花彘醺

Address: No. 8, Alley 15, Lane 345, Section 4, Rén'ài Rd, Daan District.  台北市仁愛路4段345巷15弄8號

Telephone: (02)2777-1479

Hours: 5:30PM-1:00AM Daily

Don't get me wrong, I'm a believer in strong traditional values and consider myself prideful in both countries I can call home (Taiwan & the U.S).  But that's the point isn't it?  In this world where a person (such as myself) can have dual nationality, doesn't it make sense that our food moves along in that same direction?  I love my food simple at times.  On occasion all we need is that piece of cooked meat with all those familiar spices, or that one homegrown dish that we've loved and longed for our entire lives.
At other times? Some flair, some panache, a new take on old food is what will get us to say wow.  This is all the say that we want different things at different intervals in our lives, and these new breed of fusion restaurants do a good job of offering that curve ball in our dietary habits.

花彘醺 is fundamentally a Japanese restaurant, but they offer up dishes not in the traditional vein that one would expect.  They infuse their food with flavors and style from other regions of the world and the end product is both a visually appealing brand of food as well as one that is full and rich in flavor.

Get the meal started off right.  Some beer and salad... not sure what kind of message I'm trying to send here.  Tofu mixed salad was very delicious, and the dressing was spot on.  Although like many of the dishes here, some people may find the flavors too strong, but something like that plays directly into my wheelhouse.

Raw beef slices on a bed of sauteed onions. No raw taste at all. The beef was oh so tender and paired with the garnishes magnificently. (280NT)

If you are looking for a traditional take on Japanese food... then for the love of God, avoid 花彘醺 at all costs, because you'll only be staring disappointment in the face.  What little I know of true Japanese food is that the balance of flavors lies towards using the natural oils and such of each ingredient instead of infusing it with your own concoction of sauces.  

I realize that that is a rather wide generalization, but it is something I feel that has some merit.   Much of my favorite dishes from Japan are about the delicacy and texture and not necessarily the actual flavoring.  

Their take on tuna tartar.  Definitely on the spicy side.  Enjoyed the dish although possibly on the salty side.  One of the signature dishes of the restaurant. (260NT)

Some of the favorites of the night.  Lovely to look at.. even better to eat. (Halibut, salmon, uni) Good enough to order seconds.

花彘醺 is about the flavors in my opinion.  When the food is as colorful and as vibrant as what is presented here, I expect the flavor to almost literally jump out of the dishes.  To this point, 花彘醺 does not let you down in the slightest.  

Everything is punctuated with its own garnish and sauce, and like I said, I love my food to be flavorful and I love sauces even more... so I was basically in ecstasy for the duration of the meal.  This clearly is not for everyone however, and someone like my cranky old school mother would find the flavors too be almost too taxing and a chore to get through. (love you mother)

Breaded oyster and mushroom combo. (280NT)

Beef cooked on a heated stone and leaves? I'm sorry, the best description I could come up with.  Again, this was another visually stunning dish that wasn't lacking in the flavor profile either.  The spoon of salt on the side for those that needed a little extra something something.(420NT)

We had trouble deciding what to order, so we asked our waitress to mix and match some of the restaurants best dishes for us into a dinner that was fitting of our palettes.  They were very accommodating in this, and put together a meal in which offered a bit of everything that 花彘醺 does impeccably well.  

I'm not precisely sure whether it was just the pacing of the restaurant or their desire to bring out a dish at a time, but at times I felt that there was too much of a lull in between the dishes and that somewhat slowed the momentum of the dining experience as a whole.  But that is a small gripe in what I thought to be an overall very pleasurable meal.

The prices are not cheap, but I would say they are very reasonable and someone can expect to pay about 1000NT+  for a complete experience of 花彘醺.  The atmosphere is hip and modern but the restaurant definitely isn't large and sometimes it's a burden to avoid bumping into the waitstaff, furniture or other hungry people (you skinny ones won't understand this pain).
The selection of alcohol is diverse and many of the sakes will go wonderfully with the food.  I was surprised to find that although we came here on a Friday night and made a reservation, the restaurant wasn't that packed.  Perhaps this has something to do with the difficult location (located in a tight alley), but perhaps it was just mere happenstance, as I'm sure the food wasn't the culprit.

Simple Finisher

Fried Mochi Dessert. Not too chewy.. just right.

The damage... tip included.

As always the question is: did said restaurant make enough of an impression to warrant a return trip? And for  花彘醺, the answer is a resounding yes.  For me, this place hit a solid triple and is rounding its way home.  But I will repeat again that all the strengths of 花彘醺 play directly into my sweet spots of dining, so heed my warnings, but if you are even remotely interested, please search this place out and give it a try.

There is much and more on the menu that I have yet to try and I eagerly anticipate my next food sabbatical back home so I can pick apart the rest of the delicacies here.

Overall 花彘醺 Receives: 

-Til Next Time-

Canoviano Ristorante Taipei

Address: No. 9-2, Sec. 2, Jianguo N. Rd, Jhongshan District, Taipei.  台北市建國北路二段9-2號1樓

Telephone: (02)2515-5855

Hours: 

Outside of Chinese and Japanese cuisine, I think that Italian food might come next in line in terms of popularity.  I don't know why this is.  Don't get me wrong, I love me some Italian food, but I just can't pinpoint the reason why it has reached the level of popularity that it has here in Taiwan.  Maybe all pasta reminds us of the noodles that the Taiwanese love so much? Whatever the reason may be, there is a large population of Italian eateries throughout the city, and it was on a Sunday afternoon that I found myself in such a restaurant.

 Went with the prix fixe meal from both sides of the menu.  Variety is the spice of life right? 

Mullet roe over capellini in tomato sauce.  Just getting warmed up. (classical prix fixe menu)

Make no mistake, Canoviano Ristorante is most certainly a classy restaurant, and if you choose to dine here, be prepared to shell upwards of 3000NT per person.  We were a party of 6 adults and 4 children, so fortunately I was able to sample both of the items on the prix fixe menu.  The Classical, which is 1880NT and the Special which is 2980NT.  They also of course have a separate a la carte menu, but I would definitely suggest ordering one of the prix fixe menus as it is both abundant in food, and fantastic in quality and selection.  

 Pan seared black tuna in balsamic sauce. Two types of tuna, really enjoyed the texture of the tuna, and the sauce goes perfectly with the tartar and seared tuna.  Only wish there was more.

 White asparagus, parma ham, and truffled poached egg.

Duck confit, figs and shampignon. All three items from the Special Prix Fixe. 

Canoviano inhabits a rather large luxurious space that possesses high ceilings and comfortable looking chairs.  The staff is very attentive to a glass that is about to be emptied, a plate that needs cleaning, or whatever other needs that you may have.  Like most prix fixe menus of restaurants of this caliber, the food is prepared and ordered to follow a specific palette.  

 Grilled scallop with handmade pumpkin flavored pasta.  One of my favorites.. lord knows I love pumpkin, scallops and pasta.. but when they combine forces? Game over. (classical prix fixe)

 Liver pate ravioli in chicken broth with gold flakes.  Pretty.  The raviolis were very delicious, but I wasn't a big fan of the bland nature of the chicken broth.  (classical)

Spicy cuttlefish pasta, garlic flavored.  Basically its squid ink.  I loved the bite to the noodles, and the kick that the spiciness gives to it.  Cooked al dente, and it was fantastic to look at. (Special)

I don't know about you, but I've been trained by a lifetime of eating to think of Italian cuisine as basically just a big ol' bowl of pasta, with possibly some calamari and some bread.  In my mind, I just imagine the scene from the Godfather where everyone is sitting around the table with the checkered table top, and everyone is scooping out giant meatballs.  Obviously Canoviano is not that type of place, but there is of course a market for fine dining of any sort, and I have learned to appreciate when something is done right and done well.

The food was delicious. But a friend of mine told me once, that once you reach a certain level of food, when everything is expected to taste good, it really just comes down to appearance, and I think Canoviano scored on that as well.  

 Grilled fresh fish, spinach, and job's tears which is basically just barley.  (classical)

 Grilled scallop and pan seared fresh fish.  Enjoyed the scallop much more than the actual fish.  Felt it was a little on the dry side and lacked a little bit of seasoning.  The texture of the scallop was magnificent.

Caviar over sea urchin risotto.  It was as delicious as it sounds.  

To be more specific, the style of Canoviano should be classified as more of a Japanese-Italian fusion (what a combo).  Just looking at some of the ingredients used so far (like the uni risotto) should have given you some inking of that.  The restaurant was opened by a Japanese chef who had similar success with a Canoviano in Japan.  The daily menu sets change based on the season.

 One of my favorites anywhere. Lobster bisque.  The lobster is sneakily hiding under that foam.  (Special)

 Some lemon ice to cleanse the palette before the main dishes.  

One of the two choices on the special prix fixe menu for the main course.  Grilled AUS wagyu over an assortment of vegetables.  I've had better steak, but this was still very good.  Vegetables were grilled well and complemented the wagyu well.  Not a large portion of meat, but that can be forgiven when so much came before it.

The other main dish option: Grilled lamp chop.  I enjoyed this more than the wagyu.  The more generous portion had something to do with it, but the lamb was just extremely tender.

The food really was almost as good to look at as it was to eat, and that's saying quite a lot.  The restaurant was relatively empty on a cloudy Sunday afternoon, but if it ever gets busy they have addition seating upstairs with a private dining room.  

Okay.. i'm really running out of things to say here.  All you need to know is that sometimes you get what you pay for, and Canoviano is one of those places.  The food in my opinion was exquisitely prepared and that was well reflected in both appearance and in the flavor of the dishes.

It is a great place for a romantic evening, or simply just a great place to enjoy a fine meal.  But again, the prices can get a bit high if one isn't careful, so let that factor into your decision before you give Canoviano a try.

Overall Canoviano receives: 

-Til Next Time- 

Truffled poached egg with shampignon Risotto.  The other risotto was much better.  This was amazing to look at, but the flavor was a little lacking,  

 Good god.  We had to order seconds of this dessert.  Under the creamy sauce was a caramel ice cream and bananas.  With little flakes of sugar.  Sometimes it just never is enough.

 Earl grey pudding with gold flakes. 

 Financier cakes to top it off.  I accidentally referred to them as corn bread upon first laying my eyes on them.  Believe when I say I was severely reprimanded by the sister for my mistake.