Was due to head off to Shenzhen in few days for a long stint, so I was in the mood for some Western food before leaving, but not Italian, thanks. Decided some good old pub grub was what we needed and Carnegies is widely regarded as one of the better Western pubs in Taipei.
Took the taxi to Anhe Rd. near the Far Eastern Shangri-La, the heart of the pub district on the Taipei east-side. It is reputed as quite the ex-pat meat-market but at the regular dinner hour the place was mostly occupied by gatherings of co-workers or foreigners on-assignment with their laptop bags all chilling out after work. The latter types found their places at the long bar, backed by a massive multi-story, well-stocked liquor shelf. Apparently late-night the bar turns into a stage for folks willing to get up and dance but we deliberately chose to pass on the spectacle.
We were still on Happy Hour drink prices, and 200NTD for a pint of Hoegaarden witbier was pretty reasonable, in a glass almost big enough to dunk my head in. A dainty bottle of raspberry beer for the SO is a perfectly refreshing girly drink. Came in wanting a burger but the steaks looked awfully tempting and why eat ground beef when there's rib-eyes and filets to be had? The rib-eye wasn't a huge piece of meat, but it had neat grill marks on the surface and cooked perfectly medium-rare. Chose the mushroom gravy which came on the side instead of smothering the meat like other places. The sauce had plenty of meaty flavor and made a good company with the meat. Dipped the fries in it, too. SO had chicken rolls stuffed with chevre then breaded and pan-fried, drizzled with a pesto cream sauce. The breading kept the meat moist and the pesto sauce was yummy.
Tasty food, good atmosphere, and a reasonable value. Missed out on the drunken bar-top dancing, but that was fine with us. Certainly a big step up from TGIF. Plenty of other interesting items to be had on the menu and they do a good weekend brunch, too. Will have to check it out sometime.
Carnegies Restaurant
卡內基餐廳
台北市大安區安和路2段100號
02-23254433