Primo Trattoria offers classic, soul-satisfying Italian food at surprisingly reasonable prices. But this is no budget restaurant. The bistro and deli, which opened in November of last year, fits right in with the style and swank of its neighborhood near the Sogo Department Store’s Zhongxiao branch.
Upon entering, diners are greeted by a handful of cooks behind an open kitchen bar who pause from their work, smile and say “buona sera” (good evening). But underneath the novel formalities and the well-dressed and polite wait staff, you’ll find elements of a traditional trattoria: a simple menu — pizza, pasta, antipasti and wine — and a casual ambience.
Jazz is piped in softly in the background while the clean white interior and subdued lighting set an intimate mood. Unfortunately, the seating appears to favor parties of four or more. My dining companion and I felt a little squeezed in at a small table for two (just enough room for elbows) against a wall.
At its best, the quality of Primo Trattoria’s offerings are on par with that of a high-end hotel or restaurant in Taipei; at its not-so-best, the food falls short on presentation but still manages to please. The Caprese (NT$120) is one example. It comes as a serving of three tomato slices topped by slabs of mozzarella and a dollop of fresh pesto. The tomato was a bit too chilled and the chopped rocket lettuce strewn on top looked messy and uninspiring, but the dish was saved by the subtle richness of the mild mozzarella combined with the pesto.
Primo Trattoria’s stone-oven baked pizzas, made Napoli-style, are a must-try for aficionados. The thin pastry is soft, springy and chewy, but tears apart easily. The 10-inch pizzas are tossed so that the crust turns out puffy, with a good balance of dough and air.
We ordered a “half and half pizza” (NT$420) pairing the Genovese (NT$320), with its fail-safe combination of mushrooms, mozzarella and pesto, and the formaggi (NT$400), which we chose for its unusual addition of honey to a combination of blue cheese, mozzarella, grana Padano and cottage cheese. Other pizzas on the menu that caught the eye include the Fiorentina (NT$360), topped with spinach, bacon, egg and cottage cheese, and the classic margherita (NT$340), which has tomato sauce, Italian basil and slabs, rather than shreds, of mozzarella.
The pasta selection consists mostly of linguine and spaghetti, with prices ranging from NT$240 to NT$400. Those looking to indulge should try the rigatoni al prosciutto (NT$360). The cream sauce was pure pacifying comfort, while garnishes of small, thick strips of prosciutto had a rich salty flavor that was almost too intense for my companion.
Desserts include the delightfully rich and smooth panna cotta (NT$120) made from milk, cream and vanilla and topped with fresh berries, mascarpone cheese and raisin (NT$100), and tiramisu (NT$120).
Primo Trattoria offers an extensive list of Italian wines (NT$650 to NT$1,000 per bottle). If forgoing alcohol, a couple can get away with a full, satisfying meal for around NT$1,200. On weekends, the wait for a table runs as long as an hour and a half, so it’s best to make reservations.
March 10 to March 16 Although it failed to become popular, March of the Black Cats (烏貓進行曲) was the first Taiwanese record to have “pop song” printed on the label. Released in March 1929 under Eagle Records, a subsidiary of the Japanese-owned Columbia Records, the Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) lyrics followed the traditional seven characters per verse of Taiwanese opera, but the instrumentation was Western, performed by Eagle’s in-house orchestra. The singer was entertainer Chiu-chan (秋蟾). In fact, a cover of a Xiamen folk song by Chiu-chan released around the same time, Plum Widow Missing Her Husband (雪梅思君), enjoyed more
Last week Elbridge Colby, US President Donald Trump’s nominee for under secretary of defense for policy, a key advisory position, said in his Senate confirmation hearing that Taiwan defense spending should be 10 percent of GDP “at least something in that ballpark, really focused on their defense.” He added: “So we need to properly incentivize them.” Much commentary focused on the 10 percent figure, and rightly so. Colby is not wrong in one respect — Taiwan does need to spend more. But the steady escalation in the proportion of GDP from 3 percent to 5 percent to 10 percent that advocates
A series of dramatic news items dropped last month that shed light on Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attitudes towards three candidates for last year’s presidential election: Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) founder Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Terry Gou (郭台銘), founder of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密), also known as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). It also revealed deep blue support for Ko and Gou from inside the KMT, how they interacted with the CCP and alleged election interference involving NT$100 million (US$3.05 million) or more raised by the
More than 100,000 people were killed in a single night 80 years ago yesterday in the US firebombing of Tokyo, the Japanese capital. The attack, made with conventional bombs, destroyed downtown Tokyo and filled the streets with heaps of charred bodies. The damage was comparable to the atomic bombings a few months later in August 1945, but unlike those attacks, the Japanese government has not provided aid to victims and the events of that day have largely been ignored or forgotten. Elderly survivors are making a last-ditch effort to tell their stories and push for financial assistance and recognition. Some are speaking
RSS