Sugared & Spiced

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Cha Cha Thé 采采食茶文化

Add: 23, Ln 219, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei / 台北市復興南路一段219巷23號
Tel: (02) 2781 8289
Hours: 11:30am~10:00pm (afternoon tea 2:oopm~5:30pm)
Website: www.chachathe.com
Price: [Lunch] 790~990 NTD (+10%), [Afternoon Tea] 480~580 NTD (+10%)
Visited: 2011-03-22

Cha Cha Thé, one of my favorite spots in Taipei, is an elegant teahouse / restaurant by Shiatzy Chen. It is a center of calm admist the dizzying Taipei Eastern district, with beautiful interior design, tasteful merchandising, and soothing tea with dainty little bites to match. A perfect place for a quiet tête-à-tête.

A selection of merchandise is gracefully displayed on the walls.

The simple, soothing melody of Bach’s Cello Suites was floating through the air, perfectly befitting for the composed space.

Upon closer inspection, you will notice that the inner wall is built from tea bricks, subtly perfuming the air.

The afternoon tea set, inclusive of a pot of tea and two desserts of choice, ranges from 480 to 580 NTD (+10% service charge) depending on the type of tea you order. A la carte orders of tea and desserts are also available (minimum spend 300 NTD/person).

We tried the Flowered Rooibos (南非花草茶), a vibrantly orange-colored tea characterized by its soft floral notes, and the Oriental Beauty (東方美人), an elegant blend of Oolong tea with a bright amber luster and a sweet aftertaste.

All eight dessert options (including two savory items) looked very tempting, so it took us a while and the help of our gracious waiter to pick out four. The first was a Darjeeling sponge cake - soft, fluffy, light, and fragrant with the soothing black tea flavor.

Next was the dark chocolate with Grand Marnier cake, two triangular blocks of decadently rich chocolate cake punctuated with chopped walnuts and the ambrosial orange flavor of Grand Marnier.

We were wowed by the black rice with vanilla tart, a beautiful combination of east and west. The tart, soft like the shell of Taiwanese pineapple cakes, envelops a vanilla black rice filling that was rich in flavor but not overly sweet. Double like.

Lastly there was the matcha fruit tart, which disappointed me a little as the green tea flavor was barely there and the custard was too runny. I wish I had ordered the panna cotta with black sesame as suggested by our waiter.

At the cashier, we were presented with some complimentary candies – house made nougats and black date walnut cake, both delicious.

Cha Cha Thé remains one of my favorite afternoon tea spots in Taipei. Courteous staff, delicious food, beautiful ambience. Come, and stay for a while.