SHOWEI Opens in Taipei: A NT$3,500 Seven-Course Menu, from Wild-Green Tacos to Bubble-Tea Soufflé

New restaurant SHOWEI opened in Taipei’s Zhongshan District in October. Chef Adam Chiu starts with memories of Taiwanese food, using French technique to rearrange ingredients and forms. The first-season seven-course menu costs NT$3,500 per person plus 10%, with an additional off-menu dish of hot-oil noodles. A wild-green and fried-smelt taco, charcoal-grilled quail and bubble-tea soufflé let familiar flavours reappear in different textures.

From a noodle stall to professional kitchens: how does memory enter the menu?

Chiu grew up learning about cooking at his family’s noodle stall. He later interned at Paris 1930, worked with live fire and charcoal at NKU, and encountered cross-cultural cooking at Impromptu by Paul Lee. The brand describes its direction as “French technique, Taiwanese memory”: French control of heat and sauces provides a way to handle ingredients, while Taiwan’s seasons, everyday life and personal experiences determine the content. A dish can therefore borrow a foreign name while beginning with local flavours.

The taco, for example, does not reproduce a corn tortilla. Pepper leaves, leafy vegetables and herbs are powdered and combined with non-glutinous rice flour to make a soft wrapper, filled with fried smelt, Vietnamese rice noodles and avocado sauce. Bird’s-nest fern, vegetable fern and jute leaves appear grilled or in a salad, accompanied by grilled kumquat. The method of holding and assembling the food changes, while Taiwanese fresh spring rolls, fried fish and wild greens remain clues to understanding it.

From caviar to bubble tea, the changes go beyond plating

The opening dish combines sturgeon spread, cured fish and caviar with fried mochi, biscuits and crisps. Quail is deboned and filled with chicken mousse and giblets, smoked with corn leaves, then charcoal-grilled and brushed with a sauce of shacha, soy sauce and sesame oil. Both dishes rebuild familiar tastes through accompaniments, stuffing and heating methods, rather than simply adding a Taiwanese seasoning to a finished French dish.

The homemade blood sausage beside the wagyu tenderloin incorporates beef tongue, tendon and glutinous rice, wrapped in shredded potato. The hidden hot-oil noodles bring Zhenjiang vinegar, chilli sauce, knife-shaved noodles and dukkah spices into one bowl. Dessert then turns black tea, barley milk and tapioca pearls into a soufflé served with an iced accompaniment. These are components of the opening-season menu; the actual dishes change with seasonal ingredients. It is a menu for diners interested in how an entire sequence of dishes connects.

How do you reserve the six-seat counter or a private room?

The restaurant is at 1F, No. 68, Section 1, Jianguo North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei. It has six counter seats, a ten-seat large private room and a six-seat small room, plus an ingredient display inspired by Taiwanese seafood restaurants. Regular hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 6–10pm, with seating at 6pm or 6:30pm. At the time of checking, the reservation calendar also marked October 27 closed, so plans should follow the dates actually available. Reservations are required through Eatsy, linked from the official website; a NT$1,000 deposit per person and a confirmation message complete the booking.

The official booking page separately lists a NT$140 water charge, a three-glass wine pairing at NT$1,380 and a three-glass non-alcoholic pairing at NT$880, all plus 10%. Minimum spending is NT$20,000 for the small private room and NT$30,000 for the large room, also plus 10%; groups of six or more or private-room requests must contact the restaurant. Allergies and special diets must be communicated five days before dining for the team to assess. Cancellations or date changes within five days forfeit the full deposit. Confirming party size, dietary restrictions and budget first helps match the booking to the rhythm of this chef’s table.