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Restaurant: Wicked

By Gavin Phipps
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Aug 06, 2004, Page 19

Enjoy some Euro-Asian combinations at the recently opened Neihu restaurant, Wicked. PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES

Wicked might be located in the wilderness of Neihu's fast expanding and out-of-the-way business district, but walk through its doors on any given day and you'll find an oasis of culinary delights awaiting you within.

Opened in late March by Taiwanese-American sisters Helen (劉曉珩) and Linda (劉曉蓉) Liu, Wicked is sparsely, yet tastefully decorated. Its high ceilings and spacious interior makes for a relaxing and buoyant place to dine.

It may be straining for a classy edge, but there is no pomp and circumstance at Wicked. It's the type of place where diners can choose to make a fuss and dress up or simply walk in wearing shorts and a T-shirt.

Partly because of this, it's no wonder the dining house has already built up a reputation as the place to eat and be seen by its hardcore of regulars, that include business suits, families and local residents alike.

A graduate of San Francisco's California Culinary Academy and a veteran, albeit a young one, of the award winning Gary Denko Restaurant, Linda's ability to add original twists and turns and give new meaning to Euro-Asian cuisine is seemingly limitless and in a league of its own.

Wicked offers diners a modest, yet exciting selection of food, that combines Japanese, French, Californian and even South Korean flavors and culinary aesthetics.

Appetizers include the unique and mouthwateringly flavorsome soba unagi sushi (NT$220), or soba noodles with eel wrapped in seaweed, the light and crispy shitake mushroom spring rolls (NT$180), the hugely popular seaweed coated popcorn shrimp (NT$240) and the ginger sesame crusted Ahi tuna with citrus sauce (NT$360).

The appetizers are great but even with just six main courses, diners will be hard pressed to choose which savory masterpiece to chow down on. Be it the fantastically tender caramelized mushroom and onion stuffed chicken with red pepper coulis (NT$380), the walnut crusted salmon with corn relish sauce (NT$430) or Wicked's trademark dish, the spice crusted lamb chops with mango chutney (NT$480), all of them make for fantastic, sumptuous and mouthwatering dining.

The bottom line is that some truly wicked dishes come out of the kitchen and the joint is a must-visit for any food-loving city slicker looking for new and original culinary extravagances and experiences.
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