Tag: cafe

Dining with a view in Chiang Mai: Baan Mon Muan

Baan Mon Muan is a resort in the mountains in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai. Its restaurant and cafe gained them a mention in the Thailand 2020 Michelin Guide.

The visit

There are a few sets of stairs to climb…

I passed through a store with some cheeky products.

Above a peek into the restaurant dining rooms.

The cafe area was one level up on top of what looked like a fortress.

So went to the roof top for a dessert.

The view across the mountains was indeed beautiful.

I had a tea and a dessert that were good.

The check

The check for my dessert was 275 THB (8.5 USD), not that cheap. This was not much to comment on their full menu, but the place gave me a good first impression in terms of service and overall quality. I would have no problems coming back for a full meal.

Where in Mae Rim:
175 Moo 2 Pong Yang.

A beautiful cafe restaurant in Mae Rim: The Ironwood

The Ironwood is a cafe and restaurant with a beautiful garden located in Mae Rim, north of Chiang Mai proper.

The visit

At the entrance they proudly display their “table” title gained in the 2020 Thailand Michelin Guide.

It is a fairly large property. The main house was closed. My driver mentioned that this used to be Royal land so the owner must have had big connections to secure this spot.

I was seated in the garden.

All I had was a cake (I had already had lunch). But they also have a food menu with Thai dishes.

The carrot cake was… awful. It had probably been laying around for days. The whipped cream on top was hardened and I discarded it.

My driver had a cold brew that was ok.

The check

I spent 210 THB for the two items (6.5 USD). Too much for what I had.

As a cafe, all it had going on was the nice garden. The food was a disgrace. While, admittedly, I did not have a full meal, the impression was so bad that I won’t visit again.

Tip: next door there is another instagrammable cafe called Thongma Studio full of statues. A surreal and beautiful place. You might want to go there instead.

Where in Mae Rim:
592/2 Soi Nam Tok Mae Sa 8 Mae Raem.

A little charming chocolate cafe in Chiang Mai: Khom Chocolate House

Chiang Mai has a love affair with chocolate. One of its manifestation is a charming cafe called Khom Chocolate House.

The visit

The cafe occupies a small house in a quiet street of the Old Town (North Western quadrant). Half of the space is the baking space and half is customer space. Everything is well organized.

Water and wifi are available for customers free of charge.

And a few gift sets are for sale.

But their specialty is fresh drinks and baked products. I had their triple shot with cold chocolate from dark, milk, and white bars. It was very nice to go through the variation of the three shots.

But they have also creative beverages like the chocolate “Margarita” shown above made out of French dark chocolate.

I also tried the Thai cold chocolate that had a fruity background.

Their chocolate mousse cake was excellent (from Belgian chocolate).

Finally I tried their home made bonbons. The orange chocolate and the “sweetheart” (the one heart-shaped in the picture) with a hint of liquor were my favorite.

Everything in the shop is made by the owner, Ms Khom.

The check

During my first visit I had two drinks and they cost me 210 THB (6.75 USD). Very reasonable.

A chocolate drink and the cake cost me 224 THB (7.20 USD).

The bonbons cost 35 THB each (1.15 USD).

I liked everything about this experience. The drinks were cleverly designed, the cakes and the bonbons were exquisite, and the environment was very warm. It deserves a mention in my list of my favorite chocolate cafes in Asia.

Where in Chiang Mai:
4/2 Singharat rd. soi 3.
See the Facebook page.

The best chocolate cafes in Asia

This page is about great chocolate cafes in Asia (sometimes I call them chocolaterie that in French indicates a chocolate shop usually run by the producer). To qualify, the venue must have seats and have a range of original products. Most of these places are “bean to bar” operations, where the maker supervises every step of the process beginning with the choice of the beans. I have also included dessert cafes that have a special attention to chocolate. They are ranked, but they are all pretty awesome. Follow the in-text links for a full review.

1. Maison Marou – Ho Chi Minh City

Maison Marou in Ho Chi Minh City is the flagship outlet, cafe, and laboratory of Marou Chocolate, a brand founded less than a decade ago by two enterprising Frenchmen and using single origin beans from Vietnam. Their cafe showcases some of the stages of the production, their full line up that keeps growing, and some outstanding cakes.

2. Green Bean to Bar Chocolate – Tokyo

As the name Green Bean to Bar Chocolate suggests, this workshop adopts the philosophy to manage all the production process, from bean to bar. Their cakes are nothing less than extraordinary. You do not want to miss their eclair. It is located in the swanky Naka-Meguro.

3. Yu Chocolatier – Taipei

A great French-style chocolate shop, Yu Chocolatier also impressed by the hospitality of his staff. Pay attention to his seasonal creations.

4. Khom Chocolate House

Khom Chocolate House is a charming little cafe in Chiang Mai that offers a number of original drinks, cakes, and bonbons. It works mostly with French and Belgian chocolate. Ms Khom is the pulsing heart of the shop and adds her personal warmth and friendliness to the experience.

5. Cacaotier Gokan, Osaka

The spin-off of the famous Gaokan pastry shop in Osaka, Cacaotier Gokan is all devoted to chocolate using handpicked ingredients from around the world. While the first floor with its bonbons and bars looks like a boutique, the second floor of the venue is a lovely tea room with a retro flavor. The platter with the cake samples when you order is a showstopper.

6. 2am: dessert bar – Singapore

While not focused on chocolate, Janice Wong’s 2am: dessert bar in Holland Village in Singapore deserves a mention because chocolate is indeed a fundamental ingredient of many of the artistic desserts on the menu. The cake called Chocolate H20 is a classic and a must-have.

7. 17°C – Seoul

There are a lot of chocolate shops in Seoul and I may add more to this list as I continue to explore. For now, 17°C stands out especially for its seasonal drinks and a chocolate bingsu.

Green Bean to Bar Chocolate, an amazing chocolaterie in Meguro, Tokyo

First of all, I would like to acknowledge that I was first made aware of this little gem by watching a video about the area posted by Paolo from Tokyo, a very reliable youtuber from Tokyo who knows what he is talking about. Check out his videos.

The visit

I slowly arrived at the shop from Daikanyama Site Station, but you can as easily reach the place walking from Naka-Meguro Station (actually the latter is recommended because technically Daikanyama is not a metro stop, which makes thing more complicated, and the walk along the canal from Naka-Meguro Station is certainly more pleasant).

The storefront facing the street bordering the canal is in a nice light blue.

Inside they have many chocolate products for sale. “Green bean to bar” means an artisan production from the beans to the finished product. They seem to handpick quality beans from various locations and mold them in delicious chocolate bars and more.

I was particularly interested in their fresh pastry creations that were nicely displayed at the counter. The desserts were clearly inspired by French classics, but with a twist. The shop is directed by Chloé Doutre-Roussel, a Parisian chocolate connoisseur.

This place is not only a shop, but also a cafe.

I ended up ordering their special eclair (“special” because I have never seen it in this nice shape), a chocolate pudding, and, an iced tea.

The two chocolate desserts were just perfect, with the right balance between sweetness and bitterness (at least for my taste).

The check

I spent 1,485 yen (13.5 USD): a very honest check for thirty minutes of bliss in this place.

In my opinion, Green Bean to Bar Chocolate is one of the great chocolaterie you can find in Asia.

Where in Tokyo:
2-16-11 Aobadai, Meguro-ku.
Website: https://greenchocolate.jp.

Cafes and food in Hayashi Department Store, Tainan

Hayashi Department Store is a characteristic five-story retail venue originally opened in 1932 in Tainan during Japanese rule. After decades of abandonment, it was refurbished and reopened in 2014. It is today a big touristic attraction in Tainan. The Japanese influence on the building is apparent; notably there is a restored Shinto shrine on the rooftop.

The visit

The building has such an old-times charm that I keep visiting it every time I am in Tainan, even if I am not particularly interested in the merchandising they sell (even if it includes many quality products from local makers).

Food can be found on the first (ground) floor and in two cafes, on the fourth and fifth floor. Let’s start from the top (the elevator stops only on the ground floor and the fifth floor by the way).

The fifth floor cafeteria

The fifth floor cafeteria (“Delicious Tainan”) is a good place where to relax and have a light meal.

The menu is based on Chinese comfort food, sweet soups, and milk tea.

I tried their Dan Zai noodles (a specialty from Tainan) and I found them bland as compared to the one that I had in another traditional restaurant.

On the other hand, their cold tofu pudding with red beans and peanuts was very good and refreshing. On the menu, they have several variations of this dish.

I spent 235 NTD (7.75 USD) for two sets of noodles and two bowls of tofu (I was with a friend). Very affordable.

The fourth floor cafe

On the fourth floor (one level down) there is the namesake Hayashi cafe mostly catering to cakes, smoothies, tea, and coffee.

I had their chocolate smoothie that was excellent, even if it probably shortened my lifespan.

It cost 180 NTD (6 USD). In this cafe prices are a higher than upstairs.

The first floor shopping area

The first floor of the Department Store is dedicated to cakes and traditional snacks (it is called Tainan Feast, 台南好客廳). These make very welcomed gifts.

One of the signature snacks was the Hayashi’s sweet cake (filled with red beans) made in a century-old bakery in Tainan. Each cake bears the Hayashi seal (back in the day, this was a big innovation). They were popular with women after giving birth, as a dietary supplement.

Brown sugar maltose crackers sandwiches were recommended as a complement for tea time.

Pineapple cake (another classic from Taiwan) was available in many formats.

The most affordable snack was this popped rice crispy cakes made by a bakery in Tainan with natural ingredients: one, individually packaged, could be bought for 40 NTD (a little over 1 USD).

This is just a small selection of the goods available that include mango cakes, dried fruit, and teas.

Where in Tainan:
No. 63, Section 2, Zhongyi Road, West Central District.
Website: http://www.hayashi.com.tw.

The Marvelous Space is in Tainan

In Tainan there is a marvelous space. It is a cafe, cum art gallery, cum event hall, and much more. I had the pleasure to visit it upon a friend’s invitation. It was supposed to be a simple coffee meeting, but it turned out to be marvelously more.

The visit

As I noticed for other nice cafes in Tainan, The Marvelous Space is hidden in a non-descript building. The entrance is on a side alley. You can see the sign above in Chinese (飛石樓). It is perched on the 8th floor.

Entering the shop, you are welcomed in a very spacious room.

A massive wooden table extends for most of the room. What is really impressive is that every corner of the space is dotted by artworks: prints, paintings, statues, furniture. Every single piece has a story.

The baristas have been training for years with a famous coffee master from Taipei and my friend immensely enjoyed his coffee. I had an equally satisfying Oolong tea with cookies.

Some of the teas, tea-ware, and even some of the artworks in the shop are for sale.

The owner kindly walked me and my friend around his studio showing his collection of rare prints and paintings from Zao Wou-Ki, a renown contemporary Chinese-French painter (he passed away in 2013). He had specimens both from his early “Paul Klee” phase and his subsequent more abstract period.

But they also had some more affordable design objects.

In the adjacent room, there is a space sometimes used for events and equipped with a state of the art audio system.

The check

I was kindly treated to this coffee, so I cannot comment on prices. But quality come at a price.

The Marvelous Space is a testament of the well-developed aesthetic sense you can find in Taiwan where tasting an outstanding coffee or tea surrounded by the beauty of hand-picked artwork is not out of the realm of possibilities.

Where in Tainan:
8F, No. 83, Section 2, Yongfu Road.
In Chinese: 台南市中西區永福路二段83號8樓.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themarvelousspace/.

Room A: a crossover between a cafe and a library in Tainan

Room A was introduced to me by a friend during a weekend visit to Tainan in October 2019. Hidden on the third floor of a non-descript building, it was a pleasant surprise. It is a paradise for a bookworm. The owner used to run a second-hand bookstore.

The visit

The cafe shares the entrance with a bed and breakfast.

From the sign, my understanding is that from 10am to 1pm the place operates as a breakfast cafe. Then from 1pm onwards the format changes.

On the door, a sign says “Have a seat & read a book”. It sounds like a plan.

The place has a vintage feeling and, in my opinion, it is beautiful. On one side there is the kitchen behind a big counter and books are everywhere. Books can be taken and read freely. I think the book inventory is all in Chinese. I indulged on a photography magazine.

It was quite busy. And people were really reading books. Obviously, no talking! Customers were advised to keep quiet. I whispered with my friend over lunch.

A number of dishes are available through the day.

I had a burger with egg and bacon.

My friend had a chicken sandwich. In both cases, the bread was nicely toasted and there were no dripping sauces. The food was good and healthy.

Drinks, tea and coffee were included in the usage fee (see below).

They also have a lovely terrace.

The check

The food cost 180 NTD (6 USD).

In addition to the food, there is a usage fee: 1 NTD for every minute inside the cafe. This is an interesting business model. One hour would cost you 60 NTD (arund 2 USD) that is very reasonable if you consider that you can enjoy complimentary coffee and tea. I do not have the final receipt as it was taken care by my friend.

I really liked the place and the format. If I was living in Tainan I would be a regular. I like to think of it as the Tainan’s answer to Starbucks.

Where in Tainan:
3F, 21 Kangle Street.
In Chinese: 中西區康樂街21號3F.
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/on.RoomA/.

How the world’s largest Starbucks looks like: Reserve Roastery in Shanghai

Starbucks’ Reserve Roasteries are a new concept store of the Seattle’s coffee brand. At the time of this post (March 2019), there are Reserve Roasteries in New York, Seattle, Milan, Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai (one in Chicago is underway).

These cafes are unlike any other Starbucks’ outlet: they are gargantuan spaces filled with experiences and goodies that you do not normally find in your regular Starbucks.

Why the focus on China? China is actually the second largest market for Starbucks in the world and is poised to take over the US as the most important profit center for the company. In China they really cracked the consumer code positioning themselves as a premium brand (it is 20% more expensive than in the US) and finding a place in a tea-centered culture.

The visit

The visit described in this post refers to the Starbucks’ Reserve Roastery opened in Shanghai in December 2017.

It is located in a two-story round building connected to the upscale Taikoo Hui Mall (sorry for the photo… it was a rainy day and the girl really was taking forever to get her picture taken).

The experience began with a little bit of queue. It was a gloomy Saturday afternoon. I only waited 5 minutes (close to my boiling point for this kind of adventure).

Inside it was pretty packed.

One of the most characteristics structures inside was the 40-ton bronze cask where the beans deposit after roasting. However it was not immediately clear how the process worked. The roastery, in my opinion, was more to impress than to educate.

Of course, the focus on the ground floor was the coffee that was available in exotic varieties not normally seen in other Starbucks cafes.

Coffee beans were also for sale.

A lot of branded merchandising was for sale as well.

They also had pizza by the slice and cakes made in collaboration with Princi’s bakery in Milan. A part of the ground floor was dedicated to the baked products. A slice of pizza was 68 RMB (or 10 USD). I tasted one of the desserts and I can say that the idea that this brings Italian food to the mix is laughable. More Olive Garden Italian food.

One the upper floor there was a space dedicated to Teavana, Starbucks’ tea brand that is quite popular in its Chinese shops.

I had a dessert: a sort of profiterole filled with cream. Absolutely unremarkable.

The overall idea behind the Reserve Roastery is summarized by a Starbucks’ executive in an interview with Forbes:

The Roastery is an opportunity to showcase the finest and rarest coffees from around the world. We show the customer the green beans, and share the experience of what happens when a bean is roasted, and serve the freshest coffee, which can be brewed in various flavors. We’re taking innovation to new levels, from the finest bakeries from Milan to stretch cocktails and aperitivos.


The Italian food concept has been recently extended in another new Starbucks store in Shanghai called Starbucks’ Reserve Bakery Cafe, where they also serve brunch and aperitivos (light refreshments and cocktails before dinner part of the Italian tradition).

The check

The dessert was 58 RMB or 8.65 USD. In case you did not get it, everything was jacked up in this place, beginning with the prices. A dessert would cost from 8 to 10 USD and a slice of pizza is above 10 USD. Not to mention the coffee. I am not a coffee drinker so I did not check, but according to online reports, in these Roasteries the price of a cup of coffee is easily double the normal Starbucks’ price.

The Reserve Roastery is not a cafe: it is a self-celebration of a brand. A place for selfies. It does not make any economic sense, but people flock, so they must be right. For me there won’t be other visits.

Where in Shanghai:
HKRI Taikoo Hui, 789 Nanjing Xi Lu, by Fengyang Lu
In Chinese: 南京西路789号, HKRI 太古汇, 近凤阳路
Website: https://roastery.starbucks.com.cn/en/

Three cafes in Tokyo where to enjoy food, stationery and fountain pens

Tokyo is certainly not short of themed-cafes: animals, anime characters, monsters, historical periods, everything is fair game. In this post I will show you three cafes that are relevant to fountain pens and stationery enthusiasts.

1. Cafe Stylo at Itoya

Itoya is probably the most amazing stationery shop in the world. It has many locations, also outside Japan, but speaking of Itoya means speaking of its flagship location in Ginza: 9 floors filled with every conceivable stationery item. And if that is not enough, you can visit their annex for more pens, inks, paper and notepads.

Probably the most interesting floor is the third reserved to high-end writing instruments.

The display cabinets are filled with pens worth thousand of dollars; entry level  fountain pen models start at around 40 USD (in the annex you can find cheaper pens).

If you go, check if they have any store exclusive item. In my September 2018 visit, they were introducing a number of exclusive Lamy pens, a few available only at Itoya (I love Ginza pens) and others only available in other two stores in Tokyo. These are the kind of items that get collectors go amok.

Cafe Stylo is located on the 12th floor and is accessible using the elevator on the back entrance.

Their menu sports breakfast and lunch items as well as desserts and drinks for a quick stop. They are open from 10am to 10pm, with last order to be placed before 9pm.

They proudly claim to source their eggs from Kurofuji farm in Yamanashi where chicken are kept free range at 1100 meters above the sea level. Consequently, their organic Benedict egg dishes, while a bit pricey, are highly recommended for a hearty breakfast.

I can vouch for their desserts, like this chocolate mousse sadly no longer available on their menu.

Where in Tokyo:
2 Chome-7-15 Ginza, Chūō, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan
Check their website to see the menus.

2. Maruzen Café

Maruzen is a historic chain of bookshops that can be found around Japan. They also carry amazing selections of fountain pens and stationery.

The basement of their flagship Nihombashi location (just across the street from Takashimaya) offers one of the best selections of Japanese and international fountain pens that can be found in Tokyo. They are also one of the few stores to carry Nakaya pens. In March they organize a fountain pen fair where they release a truckload of limited edition pens and inks (see the pictures above from March 2018). When browsing the shelves in the basement, look for the Athena inks that are exclusive to Maruzen.

The third floor in Nihombashi hosts the namesake café (now operated by Café de Cléa).

It is a relatively spacious location, with seating both for solo diners (like in the picture above) and large groups.

In my September 2018 visit I had their signature lemon mousse that I highly recommend.

But Maruzen Café is a place where you can also have a full lunch or dinner. In particular, look for their curry and Hayashi rice dishes. I recommend to try their curry hamburger steaks (pictured one with omelette) that are different from Westerner hamburger, and make for a satisfactory meal. Also the Hayashi dishes should not be missed since lore has it that the dish was invented by Yuteki Hayashi, the founder and first president of Maruzen itself.

Where in Tokyo:
2-3-10 Nihonbashi Chuo Tokyo
In Japanese: 東京都 中央区 日本橋 2-3-10 日本橋丸善東急ビル３F

3. Bunbougu Cafe

Finally, in the Omotesando area, there is a full-fledged stationery themed cafe called Bunbougu Cafe (“bunbougu” means stationery in Japanese).

The cafe is located in a basement level.

All kind of stationery and cute products are for sale.

A selection of pencils, crayons and some decorative tapes (called washi in Japanese) are available for free to all customers.

If you go, make sure to try their stationery-themed gashapon: these vending machines dispense random stationery contained in a plastic ball.

Above is pictured what I got for 200 yen (less than 2 USD): a pterodactyl-shaped eraser and a roll of washi tape.

In my September 2018 visit I just had a drink (grapefruit juice). In a previous visit I enjoyed a massive parfait that was no longer available on the menu. They have food suitable both for a meal or for a drink with friends. A simple drink starts at around 600 yen after tax.

But there is a bonus! If you are in this part of town and are interested in stationery and fountain pens you cannot miss the Tokyo branch of Bung Box, a very popular destination for fountain pen enthusiasts. The shop is just 50 meters from the cafe and, while tiny, it is filled with the sought after Bung Box inks (made by Sailor), their shop exclusive limited edition pens and more. It must be noted that the two places, even if they share a very similar name, are not related (for what it matters to my knowledge Bung Box came first). It is worth a visit, but check opening times on the website because their schedule is quite irregular.

Where in Tokyo:
4-8-1 Jingumae, Shibuya, Tokyo
Check their website for a preview of the menu.

Final thoughts about a possible itinerary:
1. Start your day with a breakfast at Stylo Cafe (Itoya) based on organic Benedict eggs.
2. Head to Maruzen Cafe for a substantial lunch based on Hayashi rice.
3. Move to Omotesando for a drink or a sweet treat at Bunbougu Cafe.