Dining Room looks distinguished without seeming exclusive. The fact is it can't afford to be exclusive. Its clientele consists largely of people who -- this past weekend, at least -- had come to see the new Resident Evil movie. Not exactly a haute cuisine crowd.
It must make attempts at being distinguished for the company it shares in the Neo 19 building -- swank lounge bars and the Jakota Japanese restaurant, among others -- and for the part of town it sits in.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
In the midst of all this grandeur is Dining Room; dimly lit and Spartan. It mimics neighboring in-House with its wait staff of erstwhile models strutting the isles as if on a catwalk.
Floral arrangements sitting on a mid-room table are given the Warhol treatment: instead of one bouquet there are 12 identical ones. It's all very presentable ? and then you open the menu.
Dining Room's Chinese name would have you believe they serve Shanghai cuisine, but you won't find much of it here. The variety of carp that is a staple in hu cai (
There are some vibrant exceptions, such as a dish of wild seasonal herbs (
Like any Chinese restaurant, Dining Room is best when you're ordering for a table of four or more people, allowing you to sample from a wider variety of dishes. But even this might leave you disappointed. Of the beef, vegetable and fish dishes sampled for this review; the beef was mostly onion and the fish, a cod smothered in beans fried to a crisp (豆酥鱈魚), was tasteless. Only the seasonal wild herbs hit the spot. But who goes to a Shanghai restaurant for vegetables?
On the way out, I glanced at the other tables and saw more of what I'd left at my own table; unfinished dishes. Perhaps the anticipation of seeing Resident Evil was just too great.
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