Location: Hsinchu Kiwi Appetizer Italian Kitchen
Travel note summary: A few weeks ago, a user named figo recommended this restaurant in the comments section of my blog. I didn't have a chance to try it until yesterday evening, after playing badminton with a group of friends. I invited Zhichian and his UMC colleague Peizhen to go together. It's located quite far down Hsinchu's Beida Road, heading towards the suburbs, on the right-hand side. The sign has a black background with blue lighting, and an old, mottled pendant lamp hangs at the entrance. Looking inside at night, the dim yellow lighting gives it a feel similar to a small bar. Upon entering, you're easily drawn to the walls covered with black-and-white photos, which seem to be from 70s movies, music, or jazz. You can clearly see the overall decor isn't minimalist or clean, but rather replaced with an array of ornaments. We found a seat by the wall with a sofa and cushions and opened the menu handed to us by the beautiful waitress. The restaurant offers everything from steak dishes priced around five hundred NT dollars to regular pasta, baked dishes, or rice dishes. I ordered the Sicilian Braised Beef Cheese Baked Potato ($260…