logy - Sunday Tea Pairing Lunch

I kept the first letter of the restaurant name lowercase since that's how it's been shown on their website and other materials. Almost one year since logy first opened its door to the public, still a fairly new restaurant that's already been crowned with one Michelin star. 

Reservation has been hard to get since day one, and pulling connection to get a table just not my thing. One day I was randomly checking logy's reservation system online and here it was. Not one, but two time slots were open. It's been decided, my little getaway weekend lunch.

Can't say it was excitement, but rather a long waited getaway moment with dear friend. Right after I left home and ready to go, pulled up Google Maps and there was a little note next to logy - cash only. What? Case only? For sure? I thought I even left my credit card information when booking the table.

As secretive as it is, I couldn't find logy's phone number. That's right, even when booking the table and receiving the confirmation email, no phone number was attached. Man, I should have double checked when logy actually called the week before.

So to be safe, I ran back home and got my ATM card, hopped on taxi and speed up my way to the restaurant.

Luckily, I still managed to arrive before they start serving the first dish to other customers. My friend was already there. Put the payment uncertainty aside, let the meal begin.

Sujiko washed with katsuo stock/carrot/turmeric/cracker made with coconut and rice.

No menu here for environmental reasons. I tried my best to remember these dishes.

Main dish showtime, soon it was circled back to the kitchen for some final touches -

Instead of the usual wine pairing, we went for the tea pairing that day. Kept it light and refreshing, what I was hoping to get.

First tea pairing, coconut water soaked with coffee powder -

Some kind of acid ingredient was also used here, the waitress said think of it as slightly sourish coffee.

Together with mackerel/green apple/cookie crumbles.

Both the tea pairing and the mackerel dish had a slight sourish note. Bright but not sharp, more like a soft brush that gently open up the palate and appetite.

Second tea pairing, passion fruit/marukyu-koyamaen matcha -

The next dish was like a Chinese ink wash painting, please to the eyes before tasting -

Squid/lotus root/myoga/ink.

Love that super thin slices of lotus root, completely overturn the texture I've used too. More so like a thin layer that stick right onto the tongue and other ingredients when in touch with moisture, further providing a sense of roundness, same effect from the ink below too.

Some crunchy bits from the filling too. Truly a beautiful dish packed with different textures and depth.

Angelica/celery root ice cream/goji berries/crab meat -

Angelica is a common Chinese herb used here in Taiwan, got a herbal and mild bitter note, but that was balanced off with the sweetness from the goji berries. Perhaps crab meat played a part here too.

The stock was made with squid and beef. The entire dish was presented like a Japanese chawamushi. No need to stir or mix, just scoop all the way down and savor as it is. This course here displayed the chef's understanding of local ingredients. Every item shined but also complement one another, especially for angelica, not an easy ingredient to work with.

Third tea pairing - 

Jasmine oolong tea/red shiso/hops.

Tilefish/basil/kumquat/black garlic mayo/spinach powder -

At first, I thought that black half sphere thing was the black garlic mayo, but turned out that was kumquat. You little tricky thing.

Love the kumquat here, it further brighten up the dense aroma from the black garlic mayo, all paired well with the contrasting textures of the fish, tender meat plus crunchy scale. Can't beat that.


Forth tea pairing, also the only hot drink, ginger oolong tea -

Crab meat foam/raw tofu skin/beef tripe -

Completely opposite from the more familiar tripe dishes. It's rather light and airy in a way. 

At a quick glance, this dish looks like egg yolk, it's not, but the well-rounded flavor did quite resemble the creaminess from the yolks.

Fifth tea pairing, faux wine this time, described by the waitress -

Pu'er tea/hisbicus/pomegranate/juniper. Probably due to juniper, this one feels more like a distilled spirit than wine to me.

Main dish came back up again -

Pork with two sauces. Beef soup with sherry vinegar, and the dark paste made with parsley, fermented tofu, and caper.

The fat resembles the texture of a Taiwanese local rice dish ru rou fan, slightly sticky, almost glue-like. Not overly clinging and not oily at all, just comfortably covered my tongue. Very nicely done.

By the way, I overheard another customer's conversation with the waiter. "Why the chef doesn't use beef as main dish?" Waiter said that the chef thinks for a high quality beef, the best way to showcase it is to give it a simple sear then serve with salt. To put up such a "plain" dish, complaints may rise. So chef prefers non-beef ingredients with more cooking techniques involved. 

Also, this season's main dish supposed to be duck, but logy noticed that it was my first visit, so they decided to let me try their previous pork entrée instead. Until next time I guess.

Figs/goat milk yogurt/hay and fig leaves jelly -

Not a fan of that goaty scent, so I tried to dig my way with figs, to wash down that over-powering taste.

Sugar-apple panna cotta/sugar-apple meringue/chamomile -

Pair with herbal chamomile scent, this panna cotta can go a long way.

Black coffee or tea -

My friend got the coffee and I chose tea. For tea, they further asked if you want herbal tea or osmanthus oolong tea, then offered it hot or cold.

I selected cold brew version, and they presented it with a stylish glass.

Final dessert, aiyu jelly with coconut jelly -

That hedgehog-looking objects are aiyu seeds. You put them into a cloth then start squeezing and rubbing under water. The water will gradually turn slimy and overtime it'll start to coagulate like jelly.

Serve with pineapple juice and a little touch of Chinese basil. A refreshing ending.

A little gift to take home with, furikake made with logy's fish trimmings. One way to reduce food waste -

Towards the end of our meal, the staffs are still busy prepping other ingredients. Can you spot this season's main protein duck on the counter?

Since I arrived a little late and took some time taking pictures, the couple next to us finished earlier and ready to pay and leave. Wait, let me take a peek. Credit card, the gentleman pulled out his credit card. Yes, logy does accept credit card payments. At least I don't have to rush out to withdraw money.

Double checking Google Maps again while typing up with post, it looks fine from my computer, but still showing "cash only" from cellphone app. Oh well, at least problem solved. Note to self, don't try to hang up on restaurant's reservation confirmation call so quickly, always see if they take credit cards, just to be safe, so I won't be late again in the future.


logy currently holds one Michelin star status.


logy
1F., No.6, Ln.109, Sec.1, Anhe Rd., Daan Dist., 
Taipei, Taiwan 
Homepage: https://logy.tw/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/logy.tw/

Opening hours:
Lunch - Thursday through Sunday 12 noon ~ 3:00 p.m.
Dinner - Wednesday through Sunday 6:00 p.m. ~ 10:30 p.m. 
Closed on Monday all day, Tuesday all day, and Wednesday lunch


Extended reading:

• Impromptu by Paul Lee - newly crowned Michelin star restaurant in Regent Taipei

Lightly Marinated Egg Yolks for My Version of TKG

TKG, probably as significant or even more so as America's BLT, stands for tamago kake gohan. Tamago means egg, gohan means rice. Basically by cracking a raw egg onto hot rice, and usually mix with soy sauce or other seasonings. It's one of the common breakfast dishes in Japan.

I've made a slight change here by emphasizing the yolks. Using lightly marinated egg yolks, not the entire egg, just the yolk, and serve with quinoa rice.

Lightly marinated egg yolks for my version of TKG -

Ingredients (for two)?

• 2 portions quinoa rice
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon mirin

How?

It can't be anymore simpler. The key is to use high quality egg, and the basic measurement is equal amount of soy sauce and mirin.

Prep the rice first, simple white rice works just as well.

Prepare a container, pour in equal amount of soy sauce and mirin. This recipe only calls for 2 egg yolks, but you can always pump up the ingredients and marinate more yolks at once.

Carefully separate the egg yolks and egg whites. Only transfer the yolks to the sauce mixture. Cover with lid or cling foil, into the fridge and wait for 4 to 6 hours. 

I also checked half way through and give the container a gentle swirl, not necessary but just want to double making sure these yolks get marinated evenly.

Spoon the yolks onto hot rice when ready to serve. No need to pour in extra sauce like usual TKG does, since we already flavored the yolks and further concentrate the texture. It's now denser and thicker, very satisfying.

Besides serving this as breakfast, these marinated egg yolks can also be used as one of the side dishes for dinner. It also works great with yakisoba and yakiudon! 


Other egg recipes:

• Protein loaded post-workout meal using avocado, broccoli, eggs, and salmon
• Ham and cheese tamagoyaki 火腿起司玉子燒
• Thai style seafood omelet
• Refreshing version tomato egg drop noodle soup 清爽版蕃茄蛋湯麵

Picturesque Country Bread with Ricotta, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil

Not just pretty to look at, but also satisfied to the palate. 

Country bread with Ricotta, cherry tomatoes, and basil -

Ingredients?

• Some slices country bread
• Some cherry tomatoes (colorful variety even better)
• Some ricotta cheese
• Some basil leaves
• Some balsamic vinegar
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Spread some ricotta cheese onto the country bread slices. Top with halved cherry tomatoes.

Sprinkle some salt and black pepper. No need to drizzle over olive oil for this recipe. Into the oven using high heat, toast till the cherry tomatoes shrink a wee bit, but not burning or over-hardening the bread slices.

Once ready, remove from heat then drizzle over some balsamic vinegar. Garnish with basil leaves in between tomatoes.

Super easy to make and the result can't be more satisfying. Use balsamic reduction if available, just a few drops makes a big difference.

By the way, this recipe was kind of vague since all the ingredients used were noted as "some" instead of exact portion. No strict rules here, spread more ricotta if you'd like, add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. It's so simple, just trust your gut feelings, nothing major can go wrong with this recipe.

Wait, maybe one thing. Do not over-toast the bread slices in the oven especially we are using high heat here. Just warm enough so the edge of the bread gets crunchy. Also with the help of the heat, we can further condense the flavors for these juicy tomatoes.


Extended reading:

• Peas and crispy pancetta crostini
• Cheesy brioche French toast
• Brioche shrimp rolls with Thai sweet chili chips

Protein Loaded Post-Workout Meal Using Avocado, Broccoli, Eggs, and Salmon

Intuitively putting all these ingredients together, but wait...avocado, broccoli, eggs, and salmon, aren't those ingredients all high in protein? Does that mean it can be a perfect post-workout meal?

Protein loaded post-workout meal using avocado, broccoli, eggs, and salmon -

Ingredients?

• 2 hard boiled eggs
• 1 small avocado
• 1 broccoli
• 1 salmon fillet
• 1 tablespoon bitter tea oil (olive oil works fine too)
• 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon mixed dried Italian seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon cumin powder
• 2 lemon or lime wedges
• Some salt
• Some black pepper

How?

Boil the eggs first. Once cool down, remove the egg shells then cut into smaller chunks.

Cut the broccoli into smaller pieces. Bring a pot of water to a boil, season the water with salt. Quickly cook the broccoli in salt water, no more than 1 minute. Drain well and set aside for later use.

Cut the salmon fillet into thick strips or smaller chunks. Season with some salt and black pepper. 

Grate the ginger. Remove the avocado skin and cut into big cubes.

Prepare a non-stick pan. Drizzle some bitter tea oil over and turn to medium high heat. Add in grated ginger and transfer the salmon over. Sear till fully cooked and slightly browned on sides. Remove from heat. Use a kitchen towel to absorb excess oil if desired.

Mix together the broccoli, eggs, and salmon with 1/4 teaspoon of dried Italian herbs and 1/8 teaspoon of cumin. Also squeeze in juice of 1 lemon or lime wedge. Mix in avocado cubes last. Taste and see if need more salt.

Serve with extra lemon or lime wedge on the side. 

To make it a fuller meal, add in some chopped lettuce or even blend in some quinoa. Serve hot or cold, both works fine. 

On top of protein, avocado also contains healthy fats, broccoli has folate and potassium, and eggs can help with the meal portion since it can be a much more filling ingredient. Salmon, don't even get me started, just think about its omega-3 fatty acids. Putting them together, what a power boost we've got here.


Other avocado recipes:

• Tuna avocado boat
• Philadelphia roll with salmon, cream cheese, and avocado
• Avocado toast with poached egg and grated Parmigiano Reggiano