Sicily Italian Bistro

Sicily native Dario Di Falco originally came to Taiwan on a short-term business assignment. However, after falling in love with this island, he informed his colleagues he would be staying longer-term. A search for a new business venture, a longing for cuisine from his homeland and his years as a professional chef led to this little bistro offering a genuine Italian ambiance and, as his slogan notes, “real Italian food”.  “I wanted it to be like my home, a friendly place where people come in and I cook for them, a place where customers know who I am and feel free to interact with other customers,” he says.

The cozy interior has 12 table seats, five bar seats and a mural of Mt. Etna, an active volcano overlooking Dario’s hometown of Catania. In May he marked the restaurant’s fifth anniversary with a new menu, adding vegetarian and other dishes to old favorites, all fresh-made (not frozen) almost completely with imported Italian ingredients. A new limited-quantity appetizer is Fresh Burrata Cheese (NT$469), air-shipped weekly from the southern Italy’s Puglia region.  This joins Sicilian street-food favorites, Arancini Sicilian Stuffed Rice Balls (NT$419), crunchy cooked risotto balls stuffed with a meat-cheese-tomato ragu sauce; and Sicily Cipollina, baked pastry dough wrapped around onions, parma ham, tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

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Using his handmade pasta or imported Italian dry pasta, Dario’s eight pasta dishes include Sicilian Norma Pasta (NT$369), featuring eggplant, tomato sauce and olive oil topped with parmigiano cheese; Lasagna with Sicilian Ragu (instead of the usual Bolognese sauce) made with his grandmother’s recipe; the new Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta (NT$429); and a weekly Chef Pasta special. Other flavorful traditional dishes include a Scacciata spinach, cheese and meat stuffed flatbread; Italian-style ribeye and fillet steaks; and a new Sicily Special Panini (NT$349), filled with deep-fried eggplant, cheese, parma ham, olives, oregano and greens.  Desserts include Panna Cotta, Tiramisu, and Tiramisu Cake (with 2-day advance order). 

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There’s an all-Sicilian selection of 12 red and nine white wines, plus Sicilian and other Italian beers and liqueurs, from limoncello to grappa.

0908-748-256

Hours: Wed-Thu 5-10 pm, Fri 5 pm-12 am, Sat-Sun 11:30 am-2:30 pm, 5 pm-12 am (closed Mon-Tue)

Cash only. 5% service charge.

27-5, XiangShang Rd, Sec 1, West Dist