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RESTAURANTS : Climontine (克莉蒙汀麵包生活館)

Climontine (克莉蒙汀麵包生活館) Address: 149-1, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段149-1號) Telephone: (02) 2706-7061 Open: Meals served from noon to 10pm; bakery and cafe opens at 10:30am Average meal: NT$400 for lunch, NT$600 to NT$1,500 for dinner; 10 percent service charge Details: Chinese menu only; credit cards accepted for purchases over NT$1,000 On the Net: www.bazzurro.com.tw

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Hidden at the back of an upscale bakery and cafe on Xinyi Road, Climontine looks more like an antiques showroom than a restaurant that serves buffet lunches and Italian-style cuisine

for dinner.

The dining area, split into two rooms, has a classic European feel. The main room resembles a Viennese cafe with its white tablecloths, dark wooden floors, crystal chandeliers and old lamps. There is also a Victorian vibe, provided by worn shelves full of vases and fine china, and floral trimmings.

The windows at the back of the main dining room look onto an orchid garden; the side dining room is full of mirrors encased in ornate frames. Diners sit either on sofas or French antique chairs with wine-colored upholstery.

Many of the furnishings can be bought from the owners, who run an import and export business. An Italian cupboard with glass doors can be taken home for NT$48,000; the crystal chandelier above my table was marked at NT$188,000. All this made the lunch buffet seem reasonable at NT$388 (not including the 10 percent service charge). The spread was a fusion of Italian and Chinese-style dishes, with the emphasis on the latter. The main course on my first visit, which changes daily, was Taiwanese-style chilled chicken.

Nearly everything was good, and on par with, if not better than, the average five-star hotel buffet. Some memorable morsels included roasted peppers and sweet potato, and shrimp sauteed with celery served in a butter and garlic sauce. A humble serving of stir-fried green beans and braised pork was melt-in-the-mouth delicious, and sliced apples added a novel touch to a Thai salad. The sickly sweet corn soup was boring — an obvious concession to local tastes.

But there were no compromises with dinner at Climontine, which serves an excellent antipasto buffet spread (NT$580 per person). Some notable selections on an evening visit included tasty, succulent roast chicken served on a bed of tomato and onion, and sliced pork loin with a tart and creamy tuna sauce. There were three green salads on offer, including a refreshing and flavorful combination of snow peas, black olives and ham.

The set menu includes the antipasto buffet, pasta of the day and a main course of either rib eye steak, rack of lamb, roast chicken or prawns. Set meals are priced at NT$1,280 and NT$1,480.

The house recommendation is the steak, but there should be no regrets with the lamb. I received a tender and juicy cut, which was dressed in a delicate red wine sauce.

Menus are in Chinese only, but a friendly server who speaks English is on hand to help. The wait staff seemed a half-step behind in keeping the water glasses full. But with the comforting food and the room’s dated charm, it’s easy to forget about the time.

The menu and atmosphere may seem familiar, as the wait staff and chefs are transplants from Portofino, the Italian restaurant on Dunhua South Road (敦化南路) that closed after the building it occupied was sold and torn down.

Getting there is easy enough — Climontine is on the northeast corner of the crossroad of Dunhua South and Xinyi roads. Look out for a bakery with a sign that reads Angelina’s, the establishment’s former name. As of press time, the sign had yet to be updated.

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