You guys should check out VVG if you haven’t already.
Their weekend brunch (sat. and sun.) is great for about $180 or $280. It includes an omelette, homemade plain yogurt, a pesto and a honey mixed w/fruit to compliment the fresh homemade bread they serve there, and a big ‘bowl’ of latte. The higher priced one serves your choice of dessert and some kind of sausage or bacon. Sausage looks like bangers to me, but since I don’t eat weiners, not sure the flavour. Reckon they’re the real thing, not the sweet ones.
The coolest thing about this place is the hybrid of atmosphere and food. The desserts range from homemade brownies to cheesecakes, and let me tell you, the brownies are to die for!
The homemade bread is fantastic, and if you get a loaf of it just out of the oven, sinful, especially with that yummy pesto or their marinated mushrooms.
In fact, all the food there is gourmet. The kitchen is smack in the middle of the place and you can see the bread being kneaded and taken out of the oven, and the other dishes being whipped up right in front of your eyes. One time I was meeting someone there and had an hour to kill, I watched one woman make up this amazing cerviche in front of my eyes. It took her like two hours to chop up all the veggies, spices, etc. It looked delicious, but I’d already eaten, so haven’t tried that yet. She said she usually makes up that batch on Tuesday afternoons, so I guess by Wednesday, it’d be pretty well marinated and delish.
Location nearest to the corner of Dunhua and Civic Blvd in an alley back there. (near Fuck You fashions–no lie @the name!)
Zhongxiao E. Rd, Sec 4, Lane 181, Alley 40, No.20. They also have a very nice patio where smokers congregate. It’s open from 11am-until late and have quite the dinner menu, which I haven’t tried yet.
One thing: the service is a bit slow, but I would have to say that one gets used to that in Taiwan, and if you’re getting this quality of food, it’s actually a bearable condition.
I have to agree on the atmosphere… one of the nicest places I have been to period.
However, those sausages are sweet, the service is poor, the portions are getting smaller every time I go and the coffees are always served tepid.
Another case of ‘close but no cigar’. By your bacon, scramble some eggs, whip up that home made espresso and invite friends round to your house.
Well, I heard that the waiters are there on a voluntary basis. Some kinda tv group or people who flung a restaurant up together. The food, may be better midweek and after lunch rush is like they say, ‘very very good’. if i could make pesto sauce like that i’d go into business.
oh, they’re located in the bit behind hagaan daz back over there, you know? going towards civic blvd.
an alley off lane 147, Zhongxiao s4.
Lane 147 is the first lane that runs between Zhongxiao and civil blvd, parallel to Dunhua, to the east of Dunhua.
the VVG alley is the one nearest to civil B.
VVG’s chinese name is hao yang (good - type). neither name is very visible. But you’ll know it when you see seats spilling outside, surrounded by greenery.
The top chef used to work at the Ritz in London.
Alien - dont get me wrong - I LIKE the place. But for somewhere that is trying hard to be different from the run of the mill Taipei cafe, and with an owner as cool as she is (VERY good designer), I would hope for some decent service, it isnt that hard. One minute you feel like you are in a Melbourne, or London cafe, then BOOM, reality strikes.
And you CAN make pesto that good…
Hao Yang’s got the best sofa in town.
They grow their own vegetabes and condiments right on the street.
But the food, service and prices… Even their espresso is the scariest pot of gasoline I’ve ever tasted. The “Madonna” wine from Germany has got to go. The portions are so small I need to fork out NT$4000 to lose all appetite.
Still, my favourite hangout! Friendly, artistic, familylike. If they let me play my own music, and not their r&b or Claptonite shite.
Like eating at the Royal Tannenbaums’.
Went back here last week with ironlady and little buddha showed up later.
Since their menu seems to change often, had something entirely different.
It was this yummy seafood, grapefruit, mango, melon salad with a very interesting citrussy dressing and a hint of curry flavour. VVG!
Also shared a chicken fettucini that had like a walnut cream sauce. This place tends to blend the unusual, true gourmets.
And their brownies are still amazing if you like walnuts and raisins in yours.
I have to disagree on the brownies (or do you not bake, Alien – maybe that’s where the difference of opinion) but for the price, dry-ish and SMALL. Cut in quarters from a muffin, basically.
Ambience OK (weather helped) and the salad and pasta were really nice. Since I probably shouldn’t have had dessert in the first place, I have only myself to blame, I guess.
You’re right ironlady, Alien doesn’t bake. Unless it’s foccacia once in a blue moon. I rather like dry brownies though. I grew up with dry brownies…
Do yourself a favor and give this place a miss. I went the other night and was very disappointed. Somebody should tell them that stale bread remains stale no matter how long you microwave it. The pesto dip was tasteless. The “Marseilles fisherman soup” was so-so. I ordered the NT$450 sea bass fillet. Slice of bony fish with bits of ground pepper on it. Some tasteless watery “white wine sauce”. A dubious paste of some kind, and a smidgin of cheapo Chinese vegetables. I could hide the whole lot under one hand. Ritz chef my arse.
Was too pissed off to try the desserts.
At least the beer was cold.
Today’s Taipei Times has a review:
[quote=“The Taipei Times”]The VVG Bistro is a small French restaurant that can be difficult to find if you haven’t been told its exact address. Although its entrance is half obscured by shrubbery, it has nevertheless generated a following and can get quite crowded on the weekends. The creative dishes provided solid fare that lives up to the restaurant’s name: Very Very Good.
Click on the link for the rest of the story…[/quote]
[b]VVG Bistro stands for “very, very good.”
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
[/b]
Looks very very small.
Thanks for this term Alien. I plan on keeping it in my backpocket for use somewhere.
The freshly baked bread makes it sound like going for. Especially if it’s not sweet.
And for the second time in six months, the Taipei Times has a review:
[quote]VVG Bistro is, as its name suggests, “very, very good.” Specializing in Continental or European cuisine, VVG combines good taste with attention to detail and a reliance on time-consuming processes that prise flavor and goodness from the basic ingredients.
This attitude is reflected in the surroundings. A deck with a view of the quiet alley is the first impression of the restaurant. There are wrought-iron chairs plumped up with cushions and solid tables, fresh flowers and potted plants, set off by linen cloths and good, traditional cutlery. Everything from the ceiling to the floor has been tweaked to provide an intriguing environment that is best described as mix-and-match. [/quote]
[b]Sunday brunch is not only healthy, it’s very, very good at VVG.
Photo: Jules Quartly, Taipei Times
[/b]
Is the brunch still the same as what Alien reported, 3 years ago?
Anyone try it out lately?
Brunch is as pictured above. It is no longer ‘western’ style but a Taiwan take on something different… if that makes sense. Its Ok. Nice atmosphere but not as very very good as it once was.
VVG Tables is worth the effort though. Its about 3 door down from VVG
VVG has opened a place in Huashan 1914 called VVG Thinking. The restoration work and design of the building is fantastic and worth a visit. The first floor has a restaurant and cafe and the second floor has a shop with an eclectic variety of gifts, kitchen items and an extensive collection of English language cookbooks. I didn’t have time to eat there so I can’t speak to the food but the menu looked interesting and I plan to return.
I wandered in there randomly one day and enjoyed most of what I tried. The yuzu salad in a jar was neat. I’d go again and spend a little more time wandering “hipster heaven” in the loft area.