Taipei indeed has a lot to offer for tea and desserts enthusiast. The city was warm during early September. We roam the streets in light attire and comfy shoes without very specific agenda. There were a few “must visit” places on my list. Pure Bread Bakery and Sadaharu Aoki included.
Pure Bread Bakery specializes in pastries and are famous for its croissants. With its bright blue exterior on a quiet street, the bakery was hard to miss. The bakery has no sitting area so after spending a tough time choosing pastries at the store, we headed to a nearby 7-11 where they offer seats and got ourselves a bottle of Sumiyaki cold coffee to go with the pastries.
It took us a few merry-go-rounds before we finally spotted Sadaharu Aoki. Nearly missed it. I wanted very much to try the Mille Feuille, my go-to dessert of choice but it was not ready at the time. So we decided on two entrement. Cheesecake citronné and Chocolat Pralin.
I’ve not eaten BAKE cheese tart in Singapore for one obvious reason. The horrendous queue. Luck were upon us, we walked into BAKE Cheese Tart without knowing Taipei has a store and seeing there was no queue, we made no hesitation to grab one each.
It was in our itinerary to visit at least one tea house in Taipei. Wisteria Tea House, located at Da’an District, was a zen place that has a tiny garden outside the entrance. There were table and chair seating and private rooms offering tatami style sitting. We were newbie to tea appreciation and the staff was patient in guiding us on basic ritual in brewing and drinking tea.
Brunch at Café Megane before heading for a walk around the neighbourhood.
Love that they offer Marriage Frères Teas. We had Marco Polo, a velvety floral fruity blend.
I love wondering around small streets and alleys. You never know what surprises are waiting for you. Pekoe and Season Artisan Patissier were such finds. They were located just few houses away from each other.
Pekoe is a small cafe / gourmet grocery store. My heart skipped a beat when I saw that they even carry Christine Ferber jams! We ordered the honey chiffon cake and Taiwan No. 18 tea.
The moment we walked into Season Artisan Patissier, I can literally hear the pastries that sat beautifully on the display shelf calling my name.
We were served with wedges of fresh breads that came drenched in olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
We ordered two kinds of Mille Feuille. This savory beef mille feuille was something we’ve never heard of.
Highlight was the sweet version. The chef will only assemble the Mille Feuille upon order so you can be sure the puff pastry remain crisp. Served with cold fresh fruits and heavenly pastry cream, this plate was worth all the calories.
I can never resist anything Ispahan. This raspberry, rose and lychee sorbet was refreshing and not overly sweet.
We’ll definitely be back sometime soon.