Mr. Paco

Date Visited: 7th of February, 2012

Name:
Mr. Paco 

Address:
1st Fl., No. 23, Alley 4, Lane 345, RenAi Rd. Sect. 4, Taipei city
台北市仁愛路四段345巷4弄23號1樓 

Hours:
Mon – Sun     11:00am~10:00pm

Casual dinner with a friend~

 

Casual ambiance

 

 

The bar area

 

 

I like this menu pic I took…haha

 

 

Chef’s Salad – Chicken, Ham, Tomato, Mozzarella Cheese (350NT)

It’s a pretty basic salad. But I do love the mozzarella cheese, quite an exquisite treat in Taiwan.
I did expect it to be a chopped salad. =/

 

 

Cleopatra – Pizza with Brie Cheese, Smoked Salmon, Onion (380NT)

It’s not everyday you would have brie cheese with smoked salmon on a pizza!! Both brie cheese and smoked salmon are delicate, I commend their adventurous spirits! And in fact, I really like this combination! Maybe add a little dill next time…oh the possibilities!

 

 

Bacon and Shrimp with Pumpkin Sauce Pasta (350NT)

THIS is a dish to try! Pumpkin sauce is so underrated!! One word to describe the flavor….rustic. Minus the bacon and shrimp, I can imagine this dish served to a large family after a long day of harvesting. =)

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I definitely would go back to Mr. Paco. It’s decently priced and the food is quite delicious! And I don’t feel low-class when I put my elbows on the table. haha

La Giara

Date Visited: 28th of October, 2011

Name:
La Giara
萊嘉樂

Address:
2nd Floor, No. 352, FuXing S. Rd. Sect. 1, DaAn District, Taipei City
台北市大安區復興南路一段352號2樓

 

Hours:
Mon-Sun Lunch                     12:00PM~2:30PM (Last call at 2:00PM)
Mon-Sun Afternoon Tea    12:00PM~5:00PM
Mon-Sun Dinner                    6:00PM~11:30PM (Last call at 10:00PM)

 

Ho fame…ancora! *insert hand gestures*

 Slightly tricky to find this place. Even though it’s listed at No. 352, the entrance is located closer to No. 348/No. 350. 

 

Already loving the interior

 

Very romantic setting. According to Stinky Tofu, lots of proposals take place in this restaurant!

 

 

What’s better…foccacia weave or bacon weave ? Haha

 

 

Compliments of the chef~! Beef plus rice, deep-fried. 

 

Insalata di Spinaci (380NT)
Calamari alla Trapanese, Serviti con Salmoriglio (490NT)

So we ordered an appetizer and salad. They split it for us. 

The salad consists of fresh spinach leaves tossed in a dressing of olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic and ginger. Highly recommend it! 

 

Stuffed squid topped with breadcrumb, served with salmoriglio olive oil dressing, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and parsley. 

I want to like it more but I don’t. It’s a unique item on the menu but for some reason it didn’t do it for me. The flavor was too foreign, thought the stuffing didn’t do the calamari any justice.    

 

 

Risotto Quatro Formaggi (530NT)

 

 

 

Risotto in four cheese sauce .

You know how I said the risotto at Luna d’Italia was a “real” risotto? I take it back…THIS is a REAL risotto!!!!! So amazing!!! Just lo0k at it!!! 

 

Risotto Gamberi e Cappesante (530NT)

 

Risotto with shrimps and scallops.

Another solid dish.

Gnocchi di Patate al Gorgonzola (530NT)

 

Potato dumplings with gorgonzola cheese.

“Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!” So…uhm…I’m in love with this gnocchi. This is why I’m using this loving font color. Softest gnocchi I’ve had up to date in Taipei. Once you take a bite, it melts in your mouth, literally! I can’t believe potatoes can be made into such a creamy texture! Sooo much goodness in one little dumpling. The gorgonzola never fails as a good sauce for gnocchi. The quantity may seem small for the price but, trust me, you will feel full before you finish the plate. 

 

 

 

 

Semifreddo di Mandorle con Cioccolata (250NT) 

 

Semi-frozen almond cake with chocolate.

How can I make semifreddos at home?! I want to eat the whole damn cake!! This cake is less icy and more almond-y than the semifreddo from Luna d’Italia. Couldn’t get enough of this cake.

Was going to get the pistachio semifreddo but they were out for the night. Oh well, until next time.

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 Check out I Love Stinky Tofu ‘s blog post about La Giara! We’re both fans of this restaurant!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Luna d’Italia

Date: 4th of October, 2011

Name:
Luna d’Italia
月之義大利餐廳

Address:
1st Floor, No. 3, Lane 265, DunHua S. Rd. Sect.2, Taipei City 
台北市敦化南路二段265巷3號1 樓

Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30AM~2:40PM, 5:45PM-10:30PM

FOR DINNERS, MAKE A RESERVATION!  02-2733-9635

Pasta monster, I am.

Dark dark dark. It’s located in the alley RIGHT next to Shangri-la Hotel. 

Went with fellow food blogger, I Love Stinky Tofu and we both opted for the deluxe dinner set (additional 250NT) which includes:

• homemade bread
• choose 2 of the following – daily soup, daily salad, dessert (we both picked salad and dessert)
• coffee or tea

 

 

Unlimited homemade bread 

 

 Insalata di spinaci – spinach salad 
I’m assuming this is a half order. A full order costs 240NT.

Gnocchi Ragù ed Funghi (420NT)

 

Potato gnocchi with mushroom and traditional meat sauce.

My fellow blogger informed me of the gnocchi’s popularity but we agreed the gnocchi itself is slightly underwhelming. I still prefer Papa Gio (had the Spinach potato dumplings with Gorgonzola cheese, walnuts and Parmesan cheese at Papa Gio, check out my post!). It wasn’t light or delicate enough – it was just a hardy piece of potato flour. The mushroom meat sauce is delicious though!

Risotto alla Pescatora (460NT)

 

Risotto with seafood in tomato base.

Now THAT’S a real risotto. Tom Colicchio has taught me a good risotto spreads apart (thanks Tom!). The sauce held a hint of spice which was subtle, not overpowering. I like that.

Lasagna (380NT)

Traditional roast pasta with meat sauce.

Tiramisu

Traditional tiramisu, costs 150NT if ordered separately. 

It’s one of the most traditional tiramisus I’ve had in Taipei. Speaks a lot for itself!!

Semifreddo di Mandorle con Cioccolata 

 

Semi-frozen almond cake.

I hate to limit your choices but this is a must-have. I want to take the whole piece of cake home with me. The only place I’ve been in Taipei that has semifreddo almond cake on their menu. Ah-mazing. The frozen texture is actually light, not harsh. I can’t even bring myself to order any other desserts…

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Check out I Love Stinky Tofu’s post about Luna d’Italia!!

I would like to add…Evian water is 35NT per glass. All you can drink. So if you don’t pee at least twice, you ain’t getting your money’s worth.

Solo Pasta

Date Visited: 26th of September, 2011

Name: Solo Pasta

Address: No.29-1, AnHe Rd. Sec.1, DaAn District, Taipei City
台北市大安區安和路一段29-1號

Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30AM~10:00PM

“麵不等人‧人等麵” 是solo pasta 主廚王嘉平對於美食的堅持. “

“Pasta doesn’t wait for people, people wait for pasta” is the motto of Solo Pasta’s executive chef.

 

 

 

I am very into their interior decoration. Look how thematic and romantic that spot is!

 

It’s a pretty big restaurant. They have huge tables in the front in case you have a huge party.

 

Han solo…yeah couldn’t help myself haha

 

Ear-Shaped Pasta with Broccoli and Homemade Sausage (280NT)

I think when I read “homemade sausage” I had something else in mind. This “homemade” sausage seems more like broken off ground pork..c’mon! But I can forgive their misleading description since the pasta ended being good.

 

 

 

Artisan Spaghetti with 2 types of Sicilian tomatoes (280NT)

 

The title had so much potential! Good job menu guy! The tomato is sauce is good but I wish there was more~ like adding some TOMATO BITES! The noodle pasta is too al dente, which rarely happens in Taiwan (a lot of the economical pasta shops like to cook their pasta until soft). I definitely wasn’t full after this meal but at least I didn’t feel like I needed to hit the gym after eating it haha.

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Still prefer Papa Gio (check out my blog post about it!), which is literally right down the street. I don’t mind feeling a little guilty after eating good pasta. But Solo Pasta is about 120-150NT cheaper than Papa Gio.

I would go back since I like the ambiance of the restaurant. Wouldn’t mind trying other items on the menu to give a better opinion.