Michelin selects 75 eateries in Taipei, Taichung on its 2020 Bib Gourmand list
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Michelin on Tuesday (Aug. 11) announced 75 winners of its 2020 Bib Gourmand awards in Taipei and Taichung.
Michelin's prestigious Bib Gourmand award is given to restaurants that offer a "quality meal" within a set price range. This year's list includes 31 restaurants and 23 food stalls in Taipei and 21 venues in Taichung, which is being covered by Michelin for the first time this year.
In creating the list, the Michelin inspectors saught "value-for-money food" and the criteria set was a "high-quality three-course meal" for the price of less than NT$1,000 (US$34). Of the 54 locations in Taipei, seven are new addresses, including North Indian restaurant Taj.
Dish featured from Yijiazi. (guide.michelin.com photo)
The guide added three eateries from Taiwan's historic Wanhua District including Yijiazi (一甲子餐飲), which sits next to the Qingshui Temple. The two other establishments, Chang Hung Noodles (昶鴻麵點) and Yuan Fang Guabao (源芳刈包), are located in the district's Huaxi Street Night Market, the remnants of what was once known as Snake Alley.
Three other "new" venues that are previous entries on the list have moved to a new address, including A Kuo Noodles (阿國切仔麵) on Jinxi Street, Chen Tung Pork Ribs Medicinal Herbs Soup (陳董藥燉排骨) at the Raohe Night Market, and Wu Wang Tsai Chi (吾旺再季) at the Nanjichang Night Market. The latter was originally called Sung Ching Taiwanese Burrito (松青潤餅).
In the new Taichung list, the guide focused on local fare, with 10 of the 21 eateries listed offering Taiwan cuisine. Michelin then highlighted Chin Chih Yuan (范記金之園), Dong Shan Zhan (東山棧), Fu Din Wang (富鼎旺), and Fu Juang Yuan (富狀元豬腳) as establishments that epitomized local Taichung tastes, while mentioning Shin Yuan (馨苑) as a place that offers "healthy Taiwanese cooking."
Grilled chicken dish at Dong Shan Zhan. (guide.michelin.com photo)
The list then recommended a number of restaurants which are set in old Taichung and offer a glimpse into Taiwan's past, such as Fu Kuei Ting (富貴亭), Orient Dragon (東方龍), Peng Cheng Tang (彭城堂), Wen Tao (溫叨), and San Hsi Shih Tang (三喜食堂). The last of these is operated in the owner-chef's private home.
In a category described as "comfort food," such as hot pot, congee, and noodles, Michelin inspectors in Taichung opted for congee at Tai Ke Meat Congee (台客燒肉粥), hot pot at Shang Niu Erh Kuan (尚牛二館), noodles at A Kun Mian (阿坤麵), noodle soup at No Name Noodles (上海未名麵點), and beef short ribs at Gubami.
Lastly, the inspectors pointed out a number of restaurants in Taichung that feature food from different parts of China, such as Lu Yuan (陸園), 1924 Shanghai (新月梧桐), Qin Yuan Chun (沁園春), Moment in Beijing (京華煙雲), and Shanghai Food (滬舍餘味). The guide also noted Chilliesine (West) as serving "authentic pan-Indian dishes."
2020 Bib Gourmand list for Taipei:
