American restaurant that opened half a year ago in Neihu — super generous American-style fried steak with fragrant rice

Text and photos byOld K

Mei Ji and her friends planned to have a casual dinner on a weekday evening. One of them mentioned that she had recently tried a really good burger joint in Neihu. Mei Ji initially thought her friend was talking about the new BSB American restaurant branch on Section 3 of Chenggong Road, but it turned out to be an American eatery with a rather unique name: 矬(ㄘㄨㄛ)施蛋. For Mei Ji, meeting up for a meal in Neihu was the most convenient location. The friend who suggested this place works and lives in Xindian. Because she found the food here so delicious, she was willing to make the trip all the way to Neihu even on a weekday, which made Mei Ji even more excited to try the dishes.

At first, Mei Ji thought 矬蛋 American Restaurant was near Dahu Park, but later discovered it was actually on Jinhu Road. So after exiting Neihu MRT Station, she walked in the direction of Dahu Park, turned right after seeing Jinlong Road, and headed uphill. Mei Ji hadn’t been around this area for a while and noticed many restaurants lining both sides of Jinlong Road. The 矬蛋 American Restaurant we’re introducing today is probably the one at the very top of this row. As she walked along, she soon spotted the shop covered with lots of light bulbs — and that was 矬蛋.

We arrived around 7 PM that day, and the place clearly wasn’t very crowded, likely because it had only been open for six months and hadn’t done any advertising yet. There were no other servers in sight when we arrived, and after we sat down, the owner came out to introduce the dishes. The owner’s mother was also helping out front, giving off the cozy vibe of dining at a friend’s home, as if a friend-chef had personally cooked for us.

Mei Ji was taking pictures of the menu when the owner said, “No need — it’s all on our Facebook!” So all the menu photos below are from the 矬蛋 American Restaurant’s Facebook page. To be honest, they look way better than what Mei Ji managed to snap — haha.

Mei Ji’s copy of the menu didn’t include the last page, so she never saw the lemon sorbet pie that the owner recommended and her friend said was incredibly tasty the last time she visited. This left Mei Ji puzzled — why didn’t the owner recommend any egg-based dishes like the 矬蛋 Mexican roll that shared the restaurant’s name? It turned out those were breakfast items.

Since her friend highly recommended 矬蛋’s burgers, Mei Ji and another friend seriously debated what kind of burger to get. Mei Ji doesn’t usually eat beef, but luckily the menu noted that meat could be substituted with pan-fried or fried chicken. However, after learning she didn’t eat beef, the owner recommended the smoked salmon sandwich to her.

The pasta dishes weren’t immediately clear from their names what sauces they came with, so we asked the owner for help. But Mei Ji, with her goldfish memory, only remembered that the first one used wine-based sauce and the last one was a red (tomato) sauce. So, friends who want to try the pasta, just ask the owner for more details — and FYI, the pasta dishes come with soup and dessert too.

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The friend who recommended 矬蛋 American Kitchen ordered the chicken marsala penne, which came with soup. The soup of the day was seafood chowder, and she said it was really good with plenty of ingredients inside.

The chicken marsala penne is made with a marsala wine-based sauce. The chicken was tender, the sauce flavorful and well-infused, making the whole dish aromatic. Later, Mei Ji couldn’t help but keep sneaking bites of her friend’s pasta.

The friend’s burger appeared to be a Thousand Island jalapeño burger.

The burger was topped with crispy fried jalapeños, which have a tangy and spicy flavor.

The burger patty had two patties, though they didn’t seem very thick.

Her friend’s burger was the first dish to arrive, so as soon as it was served, everyone immediately went for the fries. They probably ate about half of them. Whether it was because the burger portion was too big or her friend has a small appetite, she didn’t finish the whole burger. Mei Ji’s friends were considerate enough to ask if she wanted a photo of the burger cross-section.

Mei Ji ordered the smoked salmon sandwich.

The owner put in extra effort — the top and bottom bread were different. The top was a harder bread, similar to French baguette texture, while the bottom was softer, resembling country-style bread.

The smoked salmon sandwich was very refreshing. The strongest-flavored component was a bit of pickled cucumber, and the portion of smoked salmon was very generous.

When the American fried steak with fragrant rice arrived, everyone couldn’t help but exclaim “Wow!” — the portion was simply huge. Fried steak, yellow fragrant rice, grilled vegetables, all topped with a generous drizzle of sauce. Just visually, it was a feast, and the fried steak was almost as long as a knife.

When the beef was cut open, her friend said the middle part was very tender, while the edges had a bit more chew with some gristle. Mei Ji only stole a few bites of the grilled veggies — they were delicious.

Finally, there was the signature lemon sorbet pie. As soon as it was served, the owner reminded everyone to eat it quickly because it had just come out of the freezer. At first, her friend even struggled to cut through the crust. The white part on top tasted like vanilla ice cream. The lemon flavor of the pie was fragrant and the texture was on the tangy side, perfectly balanced by the sweet ice cream on top — absolutely delicious. No wonder her friend was so excited when she heard the dessert of the day was lemon pie.

Mei Ji is very grateful to her friend for introducing her to 矬蛋 American Restaurant, allowing her to enjoy such delicious food in Neihu. Her favorite dishes this time were the pasta and the signature lemon pie. However, since she doesn’t eat beef, she couldn’t try two of the dishes. After the meal, when she asked her friend how everything was, the reply was just two words: “Delicious.” 矬蛋 American Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner. The variety of dishes is quite extensive, the overall ambiance is comfortable, the location is convenient, and it’s not far from the MRT station. Mei Ji thinks it’s perfect for friends, family gatherings, or just treating yourself to a nice meal after work. She’s decided to bring Lao K next time for brunch at 矬蛋 American Restaurant and will share more later.

矬蛋美式厨房
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Address: No. 58, Jinhu Road, Neihu District, Taipei City
Phone: 02-2794-3399
Business hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10:00–14:00, 17:00–21:00
Tuesday 10:00~14:00 15:00~16:00
Saturday and Sunday 9:00~21:00 (for holidays, please refer to the fan page)

Old K
Keep it going, Old K！
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