Taipei Michelin-starred Amaze unveils spring menu

台北米其林星級餐廳「心宴（aMaze）」推出春季菜單

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — For diners at the Michelin-starred Amaze in Dazhi, the transition from the heavy, warming flavors of winter to the new spring menu, “Tshunt,” serves as a sensory awakening.

The name “Tshunt,” a Taiwanese Hokkien term for abundance, sets the stage for a nine-course experience that prioritizes a gentle revival of the palate over aggressive seasoning.

Executive Chef Yang Kuang-tsung (楊光宗) avoids the common industry pitfall of using sharp acidity or heat to grab attention. Instead, he focuses on seamless transition.

Yang said spring cuisine should follow a rhythmic progression that allows taste buds to bloom rather than being overwhelmed by intensity.

The appetizer — fresh abalone with pork knuckle jelly and tomato — exemplifies this subtle layering. Yang abandons traditional heavy braising for a bright dressing of yuzu, lemon, tomato, and apricot.

This delicate acidity provides a natural sweetness that encourages the palate to relax. It is followed by layers of savory and tangy notes that leave diners craving the next course.

A hallmark of Yang’s spring menu is the clean finish that follows even the most visually rich dishes. His signature king prawn, a reimagining of classic Sichuan dry-braising, replaces industrial tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes and fermented rice wine.

Yang said the rice wine softens the flavor profile, creating a mellow, multidimensional sweetness rather than a singular spicy note. This rhythm of a “full entrance and crisp exit” is why guests often find themselves wanting another bite despite nearing satiety.

The mid-course warm salad, “Spring Feast,” often leaves diners feeling nearly full, yet the subsequent garlic-topped oyster acts as a strategic palate cleanser.

While the dish is anchored by savory garlic, Yang incorporates finger lime and vinegar to sharpen the focus. This calculated acidity reopens the taste buds, allowing guests to continue the meal with renewed appetite.

For the finale, Yang presents dried abalone paired with black nightshade, a slightly bitter wild herb. Drawing on traditional wisdom that uses the plant to clear heat, Yang incorporates it into a broth that sits between a porridge and a risotto.

The elegant sweetness of the herb complements the deeply flavored abalone, wiping away lingering heaviness and returning the senses to the pure energy of spring.

This precision defines Yang’s “New Chinese” cooking philosophy. He insists dishes must retain a Chinese structural soul, with Western or Japanese techniques serving only as enhancements.

Yang said many chefs lose their way during innovation, inadvertently creating Western dishes with Chinese flavors.

His approach is the opposite. He extracts Western culinary science — such as using stracciatella cheese in the braised prawns to round out the heat of the fermented bean paste — to create a more sophisticated mouthfeel.

Yang’s experimentation extends to the physical placement of ingredients. By intentionally offsetting Western elements from the center, he ensures guests first taste the original Chinese essence before encountering new elements during the second half of the bite.

For Yang, developing a dish is about creating a familiar stranger, where subtle floral or fruity aromas are the result of meticulous calculation.

The spring menu features nine courses. Guests may choose between abalone as the main course for NT$6,880 (US$229) or Australian Wagyu for NT$5,880, plus a 10% service charge.