Jeanlook Coffee Only

Address: No. 4, Alley 6, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhōngxiào East Rd, Sinyi District
Telephone: (02) 2763-9909
Hours: 12pm to 10pm, days not listed
Price: $$

A block away from the Taipei Comedy Club, Jeanlook COFFEE ONLY is a specialty coffee shop a la Roaster Family Coffee. There are many coffee shops in Taipei that roast, grind, and brew exotic beans but I was eager to see what Jeanlook had to offer.


The interior of Jeanlook is very minimalist: white walls, tiled floor, wooden tables, stainless steel appliances. It has an upscale feel to it, a vibe contributed to by the patrons. The menu, for all intents and purposes, is in Chinese. ... Okay, the title of the beverage is in English, but not much else. I ordered a coffee smoothie but was told they hadn't the necessary ingredients. Looks like I'll settle for a cold tiramisu latte ($230 NT).

I really wanted to like this drink. Honestly, I did. Overall, the presentation was good. It looked aesthetically pleasing and photographed well. 
But looks aren't everything. 
The first thing I noticed upon pulling the drink closer? The latte was room temperature. The ice cubes hadn't yet worked their magic and the barista thought nothing of handing me a lukewarm latte. 

I know there are different ways to make a tiramisu latte. Toppings can consist of whipped cream, steamed milk, caramel sauce, cocoa powder, cinnamon, or whatever else evokes the taste of tiramisu. Though I'm used to whipped cream as the main topping, foam is fine. I'm not really drinking the beverage for the toppings, so as long as the actual liquid portion of the drink is on point, I'm satisfied. 

It takes me just a sip to realize something is horribly wrong here. Where's the shot of tiramisu? Or, failing tiramisu syrup, gingerbread/caramel/cinnamon/french vanilla syrup? Really just ANY syrup? This latte was exactly that ... a latte. A latte with foam on top. A latte with foam on top for $230 NT. I asked the barista if this was my tiramisu latte and she confirmed that, yes, it was. 

 

While normally I would try to give Jeanlook another shot, the prices preclude me from making that promise. The prices range from $160 NT - $330 NT; the fancier brews are most expensive, while items like the coffee smoothie are on the cheaper side. I'm not willing to gamble on this particular cafe, but if you're more adventurous (and your Chinese is good) order anything but the tiramisu latte. There's no service charge and the afternoon tea sets looked delicious (albeit expensive).

Their Facebook page is listed under Zhanlu Coffee, as is their main website. I'm not sure if they're changing their name or changing management, so I can't shed any light on the discrepancy.

Mei's Tea Bar

Address: 16, Lane 37, Yongkang St, Taipei (台北市永康街37巷16號)
Telephone: (02) 2394-2425
Hours: Unsure at present
Price: $$

Yes! Mei's is back! For those of you unaware it even went away in the first place, you now have time to hightail it over there before it shuts down! A brief history: In February, there were some grumblings from neighbors about the noise from Mei's. Some wanted the tea bar closed, but Mei posted a memo outside reminding everyone to be quiet and respectful as a way to bring the noise level down and mollify the neighbors. This worked for a couple weeks. Then Mei's closed for a week, reopened, and closed again. 

So it's official. Mei's is no longer on Yongkang Street. She moved the tea bar to another area of town; but the old Yongkang establishment now serves as an homage to Mei's. Mei still owns the location, the interior is the same, and the menu is practically the same as regards the food dishes, but wine has been taken off the menu completely. Additionally, the Yongkang "Mei's" now operates under a Chinese name that I have since forgotten.

To celebrate (the return of?) one of my (new?) favorite Taipei cafes, I sat down to order my Egyptian spice tea ($180 NT) ... and couldn't find it on the new menu (a menu which was still being drafted and was presented to me on rolled up paper). Not wanting to question the poor server even more than I already had, I settled for the Chai tea latte ($180 NT) and the English scone with butter and jam ($90 NT). 

Whilst waiting, I studied the menu a little more and saw that mulled wine was still listed, but there was no sign of the Egyptian tea. I assume this is because the new menu is still coming together and some items haven't been crossed out or added on. That being said, I'm a little nervous that the menu will change and be, primarily, in Chinese. Here's to hoping some things stay the same.

The chai tea latte was delicious and just what I needed! It came with it's own sugar bowl and I quickly polished off my four cups. Unfortunately, they were sold out of scones (a frequent problem!) and I did without. At the Yongkang tea place there's no service charge and the wait staff friendly as always. I promise to search out the new Mei's in the coming months. I'm sure it'll only be bigger and better! 

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: $$

This month I'm going to be reviewing a lot of old favorites, and Rufous is first up on the list! If you have the time, visit during the weekdays around 1:30 or 2pm (this is when the crowd's at its thinnest and the service at its fastest). Avoid Rufous around 8pm or so; people are meeting after work or dinner, and the wait for a seat can be up to an hour.

I ordered the Iced Banana Mocha Latte for $165 NT. I reviewed the (hot) Banana Mocha Latte back in January and thought it was one of the best mocha drinks I've had. The iced version is even better. The banana-flavored whipped cream is dusted with chocolate powder and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Though I've ordered this drink numerous times, I've never stirred the whipped cream into the beverage as I've seen some patrons do. I think I'm a "separatist"; I need to taste all individual components of a food or beverage, rather than mix them together to find out what they taste like as a compound. Oh well.

I've never had flavored whipped cream before, and the novelty never ceases to impress me. After consuming all the whipped cream and chocolate powder and sauce, it's on to the actual beverage.

I've watched Rufous make this drink a couple times and he always starts with the dark chocolate shavings. He puts some in the glass, adds ice, pours the mocha into the glass, and adds more chocolate shavings. Your first sip is comprised of the smooth, cold, creamy mocha and thick, dark chocolate shavings. The dark chocolate dissolves in your mouth before you have a chance to bite into it. Every sip, beginning to end, is like this. The ratio of dark chocolate shavings to mocha is genius; the way the shavings are layered throughout the drink is purposeful and only enhances the overall flavor of the drink. It's delicious.

I love this drink because so many unique and interesting flavors come together to make one delicious mocha concoction. It's worth the long evening wait and the Starbucks price tag. The menu is in Chinese and English, the staff speak both, and there's NO service charge. The price you see is the price you pay!

 Visit the website for more information.

Dazzling Cafe

Address: No. 3, Lane 248, Section 4, Zhōngxiào East Rd, Daan District
Telephone: (02) 2731-5199
Hours: Sun - Thurs 12pm to 10pm, Fri - Sat 12pm to 11pm
Price: $$

Having heard wonderful things about Dazzling, my friends and I decided to make a Dazzling Sunday brunch date. Since opening in 2010, Dazzling is nothing if not wildly popular! I have had several Taiwanese friends tell me that the "honey toast" is "to die for", so naturally I had to see what all the hype was about. Sans reservations, the four of us walked into the Dazzling Cafe near On Tap around 1pm and were immediately seated. Success!

Food isn't the only thing at Dazzling that's aesthetically pleasing. Serving a wide range of teas, coffees, and hot chocolates (between $100 - $160 NT), Dazzling has decorated many of the drinks after their namesakes. My friend ordered the Iced Pomelo Tea with Peach ($140 NT) and it came garnished with a slice of pomelo, a mint leaf, and pomelo rinds hanging down from the glass. There was also the Iced Fruit Tea ($160 NT), which included pieces of mango, pineapple, and pomelo; and my Rose Latte ($150 NT) not only had shredded rose pedals on top (!) but included a flavorful shot of liqueur.

After ordering the Party in Your Mouth Honey Box Toast ($220 NT) and the Dark Chocolate Honey Box Toast [Danish style] ($290 NT), we chatted under the full power blast of the air-conditioner. After a 15 minute wait, the waitress brought out our two dishes.

We were all in awe of the spectacle before us, none of us ever having seen anything like "honey box toast" before. The waitress let us take our pictures, asked if we wanted a group photo, and then began disassembling our toast boxes. Personally, I appreciated this. The boxes are so daunting in shape and size, I wouldn't know where to begin and how to divvy up the toppings evenly. But I can understand people wanting to disassemble their own food thank-you-very-much.

Starting with the Dark Chocolate box, I poured some of the honey along the top of my portion and helped myself to a spoonful of ice cream. The ice cream was delicious! The dark chocolate flavor was thick and creamy, while the dark chocolate chucks broke up the creamy consistency so the ice cream wasn't too overwhelming. The toast box itself was more of a croissant-type affair, being extremely flaky and tasting faintly of butter. It wasn't dense, as regular toast is, but the lightness of the box was contrasted with the custard filling. One of the main features of this box toast is the custard (those pretty yellow dollops that look like icing), but I found the custard to be disappointing. It was thick, creamy, and didn't really have much of a taste. You felt like you were eating 3,000 calories of some insane dessert (and you were), yet it tasted of nothing. Many times I found myself, fork in hand, eating mouthful after mouthful of custard in an attempt to taste it. 

The Party in Your Mouth box was better, in that you weren't eating tasteless custard the entire time. The toast box is actually made from a loaf of bread, and while there is custard in this dish, it's only a small dollop that you can avoid if you would like. The strawberries were ripe, the ice cream was quite good (not as delicious as the dark chocolate ice cream), and one of my friends ate the macaroon ... but it looks scrumptious, doesn't it? My only complaint was that the "honey toast" didn't taste of honey and the honey brought to the table wasn't enough for four people to share. 

Overall, Dazzling has made a decent attempt at honey box toast. If invited by a friend, I would go back and have the same latte, but completely forgo any of the "Danish Toast Boxes", ignore Party in Your Mouth, and try a new toast box. That being said, these toast boxes are rather pricey ... and I would rather have a pint at On Tap instead.

There are many reviews for Dazzling online, and even some Youtube videos! Dazzling has a Facebook page and lists all of its Taipei locations. As always, menus are in English and Chinese and many members of the staff speak both. There's a 10% service charge, and the Dazzling rule is that each customer must order at least one drink.