Eating in and on Clouds at Restaurant A // Taipei, Taiwan

The most anticipated opening in Taipei last year, Chef Alain Huang’s Restaurant A opened on September 16, 2023, and serves fine-dining French food made with Asian techniques and influences (book here).

Chef Alain ran Taipei’s famous restaurant Raw (founded in 2014 by Singaporean chef André Chiang) for seven years, and achieved its two Michelin stars in 2019. He left in 2021, taking a break until recently, when he started his first solo restaurant, Restaurant A. He spent two and a half years working on the project, partnering with eleven artists to design everything from the aprons he wears to the plates on the table.

Ambience

This interior of this almost brand new restaurant is immaculate. Bright, airy, sophisticated, and filled with art, the space is the perfect cross between restaurant/cafe and art gallery. The large champagne bar, called Alcoholiday, is separated from the entrance foyer by beautiful glass doors rimmed in gold. And on the other side of the large bar is the dining room, through which you can see the kitchen.

Chef Alain and his team wanted to create the sensation of being in a cloud, and all the materials used in the walls, ceiling, furniture, and dinnerware turn this dream into a reality.

The Menu

The menu is a surprise, delivered to you at the end of the meal. The watercolor decorations are done by artist Gary Tu, and, every season it changes, Gary draws new designs for the team. It’s beautiful, and a lovely end to an unforgettable meal.

Drink Pairings

Mont Blanc La Blanche (right, alcoholic) & A La Cuvée Blanc 1223 (left, non-alcoholic, Calamansi Osmanthus / Verus)

After a very disappointing drink pairing at Coast, I was not particularly excited for the drink pairing here. But I was very pleasantly surprised. The champagne smelled and tasted like champagne — fruity, aromatic, delicious. It was one of the best non-alcoholic drinks I’ve ever had. The beer was also quite good. Surprisingly refreshing, sparkling, and and aromatic.

Marc Kreydenweiss Kritt Pinot Blanc (left, alcoholic) & Pilsner (right, nonalcoholic, Bitter Melon / Pine / Guava)

The wine was light, crisp, and airy, and really smelled delicious. One of the best whites I’ve had in a long while. The beer surprised me even more. I couldn’t believe they made this from fruit. It was very tasty.

Le Nid Moulin-a-Vent “Cuvée Tradition” (left, alcoholic) & AFFINÉ (right, nonalcoholic, Oak / Berries / Spices)

You can see the color differences in the two drinks, and I thought both reds were such beautiful colors. The Le Nid was okay, and though the Affiné reminded me of Christmas, with its spices and oak scent, it was also just okay.

Canapés

BOUCHON 軟木塞 — SALTY
Comté / Chestnut / Nutmeg (康堤起司 / 鹹 / 荳蔻)

The canapés at the beginning are a quintet, with distinct flavors that walk you through the five elements of taste. They start with salty and finish on umami.

The opening was a masterpiece: one of the best bites of food I’ve ever had. We were told to pick out the cork from the pile (proof of how much this looked like a real cork), and the flavors were out of this world. Rich, savory, and playful, with “Taipei, Taiwan” imprinted on the side. I could have just eaten this all meal. (20/20)

PARMENTIER 甘梅甜薯魚卵塔 — SWEETNESS & ACIDITY
Rillette & Roe / Umeboshi / Yam (鱒鮭魚卵 / 酸 / 台農57號甜薯)

It was hard to follow that savory cork, but this plum tart delivered. The pastry was the perfect thickness, and it was sour with a burst of delightful flavor. (16/20)

BISQUE 章魚南瓜沙拉 — BITTER
Octopus / Pumpkin Praline / Stracciatella (章魚 / 苦 / 粟子南瓜)

Again, so impressed by the translucent crisp here. It was a burst of fresh flowers and salad in your mouth, followed by crunchiness. I liked this the least of the appetizers, but it was still a delight. (14/20)

SOUP AND BREAD 蕈菇咖啡與甜甜圈 — UMAMI
Mushroom Cappuccino / Truffle Doughnut (蕈菇 / 鮮 / 松露)

Mushroom Cappuccino

I was afraid M wouldn’t like this because of the strong mushroom flavor, but he found it tolerable and still tasty. That says a lot. I also thought it was also quite clever to turn a cappuccino into a savory, umami soup. (15/20)

The Truffle Doughnut

We were warned that this was served very hot, and that was no exaggeration. It squirted almost too hot liquid when you bit in, even after we waited a while to eat it, and there was no way to take two bits of this one. However, the flavors were on-point and it didn’t quite burn us, so the sins are forgiven. The smell of it too — mmmm…. (18/20)

Drip Coffee

M didn’t have coffee the morning we went to Restaurant A, so asked for coffee 3 appetizers in. They serve a coffee or tea as part of the menu at the end of the meal, so they just moved his forward. The coffee was delicious, freshly ground and fragrant, and they didn’t give him a hard time about asking for it early. (15/20)

Amuse-Bouche

A LA NEIGE 雪白
Caviar / White Asparagus / Parsley (魚子醬 / 白蘆筍/ 巴西里)

For this course, we were presented with this colorful box of glass spoons, handmade in Spain, and asked to select one with which to eat. This was a lovely little touch.

The amuse-bouche itself tasted very Taiwanese: a cold, ice cream center, wrapped in a soybean-based exterior. I don’t love the flavor of Taiwanese soybean or parsley, however, so this one didn’t hit home for me. But it was well-executed, very pretty to look at, and they scooped the caviar table-side. (13/20, M thought 15/20)

Starter

SALADE NOIRE 墨舞-槍烏賊的黑與白
Confit Squid / Squid Garum / Mustard Leaves (槍烏賊 / 香草墨汁 / 芥菜苗)

When the chef carried over the plate of food and set it on the trolley next to us, I got so excited! There’s nothing quite like being served by the founding chef of a restaurant. His partner was also the one who gave us the explanation, which made it even more special.

This dish was made to match this painting, and though it was initially difficult to tell it apart from a dark handful of salad, there was a rich bed of noodles and squid under the leaves, and, once mixed, was quite beautiful. The spiciness was a nice touch, and the flavors of the squid were fantastic. (17/20)

Mains

CHOWDER 碧水-巧達的平行時空
Seared Scallop Cabbage / Horseradish (鮮干貝 / 燻魚高麗 /辣根)

I was shocked when I brought my first bite to my mouth because it smelled so good. The rich, smokiness of the scallop paired well with the perfectly cooked risotto hiding under the foam. This course reminded me of The Fat Duck’s seashell course. Unfortunately, the first bite was tastier than the rest, or it would have scored higher. (15/20)

BOURGUIGNON 紅酒可可燉牛頰
Wagyu Cheek / Cocoa Nib / Citrus salad (和牛頰 /可可牛酥 /茴香柑橘沙拉)

The main main was a very heavy, rich, fatty, wagyu beef cheek, which paired nicely with the red wines. Excellently executed, no surprises. Exactly what you’d expect from the dish. (15/20)

This accompanying bread, though, might have been the star. The butter was sour cream butter with leek, and the bread was warm, buttery, fragrant, and melt-in-your-mouth. The kind of bread the steams when opened, crispy on the outside and spongy on the inside. Some of the best brioche I’ve ever had. It also sopped up the sauce on the Bourguignon perfectly. (18/20)

Dessert

VODKA LIME 皙徹 - 喚醒晨間的萊姆伏特加
Soursop / Aloe Vera / Vodka Lime (釋迦 / 萊姆蘆薈 / 伏特加)

This was a delightful palate cleanser, as far as palate cleansers go. A refreshing lime that was reminiscent of the soybean dish in appearance, though not in flavor. (15/20)

FRAISIER 草莓芙蓮
Fromage Blanc / Strawberries / Elderflower (白乳酪慕斯 /草莓百卉/ 接骨木晶凍)

This was so good. A spongecake, covered with frozen fromage blanc, which started melting before it landed on our table. That creaminess offset the tartness from the strawberry. Not too sweet, and lots of textures. (18/20)

The accompanying shiso drink was ok. Very light and paired well, though in our love for the strawberry, we forgot to drink it until we had finished our dessert. (14/20)

Petite Fours 

CAFE GOURMANDE 咖啡茶點
Cardamon Cannelé (綠荳蔻可麗露)

The penultimate finale of the course were these cannelés which Taiwan seems very fond of. They were nice and sticky on the outside, and properly sized. (14/20)

Herbal Tea

The final “course” was tea, and this fresh, herbal tea was absolutely fantastic. It was aromatic, floral, and reminded us that Taiwan really does tea better than any other place on earth. (16/20)

Service

Toward the end of the meal, we began chatting extensively with one of our servers, Gladys, who co-opened the restaurant with Chef Alain and is the operating director of Restaurant A. Her English is impeccable and she made us feel so at home at the restaurant.

We also met Chef Alain. Beyond serving us, he came to chat with us briefly and told us a bit about the restaurant and the dinnerware, which I was particularly interested in. I love meeting the chef. It takes a dining experience from good to magical. They then gave us a tour of the restaurant and showed us the chefs table in the kitchen, surrounded by cookbooks of chefs all over the world.

The rest of the service was also very well done. It was perfectly paced, we transitioned from the cafe/Alcoholiday space to the dining room seamlessly after our canapés, and our utensils and glasses were cleared in good time. I cannot overstate our experience here, and how we left absolutely glowing. (19/20)

Bathroom

On the other side of the lobby is the bathroom, as elegant as the dining room and supplied with towels, lotion, and a hair-dryer. This could almost be a salon, and was clearly as well-considered as everything else here. (19/20)

Final Thoughts

Restaurant A represents the best of fine dining in Taipei. Everything from the room to the dinnerware to the menu has been thoroughly considered and beautifully executed. It feels like a luxury experience the moment you walk off the private lift and into the reception. I cannot imagine this restaurant not getting one if not two stars in the next Michelin rating.

Alcoholiday (the front reception area) is also a cafe/bar during the day, where you can enjoy the space for a minimum spend of NT$700 (plus 10% service charge).

We paid NTD$10,670, or $337.81 ($168.90pp), for a lunch set menu that included a drink pairing. The dinner tasting is more expensive, but includes more courses (12 vs lunch’s 8). I think this is outstanding value in the Taipei fine dining scene. To conclude, I’d say food was 16/20, ambience was 20/20, service was 19/20, and value for money was 20/20. Overall, 18/20.