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After an absolutely enthralling meal at Florilège last month in Tokyo, I received an extra surprise at the end – that they are going to open a sister restaurant named “logy” in Taipei this fall. Ryogo Tahara, previously sous chef at Florilège, has been entrusted with the task of running the new restaurant, and has already moved to Taiwan to familiarize himself with the island’s abundance of local produce. Just last night, I had the pleasure of tasting some fruits of his exploration at a pop-up dinner at Fika Fika Coffee Lab.
上個月在東京 Florilège 用餐時聽說他們預計今年十一月要在台北開分店，當時就忍不住在心裏默默跳了一下 my happy dance。掌管新餐廳 “logy” 的田原諒悟先生（原 Florilège 副主廚）早在幾個月前就搬來台灣，花了不少時間環島認識當地食材。就在昨晚，我很幸運地有機會參加他在 Fika Fika Coffee Lab 舉辦的實驗廚房，品嚐了他這幾個月研究下來的一些成果。
Fika Fika Coffee Lab is the roasting space of Fika Fika, a Scandinavian-style cafe in Taipei opened by James Chen, the 2013 champion of Nordic Barista Cup. The roastery is not open to public except on special occasions such as last night, when the open kitchen gets taken over by a visiting chef.
Fika Fika Coffee Lab 是台北著名咖啡店 Fika Fika Cafe 的烘焙空間，由 2013 年北歐杯咖啡烘焙賽冠軍陳志煌先生所經營。這個空間平時純粹用來烘焙咖啡豆，只有在特定場合（比如昨晚的快閃餐會）才會開放給事先訂位的客人們。
It’s an intimate 8-seater bar surrounding the open kitchen, and I was one of the lucky diners who had a chance to experience chef Tahara’s magic. Prior to Florilege, he honed his culinary skills in Italy, working at Michelin star-studded establishments such as Ristorante La Torre del Saracino (Campagna), Restaurant Schöneck (Alto Adige), and Ristorante la Ciau del Tornavento (Piemonte). It goes without saying that we were in it for a real Italian treat…
Fika Fika Coffee Lab 的開放式廚房僅有八個吧台坐位，而我非常幸運地成為其中一位得以品嚐田原主廚的魔法料理的食客。在 Florilege 擔任副主廚之前，田原先生曾在義大利習藝多年，先後在數個米其林餐廳工作過，包括 Ristorante La Torre del Saracino (Campagna), Restaurant Schöneck (Alto Adige), 以及 Ristorante la Ciau del Tornavento (Piemonte)。他的料理以義大利烹飪手法為基礎，加上日式元素和台灣食材，令人萬分期待。
1st course: a thin whole wheat tuile carrying caramelized onions, hazelnuts from Piedmont region of Italy, coffee from none other than Fika Fika, and a more-than-generous amount of freshly shaved black truffles.
第一道：極薄的全麥脆片上堆疊著焦糖洋蔥、義大利 Piedmont 榛果、Fika Fika 咖啡、以及份量慷慨的新鮮黑松露（看 chef 削松露，真的完全不手軟）。
2nd course: sitting on a bed of smoked eggplants was angel hair pasta enveloped in a refreshing sauce of beef consommé, sherry vinegar, and a dash of soy sauce. On top were thinly sliced squid, and a sprinkle of Taiwanese mullet roe. A most delightful dish with layers of flavors, a favorite of mine from the evening.
第二道：火烤茄子搭配義大利細麵，軟絲，以及烏魚子。醬汁是以牛肉清湯，雪莉酒醋，以及少許的醬油調製而成，清爽之餘不失豐富的層次感，是我當晚嚐到最喜歡的料理之一。
3rd course: Hokkaido hokkigai with celeriac, butter-sautéed Chinese chives, and a drizzle of Italian olive oil. Chef Tahara, originally from Hokkaido, demonstrated the superb quality of seafood produce from his hometown by showcasing the hokkigai, which was incredibly sweet with a pleasant crunchy texture.
第三道：北海道北寄貝，芹菜根，奶油炒韭黃，以及橄欖油。來自北海道的田原主廚對自己家鄉的海鮮情有獨鍾，這道菜完美體現了北海道北寄貝的鮮甜以及微脆的迷人口感。
A charming Chardonnay from Burgundy was served with this dish.
一杯來自法國勃艮第的夏多內白葡萄酒，做為上一道料理的搭配。
4th course: bamboo shoot and duck foie gras risotto, topped with bonito chips. Instead of butter, Chef Tahara chose to cook the risotto in duck fat, which produced such a heady fragrance that had me wrapped up in a haze of anticipation well before it even arrived at the table…
第四道：竹筍鴨肝義大利燉飯，佐柴魚脆片。田原主廚選擇用鴨油來取代義大利燉飯里常用的奶油，鴨油的香味四溢，在這道菜端上桌前就已經將我迷倒了。
To go with the risotto, a glass of sake from Aichi Prefecture of Japan, titled Yume Sansui Roman “Oku”.
來自愛知縣的萝山水浪漫 “奧” 純米大吟釀，以常溫呈現，烘托鴨肝燉飯的濃郁。
5th course: Kasago fish in a broth of matcha and wakame from Japan and Penghu, served with pumpkin puree. The bitterness of matcha and sweetness of pumpkin created an nice harmony, though overall this was a less memorable dish for me.
第五道：笠子魚以及南瓜泥佐抹茶、澎湖海草以及日本裙带菜做成的醬汁。抹茶的微苦、海草的鮮味、和南瓜的甘甜搭配頗有趣，不過總體來說這是當晚唯一沒有給我留下深刻印象的一道菜。
6th course: the traditional Italian tripe stew taken to another level with the addition of lobster, fried cruller (inspired by spicy hot pot in Taiwan) and cabbage wrap. The use of fried cruller was an especially interesting touch, an example of chef Tahara’s penchant for fusing many different culinary experiences into his cooking.
第六道：傳統的義式燉牛肚里加入了濃郁的龍蝦湯和肉，再和酥脆的炸油條一同包入小白菜中。炸油條的靈感來自田原主廚在台灣吃到的麻辣鍋，顯然他很用心地將一些日常啟發靈活運用在自己料理之中。
7th dish: duck breast from Yilan paired with Taiwanese pickles, house-fermented black garlic, and anchovies. This was the main course of the meal, a beautiful slab of duck breast roasted and seared to perfection, though the accompaniments were on the salty side for me.
第七道：當晚的主菜是一塊先烤後煎至完美的宜蘭鴨胸，厚實有嚼勁的口感令人回味無窮（不過一旁點綴的榨菜、自家發酵黑蒜頭以及醍魚做的醬汁對我來說過鹹了）。
8th course: pomelo and grapefruit terrine with cardamom, fennel flower, and tarragon oil. A refreshing palate cleanser before we proceeded to the final dessert course.
第八道：文旦和葡萄柚組成的水果 terrine 上淋著香草醬汁、茴香花、以及龍蒿油，是在進入甜點之前的清爽過渡。
9th course: Hojicha ice-cream, mango sago, coconut cream espuma, draped with thin rice crisps. A fusion of Japan and Southeast Asia done well, with pronounced flavors of hojicha punctuated by notes of mango, coconut, and lemon leaf.
第九道：焙茶冰淇淋、芒果西米露、椰奶泡沫、薄脆仙貝。這是日本和東南亞的創意結合，焙茶濃郁溫暖的風味之中帶有芒果的酸甜、椰子的柔和、以及檸檬葉的清新。
Finally, we had some petits fours to finish: meringue with apple puree and cinnamon cream, and brown sugar caramel.
最後的小甜點是蘋果泥肉桂奶油蛋白霜，以及黑糖生焦糖。
Chef Ryogo Tahara’s pop-up dinner a harmony of delicious dishes, intimate service, and a unique dining space…a truly beautifully orchestrated experience to be dreamed about for days after. Though chef emphasized that this dinner is not indicative of what he would serve at logy, I can’t help but anticipate eagerly for the opening the new restaurant, which is set for November. Stay tuned.
*Special thanks to Mr. James Chen of Fika Fika Cafe for organizing this dinner!
這場快閃晚餐超乎我的預期，不僅有美味的料理，親密的服務，特殊的用餐環境（這是我首次在咖啡烘焙坊里用餐），當然有相談甚歡的飯友也是重點之一。雖然田原主廚有強調說當晚的料理和 logy 並沒有關係，但這一餐仍我開始極度期待下個月即將要開幕的新餐廳…stay tuned。
*特別感謝 Fika Fika Cafe 的陳志煌先生所安排的晚餐！