Focoso Taipei — Restaurant in Da'an District

Cosy place with good ambiance and lightning. The food is not bad but I don't think the price is justified.

Ordered 2 pasta dishes and the first one was served exactly 21 minutes before the other one. The foreign staff said when we ordered: we only have one chef so the dishes will not be served at the same time. She also didn't seem happy that we "only" ordered two pasta dishes. Not the ideal attitude.

As a chef myself this is hard to understand for two reasons. 1. I saw two guys working in the kitchen, so why did you say there's only 1 chef? 2. There's no reason that you can't prepare these two pasta dishes with a maximum of 4-5 min apart. If you fail this and serve the dishes with 21 min apart, something is not working properly in your kitchen. At the time of our order was placed there were only 4 other guests seated. Unacceptable.

Also no bread with the pasta for this high price!! There was a plate on the table with olive oil and I asked the waitress what this plate is for ( with a hint of sarcasm , whilst finishing the first pasta dish ), she said, it's for bread which you get IF you order an appetizer. I said can you please give us some bread to finish the sauce. She did provide bread after me asking for it but seriously, for this price you cannot even provide some bread?

The first pasta dish with gnocchi, gorgonzola and walnuts was good but the portion is very small for 21USD. Gorgonzola flavour was a bit vague. Price 580 NTD + "service fee" = total 639 NTD.

Probably the most expensive simple pasta dish I've ever had in any country ( with the context of the small size of the dish, and the small amount of gorgonzola used + no bread = not the best value ).

Second pasta dish ( arrived 21 minutes after the first one ): best dish of the night. The pasta was not al dente as in Italy but still not too soft. Creamy egg/cheese mixture. A bit light in flavour but could be because it's served to mostly Taiwanese clientele. The Guanciale lacked a bit of crisp ,could just fry it a few more min in my opinion. Price 580 NTD+ 10% "service fee" = 638 NTD.

Dessert: tiramisu. Not bad but the cream layer was too thin and you're eating mostly the "cake" part . Not enough of Mascarpone/custard mix I'm my opinion. Price 250 NTD + 10% "service fee" = 275 NTD.

Total price: 1551 NTD.

Main points: not acceptable to serve dishes 21 minutes apart. Very high prices for the amount of food. Don't even provide bread for two small pasta dish for 42.5 USD. Good ambiance and environment but think twice before you come, and don't be too hungry if you come here unless you order a 3 meal course.

Also they did not show on the menu that they will charge a 10% "service fee". If you want to charge this, the right thing to do is to put it...

Hands down the best bar atmosphere in Taipei! It’s an amazing place to meet new people or even eat / drink with groups of friends. Throughout the weekends, the space is always brimming with an interesting mixed crowd. The energy I’ve found is reminiscent of a familiar neighborhood bar - you could be there for the first time and feel right at home..

The food is an interesting mix of traditional Italian with a modern flair. Think of the portions as slightly larger ‘tapas styled’ which are perfect for sharing! (and almost entirely gluten free)

The drinks menu is fantastic - there's an impressive selection of delicious signature cocktails , mostly traditional "staples" but with a unique twist involving house-made infused spirits! Prices are also very reasonable compared to other cocktail bars in the city.

What I’ve found the most impressive is their selection of unique gin, rum, bourbon, and even rye - you’ll be hard-pressed to find another bar in Taipei with the lineup they...

We hadn't visited this restaurant in quite some time. Upon our return, we discovered that there is a minimum order requirement of 2,000 per person at 6 PM and 3,000 after 7 PM. This policy is acceptable as long as customers are informed of it prior to booking a table. I'm noting this here for future reference.

As for the cuisine, we ordered a variety of dishes. The highlights for me were the fried broccoli and the pistachio baklava. For appetizers, we chose two dishes: beef tongue and broccoli. However, we found it a bit odd that they served the beef before the broccoli. It would have made more sense to serve the lighter dish first.

For the main course, I ordered pumpkin gnocchi, but it tasted quite sweet—more like a dessert than a savory dish. We also noticed that the distance between the tables was a bit too close together, which didn't match our expectations for the ambiance and value of the restaurant.

Overall, the experience is alright, the staff was attentive...