Bali Left Bank, New Taipei City, Taiwan

A bright sunny day on Wednesday shortly after 12 noon was when we stepped into this restaurant. Latin and American songs blasting from the second floor balcony could be heard from the street below. The Bali 水岸 四季景觀餐廳 was the largest restaurant on this stripe of shops and restaurants about 150 feet from the Danshui River 《淡水河》。

This area is commonly known as Bali Left Bank because the town of Bali, 20 KM northwest of Taipei, is on the southern bank of the Danshui River. On the other side of the river is the town of 淡水. It takes about 50 minutes by Taipei metro from the Taipei main railroad station.

Overall, we had a very pleasant experience at this beautiful restaurant on this warm Wednesday afternoon. Not rushed by the waitstaff, relaxed atmosphere, soothing ambience, capable service, better than okay food and a nice view of the Danshui River.

This 2nd floor restaurant has many separate sections. It has several beautifully appointed, cozy and open partitions facing the river through out the restaurant, each of which can seat eight. There are several sections which have space for four or five tables of 2’s and 4’s. A big dining hall in the back has at least 40 tablets which is ideal for a big party or company event. An open balcony in the middle of the restaurant has an expansive view of the river. Behind the balcony is a huge open kitchen.

The restaurant offered western cuisines with Mediterranean flavor. Portions were huge and the prices were moderate to the high side. Service was slow paced and our servers were polite and personable. One thing struck me as odd was we were offered a hot plate of roasted vegetables before our main course. Desserts looked very appealing but we couldn’t even finish our main courseafter that plate of vegetables.

We just have to come back next time and try the afternoon tea for two. And the French cream of mushroom soup. And the roasted pork knuckle, maybe.