Spanish home cooking is now just an MRT and bus ride away. El Patio de Mi Casa, located in an alley near Nanjing East (南京東) and Songjiang (松江) roads, is run by Luis Miguel Hernando and Ramses del Cura Nogal, two thirtysomething Spanish expats.
Before moving to their current locale last December, the pair had operated out of a residential apartment on Jilin Road (吉林路) for two years, serving dinners by reservation for around a dozen people five nights a week.
Word spread quickly about Hernando’s culinary skills and his family recipes, as well as the after-meal entertainment — both Hernando and Nogal are musicians. The two often found themselves turning down customers, and after getting sick of dealing with neighbors complaining about the noise, they finally decided to open a proper restaurant.
Step into their cozy cafe, which seats around 25 people, and the first thing that hits you is a savory aroma from the kitchen.
My dining companions thought it was freshly baked bread, which the restaurant doesn’t serve, but the smell could have been the costillas a la miel (香料白酒蜂蜜肋排, NT$350) — spare ribs with a honey glaze topped with stewed onions and tomatoes.
Hernando says the ribs are marinated ahead of time and slow-roasted for several hours. Aside from the borderline-overwhelming sweetness, this dish was heavenly for its succulent meat, which slid right off the bone.
One basic characteristic of Spanish food is that it’s “cooked slow,” says Hernando. But this probably doesn’t apply to another must-try dish, sepia de la plancha (香煎花枝, NT$200), or pan-seared calamari slices, which were perfectly tender and not in the least bit chewy. And as if its buttery texture weren’t enough, the calamari gets coated with garlic mayonnaise, which is made fresh every day.
For something simple and wholly satisfying, go for the revuelto jardinero (花園炒蛋, NT$220), Spanish-style fried eggs with mushrooms and asparagus. Despite the familiar ingredients, this concoction is a pleasing discovery. The eggs are constantly mixed while in the pan, according to Hernando, which produces a soft and creamy texture.
Hernando describes the tortilla espanola (NT$120 for one serving or NT$600 for a whole pie) as a staple food made of staple ingredients: eggs, potatoes and olive oil. We didn’t order this, but the cake-shaped dish appeared to be a popular choice, judging by a glance at neighboring tables.
The menu, which is in Spanish and Chinese, also lists tapas-style dishes such as datil con jamon iberico (伊比利火腿椰棗, Iberian cured ham with dates, NT$100). We enjoyed both the setas y champis a la plancha (乾煎蘑菇香菇, pan-fried shitake and white button mushrooms cooked with white wine, NT$180) and tomato asado (鐵烤番茄, roasted tomatoes stuffed with pork, NT$100).
The restaurant also honors off-menu requests made in advance, including gazpacho and cocido madrileno, a traditional Spanish stew.
Smaller parties are at a disadvantage, only because they can sample fewer dishes. And they might miss out on trying the seafood paella (NT$1,000 per serving), which is only served for at least four persons. Sangria is available by the pot for NT$800, as well as Spanish wines (NT$200 to NT$300 per glass, NT$1,000 to NT$2,500 per bottle).
The wait staff seemed hurried, but the service was very efficient. Our food arrived quickly and with little lag time between dishes.
Hernando and Nogal say their loyal customers have followed them to their new locale. But they admit they can’t help but miss the intimacy of working out of a private apartment, where guests could mingle in the kitchen and watch them cook.
May 18 to May 24 Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot prevented much from growing. In addition, there was no running water or electricity. But it was all Yang could afford. He and his Indigenous Atayal wife Lin Feng-ying (林鳳英) had already been caring for 24 orphans in their home, and they were in
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parties like Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That his statements are wildly inaccurate was not the point. It was a rallying cry, not a history lesson. This was intentional to provoke the international diplomatic community into a response, which was promptly provided. Both the German and Israeli offices issued statements on Facebook
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday delivered an address marking the first anniversary of his presidency. In the speech, Lai affirmed Taiwan’s global role in technology, trade and security. He announced economic and national security initiatives, and emphasized democratic values and cross-party cooperation. The following is the full text of his speech: Yesterday, outside of Beida Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Sanxia District (三峽), there was a major traffic accident that, sadly, claimed several lives and resulted in multiple injuries. The Executive Yuan immediately formed a task force, and last night I personally visited the victims in hospital. Central government agencies and the
Australia’s ABC last week published a piece on the recall campaign. The article emphasized the divisions in Taiwanese society and blamed the recall for worsening them. It quotes a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as saying “I’m 43 years old, born and raised here, and I’ve never seen the country this divided in my entire life.” Apparently, as an adult, she slept through the post-election violence in 2000 and 2004 by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the veiled coup threats by the military when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) became president, the 2006 Red Shirt protests against him ginned up by
RSS