Ticino (瑞花餐廳)
2, Lane 82, Tienmu E. Rd., Taipei (北市天母東路82巷2號), tel:(02)2876-1101. Open:11am-2pm; 5pm-9:30pm (last order), a la carte throughout the afternoon on weekends; average meal: NT$1000; English menu; credit cards accepted.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
Hidden away behind the noisy and brightly lit pubs of Tienmu East Road, Ticino provides an intimate atmosphere and fine food, ideal for leisurely dining. Owner and executive chef Peter Frauchiger provides a mixture of typical Swiss food such as fondue, along with the variations on German, Italian and French dishes that make up Swiss cuisine.
PHOTO: DAVID FRAZIER, TAIPEI TIMES
Among the wide range of appetizers, the steak tartar, raw beef mixed with herbs and served with thin slices of toast, has a fragrance and hint of spice guaranteed to tempt the appetite. For something a little more substantial, try the salad of cold cervelat sausage with cheese, which is tart and fresh with a variety of leaves.
Follow this with the ox-tail soup with sherry, one of the best clear soups to be found this side of paradise, or perhaps have the spicy goulash soup, which is almost a meal in itself.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
Fondue is a centerpiece of Ticino's menu, with classic cheese fondue with white wine, or a modified version using beef consomme and flavored with morels, which Frauchiger says is particularly popular with locals venturing into fondue territory for the first time. For those who want meat, a variety of fondue bourgignonne are also available. The fondue theme can be carried over to dessert with chocolate fondue, in which fresh fruit is dipped into a choice of melted semi-bitter, milk or white chocolate. Washed down with a Kirish, a Swiss cherry spirit, there is no better way to top off a meal.
Ticino offers a wide range of main courses including pastas, schnitzels and even vegetarian dishes based on the Swiss staple of roschti (fried potato pancakes). Highly recommend is the sliced veal in mushroom cream sauce with roschti.
Experienced service and simple yet elegant presentation enhance the dining experience at Ticino, as does the wine list, which offers rarely seen Swiss wines, as well as a selection from most wine producing countries.
Amaroni's Little Italy (小義大利餐廳)
220 Changchun Rd., Taipei (北市長春路220號), tel:(02)2507-6967. Open:11am-12:30am (1:30am Fridays and Saturdays); average meal:NT$500; English menu, credit cards accepted.
The interior of dark wood, chandeliers and walls covered with portraits and family group photos could come from the set of The Godfather or Goodfellas. This is little Italy, and the management, the same group that brought Dan Ryan's to Asia, has taken pains to create a convincing atmosphere.
"Our food is basically southern Italian, but with American influence," said Amy Huang (
The restaurant has only been open four months, but already a number of dishes have established themselves as hot favorites with customers. The rosemary chicken, roasted whole just before serving, is simple, but quite delicious. "We just use the basic ingredients of Italian cooking," Huang said. "But we do not pre-bake the chicken, so the meat is much more tender and does not become dry." A wait of 20 minutes is necessary for this dish, but it is definitely worthwhile.
Pasta and pizza dishes are also aimed at a big table with hearty appetites. "Our regular pasta dish uses a pound of noodles," Huang said. And the pizza is more than sufficient to satisfy three people. The American influence in the restaurant is represented by the 20oz steaks guaranteed to satisfy even the biggest appetite.
To finish off the meal, the huge portion of tiramisu is highly recommend -- it's light and fluffy so that it is not the least cloying. Accompanied with a glass of cappuccino laced with Sambucca, you can't go wrong. The bar has a good selection of Italian wines and traditional spirits as well as a wide range of classic cocktails.
My Other Place (我的家)
303 Fuhsing N. Rd. (復興北路303號); tel:2718-7826. Open:11:30am-2am; average meal:NT$350; English menu; credit cards accepted
When it comes to the food at My Other Place, a popular banker's pub near the corner of Fuhsing Road and Nanking Road, our verdict is: pretty good. As in not excellent and not mediocre. Just pretty good.
The menu consists of Western and Chinese standards, with a couple of Thai dishes thrown in for good measure. You'll find Italian minestrone, Thai beef salad, Mexican nachos, kong pao chicken, seafood paella and filet mignon. None will disappoint, as the kitchen staff doesn't substitute local ingredients for the necessary original menu ingredients. Quite simply, the cooks know how to make a few basic styles of Western food. Moreover, a typical meal will fill you up -- even the pasta dishes, which come in slightly more generous portions than you will find in most Taipei restaurants. But while you will walk away full and satisfied, you will not walk away raving about eating the best meal you've ever had. So while the burgers are big and quite tasty, they are in the end, just burgers.
Still, there are a couple of specialties. One is the pastrami sandwich, which is special because real pastrami sandwiches are hard to find in Taipei. Another major draw is the service, which is excellent, especially because it's not an up-tight, four star establishment. The staff speaks English and is extremely foreigner-friendly. Every time I've eaten by myself at the bar, someone has taken the trouble to introduce themselves and ask my name. For friendly atmosphere points, My Other Place scores very high on the scale.
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