While most of Taipei’s burger joints play off some kind of sports, highway or rock ’n’ roll theme, Pickles plays on all three.
With its wood finishing, languidly lit interior and a front section that offers unobstructed views of passing foot traffic from the nearby Shida night market (師大夜市), the restaurant is immediately appealing. Above an electric guitar hanging on a wall are the words “rock ’n’ roll” in Gothic script. License plates from various US states are affixed to a tall wooden bar at the back, and bottles of beer — Heineken, Corona, Budweiser (NT$100 each) — line a ledge above long cushioned benches that extend to the back. When I visited, a flat-panel television beside the bar was playing a baseball game.
My server was doing her best to look the part of the young rebel. Wearing 1970s-era Elvis Costello glasses, jeans and a plaid shirt, she looked a cross between punk and grunge. The whole scene was made somewhat surreal by the sort of tunes that health club’s play thumping from the speakers.
Photo: Noah Buchan, Taipei Times
Pickles’ picture menu features the usual greased-up fare, though the extensive selection of breakfast items — especially omelets and bagels — makes this a possible alternative to the long queues that plague the nearby Evans Burger.
Feeling a little experimental, I ordered the peanut butter and bacon burger (NT$210). At that price, I thought, it must be something special. My more reasonable dining companion chose the chili sauce hot dog (NT$160). Both came with French fries and waffle fries. Add an additional NT$30 for a bottomless beverage.
Before the burger arrived, I imagined the ways it could be prepared: the beef patty lightly breaded with peanut chunks, perhaps, or a thin layer of peanut butter spread over the patty lending it a subtle flavor. When it arrived, a quick taste of the patty revealed that it was deliciously seasoned, though slightly undercooked. Its flavor, however, was soon lost under the sickly sweet taste of a large splat of peanut butter that separated the bacon and beef.
Photo: Noah Buchan, Taipei Times
The mound held its consistency for about a minute and then melted down the side of the burger and dripped onto the plate. Well the waitress had said, “It sure is special.” I managed a few bites before pushing it aside.
My companion’s chili dog, though significantly more palatable, was somewhat misleading. The bratwurst sausage and whole-wheat bun were tasty, but there was no Tex-Mex beef, nor beans. Who makes a chili dog with no chili? Instead, the sauce was a runny salsa of diced onion, jalapeno pepper and canned tomato.
The lesson is clear: At Pickles, stick to the basics. On a separate occasion, I tried a cheeseburger (NT$180) and found it to be, with its yummy patty and generous portions of pickle, onion, lettuce and tomato, excellent value. In hindsight, the experiment with peanut butter seems to have been an afterthought and an excuse to bump up the price by NT$30.
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