New to the Amy's chain in Kaohsiung: Mamamia and Muddy Waters

417, 1F & 2 F, LongDe Road, Gushan District (at the corner of
JhongHua 1st Road and ShenNong Road
Tel: Mamamia - (07) 522-7300 / (07) 522-7211
(Same for Muddy Waters)
Hours: Mamamia-Monday - Friday 11 am-2 pm;
5:30 pm-12 midnight
Saturday - Sunday 11 am-12 midnight
Muddy Waters-Everyday 7 am-11 pm
Visa and Mastercards accepted.
English and Chinese menus available.
NT$200 minimum charge.
Smoking section available in Mamamia, but not
Muddy Waters.
www.amy.com.tw

For fans of Amy's restaurants around town, such as Smokey Joe's and the Harbor Villa, her two new establishments (sharing the same building at LongDe and ShenNong Roads) promise to offer what you like - and perhaps more. To begin, the exterior has to be one of the most appealing in Kaohsiung. Inside, on the first floor, through a separate entrance from Mamamia's, Muddy Waters greets customers with a jukebox and other memorabilia seemingly from a bygone era. Adorning the pastel walls, posters of the Beatles and Marilyn Monroe - and a pink plastic Cadillac - strive to entice visitors to envision a diner of yesteryear.

Focusing on sandwiches, pasta, and a plethora of drinks, the English/Chinese menu at Muddy Waters offers plenty of options. Sampled for review, the Smoked Chicken Breast with Gouda on Ciabatta Bread, Roast Beef with Cheddar on Focaccia and Spicy Tuna Fish with Havarti come highly recommended (NT$129 - NT$139). The NT$49 Oreo Cheesecake is eager to please as well.

Occupying the top two floors in the same building, the new Mamamia Italian Restaurant appears to be bound for success (if the eclectic decor and atmosphere have anything to do with it). Warm wood walls and lofted spacious ceilings impress, and a walk around the two floors - and out on to the large balcony overlooking the park nearby - is a worthwhile excursion. With some old favorites from the original Mamamia's still on the bilingual menu, fans of the former establishment are sure to be pleased, and Amy is proud to introduce some new additions as well. The Potato Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce is superb (NT$230), as is the Fresh Grilled Sea Bass with Olive Oil for NT$320. Amy also recommends the Grilled Spinach Crab Cakes (NT$295) and flavorful Fresh Deep Fried Calamari (NT$249).

Decide for yourself if these two establishments are worthy of your initial visit and subsequent return, but be assured that with twenty-one years of restaurant experience here in town, Amy is not likely to disappoint.

--By Mike Brown and Peiling Wu, translated by Annie Liu