Mosaic Bar and Grille - Inspired by...Taiwan

Once again Chef Heinrich, Executive Chef at Hyatt Regency Vancouver crafted up a new Chef Tasting Menu at the Mosaic Bar and Grille. This time it was inspired by his trip to Taiwan for a show called 'Taste of Taiwan'.

It definitely takes a lot of courage to design a Taiwanese menu in a city filled with amazing culinary talent in Asian cuisine. 

Foodobyte and I at first thought four courses wouldn't be enough for us (yeah.. we eat a lot). But near the end we were so stuffed so don't let the items fool you. They're pretty hearty.

Complimentary Smoked Salt Biscuits and Multigrain Bread to start.

The Fish ball with Scallion & Pork Dust was definitely an interesting take on the ones I regularly eat because the texture was more soft and supple than chewy and bouncy. Maybe it's because it was made with ling cod and scallops and not something with a bit more buoyancy like squid.

The broth it came with was extremely light and refreshing but lacked a tad bit of salt. I can probably drink a whole litre of it regardless because I do love my broth!

The second dish was inspired by Chef Thomas' trip to Beipu and the Chihshang. The Hakka Tea Crusted Line Caught Ling Cod came with peanuts, peanut mochi (glutinous rice balls), and lemon vinegar fluid gel. My cod was a bit overcook so it didn't have the supple, flaky meat I was expecting. My personal palate found the tea and cod to be a weird combo but Foodobyte though it was pretty good.

If you have not heard of the 'pork belly' fad going around in Vancouver, you probably are a not a foodie. But for all people following this pork belly trend including me, this dish may intrigue your senses. It is a 5 Spiced Braised Pork Belly inspired by the Silk Palace Restaurant in Taiwan. The flavours were full of depth and very similar to the authentic pork belly in other Asian restaurants.

I was most intrigued by the Pineapple Cake item on the menu because I was wondering how Chef Thomas would recreate this beloved Taiwanese snack in a way that it could be a dessert on a chef tasting menu. I was super impressed with the chunks of pineapple and thick crumbly crust. I'm also a black sesame girl so the ice-cream totally won me over.

All in all, I don't think this was Mosaic's most impressive Chef Tasting Menu and there were hits and misses throughout the meal. However, it tells a story and I like how every item was inspired by his trip to Taiwan.

Happy Eating!