Cities are judged on such criteria as infrastructure, income and education levels. But how about whether or not you can get a lox and cream cheese bagel at 4am? In opening a second shop on Renai Road, that is 24-hour, NY Bagels Cafe has given Taipei a new place for nocturnal noshing and helped the city fit into its international-sized shoes.
Located a block from the 24-hour Eslite Bookstore and a short walk from the late-night lounges lining Anhe Road, the new bagel shop is already filling tables after having been open for only two weeks.
PHOTO: DAVID MOMPHARD, TAIPEI TIMES
It's no surprise. There is a lot more on offer in the 20-page menu than just bagels. Notably, a section of gigantic sandwiches, including a delicious sirloin steak sandwich on sourdough and a "homemade" hamburger, that will likely find favor even among those who aren't bagel fans.
Other non-bagel items unique to the new store are a selection of pastas, Jack's lasagna (NT$190) or a choice of chicken, bacon or seafood spaghetti in a creamy tomato sauce (each NT$170). Here, too, you can ante-up for an optional drink and fries.
The menu is a bit annoying. Rather than simply list what's on offer, it's unnecessarily promotional and filled with newspaper clippings and ads for cream cheese and olive oil. There's even a section titled "What's a bagel?" for locals that think bread should be steamed. If they want to get creative, they would do well to look at Japanese grill Kan Pai's menu, which doubles as a monthly newsletter, with articles on everything from proper grilling techniques to local alt-rock bands. Last month's menu had illustrated instructions on how to change an electrical switch -- quirky, but it moves the conversation away from the work day.
Other suggestions: First, tack up some no smoking signs. Nothing messes with your mish more than the cigarette smoke from the guy next to you. Next, add a couple of fondues to the menu.
Oct. 27 to Nov. 2 Over a breakfast of soymilk and fried dough costing less than NT$400, seven officials and engineers agreed on a NT$400 million plan — unaware that it would mark the beginning of Taiwan’s semiconductor empire. It was a cold February morning in 1974. Gathered at the unassuming shop were Economics minister Sun Yun-hsuan (孫運璿), director-general of Transportation and Communications Kao Yu-shu (高玉樹), Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) president Wang Chao-chen (王兆振), Telecommunications Laboratories director Kang Pao-huang (康寶煌), Executive Yuan secretary-general Fei Hua (費驊), director-general of Telecommunications Fang Hsien-chi (方賢齊) and Radio Corporation of America (RCA) Laboratories director Pan
The classic warmth of a good old-fashioned izakaya beckons you in, all cozy nooks and dark wood finishes, as tables order a third round and waiters sling tapas-sized bites and assorted — sometimes unidentifiable — skewered meats. But there’s a romantic hush about this Ximending (西門町) hotspot, with cocktails savored, plating elegant and never rushed and daters and diners lit by candlelight and chandelier. Each chair is mismatched and the assorted tables appear to be the fanciest picks from a nearby flea market. A naked sewing mannequin stands in a dimly lit corner, adorned with antique mirrors and draped foliage
The consensus on the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chair race is that Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) ran a populist, ideological back-to-basics campaign and soundly defeated former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), the candidate backed by the big institutional players. Cheng tapped into a wave of popular enthusiasm within the KMT, while the institutional players’ get-out-the-vote abilities fell flat, suggesting their power has weakened significantly. Yet, a closer look at the race paints a more complicated picture, raising questions about some analysts’ conclusions, including my own. TURNOUT Here is a surprising statistic: Turnout was 130,678, or 39.46 percent of the 331,145 eligible party
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