Carnegie's - Food & Service

Cuisine Greater Taipei Restaurants
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[quote=“honeybird”][quote=“Connel”]Just had to say big thumbs up ! :thumbsup: on Sunday me, my missus & our baby daughter went to Carnegies for brunch…

We managed to get out usual comfy seat right in the corner (with the no smoking sign). For us the corner is great as we can sandwich our baby between us, staff & service were fantastic, we were very appreciative of the staff getting us hot water for the babies bottle & keeping smokers at least an empty table away. :bravo: :bravo: [/quote]

TpeBob,

I’d love to come in and dine. But one question: is Carnegie’s still set up this way in regards to a “non-smoking” section? If I were seated in a non-smoking section, I would be pretty upset if I could still smell neighboring smokers. That would ruin the dining experience. Smokers seated 2 tables away doesn’t do the trick for me, as I’m very sensitive to smoke.

Thanks for reading.[/quote]

Hello Honeybird,

To be honest, pretty much. The seats nearest the DJ booth though are the least likely to be affected by smoke. During the day, that corner as well as the one described above are designated no-smoking areas. Should you make a reservation, we will endeavour to ensure that the smokers are seated furthest away from you within the seating plan we have. Fortunately, the high ceiling and good ventilation help dissipate, to a large extent, lingering smoke. Alternatively, there is the balcony, which is a smoking area and it only requires a small breeze to disperse the smoke. But then there are traffic fumes to contend with…

If you call us and state at the time of booking your strong preference for non-smoking, we will endeavour to make sure you are comfortable and well-looked after.

A much bigger environmental concern, however, would be finding yourself anywhere near Fred Smith whose malodorous attributes are well-known.

Hope this helps.

Best Regards,

Bob

142

Thanks for your reply, Bob. We shall give it a try, and look forward to dining at Carnegie’s.

143

Me and my friends had a fantastic dining experience in Carnegie’s last week.
The background was that we are a group of friends that take turn to invite for dinner once every month or so, and this month I was my turn.

My friends are most familiar with the local dining scene, and that means that all the previous dinners has been Chinese or Japanese in various formats, and that they only know Carnegie’s from the press (not all positive).

Anyway, as the only “western” guy among us, I wanted to introduce Carnegie’s to them as an excellent restaurant, in addition to being a bar, where they can bring customers, clients and friends and have a full night with excellent food and service, and a lot of fun after dinner.

Part of my “grand plan” was to make a set menu with a theme from my home country, ordered in advance, so my friends would not chicken out and pick some “safe dishes”.

To make a long story short, Bob and Richard stepped in and proposed a special menu for us, and it was fantastic. The food was delicious, the service and athmosphere was excellent and the suggested wines matched the food superbly.

My friends (and I) could not have more happy, and we have already started to plan our next visit.

Thanks Olivia, Richard and Bob for making our evening a fantastic one.

The moral of the story:
-If you have a special occasion you want to celebrate, don’t hesitate to ask Bob or Olivia to make something special for you - you will not regret!

144

Dear All,

All being well, we will be offering a modified a la carte selection from this weekend (Friday) on. Veggies should be a little happier and those who like their curries will be well catered to as the curries move from the generic to the specific.

Cheers,

Bob

145

Where to begin? Where to begin?

First, the announcement:
Carnegie’s has added a new dimension to Taipei dining with the introduction of a take-away curry menu that will absolutely knock your damn socks off.
Yes, that’s right. If you’re hankering for a “proper” curry, like what you’d get in Bradford or Glasow, except BETTER!, then look no further. I simply cannot believe what Richard and that fat bloke with the boat have come up with. Enough of the smarm, though, and on with the menu.

Here’s what’s on offer:
Main Dishes

Vegetable Korma (mild) – Light, very fresh, rich mild tomato-ey korma sauce, vegetables that are perfectly cooked, not too crunchy but in no way soggy or mushy. It’s got the requisite “real curry” flavour but you can still taste the veggies.

[b]Chicken Mughlai Korma /b – This one was a winner. Could it be one of the best curries I’ve tasted? Perhaps. Fantastic melangerie of coconut, yoghurt, slivered almonds and … BANANA? Yup, banana. Any curry lovers out there have simply GOT to try this one, I shit you not.

Chicken Madras (medium) – This one will be snapped up by any Brit who wants a taste of home. Fairly generic compared to some of the other offerings, but still very good indeed.

[b]Lamb Rogan Josh /b – Rich, slightly sour, heavy on the tomatoes, meltingly tender lamb… this is my absolute favourite. I can’t say more than that. Stupendous!

Lamb Jalfrezie (medium hot) – No on second thoughts, maybe THIS is my absolute favourite. BANG! Fresh bell peppers hit you first, followed by the rich, rich, slightly dryish bhuna sauce and again, melt-in-the-mouth lamb.

Prawn Vindaloo (very hot) – This could make Carnegie’s famous. It is hands-down one of the best curries I have ever tasted anywhere in the world. This is not hyperbole. Hothothot, but not such that your tastebuds are numbed by the first mouthful. No, this is a rich spicy sour red curry in which the heat builds slowly so that you have the chance to really taste the various spices.

Side dishes available include basmati pilau rice, aloo ghobi, channa daal, naan bread, raita, mango chutney and lime pickle. And they are also spot-on.

They are available on the normal menu too, but for the full impact and stunning value – for takeaway, 2 people can stuff themselves for a little over NT$500 – you should opt for the cairry-oot version, which is even presented in the correct tinfoil dishes. There’s even a paper napkin included in the deal!

I swear to you, this is better than anything offered by any of the Taipei curry shops I’ve eaten at. It’s real “British-style” Indian and therefore the real deal. I was going to post photos of the food, but hunger and desire took over, and I couldn’t get my phone out until all that was left were leftovers. Even so, they still look good. Damn, in fact I’m getting peckish again just looking at them.

Sorry this isn’t a terribly eloquent review. The blood is still circulating around my stomach area, leaving my brain in even more of a state than usual.

Carnegie’s sells Guinness too, by the way. Lots of it. And snakebite.



THIS, my friends, is what curries are 'a aboot, ye ken? Lord Lucan? HAHAHAHAHAHA! You’re in the wrang toon noo, laddie.

146

Full-flavoured afterburn, ruptured spleen and some redecorating of the bathroom. No clearer signs of the authentic British curry.

Bob, a splendid afternoon. Richard, I should not be surprised after what you did for the Greed Club, but I was. You are truly a remarkable chef!

I think Sandman forgot to mention the home-made naan. Bob, will you consider garlic naan?

Deepak used to knock up some decent stuff and the leg of lamb is truly special, but Bob is bringing us a treat, a full selection of Britcurries. I almost shed a tear of nostalgia for the old country when I saw the fried egg atop the biryani!

Sandman, I thought “generic” was almost insulting for the Chicken Madras, although it was in esteemed company. A nice change from the truly generic tikka masala from yer toon! I thought it was a cracker.

The vindaloo got my top vote. My tasting notes finished with “slow mouth death”, which may sound a little dramatic and is definitely too simplistic, but bear with me. The heat builds gently while you appreciate the tart vinegar flavours and then the fresh prawns before the bastard starts selectively targeting different areas of the throat and mouth to punish, and oddly, last of all, the lips. No need to go into detail on the after effects.

The lamb dishes were superb and no nasty chewy bits o mutton. The roganjosh is a veritable classic (pipping the jalfrezie as I don’t like bell peppers much).

The veggie dishes were delicious and a great way to start the meal, although they did taste a little bland after we got stuck into the meat dishes…I think that’s normal anyway. The daal was my fave, closely followed by the aloo gobi. Top notch.

Bob, when will this curry out service start?

147

Well, I was going to wait until I had finished designing and getting printed the handy little name card sized menu thingies, got some flyers made up and a silly poster or two for the bogs (prime ad space for curries, in my opinion) as well as a feasible order-taking mechanism when we can’t hear the phone or the person on the other end of it but, well, anyway, here it is:

“Curry Out” 印度咖哩外帶

Mains主菜

Vegetable Korma (mild) 椰汁青蔬咖哩 （微辣） NT$180
Chicken Mughlai Korma (mild) 椰汁雞肉咖哩（微辣） NT$220
Chicken Madras (medium hot) 馬德拉斯咖哩雞（中辣） NT$220
Lamb Rogan Josh (medium) 北印蕃茄咖哩羊肉（中辣） NT$230
Lamb Jalfrezie (medium hot) 香料燉羊肉 （中辣） NT$230
Prawn Vindaloo (very hot) 辛辣咖哩蝦 （大辣） NT$250
*Chicken Biryani印度雞肉蒸飯 （請選擇辣度） NT$250
*This is a rice dish which comes with a rich gravy. Please state your preference for mild, medium or hot for the sauce.

Sides 配菜

Basmati Rice 香味飯 NT$ 60
Aloo Ghobi辣味馬鈴薯花椰菜 NT$100
Channa Dhal 鷹嘴豆泥 NT$110
Naan Bread印度烤餅 2 pieces NT$ 60
Raita酸奶黃瓜 portion/份 NT$ 20
Mango Chutney醃芒果甜醬 portion/ 份 NT$ 20
Lime Pickle萊姆醃菜 portion/份 NT$ 20

All way too bloody cheap, if you ask me :unamused:

Orders can only be taken by phone or in person; I am afraid that we can’t take orders via PM or email simply because we don’t monitor the computer all day. When placing an order, please allow 15 - 30 minutes for prep time. Also, I ask you to speak really slowly as these Indian terms are a little unfamiliar to our staff, unsurprisingly.

We don’t deliver, I am afraid.

Additionally…I shouldn’t have to say this but it will happen some day…the above “Curry Out” menu is for take-away only and not for in-house consumption, so changing one’s mind, sitting on the balcony and tucking in is, well, you get the drift…

dogged: Richard will make some garlic naan tomorrow to go with my Vindaloo brekkie, so I’ll let you know the tasting result. Thanks for the feedback by the way (and the vivid SMS messages over the past two days :laughing: )

Bugger. I almost forgot to answer your question.

It is available now. Every day until we almost close.

Cheers all,

Bob

148

As tomorrow is a holiday, we will open until very late tonight and the bars will go up so that those thusly inclined will be able to express themselves through dance. Additionally, there is no cover charge tonight. I.D.'s will be required though. Members can also enjoy their increased discounts as it is Monday.

Tomorrow, we will be serving Brunch from 11a.m. until 5 p.m. Of course, the take out curries are also available but we probably won’t be able to take phone orders tonight because we won’t be able to hear it ring and, as I said earlier, we haven’t had time yet to work out a feasible mechanism to get round this. Best thing to do, if you fancy a curry at home is to pop round to order and have a swift beer while you wait.

Cheers and enjoy Labour Day tomorrow.

Bob

149

Vanessa and I had a veritable curry feast on Saturday night, and then again on SUnday night, as there was so much food that we easily stretched it into two meals. The naan was perfect, the curries distinctive and original, the meat tender, and the vindaloo was just right. I don’t know much about Indian food, or Brit/Indian food, being neither Indian nor British, but I’ve eaten many vindaloos in my time, and the shrimp vindaloo was very nice. It’s hot, but not unbearably so. Vanessa couldn’t handle much more than a taste of it though - amateur! :unamused:

Best of luck with this new take-away menu, Bob. Carnegie’s has, in one weekend, just increased the quality of life for expats in Taipei. :notworthy:

150

“Oh, give us a bash at the bangers and mash
Me mother used to make!”

Well, I had brunch at Carnegie’s yesterday and tried another of the newer offerings – bangers and mash.
Three fat juicy lincolnshire sausages specially made according to Carnegie’s instructions (I believe) sitting atop a mound of roughly mashed spuds, topped with lashings of onions and surrounded by an ocean of rich and flavoursome red wine gravy.
Really, really tasty. sandman recommends heartily.

Took a rogan josh and aloo ghobi away with me as well, just to make sure they were as good as I remembered. They were. But Bob, as I feared and pointed out on Friday, the naan was not very happy about its plastic bag. Paper would definitely be better.

151

Thanks for the feedback Sandman and am happy you enjoyed the Bangers & Mash (it sounds simple but Richard has interpreted it well and uniquely).

The naan package issue has been resolved; my apologies for the oversight. It should already have been put in a paper bag and I can only surmise that in this instance they forgot :blush: Needless to say, your next naan order will be on the house and you will be permitted to keep the paper bag as a memento.

I took mine home in a paper bag last night and indeed your original observations on Friday were correct.

Last night I had two curries and naan and dispensed with any cutlery and crockery and ate direct from the containers as is traditional. The oil from the jalfrezie stuck to the underside of the madras foil container has now permanently stained my wooden coffee table and strangely, I am rather pleased with the new look it offers.

Cheers,

Bob

152

I had three of the new curry dishes on Saturday.

I echo what sandman and others have said. All three were great!

The Chicken Mughlai Korma is a real crowd pleaser. Nice pieces of tender chicken with a mild but flavorful sauce. All at our table loved it. It will appeal to anyone whether curry lover or “beginner”.

The Lamb Rogan Josh has lean and juicy lamb with a fairly rich sauce. Just the right mixture of spices to make it a curry you can eat anytime. Very tasty.

The Prawn Vindaloo is hot but not blowtorch hot. The slightly spicy slightly sour curry has a heat that builds up slowly. The vindaloo has probably the most complex flavoring of the three as it continues to take on different characteristics. First you notice the sourness from the vinegar then the sweetness of the shrimp then the other spices and finally the heat. Great flavor!

I can’t go into greater detail as some guy sat at our table plying me with Newcastle Ale and Akvavit while he was sampling my curry. :wink:

However, I will say that in addition to the wonderful flavors of the curries a major thing that rockets Carnegie’s new curries way past the competition is the quality of the meat. Carengie’s uses nice cuts of lean and tender meat where the competition (scratch that word there is no competition) I should say where the others use chicken that is mostly bone and lamb that is just gristle.

It is hard to pick a favorite as they are so different. All were great. Bob, will you consider a sampler option? I know it would be more work for you (that is why I am requesting it) but it would be great to be able to sample several curries without getting all the sides with each one. Also, please expedite the arrival of the raita.

Thanks Bob, we had a great time and loved the food. Newcastle is a perfect accompaniment to the curries. I’ll be back soon to try the rest of the new menu.

:beer: :hungry:

153

[quote=“elektronisk”]I can’t go into greater detail as some guy sat at our table plying me with Newcastle Ale and Akvavit while he was sampling my curry. :wink:

[/quote]

Um…quality control is very important :blush: . Plus you wouldn’t stop talking :wink:

I’ll make a note of that sampler idea but there are some practical problems with that. Lemme think.

Anyhow, thanks for the positive feedback. :slight_smile:

Bob

154

Here Bob, when do the ladies’ night shennannigans begin on a Wednesday? If I was to pop in at around 8 to order a curry oot, would that be OK or would I end up having strange bosoms pressed into me from all angles?

155

Won’t be a problem.

Bob

156

Took the madras and a vindaloo last night. Still as delicious as I remembered. tpebob, please buy a new phone for the bar…I called four times, with no answer. Unfortunately I had to go and wait at the bar while my curry was being nurtured. The pint of Newccie and the ever-charming Rita distracted me so much that I forgot to order naan bread. Of all the schoolboy errors! I blame you tpebob…at least 'er’indoors found the vindaloo too spicy and I had to finish it myslf :laughing: hhhhot…:fume:

157

The phone…ah yes. Sorry about that but our deliberate ploy to get you to have a Newkie Broon seems to have worked. I may need to speak to Rita about charming you out of your naan. Also, sorry about not coming out for a beer last night; was under the weather all day.

See you when I get back from you know where in 12 days.

Cheers,

Bob

158

Noticed the menu has changed recently. The Tuna Steak was ‘to-die-for’. I’ll certainly be ordering that one again. Its a pity the other main courses don’t also come with the excellent side dish of salad it comes with.

Perhaps you could make it a choice?

159

[quote=“Tyc00n”]Noticed the menu has changed recently. The Tuna Steak was ‘to-die-for’. I’ll certainly be ordering that one again. Its a pity the other main courses don’t also come with the excellent side dish of salad it comes with.

Perhaps you could make it a choice?[/quote]

Tyc00n, glad you enjoyed the tuna. As far as offering the salad as an alternative vegetable side is concerned, it can be done. I will probably keep the printed menu as is, but if one asks for salad instead of other vegetables at the time of ordering, then salad it is. It isn’t unprecedented. Thanks for the suggestion.

Cheers,

Bob

160

I used to like Carnegie’s and when they got some Indian food it was even better but not anymore. I went there last night and couldn’t get in because of the 25 year old rule (a new world record?) which is fair enough for your main customer base, I guess, but then the Taiwanese door guy (speaking English) tried to insult me by telling me “the lady is fine to go in”, yeah the lady is my wife… We won’t go back there again… the night went well anyway though, somewhere else. I think the 25 year old thing is an insult to any foreigner here aged 21-24. Not all of us are idiots.