TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Michelin-starred restaurant T+T has unveiled its new spring and summer menu, led by founder Johnny Tsai (蔡元善) and newly appointed head chef Daniel Tsai (蔡宇翔) after the latter’s monthlong culinary immersion in Malaysia.
The seasonal menu brings street food inspirations from Kuala Lumpur and Penang into a fine-dining framework.
“What is truly worth bringing back to the dining table is not the recipe of a dish, but the way people understand food,” Daniel Tsai said. He said his journey focused on how regional cultures pair spices and balance daily flavors rather than on scouting famous eateries.
The multi-course experience opens with an appetizer of Judee chicken, jicama, and kohlrabi inspired by Korean side dishes. The dish features shredded chicken breast tossed in kimchi juice and savory Korean soybean paste.
Breaking from its tradition of serving cold summer starters, the kitchen introduces a hot seafood course modeled after Malaysian asam pedas.
The dish features coastal-farmed Taiwanese milkfish prepared with a hot-oil technique to yield crisp, upright scales and tender flesh. It is served over a shrimp-free sambal and tangy tamarind sauce.
Subsequent courses include a king crab shinjo dumpling submerged in an aged hen and Jinhua ham broth, accented with Sichuan peppercorn.
For the main courses, diners can choose between lamb saddle inspired by South Seas curry, complemented by charred okra and curry leaves, or charcoal-grilled Wagyu beef paired with a black pepper reduction deepened with XO sauce and oyster sauce.
The meal concludes with creative takes on Southeast Asian staples. The kitchen reimagines Singaporean kaya toast by replacing conventional bread with a golden French beignet stuffed with foie gras and sweet kaya jam.
The final course spotlights native Malaysian kulim nuts, which naturally carry aromas of wild garlic and white truffle. The culinary team roasts the rare forest fruit into a fragrant oil to mellow its sharp notes, then contrasts its savory, earthy profile with bitter dark chocolate sorbet, banana, and peanut crisps.
The tasting menu is priced at NT$2,680 (US$84).
