Chef Lin’s signature fish balls debut at Taipei’s Eslite Garden
林主廚的招牌魚丸在台北聚聚樓（Taipei’s Eslite Garden）首次亮相
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — With Lin Ping-hung (林秉宏) now executive chef, Eslite Garden at Eslite Spectrum Songyan in Taipei’s Songshan Cultural and Creative Park is leaning into a quieter approach that emphasizes technical precision over flashy presentation.
Lin’s career is defined by a unique duality. He spent 18 years at the Michelin-starred Tien Hsiang Lo, mastering the rigorous discipline of five-star gastronomy. In 2017, he transitioned to oversee culinary operations at the Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, Taiwan’s only specialty cancer hospital. The move, he said, forced him to return to the core of his craft. "In hotels, the pursuit is consistent technical performance," Lin said. "But at the hospital, I rediscovered the essence of cooking: It is not just a skill; it is a gesture of care." Now at Eslite Garden, Lin marries medical-grade nutritional standards with elite hotel craftsmanship. His peers call him the "Scholar Chef," a nod to his warm demeanor and precise sense of proportion. Lin’s obsession with ingredient purity includes the traditional concept of purging seafood — keeping fish in clean water for days to ensure a pristine flavor free of earthy undertones. "Doing the basics well is the simplest yet most difficult task," Lin said. His artisanal spirit is best exemplified by the handmade Hangzhou floating fish balls. While commercial versions use starch for structure, Lin’s recipe is starch-free, relying entirely on the physical properties of protein. The dish is inspired by a Qin Dynasty legend of a chef who struck a fish with the spine of a knife to remove bones, inadvertently creating a smooth paste. Lin continues this method, striking skinless white fish and passing the meat through a 100-mesh ultrafine sieve to remove every fiber. "The fish paste is seasoned with salt to set the proteins and shaped instantly in room-temperature water," Lin said. The aeration causes the fish balls to float, creating a texture as light as a cloud. The dish is available only by reservation. The new menu offers a paced sequence of Jiangnan-inspired flavors, beginning with sliced sea whelk with roasted chili. For this dish, green chilies are peeled to release a subtle, numbing aroma that complements the natural sweetness of the whelk. Braised chicken feet and pork intestine uses a tiger-skin technique of deep-frying and steaming to achieve a disciplined yet deeply layered heat. The progression continues with the lychee-scented empress chicken, a dish distinguished by its faint fruit notes and a restrained sweetness. Lin draws directly from his background in health-focused cooking to present the five-element healthy vegetable soup, offering a transparent and nourishing finish that cleanses the palate. |
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| Lyla Liu Taiwan News, Staff Reporter | |
| 2026-01-13 |
