three stars the cantonese restaurant Le Palais is the country's highest rated restaurant. The 2020 list also bestowed the Bib Gourmand on 54 restaurants in Taipei and 21 in Taichung. There are significant differences between the fine dining scenes in Taipei and Taichung. In Taichung an emphasis is placed on ceremony with large tables and private rooms common, a premium is also placed on parking with restaurants having more than 100 parking spaces. This is due in part to Taichung's strong small and medium enterprises as well as a multitude of informal recreational and fraternal organizations. In Taipei fine dining restaurants and tables are generally smaller with most customers being couples or small groups, in general service is less formal than in Taichung. In Taipei there is more international influence in the fine dining scene while Taichung retains a strong affinity with traditional dishes. Foreign cuisine in Taiwan Fusion Fusion cuisine is very popular in Taiwan. Many Taiwanese dishes are a result of cultural fusion, such as the Taiwanese version of pastel de nata which are a legacy of Portuguese colonialism in neighboring Macao. Italian Italian cuisine has been popular in Taiwan for a long time, but the country had few authentic Italian restaurants and even fewer Italian chefs until the late 1990s and early 2000s. Due to the financial crisis of 2007–08, a large number of Italians emigrated from Italy to healthier economies. This led to a rapid increase in both the number of Italian restaurants and the number of Italian expats in Taiwan. While most restaurants follow the traditional Italian course style, the meal proportions are influenced by Italian-American cuisine. Taiwanese diners have become increasingly passionate and discerning about Italian cuisine. Michael de Prenda was one of the innovators of Italian cuisine in Taiwan, starting multiple restaurants, a market, and a farm. Pizza Pizza is one of the most popular foods in Taiwan. The first pizza restaurant opened in the 1970s and the industry grew rapidly in the 2000s driven by a increasing demand for quality Italian and American style pizza from an affluent younger generation which had spent time abroad and brought back a taste for it. Chain pizza restaurants like Pizza Hut and Domino's Pizza are known for running promotional pizzas with outrageous toppings like spicy hotpot, cilantro and century egg with pig’s blood, beef and kiwi, glutinous rice, ramen, and stinky tofu in an attempt