A night at Canal District's Whirlpool

By Courtney Donovan Smith (石東文)

     It might be a little hard to spot, but those looking for a small friendly place with nice decor should find Whirlpool worth searching for. This place is the brainchild of the attractive young team of ex-frog bartender AT and his girlfriend, Cathy. who bring a personal touch to their small establishment. Like many neighborhood hangouts, they greet their (mostly female) regulars, who drop by for a few drinks and a bit of conversation, by name. Only open for six months now and hard to find (our alert COMPASS eyes all failed to notice it), they had a decent number of people the night I was there.

The decor is attractive, if a bit hard to define. There are some lounge-like elements in the moody lighting, a bit of Japanese influence and a few traditional pub touches. The front area is more open and a private area opens up to the back.      My friend and I chose to try out a few cocktails (NT$150+), but quickly moved onto the tequila shots (NT$100), a decision we later (barely) lived to regret. Along with the well-priced Tequila shots, there are NT$90 Lemon Drops. Bottled beer starts from NT$100. According to AT, many of his regulars are fond of his Moscow Mule, although it's not on the menu. My judgement was too impaired to have any recollection of how good the drink was, so I'll let you decide for yourself.

    Despite the lounge-like lighting, the music is normally rock and pop. However, customers frequently bring their own music--always the sign of a true "local". Happily, the music during my stay was much to my taste, as was almost everything else at Whirlpool.

     GETTING THERE: Head south on MeiTsun Rd. past SOGO Department Store and look for Mega Beer House, on the corner of JungCheng St. and MeiTsun Rd. Turn right, and go about one and a half blocks. Look for the ironworks flanking the pillars, and the wood and glassfront behind with the large words "whisky, cocktail" in the window.