Eating
to your heart's delight at Wood Stone
By Douglas Habecker Translated
by Ann Lee
480, ShiZheng Rd, 10F (Idee Department
Store); (04) 2259-1111
Hours:11 am-10 pm
Credit cards accepted.
10% service charge. Parking available.
Some diners may automatically shy away
from the concept of an all-you-can-eat eatery in a department
store. However, they'd be making a big mistake in the
case of Wood Stone, an attractive, classy-looking Italian
restaurant that offers creative all-you-can-eat cuisine
for exceptional prices.
Located on the 10th floor of Idee Department
Store, the 120-seat restaurant's attractive layout and
table settings, bossa nova music, attentive wait staff
and other touches--like cafe umbrellas and 40-person
VIP room--give it a more upscale, subdued atmosphere.
The open kitchen reveals the inspiration for the restaurant
name, a large stone-covered, open-flame oven used to
bake pizza and bread.
With all this, it's even more surprising
that you can enjoy an all-you-can-eat selection that
includes 10 varieties of 10-inch pizza, five pasta dishes,
seven cold drinks, five drinks, seven desserts, sandwiches
and other appetizers. All this is only NT$320 per person,
or an even cheaper NT$220 (non-holiday Mon.-Fri., 11
a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) if you don't need the pasta.
General Manager Yang Shih-ming touts
this as his "Go Go Pie" deal and notes it's
ideal for groups, with individuals sharing each other's
pizzas and other entrees. Yang and Head Chef Li say
that the dishes are a mix of traditional Italian varieties
and more unique creations that cater to Taiwanese and
Japanese palates. The former category includes Margerita
(with juicy beefsteak tomatoes, basil and cheese), Salami,
and Pesto pizzas. Less traditional are the Terriyaki
& Onion Beef, Curry Pork Chop, and He Feng Octopus
pizzas. Diners--notably foreigners--who may think these
sound a bit strange can use this all-you-can-eat opportunity
to sample, and will probably be pleasantly surprised
by these tasty Japanese-style pizzas. Yang promises
that even more unusual pizzas are on the way.
Pastas are a similar mix of new and
traditional, with selections like Bacon Cream sauce
on Pumpkin Spaghetti, Pesto, and the new Ming Tai Dzi
Pasta, topped with flying fish roe and Japanese nori
dried seaweed strips. Other items include sub-style
sandwiches, chicken wings and desserts like Panna Cotta
and Creme Brulee.
Even those with hearty appetites will
probably find themselves challenged to munch their way
through the entire all-you-can-eat menu at one sitting,
which means that return trips are necessary. Fortunately,
that's definitely something to look forward at Wood
Stone. |
