Yuguang Island in Tainan is said to be one of the best places in Taiwan to watch the sunset. Situated just off its southwest coast, the stretch of land faces an open run of the Taiwan Strait, where the sun drops into the sea, a molten egg yolk sinking into the horizon.

At this golden hour, Yudao, a restaurant discreetly nestled in Mao House – a five-key bed-and-breakfast tucked into Crescent Bay, a small curve of beach sheltered by whistling pines – catches the last of the light. Rays filter through the thick ring of trees that covers half of the island, bathing the dining room in a sweeping sepia cast. It is easy to see why Yudao’s chef-owner, Nick Yang, has chosen this serene location to tell Taiwan’s story through food.

Tainan is Taiwan’s oldest city, and was its main political centre for more than two centuries. It served as a Dutch East India Company base at Fort Zeelandia before becoming the capital of the Kingdom of Tungning as established by Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) – the 17th century Ming loyalist who expelled the Dutch and established Chinese rule on the island. During the Qing dynasty, Tainan was also Taiwan’s prefectural capital, until the Japanese annexation in the 19th century.

Yang opened Yudao last December, about 11 months after closing French fine-dining restaurant Sinasera 24 – in Changbin, Taitung county – one of Taiwan’s hardest-to-book tables. His decision to base the new restaurant in Tainan, on the opposite coast, was partly personal.

“I felt it was time to go home. It had been 16 years since I left Tainan and my father’s health was not good,” says Yang.