TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Aura Bar and Grill has opened in Taipei, backed entirely by Lu Linus (呂培華), a second-generation hotelier and special assistant to the chair of the Grand Victoria Hotel.
The restaurant breaks traditional culinary boundaries under four core philosophies: artistry in fire, united by flavor, rooted in sharing, and aged with time. Featuring a sprawling and high-ceilinged main dining room and four private vip suites, Lu designed the venue to seamlessly transition from quick business lunches and solo evening drinks to large family feasts.
Head Chef Shawn Hsu (許智翔) leads the kitchen, bringing a cross-cultural background from tenures at Miznon Taiwan, Wild Donkey, and L’Idiot Restaurant.
Rejecting single-cuisine labels, Hsu pairs global spice profiles with a sauce-driven worldview, utilizing seasonal, whole ingredients sourced locally and internationally.
Open-fire cooking is central to Aura's identity. A signature offering is the daily limited salt-baked catch of the day, where a whole fish is stuffed with seaweed, wrapped in arugula, and baked inside a thick crust of homemade bamboo charcoal black salt.
Other standout dishes include a grilled lamb saddle served with tender sweetbreads, quick-seared Yilan roushi prawns, and oil-confit portobello mushrooms.
The restaurant's boldest flavors come from its custom sauces and global spices. Aura reimagines the classic Mediterranean taramasalata by using smoked fish maw and charred miso butter served alongside house-made flatbread.
Its grilled octopus utilizes a Spanish-style Romesco sauce, while the daily chef’s pasta features a garlic confit and chicken broth base elevated by seasonal elements like salted egg yolk.
Time acts as a silent seasoning throughout the menu. Large cuts like the 32-ounce US Prime T-bone steak and Australian full-blood wagyu hanger steak are dry-aged to concentrate flavors before grilling.
The menu also highlights Yulu duck breast aged for seven to 14 days and house-made sausages infused with coriander seeds and cumin.
The communal dining experience extends to interactive desserts. Guests are encouraged to crack through the charcoal tuiles of the Aura black gold Mont Blanc or shatter the meringue shell of the "Coffee Bomb" to reveal a rich Kahlua and Earl Grey mousse.
