California Pizza Kitchen

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California Pizza Kitchen is a well known classier Pizza restaurant chain from the U.S. offering top notch pies with traditional toppings and daring new concoctions with either normal crust or thin crust. The Taiwanese location in the Xin Yi Vieshow Cinema foodcourt takes that innovation to another realm by offering their patrons the odd choices of Minced Pork Rice Pizza, Oyster Omelet Pizza, and the Boba Milk Tea Pizza. They are mind-blowing pizzas that make you double-take each bite and are very interesting to chew on. However they also have their signature Margheritas and Sicilian pizzas with their thin crust option. No longer are you forced to go to 15 Napoletana and pretend their thin crust pizzas are CPK. You can get the real deal here now...Well, as real as it can get.
Address: 台北市松壽路20號2樓

                 No. 20, Sōngshòu Road, Sinyi District, Taipei

Phone #: 02-2722-8383
Business Hours: 10:00-24:00
Website: http://www.cpk.com/locations/xinyi/

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Price Range: $$$

Attire: 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: 4.5 out of 5

Overall: 4.17 out of 5

Side Note: Has unique Taiwanese Style Pizzas and Familar Signature Pizzas

Review

Kaffee Amadeus

 

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Address: 台北市市府路45號4樓
                 No. 45, Shi Fu Rd 4F, Sinyi District
Phone #: 02-8101-7625
Business Hours: 10:00~22:00 (Guesstimation)
Website: http://www.kaffeeamadeus.com/

Price Range:   $$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

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

Rating

Food Quality: 3 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 3.5 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Recommendation: Comfortable but Pricey Coffee Shop

Review

Kaffe Amadeus is an Austrian style coffee shop offering various beverages, meals, and desserts hailing from a Viennese influence. The name Amadeus pays homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is a cultural icon of the Classical era in Vienna. However, the store models its dining space over the Baroque period in Viennese history and thus results in a lovely and splendid area to enjoy a cup of Viennese Coffee over some Apple Strudel. This is a popular spot for foreigners to take a break from meandering around the Taipei 101.

Joyce East

picture from http://anniewu727.pixnet.net/blog/post/22091209

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Address: 台北市信義區信義路五段128號一樓
                 No. 128, Section 5, XìnYì Rd, Sinyi District Taipei City
Phone #: 02-8789-6128
Business Hours: 11:30-0:00

Website: http://www.joycecafetw.com/

Price Range:   $$$$
Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: semicasual

Good for kids: yes

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

Rating

Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3.83 out of 5
Recommendation: High-Value Afternoon Tea

Review

In the bustling Hsin Yi district, there are many options for afternoon tea. There is Smith and Hsu, A3 at Bella Vita, and Elite Concept at the Taipei 101 just to name a few. Among the many places to enjoy a relaxing cup of tea accompanied with exquisite snacks and desserts, Joyce East stands out as a prime gateway restaurant to hook you into a life of afternoon tea-ing. Joyce East offers a deluxe afternoon tea experience at the very competitive price of 880 NT for two persons. The 3-tiered set comes with 2 tiers of snacks, and 1 tier of small desserts. The items will vary, but expect to see some sort of sandwich, a few pastries, and an assortment of cakes and puffs. The quality of the items is pretty high, and the prices are a lot cheaper than Smith and Hsu, A3, or Elite Concept, making this an afternoon tea experience with a relatively high value.

Chao Fare Collective 潮品集

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Address: 台北市忠孝東路四段172號
                No. 172, Section 4, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Da-an District
Phone #: 02-2772-2687-9
Business Hours: Sun-Thurs: 11:30 – 14:30, 17:30 – 21:00
·                           Fri-Sat: 11:00 – 15:00, 17:30 – 21:00

Website: http://www.sanwant.com/

Price Range:   $$$$
Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: semicasual

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: 5 out of 5
Overall: 4.3 out of 5
Recommendation: Upscale Chao Zhou Restaurant
Review

The Chao Fare Collective inside the San Want Hotel on Zhong Xiao East Rd is an upscale Chinese restaurant featuring the regional cuisine of Chao Zhou. Although part of the menu seems to be cantonese dim sum, most items in the front of the menu claim to be Chao Zhou cuisine. Chao Zhou Cuisine seems to be a little less salty and not so heavy. Also, it seems like most of the dishes have a sweet quality in them. The set meals all consist of shark fin soup, appetizers, entree, and a dessert starting from 980 NT. However, from now til 5/31/2011, you can try their all you can eat 880 NT per person special anniversary menu to try this restaurant out for a cheaper price. This special menu applied only to dinner hours only. Check this place out before this promotion is over.

Hello Kitty Sweets

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Address:  台灣台北大安區大安路一段九十號
                 No. 90, Section 1, DàĀn Road, Da-an District Taipei City
Phone #:  02-27111132
Website: http://www.hellokittysweets.com.tw/

Price Range:   $$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: yes

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 3 out of 5

Decor:  4.5 out of 5

Service: 4.5 out of 5

Overall: 4 out of 5

Recommendation: Go for deserts, not for a meal.
Review
In the Da An road and Zhong Shiao road intersection lies Hello Kitty Sweets. As the name suggests, this is a bakery/cafe that is dedicated to serving Hello Kitty themed meals in a Hello Kitty themed dining space. This is probably the pinkest store in the Zhong Shiao Fu Shing MRT area. Don't come here expecting to get a good tasting meal. It's pretty much a store that wows you with hello kitty shaped items, which taste average. I do not recommend actually eating any of the meals here except for the hamburger or the bread bowls. Everything else does not resemble kitty, and no one should eat the overpriced spagetti/steaks there. I do recommend checking it out if you are in the area at least once, and trying their desserts, especially the yakult flavored hello kitty cake.

DOZO

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Address:    台北市大安區光復南路102號1樓
                   No. 102, GuāngFù South Rd, Da-an District

       
Phone #:    02-2778-1135
Website: http://www.dozoizakaya.com/

Price Range:   $$$$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: casual

Good for kids: no

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: Good place for drinks, pricey array of Japanese Cuisine.

Review

Near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial MRT station, there is a trendy Izakaya called Dozo. They serve an assortment of Japanese cuisine from sushi to yakiniku. A lot of their items do not seem very traditional, but a modernized twist of Japanese fare. It will also take a couple dollars to fill yourself up, since their menu items are quite pricey as the quantity of each dish is quite small. Three pieces of nigiri will run you around 300 NT. And six skewers of meat will run you 340. Yet, if you can afford the cost, Dozo offers a sleek modern space to enjoy intriguing cocktails over some snack-type foods. They also offer a small selection of original desserts that are delicious and well-presented.

Li Jin Traditional Tofu Jello 立晉傳統豆花

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Address:   新竹市建功一路6號    

                  No. 6, JiànGōng 1st Rd, Hsinchu City

Phone #:  N/A
Website: N/A

Price Range:   $

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: no

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 4 out of 5

Decor:  3 out of 5

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Overall: 3.2 out of 5

Recommendation: Traditional Tofu Jello with modern twists too.

Review
Another spot that still stands after 18 years is the Li Jin Traditional Tofu Jello shop. This might be the place where I had my first conscious bite of Tofu Jello. It is a taiwanese snack where they add soft tofu into a sweet soup served with other sweet ingredients of your choice. A modern twist that is good in the summer is their slushee tofu jello. Instead of serving tofu jelly in that hot syrup, they turn the syrup into slushee form and serve it on top of the tofu jello and ingredients. I do not know if any other places serve tofu jello in this way, but their ice is very fluffy and uniformly sweet. This place is a great last stop to end a night of snacking.

Tsujiri

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Address:   台北市忠孝東路五段8號
                 No. 8, Section 5, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Sinyi District
Phone #:  02-2729-9699

Website: http://www.tsujiri.com.tw/
Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Take out: yes

Waiter Service: no

Outdoor seating:  no

Alcohol: no

Rating

Food Quality: 4.5 out of 5

Decor:  3 out of 5

Service: 3.5 out of 5

Overall: 3.7 out of 5

Recommendation: Strong matcha flavored icecream and desserts.

Review

At the Hankyu Department store B2 food court lies Taiwan's first Tsujuri Tea House. The line is a good 15 minute wait, but the products are definitely the best in class. While the prices are a bit high, they do not exceed 200 NT for a single item/combo. Tsujiri is a 150 year old traditional tea house that became famous for their tea leaves and matcha. Most of their items are worth trying, and I will be returning to taste more of their non-icecream items.

Smith and Hsu

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Address:    台北市忠孝東路五段33號

                   No.33, Section 5, Zhong Xiao East Road, Taipei
Phone #:   2-2747-4857
Website: http://www.smithandhsu.com/

Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: yes

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

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

Rating

Food Quality: 3.5 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 3 out of 5
Overall: 3.5 out of 5
Recommendation: Great place for modern afternoon tea.

Review

Next to the number 1 Taipei City hall exit is a modern looking tea house offering a wide assortment of tea, sandwiches, and desserts. Smith and Hsu is just the place for a modern afternoon tea experience at an affordable price.

Dazzling Cafe 蜜糖土司專賣

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Address:    台北市忠孝東路四段205巷7弄11號

                  No. 11, Alley 7, Lane 205, Section 4, ZhōngXiào East Rd, Da-an District
Phone #:   02-8773-9229
Website: http://cafe.dazzlingdazzling.com/

Price Range:   $$

Accepts Credit Cards: no

Attire: casual

Good for kids: yes

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

Rating

Food Quality: 3.7 out of 5
Decor:  4 out of 5
Service: 4.5 out of 5
Overall: 4.06 out of 5
Recommendation: Fancy cafe with delightful desserts and drinks.

Review

Dazzling cafe is a very bling bling eatery located on the east side on the alleyway behind Luxy. They feature a honey toast dessert that is very popular item. They have a wide assortment of drinks available to pair with the honey toast or meal proper.They also have many types of pasta dishes, sandwiches, and a few dinner entrees to chose from. The honey toasts run about 280 NT per order and drinks are around 120. I have not tried the hot food, so I will have to fill that information in on a later date. The place is a good place to kick back with some coffee and dessert.