Taipei's anonymous districts are turning into neighborhoods. Homogenous barrack-style buildings are gradually being torn down or renovated, creating unique residential areas with character. All the construction going on indicates that Taipei is reinventing itself into an international city, and its cafes and restaurants are following suit.
Shih Horng-ren (施弘仁) has this same international vision for his eatery. The owner of the recently opened Shih's Bagels first fell in love with the round breads when he was studying for his master's degree at Yale University. He recounts walking the cold winter streets of New Haven looking forward to entering a bagel shop, from where the smell of cinnamon and raisins wafted out onto the sidewalk and "you could feel the warmth of the bagels."
To help him fulfill his dream, he has hired Israeli chef Amir Arie who has added salads, soups and desserts - all made from scratch - to the menu.
PHOTO: NOAH BUCHAN, TAIPEI TIMES
But bagels are Shih's stock and trade and he bakes seven different varieties - plain, cinnamon raisin, blueberry, sesame and black sesame, cheese, black pepper and green tea (NT$40 each, or buy five get one free) - on the premises for all to see.
He plans to add black olive, onion, sun dried tomato, sunflower seed and whole wheat within the next month or so. Don't expect poppy seed bagels, though, Shih says, as the ingredient is a controlled substance in Taiwan.
As one might expect, Shih's menu is heavy on daytime dining and light in the evening. The all-day breakfast menu features two set meals, each NT$180. Set A features a two-egg omelet, home fried potatoes (though I substituted a delicious marinated eggplant salad), green salad, fruit, bagel and choice of tea, milk or bottomless Davidoff coffee. Set B is the same, but with the option of substituting bacon for the potatoes.
Lunch consists of classic bagel sandwiches and includes smoked salmon and cream cheese (NT$160), roast beef (NT$140), chicken (NT$130) and ham or egg and tomato (NT$120). I opted for the ham sandwich. The potato salad made up most of the center of the sandwich, which, though tasty, wasn't what I was expecting. Some veggies other than lettuce and a zesty compliment like hot mustard could have livened the ensemble up a bit.
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