For most of its customers, the biggest attraction of A-ka on Mount Cook is the vivacious co-proprietor Ho Chie (
As her nickname suggests, Ho is an elder sister figure with whom college students -- who make up most of the clientele -- can talk about anything. Even after lunch and dinner hours, Ho can be seen at the tables of her customers talking about school, love lives, or -- her favorite -- backpacking around the world.
Not that the restaurant's weak on its food, as the first thing that greets customers as they push open its door is the thick fragrance of spices and broth wafting around the interior.
PHOTO: VICO LEE, TAIPEI TIMES
The back cover of A-ka's menu tells the story of how the restaurant came about. In the summer of 2001, Ho and A-ka, the other co-proprietor, were on their way to climb Mount Cook in New Zealand with a dozen other backpackers of various nationalities, when a sudden change of weather held them up. As they waited for the sky to clear up, they started to get to know each other despite their language barriers.
The experience of traveling with strangers in distant countries so moved A-ka and Ho, both in their 40s, that they decided to set up a restaurant where they could both share the stories of their travels throughout 20 years with younger people.
A-ka learned her recipes from the food she tried out while traveling, mostly in Europe, so the menu is an eclectic selection of French, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Mexican and whatever other country's cuisine you can think of. Although blending various cooking styles into one menu is a current trend among restaurants in Taiwan, Ho attributed her mixtures not to an intention to go with the flow but with a wish to break free of the unwritten limitations of dining.
"There do not have to be all those limitations on how food should be prepared or eaten. If you are willing to open your heart and try something new, whatever you consider delicious is indeed delicious. That's what I've learned from my travels," said Ho.
Ho's latest invention is German sausage with sweet peppers, blueberry and cinammon bagel and cream cheese. The item (NT$230), originally put together in haste as a snack, is now on the menu.
A-ka's menu is roughly divided into the kind of meals you can finish quickly and those you may enjoy slowly while chatting or reading at the same time, each category consisting of more than dozen options. Ask the friendly English and Spanish-speaking staff for advice.
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