Konayuki – Round 2

Sunday afternoon was beautiful and sunny, so I decided it would be a good day to go shopping. It was a bit chilly outdoors, and after wandering around Shinkong Mitsukoshi square (there are always interesting street performers there and things to look at), and taking photos of a cute golden retriever all decked out in his Christmas attire:

I decided to head over to Zhongshan station street mall, where it would be warmer because it would be indoors. Plus, there are a lot of book stores there. By that time it was already 5pm, and I was getting hungry. I ended up taking V to Konayuki for afternoon tea.

Latte:

I originally ordered the macchiato without realizing that it was an espresso shot, but the server was kind enough to inform me of this, and I switched to a latte. I don’t drink coffee often, so when I do, I have trouble falling asleep. The latte at 5pm that evening kept me awake until 1 in the morning..

Sandwiches (smoked salmon and shrimp croquette):

I really enjoyed the smoked salmon last time, that’s why I wanted to get it again. And I like the shrimp croquette sandwich better than the cheese croquette one, but the shrimp pattie inside was so tiny! The rest was all shredded cabbage.

Double fromage cheesecake (original and chocolate) with Hokkaido milk soft serve:

As I had expected, the original cheesecake was better than the chocolate. The milk soft serve was good, but the one served at 711 was better.

Our total came to ~800NTD. V ordered a peach earl grey tea (cold) as well, but it wasn’t great, so I didn’t bother taking a picture of it. Surprisingly, the tea didn’t come sweetened. That’s quite interesting as most cold teas are usually sweetened before being served.

Their matcha drinks (both hot and cold) seem really popular as I saw a lot of people ordering them.

A cool and sunny Sunday afternoon strolling in Shinkong Mitsukoshi square, doing some light reading at a bookstore, and ending off the afternoon with afternoon tea at Konayuki. I enjoy Taiwan winters.

Addicted to Dazzling – Dazzling Pink

Meimei once told me that a food blogger visited Dazzling Cafe more than 20 times, and counting. How can anyone visit a cafe that many times, even though there are now 8 locations throughout Taiwan? Is it that good? My first experience at Dazzling Mint was good, but my second time at Dazzling Pink (their first store) was even better. Dazzling Pink is also conveniently located near MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua station, and about a 3 minute walk from Dazzling Mint.

There’s a deal going on at all the Dazzling Cafe locations until the end of November, which is buy one honey toast or pasta and get the second one half off. How can I pass on a yummy deal like that?

We went for dinner that evening, and even though we didn’t make a reservation, we reserved on the wait list at 4:30pm for 6pm, and that’s how we got a table on a Saturday night. The service was really good, and the servers were all very attentive. The waiter who took our order had a very good memory too; we must have changed our order at least 10 times (changed mains, changed our mind about drinks, adjusted ice and sugar levels, and requested that our honey toast be on the crispier side), and he still got it spot on. Bravo!

The interior of Dazzling Pink is very pretty, with white and pink as their main colours: a girl’s paradise! They came out with a jewelry line as well, but I’m not too interested in their jewelry. I like food more.

Peach fruit tea (3/5):

This tea was sweet and peachy, and quite refreshing. All pastas come with a drink (from a small menu, and this was one of them. Not bad for a complimentary drink!).

Meimei’s hot black tea, also came with a pasta order:

It’s just black tea, so it’s nothing new. However, it came with a side of fruit slices that can be added to the tea for a fruity twist to black tea.

I ordered the rose latte again, just like last time at Dazzling Mint. I thought this drink was so good that I didn’t mind ordering it a second time. Actually, that’s what usually happens when I like something. I end up ordering it again instead of trying something new. I’m trying to slowly change that though, because trying out new things can be really fun!

Rose. Coffee. Lots of milk. It’s my perfect winter drink.

Scallop and shrimp pasta tossed in olive oil (4/5):

Chicken pesto pasta (4.5/5):

Smoked salmon fettuccini (4/5):

Dazzling cafe serves good pasta. All of their pasta is cooked al dante, but there wasn’t much shrimp or scallop in the seafood pasta, nor a lot of salmon in the smoke salmon one. The portions were not large either, but it’s perfect for girls who want to save room for dessert: honey toast!

Hazelnut honey toast (4.5/5):

Yum! We requested the toast to be on the crispier side. It was so divine, even our guy friends enjoyed it, and I thought honey toast was a girl’s thing!

I am addicted to Dazzling; now I know why it’s always full and reservations must be made weeks in advance. Taiwanese people are seriously good at decorating their cafes and restaurants! They are all so pretty and exquisite, and I think it’s something that North American restaurants still have a lot to learn from. But then again, it could be that North Americans don’t like the cute style that Asians prefer. So, each to their own.

Dazzling Cafe – Mint

Yesterday I had afternoon tea with Hazelnut. It’s been awhile since I last saw her because she’s been busy with school in Taoyuan and hardly ever have time to visit Taipei. We decided to try Dazzling Cafe Mint and had a nice chat over some coffee and honey toast. Dazzling Cafe has quite a few stores, and their first store (pink) and the mint are both conveniently located near MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua station. Dazzling cafe is famous for their honey toast boxes, and each store has unique menu items.

The minimum order here is one drink per person, so in the end we each ordered a drink and ordered one honey toast box to share.

Caramel honey toast (3/5) $240NTD:

The toast box was very pretty to look at. This wasn’t a special menu item, because all the special toasts at this location are Danish (and I don’t  particularly enjoy Danish toasts). The pretty swirls on the plate was honey, the little dish contained more  honey, and the yellow custard was also flavoured with honey. This toast came with a scoop of ice-cream (I think it might have been maple walnut), drizzled with caramel sauce on top. I want to try making honey toast myself next time. I saw them make it once at what8ver cafe in Richmond, Canada, and it didn’t look too difficult. I think 2 people sharing one toast box is perfect. I really wanted to try their Halloween special toast (they even cut the bread so it looks like a Jack-o-Lantern!!), but that one had to be ordered with a meal, which was only available during meal times. So boohoo. :(

I had a rose latte, and this was a store special (4/5) $150NTD:

There’s a little bit of alcohol in this drink, which warms you up on a chilly afternoon, and it’s a good choice for those who enjoy floral drinks (like me~). The coffee didn’t taste sour or bitter, and it was sprinkled with rose buds.

It was nice to hear Hazelnut’s stories and share my stories with her as well. It’s so easy to talk to her. :) I think that’s what friends should be like. No pressure, carefree, and no need to worry about saying something that might offend someone because it was interpreted in a different way. I understand that everybody’s different and are entitled to their own feelings and emotions, but I personally dislike misunderstandings and unnecessary drama. Also, for whoever’s reading this, please don’t take it personally because I am not writing about anybody in particular, it’s just a general statement. Kthxbye!