Taiwan Blog Feed

FURUKAWA
No. 1, Lane 132, Zhongsan N Road, Sec 2
(02) 2562-1115

website: furukawa.com.tw

hours: Lunch: 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM ; Dinner 5:30PM - 10PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available. friendly service.

Visit reviewed: 2/23/2008



The best thing about this dinner were the fried oysters or kaki fry. They were hot, crispy, juicy inside and what I expected. Everything else, was to be honest, sort of a let down.

I had mentioned to my friends that I was craving a good bowl of udon with tempura, but this was before we discovered Tenpura Sanuki Udon. So he did some research on blogs written in Chinese and said that he had found a restaurant that had been recommended.

The restaurant was pretty full with families and groups, with a cool modern-ish atmosphere.



The menu doesn't have any English, but is full of pictures. There is a wide variety of combos to choose from (around NT$300), as well as appetizers, sushi and sashimi.



The udon tempura sushi set was calling my name. But when I got it, the udon was soggier than I would have liked and there were only 2 pieces of tempura to eat. I was used to the fried shrimp hanging out on a mountain of fried vegetables, but this was more like 1 lonely shrimp on top of an anthill.



My friends who had gotten the cold soba set with sashimi were better off. The soba was chewy and you can't go wrong with the dipping sauce. They liked it so much (and since I ended up eating some of their soba instead of my udon), they ordered another plate of soba, though we agreed the second round was not as good as the first.




We also had a weird experience with the sha-ba or the fish chin/jaw. The first time, it was a huge piece, but wayyy too salty. Inedibly salty. When we complained to the waitress, they took it away and replaced it with no problem. But the second piece was soo bland. The chef just couldn't find the middle ground for us that night, so we just let it go.

While the service was quite friendly, the food that we had ordered didn't give us a reason to return, especially since it's farther away from my part of town. But it's too bad since everyone else seemed to be enjoying their food so maybe there are other things on the menu more worth trying out.

ROSE HOUSE
No. 15, Lane 233, Dun Hua S. Rd, Sec 1
(02) 8773-2519

website: rosehouse.com Chinese only

hours: Weekdays 11 AM - 10 PM ; Fri-Sat 11AM- 12AM

kid friendliness: Not recommended. Quiet, delicate atmosphere and friend with nursing baby was asked by servers to take baby outside if he started to cry. Have heard that others were refused entry when with babies at other locations.

$$

Visit reviewed: 5/15/2007

If you're looking for a quiet place for a cup of tea with your friends or business associate or your significant other, then Rose House is a pretty good choice. If you are looking for a place to have lunch with your friends and their babies/kids or have boisterous conversation, then you should probably go somewhere else.

Rose House is a chain tea shop/cafe that you might have spotted around town. With its frilly logo on the sign to its equally frilly interior with bone china in cabinets and along the walls- it's a ultimate setting for afternoon tea, English style in Taipei.

With a wide offering of teas, coffees and drinks, Rose House's signature rose tea and fruit teas are a refreshing and tasty accompaniment to conversation at the table. However, they want to maintain that atmosphere for all their guests, so it's not the most kid friendly place.

While having lunch with a friend with a relatively new baby, the server actually asked my friend to take her baby outside if he started crying when he started quietly fussing at the end of our meal. We were quite surprised because the baby had not made any noises past our table and also a squirmy toddler at our table that we thought that they would have complained about first. I think if the baby actually did start to cry, my friend would have automatically walked him around outside, but to have the server approach us first was definitely a surprise, especially when there only a few scattered guests inside. I guess I could understand that they would want maintain their quieter setting for those who came to sip their teas in silence, but it was still the first time it's ever happened to me at any restaurant around the world.

While you should go to Rose House for their teas, they also offer various sandwiches, meat dishes and curries for lunch which seem more Taiwanese than English. But then again, I've never been to England.

My friend said his pig knuckle dish was just okay, as was my steak. My other friend's baked risotto was made with white Jasmine rice rather than Arborio, but she said the cheese and sauce made it tasty enough.

There are quite a few locations and I tried to find an English source for the addresses, but you will have to check the website.

OTHER LOCATIONS (thanks to Google Translator and some elbow grease!)

No. 95, Nanjing East Road, Sec 2
TEL: (02) 25603112
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM

No. 5, Nanjing West Road
TEL: (02) 25235170
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 11: 00 PM

No. 3, Zhengzhou Road (at Chengde Lu Avenue intersection)
TEL: (02) 25585399
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 11: 00 PM

Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Mall (Xin Yi), B2
No. 12, Songgao Road
TEL: (02) 87809932
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 9: 30 PM (weekdays)
11 :00 AM- 10: 00 PM (Friday and Saturday holidays)

No. 9, Lane 450, Xinyi Road
TEL: (02) 87896606
Hours: 11 :00 AM - 10: 00 PM

No. 11, Chongqing South Road, Sec 1
TEL: (02) 23121282
Hours: 11 :00 AM -11: 00 PM

Shihlin shop
No. 604, Zhongshan North Road, Sec 5
TEL: (02) 28338464
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00AM to 11:00 PM

Yongkang shop
No. 3-1, Lishui Street
TEL: (02) 23948202
Sunday - Thursday Hours: 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
Friday - Saturday Hours: 11:00AM to 11 PM

NTU/Shida shop
No. 1, Lane 86, Shida Road
TEL: (02) 33651977
Hours: 11 :00AM-11: 00PM

Tienmu shop
Dayeh Takeshimaya Mall
No. 55, Zhongcheng Road, Sec 2, 4th Floor
TEL: (02) 28345848
Hours: 11: 00AM - 9: 30PM (Mon-Thur, Sun); 11: 00AM- 10: 00 PM (Fri, Sat)

No. 218, Ruiguang Road
TEL: (02) 77202070
Hours: 11 AM - 10PM

No. 19, Jinhu Road
TEL: (02) 27927205
Hours: 11 :00AM -11: 00PM

Taipei Tienmu shop
No. 15, Lane 14, Chungshan North Road, Sec 7
TEL: (02) 2872-3630
Hours: 8 :30 AM - 10: 00 PM

TEAROOM
at Miramar Mall
No. 20, Jingye 3rd Road, B1F
TEL: (02) 2175-3023
Hours: 11: 00 AM - 10: 00 PM

TEAPUB
at Miramar Mall
No. 20, Jingye 3rd Road, 1F
TEL : (02) 8501-1360
Hours: 11: 00 AM - 12: 00AM (M-Th, Sat); 11: 00AM -1: 00AM (Fri, Sat)

CELESTIAL RESTAURANT
(or TIEN CHU)
1 NanJing West Rd., 3F

(02)2563-2380

hours: Lunch 11:30 AM -2 PM
Dinner 5 PM - 9 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available.

Visit reviewed: 11/23/2007 and 2/24/2008



Overall, Celestial Restaurant has a very family friendly, impress your guests menu with lots of Chinese favorites such as xiao long bao and a variety of stir fried dishes , but everyone in the packed restaurant is probably there for the Peking Duck.

YUM- I can't say how much I love Peking duck. If you have been looking for Peking duck in Taipei (or anywhere), this is where to find it.

The carved slices of crispy skin and duck meat bundled inside the warm flat pancake, with a do-it-yourself layer of hoisin sauce and optional sliver of green onion- together has got to be one of the world's perfect finger foods.



Kind of like a mini Chinese burrito without the rice and beans.

I try not to think about how fattening each bite is while I chew on each heavenly crispy morsel. I also try to not look like I'm waiting for the lazy susan to wander back my way, and politely let each relative at the table have their turn when I just want to stockpile a whole plateful for myself. The skin should be crispy and the pancake is slightly doughy, so the textures mesh together so it's not too greasy. Plus the skin shouldn't have too much fat on it, otherwise, they didn't do good job carving it (as I've had at other restaurants).



The nicely presented plate of duck meat comes out after the initial plate of crispy roasted skin... you can also have them cook the remainder of the duck (meat and bones) into a soup with rice noodles and vegetables that is also very tasty (and filling) that comes at the end of the meal (around NT$1100 for whole duck + soup).



To be honest, I can't remember much about the rest of the food on the table because I was so focused on the duck, but it was good. Plus when you eat with relatives, you don't really get to look at the menu- they order all the good stuff. There was this interesting appetizer dish- celery with a mustardy, wasabi-ish sauce that was addicting- that I'd try again.







The second time we went, they had private rooms on the 3rd Floor. Look for the entrance below or the Royal Inn Taipei. The atmosphere is busy with lots of large tables- it's sort of a middle ground ambience- not a hole in the wall, but not as a fancy as a hotel restaurant, and so the prices are somewhere in the middle too. The menu is in English and Chinese and Japanese, and I've heard popular with tourists and locals alike, so it's best to call ahead for a reservation for dinner and weekends.



While they don't carve the duck in front of you like other restaurants that might be a bit more showy, what matters is how the food tastes, right?

The first time, I had some almond tofu to finish the meal.



The second time, there were these hot fried tang yuan that were so good. If you've never had it, you should definitely give these babies a try.





Just forget about counting the calories for one night.

KOREA RESTAURANT
No. 6, Lane 380, Keelung Road, Sec 1
(02) 2723-3302

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 4/2/2008



First let me say, I'm writing this review after finding another Korean restaurant elsewhere that is MUCH better, so I can't help but to compare the two in my mind, which makes the food here LESS tasty in comparison than if maybe I didn't have an alternative to go to. Make sense?

Anyways, I spotted this place when I went to the Vietnamese Restaurant across the street, er, lane and knew I had to wander inside to see if they had the cold noodles. It was a great sign that they were packed during lunch and that it was full of tables of people speaking in Korean. I think to myself, jackpot authenticity!

But I didn't order what seemed to be the popular order of the Korean spicy hot pot and bbq beef at the other tables- it was too much food for one person. Instead, I opted for trying the seafood pancake and (Yay) the cold naengmyun noodles.

It cracks me up to realize that when you say "naengmyun" in Korean it sounds sort of like "liang mien" in Chinese, which both mean "cold noodles."

Their menu was in Chinese on the table, but when I asked if they had an English menu, they did have a menu with pictures.



The seafood pancake was just okay and didn't seem to have any recognizable seafood chunks in it. You know sometimes you can see the shrimp or crab or squid, but I didn't really spot any.



The noodles were also just okay. They were chewy and soupy, but not slightly sweet or super cold at all. I think it was also missing a piece of meat that was in the picture in the menu. I got an additional squeeze bottle for vinegar, but it became more of a chore than pleasure to try and finish as much as I could.



After paying my bill, I asked how long they had been around and I think she said for over 10 years. I asked for a business card and she gave me a lighter that had the info on it (that I subsequently can't find, so sorry for no phone number yet) (found it!). If there are any readers who have found this little place, I'd love to hear what is good here, since they obviously have done well enough to maintain a Korean customer base.

BONGOS
No. 3, Alley 5, Lane 74, WenZhou St
Gongguan area, near Taida

(02) 2365-6059

website:

hours: 11:30 am-10 pm

$$

Kid friendliness: No high chairs. Reservations (especially on weekends) strongly recommended.

Visit reviewed: 4/13/2008

A popular place in Gongguan area for burgers, Mexican fare and hanging out- Bongos has gained a following with both locals and expats for its affordable American-style eats and casual atmosphere.

I didn't expect it to be so packed on a Sunday night, but I'm glad I had called ahead and made reservations for my party of 8. Otherwise, I might have been turned away to Coda (the owner's newer restaurant nearby) or had to wait, as we witnessed happened to walk-ins. I was also surprised that it appeared that all the other customers were younger locals and I didn't spot any expats at all. It's very close to Taida (the nickname for National Taiwan University), so maybe many of them were students.

In the hustle and bustle, we were seated in the darkness of the outdoor patio, which was not bad in the cool weather, but very dark. A few of friends complained they must be getting old since it was hard to read the menu in the night's light. They have separate menus (with a few pictures) for Chinese and English and after request, I got an English menu instead. With appetizers, salads, burgers, Mexican, pasta and main dishes offered, most of the meals come w/ your choice of 2 sides (fries or salad) and a drink. Having been to Forker's first, I recognized a lot of the fonts and identity styling had come from Bongos.

While waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive, we ordered the quesadillas (NT$260) (offered as a meal, not appetizer) a side of chili cheese fries and small salad, as well as the Five Layers Mexican dip (NT$180).



I was excited about the guacamole in the dip, but could barely find/taste it as the spicy salsa was the overwhelming flavor. There were also not enough chips to finish the dip (as with our experience w/ the spinach artichoke dip at Forkers). I tried to request more chips instead of fries when I ordered my burger, but they wouldn't do it, saying extra chips would be an extra NT$20. I definitely wouldn't order this again for the size and price.

The quesadillas were pretty good on the other hand, cheesy and meaty with a kick. The chili on the chili fries was thick and disappeared quickly.



The bowl of mushroom soup was also surprisingly good- it was creamy and aromatic and actually quite kid friendly. The side salad that comes with the meals was quite blah, as was their chicken entree salad which had slim toppings in a huge bowl of lettuce. We tried to order their udon salad at first, but they had run out of udon.



Instead, stick to their burgers. I ordered the bacon gouda cheese burger (NT$240) and requested guacamole on top (for extra NT$) and the burger was a lot better than my burger at Forkers. The wheat bun, meat patty and toppings all meshed together (after I picked ou the sprouts. I hate sprouts) to be a pretty good bite.



I was quite full after the quesadilla and chili fries appetizer and was unable to finish my double fries order with my burger (plus I was saving room for shaved ice at Tai Yi nearby afterwards).

My friends enjoyed their chimichanga, burger and sausage dishes. I thought the chimichanga was okay with spiced ground beef inside, but preferred the chimichangas at Jake's Country Cafe or La Casita,. Bongo's Mexican is more Tex-mex, if that. My friend also tried to order a pasta dish, and they were also out of that. There's no automatic service fee included in your bill, but your drink refills and water are self serve. They are quite busy getting to all the tables, so service can be on the absent side.



I'm glad I found it after getting lost in the taxi the first time. Now that I think about it, we were probably RIGHT around the corner and missed the small entrance, since there are no side signs in the one way alley, but instead right in front. It is easier to find from Xin Sheng South Road... as we walked around, there were a TON of little eateries and shops that I wanted to come back to check out.



Any other recommendations for this area?

"No reservations? No enchiladas for you!"

LA CASITA
No. 7 on Lane 64, SongJiang Rd.,1F
(02) 2531-9246

$$

kid friendliness: if you can take the attitude, no high chairs and a little room for strollers

visit reviewed: 4/23/2008
previous visits reviewed: 12/9/2006 and 7.29.2005

Have you ever seen that SEINFELD episode with the Soup Nazi? He has a set of rules that you must abide by if you are to eat his food, abuses his customers, but even though he is so mean, the customers can't help but to buy the soup. I feel like I was in a Taiwanese variation of that episode after my lunch experience with La Casita today.

There really is no where to get decent Mexican food in Taipei... so despite my previous up and down experiences, I thought I'd head over to eat some chicken enchiladas during lunch. It's never been completely full when I'm there, so I figured I didn't need to call ahead to make reservations. Boy, was I wrong.

When we stepped inside, it was empty, though the tables were separated into large configurations. I figured some reservations were probably made. The owner asked if we had reservations and after saying, no, he bluntly stated they were booked.

He pushed, "All my old customers know that they should make reservations." Okay... well, shouldn't you treat all your customers with respect whether or not they are new or old, make reservations or not? While my mom offered congratulations for being so busy, he said, "No need for congratulations, I'm booked at lunch til Friday."

I asked if we could to-go something, he reluctantly agreed, saying that the kitchen wasn't really open yet (though they open at 11:30am and it was already 11:45am) and said if wanted to to order, we should hurry because once his "reservation" customers arrived he would not be able to help us.

He also very reluctantly agreed to let us sit down while we waited for our order. Keep in mind the restaurant is COMPLETELY empty at this point.

His demeanor was just so uninviting and downright rude, I was about ready to leave without ordering anything.

I was torn. Should we just walk out and away from his attitude?

But I figured I came all this way, I hadn't eaten Mexican in so long, I might as well order what I wanted since my friend and Mom didn't care. Even while ordering, he was pushing me to hurry. I felt like if a "reservation" customer walked in, he would tear the menu away from my hands and no longer let me order.

As our order came out, it was 12:08pm.

The restaurant was STILL empty.

He could have sat us down, served us and we might have been out the door by the time all his tables came in. Or at least gave us a semi-apologetic response and kindly asked us to make reservations the next time.



I ate some of the nachos with cheese, beef and guacamole (NT$300) in the car and my chicken enchiladas with rice and beans (NT$280) at home. The guacamole made with imported avocados was freshly made and did hit the spot.

But the whole experience definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth.

When I complained to my friend that the owner was mean to me again (he had been with me and our friends the last time the owner was cranky), he said, "I should get mad at you. You should have left without ordering anything and you should not support his business and his attitude."

My girl friend who had come with me tried some of the food and agreed that it's the best she's had in Taipei, but that she just didn't understand why the owner was such an a-hole.

The owner also complained to my mom and friend that before SARS he had a huge restaurant with lots of employees and after SARS business wasn't as good. Ummm, maybe there is another reason why your customers are not coming back....

Before I headed over today, I was excited about re-reviewing the place and giving it a good recommendation, but after the way we were treated today (I don't think it's out of the ordinary), I can't recommend it despite the food being good (for Taipei) especially to new (or occasional) customers who aren't going to be treated with respect. I'm not even angry (like with the terrible service at Diamond Tony's), just really sad since it could be a place I'd like to eat at often. I guess if you are really desparate to eat there, just be sure to make reservations and deal with crochety service.

Should I have left without ordering anything? Have you ever endured bad or even rude service for food?

CITYSTAR 24HR HK STYLE RESTAURANT
No. 216, Dun Hua S Road, Sec 1, 2nd FL
(02) 2741-2625

website: citystar.com.tw Chinese only

hours: 24 hours

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 3/25/2008

I guess you could call Citystar the Denny's of dim sum restaurants, it's open 24 hours, it serves food that's not awesome and not awful, and you even might have to wait for a table in its diner like atmosphere where families and students and friends gather.



I totally didn't expect to have to wait for a table around 2pm, but I guess its location and window facing the busy street makes it visible wanting some fast afternoon snacks. We waited about 15 minutes for a table to free up and get seated.



The plasticky menu pictures everything they have, so there's no carts to wave down. They also have a non-dim sum menu featuring family style Cantonese dishes, but we were here for dim sum (NT$55-160). After the servers take your order, they punch it in a computer station that's kind of fascinating to watch.



One of my favorites- "xian shui jiao"- is a deep fried puff of salty contents of shrimp, ground meat and vegetables and a sweet glutinous rice skin. It's not always available at every restaurant, but this was one of the better dishes. I would actually go back and just eat this and almond tofu.



Everything else was, ehhh, ok. I was with my dad who was visiting from LA and grandma who lives in Taipei-- my grandma and I agreed that the dim sum at Brother Hotel was better. Couldn't pinpoint why to my dad who hadn't been, but funnily enough my friend invited me to join them at dinner at Citystar that same night with a big group of his co-workers (I didn't go, but he said that he felt the dim sum was okay as well).



So it's a good choice if you have a lot of people to order a lot since they do have some bigger family style tables and share or if you're by yourself and just want a few dishes- fast and easy, even in the wee hours of the morning. You can even people watch by a window seat on the busy street below.




I did enjoy the almond tofu, but then again it's hard to go wrong with almond tofu!



OTHER LOCATION

No. 166, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4, 2nd FL
(02) 2777-1717

POT PIE CAFE
No. 325, Fuxing S Rd, Sec 2
(02) 2736-0905

website: potpie.com.tw

hours: 8am to 8pm

$ - $$ (Cash only)

Kid friendliness: tiny space. Reservations necessary. Not a lot of room for strollers.

Visit reviewed: 3/31/2008

I was super excited to try out this place after reading about it at haochr. After all, who the heck sells pot pies in Taipei? Well, Costco did for awhile, but they were not very good- the crust of the chicken pot pies was not bad, but there was not enough sauce/gravy inside with all the chicken and vegetables.

So I swung by one rainy afternoon around 2pm and was very surprised to find it PACKED. I figured it was after lunch hour, but apparently they are also very popular for afternoon tea (with their hot apple walnut crumble or brownie) in their cozy space with about 8 tables. There was one open table, but it had already been reserved. The manager said that it's best to call and make a reservation/check.

No worries... I ordered some to go. A shepherd's pie (NT$180), a chicken pot pie (NT$150) and a apple walnut crumble (NT$150). Their English Chinese menu also offers fish and chips, English breakfasts (with eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, bread and coffee or tea). A 10-15 minute wait later, I got two brown paper bags to take home. After paying I realized too late, that I wanted to get the ala carte chicken pot pie for NT$100, but they had given and charged me for the regular set (with side salad & garlic bread). You could also opt for the full set with soup, salad and coffee/tea for NT$280.



Getting home, my first impressions were that the pot pies were tiny. Smaller than I expected. Maybe because they packed it with the garlic bread, but it was barely larger in width than the slice of bread. My second thoughts were that I was disappointed that the chicken pot pie did not have a flaky crust- instead it was also covered with mashed potatoes (like shepherd's pie traditionally is).



The salad greens had a light vinaigrette that was a good balance to the heaviness of the pot pie. If I had to order again, I would order the chicken and mushroom pot pie over the shepherd's pie (which has lamb), but overall, there was too much mashed potato and not enough meat and veggies for my personal taste. Don't know if this is different from the pot pies they make for the in-restaurant servings or if the portions are bigger. It would be good if I was craving mashed potatoes, but not quite the picture of a chicken pot pie I had in my mind.

On the other hand, the apple and walnut crumble was delicious. I know it would have tasted awesome out of the oven at the cafe, but it was still warm and sweet with chunky diced apples and a sprinkling of walnuts. I would strongly recommend this for anyone who loves apple pie or wants a warm healthy-ish dessert.

I've heard of other pot pie places around Taipei- Pie Boy and Frankie's? It's interesting that they are all sprouting up around town. Anyone been to the other ones and can say which is their favorite between the three?

ALLEYCATS
2, Lane 248, Zhong Xiao E. Road, Sec. 4
(02) 2731-5225

website: Alleycatspizza.com

hours: 12noon - 10 PM

$ - $$

Kid friendliness: to-go location with only 1 table.

Visit reviewed:3/18/2008
Original visit: 5/3/2006 at Li Shui location. Read review here

Lately I've been craving deep dish pizza. Specifically, the spinach and mushroom stuffed pizza from Zachary's in Berkeley/Oakland. Chunky tomatoes, lots of spinach and mushrooms, crispy crust to hold everything together and CHEESE. It's quite painful to crave something you can't have since it's impossible to find anything like that here- I crave it even when I'm in LA since I haven't found a good deep dish pizza place there either that can compare.



So to fufilll my tomato sauce crust-cheese-fix, I decided to get 2 small pizzas from the new-ish location of Alleycats. They've expanded from their original Li Shui location to four other places, each with their own unique menus. This location in a little alley off of Zhong Xiao is tiny, basically the kitchen with the stone ovens and one patio table to sit down, so most of the customers order their pizzas to go. Sometimes they sell pizza by the slice, but I recommend calling ahead and ordering so you can pick up the pizza and eat it hot at home (or on the way home). You can check out their online menu, but the pricing is slightly different at the Zhong Xiao location for smaller pizzas and they only offer pizzas and calzones. The prices range NT$85 for a small 8" Marghertia pizza to NT$200-$400+ range for 10"-12" pizzas.

I ended up trying the Napoletana (NT$150) which has fresh tomatoes, goat cheese, anchovies, olives and spinach (and successfully requested to have the anchovies swapped for mushrooms) and the Maialona (NT$150) which has Italian sausage, pepperoni, chorizo and salami (I think they are 8 inch). This Alleycats is right across from Chili House and actually not too far from Pizza Hut. They said the pizzas would be ready in 15 minutes to pick up.



It hit the spot.. though it was more CPK (the Neopolitan versions) than Zachary's, it was full of flavor, had the amount right cheese and mix of toppings and the crust balanced everything perfectly. You can also customize your pizza with the number of toppings such as anchovies, artichokes, fresh tomatoes, goat cheese or pineapple, though it might be cheaper to get their pre-set combos since each topping would add up at NT$15-50 each.



My last visit to Alleycats was quite awhile ago, before they expanded and I discovered this location. I'm happy to have this quick and closer location to get my pizza fixes. Much faster than trying to make pizza myself and much closer than to pizza in the states than practically any other pizza place in Taipei. As much as I like the occasional personal pan pizza from the nearby Pizza Hut, Alleycats is much fresher, healthier and, yes, yummier - although you wish they'd deliver!

Where do you guys get your pizza cravings satisfied and does Alleycats serve one of the best pizzas in town?

PS- Right to the right of this Alleycats, there seems to be a new place (competitor for your cheese fixes) called Toasteria serving all sorts of grilled cheese sandwiches, panini style.

Mmm.. will have to go back and try it sometime, although I will probably default to making my own. Anyone tried it yet?


OTHER LOCATIONS:

LI SHUI STREET near YONG KANG ST
B1, No. 6, Li Shui Street
(02) 2321-8948
Sunday-Thur: 5pm-11pm
Fri-Sat: 5pm to 2am

SONGREN - NEW!
285 SONGREN RD
(02) 8780-5421
Mon- Thu 5 pm- 11 PM
Fri/Sat 12 pm- Late
Sun 12 pm - 11 PM

TIANMU
31, Lane 35, Zhongshan N. Rd Sec. 6
(02) 2835-6491
near ZhiShan MRT Station
Mo ~ Fr 5pm- 11pm
Sa/Su 12noon ~ late

NEIHU/DONGHU
67-1 Cheng Gong Road, Sec 5
(02)2630-6278
Mon-Fri: 12pm - 2pm, 5pm - 11pm
Weekends: 12pm - 11pm

FORKERS
No. 8, Alley 10, Lane 223, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4
(02) 2771-9285

website: forkers.com.tw English only

hours: Sun- Thurs 12noon to 11pm; Fri- Sat 12noon- 12am


$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs or boosters, booth seating

Visit reviewed: 3/11/2008

You may or may not have heard of Forkers- the new burger place that opened up a few months ago that features over 40 (yup FORTY) kinds of burgers, along with fries, chicken wraps, spinach/artichoke dip and pie of the day, along with an assortment of other things. I was pretty excited to try it since I always like a good burger and fries and there is a lot to choose from.

The place is lots of wooden seating, some booths, a patio outside. The owner pops around the different tables- on this day, we didn't have to wait as there were about 4 other tables occupied when we were seated on a weekday lunch. I can't imagine if it was fully packed, it might be quite slow as the service was fairly casual. There are separate English and Chinese menus (with some pictures) that you can find on their website as well.

They have the classic burger variations, as well as regional-inspired burgers (Greek, French, Canadian, Mexican, Californian, Alpine, Italian, Australian), Asian burgers, and the "Forkers"- open faced burgers so huge or messy you have to eat them with a fork (all NT$190- NT$290) since they are topped with gravy, chili or spaghetti sauce.



With each burger, you get the choice of two sides such as salad, fries (cajun, curry, garlic, plain), hawaiian pasta or potato salad, or upgrade to chili cheese, tex mex or poutine fries for extra NT$40. You can choose the burger patty as beef, chicken, Kobe beef or vegetarian.

We chose the warm spinach artichoke dip (NT$140) over the hummus (NT$120)- and it was VERY cheesy with a sprinkle of fries, pita bread and celery/carrot sticks. I would have liked to have eaten some chunks of artichoke or spinach, but we didn't find any swimming in the cheese unless it was pureed in. It was still tasty, but we could have used a few more chips to dip.



I was torn between a lot of the different burgers (Mexican, Greek, Californian) and ended up choosing the Alpine Burger, which comes with mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing.


the Alpine Burger with garlic fries. are there shiitake mushrooms in Switzerland?

My friends got the Hack Burger (topped with chicken fingers(!), cheese, bacon, honey mustard) and the Mushroom Cheese burger (which comes with cheddar instead of swiss).

the Hack Burger with Hawaiian Pasta Salad

I don't know if I ate too many chips, but the burger was just okay. There were certain things that I personally didn't like- the bun was slightly sweet (and not toasted) which did not mesh with the flavors of the Alpine. I didn't expect shiitake mushrooms which tasted a little weird with the swiss cheese- I would have preferred regular white mushrooms especially since the menu doesn't say "shiitake," it says "sauteed mushrooms". The burger's texture was a bit soft- I don't know how to describe it other than its was more like a meatloaf burger than a grilled burger. My tomato was tiny since I like tomatoes on my burgers. Were my tastebuds being nitpicky that day? I ate about two thirds of the burger.

Both my friends finished their burgers and said their burgers were fine, and I had a bite of the chicken finger which was quite good.

I guess I wanted to be blown away and I should have ordered one of their more unique burgers?

As for the sides, the garlic fries were soft rather than crispy and seemed to be a lot of short ends. The salad was basic. The Hawaiian Pasta has a kick to it, but we weren't crazy about it.

I wanted to try the peach almond pie, but again, it just wasn't to my liking. There is a layer of peaches on top and then some weird paste in the center. I thought it would be more like a peach pie with almond flavor or slivers, but I didn't get what was going on with the pie. The owner says that he usually eats it ala mode and warmed up and we opted it without ice cream- don't know if that makes a difference. Maybe their upside down apple tart would have been more up my alley.



I really wanted to love Forkers and I will probably give it another try, especially to try the chili cheese fries/poutine and other things on the menu. It's in the lane behind California Fitness on Zhong Xiao (near Yan Ji Jie) and there was a popular Chinese dessert place on the corner I want to check out. How would those of you that have eaten at Forkers compare it to other burger places like California Grill, Mary's Hamburgers (which I haven't been) or the Diner, Bongos or even Chili's/TGIF?