I love Joseph’s Palak Paneer too, as well as his just-launched frozen curry packs, especially the Chicken Tikka Masala, Mixed Dal Curry and Mushroom, Potato and Green Pea Curry. Glad to be able to enjoy delicious “restaurant meals” at home now.
Since sampling Joseph’s extraordinary spinach paneer last November, I’ve been hooked on his various veggie dishes. Bit by bit, I’ve been making my way through Joseph’s impressive repertoire, including dishes featuring squash and eggplant and his excellent black dhal.
All of these veggie dishes have been very good indeed, but tonight I had a meal that once again blew me away. The centerpiece was Joseph’s asparagus caldine, described on the menu as “mild-yellow spiced, peppery and sour coconut base curry from beaches of Goa, with a hint of cinnamon, green chili, and coriander.” It’s a beautiful dish, with generous amounts of asparagus both chopped and whole providing a satisfying toothsome texture. The sauce was a revelation, with coconut milk nicely balanced with the slightly sour taste of tamarind. The caldine went brilliantly with Joseph’s long grain rice, which was perfectly cooked (don’t get me started about how difficult it is to find this in Taiwan’s restaurants) and infused with kaffir lime leaf and I believe a hint of coconut milk. It’s a treat to find rice that looks and smells and tastes so good.
Once again, kudos to Joseph and his team for preparing such wonderful food. I can’t wait to go back!
Guy
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Nice review Guy, it looks like a visit to Joseph’s is in order this year!
I was back at Joseph’s tonight for another terrific meal. As I chatted with Joseph about how he prepared his rice, I learned to my embarrassment that I had misrepresented it in my previous post. Joseph’s rice is indeed infused with kaffir lime leaf–but it is not cooked with coconut milk, which instead appears in several of his curries, including his incredible asparagus caldine.
Guy
I stopped by Joseph Bistro tonight for another terrific meal, this time enjoying Joseph’s wonderful caldine with cauliflower, lightly topped with what I think is melted brie. Before the meal, I was pleased to hear from the proprietor that Joseph’s has been recognized by Michelin as part of their Bib Gourmet selections in Taipei City. A nice compact write-up from the folks at Michelin, with some good photos, appears here:
Congratulations to Joseph and his team for this well-deserved recognition–and for taking Indian food in Taipei to the next level!
Guy
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My office is near there will give it a try some day.
Yes do indeed give it a try if you can!
If it’s your first visit, and if you like spinach (I very much do), you might consider trying Joseph’s spinach paneer. His luminous take on this classic dish knocks my socks off.
Also, with the recent recognition from Michelin, I’d advise calling ahead to reserve a table, especially if you plan to show up in the evening.
Enjoy!
Guy
Bumping this because Joseph’s is a restaurant people should remember! I had a fantastic lunch here today - their thali, available in limited numbers for lunch or dinner, but I don’t know how limited. One of the best meals I’ve had in a very, very long time. Somewhat pricy ($1280), but damn, it was excellent. NOT the standard Indian food that we all know and love (for that, Moksha, near Zhishan MRT station, has good thali sets) - I have no idea what new and exiting flavors were involved in some of those dishes I ate today. But I loved them.
The actual list: fruit raita; scallop vadi; squid balchao; fish croquette; chicken tikka; vegetable pickles; chestnut biriyani; yellow dhal curry; pork vindaloo (could have beef gassi or lamb korma instead for that one).
So, if you’re looking for a restaurant to splash out in before things may or may not shut down again, remember this place! They were full at lunch today - I don’t know if that’s his normal business (if so, good for him!), or if others have the same sense of “dine out while you can” that I do.
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I’ve just been a few times because it’s a little fusiony for my tastes, but the dishes that were good were really good.
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Yeah, I can see that. The page of chef’s creations is a long list of “Um, maybe that’s good, but I don’t understand most of those words”. Then when you get to the regular curries, they’re more expensive than you’re going to see elsewhere around town - and Indian food already is relatively overpriced here.
Hence the thali! Lots of variety in small portions. And I’m glad that’s what I ordered - the flavors for some of those would been too rich as a main.
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It’s the end of an era: tonight was the last night for Joseph Bistro in Taipei.
According to Sana Hashmi, Joseph plans to return with a new pan-Indian restaurant in the future.
Source: https://twitter.com/sanahashmi1/status/1695348476396392789
Guy
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Hopefully with more seating. Sad to hear it’s closing, but look forward to the next venture.
Likewise! When engaged, Joseph is a genius.
Guy
Welcome news - it looks like Joseph is now over at Summer Flowers Dining Room.
Very positive review on laorencha’s blog:
What I hope is a Google Maps link:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dVuXiHAXnqeL7Qje9?g_st=ic
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