[Taipei] Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

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[Taipei] Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism

Add: 22 Alley 2, Lane 397, Mingshui Lu, Taipei 台北市明水路397巷2弄22號
Tel: (02) 2533 2377
Hours: Mon-Fri 11am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-8pm (closed on Tuesday)
Price: [lunch] 780~980 NTD/set, [afternoon tea] 520 NTD/set, 280~450 NTD/dessert
Visited: Oct 2011

For a picture perfect afternoon tea, visit Season Cuisine Pâtissiartism. There’s room for improvement in terms of flavor, but the whimsically presented desserts are definitely photo-worthy.

Take this for an example. What is this…a potted plant?

Actually, this is a Mint Ice-Cream Pot 薄荷冰淇淋盆栽 (280 NTD), one of the most popular items at Season. It’s comprised of a layer of chocolate crumble (the soil) covering mint ice-cream and chocolate cake. The best part? There’s crackling candy in the ice-cream, which creates a series of popping sensations on the tongue. Very entertaining.

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[Taipei] Zenique Le Salon 小茶栽堂

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[Taipei] Zenique Le Salon 小茶栽堂

Zenique Le Salon 小茶栽堂

Add: 8, Alley 4, Yongkang Street, Taipei 台北市大安區永康街4巷8號
Tel: (02) 2395 1558
Hours: 11am-10:30pm
Website: www.zenique.net
Price: [afternoon tea] 250~400 NTD/person
Visited: Oct 2011

Zenique, a Taiwanese purveyor of 100% organic tea leaves, recently opened a 3-story cafe called Le Salon, boasting a rather attractive concept of integrating Taiwanese tea and French desserts.

The two of us shared an afternoon tea Set A (450 NTD), which includes two cakes, one scone, and a drink valued at 130 NTD or less. First came Milles Feuilles Oolong 烏龍千層酥, which differs from the traditional mille feuille as the custard cream is replaced with a oolong tea/chocolate bavarois. In between the pastries there’s also pineapple orange coulis and lemon sablé, each adding another layer of flavor and texture. Not too bad.

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[Taipei] Justin’s Signatures 饕客食坊

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[Taipei] Justin’s Signatures 饕客食坊

Justin’s Signatures 饕客食坊

Add: 17, Ln 265, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City 台北市敦化南路二段265巷17號
Tel: (02) 2736 8000
Hours: 12-3pm, 6-10pm
Website: www.justinquek.com
Price: [lunch] 1280~2080 NTD + 10% [dinner] 2980~4280 NTD + 10%
Visited: Oct 2011

I wasn’t planning on trying any fine dining restaurants in Taipei, a city that is more known for its street food and chic cafes. Somehow I still ended up making a dinner reservation at Justin’s Signatures, an upscale French restaurant by Singaporean celebrity chef Justin Quek, after it’s been recommended to me by a few friends. The meal, unfortunately, turned out to be a fusillade of culinary fireworks that left me dazed but not amazed. It’s true that each dish was beautifully orchestrated with extravagant ingredients, but somehow the end results fell short of expectations.

We were seated right next to the kitchen, and the constant sliding of the kitchen door was disturbing throughout the meal. It also didn’t help that the table next to us were occupied by an especially rowdy crowd.

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[Taipei] Nonzero 非零餐廳

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[Taipei] Nonzero 非零餐廳

Nonzero 非零餐廳

Add: N0.5, Alley 4, Lane27, Ren-Ai Road, Sec. 4 / 台北市大安區仁愛路四段27巷4弄5號
Tel: (02) 2772 1630
Hours: 11:30am-2:30pm, 6-10pm
Website: www.nonzero.com.tw
Price: [lunch] 400~800 NTD [dinner] 900~1500 NTD [afternoon tea] 300 NTD
Visited: Oct 2011

Nonzero, an organic food store and restaurant run by the chairman of Aveda Taiwan, serves simple and wholesome dishes. The decor is warm and inviting with an open kitchen, wooden communal tables, an eclectic chair collection, and soft, sensuous lighting. If you are looking to treat your tummy to some healthy and artisanal cooking, try Nonzero.

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[Taipei] Whiple House

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[Taipei] Whiple House

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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[Taipei] Smith & Hsu

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[Taipei] Smith & Hsu

Smith & Hsu

Add*: No.33, Section 5, Zhong Xiao East Road, Taipei 台北市忠孝東路五段33號
Tel: (02) 2747 4857
Hours: 10am-10:30pm
Website: www.smithandhsu.com
Price: [tea] 180~690 NTD [afternoon tea sets] 235~1120 NTD [salads & sandwiches] 160~220 NTD

There’s not much to complain about Smith & Hsu other than the fact that it’s almost always packed. Though the original aim of the tea shop is to create a space where one could enjoy tea in a comfortable and relaxed environment, Smith & Hsu is so popular that you can barely get a peace of mind. Irregardless, this place serves soothing tea and delicious scones, so why not give it a try?

*Multiple locations, check website for more info.


Upon seated, we were presented with a myriad of tea samples on a tray. It’s an amusing and somewhat overwhelming experience as I opened bottles after bottles, smelling blends after blends with intriguing names like “Pearls of the River Nile“, “Exquisite with Raspberry“, and “Rose of the Orient“. Can’t decide what to pick? Don’t worry, it’s part of the fun.

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[Taipei] Cha Cha Thé 采采食茶文化

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[Taipei] Cha Cha Thé 采采食茶文化

Cha Cha Thé 采采食茶文化

Add: 23, Ln 219, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei 台北市復興南路一段219巷23號
Tel: (02) 2781 8289
Hours: 11:30am-10pm (afternoon tea 2-5:30pm)
Website: www.chachathe.com
Price: [lunch] 790~990 NTD (+10%) [afternoon tea] 480~580 NTD (+10%)
Visited: Mar 2011

Cha Cha Thé, one of my favorite spots in Taipei, is an elegant teahouse / restaurant by Shiatzy Chen. It is a center of calm admist the dizzying Taipei Eastern district, with beautiful interior design, tasteful merchandising, and soothing tea with dainty little bites to match. A perfect place for a quiet tête-à-tête.

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[Taipei] Matsu Noodles 馬祖麵店

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[Taipei] Matsu Noodles 馬祖麵店

Matsu Noodles 馬祖麵店

Add: No. 7, Liaoning Street, Taipei 台北市遼寧街7號
Tel: (02) 2771 5406
Hours: 24 hours
Website: www.matsu-noodles.com
Price: 100~200 NTD/person
Visited: Mar 2011

An unpretentious little place serving delicious noodles. The best part – It’s open 24 hours.

Among the choices of noodles served at Matsu, I’ve tried 黑麻麵 (noodles with black sesame paste ), 炸醬麵 (noodles with soy bean paste), 馬祖魚麵 (Matsu fish noodles) – but my favorite is still 炸麻麵 (35 NTD/small, 55 NTD/large), which is noodles served with a mix of soy bean paste and peanut paste. So simple, so good.

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[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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