Woolloomooloo

Woolloomooloo. Yes, I think I spelled that correctly. Odd name, great restaurant. Introduced to me by my girlfriend. We met up with another one of our culinary roadies to try out this new Australian owned restaurant. I say Australian owned, because we originally thought it was Australian food. That's what intrigued us being that we're in the middle of a major asian city where quality western food is hard to find. However once we gazed at the menu, we discovered it was mostly Australian-Italian pastas and pizzas. Woolloomooloo was never marketed as Australian food, just a mix up or loss in translation. Anyway, we had a reservation so we were quickly escorted to the second floor. We were given the choice of an indoor seating or outdoor balcony seating. We chose the outdoor balcony, despite the wet weather. The outside patio was a simple concrete design with sheet aluminum table tops and wooden crates as stools. The industrial contemporary design carries on inside with burlap wrapped ottomans, communal tables lit by modern art looking lamp, concrete and stainless steel countertops and a chain link fenced staircase. But the best seating I think was on the balcony. Since it was a wet day, no one else wanted to go outside despite the fact it was a covered balcony. The view from the balcony offered a very nice panoramic view of the city and streets. This section of the street actually had an abnormal row of tall buildings, making it look more like Hong Kong than Taipei in our opinions. This was nice as it let us escape for a moment as if we were on vacation in a foreign metropolis. Moving on to the food, looking through the menu, you'll discover some uniquely named pasta dishes like the one I chose. I chose "meat pie, please!". We also ordered a glass of wine from their extensive menu of imported wines. Beware though, the wine by the glass selections are very limited. And most of not all bottles are over the $1000 NT range. It's a reasonable price if I think about it under an American budget, but pretty pricey adjusted to Taiwan standards. There is also a cheaper alcoholic option of imported Australian beers. The pastas ended up pretty good. Noticeable, but not spectacular. The meat pie however was the best of the bunch. Great flavor and a delicious pie crust. I'd recommend this dish over the pastas. I believe they also have a very satisfying dessert case too, unfortunately we did not get to experience that. So for next time, perhaps an Aussie beer and some Aussie inspired dessert. Cheers to the not-so-Australian Italian restaurant with a unique balcony view. Pricing averages to around $300 NT for your main dish, $220 NT for a glass of wine, less for beer.

Woolloomooloo
No. 379 Xinyi Road Section 4, Taipei, Taiwan
台北市信義路四段379號
02-8789-0128

Coda Restaurant near NTU campus

After church, a few members got together to have some dinner together at a favorite Italian-American eatery. The background information stories of a man named Andrew Lunman that started his first sit-down restaurant in Taipei called Bongos. Bongos which is very close to Coda near the National Taiwan University campus, is an american style restaurant with a little southwestern flavor thrown in. After the success of Bongos he started another establishment around the corner called Coda, where I found myself today. Coda is a more upscale restaurant serving Italian-American dishes like pizza, pasta, seafood and wine. There is also some baked rice au gratin dishes, poutine, burgers and salads in the menu too. Prices range from $200-350. The atmosphere has a slightly dim but comfortable environment. The colors of cream, dark wood and salmon are used to create a more sophisticated atmosphere. I ordered a spicy baked sausage rice au gratin which turned out pretty darn good. I tried some of the pasta and that also turned out very delicious. It had a very bold and unique flavor, that shows it's a creation from the chef that wasn't borrowed from a cheap cookbook. The wines were eclectic and enticing, but over my budget for the evening. The burgers and fries looks pretty meaty and juicy too. It's something i'll have to try next time. However i'll definitely have to book early. Due to popularity, there is often a long wait and limited tables.

Coda Restaurant
No.23, Lane 283 Roosevelt Rd. Sec.3, Taipei
台北市羅斯福路三段283巷23號
http://www.coda.tw

Home cookin': Lasagna

Garfield's favorite, one of my favorites, and a dish rarely seen in the numerous so called italian restaurants around Taipei. Lasagna! I love digging in to a square layered patties of beef, cheese and pasta. Especially the Ricotta, which by the way is super expensive here in Taiwan. $259 per 250g package. It was probably the same package I saw weeks before in the Tianmu SOGO grocery market, because not many people use that ingredient. The semolina lasagna sheets weren't cheap either. I have got to stop cooking western food. It's just not financially feasible anymore with all the, considered rare, ingredients. Pardon the frustration. I take those simple grocery trips to the Safeway (american grocery chain) for granted now. I'm enjoying my Lasagna for now, but I need to start cooking Chinese dishes. On a positive note, it'll be cheaper and a good motivation to learn eastern styles (a chapter missing out of my personal recipe book). Here's a photo of the Lasagna, eat with your eyes. And yes, I ran a little short on the pasta sauce and cheese.

Murano

I went with Yuki and my language partner to a new restaurant that my language partner recommended to me. It's called Murano. It's near the DunHua station. The interior design is very beautiful. The owner must love tiffany stained glass because they decor is all stained glass and Tiffany lamps. Some I believe to be real and most probably fake. There was one lamp next to our table that had a price tag on it for $10,000 USD. And they still use it. Not often do you get have dinner lit by a $10,000 Tiffany lamp. The food was only OK. I had the curry beef over rice. But I tried some of Yuki's pasta, and it was better. So next time I should stick to their pastas. I did like my coffee though. It tasted very good and the creme/coffee mixture would cascade down the frosty glass and paint what seemed to me like NY city and the empire state building :) See the picture, i swear! The cost is relatively low, with a set menu of an appetizer, drink and dinner for $280. Individual meals run around $150-200. That night, there were very few customers, so I got to enjoy a quiet and comfortable atmosphere with elegant decor. Honestly it'd be a great place to sit down and study too. Drinks are affordable and it's quite comfortable with several couches and plush chairs. If I ever return, it'd be for the environment and decor, not the food. For you Tiffany fans, come and check out the Tiffany lamps and decor, you'll be pleased!

No. 38, Lane 51, Section 1, DàĀn Rd, Daan District
Taipei City, Taiwan

Le Leone Pasta restaurant

Tonight I ate at Le Leone pasta restaurant near zhongxiao dunhua tong lin plaza area. It's at DunHua South Road, section 1, lane 233, #57. Much to my surprise, looking through the menu, I noticed they had calzones. It occurs to me that through all the pizza and pasta shops i've seen in Taipei, not one had a calzone. So I had to order the calzone. It reminds me of my college days when it was first introduced to me. It's pretty much the only time I ate calzones too. Once I moved back home, I no longer ate calzones on a regular basis. Upon delivery of my pie, they slathered it in a tomato sauce. Not really the way I remember eating it. Although the meat was inside the calzone, i expect my sauce to be in there too. So I can pick it up with my hands and eat it, which I believe is the original way of eating a calzone. Either way it was pretty good and well as HUGE. It's bigger than my head. You can use my iPhone in the corner of the picture as a size comparison. I recommend some help with eating this one :). The pasta is pretty tasteful too. Typical Taipei italian, not exceptional, but still very tasty and each establishment has their own flare in flavor. The wait for my calzone did take a while, much longer than the pasta. And they only have one flavor option for the calzone. So next time, i'll probably just stick with the pasta.