I went last night.
There are 4 sections – bar, main dining, curtained room for parties or overflow, and four tables outside. We first sat outside. The tables are high and very unstable. They wobble with any contact. I don’t think it would be possible to eat outside if you need to cut your food.
I only saw one type of menu and it had English dish names but the descriptions and everything else was in Chinese.
After a drink we moved inside to the back of the main dining area. They are extremely brave to have an open kitchen. Sitting in the back provides a clear view of the prep and cooking action. The kitchen appeared very professional and handled the pressure well. Not an easy accomplishment to find a crew that can pull it off in Taiwan.
Another coup is that they pulled in 4 of Chili’s best staff. Their guidance to the other staff is noticeable. Smart move. The staff is energetic to almost the point of exuberance.
We had the full rack of ribs ($830), Chicken cashew salad ($390), and Southwest egg rolls ($280). The ribs come with garlic fries and cole slaw. Neither was anything special. The meat quality was good but the ribs were very dry. The salad was non-descript iceberg. Egg rolls were bland.
I started off with the beer sampler ($230). Like jlick says they bring you five and you get one more of your choice. The beers are Golden Export, Hefeweizen, Czech Lager, Märzen, and Schwarzbier.
IN MY OPINION - The Golden Export makes Taiwan Beer look like a stout. It also has a slight chemical taste. The Hefeweizen is slightly too sweet. The Czech Lager has a strong MiJou nose. Smell the glass. The Schwarzbier leaves a chalky residue in your mouth. It is close to a half-and-half. The only beer that I would consider drinkable for me was the Märzen. It is closest in flavor to a standard ale.
They have a glassed case when you come in the door reserved for VIP customers where they will put your special individual glass and your name on a plate.
Also, even though the Taipei Times and jlick have said the beer is made in a brewery in Xindian, I was told that the brewery won’t start producing until July. In the interim they have imported the beer from the U.S. Kind of disappointing since the quality is not that great and the beers gave me the same impression as the other places that “make” their own beer (jolly pub, deluxe, etc.). Little flavor and a lingering chemical aftertaste.
I was also told the owner is the president of Hsinchu’s Wong Xi Technology. Supposedly he has been in negotiations for ten years to get a branch. The head office was concerned about maintaining quality. They plan to open next in China (10 branches) and Hong Kong.
The total with the beer sampler, 3 pints, 2 ice coffees, 1 lemonade, ribs, salad, and egg rolls was $2,981. A little steep for the lackluster food.
I agree with citizen k – unremarkable American chain food. The atmosphere and no-risk food makes you feel like you are in an airport terminal bar. Not bad but not good. An average experience.