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Restaurants: Gasthaus Zum Adler (德屋德國餐廳)

By Ho Yi
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, May 04, 2007, Page 15

Wieners and spatzle with goulash is a traditional southern German hearty meal. PHOTO: HO YI, TAIPEI TIMES

For the past seven years, Gasthaus Zum Adler, Taipei's well-known German restaurant-cum-cafe, has served locals with simple, hearty southern German cuisine, mostly handmade in accordance with the recipes the chef and proprietor Bernard Soffner has held close to his heart ever since leaving his hometown Schwaben, in southern Germany as a teenager.

Over the years, Soffner's Teutonic dishes haven't undergone major changes but the restaurant's surroundings have.

"There used to be lots of offices in the neighborhood but most of them are gone now, so are the many restaurants that used to cluster this street," Soffner said.

The weekday business crowd has dissipated and families are the main customers these days. The menu now offers family dinner sets and bargain weekday lunch sets costing between NT$199 to NT$290.

German pig hock and wieners and spatzle with goulash are the all-time favorites with habitues. A slightly spicy dish made of onions, peppers and beef or pork, goulash takes one hour to stew and lends its appetizing aroma to spatzle, German handmade noodles, which originated in Schwaben and according to Soffner have a superior texture and taste to their flabby machine-produced counterparts.

Another Schwaben original not to be missed is the handmade bretzel, or pretzel. Steering clear of the fancy flavors seen in its North American variations, Soffner's bretzel is firm and plain, as it is supposed to be. The solid dark brown crust is sprinkled with salt and the firm, moist bread is surprisingly soft on the inside and is an filling snack when served hot straight out of the oven and slathered with butter.

Running a bakery in Canada for 10 years before he moved to Taiwan, the German national's specialties besides the German staples include homemade Italian ice-cream, cheese buns and cakes. As most of the key ingredients are imported from Europe such as top-graded chocolate and purees, Soffner's pastries and gelato, which come in various flavors, come highly recommended.

"We use hotel-quality chocolate from the French brand Cacao Barry and there is no artificial flavoring and coloring in our handmade gelato and cakes," Soffner said.

Soffner has plans to move to a more high-profile location in the near future.
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