In the early 2000s a trek out to Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) meant an entire day’s trip stocking up on American food from Costco and bulky household items from B&Q. Nowadays, although Neihu is known to be home to Taiwan’s technology industry, in some ways, it’s also turning into the new Xinyi District (信義) with fancy restaurants and five-star hotels constantly springing up.
So do not be fooled by the name Fatty’s. The latest branch of this Italian fusion chain from Greater Taichung, which opened last month on Neihu’s Ruigang Road (瑞光路), does not serve greasy American diner food. The sleek interior consists of glass furnishings and leather chairs, as well as a mezzanine level which gives the space a communal feel while retaining its classiness. The outdoor seating is more bistro-like, with simple white chairs and small wooden tables. A patio heater adds a touch of warmth.
Fatty’s boasts a wide array of delicate-tasting homemade pasta, along with a healthy range of appetizers whipped up with fresh fruits and vegetables. Service is top-notch — the wait staff is friendly and helpful, and they take pride in explaining the different types of pastas on the menu, suggesting various sauces to pair them with. Although my dining partner and I spoke to them in Mandarin, they kept replying to us in English — so non-Chinese speaking patrons could call the establishment “foreigner-friendly.”
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
If diners hadn’t already noticed the posh decor, another hint that Fatty’s is classier than it sounds is its price — NT$150 for French fries and NT$180 for fried chicken wings. Preferring to sample something a tinge more Italian, my dining partner and I ordered the melon bites with air dried parma ham (NT$280). Not only was the presentation impeccable — evenly cut cantaloupe wrapped with thinly sliced parma ham garnished with maroon-colored flower petals — but the light moistness of the fruit paired well with the ham which was dry and savory. The only caveat was that the parma ham should have been cut in bigger slices in order to draw out this contrast more.
In comparison, the calamari (NT$260) came with a simple presentation. It was, however, just the right amount of chewiness and crispiness — a combination that is hard to achieve. There was also a natural light sweetness which made the calamari seem less heavy and somehow more classy, and also enlivened a somewhat bland dipping sauce.
Fatty’s specialty, by far, is its homemade pasta. Keeping with its minimalist motif, the pastas — which are cooked fresh on a daily basis — are beautifully done. The menu simply lists the various sauces and diners can choose their own pasta to pair them with.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
The minced chicken with spicy lemon cream sauce (NT$380) has a sweet and spicy Thai flavor to it which complements the tantalizingly floury pappardelle pasta. Also worth a try is the Italian bacon in egg-cream carbonara sauce, known simply as carbonara pancetta (NT$380). Instead of the traditional thinly-sliced bacon strips, Fatty’s uses thicker chunks of unsmoked bacon. The result is that it’s healthier and tastier, and diners can savor the bacon bits without the lingering oozing-with-fat aftertaste.
Another dish I recommend is the meatballs in white wine sauce (NT$390) – although be forewarned that the “meatballs” are so small that they are more akin to sausage bits on pizza. The plus side however, is that the flavor is more compact and enhances rather than competes with the white wine sauce.
To top it off, Fatty’s gave us an on-the-house French-style creme brulee, which was soft and warm on the inside and beautifully caramelized on the outside. Ending a meal on a sweet note is always a surefire way to keep customers coming back. Overall, I give Fatty’s two thumbs up for combining a posh dining experience with a warm and hearty meal.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
In Taiwan’s politics the party chair is an extremely influential position. Typically this person is the presumed presidential candidate or serving president. In the last presidential election, two of the three candidates were also leaders of their party. Only one party chair race had been planned for this year, but with the Jan. 1 resignation by the currently indicted Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) two parties are now in play. If a challenger to acting Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) appears we will examine that race in more depth. Currently their election is set for Feb. 15. EXTREMELY
Last week saw the appearance of another odious screed full of lies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian (肖千), in the Financial Review, a major Australian paper. Xiao’s piece was presented without challenge or caveat. His “Seven truths on why Taiwan always will be China’s” presented a “greatest hits” of the litany of PRC falsehoods. This includes: Taiwan’s indigenous peoples were descended from the people of China 30,000 years ago; a “Chinese” imperial government administrated Taiwan in the 14th century; Koxinga, also known as Cheng Cheng-kung (鄭成功), “recovered” Taiwan for China; the Qing owned
Jan. 20 to Jan. 26 Taipei was in a jubilant, patriotic mood on the morning of Jan. 25, 1954. Flags hung outside shops and residences, people chanted anti-communist slogans and rousing music blared from loudspeakers. The occasion was the arrival of about 14,000 Chinese prisoners from the Korean War, who had elected to head to Taiwan instead of being repatriated to China. The majority landed in Keelung over three days and were paraded through the capital to great fanfare. Air Force planes dropped colorful flyers, one of which read, “You’re back, you’re finally back. You finally overcame the evil communist bandits and
They increasingly own everything from access to space to how we get news on Earth and now outgoing President Joe Biden warns America’s new breed of Donald Trump-allied oligarchs could gobble up US democracy itself. Biden used his farewell speech to the nation to deliver a shockingly dark message: that a nation which has always revered its entrepreneurs may now be at their mercy. “An oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms,” Biden said. He named no names, but his targets were clear: men like Elon Musk
RSS