Ala Pub

1, Lane 4, Chung Hsing Rd.

So there we were, sitting at the roadside talking anything but shop. Suddenly, a voice popped into my head and said, "Go to Ala maaaan!" Not one to mess with fate, I rallied the troops and we began our trek. Probably due to our anticipation, the journey to Ala Pub seemed longer than it actually was.

Ala Pub is located at 1, Lane 4, Chung Hsing Rd. across from the Peoples Park. I had been there once before to take in their monthly Punk Show. That time, a "who's who" of Taichung's music scene had their eyes fixed on a singer yelping out animal sounds while another fella, who obviously forgot he was just a drummer, jumped up and down screaming. Since it was all a little confusing, I can't say for sure if there was anybody else on stage with them. My second trip to Ala Pub would prove to be a much different kettle of fish.

We strolled in and immediately were awestruck by a lovely Aborigine singer wailing with some soul on stage. An employee was eager to seat us but we side-stepped her, knowing full well that the shortest distance between us and a beer was at the bar. A guy named "Little Vegetable" came up, greeted us and asked if we would like to meet up with our old friend "Herb". With everyone excited by the presence of Herb, I asked "Little Vegetable" what made the Ala Pub so great. He replied, "Cuz it's laid out like dat." I certainly was in no frame of mind to argue with such reasoning.

We all stuck around listening to the live music. After a little while, we parted ways and good 'ole Herb just seemed to fade into the background. Ala Pub is open fairly late and the drinks are of a reasonable price. On the Paddyboy Bar rating scale, the Ala Pub gets five Taiwan beers out of a possible six. Have a good one.