For nearly three years, chef and restauranteur Andre Joulian has been cooking up a storm at his hugely popular Tianmu-based French restaurant, Le Jardin. In May this year Joulian decided to branch out and opened Scoozi, an Italian- and Mediterranean-styled eatery.
Located a stone's thrown away from Le Jardin, dining at Scoozi is a real pleasure. The walls are adorned with a selection of agreeable works of art by Robert Egan, tables are far enough apart to allow for privacy, the glass facade guarantees plenty of natural light and the kitchen and waiting staff are always on the ball and provide good service with a smile.
As Scoozi has been designed to be a place for families and groups the portions are large and the dishes can easily be divided into smaller portions to allow diners to savor the fantastic tastes of more than one dish. A party of two can easily make do with one appetizer and two main dishes and still walk away from Scoozi feeling satisfied.
PHOTO: GAVIN PHIPPS, TAIPEI TIMES
The place offers a selection of eight anti-pastas that range in price from NT$230 to NT$330. These anti-pastas include the excellent Scoozi (NT$330), which is a selection of cold cuts served with olives and bell peppers, as well as lumache con pomodoro al forno, or snails with cheese and tomato sauce (NT$230) and caprese (NT$260), for which Joulian uses only genuine buffalo mozzarella.
All the pasta served up at Scoozi is homemade and, with 10 varieties to choose from, patrons are guaranteed to find something to their liking. Two that come recommended are the farfalla al salmone (NT$310), or fresh salmon with capers in a light cream sauce' and the linguini a vongole (NT$320), or clams with garlic and herbs in white wine sauce.
Scoozi's 12-inch pizzas are a must-try. With a thin yet not too crispy crust and topped off with the joint's secret spice, there are eight varieties listed on the menu and range in price from NT$290 to NT$380.
A selection of main courses featuring fish, game and red-meat dishes are also available and will set diners back a wee bit more than the pizza and pasta, but at between NT$330 and NT$570, none of them will break the bank.
The desserts are limited, but a pleasant enough way to round off a meal is to sample the always-popular tiramisu (NT$130) or creamy pinna cotta (NT$120) and bunnet (NT$140).
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