At 32, Ho is more certain about his identity as a chef than many of his peers.
So much so that when he started his own restaurant, Taïrroir, in 2016, he was the sole decision maker of the restaurant's culinary style, its kitchen equipment and its aesthetics — right down to the design of every name card handed out by restaurant staff.
Some critics tried to put his food in a box, categorising it as creative Italian-French. But Ho begs to differ, saying that he is simply cooking what he likes to cook.
“It's not French, Chinese or Taiwanese food — it's the food of Kai Ho,” said the rising chef. Even with the restaurant's music playlist — made up of Ho's favourite Chinese pop songs — challenges convention. “Who says there’s no place for pop songs in a fine dining restaurant?”
This sense of self-assurance is something that Ho has come to appreciate after seven years aboard, and an attitude that he says is key to his journey to getting to where he is now. “Who am I? What do I need? It’s up to me to validate my worth," he explains.
This sense of self-assurance is something that Ho has come to appreciate after seven years aboard, and an attitude that he says is key to his journey to getting to where he is now. “Who am I? What do I need? It’s up to me to validate my worth," he explains.
Ho's signature style is to deconstruct a classic dish and give it a novel reinterpretation while preserving its original spirit. For instance, Taïrroir’s most sought-after dish, the 65°C Silkie Egg, Taro “en Purée et Kueh”, Yilan “Ya Shang” With Sakura Shrimp is his homage to the two classic Chinese dishes, the Shanghainese Eight Treasure Duck and Cantonese mashed taro duck. It features pieces of “Ya Shang”, air-dried and smoked duck meat, from Yilan, Taiwan and sakura shrimp, which are served on a side dish to be added to the bowl of hot taro mash and low temperature egg before eating.
Ever-changing Dishes
The dishes at Taïrroir change every day. Even signature dishes undergo subtle daily tweaks according to the specific conditions of the day.
“If the weather turns colder tomorrow, I will create a soup with a thicker texture and a more savoury taste. The eggs are cooked at 60°C today, but I may switch to cooking them at 62°C tomorrow, to see if the texture works better. If the sweet potato is pan-fried today, I may roast it tomorrow to obtain a stronger aroma," he muses aloud.
Ever-changing Dishes
The dishes at Taïrroir change every day. Even signature dishes undergo subtle daily tweaks according to the specific conditions of the day.
“If the weather turns colder tomorrow, I will create a soup with a thicker texture and a more savoury taste. The eggs are cooked at 60°C today, but I may switch to cooking them at 62°C tomorrow, to see if the texture works better. If the sweet potato is pan-fried today, I may roast it tomorrow to obtain a stronger aroma," he muses aloud.
65°C silkie egg, taro “en Purée et Kueh”, Yilan “Ya Shang”, sakura shrimp at Taïrroir. (Photo: Taïrroir)
No Rules, Only Principles
Some chefs have very strict specifications on how their dishes are to be presented, but not Ho. You won't always find the beef set at the three o’clock position on the plate. The same dishes could show up slightly differently when they are served on the same table, as long as the composition and proportion make sense, Ho explains.
“Naturalness and confidence are the keys to beauty. It’s not going to be beautiful if every dish looks exactly the same like it comes out from a textbook,” Ho elaborates. Chefs should pursue excellence, instead of being engrossed with setting rules to standardise their food. “Only when you take off these restrictions can your team feel involved in what you do. When I’m off, my team has the right to decide how to interpret the dishes in the best way. There are no instruction on how many grams of salt or how many drops of sauce they need to add," he says.
Some chefs have very strict specifications on how their dishes are to be presented, but not Ho. You won't always find the beef set at the three o’clock position on the plate. The same dishes could show up slightly differently when they are served on the same table, as long as the composition and proportion make sense, Ho explains.
“Naturalness and confidence are the keys to beauty. It’s not going to be beautiful if every dish looks exactly the same like it comes out from a textbook,” Ho elaborates. Chefs should pursue excellence, instead of being engrossed with setting rules to standardise their food. “Only when you take off these restrictions can your team feel involved in what you do. When I’m off, my team has the right to decide how to interpret the dishes in the best way. There are no instruction on how many grams of salt or how many drops of sauce they need to add," he says.
The restaurant space. (Photo: Taïrroir)
We invite chef Ho to reflect on his restaurant's Michelin-starred journey.
When was your first encounter with the MICHELIN Guide?
I first went to a Michelin-starred restaurant in 2010, it was Jean-Georges in New York. It was really awesome. Everything was new to me, and the restaurant looked so beautiful. The chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten prepared some dishes specially for us after knowing we came all the way from Taiwan. I was thinking, “Wow! It’s this grace and thoughtfulness that tells me who Jean-Georges is, and what a Michelin-starred restaurant should be.”
What was running through your mind when you first heard Taïrroir won the stars?
I cursed out loud when I got the invitation email to receive the award. And then I cried so hard in the embrace of my pastry chef. I was glad that I didn’t disappoint my team. I was thankful to them for believing in me. It was great to lead them to this culinary sanctuary.
How did you celebrate?
After getting the award, I returned to the restaurant. All my partners from the team poured water and threw flour at me, making me look like a Michelin Man. Then we celebrated with champagne.
How will the stars influence your career?
I don’t know what influence it will have. All I want to do is to continue to provide a good working environment for my team, and help them to go further in this food and dining industry.
Do you have any advice for young chefs aiming for Michelin stars?
I’m not a Michelin inspector, and I don’t know their rating standards, so I can’t give much recommendations in this regard. I only know that a good restaurant, to me, has to reach high standards on attitude, food and service.
When was your first encounter with the MICHELIN Guide?
I first went to a Michelin-starred restaurant in 2010, it was Jean-Georges in New York. It was really awesome. Everything was new to me, and the restaurant looked so beautiful. The chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten prepared some dishes specially for us after knowing we came all the way from Taiwan. I was thinking, “Wow! It’s this grace and thoughtfulness that tells me who Jean-Georges is, and what a Michelin-starred restaurant should be.”
What was running through your mind when you first heard Taïrroir won the stars?
I cursed out loud when I got the invitation email to receive the award. And then I cried so hard in the embrace of my pastry chef. I was glad that I didn’t disappoint my team. I was thankful to them for believing in me. It was great to lead them to this culinary sanctuary.
How did you celebrate?
After getting the award, I returned to the restaurant. All my partners from the team poured water and threw flour at me, making me look like a Michelin Man. Then we celebrated with champagne.
How will the stars influence your career?
I don’t know what influence it will have. All I want to do is to continue to provide a good working environment for my team, and help them to go further in this food and dining industry.
Do you have any advice for young chefs aiming for Michelin stars?
I’m not a Michelin inspector, and I don’t know their rating standards, so I can’t give much recommendations in this regard. I only know that a good restaurant, to me, has to reach high standards on attitude, food and service.
This story was originally written by Chen Jingyi and translated by Vincent Leung. Click here to read the original version of this story.
