Vapiano

Address: 10F-2, No.12 Song Shou Road, Xinyi District, Taipei Taiawn

Telephone: (02)2722-7111

Hours: Sun-Tues&Thurs 11:00AM-11:00PM ; Wed, Fri, Sat 11:00AM-01:00AM

 Vapiano has been a restaurant that's been rolling around in my mind for a while.  But with restaurants like these, I never really know what to expect.  Given its location (in the ritzy Xinyi area, at the top of ATT4Fun), and reputation for being mostly glitz without a lot of substance (at least from the mouths of the people I know), I never put it at the forefront of my mind.
Vapiano is a German based chain that is best described as being upscale/casual.  The prices were exactly what you'd expect.... expensive.  The views were fantastic however, and a lovely patio area is available for you to take in a panoramic view of the Xinyi area.  Was it worth it however? Well, isn't that the crux of what all these reviews revolve around? Let's try to answer that now.

Card everyone is given to make ordering a unique experience.  

I suspect that anyone who sets foot into Vapiano knows exactly what they are getting and what they have to pay for it.  There aren't gonna be many surprises on the menu and the price tag attached to it should really not come as a shocker.
One of the very first things you'll notice is the different ordering system that Vapiano utilizes.  Everyone is given a card that is very reminiscent of a hotel room key.  The front of the restaurant is divided into different stations, and with each order, you give the corresponding chef the card, and the item is logged onto the card.  I don't know why this gave me endless amount of pleasure.. but it unquestioningly did.

Nice large open space to peak at other people.

Perhaps the card gave me a feeling of complete control over what I wanted to eat (which we usually have anyway), but all I know is that I kept wanting to order more so the card would be used again and again.  They play a devious and deep game... these Vapiano folk, messing with my fragile mind like this.  

With that said however, it probably doesn't bode well for the rest of the restaurant if what left the most indelible impression on me was its unique way of delivering food.  The restaurant can be beautiful, the views breathtaking, the ambiance spot on, but without the food batting clean up and knocking the tar off the ball, the rest is rather meaningless.   

Pasta Arrabbiata

In all honesty, the food really isn't bad, but that isn't the glowing review I want or look for when I am picking and choosing between the crowded Italian restaurant scene in Taipei.  The menu is comprised of the basics: pastas, pizzas, insalate, and antipasti.  Most of the choices are run of the mill fare, but there are indeed some interesting options on the menu for you to peruse.

We tried our hand at the arrabbiata pasta, and I found it to be a bit dry.  This was partly our own fault, as we waited for our friend to arrive before we dug in.  Still, the pasta clumped together a little too soon, and while I could taste the freshness of the ingredients, the flavors were lacking and not much about it stood out.

salad prep and the finished product. Tasty Large Insalata Mista. (200 NT, extra with Chicken)

Vitello Tonnato- Veal slices, cream of tuna and capers.  Sounds better than it actually tasted.  Very dry and tough to eat. (280NT)

It really is enjoyable to talk to the chefs as your food is being prepped and to give specific instructions on how you want each dish created.  While the appetizer and salad portion of the menu may be limited, the pizza and pasta sections are varied enough to cater to the palettes of everyone.  

Vapiano is basically just one large room divided into two sections (along with the outside area).  One area is for ordering and the other is for eating.  It almost feels like you're eating at a buffet, since a lot of it is do it yourself, and lord knows Chinese people love their buffets, so that probably bodes well for Vapiano's future prospects.  

Pizza! Ranging from 280NT - 460NT

Some ambiance for you.

Alright, I'm not gonna waste anymore of your time and my breath on attempting to come up with more things to say about Vapiano.  Like I said earlier, it is exactly what you would expect it to be: A great place to go hang out with friends and to enjoy a decent meal.  The views are spectacular, the atmosphere tailored for the young.
The electronic card ordering system is a novelty that I highly enjoyed, but like most novelties, it is something whose charm will likely fade without something of substance for it to lean on.  It may seem like i'm harping hard on the quality of the food here at Vapiano, but I want it to be clear that is most certainly not the case.  It is just a matter of what is actually being presented top billing here and what one should expect when dining at Vapiano.

It is my take that the food is somewhat of an afterthought here.  You come here more for the fact of where Vapiano is located and the feel of the restaurant itself more than anything.  There is something to be said for that, and while that may be enough to get people through the door for the first time, can it do the same for multiple visits? That is to be determined.

Taipei in particular is truly littered with good to fantastic Italian dining options.  This fact makes it difficult to stand out in this crowded landscape.  So perhaps Vapiano is taking the right tact in not necessarily trying to compete with its food (although i'm sure they would differ with me on this) but with everything else instead.  Truth be told, I highly enjoyed my evening at Vapiano, it is just a shame that the food apparently was an afterthought in my mind.  For my two cents, I would stick to the pizza and away from the pasta, but this is based on only one visit.  Be your own judge and try your favorite dishes and see if you agree with me or not.

Food is like art in this regard, no opinion can be wrong and let me know how you feel.  Give Vapiano a go, if not for the food, then for everything else.

Tiramisu 

Overall Vapiano Receives:

-Til Next Time- 

BAANCHAN - ATT4FUN MAll

Address: ATT4FUN 5th Floor. Taipei Taiwan.

Eating in a department store is always so confusing.  For some reason, everything always seems so appetizing to me.  I really don't know if other people feel the same way, but there is something about all these restaurants and food options being piled together that excites the heck out of my taste buds.  The downside is that eating in such a place is typically a very hit or miss proposition.
My mother and I found ourselves in the relatively new ATT4FUN for lunch on a random Friday.  I think we walked by each restaurant twice, traversed multiple floors before we decided to test our luck at BAANCHAN, and give this Korean restaurant a go.

Like all Korean restaurants.  Some small dishes to get you started.

All the customary Korean fare was represented on the menu.  From savory pancakes, tofu soup, to your grilled meats and Korean style sushi.  The restaurant is nestled in one of the corners on ATT4FUN's fifth floor food pavilion, and has nice large windows overlooking the city.  The decor was simple, and the place was happily buzzing along with a good amount of patrons.  

Like any Korean restaurant, BAANCHAN provides you with some simple side dishes to start.  Some bean sprouts, kimchi and other little treats for you to nibble on as you wait.  This is somehow always my favorite thing whenever I choose Korean food as my dining option.  Who doesn't love appetizers? This is just like getting a ton of appetizers for free....... always appreciated.

 Tofu Stew.

 Meat!

 Seafood Pancake.

Mother's Bibimbap.

We opted to go with a seafood pancake to start, while my mother chose a bibimbap (mixed rice dish) as her meal.  I went with an combo that consisted of a choice of tofu stew and a choice of meat.  

Overall, I didn't think any of these dishes were particularly good.  The seafood pancake was a bit too bland and bready, without having enough of the agreed upon seafood in its DNA make up.  While my mother is notoriously hard to please, her scowl as her bibimbap was brought to her was still slightly exaggerated in my opinion.  She claimed that the dish wasn't authentic and was a bit too dry.  I had a taste myself, and it seemed fine, although definitely far from the best I've had.  

I liked the flavor of the tofu soup although it was definitely a bit on the salty side.  It went well with the rice, but when eaten on its own, the saltiness is eminently noticeable.  The beef however was tough and almost tasteless.  The marinade must have been having an off day as the flavor was definitely lacking.  I can overlook the fact that there were only four pieces since this was a part of a set meal, but the lack of flavor for Korean BBQ is unforgivable.

Some simple Korean sushi options.

Also picked a simple california roll as a topper to the meal (wasn't called a cali roll on the menu however).  It was simple yet satisfying and the thousand island-ish dipping sauce went well with it.  The prices were acceptable, but nothing that I would label cheap for Taiwan as it ran around 1200NT for everything.

Another gripe that I had was the service of the employees.  Something I have grown accustomed to while dining out in Taipei is the impeccable service that you will find in many of the restaurants, be it high end or low end.  The workers were both not attentive and seemed somehow put upon by even the simplest requests.  

As you can see, I wasn't overly pleased with the meal I had at BAANCHAN.  With that said however, the soup and sushi was good, and good Korean food seems to be difficult to find in Taiwan.  If I were to eat at ATT4FUN, there is almost no chance I would choose BAANCHAN again, unless the craving for Korean food had taken over my body.  Percentage of that happening? Slim to none.

Overall BAANCHAN receives: 

-Til Next Time-