A Cut Steakhouse - Taipei

Ohohoho. Being a carnivorous meat eater living in Asia essentially means taking a vacation from some of your favorite "Northern Hemisphere"-centric comfort foods. For me there's only one gastronomic concept that I really miss (besides good Mexican food) and that's....steak. Sweet, juicy, tender, lovely steaaaaaaaaaak. Whenever my father comes to visit, he's the kind of man that's down to eat steak anytime, I incept him into taking me to eat a wonderful steak dinner. More specifically a wonderful steak dinner at A Cut Steak House. The menu is seasonal and changes every so often, so it's never a bore to eat there. =)

Located in the opulent Ambassador Hotel in Taipei, A Cut Steakhouse is nestled in the basement of the hotel away from the hustle and bustle of incoming and outgoing guests. I have to apologize in advance for the photos...I post the food reviews out of order and I think my skill with the camera has gotten better since this particular meal.

From the staff to the decor the restaurant exudes a sort of modern classiness. The waitstaff all have prim and proper uniforms, while the somalier and Maître'd are uniformed in suits. The service was impeccable and the entirety of the waitstaff was very attentive, knowledgeable and ready to help. I find when a waitstaff excels at their job, the diners do not mention it. It's only when they go above and beyond average service or, to the other extreme, of terrible, terrible service is the only instance when people mention it. Good service goes unmentioned. =) ~<3 So thank you polite, efficient servers of the world!

A Cut utilizes a color palette of chocolate brown, beige and cream, while the entire restaurant is "dimly lit" for a romantic and intimate atmosphere. A Cut incorporates lots of clean materials: leather, stainless steel, and marble into the restaurant's overall theme and design. You'll notice leather booth seating, a leather menu, stainless steel salt and pepper shakers, and other stainless steel accents around the room.  

As for the meal...

Burgoo W. 10th

When I lived on campus I loved going to Burgoo. It was delicious food and only a short bus ride away from campus. Upon entering Burgoo, you're surrounded with a rustic interior, dark unfinished wood, and antique travel posters. Ever since I've left for Taiwan I've been looking forward to coming home and ordering one of their soup and sandwich combinations.

On this rainy, cold Vancouver day I thought it was the most appropriate time to introduce Burgoo to my mom. Going over to their West 10th branch, my regular haunt, we were actually greeted with pretty slow service. The waiters and waitresses weren't especially friendly, and seated us at our table for two with indifference. Our waitress took awhile to even greet us, and our water was even slower to come. However, even the cold service couldn't phase me. I loved Burgoo and I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into one of their delicious sandwiches. Eating one of their sandwiches is NOT a task to do when you're on a date with someone that you want to impress. Their sandwiches are massive, and unless you have a huge mouth, it's difficult to eat any of their sandwiches with finesse.

My mother ordered the Butternut Squash soup and the "Tasty Chicken" Sandwich (cucumber, apple, salad greens, and chicken breast), while I ordered the Straight Up Tomato Soup and the Ham and Brie sandwich. And to be completely honest with you? Both were extremely disappointing.

My sandwich was a cheap, terrible sandwich. The brie was hard (not the delicious gooey kind), they left the rind on, the tomatoes and salad were tasteless, and the ham didn't have much taste either.

I love tomato soups, and this was an ok tomato soup. Burgoo's straight up tomato soup is a very tangy, sour Tomato soup. The consistency is not especially thick, but the tomato "pulp" and the liquid of the soup separated quite easily. You can also see the grotesque bubble on top. I understand that the Burgoo kitchen staff drizzled some olive oil on top of the soup as a finisher, but even after I had eaten that, there was a thin, watery layer of liquid on top of the tomato soup.

I can't speak for my mother, but she also seemed very disappointed in her sandwich, and had extreme difficulty trying to fit it into her mouth. (Insert that's what she said joke here)

While my mother loved the butternut squash soup from Mistral, this butternut squash soup was the anti-thesis of that. It was overly sweet and completely one dimensional in flavor. I was just extremely disappointed. AND our breath smelled TERRIBLE afterwards. 

I talked to one of the regulars and was told that the senior chefs had moved to their Main Street branch, so that could explain the loss in quality. 

I'm willing to give Burgoo another chance, but new patrons beware! 

Our soup and salad combos were $12 dollars each. 

Thanks for coming!

Kid Friendly: Yes

Price: $$$ out of $$$$$

Repeatability: Maybe 

+Love

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