About RAW
RAW is the restaurant that changed what Taipei dining could mean. When world-renowned chef André Chiang — whose Singapore restaurant Restaurant André once held two Michelin stars and featured on every list of the world's best restaurants — opened this neighbourhood bistro in 2014, he was making a statement: that exceptional cooking could inhabit an accessible, joyful environment without requiring the formality of a tasting-menu temple.
The concept is seasonal and market-driven to a degree unusual even by the standards of the farm-to-table movement. The menu changes quarterly at its core, but dishes rotate frequently based on what Taiwanese farms and fishing communities provide. The research programme that underpins this is genuinely academic: Chiang's team visits producers across the island, understanding their agricultural calendars and fishery cycles to build menus that represent the best Taiwan can offer at any given moment.
The cooking is modern without being alienating, sophisticated without being pretentious. A cured salmon dish might reference Scandinavian techniques while using Taiwanese flying fish roe; a dessert might draw from Japanese wagashi tradition while showcasing Alishan mountain tea. These are not fusion tricks — they are the work of a kitchen with broad cultural literacy deploying it with restraint.
The room is the city's most vibrant fine dining environment: good-looking, energetic, designed for people who want to eat brilliantly but also to talk and laugh and feel the pleasure of a shared table. The set lunch represents exceptional value at this level.
Best Occasion Fit
RAW's combination of accessible pricing, genuine brilliance in the kitchen, and an atmosphere that actively encourages enjoyment makes it the natural choice for first dates with someone who appreciates food but might be put off by rigid formality. For business lunches, the set menu structure ensures the meal fits within a workday while still providing the quality and setting to make a positive impression.