Dolce

Profile

Dolce is a dessert lounge bar located in the East District area nearby the Breeze Center. They feature chocolate based cocktails and various dense western style desserts like brownies and red velvet cake. The prices are fair, their signature cocktails and desserts cost around 250 NT. Their desserts might be too rich, dense, and sweet for the average Taiwanese taste bud, but perfect for foreigners who are tired of the bland Taiwanese baked goods. Come in for a Girl Scout Cookie cocktail paired with one of their delicious desserts.

Address:  台北市大安區復興南路一段107巷5弄19號 No. 19
                 No. 19, Alley 5, Lane 107, Section 1, Fùxīng South Rd, Daan District

Phone #: 02-2721-8321
Business Hours: 20:00-02:00

Website: http://dolcetaipei.com/

Accepts Credit Cards: yes
Price Range:   $$$

Attire: semi/casual

Good for kids: yes

Take out: yes
Waiter Service: yes
Outdoor seating:  no
Alcohol: yes

Rating

Food Quality: 4 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Overall: 4 out of 5
Recommendation: Unique Cocktails and Rich Desserts

Review

The interior is quite small, but its very characteristic of the smaller scale lounge bars in this area. There are a few tables so be sure to reserve in advance if you are coming with a big party.  The decor is simple, they use a lot of ambient blue lighting and the space is dimly lit. The furniture they picked are quite comfortable, padded well and quite suitable for asians. The service staff here is quite responsive to your needs and very amiable. This is a very chill place to knock back a couple drinks and dine on desserts. Their desserts are quite dense and the portions are quite big so you would probably want to share one dish between at least 2 people. They also have an array of unique cocktails that fit their theme of decadence. I tried the Dolce Dark Chocolate Martini and had a sip of the Girl Scout Cookie cocktail paired with their brownies and red velvet cake.

The dolce dark chocolate martini is a chocolate vodka based drink that is rich in cocoa flavors and a very subtle alcohol taste. At 250 NT, This is their signature drink and is delicious enough to be treated as a dessert in itself. I thought it would pair well with the red velvey cake, but it doesn't really compliment each other. If I could do it over, I would try to pair this drink with their signature cheesecake instead. They might have had this pairing in mind, but the wait staff didn't recommend the pairing. Looking back, this dark chocolate drink would be better mixed with a creamy decadent cheesecake with a chocolate crust. However, the drink itself was good and unique in itself. They also had a drink called the Girl Scout Cookie, which was made to taste like the Thin Mints. It is a frothy green concoction, which is smooth milky and minty with a slight hint of alcohol. Between the two, I prefer the Girl Scout Cookie because it was tastier and smoother. I also love mint and chip ice cream, and that cocktail was that in liquid form.

For 250 NT, you can get this plate of brownies paired with vanilla icecream drizzled with coffee liqueur. This plate was excellent. The brownies were warm and melty and very rich. You need to take a small scoop of their vanilla ice cream and smear it on a piece of hot brownie. That classic combination is just what you would expect from a chocolately brownie slathered with fragrant vanilla ice cream: an explogasm of contradictary yet reciprocal flavors. It's hot and it's cold. It's densely chocolatey, but also refreshingly vanilla-ey at the same time. I think anyone who has paired brownies with ice cream can imagine what I am failing to describe, but in Taipei, this is one of the few spots where you can get it so faithfully decadent. Most Taiwanese places would shy away with something so sinfully dense. Even Indulge Experimental Bistro served brownies that were crusty and less chocolatey. Probably reflecting the tastes of the broader market. (Taiwanese like their cookies crusty too).

Speaking of sinfully dense items, their red velvet cake is an item on their menu for 250 NT. There are few bakeries where you can get such a rich, dense, and moist red velvet cake. It is quite a hefty price considering sprinkles sells red velvet cupcakes for 3.25 USD or 5 USD for a bundlet at nothing bundt cakes. Essentially, they all taste the same and satisfy the same red-velvet cake craving. I do not have a good idea of the brownie and red velvet cake market here, so I am not sure if 250 NT is justifiable in Taiwan for this. If you ignored the price tag, their red velvet cake is good and tastes like what you would imagine red velvet cake should be from respectable American establishments. This item can be shared between 3-4 people though, because it really is a sizable mound of deliciousness.

If you are craving for something that'll satisfy a western sized sweet tooth, then you gotta visit Dolce and try out their desserts. All their items are prepared in their kitchen and brought to you in plated in a stylish way. Their cocktails are also quite a different selection to what bars around this area serve. Their signature cocktails are quite decadent and worthy desserts by themselves.