Photo of the Week: Tahitian Vanilla Beans at STAY in Taipei 101

This week, we finally got to check out the hot newcomer on the Taipei dining scene — STAY Simple Table Alleno Yannick at Taipei 101. Full review to follow, but a big thank you to Chef Sebastien Lefort and Head Sommelier Yohann Pinol for the incredible dinner, perfectly paired wines, and the after hours tour of the kitchen and restaurant. One of the highlights on the tour was spotting this huge tray of Tahitian vanilla beans — chef Lefort only uses Tahitian vanilla, a reminder of his days working on the beautiful island of Bora Bora. Definitely made me long to be back in French Polynesia again!

Erin De Santiago

Erin is a freelance travel, food, wine, and Disney Theme Parks writer splitting time between Belize and the Netherlands. She has written for outlets like Viator, TripAdvisor, Roam Right Travel Insurance, Expedia, Hipmunk, Trivago, MasterCard, and she is AFAR Magazine's Belize expert. Erin was the primary author for Belize's official visitor magazine in 2013, and the English language editor for a renowned Spanish chef's second cookbook. Erin also holds a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) designation and has traveled to 70 countries on six continents in search of good food and wine, and all things Disney.