brunch/French: i recommend VVG TABLE

VVG TABLE
14, Lane 40, Alley 181, ZhongXiao East Road
(02) 2775-5120

Hours:11:30 am-9:30 pm
Brunch: Saturday/Sunday 11 am-4 pm

$$-$$$

visit reviewed: 3/12/2006

The people "in the know" about VVG Table's sister restaurant, VVG Bistro, have probably wandered over to VVG Table to try it out. Lunchwise- I prefer VVG Bistro's roasted chicken dome over my VVG Table lunch of beef bourguignon and something or other chicken when I last went. I don't know if it was an isolated event that I didn't enjoy much of the heavy flavors during that lunch or if it was because I had just gotten over a case of the stomach flu the day before and my tastebuds were still recovering.

However, I thoroughly enjoyed my brunch experience at VVG Table, especially knowing how hard it is to find a good Western style brunch or breakfast in Taipei. There is a set course menu (NT$520) which includes: a small salad, poached eggs with steamed asaparagus, cut roasted potatoes and sausage, crabcakes, avocado milk and a panna cotta with caramel sauce- all served on one tray.


Everything was fresh and delicious. The mixed greens salad was lightly dressed with a vinagrette. The poached eggs tasted as if they were timed just perfectly and a great accompaniment to the potatoes and sausage. Eating the steamed asaparagus made me feel healthier. The crabcakes were flaky and soft, with more crab than crumbs, lightly grilled to a crispy tender pair stacked on top of each other. The avocado milk was not my thing, despite the urging of the others in my party who readily sipped theirs down. The panna cotta was a sweet and creamy ending to the perfect brunch.

The weather was nice enough that we sat outside, at the long bench with pillows to sit on which was a good choice in retrospect. Inside, the long tables and chairs create a more dark, formal woodsy interior compared to the lavendar, modern art interior of VVG Bistro. My friend was eating vegetarian that weekend, and they aptly accomodated with a vegetarian set course, which switched the crab cakes for pumpkin cakes and omitted the sausages from the roasted potatoes.

I also ordered an apple cake dessert to go, would have probably been tastier there. The caramel sauce on the side dripped through the bag, and the very dense cake may have benefitted from being heated. Next time, I will probably try the berry dessert that I spied at another table. I would definitely recommend brunch at VVG Table and would definitely come back and bring friends.