LeputinG - a secret culinary garden

Author @silverspoondiary

𝕋𝕣𝕖𝕟𝕕𝕤 ▹ 𝕗𝕒𝕤𝕙𝕚𝕠𝕟 ▹ 𝕗𝕠𝕠𝕕 ▹ 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕧𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕣
An official Bitchin’-lin and silverspoon guide to food, travel, fashion and lifestyle. 

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​Leputing is not your typical Taiwanese lunch place. The restaurant, situated in the Da’an district, is housed inside a historically restored mansion that was built with heavy Japanese influences which consists of sliding wooden door frames and the all important zen back garden. As soon as you step into the building, we were greeted with a strong sense of serenity, which settles you in to embark on a unique culinary journey. 

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Using the best locally sourced seasonal ingredients seem to be the priority at Leputing. A first glance at the menu, which is an omakase of over eight courses reveals more delicate natures of the cuisine. The only choice you need to make is what main course tickles your fancy, let it be chicken, lamb, beef short ribs or the daily special, which was local Taiwanese beef. 
 
Each course was presented in an immaculate manner while maintaining its rustic core of flavours. The cooking technique was not restricted to just Taiwanese, French or Japanese, but they all marry perfectly.
 
Beef tartare 
Silky to taste with perfectly balanced seasoning. The crusty base gives it an extra tecture dimension and all binded together with the soft-boiled quail egg. 
 
Smoked bonito 
Smoke flavour was not overpowering the bonito, and it is indeed the first time I have bonito like this. The fish itself was very tender, and the pickled cucumber cuts down any fatty residue in the mouth. 

Home-made tofu with kombu soup topped with fresh sea urchin. A comforting dish that just slides down you throat with delicately fresh flavours. 
 
Grilled seasonal Autumn gull fish, a fish that is not easily available in other countries nor season. The chargrill flavour adds another dimension to the fish as well as giving that little crispiness on the outside while still moist on the flesh. The spinach extra and tempura style cauliflower elevates the dish. 

For main course, I chose the baby short-ribs, which looked so tantalising when it came, and I wasted no time to cut through the tenderness (not being taking a picture or 50 first). As soon as you put it in your mouth, your palates are greeted with wholesome flavour of the short ribs, which was perfectly cooked to medium rare. It doesn’t take much effort to chew since it simply just melts away in your mouth and before you know it, you are left with the condiment vegetables, which adds an earth tone to the whole dish.

I always love a casserole rice, and this one does not disappoint at all. Using the best grade local rice grain cooked with organically grown potatoes. You can taste every individual grain of rice as it was cooked to perfection. 1 bowl was definitely not enough, especially when paired with traditionally pickled daikon.

It’s finally time for dessert, and you don’t just get 1, you get 2. First dessert to me was more of a palate cleanser and leaning towards more traditional Taiwanese. Because the main star was a very typical local dessert ingredient called “Aiyu” jelly. It was topped with tapioca pearls, a lemon sorbet and a meringue disk that was cutely made into look like a white lotus bulb. It was so refreshing and tasty that I was happy to end the meal then and there, but then we were presented with the 2nd dessert, which was a coconut crème brulee. The highlight of that was the home-made tamarind ice cream, because you don’t get to see that too often. 

After the meal ended, we went out to the back garden to take a little ponder, just to unwind and to take in the whole experience one last time. ​​​

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