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LONGTABLE
Cafe．Restaurant．Bar

By Josie
Translated by Erica Lin

91, SongRen Rd, Xinyi Dist, Taipei City (City Hall MRT Station Exit 3)
(02) 2345-3670
Hours: 11 am-11 pm, 9 am-11 pm on weekends
10% Service Charge, Credit Cards Accepted, English Menu Available

Having traveled all over the world, Turkish owner Serdar Gayir decided to open LongTable in Taipei for his Taiwanese wife. With a lot of his own ideas and to challenge himself even more, Sedar picked a spacious 300 ping location in the center of the high-end Xinyi Development District. Furthermore, instead of going the luxurious, top-notch way, he works to provide people in Taipei a reasonably priced destination for socializing and relaxing. Devoting himself to integrating LongTable with a cafe, a restaurant, and a bar, the idea of it is to welcome guests at any time of the day. True to the name, "LongTable" gives the impression of people getting together, sharing and enjoying at a big long table, so instead of featuring specific countries' cuisine, the concept of LongTable's menu includes European- and Mediterranean-style dishes. Thus, entrees include Greek Salad, Fish & Chips, Cafe de Paris Steak, Chicken Schnitzel, Piperade, and many other exotic dishes.

A. As seen frequently in European and American restaurants, LongTable has two big, long tables, with the bigger one seating up to 16 to 18 people; not only are they a good opportunity to make new friends regardless whether one knows the person next to himself or herself or not, Serdar also wishes for everyone to make good use of this place, bringing social events such as eating, wine-tasting, birthday parties, to even work-related meetings to these tables.

B. Hummus is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips. According to Serdar, it is very easy to make; simply mash the cooked chickpeas into paste, mix in an appropriate amount of olive oil, a bit of salt, lemon juice, cumin seeds, parsley and other spices. Longtable's Hummus with Garlic Bread (NT$290) comes with crispy rosemary garlic bread. One can chat upon relaxing with this appetizer before ordering any entrees.

C. This recommended classic Milan dish, Veal Milanese with Rocket Salad (NT$690), features tender veal wrapped in crispy batter, creating a pleasing taste and texture. Rice Pudding (NT$190) is a traditional Turkish desert, with a crispy oven baked surface covering a creamy mixture of rice, milk, sugar, and whipped cream--delicious while warm and cooled.

D. Unlike other dazzling, crowded bars, one can enjoy small drinks in the elegant environment of LongTable. There are many flavors of the popular mojito including apple, strawberry, litchi, grape and so on. Where to go on Fridays after work? LongTable could be an new option in Xinyi District.

E. Customers can always see Serdar Gayir's busy figure running back and forth the restaurant, although he has more than 20 years of experience in the dining-related industry, this is his first time running a restaurant. He especially invited Mahiew Alpay, who is an expert in European cuisine, to be the chef. Sure enough, LongTable presents a dining experience different to the average western style restaurants.

B. D.