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Restaurants: No. 8 Wine and Food

By Noah Buchan
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, May 04, 2007, Page 15

No. 8 Wine and Food is as cozy as a delicatessen. PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES

No.8 is not simply a food and wine restaurant; actually its not so much a restaurant as it is a delicatessen with slabs of salami lying in the cooler among a variety of European cheeses, olives, artichokes and salads that are made by part-owner Wang Shi-hui (王詩慧).

Opened five months ago, No. 8 wants to cater to young professional women "who want light, low calorie food," said Wang. With five tables inside and one outside, the restaurant is small and the decor, though clean, relatively non-descript with white walls and tables that would be better placed on a patio. But what the interior lacks in atmosphere is more than made up for by the food and the two hip owners who make it.

The lunch menu consists of a variety of sandwiches including smoked salmon, salami and cheese (all NT$180) or Parma ham (NT$200) that are served on fresh baguette bread and come accompanied with a selection of marinated appetizers from the deli case, which can be ordered separately. I recommend the sauteed mushroom with balsamic vinegar or lightly seasoned marinated artichokes (both NT$100). The appetizer menu also has marinated cherries (NT$100), olives (NT$150) and a mixed salami plate (NT$180).

The menu also includes a selection of pastas that are ideal for either lunch or dinner. Wang makes her own pesto sauce for the chicken and pesto (NT$180). The spicy pepperoni and tomato sauce (NT$180) is also highly recommended. The pasta menu also includes an experimental duck with vegetables (NT$180) and pasta with smoke salmon and cream sauce (NT$200).

As Wang is the only one working in the kitchen, she can't be blamed for a dinner menu that is limited and lacking in innovation. Still, there is good solid fare available such as grilled chicken leg with herbs (NT$180), roast smoke duck breast (NT$250) and grilled lamb chop (NT$480), as well as US grilled prime rib-eye steak (NT$580).

The limited dinner menu is also offset by the selection of wines at unbelievably low price. Bottles start from NT$300 for a red table wine to higher-end wines reaching NT$2,000 and Sam Yan (顏伊) — the establishment's other host — is on had to help you choose the right bottle.
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