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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