Pasadena, a restaurant specializing in French and Mediterranean cuisine, is an unexpected find in the northern purlieus of Kaohsiung City, but one that in the one year it has been running, has established itself as a favorite among both the local and foreign community. Managed by David Sha, Pasadena places particular attention on refined taste, a quality that informs the food, the wines and even the crockery and cutlery used there.
"We enjoy using luxury items," said Sha, who currently has many dishes sporting sevruga and oscieta caviar. The subtle taste is brought out to great advantage with the garoupa served with cream and caviar. While not cheap, there is little doubt that you are getting value for money, and the feeling of luxury is further enhanced by the Wedgewood china and heavy French cutlery.
The best of everything pretty much sums up what Pasadena is all about -- the best, and then a little bit more. "Just take something like beef tenderloin. Everyone does pretty much the same. So we made it a bit more special, adding truffle puree -- and the truffles are imported fresh," Sha said.
PHOTO: IAN BARTHOLOMEW, TAIPEI TIMES
Pasadena's chef Thomas Chien (
Pasadena is a large restaurant, but Sha has allowed for wide areas between the tables to give the atmosphere an expansiveness that would be hard to find in often tightly packed Taipei eateries. "We like to give our guests some sense of privacy as well," Sha said, adding that expansion plans currently include a number of private rooms for publicity-shy celebrities.
With plans to expand with its own patisserie, it is no surprise that both the bread and deserts at Pasadena are also outstanding, offering still unusual types as rolls with squid ink and multi-grain with pumpkin seeds.
A set menu featuring the garoupa with cream and caviar will set you back NT$1,300, but this price includes a selection of four appetizers (including the salmon terrine), a soup, a sherbet to cleanse the palette, the main course, followed by desert and coffee, a set up that encourages leisurely dining, perhaps with the addition of a bottle of wine from the restaurant's wide selection.
For something a little less expensive, Pasadena's afternoon tea, with its bottomless coffee -- good coffee it is, too -- and limitless supply of cakes, is a great way to spend the afternoon for just NT$250. Given the comfortable surroundings and formal yet friendly service, you might even be tempted to stay on for dinner.
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
Mirror mirror on the wall, what’s the fairest Disney live-action remake of them all? Wait, mirror. Hold on a second. Maybe choosing from the likes of Alice in Wonderland (2010), Mulan (2020) and The Lion King (2019) isn’t such a good idea. Mirror, on second thought, what’s on Netflix? Even the most devoted fans would have to acknowledge that these have not been the most illustrious illustrations of Disney magic. At their best (Pete’s Dragon? Cinderella?) they breathe life into old classics that could use a little updating. At their worst, well, blue Will Smith. Given the rapacious rate of remakes in modern
RSS