The variety of matcha desserts is abundant. The Uji matcha parfait and matcha milk condensed Uji kinako ice cream are refreshing and not too sweet, while the matcha cappuccino has a slight bitterness that pairs excellently with the desserts.
The decor is elegant, with chandeliers resembling matcha utensils. The environment is comfortable, but there are many rules that may affect the dining experience.
The service attitude is friendly, but there are multiple regulations such as no reservations and minimum spending limits, which may affect dining convenience.
Founded in 1832 in Kyoto, initially engaged in the tea business, it later transformed into a matcha specialty store. This Taipei Zhongshan store is the only overseas location! Moreover, the number of matcha specialty stores in Taiwan is quite limited.
This store began in 2016 and is located near the rear station of Taipei Main Station, not far from the Zhongshan District shopping area. Earlier this year, it relocated from its old site across the street to the new site, which has a slightly larger seating area for dining.
This time, with many people, we ordered a variety of items.
Even on weekends, there are almost always available seats, and there is no need to queue, which raises some concern about whether it can be successfully operated. Perhaps it is because the rules set by this store are too numerous, for example: no reservations (making it difficult to arrange afternoon tea with friends), a minimum spend of one meal per person (which means starting at 290 NT), a dining time limit of 60–70 minutes (not conducive to chatting), and weekday hours only until 7:30 PM (is this in line with Japanese stores?), with a 10% service charge only accepted in cash (which is quite uncommon).
I've passed by it several times before, and this time I came here on holiday. The limited-edition frog ice is very cute, and the passion fruit filling inside the wagashi is not too sweet, it's just right.
The bottom is a plum-flavored smoothie, which I personally think is very ordinary and tastes similar to the smoothies eaten outside.
I ordered different items with my boyfriend. His snowflake ice was served with a cup of pei tea as a drizzle, which gave it a bitter-sweet taste😘
The atmosphere is very good and the sofa chairs are very comfortable to sit on.
The overall price is quite high. Unless you are bringing friends to eat limited-edition ice cream, you probably won’t come here too often🥺