January 2020 | Vol. 50 | Issue 1 THE AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN TAIPEI IN OF COMMERCE THE AMERICAN CHAMBER WINE & DINE 2020 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS TAIWAN January 2020 | Vol. 50 | Issue 1 Vol. January 2020 | 中 華 郵 政 北 台 字 第 5000 號 執 照 登 記 為 雜 誌 交 寄 ISSUE SPONSOR Published by the American Chamber Of Read TOPICS Online at topics.amcham.com.tw NT$150 Commerce In Taipei 1_2020_Cover.indd 1 2019/12/28 下午7:13 ADVERTORIAL Japanese Kaiseki with a Taiwan Twist Takes Front and Center at ibuki aiwan was for a time the most adjusted according to the seasons, with and flavored with truffle. In between advanced colony under the the current winter menu featuring foods the pieces of lightly battered chicken sit T Japanese empire, and there is that, according to kampo – the Japanese artfully placed slices of local eggplant, a lingering affinity in Taiwan for all appropriation of traditional Chinese which add to the richness of the dish things Japanese, including its diverse medicine – raise the body’s temperature without making it too heavy. cuisine. While options for Japanese to withstand the colder weather. Next is a plate of A5-grade wagyu food in the capital Taipei are plentiful, The winter kaiseki set begins with a beef, cooked vegetables, and kanzanji not all can be considered high-quality salmon sashimi salad. The blend of raw miso, a side made from miso paste and or authentic. One place that definitely salmon and seasonal local vegetables is grains. It has a refreshingly sweet taste achieves that standard, however, is bathed in a tangy sauce of white miso that perfectly complements the tender, ibuki, Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza and pomelo. Sprinkled on top are small flavor-packed beef. Hotel’s premier Japanese restaurant, cubes of clear jelly made by refriger- The final main dish features Taiwan- now under the leadership of Chef Nori- ating a slow-cooked bonito fish broth ese king crab and uni (Japanese sea hisa Maeda from Osaka. overnight. The dish packs a surprisingly urchin) from the northern island of Chef Maeda, whose kitchen expe- zesty kick, dancing delightfully on the Hokkaido, laid on top of a thick soup rience spans three decades and five tongue. of sticky rice and a stock made from different locations throughout Asia, Seafood is another area that Taiwan kombu seaweed. The seaweed, says says that his experience sourcing ingre- is known for internationally, and locally Maeda, gives the dish umami, a Japa- dients in Taiwan has been eye-opening. caught seafood is featured in the second nese description for savory foods that “When I was cooking in Hong Kong course, a fresh sashimi platter. It is has made its way into international and Macau, I had to order 90 to 95% followed by an oblong plate of Japa- cooking vocabulary. of my ingredients from Japan because nese-style fried chicken steeped in a A typical Hokkaido dessert of milk the quality of the local vegetables was clear sauce thickened with kudzu starch pudding – topped with diced and puréed not so high,” he says. But in Taiwan persimmon –completes the meal. The set he found that the caliber and variety of is served with a complimentary glass of locally grown produce is so good that Gassan Izumo Junmai Ginjo sake. now “almost 80% of the ingredients I The nuance and innovation on use here are locally sourced.” display in Chef Maeda’s kaiseki meals To showcase his approach of using reflects his philosophy that in order to mostly Taiwanese ingredients to produce continue making excellent food, chefs novel yet genuine Japanese dishes, Chef must constantly learn and discover, Maeda has crafted a versatile menu applying their new knowledge to their for ibuki, focusing on the traditional culinary endeavors. However, the set meal known as kaiseki. In previ- number one priority for him is making ous times, kaiseki was reserved mostly his customers happy. His exquisitely for the country’s nobility, but over the designed kaiseki sets leave no doubt centuries has come to be enjoyed by all that guests at ibuki will leave feeling classes. The contents of the dishes are fully satisfied. TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 3 1 shangrila.indd 3 2019/12/30 上午9:36 CONTENTS 7 President’s View My favorite greasy chopstick joint By William Foreman JANUARY 2020 VOLUME 50, NUMBER 1 一○九年一月號 9 Taiwan’s Top 10 Unique Foods 發行人 Publisher Odd, unusual, or just different, William Foreman 傅維廉 the country’s cuisine is perfectly Editor-in-Chief 總編輯 Don Shapiro 沙蕩 capable of delighting and sur- Deputy Editor 副總編輯 prising in equal measure. Jeremy Olivier 歐嘉仁 By Jules Quartly Art Director/ 美術主任/ Production Coordinator 後製統籌 12 Not Your Traditional Katia Chen 陳國梅 Agriculture Manager, Publications Sales & Marketing 廣告行銷經理 Caroline Lee 李佳紋 Specialist farmers in Taiwan are concentrating on such niche areas as snails, deer antlers, and “red quinoa.” American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei 129 MinSheng East Road, Section 3, By Steven Crook and Katy Hui-Wen 7F, Suite 706, Taipei 10596, Taiwan Hung P.O. Box 17-277, Taipei, 10419 Taiwan Tel: 2718-8226 Fax: 2718-8182 e-mail: [email protected] website: http://www.amcham.com.tw 16 A Taste of the Village: 名稱：台北市美國商會工商雜誌 Experiencing Taipei’s Juan 發行所：台北市美國商會 臺北市10596民生東路三段129號七樓706室 Cun Restaurants 電話：2718-8226 傳真：2718-8182 A handful of Taipei eateries look Taiwan Business Topics is a publication of the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. Contents are to preserve the culture, atmo- independent of and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Officers, Board of Governors, Supervisors or members. sphere, and – most importantly © Copyright 2020 by the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei, ROC. All rights reserved. Permission to reprint original – the flavors of Taiwan’s once- material must be requested in writing from AmCham. Production done in-house, Printing by Farn Mei Printing Co., Ltd. ubiquitous veterans’ villages. 登記字號：台誌第一零九六九號 印刷所：帆美印刷股份有限公司 By Jeremy Olivier 經銷商：台灣英文雜誌社 台北市108台北市萬華區長沙街二段66號 發行日期：中華民國一○九年一月 中華郵政北台字第5000號執照登記為雜誌交寄 19 A Culinary Tour of Taiwan ISSN 1818-1961 A good way to become more familiar with Taiwan’s geography OFFICERS Chair: C.W. Chin is to acquaint oneself with the Vice Chairs: Fupei Wang, Timothy Shields Secretary: Seraphim Ma specialty food items of places Treasurer: Al Chang around the island. 2019-2020 Governors: Al Chang, Albert Chang, Seraphim Ma, Jan-Hendrik By Mark Caltonhill Meidinger, Paulus Mok. 2018-2019 Governors: Mark Chen, C.W. Chin, Timothy Shields, Gina Tsai, Fupei Wang, Angela Yu. 27 The True Story of Q 2020 Supervisors: Mark Horng, Stephen Tan, Terry Tsao. What does it mean for a food to COMMITTEES: Agro-Chemical/ Melody Wang; Asset Management/ be described as “Q” and what is Eric Lin, Angela Yang, Derek Yung; Banking/ Paulus the derivation? Mok; Capital Markets/ Mandy Huang, Eric Jai, C.P. Liu; Chemical Manufacturers/ Charles Liang, Michael Wong; By Jules Quartly Cosmetics/ Shirley Chen, Abigail Lin; Defense/ Manohar Thyagaraj; Digital Economy/ Max Chen, Renee Chou, Tai Chi Chuan; Energy/ Randy Tsai; Human Resources/ Christine Chen, Carmen Law, David Tsai; Infrastructure/ 23 Global Food Crazes Find 30 Eating Our Way Through Wayne Chin, Paul Lee; Insurance/ KT Lim, Mandy Shih, Hualien Linda Tsou; Intellectual Property & Licensing/ Jason Chen, Fans in Taipei Peter Dernbach, Vincent Shih; Marketing & Distribution/ Wei Hsiang; Medical Devices/ Louis Ko, Jeffrey Wang, From smashed avocados to The scenic eastern county offers Joanne Yao; Pharmaceutical/ Justin Chin, Rie Nakajima, a wide variety of Hakka, Hoklo, Shuhei Sekiguchi; Public Health/ Joyce Lee, Sophia Lee, beetroot lattes, the city’s restau- Tim Shields; Real Estate/ Tony Chao; Retail/ Ceasar Chen, rants and cafes are catching on and indigenous foods. Mark Chen, Peggy Liao; Sustainable Development Goals/ Kenny Jeng, Lume Liao, Cosmas Lu, Fupei Wang, Kernel to the latest international eating By Steven Crook and Katy Hui-Wen Wang; Tax/ Heidi Liu, Cheli Liaw; Technology/ Cynthia Hung Chyn, Stella Lai, Angela Yu; Telecommunications & Media/ trends. Thomas Ee, David Shin, Joanne Tsai; Transportation & Logistics/ (tba); Travel & Tourism/ Gina Tsai, Jason Yeh, By Dinah Gardner Fiona Yuan. COVER PHOTO: COURTESY OF GRAND HYATT 4 TAIWAN BUSINESS TOPICS • JANUARY 2020 1_20Contents.indd 4 2019/12/28 下午7:14 JANUARY 2020 • VOLUME 50 NUMBER 1 COVER SPONSOR 34 Tapping into Taipei’s Newfound Love of Draft Booze A guide to some of the city’s busi- est, best, and most unusual tap- rooms. By Dinah Gardner Grand Hyatt Taipei Where Unique Experiences Become Everlasting Memories 38 A Taste for Great Service As the Ko Hospitality Group opens Grand Hyatt Taipei, located directly next to the world famous it first U.S. restaurant, CEO Stan landmark Taipei 101 in Xinyi District, the most cosmopolitan and Ko talks about the family business wealthiest district of Taipei, is the first and the largest international and why he’s fiercely dedicated to 5-star hotel in Taiwan. the dining experience. Reprinted from Columbia Business Since 1990, Grand Hyatt Taipei has been a trendsetter and Taiwan magazine. hospitality icon for fostering innovations, setting industry stan- 42 Catching Up After Five Years dards and developing talents for nearly 3 decades. A team of over Away 1,000 caring and devoting individuals, united by the same pur- pose of “caring so that you can be your best”, passionately deliv- After living in Taiwan for two ers personalized and meaningful experiences that go beyond the decades, regular Wine & Dine con- expected journey. tributor Mark Caltonhill returned to his native UK at the end of 2013. Now he’s back and looking at what From a wide variety of internationally-certified dining options has changed on the food scene.