What is Ba Ba Lio?

During my first few years of cooking in Seattle restaurants, I'd wrap up my shifts late at night just as the sun was rising in Taiwan. I would call home after finishing my shifts, dialing 011+886...waiting for the connection...closing my eyes as the phone rings. I'd picture that the King County bus I'm riding on would magically complete its route in front of Taipei's Nanmen Market.

"What are you making today?"

"What does the market have?"

After asking these questions, my mother on the other line would fill me in on the produce at the morning wet markets and on dishes bound for the dinner table.

"Ba ba lio," or 8-8-6 in Chinese, is the international calling code to Taiwan, a string of numbers that tethers me to one home as I struggled to build another in a new city. BB6 Taiwanese Pop Up was born from homesickness and driven by discoveries. While our dishes are born of old Taiwan flavors, they're also peppered with new Pacific Northwest elements.

I hope, from our meals, you'll discover new flavors and recall familiar ones. Please follow us and share your feelings, favorite dishes, and cravings with me. Taiwanese cuisine is, in part, about my experiences, but it's also yours. I am fortunate and so is Taiwan, to have your support!