TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — La Vie by Thomas Buhner, helmed by German chef Thomas Buhner and executive chef Xavier Yeung (楊展浩), has made its first appearance on the 2026 La Liste Top 1000 Restaurants in the World, the restaurant said.
The French-based ranking marks a new international milestone for the Taipei restaurant and, according to La Liste, makes it one of only five restaurants in Taiwan to receive the recognition.
Building on the momentum, Yeung has unveiled a new winter menu centered on the theme of “density.” Rooted in Buhner’s “three-dimensional cuisine” philosophy — focusing on natural flavors, precise temperature, and refined cooking techniques — the menu also features Yeung’s “3S sauce theory” (sour, style, structure). The approach uses seasonal ingredients such as Pingtung suckling pig and French sea bass for a warm winter menu.
The meal begins with canapes that blend diverse culinary influences. The melon, burrata, and Iberico ham bite takes inspiration from a Japanese izakaya staple, fried persimmon, reimagined as a Monegasque barbajuan. The result is a crispy, deep-fried pastry filled with sweet fruit and creamy cheese.
Another highlight, a monkfish liver tart, features the “foie gras of the sea,” smoked and marinated in a red wine kelp broth, balanced with sweet cherry compote.
The centerpiece of the season is the Pingtung suckling pig. Yeung uses a dehydration process that combines Western air-drying with Chinese sea-salt curing.
“If it is not crispy, it’s just not right,” Yeung said.
The skin is crafted to achieve wafer-like crispness — thin and shattering — while the meat remains tender. Yeung said local Pingtung pigs offer a cleaner flavor and better fat quality than those in Hong Kong, allowing the natural aroma to shine.
For seafood, the menu features French sea bass. By optimizing the supply chain, the restaurant has shortened airfreight time from 10 days to just three, ensuring peak freshness. The fish is seared and served with coconut milk celeriac puree and purple rice, finished with a red wine butter sauce.
To counter the richness of winter fare, Yeung uses acidity as a “soulful supporting actor.” By incorporating fermented apricots, pickled radish, and tomato-rhubarb bonbons, he said the palate stays refreshed.
“Acidity balances the concentrated sauces, providing clarity and transparency to the dish,” Yeung said.
Drawing on his baking background, Yeung designed the season’s dessert: a blue cheese-and-truffle ice cream. While blue cheese can be polarizing, Yeung said his approach has won over local diners, reflecting his belief that “disliking an ingredient usually means you have not tasted it prepared the right way yet.”
Reflecting on his two years at La Vie, Yeung said he has shifted away from a chef-centric mindset and now prioritizes service, including offering flexibility in sauce concentration based on guest preferences.
“If a chef only does what they want without considering the guest, they are just 'indulging themselves,'” Yeung said. “The core of a restaurant is service.”
The new winter menu is available in two formats: a nine-course tasting menu for NT$6,288 (US$195) plus 10% and a six-course seasonal menu for NT$3,888 plus 10%.
(Taiwan News, Lyla Liu video)
