We first got acquainted with No Name during a two-hour dice game for Johnny Walker Black with one of the regulars, a friendly middle-aged guy who was lounging on the big red sofa under the red lamp with the plastic beads. We were later to learn that the place was owned by two TV and movies stars, Porshe Suen (孫興) and Stephanie Lin (林美貞), whose faces are known all over Taiwan, Hong Kong and much of China. This surprised us, because somehow we expected that a place run by movie stars would be lame.
No Name, however, turned out to cozy, personable and moderately priced. Beers go for NT$150 (two for the price of one during the 7pm to 10pm happy hour) and cocktails for NT$250. On Friday nights, an NT$350 buffet provides a night of hors d’oeuvres and as many cans of Taiwan Beer as you can stomach.
And all of this is packaged in a setting of mood lighting and fake turquoise cheetah skin. The lounge’s design is really quite extraordinary, especially if you’re into the kind of faux opulence that pushes the boundaries of tackiness and camp. Most of the furniture is second-hand, and much of it has been reupholstered with patterns including Dalmatian and most of the jungle cats.
Open from 7pm to 3am daily, No Name is probably best as an early evening lounge. It is located at Shita Rd., Alley 93, No. 5 (師大路93巷5號) just across the street from Grandma Nitti’s. The crowd consists mostly of hip, young people enjoying quiet drinks in interesting booths, though on weekends the place can get a bit more boisterous.
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