Tim & Mel - Pâtisserie & Bistro

Visit: June 7, 2012
Address: 台北市仁愛路四段345巷四弄39號
Number: (02) 2752-1829

I've actually come across Tim & Mel several times while I was surfing on the web, but it was always about their afternoon tea and desserts. So when my friend suggested this bistro for dinner, I hesitated a bit but agreed anyways.

Spiced Wagyu Beef Salad with Balsamic Reduction (和牛肉蔬果沙拉奶油芥茉醬) $480 NT

Spiced Wagyu Beef Salad with Balsamic Reduction

I didn't expect my salad to be anything special, but hey it was actually very good. The beef was cooked just right and seasoned nicely.

Pan Crisped Chicken Pasta (潘翠雞義大利麵) $380 NT

Pan Crisped Chicken Pasta

My friend's pasta was likewise better than I thought it would be. The chicken was surprisingly tender and the sauce was also pretty good.

Classic Cheese Cake (起司蛋糕) $130 NT

Classic Cheese Cake

Since I saw so much about their desserts online, I was hoping for something amazingly awesome. But I guess since we went for dinner.. most of the cakes were gone and so we ware only stuck with a few choices. The cheesecake was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The crust was hard enough for me, and the cheesecake filling was also rich enough for my liking.

Although Tim & Mel is generally known for their desserts. the desserts did not particularly wow me today. Perhaps it was the lack of variety or something, but I'd recommend this tiny bistro for its food. The store itself is really tiny and even though I didn't need to make reservations, I'd suggest you make them since it seats around ten people only.

Wendel's German Bakery & Bistro [溫德德式烘培餐館]

Visit: April 29, 2012
Address: 台北市士林區德行西路5號
Number: (02) 2831-4592
Website: www.wendels-bakery.com/

After a very fulfilling lunch at Very Thai, my family had our very own afternoon tea with cakes my aunt brought over to my grandparents' house.

Banana Cake (香蕉蛋糕) $75 NT/piece

Banana Cake

The banana cakes look a bit dry, but they really aren't. They're not the extremely moist cakes, but I felt that the cakes were just right without being dry or greasy.

Coffee Walnut Cake (溫德焦糖咖啡) $65 NT/piece

Coffee Walnute Ckae

 I generally dislike cream and mousse cakes, but the coffee walnut cake wasn't too heavy.

Strawberry Cake (草莓蛋糕)  

Strawberry Cake

 The strawberry cake tastes exactly as it looks. The bottom section is simply a sponge cake base, while the top is strawberry jello with fresh strawberries.

Wendel's isn't my favorite bakery, but the cakes here are pretty decent. I'd recommend Wendel's for their pastries and breads.

Country Cake [鄉村乳酪蛋糕]

Visit: April 2, 2012
Address: 台北市士林區德行東路222號
Number: (02)2836-3553
Website: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/country-cake222/

Despite a Hai Nan Chicken Rice dinner, no one was satisfied. So after meandering through De Xing East road, circling 85C and other cafes, we finally settled Country Cake.

Cake Display

Cake Display

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake (巧克力慕斯) $45 NT, Heavy Cheesecake (重乳酪) $60 NT, Blueberry Cheesecake (藍莓蛋糕) $45 NT, Chocolate Cheesecake (巧克力乳酪) $40 NT

From Left: Heavy Cheesecake, Blueberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Out of the three, I actually enjoyed all of them a lot except for the chocolate mousse cake. I really liked how even the chocolate cheesecake was really rich and creamy.

I would definitely recommend Country Cake's cheesecake. So yummy~