Disclaimer: Easily offended readers, those of an environmentally aware disposition, or animal rights champions, are advised to exercise caution as this review contains mention of a controversial though fine-tasting duck product, a drink with a bad ecological rap and a reference to food porn.
Opened in April by owner and head chef William “Abu” Bu (布秋榮), formerly of Tutto Bello, Abu Authentic Cuisine from the outside looks much like any nondescript lounge bar with its shiny black facade, mesh curtains obscuring the interior, and blue neon sign.
Inside, the self-assured patter and delicate laughter of wealthy patrons competes with piped chamber music, as the wait staff, some wearing white gloves, glide from table to table. There is a fine line between prison guard service, with beady eyes following every move, and unobtrusive attention to detail, which Abu stays the right side of, though a half-finished cup of delicate pu’er tea (普洱茶) was whisked away by an over-keen busser.
The decor is a symphony of browns, from the fawn satin napkins to the beige, bronze and amber wood flooring.
A word of warning: the AC seems only to have two settings, subtropical or Arctic. The banquette along the sidewall offers the most temperate seating. Upstairs accommodates about 30, while a salon prive downstairs seats 10.
Before ordering, guests are offered Monteforte sparkling or Fiji mineral water — the latter has been heavily criticized for environmentally unfriendly production methods, though its maker says the company is going green.
An assortment of breads, including a baked mochi sesame bun, a mini white torpedo roll that almost required lobster crackers to eat, and crunchy cheese flat bread came to the table accompanied with peppery olive oil, a pat of butter wrapped in gold foil and a pot of eggplant sauce that tickled the umami receptors.
Abu’s menu consists of a five-course lunch and an eight-course dinner set. For the former, the arugula salad with duck confit and fois gras pate (spicy king prawn and apple salad is the alternative appetizer choice) was a lesson in self-restraint with its dainty slice of velvety vice sandwiched between paper-thin crackers and drizzled with a smidgen of truffle oil. The king Hokkaido scallop coconut and lemon grass soup (the other soup option is chicken broth and quail leg) impressed with its expertly seared plump mollusk and frothy consistency.
For the main, the oven-roasted lamb loin in pistachio crust, served with jus (NT$1,600), was surprisingly delicate — while many restaurants make their jus to the strength of industrial glue, Abu’s erred towards the subdued.
Substitute mains include pan-roasted rib eye steak (NT$1,800), pan-roasted Dover sole with porcini and crab meat sauce (NT$1,500), slow-braised veal shank (NT$1,200), or linguine with crab and garlic white wine sauce (NT$1,000) for the cheapskates.
The two desserts that followed, a fragrant organic rose sorbet and slick parfait, while both above par, ignited a yearning for hot pudding.
Since it began operations, Abu has earned a reputation for quality. A quick trawl of the Net throws up an abundance of sensual shots of artfully presented dishes and satiated diners, and plenty of praise.
After all, some guilty pleasures are worth the remorse.
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