An encounter between great music and a Michelin banquet in Palais de Chine Hotel Taipei
- Written by Eddie Tsai
In the winter of 2012, LDC Hotels & Resorts Group invited internationally famous violinist Hu Nai-yuan to perform at its Palais de Chine Hotel in Taipei and Fleur de Chine Hotel in Sun Moon Lake. His performance was very highly rated. At the end of 2014, Hu was invited to join hands with Marco Sacco, -- a legendary Italian chef -- to hold a Violin and Michelin Banquet at Palais de Chine and Fleur de Chine. The two-Michelin-star banquets witnessed the dialogue between two world-class virtuosos at the chateau-like Grand Hall of Palais de Chine and scenic Fleur de Chine, providing exquisite enjoyment of Italian classical music and authentic Piedmont dishes to mark a perfect end of 2014.
Hu has become increasingly famous since he won the Grand Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 1985. Since then, he has worked with the Royal London Philharmonic Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, Orchestre National de Lille, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, etc. His recordings of Carl Goldmark's Concerto and Max Bruch's Concerto No 2 in conjunction with conductor Gerard Schwarz and his Seattle Symphony Orchestra, rated by Gramophone as highly collectible, won the Penguin Guide to Recorded Classical Music's three stars and a rosette, the highest honor. He has also won gold in both the Best Classical Album and the Best Instrumental Album categories of Taiwan's Golden Melody Awards. Hu is an amicable and warm violinist; his music is soul-penetrating.
The Taiwan-born violinist loves his hometown despite years of living overseas. He shows his strong ties and commitment to raising the world's awareness of Taiwan's art scene by conscientiously inviting local artists to perform with him on the international stage. He also returns to Taiwan every year to perform and teach, setting himself as a good example of being grateful to the birthplace of his success. This was the third time of cooperation between Hu and LDC Hotels & Resorts Group.
Marco Sacco, one of the top chefs in Italy and a legend, is the chief chef of Piccolo Lago, a country restaurant run by his parents. Born in 1965 in Verbania and raised in the kitchen, Marco Sacco became a professional windsurfer and a paratrooper before he returned to his destined restaurant industry. With his talent and passion for culinary art, he soon became a household name and a star chef in Italy as well as a focus of international limelight. His creative and exquisite culinary art has transformed Piccolo Lago into one of the top-ten Michelin restaurants in Italy; the restaurant won one Michelin star and two Michelin stars respectively in 2004 and 2007. Insisting on taste, aesthetics and quality, Marco Sacco uses only the freshest ingredients, which are transformed by his culinary creativity into authentic Piedmont dishes. Lauded as "the Star of Piedmont," the 2-star Michelin chef humbly stated that he is not a verbal person, but that he does pour his thoughts and emotions into his food.
Marco Sacco fully incorporated Piedmont's white truffles and wine into the Violin and Michelin Banquet. A typical dish was the classical tajarin with pasta and white truffles. Tajarin is golden and has a strong egg fragrance because it is made from many egg yolks. It was allegedly the favorite of Victor Emmanuel II, a king of Piedmont. Marco Sacco would only use the white truffles from Alba, Italy. Such truffles are considered the best in the world and were once as expensive as €3,000 per kilogram. The fragrant truffles were sliced on the spot and added to the thin tajarin to make the dish most appetizing. Another worthy dish was beef cheek slow cooked over low heat in quality Barolo wine from northern Italy. The beef cheek was so succulent, it could melt right in your mouth. Lucky guests were able to enjoy Marco Sacco's culinary art at Palais de Chine on November 7, 2014 and Fleur de Chine on November 9, 2014.
