Taizu Restaurant

Starters:

The menu consists of five categories: wood, water, earth, fire and metal.

I recommend you go for the “tastings meal” (which you can assemble yourself or with input from a waiter), which includes a combination of starters and main courses.

This way, you can enjoy more than a few dishes at a price agreed with the waiter in advance (based on your tastes).

Our waiter was very knowledgeable about the menu and ingredients, and helped me choose four openers.

The first one to come out of the kitchen was Shanghai Dumplings. This contained Veal Cheeks, Beef Soup, Pistacchio Masala and Pomegranate Broth. The dumpling dough was crisp and well made, and the hot soup was an excellent complement to the delicious cheek.

I recommend you drink the soup first — this is special in both its presentation and taste.

Score: 9.5/10.

The second opener was Shrimp Salad, containing Vietnamese Herbs, Crispy Shallots, Tamarind, Shrimp Crackers and a Soft Boiled Egg. This is ideal for shrimp lovers, as it was juicy and tasty, but in all honesty it felt fairly average compared to the previous dish.

Score: 7.5/10.

The next dish to arrive was two pieces of Nems: spring roll made from a netted rice shelf, wrapped around chopped root vegetables, spring chicken, peanuts and tapioca peel. All this had to be rolled in the lettuce and dipped in a sauce.

The spring chicken was crunchy and tasty, and — together with the lettuce and the dip-in sauce — tasted exquisite.

Score: 9/10.

And last but not least, we ordered Lobster Dumplings. This contained Cherry Plum Tomatoes, Thai Chili, Tapioca Pearls, and Bergamot.

Firstly, the waiter suggested we make a tiny hole in each dumpling and drink the liquid inside before actually eating it. With this dish, the first bite gives the biggest impact: when you feel the dumpling dough melt in your mouth (combined with juicy lobster meat topped with cherry tomatoes and Thai chili), you know that chef Yuval Ben Neria considered this dish with intricate care.

The taste was unique — definitely not something you eat everyday.

Along with the Shanghai Dumplings, the Lobster Dumplings are the most delicious dumplings I’d had in a long time. And that’s not something I say lightly. They really are that good.

Score: 9.5/10.

Main course:

For the main course, I ordered a Beef Fillet Skewer, containing Purple Bok Choi, Carrots, Mini Zucchini, Brown Butter, and Nori Seaweed.

The fillet meat was well made, crispy as a fillet should be, and a little salty (just as I like it). The texture of the carrots and brown butter only added to the delicious package, inspiring me to leave a clean plate!

Score: 9.5/10.

The second main course was Sea Bass Fillet which had Red Curry, Coconut Milk, Soft Boiled Egg, Peanuts and Kaffir Lime. The dish looked great and rich with color, but about the taste?

Well, after the perfect beef fillet I’d devoured seconds earlier, this was simply no match. But at the same time, I would still recommend it to fish lovers  — especially fans of sea bass. The fish was fresh, cooked perfectly and tasty.

Score: 8/10.

Dessert:

I ordered a Pears Concord dessert, following an enthusiastic recommendation from our waiter. This contained a yogurt mousse, meringue sticks, honey ginger and a delicate licorice cream.

Although I’m not fond of pears, I was pleasantly surprised by the refreshing flavor, especially the combination of the Pear Concord with yogurt mousse.

A sweet ending to a special meal.

Score: 8.5/10.