appreciation for tea is changing,” Chiang explains. “The
older generation enjoys having tea in a traditional tea
house, but the younger ones would not step into [such a
place] because they don’t think it is cool. Instead, they drink
bubble tea or fresh fruit tea, but often, these tea beverages
only use tea essence and fl avouring. If this trend continues,
Taiwanese tea culture would [eventually] disappear.”
To preserve an appreciation for “real” Taiwanese tea,
Chiang got the idea of making bubble tea and fruit tea
using quality Taiwanese tea and serving it in a stylish
cafe, which resulted in One Tree Hill. The operations and
ever-changing menu are handled by Singaporean-Taiwanese
couple, Yen and Katia Lim, both of whom had worked at
Restaurant André.
A trained chef, Yen has also been passionate about
Chinese tea for eight years, having worked in Singapore for
Chinese tea master Lee Chee Keong at Liu Xiang Tea Craft
in Liang Court. “I only use organic tea with no artifi cial
fl avouring added,” he shares. One of the beverages he
served at the pop-up is dubbed the Chante Tea—a fruit
tea that combines Shui Xian oolong tea with components
used for a plated dessert his wife makes, including
Chantilly cream, tayberry and raspberry, mango sorbet, and
thinly sliced apples and oranges.
One of Katia’s more outstanding desserts is a fi nancier
topped with kaya cream. Crisp on the outside to keep the
moisture in, this serving of a nicely baked fi nancier elevates
the humble Singaporean breakfast and teatime staple of
kaya toast. Tiny cubes of butter, sprinkled with sea salt and
coffee powder, are added so the saltiness and bitterness
balance the sweetness. All of these recipes have been
refi ned by Chiang.LIVING THE DREAM
This is the fi rst time Chiang has done a pop-up of
One Tree Hill, and he is already thinking of opening
a branch in Tokyo. But his offi cial fi rst project will be
in Kanazawa, located two hours by train from Kyoto.
Kanazawa also embraces the beauty of craftsmanship
and tradition and is home to a lot of young talent.
“I love Kanazawa. I would like to live there,” Chiang
declares, having bought a machiya (a traditional
Japanese shophouse) for his personal use. “The place
has everything—culture, history, crafts and quality
ingredients, especially seafood.”
He co-owns, with a group of Taiwanese
artists, another six machiyas in Ishibiki, near the
Kenrokuen Garden, with the aim of converting each of
them into a boutique bed and breakfast.
“In the past, food and craft never [really] overlapped,
and other restaurants were considered competitors.
Now, people connected with the same philosophy
could work together and share the customers. If
I have 100 followers, and the other [business] has
100 followers, we can reach 200 followers. It needs to
be the same group of people with the same priority and
preference. If it works, we can offer a full experience,”
Chiang shares.
He adds that while more people these days travel
for food, his aim is to offer a curated experience that
would incorporate a chance to discover the city and
its culture. He hopes to complete this project by
mid-June 2020. If you know anything about the time
it takes to create something truly artisanal, you know
good things will come to those who wait.From left: Good friends Chiang and Japanese tea caddy maker Takahiro Yagi bond over a passion for tradition and craftsmanship; the fi nancier with kaya
cream has become a signature dessert at Chiang’s One Tree Hill in Taiwan. Opposite: One Tree Hill off ers modern tea drinks in an equally trendy setting
singapore tatler. october 2019 221