INTRO Kitchen — Restaurant in Shilin District

If I could give this place negative stars, I would! This is one of the worst meals I have had in a long time. This is another place that drew me in with their nice looking food pictures on social media, but unlike another recent experience where I was pleasantly surprised, I was thoroughly disappointed by everything here. Not a single thing we ordered had any flavor at all! Everything was bland and tasteless. I have never felt bored by eating a meal, until now. I finished the food because I hate creating food waste, but it was actually a chore to get through that meal. To make matters worse, the service was terrible too. The staff were nice and friendly, but they brought everything out at once. So the main course was getting cold while we were still eating the appetizers. The pulled pork with harissa was literally unflavored, tasteless pork, stuffed in a focaccia, topped with harissa sauce. The eggplant tasted like nothing, there was no sauce or anything at all. They served the pulled pork sandwich with plastic gloves. We told them they should ask people if they want them before providing the gloves and they said most people want it so they don't ask. They said that they would throw it away, even if we didn't use it. Such unnecessary plastic waste created, with no concern at all. The only redeeming quality about this place is they have nice outdoor seating. I don't understand how they have as many positive reviews or as many...

Atmosphere was great, they have some outdoor space but it was way too dusty from the construction next door, I even got dust in my water.

We asked them to move us inside and it took them 10 minutes to settle us. Wait time was okay and I was half way through my dish, though there were way too many empty tables/seats inside (8x 2pax and perhaps 3x 4pax at least) so I’d assume settlement was not done promptly.

Tables were kinda shaky, you know like the bottom of the table wasn’t evenly shaped so out table kept rocking back and forth while we ate and touched it, shows a lack of detail orientation here, and that’s something they gotta work on.

Plate work was decent, I got a scrambled egg with mushroom and sourdough bread (2 slices). Sourdough was not sour enough, mushrooms were too sour, but eggs were great - moist and balanced.

Other than that I got a hot milk tea with oolong tea foam on top. The foam was cold on top of the hot tea which was amazing. For dessert I got a yoghurt ice cream topped with strawberries and yuzu (i guess it’s called yuzu the citrus fruit), drizzled with a whisky syrup. The whisky for me wasn’t strong enough but everything else was fine. Yoghurt ice cream could have been a bit more sour then it’ll be perfect.

I personally think food and drinks here are great, not much to...

I’m a big fan of the decor and vibe, but the food is mediocre, especially for the price you pay. As such, this is a rather difficult review because I’d like very much to rate this place higher!

Food: I’ve been here twice, and both times I ordered the Harissa Pulled Pork Sandwich. It is yummy, but nothing wow or original. The pork could be juicier and more tender, but it’s a little dry, especially considering how much oil is in the pork and sandwich. As for desert, I order the Basque Cheesecake, which I rate delicious according to my tastes: not too sweet and the perfect density.

Atmosphere: The first time I came with a friend on a very busy afternoon. Fortunately, you can still converse and hear each other (unlike other restaurants with bad acoustics). The second time, I came alone with a book and I just loved it even more. If you sit in the corner, you have more space and quiet to relax into.

The minimum spend per person is NTD 350 for two hours maximum. I’d definitely come back on days I’m feeling for some inspiration and willing to spurge a little more. But I’d come more for the atmosphere than...