Taipei is getting turned onto healthy eating if The One is representative of a new trend in a city famed for its oily night market food. But it's a big if ...
Salads, sandwiches with thimble-sized cups of soup and fresh fruit drinks are the principal items on The One's menu, which opened recently on the fifth floor of a shopping complex in Dazhi.
Run in cooperation with Alexander Group's flagship gym and spa, which is on the same floor, The One aims to be all light and purity, from the entrance illuminated by a green glass bar to the eating area with its water droplet chandelier.
Nutritious and natural food is not a bad idea considering the location and The One, which has a successful design studio and fine eating restaurant on Zhongshan North Road is likely the company best suited to making the idea work.
The in-house designed tableware, pillows that double up as pictures and computer laptop rests, furnishings, T-shirts, sketch pads and diaries on show are all for sale.
As for the food, it is prepared by cordon bleu chef Yu Shih-yuan (于士媛), who was trained in Paris and therefore knows a thing or two about delicatessen eating.
Regrettably, the Caesar salad (NT$180) was disappointing and about the only nod to the original version produced by Caesar Cardini in 1924 was the romaine lettuce. There were no croutons or Parmesan and instead of that slightly tangy sauce there was a sweet mayonnaise, anchovy, garlic and mustard dip.
Much better was the beef bun (NT$200), one of Yu's creations, which consisted of a beef and tomato meatball, piqued by rosemary and thyme, which nestled in a Danish pastry.
The Parma ham dish (NT$220) came with three generous asparagus spears, raisin bread and a poached egg, which was a refreshing combination. The bacon, cheese and cream quiche (NT$150) was also simple but effective.
There were six salad combinations and sandwiches on the menu and 10 kinds of fruit drinks (NT$150). I can vouch for the tomato and pineapple juice, while the apple and vegetable, tomato with lemon juice or celery and carrot drinks sounded promising.
The coffee was not recommended and I concurred. Desserts are Yu's forte but they are not featured on the present menu.
Overall, The One is a nice change and fine for recharging the batteries.
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