[Taipei] Micasa Dolci 蜜膳屋

Micasa Dolci 蜜膳屋

Add: 1/F #462, Section 4, Ren-Ai Road, Taipei 台北市信義區仁愛路4段462號1樓
Tel: (02) 2345 7669
Hours: 10am-8pm (closed on Monday)
Website: www.micasadolci.com.tw
Price: 300~400 NTD/plated dessert
Visited: Oct 2011

Please note that this is an arranged tasting.
2014 update: chef Katena Keichi now no longer works at Micasa Dolci.

Taipei is in no shortage of patisseries, but Micasa Dolci is undoubtedly in a class of its own. At this dessert cafe, each gorgeous sweet plate is an elaborately orchestrated ensemble of alluring colors, fancy garnishes, and extraordinary flavors – and everything is conjured up à la minute. A must visit for those who are willing to splurge a little for some sweet indulgence.

The interior is cheery and sparkling, perfect for a girly afternoon tea date.

Here’s Katena Keichi, the pastry chef in the kitchen. Trained in Italy/France then followed by a few years at Tokyo’s Canoviano and Nobu restaurants, Keichi’s desserts are European-style with Asian elements – my current favorite combination.

I first tried the caramel gelato with with banana, praline amande, garnished with savory sabayon sauce (350 NTD). Crunchy almond is layered with slices of banana, a scoop of bittersweet caramel gelato, then topped with savory sabayon (a light, aerated custard) that has been torched to create a burnt, melting surface. Beautiful, rich, decadent. I recommend sharing this between two people as it really is quite a formidable scoop.

Then came the cocoa crepe with mascarpone mixed nuts filling, vanilla gelato, garnished with 3 berries sauce (400 NTD). I was quite in love with this one for its balance of flavors and textures. Creamy mascarpone, crunchy mixed nuts, sweet vanilla gelato, sour berries sauce. Lovely.

Here’s some bitterness to balance out the sweet things – Espresso (100 NTD), iced Americano (120 NTD).

Micasa Dolci also carries a selection of pre-made desserts, which are drool-inducing as well.

Despite already being on a sugar overload, there’s no stopping me from trying a piece of Micasa Dolci’s famous half-baked honey cake (300 NTD). The cake itself looks ordinary enough, but slice it open and…

…you’ll know this is going to be different from any honey cakes you’ve ever tasted before. Baked for just 10 minutes, the honey cake is luxuriously fluffy, almost feather-like, and amazingly moist. It is sweet enough to be paired with a cup of tea but not so sweet that it’s overwhelming. Yes, I can probably finish the whole thing in one sitting.

And of course, macarons. Here’s a box of macarons (600 NTD/box of 9) with some very interesting flavors – bamboo charcoal/black bean, matcha, chestnut, pomelo, white sesame.

Micasa Dolci is absolutely delightful. For those who have an appreciation for exquisite made-to-order desserts, Micasa Dolci is well worth the extra NTDs.