Taipei, a Tasting Tour with Richie Lin

"You can’t come to Taiwan without trying our traditional breakfast of shao bing (unleavened layered flatbread) wrapped with you tiao (dough fritter) dipped in a sweet or savoury warm soya bean milk and Fu Hang is the city’s most famous. Come early as the queue here starts at about 5am."

"Founded by James Chen, who topped the 2013 Nordic Roasting Championships, Fika Fika is a Nordic-style cafe widely considered to be one of Taipei’s best coffee roasters. I usually drink the daily’s special as a long black but the filtered coffee is really good too."

"Jin Feng is home to one of Taipei’s most reputable lu rou fan (braised pork rice), a local staple of rice topped with braised minced pork. Located right outside the Nan Men Market, the pork rice dish is best washed down with a light and delicate pineapple chicken soup."

"When I crave for casual, American-style brunch, I go to Spot Taipei for chicken waffle, pancakes or pasta; the food here is always well executed."

"Being Cantonese, I have a penchant for Hong Kong-style dim sum and the old-school Three Coins delivers in spates with dishes like steamed chicken feet, prawn dumplings and char siew buns."

"For the best that Taiwanese cuisine has to offer with local produce to boot, make a reservation at Mountain and Sea, order the suckling pig, the cold platter and the pickled vegetables."

"Ryugin Taipei might just be my favourite restaurant in Taipei. They use predominantly local ingredients and yet execute the kaiseki at a very high level. My favourite dish is the Taiwanese pigeon slow-cooked in oil, then smoked, grilled and served with tuberose."

"With only 10 to 13 seats and a reservation list of about four to six months-long, the hardest sushi-ya to book in Taipei is Sushi Amamoto; I highly recommend the omakase."

"In Taipei, we get high quality seafood from Turtle Island in Yilan and Xiaozhang’s Seafood serves these in a daily-changing menu featuring highlights like raw prawn or langoustine. The stir-fried vegetables are delicious too."

"Popular among industry people, Longtail is a newish restaurant and bar that opens till late. It serves Asian-inspired cuisine like beef poke with avocado alongside cocktails like Auga de Formosa: hibiscus infused vodka, peach puree, passion fruit syrup, smoked plum."

"For a comforting midnight snack, nothing beats the sweet potato congee at Xiao Lizi. The congee here is smooth and velvety and a perfect match with the buffet of small plates like fried egg oyster omelette and raw baby clams in rice wine, garlic, soy sauce and chilli."

"Ah Tsai Milk Fish is a late-night stir-fry joint known for its legendary milkfish belly. It’s cooked a la minute and you may have it pan-fried, braised or as a soup."