好嶼 HOSU — Restaurant in Da'an District

I really wanted to enjoy my experience at HOSU, but unfortunately it was a bit of a letdown for me.

I want to start off by saying that HOSU stuck true to its themes and represented Taiwanese cuisine accurately, and the concept (introduced by the chef as inspired by "Taiwanese banquet cuisine") was clear and easily understandable... perhaps too understandable? I think ultimately why I left the meal unsatisfied was because the flavors of the dishes tasted exactly like what you would find in a regular Taiwanese banquet joint. There was creativity in concept, plating, and execution with some of the dishes, but the overall flavor profile just was either too similar to regular Taiwanese dishes or just simply not flattering for me. To be honest, I don't think there was any dish that truly stood out to me :(

In terms of atmosphere, I was seated at a barstool that gave full view of the kitchen, but it wasn't the most comfortable experience in that regard as well. The restaurant also felt slightly claustrophobic with the crowded and maze-like interior. The stool was uncomfortable and made seating for a prolonged period of time unpleasant. It was nice looking at the cooking process, but the mise en place area was way too close to me (The chefs were literally preparing my food closer to me than at a Japanese omakase), and it also made service awkward since waiters had to enter the kitchen to help serve me. As a result, my teacup was often left empty. The pacing of the dishes though were pretty great, and I never felt like I was waiting too long for any dish to be served.

Here is a breakdown of the dishes for tonight: Amuse bouche: This was probably my favorite dish of the night and I love the concept of the diversity of Taiwanese cultures. However, the flavor was just alright.

Cold Dish: An aboriginal inspired sashimi dish. The tenas was almost tasteless and the entire dish just lacked flavor for me. The other cold dish with the octopus was also on the blander side for me, and it just did not taste elevated even though the plating was really pretty.

Hot Dish: The eel and sour soup tasted pretty nice, however the eel was really hard to cut with the dull knife provided and the sour soup just tasted like any other sweet and sour soup you could find. The other hot dish was a chicken wing and an abalone terrine. The chicken wing was on the tougher side and also could not be cut with the dull knife, though the taste was decent.

Main Dish 1: The roasted pork tasted quite delicious, but the skin was just a tad bit too chewy for me. This pork also came with a fun rice sampler, but the rice didn't come until I finished my pork, so I was left in an awkward situation where they served me the rice telling me that it's for the pork, but my plate was already finished. I did not like that.

Main Dish 2: Literally just a small piece of steamed fish that tasted like those whole fish dishes you would find at any Taiwanese banquet establishment, except on the blander side.

Dessert 1: A traditional Taiwanese ice cream dish. It was nice, but it tasted plain.

Dessert 2: The peanut butter, cream and granola dessert tasted pretty nice as well.

Petit four: The petit four here was pretty unique, but it really left a (literal) bitter note to the end of the meal. The last bite was a grape juice + grape jelly concoction that contained a grilled grape that tasted completely burnt and unpleasant. I really did not like this one.

All in all, I do not think HOSU has elevated Taiwanese cuisine, but provided a watered down version of what already commonly exists. If I wanted regular banquet food, I didn't have to come here to get it. I'm sure the chef has spent a lot of time and effort to come up with this concept, but unfortunately it just did not work for me.

I want to end by highlighting my favorite part of this experience, which was the Sommelier. She was friendly and lovely and was perhaps one of the only people working there that was consistently warm and smiling during service. She also gave me extra...

On July 23rd, I went back to HoSu (好嶼). This season’s feast was called Mother Land (后土) and it really stuck with me. The whole menu felt very carefully put together, but not in a showy way. Each dish, and the wine that went with it, seemed to highlight color, smell, and flavor in its own way. Sometimes the food and wine felt like they were playing solo, each standing out on their own, and other times they blended together like a duet. It made me think of how Taiwan has so many different food traditions mixed together.

The dishes that I remember the most:

Appetizer: “Shaoxing wine / Gentian Grouper” × WE Frizzante No.6 This course immediately reminded me of my grandfather. He was born in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China, but because of the war he got separated from his family and later came to Taiwan. He was the one who first taught me cooking, though honestly, most of what he knew he just figured out himself, trying to recreate the flavors he remembered from his mother. He used Shaoxing wine a lot, and also seafood — sea cucumber, grouper, ribbonfish, scallops, crabs, that sort of thing. So when I tasted this dish, I couldn’t help but think of him. The sommelier paired it with WE Frizzante No.6, a sparkling wine with notes of lemon peel, a little spice, some fruitiness, and a touch of mineral flavor. I really liked the match. Aside from the Shaoxing/grouper dish, the appetizer plate had three other small bites, each inspired by a different culture. The wine kept things refreshing and kind of "reset" my palate between them, so none of the flavors clashed. It also had this slight mineral undertone — which I personally like — that made it a nice way to start the meal.

Warm appetizer: "Marble Goby / Frog / Water Bamboo / Melons / Tofu / Rice rinse" × Dettweilerhof Sebastian No.1 Semi-Sweet Riesling I ate the frog meatball in one bite, and as I chewed, these tiny little beads popped in my mouth. It was a weird but fun texture. Later I asked the chef and found out they were finger limes, which people sometimes call "caviar of the plant world." That small twist made the dish more playful than I expected.

Transition soup (not on the menu) This soup wasn’t written on the menu. I’d call it a "transition soup," like a little pause in the middle of the meal. It came in a plain ceramic cup, no fancy decoration, just clear golden broth with a bit of oil floating on top. You could tell it had been cooked for a long time. The taste surprised me — at first a little sour and savory, then something that reminded me of old-fashioned pickling. The broth felt light, but the flavor stayed with me. Later I found out it was made with dried scallops (瑤柱) and pickled watermelon rind (西瓜綿). Simple, but...

What a truly amazing experience!

Opened a bit over a year ago, in the middle of Covid, this place is still a bit of a secret but i am sure that wont be for long as the Taiwan has opened up to visitors again and food, ambience and service at this place are nothing short of spectacular!

This is not a “fusion cuisine”!…The chef stays true to both local flavors and seasonal local ingredients, while employing the highest level of French / international cooking styles, techniques and presentation.

We had a fabulous 8-course dinner, with every plate a carefully crafted piece of art! Every dish was an absolute joy to eat with both refined, familiar flavors but also wonderful taste surprises with produce, herbs and spices from remote places in Taiwan.

It was a rare experience for me where I can happily say the presentation, quality and joy of the meal was consistent top notch from the first to the last of many wonderful plates. A truly stunning meal!

Also a big credit to the friendly and professional waiting staff who carefully explained all the dishes, where the specific ingredients came from, cooking technique and inspiration, both in Taiwanese and in English.

Now I am only worried that it may be my last meal at this fabulous place, because when this place gets properly discovered, i fear it will become impossible to get a table. But i sure will try!!

Congratulations, hat’s off,...