On stage, Ayu Huang
That's very much the feeling one gets having lunch at his Muma Cafe: Italian bread, soup, main course, coffee and tiramisu in a comfy European-style bistro, costing less than NT$400.
Muma, meaning "rocking horse" in Chinese, is a small bistro with a very classic design: French windows, a dark wooden bar and tables, a wine rack and a refrigerator displaying cakes and bottles of champagne. But for Huang, Muma also has a postmodern twist. The wall is painted red and green. The service is simple and easy-going. And last month, for a private party, there were Aboriginal singers performing with a Nakashi ensemble.
PHOTO: YU SEN-LUN, TAIPEI TIMES
Huang's own recommendation at Muma is linguini with seafood in tomato sauce. It's a simple pasta dish, "but the rich tomato sauce and the sweetness from the fresh seafood make it different," Huang said. Other recommendations include roasted baby chicken with penne pasta and pan-fried snapper with garlic-chili sauce. All cost NT$280 as a lunch set menu.
Also inexpensive is the wine list. Quality wines cost from NT$900 to NT$1500, personally selected by Huang, who has been a lover of red wines for more than 10 years.
Muma's chef, Ruan Kuo-wei
Huang is very conscious about creating a relaxed environment, just like dining in a restaurant in Italy. As a musician, he is particularly choosy about the music. There is tango, lounge music and jazz. In future, Huang says there will be a small ensemble playing traditional Latin music.
"I'd like to run this restaurant like running a pub; with has a scene, a vibe and life stories," Huang said. For him, developing a restaurant atmosphere means "gathering groups of people to come here as a regular hang-out, [where] people eat, drink, talk, and maybe dance along with the tango music. "It takes time to grow, but I'm ready to create such a place," said Huang.
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