Nineting is, on last count, the sixth burger joint to open in the Shida neighborhood over the past year, not counting similar restaurants that have recently popped up across Taipei’s Da-an District. And it could well be the first casualty of Shida’s burger wars. This thought ran through my mind after leaving the restaurant, while on the way to Wellcome to buy a 5-liter bottle of water.
Which is a pity, given the effort that went into designing the place. The front walls are painted in 1960s-style black-and-white psychedelic patterns. There’s a deli-style bar complete with stools in alternating white and peacock blue. Large murals of 1950s Hollywood films, pop art and other Americana hang in the back.
We ordered fried chicken wings (NT$150) as one of two appetizers. Perhaps the idea behind the wings was lost in translation because the flavor was more night market xiansuji (鹹酥雞) than aromatic spiciness. Honey mustard or blue cheese sauce for dipping might have compensated for the chicken’s greasiness, but none was provided. The half-finished plate spoke for itself. The calamari (NT$150) was slightly tastier, if only because it came before the wings and was served with tartar sauce. Yet it, too, was very salty.
Our main course, the combo burger (NT$270), a double beef patty with double cheese and double bacon, was served with a handful of fries and a potato salad sweet enough to make dessert irrelevant. Although the ingredients tasted fresh, we couldn’t finish the burger because the amount of oil that emerged from the undercooked patty and the sauce, which tasted like a combination of relish and barbeque sauce, made it difficult to eat. Again, the half-finished plate spoke for itself.
In addition to the combo burger, Nineting offers 16 other burgers, including a spicy burger (NT$210) with cheese and salsa, a fish burger and three kinds of chicken burger (NT$210 to NT$260), and four pork cutlet burgers (NT$190 to NT$250). Pasta, sandwiches and hot dogs complete the dinner options in a menu that features an extensive selection of floats, shakes and smoothies (NT$110 to NT$140).
A certain degree of grease and salt comes with the territory when dining at burger joints. But the meal we ate at Nineting left us bloated and parched.— NOAH BUCHAN
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