An 18th century French gastronome once said that the discovery of a new dish does more for the happiness of the human race than the discovery of a new star, and the menu at Sky Garden gives life to this quote. In fact, it reads more like a fairy tale about the love affair between man and food than a bill of fare. And if you’re at all obsessed with Thai food, and its abundance of zesty, pungent flavors, then you’ll be all over Sky Garden’s fusion menu of Thai, Sichuan, Malaysian, Japanese and Taiwanese tastes.
Stepping into the dining room feels like walking into Alice’s wonderland, and it’s clear that a lot of effort went into creating this world. Much of the seating is dramatically regal having been upholstered in plush purple velvet, and the rest of it is purposely mismatched giving off a vintage vibe. Oversized baroque-style mirrors ornament the grey brick walls and plenty of foliage dangles from the ceiling, lending even the interior a Garden of Eden atmosphere. The lighting is soft and beautifully complimented by candlelight throughout.
The abutting heated terrace is of equal size to the dining room, and rivals the W Hotel’s deck in terms of atmosphere, sophistication and creativity — striking blue and red lighting amid white fairy lights, with avant-garde finishing’s and two grand VIP tents that provide vistas of the shopping district. Both areas have been bustling each time I’ve been to Sky Garden, and considering they haven’t officially launched yet, that says something about the quality of food and service.
Photo: Olivia Wycech
Firepower is present in most of the Thai dishes but in exactly the right proportions. The only dish that made someone at my table sweat was the raw shrimp with garlic and chili sauce (NT$300). The bite-sized morsels have some serious kick to them, but they are simultaneously bracing with a vivid citrusy sauce making it one of my favorites. While usually served dry and sparse, the handmade Thai shrimp pancake (NT$300) is made fresh to order and is delightfully springy while also being densely packed with shrimp.
The eggplant with Chinese basil in a clay pot (NT$280) was lacking in flavor compared to everything else we tried, making the fried tofu with garlic soy sauce (NT$220) a better veggie choice. The tofu sits marinating in a soup of savory soy sauce that’s saturated with onions, chili, and garlic, and is best eaten atop rice so you don’t waste a single drop of such a palatable sauce.
The Thai-style steamed sea bass with lemon sauce (NT$380) came served still broiling over a flame, the fish lavished with cilantro and swimming in a pool of lemon soup that gives the dish its zing. The fish is tender and fell apart before it even hit my mouth and I had to scoop it up with a spoon. This was a table favorite on both occasions.
Photo: Olivia Wycech
Fusion is always fun because blending the best of different cultures can yield pleasant surprises. I could not stop talking about the red curry with coconut milk lasagna (NT$260). Rather than tomato sauce, this Italian style dish is given a Thai treatment by layering chicken and eggplant in a rich red coconut curry sauce.
It was hard to choose from the many types of meat, but on my first trip I went on the servers recommendation and tried the grilled sirloin beef (NT$280). The thinly sliced delicate slices of beef came served with a lemon grass sauce for dipping, but only because I asked for it, which was more inspiring than the red hot pepper chicken (NT$320) I had on my second trip. By comparison, it was again just one of the dishes that lacked much depth, but the heaps of fried garlic and chilies that are strewn about the dish wakes it up.
It is culturally encouraged to share all your dishes, so order as many as fit on the table, but leave one spot for dessert and try the sweet deep fried dumplings (NT$220). There are six in total and are stuffed with bananas, chocolate, and apples.
Photo: Olivia Wycech
Photo: Olivia Wycech
Photo: Olivia Wycech Photo: Olivia Wycech
March 24 to March 30 When Yang Bing-yi (楊秉彝) needed a name for his new cooking oil shop in 1958, he first thought of honoring his previous employer, Heng Tai Fung (恆泰豐). The owner, Wang Yi-fu (王伊夫), had taken care of him over the previous 10 years, shortly after the native of Shanxi Province arrived in Taiwan in 1948 as a penniless 21 year old. His oil supplier was called Din Mei (鼎美), so he simply combined the names. Over the next decade, Yang and his wife Lai Pen-mei (賴盆妹) built up a booming business delivering oil to shops and
Indigenous Truku doctor Yuci (Bokeh Kosang), who resents his father for forcing him to learn their traditional way of life, clashes head to head in this film with his younger brother Siring (Umin Boya), who just wants to live off the land like his ancestors did. Hunter Brothers (獵人兄弟) opens with Yuci as the man of the hour as the village celebrates him getting into medical school, but then his father (Nolay Piho) wakes the brothers up in the middle of the night to go hunting. Siring is eager, but Yuci isn’t. Their mother (Ibix Buyang) begs her husband to let
The Taipei Times last week reported that the Control Yuan said it had been “left with no choice” but to ask the Constitutional Court to rule on the constitutionality of the central government budget, which left it without a budget. Lost in the outrage over the cuts to defense and to the Constitutional Court were the cuts to the Control Yuan, whose operating budget was slashed by 96 percent. It is unable even to pay its utility bills, and in the press conference it convened on the issue, said that its department directors were paying out of pocket for gasoline
On March 13 President William Lai (賴清德) gave a national security speech noting the 20th year since the passing of China’s Anti-Secession Law (反分裂國家法) in March 2005 that laid the legal groundwork for an invasion of Taiwan. That law, and other subsequent ones, are merely political theater created by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to have something to point to so they can claim “we have to do it, it is the law.” The president’s speech was somber and said: “By its actions, China already satisfies the definition of a ‘foreign hostile force’ as provided in the Anti-Infiltration Act, which unlike
RSS