There's a long-running debate about where the best Italian food can be found in Taipei. King Mary Pasta can be excluded from the discussion if you' re looking for haute cuisine. If, however, you're wanting a big helping of tasty pasta that weighs more than it costs, King Mary is the place to visit.
With seven locations in the metropolitan area and a menu that tops out under NT$200, Mary's is not so much about fine dining as frenzied feeding. The owners have forgone delicate ambience and decor for the kind of utilitarian esthetic you might find at, say, a Chuck E Cheese's pizza parlor; the kind of place you can hose down after the seven-year-olds' birthday party and reseat within five minutes. It's a shade classier than a traditional white-tiled Taiwanese restaurant; Mary's has red and green tiles thrown in to give it that authentic Italian feel.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
Mary's instead focuses on filling stomachs with a menu built on vermicelli pasta covered with a variety of sauces and toppings; chicken and snow peas, garlic, asparagus, tomatoes and more. All these dishes are priced at NT$100 and the portions are more than enough to fill you.
And there's over a dozen to choose from, so coming back often won't get boring. A smaller selection or baked pastas is available for NT$130 or, if you're really hungry, a set meal includes Italian-style soup, all the baked garlic bread you can eat, four-seasons fruit salad, your choice of any of the NT$100 pastas and coffee, tea or fruit juice. At NT$190, it's one of the best Western food bargains in town.
Mary's also has a selection of beverages and beers, including Corona and Heineken always on offer for NT$80 per bottle. There are occasionally other beers available for the asking; NT$100 Guinness and Grolsch for example. Check the daily specials board. The most expensive item on Mary's menu is wine. I asked what label it was and was told Californian. Sorry, Mary, I want to know a little more about it if I'm going to pay NT$250 for a glass.
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