Urban 45 Tapas Parlour’s (45區公寓) slogan is “the art of sharing” and the East District (東區) restaurant certainly gives patrons plenty of options with a menu so extensive it fills not one, but two small books. Tapas originated in Spain, but Urban 45, which opened in June, jumps across cuisines with options like kimchi-flavored fried oysters, tempura rolls and nachos.
Dishes are separated into larger, pricier options (including filet mignon and fresh oysters) and smaller plates with items like French fries and garlic bread. Yet another menu lists the restaurant’s extensive selection of beer, wine and cocktails from its full bar. Urban 45’s hip decor is filled with details like toy cars in glass cases and a wall with a projection of a clock and brick detailing that make it look like something out of a Dali painting. Instead of nametags, wait staff wear small LED screens with glowing blue letters on top of their black uniforms, making them look a bit like androids out of a science fiction film. The attentive service, however, is far from robotic. All our dishes arrived quickly and our empty plates were whisked away as soon as we were done eating.
Our favorite tapas was the plate of three shucked oysters topped with red wine vinegar, cocktail sauce or fish roe (NT$320). All three sounded like they would overpower the oysters, but the flavors (even the creamy, slightly spicy cocktail sauce) worked well with the robustly briny shellfish.
Lightly drizzled with creamy dressing, crumbled blue cheese and chopped boiled egg, the spinach salad (NT$180) was basic but served as a welcome break in between our meat and seafood dishes. The duck liver-enriched filet mignon (NT$380) featured slices of juicy steak topped with two lumps of liver. The dish was served with two yummy pats of fried polenta, crunchy green beans, pickled beets, and gravy sauce spooned unobtrusively off to one side instead of smothering the meat. My dining companion and I also liked the rack of lamb with rosemary Dijon crust and mustard sauce (NT$380). The thin crust had just the right amount of bite from the Dijon and its slightly crispy texture was a great complement to the meltingly tender, mellow-tasting meat.
The ahi tuna tartar (NT$320), served with slices of French bread, was okay, but its delicate flavor paled in comparison to our other dishes. To round off our meal, we ordered French bread with goose rillette (NT$160); the paste made of meat was smooth, very rich and slightly oily.
Out of the seven tapas we ordered, the only disappointment was the honey garlic pork spare ribs (NT$180). The meat was dry and tough, which was a shame because the sweet, smoky sauce was delicious. We saved no room for dessert, which was too bad because the diners next to us looked happy with the tiramisu, served temptingly in a big glass goblet.
Urban 45 is located at the intersection of Civil Boulevard Section 4 (市民大道四段) and Ln 181, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4 (忠孝東路四段181巷).
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