Unforgettable East-West Fusion

Salt & Pepper 185, Pokuan Road

by Douglas Habecker

For anyone in touch with hot new dining trends in places like California, Australia and New York over the past several years, the word "fusion" is certainly familiar. Creative chefs across the world but particularly along the Pacific Rim have been using this noun to describe culinary inventions which combine dishes, flavors and ingredients from the east and west in what could be described as an entirely new cuisine.

Until recently, Taichung diners' exposure to this so-called fusion cuisine has been largely limited to occasional food festivals and visiting chefs sponsored by local high-end hotels. Thanks to New Zealander Michael Beechey, however, that situation has changed. Beechey and his Swiss-Italian wife, Micaela, arrived in Taichung early in 1998 as he started working to oversee the start-up of the Grand Formosa Taichung Hotel's restaurants as food director. It was the most recent stint for the Kiwi, who has worked at restaurants, hotels and resorts around the globe. Later, the couple decided that they liked Taichung, its people and the opportunities enough to stay on and look for the chance to open their own venture. Months of searching were finally rewarded when the local owner of a Borderlands restaurant offered to sell the entire place to them.

It was a stroke of extremely good fortune. The ex-Borderlands restaurant was not only an already very-attractive establishment -- with a two-floor stucco-type building, big wrap-around windows and nice nighttime lighting -- but also had a great location, on a quiet side road within 100 meters of the bustling Taichung Harbor Road. With a lot of elbow grease, help from others and some additional investment, the Beecheys cleaned up and redecorated the restaurant, leaving what they liked and adding other things, such as a long wooden bar and outdoor dining decks.

As beautiful as Salt & Pepper is, it is Beechey's culinary creativity which helps keep the tables filled with both Chinese and foreigner diners. A look at the menu and taste of the food reveals a cornucopia of western, Asian and Middle Eastern flavors and combinations. Beechey stresses that it's simply fresh produce, prepared and seasoned properly.
Examples include the semur marinated chicken breast, fettuccine aioli honey and chili glaze (NT$450) and braised New Zealand lamb shank hommus and tabouli tomato and mixed peppers (NT$500). Just these two offerings include a mixture of Indonesian, Middle Eastern, Greek, Italian and New Zealand influences.

There's plenty more to choose from, such as the rigatoni pasta, green olive and onion tomato, garlic and mixed peppers (NT$300), king salmon chunks, shitake mushrooms tossed with farfalle and cream (NT$350), and char grilled root vegetables, Chinese mushroom and tofu, tomato and basil concasse (NT$400). Some more traditional-sounding offerings include the Jack Daniel's marinated barbecued pork ribs (NT$500), beer battered fish, potato wedges, tartar sauce (NT$400), and the S&P 200-gram prime beef burger with tomato, dill pickle, onion and potato wedges (NT$350). Add NT$150 to any main course for additional soup, salad and dessert.

Salads include the classic Caesar salad or salad of Californian leaves, mango, duck breast, snowpea, cherry tomato and berry vinegar -- and soups and desserts. Salt & Pepper also tries to make dining an enjoyable for all ages, with a special kid's menu and - in another first for Taichung -- crayons at every table for youngsters. Another attraction for the grown-ups is the extensive wine list.

One final Beechey bonus is the already-popular Sunday brunch, which gives diners four options, from the NT$450 big breakfast (steak, sausage, bacon, grilled tomato and fried eggs) to the NT$400 sweet breakfast (pancake stack with fresh berries, maple syrup and whipped butter). All these include a brunch buffet of fruit, cereal, yogurt, cheese, Danish and croissants, plus either a mimosa, Bloody Mary or juice.

Exotic-sounding fusion cuisine aside, Beechey and his restaurant offer good-tasting food and friendly service in an ambiance that is hard to beat for either a casual or more formal dining experience. That alone should help ensure that Michael and Micaela are in Taichung for a long time to come.

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