Dust off that old Hawaiian shirt: Tiki carvings and the “original” Mai Tai are just some of Trader Vic’s kitschy charms.
This Polynesian-theme restaurant might look like a Hawaiian tourist trap at first glance, but it quickly grows on you. The food, a fusion of pan-Asian cuisine and American steakhouse fare presented with unusually good service, is as comforting as the teak paneled walls and bamboo rattan furniture.
A way to sample Trader Vic’s extensive selection is the Sunday brunch buffet, which is well worth the price at NT$780 per person.
The spread includes beef prime rib, rack of lamb, pork ribs and salmon — all of which are slow-roasted in the restaurant’s “Chinese smoke oven,” an impressive large barrel-shaped kiln.
Everything at the buffet was of high quality, from the barbeque chicken and Thai curry to the creamy tortellini and salads. The restaurant cut no corners on ingredients, using fresh jumbo shrimp for a stir-fry with cashew nuts and Haas avocado for a salad.
An American chain that began as a tropical-themed restaurant near San Francisco in the 1930s, Trader Vic’s drew inspiration in part from the area’s Chinese cuisine. The restaurant is even credited for popularizing crab Rangoon, deep-fried wonton dumplings filled with cream cheese and crabmeat (available at the buffet and for NT$230 as an appetizer).
The Mai Tai is a must at Trader Vic’s, which claims its founder, Victor “The Trader” Bergeron, invented this rum and citrus cocktail and introduced it to Hawaii in the 1950s. The drink, which enjoyed some exposure in Blue Hawaii starring Elvis Presley, will cultivate a tropical mood even if the grass hanging
at the restaurant’s “boathouse bar” doesn’t.
A small serving (full size NT$290), topped with pineapple and a Maraschino cherry skewered on a plastic tiki man toothpick, comes with the buffet (a non-alcoholic version is also available).
Even if the South Pacific is out of reach, Trader Vic’s offers libations worthy of a luau. A “rum keg” (NT$750) is a mix of light and dark rums and tropical fruit served in a wooden vessel for four people. Imported aged Caribbean rums, which are not on the drinks menu, are also served.
The four-page illustrated drinks menu makes for an entertaining read with concoctions like the Rangoon Ruby (“vodka with a tang of fresh cranberries,” NT$260), Kamaikaze (“a bit suicidal but delicious,” NT$290) and Suffering Bastard (“a forthright blend of rums, lime and liqueurs with an affinity for cucumbers,” NT$360).
The well-trained and competent wait staff, who don either floral print shirts or white chef’s coats, could offer lessons to any fine dining establishment in town. I kept missing out on the prime rib, which was gone every time I went to the buffet table. This prompted a waiter to bring over a serving later on — without my asking. And the manager remembered the name of one of my dining companions, who visits several times a year.
The dining room sports several huge tanks full of tropical fish, and the huge “Chinese oven” is placed in a room with a large window so diners can watch the kiln fires.
On the a la carte menu, US prime steaks range from NT$950 to NT$1,190, while seafood main courses, which include salmon, sea bass and prawns, run from NT$790 to NT$890.
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