Franz and Friends, located on Bade Road (八德路) just behind Taipei Arena, woos diners with its ultra-modern decor, relaxed urban lounge atmosphere and live music in the evenings. This bistro’s Western fare is neither daring nor overly adventurous, but will suffice in a pinch for a fancier-than-average lunch or a semi-casual dinner outing.
The lunch menu offers a selection of pastas as well as a few main courses starting from NT$200, while the dinner choices include main courses of steak, fish and lamb, starting from NT$450.
On a recent lunchtime visit I tried the breaded lamp chops with tempura vegetables (NT$260), which was a mixed bag. Fans of tonkatsu, or Japanese fried pork cutlet, might appreciate this crispy version of a rack of lamb. But the flow of deep-fried goodness was rudely interrupted by the chewy texture of the meat, which was also slightly gamey. The dish, nonetheless, was artfully presented with circular lines drawn with a chocolate
plum sauce.
Other lunch choices on the menu are predictable, run-of-the-mill selections for mid-priced pasta lunches in Taipei: fettuccine with smoked salmon in cream sauce (NT$250), spaghetti with tomato sauce and seafood (NT$280) and seafood au gratin with mushrooms and cheese (NT$300).
Lunches come with a soup of the day and a drink, while a small salad and dessert can be added for an extra NT$80. Surprisingly, the salad turned out to be the highlight of my meal: a potato salad concoction mixed with salmon and edamame and topped with raisins and sliced almonds — a flavorful combination of sweet and savory, soft and crunchy.
Franz and Friends would likely be just another trendy wannabe restaurant if not for its unique history. It was founded more than 30 years ago as the Idea House (艾迪亞), one of a number of Western restaurants in the city that hosted performances by then-aspiring artists, including the late dancer and choreographer Lo Man-fei (羅曼菲), folk icon TC Yang (楊祖珺) and pop star Tsai Chin (蔡琴).
The restaurant was purchased, revamped and moved to its current location four years ago by artist-turned-entrepreneur Francis Chen (陳立恆), a frequent patron of Idea House. He continues the Idea tradition by holding live shows every night (the music ranges from Latin jazz and cover band rock to classical and Italian opera) and also uses the space to display fine porcelain from his company, Franz Collection Inc
(法藍瓷). The restaurant’s “sweetheart afternoon tea” set (NT$399) includes coffee or tea and an assortment of desserts, all served on Franz porcelain tableware.
Despite the restaurant’s clean, minimalist interior, replete with mirrors and glass, several details hint at its evening lounge alter ego. The tables appeared scuffed and a few of the leather chairs were worn down with holes. The paper Heineken coaster that came with the kiwi Italian soda (NT$200) was stained.
The wait staff was polite and attentive, but often fumbled at the table. My multi-course set meal came in spurts. Soup was interrupted by the salad; the salad was interrupted by the main course; and I subsequently had to remind the waiters about dessert, which I did my best to dislike because of its late arrival, but enjoyed nonetheless — champagne-flavored ice cream with raisins.
Franz and Friends is located next to the entrance to Metropolitan Hall (城市舞台) on Bade Road. The Web site lists each evening’s performers.
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