Allez Cuisine: Justin's Signatures

Taipei, 16 Oct 2010

Cruising aimlessly in Taipei City, I accidentally found Justin’s Signature, a flag ship French restaurant owned by Chef Justin Quek. Chef Quek founded the legendary Les Amis, a well-known French restaurant in Singapore. He sold Les Amis and venture overseas such as Shanghai and Taipei to introduce the Chinese what is French cuisine is all about. He used to own La Petite Cuisine Brasserie, one of the top 5 restaurants in Taipei. He closed down the restaurant and setup a new restaurant called Justin’s Signatures in Taipei City this year. I cannot miss this chance to taste his artistic creation.

Justin’s Signature is simple decorated yet gorgous, classical music is played throughout the whole restaurant and it is definitely a place for fine dining. Justin’s Signatures could be one of the top 5 restaurants in Taipei end of this year, in my opinion.

I ordered a 7-course dinner for my eat-venture experience. The first course was Gillardeau Oyster served with Aruga Caviar and Citrus Vinaigrette. La Gillardeau was fresh and the taste was spot on. However I prefer shaved ice added in the oyster as well. This would bring down the temperature of the oyster and brought out the natural sweetness of the oyster and the taste of Aruga Caviar and Citrus Vinaigrette.

The second course was the Autumn Sensation and it consisted of 4 small appetizers. They were Goose Foie Gras Gateau, Cep Gratin and Cherry Tomato Confit, Duck Confit with Parsley Jus, and Boudin Noir Royale with Mousseline Potato. The four appetizers were exciting and tasty, but I preferred Boudin Noir Royale with Mousseline Potato because the taste was absolutely absolutely delicious.

The third course was Line Caught Pacific Catches and French Chanterelle. It was actually Brasied Fish Fillet in Chanterelle Nage, Sherry Vinegar. The sauce was creamy and enhanced the taste of the fish fillet. The fish fillet was well seasoned and it was absolutely delicious. This is one of my favourite dishes in the menu.

The fourth course was Live Marine Lobster, light smoked and pan-roasted, served Duck Gizzard, Red Wine reduction. Chef Quek did not forget to introduce duck gizzard, which is a popular snack in Taiwan, into French cuisine. The lobster and the duck gizzard seemed to be an odd combination but both ingredients brought out the contrasts of each other and they were absolutely delicious. The freshness, tenderness and the natural sweetness from the lobster simulated my taste bud. The gizzard was chewy and tasty. The two ingredients definitely worked together and made this dish very exciting.

The fifth course was U.S. Beef, roasted to medium rare with Sautéed Sweet Bread, Wild Pepper “Ma-Gao” sauce. The beef was absolutely tender, delicious and juicy. The accompanied Wild Pepper “Ma-Gao” sauce added sweet and peppery flavour to the beef without overpowering it. The sauce and the beef were absolutely complemented to each other. However I still preferred to taste the beef without any sauce. I wanted the beef to “speak for itself”. In fact in my humble opinion, the juice in the beef is the best sauce.

The sixth course was Avant Dessert. It was guava juice with apple cider vinegar. It was tasty and refreshing. It helped to sooth my digestion system and ready for the real dessert. The last course was Chef’s Desserts which were Chocolate and Seasonal Fruit Creation. The desserts were tasty and sweet, but no that sweet. A cup of coffee with Petits Douceurs was the prefect way to end this sumptuous dinner.

The service is good and there are several menus you can choose from based what you can afford. This restaurant is high recommended.