A fraction of a restaurant

By Manuela Zoninsein (cityweekend.com.cn)
Updated: 2008-04-28 10:22

1/5 Taverna is simply too modest in its title-I'd give it at least a quarter. Focaccia (8 yuan), last I checked, should be flat, crispy and sprinkled with flavoring-not just a white loaf. But at least it was warm, so they win points for effort. Meatballs with a "spicy BBQ sauce" (26 yuan) tasted a little like Chef Boyardee, but I'll let that slide since I so enjoyed the remnant nostalgia (is that what it tastes like?). When I ordered a draught beer from the menu to wash it all down, I learned the restaurant had yet to arrange that by their opening week.

Dull, farmed pink salmon steak with tomato-basil salsa (98 yuan), followed by an oily and malajiao-ed Penne Arrabiatta with roast eggplant (42 yuan), would get high marks-were I strapped into a 747. An airplane at least would have poured their wine generously; 1/5 filled less than that fraction of my glass with a house red (60 yuan; 50 yuan for white). While its opening week left much to be desired, 1/5 Taverna has added a live mariachi band and a much-needed drinks menu, including pitchers of Sangria and cocktails, hopefully helping them actually "take the concept of the commune to a new level of get-down harmony."

With the understanding that dry openings are just the beginnings, we wish 1/5 Taverna luck in becoming complete.

1/5 Taverna
Tel: 6501-1949
Add: Courtyard 4, Gong Ti Bei Lu, directly behind Pacific Century Place