Gēn Creative

I have been wanting to come to Gen Creative since I visited Taiwan last year and finally got to go this time during this visit.

This restaurant has three chefs from Taiwan, Korea, and Guatemala, and they serve world inspired dishes with Taiwanese ingredients. Overall - the flavors were great but the texture was just OK in two of the dishes. I liked the service here.

We ordered the fried soup, burrata, truffle grains for appetizers and the fish and duck for mains. For dessert we got the beignets and the soufflé. The fried soup was tom kha, and it was a fun bite that burst (literally) with flavor. Also, it wasn't too hot to burn so that's an important note. The burrata had a sour but refreshing flavor from the tomato treatment. The barley & mushroom dish was my favorite and though I don't always like foam - in this case it was a good use and add of flavor. The texture concern I mentioned were the two mains. I was fine with the duck but my parents found the meat to be too large and therefore chewy. Our fish was a tad overcooked and tough to eat. The flavors and sides that went with the main protein were all great though. The desserts were great, neither too sweet and both fun mix of sweet and fruit flavors.

This Michelin recommended restaurant blew me away. There were four in our party. It was recommended that we order two items from each category. We had had a full day of food already so we weren't really hungry. But we thoroughly enjoyed each dish we ordered and took leftover back to our hotel to enjoy the next day!

There were some of our favorites:

Onion dip and flatbread. A sweet onion dip. We had to order more flatbread because we had so much dip left. So tasty and creamy!

Amber jack fish. Lightly seared. A meat fish. Tasty with the Dijon and potatoes.

Purple Cabbage. Cooked to perfection. A wonderful vegetable dish. So flavorful.

Pork Neck- pork prepared two different ways on top of pads of crispy rice. Tender pork and the crisply rice was a great compliment.

There is a lot to like about this restaurant, modern space, inventive dishes and friendly staff but there are small detail that can be improved.

I love that they partnered up with local brewery and a New Zealand winery for collaboration. The apple pie cider actually tasted like an apple pie and the Pinot Noir was tasty too.

My favourite dish was the fried pumpkin soup, little bites of heavy popping in your mouth. The onion dip was their signature dish but since I don't like mayo, didn't care for this dish.

The portion of bread to the bone marrow was off, 2 small pieces of bread for 2 bones. Was definitely not enough and they charge $100NT for 2 more pieces.

I like that the amberjack was not farmed and transferred from 澎湖. Radish cake was beautifully decorated but the taste didn't pop for me. Barley was nicely cooked but quite heavy. Lastly, bossam was just ok for me.

Overall I would give 3.5 stars because there are small details they can improve on
1) lighting is awkward and too bright
2) music, they were playing pop music which was odd for this type of cuisine and space
3) service can be more attentive. Dirty dishes sat too long and waters were never topped up.

Was tempted to give 5 stars but when I thought about it, only two dishes stood out for me, the rest were good, but not amazing. I've read so much rave about this place and had high expectations. Was sad to see the short ribs were no longer on the menu, so got the waitress to recommend a few dishes. The fried soup - points for creativity - I'd recommend trying it just for the experience, but would not get it a second time.

The two dishes that I LOVED were:
The PEACH!! served with burrata, lavander and basil pesto. It's a crazy flavour combo that worked spectacularly well together!! The lightness of the peach and the heaviness of the pesto balance each other out, and the burrata just brings it all together in heavenly mouthful.
The SOUFFLE - dark chocolate souffle with rum and young ginger - OMG - totally worth every single calorie!! The souffle is cooked perfectly, but what impressed me the most was the layers of flavours - chocolate, rum and ginger - they got the proportions spot on.

Atmosphere/deco was nice but nothing special. Service was standard. Beer and wine list (and staff knowledge of the two) was not impressive.

They recommend getting several dishes to share. Serving sizes were on the small side, so it can end up being a bit pricy (especially as I thought the dishes were main sizes). We spent ~$2000 per person + additional for alcohol for dinner.

If you enjoy a comfortable dining experience and the art that goes in to a dish, you will very much enjoy this place.

I am impressed with the creativity and the pairing of fresh flavors. Sometimes I just want to enjoy the simplicity of ingredients and this place definitely does that without digging a hole in your wallet.

Table seating would be suitable for family or friend gatherings but if it's only the two of you, I suggest sitting at the bar. You get to see the chefs work their magic in the open kitchen and every dessert being served.

Their menu slightly changes based off seasonal and chef choices so catch them while you can! My favorites are the Fig Salad, Fried Beef Tendon, Bossam, Short Ribs, and GFC. As for dessert, you honestly cannot go wrong with any choice! However if you are lucky to catch their ginger ice cream - it is amazing! Many people choose the Dark & Stormy but last night I tried the Banana Cream Pie - a better choice for a sweet tooth like me - it's nicely layered and the little chunks in the banana ice cream is enough WOW to want to bring a whole tub home.

The only slightly downside is I wish their hostess and servers were friendlier so when you are filled with so much joy from a dish you are not then reminded of the dull attitude of their speedy service. Other than that, I have nothing but good things to rave about. It's very clean, classy, and fun dining at Roots Creative.

P.S. Their special occasion openings such as their Mother's Day Brunch - HIGHLY suggest not missing - a special menu will make you grin like a child on Christmas morning.

I was really looking forward to this dinner and the high ratings on yelp set high expectations for the restaurant. Sadly, they fell short on all aspects.

Food:
-Food is indeed creative but fails in execution.
-Fried tendon: this tasted good and good plating, but really this dish was just a plate of glorified "pork rinds".
-Onion dip: tastes like stuff I could buy at the grocery store and the flatbread that came along with it was stale.
-Clams Casino: served cold / lukewarm and the most disappointing dish of the night. Clams slightly overcooked.
-Octopus: tough and hard to chew, bland in flavor, overall still edible and not horrible (and I love anything octopus), but just not up to par with a high rating restaurant
-Bossam: probably the best dish of the night
-dessert: Aiyu Ice - creative dessert, guava sorbet that accompanied it was full flavored and good, but the rest I could pass on.

Service:
-when we complained about the temperature of the Clams casino dish, nothing was done to rectify or replace the dish
-servers polite and took time to explain every dish, but they hovered waaaaaaay too much. It was quite stressful and we felt very rushed because they kept clearing things away in a lightning fast paced. It was super annoying. Servers standing around and just watching you. No one likes being watched while they eat, even if you are trying to be attentive. More discretion would be better and put the diners at ease.
-gave us the bill before we asked for it...disguised in a fortune cookie, no less! (Did you want us to leave after only 1.5 half!?!?!) What's the RUSH?

I think overall, if the service was better and less frantic, I would have enjoyed the food more or rated this place higher. The service really destroyed my impression of this place.

Unfortunately, I would not return nor would I recommend this place to someone else. Highly disappointed that I wasted calories on this restaurant.

Wait...what just happened guys? I think I just had one of the top 10 best restaurant experiences of my life? And I most definitely found my favorite restaurant in Taipei!

I came by Roots Creative with my friend a Thursday night, our expectations weren't too high, I just knew there had been some good reviews. And boy am I happy we were fortunate enough to get seats, and even better - by the bar! Bar seats are usually not my preference, I'd rather sit as far away as possible, so I was at first a little disappointed.

Now what happened between the moments of walking in and completing our order was first confusion, then astonishment, then some more confusion and finally contentment. You see, the menu is a little confusing if you don't know what to look for, but just give the waitors a little wink and they'll gladly help you out with how many dishes to opt for etc. Now during this process I kept feeling as if my eyes were getting blinded...BECAUSE SWEET MOTHER OF CLEANLINESS! That kitchen...it was so shiny and clean it nearly hurt my eyes, or maybe it was because I couldn't stop staring at it. Whichever it was...I mean come on, there's only so much you can do to keep a busy kitchen clean!? I don't think my own kitchen has ever been that spotless, not even when it was compressed in IKEA cardboxes.

Anyhow, after some chatting and looking around at the other guest's dishes we split four between the two of us: the ricotta salad, octopus, chicken and Bossam. Like Sonny & Cher all the flavors were as if made for each other; good by themselves, but even greater as one. My personal favorites were the Ricotta Salad and octopus (oh and did I mention I've never really liked octopus?) The searing was done to perfection, creating perfect texture and flavour. All these flavors, the pairings, the plating, the atmosphere...it must be experienced. Roots Creative is changing their menu in October 2015, and these items will no longer be available by then sadly, but I'm excited to come back and try their new creations. I have full trust in the creation of a new masterpiece of a menu, with the unpredictable, but yet so fulfilling, bold flavors.

What I particularly love about Roots Creative, however is how everyone seems to love their job. The owners are the chefs you'll see in the kitchen, and with great care and passion they have brought this wonder to Taipei. We were so lucky to get to know these three fantastic souls, shared some desserts with them (I'm no desserts person, but Melanie..you rock my world!) and even got an extra fortune cookie to go! Did I tell you about the amazing fortune cookies!? No. Well, they taste fantastic, and inside you'll find a little surprise or two.

This is a place I'll take anyone who wants the little extra; someone who wants the culinary experience, and one of the best nights of their lives. Bring your mom, your date, your sister or your brother, your best friend or your boss. Whoever you want to treat or impress, this is the place.

Can I give an extra star?!

Hmm, rarely do I give out a 5 star rating to a restaurant so new as I always feel like the quality changes but Roots Creative is definitely rave worthy.

I don't think there was a dish I tried and didn't like. Very impressive work guys!

Definitely want to put extra emphasis on the soufflé and the fried chicken and the short ribs. Must get!

The best part is that they do seasonal features so the fried chicken we had has a summer twist to it with the dressing. The beets salad was absolutely stunning - golden beets paired with regular beets purée made the dish an art form.

Will be back to try next quarter. Keep up the great work Roots Creative team! You're off to a great start!

Enjoyed a nice dining experience here in Taiwan. Went with two friends after making reservations on the web site. It is necessary to book and leave a deposit. This seems to be occurring at three other restaurants in Taipei at the moment. We went and found the place empty so I thought it was not true, it turned out that it did fill up.
The waitress explained the process to my Chinese friends, they were very confused. We went with a few suggestions. Found the food to be western style prepared well and presented well.
Would not go again but sure worth the evening.
Taiwan is a foodie place galore and hard to miss in almost anyplace.

This is a must try! (I wish I was in town one more day to try their other dishes).Whether you're from out of town (like myself) or you're a local here in Taiwan. All the dishes from the salad to the dessert were full of flavors you'll find no where else in Taiwan. It's a new American fusion between the local flavors of Taiwan and the background of its chefs.

I had the pleasure of speaking with the chefs/owners and what I learned is that all the ingredients are purchased fresh daily same day before they open for dinner.

I recommend this restaurant to everyone whether you're looking for a great date place or a family dinner, you can't go wrong. Go and enjoy the delicious food, enjoy the cleanliness, the exterior and interior decor, the friendly service, just go and enjoy.

PS:

This place is a must try over and over again. Try it soon before they decide to increase their prices! They're also booked for weeks in advance so you better make your reservation today!!