Maybe they should call it "Negra" instead. Blanc is easily Taipei's darkest restaurant. Of course, that's all part of the aesthetic; a dim, cozy, wine and Mediterranean-cuisine bistro that also happens to be a venue for some of the city's most talented musicians. Not a bad combination. Now if they'd just turn the lights on.
At night from the street Blanc looks closed. Only a neon sign atop the facade indicates that there is indeed a restaurant inside. The inside itself, however, is dark. After being led to our table, my dinner companion and I take turns using a candle to read the menu. When we decide on an entree, our waiter uses the same candle to see well enough to write down our order.
As he feels his way back to the kitchen, my friend tells me of a Berlin restaurant she read about that's totally dark inside. A blind service staff leads you to your table and recites the menu for you. The idea is to have patrons dining in an environment where they rely on their senses of smell and taste rather than judging a meal by how it looks on the plate.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPARD, TAIPEI TIMES
Likewise, I now know what undercooked chicken tastes like without looking to see if it's red in the middle.
But paltry poultry should not keep you from what is otherwise a gem of an establishment. Every other dish we tasted was enjoyable; the clams sauteed in a white wine sauce were succulent and the spaghetti with squid in squid-ink sauce was much tastier than its name would lead you to believe.
But the thing that Blanc does best is to offer wines from around the world with music to accompany them. Few other places in Taiwan offer a selection of vintages from Seville that can be sipped to the accompaniment of a Flamenco dancer and guitarist, as Blanc will have tomorrow night between 10pm and 11pm.
The wine list also includes entries from California, France, Chile and a host of other nations, priced for all pocketbook sizes. A sizable selection of Scotch and American whiskys is also available by the glass or bottle.
The music is as varied as the wine and spirit lists. Big band, swing, lounge and even rap can be heard Thursday through Saturday nights. Next Saturday, special guests Sticky Rice (糯米團) will headline an evening titled "Back to the 70s" from 10pm to midnight.
A second bar and cigar lounge is located in a cozily-appointed basement, with a small selection of nice Dominican and Cuban smokes. Like the wine list, the cigars are affordably priced. While you're smoking your stogey, be sure to check out the tropical fish tank or the unusual terrarium of lizards and an iguana. They'll have you thinking again about why the chicken tasted strange.
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