Chef Thomas Heinrich is back at it again with more Chef Tasting Menus. This time, he focuses around Taiwanese cuisine after his recent adventures in Taiwan for Taste Taiwan Culinary Contest.
His menu isn’t trying to imitate Taiwanese cuisine, but take the flavour characteristics and put a West Coast twist to his dishes. I was a bit nervous and curious in trying the menu because I had no idea what to expect.
From January 17th till February 13th, you can indulge in the 4 course Taiwanese Tasting Menu for $45.
- Fish ball with scallion and pork dust
- Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod
- 5 spiced braised pork belly
- Pineapple cake
For an extra $20, you can have the wine pairing that go with each course.
The wines included are:
- Gray Monk Riesling
- Cedar Creek Chardonnay
- Rosemount Estate Shiraz
- Hester Creek Pinot Blank
When I think about Taiwanese cuisine and alcohol, the first thing that comes to my mind is beer. Taiwanese beer is pretty damn awesome. Having wine is a nice twist and definitely sets the mood especially with their amazing view of Burrard street. Makes it more romantic.
Complimentary bread arrived at the table and there were rolls and multigrain bread.
Fish Ball Soup with Scallion and pork dust was quite a surprise. The broth is made of ground pork and ginger. Very aromatic and full of flavour. Pretty good broth.
The fish balls were made of ling cod and scallop. Once you taste these, it will blow your mind. Normal fish balls from the grocery store don’t compare to these fish balls. The texture was light and fluffy and absorbed the broth well.
Hakka tea crusted line caught ling cod is beautifully presented. This dish also has ginger, green onion, lemon vinegar fluid gel and the peanut mochi balls. The cod was cooked perfectly and the tea was not overpowering. It added a nice subtle flavour to the fish.
My favourite part of the dish was actually the peanut mochi balls. Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside.
5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly was the ultimate test of mastering the Taiwanese flavour. It has licorice root, garlic, nutmeg, cinnamon, fennel seed and baby leeks. The pork belly was a very large portion! Once you slice some and put it in your mouth, it just melts in your mouth. The pork belly they used a good cut! The marbled layers are just beautiful.
Pineapple Cake has a kiwi sauce, black sesame ice cream and a starfruit chip.
Once you cut into the pineapple cake, the beautiful filling inside is revealed. My favourite part of this dish was the sesame ice cream, oh man, thats good stuff.
Overall, I was very impressed by the tasting menu. The way he fuses the use of fresh and local ingredients with the Taiwanese flavour profile really was a winner. M and I left really full and happy.
We Rate Mosaic: 
Address:
655 Burrard St
Vancouver, BC
Website:
http://vancouver.hyatt.com/
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