Showing posts with label australian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label australian. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

american/burgers: FORKERS



FORKERS
No. 8, Alley 10, Lane 223, Zhong Xiao E Road, Sec 4
(02) 2771-9285

website: forkers.com.tw English only

hours: Sun- Thurs 12noon to 11pm; Fri- Sat 12noon- 12am


$$

Kid friendliness: no high chairs or boosters, booth seating

Visit reviewed: 3/11/2008

You may or may not have heard of Forkers- the new burger place that opened up a few months ago that features over 40 (yup FORTY) kinds of burgers, along with fries, chicken wraps, spinach/artichoke dip and pie of the day, along with an assortment of other things. I was pretty excited to try it since I always like a good burger and fries and there is a lot to choose from.

The place is lots of wooden seating, some booths, a patio outside. The owner pops around the different tables- on this day, we didn't have to wait as there were about 4 other tables occupied when we were seated on a weekday lunch. I can't imagine if it was fully packed, it might be quite slow as the service was fairly casual. There are separate English and Chinese menus (with some pictures) that you can find on their website as well.

They have the classic burger variations, as well as regional-inspired burgers (Greek, French, Canadian, Mexican, Californian, Alpine, Italian, Australian), Asian burgers, and the "Forkers"- open faced burgers so huge or messy you have to eat them with a fork (all NT$190- NT$290) since they are topped with gravy, chili or spaghetti sauce.



With each burger, you get the choice of two sides such as salad, fries (cajun, curry, garlic, plain), hawaiian pasta or potato salad, or upgrade to chili cheese, tex mex or poutine fries for extra NT$40. You can choose the burger patty as beef, chicken, Kobe beef or vegetarian.

We chose the warm spinach artichoke dip (NT$140) over the hummus (NT$120)- and it was VERY cheesy with a sprinkle of fries, pita bread and celery/carrot sticks. I would have liked to have eaten some chunks of artichoke or spinach, but we didn't find any swimming in the cheese unless it was pureed in. It was still tasty, but we could have used a few more chips to dip.



I was torn between a lot of the different burgers (Mexican, Greek, Californian) and ended up choosing the Alpine Burger, which comes with mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and ranch dressing.


the Alpine Burger with garlic fries. are there shiitake mushrooms in Switzerland?



My friends got the Hack Burger (topped with chicken fingers(!), cheese, bacon, honey mustard) and the Mushroom Cheese burger (which comes with cheddar instead of swiss).


the Hack Burger with Hawaiian Pasta Salad



I don't know if I ate too many chips, but the burger was just okay. There were certain things that I personally didn't like- the bun was slightly sweet (and not toasted) which did not mesh with the flavors of the Alpine. I didn't expect shiitake mushrooms which tasted a little weird with the swiss cheese- I would have preferred regular white mushrooms especially since the menu doesn't say "shiitake," it says "sauteed mushrooms". The burger's texture was a bit soft- I don't know how to describe it other than its was more like a meatloaf burger than a grilled burger. My tomato was tiny since I like tomatoes on my burgers. Were my tastebuds being nitpicky that day? I ate about two thirds of the burger.

Both my friends finished their burgers and said their burgers were fine, and I had a bite of the chicken finger which was quite good.

I guess I wanted to be blown away and I should have ordered one of their more unique burgers?

As for the sides, the garlic fries were soft rather than crispy and seemed to be a lot of short ends. The salad was basic. The Hawaiian Pasta has a kick to it, but we weren't crazy about it.

I wanted to try the peach almond pie, but again, it just wasn't to my liking. There is a layer of peaches on top and then some weird paste in the center. I thought it would be more like a peach pie with almond flavor or slivers, but I didn't get what was going on with the pie. The owner says that he usually eats it ala mode and warmed up and we opted it without ice cream- don't know if that makes a difference. Maybe their upside down apple tart would have been more up my alley.



I really wanted to love Forkers and I will probably give it another try, especially to try the chili cheese fries/poutine and other things on the menu. It's in the lane behind California Fitness on Zhong Xiao (near Yan Ji Jie) and there was a popular Chinese dessert place on the corner I want to check out. How would those of you that have eaten at Forkers compare it to other burger places like California Grill, Mary's Hamburgers (which I haven't been) or the Diner, Bongos or even Chili's/TGIF?

Friday, February 22, 2008

CLOSED western/australian: OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE



OUTBACK STEAKHOUSE
97, SongRen Rd, 1F
(across the street from Neo 19, near Brown Sugar)
(02) 2345-8818
CLOSED a/o 2015

website: www.outback.com.tw

Hours: Sun-Thu 11:30 am - 11 pm
Fri & Sat 11:30-12 am(last order 11 pm)

$$

Kid friendliness: Kids menu available with chicken fingers, cheeseburger, jr ribs and the like w/soda for under NT$200. high chairs available and coloring paper/crayons

Visit reviewed: 2/21/2008

What to say.. Outback is the latest Western chain restaurant to open in the Xinyi area. While they have had a restaurant location in Holiday Inn for quite a few years, their new digs which opened last December across the nearby Macaroni Grill and Chili's will be sure to draw some new customers.

The decor, menu and food is much the same as the Australian grill restaurant in the US, with a Chinese and English menu with pictures- red meat offerings like sirloin, rib eye, prime rib, NY Steak, lamb, baby back ribs, along with pasta, seafood, salads, appetizers and desserts.

We had to try the signature appetizer- Bloomin' Onion (NT$280)- although it is wayyy to big for only two people to share.. more like 5 plus. It was deep fried, crunchy and addictive, and sort of a mystery how they make an onion unfold into such a cohesive unity of onion pieces. They have other things like fried 'shrooms, Kookaburra (chicken wings), aussie cheese fries (boy was I tempted by this), and a combo plate.



We also ordered the sirloin against the server's recommendation of getting the more expensive filet which is more tender. The sirloin (NT$480) was pretty tough and chewy... Not the best steak I've had, but it was the cheapest one on the menu. I really enjoyed the baked sweet potato though! It had a bit of butter and cinnamon as well to bring out the natural sweetness. The steaks come with your choice of either a baked potato or sweet potato or two sides: aussie chips, fresh steamed vegetables, rice pilaf, or mashed potatoes. It kind of sucks that if you pick a baked sweet/potato that you don't get a 2nd side of veggies or something.

Lastly, the starter caesar (add NT$70) had a kick to it along with the pile of buttery croutons! It was either very peppery or had a bit of paprika or something in the dressing.

I wanted to show the difference in the pictures when you white balance in the camera-- the lighting in Outback is sort of pinkish-romantic (?) and after I white-balanced the food colors looked a lot more accurate. I don't have the time to photoshop my pics to crop, beautify or fix them, so I gotta get it when I get it in the camera.

AFTER:


BEFORE:


I've had their dessert before (which is huge)- which I would still pick Chili's warm chocolate cake still, but want to try their prime rib. I've been to Outback once in the states, where I was not that super impressed to return, but I think I would give Outback in Taipei another try. It seems like it could be a fun group dinner place or setting for a romantic couple's dinner. They have an extensive drinks menu and bar, and aren't SUPER crowded yet like Chili's can get. The service is definitely eager to please, constantly refilling our drinks and answering questions, although I have to note that our server was a bit confused by some of my questions in English, but we worked it out.

OTHER LOCATION:

OUTBACK
at Holiday Inn Taipei
100 Tun Hwa North Road,2nd Fl.,
(02) 8712-8818

:)