Carnegie's - Food & Service

Cuisine Greater Taipei Restaurants
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Something I think I should mention here:

I don’t know what the hell is going on at Carnegie’s, but I can’t remember the last time I had a good reason to complain about anything. The service seems to have reached a consistently good level, the food remains great, and no one has tried to give me mashed potatoes instead of mushy peas for months. (Actually, someone did offer a few days ago. :smiling_imp: )

Yesterday, my vinegar came in a pourer, which is not as good as an authentic Sarson’s bottle but is a vast improvement on the little saucer and it does taste like authentic malt vinegar. And the HP is no longer HP steak sauce from New Jersey, it’s real HP from Tesco.

And the waitresses are lovely, apart from that little fat one. (Bob, I’m beginning to suspect that girl might be preggers. You might want to get her checked out.)

How the hell am I ever going to demand free drinks etc if things carry on like this? Eating at Carnegie’s might start to become expensive at this rate, despite the reasonableness of the prices. I mean, not much times many = quite a lot. Can’t we go back to the old system of not much times a few, plus quite a few freebies?

Oh, and Sunday lunch is no longer the best time to go to Carnage. The word has got out and it’s often quite full. Saturday afternoon is where it’s at. I was there yesterday and had a great time talking with this fat old geezer I met who used to know the Maharaja of Sun City. :sunglasses:

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Well, we went anyway, showed up at around 7pm. That’s what you mean by sailor suits!?? Geez. At least the kids were all playing nice. :slight_smile:

Anyway, we had some awesome eats, lamb shank, fish and chips and a pasta somethingorother. The portions are massive! My sister in law said it was the best pasta she’s had in Taiwan.I’d say the same for the lamb.

Hope to meet you next time Bob.

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[quote=“jdsmith”]Well, we went anyway, showed up at around 7pm. That’s what you mean by sailor suits!?? Geez. At least the kids were all playing nice. :slight_smile:

Anyway, we had some awesome eats, lamb shank, fish and chips and a pasta somethingorother. The portions are massive! My sister in law said it was the best pasta she’s had in Taiwan.I’d say the same for the lamb.

Hope to meet you next time Bob.[/quote]

You showed up last night at 7 p.m. :laughing: You caught us in the transition from afternoon working men’s club for footballers into civilised restaurant. It was fairly chaotic. I had just left by then. I am glad you liked the food though. Normally at 7 p.m. on a Saturday it is a little less crazy than last night. It was pretty colourful though. Was that your first time?

If you come today for brunch, it will be a completely different atmosphere; a tad more relaxing and laid back.

See you next time. PM me first and I’ll try to be here so I can stand you a drink.

Cheers,

Bob

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I am outraged.

What is this with the ribeyes at Carnegie’s anyway? You dump that huge slab of meat absolutely cooked to perfection and then allow me to order both creamed spinach and peas PLUS the baby potatoes. Clearly, this is a nefarious plot to ensure that Fred Smith continues to grow in stature.

Seriously, very amazingly well-cooked ribeye and massive. Very impressive Bob.

Now, how can I qualify that… haha

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Thank you for those kind words. Given the level of your outrage, I can say that on behalf of all of us here, we were delighted when you left.

Best Regards,

Bob

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Had a very memorable meal there today. One that I am not soon to forget. I won’t forget it cuz for the next few days, every time I try to eat or drink, I will be reminded of this “meal”.

I ordered the steak lunch special. After carefully explaining that I wanted it medium rare, pink and between a 6 and a 7, making sure that my waitress understood in three different ways, I was presented with a steak that mooed when I cut into it.

Okay, I am so used to this in Taiwan that I almost expected it. I explained once again what I wanted and it was whisked away for further searing.

Upon it’s return, and I must say that very few ticks of the old Timex had been tuck between the taking and the return, I popped a forkful of mashed potatos into my gob only to find myself gagging in pain.

You see, instead of popping my steak back on the grill, the cook simply nuked it in the microwave. So when I put the spuds in my cakehole, I seared my soft palette and uvula to the point of blisters. In the fascinating world of medicine, when a burn blisters, it’s called 2nd degree.

So now, every time I swallow, I am reminded of my lunch at Carnage.

Oh and the steak was still mooing.

So back it goes a third time. This time the bar manager, a lovely lass who has always been most courteous with me, brings it out, and inquires if something is wrong. I tell her that the spuds blistered my mouth, and instead of commiserating and apologizing, she rationalized the situation for me. Well bloody done.

To be fair, I was offered a coke, which I refused. This offer was then upped to a glass of wine, which I also turned down.

In any restuarant that I have ever worked at (and that’s plenty), any indiscretion that causes discomfort for the client would have seen said client’s tab QSA’d, promo’d, written off and in most cases, an offer of another meal at their convenience would be proffered.

I was offered a coke.

I usually enjoy Carnage and make it a point to dine there at least twice a month. Mr. Marshall, I will not be back. I am in pain because of your restaurant and I will not soon forget it.

Just be thankful I am not from the Litigous States of America.

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“Rupert”,

I was here the entire time you endured your unsatisfactory experience, yet you chose not to seek redress with me.

I shall send you a PM regarding this matter but I wish to make two points perfectly clear:

Your order was for medium rare. Pink is not medium rare; it is medium at the very least. You cannot have both. Medium rare contains some blood. Actually, upon investigation, I have found out that what was initially prepared would have suited you. It was pink but pink did not match the order taken so another was made…medium rare.

We NEVER microwave steaks. Ever. To assert otherwise is absolutely false.

Yes, the mashed potatoes were reheated. The priority was to get you your meal on time so that you could eat with your partner.

Again, I was here the entire time. Had you spoken to me (you knew where I was as we acknowledged each other upon your arrival), it could have been resolved in a manner more to your satisfaction rather than this public display of prose prowess.

You have my number, call me and we can discuss.

Best Regards,

Bob

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My god how long has this been going on? I humbly apologize for not telling my fello forumosans about this sooner but somebody has to take action against the outrageous antics that go on in that pit of a bar ‘Carnegies’. I mean, yesterday I walk in for lunch expecting a rude, flat, tactless college student of some local university to throw a menu at me and give the all to often greeting in Taiwan eateries, “ni yao she me”(what the fuck do you want and be quick about it eh? we’ve got to seat this table at least 4 times this lunch hour) but instead i was greated by a smile, somebody saying my name and a light conversation over what looked good on the menu.(all of it) When I had barely finished my request for a beverage the foam from the tap was just dribbling to a stop and a glass magically appeared in front of me! I mean really, the audacity of it! And what’s with this Stella Artouis business? A crisp beer that had such a good bite I ended up having 2 more later. What a cheap trick, I wanted a Bush or a Taiwan origional to bland my tastebuds. It got worse. My order of a stringy, leathery, chared lump or coal came out pink and bloody with sizzling gristle blue cheese dressing, wilted vegtables smothered in cheese, and thick creamy mashed potatos. I protested at the propertions and concentrated on demolishing the steak occasionally smiling to show my disgust. Bastards, I actually got what I wanted. And who’s this BOB character, I mean really, who wants to sit down and have a beer with the overseer and chat about customer satisfaction, quality to detail, and over all…well anything in general . I mean this isn’t right, is it? I’m sure it was all just some ploy to get my blood up. I mean these aren’t real people, are they? They actually take pride in their work, and apearance, and reputation, most of all, the customers who are responsible for them being open in the first place. I was so fed up I had to leave a tip, vacate satisfied, and continue having a pleasant afternoon. But I’ll show em, I’m going back!!![/i]

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TpeBob has PM’d me with a very fair offer of apology. Sincerely, Thank you Bob.

But I wasn’t fishing for a free meal. I guess I am too in touch with my yin. I want to feel justified in my anger. I want someone to tell me that I am right and the cook was wrong. These spuds were nuclear hot.

I’ll ask the DNS if she wants to take you up on your kind offer and I’ll get back to you.

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I haven’t eaten at Carnegies, but I was dragged in there last weekend for the first and last time.
$500 NT at the door, security prepped for violence; jammed to the tits, kids (idiots!) dancing on the bar. Couldn’t get a drink without risking being kicked in the face by one or another of the attention-starved, bar-top boogiers. $170NT for a thimble-sized bottle of water; my drink was a glass of ice, presumably an ounce of alcohol and a few drops of mix - gone in less time than it took to buy from a bartender who was more interested in climbing back and forth over the bar than serving drinks.
The music sucked: Ricky Martin, Mambo #5…it was like someone had created a playlist of the most vile pop music EVER.
The worst bar experience in five years in Taiwan. Never again.

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I wouldn’t say that wearing a black T-shirt and having no hair is “prepped for violence” (we are regarded by many as a trouble-free and by our female patrons, as a ‘safe’ place to go out) and neither would I say that “kids” (and most definitely not “idiots”) is the correct term for the vast majority of our patrons as we generally enforce a minimum of 25 years or older as an entrance requirement. The NT$500 does include a drink and there is also the NT$800 option for which you get three drinks if greater value is important. Members need not pay this. The water is priced fairly and there is a reason for that pricing structure on water which I won’t go into here. In general, the barstaff are very attentive and I would say that they are some of the best in the city. Sometimes, when very busy, it can take longer than a nano-second to get a drink but that is understandable when there are hundreds, if not thousands of beverages to serve. You may appreciate their attentiveness more on a quieter night.

Sorry that you didn’t enjoy it: each to their own tastes, I suppose. But we are open 7 days a week and provide a wide range of food & beverages at different times of the day from when we open to when we close. Different times, different ambiences. I know quite a few who prefer to come down when it’s not packed to the gunwhales and others who only visit when there is little room.

Try a Monday night during Happy Hour while sitting on the balcony; you may then feel more positively inclined.

Sincerely,

Bob Marshall
General Manager

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I was there last Wednesday and I am always amazed at how the staff can get around the room (huge and crowded) and take drink orders and go up to the bar and get them back to you in three to five minutes and remember what the hell it was that you ordered with absolute perfection. Kudos to the wait staff at Carnegie’s for also remaining so polite and not just barging through the crowd to get back to their stations in time. These people really work for the money let me tell you. If I had to push through the crowd for more than 15 minutes to ferry drinks back and forth, I’d be belting someone. Maybe that’s why the bouncers are “prepped for violence” haha

Best Bar in Asia from what I hear. Every time I have friends or colleagues coming from abroad, the first place they want to go is Carnegie’s both for the fun ANDfor the food. So far, no one has been disappointed. Admittedly it takes them a while to work up their courage to get on the bar and dance but when they do it once they are hooked. That or they are trying to get away for a few minutes and not have to talk to (or rather listen to) me!

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Indeed, different strokes for different folks. I avoid Carnegies on most evenings… but, on week days and weekend afternoons, there is no place better, IMO. The drinks suit me and the food is generally excellent.

This past Sunday my wife and I went for brunch. The Greek salad is really fantastic, if you ask me.

Sure, they could play more Grateful Dead… but, good drinks and good food… and electric blues in the background… that combination works well for me.

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Could somebody please tell me what’s included in “The Big One”? I just gotta know. I haven’t had a western-style breakfast in about a year now. :noway:[/quote]
Dear Violet,

Naturally I am compelled to agree with Maoman’s expressed sentiment.

“The Big One” consists of: freshly squeezed orange juice, three eggs, two huge sausages, chips, bacon, baked beans, fried tomato, fried mushrooms, unlimited toast, butter, jam/marmalade, and unlimited coffe or tea refills. It really is a big feed and few people mange to finish it. [/quote]
I just dug up this old photo of Carnegie’s “The Big One”, and they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so…

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Maoman,

You will be happy to know that since that picture was taken, we have new tables so Mrs Moaman no longer has to hold half of your breakfast and is now able to enjoy her omelette at the same time as you attempt to finish your “Big One”.

You must have been hungry, I note that you dug up a picture of the “Big One” at 3.41 a.m.

I pray that you don’t have any Christmas day photos, that was a messy afternoon. :blush:

Thanking you in advance

Bob

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Well I ventured to Carnegies this afternoon as the typhoon was warming up, for brunch. After many Wednesday nights there, this was my first time for actual food. My gf and I split the Big One, and were quite satisfied with it. Just one question about Maoman’s photo though. The Big One consists of the bottom 2 plates right? That top plate was another meal, right? Because if it wasn’t, we were missing food. Not that we needed anymore. All in all, a great feed. Thanks!

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Correct. The other one in the picture is an omelette.

Bob

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I did lunch today at Carnegies with me wife which was actually the first time we’ve been there. I ordered the Steak sandwich and she ordered pasta. We both enjoyed our meals immensly. The food is top quality, portions are big for the price and the ambience is really nice with high ceilings and all. Tpe Bob was there and very accomodating. We will be going there often in the future.

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Correct. The other one in the picture is an omelette.

Bob[/quote]
We had the same thing on Saturday. My wife had the H.C. omelette. It’s a lot of food but I ate all of it. I had a Big One too.

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I went there a couple of weeks ago with my boys and they pigged out. Great food and service.The nice manager even provided mayonnaise for their French Fries…but he kept making comments about older women. :astonished: