Ko (洋風和善)
21-1 Chingcheng St. (慶城街21-1號); Tel:2545-9798. 11:30am to 10pm. Average meal: NT$800 to NT$1,200 a head. Afternoon tea set menu: NT$320 to NT$390. English menu. Credit cards accepted.
Roger Ko is the guiding spirit behind the restaurant that bears his name, and for him, fine dining is about far more than food. From its darkened atrium where a waiter in a long apron greets you, to the selection of dining areas ranging from modern minimalist to traditional Japanese, Ko sets out to establish a sense of heightened expectation for the diner.
Ko and a Japanese restaurateur developed the idea for the restaurant. "The Japanese have proved themselves highly skilled at adapting to western food," Ko said. "They have brought their own sensibility to both French and Italian cuisine." This is evident from such dishes - a Kobujime bream capellini style - a feather-light mixture of fine Italian pasta with raw fish - or fresh mozzarella cheese with egg plant, in which the sweet saltiness of Japanese soy sauce confounds the diner's expectations of an Italian standard.
"Although our food draws on both eastern and western styles, it is quite different from California cuisine," Ko said. "We draw heavily on the spirit of Japanese food, so everything is more delicate."
Great care is taken over presentation, and crockery is selected to complement the design of individual dishes. "We don't think that a dish can just be served on just any plate," Ko emphasized. For Ko, plate, garnish and the food are all integral elements of the total dining experience.
Moga Cafe/Pasta
50 Anho Rd., Sec. 2 (安和路2段50號); TEL:2704-9646. 7:30am to 10pm. Average meal: NT$400 a head. Picture menu and blackboard. Credit cards accepted.
According to Ito Tomoe of Moga, the name of this stylish little eatery derives from a Japanese word meaning "modern girl." In the early days of the US presence in Japan, it was used to refer to young girls who disdained the kimono and opted for western dress. Ito herself, in impeccable waiter's blacks, cropped hair and bright smile, is very much a modern girl herself - and presides over a sophisticated yet comfortable dinning environment.
With its white--and--beige color scheme, its bistro-style kitchen and view over trendy Anho Road, Moga seems equally well suited to breakfast, lunch or dinner. Open at 7:30am, it is one of the few places to enjoy a couple of fried eggs or a salad and coffee before a day at the office.
She describes the menu at Moga as "Tokyo Italian"- We offer pasta dishes with mintaiko, or using fish roe or tuna, she said, adding that there are also many other conventional dishes, such as penne alla arrabbiata with shrimp, or vegetarian options, such as linguini alla genovese con verdura.
In addition to pasta, Moga also offers a number of meat dishes, including pollo alla grigalla, a half chicken fresh off the grill and drenched in herbs and balsamic vinegar. The Caesar salad, made from romaine lettuce delivered daily from Yangmingshan and served with a light dressing of olive oil, is a delicious side order. A range of wines is also offered, selected, according to Ito, based on labels favored by regular customers, many of them Japanese expatriates.
Bellini Pasta Pasta
2F, 218 Chunghsiao E. Rd., Sec. 4 (忠孝東路4段218號2樓); Tel:8771 3099. 11am to 11pm. Average meal: NT$500 a head. Picture menu. Credit cards accepted.
Bellini Caffe has been in Taipei for more than two years offering its own blend of Italian food with a Japanese twist. With the opening of its new outlet in the swank shopping district of Chunghsiao East Road, Bellini is moving in a new direction. The more formal atmosphere of starched white shirts and long-black aprons has given way to a slightly American fast-food uniform and part of the restaurant is given over to beerhall-like benches designed to accommodate large parties. "But our attention to detail is still very Japanese," said Yvonne Ho, the outlet's manager.
Bellini Pasta Pasta aims to appeal to the young people checking out the district's clutter of department stores. "The atmosphere is very relaxed and we have simplified the menu to provide more time-efficient service," Ho said. For this reason, Pasta Pasta specializes in spaghetti dishes - but makes up for this by providing a huge range of toppings. In addition to the conventional panodoro (tomato) and panna (cream) sections, there is also spaghetti Giaponnese, which has unexpected delights, such as spaghetti con yuzu mentaiko (flavored with the popular Japanese seasoning mentaiko) and spaghetti ai fungi con karaagi (a house specialty with fried chicken.) According to Sukida-san, the executive chef, the uniqueness of flavor owes much to the special fish stock in which the spaghetti is served. Other dishes include a range of crispy crust individual pizzas and a wide range of desserts. The emphasis on presentation and freshness is amply confirmed by the seasonal fruit tart, which is made daily at the chain's central kitchens.
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