Tokyo’s No Code restaurant makes global debut in Taipei

東京「NO CODE」創新料理餐廳在台北開設海外首店

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tokyo’s innovative restaurant, No Code, has expanded overseas with its first location in the Neihu District of Taipei.

Created by Michelin-starred chef Yonezawa Fumio in partnership with the Habo Group, the restaurant is scheduled to open on May 11.

Operating under the philosophy "Evolution as Daily Life," No Code Taipei aims to shatter traditional culinary boundaries by blending Japanese aesthetics with local Taiwanese terroir.

Yonezawa’s career includes serving as the first Japanese sous-chef at the three-Michelin-starred Jean-Georges in New York. He later led Jean-Georges Tokyo to its own Michelin star.

Yonezawa founded the No Code brand in 2022 to escape rigid culinary rules, or "codes."

Inspired by the etymology of the word restaurant, restaurer, meaning to restore, Yonezawa focuses on the essence of ingredients to create new value.

The Taipei menu uses European techniques as a framework, infused with Japanese fermentation and a global array of spices. The result is a dynamic taste vocabulary that refuses to be defined by a single cuisine.

Executive Chef Moriwaki Shohei, who moved his family to Taiwan after two years of preparation for the opening, leads the Taipei kitchen. With a background in Italian cuisine, Moriwaki spent months sourcing premium local ingredients.

"Our concept in Taipei differs from Tokyo," Moriwaki said. "We subtly blend Japanese elements — such as miso, shichimi, and sesame paste — into our sauces. These understated flavors are the key to the experience."

A cornerstone of the kitchen is the Spanish Josper oven, which combines charcoal smoking with precise temperature control. Moriwaki said the equipment allows him to deliver meats and seafood with a bold, smoky char while maintaining succulence.

As a pioneer of plant-based cuisine in Japan, Yonezawa champions "culinary equality," treating vegetables and animal proteins as equal paths to flavor. A signature dish, the charcoal-grilled cauliflower steak, utilizes a white miso harissa sauce to bridge North African spice with Japanese umami.

The restaurant's design reflects a casual luxury aesthetic, merging wood textures with the Japanese concept of yohaku, or intentional blank space. The atmosphere is intended to reflect Taipei’s multicultural background through a lens of refined elegance.