February 16, 2008
私處 - Coté a Coté
We went looking for a place to eat after walking through the Lantern Festival at the at SYS Memorial Hall. Got away from the crowd and wandered through the back alleys between the 國父紀念館 and 忠孝敦化 MRT stations which are packed with all sorts of restaurants and lounges. Was just about to settle for a random roadside food stand when I noticed the converted house of a restaurant set back behind a walled garden which seemed like a good spot for a light dinner. They don't have many tables in the first-floor dining room which was full, but it turned out that they had a big basement, too. The basement smelled a bit musty, though, so we sat outside on the patio. We could hear the crowds passing by but there was enough foliage and wall to provide privacy.
The menu consisted of light European fare with an emphasis on seafood, mostly French style with a few pasta dishes thrown in. The prix fixe seemed like a good value for the money. We started with a couple of seared scallops for the SO and I had a dish of zesty marinated calamari rings. I was impressed to see frisee and endive in a cheap prix fixe salad, which worked nicely with a simple vinaigrette. There was even real crab meat on top to qualify it as a real seafood salad.
For the mains, I had the halibut with a tomato Provençal sauce, with mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables on the side. The spicy tomato sauce provides the acidity and the flavors for the tender white fish. SO had the spaghetti two-ways: spicy seafood and mushroom medley. Both simple and tasty in the Mediterranean way.
All in all an excellent value for the money. Way better cooking than one would expect for a mid-low-priced Western restaurant around here. Some nice touches like the fancy greens and real crab meat to give the food a real bit of class. The big brown husky in the courtyard was a bit worrisome for the SO, but he seemed friendly enough albeit bored by the confinement. Thankfully somebody took him out for a jog around the block so we could make our escape unmolested.
私處
Coté a Coté
台北市大安區光復南路280巷50號1樓
02-2772-2826