Kai Ward and MUME
Summer Tables Collection 2026

About the Chef

The name connected to this chapter is Chef Kai Ward, one of the chef-founders of MUME. Publicly, MUME’s story begins in 2014 with three chefs — Richie Lin, Long Xiong and Kai Ward — bringing together international experience, modern European technique and a serious commitment to Taiwan’s local ingredients.

Kai Ward’s place in the MUME story belongs to that first creative moment: the formation of a restaurant that looked at Taiwan through a contemporary culinary vocabulary without losing the specificity of the island.

Current public sources also show the restaurant as part of a wider team and group structure led by Richie Lin, while recent editorial coverage has described Singaporean chef Ernest Toh as head chef of MUME. For that reason, this chapter is written carefully around Chef Kai Ward’s founding role and the MUME kitchen, rather than overstating a current executive title that requires direct confirmation from the restaurant.

About the Restaurant

MUME sits at 28 Siwei Road in Taipei’s Da’an District. Its name comes from the Latin word for plum blossom, Taiwan’s national flower, and also carries a personal meaning within founder Richie Lin’s family story.

The restaurant opened in 2014 and became one of Taipei’s defining contemporary dining rooms. MUME uses refined European cooking techniques to present Taiwan’s unique local ingredients, while its own concept emphasises close relationships with farmers, fishermen and producers.

In the 2026 MICHELIN Guide Taiwan, MUME was promoted to One MICHELIN Star. The recognition confirms a dining language that is internationally legible but deeply dependent on Taiwan’s own supply chain, climate and producers.

Summer Inspiration

The July 2026 menu reads like a seasonal map of Taiwan. It begins with millet, fermented tofu and truffle, then moves through blush prawn with cucumber and camellia, bamboo shoot with Matsu mussel and lardo, and kinmedai with perilla and chayote shoot.

Squid with Penghu XO and betel nut flower may be the clearest expression of the MUME summer language: local waters, depth, heat and a flower that belongs to Taiwan’s sensory landscape. Wagyu striploin with winter snowflake and preserved green chilli gives the menu a sharper passage before Tainan 11 rice brings it back to grain, terroir and memory.

The sweet courses continue without losing clarity. Watermelon, yogurt and lychee bring freshness and perfume, while millet koji, Eureka lemon and bee pollen close with fermentation, citrus and the quiet sweetness of summer fields.