What to know | Mauro Colagreco's November Kaohsiung Residency, Matcha Advent Calendar and Year-End Dining Previews

Mauro Colagreco, chef of the three-Michelin-star Mirazur in Menton, France, will guest-cook at Thomas Chien Restaurant in Qianzhen District, Kaohsiung, from November 11 to 15, 2026. Mirazur topped the World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2019, and the 2026 Michelin Guide France maintains its three-star rating. Thomas Chien Restaurant, meanwhile, retained its Michelin Green Star in the same year's Michelin Guide Taiwan — two accolades that measure different things, so the Green Star should not be read as a higher or lower tier compared to ordinary star ratings.

How is Thomas Chien welcoming the Mirazur chef's residency?

This collaboration continues Mirazur's 'lunar phase menu' concept: following a biodynamic farming calendar, dishes are organized around four ingredient categories — root, leaf, flower, and fruit — with daily highlights, incorporating local southern Taiwan ingredients. The menu thus offers two threads to follow: how the chef structures dishes around plant parts, and how Kaohsiung ingredients are woven into this existing creative framework. Full daily menus and seating availability still need to be confirmed directly with Thomas Chien.

What is the design logic behind NioTeas' matcha countdown calendar?

Swiss Japanese tea brand NioTeas has simultaneously opened pre-orders for its 2026 matcha countdown calendar, with pre-sale prices starting at 109 USD and shipping expected in November. The calendar contains 24 numbered envelopes, each holding 2 grams for a total of 48 grams, all unflavored pure matcha — 22 suited for drinking straight as whisked tea, and 2 suited for making matcha lattes.

The calendar's focus lies in the breadth of origins and cultivars: the matcha comes from 9 family-run Japanese tea gardens across six growing regions — Uji, Yame, Makinohara, Shibushi, Chiran, and Kirishima — using 15 tea cultivars including Okumidori, Yabukita, Saemidori, and Gokou. Each envelope is printed with a map of origin, the tea cultivar, and flavor notes, effectively compressing a cross-regional matcha tasting journey into a 24-day daily ritual. For tea enthusiasts, the key criterion isn't price but whether enough origin and cultivar information is provided to establish a basis for comparison — and NioTeas labels the source of every packet, providing exactly that foundation.

How do the three guest-chef dinners compare in price and format?

During the same period, two other Michelin chef collaborations in Taipei and Linkou are worth comparing. Bencotto at Mandarin Oriental, Taipei will host Michele De Blasio, one-star chef of Italy's Volta del Fuenti, from October 30 to November 1, collaborating four-handed with chef Mario Quarta; dinner is priced at 8,888 TWD per person plus 10% service charge, including 5 wine pairings. Ju Wei Xuan at Four Points by Sheraton Taipei, Linkou will host SENS one-star chef Wu Ding-you for two nights, November 13 and 14, co-designing an 8-course tasting menu with chef Li Sheng-han, priced from 4,980 TWD per person plus 10% service charge, limited to 50 seats per night by reservation.

The information currently available for the three events each emphasizes different aspects: Thomas Chien has announced its lunar-phase concept and five-day schedule; Bencotto has listed its wine pairings and per-person price; Ju Wei Xuan has specified the number of courses, seating capacity, and starting price. When planning a meal, it helps to first compare location, dates, and whether wine pairing is included, then confirm the service charge and currently available reservation slots. Without complete quotes under equivalent conditions, it would be premature to rank the three events by price or scale.