Cuisine from the Golden Triangle sounded intriguing and the Royal Town on Xinyi Road looked inviting enough, with its big plate glass windows and a tastefully laid out restaurant and bar. So we went in prepared to try something slightly different and ended up slightly disappointed.
With an emphasis on Burmese and Thai food, in addition to dishes from Yunnan, China, the Royal Town menu did not quite cover the Golden Triangle as it missed out on Laos, but that could be overlooked as the impoverished Asian country is hardly known for its cuisine.
The welcome was warm, professional and attentive, perhaps because no one else was there. Beige walls, fairy lights and spot lighting on rails give the place a relaxed feel, highlighting the table arrangements and food, while the bar at the far end of the room is bright and well appointed. The washroom -- always an indication of attention to detail -- was OK.
The menu is comprehensive enough, with offerings from the three areas it was covering. But, something was missing, and it wasn't just regional beers or spirits from the region.
Founded by an overseas Chinese from Myanmar, the Royal Town has been good enough to spawn another version on Roosevelt Road and survive for the last 10 years, which is a fair record when compared with the average lifetime of an eatery in the city.
Part of the reason for this must be that the owners have made an extra effort to bring in authentic ingredients. Tea from Myanmar featured in the Burmese-style tea leaf salad (NT$200 and NT$280 for a bigger plate), which also contained beans and nuts from the same country. Kachin-style chili chicken and Shan-style bamboo chicken (both NT$280 or NT$420) are hard to find anywhere else in the city and provide what the owners called "special flavors from the East."
It is a shame, however, that these positive elements have not been further developed. While the Yunnan-style dishes, such as the mixed beef were perfectly adequate and the fried pork with bamboo shoots and bitter gourd was a colorful and tangy dish covered with a unique and taste bud-teasing sauce. but the rest of the menu showed little imagination -- particularly now that Thai restaurants have become so ubiquitous.
Food from the Golden Triangle isn't a bad idea and with a little more work and attention to detail, the Royal Town may yet carry on for another 10 years.
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