Restaurant Rundown

I have this backlog of restaurants that I keep meaning to review, but then stuff like life and work and checking my Facebook every five seconds keep getting in the way. Damn you, Facebook, you're so addicting!

So here's a bunch of restaurants that I've been to in the past couple of months or so, but am too lazy to write an in-depth review for. So I'm just going to write a short review with a star rating, with the following criteria:

* = do not want, would rather eat my own vomit
** = pretty good
*** = delicious

Without further ado:

Mr. Paco's (Italian) **
Ren Ai Road, Section 4, Lane 345, Alley 4, No. 23
(02) 8771-3102

We ordered the pizza with anchovies, capers and olives. It was a tad on the salty side, because of the anchovies, but not too much so that it ruined it. It was also really cheesy. We also ordered the risotto with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes, which was pretty good. Maybe not as oozing and creamy as I'd like, but I've also learned to lower my standards for Taiwanese Italian.

Anzo (Japanese Tonkatsu) **
Fuxing North Road, Section 2, Lane 271, No. 2 (right by the Technology Building stop on the Muzha line)
(02) 2701-0298


You can order regular tonkatsu here, or get it fancied up in some way. Luke got his the traditional way, and mine was in a mushroom broth, which was light, yet still flavorful. It was a cold day (and for some reason the AC was on in the restaurant), so when my tonkatsu arrived in the bubbling broth, it really hit the spot.

Patio (Thai) ***
Dunhua Road, Section 1, Alley 247, No, 12
(02) 2731-5288


This restaurant used to be called Patara but for some inexplicable reason they changed their name to Patio, making it sound like an Italian restaurant instead. Order the pad thai (best I've ever had) and the lamb chops. They also have a unique pumpkin pudding dessert, with real pumpkin, not the kind you get from a can. Prices are a little more on the expensive side.

Makatoya (Ramen noodles) **
Civic Blvd., Section 4, No. 17 (right before the Breeze, if you're coming from the MRT)
(02) 2752-9393


What sets this place apart is that instead of making their broth from pork bones, which is what most other ramen places use, they make it from beef bones. I've only been here once, and I just ordered their original flavor at the suggestion of a friend, who said that it's the best. The side dishes - like kimchi or fried dumplings - were just eh.

Hmm, I didn't give anything one star. How lucky for me that I didn't have to eat my own vomit instead.