Since it opened in mid-February JB's has become one of Taipei's most popular Western-style bars/restaurants. Along with attracting large numbers of the expat crowd pining for home-style cooking it has also successfully managed to carve out a niche for itself among its local clientele.
Part bar, part restaurant, the joint offers patrons the chance to enjoy fantastic food from the kitchen, great libations from the bar and a selection of live sporting events from the satellite system, plus movies from DVD.
For ardent non-smokers the ground floor dining area offers plenty of natural light and is a pleasant environment in which to drink and dine. For those for whom pub grub is best served with a whiff of cigarette smoke and the smell of beer, however, then the joint's second floor bar is a welcoming place in which to sit and while away the hours.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
For lunch or dinner the kitchen staff is always on the ball and ready to knock out plates of well-prepared, equally well-presented and tasty fare ranging from traditional English shepherd's pie (NT$360) to more continental dishes like chicken tagliatelle (NT$290).
A couple of the bar's most talked about culinary creations include its NT$420 fish and chips, which comes complete with "real" mushy peas. as opposed to the sweet variety served up at a couple of Taipei's "other" Western-style eateries. The NT$360 bobotie is a South African baked pie-like dish with sweet, spicy minced beef topped with a layer of light egg-custard, served with rice, sambals and chutney.
The sausage and mash (NT$350) is another favorite with JB regulars and quite rightly so, as the homemade Lincolnshire sausages are next to none in both quality and taste. If you're in no hurry then the beer and steak pie (NT$430) makes for a filling meal. It takes roughly 20 minutes to prepare but it is well worth the wait if you have a craving for something you can't get anywhere else.
Those nursing an almighty hangover and looking for the ultimate cure should look no further then JB's behemoth all-day breakfast. It's by far the best "greasy fry up" in town. At NT$399 the meal consists of baked beans, bacon, fried eggs, tomatoes and mushrooms, Lincolnshire sausages, bread, either fried or toasted and sauteed potatoes and is served with a mug of tea/coffee and a glass of fruit juice. It will satisfy even the most insatiable of appetites.
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