WUnique Pâtisserie 吳一無二法式甜點 (Taipei, TAIWAN) ★★★☆☆

When people talk about French pâtisserie in Taipei, WUnique Pâtisserie (吳一無二法式甜點) is often regarded as one of the best in the business. Like Quelques Pâtisseries (某某｡甜點), they have moved to a brand new location during the pandemic. It was a little out of the way for my itinerary but I knew that somehow I needed to squeeze it in.

Compared to the other pastry shops in the city, WUnique Pâtisserie is more focused on the classic French desserts like mille feuille, Saint Honoré and Mont blanc with just a few contemporary creations. 

So, I am intended to stick with the classics this afternoon.

After COVID-19, it's getting harder and harder to find a cake shop with a dine-in area. I guess I'll just park myself next to the basketball court for this one.

La Fraisier (NT$240) – A timeless French strawberry cake with fresh strawberries, creamy vanilla mousseline cream and light whipped cream sandwiched between fluffy sponge cake layers. Like most traditional French cakes, there are slightly different recipes around.

It's difficult for me not to compare this with one I had in Tokyo not too long ago, and sadly, this one paled in comparison. I thought overall this was more on the hard side and that included the genoise sponge and vanilla mousseline cream. The mousseline in particular could have been a bit more silky smooth.

Well, I didn't regret coming all the way here because based on my 30-minute exploration, this little area in the northern part of Xinyi District really boasts some of the best hidden cafés and coffee shops in the city. 

This café called Chu (初) is one of them.....

Food Rating: 5.9/10

Price: $$$

Address: No. 37, Alley 22, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhongxiao East Road, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan

Closest Metro Station: Taipei City Hall

Tel: +886 2-2737-1707

Website: https://wunique.one/patisserie

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 7:00pm daily