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YUENJI, which opened in April 2024, earned a Michelin star just four months later in August, much to everyone’s delight! The restaurant took two years to plan and prepare, with Executive Chef Lin Ju-Wei, who previously led a team to earn two Michelin stars for The Guest House for five consecutive years, at the helm. Given his impressive background, the achievement is hardly surprising.
Hugo Sheng Xuping, the Vice President of POUYUENJI, shared in an interview: “Before talking about YUENJI, we should first introduce POUYUENJI. Chairman Tsai Chi-Chien has always loved tea, starting to collect it in his twenties. After retiring, he established the company to share his tea collection with the world. General Manager Ming Tsai wanted to fulfil his father’s dream and began thinking about how to introduce POUYUENJI to consumers.” Hugo explained that, rather than simply opening a tea shop to attract tea lovers, Ming Tsai believed that tea should be paired with various aspects of life to draw in younger generations and those who may not typically drink tea. “This is an incredibly innovative idea. To put it simply, if you open a coffee shop, only coffee lovers will come in, but if you also serve ice cream, people who don’t drink coffee may try the coffee after having the ice cream, and they may begin to accept coffee.”
Therefore, POUYUENJI didn’t start as a tea house or retail store but opened as le beaujour, a French restaurant in Taipei, pairing fine French cuisine with Oriental tea. Through this fusion of everyday life, younger people and those who don’t typically drink tea gradually became more open to it. “Originally, we wanted to do Chinese cuisine, but it took a long time to find the right chef, which delayed the plan,” Hugo continued. “As time passed, people started getting used to drinking alcohol in Chinese restaurants. Even if tea was served with meals, no one would pour it until they were nearly drunk, at which point they remembered they needed a cup of tea. We want to remind everyone that when dining, a good pot of tea should accompany your meal, allowing you to calm down and enjoy the experience. The tea should be presented cup by cup by a skilled tea master to ensure the quality and temperature are consistent from beginning to end.”
At YUENJI, guests are treated to a selection of rare teas from POUYUENJI’s collection, from the passion for tea with Dong Ding Oolong to the blossoming fragrance of Oriental Beauty, Wuyi Rock Tea, the ancient trees of Yunnan’s Six Puer Tea Mountains in Jin Da Mo Puer Tea, and aged Raw Puer Tea. Also, including the teas of “Awakening”, “Sharing” and “Gathering”. For those who prefer wine, that’s also an option. In fact, the winner of the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Sommelier Award, Yoyo Tseng, is the sommelier at YUENJI.
Taiwanese cuisine is a fusion and evolution of diverse historical influences, refining a unique culinary style. It blends early Guangdong and Fujian food cultures brought during migration to Taiwan, evolved during the Japanese colonial period with refined dishes from all regions, and further enriched by the distinctive eating culture during the era of the Taiwan Government. Today, it harmonises multicultural dishes, adding vibrancy to Taiwanese dining tables. YUENJI reflects the hometown flavours of each generation, symbolising the taste of “home” passed down through decades.
At the invitation of Ming Tsai, Chef Lin continually pursued the limits of self-improvement. Known for his expertise in Sichuan and Huaiyang cuisine, he took on the challenge of developing Taiwanese cuisine. This process took two years, involving countless discussions and tastings, but he finally presented the flavours of Ming Tsai hometown that he had fondly remembered. The restaurant features a two-level dining space with 128 seats, offering a set menu experience with six categories of dishes, including flavourful appetizers, soups, YUENJI signature dishes, hometown specialty dishes, rice, noodles, and pancakes, as well as desserts. The private dining rooms are served by “POUYUENJI Tea Masters,” who present each table with a tea ceremony, sharing the emotional experience of tea and food pairing.
As you open the main doors of YUENJI, the first thing you’ll see is an eight-meter-long tea bar, showcasing the beauty of tea ceremonies performed by the Tea Masters. Indigo-dyed lanterns hang high, adding a unique charm to the atmosphere. The restaurant’s interior design was created by Lillian Wu, a Taiwanese designer based in New York, blending Eastern and Western cultural influences with the concept of homecoming and family reunion. The carefully chosen materials and design highlights the beauty of craftsmanship.
Regarding the emphasis on hometown flavours, Hugo explained that the Tsai family is from Lukang, and since Taiwanese cuisine rarely mentions Lukang, they wanted to promote the taste of their hometown. This includes representative dishes like Lukang wild mullet roe, Lukang handmade shrimp ball soup, and the dessert of Lukang roasted wheat flour soup with Chinese almond soup.
The set menu tasting was a true testament to the chef’s precise seasoning and cooking techniques. The flavours were not only delicate but also showcased the original taste of the ingredients. The style was understated yet captivating.
When asked about earning a Michelin star just months after opening, Hugo shared, “It’s definitely exciting to receive such recognition! There’s pressure, but it also drives us. Chef Lin is a Michelin two-star chef. Before the restaurant opened, people were curious about what he was doing in Taichung. The restaurant was still under construction at the time, so we rented a closed restaurant, and he cooked in the kitchen every day. After opening, we had both supporters and critics. We had applause, but also some jeers. We initially planned for an April opening, and since the Michelin Guide is announced in August, we thought we wouldn’t have a chance and just focused on doing our best for next year. We never expected it.”
Hugo admitted that after earning the Michelin star, the restaurant quickly gained recognition, and diners came flocking, drawn by the Michelin title. Yet, Chef Lin remains unchanged—he is always the first to arrive in the kitchen and the last to leave. He said, “The team is all looking forward to the restaurant achieving even greater success this year. What we can do now is to focus on doing our best with what we can control. As for how the market evaluates us, we remain humble and accept it with open minds.”
YUENJI
Address: No.5, Anhe East Road, Xitun District, Taichung City, Taiwan
Contact: (04)2358-6368
Website: https://yuen-ji.com/
