Some eat to fill the belly; others eat for enjoyment. But at No. 1 Food Theater Cuisine, one can sense the persistence of time. The restaurant is only two storeys tall, blending into the old apartment blocks and new towers in Bade Road, its most recognisable feature the black roof at the entrance.
In 1944, when the Pacific War was about to conclude, the American army began bombing the area. It was also at that time the Japanese army built the one and only food storage facility in Taipei. The building is located in the neighbourhood of Zhonglun, which was the administrative centre of Taipei back then. It was later repurposed into a miscellaneous warehouse. About five to six years ago, a restoration project was initiated by Lead Jade Life & Culture to turn the site into a supermarket and a restaurant.
One can see how history plays a part in the building’s architecture. It was constructed with a two-layered wall to block the heat and moisture from outside coming into contact with the food inside.
The intriguing side of No. 1 Food Theater Cuisine is the way it translates history into its menu and dishes, from the curry rice of the Japanese occupation period to the fried chicken brought in by the American army, from the mainland Chinese immigrants’ beef noodles to the Thai red curry introduced by the new wave of new settlers from South-east Asia. The dishes served in large, sharing portions also echo the wartime origin of the building.
According to food expert and Lead Jade Life & Culture’s cultural consultant Hsu Zhong, its bestselling dish bone-in short rib noodles — priced at NT$800 (SGD$35, HKD$200) — tells the story of a bygone era, as well as those in power at that time. A whole piece of American short rib is used to reflect the influence of American food in the post-war period. Eating large chunks of meat is also a symbol of wealth. The beef broth is made from four entire days of simmering.
Food with condensed, intense flavours is the defining characteristic of the cuisine of the Yangtze River area, popular in Taiwan during the 1950s. The spicy Sichuan-style chilli sauce that goes with the noodles references the birthplace of Taiwanese beef noodles, Gangshan District in Kaohsiung, where Sichuan immigrants were commonly found.
Another selling point of the restaurant is its curious beverages, a showcase of the rising culture of mixology and coffee in Taiwan. South-east Asian tamarind, osmanthus from different Taiwanese regions, as well as Hong Kong-style preserved lemon are all incorporated into the cocktails and carbonated mocktails.
"Diversity is the spirit of Taiwan,” Hsu said.
It’s also worth checking out the Taiwanese ingredients employed in the dishes at No. 1 Food Theater Cuisine. For instance, the seafood risotto highlights the award-winning Chihshang rice grown by farmer Lin Lung-hsing. It’s paired with wheat grains rarely used in Taiwan. Both types of grains are aromatic and springy, providing a foundation for the Taiwanese white shrimp and scallops to show off their sweetness and umami.
The spicy chicken soup uses old chicken from the village of Vogai in Nantou and a pickle made of special skinless chilli from Gangshan. These dishes are the best platform to promote these lesser known Taiwanese ingredients to the public.
After receiving the Bib Gourmand recommendation, many foreign tourists found the restaurant through the MICHELIN Guide and thus had the opportunity to get to know the food and agricultural products of Taiwan. Because eating is such a dynamic way to connect to a culture, Lead Jade Life & Culture hopes to go further towards this direction and bring more quality Taiwanese ingredients to diners.
