Pâtisserie ALEX

Address: No. 18, Lane 553, Section 4, Zhōngxiào East Rd, Sinyi District
Telephone: (02) 2762-3236
Hours: Mon - Sun 11:30am to 9pm
Price: $$

Overlooking the Songshan Cultural Park, Pâtisserie ALEX is a cheery cafe that offers a range of European cuisine. From apricot raspberry almond tarts ($120 NT) to Russian tea cakes ($24 NT for two) to pistachio cakes with tropical fruit mousse and pineapple cream ($130 NT), Alex has a varied dessert menu.

On this occasion, I initially decided to forgo the desserts. All were quite small (as desserts here are wont to be) and I was in the mood for a meal. I ordered the salmon salad ($200 NT) and sat down with my book. I love all the natural light pouring into the cafe! The large windows looking over the park give patrons a nice, sunny view in the summer. It's in a prime location too - one of the exits for the Songshan Cultural Park  is mere feet away.

I wasn't expecting the salmon salad to be quite so huge! And after my experience at the Consulate Cafe, I wasn't expecting the salmon portion to be on the generous side but, surprise surprise!, it was more than I hoped for. The salmon salad included eggs, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some onions. Unfortunately there was a watered down ranch dressing on most of the salad (underneath the salmon). This was my fault though; I've forgotten that salads in Taiwan automatically come with some sort of sauce. Still, I was able to scrap the majority of it off.

I loved that they gave you four slices of slightly buttered bread! The salad is much more filling with a carbohydrate on the plate and, if you wanted, you could turn your salad into a sandwich. I am nothing if not a fan of versatility. I all but inhaled the salad and then decided I had room for some dessert.


Alex offers little desserts, like Russian tea cakes and honey lemon Madeleines ($28 NT for two), in pre-wrapped plastic bags. These desserts are extremely small (they can typically fit in the palm of your hand) but they're a safe bet if you don't want to purchase a $140 NT piece of cake you might hate. I purchased the Russian tea cakes and ate them in the park. Gone quickly, the tea cakes tasted like the ones I remember back home. All in all, a very delicious experience. Maybe next time I'll spring for the more expensive desserts...

 

Pâtisserie ALEX has a Chinese and English menu, and the waitstaff are extremely friendly and attentive. There's no service charge and as far as Wi-fi goes I wasn't able to find a connection. If you're around the Songshan Cultural Park area, I highly recommend a visit!

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.

N.Y. Bagels Cafe

Address: No. 145-1, Section 4, Rén'ài Rd, Daan District
Telephone: (02) 2752-1669
Hours: Mon - Sun 24 hours!
Price: $$

Perhaps you've overstayed your welcome at On Tap or maybe Luxy is closing and you really want to wait for the buses and MRT to start running again. Not because you can't afford a cab because you've blown all your money on last night's shenanigans, but because ... you know, you still look fabulous and why waste an outfit? Why waste an outfit indeed. Walk a block away, withdraw money from the nearest ATM, and head over to N.Y. Bagels Cafe (don't worry, you still look fabulous!).

N.Y.BC is a great place to buy a bagel with cream cheese and a coffee. It's not the most authentic thing out there, but it's one of the only 24 hours joints in the city (7-11, Family Mart, and McDonalds don't count). There are some things that N.Y.BC does well: bread bowl clam chowder, cheese fries, pancakes, and a blue cheese burger. I would personally vouch for almost any of their burgers. 

On this occasion, I ordered the Chipotle chicken sandwich on an onion bagel ($230 NT). The sandwiches come with your choice of bread (a roll, French bread, or your choice of bagel), fries, and unlimited refills of coffee (and maybe Coke or tea). As I turned on my computer and hooked up to the free Wi-fi, I got my cup of coffee. Black. I asked for milk and they brought me a little decanter; but three cups of coffee into my meal, I realized it wouldn't suffice. In other news, I'm slowly learning to love black coffee.

My Chipotle sandwich arrived and I was warned that it was "extra" spicy. The sandwich consisted of chicken breast, brie, chipotle sauce, string beans, lettuce, and tomato. Paired with the onion bagel, this sandwich had a slight kick to it (though I still added Tabasco). If you're walking off the effects of Luxy, this sandwich has your name all over it. If it's 1:30 in the afternoon on a Tuesday, you should be sober and slightly disappointed.

I ordered this sandwich primarily for the brie and the chicken. While the chicken was a little on the skinny side, I was happy nonetheless. The brie, however, was applied to the sandwich as though Taiwan was in the midst of a brie crisis. The five, count them, FIVE string beans added a weird dynamic to the sandwich. I was interested to see how they would work with the other components and was disappointed when they didn't. Completely superfluous ingredients. Unfortunate.

The onion bagel was a redeeming factor for this sandwich. I was beginning to think I should've just ordered a bagel or two. I'll go back to N.Y.BC since I've had great experiences there in the past ... and it's close to On Tap and whatnot. As far as the Chipotle sandwich goes, I won't be ordering one of those anytime soon. The menu is in Chinese and English; the waitstaff speak both; the service charge is 10%; and the website has photos of almost every menu item. 

Kooka Coffee

Address: No. 5, Lane 57, Dàzhí St, Jhongshan District
Telephone: (02) 8509-5859
Hours: Mon - Sun 8am to 10pm
Price: $ to $$

So as I mentioned last month, I paid Kooka Coffee a brief visit. I noticed they had free Wi-fi and quite an extensive food menu, so I made a mental note to come back when I had some studying to do.

A week or so later, I took a seat at a table near the windows (and a power outlet) and ordered a glass of iced rose tea ($100 NT). Located next to Shih Chien University, the cafe attracts many students looking for a cheap cup of coffee, free Wi-fi, and a quiet place to do work. Unlike the Starbucks down the street, Kooka has a plethora of seats and rarely are all of them taken. Side note: Kooka is a reference to the Kookaburra bird. ... It's not colloquial Italian. In case you were wondering.

The rose tea arrived and was light, crisp, and flavorful. If you've never had rose tea, I highly recommend it! What miffs me a little about the tea prices in Taiwan? Restaurants are purchasing these tea packets for pennies on the dollar, then charging their patrons $100 NT for a glass. They must be making money hand over fist at this rate... still, I purchase the tea so I really only have myself to blame.

After an hour or so (during which time I discreetly refilled my tea glass with complimentary water), I ordered Kooka's special ice coffee ($120 NT) and chocolate stuffed waffles ($180 NT). Yes. That's right. Kooka sells waffles stuffed with chocolate sauce, Nutella, mochi, peanut butter, and jam and honey. Served with a side of Meiji ice cream. Lord, give me strength.

The "special" Kooka ice coffee tastes as though it's been transformed into an Irish ice coffee. I've had this feeling before with Fong Da's special ice coffee, but perhaps I'm hallucinating? It tasted like a "virgin" Irish coffee; there was a hint of liquor flavor, but it wasn't the real deal.

Now on to the glory that was the chocolate stuffed waffle! I could smell it before I could see it. Yesyesyesyes! As the barista put the plate down in front of me, I saw the waffle (bigger than I imagined) oozing chocolate. The plate was decorated with peanuts (who cares?) and delicious Meiji vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with peanuts (again, who cares?!).

The waffle was hot, crispy, and not cake-like! The chocolate sauce was omnipresent. I wish I had thought to grab a spoon! That was probably a much more necessary utensil.
You felt as though you were eating solid chocolate, until you reached the edges of the waffle. Perfect ratio and marriage of chocolate and waffle. I want to try the Nutella stuffed waffle, but feel as though I should start reviewing salad places or something.

I topped off the waffle with the Meiji ice cream and was immensely pleased. There was nothing they could do to improve this dish (in a good way). I highly recommend Kooka as a cafe to visit on the northern side of the city. You feel as though you're in Portland (I'm obsessed with this neighborhood); it can be cheaper than Starbucks; there's ample seating (maybe not during finals); and if you don't like it, there are plenty of other places nearby. You'll be practicing your Chinese for sure. The menu is in English, but the waitstaff really want you to practice your 中文. Nothing wrong with that.

Lastly, Kooka is a very "do it yourself" kind of place. You need to grab your own utensils, water, and menu. And you also need to place your order with the cashier up front. The trade-off is that there's no service charge. You can check out their FB page here. They have a lot of photos of their food and detail their summertime food specials.

Shake House

Address: Lane 96, Wēnzhōu St, Daan District
Telephone: Not listed
Hours: Not listed
Price: $$

If you want to go to Shake House, you're going to have to trust me... at least a little. Almost no information about Shake House exists in English. It's Chinese name is 雪可屋 and if you put these characters into a search engine, you'll get a few results. But if you want an English review, you've come to the right place.

Directly across the street from Cafe Bastille's Wēnzhōu location and down the street from Kitchen 66, Shake House is reminiscent of a 1920s vintage European coffeehouse. The faded chairs, terracotta pot light covers, wooden floors, vinyl records, smell of roasting coffee, and natural sunlight make Shake House a trendy coffeehouse that's quite popular with students from nearby National Taiwan University.

The drink selection consists of espresso coffee, estate-grown coffee, tea, smoothies, and Belgian and Taiwanese beers. I ordered a hot Vienna coffee ($120 NT) and looked over the food menu again in case something caught my eye. The food menu is quite sparse, but there's a lot of variety. Everything from popcorn ($65 NT), French toast ($45 NT), chocolate muffins ($45 NT), and spicy fried tofu ($45 NT) to shrimp fried rice + soup ($80 NT), spaghetti ($70 NT), and chicken curry rice + soup ($90 NT). I decided I'd wait and see if I felt like a Triple Karmaliet beer ($150 NT) and some food later.

As I read, I couldn't help but notice a university boy staring at me. I flashed him a quick smile and he strode over. "Excuse me, are you Pamela?" he asked. "Uhh, no." So eloquent. The American girl a couple tables down jumped up and waved him over. No big deal ... until another university guy asked me if I was Tiffany 20 minutes later. I think it's because of its location to Taida but Shake House is swarming with language exchange partners. 

The Vienna coffee was delicious and just the extra kick of caffeine I needed. I liked the traditional sprinkling of chocolate on top of the whipped cream, and the proportion of whipped cream to espresso was good. Whilst contemplating a Triple Karmaliet, I noticed the noise level in Shake House was a bit too much for my liking, so I paid my tab and left.

 

I would most definitely go back to Shake House. I would get there before noon, snag a window seat, and work on whatever-it-is before the uni students arrive. The menu is in both English and Chinese, there's no service charge, and you can use the Wi-fi from Cafe Bastille across the road. Check out the Shake House website. 

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.

Fong Da Coffee

Address: 42 Chéngdū Road, Wanhua District (臺北市成都路42號)
Telephone: (02) 2371-9577
Hours: Mon - Sun 8am to 10:30pm
Price: $

Touted by many a travel guide as one of Taipei's original coffee shops, Fong Da is located in the midst of the Ximen hustle and bustle. Established in 1956, Fong Da has made a name for itself selling quality coffee beans, coffee grounds, and, of course, coffee beverages. The first to introduce Taipei to the phenomena that is iced coffee, Fong Da likes to push the boundaries of the Taiwanese palate.

In addition to selling coffee, this coffee shop sells small snacks - primarily cookies, biscuits, and cakes. While I've heard several people speak highly of their green bean cakes, I ordered two slices of toast instead (feeling slightly nauseated from the heat and humidity) for $40 NT.

So, the day was hot and muggy, and I wanted to escape the crowds, enjoy the heavenly feeling of air-conditioning, and have a delicious ice coffee. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, one out of three isn't that bad. Because Fong Da is so well-known, there are always people crowded into the small shop, fighting for a spot at a table or the bar. I went on a Tuesday around 11am and was shocked that there were still a plethora of people. 

Fong Da also has an open store front; this means that the owner doesn't put the AC on full blast (or even "medium blast"), and that the hot, humid air and mosquitoes enter as the wind carries them in. When my toast arrived, I had the vain hope it might come with ice cream on top. Or chilled whipped cream. Or ice. Or a Frigidaire. No suck luck. Regardless, the toast wasn't really anything about which one could write home. I mean, ... it's toast. It tasted toast-y. There was a small tin of jam that accompanied it, but I ate the toast dry.

I ordered the Fong Da Special Ice Coffee for $85 NT. The Fong Da Coffee roast is a mixture of several different, complementary types of coffee beans. The Special Ice Coffee was ice cold (thank God!) and tasted not unlike Irish coffee. There was a certain whiskey-esque tinge to the taste. I still can't put my thumb on it. It was almost as though it was a virgin Irish coffee (though that makes no sense), or maybe an Irish coffee with only a splash of whiskey? I'm not sure, but it was delicious and I felt better for having drank it! 

 As I mentioned previously, Fong Da was quite crowded and after taking a couple sips of my drink, I heard a woman whisper in my ear the amount I owed. Turning around and handing her the money, I got the impression that lingering over my drink would probably annoy the wait staff. I quickly downed it and left. 

Ultimately, Fong Da wasn't a horrible experience and I'm glad I went for the novelty factor, but I'm not sure I'll stop by again. I'm deeply committed to Rufous, though the prices are double those at Fong Da. And I feel obliged to warn you dear reader that, that night, 13 hours after drinking this "Special" coffee, I pulled an all-nighter completely against my will. Now it could be because I spent six hours reading Fight Club from cover to cover and was so energized by the idea of starting my very own Taiwanese fight club I could hardly close my eyes, let alone sleep; or  it could be that the "special" ingredient in the Fong Da coffee is really methamphetamine. I think it's the latter.

The staff at Fong Da don't speak English (or the two elderly women who served me didn't), but the menu is in English and Chinese, so you can always point. Everything on the menu is reasonably priced, with most beverages between $85 NT and $150 NT. The website is in Chinese, but if you click around, you can get a better idea of the prices.

Roaster Family Coffee

Address: Lane 243, Jīnhuá Street, Daan District, Taiwan
Telephone: Not provided
Hours: Not listed
Price: $

Google Roaster Family Coffee and you'll pull up a slew of results. Too bad all these results are about the coffee branches in LA. Everyone in Taiwan will tell you that, despite Google's prolific mention of American locales, the RFC company sold it's first cup of coffee in Taiwan about 12 years ago. Using coffee siphons and eschewing the Starbucks model of fast, mass produced coffee concoctions, RFC serves up some of the best coffee around.

Confession: I've actually never been inside RFC (other than to settle my bill and take a quick glance around). The outdoor seating area is small but, being on the main road, lends itself to excellent people watching. The interior, or what I've seen of it, looks like a posh cafe with a muted gold and scarlet color scheme, coffee siphons everywhere.

RFC doesn't just serve coffee; there's a healthy collection of teas on the menu as well. Since I was feeling slightly under the weather, I ordered the lavender tea ($150 NT). RFC does sell food, but its fare is quite basic i.e. bagels, toast, etc. The focus is primarily on their beverages (can't fault them for that).

The lavender tea doesn't come with milk. Indeed, most of the RFC beverages arrive at your table sans sugar, milk, honey, or other additives that would alter the flavor of the coffee/tea. These people are "beverage naturalists"... if such a term even exists. So when my tea came with honey, I was quite surprised. This was probably a testament to how ill I looked. 

The tea was able to steep as long as you liked, which in my case was quite a while. Though I was a little congested and unable to taste much, after a couple sips my sinuses weren't as horribly congested. The tea is crisp, herb-esque, and tastes vaguely medicinal thanks to the lavender. This is exactly what I needed!

Deciding to make use of some of the honey, I poured in a dollop of the sweet stuff. The honey, in and of itself, was sweet without being overpowering. It was so runny, it was almost the same consistency as water. It didn't taste like the usual supermarket honey (thankfully), and I'm not ashamed to say I ate a couple spoonfuls of it.

RFC is a great place to go for a cup of coffee with friends (or tea when you're feeling ill). The menu is in Chinese and English, and the waitstaff is wonderful. The only mention of the Taiwan branch next to Da'an Park is on Facebook. While searching online, I also came across the possibility of a branch in Neihu. Looks like more research is in my future...

Big Tom

Address: 2F., No. 233-2, Zhongzheng Road, Danshui

Telephone: (02) 2626-1622

Hours: ?

Price: $

  So over the holiday I wanted to get out of the city a little bit. I went to Danshui (not too far out there on the red line) and ate at one of my favorite cafes. Danshui is known for its delicious street food and there's a lot of fantastic cuisine around every bend. When you've had your share of chòu dòufu and want to sit somewhere to take it all in, I recommend Big Tom's cafe.

What Big Tom lacks in number, it makes up for in location. There aren't many of these cafes around the island, but what little there are are in high traffic locations i.e. Taipei 101 observatory, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. The one in Danshui is a cozy little affair that occupies the second and third story of a building right on the waterfront. The view is absolutely breath-taking at sunset and it's a good opportunity to snag some scenery photos.

The day I went to Danshui happened to be a little chilly and overcast, so I decided to order a hot brown sugar caramel latte ($85 NT) and a fresh waffle with maple syrup ($90 NT). The latte came first and was topped off with the customary foam. On top of the foam was a thin layer of brown sugar. Absolutely divine! I liked that the brown sugar wasn't just dumped into the latte. You had the option of stirring it in or waiting for it to dissolve, thereby controlling the sweetness of the latte (a little).

I tend to forget that there are some places in the world that take the word "latte" seriously. In Italian the word "latte" means "milk", so if you order a latte in Italy you will not be getting a cup of coffee with milk. At Big Tom, a brown sugar caramel latte is essentially a shot of espresso with a lot of steamed milk and foam. Regardless of its coffee to milk ratio, the drink is delicious and I definitely wasn't disappointed!

The waffle, piping hot and dusted with chocolate powder, arrived shortly after my latte. Let it be known that this cafe has the best service of almost any cafe I've been to in Taipei. The servers are friendly, quick, and have a good attention to detail. I've never been kept waiting more than a couple minutes for anything at any time of day.

 The waffle didn't come with butter, but there was a small dollop of whipped cream on the side (and an edible, chocolate "Big Tom Ice Cream" wafer). The waffle is typical of Taiwanese waffles. It has a cake-like consistency and isn't as fluffy or light as an American style waffle. This being said, I enjoyed my afternoon tea meal. It was the perfect thing to combat a cold, grey day. I wish it had been a little warmer and then I would've been in the mood to sample some of their ice cream flavors!

Big Tom offers a variety of flavors like cookies and cream, marionberry cheesecake, Oregon wild strawberry, banana walnut, and green tea. Two scoops (in a waffle bowl, I believe?) are $198 NT, and pints are $320 NT. They also sell floats, sundaes, bagels, and ice cream making classes (subject to location). 

The staff is fabulous and the menu is in English and Chinese. I've never had to use the restroom in this location and, that being said, I'm not sure where they would have room to put one. This is going to be my last post for the next week as I have quite the work week in front of me! If you want to know more about Big Tom, check out their website.