Telephone: (02) 2365-5022
Hours: Mon - Thurs 11am to 11pm, Fri - Sun 9am to midnight
Price: $
So, you've done it again. You've pulled a Taiwanese all-nighter and partied until 6am. Why 6am? Because that's when all major forms of public transportation resume operations. Except now it's mid-morning (you know, because the bartender at Roxy 99 kept the drinks flowing) and you're looking for a big breakfast. Stumble over to Evans Burger for the drunken/hungover brunch.
There are two Evans Burger locations in Shida - both located within 200 yards of one another. Clearly, this is a restaurant chain that values convenience. And on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30am to 11:30am, brunch is 40% off. Do you need any more incentives?!
The newest Evans branch overlooks Shi Da Road and gives you a decent view of the post-Friday-night shenanigans. If your blurry eyes can focus on the interior, you'll see that the decor is somewhat reminiscent of a modern American restaurant complete with kitschy 1950s signs on the walls (juxaposed with Heidi Klum's Project Runway of course).
There's a lot of options on the menu and you'll be spoiled for choice. Omelets, eggs benedict (salmon eggs benedict, ham eggs benedict), french toast, pancakes, brunch specials, breakfast burritos, etc. Each dish comes with a small glass of milk or orange juice (not eligible for refills) and a cup of coffee or tea (unlimited refills).
I picked one of their brunch specials for $280 NT and it came with a pancake, cheese omelet, bacon, hash browns, and a side salad. I was looking to the salad to mitigate some of the effects of eating all this deliciously bad food, but no dice. The "salad" was drenched in some sort of Italian sauce, and there wasn't much of a salad with which to begin.
The cheese omelet was quite runny and the eggs weren't thoroughly cooked. The cheese was tasteless, though that means one of three things to me; 1. The cheese wasn't Kraft 2. Perhaps it's some sort of healthier cheese? 3. Maybe MSG wasn't in the cheese? So far, this meal isn't recommending itself.
On to the bacon! These strips of bacon were quite good and tasted like those back home. They weren't burnt to a crisp, nor were they rubbery, under-cooked messes of meat. Success! The pancake was one of the best I've had in Taiwan (though that's not saying much). It was a little on the thin side, but that's probably for the best. There was an ample serving of butter on the side, in addition to maple syrup(!).
The maple syrup tasted like Aunt Jemima syrup and is the second best syrup I've had in Taiwan (The Diner has the best). Many restaurants carry watery or flavorless maple syrup, so this was quite the unexpected surprise.
My glass of milk lasted me all of three gulps, so having unlimited coffee refills was nice. But as the waitstaff were a little neglectful, many times I found myself with nothing to drink. There is a 10% service charge, but hopefully you stumbled in early enough to qualify for the 40% brunch deal. Last complaint: Bruno Mars. His whole CD. On a loop. During the entirety of my dining experience. I love Bruno as much as the next girl, but listening to the same thing over and over and over is not really all that pleasant. Also, Evans Burger has a niffy website here, and you can practice your Chinese. The menu at the restaurant is in English though. I'll be back next Saturday morning. ... And the next. And the next.
