Haricot

Address: Lane 233, Section 1, Dūnhuà South Road, Daan District
Telephone: (02) 2773-7111
Hours: 10am to 10pm, days not listed
Price: $$

Since I'm always on the lookout for good food in Dunhua, I was surprised to see a restaurant I didn't recognize almost right across the street from Ginjer. Haricot had a cute look ("a little old, a little new" as the owner put it), and the menu outside boasted European cuisine at reasonable prices for the area. 

Haricot has a chic rustic look and tries without trying too hard. While the tables and flooring were a synchronized cedar, the chairs and light fixtures were a tasteful hodgepodge. Though the interior was more "Alaskan lodge" than "European cafe", I really appreciated the effort put into the design and layout. With the soft jazz music in the background, I spent the better part of the afternoon enjoying the ambiance.

On the menu, I noticed the continental, John Dory, and deluxe breakfast sets were served all day and seemed to list an insane amount of food. So insane, in fact, I decided to forgo the continental breakfast and its pancakes, cheese omelet, bacon, ham, potatoes, salad, garlic bread (why garlic bread?), and coffee. Instead, I chose the smoked salmon panini ($240 NT). Unfortunately, the restaurant hadn't yet received the delivery of panini bread. So after the owner apologized and gave me an iced tea on the house to ease my suffering, I chose the Swiss cheeseburger ($260 NT) and a cup of illy coffee ($120 NT).

 

When my plate arrived, I dug into the salad, seasoned with a strawberry balsamic dressing. I liked that the dressing was a little out of the ordinary; salads here tend to come with the same, bland ranch or Caesar dressings. The French fries had really been fried! They were hot, crispy, and probably 1,000 calories in and of themselves. Delicious. And lastly, the burger itself. I'm quite pleased to report that the Swiss cheese was actually sliced from a block of cheese and didn't taste processed or plastic-y like certain brands of cheese (I'm referencing you, Kraft). The bun had been lightly buttered and toasted and was delectable. The lettuce, onions, and tomatoes were all fresh and plentiful; absolutely no complaints. The burger actually had two hamburger patties, one on top of the Swiss cheese (as shown) and another (complete with an additional slice of Swiss cheese) underneath all the lettuce. Take a good look at that hamburger patty. Aside from the dollop of barbecue sauce, what do you see? That's right. The patty doesn't look like the standard fast food fare. This is at once encouraging and discouraging. 

Don't get me wrong, I hate pink slime hamburger patties as much as the next girl, but whenever I encounter a patty that looks drastically different from what I'm used to eating, I wonder, "Is this 'hamburger' more fake than the fast food hamburgers, or is it more natural?". Usually one bite is all it takes. Biting into my burger, I couldn't quite figure it out; was this a half-beef, half-turkey burger? was this a frozen, store-bought patty? was this some bizarre new organic beef burger my palate wasn't accustomed to? I was perplexed. Summation: the burger components were delicious, it was just the beef that gave me pause. That being said, I will most certainly go back to Haricot for that smoked salmon panini.

The menu is in English and Chinese, there are pictures accompanying every item, and there's a 10% service charge. In case you're a little curious about the menu, Haricot took over Posh Burgers. The owner told me that Haricot opened in January and retained most of the wait staff and Posh's menu items, but added a wider variety of pastas and beverages. In fact, I think the owner of Haricot was the owner of Posh Burgers. Since Posh was a sinking ship, I didn't think it polite to ask her if she was the previous owner (and she was very sweet and gave me a 10% discount for my next visit). Haricot claims to have a website at haricot.com.tw, but punch this into your browser and you'll come up empty-handed. Because it's just getting off the ground, there aren't any other reviews online and the only mention of Haricot you'll find is here.

Zoca Pizzeria

Address: 149 Linjiang St, Taipei City (台北市臨江街149號)

Telephone: (02) 2707-2212

Hours: Tues - Fri 11am to 2:30pm, 5:30pm to 9:30pm, Sat - Sun 11am to 9:30pm

Price: $

After eating at l'Olivier on Sunday, I walked around the An-He Road area. There are some good eats down random side streets and I tried to make a mental note of places I wanted to visit. Whilst walking down Linjiang Street, I saw it. A pathetic piece of cardboard taped, caddywompus, on the window. On this cardboard was written "Pizza Nutella $250 NT". Hallelujah.

One of the masterminds behind the pizza creations at Zoca is Veronese pizzaioli extraordinaire, Federico Zocatelli. Zocatelli's pizzas are handmade, affordable, and absolutely delicious. There are 44 varieties of pizza on the menu (indeed, pizza is almost the only thing on the menu) and there's sure to be something to suit everyone. All the pizzas at Zoca are thin crust and served Italian style with sparse toppings (sparse in comparison to American chains like Pizza Hut or Domino's). I wasn't going to be swayed by delicious, hearty, Italian pizzas; no, sir. I needed Nutella like [insert comparable analogy here].

Zoca's interior is relatively spartan with only a couple photos on the wall and basic, minimalist furniture. Basically, Zoca looks like a legitimate Italian pizzeria. Most international food restaurants in Taipei feel the need to be prodigal with "cultural" knickknacks, as if these things lend some sort of legitimacy to the cuisine i.e. if there are a lot of Parisian and French things in the restaurant, surely the cuisine is authentically French. Zoca shows you the cuisine is Italian, and doesn't waste time trying to tell you or sell you.  

Zoca also has a charming outdoor seating area for nicer, warmer days. Though today (again) the weather didn't permit outdoor seating. The floor to ceiling windows are quite lovely in that they overlook the street so you can people watch without being obtrusive. Additionally, these windows were remarkably clean (kudos, window washer).

YAY! My Nutella pizza arrived fresh from the oven with walnuts sprinkled on top! In a country where Nutella crepes are practically nonexistent, I was thrilled that something with Nutella was on a restaurant menu! While the Nutella was obviously flawless, the pizza crust was ... unexpected? That's not true. I knew the pizzas at Zoca are all thin crust, so let's just say that a thin crust Nutella pizza had a logistical problem. When the Nutella was applied (presumably with a spatula), the crust broke in several places and some pieces of the Nutella pizza had to be scooped up with fork and knife. I am deplorably lazy. 

That being said, the crust was just simply wonderful! I loved that it was light, airy, and tasted homemade (which it was). Many pizzerias in Taipei simply cannot reproduce a crust like this one. Much like Taiwanese waffles, bagels, and crepes there's something that's "off" with the consistency of Taiwanese pizzas. Now, Zoca is probably the only place I'll order a pizza from.

I can only imagine what the other, savory pizzas taste like at Zoca! I'm definitely going back to find out! Zoca has Wi-fi and I can chow down on a pizza while working on my novel (novel = really long Facebook message). A match made in heaven. The savory pizzas, like the margherita ($250 NT), are priced much more reasonably than pizzas at chain stores. There are vegetarian pizzas ($350 NT), no-frills marinara pizzas ($180 NT), and dolce vita pizzas ($400 NT). 

In addition to the scrumptious pizzas, Zoca serves homemade Italian desserts made by Zocatelli himself. These are also reasonably priced with panna cotta at $100 NT, ricotta cheesecake at $130 NT, and tiramisu at $140 NT. Sadly, there are no cannolis.


The menu is in Italian, English, and Chinese. If you've been in Taipei long enough and are becoming disgruntled at eating sub-par pizzas that taste nothing like an actual pizza, Zoca is the remedy. If you've been in Taipei for longer than two hours, Zoca is the remedy. Okay, that last one didn't make sense, but I highly urge any and all to visit this pizzeria. It's definitely worth it.


Zoca unfortunately doesn't have a website, but simply Google "Zoca pizza Taipei" and you'll stumble upon more reviews and a Facebook fan page.

Le Bistro de l'Olivier

Address: No. 122, Sec 2, An-He Road, Taipei  台北市安和路二段122號(遠企停車場旁-周一休) 
Telephone: (886) 2-8732-3726
Hours: Tues - Sun 12pm to 2:30pm, 6pm to 11:30pm

Price: $$$$

Tell one of your Taiwanese friends you spent $600 NT on a meal. For yourself. The reaction you'll get is what most medical textbooks refer to as a panic attack. At first, they're concerned; where was this place? Were the wait staff mean to you? Did you negotiate the price down? Was this so-called "restaurant" in a shady back alley? When you insist that the place and food were on the up-and-up, your local friends may begin having chest pains or shortness of breath. What's wrong with you? $600 NT?!? That could feed a family!

Now, try telling them you spent over $1,000 NT on a single, simple lunch. Wait. Actually, don't do that. I don't want any blood on my hands. Point being, $1,000 NT is a lot of money. I've had hospital bills, electricity bills, and cell phone bills that totaled less than $800 NT, never mind $1,000. So spending that amount on a lunch better be damn well worth it. And that's where Le Bistro de l'Olivier comes in.

In the same neck of the woods as Carnegie's, The Diner's second location, and Weiss, l'Olivier serves French cuisine marketed to a wealthier clientele. The bistro is decorated with French paintings, photographs, and copious knickknacks. I wasn't really sold on the interior. It felt as though the interior designer was trying to cram France (and the artfully decorated souffles) down your throat. Still, the maître d is friendly and informative, the wait staff attentive, the service impeccable. As far as service goes, this is a 5 star experience.

Then, you are handed the menu. Oh God. Stepping into l'Olivier, I was under false pretenses that ordering a la carte would be the cheapest option. The enormity of this error didn't really register until I looked at the main dishes. Terrified, I saw too many numbers I didn't know people could charge you for food. Was that $1,500 NT for cassoulet or fricassée de champignons? Was $480 NT really the cheapest salad on the menu? Please tell me that the fillet mignon and foie gras with truffle sauce is $1,600 and not the fillet of sole meuniere with tarragon sauce! Looking at the cheapest set menu ($789 NT), I decided this was the best bet to avoid liquidating all my assets.


I can assume one of the biggest reasons the price is so exorbitant is because of the mere presence of Maggie Liu. The chef of the bistro, Maggie Liu is something of a Taiwanese Gordon Ramsey ... that is, if Gordon Ramsey only specialized in one type of cuisine, was female, less famous, and a smidgen less talented. That being said, Maggie has been named as one of Traveler Luxe magazine's "50 Top Chefs in Taiwan" and has been on TLC with cooking shows like "Maggie's Magic Menu".

The first dish in my set menu is the French mushroom soup and bread accompaniment. Very light, the soup is quite good. I'm relieved it's not too hearty and won't fill me up. The single, solitary slice of French bread I was given was good as well, especially with the anchovy pesto sauce to flavor.

Next up, the smoked salmon salad. With some radishes, green beans, and mandarin oranges, the salad is, like the soup, fairly light fair. Drizzled with a little olive oil and vinegar, the salad is fairly typical of most restaurant salads. The rose-shaped smoked salmon is fantastic (and quite photogenic) and my only complaint is that it's such a small serving.

 And now for the fillet of sole meuniere with fresh vegetables, rice, and tarragon sauce! The vegetables are steamed well and taste wonderful. The rice is flavored with garlic, pepper, and blue rose rice grains if I'm not mistaken (I very well could be). The fillet of sole tastes absolutely fantastic! The fish is light, moist, and has a mild flavor that is slightly enhanced by the meuniere process. Instead of a brown butter sauce, this dish has the tarragon sauce as a welcome substitute. It's just like the sole you would find served in a bistro in France. 


Finally, no set meal would be complete without dessert and coffee or tea. All the coffee at l'Olivier is illy brand, so I decided a cup of illy would be a nice way to end this venture. On the set menu the dessert was listed as "Daily Dessert". Some of l'Olivier's desserts include New York cheesecake, chocolate and nuts cake, French apple pie, and predictably Grand Marnier souffles, chocolate souffles, and creme brulee. I wasn't too excited about the dessert, thinking that with my luck I'd probably wind up eating a faux New York cheesecake. Oh how wonderfully, splendidly, delightfully wrong I was!

The creme brulee arrived in a scalloped ramekin complete with freshly whipped cream and mint leaf. Accompanying the creme brulee was the cup of coffee and two pieces of chocolate. Let me just say this, you don't know something is missing in your life until you find it. Today, I found Maggie Liu's creme brulee. 


I have had my share of creme brulee over the years. I've sampled some off of friend's plates in Paris, ordered similar ramekins of custard and caramel in London and NYC, and absently-mindedly eaten them as a dinner's afterthought in Vegas. This l'Olivier creme brulee was divine. Absolutely divine.


The rich custard is worthy of praise in and of itself, and the layer of caramelized sugar is perfect. This dessert is thick, rich, decadent, and worth every single penny I paid for it. Because l'Olivier's has Wi-fi, I can definitely see myself bringing work to the bistro and shamelessly ordering creme brulee as my main. Don't judge. Extremely anti-climatic, the illy coffee was simply illy coffee with hot, steamed milk and brown rock sugar. The two pieces of chocolate were unfortunately quite stale but I have a feeling the manager bequeathed these to me out of kindness. Also, there was an Evian water charge of $200. I forgot that, in Europe, many restaurants con you into buying ludicrously expensive liters of water by simply not giving you any water at all.  Alas, l'Olivier has caught on to this scheme.


So, all in all, my meal came to $1,089 NT ($36.93 USD) with service charge and Evian water charge.  So, would I eat at l'Olivier again? No (unless it's to eat a souffle or creme brulee). I've tried to tell myself that, for €28, this meal was a steal, but my wallet just isn't buying it. This modest lunch is basically the cost of a gourmet dinner at the Bellagio Resort back home. And in all my years, not once have I stepped foot into a Bellagio gourmet restaurant for fear of sticker shock when paying the bill.


If you're far wealthier than I and a $37 USD price tag doesn't intimidate you, check out the delicious l'Olivier food photos.