Infinity, located in the refined setting of Silks Place Tainan, is more than just a restaurant; it is a destination for those looking for a profound culinary experience. The name “Infinity” is inspired by the philosophical concept of limitless potential and represents the chef’s unwavering pursuit of culinary innovation. Within this elegant setting, tradition and modernity merge to create flavours that capture the essence of what great cooking truly is.
Infinity’s innovative menu is inspired by Tainan’s rich culinary heritage, which is widely regarded as Taiwan’s culinary heart. Chefs Jamie Ye and Sean Chen have meticulously reinterpreted beloved local dishes for the menu. Every contemporary masterpiece they have created demonstrates their profound respect for tradition and boundless creativity. Each dish demonstrates the chef’s commitment to preserving traditional flavours while infusing them with modern twists, resulting in a culinary experience that honours Tainan’s gastronomic legacy.
Infinity provides a unique opportunity for discerning expats and curious travellers to embark on a culinary journey through the heart of Taiwan from the comfort of Silks Place Tainan. As you savour each meticulously crafted plate, you will notice a harmonious combination of familiar and unexpected flavours. Whether it is the comfort of a classic Taiwanese dish reimagined or the thrill of a bold new taste sensation, Infinity promises to capture your palate and leave an indelible mark on your culinary memory.
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Silks Place Tainan is a beautiful place to stay, eat, or just visit on your way to the neighbouring Shin Kong Mistukoshi department store. When you step inside the hotel, you are greeted by a cavernous entrance with vast, high ceilings, warm lighting, and traditional decor. It is clear that the hotel has made a concerted effort to incorporate Tainan culture/Confucianism into its design, as evidenced by the drums on either side of the grand entrance. They represent the local drumming troupe Ten Drum Art Percussion Group (十鼓擊樂團), which is an important part of Tainan’s culture.
Tainan City – Silks Place Tainan 台南晶英酒店, 1 of the Best Hotels in the South!
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Here are some useful links for you if you are going to Tainan:
- Transportation
- Tourists Attractions
- Recommended Tours
- Book staying at Silks Place Tainan: Website | Klook | Booking.com | KKday | Agoda
On the right side as you walk through the huge double-door entrance you will see the beautifully artistic sign of the Infinity restaurant at Silks Place Tainan.
Be sure to book at least 1 day in advance. You can do this either in person or by calling the Infinity team at (06)390-8088 (extension #3222).
Since its grand opening, Silks Place Tainan Hotel's Infinity restaurant has been dedicated to serving dishes infused with heartfelt flavours. As the seasons change into spring and summer, the culinary team reimagines "Taiwanese cuisine" with a brand-new series called "Fu Cheng New Flavours (府城新味)." This innovative menu combines Tainan's century-old culinary traditions with contemporary international influences, creating a truly unique and visually stunning dining experience.
To commemorate Tainan's 400th anniversary, the restaurant is also introducing a special "Banquet" menu (辦桌) modelled after traditional southern-style banquets. This limited-time menu, available for both lunch and dinner, offers a modern twist on traditional banquet dishes, highlighting the rich and diverse flavours of Tainan's culinary history.
Important Information about Infinity
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
▪ Lunch: 12:00pm-03:00pm
▪ Dinner: 06:00pm-10:00pm
T +886 6 390 8088 #3222
F +886 6 215 8270
robins@silksplace-tainan.com.tw
The corkage fee will be NT$100 for each glass used.
MENU
Fu Cheng New Flavours (府城新味) Set Menu Price
| Lunch Set | Dinner Set | |
| Weekday | NT$1,880+10% or NT$2,680+10% (includes Beef Wellington) | NT$2,680+10% or NT$3,980+10% (includes Beef wellington) |
| Weekend | NT$2,680+10% and NT$3,980+10% (includes Beef Wellington) | NT$2,680+10% and NT$3,980+10% (includes Beef Wellington) |
The Menu at Infinity ($2680+10% Dinner Set)
It is important to note that the menu at Silks Place Tainan's Infinity restaurant is likely to change with the seasons to best reflect the seasonal produce that makes great restaurants great. However, it is safe to assume that if you have never tasted traditional Taiwanese food or if you love it so much that you crave it every day, Infinity will have those classics on the menu to satisfy your desire.
What We Ate At Infinity
Bread & Butter
A fluffy multi-grain brioche is paired here with a sweet potato butter flecked with homemade caramel and a Taiwanese old-school candy called 黃金糖. When the bread arrived, I was pleasantly surprised by the fragrant yeasty flavours and the intoxicating buttery flavour of that brioche.
That sweet potato butter piqued my interest, so when I ceremoniously ripped apart the bread and dipped it in, I was surprised by the buttery sweet potato and crunchy textures of the rich caramel and Taiwanese candy. While the caramel has a nice flavour, I do not think the Taiwanese candy adds much other than texture. However, texture is just as important as flavour, and it worked well with everything in this appetiser. Infinity at Silks Place Tainan has started off well here!
Spicy Beef Tongue / Abalone / Sugar Coated Mullet Roe
The heavy-hitting appetisers began to arrive, and all three looked incredible! We were captivated by the technique and precision involved in the presentation of the dishes as we watched the expert chefs create them behind the bar.
We were advised to eat in this order:
- Abalone Jelly
- Spicy Beef Tongue
- Sugar-Coated Mullet Roe
Ginger, garlic, and tomato were infused into the Abalone Jelly. The tomato's rich earthiness complements the fragrance of the ginger, with garlic coming in last. Despite the deep rich colour, the jelly has a light beef flavour and a mild spice. The green onion oil brings it all together in a refreshing way and washes over your tongue.
The Spicy Beef Tongue has a delicate texture, pared with century egg paste and century egg jelly, too. There are so many textures in this mouthful, which I thought could be a little overwhelming with earthy flavours based on the ingredient list... It was heavier than the Abalone Jelly, but it was still delicious. In fact, it was balanced very delicately.
The traditional Taiwanese food classic Sugar-Coated Mullet Roe surrounds a tomato in a Tang Hu Lu (糖葫蘆) fashion that is sure to put a smile on your face. Infinity has really done a great job with this, and If you like mullet roe then you are sure to enjoy this, as it hits you in the face with that deep, salty, rich sea flavour that you probably know and love. However, I am not a huge fan of it, so I don't particularly enjoy it. But, flavours aside, the texture and the skill required in this dish are great, and the presentation is perfect.
Japanese Akkeshi Oyster / Leek Flower / Handmade Cheese
This dish is presented beautifully. Sat atop the handmade cheese flecked with leek flowers on the left you can see a glutinous rice paste that has been deep-fried in the shape of a lotus root, and on the right you can see the delicately deep-fried oyster. The homemade cheese had a lovely texture and mild cheese flavour, with the leek flowers infusing a chive-like flavour. The oyster was beautifully deep-fried to delicate perfection.
It was fat, full of oyster flavour, and wonderfully meaty.
The lotus root-shaped deep-fried glutinous rice brought lots of texture but no discernable flavour. You may also notice that separating the oyster and lotus root topping from the homemade cheese are deep-fried egg crisps. There's a lot of texture and fresh flavour throughout this dish. It is one of the standouts on this menu.
Rice Noodles and Mikandai / Crispy Fried Garlic / Taro Fish Soup
Looking like that famous Greek dessert - Kataifi - this fish topped with taro paste and then enveloped in rice noodles before being deep-fried and then topped with mustard green flowers is a thing of majestic beauty. Served on top a thick fish soup, this dish was fantastic. The texture of that crunchy deep-fried rice noodle casing contrasts against the sweet and succulent Mikandai fish (commonly known as red seabream) nicely. The coriander oil in the fish broth brings a fragrance to the dish, and when all elements are brought together in your mouth you cannot help but smile with delight. This is a triumph of a dish at Silks Place Tainan's Infinity restaurant.
Buddha Jumps Over the Wall
The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish at Infinity is first brought to the table and presented alongside a wooden mallet. It's fascinating in both name and presentation. The kiln-hardened volcanic mud is ceremoniously struck revealing layers that lead to a delightful pot containing the traditionally eaten at Chinese New Year's Eve soup.
Inside is a rich soup that has an intensely condensed flavour based on a stock of chicken, duck, chicken feet and pork knuckles that coats your lips with every mouthful. Hidden inside the thick soup is a tofu skin filled with scallops and mushrooms, and is paired in the soup with pork tendon and the traditional delicacy of fish maw.
The show, cooking method, and flavours in this dish are astounding. Be prepared for heavy richness.
Citrus / Grapefruit
Following on from the lip-smacking richness of The Buddha Jumps Over the Wall is this nice refreshment of a tangerine and grapefruit sorbet spiked with a reduced peach sugar crisp. Refreshing, citrusy, and perfectly sets up the main pork dish that is to come.
Eight Treasures Flaxseed Pork / Chestnuts / Mushrooms
Infinity's main dish of Flaxseed-fed Taiwanese pork has been rolled to include a leek, cured egg, and pork liver stuffing, then cooked sous vide to medium-rare. After being taken out of the water bath, the pork is first licked with a blowtorch to score the outer skin and is then generously cut into thick slabs, smeared with a thick soy sauce, rolled in garlic chips and then served on the plate. It is served on a plate with sea salt, mustard, and garlic sauce. You will also notice a taro and chestnut paste hiding away in the back of that plate spiked with crispy shallots and chunks of chestnut.
The flavour of the pork is quite astounding, and even though the pork first comes across as a little chewy, with each chew, a fragrant flavour of the pork is released that is complimented by the leek flowers and cured egg yolk. After all of the delightful previous dishes, I can't help but think that Infinity has been a little too generous with the cutting of the pork. Half the thickness would have still been sufficient, especially considering all of the other dishes previous (and the ones to follow, too!).
Tainan White Eel / Fried Egg Crisp / Mustard Greens
This fusion of traditional Taiwanese food classics was something to behold. Atop beautiful 'oil rice' flecked with preserved mustard greens and delicate deep-fried egg crisps are a couple of beautiful pieces of Tainan white eel. Eel is somewhat of a delicacy in Tainan, with many places offering up eel fried with egg noodles (see this post about A Jiang Eel Noodles as a point of reference).
The rice here has bags of garlic and ginger flavour which helps to cut through its richness. Match with that delicate grilled white eel on top, it's a wonderful mix of flavours.
Candied Assorted Fruits Ice
I initially thought the fruit was just for show, but candied just right they helped to cut through the richness of the previous eel rice dish. The preserved plum helped to completely cleanse my palette. The chocolate was filled with cherry and vanilla, and was really nicely put together.
These simple dishes always amaze me because what they lack in the obvious intricacy of plating, the chefs have to do more than makeup for the execution and balance of flavours. I thought these were done really well.
Mung Bean Paste / Salted Egg Yolk / Almond Ice Cream
The almond ice cream reminded me of some of the more traditional textures of Taiwanese ice cream, perhaps being a bit harder and denser in texture. The almond flavour shines through, and it complements the pineapple bun cake crumble perfectly. If pineapple buns filled with almond ice cream existed, this element would be a deconstructed version of them.
The almond sponge cakes on either side of the vanilla paste smear were fragrantly put together and had an incredibly light texture that worked well with the vanilla.
Finally, the carefully constructed mung bean paste-filled meringue was delicately packed with intense sweetened mung bean flavour. Dressed with a mung bean-flavoured cookie and meringue sticks that melt on your tongue, this element was a lot of fun. If you've ever had mung bean-flavoured Taiwanese desserts (綠豆椪), then these will remind you of that quintessential traditional Taiwanese food that you know and love.
It was delicate, delicious, and a fitting end to a delicious meal.
The Bottom Line
Is it worth it? Whether you're already staying at the wonderful Silks Place Tainan, or simply visiting Tainan for a short period and in the mood to eat all the classics without travelling around too much, Infinity will not disappoint.
What is the best dish? This is a tough one to call, but I would have to go with the Rice Noodles and Mikandai / Crispy Fried Garlic / Taro Fish Soup. I have never had a dish that has so many complimentary flavours, textures, and elements of intrigue, presented in such a humble yet understandable way. The chefs here at Infinity have done a great job of bringing classically traditional Taiwanese food to a modern dish.