Mixed feelings about this place. All in all, food is OK Italian with a heavy Taiwanese adjustment. Service is friendly but inconsistent. I would visit again but only when other options are unavailable.
[Food] Sliced Roast Beef with Arugula was good, but a hit of salt would make it much better. Arugula on this night was not fresh enough and on the dry side.
Fried seafood was on point. Clean crispy batter with only a hint of grease at the bottom of the bowl. Ingredients were fresh.
Also ordered Gnocchi, Maccheroni, Pappardelle, Ravioli. Sauces were all very good and stick to the pastas well, but the pastas were all on the tender/soft side. None of the pastas were close to being al dente, and this is very much an adjustment to the Taiwanese market.
I must particularly mention that the Gnocchi was close to being mushy, more like eating mashed potato balls than a classic Gnocchi. This was the biggest disappointment of the night.
Tiramisu was very good, and cheesecake was ok. You will not be disappoint by either or both.
[Service] There was one senior member of the crew that was providing the most professional service. Other than spending a little too much time taking care of his vip guests, he explained the menu well, and could be seen directing the younger wait staff to tables that needed service.
The young staff members needed more training on the subtlety of service. Lemon slices were dropped into our water glasses without asking, one pasta dish was delivered significantly later than the rest of the table,...
Read moreThis place is fantastic. It might not be the most romantic setting, but the food more than makes up for it. Atmosphere 3/5 Service 4/5 Food 5/5 Price 4/5
We had the appetozer platter, the rib-eye and the lamb chops (all pictured)
Appetizer platter: perhaps a little on the expensive side, but it's tailor made for 2, 3, 4, or 5 people. Perfect amount of food and each person gets to try a bit of everything. Great selection of cheese and meats, with grilled veggies.
Lamb chops: My girlfriend, who will tell anyone who will listen "I don't like lamb, it stinks" started eyeballing my lamb chops and eventually asked for a "little bite". Long story short: she ate half of them (there are 6). Best lamb we've ever had. If you're one of those people who doesn't like the smell/taste of lb, give these a try anyway. Just eat them quickly, as the meat cools the flavor seems to change.
Rib-eye: Just solid. Comes with a mustard dip that is good enough to eat by itself (if you like mustard as much as I do ). It came a little rarer than my date ordered so I just ate those pieces for her.
I've seen some complain about portion size but they seemed normal to me. And the comments of each dish are good. My lamb chops came with truffle roasted potatoes, which was not listed on the dish description and were great.
You will be hard pressed to find better Italian food. Look forward to trying their veal and...
Read moreFinally had a chance to check out Botega del Vin and it was definitely a great experience. Not only do I think that they serve some of the best lamb chops you can get in Taipei, their Pizza and also the available cheese selection was delicious.
Service was great and spot on in the way they timed the different courses... something that you won't see in a typical Taiwanese restaurant which serves you the meals whenever they feel like.
We've had the Salami/Cheese selection and a platter of mixed vegetables to begin with. The Salami/Cheese platter was a little bit confusing because it also came with some ham and I would rather prefer some more olives and grapes instead of all the nuts.
This was followed by the Pizza Soave with some amazing Parma ham. The Gorgonzola cheese was probably a little bit too overpowering for the overall balance of the taste but due to the fact that I was really looking forward to having some great cheese, I didn't really care that much.
Finally the lamb chops... We've ordered medium but should have gotten medium rare. The chops rest for a while and I think this is why they turned into a proper medium cook. Still tasty though!
Well how could you leave an Italian restaurant without some Tiramisu which was to die for!
Great food Good wine selection Great service quite...
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