Indian Fans and its predictably kitsch wall hangings and assorted nick-knacks related to India first appeared on Taipei's fashionable Yungkang food-street two years ago. It opened a second outlet a stone's throw from the more up-market Dinghao shopping neighborhood last summer.
The place must be doing something right in order to open its second branch, but what that is leaves this reviewer perplexed. Like all too many locally owned restaurants that attempt to pass themselves off as foreign eateries and fall flat, if not so low that the gutter is the best place for them, Indian Fans is a sham.
While some bright spark had the affront to boast "best Indian curry in Taipei" on a flyer advertising the place at the recent Computex in Taipei, the truth is very different. Indian Fans serves up some of the worst curry to be found in Taipei. Sure, the decor and design are pleasant enough, but this is an eatery not a museum piece.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
The menu includes such fancy sounding fare as Kashmir chicken curry, Madras beef curry, Rajasthan mutton curry and Punjab mixed vegetable curry, but there's not a naan bread in sight. Each dish is served with a plate of rice -- the local sticky variety as opposed to the fluffy Indian type -- an odd assortment of vegetables, and comes with a complementary salad bar.
This reviewer sat down for what he thought would be a lamb pulao (NT$249), but was instead served a wok-fried plate of lamb fried rice filled with frozen carrots, peas and, of course, the ubiquitous corn. While I attempted to wade through the fried rice and accompanying grease and at the same time discern its flavor, a waitress was kind enough to pop a side dish of garlic bread made from a single slice of white toasted bread on the table.
Sadly the food's flavorlessness and the limp slice of garlic bread proved all too much and I was forced to beat an early retreat from Indian Fans with my meal left unfinished.
I opted for my complementary beverage to go, but should have declined the cup of iced Indian Masala tea as it proved as bad as the meal. Traditionally drunk as a pick-me-up, the bastardized version of this otherwise great brew served up at Indian Fans had the reverse effect. Instead of leaving me refreshed it left a rancid taste in my mouth.
The bottom line for Indian Fans is simple: If you're familiar with and enjoy Indian fare then don't go anywhere near the place!
April 28 to May 4 During the Japanese colonial era, a city’s “first” high school typically served Japanese students, while Taiwanese attended the “second” high school. Only in Taichung was this reversed. That’s because when Taichung First High School opened its doors on May 1, 1915 to serve Taiwanese students who were previously barred from secondary education, it was the only high school in town. Former principal Hideo Azukisawa threatened to quit when the government in 1922 attempted to transfer the “first” designation to a new local high school for Japanese students, leading to this unusual situation. Prior to the Taichung First
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) hatched a bold plan to charge forward and seize the initiative when he held a protest in front of the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office. Though risky, because illegal, its success would help tackle at least six problems facing both himself and the KMT. What he did not see coming was Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (將萬安) tripping him up out of the gate. In spite of Chu being the most consequential and successful KMT chairman since the early 2010s — arguably saving the party from financial ruin and restoring its electoral viability —
The Ministry of Education last month proposed a nationwide ban on mobile devices in schools, aiming to curb concerns over student phone addiction. Under the revised regulation, which will take effect in August, teachers and schools will be required to collect mobile devices — including phones, laptops and wearables devices — for safekeeping during school hours, unless they are being used for educational purposes. For Chang Fong-ching (張鳳琴), the ban will have a positive impact. “It’s a good move,” says the professor in the department of
Article 2 of the Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China (中華民國憲法增修條文) stipulates that upon a vote of no confidence in the premier, the president can dissolve the legislature within 10 days. If the legislature is dissolved, a new legislative election must be held within 60 days, and the legislators’ terms will then be reckoned from that election. Two weeks ago Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) proposed that the legislature hold a vote of no confidence in the premier and dare the president to dissolve the legislature. The legislature is currently controlled
RSS