taipei | Sugared & Spiced

2½ Months Soba 二月半そば蕎麦麺

Add: No. 1-1, Lane 20, Zhongshan North Road Section 2, Taipei / 台北市中山北路二段20巷1號1之1樓
Tel: (02) 2563 8008
Hours: 11:30am-2pm, 5:30-9pm (closed on Wed)
Website: www.facebook.com/healthy.soba
Price: 250-350 NTD/person
Visited: Feb 2015

Taipei has a plethora of ramen and udon joints, but soba shops are a rare find. Unable to get good buckwheat noodles in the city, a Japanese couple decided to open their own restaurant and named it “2½ Months Soba”, which refers to the two-and-a-half-month process of sowing and harvest to produce buckwheat. As far as I could tell, this place is authentic with many Japanese customers.

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The noodle menu is roughly divided into three parts, including hot soup noodles, dipping soup noodles, and cold noodles. I tried the XO樱花蝦芝麻酱蕎麥涼麵 (190 NTD), which is soba noodles served with a XO sauce + sakura shrimp + sesame sauce. Also comes with mashed turnip, chopped green onions, and dried seaweed slices.

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2015/02/112015/08/05

[Taipei] Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits 逸鮮棧

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Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits 逸鮮棧

Add: No. 500-5, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao Dong Lu, Taipei / 台北市忠孝東路4段500號之5
Tel: (02) 2725 3555
Hours: 11:30am-3pm, 5:30-10:30pm
Price: [lunch] 320-660 NTD [dinner] 600-1200+ NTD
Visited: Feb 2015

When some friends invited me to have dinner at “Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits”, I wasn’t sure what to expect. “Fresh Station” itself sounds like a salad bar, and the sushi + fruits combo just threw me off completely. Apparently this is a sushi bar that incorporates fruits into its cuisine, which sounds like a desperate attempt to differentiate itself from the hundreds of other sushi restaurants in Taipei…but the friends who invited me to dinner are serious foodies, so I trusted their opinions and went in for a try.

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Upon being seated, my friends told me that they are actually not a fan of Fresh Station’s fruit cuisine, but really enjoy the more traditional sushis prepared by the chefs here. So that’s what we had that night.

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One of the restaurant specialty is its large variety of pickles – apparently they pickle everything – which are supplied to customers generously throughout the meal.

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2015/02/102015/08/05

[Taipei] Si Zhi Tang 四知堂

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Si Zhi Tang 四知堂

Add: 18, Section 3, Jinan Road, Taipei / 台北市濟南路3段18號
Tel: (02) 8771 9191
Hours: 12-10pm
Price: 800-1200 NTD/person
Visited: Feb 2015

Si Zhi Tang, a low-profile Taiwanese fusion restaurant with dishes that are a little bit out of the ordinary. Reviews of this place are highly mixed, with the negatives generally focusing on its high prices. I was debating whether to try this or just go to a good old Taiwanese restaurant with guaranteed good food and good prices, but decided to come here anyway to see what it’s about. The meal turned out to be quite pricey as expected, but the dishes were delicious, the service was smooth, and the overall dining experience very pleasant. I’d say it’s a nice place to try at least once.

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Si Zhi Tang might be slightly hard to find even if you have the exact address, especially if you go after dark. When you reach No. 18 on Section 3 Jinan Road, look for a small alleyway-like entrance that will lead you to the restaurant.

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2015/02/092015/08/05

[Taipei] Stoppage Time 補時

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Stoppage Time 補時

Add: 30, alley 15, lane 96, Section 2, Heping East Road / 和平東路二段96巷15弄30號
Tel: (02) 2736 6506
Hours: 11am-11pm
Website: www.facebook.com/stoppagetimecafe
Price: 100-160 NTD/coffee, 130-140 NTD/pastry, 220 NTD/sandwich
Visited: Feb 2015

A stylish cafe that opened up pretty recently in Taipei. They’ve got a huge kitchen area, communal tables, and individual desks. They serve coffee and tea, sandwiches and sweets. They play good music, and they project movies and soccer games onto their big white wall from time to time. I like, quite a lot.

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2015/02/052015/08/05

[Taipei] 1789 Café, by Cyrille Courant

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1789 Café, by Cyrille Courant

Add: 97-1, Section 2 Renai Road, Taipei / 台北市中正區仁愛路二段97-1號
Tel: (02) 3322 2089
Hours: [Tue-Sun] 11am-8pm (closed on Mon)
Price: 120-150 NTD/éclair
Website: www.1789.com.tw
Visited: Feb 2015

Chef Cyrille Courant has been roaming around the world for a while. He started his cuisine training in France, and subsequently worked in Germany, England, China, and eventually Taiwan where he decided to settle and open a pastry boutique (more details on his professional career here). I first met Cyrille and his wife Sabine back in 2013 at a little cafe in Paris, where we shared our pastry stories (his being infinitely richer than mine) over a few of glasses of wine and some saucissons. He was still in the planning stage of his boutique at the time, and – without having tasted any of his pastries – I could already tell that he is someone passionate for and dedicated to his profession. Cyrille opened his boutique in early 2014, and during my current trip to Taipei, I finally had the chance to try his creations.

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Cyrille’s boutique, named 1789 Café, is dainty and efficient. It starts with a bright pastry display, a few tables just behind to the left, a chocolate display corner, and an exhibition kitchen with counter seats for those who want to gawk at the pastry chefs at work. The boutique opens at 11am, but I went in earlier to see the kitchen during their morning prep time. Here are some action shots…

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When I arrived at 9:30am, Cyrille and his two pâtissiers were in the middle of finishing the éclairs – piping the cream, glazing the top, decorating with chocolates and fresh fruits, etc. Seeing them at work reminded me of my days at Fauchon, where I garnished and glazed endless éclairs day after day…I really wanted to roll up my sleeves and join in on the action!

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2012/07/242015/08/31

[Taipei] Vinotheque 吉悅酒窖

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Vinotheque 吉悅酒窖

Add: 317 Tayou Road, Taipei / 台北市塔悠路317號
Tel: (02) 2747 5888
Hours: 11am~8pm (closed on Monday)
Website: www.vinotheque.com.tw
Price: approx. 3000 NTD/person
Visited on: 2012-07

Wine storage facilities are not my usual hangouts, but through the introduction of some wine connoisseurs, I ended up taking a tour and having dinner at Vinotheque (吉悅酒窖) on my recent trip to Taipei. Since its opening in 2010, Vinotheque has been renting out its 2000 sqm space to wine lovers for storing their priced collections, and has also evolved to become a fine dining restaurant exclusive for members and friends. Let’s take a look at this massive space.

1st floor lounge area.

The basement, where an open kitchen, dining rooms and wine storage space are located.

My apologies for the mess – the picture of our room was taken after dinner was finished – but I can assure you that it was impeccable when we first walked in.

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2012/07/172015/08/31

[Taipei] agnès b. café L.P.G.

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agnès b. CAFÉ L.P.G.

Add: 1F 2 Lane 106 Da’an Road Section 1, Taipei / 台北市大安路一段106巷2號1樓
Tel: (02) 8773 5273
Hours: 12pm~11pm
Website: www.agnesb-lepaingrille.com/tw
Price: [drinks] 80~160 NTD [desserts] 100~230 NTD
Visited on: 2012/07

Within the past two years or so, fashion brand agnès b. has quickly opened 6 cafes in Taipei, the newest addition being an impressive 2-floor house right behind Sogo. Having tried agnès b. desserts in their Hong Kong flagship store, I really didn’t have much faith in their offerings, but the decor looked attractive enough and really, all I wanted was a place to sit with a friend after dinner, so there we were.

This outdoor patio would be quite a lovely spot if Taipei weren’t so hot and humid during summertime.

Cute mosaic tiles.

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2012/07/152015/08/31

[Taipei] 4F Cooking Home

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4F Cooking Home

Add: 4F 10-3 Yongkang Street, Da’an District Taipei / 台北市大安區永康街10-3號四樓
Tel: (02) 2321 6608
Hours: 10am~6pm (closed on Monday & Tuesday)
Website: www.4fcookinghome.com.tw
Price: 2000 NTD/lesson
Visited on: 2012-07

Up on the 4th floor of a nondescript apartment building on Yongkang Street is a little utopia called 4F Cooking Home. Come up with me and discover this delightful space, and perhaps this is where you will find yourself next weekend…

There were no lessons being held at 4F Cooking Home on the day of my visit, but Soac, the director of 4F, happened to be in the kitchen conjuring up something delicious to entertain his guests for the evening. My lucky day!

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2012/07/142015/08/31

[Taipei] Woolloomooloo WXY

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Woolloomooloo WXY

Add: 379 Hsinyi Road Section 4, Taipei / 台北市信義路4段379號
Tel: (02) 8789-0128
Hours: 8am~12am
Price: [drinks] 60~240 NTD [food] 100~550 NTD
Visited on: 2012-06

Woolloomooloo’s original store in Fujin Street is such a lovely spot, and it’s no surprise that when they opened a 2nd location in the city center, it became one of the most popular eateries around town. The decor is more industrial than its original store (think concrete and steel), but the ambience is softened by plenty of wooden furniture and warm diffused lighting. The 2-story structure is quite a big space – let’s take a tour!

The first floor houses the kitchen, the service bar, a few tables, and a play area for kids.

Cakes on display.

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2012/07/102015/08/31

[Taipei] Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理

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Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理

Add: 2 Alley 4 Lane 74 Wenzhou Street, Taipei / 台北市大安區溫州街74巷4弄2號
Tel: (02) 2367 7862
Hours: 12~9pm (closed on Wednesday)
Price: [tea] 160 NTD [desserts] 120~150 NTD
Visited on: 2012-07

Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理, previously part of Caffe Libero in the Yongkang Street neighborhood, recently moved out to open an independent shop on Wenzhou Street. This area is really out of my usual activity zone, but after hearing such wonderful things about its lemon tart, I decided to venture out here to give it a try.

From the exterior to the interior, girly cute is the best phrase to describe Le Petit Pâtissier. Bright color blocks of fuscia yellow and green, red water jug adorned with white polka dots, wooden chairs with checkered mats…yes, it’s a sugar overload.

Even the desserts are in such adorable colors and shapes.

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Category: taipei

[Taipei] 2½ Months Soba 二月半そば蕎麦麺

[Taipei] Fresh Station Sushi & Fruits 逸鮮棧

[Taipei] Si Zhi Tang 四知堂

[Taipei] Stoppage Time 補時

[Taipei] 1789 Café, by Cyrille Courant

[Taipei] Vinotheque 吉悅酒窖

[Taipei] agnès b. café L.P.G.

[Taipei] 4F Cooking Home

[Taipei] Woolloomooloo WXY

[Taipei] Le Petit Pâtissier 雷斯理