Some friends and I ate brunch there a month or so ago, because the wait for The Diner was too long, and we didn’t care for the food at all. 6 out of 6
I ordered eggs over easy, bacon, toast and a side of french toast. The eggs were the consistency of pencil erasers and equally tasteless. The server forgot the french toast and had to be reminded.
“Best Brunch in Taipei” still goes to The Diner.
[quote=“CraigTPE”]Some friends and I ate brunch there a month or so ago, because the wait for The Diner was too long, and we didn’t care for the food at all. 6 out of 6
I ordered eggs over easy, bacon, toast and a side of french toast. The eggs were the consistency of pencil erasers and equally tasteless.[/quote]
6 out of 6 is pretty good, no? 
I don’t get what you’re saying about the "tastelessness of the eggs, though. I mean, eggs are eggs. Or do you mean that they are buying an inferior grade?
They were rubbery and tasteless. I don’t know anything about their purchasing practices. Maybe it’s how they cook them.
I realize Carnegie’s is very popular and an advertiser on Forumosa, making criticism of it very unpopular, and I’ve only eaten there once, so it may be an isolated incident. I’m just sharing that when we ate there, we (6 of us) didn’t like the breakfast. It was also noteworthy that while the wait at The Diner was an hour or longer, Carnegies was nearly empty. That’s usually an indication of which one has better food, in this case breakfast.
Maybe is Carnegies is better at lunch, dinner, drinks than breakfast.
They were rubbery and tasteless. I don’t know anything about their purchasing practices. Maybe it’s how they cook them.
I realize Carnegie’s is very popular and an advertiser on Forumosa, making criticism of it very unpopular, and I’ve only eaten there once, so it may be an isolated incident. I’m just sharing that when we ate there, we (6 of us) didn’t like the breakfast. It was also noteworthy that while the wait at The Diner was an hour or longer, Carnegie’s was nearly empty. That’s usually an indication of which one has better food, in this case breakfast.
Maybe is Carnegie’s is better at lunch, dinner, drinks than breakfast.[/quote]
I don’t think Carnegie’s status as an advertiser makes criticism of it unpopular. I hope that people don’t feel constrained in giving their honest, considered opinions of any restaurants in Taiwan. It’s the best way to alert the management and customers of any problems going on in a particular establishment.
I like the Diner, too, but it’s a very different crowd. Their clientele is much more local. They’re also considerably smaller, so it’s sometimes hard to make a real comparison in terms of numbers. A half empty Carnegie’s still has more customers than a packed-to-the-rafters Diner. Carnegie’s does proper meals, like venison, or seared tuna steaks, while the Diner is, well, a diner. I like that the Diner has awesome blueberry pancakes. Carnegie’s cappuccino is way better. And of course, Carnage has booze. Sometimes breakfast requires a bloody mary or two to get things going. The Diner has that noisy, clattery, ambience that is so prevalent in local eateries. The noise at Carnegie’s is usually a little more dissipated/tolerable.
I am a little biased, though. Although I am old friends with the Diner’s lovely laoban, I’m probably even more familiar with the staff at Carnegie’s. They chat with me, they keep an eye on my daughter as she wanders around the restaurant, they respond to any requests I have with great efficiency. I get such great service from them, that I can forgive any shortcomings, which are always a rare event anyway.
Anyway, I think people in the area are tremendously lucky to have two fine establishments within 50 feet metres of each other!
They were rubbery and tasteless. I don’t know anything about their purchasing practices. Maybe it’s how they cook them.
I realize Carnegie’s is very popular and an advertiser on Forumosa, making criticism of it very unpopular, and I’ve only eaten there once, so it may be an isolated incident. I’m just sharing that when we ate there, we (6 of us) didn’t like the breakfast. It was also noteworthy that while the wait at The Diner was an hour or longer, Carnegies was nearly empty. That’s usually an indication of which one has better food, in this case breakfast.
Maybe is Carnegies is better at lunch, dinner, drinks than breakfast.[/quote]
I have recently sworn off of Carnegie’s breakfasts for two simple reasons:
the eggs - as mentioned above, i think they must cook them in an oil or a grease - not butter, not a light oil - that somehow seems to “seal” the egg mass and coats the outside of the eggs - over easy/sunny side up mind you - with a tasteless substance or at least feeling. CraigTPE has got it right, and it just aint right, it should be easy to fix, though I’m guessing they don’t think anything’s wrong with the eggs as they are
the bread - they say it’s freshly baked I think, maybe it is, but it’s nearly tasteless white bread innards, and it’s a little too stretchy gooey like most nasty Taiwan breads - only the crust is good, and it’ not good enough to save the bread overall
These two things might not seem like much, but considering the number of options available - Dan Ryans, Outback, Grandma Nittis, the Diner, Pot Pie Cafe All Day British Breakie, On Tap English Breakie, to name a few - these two simple things push em over the edge
Good baked beans and coffee though - and as maoman says, their dinners are damn good - venison and ribs especially
It is with heavy heart that I post this note.
2 servers for the entire restaurant on a holiday special? Floor manager waiting tables? Running out of food? Ordinary vegetables to fill up the plate? The staff was doing an incredible job at doing the impossible. Big thumbs up for the people actually doing something.
Bob, you are immediately ordered back here and FUCKING RIGHT NOW!
I had the grouse last night. It was half (or less) a grouse, and very tasty, though will say it is definitely a game bird in texture for those who might be put off by that (it did have a bit of fat and I presume it is farm raised). Accompanied by tasty mashed potatoes, peas, and a nice gravy. The only thing on the plate I didn’t care for were the mashed carrots which were a bit sweet for my taste (maybe honeyed?)
Vanessa and I had a great meal on Saturday at Carnegie’s. It was an anniversary dinner, so I wanted it to be good, and Carnegie’s outdid themselves. We had a seat on the patio for 7:30, the weather was just perfect, the music was just right, and the food was fantastic. I’m pretty used to good service at Carnegie’s, but I’d forgotten that their kitchen is actually pretty damn good, too! Gin Tonics first, and then a bottle of cabernet sauvignon that was very nice, calamari for an appetizer, salad, pork medallions and wiener schnitzel. We had a relaxed, civilized dinner that was surprisingly cheap! Thank you, Carnegie’s! 
I hit up Carnegies on Sunday and found it was a place I would probably hang out if I lived in Taiwan. The bar tender was really cool (sorry don’t remember her name) but she wore glasses also Happy Hour makes me in the mood for Chimay. I really liked the design and the interior with all the music posters on the wall was a nice touch. Now I had heard it’s an expat place but honestly not counting the staff we were outnumbered (thanks to a large group of young girls) but the place was dead overall. The bartender told me Thursday-Saturday nights were the times to go. It’s ok, my trip was winding down and I just wanted to relax and have a few beers. Maybe the highlight was the trough in the mens room, it has been years since I’d seen one.
Does anyone know what the difference is between their Happy Hour and their Crazy Hour ?
Yes, Crazy hour is 6pm to 7pm EVERY day, where all local drinks including Pints of Stella, Carlesberg…etc, bottles of Stowford Press Cider, house red and white wine are NT$ 99
HAPPY HOUR is 7 to 9pm Monday to Saturday and ALL DAY Sunday, where a pint of Stella, Carlesberg…etc are NT$ 150 and a pint of the lovely Stowford Press Cider is NT$ 180 (yes, I am a cider drinker)…and best of all NO SERVICE CHARGE.
The best and cheapest drinking establishment in Taipei !
(and No, I don’t work there or have any business connection).
You took Vanessa to Carnegie’s for the anniversary??? :ohreally:
We had a relaxed, civilized dinner that was surprisingly cheap!
Cheap??? Anniversary?? :no-no:
I was at Carnegies on Wednesday night for a bite with friends and Jonathan was pretty excited about their Turkey set meal. I didn’t end up having it, but it looked like very good value for money, including clam chowder, turkey with all the trimmings, cheese cake and coffee or tea for nt$490 at lunch and nt$630 at dinner.
A little late, but it runs through today, so get there while it lasts, or wait till Christmas in a few weeks when they are likely to have the big bird on the menu again.
Open at 11. Good ,every pub should.
I had breakfast at Carnegies Sunday morning, and well… I think they need to sharpen their game.
OK, I got an eggs benedict. I asked the waiter to change my fries to hashbrowns. No worries, thumbs up for that.
However, what came out…
OK, the poached eggs were loose in it, I know they have to be very fresh, prehaps the eggs were from yesterday’s pile.
The hash browns!!! That was not hash browns, it was mashed potatoes. (And yes, I know the difference)
Overall, the feel of the meal was that little details like garnish etc. have been toned down, it feels like they need a strong manager, I was happy to be back there as I have not gone in a long time, however they have lost something.
[quote=“Mr He”]I had breakfast at Carnegies Sunday morning, and well… I think they need to sharpen their game.
OK, I got an eggs benedict. I asked the waiter to change my fries to hashbrowns. No worries, thumbs up for that.
However, what came out…
OK, the poached eggs were loose in it, I know they have to be very fresh, prehaps the eggs were from yesterday’s pile.
The hash browns!!! That was not hash browns, it was mashed potatoes. (And yes, I know the difference)
Overall, the feel of the meal was that little details like garnish etc. have been toned down, it feels like they need a strong manager, I was happy to be back there as I have not gone in a long time, [color=#FF0000]however they have lost something[/color].[/quote]
The plot?
Try Whalen’s across the street (Corner of LeLi and AnHe beside dentist). Best Eggs Benedict I’ve had in 12 years in Asia.
[quote=“Mr He”]
Overall, the feel of the meal was that little details like garnish etc. have been toned down, it feels like they need a strong manager, I was happy to be back there as I have not gone in a long time, however they have lost something.[/quote]
The chef there (Richard) and night manager Jonathan opened their own place and sortof took the taste with them. Their new restaurant is called Toast Bar & Bistro. Address:
taiwanease.com/listing/3127/ … ar__Bistro
Its very close to Carnegies (the location). Try the wiener schnitzel and pork knuckle!
Is it smart for the ‘director of business development’ to be talking poorly of a sponsor and sending customers to nearby restaurants?
Carnegie’s is a sponsor? That’s an interesting development. 
Carnegie’s is a sponsor? That’s an interesting development. [/quote]
I guess they aren’t anymore (though I do remember seeing their banner so they must of been at one time), so my bad, have at er boys. Here, I’ll even throw one in: The girlie situation on Wednesday night is so bad now compared to the old days that there were more dudes I wanted to fuck than women. And I ain’t even gay. tadata tiss!