See I blame Buttercup for giving Carnegies such a low rating, well not her actually but people had constantly talked about Carnegies and so I had very high expectations when I went there. The food was never bad but it was never anything that made me say “oh wow this is increadible, I have to come back” Bob I’ll PM you the details on the dishes. Also Carnegies is a bit out of my way since I live in Shi-Da, I can walk to most of the places I have on my list. As for brunch well the Carnegies brunch is well known in Taipei so I would have expected to be able to order it on weekdays. Not your fault, just saying the fame of the brunch might be working against it in this case.
And this could of course be the other reason I didn’t like it that much, I’ve only had breakfast there so I can’t speak for lunch or dinner.
As for Tavern I’ve been there and thought the satff was very quick with the order but the food wasn’t anything to write home about, I’ve been there only twice so I can’t really say one way or the other. On the other hand going to the Brass Monkey makes one realize how badly that type of food can be messed up.
[quote=“snafu”]And this could of course be the other reason I didn’t like it that much, I’ve only had breakfast there so I can’t speak for lunch or dinner.
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So…erm the “mediocracy” of the food and your assessment of us being the second most over-rated place in Taiwan is based on solely the breakfast? if you didn’t like it / weren’t happy at the time, you could always have told us at the time. I am sorry that your opinion of us as a whole has been coloured by this.
You should try the venison, the steaks, the curries, the pies and the myriad other dishes we serve from our menu. The prices are reasonable, the portions are large and the meats we use are always top quality. We buy in steak for the price others have been known to sell it at. It isn’t cheap.
We have never been a budget outlet; it is not the market we aim for or cater to. It is somewhat erroneous to make unfavourable remarks about price when those that shine in your listing provide different items for less, in dollar terms. :s
I look forward to your PM. You are most welcome to pop down for a beer or two on the house too and I can further elaborate.
[quote=“TpeBob”][quote=“snafu”]And this could of course be the other reason I didn’t like it that much, I’ve only had breakfast there so I can’t speak for lunch or dinner.
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So…erm the “mediocracy” of the food and your assessment of us being the second most over-rated place in Taiwan is based on solely the breakfast? if you didn’t like it / weren’t happy at the time, you could always have told us at the time. I am sorry that your opinion of us as a whole has been coloured by this.
You should try the venison, the steaks, the curries, the pies and the myriad other dishes we serve from our menu. The prices are reasonable, the portions are large and the meats we use are always top quality. We buy in steak for the price others have been known to sell it at. It isn’t cheap.
We have never been a budget outlet; it is not the market we aim for or cater to. It is somewhat erroneous to make unfavourable remarks about price when those that shine in your listing provide different items for less, in dollar terms. :s
I look forward to your PM. You are most welcome to pop down for a beer or two on the house too and I can further elaborate.
Best Regards,
Bob[/quote]
If I complain can I have a couple of free beers too?
XinJiang province cuisine at the HJS Grill. Good food, especially in the winter, reasonably priced, friendly service, central location. Can’t really ask for more. forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopi … =HJS+Grill
Thanks for your list Snafu. There area few places I am keen to try.
I do believe you are being a bit harsh on Carnegies.
The thing i find with many western food places in Taiwan is consitency, or lack thereof. I have had some great meals around town and when I return I often wonder WTF I was thinking by taking someone back there just to say ‘sorry about that, it was better when I went last time’.
The other thing about Taiwan western restaurants is they tend to start off with a hiss and a roar and generally decline progressively after that (just one example was a post here about some amazing buffet with cheese platters etc, yet 18 months later consisted of Chesdale processed cheese slices, still in the plastic no less). I am not sure what the term is, but even some decent international chains get ‘Taiwanified’ and become a shadow of their opening week.
So, back to Carnegies. It might not have the BEST steak in town (that I reserve for the 2-3000nt Steaks at Ruth’s Chris, but you’re paying 3-4 times as much) but it’s pretty damn consistent as being right up there. There is not doubt that all the dishes there are great value for money IMHO, and it’s one place where there always seems to be something for everyone whether it’s a choice of 5-6 steaks, Venison, Pasta, Salads, Curry etc etc.
I all honesty, you simply can’t review Carnegies based on not eaten lunch or dinner there.
I find the staff and service at Carnegies to also be consistently great, and the policy of not including the Taiwan sham 10% Service Charge gets a huge :bravo: from me. At least it’s up to the diner(s) to decide, not the management
I like the can-do attitude there, meaning if you want to mix and match the sides from other dishes, as long as it isn’t an unreasonable request then it’s never a problem. Anyway, I agree with TpeBob that you should go back for dinner and give it a try.
I do agree with you that the Diner is a sure fire choice, and never a let down, but it depends what you want. For breakfasts and burgers etc, it’s brilliant, but it’s not really the sort of place you can sit around for a couple of hours soaking in the atmosphere over some beers - it’s an ‘in and out’ kind of place, and due to the popularity vs available seating, I am sure the Diner is happy to stick with the ‘in an out’ model for the time being.
The proprietor/cook is the saddest lady - this place is not pumping. Doubly sad is that her pasta au gratin is the best i’ve had in taiwan. Her pesto spaghetti and cream sauces are also excellent, around NT150 for a dish. www.coupletaipei.com.tw. Just off Shin Sheng Nan Rd. Truly great pasta.
The proprietor/cook is the saddest lady - this place is not pumping. Doubly sad is that her pasta au gratin is the best i’ve had in taiwan. Her pesto spaghetti and cream sauces are also excellent, around NT150 for a dish. www.coupletaipei.com.tw. Just off Shin Sheng Nan Rd. Truly great pasta.[/quote]
The Web site link does not work for me.
Xinsheng Nan Lu and nali? Xinsheng and Xinyi? Xinsheng and Heping? Please give us a cross-street or an address.
I’d like to give this place a try, based on your strong recommendation.
Accessed the Web site and found the map. I know the general area–close to Witches Pub, Lane 86, Cafe Odeon II. There are a bunch of good little places sprinkled in the alleys between Xinsheng and Wenzhou (including another decent pasta place called “Yi Ma Li”).
Thanks for giving me another place to check out in that area.
. In terms of value; our prices are reasonable and when combined with no service charge and member discounts for those with a card, they are very reasonable indeed. It took a while but even the highly discerning sandman was won over…
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Thank God for that. At $200NT for a bottled beer or base spirit its nice to know that Carnegies wouldnt dare charge its guests an extra 10%.
But hang on, several other western themed establishments charge between $160 and $180 inc service charge for the aforementioned items AFAIK
Lets see…$160 plus 10%…da da da. Oh I get it. Service charge is INCLUDED the price and therefore you are not effectively adding it to the bill…Clever!
Overrated, overpriced, over it!
Accessed the Web site and found the map. I know the general area–close to Witches Pub, Lane 86, Cafe Odeon II. There are a bunch of good little places sprinkled in the alleys between Xinsheng and Wenzhou (including another decent pasta place called “Yi Ma Li”).
Thanks for giving me another place to check out in that area. [/quote]
[quote=“The Specialist”]Service charge is INCLUDED the price and therefore you are not effectively adding it to the bill…Clever!
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I have explained elsewhere on these boards that such a cynical way of setting price levels is not what we do. Your assertion is false. There is no service charge here, hidden or otherwise.
