cafe | Sugared & Spiced

2011/10/232015/08/31

[Taipei] Pekoe

Pekoe

Add: 7, Ln 295, Dunhua S Rd Sec 1, Taipei 台北市敦化南路一段295巷7號
Tel: (02) 2700 2602
Hours: 11am-8pm
Website: www.yilan.com.tw/html/modules/mymall
Price: 100~200 NTD/drink
Visited: Oct 2011

Pekoe is a delightful cafe/gourmet ingredient store opened by Taiwanese food writer Yeh Yi-lan (葉怡蘭). It’s located in a quiet neighborhood behind Ren-Ai Circle, very close to a poet and Nomura Sushi. What you can find here: Ippodo hojicha, Christine Ferber jams and jellies, Felsina olive oil, Alsace honey, Amedei chocolates, and the likes. It’s a small but cozy place, a good stopover during any time of the day.

Ippodo Hojicha Tea Latte 一保堂奶泡焙茶 (120 NTD).

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2011/10/162015/08/31

[Taipei] Nido 巢

taipei

Nido 巢

Add: 10, Alley 22, Lane 553, Zhongxiao East Rd Section 4, Taipei 台北市忠孝東路四段553巷22弄10號1樓
Tel: (02) 2753 4402
Hours: 2pm-12am (closed on the 6th, 16th, and 26th of each month)
Price: [drinks] 120~240 NTD [desserts] 120~150 NTD
Visited: Oct 2011

Another cafe in Taipei for you to add to the list of afternoon hangouts.

The cafe was completely empty when we visited on a Monday afternoon. Quiet, just the way I like it…but of course it packs up easily on weekends.

Nido’s Liuo Liuo Rare Cheese Cake 溜溜雪藏起司蛋糕 (140 NTD), served with rose/peach jam and a little mound of graham cracker crumbles, was excellent. Very tempted to ask the cafe owner for his recipe.

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2011/10/122015/08/31

[Taipei] Woolloomooloo

taipei

Woolloomooloo

Add: No. 95, Fujin Street, Taipei 台北市富錦街95號
Tel: (02) 2546 8318
Hours: [Tue-Fri] 11:00am-late, [Sat-Sun] 11:00am-later
Price: [brunch] 200~280 NTD [drinks] 60~240 NTD [desserts] 100~250 NTD
Visited: Oct 2011

Fujin Street, a quaint little road close to the Taipei Songshan Airport, is full of stylish surprises – Woolloomooloo being one of them. Open plan, big communal tables, soft lighting, minimal service, delicious coffee. It’s the kind of place that has me lingering for a long long while.

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2011/10/092015/08/31

[Taipei] a poet

taipei

a poet

Add: No. 9, Alley 295, Dunhua South Road Section 1, Taipei 台北市敦化南路1段295巷9號
Tel: (02) 2709 0068
Hours: 11:30am-10:30pm (closed on Monday)
Price: [desserts] 280~360 NTD [drinks] 100~240 NTD [savories] 350~880 NTD
Visited: Oct 2011

Tugged away in one of the quiet lanes behind Ren Ai Circle is recently-opened restaurant/cafe a poet. Behind its unobtrusive storefront, there is an enchanting courtyard filled with fresh flowers and greens, complete with a skylight that allows in plenty of natural light. Thoughtful restoration of the structure has revealed sections of the original walls, but the eclectic design of the interior is high on style. Picture perfect.

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2011/10/042015/08/31

[Taipei] Whiple House

taipei

Whiple House

Add: No. 34, Lane 252, DunHua S. Rd, Sec. 1 台北市大安區敦化南路一段252巷34號
Tel: (02) 2775 1627
Hours: 12-9pm
Website: www.whiplehouse.com
Price: 150~200 NTD/drink, 180 NTD/dessert, 320~480 NTD/pasta
Visited: Oct 2011

Note: this branch of Whiple House may have closed; call ahead to verify before heading over.

Whiple House is my preferred type of gathering place. Located on a quiet lane behind Sogo, this hidden gem is part apparel shop/part home decor retail space/part cafe. It has the combination of chic, stylish decor and light, comforting food. The best part? It’s empty even though I visited on a Sunday afternoon.

The 1st floor is a retail space for Whiple, a Taiwanese apparel brand.

The 2nd floor is surprisingly spacious. 2/3 of the area is used as an exhibition/retail space for random knickknacks collected by the owner over the years (more pictures on this later), and the rest consists of an open kitchen and dining tables.

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2011/08/162015/08/31

[Hong Kong] agnès b. La Loggia

hong kong

agnès b. La Loggia

Add: Shop 3039, Podium Level 3, IFC Mall, Central, HK
Tel: +852 2805 0723
Hours: 11am-9pm
Website: www.agnesb-lepaingrille.com/index_hk
Price: ~40 HKD/cake, 40 HKD/drink

Agnes b. has built herself a little empire in the Hong Kong IFC building, and named it La Loggia after her grandmother’s holiday home in the south of France. What it includes: women’s and men’s collections, sport b., an accessories shop, a travel store, a florist, a chocolate boutique, a traditional French restaurant, and a lush, sun-filled atrium. Agnes b. fans, this is your one-stop shop.

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2011/08/112015/08/31

[Hong Kong] Sidewalk

hong kong

Sidewalk

Add: 4-6 Gough Street, Central, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2850 7299
Hours: [Mon-Wed] 8am-8pm [Thu-Sat] 8am-10pm [Sun] 8am-6pm
Website: www.sidewalk.hk
Price: ~30 HKD/coffee or tea, 30 HKD/cupcake

Sidewalk is a chic little cafe / shop that I stumbled upon while roaming around in the Noho area on a Sunday morning. I was originally looking for Lan Fong Yuen 蘭芳園’s milk tea and stir-fried instant noodles, but alas it wasn’t open. So how about a cup of coffee and some dainty little cupcakes instead? Why not.

At the waiter’s recommendation, I sampled a red velvet cupcake. Fluffy, with just the right amount of cream cheese frosting, the cupcake was a few delightful bites. Only when I paid did I find out that it costed me 30 HKD! I also later learned that these cupcakes are from Sift, and if you directly buy the cupcakes there, it would be 25 HKD a piece.

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2011/07/312015/08/31

[Waterloo] Hameau du Roy

waterloo

La Ferme du Hameau de Roy

Add: Ch. de Bruxelles 70, 1472 Vieux-Gemappe, Belgique
Tel: 02 387 15 15
Website: fermeduhameauduroy.be
Price: [beer] €3.00 and up [food] €7.50 and up
Visited: Jul 2011

This rustic farm bakery near the Waterloo battlefield serves amazing quiches and fruit tarts. Perfect spot for breakfast or lunch.

Just looking at these fruit tarts and quiches made me very happy at heart.

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2011/06/122015/10/07

[Shanghai] Lohasly / Nap Cafe

shanghai

Lohasly / Nap Cafe

Add: Jiashan Market B208, 37 Alley 550 Shanxinan Lu / 陕西南路550弄37号嘉善坊B208室
Tel: 6426 0836
Hours: 10am-9pm
Website: www.nap-cafe.com
Price: 30~50RMB/coffee and tea
Visited: Jun 2011

This past weekend I discovered a hidden gem in Jiashan Market called Lohasly / Nap Cafe. It’s a store, it’s a cafe, it’s a studio. Take a look at the pictures and you’ll see why I’m in love with this cozy little spot.

First of all, Lohasly / Nap Cafe is a cafe. The menu is simple – there’s coffee, tea, and pies. We tried a pot of soothing Darjeeling (50 RMB), and the prompt refill of hot water kept us going the whole afternoon.

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2011/05/092015/10/09

[Shanghai] La Maison du Macaron

shanghai

La Maison du Macaron (venue closed)

Add: 966 Changle Road, near Wulumuqi Road 长乐路966号, 近乌鲁木齐路
Tel: 6209 4060
Hours: 10am-7:00pm (closed on Mondays)
Price: [macaron] 7 RMB [tart] 18 RMB [drinks] 15~20 RMB
Visited: May 2011

La Maison du Macaron is a small French patisserie on the Changle Rd/Wulumuqi Rd intersection, and is so far the only shop in town that specializes in macarons. The owner is a Shanghainese local who holds a diploma of pastry arts from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and her macarons – while not in the same rank as those exquisite creations at Pierre Hermé – are priced at only 7 RMB a piece and really not too shabby.

We tried salted caramel, passion fruit, and lemon (7 RMB each). All were quite good, but salted caramel seemed to be the winner. I’d be interested in going back to try pistachio, chocolate, or any new flavor that happens to be in store that day.

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