王品牛排 台北中山北店

Foodholic N子 @ Taipei

To sum it up: I probably won’t visit Wangpin Steak again.

Surprisingly, this was my first time eating at Wangpin Steak at my age. The reason being, during my student years, I felt it was a bit expensive, and after growing up, I thought there were better options. This time, I came to try it out because I had a voucher.

"Wangpin Steak Taipei Zhongshan North Store" is located near the Zhongshan station and the Regent Hotel, on the second floor. The entrance isn't very conspicuous; unless you see the striking red of Wangpin Steak, it’s quite easy to miss it.

The indoor space is rather small and crowded, with tables quite close to each other, and the ceiling is low, which creates a bit of pressure and isn’t very relaxing. I was seated right by the kitchen exit, so it was quite noisy; I constantly heard the kitchen staff talking and the sound of dishes. I also had a clear view into the kitchen, which I found to negatively impact the dining experience.

Today, I chose the $1590 set menu, and I’ll explain my thoughts on each dish.

Selected Bread:
There was grape multigrain bread and a small croissant. Both were freshly baked and spread with butter, and they were quite good. You could request more.

Appetizer: Flavored Sparkling Drink
This was a sweet, non-alcoholic sparkling drink that looked a bit like champagne—refreshing.

Salad: Grilled Iberico Pork with Romaine Salad
This salad was the MVP of the day, really standing out. Although there were only a couple of small pieces of grilled Iberico pork, the seasoning was very delicious, combined with crunchy, fresh lettuce and Caesar dressing beneath the greens. After finishing, I almost felt like I wanted more.

Soup: Truffle Cream Mushroom Soup
The bowl for the soup looked rather small and cheap, with lots of bubbles at the bottom, but it wasn’t as rich as I had imagined. The presence of cream was very low; it tasted quite thin, and I didn’t get much flavor from the truffles, cream, or mushrooms.

Light Drink: Sour Plum Soup (Shaved Ice)
Well... it’s just something to cleanse the palate, not too sour, with a mediocre flavor.

Main Course: Wangpin Beef Short Rib with Salmon
When I heard the waiter say that this beef short rib was cooked well-done, I should have sensed something was off... I should have ordered the filet instead. The beef short rib felt somewhat like dry stewed beef brisket, and I found it hard to cut and a bit tough to chew. After dipping it in the sauce, I didn't feel much flavor enhancement; the bone-in part was a bit better, but overall it didn’t suit my taste. The salmon came with a little yuzu sauce and a slice of lemon; the meat was very tender and tasted good, outperforming the beef short rib.

Side Dish: Pan-seared Zucchini
The zucchini was deliciously pan-seared, bringing out a sweet flavor and being quite fragrant; the side dish was good~

Dessert: Black Forest Tiramisu Mille-Feuille
This mille-feuille was one of the few items that I thought tasted good today, and it was my first time seeing a combination of tiramisu and mille-feuille. However, to be honest, the flavor wasn’t extraordinary.

Drink: Crunchy Caramel Fresh Milk Tea (Hot)
The fresh milk tea itself was unsweetened, and it tasted mediocre. You could add the crunchy caramel to the milk tea or eat it separately, but again, I thought it was just an okay milk tea.

I must mention the service, as it was a bit disappointing. The waiter who served the food showed little enthusiasm; there was a long pause before saying, "This is XXX" when placing the dishes down, and there wasn’t much introduction, with a tone that felt a bit burnt out.

Additionally, I noticed some waiters asking other tables if anyone had allergies, if there were any birthdays in the month, or if anyone wanted a group photo, but no one asked us...

Overall, I didn’t experience the highly praised Wangpin service during this entire meal. Combined with the food that didn’t really suit our taste, I doubt we’ll consider revisiting in the future.