Why :        Monday Dinner
Where :     Zhongshan District, Taipei
When :     25th May 2020 (sat down at 1915)

It’s not a secret that GGG loves Italian food. The (joint) best restaurant so far in Taipei is Italian, and I’m keen to try another. I’m happy to take a recommendation from a colleague who knows his Arborio from his Carnaroli and off I head to Bellini Caffe. The restaurant is ideally located an easy 10 minute walk from Chez GGG. I’m greeted by the bright welcoming lights and the pleasant buzz of a busy restaurant.

We quickly establish that I haven’t booked and after 5 goes with the thermometer that I have a safe and normal 36.3C temperature. I’m advised that I’ll need to wait and am then immediately led past the open kitchen – where I receive a cheery Japanese-style welcome to the large dining room at the rear. 

The restaurant must be 70% full – a good sign for a Monday. Interior décor is smart, but unremarkable – the private dining rooms look nice but they’re empty apart from the debris of earlier diners. I’d probably close the door. I’m seated at the last available table, the chatty older couple* on the next table immediately offer me a whisky, how friendly I think.

I’m hungry and ready to go. There’s a wide selection of traditional Italian food : Antipasti, Pizza, Pasta, Risotto, Carne – all your favourites are there. I’m pleased to spot the Bellini cocktail as the first one on the drinks list, and then notice the rather liberal sprinkling of Bellinis on the food menu too. Rather bizarre. 

I opt for the Bellini Chopped salad (18 ingredients it promises me) and I do love a lasagne (as committed GGG readers will recall – Ristorantino, Sao Paulo) – it’s called Bellini too. I deduce that using the restaurant name is probably a shortcut for a House Speciality as there’s one in virtually every section. But then I notice “Bellini Speciale” is yet another sub section of pasta. The Marketer in me groans internally over the inconsistency, but I let it pass – I’m too hungry to nit-pick.

Quick to place my order, easy to do in English – but I get a slight withering smile when I ask the waitress if she can name all 18 ingredients in the salad. Still water is topping up, but I’m looking around expectantly for some bread. It doesn’t show, that’s a pity and not very hospitable. I’m relieved when the salad turns up, very colourful and clearly very many ingredients including grated hard boiled egg yolk (!). Anyway it’s fresh and very tasty and despatched without touching the sides. There’s no danger of a clash of courses as there’s a good wait until the lasagne arrives.

The waitress warns me that the dish is very hot and I shouldn’t touch it. I don’t think her back is turned before I’m checking that out. Very hot indeed, I think the core at Chernobyl would be cooler. Having experienced my first earthquake today, I’m also wondering whether the tomato and meat sauce will be like molten lava from a volcano? So I cut it open and give it a few minutes. Although it’s not “sideways legendary” like Ristorantino, the lasagne is decent. Somehow the sauce still has a strong red wine flavour, how’s that not evaporated at these “surface of the sun” temperatures ? 

The dining room is still fairly full and there’s a good atmosphere. It’s mostly a mixture of families and groups of friends. But I’m not full and I’m praying for chocolate mousse. I’m having a look about but none of the other tables are on dessert yet – just seems to be plate after plate of pasta or risotto arriving for them. 

Eventually the waitress comes over with another first. There are 6 rather sad looking desserts on a tray and it’s time to choose. I get the tour but there’s no chocolate mousse (perhaps they’ve realised they can’t compete with DiVino and don’t even try). I choose the chocolate cake but specify no cream.

Swiftly the chocolate cake arrives with a small scoop of raspberry sorbet and a kumquat macaroon. The bonus companions are delicious, but unfortunately the cake is dry and after I drain my water I give up. 

The bill arrives before I ask for it. NT$1,089 (£29.70) which I think is OK – apart from the dessert. I get the impression that Bellini Caffe has a bit of an old school classic reputation. I suspect it used to be very good indeed, but the dining scene never stops improving and this feels a bit 2002. 7 minutes 41 seconds is an age to get a receipt – they’ve not been in a rush tonight. 

Would I recommend ?    I can’t bring myself to

Will I return ?    No 

*Whisky couple. As a lone diner who’s mostly ignored by my fellow diners, I love it when someone strikes up a conversation. In this instance I think it was the drink talking.  By the time my main course arrived they were screaming and shouting at each other. Now I secretly love watching others have a huge argument – it’s great not to be involved – but they were really angry with each other. I made the decision to say something if it got worse, but fortunately another plate of pasta calmed them down. What would you have done ? Answers on a DM please.

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About Gareth the Globetrotting Gourmet:

Gareth is a British Marketing Professional who travels extensively for his work, having lived and worked across Europe, the Middle East, Brazil and now Taiwan. He “has" to eat three meals per day and loves telling stories about his experiences while doing so - occasionally he even mentions the food! Follow him on Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/garethabel