Autumn is the season for romantic encounters! As an avid lover of black tea, I eagerly take advantage of the holiday to indulge in Downing tea and savor the newly Michelin-endorsed U L V co-branded tea set. I’m excited to experience the delightful fusion of this Michelin feast with tea.
ULV Restaurant and Bar, located in Taipei’s Daan District (hereinafter referred to as ULV), is a renowned restaurant known for its European cuisine. It offers healthy and seasonal dishes with a focus on Scandinavian flavors. Have you heard of the Hollywood-popularized Kombucha tea? It’s a naturally fermented red tea with a tangy taste. Surprisingly, this restaurant is Taiwan’s first Michelin-starred establishment to stand out for its house-made Kombucha tea.
Due to the climate in Northern Europe, locals often use techniques like drying, fermenting, and pickling to naturally infuse food with acidity. Upon tasting, these dishes reveal a rich and distinctive flavor. Next time you pass by in the evening, consider stepping inside ULV to savor the exclusive Kombucha tea-infused culinary creations crafted by their chefs and mixologists.
These are the flavors of God’s gift that are salted and fermented, and the natural acid becomes the protagonist of the table.
The connection between ULV and Twinings is far from accidental. During the early days of ULV’s establishment, they deliberately chose Twinings, a brand with over a century of tea-blending craftsmanship, as their foundation. The result? A subtly tangy Kombucha tea.
During the research process, the chef also keep pace with the techniques of Twinings tea blending masters. Whenever Twinings introduces new flavors annually or seasonally to sparkle each other.
As a result, the creative spark between tea and Michelin was sparked, and the chef boldly experimented with a variety of natural raw materials to blend and ferment, resulting in a burst of innovation with several unprecedented and surprising taste creations
Today, I am incredibly honored to visit a restaurant that was just awarded a Michelin star in 2020. This establishment ingeniously reinterprets Scandinavian cuisine by blending its pure essence with French aesthetics, resulting in a well-deserved recognition on the Michelin plate1
ULV, blending English-style Twinings tea with New Nordic cuisine, masterfully interprets Scandinavian flavors with French aesthetics. Their wild Nordic dishes earned them the prestigious Twinings Art of Gourmet award.
Fusion of diverse food cultures, combining the elegance of English tea with haute cuisine.
ULV breaks free from the traditional tea-centric approach and focuses on showcasing the culinary craftsmanship of Northern European cultures. Paired with visually delightful French cuisine, it creates an wonderful dining experience.
Chicken Liver Parfait
Breaking free from the traditional tea-centric approach, it boldly ventures into tea-infused cuisine. Their first plate draws inspiration from a traditional Nordic snack, reminiscent of Taiwan’s beloved egg cake.
Combining tender wild game chicken liver with rose-hued Twinings blush berry tea, they fill the center of an egg cake. The fruity and tangy aroma of the tea blends harmoniously with the wild chicken liver, creating a dreamy European twist on Taiwan’s beloved egg cake.
Nordic-style Chilled Lobster
This dish pairs fresh, juicy Boston lobster with fragrant Jasmine Camphor Tea, cold-brewed Iron Goddess Oolong Tea, and dried guava. The tea’s subtle bitterness and delicate fizz enhance the sweet lobster, while the toffee lobster sauce provides a clean finish. It’s a delightful fusion of flavors!
The chef has always been daring to experiment and develop the most fascinating creations. What stands out is the intricate layering: from the vibrant green coriander oil at the base to the top-tier platinum tea infused with Twinings tea, enhancing the distinct Nordic flavors.The top layer of crispy bread is delicately infused with the classic fragrance of Twinings tea, while the traditional Nordic cooking methods—direct fire and fermentation—contribute to the health of residents on the Scandinavian Peninsula. Their agricultural products, fish, root vegetables, berries, and grains thrive in their natural environment.
Every bite of lobster exudes a unique caramel aroma, creating a multi-layered culinary delight.
During my dining experience at the two-star Michelin restaurant Crony in Tokyo, they also served a type of healthy sourdough bread like this. This sourdough bread, fermented with unique yeast, is gentler on the stomach compared to regular bread. It’s satisfying yet easy to digest.
I also love eating sourdough bread. When spread with the chef’s specially crafted slightly tangy fermented butter, it has a light texture and a refreshing flavor that prepares the taste buds for the next course.
Pan-seared Hokkaido scallops
Selecting top-tier luxurious scallops from Hokkaido, their tender texture is accompanied by sweet mango sauce. The green element is the precious spore kale.
The artfully arranged plating resembles a Nordic landscape painting, yet with every bite, it bursts with intense seafood flavors—incredibly fresh! The ripe sweetness of mango and the subtle spiciness of fresh ginger elevate the authentic essence of the fresh seafood.
Oh? What’s that black dot on top of the white? How intriguing! It turns out to be fried pork skin. The black specks on it are ground black pepper
Hokkaido scallops, cooked to just 3 minutes, paired with a yellow mango sauce.
Mango & Ginger Green Tea
The waiter brought this cup of tea. Surprisingly, it complemented the taste of this dish very well and became even more appetizing. What’s going on?
Tender sautéed duck liver
Darjeeling tea, a high-quality tea from the Darjeeling region in India, is used to create an exclusive sauce for the tender sautéed duck liver. This unique combination enhances the flavors of the dish, resulting in a delightful culinary experience.
This is the most delicious duck liver I’ve ever tasted. The careful preparation deserves two thumbs-up👍👍. Paired with crispy onion chips, the smooth texture and subtle fruity aroma create an ultimate culinary delight.
Freshly awarded with a Michelin star, this delicate onion chip truly lives up to its reputation. Who would have thought that humble onions could be transformed into something extraordinary? The combination of caramelized and baked onions creates an onion delicacy. It’s definitely worth a close-up shot!
Grilled U.S. Prime New York Strip
Only top-quality, fresh steaks are prepared medium-rare, using special techniques to maintain a tender and juicy texture.
This chef’s culinary skills are truly exceptional. The grilled steak emits a rich aroma, perfectly showcasing the high-quality tenderness of the meat.
The peppermint tea blend refreshingly balances the richness of the charcoal-roasted beef, while the addition of chestnut pumpkin enhances the overall flavor, resulting in a sweet and tender mouthfeel.
Vanilla soft-serve sorbet
This dessert, considered the signature dish of ULV Restaurant and Bar, adds a touch of fresh flavor. Char-grilled oranges paired with white chocolate, infused with the natural chamomile aroma of morning dew meadow chamomile tea.
Eating this dessert feels a bit like falling in love. It requires peeling back layer by layer, exploring from the outside in. Each bite reveals different ingredients, each with its own special flavor.
The exterior resembles the walls of a building and consists of extremely crispy almond slices.
It tastes a lot like vanilla-flavored macaron, except it’s thinner.
Eating this dessert feels a bit like falling in love. It requires peeling back layer by layer, exploring from the outside in. Each bite reveals different ingredients, each with its own special flavor.
After enjoying the meal, a sense of satisfaction fills my heart, along with deep respect and admiration for the chef. It’s an honor to have a photo taken with the chef!
