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- 

Alleycat's PIzza

Address: (Store Visited) No.1, Sec. 1, Bade Rd. , Jhongjheng District, Taipei. 八德路一段1號, Taipei

Telephone: (02)2395-6006

Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11:00AM-12:00PM; Fri-Sat: 11:00AM-2:00AM

Pizza.  Is there a more ubiquitous food that is used for parties, gatherings, and get togethers?  The door bell rings, and someone holding a stack of card boxes that comes up to their chin is standing there..an awesome sight to behold.  Why is pizza so popular? Let's try to count the ways.  Its ridiculously easy to share, it can be custom made to anyone's preferences, it is visually appealing, and of course.. it tastes fantastic.  I'm sure i'm forgetting something, but you get the idea.

Alleycat's is my first foray into testing out the pizza that exists here in Taiwan.  To be honest, I have only heard disparaging remarks as to the state of pizza here, but where's the fun in just listening to others? So on a Tuesday night, I packed up my camera and ventured out with some friends to see if the naysayers were speaking the truth or not.

 A fine selection of liquid treats were available.

Simple salad to get started with.

Let's get some of the specifics out of the way first.  There are 9 Alleycat's Pizza establishments in and around Taipei, which gives you an idea to the popularity that it has managed to achieve.  It has marketed itself as the best pizza in town, and offers up thin crust pizzas as well as calzones, and other appetizers and such. 

They have pretty good happy hours and offer up a fine selection of beers.  I am led to believe that the Tien-Mu location often has live music (check their FB page for more info), and it really is a nice place for you and a group of friends to kick it and congregate around some food.

 Basil Pesto Bruschetta. 150NT

Alleycat's offers up 7 signature pizzas for your choosing and a host of ingredients for you to either create your own pizza pie or to tweak their creations in a fashion that's more to your liking.  We perused the menu for a while and eventually settled on a salad, bruschetta and two large pizzas (10' for regular and 12' for the large).

The salad was simple but flavorful.  I found the bruschetta to be a little lacking.  The bread wasn't very fresh in my opinion and not crisp enough. The size of the pizza was adequate, and I would say it wouldn't be too much trouble for a grown man or woman to polish off a whole large pizza if they were called upon to do so.  

I loved the area where this particular Alleycat's was located, and the decor and atmosphere of the restaurant itself really gives it bonus points.  There was ample seating both inside and out, and the booths were cozy, and the restaurant gave off a hip yet warm vibe.  For a Tuesday night, the restaurant was surprisingly jam packed.  I don't know if this applies to the other restaurants, but it can't hurt to be safe and make a reservation if you plan on dining at this or any of the other Alleycat's Pizza Locations.

The Quattro Formaggi.  With extra sundried tomatoes and basil as per our request. (450NT + 30/50NT per extra ingredient)

The Maialona.  Their most popular item.  Really is essentially a sausage party... literally.  (480NT)

Now we've come to the main attraction.  Its nice to have a alluring location and all that extraneous stuff, but if the pizza doesn't deliver, then there is really no reason to head to Alleycat's.  It's here that I think we get to bit of an grey area as to the quality of their pizza and how it should be judged.  

Living in America essentially my entire life has exposed me to lots of pizzas.  They were of varying degrees of mediocre, good and great, because lets face it... there is no such thing as bad pizza is there?  If I were to judge (and of course that's exactly what I'm doing) I would place the quality of this nights effort between mediocre and good.  

Being a carnivorous male, I enjoyed the Maialona more, while my female friends were more partial towards the quattro formaggi with extra sundried tomatoes and basil.  My friend was correct in saying that the crust was entirely too burnt, and the pile of crusts that piled up on her plate like discarded bones was good evidence of that.  Another gripe that was pointed out was the saltiness of the sundried tomatoes and of the quattro formaggi in general.  I enjoy my food slightly on the salty side, so this wasn't a huge issue with me, but I felt it had to be pointed out for mockery.

I enjoyed the flavor of the pizza overall, and it had a bit of sweetness to the dough that I found pleasing.  Like I said, it is almost impossible to make pizza that is awful.  Even pizza that tastes like the cardboard boxes it came in is still acceptable.  But we are stretching for a higher standard here, especially from a chain that touts itself so highly and gets raves reviews from many of its patrons.  Was I disappointed? I wouldn't go that far, but after having so many great pizza places in the States, it is difficult to be excited about Alleycat's and the pizza pies that they offer.

Alleycat's Pizza is a great place to hang out and more likely than not, I will be tasting one of their other creations soon.  It is a perfectly decent slice of pizza that has its flaws.  It's just that if this is the best pizza Taiwan has to offer... then we have a whole lot of work ahead of us.

Overall Alleycat's Pizza receives:

-Til Next Time-