Most of you know how much I love trying out new restaurants, and I’ve had my share of nice restaurants to try around in Taipei. Hence, from this day on, I’ll periodically post a brief review of the restaurants I’ve recently tried out, and liked just so you yourself can give it a try.

They’ll have a heading of “RR,” indicating that this entry is a restaurant review. Kindly note that I am not at all paid for this service (though it would be nice if the owners could treat me for a meal or two… hint, hint… kidding), but would just like to share exciting discoveries I’ve had in Taiwan.

And for my first restaurant review, I’d like to share with you my new discovery…

The ITALIAN JOB! 🙂

Ideal for your 1st/2nd date or a dinner-out with friends, the Italian Job is slightly more upper-class, but manages to remain cozy and accommodating. It’s got everything a restaurant needs to have guests like you and me keep coming back: delicious food, great service, and affordable prices.

Of course, having the chef right then and there managing the restaurant and making recommendations helped, giving you that extra personal touch. What’s more, he also ensures that your glasses get filled with iced water with a hint of lemon when forgotten by its cute yet a bit absent-minded Taiwanese waitress.

The choices were various, and likewise, delightful.

You can start with soup or with antipasto, a salad, an entree, homemade ice cream or tiramisu for dessert and coffee/tea to finish the meal. The choice is yours, and you can choose either from the menu or from the blackboard on top of the kitchen. In fact, the selection was so varied, I had to hail the friendly Italian chef for recommendations.

Hence, after some discussion, we finally settled for the antipasto, which I believe was called carne formiggini (NT$290), a delightful platter of Italian ham, pecorino romano, strong goat cheese, olives, fresh quartered tomatoes, various slices of peppers, julienned tomatoes, all dribbled in tasty olive oil and sprinkled with herbs. We took one look at the dish, and my date exclaimed, “Uh-oh, how can we eat all this?”

That’s the picture of the cook with the anitpasto. Trust me, topped with toasted buttered garlic bread, and the meal was divine, and we were just starting!!!

Then, after we’ve had our fill of the appetizer, we then moved on to the main course that was served in big dishes: Spinach Ravioli with cheese and cream, as well as seafood cream pasta — both of which were devilishly fattening yet a delight to eat! I think prices range from NT$290 to the upper NT$300s for a dish, but it’s still so reasonable (relative to the more expensive Macaroni Grill) that you don’t really mind.

And that’s not all, aside from these Italian pastas, we also ordered the Parmesan Chicken Roll (NT$290), which is chicken breast stuffed with proscuitto and mozzarella, served with a choice of parmesan or marinara sauce (We chose marinara, because all of our dish was already cream based).YUMMY!

As we saw all the dishes laden on the table, my date and I started laughing.

He went, “Raven, that’s why I love going out with you. It’s only with you that I can manage to finish this size of a meal!”

Even the chef got into the joke. “Hahaha, my waitress and I have a standing bet on whether you can finish these or not,” he chided.

“My money’s on you,” he said as he gave us a wink. “These dishes are prepared with love.“

Trust me, we managed to finish the ENTIRE meal. 🙁

My god, my butt felt like lead afterwards! It was really a super-sized meal!!!

Sheesh, there goes my diet. 😉

But I don’t really mind, because the food was just so good so it was worth the extra days in the gym.

“Would you still want some dessert?” the lovely chef asked. “Maybe some tiramisu or our special home-made Italian ice cream?“

We waved him off. “Next time,” we said as we waived him off. “We’re so stuffed!”

However, we did order some iced cappuccino (NT$90), which was the only thing that didn’t impress me from the menu. My advice is to stick to Starbucks instead.

Anyway, it was an enjoyable meal overall, and by the end of it, I was thinking that if this restaurant lasts, I’d like to have my birthday party right there.

It’s THAT good. 🙂

And to top it off, our entire bill was only around NT$600+ a person, which is extremely cheap considering we ordered 1 appetizer, 3 main dishes and a drink each. I believe they also served wines, so I’ll just try that for later visits.

The only complaints I’ll probably have is that since it’s summer, they kept the patio door open for that outdoorsy feel so it was a bit warm when I came in since I was walking on the way there (I cooled down after a while and didn’t bother me).

In addition, it’s probably better to keep the restaurant non-smoking, or have a non-smoking area, since some cigarette smoke still managed to reach our table (some guests were smoking at the patio).

That, or close the patio door.

But aside from that, the dining experience was perfect and lest assured, I’ll be going back again. 😉

Situated in Lishui street ( just right beside Alleycats), the Italian Job is very accessible and parking shouldn’t be too much a problem. Reservations are recommended as the place could only hold around 20 guests, but trust me, a visit to this place is completely worth it!

Oh and here’s their information:

The Italian Job
2391-1555
6-2 Lishui Street (right beside Alleycats)
http://www.theitalianjobtaipei.com

Enjoy!

*Photos were taken from Taiwanfun, because silly me forgot to bring her own camera. Thanks!