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'Real food' keeps
diners returning to Smooth
By Douglas Habecker Translated by Ann Lee
5-7, Lane 50, JingCheng Rd
Smooth European Restaurant's ability to keep filling its 80 seats after many years in the business can be attributed to a number of factors, including its classy-yet-relaxing bar and grill ambiance, attentive service and good location in the heart of the TaichungGang Road commercial/hotel district. However, Dutch owner Hendrick Frijling gives most of the credit to what he calls "real food"--delicious, unadorned cuisine made with high-quality ingredients.
"I always like to cook simple and not with these multi-layered French styles. What's the fuss about? I offer very hearty, honest food; you see what you get and it's all there, including good meat and good fish," he says.
Two relatively recent additions to Smooth's menu are great illustrations of this philosophy. The first is the already-popular Rock Salt Fish (NT$800), notably a hit with the ladies. A whole sea bass is packed in a rock salt crust with cream sauce, then oven baked for 20 minutes. In an enjoyable little spectacle, the pan is then brought to your tableside so that you can watch as the salt cast is broken open and the succulent fish peeled off the bone and served on your plate. You can squirt lemon onto the fish and enjoy it with lemon butter sauce and Italian green salsa. Mixed vegetables, boiled potatoes and Smooth's usual mini-loaf of chewy bread complete the meal. Reveling in this treat, I was reminded of other "real food" experiences, from Pacific Northwest fish bakes to quaint little eateries in the Mediterranean, where this dish originates.
Another new addition is the Wagyu Beef (NT$1,650) steak set meal. In my opinion, the only way to enjoy this thick, beautiful, tender, marbled 8.5-ounce piece of meat is rare. The addition of a salmon salad, fish eggs, tasty truffle mushroom soup, vegetables and chips (fries) and bread, plus a crepe with vanilla ice cream and cinnamon apple for dessert, makes this a very hearty meal.
Also gaining popularity over the years are longer-standing menu items like the Beef Goulash (NT$420), Babyback Ribs (NT$690), Pork Medallions, Veal Chops, and two traditional Austrian-style Schnitzels (Wiener and Yaeger) made with real, pan-fried (not deep-fried) veal. Top side dishes include the Mozzarella Tomato, and Spicy Clams and, as always, the pasta menu from Hendrick's next-door Fatty's Italian Restaurant is also available. All this can be enjoyed with a German draft Krombacher beer (NT$150, 400cc) or selections from the restaurant's extensive wine list. Clearly, Hendrick's continuing dedication to classic, simple, high-quality food shows no signs of changing and promises to keep diners happy at Smooth for many years to come.
 
 
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September 2008
