Rufous

Address: No. 333, Section 2, Fuxing South Road, Taipei City, Daan District, 復興南路二段333號
Telephone: (02) 2736-6880
Hours: Fri - Wed 1pm to 11pm
Price: $$

   You can get tired of all the Dante, Ikari, IS, and Starbucks coffee shops all over the island pretty quickly. The only way to cure the monotony is a visit to Rufous. Since I live outside of Taipei City proper, the journey to Rufous is sometimes difficult and requires at least an hour in a bus. But I love this place, so it's not really a problem. 

  A cozy cafe, Rufous doesn't have much room for big groups of people (groups of 5 or more). There are only a couple tables, but everyone clamors for a seat at the coffee bar in order to watch Rufous make their coffee. The decor is reminiscent of some Manhattan coffee shops and the eclectic style makes for a comfortable atmosphere.

 The menu has a plethora of coffee and tea drinks. Some of the flavors include hazelnut, coconut, and almond. There are combination flavors like the honey and cinnamon latte ($145 NT) and the almond and hazelnut latte ($145 NT). These drinks come hot or iced and always sport fun "latte art" designs. In addition, there are several good tea beverages and alcoholic drinks like the Kahlua and Bailey's coffee drinks. Most of the drinks are between $130 and $160 NT. 

 On this occasion, I had the almond and hazelnut latte. Delicious. The frothed milk tastes of almond and hazelnut and isn't too fluffy or dense. The freshly ground coffee beans really add the extra flavor that make this drink memorable. Though the drink has almond and hazelnut flavors, it isn't sweet like a Starbucks latte would be (thank God!). This is one of those rare, traditional lattes.

  Because one drink was not enough, I ordered the banana mocha latte ($150 NT). I usually always get the iced version of this drink ($165 NT) because the dark chocolate shavings tend to melt in the hot latte. This being winter and all, I decided to forgo any of the iced drinks. Like the iced version, this hot latte comes with banana flavored whipped cream and is drizzled with a dark chocolate sauce. The banana flavor doesn't last for long, and the mocha really kicks in once the whipped cream is gone. I love this drink and it is one of the best mocha drinks I've had during my travels.

The menu is in Chinese and English and the staff speaks both. I have been here on multiple occasions and recommend almost everything on the menu. I've never eaten here though there are four food dishes on the menu. These are primarily sandwiches/bagels and a bagel with cream cheese is around $70 NT. On the weekends this place is PACKED!! I recommend going sometime during the week when you're less likely to encounter a crowd and a long wait.

Visit Rufous's website at:
www.rufouscoffee.blogspot.com