With a selection of deli-style dishes made from imported cheese and garnishes, combination store-cafe Goodwell Cheese House brings some welcome variety to the Asian cuisines and dessert stores that fill Eslite Xinyi’s food court. (The company also has a stall in nearby Bellavita mall’s food court.)
Goodwell’s otherwise friendly staffers would earn higher marks if it weren’t for their didactic approach to seating arrangements. On a quiet Friday afternoon, my companion and I sat down at a four-person table. There were only two other diners beside us, but we were immediately told to move to a smaller table. No other customers showed up during the hour we were there. I saw the same thing repeated on an equally slow Tuesday evening: A woman and her young son were shuffled to a smaller table after sitting down, even though the cafe was mostly empty and the boy wanted to sit next to his mother so she could feed him.
Annoying seating issues aside, Goodwell’s staffers are helpful and knowledgeable about the combination store-cafe’s cheese selection, much of which is imported from Europe (with an emphasis on French and Italian varieties). The menu offers cheese or ham combination plates with a sampling of Goodwell’s wares.
Photo: Catherine Shu, Taipei Times
My ham plate for one person (NT$260 a la carte, NT$390 with house wine or tea) included pork knuckle, three types of sausage, gherkins, sauerkraut and mustard. It arrived 10 minutes after my companion’s pasta was served, but was worth the wait. The tender pork knuckle meat had lightly crispy skin, while the varieties of sausage offered a good range of flavors and textures. Smoked duck breast is added to the ham platter for two people (NT$590 a la carte, NT$850 with wine or tea), while the dish for four people (NT$1,320; NT$1,840) has all of the above, and prosciutto and salami too.
My friend ordered the spicy cream sauce with bacon, mushroom and chili pasta (NT$310 to NT$360 depending on side orders). The noodles were cooked al dente and the toppings tasted fine, but overall the dish was unmemorable and no different from pasta served in any number of restaurants.
On my second visit, I ordered the canape platter (NT$150), which is actually six slices of lightly toasted bread topped with cheese or a creamy spread. My selection included a mild Brie, creme Normande de Calvados (a thick cream spread flavored with apple brandy) and melted blue cheese drizzled with honey. The bread was whole wheat with raisins, which overpowered the Brie but went well with the sweeter toppings.
Goodwell’s house specialty salad (NT$320 with wine or tea) is romaine lettuce topped with diced tomatoes, black olives, Gouda cheese, ham, a slice of Brie, sprinkled with Parmesan and tossed in an oil and balsamic vinegar dressing. The salad also had a few raisins sprinkled in, which did not go well with the other ingredients or dressing (make sure to ask your server not to add them). The salad is very simple but tasty, and filling enough to serve as an entree when ordered with a side.
The amount of wine served with set meals is very small, about two fingers in each glass. The dry white house wine was just okay, but Goodwell also has a revolving selection of imported wines. Their daily menu features lengthy explanations of each beverage’s provenance in Chinese, or ask the staff for recommendations. They are quick to offer assistance (as long as you sit where you are supposed to).
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