GALERIE Bistro 家樂利小酒館 — Restaurant in Datong District

Having lived in Jordan, LA, Shanghai, and HK and being well travelled to over 40 cities around the world; I have had the privilege of experiencing both the good, the bad (and even a few ugly) when it comes to the dining experience. Furthermore, coming from a family that has been in the fine dining business including friends who are michelin chefs, I am very peculiar when it comes to picking out venues to share with friends and family. I share my background to provide you with context for my rating and comments and hope that it contributes to you.

For me, when it comes to European cuisine, Galerie Bistro is the essence of down to earth affordable luxury in Taipei. It has also become the benchmark for me when evaluating other restaurants for their ambiance, menu and service.

Starting with the outside garden seating area, the setting has the ability get you to feel as if you were in a cafe in Switzerland, Frankfurt, or Paris. If you are looking for a place to hang out and enjoy some coffee with their famous velvet cakes, this is the place to be. A perfect sanctuary away from the hustle and bustle of the city to relax and recharge especially as the garden trees and florals blossom throughout the four seasons!

Indoors, the white house restaurant has preserved the architecture, heritage and history of the house which gives it a lot of character and rare to find in Taiwan. The second floor is mainly for corporate events and friend and family functions. You will find it to be decorated with tasteful art. (Galerie). The first floor has two sides, one with seating facing the open kitchen where you may see the chefs at work when you eat and the other side with the more intimate seating area (Bistro). Combining the two is the namesake of the restaurant, Galerie Bistro.

The service staff is super friendly, and quick to always make you feel comfortable in catering to your needs.

The star of the show is their food. I don't know about you, but growing up in Taipei, two of my preferred destinations were Chalet Swiss and Pasta East/West, Galerie Bistro reminds me of those restaurants but has done even better. I recommend a few personal favorites including the seasonal oxtail soup, the lamb shank, their US prime roasted rib eye, and the tomahawk pork chop. I tell you, once you try these, the taste will linger and you will already be thinking about the next time you orders these again. Their pizza and pasta are proper. If you are hungry, I recommend the beef stew. Everything on their menu uses the best and freshest ingredients and will take your taste buds on a remarkable culinary journey. BTW, if you would like a cocktail to start off your evening, order the James Bond martini! Another personal favorite is their burger. (If you want to try they only serve the burger before 4pm).. Why I love it so much is the patty uses a perfect combination of fat to lean US prime ground beef (I heard from the chef, they taste tested over 30 combinations to come up with the perfect recipe). Pure mouth watering joy! Pair it with their truffle fries and a coke, and you will know why it is arguably the best in town. Last but not least, if you are hosting a party, you may pre-order the roast beef, which hands down nobody does better than Chef Bernie.

So there it is, I may go on and on, but hope you get my point. Try it out for yourself and hope you will come to love going to Galerie Bistro as much and as...

(Comment issued at Jan-09) Thanks for your kindness reply! I checked the bill details and I would like to express my apologies for the previous adverse comment about your service. Hence, I am glad to introduce all viewers to taste the restaurant’s foods and drinks, and don't forget to check bills (lol).

(Comment issued at Jan-05) My wife, I and our friend visited this bistro on Dec-30. Since we didn’t have a reservation, we were served a table in the garden outside. The garden environment was nice where can enjoy the gathering without bother the neighbors. The dishes we ordered were pretty good. we each ordered express lunch set and ordered a tomato mozzarella. The cold starter - savory quiche was rich in ingredients but not too strong. As for the main course, we were quite satisfied with the spaghetti amatriciana and the two crepe dishes. The coffee was average, and I think the bistro could use better coffee beans. However, I was very disappointed with the service in this bistro! First of all, the waiter spilled the soup he served. Although he offered us a new soup, it almost splashed onto the diners sitting at the table. The most outrageous thing is, the tomato mozzarella (NTD420) was not served but we charged! Because the three of us had been chatting and didn't notice it, and we found out this situation after we had left the MRT station! Although any customers are responsible for paying attention, but the waiters and kitchen did not notice whether all the dishes were served, which is really dissatisfying. We paid a 10%...

Sunday November 3,2024 . I ordered for dinner one of their menu fixe and asked to have my choose selections to be served in the following order. Mushroom soup, very tasty, nice and served hot. Scallop, only 1 medium size , nothing much to say about it. next course Rib eye steak with vegetables and wild rice.Nice size steak cooked as ordered, tasty meat, tender complemented by a delightful mustard. The wild rice was diluted with white rice and the veggies had noting much to offer. I could have done away with the steak abundant decoration of dry twigs . A simple fresh herb would have done the job. My last course was crepe Suzette. The crepe itself was very good but the Suzette was a joke due to the fact that this savory was filled with crudely cut chunk of orange pieces which were not even properly prep. No sauce no flambéing, only two big mounds of whipped cream. About the service. The patio were I had my dinner had about 8 guests ,I had to wait quite a while before a wait staff took my order. I observed all the young staff milling around inside the restaurant not focusing on the clients. I had to wait an inexcusable time between each course ,for someone removing the dirty plate from the previous course and the new course. Asked about one beverage on the menu, one male staff had no clue . I feel that with one glass of beer NT$ 3,344 for one person was overprice compared to my lunch menu fix in Beitou with exotic ingredients , exquisite presentation and taste for less than half the price. The...