brunch/western: i recommend WeiB

WeiB
No. 6, Lane 71, An Ho Road, Sec. 2
(02)2732-5099

MRT: Daan

website: weis.com.tw mostly Chinese (Menu has English)

hours: Lunch: 11:30 AM ~ 2:30 PM; Dinner: 6:00 PM ~ 10:00 PM
Afternoon tea available by advance reservation
Saturday & Sunday: Brunch: 11:00 AM ~ 4:00 PM; Dinner: 6:00 PM ~ 10:00 PM

$$

Kid friendliness: high chairs available

Visit reviewed: 11/14/2009



With all the Western restaurants in town, it really is hard to figure out which ones are good and which ones aren't unless you actually sit down and have a meal there. Some are local restaurants masquerading as Western fare and some are Western chains that have menus identical to their counterparts on the other side of the world. But more and more, there are quite a few little spots that surprise me, that can deliver a table full of solidly good and interesting food.

My aunt picked WeiB for a Sunday brunch with my parents before my dad was headed back to LA. It was fairly empty when we got there, though it is quite spacious with different seating areas. The decor is clean, but elegant- the kind of place that is perfect for meeting your relatives for brunch. Their website notes that the name of the restaurant is ""WeiB" (pronounced weiss) is German for white, and an expression of a unique German restaurant and wine bar featuring German white wines. The owner fell in love with the richness of German white wines after visiting a winery there and wanted to bring them to Taiwan.




The brunch menu was more lunch than breakfast, ranging from NT$280 to NT$650 for the prime steak reuben sandwich. I ordered the lone breakfast item- the Smoked Pork Loin with Honey Clove and Eggs Benedict in Horseradish Sour Cream (NT$380).



I joined them a little late, so they had already ordered all their food. But it made it perfect for tasting before my food came. All the pasta was al dente and the meats were perfectly seasoned and grilled. WeiB specializes in gourmet Western and German food, so their brunch menu also included Crispy Pork Knuckle (NT$360) and Roasted USDA Prime Rib Eye (NT$600).

Crisp chicken leg with spaghetti in tomato sauce (NT$360)



Orecchiette with Fish and Pernod (NT$280)



My mom really liked her Focaccia Sandwich with Seasoned King Oyster Mushrooms, and she could only finish half the sandwich. Being vegetarian, she doesn't usually have a lot of options and has had her share of grilled portobello sandwiches, so this was a welcome variation for her. I think they were out of focaccia that day, as the sandwich came with rye bread instead.



The Pumpkin Risotto with Shrimp and Pistachio (NT$360) was creamy and rich, and I wanted to have more than my sample bite.



While I was waiting for my food, they brought over the brunch appetizers- a few veggie sticks and your choice of orange juice or milk.



Not too long afterwards, my plate came. I was a little disappointed to see only one egg when usually eggs benedict come in a pair, and underneath the egg benedict was a toast cut in a shape of a circle rather than an English muffin. But the crisp roasted potatoes and candied orange slice made up for it. Luckily, I had eaten a bit off everyone else's plates.

Their lunch and dinner menu includes a range of appetizers, salads, soups, grilled meats, seafood, pastas/rice and desserts in the NT$180-NT$900 range, with combo sets available from NT$1380 up. If I ate there again, I think I'd like to also try some of their house Rieslings, as it's a sweeter white wine.

There will be quite a few more brunch and breakfast places in my upcoming posts, both Western and Chinese, so be sure to let me know which ones are your favorites.


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