路義思小館

📍Location: Taichung. North District
My feelings about this shop are quite complicated.

Throughout the entire dining experience, I encountered a Western-style environment, Western cuisine, a mix of friendly and unfriendly Taiwanese service, a vibe reminiscent of 20 years ago, suddenly shifting back to styles from the 50s and 60s.

Yes, it was indeed that chaotic 😂

To summarize my thoughts on the food and environment:
🥘 I feel that the food offers good value for money, though it can’t be considered top-tier.
But in terms of whether the food and prices match? I would say it leans toward being a great value.
🏠 The environment is a bit cramped and crowded; each seating area is sufficient, but the walkways are somewhat narrow, and the total number of seats isn’t high.

⬇️Here’s the full story⬇️

That day, I just happened to want some pasta, so I looked for a nearby restaurant that seemed to have decent reviews.
Everyone said the value was high, and it often had a full house. Luckily, I arrived early, and it wasn't fully booked yet, so I rushed in to ask if there were any available seats.

🏠Western-Style Environment
The first floor of the restaurant is spacious with high ceilings and many plant decorations.
The wooden paneling and dark-colored tables and chairs give a feeling of stepping into a Western-style cabin, immediately setting the mood for eating Western cuisine.

👨🏻Friendly Taiwanese Service
The staff didn’t come out immediately, but later a middle-aged man appeared (who could be termed an uncle or older gentleman?).
He had a very gentle voice, seemed approachable, and quickly seated me. Even though he was a bit older and took his time, he was actually quite efficient.

👩‍🦰Unfriendly Taiwanese Service
The notes on the menu were a bit excessive and somewhat confusing.
Once I selected my meal, I took the menu to the counter to pay, only to discover I had overlooked an item I hadn’t filled out.
(I thought that I could only verbally inform the staff about my selections, but later realized that the menu had a designed format, just misaligned.)

Immediately, another staff member gave me a sidelong glance (yes, a sidelong glance).
Though there was no anger or agitation in their tone, I could clearly sense their impatience from their gaze.
Even when it came time to pay, there were no signs indicating payment methods on the counter.
I initially thought only cash was accepted, and then the staff recited all the payment options in a rap-like manner before I realized mobile payments were available.
After I selected my payment method, the staff promptly retrieved the corresponding barcode from beneath the counter for me 😂

🍞Western-style Cuisine
This time, I ordered pasta + a set meal.
The set meal consisted of a simple soup, bread + a drink.

The soup and bread arrived quickly! (super fast).
The bread looked hard, but it wasn’t, and there was oil and vinegar sauce on the side, sweet and tangy 😋
The bread also had cheese chunks inside!

I have to say, as a side dish, this far exceeded my expectations.
I originally thought it would just be plain European-style bread.

The soup was also impressive; many places use powdered mixes.
I’m not sure if this restaurant used powdered soup, but it had plenty of ingredients, the thickness was just right—not too thick or too watery. I found it perfect, and I appreciated the soup 👍

🪷Suddenly a Vibe from the 50s and 60s
When the pasta was served, I was genuinely taken aback.

Looking at the menu, I had originally thought it was “Taiwanese-flavored pasta,”
but I didn’t expect the plating to be so “Taiwanese” 😂.

The first thing that came to mind was a restaurant I had encountered in the old city area—a combination of a cabaret and dining, or styles easily seen in older hotels with a bit of history: flowers as decoration on lunch boxes or plated meals.

I know many high-end meals also use decorative flowers,
but the way these decorations were used instantly reminded me of styles typical in older restaurants 😂

🏜️A Vibe from About 20 Years Ago
This part is more based on my personal impressions.
Nowadays, much is digitized, and outputs are well-designed and beautifully formatted.
But in this restaurant, I noticed items caught between digital and print, like the small sign on the table (which I didn’t photograph) and notes added onto the menu.
It’s clear that the owner has been through a lot (unexpected guests), hence the numerous annotations, but it starts to feel messy, and what was once a neat promotional material now looks quite cluttered, giving off a nostalgic vibe.

To sum up, I would be willing to return, but wouldn’t make a special trip for it.

Quick notes: There’s a minimum charge, no service fees, and a dining time limit of 1.5 hours if full.
If you want to dine here, I recommend making a reservation!
During my meal, I found that all other seats were booked up, and only mine happened to be available (which was also in a corner).
However, the owner’s arrangements were not very thorough, so even those who made reservations had to wait outside before being seated.
But compared to having no seat at all, it’s better to just make a reservation!