVE” displayed on the wall, the owner put a lot of thought and attention into the menu, aiming to present vegetarian dishes that are not only good for your body but also a treat to your taste buds. Of special recommendation is the “Raw Pad Thai,” basically a salad dish that uses shredded cucumber, carrots, red onions, and bean sprouts to replace Thai noodles. The crunchy vegetables paired with tamarind dressing and sprinkled with roasted peanuts make for a very refreshing starter.

Those who are looking for a light one-dish meal can opt for Warm Mushroom Salad with Grilled Tofu, which has a heap of sautéed mixed mushroom with garlic, onions, diced tomatoes, mixed greens, and roasted peppers, served with slices of warm grilled tofu and drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. taiwan business topics • january 2015

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New restauraNts

The Spanish Egg Frittata is one of the most popular items on the brunch menu. A colorful assortment of zucchini, eggplant, potatoes, and onions mixed with organic eggs is topped with savory cheese and baked until sizzling golden. Served with freshly baked focaccia, it makes for a scrumptious dish that even meat lovers will find satisfying. An equally yummy dish is Moussaka – layered eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, onion, and cheese

are topped with béchamel sauce and baked to perfection. Most dishes can be made vegan, dairy free, or according to patrons’ dietary requirements.

If you are looking for munchies, be sure to try Fried Roots, a mixture of potato and sweet potato fries served with kimchi mayonnaise – a great companion to a glass of wine or beer from Herban’s extensive drink list.

Texas Roadhouse Grill 德州鮮切牛排

3F, 16 SongGao Road, Taipei (3F, Breeze Songgao Shopping Mall) 台北市松高路16號 (微風廣場松高店3樓) Tel: 2725-1030 1F, 156 MinSheng East Road, Section 3, Taipei 台北市民生東路3段156號1樓 Tel: 2718-3011 http://en.texasroadhouse.com.tw/

d i s p l a y b a k e r y, a n d a b u t c h e r ’s s h o w c a s e a t the entrance that allows patrons to hand pick their steaks. Like the old saying that everything is bigger in Texas, steaks here can go as big as 23 ounces. But whether it’s the regular size or the Texan size, the beef is all U.S.D.A Choice grade, hand-cut daily, and grilled to order, delivering juicy flavors of authentic Texas steaks.

Another must-try dish is the Fall-offthe-bone Ribs, marinated in house rubs and slow-cooked for hours with house

PhoTo : ANiTA chEN

“

Legendary food, legendary services, and legendary fun!” That’s the motto of U.S.-based Texas Roadhouse Grill, which opened its first branch in Taipei in 2014, adding Taiwan to its 430-store global footprint.

Boasting a fun and casual ambience reminiscent of the American West, Texas Roadhouse Grill features authentic Texas-style décor, hand-painted murals, a

BBQ sauce, served with the famous side dish Loaded Sweet Potatoes, which is creamy, fluffy, and tastes like marshmallow. The house bakery offers freeflow freshly-baked buns every 10 minutes, served with mouth-watering homemade cinnamon butter.

And the southern hospitality goes beyond the food! Every hour at Texas Roadhouse Grill, waiters perform Southern line-dancing to the beat of toetapping country music. Customers are encouraged to join the dance to enjoy the most authentic roadhouse culture.

Pico Pico Restaurant & Bar

and coriander. Pico Pico also offers JapNo. 28, Lane 102, AnHe Road, Section 1, Taipei anese and Chinese versions of Ceviche: 台北市安和路一段102巷28號 “Tuna Nikkei” is tuna fish marinated in Tel: 2755-1161 Tiradito sauce, a spicy dressing with a touch of wasabi; and “Salmon Chifa” is marinated salmon in sesame-lime dressing aiwanese people usually associate served with peanuts and crispy shallots.

Latin American cuisine with Spanish Among the salad options, try Chichtapas, but there is actually more variety. arron & Quinoa Salad. Chicharron, a Pico Pico Restaurant & Bar, which intropopular pork dish in Spain and Latin duces Peruvian food to this market, has America, can be made from pork rind an urban industrial ambience featuring or belly. Quinoa, a grain crop originally a lot of wood furniture, brick walls, domesticated for human consumption exposed cement floor, and naked light 4,000 years ago in the Andean region, is bulbs hanging randomly from the ceiling. the hottest new member of the “World’s The menu here is also as interesting Healthiest Foods” list. The combination of as the décor. One standout is the classic the two makes for a very exotic salad dish.

Peruvian dish Ceviche. Leche de Tigre, Those with a big appetite should try or Tiger’s Milk, a citrus-based marinade, the Arroz Con Pollo, or chicken with rice. is used to cure white fish, which is then Chicken thighs are marinated in Peruvian mixed with sweet potatoes, corn, chili,

T

44

taiwan business topics • january 2015

PhoTo : ANiTA chEN

paprika before grilling, paired with Portobello mushrooms and served with curry-flavored crispy rice. The Aji Amarillo salsa served on the side has a spicy-sweet kick that provides perfect balance to the rice dish. For dessert, go for the Flourless Chocolate Cake made with 65% Peruvian Alto el Sol dark chocolates, or opt for a glass of classic Picso Sour to mark a beautiful end of your Peruvian feast.

Other New Restaurants Family Li Imperial Cuisine 北京厲家菜 3F, 28 SongRen Road, Taipei (3F, Bella Vita) 台北市松仁路28號（寶麗廣場3樓） The high-end Chinese restaurant’s first Taipei branch, serving traditional imperial Chinese dishes in a luxurious setting.

Danny’s What’sGrill 105 ZhouZi Street, Taipei 台北市洲子街105號 Tel: 2656-0011 https://www.facebook.com/DannysWhatsGrill Taiwan’s “steak godfather” Danny Deng’s latest restaurant, serving New American cuisine.

Danny’s What’sGreen

Tel: 2656-7575 At the same location as the steakhouse, a salad bar offering fresh salads, Panini, and soup dishes.

Monsieur L L先生義法餐廳

Opened in 2014, the restaurants below are also worth a visit: Tel: 8770-5505 http://www.monsieur-l.com.tw/ An elegant restaurant offering Italian, French, and other Western fusion-style cuisine.

Salvatore Cuomo & Bar Taipei 39 FuXing South Road, Section 1, Taipei (GF, Breeze Center) 台北市復興南路1段39號（微風廣場GF） Tel: 8772-7465 http://www.salvatore.com.tw/menu.html An Italian restaurant serving Neapolitan pizzas and other classic Italian dishes.

Jimolulu No. 31, Alley 4, Lane 345, RenAi Road, Section 4, Taipei 台北市仁愛路4段345巷4弄31號 Tel: 2778-2277 https://www.facebook.com/jimolulu A new American Restaurant featuring Hawaiian cuisine

No. 21, Lane 131, MinSheng East Road, Section 4, Taipei

Fafa Viola 法法小館

164 YanJi Street, Taipei 台北市延吉街164號 Tel: 2771-1628 https://www.facebook.com/fafavoila A small French bistro serving crepes, galettes, and other classic French dishes.

Beer Lin Bistro 林美如小館

38 NeiJiang Street, Taipei 台北市內江街38號 Tel: 2312-2468 http://www.beerlin.tw/2014/08/blogpost_26.html#.VKEZLcDACI A private-kitchen style Chinese restaurant serving authentic Sichuan and Zhejiang cuisine. Many spicy-food lovers swear by the Sichuan dishes here. Reservations required.

Major K 主修韓坊

116 AnHe Road, Section 2, Taipei 台北市安和路2段116號 Tel: 2736-3737 http://www.majork.com.tw/ A bar restaurant serving traditional Korean food in a modern setting.

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THE BLOSSOMING OF THE TAIWAN WHISKY MARKET The Taiwanese have become major consumers, especially of higher-end varieties, and the island is now home to two distilleries.

BY SCOTT WEAVER

aiwan’s growing taste for fine malt whiskies is creating a period of significant change in the market. In the past, night clubs and KTVs were the key channels for consumption of the beverage, says Paul Wang, marketing director for Falconbrae Ltd, an importer of Glenfarclas Scotch whisky. But lately rapid growth has been occurring in such other types of venues as cocktail bars, dedicated whisky bars, bistros, and what are generally referred to as “speakeasies” – bars/restaurants that usually have a dedicated clientele and evoke the feel of Prohibition-era establishments.

These new channels tend to cater to a young and fashionable crowd. They require talented bartenders who can add to the experience and ambiance of the venue by creativity when it comes to drink design and presentation. Just doling out drinks for the boys to gan bei (“bottoms up”) is no longer enough.

Change is also underfoot on the production front. After an amazingly successful start, Kavalan – Taiwan’s largest malt whisky producer – is in expansion mode. At the same time, the Taiwan Tobacco and Liquor Corp. (TTL) has recently begun production of its own malt whisky.

As a market for fine whisky, Taiwan is now establishing a strong presence internationally. According to Scotch Whisky Association data, Taiwan ranks fourth globally (behind only the United States, France, and Asian travel hub Singapore) in terms of Scotch whisky imports by value. It is the fastest-growing market among the top 10 markets globally, with a robust 39% increase in the first half of 2014 – from £65.4 million worth to £91 million – compared with the same period of 2013.

The key driver behind this surge is a growing appetite in Taiwan for more expensive types of whiskies. These include single malts, single cask, and limited-edition specialty varieties. Though Taiwan ranks fourth in terms of Scotch whisky imports by value, it ranks 14th in

Left and above, the Nantou distillery. pHOTOS: cHRIS STOWERS

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terms of volume, importing 9 million bottles in the first half of 2014, compared with 85.6 million bottles for the number-one market, France.

But when it comes to the average price per bottle received by the exporter, Taiwan is at the top of the list among the 10 major markets. The figure came to £10.1 (about NT$500) in the first half of last year, up from £7.3 the year before, another 39% increase. By comparison, the average import price per bottle in the United States last year was £6, in South Korea £5.3, Singapore £5.2, Spain £3, and France only £2.5.

Why is the average price for Scotch whisky so much higher in Taiwan than in other major global markets? Steven Lin, a noted whisky consultant and also owner of the whisky bar Backyard (also called L’arriere-cour, and located at No. 4, Lane 23, AnHe Road, Section 2) cites several factors, starting with what he calls “education.” By that he means that many consumers in Taiwan have become very knowledgeable about the various types of Scotch whisky, and have grown quite sophisticated in their tastes. Scotch whisky producers have responded to this interest by creating and marketing a growing number of options, focusing on more expensive single malt types.

He notes that Taiwan may be the only market in Asia that has regular well-attended whisky auctions where consumers gather and bid on select varieties of whisky products.

Lin contrasts the situation with the local wine market, an area in which he also has considerable expertise. For wine, the very wealthy pay very high prices for rare wines, but most consumers focus on price and do their purchasing at discount supermarkets. The middle part of the market remains quite small for wine, but for whisky it is sizeable.

Tariffs are also a factor. Taiwan’s customs duties on spirits are relatively low, and are based on alcohol content rather than value. Thus high-end and specialty whiskies can be imported into Taiwan

The bar at Backyard is stocked with some 400 different specialty whiskies at any one time. pHOTO : cHRIS STOWERS

at a relatively low tariff compared with many other markets. In Hong Kong, for example, tariffs on spirits are quite high, while those on wine are relatively low.

This difference contributes to the high demand for whisky in Taiwan, whereas in Hong Kong wine tends to be more popular.

Lin’s bar is perhaps the only one in Taiwan that focuses primarily on whisky, and it prides itself on offering a wide variety of specialty types. At any one time, the bar is stocked with about 400 types of whisky, and since Backyard’s founding in 2000, Lin estimates that some 3,500 types of whisky have been made available.

Bourbon, beer, and bistros He notes that U.S. bourbon whiskey has not quite tapped into the domestic market in the same way that Scotch producers have. Central to the success of the Scotch whiskies, he says, has been creating a sense of “specialness” – and perhaps scarcity – by subdividing their product into many varieties. In contrast, the bourbon market tends to focus on

large volumes and is dominated by a few big producers.

Lin suggests that the beer market in Taiwan could be on the verge of breaking out in the way the Scotch whisky market has done. He senses a growing interest among Taiwan consumers in learning more about beer, and a growing taste for smaller specialty brews.

The growing popularity of bistro-style venues is another factor contributing to the rise in whisky demand, as more Taiwanese develop a taste for pairing specialty whiskies with a dinner or lunch.

At the restaurant/bar Woo Taipei (No. 39, Lane 205, ZhongXiao E. Rd., Sec. 4), general manager Mark Huang says his establishment is trying to create a different experience for its customers, offering a full meal menu together with innovative cocktails and fine whiskies.

The wooden interior evokes an older, quieter era. On a recent visit, we sampled some excellent pasta dishes, including Pimenton Cheese Linguine with Asparagus, as well as Cream Salty Duck Egg Linguine with Prawns.

The meal was accompanied by what Woo Taipei calls its Aged Manhattan, taiwan business topics • january 2015

When You Drink, Don’t Drive

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Mark Huang at Woo Taipei and his Aged Manhattan made with bourbon and sweet vermouth. pHOTOS: cHRIS STOWERS

which consists of bourbon whiskey, sweet vermouth, and other ingredients aged together in a cask for extra flavor.

The Aged Manhattan is one of many unique drinks available on the Woo Taipei drinks menu.

The talented bartending staff led by General Manager Huang is a key part of this venue’s market positioning. The clientele is mainly 25-35 year-olds who come in after work. Huang says he hopes Woo Taipei can also build an afternoon business that converts people from the traditional afternoon tea with cake to meals combined with carefully selected cocktails and spirits. He notes a growing interest among customers in sampling whiskies from more countries, including Canada, the United States, and Spain, in addition to the traditional strength of Scotch in the market.

Woo Taipei’s bartenders and waiters stand ready to suggest food and drink combinations. Although Taiwanese often do not consume alcohol with their meals, the restaurant is seeking to broaden understanding on how alcohol can add to the enjoyment of the dining experience.

The growth in domestic demand for high-quality whisky has also had an impact on the domestic malt whisky production scene. Taiwan’s first and largest producer, Kavalan, has been in operation since 2006 at a distillery in western Yilan County, near where the Central Mountain Range meets the Xueshan Range. Ian Chang, Kavalan’s Head of R&D, Master Blender, and Brand Ambassador, notes that one reason for the decision to locate the distillery in this area was the availability of abundant fresh and clear water.

Kavalan is a part of the King Car Group, which had its beginnings in Kaohsiung in 1956 as a chemical producer. Under the leadership of founder T.T. Lee, the Group entered beverage production in 1979. Two of their bestknown products are Mr. Brown Coffee and Green Time Natural Water.

A native of Yilan County, T.T. Lee had long dreamed of entering the whisky business, but Taiwan’s previous government monopoly on alcohol production was an obstacle until 2002 when Taiwan entered the World Trade Organization, leading to a liberalization of regulations.

Construction of the distillery began in April 2005, and on March 11, 2006 – at 3:30 p.m. – the first drop of Taiwan-produced “new make spirit” fell into a cask.

(State-owned TTL had previously bought Scotch whiskies and blended them, but had not at that time made its own whisky.)

Kavalan – the name derives from the aboriginal people who once lived on the Yilan Plain – produces about 9 million bottles of whisky a year. The product goes through double distillation, and the company currently has four pot stills organized into two pairs of two. Six more stills will be added by early 2016, increasing the number of paired stills from two to five. A new ageing facility is also planned to meet the expanded capacity.

Broad acclaim Despite its relatively young age, Kavalan has been extremely successful. It has been awarded over 110 gold medals in various competitions since 2009, and was selected as the International Wine and Spirits Competition’s Asia Pacific Spirit

Do Not Serve Alcohol to Minors

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Producer of the Year for three years running from 2011 to 2013. Other accolades include inclusion in Ian Buxton’s book 101 Whiskies to Try Before You Die and being named “Asian Whisky of the Year” in Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2015.

The 2015 edition of the Malt Whisky Ye a r b o o k p u b l i s h e d i n t h e U n i t e d Kingdom notes that “In a short period of time, the Taiwanese single malt, Kavalan, swept across the world like few other brands from outside the traditional group of whisky producing countries has done before.” The account gives much of the credit for the success to Master Blender Ian Chang, working with “well-known whisky consultant, Dr. Jim Swan.”

Besides the water supply, Yilan’s climate was another reason King Car chose to build the distillery there. It is relatively cold and humid there during the winter months. Taiwan’s sub-tropical climate makes for faster maturation than in colder regions such as Scotland, and it was considered that the process would in fact be too fast in most parts of the island. As it is, Kavalan experiences an “angel’s share” (the proportion of the product lost to evaporation during ageing) of 10-12%, compared to about 3% in Scotland. Kavalan ages its whisky for a minimum of four years, and most of its production is aged four to seven years.

Kavalan imported its stills from Scotland, which is also the main source of its malted barley. Barley is difficult to grow in Taiwan due to the climate. Kavalan works closely with its barley supplier in Scotland to ensure that the barley-roasting process produces the results desired by the Master Blender.

At a tasting that concluded our tour of the facility, we enjoyed the mellow flavor of Kavalan “Classic,” the company’s topselling product. Chang says the sub-tropical climate in Yilan helps “sandpaper” off the rough edges of the whisky.

The Kavalan distillery tour has also won accolades. In 2011 and 2013, it was recognized by Whisky Magazine as having the Tourist Attraction of the Year in the “Rest of World” category. Over 1 million visitors tour the distillery per year, and the showroom itself is a very successful sales outlet. Further information about the tours, which can also include

other King Car Group facilities, such as their orchid-farming operations, can be found at www.kavalanwhisky.com.

At present, about 40% of Kavalan’s output is exported, with the United States as the largest market in terms of value.

France is number one in volume terms.

When the expansion program is completed, Chang says the export proportion is likely to rise to 60%.

There is a growing trend toward more specialty products, such as single cask purchases. Buyers, generally from Europe, come to Taiwan to taste the various casks and then purchase one or two.

Kavalan works with the buyer on customized labeling. The company has also purchased stills from Germany for the production of gin, a project that is still in the R&D stage.

The production at both Kavalan and TTL is known as “single malt whisky.”

This is whisky produced at one specific distillery (therefore “single”) that uses only malted grain. The grain is usually barley, as is the case with the Taiwan distillers. The malted grain has been allowed to begin germination, and then has had this germination stopped by kiln drying.

Smoking the grain can also be part of the process. Whisky of this type pro-

New market entrant As a result of the growth in demand in Taiwan for high-quality whisky, the TTL has also launched production of its own line of malt whisky at its Nantou Winery ( 8 0 Tu n g s h a n R o a d , N a n t o u C i t y, Nantou County). As is the case with Kavalan, the operation uses mainly imported Scottish barley.

Master Blender Ian Chang and Kavalan's facilities and product. pHOTOS: KAvALAN

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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duced in Scotland is referred to as Scotch whisky, or Scotch. TTL’s Nantou Winery was established in 1977, and has produced a wide range of products for many years. In 1984, it began importing and blending whisky from Scotland, and it is largely because of that experience that TTL called on the facility – from among its 11 production operations island-wide – to handle development of the company’s own whisky. That assignment presented the Nantou staff members with a daunting task, however, and they had to utilize a little Taiwan engineering ingenuity to carry it out. They converted some upstream equipment that had previously been used in beer production, while

procuring additional equipment from other plants within the TTL network, and importing the rest.

The distillery uses both sherry casks from Spain and bourbon casks from the United States. We had the opportunity to taste several samples of both types, and were pleasantly surprised at the quality.

Plant director Pan Chieh-Chang says that although construction of the malt whisky production facilities was completed in 2008, the operation is still in the early stages of commercial production. Only a small quantity of single malt whisky is currently being produced for sale to visitors at the plant and in selected distribution points nearby.

The plant produces whisky only between September and April, Pan explains, because it is too hot during the summer months to achieve adequate quality in the fermentation process.

During the summer, the operation focuses on its fruit-based products.

The interest in Taiwan in single malt whiskies appears to be broadening, and has encouraged Kavalan to expand its capacity and TTL to begin its own inhouse production. Perhaps other whisky producers in the world, including those in the United States, might consider whether to try to tap opportunities in Taiwan through greater product differentiation and marketing efforts.

BARTENDING IN TAIpEI Two experienced managers discuss what it takes to make it behind the bar in local night-life establishments.

BY TIMOTHY FERRY

O'Connor (above) and Clinton (right). pHOTOS: Dv8 AND c ARNEGIES

L

ong-term expats will recall when Taipei’s nightlife consisted primarily of girly bars, karaoke clubs, and a handful of Western night spots. Today, the scene could hardly look more different, with hundreds of bars competing for expat and local patrons both young and old.

With the proliferation of Western-style bars, lounges, and nightclubs throughout Taipei, the position of bartender has taken on new prominence. Taiwan Business TOPICS chatted with two longtime expat bar owners and managers to gain insights into what qualities are needed in a good bartender.

Irishman Niall Clinton has played a prominent role in the development of Taipei’s bar scene, having had a hand in some of Taipei’s most popular bars catering to foreigners, including On Tap, 50

taiwan business topics • january 2015

Speakeasy, and DV8. As manager of nightlife stalwart Carnegie’s, he has currently been charged with revitalizing one of Taipei’s best-known restaurant-bars.

Englishman Gary O’Connor came to Taipei nearly 20 years ago after stints managing bars and nightclubs in Germany and the Philippines. As the front man for DV8, he is also being tasked with reviving one of Taipei’s most cherished underground expat bars.

What qualities are necessary in a bartender?

O’Connor: We’re looking for someone who is young and attractive, but that’s easy criteria because the Taiwanese are very good-looking people. They should also be interesting to talk to and have good energy. And if they’re left-handed they’ve got an even better chance because

I always think that they are more creative.

That said, the fact is that staffing can be difficult whether you are in England or Taiwan, and it’s probably the same in North America. The reason is that while young people are great and bring new ideas and atmosphere, they are unreliable. Actually, they are so unreliable you have to overstaff because you never know if they’ll show up.

Clinton: Bartenders need to speak Chinese and be relatively decent in English. Beyond that they don’t really need to know an awful lot. Obviously it helps if they have some experience, but if they don’t, there’s already enough experience in the existing staff to help them through the process, and show them how cocktails are made, how to treat customers, and if situations arise – which can

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happen – how to calm things down. After that, there’s not really much else. But it can be pretty busy in here on Friday and Saturday nights and Wednesdays as well, so you do need a wee bit of energy to keep yourself going until four in the morning.

One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that when it comes to being able to banter with customers, there aren’t too many bartenders that are good at it. The humor, the culture, the conversation– they’re all very different [between Taiwanese and foreigners], so it’s not very easy for them to banter with your expat customers. People who can banter with both Westerners and locals are amazing – and rare.

How do customer expectations differ between Taiwanese and expats and how are bartenders expected to manage these expectations?

O’Connor: They all have different wants and needs and you have to keep them all happy – with a smile on your face. Just look after your guests and make them all feel like they are the king. Be generous with them. As for differences, usually Taiwanese people don’t know what they want to drink, so it’s best to say, “look, this is very good, you'll like it.” Taiwanese want you to recommend something, while Westerners want a choice. Taiwanese also tend to want food which they can share with others while Westerners just want to drink. Westerners will come in and drink and then order food, while the Taiwanese will start with the food first. Who’s easier to deal with? Depending on how drunk they are, they’re both the same.

Clinton: I haven’t noticed an awful lot of differences. One thing, as an Irishman I do pay attention to how a Guinness is poured, and I do notice certain times across the bar when I would think, well, I wouldn’t be happy with that pint. Taiwanese don’t worry so much about the presentation of a pint of Guinness, but I’m not sure if they would be too happy to wait for two or three minutes for a pint to settle. But on the other hand, a Westerner would probably prefer the presentation to be better and would be willing to wait a minute or two for a

better pint. So I suppose if you’re put in a spot, the Taiwanese would prefer a bit more time efficiency.

the weekend. Expat people will tip a lot.

Tipping is important. Believe it or not, even I get tipped, although most of the time if they’re going to tip, they give it to the girls behind the bar. I think it motivates people and I think it should happen more.

Another thing that motivates the staff is that the bar gives them a chance to practice their English – an English environment. So that helps.

Clinton: I think it’s to do with the two supervisors that stand behind the bar most of the time. They’ve got certain standards and expectations for the new staff that come in, and basically they will not be happy if the new staff don’t live up to those expectations.

A lot of foreigners and a lot of business people are flying in from around the world, especially North America and even Europe, and North Americans in particular will give 15 or 20% tips if the service is good. I think it helps a little bit – if business is good, tips can be quite good and it can add a very healthy percentage to the bartenders’ income. But I would say with local bars and more local customers, it’s not in the culture. If you’re salary is NT$28,000 a month, what you take home will still be NT$28,000 or maybe NT$29,000 if you’re lucky. But here they can do much better.

I think there should be some sort of incentive. I will say here the incentive is that it’s not a small bar and there are opportunities if you do show some initiative. You might get a promotion after two or three years to a management position.

The three managers here have all spent between eight to ten years here, so obviously their salaries are a helluva lot better than they were when they started. So if you show initiative, there are opportunities to improve your lot in life.

What are the keys to getting customers into the bar?

O’Connor: To create a good atmosphere, you need friendly staff and that’s easy for Taiwanese to do because they are friendly anyway. So you just play some good music that’s maybe a little bit different and then give a fair deal. We’re not overpriced here and we give a very fair cocktail. Our whiskies, you know it’s a whisky, and our vodkas, you know it’s a vodka. Also the way we treat drinks. I think we’re the only bar in Taipei if you ask for a vodka you get it in an ice-cold glass. The vodka is cold, not warm.

Also, DV8 is an old name in Taipei, and it moved locations some years ago.

With the decoration, we wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the original DV8, so we painted the walls orange again and every month or so we invite different artists to give an exhibition, so that way it’s something to talk about and the artists bring in their friends, of course.

Clinton: Carnegie’s was a lot more of a happening bar say six or seven years ago, before the Taipei 101 area really opened up. And also when the High Speed Rail was being built, you had literally hundreds and hundreds of engineers based in Taipei City and the vast majority who liked to go out for a drink or two or six would come to Carnegie’s, so when that was finished, we did lose a lot of business. And obviously the newer clubs have impacted us as the younger people like to go the newer, hipper clubs. A lot of the bars around here (Anhe Road) have closed down, but we’re still doing okay business.

Mixology is important up to a certain point, but the vast majority of customers come here to drink their beers and drink their wines. Obviously customers who come in here and ask for a cocktail expect a good cocktail, and I hope in general that we satisfy them.

Carnegie’s: 100 Anhe Road, Section 2, Taipei 106.

Tel: 2325-4433. Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m.

What are some strategies for motivating staff? What role does tipping play in ensuring good service?

O’Connor: People do tip, especially on

DV8: 386 FuXing South Road, Section 2, Taipei 106. Tel: Phone: 2733-9039.

Hours: 6 p.m.-1 a.m. taiwan business topics • january 2015

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Lantern Festival Brings Light and Joy to Lunar New Year

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aiwan’s diverse society fuses ancient traditions with cuttingedge modernity, and nothing underscores this duality better than the calendars seen in homes and offices.

Like their counterparts in the West, Ta i w a n ’s w o r k e r s , c i v i l s e r v a n t s , and students generally refer to the Gregorian calendar when making appointments and meeting deadlines.

The Chinese lunar calendar, however, is used to calculate the timing of festivals, weddings, and funerals. For that reason, most Taiwanese calendars show the lunar date beside the Gregorian date. 交 通 部 觀 光 局 廣 告 TTB AD

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taiwan business topics • january 2015

The lunar calendar, also known as the farmer’s calendar, is an ancient and highly complex system of reckoning dates according to both the phase of the moon and the solar year. Pious individuals refer to it because their beliefs compel them to burn joss paper and avoid meat on certain days.

The start of the lunar year always falls between January 22 and February 19 on the Gregorian calendar, and the Chinese Lunar New Year period is far more important to Taiwanese people than Christmas or the evening of December 31. Schools close for around

three weeks. With the exception of hotels, restaurants, and shops, business grinds to a halt for several days. During the vacation, ethnic Chinese throughout the world feast, visit relatives, clean their houses, and present cash-filled envelopes to the younger and older generations.

Just as the Feast of the Epiphany marks the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Lantern Festival is the traditional climax of the Lunar New Year season. The festival, which Mandarin speakers usually call Yuanxiao Jie, was brought to Taiwan more than 400 years by early migrants from mainland China.

Originally, the festival was celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month (the first full moon of the new year), but the modern event is a multi-day spectacular for which dazzling lanterns of all shapes and sizes are just one facet.

Each Lantern Festival also includes performances by leading folk arts troupes, as well as sensational pyrotechnics. No one does fireworks better than the Chinese, who invented them 1,300 years ago. As with other traditional fiestas in Taiwan, the event is associated with a particular food. The preferred treat at this time of year is a bowl of dumplings called yuanxiao or tangyuan. Made of glutinous rice flour, they are often filled with walnuts, sweet syrup, or candied tangerine peel. Savory versions contain minced meat or sesame paste. Served either hot or cold, they make for a delicious dessert or mid-afternoon snack.

s e e i n g ta i w a n

The festival’s theme each year is the New Year’s animal sign on the Shengxiao, a 12-year cycle often called the Chinese Zodiac. Just as Westerners usually know their star sign, so everyone of Chinese descent knows which zodiac year he or she was born in. The forthcoming New Year’s Eve (February 18, 2015) will be the final day of the Year of the Horse. The following day will be the first of the Year of the Ram (sometimes translated as the Year of the Sheep or Goat). The other 10 animals in the cycle are monkey, rooster, dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, and snake. Just as one’s star sign is thought to influence one’s character, people in Taiwan have long believed those born in certain years tend to have similar personalities.

The 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival will be held at three locations in Taichung City in central Taiwan. The principal venue will be the Wuri HighSpeed Rail Special Zone, adjacent to Taichung’s bullet-train station, where there are exhibition halls as well as wide open spaces. Among the lanterns on display will be the main theme lantern from 2003’s Year of the Ram festival – a full Shengxiao cycle ago – which was also held in Taichung.

Another featured lantern is being created under the supervision of Professor Sun Ching-Cherng to represent the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015).

Taiwan’s enthusiasm for the United Nations-backed IYL 2015 is doubly

fitting. Not only are modern lanterns illuminated by LEDs rather than burning wicks, but the island is a global leader in LED design and manufacturing. Sun is a scientist based at Taiwan’s prestigious National Central University, and among his achievements is an LED street-lighting system that is both energy efficient and minimizes light pollution.

Thanks to coverage by Discovery Channel and other international media, the Taiwan Lantern Festival has grown into one of East Asia’s most popular annual events. The 2014 edition in central Taiwan’s Nantou County welcomed 7.3 million visitors. Several of Taiwan’s cities and counties organize local festivities, so it can be reckoned that at least half of the country’s 23 million people take part.

Taiwan is not a big island, but for most of its history travel from one part to another was difficult. As a result, and also because several different ethnic groups have made their homes here, various regions have distinct customs. One of Taiwan’s best-known local expressions of the Lantern Festival happens in New Taipei City’s Pingxi District.

More than 100 years ago, Pingxi’s isolated mountain communities were plagued by banditry. Residents got into the habit of lighting a paper lantern each dusk and sending it skyward, so nearby hamlets would know all was well.

Nowadays, most visitors go to Pingxi to enjoy a scenic train journey and buy a ready-to-fly lantern from a local vendor. Before launch-

ing the lantern, it is customary to write something on the side using a calligraphy brush – perhaps a general wish for health and happiness, or maybe a more specific request for success in business or love. Releasing a personalized lantern and watching it rise in the night sky until it has shrunk to a yellow speck is a romantic moment thousands of couples have shared.

In southern Taiwan, Yanshui in Tainan offers a unique experience on the 15th day of the first lunar month each year. This ancient town’s Beehive Fireworks Festival is an extraordinary audience-participation fireworks parade that commemorates the defeat of a cholera epidemic in the 19th century.

On the east coast, Taitung’s Bombing of Han Dan ritual, held on the same day, is equally unforgettable. Volunteers take turns representing Han Dan, a god of war and wealth, by standing on top of a bamboo platform carried through the streets. Once on board, and decked out in nothing but red shorts, gloves, and goggles, they are pelted with firecrackers. The god is said to hate the cold, and bestows good fortune on those who keep him warm by showering him with fireworks.

For more details about these events and other information useful to visitors, go to the Tourism Bureau’s Chinese-English-Japanese Lantern Festival website (http://theme.taiwan.net. tw/2015taiwanlantern/index.html) or call the 24-hour tourist information hotline (0800-011-765, free within Taiwan).

taiwan business topics • january 2015

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