Cafe Moi

Address: update coming soon.

Telephone:

Hours:

How many quaint/cutesy/cozy cafes can spring up before we reach the saturation point? Have we reached it already? 

I mean, based on how you feel about brunch... this sorta falls under the aged old question of can there be too much of a good thing.  And I suspect the answer is almost always yes. 

These sort of establishments fulfill the dreams of many to open a restaurant without having to completely go broke in the process of doing so.  In the time since I've been bplayer's r Taiwan, I have been to my fair share of these diners and they really do come in all shapes and sizes.  I think there is a good side effect to eating at these restaurants so often, when you go to a good one, it immediately stands out.

Does Chez Moi stand out? Nope.  Does that mean its bad? Nope.  Is this the warmest endorsement? Nope. But its not bad.

Chez Moi is in a nice busy location and definitely has a pleasant homely feel to it.  Its not overly spacious and the seating feels a teensy bit cramped, but that probably adds to the coziness of it all.

An open kitchen, some nice rustic touches and the decent use of space, gives the overall vibe a better than average score.

French Toast/Omelette combo.

The food? Meh.  But you can do a lot worse than having no real opinion about the food.  It was hot, it was perfectly tasty, but I just felt the menu brought absolutely no creativity and or surprises to the choices.  That and I felt the food choices was a bit too minimal. 

Apparently all of their efforts went into creating absurd drink combinations (albeit tastily absurd).  I think a good half of the menu was dedicated to drinks (the non-alcoholic kind... I know right, what gives).  



Pretty Tasty though.

On the whole I can't argue with the notion that way too much money and more importantly, way too many calories are wasted on liquids.  Sure... there is the whole we need fluids to survive thing... but that doesn't mean it has to cost us the equivalent of another seperate entree.  

Then again.. can a price tag be placed on a sensation that comes with a cold beer on a hot day..... the lesson as always.. i know nothing.

But I would suggest that you might as well pony up some extra cash for something cool and sweet to accompany your perfectly pedestrian meal.

In the end... I think we have reached the point where any creatively marketed, decorated, named cafe falls into the same general category. This is in the end a good thing i think.

It means you won't have to waste hrs on research to find the perfect diner to meet your needs...because let us be honest... that place only exists for the taste buds in your dreams.

More and more we are paying for decor and atmosphere... and i think in that regard Cafe Moi does just fine. It's a good little restaurant that gets lost in the shuffle.. a category of existence that most good restaurants fall into. There are worse fates.

Overall Cafe Moi receives: 

6.5 seals of approval. (As you can see.. this update comes courtesy of the cell phone.. revisions will follow soon. Thanks!)

Evan's Burger

Address: 台北市大安區敦化南路一段198號1樓 (this location)

Telephone:(02)8773-9922

Hours: MON~THU  11:30~22:30  Last Call  21:30 ;FRI~SUN   09:30~23:00   Last Call  22:00

Let me be perfectly clear... I love hamburgers. Always have and always will.  This love affair will continue until my arteries are clogged and my blood tests come back confirming me part cow.  But this doesn't mean that I should just accept all these grilled patties as equals and be done with it.  People tend to think that there is no art in making a fantastic burger, but with the rise of so many gourmet burger joints in Taiwan (and really the world over) perhaps people are starting to view the burger in a different light. 

I have said elsewhere in this blog that I have yet to find a piece of steak in Taiwan that made me close my eyes and whisper a little prayer of thanks, but steak's poor cousin, the hamburger, has managed to find a better home.

Unfortunately, for a restaurant that has opened multiple locations here in my native land, Evans was a massive disappoint.  I tried to love it, I even tried to begrudgingly like it.  It hurts to be so harsh to something I love so much.. tough love never is easy, let's just get this over and done with.

What makes eating at Evans so regrettable? Look no further than the mess that is their burger patty.  There might be those in this world (I hope I name none of you friend...) that like a mushy crumbling burger patty, but I mean, then why even bother eating a burger then.  Go get some type of sloppy joe/ meat loaf amalgamation and be done with it.

If the fries were mess... I would've burned the place down.  But chili fries.. like death and taxes.. always a constant in life

Really, I have nothing else to say except that I found the actual meat (probably an important ingredient) to be tremendously lacking.  For a burger joint, there is no greater condemnation.

But I couldn't just leave it at that.  There are good things, but perhaps none of them have much to deal with the burger I ate.  They offer a good variety of different burgers on the menu with interesting names.  The place is clean, and the basement level seating is large enough to seat big parties. 

My nephew went with the chicken burger, and he found that to be much better, but he's a teenager, so I basically ignore him.  All joking aside though, you might be better off ordering poultry and their breakfast items. 

When chili can't save you, something is terribly awry.

So there you have it, Evans has been dissed.  There are so many burger establishments now, you can probably walk 2 blocks and stumble into a better hamburger than this.  If you are adamant, and still want to give a try, just don't say I didn't warn you.

Overall Evan's receives:

-Til next time-

Fresh & Aged Italian Steakhouse

Address: 台北市內湖區民善街128號2F

Telephone: (02)2796-1566

Hours: 11:30-14:30; 17:30-21:30

What is simultaneously as gratifying and simplistic as a piece of perfectly cooked meat?  I've been through this, but it warrants repeating.  Steak somehow manages to go beyond appealing to our basic five senses, but reaches a plain where it causes a more visceral reaction in all of us meat lovers.  Like trained dogs we salivate and begin to ooh and aah as that slab of meat (in all of its medium rare glory) winds its way towards our dining plate.
How many of histories most important conversations have occurred across a dining table? How many of those very same conversations involved steak? I'm willing to bet a rather high percentage.  Of course, I have absolutely no evidence to back this up, but i'm playing with a gut feeling here, and really, it is my gut after all that has gathered us here on this page... so it's something I've learned to trust a long long time ago.

This is all to say that food plays an important role in our lives that goes beyond mere subsistence.  It is something we congregate over, it is something we look forward to, and it brings us (well, most of us) so much joy.  It's been a while since I've ran my fingers over a keyboard to tout the virtues of food... again, I thought it worth repeating.  It's what makes writing this blog so much fun.

With that out of the way, let us get to the point of the review, and that is the steak and accoutrements offered at Fresh & Aged Italian Steakhouse (located in Neihu).  
I'm slightly out of practice in writing reviews, and I'll freely admit to experiencing Fresh & Aged over two months ago now.  I still have a clear idea of what I felt at the time, but I plan on keeping this review to the nuts and bolts and give an attempt to be quick about my overall opinion about this particular establishment.

Fresh & Aged Italian Steakhouse is going to cost you a pretty penny.  But that is always okay as long as that one underlining question is answered... is it worth it?  Well, in this instance, I'll have to be wishy washy and give it a resounding... kind of?

The restaurant is a sight to behold and offers a brand spanking new modern atmosphere for its diners to drink in.  They have private booths (that will cost a little extra) and ample seating in the main dining hall as well.  Fresh & Aged offers a variety of non steak options on its menu (such as fish/pasta/soups.. etc.) in addition to an extensive salad/dessert bar buffet.

Liked the atmosphere, loved the salad bar.

Soups left a lot on the table.  Emphatic thumbs down.

For my money, the best part of the dining experience involved the salad bar/buffet.  For some reason, it always seems like this is the case for me.  These steakhouse/salad bar deals ends up with me eating copious amounts of food from the salad bar (while of course devouring the steak as well).  This maybe has something to do with my love for variety and eating my money's worth, but whatever the case, I found that the salad bar  at Fresh & Aged delivered the goods.

There was a good selection, and it was fresh and colorful.  The desserts were yummy, and I really had no complaints with what was offered in this area.  The best part? The salad bar is included in the dining experience at no additional charge.

As usual, this is the star and the main point of my review.  A steakhouse of course is selling its steaks, and in my opinion.. I've had better.  We ordered a t-bone and rib-eye to share among ourselves, and I thought all the steaks shared the same issue, a bit too chewy, some parts of the steak were burnt and overall, just an underwhelming experience.
But honestly, I'm only judging on what I expected.  If this was offered in a different type of establishment, I would have something different to say, but in this environment for this price tag (roughly 2000NT+ per person).. I found the quality to be lacking.

Some pasta and meat cut off the bone.

A few dessert options.

Fresh & Aged just went through a grand opening (re-opening?), so there is room for tweaks and such.  I have yet to experience the same level of Steak perfection here in Taiwan that I've found in the U.S.  It is true that I spend the bulk of my dining time enjoying the food and delicacies that Taiwan does oh so well, but that doesn't mean this area should be deficient.

There is also a grocery downstairs that is a part of the ownership group of the restaurant.  They offer a host of meat and seafood products for you to peruse at your own leisure.  

So let us sum this up quickly shall we? Did I enjoy my time at Fresh & Aged? Yes, yes I did.  But it also left me feeling like something was missing.  The price tag was handled by my ever loving sister and aunt, so perhaps the disappointment was mitigated someway by this.  But whatever the reason, I am willing to give Fresh & Aged another go if the opportunity arises.  After all, bad or mediocre steak is still steak after all.

Overall Fresh & Aged Italian Steakhouse Receives:

-Til Next Time-

Speaks to life in general.. kinda.  Trying to be philosophical and failing probably.

Looking good.

MEAT! All you can buy and more.