From time to time, I still think of that amazing lobster roll I had at Ed’s Lobster Bar by the New York City waterfront on my last visit.
So I was pleasantly surprised when I passed by the Lobster Bar in Taipei. However, the restaurant’s higher-end, atmospheric interior, had always deterred me from just popping in for a quick seafood fix.
Eventually, I brought a date. But as soon as we sat down it became apparent that, due to portions and pricing, we should have brought a group so that we could sample the restaurant’s intriguing and diverse menu, which includes far more than its namesake suggests. For example, we didn’t order the seafood paella because there was a minimum order of two portions (NT$420 per portion), and who wants to fill up on rice when there’s lobster?
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
Also, visit early if you want to try the surf and turf burger (NT$680), featuring prime shoulder meat, foie gras and lobster. Alas, they only make 10 of these per day.
For appetizers, we ordered the deviled eggs (NT$280) and the crab cakes (NT$380 for two). The crab cakes were excellent, as each bite contained copious amounts of juicy crab meat with little filler. The abundance of meat, though, caused the bottom of the crab cake to become slightly soggy — but I’m not complaining. They were flavorful yet not greasy, and I didn’t need the lemon or tartar sauce that it was served with.
The deviled eggs were tart and rich, with faint sweet bacon highlights from the slivers on top. This appetizer would be better shared in a group, as with four eggs per order, the savoriness became overwhelming after the first two halves.
Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times
Since we had been talking about sandwiches, the mini rolls (NT$380 for three) were an obvious choice. The bite-sized rolls form all three of the restaurant’s signature seafood: lobster, crab and shrimp. This is where this restaurant really shines.
The generously-portioned lobster salad with a slight dollop of mayo was served in a soft roll and was a harmonious match that melted in my mouth. The crab roll was also in salad form, but with less mayo and not as sweet. The crab didn’t come in chunks like the lobster, constituting a finer texture. With this sandwich, the bread had a firmer texture, making an enjoyable contrast from the previous roll.
The shrimp roll was saltier, which balanced out the other two rolls. This one was my least favorite, as the shrimp was grilled and a bit chewy.
Since we were at a lobster restaurant, we splurged and ordered another entree. This was a mistake. Although filled with the sweet crustacean, the lobster ravioli (NT$620) in lobster sauce somehow felt more like a Chinese wonton than its Italian counterpart. The pasta was unevenly cooked — too firm in some places, overly soft in others and it fell apart quite easily.
The lobster sauce had appealing nutty overtones, but erred on the salty side and, like the noodles, carried more of an Asian than Italian consistency. Abundant garlic slices provided a kick, but as a whole it overpowered the main ingredient.
Later, I surfed the Internet to see what others were saying about Lobster Bar and the anecdotal consensus is that the uni pasta (NT$520) or duck truffle risotto (NT$480) would be a better entree choice despite their lack of, ah, lobster.
Although we didn’t try any alcohol, the menu has a small selection of beers, including the green tea-infused Iki and Hitachino Nest. It also features standard classic cocktails, hot cocktails as well as originals such as Alice in Lobsterland (NT$400, mango puree, cream, eggnog, soda water).
When I left, I wish I had just stuck to what I originally craved. Next time I come, I’m just going to sit by the bar and order a full-sized lobster roll with a beer.
June 9 to June 15 A photo of two men riding trendy high-wheel Penny-Farthing bicycles past a Qing Dynasty gate aptly captures the essence of Taipei in 1897 — a newly colonized city on the cusp of great change. The Japanese began making significant modifications to the cityscape in 1899, tearing down Qing-era structures, widening boulevards and installing Western-style infrastructure and buildings. The photographer, Minosuke Imamura, only spent a year in Taiwan as a cartographer for the governor-general’s office, but he left behind a treasure trove of 130 images showing life at the onset of Japanese rule, spanning July 1897 to
One of the most important gripes that Taiwanese have about the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is that it has failed to deliver concretely on higher wages, housing prices and other bread-and-butter issues. The parallel complaint is that the DPP cares only about glamor issues, such as removing markers of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) colonialism by renaming them, or what the KMT codes as “de-Sinification.” Once again, as a critical election looms, the DPP is presenting evidence for that charge. The KMT was quick to jump on the recent proposal of the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) to rename roads that symbolize
On the evening of June 1, Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) apologized and resigned in disgrace. His crime was instructing his driver to use a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon. The Control Yuan is the government branch that investigates, audits and impeaches government officials for, among other things, misuse of government funds, so his misuse of a government vehicle was highly inappropriate. If this story were told to anyone living in the golden era of swaggering gangsters, flashy nouveau riche businessmen, and corrupt “black gold” politics of the 1980s and 1990s, they would have laughed.
In an interview posted online by United Daily News (UDN) on May 26, current Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was asked about Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) replacing him as party chair. Though not yet officially running, by the customs of Taiwan politics, Lu has been signalling she is both running for party chair and to be the party’s 2028 presidential candidate. She told an international media outlet that she was considering a run. She also gave a speech in Keelung on national priorities and foreign affairs. For details, see the May 23 edition of this column,
RSS