Tucked away on a quiet residential side street just two blocks away from the Takishimaya Department Store and the Shilin Court House in Tianmu is a small oasis of tranquility called DC Cafe.
In fact, it is so well tucked away that most of the almost two-year-old cafe's business comes from friends telling friends about it. There are no big, garish letters on the outside, just a discreet sign and a short walkway that takes you past a little garden and pond, setting the stage for what's inside.
The cafe is three light-filled floors, outfitted with a few tables and comfortably upholstered chairs and decorated with Chinese antiques, including a lovely robe on one of the ground floor's walls.
The menu is similarly low-key, offering a mix of Western and Eastern dishes. There are seven "Combo Dining" meals, ranging from vegetable curry with rice, shrimp or pork dumplings and fettuccine with smoked salmon to India curry and chicken with rice. Each comes with a choice of either soup or a drink. A list of five specials includes roast cream rice with potato and shrimp, lasagna with beef and mushroom and spaghetti with seafood and Marseilles Soup.
There is a wide list of non-alcoholic beverages, including several coffee options, various hot and cold teas and fruit juices as well as a page of tempting desserts, such as apple pie, pumpkin cheese pie and baked banana or apple.
The meals range in price from NT$350 to NT$380, and the drinks and desserts from NT$130 to NT$200. The afternoon tea set costs between NT$360 and NT$390, depending on your choice of desert.
The pumpkin soup is a good way to start off the meal: Rich, creamy and lightly seasoned, the taste of the pumpkin is allowed to shine through. A clear favorite among cafe regulars is the fettuccine with smoked salmon. A piquant cream sauce lightly coats the noodles, which are garnished with abundant chunks of salmon. My two friends who ordered this cleaned their plates fairly quickly.
The vegetable curry is also recommended, although with the caveat that this is a Japanese-style curry. Personally I prefer a bit more bite, but obviously this dish is designed to curry favor with those whose tastebuds are not so bold.
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