Kajitsu 菓實
Add: 2F., No.128, Kangding Rd., Taipei / 台北市康定路128號2樓
Tel: 0978870653
Hours: Wed-Sun 12-9pm
Website: pojowowo.blogspot.tw
Price: details here.
Visited: Feb 2015
Two months ago back in Paris, I was home after another long and exhausting day in the kitchen. As usual, I was mindlessly going through my Facebook feed (not the best thing to do before going to bed but it does loosen me up after an intense dinner service), and a page called “菓實 Kajitsu” caught my attention. I started browsing through their beautiful pastry photos paired with down-to-earth writings, and was immediately charmed. I decided that I need to visit this place when I’m in Taipei.
So here I am, two months later, in Kajitsu’s homey and cozy pastry studio located in an apartment building of Wanhua district, a very old neighborhood in Taipei City. I met the couple behind Kajitsu, Abby and Evan, who welcomed me with hot tea and freshly baked pastries. Abby is the pastry chef and Evan, an industrial designer by trade, takes care of the marketing part of the business, including photography and graphic designs.
Abby didn’t start young as a pastry chef. She was a psychology major in university and worked as a Japanese translator briefly after graduation, before she decided to start her pastry career as an apprentice for Japanese pastry chef Tadashi Yanagi (柳正司). She then spent a year at Boîte de Bijoux before launching her own studio in October 2014, where she could have more freedom in both ingredient choice and product design. They purposefully chose Wanhua, where the rent is much lower than in the hotter areas of Taipei, so the extra money can be spent on quality ingredients such as imported Isigny butter from France and Nisshin flour from Japan.
The studio itself is very simple with some pastry workstations and a wooden communal table. Most people order their pastries to go, though Abby and Evan do welcome occasional guests by reservations.
I first tried a canelé (50 NTD), which was quite lovely with a crunchy crust and soft interior. This also comes in chocolate and green tea flavor, though I didn’t taste those on this visit.
Even more adorable is the 青山抹茶糖漬金桔磅蛋糕 (100 NTD), a green tea kumquat confit pound cake in the shape of a mountain, decorated with green tea white chocolate and pearl sugar. The concept and design pay homage to 青山宮, Green Mountain Palace, located close to the Kajitsu studio. This pastry is a bit too sweet for my palate, though I loved the addition of kumquat confit in the mix.
What a charming little place. On my way out, Abby was making a strawberry tart with pistachio almond cream and raspberries, and it looked very, very good. Take a look at their website (Chinese only) to see everything they have on offer and try some for yourself.
