En vie Pâtisserie 在室。甜點 (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

My whirlwind 48 hours in Taipei will be over in just a few hours, but I still have one final destination to visit before heading to the airport.

En vie Pâtisserie (在室。甜點) has been an itch I’ve been wanting to scratch for a while, but its irregular opening hours have always made it hard to fit into my previous itineraries in Taipei. Well, not this time!

Founded in 2021, En vie Pâtisserie specializes in exquisitely handcrafted French pastries, with their Saint Honoré Taiwanese Black Tea (多諾黑｜古早味紅茶) and Le Fraisier (巴黎草莓) among the best sellers.

I am so blessed to still have enough time to enjoy a short afternoon tea on the terrace.



Gâteau au fromage (乳酪蛋糕) (NT$200) — The cheesecake came with such incredible lightness. 

The slightly molten, custard-like cheese centre was beautifully embraced by a layer of diplomat cream and Madagascar vanilla mousse. The richness was nicely balanced with a touch of raspberry jam, and the crisp croute base added just the right amount of savory notes to the dessert.

A very lovely combination of flavors although for die-hard cheesecake lovers, a bit more cheesiness might be ideal!

It was so satisfying to finally cross this one off my list. Taipei is blessed with so many great pastry shops and cafés, and like En vie Pâtisserie, they are often tucked away in alleys. Thankfully, with apps like Uber, getting around is easy. I didn’t even break a sweat coming over here!

Food Rating: 6.7/10

Price: $$$

Address: No. 26, Lane 149, Section 2, Xinsheng North Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Zhongshan Elementary School

Tel: +886 2-2562-7865

Website: https://envie0520.oddle.me

Opening Hours: 12:30pm - 7:00pm (Sun - Thu)

Atelier Plume 鵲羽軒 at Capella Taipei (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★★☆

Capella Taipei officially opened its doors last year in the heart of the city. While an overnight stay at this prestigious five-star hotel was well beyond my budget, I figured I could at least indulge in a luxurious breakfast to soak in the ambiance.

Atelier Plume, the hotel’s elegant French patisserie, is known for its fresh-baked pastries from buttery croissants to delicate fruit tartlets. Since I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet, a sweet treat felt like the perfect way to start my day.

I quickly found a quiet corner to relax while they get my orders ready.

Chocolate praline cake (巧克力榛果蛋糕) (NT$400) – I’ll admit, this beautifully sculpted, plume-shaped confection was a bit of a decadent choice for breakfast. 

But as the café's namesake dessert, it felt like the most fitting introduction.

And it didn’t disappoint.

Underneath the smooth and rich chocolate mousse exterior was a layer of praline feuilletine, adding a delightful crisp texture to each bite. Elegant, indulgent, and incredibly well crafted.

To round off the experience, I treated myself to a bottle of golden Assam tea. Amidst my hectic schedule, having this quiet moment of calm was truly priceless.



One of the reasons I chose Atelier Plume this morning was its location — just a short 10-minute walk from my lunch reservation at T+T. After this blissful start, I’m looking forward to a leisurely stroll over to my next culinary adventure.

Food Rating: 6.8/10

Price: $$$$

Address: 139 Dunhua North Road, Songshan District, Taipei, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Taipei Arena

Tel: +886 2-7709-6868

Website: https://capellahotels.com/en/capella-taipei/dining/atelier-plume

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm daily

1789 Café Pâtisserie by Cyrille Courant Zhongxiao shop 忠孝店 (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

1789 Café Pâtisserie by Cyrille Courant Zhongxiao (忠孝店) is a French patisserie and café I had the pleasure of visiting back in 2018. While they excel in all their offerings including macarons and pastries, I always thought their bread and butter were their éclairs. And that was exactly what I had last time. It's been nearly eight years now, and I thought it was time to try something else.

I could still remember the interior of this French Café Pâtisserie. Very simple but warm and inviting.

Now that I have spent more time checking out their parade of pastries, I agree that they offer more than just éclairs.

Perhaps it’s time to give one of them a serious look!

Paris-Brest (NT$150) – After the delicious meal at Frassi, I obviously didn’t have room for a big dessert, so just a small Paris-Brest would do the trick for me this afternoon.

The caramelized hazelnut praline cream was thick and creamy, working well with the choux pastry. It was very filling and satisfying as a snack. The only thing I could think of to improve it was perhaps its texture, as it was a little too frosty (more like frozen), which took something away from the enjoyment.

This area across the street from the Diamond Towers has an interesting mix of residential and café vibes. It's definitely worth spending time to explore.

I still have another two hours before dinner. The “boring” side of me says I should head back to the hotel to rest, while my adventurous side urges me to check out the spa my buddy V recommended. I'm torn!

Food Rating: 6.1/10
Price: $$$
Address: #10, Alley 4, Lane 217, Section 3, Zhongxiao East Road, Da'an District, Taipei, Taiwan
Closest Metro Station: Zhongxiao Fuxing
Tel: +886 2-2772-5889
Website: www.1789.com.tw

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 7:00pm (Tue - Sun)

Oh là là Pâtisserie 法式甜點 (Kaohsiung, TAIWAN) ★★★★☆

After spending a big chunk of my morning walking around Sanduo District (三多商圈), I slowly worked my way towards the metro station and had my first experience with Kaohsiung’s metro service. Satisfied and impressed, I got off at Kaohsiung station, while making sure that I had a few selfies to show my grandchildren with.

The next order of business for me was a trip to one of the highest ranked French patisserie in Kaohsiung – Oh là là Pâtisserie 法式甜點.

Like 革 KAWA which I visited yesterday, Oh là là Pâtisserie has this unique vibe of a home-style café written all over it. It was just a comfortable 8-minute walk from Kaohsiung station so I didn’t break a sweat walking over.

The ground level of the two-story building is home to their boutique where some of their most popular pastries and baked goods were showcased. While their signature strawberry shortcake looked promising, I decided to try my luck on something with both fruity and floral notes at the same time.

After settling my bill, I immediately headed up to the café upstairs getting comfortable while waiting for my sweet treat to arrive.

It took longer than I expected, presumably because of the time to prepare the pot of tea for me.

Lychee rose mousse cake (玫瑰荔枝覆盆子慕斯蛋糕) (NT$200) – Delicate rose infused vanilla mousse was met with a centre of lychee compote and raspberry gelée, while the base of biscuit sable provided some lovely crunch to the cake.

As expected, the dessert featured a nice blend of floral and fruity flavors. 

Just love the way the acidity from the lychee and raspberry cut through the richness of the vanilla mousse.

Ceylon milk tea (鍋煮奶茶) (NT$160) – Like most milk teas in Taiwan, this was very creamy thanks to the excessive amount of milk.

We all get a complimentary canelé for ordering a dessert and drink here. This looked like the café’s bread and butter, and indeed it shone through prominently with its contrasting texture inside and outside. All in all, it was a perfectly executed canelé that was crunchy outside while soft and moist inside.

I am glad I spent some of my remaining time in Kaohsiung for a nice and refreshing afternoon tea here. Now, time to go back to my hotel and pick up my luggage.

Food Rating: 6.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: 158 Tiedao 3rd Street, Sanmin District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Kaohsiung

Tel: +886 962 056-178

Website: https://www.facebook.com/ohlalapatisserie910/

Opening Hours: 1:30pm - 7:00pm (Wed - Sun)

革• KAWA (Kaohsiung, TAIWAN) ★★★★☆

One of the highlights of my visit to Yancheng district (鹽埕區) was supposed to be a trip to a hidden café called 革• KAWA. Lost in the labyrinth of narrow streets on the residential side of Yancheng, it is not the easiest place to find even with the help of GPS but I managed to track it down just before the clock struck 3pm.



Just as I thought I was finally ready to indulge in my highly anticipated afternoon tea, the hostess gave me some disappointing news, that they were already at full capacity and politely asked me to return in an hour. And I did.

革• KAWA looks like it's operating out of someone's house.

Since its opening in 2021, this cozy, home-style café has attracted a group of devoted following of young patrons thanks in large part to its exquisite desserts and wallet-friendly prices.

Basque cheesecake with taro purée (芋泥巴斯克) (NT$160) – One of their most popular dessert is their Basque cheesecake. This normally comes in different flavors including my favorite Earl Grey (伯爵巴斯克).

But today, there's only one flavor of Basque cheesecake available, which came with a thin layer of taro purée on the bottom. This presentation sets it apart from other Basque cheesecakes on the market, where flavors are often infused directly into the cream cheese.

This was really delicious. The layer of taro purée meshed beautifully with the cheesecake, enhancing its creamy flavors without overpowering its cheesiness.

Milk tea (NT$140) – Classic royal milk tea style. Surprisingly, not too sweet.

革• KAWA has a no-reservation policy and like most cafés in Kaohsiung, guests must order at least one dessert and one drink.

Food Rating: 7.1/10

Price: $$

Address: No.13, Dacheng Street Lane 37, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Yanchengpu

Website: https://www.facebook.com/p/%E9%9D%A9KAWA-Cafe-100066744621446/

Opening Hours: 12:30pm - 6:30pm (Fri - Tue) (check FB for their random off-days)

JustIn 入吧 (Kaohsiung, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

After the early lunch at Michelin starred Haili, I began my exploration of Kaoshiung (高雄), a city I have never had the pleasure of setting foot on in the past.

I started off my journey at Love River Bay (愛河灣) working my way past the pier into Yancheng district (鹽埕區), an area scattered with small cafés and street food vendors.

I decided to make my first stop here at JustIn (入吧), a French patisserie that also doubles as a bar.

Was that the entrance to the bar on the right? I guess I would never find out myself...

They have a small selection of simple pastries available including tiramisu, cheesecake, fraisier and chocolate brownie.

It was a warm spring day in Kaoshiung with temperature hovering around 30 degrees so I figured I deserved a frosty drink and then some following the long walk from Haili.

Tiramisu (NT$190) – Not the usual foamy type I was accustomed to back in Hong Kong.

The flavors are pretty rich with the marsala leading the charge.

Black tea with milk (NT$180) – The black tea on the other hand was very very light.

Food Rating: 5.3/10

Price: $$$

Address: 84 Wufu 4th Road, Yancheng District, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Yanchengpu

Tel: +886 916-015-903

Website: https://www.instagram.com/justinzoobar/?hl=zh-tw

Opening Hours: 2:00pm - 2:00am (Fri - Tue), 5:00pm - 2:00am (Wed)

Yonshin Breeze Xinyi Restaurant 永心鳳茶 微風信義店 (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

If you love tea like I do, this would be right up your alley. Yonshin Restaurant (永心鳳茶) is a café and restaurant serving redefined Taiwanese cuisine. They have numerous locations in Taipei and I just happened to stumble upon their Breeze Xinyi (微風信義店) this afternoon while killing my spare time before dinner.



While Yoshin offers a small selection of savory Taiwanese-style dishes, their bread and butter has always been their tea and pastries. 

Some of their pastries were tea infused and that got me all excited since I am a huge fan of milk tea. 

Classic Yonshin style milk tea (永心厚奶茶) (NT$240) – This was probably better served with ice but I have been coughing badly since Christmas. Beggars can't be choosers... 😭😭

I thought this was pretty milky with moderate tea flavors but I didn't totally agree with the description of thick (厚). I would say that most pantyhose milk tea from Hong Kong came with a thicker texture.

Red jade black tea cheesecake (紅玉紅茶乳酪蛋糕) (NT$150) – The tea flavors were pretty subtle but it also came distinctive floral notes that I thought meshed well with the cheese. Not bad.

Reservation is definitely recommended. I waited about half an hour for my table and it wasn't even inside the tea room.

Food Rating: 5.4/10

Price: $$$

Address: 3/F, No. 68, Section 5, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Taipei City Hall

Tel: +886 2-2723-3028

Website: https://m.facebook.com/yonshintea/

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 9:30pm (Sun - Wed), 11:00am - 10:00pm (Thu - Sat)