Café de Lugano 盧卡諾義法餐酒館

This week I would love to share with you the gem of European dining in Taipei, interviewing seasoned Chef Frederic Jullien at Café de Lugano.

The summer I spent in the courtyards of Paris, with a drink in hand and impeccable French food in front of me while gossiping with my friends has been one of my fondest memories of Europe. I know that for many, this is also their ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon. To my delight, Café de Lugano brings European courtyard experience to the heart of Taipei, positioned within the Mandarin Oriental, it's the perfect location to relive your summer in Europe. Sitting in the courtyard of the restaurant, while the sunlight sprinkles in, then stepping within the restaurant to see the colorful artwork, you begin to appreciate all the details that Café de Lugano invests to create a transformative experience for its guests not only through food, but also visually. Offering a range of brunch options, a set lunch menu and an a la carte menu in the evening, Chef Jullien has considered your every food cravings. 

When I asked about his own personal favorite dish, the Chef mentioned a simple pasta with olive oil, black pepper, and pecorino cheese. While it's not on the menu, it may enjoy a special appearance occasionally. Whether you are a long time diner at Café de Lugano or an excited new patron, there will be something for everyone on the new menu.

大家好，本週我想與大家分享台北歐式餐飲界的一顆瑰寶，特地專訪了 Café de Lugano 的資深主廚 Frederic Jullien。

在巴黎度過的那個夏天，手裡端著一杯酒，眼前是經典的法式料理，身旁圍著幾位姊妹一起閒話家常，這始終是我在歐洲最珍貴的回憶之一。我想，對很多人來說，這也是理想中的週六午後吧。當天走向Café de Lugano時，我就發現他們完美的把這樣的歐式庭院氛圍復刻到了台北，就藏身在文華東方酒店裡，是重溫歐洲夏日時光的最佳去處。坐在庭院裡任陽光灑落，再走進室內欣賞繽紛的藝術裝置，你會慢慢發現 Café de Lugano 在每個細節上下的功夫，不只是味覺上，視覺上也讓人耳目一新。從豐富的早午餐選擇、午間套餐，到晚間的單點菜單，Chef Jullien 早已把你從早到晚可能會想念的歐式佳餚都設想進去了。

在聽主廚分享新菜單時，我就很好奇主廚本人最愛的一道菜，他跟我分享說是一道最簡單的義大利麵，成分只有橄欖油、黑胡椒，加上佩科里諾羊乳酪。雖然目前沒有在菜單上，但是是一道主廚不定期會提供的隱藏菜色。不管你是 Café de Lugano 的老顧客，還是第一次造訪的新朋友，新菜單裡總有適合你的一道菜。

Café de Lugano has been open for nearly ten years. Over this time, we have always worked hard to improve our quality and the dining experience. With our great food and beautiful environment, we want to be an important dining place for people in Taipei.

We offer many different food choices, from a flexible à la carte menu to a special, high-quality Chef's menu.

Café de Lugano 開業至今已經將近十年。這段時間，我們始終在琢磨怎麼把料理品質和用餐體驗做得更好，希望憑著美味的餐點和優美的環境，成為台北人心中重要的用餐去處。

菜單選擇也很多元，從彈性自由的單點菜單，到精緻  菜單都有。

The restaurant draws on everyday, family-style culinary culture with Mediterranean influences, blending French finesse with Italian comfort. Our style is a reflection of my own roots, with my family coming from the south of France and from Italy.

We bring a street-food sensibility similar to that of major European cities like Paris, London, or Milan, paired with a trendy, relaxed atmosphere. To balance this, our front-of-house team elevates the experience by delivering attentive, French-inspired service with a warm and genuinely welcoming touch.

餐廳的料理走的是日常、家庭式的路線，帶點地中海風情，把法式的細膩和義式的溫暖揉合在一起。這其實也跟我自己的背景有關，我家裡一邊來自法國南部，一邊來自義大利。

我們想營造出巴黎、倫敦、米蘭這些歐洲大城市街頭美食的隨性感，配上時髦又放鬆的氛圍。至於服務怎麼拿捏平衡，就靠我們的外場團隊，用細膩體貼的法式服務，加上真誠溫暖的待客之道，讓客人賓至如歸。

Inspired by Switzerland's Lugano, the café's design brings the sun-drenched, social atmosphere of Southern European town squares into a Taipei courtyard.

The space acts as an all-day community hub, effortlessly transitioning from a quiet, natural-light-filled spot for lunch to a lively evening venue. We're open every day from 11am to 10pm.

Guests can enjoy an elegant brunch of sandwiches, eggs benedict, salads or a quick lunch of risotto or homemade fresh pasta, afternoon tea with desserts, and in the evening, more gastronomic dishes meant for sharing, paired with a selection of cocktails and wines.

餐廳的設計靈感來自瑞士的盧加諾，把南歐小鎮廣場那種陽光灑落、充滿人情味的氛圍，搬進了台北的庭院裡。

這個空間就像全天候營業的社區聚會所，從午間灑滿自然光的安靜角落，到夜晚熱鬧的聚會場地，轉換得很自然。我們全年無休，每天營業時間是早上11點到晚上10點。

白天可以來份精緻早午餐，像三明治、班尼迪克蛋、沙拉，或是燉飯、手工現做義大利麵這類快速午餐；下午則有搭配甜點的下午茶時光；到了晚上，就換成適合大家一起分享的美饌料理，配上精選的雞尾酒和葡萄酒。

I first came to Taipei in 2012 with Joël Robuchon, opening the Atelier de Joël Robuchon. I ended up staying five years since I found Taipei comfortable, easy to live in, and conveniently placed in the middle of Asia, which made it easy to travel, stay connected with friends, and bring in guest chefs to share different cooking experiences. I later joined a new opening in northern Taipei in 2021; that restaurant closed due to Covid, which is what brought me to Café de Lugano.

Being a chef is closely tied to constant learning. I started out in restaurants, then moved into hotels, where you learn a different kind of management. Every establishment is different, and that's what makes this profession so rich, with opportunities to grow and evolve anywhere in the world.

At Café de Lugano, guests can enjoy cuisine that blends both tradition and originality, dishes like beef bourguignon, poultry with morels, or beef Wellington, as well as Asian-inspired sandwiches that combine French culinary skill with originality, along with a few freshly made pasta dishes.

我是2012年跟著侯布雄（Joël Robuchon）團隊來台北的，當時是為了籌備 Atelier de Joël Robuchon 的開幕。原本沒打算待太久，結果一待就是五年，台北的生活節奏讓我覺得很舒服，加上地理位置正好在亞洲中心，往來各地都方便，可以常常旅行、跟朋友保持聯繫，也方便邀請客座主廚來交流不同的料理經驗。2021年，我加入了台北北區一間新開幕餐廳的團隊，後來那間餐廳因為疫情收掉了，也因此讓我來到 Café de Lugano。

當主廚這份工作，說到底就是不斷在學習。我先是在餐廳歷練，後來轉往飯店體系，學到完全不同的管理方式。每個地方、每種環境都不一樣，而這正是這份職業迷人的地方，不管到世界哪個角落，都還有成長和蛻變的空間。

在 Café de Lugano，大家可以吃到兼具傳統與創意的料理，像紅酒燉牛肉、羊肚菌燉禽肉、威靈頓牛排，還有帶點亞洲風味靈感的三明治，把法式廚藝和創意巧妙地揉合在一起，另外也有幾款新鮮現做的義大利麵。

I prioritize fresh, local market produce, as I favor short supply chains for my poultry, pork, and high-quality fruits and vegetables. What makes a great dish, to me, is above all freshness and respect for the ingredient, paired with precise cooking and technical mastery. To me, this is more important than where the product comes from. So yes, I believe you can cook excellent French dishes using Taiwanese products. 

On top of that, more and more importers are now bringing French products into Taiwan, I work with Daily Oyster for oysters, with Chris from Rungis Deli and Le Comptoir for cheese, which lets us adapt between the Taiwanese and French way of doing things.

食材我會盡量選用新鮮、在地市場的產品，像雞肉、豬肉，還有品質好的蔬果，我都偏好直接跟熟悉的產地或供應商採買。對我來說，一道好菜最重要的，其實是食材夠不夠新鮮、有沒有被好好對待，再加上精準的烹調和扎實的技術，這些比食材產自哪裡更重要。所以我很確定，用台灣食材也可以做出很棒的法式料理。

現在也有越來越多進口商把法國食材帶進台灣，像我固定跟 Daily Oyster 採購生蠔，跟 Rungis Deli 的 Chris 還有 Le Comptoir 採購乳酪，這讓我可以在台灣和法國兩種做法之間，找到最合適的搭配方式。

I don't think there's really an "ideal" order, it all depends on the time of day and who you're sharing the meal with, whether you're alone, with friends, or on a business lunch. But I can suggest a few dishes: the chicken liver mousse, the fish soup, the Wagyu beef Wellington, and the praline Paris-Brest.

For a fuller sense of what that might look like at the table: the chicken liver mousse is a traditional French pâté unique to Lugano in Taipei, and the traditional onion soup, topped with Comté cheese and gratinéed, is another good starting point. For pasta, there's a new carbonara served directly out of a wheel of cheese; for a main, the bavette (onglet, similar to hanger or flank steak) comes with caramelized onion, a touch of vinegar, and traditional mashed potato, a nod to my training under Joël Robuchon. To finish, the tea cheesecake, a Basque cheesecake made with Taiwanese tea, is a really nice balance, alongside the praline Paris-Brest.

我覺得其實沒有什麼「完美」的點法，一切看你什麼時候來，跟誰一起吃，是一個人、跟朋友，還是商務午餐。不過我可以推薦幾道菜：雞肝慕斯、海鮮湯、和牛威靈頓牛排，還有帕林內巴黎布雷斯特泡芙。

具體一點來說：雞肝慕斯是傳統的法式肝醬，在台北只有 Lugano 才吃得到；傳統洋蔥湯上面蓋著孔泰乳酪去焗烤，也是很棒的開場。義大利麵可以試試新推出的乳酪輪現拌培根蛋麵；主餐我推薦法式側腹橫肌牛排（bavette），配焦糖洋蔥、一點紅酒醋，還有傳統馬鈴薯泥，這也是在向我的老師侯布雄致敬。最後甜點就吃茶香巴斯克蛋糕，用台灣茶做的，茶香跟乳酪搭得剛剛好，可以跟帕林內巴黎布雷斯特泡芙一起享用。