Opened in 1934 by Liao Shui-lai in Taipei's Dadaocheng section, Bolero restaurant is maintaining tradition as Taiwan’s oldest Western-style eatery.
Liao studied the culinary arts in Japan, but as a music lover, decided to name his restaurant after Ravel's classic “Bolero.” While the language of the restaurant’s marquee has switched among Japanese, Chinese and English over the years, Liao has remained faithful to the phonetics of the word “bolero.”
Liao Cong-qi, in the third generation of Liaos running the restaurant, said the restaurant’s original capacity of over 200 was insufficient to meet demand in the 1960s, and it was not uncommon for customers to have to line up. An expansion in 1975 increased the restaurant's capacity to 400, but still it was hard to find a seat in the place.
Bolero employed around 100 people at that time, and the success of the restaurant was remarkable. Liao Zhi, the 99-year-old wife of the founder, recalled, “We were unbelievably busy each day preparing food.”
At a time when the majority of Taiwanese were still sitting on benches when eating, Bolero used custom-made sofas. Meanwhile, while many people were still using hand-cranked gramophones, Bolero used a high-end stereo system to broadcast classical music throughout the restaurant.
Besides the allure of the music, the interior of the restaurant, which was designed by renowned designer Yan Yun-lian, helped attract many influential people from political and business circles. Founder Liao Shui-lai was an art lover and a patron to local artists, making the restaurant a gathering place for the cultural crowd.
The price of eating at Bolero did not come cheap, however. In the 1960s, when civil servants generally made between NT$300 (US$9.90) and NT$400 a month, a meal of French duck and rice at Bolero cost NT$25, and a cup of coffee was NT$10, making one meal the equivalent of about 10 percent of a person’s monthly salary.
Pan Jin-yi, a veteran manager of the expanded restaurant who is in his 70s, said Taiwan’s first major hotel, First Hotel, even sent its employees to Bolero for training.
Liao Cong-qi said Bolero used to also be a place where the children of wealthy people would go on blind dates. While these days blind dates are not too popular, Bolero has become a popular background for photography. The restaurant building has been designated as a historical structure by the city, and many of its old customers continue to patronize the restaurant.
The restaurant is also getting a whole new clientele as young people who have read about the restaurant on the Internet eat there for its retro feel.
Another member of the Liao family involved the restaurant’s operation has created a website that highlights the classical feel of the restaurant. Nonetheless, the restaurant still creates new offerings, such as its Flora Expo dessert menu.
(This article originally appeared in The Liberty Times Dec. 5.)