COMPASS MAGAZINE, DECEMBER 2000

NAPOLI ITALIAN

By Victoria Augustine
Translated by Rita Lin

In the seven years since its grand opening, Napoli Italian Restaurant has become a Taichung institution, providing good food, great drinks and a friendly atmosphere. Any day of the week, you can pass by this centrally-located restaurant and pub in the canal district and see a bustling business going on inside.  On weekends, numerous patrons spill out the front door onto the patio and into the street.

So what is the secret to their success? Could it be their renowned pizzas or that amazing vegetable lasagna? Perhaps it's the nightly specials, numerous drink options, live bands, friendly staff or variety of special activities always being planned. Whatever it is, it's about to get even better this month, when Napoli will relaunch its already impressive menu with the addition of several new dishes.

The bilingual menu will continue to have the same categories with very reasonably-priced items across the board, starting with appetizers that range from NT$200 to NT$300. Soups are around NT$300 and salads are from NT$120 to NT$250. Pastas are NT$150 to NT$250, lasagnas are NT$200 to NT$220, risottos are NT$200 to NT$250, pizzas and calzones are NT$180 to NT$300, and main courses are NT$360 to NT$560. Finally, there are snacks from NT$100 to NT$250 and a variety of drink options including hot and cold teas, coffees, milkshakes, soft drinks, juice, beer, whiskey, cocktails, shots, frozen daiquiris, and wine.

Thanks to the hard work of managers/co-owners Paul Gee and Jennifer Chiang, Napoli should become better-known for its food over the weeks and months ahead, thanks to some significant, and delicious, changes in the menu. Added to the pasta choices are four new dishes, including spicy seafood cooked in white wine; smoked salmon, chicken and vegetables in a tomato cream sauce; and tuna pasta.

In the pizza section, Hawaiian pizza and a tuna and onion pizza are being added. Another big change has all main courses becoming part of five-course set meals which includes a salad, your choice of vegetable or seafood soup, the main course, tiramisu or cheesecake, and coffee or tea. As always, each meal ordered will be served with complimentary bread. However, starting this month, that bread will be a pizza-shaped loaf topped with a garlic butter spread.

Napoli will continue to offer its nightly special: your choice of any pasta or lasagna dish and a drink for a mere NT$300 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. There will also be some special additions available on the weekends.  All day Saturday and Sunday, stop by to warm up with home-made Irish Stew, a concoction of large chunks of beef, potatoes, vegetables and a thick gravy. It's a great way to get your daily vegetable intake without even realizing you're doing so.

If you're interested in trying all these menu changes and additions, head over to Napoli on December 9 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. and try everything out for free! Yep, you read that right. There will be a free buffet to introduce all new menu items to the public. Now, if that's not incentive enough to get you out of your houses and over to Napoli, I'm not really sure what is.

In case you're fasting on December 9, there are other options to enjoy. On December 10, a SEGA Football (soccer for you American readers) Competition will be held at 7 p.m. It will cost NT$100 to enter but that's a small price to pay, considering it is winner-takes-all. On December 24 (a.k.a. Christmas Eve), a raffle will be held. Customers will receive one raffle ticket with each drink they purchase. Then, at 11 p.m., 20 to 30 prizes will be awarded to those holding winning tickets. On Christmas Day, a special Christmas Dinner will be served from 3 to 10 p.m. Finally, to ring in the new year, New Year's Eve will feature two very popular bands: The Beatlenuts and The Refreshments. In addition, the first 200 drinks of the night (starting from 7:00 p.m.) will be given away for free.

So there you have it. Delicious food, a variety of drinks, live bands, tons of activities and, best of all, a free buffet! What are you waiting for? Head over to Napoli to see for yourself why this place has such a dedicated following of foreigners and Taiwanese patrons alike.

(GETTING THERE: In case you're new in town, or have been living under a rock and don't know where Napoli is, it's located at 424 Hua Mei Street. From Taichung Harbor Road, turn onto Hua Mei Street, along the canal, and you'll see Napoli about four blocks down on the left.)