The First Day We Got Our Stars: Ryogo Tahara

"Freshly anointed with one MICHELIN star in the MICHELIN Guide Taipei 2019, this Taipei restaurant is the sister to Hiroyasu Kawate’s two-star Florilège and was conceived as a study of Asia—its name nods to the suffix “-logy” and also evokes roji, the Japanese word for alley, reflecting its charming location. Led by former Florilège sous chef Ryogo Tahara, the space mirrors its Tokyo sibling with a 13-seat L-shaped bar and a slightly lower open kitchen to maximize chef–guest interaction. The cuisine pushes beyond Florilège’s Japanese-meets-French approach to freely incorporate diverse Asian flavors; the 10-course tasting menu changes every two months, yet two signatures endure: a memorable chawanmushi built on warm steamed egg with a dollop of Angelica ice cream and finished with beef broth, and a final petit four of fresh aiyu jelly, coconut, and sweet–tart cocoa juice—an idea sparked by discovering fresh cocoa pulp juice in Nantou. Tahara even skipped the gala the morning the stars were announced to return to host guests, underscoring the team’s commitment to hospitality and to sharing their cuisine with the world." - MICHELIN Guide Taipei Editorial Team