Solo Pasta should appeal to health conscious 20 to 40-somethings who work and shop in Taipei’s East District (東區). The Italian eatery, which opened six months ago in an alley behind Eslite Bookstore’s Dunnan Branch (台北敦南誠品) limits its entree menu to an array of pastas that are notable for their originality and fresh ingredients.
The menu may be small, but the restaurant’s interior is rather large, with two dining sections; the first as you move past the large windows at the entrance, the second facing the open kitchen. Mustard-yellow tongue-and-grove paneling on the walls and wood laminate on the tables and floors lends the space a comfortable atmosphere.
Aside from pasta, the restaurant has a moderately sized appetizer menu that is somewhat hit and miss. The bruschetta (NT$60) falls into the latter category because its presentation seemed an afterthought. Chunks of fresh tomato infused with olive oil and basil were scattered over the surface of the first slice, while the second supported a swath of delicious chicken liver mousse. Though the mousse had a creamy texture and robust flavor with hints of balsamic vinegar, the portion was too small. There are no other bread items on the menu, which seems a little puzzling for an Italian restaurant that limits its main course menu selection to pasta.
The oven-baked eggplant with mozzarella and Parmesan (NT$160) was a hit, as were the assorted marinated mushrooms (NT$80). In the former, three layers of eggplant alternated with a thick tomato sauce and were topped with a moderate amount of cheese. This light dish was delicious and ideal for those watching their waste size, though it might have benefitted from a pinch of basil or oregano. The mushrooms marinated in spices, white while vinegar and olive oil perked things up with their tangy flavor and crunchy texture.
Other appetizer items that I was told are worth trying include asparagus with runny egg and extra-old Parmesan (NT$280) and raw vegetables with garlic and anchovy dip (NT$230 for two).
My waitress said that the squid ink spaghettini (NT$280), sweet basil pesto spaghettini (NT$220) and smoked duck in a cream balsamic sauce with spaghetti (NT$260) are among patrons’ favorites. I went with the duck because friends who work near Solo Pasta have raved about it before. The slightly sweet balsamic vinegar cream sauce acted as a nice counterpoint to the strong smokiness of the duck. The sauce is delicious and alone makes a trip to Solo Pasta worthwhile. Now all they need to do is add plain bread to the menu so customers can slop up the yummy sauce when the pasta is gone.
The dessert menu is also worth a try. The generous slab of tiramisu consisted of a mascarpone body infused with marsala (a dessert wine similar to sherry), which rested on an espresso-dipped foundation of ladyfingers (NT$80). Other desserts include oranges marinated in caramelized syrup and served with frozen chocolate (NT$150) and cannolo, or pastry tubes filled with ricotta cheese (NT$160).
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist