Lifestyle Editor
Emerson Chou
A TIDEZINE editorial byline covering daily life, destinations, hospitality and new consumer culture.
Latest Stories
A Saint-Honoré Made with Jin Xuan Tea: Ladurée's Taiwan Chef Wins Global Title, Landing at Paris Flagship This September
At Ladurée's 6th Global Pastry Chef Convention, Taiwanese pastry chef Ann Li took the top prize with a Saint-Honoré reimagined using Jin Xuan oolong. The winning creation will launch as a limited release in both Paris's Champs-Élysées and Taiwan stores this September.
How Much Water Is Just Right? Shigeo Kitade Teaches You to Make Tortillas That Puff Up Using Only Corn Flour
Shigeo Kitade, who went from DJ to restaurateur, breaks down the only two ingredients in his tortillas: corn flour and water. The key to judging quality isn't the recipe—it's whether the tortilla puffs up when it's cooked.
Shanghai's Cold Noodle Map for Beating the Heat: Korean Hamhung Naengmyeon vs. Shaanxi Liangpi, How to Choose
The same bowl of cold noodles plays by different rules at Hongqiao's Koreatown, Northeastern-style joints, and Shaanxi liangpi stalls. We've rounded up seven spots to see how starch noodles, buckwheat noodles, and sauce-tossed noodles go head-to-head in Shanghai's summer.
Thai-Style Fish Cakes at This Nishi-Azabu Bar Get Their Balloon-Like Puff From One Pot of Hot-and-Cold Frying
At "Bar Kwang" in Tokyo's Nishi-Azabu, chef Junko Hasegawa's homemade Thai-style satsuma-age relies on frozen catfish paste and a temperature-swing technique—starting low, finishing on high heat—to achieve a puffiness never seen before.
Tate Modern's Frida Menu: The Chef Spent 10 Days Retracing Paris and Mexico Before Daring to Write It
Tate Modern is staging a major Frida Kahlo exhibition, and KOL's chef Santiago Lastra didn't just whip up some exhibition-tie-in dishes—he treated the menu as part of the exhibit itself, rewriting her entire life through a full course of food.
From $12 Street Stalls to $360 Crab Roe Noodles: Two Ways to Live a Bowl of Noodles in Shanghai
NOMFLUENCE rounds up 13 must-try Shanghai noodle bowls, from late-night fried noodle carts to Crab House's golden crab noodles—a 30x price gap, yet the same city's appetite.
The First Japanese Watch from 1913, Reimagined by Seiko in Enamel and Lacquer
Seiko has launched two Presage Craftsmanship watches paying tribute to the 1913 "Laurel," recreating the same face in white enamel and black lacquer respectively. Pre-orders open August 13.
FISH BAR 250° Opens in Taipei's East District! VG Redefines "Grilled Fish" with Charcoal Fire and Fruit Sauces
VG Restaurant Group's new Western-style grilled fish restaurant weaves charcoal fire, fruit, and Western-style sauces into fish dishes—and takes better care of "dining alone" than you'd expect.
More Watches Than People: Hodinkee Happy Hour Makes Its First Move to One Vanderbilt
The real star of this happy hour wasn't the food or drinks—it was what everyone had on their wrist. From a vintage Omega to a Nike x Tudor collab, a casual happy hour turned into an impromptu wrist tour of industry taste.
Kaneko Hannosuke Skips the Tendon This Time: Its Overseas-First Tempura Counter Lands in Xinyi
Taiwanese diners know Kaneko Hannosuke for its tendon rice bowl, but the brand's Taipei debut is actually a different Nihonbashi lineup — "Tenpura Meshi." With just 20 counter seats and everything fried fresh in front of you, the standout is a 30cm conger eel and soft-boiled egg rice combo.
Thai Star Chef Pam Heads to Australia: Khao San Sek Transplants to Perth As-Is, Sydney Gets a Brand-New Concept
After completing a full renovation and menu overhaul at POTONG, chef Pichaya "Pam" Soontornyanakij has announced her Australian expansion for 2027 — signature Khao San Sek moves into Crown Perth, while Sydney gets an entirely new concept called Sek.
Deng Huadong's Two Restaurants: Grand Spread at Nanxing Yuan, True Sichuan Flavor at Deng Ji Shi Yuan
From cooking for Joël Robuchon, to Deng Huadong at Black Pearl restaurant Nanxing Yuan, to Deng Ji Shi Yuan where you can eat for 200 RMB a head — same chef, three price points, one Sichuan flavor.
Carlos Finally Has His Own Restaurant: VICE Shanghai Opens in Xuhui
Chef Carlos Sotomayor has spent years making a name for himself in Shanghai's dining scene, always as the headline act in someone else's restaurant. That changes with VICE Shanghai at No. 128 Yongjia Road — his first real stage to call his own.
Easter Comes Early, and The Portman Ritz-Carlton Is Anchoring Its Whole Brunch Spread with Brazilian-Style Roast Lamb
Easter falls on April 5 this year, and Portman's Restaurant at The Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai is rolling out a Brazilian churrasco-style roast lamb leg alongside a full carvery spread, with Peter Rabbit and hoop games on hand to keep the kids entertained.
A French-Japanese Bistro Just Opened in Shanghai's Fuxing Park — Spend ¥400 at Fuxing Project and Get a Free Seafood Platter
Fuxing Project, tucked into Shanghai's Fuxing Park nightlife enclave, has rolled out nearly ten new dinner dishes. Starting now, spend ¥400 or more and get a free seafood platter — limited to five per day, Sunday through Thursday.
Three Duffel Bags, 440 Pounds of Cotton: A Family's Handmade Bedding Project from Afghanistan Gets Stopped at Dulles Airport
A family wanted to buy cotton the traditional way to make their own bedding, but ran into a biosecurity red line at U.S. Customs. 440 pounds of raw, unprocessed cotton—seeds and all—were confiscated.
Krispy Kreme Turns Six Pokémon into Doughnuts to Celebrate the Franchise's 30th Anniversary
Krispy Kreme teams up with Pokémon for six character-themed doughnuts and collectible cups, launching August 18. Show up in Pokémon cosplay and score a free Original Glazed Doughnut too.
Linear Rainband Floods Chiba Mall's Ground Floor—Sogo Chiba, Perier Chiba to Close Temporarily on the 14th
A linear rainband formed over Chiba on the night of the 13th, triggering an Emergency Heavy Rain Warning. Sogo Chiba, Perier Chiba, and Unimo Chiharadai will all close temporarily on the 14th—though both outlet malls and Summer Sonic 2026 will proceed as scheduled.
IKEA Turns Its Chinese Name Into a "Peace Charm" With Ghost Festival Cake Pun
With Ghost Festival approaching, IKEA Taiwan drops a limited-edition "Home Blessing Charm Cake" that plays on the Chinese pun between "IKEA" (宜家) and "peace charm" (平安符), complete with a hidden puppy and a "prosperity" house on the bottom layer.
Jil Sander Reworks Two Thonet Classics — Less Stitching, More Presence
The JS . THONET collection adds two new pieces — the S 411 Lounge Chair and S 1070 Table, tracing back to prototypes from 1932 and 2004 respectively. This time, Jil Sander's approach is all about subtraction.
BB Pod Just Became a Spinning CD Player — Kojima Productions Teams Up with km5
That translucent capsule from Death Stranding 2 you had to carry so carefully has now been turned into an orange semi-transparent CD player by km5, priced at ¥25,300 and available exclusively at the Shibuya PARCO pop-up store and online.