4 Plus
Familiar faces, cozy space and personalized service make you never want to leave
Written & translated by Diva
Photos by Andy Lin
(02) 2738-2776
13, LeLi Rd (near AnHe Rd corner)
Hours: weekdays 8 pm-3 am; weekends 8 pm-4 am
Credit cards accepted.
10% service charge.
Recently, 4 Plus quietly moved to its current location on LeLi Road. Even without any advertising, old friends and regulars found their way back to this pure-white nightspot. When you walk into 4 Plus, the first person you'll meet is Jeremy, the bartender. Don't let his youthful appearance fool you, though--he's a very experienced cocktail master who claims he learned to make drinks from reading.
Aside from making good drinks, the most important task of a bartender is to chat with the customers. Unlike most lounge bars, patrons at 4 Plus usually sit on high stools at the bar instead of in private booths--and the stools go quickly, so come early! Jeremy can chat with just about anyone about almost any subject--from sports to politics, and even Lao Tzu on occasion. Jeremy is also the DJ at 4 Plus; his love of jazz music fills the place with good tunes to accompany the drinks.
The bartender explains that, for regulars, the cocktail list at the bar is mainly for display as most of them have their own personalized drinks that were created to suit their tastes. This custom cocktail service has helped bring hundreds of varied house specials into existence. No matter who you are, the house special is NT$350 per order. I fell in love with American Lemonade (NT$350), which is a simple mix of red wine and lemonade. A glass of house red wine is NT$350, as is the stronger, vibrantly-colored Lotus (NT$350).
The renowned cuisine at 4 Plus is the other reason that regulars keep coming back. Chef Chu is quite respected in local culinary circles and is also very chatty if you strike up a conversation about gourmet food. His concept is serving exquisite dishes in small portions, like Spanish tapas. The most popular dish is Broccoli with Bacon (NT$130), which can transform die-hard carnivores into veggie lovers. The Shrimp cocktail (NT$230) comes with honey mustard and mayonnaise dipping sauce rather than the commonly-seen seafood sauce. Sirloin Steak with Garlic and Rosemary (NT$270) is served rare and the meat is so juicy that no steak sauce is needed. Japanese Scallops from Hokkaido (NT$180) are smaller than their Canadian counterparts, but these pan-fried, grilled treats are much sweeter.
 
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September 2008
