老貳樓串燒居酒屋 Old 2F Bar & Grill

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Taiwan is a heaven for foodies. Especially Taipei city, which is packed with excellent restaurants. There is always new restaurants to try. And that’s basically what I did when I went back to Taipei- finding new restaurants to dine in.

One thing I couldn’t live without in Taiwan is the internet data plan. The road system is so complicated and confusing. Unlike New York City, the city is not laid out in a grid and the streets are not numbered. It is difficult to navigate without having Google Maps in front of you all the time. On my last trip back to Taiwan, I was being cheap and didn’t buy a data plan. I thought I would be fine if I pre-planned all my trips at home. And guess what? I was wrong!

We planned to have dinner with my friends at this Taiwanese bar & grill restaurant called Old 2F. It is hidden on the 2nd floor on a small street, about 10 mins walking from the closest MRT station. As soon as we walked out from the MRT station, we were lost. We walked around the area for about 30 mins before we found the restaurant. (Okay, partially it had to do with me being directionally challenged…)

Old 2F is on the 2nd floor of an old apartment. (the name of the restaurant is quite literal, isn’t it?) If you didn’t pay enough attention, you could easily miss the entrance.

entrance to Old 2F

Heading towards 2nd floor, it felt like you were actually going to someone’s house. The restaurant is decorated in retro Chinese style. You can find vintage items, like rotary dial telephone, old toys and Chinese calligraphy. There is even a retro-style mini convenient store set up near the cashier. It was like going back in time to the 1950s.

It was Thursday evening right after work hours so it wasn’t particularly busy. If you come on Friday evening, Saturday or Sunday, it is highly recommended to make reservations beforehand.

Ko-pi (“coffee” in Taiwanese) is the house pet of the restaurant. He is a Bernese Mountain dog, very friendly (and camera shy). There is not much space for him to walk around in the restaurant. He just kinda lies on the floor.

So… what kind of food do they serve here? They mainly serve Taiwanese dishes, like stir-fries, rice, noodles and soups. Japanese-style grill and skewered barbeque dishes are also available. You can also find a list of creative salad and deep-fried menu.

menu

Most dishes come in small portions so we ordered a few to share.

The sergestid shrimp fried rice is very typical Taiwanese fried rice. You could smell a mixture of aroma from the shrimps, eggs, onions and green onions. The portion was large enough for the four of us to share.

Sergestid shrimp fried rice (NT$180)

We ordered the deep-fried chicken cartilage especially for Kev to try (he hadn’t had anything besides chicken meat and chicken feet) The chicken cartilage was crisp and crunchy. Perfect snack to go with drinks!

Deep-fried chicken cartilage (NT$200)

I love the skewered bbq short ribs, chicken thigh and pork belly. The meat was so tender and juicy. YUM!

Skewered bbq short ribs (NT$90/skewer)

Skewered bbq chicken thigh (top, NT$70) & Skewered bbq pork belly (bottom, NT$60)

The oyster mushroom was thinly sliced before barbequed. This allowed the mushroom to be evenly cooked. Then, sprinkled with nanami togarashi (Japanese seven spices seasoning). DELICIOUS!

Skewered bbq oyster mushroom (NT$60)

Skewered bbq quail egg is their signature dish. The fried quail eggs were wrapped with beef slices and topped with mayo and dried bonito flakes. Tasted good, but not amazing.

Skewered bbq quail egg (NT$80/skewer)

The grilled baby corn had a crisp texture with a subtle, slightly sweet flavor.

Grilled baby corn (NT$90)

It’s an interesting restaurant. A great place for a group of close friends to eat, drink and hang out. The only complaint I had was that it can be a bit pricey (depends on what you order).