Shi-Yang: Combining Aesthetics and Cuisine in New Taipei

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Our sashimi bowl arrived on ice with a garnish of fern and Venus fly trap! Broccoli, carrot, bamboo and baked eggplant joined Italian vinaigrette dipping sauce; baby squid enjoyed a squeeze of calamansi; ahi and leek appeared on soy skin-wrapped bean sprouts; scallop teamed with black olive, uni graced a thatch of seaweed. Still, this plate was fairly bland and ultimately ill-conceived, since when the ice started to melt, the fish got waterlogged.

At least one great thing came from this course, a local superstition about eggplant, which apparently saps manliness. As our guide said, “Who has the courage to be minimized?”

Black mushroom puree and vinegar acted as a palate cleanser and to aid digestion.

Grilled prawn touted sweet chile pistachio sauce, roasted squash crisp sticky rice and fish roe.

Very good (and tender) abalone did a ridealong on rice flecked with mushroom and green vegetable. Shi-Yang plated the delicacy with black bean soy sauce, thick shiitake mushroom trunk and floppy wood ear.

A dramatic chicken soup hosted a blooming lotus flower. My tablemate said, “Wow the smell is good.” Agreed. Shi-Yang cooks a broth for 24 hours with pork and shrimp bone, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ginkgo and yellow beans. Eat the broth first, then the key ingredients.

According to our guide, “You need some fruit and something sweet at the end. Otherwise, a banquet is not perfect.” We were happy to oblige our hosts.

Lotus tea with dried lotus flower aids tranquility and cleanses the palate after greasy food. Murky mung bean soup with rice balls don’t have the same effect, but they were comforting.

Our guides instructed us to start with less sweet fruit first, then gain in intensity, so we went fibrous pear, pineapple, watermelon.

We may have received a government discount, but this meal cost only NT$ 1210, plus 10% tip, about $45, which is remarkable considering Shi-Yang brings a level of serenity that isn’t normally found during meals. Shi-Yang’s not just a restaurant, it’s an escape.

Note: My visit to Shi-Yang was part of a government sponsored tour to promote Food Culture in Taiwan.

Address: No. 7, Lane 350, Sec. 3, Xi Wan Road, Xi Zhi District New Taipei City, Taiwan