Orchid Restaurant 蘭

We celebrated my birthday here, and the experience was just right. The service was solid, with friendly staff who spoke English, making communication easy. Each dish tasted great, even if the presentation was simple. The Snow Wagyu (+980/person) was a standout, and the Birthday Cake (+380) was a nice touch to end the meal. We also had water (+300) and a Wine Pairing (+2680/person) that complemented the food well. Overall, it was a lovely, uncomplicated birthday meal.

In this city, there seems to be a restaurant boasting one or more Michelin stars on every other block. As a foodie, I try to give each of them a shot but more often than not, I leave feeling disappointed. I tried Orchid for the first time last week and found myself pleasantly surprised! They have not been awarded a star but I really think they deserve one. Chef Sato’s cooking is a breath of fresh air in Taiwan. He celebrates the natural flavors of ingredients rather than drowning them in rich sauces. My favorites are the geoduck soba and langoustine. My least favorite was the Orchid signature pithivier, which I understand was a creation by the previous chef and I’m assuming it was probably a management decision to keep on the menu. It was gamey and overly heavy, a drastic departure from Chef Sato’s delicate and balanced style. I would have preferred to see more cohesiveness throughout the menu. Another thing that impressed me was the wine selection. Like the chef, their sommelier is super talented. She recommended a few unusual wines that I’ve never heard of but were exactly the flavor profiles I loved! If I were to nitpick, I would say that Orchid is a restaurant with so much potential but I sense disconnection between the ownership and the talent. For starters, the space is definitely in need of rebranding and redecoration. The black and gold theme may have worked back in the early 2010s but in 2024, I find the decor dated and tacky. Still, I’ll be back for more of Chef Sato’s cooking!

This wasn't our first visit to Orchid, but the first time since Chef Sato Kiyoshi took over. Pleasingly, it was even better than before. The service, as expected was excellent from the moment we arrived. Seated in the reception area we enjoyed a couple of glasses of giggles before being lead to our table. The staff were knowledgeable about every aspect of the menu, but it would have been nice if they had introduced some of the dishes in Chinese as well as English as it would have saved me trying to translate for my wife. Now, let's get down to the important part, the food. It was nigh on perfect. Even some concepts that seem dated (foams) were elevated to become exciting in a way they haven't for well over a decade. Prior to the hassun (amuse bouche) we were given an introduction to some of the ingredients we would be enjoying. The hassun was a good start, but the meal just kept on getting better. I mean, I tears of joy better. We both opted to have uni added to the chawanmushi, and despite the price definitely recommend you do the same. I opted for the lamb, while my wife went for the snow wagyu. Both were excellent. If you opt to have truffle added to either of these dishes, they are kind enough to give you a choice of white or black, although the chef, who sliced it tableside recommended having a mixture of both. Listen to him. He knows more about his food than you do and his recommendation was spot on. The wine pairings were excellent, and we particularly enjoyed the sake which is not something we are very knowledgeable about. The 5 glass pairing was not enough for our thirst, but the sommelier did a fantastic job introducing additional wines and sakes. The selection of digestifs on the list is limited, but she was kind enough to take me to their cellar so that I could select something else. If you want to try some of the best food in Taipei, go to Orchid.

Atmosphere is great with light shining on the table which creates enough privacy around the restaurant. Service was impeccable and dishes were exquisite. Highly recommended!

I recently celebrated my first wedding anniversary here and we were both incredibly impressed. From the moment we walked in, the service was exceptional and the food was up there as some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten. The beef and iberico pork were absolutely sensational. Highly recommend if you are looking for somewhere special with beautiful and delicious dishes.

Food was amazing but service was very questionable. Atmosphere is okay but it is too dark.

My favorite fine dining spot in town. The service was on point, we were served by an English speaking server who really speaks the language while providing thorough introduction on every dish, in addition to the great job of the sommelier on the wine pairing. (Despite some on-training employee dropped our food while serving...) They also let you enter the kitchen to try the small bites as a kickoff, bring you various flavors of butter to go with the bread. (Only I wish they would serve the bread after the kitchen tour so the bread could be warm when we got to it. ) All the courses were delicate in forms and flavors, here they are being creative yet remaining its French elegance.

The food here has decent presentation and the setting was upper mediocre. I couldn’t understand or tell what I was eating on some dishes but overall it was good. Also good beef wellington’s are hard to find in taipei so this is the next best thing. And desserts are pretty fancy and appetizing to a great closure on my meal.