[Taipei] Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

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[Taipei] Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

Cafe Megane 眼鏡咖啡

Add: 5 Lane 52 Si Wei Rd, Taipei 台北市大安區四維路52巷6號
Tel: (02) 2708 4686
Hours: 12-10pm (closed on Tue)
Website: coffeemegane.com
Price: [drinks] 100~220 NTD [food] 180~280 NTD

Somewhere near the Tun Hwa/Hsin Yi intersection hides this stylish little café with an attitude. The decor is warm in a subtle palette of natural wood and yellow lighting, but the the wait staff serves with a cool nonchalance – not a frosty or rude manner, but it’s just not the usual warm friendliness typical of Taipei. This irked me a little bit (it’s amazing how fast I’ve grown used to remarkably amiable service in Taipei in the few days I lingered in the city) but this disinterested, thanks-but-I-don’t-really-care-what-you-think mannerism fits perfectly with the general vibe of the café.

There’s a table of four and a table of two, plus 6 slots at the bar and a few outdoor seats. It’s a tiny space, and no, they don’t take reservations. We were lucky to have the whole space to ourselves for a weekday lunch, but it’s not surprising that this place gets packed on weekends.


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[Taipei] Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿

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[Taipei] Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿

Fu Hang Dou Jiang 阜杭豆漿

Add: HuaShan Market Building, 2F, Zhongxiao E. Rd. Sec. 1, No. 108 台北市忠孝東路一段108號華山市場2樓之28
Tel: (02) 2392 2175
Hours: [daily] 5:30am-12:30pm
Price: [soy milk] 20~25NTD [shao bing] 25~55NTD
Visited: Apr 2011

With breakfast joints occupying every other street corners of Taipei, Fu Hang Dou Jiang has done impressively well in attracting a loyal following who would travel the distance and wait in a long queue, just to sink their teeth in one of the most satisfying shao bing (roasted flatbreads) in the city. This is what gets me up at 6:45am even when I’m on holidays.

Tip: It’s a popular place and it closes at 10am, so come early or leave hungry.

Since 1958, Fu Hang has been churning out 燒餅 (shao bing, or roasted flatbread) and 油條 (you tiao, or deep-fried cruller) made fresh daily in the traditional Nanjing way. Look through the glass to get a feel of the hustle and bustle in the kitchen.

After a short wait, here’s what we got on the plate.

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[Taipei] Boite de Bijou 珠寶盒法式點心坊

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[Taipei] Boite de Bijou 珠寶盒法式點心坊

Boîte de Bijou 珠寶盒法式點心坊

Add: 1/F, No. 10, Lane 209, Anhe Lu Section 2, Taipei 台北市安和路2段209巷10號1F
Tel: (02) 3322 2461
Hours: 10am-9pm
Website: www.boitedebijou.com.tw
Price: [lunch] 180~380 NTD [cakes] 120~150 NTD
Visited: Mar 2011

Tugged away inside a back alley behind Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Taipei, there is a small French patisserie where the aroma of freshly baked bread permeates the air, where gorgeous cakes sit quietly inside a glass display, where light music waltz in the space, where waiters and waitresses carry smiles so genuine you can’t help but want to snap pictures of them.

Welcome to Boîte de Bijou.


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[Taipei] VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

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[Taipei] VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

VVG Bistro 好樣餐廳

Add: 20, Alley 40, Lane 181, Zhongxiao E Rd, Sec 4, Taipei 台北市106忠孝東路四段181巷40弄20號
Tel: (02) 8773 3533
Hours: [Mon-Sat] 12-11pm [Sun] 12-8:00pm
Website: vvgvvg.blogspot.com
Price: [brunch] 600 NTD [pasta] 280~380 NTD [drinks] 120~380 NTD
Visited: Mar 2011

The brunch plate at VVG Bistro is sunny and bright like a Van Gogh sunflower. Roasted golden potato and tomato with bois boudran sauce, kumquat & pomelo green papaya salad in champagne vinaigrette, egg benedict drizzled with caviar Hollandaise, pistachio with honey and raspberry yogurt…Enjoy the dishes at the lush outdoor patio on a balmy day, or retreat to the adorable interior space furbished with eclectic decorations and mismatched furnitures.

By the way, VVG stands for “very very good”.

The indoor space is fun and quirky, but gets quite rowdy as the crowd settles in on weekends.

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[Taipei] W Hotel

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[Taipei] W Hotel

W Hotel Taipei

Add: 10 Zhongxiao East Road Sec. 5, Taipei, Taiwan 台北市信義區忠孝東路五段10號
Tel: (02) 7703 8888
Website: www.wtaipei.com
Visited: Mar 2011

W Hotel is the new hot spot in Taipei City. The 39th W Hotel globally, W Taipei opened just shy of 2 months ago, on Valentine’s day. What is the big deal? Described as “a sensational swirl of high-energy interiors, vivid design, cutting-edge technology and uniquely modern amenities to fulfill every wish”, W Taipei is also the only hotel in the city with a panoramic view of the Taipei 101, the 2nd tallest building in the world.

Let’s roll the pictures.

The 1st floor features a dramatic installation of metal sticks as “clouds” and the blue dots on the floor as “raindrops”, inspired by the rainy weather in Taipei. On the wall is an interactive installation, “To Light You Fade” created by rAndom International, which lights up according to your movements in front of it.

The reception located on the 10th floor.

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[Tokyo] Ichiyuu 一遊

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[Tokyo] Ichiyuu 一遊

Ichiyuu 一遊

Add: 神奈川県足柄下郡箱根町仙石原837
Tel: 0120-016-213
Price: approx. ¥8,000/set
Website: viala.harvestclub.com/restaurant/index.html
Visited: Jan 2011

Side tripping to Hakone, a famous onsen (hot spring) town about 1 hour away from Tokyo. With the help of a friend, we were able to stay at a membership-based onsen resort called Tokyu Harvest Club Viala 箱根翡翠, which not only offers a most relaxing venue for onsen, but also amazing cuisine.

Not wanting to over-stuff ourselves after a nice onsen bath, we chose the small 7-course kaiseiki set. Here’s the menu:

Choose your own sake cup.

The appetizer was a trio of tidbits. My favorite with the Botan shrimp with caviar, a decadent combination of plump sweet shrimp with caviar. The intensely flavorful dried mullet roe was also quite memorable, and the circular disk made from paper-thin daikon slices was especially impressive.

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[Tokyo] Fukusaya 福砂屋

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[Tokyo] Fukusaya 福砂屋

Fukusaya 福砂屋 is a historical cake shop famous for its Castella (カステラ), a simple Japanese sponge cake made with sugar, flour, eggs, and syrup. Though it is now a specialty of Nagasaki, Castella originally came from Castile of Portugal, and was brought to Japan in the 16th century. Fukusaya has been baking these divinely fluffy and moist Castella cakes since 1624, and their website quite clearly explains the process. As impressive as the taste, on the other hand, is the packaging. Let’s go layer by layer…

First, a yellow wrapping paper that depicts the founding date of Fukusaya, the shop’s various locations, and its signature bat-shaped logo. In Chinese (which the Japanese also use in the form of Kanji), “bat (蝠)” has the same pronunciation as “happiness/luck (福)” , which is why Fukusaya chose the bat as its store logo.

Inside the yellow wrapping paper is a thin but sturdy yellow paper box, again with the bat logo.

Opening the paper box reveals a sealed washi paper-textured spun polyester sleeve.

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