JL STUDIO — Restaurant in Taichung

JL STUDIO is a fascinating and elegant restaurant whose experience felt slightly impeded by its hefty price and slightly less-than-desired service quality.

I want to start off by saying that the restaurant indeed lives up to its name: a comprehensive reinterpretation of classic Singaporean dishes (with culinary fusion elements spanning over at least 5 countries) using local Taiwanese produce. As the meal progressed, I also became progressively more impressed with the flavor and creativity of each dish. With that said, I do believe that with a price of 5880 + 880 for a wagyu upgrade + 10% service charge, the meal did not feel like it matched the price of over 7000 NTD. I would have given this a 5/5 star if it were closer to around 4000 for this meal.

With that said, I also understand that it is a 3-michelin star restaurant and thus may be pricier than other 1 or 2 star establishments. However, the service that I received didn't feel as refined/comfortable compared to some of those establishments that I have been to. For example, I constantly felt like a waiter was watching me eat since there's usually one of them on stand-by close to me throughout the entirety of the meal. The waiters on average also felt to me either a little less trained or a tad bit awkward when it came to their presentation of each dish.

Here's a quick summary of my impressions of each dish: Amberjack starter: A decently appetizing starter that provided a light yet potent acidity and umami flavor. I was pleasantly surprised with how aromatic the drops of shrimp oil were, but the amberjack flavors felt overpowered by the sauce.

Shrimp: The shrimp was cooked beautifully, but I don't think I was able to fully understand the satay inspiration of the dish due to the sauce being too light. The veggies on the side felt like an afterthought and the fried shrimp head was the best part of the dish - light, crunchy, fresh, and intensely flavorful.

Fish: I really enjoy this dish and the fish was soft and tender. The flavors of hainan chicken rice absolutely shine through, though I think the lightness of the fish itself gave the dish slightly less satisfaction compared to if it were just chicken.

Abalone and mushrooms + Bah Kut Teh soup: What an umami bomb of a dish! The abalone and mushrooms were so flavorful and delicious and the soup is exactly what the perfect bah kut teh would taste like. However, the shell underneath the abalone and mushrooms was damp, chewy, and didn't feel nice to eat at all.

Lobster Laksa: What a fun dish that encapsulates the flavors of laksa! The lobster had just the right amount of bite and the foam broth felt like the essence of laksa. Cuttlefish replacing the noodles was a creative touch, but the texture of the cuttlefish was a little too chewy and squishy to my liking.

Indian veggie/tomato salad: This surprise dish was absolutely incredible. The combination of masala, cheese, tomato, and other elements was something I've never had before and was perfectly balanced. The texture was also amazing with these little crunchy bits that I couldn't identify. This dish is what I came for, and it got me a lot more excited for my meal.

Wagyu rendang + aloo pakora + acar + rice: This dish is basically PERFECT. The fusion of all the elements was absolutely insane and worked perfectly well together. The wagyu is melt-in-your-mouth and, funnily enough, the biggest highlight is the little bowl of rice. The most perfectly cooked bowl of rice imaginable that tied everything together.

Dragonfruit sorbet: Very standard, nothing to really comment about.

Chocolate Sphere: Delicious! It was fun breaking down the sphere and enjoying each element within.

Petite fours (kaya toast and egg + rose sphere + cake): The kaya toast egg was pretty creative and fun and the rose sphere is pleasantly refreshing and full of rose aroma.

I tried both the tea and the coffee, and I personally think the tea is a much better choice! The combination of herbs stuck closely to the themes of the meal and was a...

I was disappointed; a little bit by the food but majorly by the service I received. I had booked JL Studio even before it got the Michelin stars. I became a fan after going to Chope Chope Eatery in Taipei (another restaurant by JL) in July and the positive experience made me decide to take a day trip to Taichung to dine at JL Studio. Between booking and the actual dining, the Michelin Guide announced JL Studio winning two stars and I was glad that I had the foresight to book the restaurant. Although the price went up from the time of booking to it gaining the stars.

Service: I wish the wait staff would be more open to having a dialogue about the dishes and the food. In general, the wait staff didn't live up to what you would expect from a 2-star restaurant. They weren't particularly knowledgeable about the food and also didn't seem experienced. For example, one of the explanations included a note that the milk used was from Miaoli. So I asked, what's so special about milk from Miaoli. The wait staff simply said it's a local small farm. (But how does it enhance the food? Do they use any special method like the milk from Chulu? Is it particularly creamy or has any kind of selling point?) And I would have hoped for a little bit more story. Later on, we asked about the origin and taste of after-meal coffee, the staff member also didn't have an answer (it's from someplace in South America but she wasn't sure where and made no explanation on the flavors we would expect).

Another service incident was upon entering we were seated at the table by the wall. And since both I and my friend are the analytical types, we began to talk about the different details about the restaurant. As we were chatting among ourselves, some of our conversations seemed to be overheard by the wait staff. My friend who was facing the door noticed that our two wait staff got called over by the lady who appeared to be the maitre d to the kitchen. And upon returning, the lady glanced at our table. The look made my friend uncomfortable since it was obvious to her that they were talking about us. I don't know if our analysis made it seem like we were tough customers, but we were not causing any trouble by making unreasonable requests.

Food: Some of the dishes were quite creative. I thought the appetizers were quite nice. Little India was also particularly well done (other than my Indian doughnut being doughy in some parts). But perhaps because of the price going up, the last dish before the desserts was artisan bread with butter. I asked the wait staff that since every dish had some Singaporean tie, what's the significance of the bread to the overall meal. She said it's just in case you still weren't full then you can munch on bread. Somehow the bread just seemed like a last-minute add on with no particular stories to the overall set. The overall storyline was interrupted by bread, if they want to ensure the guests left feeling full, would not some spin that fit the theme like laksa or Singaporean fried rice not work? Putting bread at the end just seemed out of place.

Overall, there were highlights in the food, but some other finer details made the experience unpleasant. The wait staff needs retraining in knowledge and in customer service. The food should stick more consistently to the theme and half hazard throw in an unrelated bread. And if you want to talk about the customers, please at least do so discretely or wait for the customer to leave then...

I had the pleasure of dining here on 4/4, we were met by a courteous staff at the front door and led to our table on the second floor. Besides the wait time until our reservation, we were escorted at every turn until we were seated, which was a nice touch and something that demonstrated the attention to detail that JL Studio offers. Upon being seated we were then greeted by our hostess for the meal, Sharon. She was exceptionally knowledgable and answered each of our inquiries with patience and professionalism. She was thorough and asked us if we had any dietary restrictions or preferences which she was able to accommodate, even halfway through the meal when I noticed on the tasting menu that there was something I didn't like. Sharon exhibited outstanding attention to detail, knowing exactly when during a conversation to set plates and when to refill our glasses, which I noticed since I saw her in a holding pattern with our refills while my companion and I were engaged in a conversation. The tasting menu was exquisite and even more exciting than anticipated, drawing from inspiration from Singapore, Jimmy crafted a delicate and elaborate menu which truly combined all aspects of Singaporean cuisine: elements that swirled you though the ocean and brought the flavorful freshness of the sea paired with lush greens that delivered you back to land, with reduction crafted from all aspects of the food itself, nothing was let to waste, a true virtuous art that encompasses Asian home cooking. Jimmy also demonstrated the complexity of Singapore with different elements from cultural cuisines found sprinkled across Singapore, with Indian spices and curry coupled with pumpkin bread showcasing the sharpness of the spices gently eased in with the depth of the loaf. The sous vide Wagyu with a sear finish was to die for, perfectly capturing the full range of taste from the beautiful cut partnered with traditional Singaporean seasoning, bringing this French technique home with a brilliant touch of cheekiness with green Samba hidden underneath perfectly touched zucchini. The coconut rice that accompanied was as delightful as it was essential to balance flavoring. No Singaporean chef worth their salt would forget to put Bak Kut Teh on the menu, and Jimmy did not only that but also exceeded expectations when he put a twist on a traditionally heavier dish: the core elements were all present and accounted for, while the traditional sides exchanged for a playful combination of mushrooms that provided the texture while keeping the dish light. The desserts proved to be not only Instagrammable but also irresistible, the plating and presentation showed color and warmth, even with the nitrogen flash frozen coconut which was a genius stroke(or spoonful if you will). The meal which was out of this world, could not have been complete without Sharon, who provided top notch service, and expert knowledge on the wine parings. Our experience at JL Studio has been an absolute delight, thanks to you. To Jimmy, Sharon and the whole staff at JL Studio, thank you for allowing us to be part of such a monumental culinary journey; I am certain my partner and I will be back for more, insatiably waiting for Jimmy Lin's next...